Current Mention

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Jun 29, 1905

— Inhabitants in the vicinity of Mt. Vesuvius, Italy, have been warned to leave their homes on account of a sudden display of extraordinary activity by the volcano.

— An open switch caused the wreck of a fast passenger-train on the Lake Shore Railway at Mentor, Ohio, June 21. Twenty-one persons were killed. It is believed that the opened switch was the work of a criminal.

— A recent telegram from Rome says that “the frequent rumor that the pope is to break the tradition that he is a prisoner in the Vatican is apparently about to become a fact. His physicians have recommended that, owing to the condition of his health, he spend the summer at Castle Gandolfo.”

— The outlook for peace between Russia and Japan appears less bright than it was a few days ago, a break having come in the negotiations, and hopes of an armistice which would prevent another great battle in Manchuria have nearly vanished. It is stated that Japan has doubts of Russia’s sincerity, and wishes assurances on this point before entering upon definite negotiations.

— The closing up of the business of a prominent Philadelphia broker, following his decease a few weeks ago, revealed that he had by means of forged certificates of stock in “gilt edged” securities, obtained loans from banks and trust companies to the extent of from $750,000 to $1,000,000, nearly all of which will be a loss to the institutions defrauded. Such incidents are becoming quite characteristic of the times.

— According to dispatches from Tientsin, the movement of Chinese merchants to boycott goods manufactured in the United States continues to grow. It is stated that “two hundred members of the Commercial Guild, connected with seventeen provinces, have signed an agreement by which they enter into mutual bond providing that any member reported to have been a purchaser of American foods shall pay a fine of 50,000 taels ($35,000).” A telegram from Vancouver, British Columbia, states that Chinese in that country are joining in the movement. It says that “the Canadian Chinese Empire Reform Association, the British Columbia Chinese Merchants’ Guild, and the British Columbia Chinese board of trade met to-night and indorsed the propaganda of the Canton and Shanghai merchants proposing to boycott the United States for the Chinese immigration restriction. They also indorsed the plan outlined to start flour mills in British Columbia with Chinese capital and under Chinese control to supply the Chinese markets.”

— An important decision affecting the legal standing of non-union workmen has been rendered by the Massachusetts Supreme Court. A non-union workman in a Haverhill shoe factory was discharged at the instance of a leader in the Boot and Shoe Makers’ Union, and sued to recover damages. The union set up the charge of unfair competition in defense of its action, but the court held that this did not constitute a good defense, and awarded the plaintiff damages to the amount of $1,500. The court held that the attempt to force all laborers to combine in unions is against the policy of the law because it aims at a monopoly of the labor market, and said: “We have no desire to put obstacles in the way of employees who are seeking by combination to better conditions for themselves and their families. We only say that under correct rules of law and with a proper regard for the rights of individuals, labor unions can not be permitted to drive men out of employment because they choose to work independently.”

— Dispatches from Warsaw, Moscow, and Lodz, tell of great disorders and conflicts between the troops and mobs of revolutionists and striking workmen, in which hundreds have been killed and wounded. At Lodz the strikers erected strong barricades in the streets, and fired upon the troops as the latter attempted to remove them. From one hundred to two hundred persons were killed at Lodz. “The city resembles a shambles,” says a dispatch dated June 24, “and the terrible scenes of the last two days will never be wiped from the memory of the Polish people.” Rioting began in Warsaw June 24, with a general strike of workmen, ordered by the social revolutionary committee. All the street railways save on a few main thoroughfares were stopped, all shops were closed, and the newspapers suspended publication. The revolutionary movement appears to be becoming general throughout Poland.