p. 22 | Current Mention

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Feb 16, 1905

Current Mention

—The Birmingham, Ala., powder mills exploded in the early morning of February 10, and several lives are reported lost by the disaster.

—Assassination has found another prominent victim in Europe, in the person of the procurator-general of Finland, Soisalon Soininen, who was shot February 6 by a young man who called at his residence in the guise of an officer of the Russian army.

—The military revolt in Argentina has been suppressed, according to news from Buenos Ayres, which states that the government has the situation well in hand. Order has been restored in that city, and troops have been sent to suppress disturbances in Mendoza and Cordoba.

—The Sunday law is to be rigorously enforced in Valparaiso, Ind. A press telegram dated February 3 says: “Mayor Spooner has issued a proclamation, duly attested by the signature of the chief of police, calling for the cessation of all secular work within the limits of this city the coming Sunday. The mayor has ordered saloons, drug stores, hotels, bakeries, milk depots, news stands, railway ticket offices, telephone offices, hack offices, and every other business establishment to cease business. The only exception to the sweeping order are works of charity and necessity.”

—It is probable that two new States will soon be added to the Union, the statehood bill having now passed the Senate in this form, and needing only the approval of the House to become law. Oklahoma and Indian Territory combined will be one of the new States, and New Mexico will be the other. An effort to combine New Mexico and Arizona into one State failed by a narrow margin of votes. The bill which now goes to the House is one formerly passed in the latter body, but amended in the Senate, one of the amendments imposing prohibition in the new State of Oklahoma. In connection with the discussion of this bill the proposition for a division of Texas into several smaller States was declined against by Senator Bailey, and the opinion now seems to be that the long-expected division of the gigantic Lone Star State will never occur.

—Affairs in the Russian empire continue to be in a state of great perturbation. The disturbances in Russian Poland increased until three more provinces in that country were placed under martial law. The strikes there extended to the great coal-mines and sugar factories. At Warsaw seven of a riotous body of strikers were shot by the troops. The situation at Lodz became very critical, and there were fresh strikes in St. Petersburg. Riotous strikers in several cities of Poland were fired on by the troops, and great loss of life is reported, including 150 near Modrzeff, 50 at Sosnovice, and 15 at Radom. Meanwhile rumors of movements to end the war have become frequent, one influence of this character coming from the Russian nobility, who are reported to have urged the czar to make terms with Japan. It is reported that Emperor William also gave the czar similar advice. Much interest has attached also to conferences of foreign diplomats in Washington with Secretary Hay, and it is surmised that England and the United States are preparing to act in unison to prevent too great disturbance of China’s territorial integrity and to maintain the “open door” to trade in that country when terms of peace are drawn up between the belligerents. News from the seat of war reports the resignation and retirement of General Gripenberg, who recently came to the front and was defeated in a severe battle with the Japanese, owing to which he became involved in a quarrel with the Russian commander-in-chief.

—The work of separating church and state in France goes steadily forward. A Paris dispatch dated February 9 says: “The Rouvier ministry to-day presented in the Chamber of Deputies the draft of a new bill for the separation of church and state. This measure has been anxiously awaited, owing to doubt raised by friends of former Premier Combes concerning the sincerity of the new ministry in carrying forward the policy of separation. When, therefore, Minister-of-Public-Instruction Bienvenu Martin presented the bill in the Chamber of Deputies, it was greeted with long applause. The text of the new measure makes the separation of church and state definite and conclusive, but omits a number of details of the Combes bill which has aroused antagonism. The essential points of the new measure are: First, abolition of the concordat, whereby the relations of church and state were established. Second, termination of all government aid and subsidies to religious sects or functionaries. Third, formation of church associations into civil corporations, amenable to the same laws as other organizations. The bill comprises thirty-two articles, and the text of Article 1 as follows: ‘The state henceforth neither recognizes nor contributes to any religious denomination. Public establishments of religion now existing are suppressed. All religious budgets of appropriations of government departments or communes are suppressed. The exercise of religion is hereafter free, under the sole restriction that that exercise must accord with public order.’ The article abolishing the concordat says: ‘All laws and orders relative to the public organization or recognition of a religious denomination are abrogated, particularly the law ratifying the convention made between the pope and the French government.’ . . . It is expected that the bill will be discussed and voted upon before the end of July.”