News and Miscellany

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 16, 1911

News and Miscellany

Notes and clippings from the daily and weekly press

— With the collapse of a pier at Auburn, Cal., fifty men were carried into the water and sixteen drowned. A large number were injured.

— Fire which destroyed the powder factory at Chehalis, Wash., November 1, caused the death of several young women employed in the factory. Others were seriously injured.

— It is claimed that large and valuable potash deposits have been discovered in Maryland, and that a company has been organized with a capital of $10,000,000 for developing the same.

— Maine retains constitutional prohibition. Governor Plaisted and his council, November 6, decided to accept the corrections in the vote of four towns, cast in the special elections in September, thus reversing the result as indicated on the face of the first official returns.

— The Chamber of Commerce of Washington has secured the holding of thirty-two conventions in the capital city during 1912.

— Up to July 1, President Taft had granted pardons of different kinds in 448 cases. President Roosevelt was in the White House six full fiscal years, and ten months of the fiscal year of 1902 and eight months of the fiscal year of 1909. During that time he extended executive clemency in 978 cases.

— Complete control of all the railroads of the country by the Interstate Commerce Commission, and virtual elimination of the State commissions from such control, is foreshadowed in an opinion handed down recently by the Supreme Court of the United States. The court held that hereafter all locomotives, cars, or other equipment used on any railroad which is a highway of interstate commerce must comply with the federal safety appliance act. The ruling was unanimous.

— The government has entered suit to compel the dissolution of the United States Steel Corporation, otherwise known as the steel trust. This action is unquestionably the most momentous yet undertaken in the effort to enforce the provisions of the Sherman antitrust law. No less than thirty-seven companies are named in the bill. The bill, which is very lengthy, is a severe arraignment of the manner in which the steel trust was organized, and of its methods in securing domination of every phase of the steel business.

— The so-called “list of immortals” of the United States biological survey—a roster kept by that bureau of all hunting fatalities in this country—already this year has had added to it forty-seven names. From this information the bureau hopes, after a few years, to be able to deduce general principles which will be of value in framing “life-saving” federal and State game laws. In proportion to its population the United States leads the world in the number of hunters within its borders. Unfortunately, it also leads in the proportion of fatal hunting accidents. There are five times more interest in game laws in this country than in any other country. We estimate that there are almost 5,000,000 American hunters. In several of the Western States the hunters constitute fully thirteen per cent of the population.

— The conflict between Turkey and Italy promises to be a tedious one. The occupation of Tripoli by the Italian forces has been met with greater resistance than formerly on the part of Turkey. It is probable that the Italian advance will be more resolutely contested from this time forward. One thing that has hindered Turkey in her defense is her weak navy. With the inauguration of the new régime under the Young Turks, earnest efforts have been put forth for the increase of the national navy. This has progressed very slowly, however, and the present outbreak finds Turkey illy prepared for war over the seas. Evidently she has not yet given up the hope of intervention on the part of the great powers. European governments, also the United States, have been approached during the last few days in an effort to secure their help in dealing with the alleged barbarities practised by the Italian forces in Tripoli. It is probable that the United States as well as the European powers, will not deem it expedient to take any hand in the settlement of the war, aside from acting as peace agents when the time is reached where these propositions can be presented with a promise of acceptance. Under date of November 4, King Victor Emmanuel, of Italy, has promulgated a decree declaring Tripoli and Cyrenaica “placed under full and entire sovereignty of Italy.” The decree will be submitted to parliament for transformation into a law. It is hoped by Italy that this will have an influence in bringing an end to the war, inasmuch as it will give the population of this territory to understand definitely that they are citizens of Italy, and that Italy will maintain the occupation of that territory. The decree states also that a peace treaty in the future must be formulated upon this basis, and with this recognition on the part of Turkey, in order that the cause of serious differences in the future may be largely eliminated. The latest reports claim that the outposts of Tripoli have again been taken by the Turks, and that in their fierce onslaught 500 Italians were killed, and 18 guns and a large quantity of ammunition and provisions were captured. With a strict censorship exercised over all despatches, it is difficult to obtain a clear view of the exact situation.

— In endeavoring to secure a corner on wheat, a large brokerage firm in Chicago went to the wall last week, with a loss of $3,150,000.

— Near St. Louis, Canada, November 3, four children were drowned by breaking through the thin ice of a creek over which they were riding in a sleigh drawn by dogs.

— A fire, resulting from an electric spark, caused the burning of twenty-four automobiles and a considerable amount of other property in Washington, D. C., November 3.

— More than a million immigrants came into the United States in 1910, and 300,000 of them registered their previous occupation as farmers or farm laborers. Yet of this 300,000 less than 50,000 seem to have found their way to the great agricultural States. Many of these men who can till the soil drift into city cellars and hovels, from which they emerge to pick up odd jobs.

— The recent treaty between France and Germany, over affairs in Morocco, is regarded with great disfavor by the German people. There is much criticism of the government, and in consequence the secretary of state has resigned. It is felt that the treaty offers every advantage to France in the development of Morocco, with little if any advantage to Germany as a result of the long controversy.

— Last Sunday 10,000 Bibles were distributed in the hotels of Boston, Mass. Ten automobiles and 400 men were employed in the distribution. Bibles were placed in each room of several hotels in the city. This work was done by the Gideons, a world-wide organization composed almost exclusively of traveling men. They will endeavor to do a similar work of Bible distribution in each large city in the country.

— A new era in the history of Mexico definitely opened on November 6, when Francisco I. Madero took the oath of office as president of that republic. His message states, “I want to see American energy, brains, and capital come to Mexico and assist its development and progress.” Immigrants are assured that “industry, economy, and respect for law” will prevail under the new government.

— Vaccination against typhoid fever is to be urged upon all of the 13,500 employees of the Department of Agriculture, in accordance with a recommendation to that effect approved by Secretary of Agriculture Wilson. A committee, which he recently appointed to consider the subject, declared itself in favor of vaccination. Of the 11,000 employees of the department outside of Washington, a considerable number (probably one half, it is estimated) are engaged in traveling, at least during a portion of the year. It is to protect them from the danger of impure water that the vaccination was recommended. Much typhoid fever has been reported among the field workers, twenty-eight cases and five deaths in one bureau occurring during the past ten years. Plans to institute a wholesale vaccination crusade among the employees of other departments are under consideration.

— The New York Legislature has recently passed a law making it a misdemeanor to put up advertising signs in public highways, and expressly exempting from punishment persons who removed signs so placed. On the very dawn of the day when the law went into effect, the roads in the neighborhood of New York City were scenes of the sport of many bands of lawful destroyers. Telephone- and telegraph-poles, trees and lamp-posts, were cleared of bills, tin signs, and boards extolling the merits of various brands of breakfast food, soap, toilet powder, and cigars.

— The number of young men sent to America this year by the Chinese government, to be educated out of the indemnity fund paid back to China by the United States, is seventy-three. This is the third deputation which has been sent in as many years. The majority of them have been placed in the larger universities of the Eastern States. Upon arrival at the San Francisco coast, the young men were met by delegates from Young Men’s Christian Associations, who had previously sent them a wireless a thousand miles at sea that they would do so. Reception and dinner followed, and the train taking them eastward carried good things to eat, the gifts of the coast association men. At Chicago a similar reception was given, and associations in all the universities have extended to them an association welcome. They were selected on scholarships, not on wealth or family, and they wear Western dress, without queues.

— Affairs in China have continued to grow more and more critical. In spite of the efforts that have been made by the imperial government to stem the tide of revolution, it has continued to increase in power. At the present writing the capitals of nine large provinces are in the hands of the republicans. The provinces north of the Yangtse are making declarations for a republic. Fully one half of China is now under insurgent rule, and it is believed to be only a matter of days when Peking itself will be in the hands of the insurgents. In a vain effort to appease the people, and still maintain its existence, the Manchu dynasty has promised all manner of reforms, but apparently without results. The foreign legations in Peking see no hope of saving the ruling dynasty. It is practically overthrown, and the creation of a republic is believed to be assured. Shanghai, which is under the control of the insurgent forces, has been chosen as the seat of government by the revolutionary party. Dr. Wu Ting Fang, formerly minister to the United States, has been appointed director of foreign affairs in the new reform government. It has been believed that the imperial court would take refuge in the province of Chili, 125 miles northwest of Peking, the route to which has been continually guarded by imperial soldiers. This province, however, is now affected by the spirit of revolution, and this anticipated refuge is considered unsafe. There has been comparatively little riot and pillaging on the part of the insurgents. Order has been restored and maintained in the subjugated territory. This is accounted for from the fact that the uprising is a popular one, and the insurgent army has been thus far generally welcome.