Current Mention

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · Apr 1, 1909

— The Persian rebels continue to win over the troops of the shah, and it is reported that the capital of the province of Fars is also in the hands of the rebels.

— Agents of many different manufacturing and industrial interests are now in Washington, presenting their objections to certain phases of the proposed tariff law.

— A tornado swept over a portion of Wise County, Texas, on March 24, resulting in the death of twelve persons, and the serious injury of a number of others, while a large amount of property was destroyed.

— During the fall and winter season of 1908-09 eighty-nine vessels were lost on the Atlantic Coast, the financial loss of which amounted to three million dollars. In the wrecking of these vessels, two hundred twenty-one persons lost their lives.

— Two delegations from Porto Rico are now in Washington to lay the grievances of their island before the American government. One of these delegations is from the upper house and the other from the lower, and they hold views as to the island’s welfare that are diametrically opposed to each other. The members of the upper house are appointed by the President of the United States, while the members of the lower house are elected by the people, and these two bodies for months have been in a complete deadlock in legislative affairs.

— On March 23 Ex-President Roosevelt sailed from New York on board the steamer “Hamburg” for his South African hunting trip. He was given an enthusiastic farewell by the people, and forts Hamilton and Wadsworth fired a president’s salute of twenty-one guns. It is planned that the trip will occupy fifteen months.

— The officials of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad have adopted a definite rule to the effect that any employee who enters a saloon, either while on duty or off duty, loses his position with the company, and the company will not reopen cases of dismissal when the cause for dismissal is failure to observe this rule.

— A report from Berlin, Germany, states that the great air-ship constructed by Count Zeppelin, made a flight on March 20, carrying twenty-six passengers. This is the greatest success ever achieved by any air-ship in the matter of carrying passengers. The flight covered one hundred fifty miles, and the balloon was in the air four hours.

— Lieut. Ernest H. Shackleton, of the British navy, who left his permanent quarters in the South Polar regions last autumn for a dash for the south pole, has returned, having gone to within 111 miles of the pole. He found the south magnetic pole, discovered eight mountain chains, surveyed one hundred mountains, ascended Mount Erebus, a volcano 13,120 feet high, and disproved the theory that there is an area of atmospheric calm surrounding the pole. He encountered almost continuous blizzards and a practically continuous temperature of seventy degrees of frost.

— The great French strike, which practically isolated Paris from the rest of the world for a week, and tied up a number of industries in other parts of France, came to an end on March 21. The government has yielded to the strikers in some of the details, but their demand for the dismissal of the official having in charge the postal system was not granted.

— Representatives of the four civilized nations of Indians in Oklahoma have recently been in Washington to lay before the Department of the Interior charges against unscrupulous land-grabbers, who, through the use of poisoned whisky, are obtaining possession of the land owned by many of the younger Indians in that State. This poisoned liquor in many instances cited has caused the death of those who have imbibed it.

— The present indications are that as a result of the suggestions of the Bureau of American Republics, the presidents of the five Central American States will meet for a general discussion of ways and means for living up to the letter and spirit of the peace pact signed at Washington, thus removing all cause for intervention by either Mexico or the United States. It is expected that the meeting will take place on some American vessel, in neutral waters.

— The police commissioner of New York has been endeavoring to get an appropriation of $100,000 to enable him to so strengthen the secret service of the city that it will be able to deal successfully with the Black Hand Society. The refusal of the board of aldermen to grant the appropriation has induced the commissioner to make the following statement in reference to conditions in that city: “This job of police commissioner, for example, would be a regular gold-mine to a dishonest official. If it were put up at auction to the highest bidder, a man could well afford to pay one million dollars for a year’s opportunity to accept what the criminal classes would be only too glad to offer him.” He stated that he had been definitely offered a bribe of six hundred thousand dollars to protect certain criminal interests, and this protection would have been of an entirely negative character. All they wanted was to be let alone in the prosecution of their wicked business.

— On March 19, the son of J. P. Whitla, of Sharon, Pa., was kidnapped, taken to Cleveland, Ohio, and held for a ransom of $10,000, the kidnappers threatening that in case the money was not paid within a certain time, the parents would never see their child again. The kidnappers’ communication also contained a veiled threat against the child’s life. Mr. Whitla, following the instructions of the kidnappers, paid over the money and within a few hours was in possession of his child. Soon after, the kidnappers, a man and woman, were captured with the money in their possession, and identified by the child as the persons responsible for his abduction. The prominence given to this case might cause one to feel that cases of child-stealing were somewhat rare; but this is far from true. The disappearance of children in some such manner is of almost daily occurrence. Another child abducted about the time that Willie Whitla disappeared has not been found.