p. 22 | Current Mention

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Apr 5, 1906

Current Mention

— Magistrate Mayo, of New York City, has rendered a decision on the question of Sunday concerts, holding that such concerts are legal in that city.

— A Peking dispatch states that the Board of Education is taking action to stop the Chinese practise of foot binding there, by prohibiting the sale of small shoes.

— Rear-Admiral Geo. C. Remey of the United States navy is quoted as saying that he regards a war with Germany as imminent, for which reason the United States should not slacken the work of increasing its navy.

— Agrarian disorders have broken out in several districts of Russia, and troops with machine guns are being used to quell the uprisings. Many Jews are fleeing from Kieff, alarmed at reports of a Jewish massacre said to be planned for Easter.

— It is announced at Washington that the United States will build a great battle-ship to cost about $10,000,000, which will excel in size and fighting capacity the great recently launched “Dreadnaught,” of the British navy, which has already become famous because of its vast superiority over any other fighting craft in existence.

— District-Attorney Jerome, of New York, is making a test of the question whether an insurance company can, without committing a crime, make a contribution of the policy-holders’ money to a political party for campaign purposes. The former vice-president of the New York Life Insurance Company, George W. Perkins, is technically under arrest, charged with the responsibility of a campaign contribution of $48,500 to the Republican party in 1904.

— The Ohio Legislature has voted to raise the liquor saloon license in that State to $1,000, the license hitherto having been but $350. Great excitement attended the contest over the matter. The liquor dealers say the effect of this action will be to drive about half the saloons in Ohio out of business. The other half, however, will undoubtedly flourish, and will be quite able to supply the demand for intoxicating drinks, and keep up the march of the long procession of men going to drunkards’ graves.

— Attorney-General Hadley, of Missouri, believes he has won his fight to oust the Standard Oil Company from the State of Missouri. The evidence which he has gathered from compulsory testimony given by Standard Oil officials will be submitted to the Missouri Supreme Court, which he believes will give a decision revoking the licenses of several oil companies which are identified with the oil trust, so that they will be prohibited from doing business in that State. Should this effort of the attorney-general prove successful, similar actions would be likely to follow in other States.

— A dispatch from Rome states that Archbishop Ireland “has been intrusted with the mission of settling the Philippine question as between the United States and the Vatican, especially with regard to the payment of indemnity for church property.” If Archbishop Ireland has been selected by the United States for such a purpose, the latter has simply played into the hands of Rome, for it is a case of Rome negotiating with Rome for the settlement of a question involving Rome’s interests, and what but a decision wholly favorable to Rome can be expected? The worst feature of the case, however, would be the selection of a Catholic to represent a Protestant and republican government in negotiations with the Vatican. This in itself is a substantial victory for the papacy.

— The anticipated great coal strike covering both the bituminous and anthracite mining fields is announced to begin April 2. The strike in the bituminous fields, however, will be only partial, and according to present indications will not be of long continuance. The United Mine Workers have on hand a strike fund of $3,000,000. About 18,000,000 tons of anthracite coal and 5,000,000 tons of bituminous coal are said to be stored in anticipation of the strike. The yearly coal production at the present time is about 290,500,000 tons of bituminous coal and 80,000,000 tons of anthracite coal. The average daily winter consumption of coal is, bituminous, 1,000,000 tons, and anthracite, 250,000 tons.