Census Report on Population
The final census report on the population by sex, general nativity, and color, of the several States and Territories was issued at Washington on October 12. According to this report, the males exceed the females by 1,815,097, the per cent. of males being 51.2, and of females 48.8. The census further shows that the population consisted of 65,843,300 native-born persons and 10,450,085 of foreign birth. The total number of colored persons in the States and Territories amounted to 9,312,585. There has not been as great an increase proportionately among the colored population as among the white. Following closely on the heels of the total destruction of the British torpedo-boat destroyer Cobra, and the loss of the greater part of her crew, comes the report that another vessel of the same type, the Crane, narrowly escaped the same fate. The Cobra broke in two in the middle and went down. The Crane began to buckle amidships, and only by a prompt return to the harbor was a second disaster of this kind avoided. The occurrence is of interest as showing the frail construction of these dangerous craft, in which men's lives are put in jeopardy in the great race for military supremacy. A cable to the New York Sun from Vienna states that despite the czar's visit to France recently, the Russian Government has been unable to secure a loan in France. It states further that Russia is urgently in need of $125,000,000 for immediate requirements. Russia will try to obtain the loan either of British or American financiers. It is supposed that Russia needs the funds to complete the Siberian railroad, and that she is desirous of finishing this road at the earliest possible moment in view of possible developments in the Orient. A Turkish officer was captured in Algeria a few days ago who had papers in his possession showing that he had been commissioned by the Turkish minister of war to foment an uprising in Southern Algeria against the French, in case of hostilities between France and Turkey. Further investigations showed that this officer was only one of several who were to make trouble for the French in Algeria in case of war. As the Algerians are Mohammedans, this would not have been a difficult task for the Turkish officers to accomplish. A cable to the New York World from Berlin states that the open-air treatment for consumption is astonishingly successful in Germany. Out of 142 attested cases in Hanover, 121 are pronounced cured; in Saxony out of 98 patients 60 are cured; while in Baden, where the treatment is given in what is called the Black Forest, 205 cases have been cured out of 240 patients. Leaflets describing the best method of treating this disease are distributed wholesale by the government. War has been declared between the beet sugar and cane sugar interests of the United States. The great sugar trust intends making common cause with the Cuban sugar-raisers against the beet-sugar interests of the Western States, and the trust will declare a reduction in the price of sugar in order to force the beet-sugar interests out of the market. It is understood that the battle is to be carried into Congress. Prince Ching has protested to the representatives of the powers in China against the presence of foreign merchants in Peking, as Peking is not a treaty port, and asks the foreign ministers to remove these merchants to the treaty ports. The ministers have called a meeting to consider this demand. There bids fair to be a heated controversy, if not a war, between the States of Bolivia and Peru over the possession of rich mining property near the border line of the two states. The mines are on territory previously considered as belonging to Peru. The issue is now in the diplomatic stage. Judge Morris of the United States Circuit Court, at Baltimore, has handed down his decision in the Russian sugar bounty case, in which he upholds the action of the collector in levying a bounty of 70 cents per 100 pounds on sugar imported into this country from Russia. For the purpose of combating German influence in Asiatic Turkey, Russia is backing a wealthy syndicate of Russian and Belgian financiers who are demanding from Turkey important concessions in Asiatic Turkey, the Holy Land, and Arabia. Three French aeronauts and a lieutenant started on a balloon voyage across the Mediterranean on October 13 for the purpose of testing the practicability of the balloon in crossing that sea in time of war. They expect to land in Algeria. A large quantity of school books designed for the Philippine Island schools have been seized by government inspectors because they contain pictures of American coins. The matter is to be referred to Secretary Gage for final decision. The British steamer Quito was fired upon by Colombian rebels at Tumaco, on September 28, and some damage was done by the shots. The British war-ship Icarus has sailed for the scene of the trouble. On October 13 the Chinese plenipotentiaries performed their last official act, and forwarded to the foreign diplomatic corps a bond for the indemnity of 450,000,000 taels. On the night of October 7 a submarine earthquake caused a tidal wave eight feet high all along the west coast of Nicaragua. The new ameer of Afghanistan has declared his friendship for England. Reports from Russia state that there is sure to be an uprising in Afghanistan, due to the claims of the fourth son of the late ameer. These reports also state that Russia has ordered large reinforcements along the frontier to be in readiness, if necessary, to seize Herat. Such an act as this would be likely to lead at once to hostilities with England. In order to maintain his standing with European nations, the new ameer has appointed a special guard for each European in Kabul, directing that the guards shall answer with their lives for the safety of their charges. Miss Ellen M. Stone, the captured missionary, is still in the hands of the brigands who kidnapped her. The sum demanded as her ransom has not yet been raised, tho a considerable portion of it has been made up. The American minister to Turkey requested that the troops who had surrounded the bandits should be withdrawn, fearing that Miss Stone's life would be taken by the brigands if the pursuit were pressed further. An attempt is being made to enter into negotiations with the abductors to reduce the sum demanded for her release. A clash has occurred between Germans and Venezuelans at Port Cabella, Venezuela. The Germans from the cruiser Vineta were compelled to take refuge on a German vessel lying at the wharf, and were reinforced by a boatload of marines from the Vineta. Venezuela regards this as an invasion of her territory and has demanded an apology. Germany refuses to apologize, and indicates that she may call upon Venezuela to apologize for the attack on the Germans. Lorenzo Snow, fifth president of the Mormon Church, died at his home in Salt Lake City, on October 10, at the age of 87 years. During his life president Snow was the husband of nine wives and the father of forty-three children. The office of president of the Mormon Church now falls to Joseph F. Smith, whose office hitherto has been president of the twelve apostles. The new president was a polygamist, with three wives. Commandant Scheeper, a prominent Boer leader, has been captured by the British; but the net which had been thrown around General Botha was not strong enough to hold him. His force is supposed to have broken up into small companies in order to avoid the British. All Cape Colony has now been declared under martial law. Johann Most, the Anarchist editor and lecturer, has been sentenced to one year's imprisonment in New York penitentiary, for publishing in his paper, the Freiheit, an alleged seditious article on the day following the shooting of President McKinley. The article was entitled “Murder against Murder.” The American Federation of Labor, the International Typographical Union, and Typographical Union No. 6, of New York declared, some time ago, a boycott against the New York Sun. The Illinois State Federation of Labor has now joined the boycott against that paper. The plan of the large railroad companies of the country to abolish all passes after December 31 has been brought to naught by the stand taken by the smaller roads. When the vote was taken on the matter, the majority against abolishing the passes was decisive. A report from London states that a new advance has been achieved in wireless telegraphy. According to the report, Professor Marconi has succeeded in transmitting messages 350 miles, which is much farther than the greatest distance hitherto reported. It is reported that the question of the right of the government to give permission to land a cable in the Philippine Islands is more complicated than was at first supposed, and that the whole matter will be left to Congress to decide. Reports from Nome, Alaska, state that a veritable reign of terror is now going on there. Men and women are beaten and robbed in daylight, and the robbing of sluice boxes and business houses is going on continually. The United States transport Kilpatrick arrived in San Francisco harbor on October 12, bringing 908 men of the Eighteenth Regular Infantry, and a number of military prisoners and soldiers from other regiments. One of the great guns of the new battle-ship Alabama was practically destroyed during a powder test recently. The expense to the government of repairing this one gun is estimated at $100,000. The Post Office Department has decided to place the late President McKinley's head on the new issue of postal cards which will appear shortly after December 1 next. The Turkish Government has at last granted the American consul at Harpoot the necessary official papers, which she had so long withheld. It is announced that the government of Kongo Free State, Africa, has decided to build 800 miles of railway in that part of Africa. It is reported that the crops of wheat and corn in the Middle States will be larger this year than ever before. The final estimate of the French budget shows a deficit of $10,000,000.