Florida Harbor, Texas Schools, and Banking
By Editor
"The National Tribune," the Grand Army organ of Washington, D. C., sends out a good map of Florida to its subscribers, and advocates a new harbor and city in Western Florida, on the Gulf of Mexico, said to be "the finest, largest protected deep-water harbor on the gulf, and the shortest route from any such harbor to the Panama Canal." This harbor is on St. Andrews Bay, at Lynn Haven, the suggested new name for which is Panama City. The G. A. R. people are building a strong colony there. The climate and environments are said to be excellent. It is troubled with neither mosquitoes nor high temperature. The Government is improving the harbor. The State of Texas claims the greatest progress in the erection and equipment of educational buildings. Its total number last year was 770, an average of two every day; 643 of these were in common school districts; the average cost $3,340 to a building; and during the same year the people expended for school furniture, apparatus, and libraries, $2,026,230; for the repair of schoolhouses already erected $691,899; and nearly $150,000 for the purchase of school sites. The Bankers' Trust Company, controlled by Mr. J. P. Morgan, has bought the Equitable Life Insurance Society's holdings in the Mercantile Trust Company. It means a transfer of $72,000,000 in assets into the aggregate of the banks under the control of J. P. Morgan & Co. The banks under his domination have an aggregate capital exceeding $1,100,000,000, by the means of which Mr. Morgan and his henchmen can control the money of the United States. Mexico's troubles are not over, by any means. On September 3, five men were killed and sixteen wounded, and Gen. Bernardo Reyes, candidate for the presidency against Francisco Madero, was stormed and forcibly robbed of 3,000 pesos by a mob of Maderistos in the principal thorofare of the capital. Madero has expressed his regrets. It may be found that Diaz understood the Mexican people, and knew better than some of his would-be successors. It was an astonishing outbreak of mob violence in Wales the other day against the Jews. In various cities, in towns and villages, the Hebrews were attacked in their own houses and brutally beaten. It was not unlike outbreaks in Austria and Russia. But it shocked the best citizens, and was speedily put down by the authorities. A few, a very few Jews seem to have been cruel landlords; but what excuse was this for attacking a race? A despatch from New York reports that as the result of eating toadstools picked and cooked under the belief that they were mushrooms, three persons are dead in the Fordham Hospital, one more is dying, and the condition of five others is serious. It seems to be the old story: "If it is a mushroom you survive; if it is a toadstool you die." It would be worth while to discard the fungous growth as an edible in all cases. A despatch from Minneapolis dated September 2 declares that a palatial gambling house, patronized exclusively by women in the high walks of life and operated by a woman, has been in operation for many weeks, according to the police. Complaints were made by husbands that their wives were losing money, and the woman operator was summoned by the police, she agreeing to suspend, if not prosecuted. There are many people in the country who are disappointed because the duty on wool was not reduced, and because the farmers' free list bill did not pass. Many thought these would naturally follow Canadian reciprocity, and would be of decided help to wage-earners and to the poor of the country. Experts acting under the Department of Agriculture have recently reported that the increased cost of food products in the retail markets does not in any wise help the farmers. In general, the farmers receive less for their investment than they did years ago. The huge battle-ship recently launched at Quincy, Massachusetts, for the navy of the Argentine Republic, is the largest war craft afloat in the world. It is called the Rivadavia. Italy is suffering greatly from cholera. Hundreds have already fallen victims, and new cases are constantly developing.