p. 14 | Domestic | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, Cal. · May 31, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 22.

Domestic

Domestic.—The ninth annual reunion of the United Confederate Veterans occurred at Charleston, S. C., on May 10. Over 25,000 Confederate soldiers were in attendance......The Illinois Senate Committee on food adulterations reports a large and indiscriminate use of deleterious and dangerous preserving substances used in foods placed upon the market. The work of the committee shows that this condition of preserved foods is general throughout the country.

.....Prof. S. P. Langley, of the Smithsonian Institute, has made another test of his aerodrome, or flying machine. The aerodrome made an upward flight of 500 feet and a horizontal flight of 800 feet; but the experiment was not as successful as that of last year, in which a smaller machine was used. This is the invention for which the Ordnance Board of the War Department made an appropriation of $25,000......Admiral Dewey sailed from Manila for Hongkong on his way home, May 20. The vessel will be docked and overhauled at Hongkong, and will proceed through the Indian Ocean, the Suez Canal, and across the Atlantic......The U. S. gunboat Wilmington entered the mouth of the Amazon River not long ago and steamed toward its source, to determine the extent to which it was navigable. The vessel proceeded into Peru to within 400 miles of the Pacific, and could have gone 300 miles farther but for lack of fuel......According to the statement of the Secretary of the Treasury, there is now in the national treasury $223,000,000 in gold, or $123,000,000 more than the legal gold reserve, and government employees are being paid in gold against their wishes, in order to get a portion of the gold in circulation......The Spanish cruiser Reina Mercedes, which was sunk in Santiago Harbor at the time the Spanish fleet attempted to escape, was raised some time ago, and on May 21 was towed into Newport News, Virginia. Great crowds gathered to view this trophy of the war.

International.—There are omens of trouble between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and troops have been sent to the frontiers......The Russian Government has issued an order prohibiting all Jews, even those from foreign countries, from remaining longer in St. Petersburg......France is preparing to give a grand reception to the Marchand expedition when it shall arrive in Paris. The report of the loss of the expedition has been proved unfounded......Instructions have been issued to the burghers in the Transvaal to be prepared for instant service in the field, and work on the fortifications is going on steadily, altho President Krueger and the governor of Cape Colony are preparing for a conference......British troops have occupied the city of Kowloon, China, disarmed the Chinese garrison, and hoisted the British flag. The city of San Chun was also occupied. Both these cities are in close proximity to Hongkong......China has given consent to Italy's occupation of San Mun Bay as a commercial port.

......The Chinese Government has replied to Russia's demand for another railway concession, stating its inability to comply with the demand; the Russian minister has, however, refused to accept the refusal, and renews the demand. Unless supported by some other power China will be forced to yield the concession. Italy, France, and Germany are equally involved in securing these valuable concessions, and England's hands are tied by the recent agreement with Russia in regard to spheres of influence.

The peace congress convened at The Hague on May 18, and has organized its working committees. Its meetings are secret, and representatives of the press are furnished with only such items as the president of the congress chooses to make known. Nothing definite has so far been accomplished, tho the discussions of the members have dealt with arbitration and the rights of merchantmen at sea.

The Trusts.—Another large trust has been formed under the name of the Republic Iron and Steel Company. It is composed of thirty-six large steel manufacturing plants......The Manufacturers Rubber Company was incorporated at Trenton, N. J., on May 11, with a capital of $6,000,000......The American Bicycle Company, a trust, has filed its articles of incorporation in New Jersey, with an authorized stock of $80,000,000. It will absorb a number of large bicycle concerns......Forty-four sash and door manufacturing firms of Chicago have combined, with a capitalization of $5,000,000......A lamp-chimney trust has been organized in Pittsburg, Penn., with a capital of $2,000,000......A plan is on foot for the monopolization of all the Chinese industries in the United States and Canada under one management, with a capital of $60,000,000, and stock in the concern is already being sold......Copperopolis, Cal., a copper mining town, has been virtually killed by the copper trust. The mines at that place have been shut down in order to limit the production and maintain the price of copper, and the town is now almost deserted......A bill has passed the Texas legislature and been signed by the governor, which prohibits, under severe penalty, any railroad company from making discrimination in freight rates in that State.

......The Senate of Michigan has passed a stringent anti-trust bill, and it is expected that it will also pass the House......By the provisions of the Texas anti-trust law, bills for goods purchased from a trust can not be collected in the State......Governor Sayers, of Texas, has announced that he will call a convention of State governors and attorney-generals for the purpose of framing an effective anti-trust bill, to be presented to the different State legislatures.

Casualties and Calamities.—A disastrous collision occurred on the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad at Exeter, Penn., on May 12, resulting in the death of twenty-nine persons. Fifty others were more or less seriously injured......A tornado occurred in the Hondo mining region, in Mexico, on May 12, in which twenty-two persons lost their lives, and a much larger number were injured......A disastrous tornado visited portions of Iowa and Ohio on May 17, destroying much property, and resulting in the death of at least eight persons, while fully a score received severe injuries......The schooner Werfa was wrecked recently off the coast of New South Wales, Australia, and all but one of her nineteen passengers were lost......The main portion of Dawson City was destroyed by fire on April 26. There are various estimates of the loss, ranging from $1,000,000 to $4,000,000......The American liner Paris went ashore on the Manacles, off the southwest coast of England, on May 21. All her passengers and crew were saved, but the big vessel is believed to be a dead loss. This is the vessel which became an auxiliary cruiser during the late war and was called the Yale......The town of Porosow, Warsaw, was destroyed by fire on May 21, and twelve persons lost their lives, while 3,000 homeless families are camping in the fields.

Religious.—The annual report of the board of managers of the American Bible Society shows that there have been distributed during the year by that society 1,386,892 copies of the Bible, more than half of which were distributed in foreign lands. Among the new issues are a Portuguese Bible, the Gospels and Acts in Spanish, and the New Testament and Psalms in the language of the Marshall Islands......There are said to be good openings for Protestant missionary work in Cuba and Porto Rico. Tho much of the population is indifferent to religion, on account of their hatred of the Spanish ecclesiastics, the field for real Gospel work is promising......The pope of Rome has solemnly approved a bull proclaiming the present year a holy year......The papal representative at The Hague, where the International peace congress is in session, has left that city by order of the pope, in view of the fact that the pope was not requested to have a representative at the congress......The London Mail has published its decision to discontinue its Sunday edition. The Mail and Telegraph recently began the issue of Sunday editions, and both offices were soon overwhelmed with protests against the innovation.

The Philippines.—The Filipino forces are reported to be badly disorganized on account of the continual pressure of the American army. Aguinaldo has retreated farther to the north with a portion of his followers, where he is being closely pursued by General Lawton. Other divisions of the Filipino army are being pressed by MacArthur and Kobbe. Another peace commission has arrived at Manila to discuss terms of peace with General Otis. The people are said to be anxious for a termination of the war on the terms of the Americans, and are flocking into the territory occupied by American troops.

Cuba.—The $3,000,000 sent by this government to pay the Cuban soldiers has not yet been distributed on account of the difficulty in inducing the Cuban troops to disarm. It is believed, however, that a compromise has been effected, and that the arms of the troops will be turned over to the Cuban mayors of the towns in which the Cuban troops are located.