Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 January 1891 — Page 6

GOV. HOVEY'S MESSAGE

"TRANSMITTED TO THE INDIANA LEGISLATURE. Thu Election Law—Fees anil Salaries— Township Trustees—Common Schools— Apportionment—Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument--The World’s Columbian Exposition. Gentlemen of the Senate and House of Representatives: As directed by the Constitution, it is my duty to give you such information as I may deem necessary in regard to the condition of the State, and to recommend such measures of legislation as I may judge expedient. THE ELECTION LAW. The act concerning elections, passed at the last session, in my opinion, contains * some valuable provisions, and some that Are very objectionable. In approving that iaw I used the following language: "Approved because it may tend to purify our elections, but I am afraid it will be found in practice, intricate, obscure and expensive. Without the enactment of a registration law, as demanded by our Constitution, our elections will remain open to corruption and fraud.” I did not. at that time, consider the question as to the constitutionality of any of its provisions, It has been seriously doubted by the Oovernors of New York and New Jersey •whether confining the elector to the'“public ballot,” and to nominations made by political parties, before the election, is constitutional. The right to vote for any man for any office in this State, whether the person voted for was nominated or not, has never been controverted from the organdy, zationof the State in|lßl6untilthe passage of the present election law, which makes the right to vote subservient to a prior selection ■or election by conventions that nominate all the candidates. The conventions must first elect or nominate the candidate, and then the elector may be permitted to vote, if he votes at all, for such candidates as have been nominated and no one else. This robs the elector of liis constitutional right, and is neither Democratic nor Republican in principal,and might leadTto very .grave consequences. Whether the objecr •tion to the “public ballot" is well taken or not, it will not be difficult to obviate it by amending the law and making the ballot free, as it always has been. If p6ssible, our elections should be made less expensive. The cost of the last is •enormous, not falling short of $300,000. The assessmentof candidates for office by political committees, which has prevailed in many States for the lust twenty years, is infamous, and it is generally believed that a large portion of the money contributed is not used for legitimate purposes. Where such practices are resorted to, few, except the wealthy, have any chance of nominations to office, as those who are unwilling or unable to pay, would seldom be selected by those who attend conventions. You can not lay your hand too heavily on such offenders, and I recommend that such practices be made criminal. The crime of bribery, and of ballot corruption, became so great in the State of New York, that on the 4th of April, 1890. the General Assclribly of that State passed a law making bribery an infamous crime, and also provided that “every candidate who is voted for at any public election held within this State, shall, within ten days after such election, file an itemized statement, showing in detail, all the money contributed or expended by him. directly or indirectly, by himself or through Any other person, in aid of his election. Such statement shall give the names of the •various persons who received such moneys, "the specific nature of each item, and the purpose for which it was expended or contributed.”

Such statement must be sworn to and the affidavit must show “ that the statement thus made is in all respects true, and .that the same is a full and detuiled statement of all moneys so contributed or expended by him, directly or indirectly, bv himself or through any other person, in aid of his election.” A failure to file such statement subjects the offender to punishment of fine, imprisonment, disfranchisement for five years, and a forfeiture of office. In our last election a great many hundreds of tickets were thrown out, and not counted,” on account of imperfect stamping by the electors. In Connecticut, the tickets are not stamped, but enclosed in a stamped envelope, with the election clerk’s initials markedupon them. It is submitted, whether this would not be an improvement on our system, and whether the cost of our elections under the present law can not be greatly •decreased.

FEES AND SALARIES. There is a great dissatisfaction by all parties and-all classes in the State in regard to our laws relating to fees and salaries. ■Some of our county officers are paid too touch, and some of our superior officers are paid too little. It looks strange to soo some of our clerks, sheriffs, auditors, and prosecuting attorneys, receiving from five to twenty thousand dollars a year, and the judges of ourcireuit courts, two thousand live hundred, and the judges of tho Supreme Court only four thousand per annum. If all salaries now paid to tho several State officers could be added to tho legal fees collected by the State and county officers, the Amount would make a fund that would liberally pay every officer in the State, and in my opinion, leave at least SIOO.OOO to bo paid into the Treasury of the State. With salaries Attached to all our offices, and tho fees paid into the treasury, there would be no inducement to colleci “constructive fees,” or more plainly speaking, there would be no inducement to carry out the wholesale extortion now practiced in some counties in the State. I earnestlyirecommend that all fee bills of officers, and all accounts against decedent’s estates shall be required to be itemized and eworn to before they are allowed by the cotirts. This reform is needed now, To allow the present office-holders to exact the exorbitant fees until their successors are elected Js but to continue this unjust burden upon the people. The law is plain. All officers take their offices with their burdens, subject to be changed by tho Legislature, except those whose salaries cannot be changed during their terms, as provided in our Constitution. Any other view of the fee and salary law is a deception and a sham. It ■will never be changed if we depend upon a sliding scale to meet the future, two and four years hence.

TOWNSHIP TUSTEES. The almost unlimited power of Township Trustees, under section 6006, R. 8. 1881, in making contracts should be curtailed. This section gives the Trustees the right to make contracts to the amount of all cash on hand, and to anticipate all taxes assessed .against his township, for the year in which the debt is contracted. I recommend that said section be amended, so that all contracts, whose aggregate amount shall be in excess of one hundred dollars, shall not be made by a Trus'ee until he procures an or■der from the Board of Commissioners of the ■county in which such-Lownship is situated, .authorizing him to m"e such contract, o , COMMON SCHOOLS. The cost of common school books has been greatly reduced, in consequence of the contract made by the State, under the -act of March 2,1889. Our common schools are now open to all classes, and only need that the text-books ■used should be made free to all pupils, as woeommended in my message to the last ■General Assembly. >• I recommend that an act be passed, to place in the hands of every pupil, rich or ipoor. free of all costs, the text-books neces«ary for use in our common schools. It Is a mockery to say that our schools are free, as long as our pupils are compelled to J»y for any part of a common school education. APPORTIONMENT. In compliance with the acts of Congress, Sdiana will be entitled to elect thirteen ambers to the House of Representatives of the United Suites, and districts will have to be established, in which such representatives are to be elected. Tho State nhontd al»o be districted, and the counties

designated, in which elections will be holden. to elect State Senators and representatives, •Our Government was established upon the fundamental principle that a rpajority should rule, and I trust such an apportionment may be made, that this great constitutional right may be fully and fairly sustained. BAILROAD COMMISSIONERS. There is a great necessity for the enactment of the law providing for the establishment of aboard of railroad commissioners for the State, who may have the general supervision of all railroads operated in the' State, with power to inquire into all questions of neglect or violation of the law by said roads, with reference to business and public safety. Such commissioners should also be authorized to make all necessary investigations, to ascertain the amount of business done by said roads, and their value for taxation. Many of the States of the Union have enacted laws on this subject*'with most beneficial results, and I commend the same to your careful consideration.

ROADS AND HIGHWAYS. There is nothing more imperatively needed in this State than good, passable roads and highways. For months, in many counties, our roads are absolutely impassable with loaded teams. This not only affects the farmer, but every town and cityin this State. It depreciates the value of lands, and causes the farmer, his hands and his teams to remain idle for many weeks in the year, and oftentimes deprives him of the best markets for his produce. Our legislators have been fully aware of the importance of this subject, and have made many efforts to remedy the evil, but so far with no great success. The labor which may be called out annually, and the amount of money paid for road taxes by the several counties, would keep our highways in a far better condition, if that labor and tax were intelligently used and expended. That the labor is not called out as it should be, and that our roads are worked by men who do not understand such labor, cannot be denied. SOLDIERS’ AND SAILORS’ MONUMENT. Owing to reasons which are fully explained by the contractor for the superstructure of the Stute Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, in the annual report of the Board of Commissioners, he has been unable to complete his work upon that structure the past year, and announces that it will probably require until the first day of next August to do so. Nothing is lost, however, from this cause, as the decorations for this great work of art require time for their conception and treatment, if they are expected to possess that merit which will give fame to Indiana as possessing the finest monument in America. It also insures greater perfection intne materials and me-' chanieal work, as can readily be seen by comparing it, as far as it has progressed, with structures of life character that have been hastened to completion without due regard to these necessary requirements in securing beauty and permanency. The Commissioners wisely determined to ad-

here to the dimensions of the original design. thus insuring a monument of such impressive grandeur that it will boeome a great attraction, and aid in bringing the most enlightened and cultured people of other lands to our State, either as tourists or for residence; and, from the first, thev have diligently sought for tho best materials and workmanship rather than attempting to complete the structure with the fund originally placed in their hands, by the employment of that which is inferior, because of its seeming cheapness. In doing this they have relied upon the intelligence, patriotism and liberality of the people to sustain them in making the monument really great, and they ought not to lie disappointed. The artistic and inventive world has had its attention drawn to this Work in an unusual degree, and if it is comoletod according to the plans of the Commissioners and with the artistic excellence which they design, it will mark a new era in the development of our State, and bo a source of pride to every citizen. The present appropriation will complete the shaft and the terrace at the base, and in that condition it Will surpass all other monuments in this country; but the fountains aqd cascades, tije great groups of "War” and “Peace,” and other statuary below ought to bo added now, and I trust there will lie no hesitancy in furnishing the necessary money. It wjould be an unwise economy to withhold iti A further sum is also required for a now pedestal on which to fittingly placo tho stutpe of tho late Governor O. P. Morton, ahd I utge that this be appropriated without delav.

THE WORLD’S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION.

Tiie World’s Columbian Exposition, or World's Fair, the buildings for which will bo dedicated at Chicago, Illinois, in October, 1892, will probably excel any exhibition of similar character to be found in tho pages of history. Great preparations are boing made by tho several States of the Union and foreign nations, to exhibit their products and live sjtock to the best advantage. To make a respectable representation of the wealth and resources of our State will require an outlay of a considerable ataount of money. The legislatures of several States are proposing to appropriate from one hundred to pne half million dollars for the" erection of and collection-of exhibits. Indiana, in hergreat wealth in mines, minerals, manufactories, agricu * c and livo stock, should not lag behind her sister States in presenting" her wonderful resources. I shall recommend bo particular amount that you should appropriate, but leave that to yopr betterjudgments,knowing that yaur great interest In the honor, pride mid advancement of our State will gilide you to the proper f ; 1 THE GETTYSBURG BATTLEFIELD ASSOCIATION. All the loyat troops Were engaged in the-'battle Gos Gettysburg, have erected monu men ta*tOTnark the position of theif troops in the battle, and haye, with'tbe exception of Indiana, purchased ihe grounds upon which they are erected. The.- monuments for the soldiers bf Indiana are .placed upon gro'lmds purchased- by other States. The Gettysburg Battlefield Association, through*€£H. John M-Vanderslico. requests an appropriation of $4,000 or $5,00(1 tp pay for the ground upon which said monuments are erected, where many of our heroic soldiers fought-andfell In defense of the Union; Money would not be spent in vain if every Held of battle, where oar armies were victorious, could be set apart with monuments as object lessons of loyalty for future state FBI son north. The Directors'' report of the Northern Prison, for the year ending October 31, 1890, shows a daily average''of • seven hundred and fifty-one prisoners, and the total receipts and earnings for the year, sllß,315.12. The Warden’s report shows there was a balance of cash in his hands Npvember, 1889,0 f $22,667.52; and on the 31st of October. W3O. ol $17,916.53.

By what authority could the Warden hold pash balances in his hands which should have been promptly paid at the end of each quarter to the Treasurer of State? The reports of the Directors and Warden elearly snow that they huve been wholly disregarding the law in the management of the financial affairs of the prison. On the 13th of July, 1889, I called'the attention of the Warden by letter and requested that his accounts should comply with the law. I have been more particular on this point from the fact that the State has been in litigation with a former Warden of the Southern Prison on a large alleged defalcation, which took place in 1887. He kept his accounts in the same way that the accounts have been kept by the Northern Prison. Under Section 6141, notone dollar of the earnings of the prison should be scent by the Warden. Every cent collected by him on the labor of the prison should be paid into the hands of the Treasurer of State. The expenses of the prison should be paid out of the moneys appropriated by the Legislature,und from no other source. The Warden has no legal right to look to, or use anv Other fund, and should confine himself within that limit.

In the report of the Board of State Charities, the Committee on Prison sand Reformatory Institutions, page 39. say: “The most serious criticism on the management of the Northern Prison arises out of what is known as the slop contract. For many years past, long before the present Warden was appointed, it has been the custom to increase the Warden’s compensation (which was justly considered to be insufficient) by giving to hint, or selling to him at a nominal price, the slop or waste food. Whitt the value of this may be is unknown; probably the popular estimate, which places it at several thousand dollars annually, is much exaggerated. The Warden, who has been asked by this Board to estimate its value, declares himself unable to do so. But whether the value be much little , the plan of giving any officer a perquisite is a very injudicious one. and this particular perquisite is especially so.” * * * "The prisoners are well aware ofjthe slop contract. They greatly over-estimate its value, and that their diet is chosen by the Warden so as to increase his profits, by giving them food which will bo largely wasted. That is to say, they (believe they are being defrauded in that which comes closer to thorn than anything else for the benefit of tho Warden. This effect on the minds of the prisoners is the chief evil of the slop contract, an evil compared with which the trifling money loss to tho State is not to be compared. This Board would recommend, as has been said in a previous part of this report, that the salaries of the principal officers of our prisons be, increased, and that perquisites of any join'd, and every kind be absolutely forbidden."' Itwilibeseen thut besides the impolicy of making such a contract with the Warden. it is emphatically forbidden by our statutes which, by Sec. 8141, R. 8. 1881, prof vide that "No contract shall be made wherein any of tlie'Directors or officers bf the Institution aro interested." I take pleasure in saying that the Bipjird of State Charities were greatly plersed with, the management of tho prison anil its inmates. and I have no doubt, in that regard, the officers are deserving of the highest commendation for the manner in Ayhich it is conducted. This, however, should not giye them a license to overlook and disregard the law, andtake upon themsfevds tho- fu 11 management ftfthe Institutfbif as” though it really belonged to them. In view of the facts, and the history of State prisons in this State. I recommend that an act be passed making it a with penalties, for the officers ■of any of our State institutions, to make contracts with each other relating to the property or business of such institutions, and also making it a misdeahor for any officer Who has the financial control or management of any institution to fail in making out his accounts according to law. Some provisions of this kind ai © imperatively demanded, as there are no penalties proscribed by the statue, and as no legal proceedings could reach such evils without great delay and expense to the State.,

PRISON SOUTH. I wrote to the Warden of the State Prison South, at the same time I wrote to the Warden of the State Prison North. Capt, Patton, tlie Warden of the Prison South.. Since thaffime, has fully complied With the law in regard to tho -earnings of : that prison, paid the same to the Treasurer of State, and has'drawn all payments' by warrants of tho Auditor from the funds appropriated bylaw for that institution.'-'-There is no financial safety- in .transacting the business of the prisons in auy other manner. , About, one thousand two hundred dollars per annum have been saved by the present. Warden from the slops of the Prison South. The salaries of the Wardens are not commensurate with their duties, responsibilities and labors, and they should receive at least $2,500 per annum. SUPREME COURT, My views have not, changed in regard to the Judiciary since my message in 1889. I then said: “Our Constitution provides that ‘justice shall be administered freely and without purchase; completely and without denial; speedily and without delay.’ Under existing laws, this high-sounding provision is an empty boast. Many cases are now ponding in the Supreme Court which were filed more Mian five years ago, and it is to be feared that some have been appealed to that court for the sole purpose of delay. This delay arises from no fault of the Judges of the Court, but from their inability to fully investigate the numerous cases which are brought before them. Ido not believe that the multiplication of Judges in tho Supreme Court would tond to tne furtherance of justice. No ease should be passed upon without tho full consideration Of every judge upon the bench. This would be impossible it the number of Judges should be greatly increased.” While the increase of tne members would increase the number of written opinions by tho Court, the consultation by many justices would delay final judgments, and probabl y result in fewer decisions. Besides, dissenting opinions, which always tend to weaken the authority of a decided case, would be far more frequent. My opinion still is, that the establishment of intermediate Appellate courts, with exclusive jurisdiction, within certain limits, with five justices, one for each of the five supreme -judicial districts, would so lessen the docket of the Supreme Court, that it could keep up with all the eases that might be appealed. These justices might itinerate, and meet at stated periods, in the respective districts, Ido not believe that twenty judges, in one court, could perform the same labor, and leave satisfactory results. STATE INSTITUTIONS. Our Benevolent. Reformatory, and Charitable institutions, and Soldiers' and Sailors’ Orphan’s Home will expect' the usual appropriations for their support and maintenance. Some of them are also requesting additional specific appropriations for various causes and desired improvements, and are asking that a sufficient provision be made to cover their respective flellcijts of tho past year. The deficits .seem to'tab to be just, and I recommend that appropriations be taAde to pay theta as soon as practicable. The reports of tho several institutions will bo' laid before you, and will more fully enable you to ectnsidervthf propriety pf granting their requests. - ,j u . . „ ; The unfortunate affair that" resulted in the death of Henry Blount, in the Insane Asylum at Richmond last October, will demand at your hands a careful investigation of the of that institution, and such action as may bo deemed just and right under the foctß ithiu may be developed. The habit of Governors visiting the various of the State has always been a mere formality*. llt is not possible in a‘ short visit of a few hours, which can .only bfe spared by* the Governor, that he and understand the wbrk-ir-giTof any iftrgb Institution. The. act establishing a boayd pf .State charities, enables that board and secretary to obtain much useful information, which is published in their reports. When more specific information is required, it might be advisable to send non-partisan committees to make thorough investigation.

In my opinion it would be far bettor for the State, and to the benefit of each institu- ; tion. if all the boards of officers who hare I the control ol the same were non-partisan. In the appointments made by me I have rigidly adhered to that rule. white' CAPS. As the Governor has neither the means nor the authority to interfere in the arrest or trial of'ihat class of criminals known as "White Caps,” iuntil the law is openly and forcibly defied, I recommend that the Board of County Commissioners be authorized to pay from the dog tax fund, in their respective counties, such sums of money as may be necessary to apprehend and bring to justice all such criminals as may be found within their respective counties. “ The Governor then called attention to the finances of the State, and said: Since 1877, a sufficient revenue has not been raised to pay the expenses of the State, and every year has added to„ our indebtedness. until to-day the State debt has reached the enormous sum of $8,540,615,12, with a still increasing indebtedness, unless some relief can be obtained by legislation, With the same system that has heretofore prevailed, w r e will still have to borrow money to sustain ohr institutions and expenses of the State, with an annual deflciet of about $500,000.80. Surely the day of borrowing for such purposes should eease. We have no right to mortgage opr future revenue, to be paid by those who may come after Us. There are various modes of raising revenue in the States, but the most simple motle has been generally adopted in this State, that of of capitation, or poll tax. tax on value on lands, and personalty, whilst in other States, different systems have prevailed. In New York, New Jersey. Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and other States, scarcely any part of the tax for State purposes, is collected on lands. The farmer is left almost untouched, and the principal State revenue is collected from corporations and railroads. In these States corporations and railroads alone will nearly average the full amount of our entire State revenue. For many years the State has only levied, fop State purposes, one dollar and twenty cents on the appraised value of one thousand dollars, whilst the counties, cities, towns, and townships have reached in some instances as high as twenty dollars on the thousand, in addition to the' State tax. making over three and one-half per cent, per annum on the value of the property assessed and taxed. • It would not be difficult to select objects ofluxury and pleasure upon which a sufficient license as tax could be easily levied to pay all the expenses of'Hiur charitable and benevolent institutions, without resorting to the hard-earned savings of our land owners and laborers. In England and several of our States, a tax on "collateral inheritances," yields very large revenues. In Pennsylvania, in 1888, the income from that source amounted to $1,378,433.71, and the tax from notaries public amounted to $9,325. In our present financial condition, you wilt be compelled to raise our taxes to at least twenty-five cents to one hundred dollars, or adopt the system of other States by raising a sufficient revenue from corporations and licenses; and as we are now paying $273,825 interest on our State debt annually, a sinking fund should be provided to liquidate our present great indebtedness. In default of these recommendations it will be necessary to pass an act, authorizing the officers of State to borrow more money for future expenses. Gentlemen, the problem is in your hands, and I trust you may find a way to solve it by just legislation. Alvin P.'Hovey,

The Library Thief.

Of all the contemptibly characters mentioned in the annals 6f crime, about the meanest is the individual Known to the police of almost every city in the world as the library thief. If you have ever visited any of the big circulating libraries of this city you have probably noticed that here* and there through many books entire pages have been either torn or cut out, entirely defacing and spoiling the volume, if the work is’an illustrated one it is the engravings in nine cases out of ten that are missing. That is the handiwork of the thief in question, and every big library in this city has suffered from the depredations of this class of criminals. 1 visited several of the big libraries in this city recently to learn something of the methods of the vaudals, and what, if any, precautions are taken to secure the books against their depredations. Whi.e waiting for the librarian of the Cooper Institute Library my attention was attracted by a tile of old newspapers, and in turning over the pages I came across many instances of the haudiwork of the thieves. When I called the attention of the official to the mutilation and stated my object in calling he said: “Yes, that is the work of the library thieves, and a meaner and more contemptible class I have never heard of. Every library in the city has suffered in the same way, and I am sorry to say that there is absolutely no way of putting an end to the vandalism except by watching every man and woman who take out books, and that, of course, is impossible. Sometimes we catch them, but very seldom, and as the work is done very quickly and generally when no one is watching them.” The clerks at several other libraries corroborated the story above. They also said that a few of the thieves are ever caugnt.— New York Telegram.

Dutch Windmills.

You scarcely can stand in Holland without seeing from one to twenty windmills. Many of them are built in the form of a two story tower, the second story being smaller than the first, with a balcony at its base from which it tapers upward until the cap-like top is reached. High up, near the roof, the great axis juts from the wall; and to this are fastened two prodigious arms, formed somewhat like ladders, bearing great sheets of'canvas, whose business is to catch the mischief maker and set him at work. These mills stand like huge giants guarding the country. Their bodies are generally of a dark red; and their heads, or roofs, are made to turn this way aud that, according to the direction of the wind. Their round eyewindow is always staring. Altogether they seem to be keeping a vigilant watch in every direction. Sometimes they stand clustered together; sometimes alone, like silent sentinels; sometimes in long rows like ranks of soldiers. You see them rising from the midst of factory buildings, by the cottages, on the polders (the polders are lakes pumped dry and turned into farms); on the wharves; by the rivers; along the canal; in the cities—every where! Holland wouldn’t be Holland without its windmills, any more than it could be Holland without its Dykes and its Dutchmen.— St. Nicholas. Perhaps the easie-t paper to edit is the wall paper. The more it is suspended the more successful the proprietor. ■ >• It is mighty hard for a politician after having had his goose cooked, to be obliged t* dine off crow.

IN AFRICAN JUNGLES.

entertaining stories about THE KING OF BEASTS. Frightened by a Bark-A Badly Battled Lion-How Little Arab Boys Had Lots of Fnn Tickling a Big Lion. Lions are less ferocious and more easily tamed than tigers. When Sir Henry Layard was at Hillah, engaged in researches amoDg the ruins of ancient Babylon, there was a lion belonging to Osman Pasha, the Turkish Governor, that used to roam through the streets and bazars of the town without molesting any one. To be sure, the animal was allowed to do as He pleased, and lived well, for when he entered a butcher’s stall to select a fine juicy joint of mutton for his dinner the owner thereof thought it expedient to clear out and leave the premises to the noble animal till he had finished his meal. He was also very partial to fish, and would go down to the riverside and there await the coming in of the fishermen’s boats, and, driving away the owners, he chose some specimens of a large kind of barbel, of which species of fish he was very fond, and ate to his heart’s content, the fishermen looking on from a respectful distance. Having satisfied his appetite, he would lie down in the sunshine and suffer the mischievous little Arab boys to pull his tail and play their pranks on him without attempting to do them any injury. This lion was of the kind known as the Babylonian lion. It has not the long, shaggy mane of the African lion, but only some short, thick locks of hair about the head and neck, exactly like some of the lions represented in the Assyrian sculptures. Lions with manes are, however, sometimes seen in Babylonia, and the Arabs say they are the old infidel lions, while the common maneless lions

Governor,

are Mahometans; and they assert that if a man falls into the power of a maneless lion he has only to remonstrate with it, and tell it that he believes in one God, and that Mahomet is his prophet. An interesting writer, in speaking of the experiences of a lion-hunter who was in the employ of a Hamburg dealer in wild animals, tells that once when he was knocked down by a lion in Western Africa, and the beast stood with its forepaws upon his body gazing at his throat with a look of anticipated pleasure, he frightened it away bv imitating the bark and growl of a dog. The startling discovery that when the lion was sure he had a man under his feet it proved to be a dog so rattled the lion that it slunk away with its tail between its legs. 4 Another writer relates the adventure of an English officer in Bengal, who was jauntily strolling through a jungle in search of a particularly ferocious tiger, whose presence had been unpleasantly made known to the live stock around the post the previous night. A tigey rifle is a rather cumbersome weapon, And was therafore packed upon his servant’s rather than upon his own shoulders, while he, with only a walking stick, skirmished in advance of the party. Suddenly there appeared, directly in the narrow pathway and only a few paces ahead, a tiger sufficiently large and ferocious-looking to furnish ample sport in the personal encounter which seemed imminent. The officer reached his left hand behind him for his rifle, while he kept his eye fixed upon the tiger, which stood with its ears laid flat upon its head and its tail lashing its sides, preparatory to the fatal spring. But at the firsff diiscoverv of the awful presence the servant had dropped the rifle, and retreated discreetly and prej cipitately upon the camp. | The tiger leaped and landed right at the officer’s feet, but he, nothing daunted, struck the animal a powerful blow on the nose with his cane. The tip of the nose, people uufamiliar with tigers are informed, is a particularly tender point with them, and without further effort on the officer’s part the tiger fled howling into the bush.

First Anarchist—Ah, we will bo avenged on the police at last. Second Anarchist—What have you done, Jacobini? First Anarchist—l have trailed them for hours. I have worked a dynamite bomb into the tail pocket of every man. Second Anarchist—They wont go off, fool! First Anarchist—Ah, but I’ve strewn the pavement with banana peel!— New York Sun. Professional pool-plaving requires that a competitor shall pick a pocket.

LITTLE ARABS TICKLING THE TAME LION.

Anarchy Brewing.

SWEET TATERS FUR SEED.

A doctor was called to see an old who was reported as “mighty po’ly,” and found on examining him that he had been shot in the legs with bird-shot. After considerable persuasion. the old man told the story of the shooting. “Dar’s er mighty mean, common sawt er white man, name er Johnson, suh, whut live des dis side er whar de road forks er cornin’ sum town, snh. He raise de bes’ sweet ’taters nb anybody, an’ he done tell me laung

time ergo dat he gywne ter lef me have some far seed. I wuz er cornin’ sum town, suh, las’ Saddy night. I nuver knowed de time, suh, but de stahs look ack it wuz ’bout ’leben er fo’ o’clock. I come ter Mister Johnson’s place, an’ I say I’ll des go ter de house an* ax ’im fur de sweet ’taters he done promise me fur seed. Ez I wuz er gittin’ ober de fence de dawgs tuck arter me an’ I ’uz ’feared ter go on ter de house ca’se de da wgs ’ud bite me, suh. Den I say I’ll des go ter de patch an’ grabble de sweet ’taters fur seed dat ’e done promise me. an’ termorrer I’ll come ober yere an’ tell ’im. It ’uz mighty dark, suh, an’ I hatter git down an' crawl fur ter keep de'dawgs ,-&un er learin’ me, ca’se I ’uz feared ’ey ’d bite me es dey did. Des alter I gets

in de patch, an’ fo’ I grabbles mo’' ’n seben en nine ’taters er gun went off bang, an’ I feel de shots hit me in de legs. It skeered me, suh, an’ I riz an’ run. De dawgs tuck arter me, but I des outrunned ’em. Co’se Mister Johnson think it wuz some low down niggeh er stealin’ ’is sweet taters. Dat’s de reason he shoot. He nuver knowed it ’uz me des er gettin’ de sweet taters fur seed dat he done promise me. Es ’e knowed dot it ’uz me he shoot, he’d be mighty sawry. It ’u’d mos’ breck he heart, an’, ca’so it ’u’d. I ain’t nuver tol’ nobody ’bout it ’cep’in’ it uz you, suh. Yer ain’t gwine ter say nuttin’ ’tall, Tiout it, suh, ca’se Mister Johnson ’s er good man. an’ yer don’t want ’im er griebin’ hisse’f ter death fur er shoo tin’ me, suh.”

HUGH BLAKE WILLIAMS.

Cast-Iron Tunnels.

Two tunnels of cast iron for an electric railway have been built in London and put in operation for rapid transit. They are three miles in length and lie between forty and sixty feet below the surface of London streets. The tunnels for the up and down lines are formed of cast iron from beginning to epdp spve whejre *the stations, are built, and their diameter is 10 and 10£ feet. The tubes are formed of rings 1 foot 7 inches long, made in sections and bolted together. The tunnels were driven by means of a short cylinder, a trifle larger in its inner dimensions than the exterior diameter of the cast iron tunnel lining. This cylinder has a a cutting edge, and is forced forward by \bydrdmic-jacks, cutting a circular way -into %hieh thd lining plates are fitted. The narrow space between the lining and the soil was filled with lime cement forced in under high pressure. In their course the tunnels, pass beneath the bed of the Thames and through the bed of an pld water course, loose, wet gravel offered some trying obstacles for the engineers to overcome. The entire cost of the line fully equipped was less than $3,750,000. g: r The greatest marvel in telegraphy is said to be the synchronous multiplex, an instrument by means of which six messages can be transmitted over one wire, either all from one ptfction or in opposite directions. A vouNfi lady who expected a telegraphic message from her “best fellow” waited in the office for it. Aftera while the little machine began to click. “That’s from Jack,” she said. “I know his stutter.” The rule of interest that a* broker feels in a woman whom he is courting is liable to depeSd upon the amount of her fortune. Heard at a matinee: Mamma Say what you like, there’s a good deal in her faoe. Fair Daughter—And plenty on it. ,