Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 December 1896 — Page 2

J. W. McJEWEW. I > xxbli«lier. RENSSELAER, - - - INDIANA

BIKES FOR SOLDIERS.

TROOP OF 1,000 TO BE EQUIPPED WITH WHEELS. Regular Army Men to Be Drilled on Bicycles and Assigned to Duties Re* quiring Rapid Transportation—Ohio Farmer Commits a Murderous Act. So'diers to Ride. With the approval of Congress, 1,000 soldiers will be equipped with bicycle outfits before long. A bill has been prepared for presentation to Congress authorizing the purchase of a sufficient number of bicycles to provide each foot and military station with ten machines. The soldiers who show the best skill in the use of the wheel will be drilled upon the machines and assigned to duties requiring rapid transportation. At many of the posts bicycles are now in use, but they are either owned by the officers or hired from agents Gen. Miles is an enthusiast on the subject. He has signified his willingness to allow a troop of United States cavalry to attend the bicycle carnival to be held in Madison Square Garden, in New York, and show what they can do in the way of a drill. BANK OF SPAIN EMBARRASSED. Floating the New Loan Has Placed It in an Awkward Position. The part played by the Bank of Spain in floating the new loan destined to provide resources for the continuance of the war in Cuba has placed that institution in a very awkward position. For, in ad* dition to the immense sums which it has furnished to the government itself, it has advanced one way and another nearly $40,000,000 to people who subscribed for the loan. The bank may therefore be «aid to have found the major portion of the money subscribed. Besides this, the bank is a creditor to the government under various heads to the extent of more than $250,000,000. Inasmuch as the capital fully paid up of Ihe bank, together with the reserve fund, only amounts to $30,000,000, it will readily be seen that the strain to which this, the leading financial institution in Spain, is being subjected is tremendous, and cannot be continued much longer before disaster ensues. SHOT WIFE AND STEPSON. A Jealous Ohio Farmer Commits a Murderous Deed. James Preston, aged 40, shot his wife, Amanda, aged 37, and the latter’s son, William Bryant, aged 1!), at the residence of Mrs. Preston in Cincinnati. Preston is a farmer near New Richmond, Ohio. His wife left him some time ago and went to Cincinnati, taking quarters with her son and making a living dressmaking. Preston followed his wife and tried to effect a reconciliation. He called at the house and a quarrel followed, during which he began tiring. When the neighbors came in they found the three on the floor wounded and bleeding. Preston had evidently first shot his wife, then his stepson and then himself. It is evident that Preston was actuated by motives of jealousy, as he had in his possession a letter written to his wife by another man.

MURDERED BY ROBBERS. Wealthy Missourian Slain by Desperadoes After His Money. Alfred Wilson, aged 70, one of the best-known residents of Andrew County, Missouri, was murdered the other night by robbers at his home, one mile northeast of Avenue City. Wilson was a bachelor and was rich. Some time ago he became so embittered against banks that he drew out all his deposits and was supposed to have concealed the money about his home. A bloody footprint on a newspaper in the room is the only clew the officers have. It is not known whether any valuables were secured by the robbers. Go Down in the Wreck. Four more Chicago failures were recorded Tuesday as a result of the suspension of the National Bank of Illinois. The American Brewing Company, the George A. Weiss Malting and Elevator Company and George A. Weiss made assignments in the County Court. George A. Weiss is president of both corporations. and their business is closely connected. Weiss is a son-in-law of George Schneider, president of the National Bank of Illinois, and in the schedule of accounts made by the clearing house .is shown to owe the bank $500,000. Fraud la Attested. Warrants for the arrest’of E. 8. Dreyer and Robert Berger, members of the firm of E. S. Dreyer & Co., mortgage bankers, who closed their doors at Chicago Monday morning, were issued Tuesday afternoon on the sworn information of Frank Kennedy, who charged the bankers with receiving deposits when they ■new the concern was insolvent. Murder at a Dance. At Thermopolis, Fremont County. Wyo., B. F. Hanson, deputy sheriff, owner of the town site and a wealthy man, gave a dance to which Thomas Bird, a wealthy cattleman and rival magnate, came uninvited. Bird was promptly shot twice and killed by Hanson. The shooting was the result of a trivial quarrel.

i Southern Pacific Hold*Up. West-bound passenger train No. 20, on the Southern Pacific Railway, was held up by three masked men and three money packages stolen from the express ear at midnight Sunday night, near Comstock, 208 miles west of San Antonio, Texas. Mob Rale in Kentucky. A part of the mob that hanged Jim Stone at Mayfield, Ky., went on the rampage again the following night. One hundred shots were fired into the residence of Tom Chambers, colored, and the house, was afterward set on fire and burned, destroying three other buildings. From Far California. The signatures of over fifty prominent residents of Ukiah, Cal., have been secured as members of a military organization to be known as the Cuban Volunteers of California. ••Jimtown’’ la Visited by Fire, The old mining town of Jamestown, famous in California literature as “Jimtown, ” was almost destroyed by fire Thursday. “Jimtown” was the supply station for an important group of mines. One thousand people are homeless. The town possessed no fire department. Fpatn Hard Pressed. The Spanish Government has decided to send 15,000 soldiers to re-enforce the troops now in the Philippine Islands. ’ The cabinet council decided to purchase the English transport steamer, Prince of ■Wales, in order to expedite the transportation of troops to Manilla.

BRITISH IBLB SHAKEN. Two Violent Shocks of Earthquake Thursday Morning. Great Britain has been in the throes of a genuine and unprecedented sensation. An earthquake, the most violent ever experienced in that country, has shaken every shire from Durham to Surrey and from London to the Welsh coast. The subterraneous disturbance was first noticed about 5:30 o’clock Thursday morning and lasted from four to thirty seconds. At many points two distinct shocks were experienced. The most severe shocks were felt at Cheltenham, Ledbury and Dean Forest. The earthshaking was accompanied by a loud, rushing sound. Buildings were violently shaken, furniture was shifted, doors were thrown open and pictures and other ornaments were upset. The inhabitants were panic-stricken and fled from their houses. The earthquake also visited Birmingham and various other points in Shropshire, and was violent in Worcester and the country surrounding that city. Houses rocked and furniture was overturned. The shocks were followed by a tremor of the earth and were accompanied by a rumbling sound. The greatest alarm prevailed everywhere. Chimneys were overthrown and windows, etc., were smashed. At Hereford one woman died of fright. BOOTH-TUCKER’S SCHEME. To Colonize Ex-Convicts on Small Farms Near New York. The international meeting of the Salvation army at Carnegie Hall, New York, was attended by many dignitaries of the army, including Commander and Mrs. Booth-Tucker, Chief Secretary Higgins, Commissioner Higgins and Brigadiers Richard Holz, William Halpin, William J. Cozens, George French and Lieutenant Colonel Perry, all of whom occupied seats on the platform. After the preliminary exercises there was a processional entry of foreign delegates, about thirty-five in number, dressed in the costumes of their respective countries. Some were natives, but more were American workers in these foreign fields. When the cheering acompanying their entrance had subsided Commander Booth-Tucker advanced to the front and proceeded to unfold a plan that would cost $20,000 to put in operation. The scheme is to buy forty acres of land in the vicinity of New York and divide it up with colonies of from three to five acres each. Then ho would rescue men from the penal institutions and place them on these little farms. He favored the establishment of a potato patch like Governor Pingree’s, a woodyard where the boys could saw wood and an interstate labor exchange.

INSOLVENCY ALLEGED. Trouble for the Pacific Loan and Homestead Association. Charges of mismanagement and insolvency overhang the Pacific Loan and Homestead Association, whose officers are prominent in Chicago, and which has hitherto been regarded as one of the reliable institutions of its kind in the city. Applications for withdrawals have been refused by the association, and the delay has led four of the stockholders to apply to the Superior Court for a receiver. The petition charges that the funds of the association have been squandered and its affairs mismanaged. Hundreds of shareholders in the institution are of the middle classes, whose stock represents their entire savings. The association was organized and incorporated in June, 1888, with a capital stock of $25,000,000, divided into shares of SIOO each. The officers of the concern are: Daniel 11. Kochersperger, County Treasurer, President; James H. Gilbert. ex-Sheriff, Vice President; DeWitt C. Butts, Secretary; Howard H. Hitchcock, Treasurer. In the complainants' bill, it is estimated that the liabilities of the association exceeds its assets by SIOO,OOO.

ANXIOUS ABOUT TARIFF. Business Men Attend Committee’s Hearings in Washington. Washington dispatch: The hearings to be given by the Ways and Means Committee on the tariff question promise to attract an even greater number of business men to Washington than usually gather during a revision of the tariff. The committee is already overwhelmed by applications from representatives of the various interests who are anxious to present arguments for increasing the rates. The Democratic members of the t!ommittee intend to marshal witnesses in rebuttal to advocate the continuance of the Wilson bill. They desire to have their side of the case included in the printed record of the hearings. It will be practically impossible for the committee to hear all the applicants who want to present arguments in the limited time assigned to the subject. The committee expects that those who appear will have their arguments prepared in writing to be placed on file and printed. Vessels Remain in Port. The storm along the Atlantic coast, which set in Tuesday afternoon, continued for nearly twenty hours. Sandy Hook reported the wind blowing from the north-northeast at the rate of forty miles an hour and very thick off shore. Telegraphic reports from Long Branch and Asbury Park say th.lt from those points nothing has been seen of the schooner Grace K. Green, which was abandoned after the rescue of her crew by the Old Dominion steamer Yorktown. The thick atmosphere caused by the snowstorm interferes very materially with the river and harbor navigation. In New York City considerable interruption of street traffic resulted from the storm. Elevated railroad trains ran on time, but the cable and other surface lines of street railways were working under difficulties. The wind was fierce and cutting, the snow striking the face with a stinging force. Reports from Connecticut and Massachusetts and from the interior of New York State show the storm is of wide range, the snowfall being from three to eight inches and the temperature well down toward the zero mark. At Philadelphia the wind blew a gale, and railroad and streetcar traffic suffered considerably. One of the most violent northeast gales for years prevailed along the Connecticut shore of Long Island Sound. Driving snow rendered navigation practically impossible.

Hessian Fly in Winter Wheat. The farmers in the great wheat-grow-ing section of Southern Illinois are worried at the unfavorable appearance of the growing wheat crop. During the past two weeks the plant has turned yellow and shriveled up flat on the ground. The plant above the surface la undoubtedly dead, but there is a diversity of opinion as to the condition of the roots. In Ohio the Hessian fly is doing serious damage, especially in the southern and central counties. Can’t Steal Electricity. Electricity cannot be stolen tn Germany, according to a decision of Jhe Superior Court. A man who had tapped the current of an electric company to run his own motors was acquitted on the ground that only a material moveable object can can be,stolen, and the judgment has just been affirmed on appeal. Two Hanged, One Shot. The mob that belleaguered the Russellville, Ky., jail all Thursday night early Friday morning took Arch, Dink and Bill Proctor out of their mils, hanged two of

them and shot the other to death. Arch killed two men, Doc and Aaron Crofton, of Adairville, Nov. 24, 1895, and the brothers were accessories. All have had three trials. The Anob went to the jail at 2 o’clock in the morning, and after battering down the front door and forcing the jailer to give up the keys went to the cells for the Proctors. The oldest. Will Proctor, cursed the mob and was shot in his cell. The other two were taken out and hanged. The mob numbered about one hundred, and did the work quietly and with dispatch. Bill Proctor had been tried three times for murder.

SENATORS FEEL PUGNACIOUS. Action in Committee Looking Toward Cnban Recognition. The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, which is usually a very dignified and deliberate body, turned a double somersault Friday on the Cuban ques; tion, and against the protest of the Secretary of State, who argued with them for an hour and a half, unanimously recommended to the favorable consideration of the Senate a joint resolution as follows: “Resolved, That the independence orCuba be, and the same is, acknowledged by the United States of America. Section 2. That the United States will use its friendly offices with the government of Spain to bring to a close the war between Spain and Cuba.” It was not believed in public circles that President Cleveland would sanction the declaration, or that the House would support it. Should it becqme official, it is believed war with Spain would surely follow. But the Spanish minister did not look upon the matter seriously, though the friends of Cuba were extravagantly delighted.

LAND PROMISED RECRUITS. Cuban Juhta Holds Out a Reward to American Citizens Who Enlist. The Cuban junta has a representative in Port Angeles, Wash., who has succeeded in recruiting eighty-five young men for the Cuban army. They are prepared to leave for the East on receiving transportation, which has been promised by the junta. It is authoritatively stated that they will be joined by several otfier companies forming on the sound. The plan is for them to go to St. Louis, where they will be supplied with arms and six months’ provisions. Their destination from that point is kept secret, but they are promised safe transportation to Cuba. In the event of the success of the insurgents, those who enlisted are to receive a tract of land, the amount of which is to depend upon its value, but to be not less than eighty acres. This land is to be supplied by the confiscation of Spanish plantations. Agricultural implements are also promised for working the land. Fire in a Playhouse. The Casina Skating-Rink and Summer Theater, a magnificent pleasure resort in Schenley Park, Pittsburg, was destroyed by fire. The loss will approximate $500,000, on which the insurance is slight. The fire was caused by the explosion of an ammonia cylinder in the iceskatingplant. Almost immediately the entire building was a seething mass of flames, and in less than three hours the beautiful structure was in ashes. The noxious vapors which filled the interior prevented the firemen from entering the Casino. The Casino cost $300,000 nnd itj equipment more than SIOO,OOO. The ice-skating plant, which 'was the first thing reached by the flames, alone cost $30,000. In the rear of the second floor was stored the fine and costly scenery used in the summer theater, and this was also devoured. It cost $40,000. Manager James Conant said the loss would exceed $500,000. The building was insured for $75,000, and there was a small insurance on the contents. A number of persons were slightly injured, but none seriously

Farmer Is Killed by Hie Wife. The other night while looking out of a window at his home August Bierman, a farmer, near Lawrence, Kan., was shot in the back by his wife and instantly killed. The woman then turned the revolver on herself and tried to commit suicide. Mrs. Bierman said she did not love her husband and that she had no regrets for what she had done. Prohibition a Dead-Letter. The Kansas Attorney General, in his biennfcl report, says the State prohibitory law has not been enforced under his administration nor under that of any of his predecessors, notwithstanding their reports to the contrary. He asserts that the law cannot be rigidly enforced unless local public sentiment is in favor of its enforcement. No Bounty for Nebraska Sujrar, The Nebraska Supreme Court has decided that the payment by State Auditor Moore of $46,000 in warrants for sugar bounty to the Oxnard Company is illegal. Ask Congress to Interfere A petition to Congress to put an end to the revolution in Cuba was signed by all the Aidermen of New York City and a copy forwarded to Washington. Japan Plague-Stricken. Small-pox is raging with exceptional severity in the principal seaport towns of Japan. At Kobe 200 cases and several deaths were reported.

MARKET QUOTATIONS.

Chicago—Cattle, common to prime, $3.50 to $5.75; hogs, shipping grades, $3.00 to $3.50; sheep, fair to choice, $2.00 to $3.75; wheat, No. 2 red, 76c to 77c; corn, No. 2,22 cto 23c; oats, No. 2,16 c to 18c; rye, No. 2,37 cto 39c; butter, choice creamery, 19c to 21c; eggs, fresh, 18c to 21c; potatoes, per bushel, 20c to 30c; broom corn, common green to fine brush, 2c to 5%c per pound. Indianapolis—Cattle, shipping, $3.00 to $5.25; hogs, choice light, $3.00 to $3.75; sheep, good to choice, $2.00 to $3.50; wheat, No. 2,87 cto 89c; corn, No. 2 white, 20c to 22c; oats, No.' 2 white, 21c to 22c. St. Louis—Cattle, $3.00 to $5.00; hogs, $3.00 to $3.50; wheat, No. 2,92 cto 94c; corn, No. 2 yellow, 20c to 22c; oats, No. 2 white, 17c to 19c; rye, No. 2,36 c to 37 c. Cincinnati—Cattle, $2.50 to $5.00; hogs, $3.00 to $3.75; sheep, $2.50 to $3.75; wheat, No. 2,94 cto 96c; corn, No. 2 mixed, 21c to 22c; oats, No. 2 mixed, 20c to 21c; rye, No. 2,36 cto 38c. Detroit—Cattle, $2.50 to $5.00; hogs, $3.00 to $3.75; sheep, $2.00 to $3.50; wheat, No. 2 red, 89c to 91c; corn, No. 2 yellow, 19c to 21c; oats, No. 2 white, 20c to 21c; rye, 36c to 38c. Toledo—Wheat, No. 2 red, 92c to 94c; corn, No. 2 mixed, 22c to 23c; oats, No. 2 white, 18c to 19c; rye, No. 2,38 cto 39c; clover seed, $5.35 to $5.40. Milwaukee —Wheat, No. 2 spring, 77c to 79c: corn, No. 3,21 cto 23c; oats, No. 2 white, 18c to 20c; barley, No. 2,30 cto 35c; rye, No. 1,39 cto 41c; pork, mess, $6.50 to $7.00. Buffalo —Cattle, $2.50 to $5.00; hogs, $3.00 to $4.00; sheep, $2.00 to $3.75; wheat. No. 2 red, 93c to 94c;.corn. No. 2 yellow, 24c to 26c; oats, No. 2 white, 23c to 24c. New York—Cattle, $3.00 to $5.25; hogs, $3.00 to $4.25; sheep, $2.00 to $4.00; wheat, No. 2 red, 86e to 87c; corn, No. 2, 28c to 29c; oats, No. 2 white, 21c to 23c; butter, creamery, 15c to 23c; eggs, Westera, 18c to 23<v

Chicago Journal.

CUBA’S BENEDICT ARNOLD.

Man .Who la Alleged to Have Led Gen. Maceo to His Death. Dr. Maximo Zertucha, the supposed Benedict Arnold of the Cuban revolution, who is alleged to have betrayed the gallant, fearless Maceo and his staff to death, looks like a man who would not only betray his patient and see him

DR. MAXIMO ZERTUCHA.

slaughtered, but would present a bill to the widow for professional services. After Maceo’s death he “surrendered” himself to the Spaniards and was protected by them. It was on the information given them by Zertucha that the story sent out by the authorities at Havana was made up. The doctor, in telling how Maceo met his death, said that the general had a force of 2,000 Cubans who were attacked by COO Spaniards. Maceo and his staff were in the center of the forces. In the battle that followed, Maceo and his entire staff were killed. The Cubans fled. Dr. Zertucha, say the Cubans, has been variable in his sympathies for years, at one time holding to Spain, at another allying himself with the islanders. The doctor was formerly a surgeon in the army of Spain. Many years ago he went to Cuba, and by political intrigue was made the mayor of the town of Melena in the province of Havana. He has been more or less intimately associated with every political party in Cuba. When the present revolution was sprung, Zertucha changed into an outright rebel and offered his services to Maceo. He freely gave his services for the cause of liberty, but’his alleged treason has made his very name odious throughout the world, and it is thought vengeful Cubans will never be satisfied until his body fills a dishonored grave.

BROOKLYN IN COMMISSION.

Newest Addition to the Navy Turned Over to the Goverment. The fighting cruiser Brooklyn, the newest addition to the United States navy, was towed from Cramp’s shipyard to League Island navy-yard Tuesday, where she was formally placed in commission. Blowing of whistles, ringing of bells and the shouts of thousands gathered on the boats and docks marked her progress down the Delaware. After the commandant at the navyyard, Commodore Howell, had receipted for and taken possession of the Brooklyn for the United States Government Capt. F. A. Cook, Commodore Howell and the ship’s officers gathered on her deck and went through the ceremonies which formally placed the shin in commission. The flag of the Union was run up at her

masthead, the sailors were lined up for a salute to their commander and the Brooklyn was a part of the navy. Much of the provisions and furniture, as well as the ammunition for the guns, has been at the yard for some days, and it is expected that all will be in readiness to sail In about two weeks. The Brooklyn is an armored cruiser of the same general type as the New York. There are improvements of an important character, which will give her a big advantage in time of war over the sister ship. The cost limit, not including armor. Is $3,500,000, and the contract price $2,986,000. She is designed to have a minimum speed of twenty knots an hour, with a displacement of 9,150 tons. Four engines, which will work in pairs on the twin screws, furnish the tremendous power required. The battery of the Brooklyn .will comprise eight eightinch guns mounted in four turrets; ten five-inch guns mounted in sponsons on the gun deck similar to the four-inch guns of

AN ANXIOUS MOMENT.

Uncle Bam—Gol Darn Itt I Can’t Hold These Don Much Ixmse*

the New York, and sixteen six-pound rap-id-firing machine guns. Although the full complement of men is 500, there is room for the accommodation of 1,000. In time of war this feature would be of tremendous value at distant stations, enabling a considerable reserve force of enlisted men to be carried for any squadron of which she may be the flagship. There are two evaporators and two distilleries on board which have a capacity or 10,000 gallons of potable water daily, and a refrigerating plant which will turn out 2,000 pounds of ice every twenty-four hours. Electricity will be used in lighting the new cruiser. The Brooklyn’s coaling capacity is 1,750 tons of coal, or 470 more than that of the cruiser New York. Two hoisting engines, each capable of lifting 1,000 pounds at the rate of 300 feet a minute, will handle the coal aboard ship.

RULE OF THE SEA PATHS.

Brazil and Holland illakc Acceptance Nearly Universal. With Brazil and the Netherlands, the latest additions to the list of nations which have accepted the new rules of the road at sea; practically the entire tonnage of the world will obey these rules when they go into effect on July 1, 1897. The State Department is informed of the official acceptance of Brazil and the Netherlands. The latter government, it was thought, might refuse to join in the movement, but the authorities were not greatly concerned about the matter, in view of the fact that her tonnage represented only two per cent, of the total tonnage of the world. There are still a few more governments, such as Siam and China, having practically no shipping, to be heard from regarding their attitude in relation to the new rules. It will make no difference, however, what action they take, as it is

Cuban Resolutions Adopted by the Senate Committee. i & * * RESOLVED, By the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the independence of the Republic of Cuba be and the same is hereby acknowledged by the United States of America. Section 2. That the United States will use its friendly offices with the Government of Spain to bring to a close the war between Spain and Cuba.

the intention of the President and the heads of all the other governments which have agreed to the proposed changes to issue a proclamation early in the new year setting forth the new rules and directing their observance by the shipping of the several nations interested in the movement.

ALL INDIA SUFFERS FAMINE.

Trouble la More Widespread than Had .Previously Been Supposed. The Calcutta Englishman contends that the home c/ficials are utterly at fault in regard to the dimensions of the famine. It adds that practically every province is involved, and asserts that such errors at

THE NEW BROOKLYN.

the outset may result in irretrievable disaster and suffering before the crisis is over. The Mark Lane Express in its crop report says that the rather heavy rainfall of December is welcome, and will give the November-sown grain a hopeful start. “Spain,” the, Express continues, “has enjoyed an extremely heavy rainfall since October, and the benefit to the agriculture of that arid peninsula is likely to be very great. Central Europe has seen a rapid rise of temperature, and rather heavy rainfall.” Referring to the Indian outlook, the Mark Lane Express says: “The India rains are too late to allow of anything like the average area of sown wheat for 1897.” Regarding the South American outlook, the Express says that the new wheat is now being reaped in the wanner provinces of Argentina, and adds that it learns that from 300,000 to 400,000 quarters of wheat may be expected from Montevideo.

TO AMEND THE BANK ACT.

Comptroller Eckels’ Annnal Report Sutnzests Several Changes. The annual report of James H. Eckels, Comptroller of the Currency, submitted to Congress, contains information in detail in regard to the organization, supervision and liquidation of national banks for the year ended Oct. 31, 1896. The Comptroller suggests the following amendments to the national bank act: That the loans and discounts of banks to their executive officers and employes be restricted in amount and secured by proper collateral. That no loan be made to a director, not an executive officer of the bank, except upon collateral security or a satisfactorily indorsed note. That directors be required to make an examination of their banks once each year. That in places having a population of less than 2,000 inhabitants national banks shall be permitted to be organized with a capital stock of not less than $25,000, and with a corresponding reduction in the amount of bonds required to be deposited. That national banks be permitted to establish branch banks in towns and villages where no national bank is established and where the population does not exceed 1,000 inhabitants. That the semi-annual tax on circulation be reduced to % of 1 per cent. Concluding, he says: “It is respectfully submitted that legislation by Congress, based upon safe and prudent lines, having in view the gradual payment and cancellation of the credit currency now maintained by the Government and the issuance hereafter of all such currency through the banks, with full responsibility therefor placed upon them, should be had at the very earliest practicable moment. The results which would follow

such enactments would be beneficial, and neither would monopoly be created nor favor shown thereby.”

EXPORTS AND IMPORTS.

Chief Ford of the Bureau of Statistic* Makes His Report* Worthington C. Ford, chief of the bureau of statistics at Washington, has issued his report on imports and exports of the United States ‘for November, 1896, and also the eleven months from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, 1896, corrected up to date. The following shows the exports and imports for November: Merchandise exports, $109,091,937; imports, $50,038,052. Gold coin and bullion exports, $423,399; imports, $<,341,547. Gold ore exports, $44,611; imports, $143,072. Silver coin and bullion exports, $4,974,411; imports, $1,776,699. Silver ore exports, $148,232; imports, $1,338,333. For the eleven months preceding Nov. 30, 1896: Merchandise exports, SBBB,680,369; imports, $622,593,660. Gold coin and bullion exports, $56,336,988; imports, $100,197,486. Gold ore exports, $183,651; imports, $1,736,048. Silver coin and bullion exports, $56,209,791; imports, $11,224,776. Silver ore exports, $892,120; .imports, $16,069,271.

Cuba in Brief.

Debt, $270,000,000. Population 1,600,000. Revenue, $25,000,000. Expenditures, $35,000,000. Area, 46,000 square miles. White population, 1,000,000. Population of Havana, 200,000. Population of Holguin, 35,000. Population of St. Jago, 27,000. Population of 27,000. Population of Santiago de Cuba, 70,000. Population of Puerto Principe, 46,000. Mileage of Cuban railway, about 1,000. Average annual export of cigars. 200 - 000,000. Average annual sugar production, 900,000 tons. Average annual export of tobacco, 200.000 bales. Total exports of Cuba in a good year. $90,000,000. Estimated value of the landed estates, $220,000,000. Average sugar exportation to the United States, 700,000 tons. Number of vessels trading with Cuba annually, 2,000; tonnage, 2,500,000. Agnes and Mary Novock, children, died at Solvay, near Syracuse,. N. Y., presumably of arsenic poisoning. Joseph Novock, the father, and the mother and three older children are very ill. Suspicion attaches to a woman living in the neighborhood. . It is said that St. Louis is to have a $1,000,000 plate-glass manufacturing comPW-

SENATE AND HOUSE.

WORK OF OUR NATIONAL LAWMAKERS. A Week’s Proceedings i n the Halle of Congreee—lmportant Measures Discussed and Acted Upon—An Impartial Resume of the Business. The National So lona. The Senate Thursday passed the immigration bill known as the Lodge bill, with a new section providing that the exclusion shall not apply to persons arriving from Cuba during the continuance of the present disorders there. As passed, the bill amends the immigration laws so as to exclude from admission to the United States all persons over 16 years of age who cannot read and write the language of their native country or some other language, but an admissable immigrant, over the age of 16, may bring in with him. or send for, his wife or parent or grandparent or minor child or granchild, notwithstanding the inability to read and write. The House passed the third of the regular appropriation bills, that for the support of the army, and entered upon the consideration of the legislative, executive and judicial bill. The army bill as passed makes no provision for the army and navy hospital at Hot Springs. Ark. The House also passed several bills relating to the District of Columbia and three resolutions for the use of flags of the war department, government reservations, etc., onr the Occasion of Mr. McKinley’s inauguration. Friday was private bill day in the House, but most of»the .session was devoted to the passage of the thirty-seven pension and relief bills favorably acted upon by the committee of the whole Friday. The bill to pay Flora A. Darling, the wife of a Confederate general, $5.683 for Tennessee and Louisiana bank notes taken from her in 1864 while under a flag of truce, which was attacked by Mr, Dalzell Friday, was laid on the table. Only five bills were favorably acted upon. One of them, a bill to refer a claim of Thomas B. Reed, a Pennsylvania soldier during the war, to an unpaid balance of salary to the Court of Claims created some merriment owing to the fact that his name was identical with that of the Speaker of the House. The other bills were to pay the officers and crews of the United States gunboat Kineo and Chocura $12,474 prize money; to pay William B. Isaacs & Co. $16,987, the finding of the Court of Claims; to pay George McAlpin, the sutler of the Eleventh Pennsylvania CaValry, $6,906 illegally collected from him; and to repay Mathias Pederson of Spring Valley, Wis., S3OO paid by him for a substitute during the war, Pederson not at that time being a citizen of the United States. The Senate did nothing of importance.

A report presenting additional views on the Cuban question was presented to the' Senate Monday by Senator Morgan of Alabama, in behalf of himself and Senator Mills. It indorses Senator Cameron’s views and discusses the action of the Committee on Foreign Relations in 1859, on the bill to facilitate the-acquisition of the island of Cuba. The report reviews the alleged misgovernment of Cuba and messages by former Presidents on the subject, and then refers to President Cleveland’s attitude, whose message, it affirms, is in corroboration of all former testimony on the subject. Debate was sharp and rancorous. Mr. Vest offered a resolution to the effect that Congress, and not the President, is vested with jo eouepuadepnt eziuffoaej o; jdMOd belligerency of any insurgent people. Debate was stopped by Mr. Hale, upon a point of order. Mr. Hill introduced a resolution looking toward recognition of the Cubans as belligerents, and pledging neutrality of this government. No final action was taken. Nothing of importance was done by the House. The attention of the Senate was unexpectedly diverted Tuesday from Cuba to the Pacific railroads. Soon after the session opened Mr. Pettigrew of South Dakota called up his resolution appropriating $10,000,600 to take up the trust notes of the Pacific railroad. This opened the entire question and Mr. Morgan of Alabama followed with a bitter arraignment of the Pacific roads, charging them with fraud and crime on a gigantic scale. The speech lasted until shortly before 2 o’clock, when the morning hour expired, thus sending over the Cuban question until after the holidays. Further than this the session was uneventful. The House passed the legislative, executive and judicial appropriation bill and then adjourned for the holiday recess. This is the first time in the history of Congress that the legislative bill has passed before the holidays. The day was devoted to the annual debate of the civil service law and, as usual, the attempt to strike out the provision for the commission was overwhelmingly defeated.

Reflections of a Bachelor.

Lots of men think they ought to get their wives’ affection on credit. Men who are at hear;: most romantl' - always pretend to the last not to be. Pretty teeth are very often at the foundation of a girl’s reputation for jollity. There’s such a .thing as having too much regard for the feelings of the neighbors. The velvet on the peach may be pretty to look at, but it sets your teeth on edge to touch it. \There are some women who never find occasion to bewail the passing of the days of cb’valry. When .a man says that nobody cares whether bei lives or dies, he isn’t advertising himself very well. When a woman tells you some gossip about another woman, she always begins by saying: “Isn’t it awful how she has got herself talked about!” When a woman gets an idea she must be economical she hunts around and finds an old skirt to rip up. A man isn’t likely to enjoy hearing nls wife talk with a woman who remembers him when tie was a boy. There never was a woman who wasn’t awfully conceited about the way she could love if she tried. A man hurts himself more In bls wife’s estimation by. being brutal to other people than he does by being brutal to her. \ .Some girls’ mothers must be forgetful, or else they were so good when they were young that they didn’t need watching. Women seem to have an idea that because they haven’t got a Greek face they have to friae their hair all up with a hot iron. No matter how a girl feels the first time she kisses a man, it nevei occurs to her that the man may fee) that way too. Lots of men who don’t get married because they can’t afford it give a lot or money to help the poor man along with his family.