Plymouth Tribune, Volume 2, Number 18, Plymouth, Marshall County, 5 February 1903 — Page 2

Xbe tribune.

ErtbUhed October 10. 1901. HENDRICKS & CO., Publishers. Telepnone No. 2?. JFF1CE la Blsscll Block. Corner Ctottr anJ La port Stmt. ADVKBTI8ING RATES will be made known on application. Entered the Postoffico at Plymouth. Ind.. as second cla.89 matter. SUBSCRIPTION: One tear In Advance $1.50; Six Months 95 cents; Three Months 40 cenU. deUvered at any postoffice. , The Only Republican Paper In the Conaty Ffyrncuih, Ind, February 5, 1903. ' Just wherein tbe furnishing of free text books by the state to alL. of tbe pupils in our .common schools would prove beneficial is difficult to see. There is already a provision for f urnlshbooks to those who are unable to purchase them and -.this certainly ought to be sufficient. The mania for creating more offices Is on. It is being developed in many quarters. The necessity for such position cuts no figure. It's to get in, to provide some pet, or to help some incompetent official along. Tbat is at the bottom ot most of the bills introduced In legislatures and congress to create new officers and increase salaries of other officers. A Vienna paper is alarmed about the construction of th.3 Panama canal, and says; 4 America will soon be the predominant world power." Why should the Panama canal do more harm than the Suez canal? As for American supremacy it is already established in many respects, and it is working to the advantage of mankind, though not of royalty.' - Additional evidence tbat a band of swindlers has systematically defrauded New York life insurance companies by substituting bodies was discovered when several representatives ol several insurance companies opened a grave in Long Island City, X. Y., supposed to contain tbe body of a young Italian recently insured, and found tbe body of an eldeily, emaciated man. This is the second discovery of tbe kind in ten davs. The effect of the action taken by Emperor Francis Joseph in depriving the Crown Prince of Saxony of all her arcbducal titles and prerogatives, which, it is said, has tbe approval both of her father and of the King of Saxony, will be to deprive her of any title whatsoever. So drastic a decree is without parallel in the history of the Austrian House. It is doubtful whether the crown pripcess will be able to call 'herself Princess- of Tuscany. By the latest treaty to be submitted to the senate the United States and England will refer the Alaskan boundary dispute, as far as the interpretation of the treaty of 1825 between Great Britain and Russia is concerned, to a mixed commission of six jurists, three on each side. Neither country can lose its case by this plan except by the vote of one of its own representatives. Tbe tribunal will at least gather much valuable information on the subject. In the institutions of New York which the state board of charities inspects there were, on Oct. 1, 1902, 60,840 paupers blind, deaf, epileptic, idiotic, feeble-minded and other delinquent and dependent persons a number about tbe same as the population of Arizona.of which it is proposed to make a state. The annual average cost of a pauper in New York is 104, and, as his average length of life is fifteen years, the citizen who prevents another from being a pauper in New York saves the community, 41,560. Indianapolis Journal. It is announced that from Feb. 1, the whole of tbe British forces in Soutb Africa from the Zambezi to tbe cape will be under the" single ; and supreme command to which Lieutenant General Littleton will be appointed, with' headquarters, at Pretoria. This step is regarded as an Important innovation, as significant of the intention of the imperial government to treat South Africa as a whole and as giving a strong probability of a similar political arrangement at some future date. It is also held to point to the future transfer of the center of power from Cape Colony to tbe new colonies. A new Russian general customs tariff, to which the Imperial sanction was given on Jan. 26, was published on T7edctcday. An official memorandum accompanlng it explains that Russia has followed the example of other dates in view of the impending expiration of her commercial treaties. The new tariffs have been elaborated, cays tbe memorandum, with special regard for the protection of national industries, but there hM not been any idea by an artificial raking of rates or securing a means of bargaining with ether powers, because such a weapon rrould cut both ways. . A novel point in the promulgation of the new tariff U that the dare on which It will be 111 In operation 13 not specified, it telrj left to the minister cf finance Cd et Lein the imperial conctlca to put Z 2 tariff into force at any time.

Tie delay in the settlement of the Venezuelan case indicates that, the problem is being worked out in true diplomatic style.

The empires of Europe may ate republics, but they suffer by comparison when they undertake to show off the divine right of kings on the American side of the Atlantic. All intelligent South Americans must " see that the Monroe doctrine has just saved one of ''their, republics from territorial seizure. The United States is their real bulwark against foreign aggression. John Mitchell did two things during the rucent miners' convention which should strengthen his influence with them. He opposed the proposi tion to build a house for him in In dianapolis and be declined the offer of a place on tbe Illinois state board of arbitration. Now we are told tbat Great Britain is responsible for the alliance against Venezuela rather - than Germany. Neither can be proud of it. Collect ing debts with rifled cannon, killing and wounding a number of natives in doing it, is not calculated to win ap plause. Indianapolis Journal. The Tribune is opposed to dabbling with the liquor question by the legislature this winter. Let us have a rest for a time on this kind of legislation. We are getting along very well as things now stand. Re-open the question and there is no knowing where it will end Of course republicans will be held responsible as they always have been for such legislation. During the lastseyenty years the population of Europe has risen in round numbers from 216,000,000 to 400,000,000: tbat of Asia and Africa has probably Increased a little more slowly; that of America has become more than three and a half times as great as it was in 1830. Altogether, the world's population is now about 1,600,000,000 and was 847,000,000 seventy years ago. . The amended bill referring to the Jeffersonville reformatory gives to Governor Durbin and every other governor of tbe state tbe right to remove boards of state institutions when they are guilty of acts which show their unfitness for office. The superiority of this bill over tbe'Gcodwlne bill lies in the fact that it gives the governor tbe right to investigate conditions and the authority to control them. If he c finds upon investigation that a board of management is derelict in its duty he can change thatvboard without waiting for legislative action. But he cannot change It without justice nor with the danger of overthrowing the principle of non-partisan control, which was tbe serious objection to the Goodwiue blll.THE TREASURER'SGRAfT, Representative, Wright, of Marion county, has introduced a bill in the house which is somewhat similar to Treasurer O 'Keel e's bill introduced by Senator Parks. It shows tbat public sentiment is aroused and treasurers will not be permitted much longer, to receive interest on the people's money. Mr. Wright's bill Is Intended to abolish the custom of county treasurers and other keepers of public funds of drawing interest on them. The bill provides that officers of the municipalities having money to deposit shall appoint a committee to take charge of the funds and deposit them to the best advantage.. " The Interest or such money shall be paid to tbe municipality making the deposit. This bill would relieve the officers of furnishing such heavy bonds, as it is provided that the money shall be deposited daily and tbat the depositories , shall furnish bond. . 1 Converted to Credit Currency. Louis Ludlow writes from Washington to the Indianapolis Sentineh The. democratic members of the banking and currency committee of the house, with the single exception of Representative Bartlett, of Georgia, have approved the principle of allowing tjje national banks of the country to issue asset currency and there is a rumor about the capitol that they will present to congress an asset currency bill of their own and urge it as a substitute for the Fowler bill, which allows national banks to issue credit currency notes to the extent of 25 per cent of their capital stock. That the democratic members of tbe banking and currency committee should endorse the credit currency proposition after It has been so strongly denounced by the democratic platforms and speakers is considered remarkable and republicans are trying to make the most of it. They predict that it means' a change of sentiment in the democratic party on this pro position." ' , 7cr.tn ta Vci In l&uis. The woman suffrage supporters have been assured by leading members of the legislature that a bill granting the privilege of the ballot will be passed at thi3 ceeeion. The bill, has been faycrably reported in both houee3 and Gov. Bailey has. ezprceeed his intention of eijdcj it when passed .

OLIVER MATTHEWS KILLED

Terrific Gas Explosion Destroys Eckert' s Packing House at Fort Wayne A special to the Tribune from Fort Wayne, says Eckert 's packing house, a three story building, was totally wrecked Friday by an explosion of natural gas. The street in front of the building was torn up and adjacent buildings injured. Four persons were killed and sixteen others Injured. Oliver Matthews, a son of J. N. Matthews, of this city, was among those killed. Henry Schulteiss is one of the employes of the company but he was not hurt. The death of young Matthews is a sad blow to his father, who has been in failing health for some time and is almost blind. Oliver Matthews was a steady young man and had many friends here. The patrons of the meat market in Kendall's block all recollect him as "Reddy" or "Shorty" and he was known as an industrious, accommodating boy. The Fort Wayne Explosion. The Tribune was correct Thursday in saying that the explosion which caused the death of Oliver Matthews and four other employees of the Eckert packing house was an explosion of natural gas. The Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette says: The explosion occurred within a few minutes after the employees of the big packing plant had begun work. Some of the men had not arrived, but those in the cutting room, the lard room and the shipping room were all at work when the crash came. The portion of the building where the explosion occurred was the sausage room, between the two large cooling rooms, and located nearly midway of the series of structures that compose the plant. It was a brick building of two stories and basement, and the explosion occurred apparently in the basement and in the west part of this wing. There was absolutely no indication of danger, no warning to the men working in the building. The gas pressure had been unusually strong in the neighborhood, but when the men went into the rooms to work there was no odor of escaping gas. The men who escaped all tell the same story, and one of the injured men who recovered sufficiently to talk, likewise said the doomed employees had no warning. They only knew that they were deafened by a terrific report, that some unseen power all at once lifted the floor under their feet; than an instant later it sank, carrying them down with it, amid a crash of timbers and rattle of masonry that was the death knell of five of them. A cloud of mortar, brick and plaster dust arose, and when it cleared away there was silence for a moment in the mass of wreckage. Then from the debris came the most pitiful of all things---the shrieks and groans of human beings in agony. Here and there a man was seen staggering from the tangled mass of timber and brick, but likewise here and there were bleeding, mangled forms pinned down beneath the heavy beams, motionless and soundless. To add to the horror, fire broke out in the ruins and it looked as though the unfortunates would be cremated before rescue could reach them. But willing hands and brave hearts were there to render aid, and the work done by these men during the awful hours yesterday morning is a story of heorism that every citizen of Fort Wayne may long remember with pride. Before the work of rescue had progressed far there was danger from a new source. The shock of the explosion, or more probably the falling of the walls, had broken the ammonia pipes leading from the great tanks used in the refrigerating department, and in a few moments the suffocating fumes of the fluid were all about the ruins. The odor was so dense that the rescuers were driven away, it being impossible for anyone to remain more than a few minutes in the place. The engineer finally managed to cut off the flow and divert it into barrels at the other side of the building, but the deadly fumes had retarded the work of rescue and in all probability smothered some of the men in the wreck. So powerful was the ammonia that it operated more strongly than the police cordon to drive the crowd back, for none could endure breathing the fumes for more than a few seconds and many people in the crowd were nearly overcome. The first dead body recovered was that of Young Matthews, and there was a cry of horror and pity as the employees saw brought up from the hell beneath the blackened, burned, and battered corpse of the goodhumored, fair haired youth whom they all loved. "It's poor Red, boys," they said, and the nickname given him in life was spoken lovingly in death. Matthews' body was badly burned, but was not mutilated. Besides the five lives crushed out one more will probably die; five others are seriously injured and eight slightly wounded.

'New Militii Uw. ..... . . . The Dick bill which passed both houses of congress and was approved by the president January 21 is of interest, to Company I, in this city as well as other members of the National Guard In Indiana and militia organizations everywhere. ' Tbe secretary of war is authorized to issue new guns and all other necessary7 accouterments ;and ' equipments such as are provided for the regular army, when ever tbe governor of . any state shall require 'them for the militiaof his'state organized in conformity

with this law. , The organized militia gets the same pay as regulars when attending schools of instruction, and officers on recom mendation of the governor, can aitend military schools and colleges and be allowed the same pay and privileges that are given regular army officers. It gives officers and privates disabled in the service of the United States, the benefits of the pension laws, and also provides forexami nations for persons specially qualified to hold commissions and command troops. The record of previous ser vice of this examination. This law places the organized mill tia almost on a par with the regular army and gives them the same stand ing as volunteer soldiers. Captain Kendall has copies of the law and books relating to military af fairs which will give full particulars of its requirements. Grape Juice Prevents Typhoid. The constant researth and discover ies of bacteriologists are not only arm ing us against disease germs but are gradually divesting all forms of bac teria of many of their terrors. A few weeks ago Dr. Ferguson, a London bacteriologist, announced tbe results of extended .experiments with lemon juice as a destroyer of typhoid bacilli. As a result of numerous tests Dr. Ferguson declared his belief that a few drops of lemon juice In a glass of water would suffice to destroy or render harmless tbe typhoid germs already taken into tbe human system. It appears, however, that lemon juice is not the only substance that will check the germination of typhoid microbes and deprive them of ail vitallty. Experiments In the New York bacteriological laboratory, as well as in the laboratory of Chicago, have demonstrated tbat unfermented grape juice is even more effiacious than lemon juice in destroying tbe vitality and checking the growth of typhoid germs, while Its use is not attended with any of the dangers tnat are incident to the continued drinking of lemon juice. ' . That lemon juice is harmful to some stomachs when taken continuously is well known to physicians. Not every stomach can receive tbe acid of the lemon, even though greatly diluted, without Injury or discomfort. Pure grape juice, however, Is not only harmless but highly nutritious. Its use at meal time is Invariably attended with beneficial results, it being very rich in nutrient. , blood-making elements. It is worthy of note, bowever, that the bacteriologists lay great stress upon tbe puritv and clearness of the juice, claiming that adulterations or dilutions tend to render it ineffec tive as a destroyer of typhus germs. If future experiments tend to more fully confirm the correctness of this theory in regard to the juice of the grape it offers a most agreeable and nourishing preventive of the most dreaded of all germ diseases. Very Easy to Increase Taxes. If a member of the ways and means committee had been making tbe statement that if all the bills now before the legislature carrying appropriations should be passed the state expenditures would be increased $1,100,000 anncallv bis listeners should not have been "startled." On the other hand If the ways and means representative had called to mind all the bills design ed to open an avenue to the treasury be would be obliged to double the fi ures he has given. . An increase of $1,100,000 is about 8 cents on each $100 of the present taxable valuation, which is $1,380,000,000 in round numbers. For a starter, the ways and means committee has permitted a bill to be Treported increasing the state levy for school tuition from 11 to 16 cents per $100. This increase cf itself absorbs almost $700,000 of the $1,100,000. If tbe free Schoolbook scheme were embraced in tbe demands which the members of the ways and means committee had In mind his remainder of $400,000 would need to be doubled to meet that expenditure. Then there is the state laboratory, which the senate has indorsed. The amount of money which will be required for this has not been announced, but, judging from other states having such institutions, it would be a considerable sum. There is the Fortune oill creating a railroad commission, a high school inspector and numerous other designs upon the public treasury outside of tie money needed to improve th public institutions. If all these things are tobe provided for the ways and moans committeeman will need Jto apply the multiplication table ta his $1,100,000 estimate. -Indianapolis Journal. ' Tns TrjuuNis is always tho fccct."

A Needed Prison Reform. Senator Goodwine's bill for the separation of the Woman's Prison and Girls' Industrial School is the culmination of a movement started ten years ago and first advocated in the Indianapolis Journal. In its issue of Jan. 19, 1893, under the caption, "A Needed Reform," the Journal pointed out the great wrong of placing wayward young girls and even innocent children, under the. same roof with women convicted of crime and said: It needs very little reflection to convince any person with a slight acquaintance with criminology that these two institutions should not be under the same roof. If it is true, as all experience proves, that young criminals should never be confined or associated with old ones, it is still more true that little children and young girls who have never been convicted of any crime should not be housed under the same roof with female convicts of mature years, including murderers, burglars, thieves and vicious criminals and said. Tbe idea of such association is morally repulsive. It is a crime against the state. The legislature has been slow to act In the matter, but public sentiment has finally become so pronounced that it cannot well avoid doing so. The Goodwine bill meets every essential requirement of the case by providing for the construction of a building for the Girls' Industrial School which shall be "separate and widely

apart" from the Woman's Prison. The proviso that the building for the Girls' School shall be located outside of the city, but within ten miles of it, renders it possible to make the separation complete, as it should be. No false consideration of economy should induce the legislature to neglect carrying out this long-ignored and much needed reform. Perhaps the Goodwine bill may be improved in some details, but its main features are essen tially right.---Indianapolis Journal. C. E. Newlin's Lecture. The Prohibition convention closed Friday evening with a lecture by State Chairman C. E. Newlln. lie handled his subject, The Twentieth Century Problem, our Civic and Inkustrlal Life, in a masterly manner. He began his lecture by citing in stances, both from sacred and profane history when momentous problems of civic and industrial life perplexed the people. During his address he lauded Mr. Lincoln, going so far as to say that 'Mr. Lincoln was the greatest com moner since the Christ who hung np on Calvary's Cross." While his speech was an1 argument in favor of prohibition, be said he cou.ld gladly commend bvtb the dem ocratand republican parties for their share in the shaping: of this, the grandest government on earth. Tbe problem of tbe twentieth cen tury he stated was bow to apply the golden rule, The sermon on the mount and the Christ life' in civic and Industrial life. ' It was a fair and non-partisan speech and. merited tbe attendanoe of a greater number of listeners. OH Men in the. Senate. Senator Pettus of Alabama, who has just been re-elected, was born July 6, 1821. He was old enough at the time of tbe great Webster-Hayne debate to have had the rumorof tbat historic struggle make some impression upon him, and he was practicing law soon after the Tippecanoe campaign, when Chicago had only four or five thousand inhabitants. Later he served In the Mexican war, and then he was one of the forty-niners, going all the way to California on horseback. .At tbe opening of the civil war, wh'ch how seems so remote to most of Us countrymen, he was entering middle life. . He served through out that war, returned to the practice of the law in Alabama and was first elected to the D J I ted States senate in the winter of 1006-8, when he was 75 years old. other oldmen In the senate are Morgan of Alabama, 79; ill oar of Massachusetts and Hawley of Connecticut and Stewart of Nevada. 76; Cullom of Illinois and Allison of Iowa, 74; Jones of Nevada, Teller of Colorado, and Vest of Misfouri, 73; Proctor of Vermont and Frye of Maine 72. The oldest senator when he died was Senator Morrill, ofMalne, who was 88. A Useful Official. Hon. William H. Hart, who retired from the office of auditor of state on Monday, has been one of the most faithful and efficient of tbe men who have held office since the republicans came Into power in 1895. As deputy auditor under Mr. Daily he broke up a lax system of auditing accounts which cost the state much money. With Mr. Dally he put an end to the pernicious practice of paying a portion of one year's obligations out of, the next year's appropriation. Through his ind Mr. Daily's influence the legislature provided for the accurate system of accounting which prevails in this state. More than to any other man Indiana Is indebted to lr. Hart for the banishment of bogus iusurance companies, and the victory was won by his persistent fighting of all kinds of fraud under the name of insurance. To the tax commission and on the Finance Board Mr. Hart was a most useful official. Indianapolis Journal.

There's Millions in It It has grown to be a fact that the largest factor in the prosperity of this country is the railroad business. The volume of it in the year just closed runs to so many millions of dollars as to be almost incomprehensible. This isnot only the case in the matter of receipts, but in disbursements as well. And what it is proposed to accomplish this year will make what was done last- year look - insignificant. The opinion is that the lailroads in reconstructing their lines will this year do more than in any former year in their history.' Enormous expenditures by the larger systems are scheduled for ihe next twelve months. This means that the mines, the furnaces, the iron works, car' works and locomoti 2 works will be kept busy, and In turn all branches of business will doubtless feel the benefit of the large outlay, provided the financiering now in progress is successful. It is thought that the roads will this year get their roadbeds and equipment into such good coudition that, should they strike two or three bad vears cf earnings, thev can go through without any trouble. Dayton Herald. Two Democrats Want to Lead. There are two active contestants for the democratic l?adsrship in the next house Mr. Richardson, of Tennessee, has announced that he mav retire from the house at the end of this congress, but in any event he will not be a candidate again for the leadership, The two announced candidates for the place are RepresentativeClark. of Missouri, and Representative John S. Williams, of Mississippi. Mr. Clark has bad an ambition to be speaker of the bouse for many years, and that being impossible as the next house will be republican by a large majority, he is anxious to obtain the next best thing, the democratic leadership. Mr. Wiliams was early in the race and a num!er of congressmen have pledged their votes to him. There will be 178 democrats in the next house and therefore the successful candidate must get ninety votes. The friends of Mr Williams say he has sixty-five votes pledged and that be has been assured of the balance necessary. Mr. Clark's friends declare these claims are not founded upon votes and they predict success for the Missouri congressman. New Jersey Justice. The execution of Paul Woodward furnishes another Instance of tbe promptness of New Jersey justice. The atrocious crime occurred on Oct. 1, 1902, when Wood ward brutally murdered two of his youthful companions. The next month witnessed a dignfied but speedy trial, In which Prosecutor Moody and Morse Archer. proved the commonwealth's ease beyond the shadow of a doubt and secured an almost immediate yerdictof guilty. December heard sentence pronounced, and the other day saw that the sentence' decently, expeditiously and solemnly executed, only fourteen weeks after the murder was commit

ted. The whole conduct of the affair was a credit to the traditions of Jersey justice. Must Learn to WmH. Some one has discovered that tbe beautiful Indian girls, educated at the expense of the government in divers schools, are having their laundry work done by machinery. Nearly ail those schools have a laundry department, where the work for the school is attended to. It has . at last dawned upon some practical statesmen of the House Indian committee tbat it would be more sensible for the girls from the teepees and the wigwams of tbe reservations to know less about cube root and geometrical progression could only know how to iron a collar. Hence, a provision, which is to be come a law, that laundry machinery In Indian schools &hall, as far as pos sible, give way so that these dusky girl pupils shall have a chance to learn how to do the work themselves. Washington Post. Both Parties Want the Swag. Representative Wright has intro duced a bill for the deposit of public funds by county treasurers and other officials and the payment of the in terest into the treasury. It would be an excellent tmng ior me state u such law were adopted, but one meas ure for that purpose has already been killed in the senate, and any other stands very - small chance of getting through this legislature. The profits of the custody of public funds form the chief attraction in many public offices, and naturally all the machine influence in the state will be against any such change as is proposed. We imagine that Mr. Wright's measure fcvill be promptly sat upon, Indiana polis Sentinel. Kr.o&s Out South Dakota Divorces. The United v States supreme court has decided that six months' residence does not constitute a domiciliary residence in law and that all such di vorces are unlawful. The point of the decision is that a residence in one state cannot be obtained in a limited time for a specific thing that does not confer a full citizeerjp for all purpccc3. .... ; "

"Nothing But an American." John Hay, in his wise and witty speech at the Ohio dinner in New York' spoke of his own mixed ancestry and his changes of residence as a 'bewilderment of origin and experience," and said that he could only put on an aspecct of humility In any gathering of favorite sons and confess that he is "nothing but an American." The mixture of blood which be spoke' Euglish, Scotch, German, French, Northern and Southern very well typified the origin of the American

character, of which John Hay is himfelf so good a tppe, and the significance of his plea, that he Is "nothing but an American," will not be lost on anyone who puts his whole country above any of the narrow subdivisions of locality, of race or of previous allegiance that are so obnoxious to a sound national spirit. A Narrow Escape From Death. Ida Coyer, living on West Water street, had a narrow escape from death Thursday morning. She was on her way to school and crossed the Donahue marsh. In making her way across the Pennsylvania tracks near the Franklin Hotel she stepped upon the track just as the east local, in charge of Conductor .rJasterday, was approaching and fell as she tried to jump out of the way. Mr. Easterday yelled to her to remain still. Although within a foot of the moving wheels she retained her presence of mind and did not move until tbe train had passed. Had she attempted to get up she would have been knocked in the head by the steps. He picked her up and carried her into the depot, but it was found she was not injured. Valparaiso Messenger. Senator Fairbanks Speech. Senator Fairbanks' speech to the legislature in acknowledgment of his re-election was altogether admirable. It was a sort of litany in praise of Indiana her history, her noble sons, her prospects for the future; followed by an exposition of civic duty. There was no trace of partisanship In his speech. For the time he was decidedly the gentleman from Indiana and for Indiana. Democrats as well as republicans could listen to his wonto with equal pleasure. Indianapolis News. National Guards. The passage of the army bill making the National Guard in all tbe states a part of the United States army has been signed by the president. And now a bill has been introduced In the house establishing a rifle range in every congressional district in Indiana, to be in charge of a regular army officer, for the use and instruction in accurate firing of the companies of the Indiana National Guard. 'STAUT OF A GOOD MOVE Proposal U ProTlde rand ta Take Half i . Mllll oa fMplt to tbo St. UnU World's Fair. Des Moines, la., Jan. 31. Articles of incorporation were filed Thursday by the Waller World's Fair School Excursion club, which proposes to make arrangements for the transportation of 500,000 or more school children from Iowa to the St. Louis exposition during the exposition next jear. John R. Waller, of Rockford, the originator of the scheme, is the president of the company, tid he proposes to open offices in Des Moines in the near future. It is believed that a rate of $70 can be sectired from the railroads. - A. grant of twenty-four acres on the exposition grounds has been secured, and several St. Louis men are interested in the project. Dormitories will be erected, and it is proposed to haye 10,000 children on the grounds all the time. HE HIT3 FREE TEADE . lord Cranborne's Reply to Those Who Talk of the British Gorcrnmeot'i "Commercial Apathy." London, Jan. 31. Lord Cranborne, under-foreign secretary, made a speech last night at Sheffield, in the course of which, referring to the strictures passed on the apathy alleged tobe displayed by the government In promoting Great Britain's commercial Interests abroad, he remarked: "Under the free trade system we have nothing to offer in the negotiation of commercial treaties, and Ü is therefore useless to complain of the passive policy of the foreign office." . Lord Cranborne said he could not regret the fact that one result of the Brussels sugar convention had been to shake the confidence of all the foreign powers in this purely passive attitude of the British government. To Provent Bobbing the Mall. Washington, Jan. 31. The house committee on postofflces and post roads has authoried a favorable report on a bill by Gardner of Michigan to "prevent robbing the mail," etc It provides for a system of post check notes which are made "exchangeable at money order postofflces and banks. Operators' Cae Nearly CloeodL, Philadelphia, Jan. 31. With the ceptlon of the presentation of statistics the coal operators closed their case before the strike commission yesterday, and it is expected the striking miners will begin calling witnesses In rebuttal on Monday. No session la being held today. United State Patent Statistics. Washington, Jan. 31. The report of the commissioner of patents for the ealend&r year 1CC3 zlz3 a total of 49,D0 appllc-tlczj fcr citrnto, including dcc!cJ,. tl ilt C7.T73 patents, in-