Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 September 1890 — Page 3

THE M’KINLEY BILL.

What It Ts, What It Seeks to' Accomplish, How It Will Affect the Revenues. In accordance with its pledge the Republican party has passed what is called the McKinley bill, a comparison of which with the Mills bill reveals at once the economic difference between the two parties. The Republican bill places a duty on wool; the Democratic bill places wool on the free list. The Republican bill places a protective duty on all animals, vegetables, barley, hemp, tobacco, flax and all products of the soil; upon cotton floods, woolen goods, crockery, glassware, iron, steel, hardware and cutlery. The Democratic bill places vegetables on the free list, leaves but a revenue duty on all animals, on barley and tobacco; moves towards a revenue duty on cottons, woolens, crockery, glassware, iron, steel, hardware and cutlery. The Republican bill places sugar on the free list; the Democratic bill places the duty on sugar at 65 per cent. It' will be seen that these measures are most marvelously unlike. It is not accident or chance. It is because one bill lavors the protection of American agriculture, manufactures and labor, and the other bill opposes this policy.

SIX OTHER THINGS

Almost as Important as the Other Reforms More Talked about. The Republican per.ty promised the people in 1888 that it would proceed rapidly'toward the rebuilding of the navy 'and the construction, of works for the protection of our harbors and great cities. r Important steps haye been taken in the redemption of this pledge. Among the naval appropriations passed by this Congress is one providing $23,000,000 for the construction of three large battle-ships, one large cruiser, one small cruiser, and ; one torpedo boat, adding six fine ships to the new navy. The sum of $4,232,935 has been (appropriated for harbor defenses and 'fortifications, for the purchase of .torpedos, marine guns, mortar batteries and armaments, for the establishment of an American gun factory, J and for the building and repairing of iimprovement fortifications. , Pending in the House, having already passed the Senate, are the two Important measures known as the 'shipping biljs. Of their final passage Iby the House, probably at this session, icertainly in the next, there can be no .doubt. Their effect in the revival of ithe American merchant marine, in the' establishment of new lines of travel between our ports and those of South America, will assuredly be to build up >a large and important trade that has too long been neglect® 1. The acts relieving the Supreme Court fronr the congestion which has almost paralyzed it by the establishment of an intermediate court is one of the most useful features of Republican legislation. The difficulties unjder which the Supreme Court has labored have amounted to a denial of [justice. It is now able to proceed iwith its business in a rapid and orderly way. - Important,' too, for the honor not (less than the welfare of the country, ;is the anti-lottery bill, which successjully take the United States postoffice out of the service of that infamous in-, stitution known as the Louisiana State Dottery, Left by the decision of the' Supreme Court with the duty of restoring to the States the right to enforce laws prohibiting or regulating the sale of liquor, introduced therein through interstate commerce, Congress has passed what ia known as" tfie Package bill. The Supreme 'Court’s decision practically rendered nugatory all State laws dealing adversely with the liquor traffic, provided such liquors were brought into one State from another. The authority of/the State is, by Republican legislation, rendered effective!

PROTECTIVE THEORIES.

The Cheapest Way to Raise Revenue I to Collect It Foreigners. From aSpecch in UonVressby Hon. J. H. Walker A protective tariff is not an ‘arbitrary restraint upon trade.’ As well say q, bit and bridle, by which we guide, control, and develop to our use the power of the horse, is an arbitrary restriction on travel. ProtectiUiy compels every European manufacturer to pay into the Treasury of the United States the money he.has saved by slot paying his workmen as much as American workmen receive before he is allowed to sell his goods in this country. Ir. view of the lamentations qf the free traders over the alleged ruinous' policy of protection, it is in order to -remark that from 1870 to 1890 Great Britain gained $283,000,000 in value of exports, while the United States gained $468,000,000. For Great Britain the gain was 20 per cent.; for the United States 125 per cent. That is, we. have taken care of our home industries and our home market, and been building up our foreign trade faster than has. Great Britain, dur free trade rival.

What They Say of Him in His Own Home.

Utica Observer, Dem. At the convention of Republicans in Indiana yesterday George W. Pixley was placed in nomination for the State f . Treasurership. Mr. Pixley 14 a native of this county, and a brother of the ■well-known wholesale clothier, Henry D. Pilley, of thl? city. He has re*>

aided at Fort Wayne, for many years, and has been one of the foremost citizens of that city, identified with its enterprises and in a measure responsible for its progress. Many Oneida county people remember Mr. Pixley in his younger days and have met him on occasional visits to his old home. They will be pleased to hear of this preferment and will unite in saying that if Indiana is to have a Republican State Treasurer its money can be placed in no better hands than those of its present nominee.

BISMARCK SAYS PROJECTION I SURES PROSPERITY.

From a Speech in the Reichstag by Prince Bismarck, May 12, 1882. The success of the United States, in material development is the most illustrious of modern time. The American nation has not only successfully borne and suppressed the most gigantic and expensive war of all history, but immediately afterward disbanded its army, fotind work for all its soldiers and marines, paid off most of its debt, given labor and homes to all the unemployed of Europe as fast as they could arrive within the territory, and still by a system of taxation- so indirect as not to be perceived, much less felt. Because it is my deliberate judgment that the prosperity of America is mainly due to its system of protective laws. I urge that Germany has now readied that point where it is necessary to imitate the tariff system of the United States.

TALKS ON THE TARIFF.

Senator McPherson vs. Superintendent Jackson, of Castle Garden. Senator McPherson Superintend ent to the Operative Jackson, of Castle Potters’ National As- Garden, to the Con* sembly: gressional committee “Unless census re- Investigating immiports and labor re- gration, April 9,1890: ports are greatly in -‘lmmigrants bring error the labor here less baggage than employed in your in formerly, because dustry, over and they have found put above the cost of la that clothing and bor abroad, reoeives household supplies only a small portion are as cheap here as of the protection giv- in thepld countries.” en to’ the factory, while at the same time the cost of living is greatly increased by a correspondingly high tariff upon clothing and all ; household goods and utensils.” The Canadian Prime Minister Says the Theory Works AH Kight. From a Speech in the Canadian Parliament bj Sir John A. Macdonald, Premier. Suppose the man has 100 acres on the Canadian side of the line and 100 acres of land on the American side of the line. Suppose he grows 1,000 bushels of barley on each of his farms. He takes his 1,000 American bushels to the American market and gets $1 a bushel for-U, He takes his 1,000 bushels of Canadian barley to the American market and gets but 85 cents per bushel, bpcause he has to pay 15 cents duty for tiikiny it across the line.„ How can it. in this case, be said that the consumer pays the duty? It comes out of the .pockets of the Canadian farmers.

Who Believes In Free Trade?

From a Speech in Congress by Thomas B. Reed. On the face of the earth to-day there are but two sets of people who believe in free trade—the Democratic party and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with Ireland suppressed. Russia, the granary of Europe, has abandoned free trade. France, Austria, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and the Dominion of Canada, that child of Britain herself, have all joined the army of Protection. It is the instinct of humanity against the assumptions of the book men. It is the wisdom of the race against the wisdom of the few.

Not Even in Mississippi?

Brooklyn Eagle (Dem.) In a speech at Baltimore Tuesday, Fred Douglass had something to say about what he called ‘.‘the race problem,” and affirmed that the Democrats would never give it a thought if the negroes could be induced to vote the Democratic ticket. Well, the Democrats do not appear .to be worrying much on account of the negro these days.

Where Is Cleveland!

Ne\v York Mail and Express. What has become of Mr. Cleveland? What means the strange silence which broods about his considerable form? Here there have been Democratic conventions galore. But they have dissolved and gone tetterlesa home. Has the Stuffed Prophet run short of letter paper? Or postage stamps? Or ideas?

Logic of Democratic Boodle Claims

Nebraska State Journal, • The only thing the Democrats can do now about Dictator Tom Reed is to bellow “Boodle.” But if the fifteep hundred Democrats who voted for Mr. Reed were all bought, it is a pretty bad showing for the Democracy; very bad indeed, and the less they talk about it the better the party will look.

Protection Distributes Wealth.

From Blaine’s Reply to Gladstone, Jan., 1890. In no event can the growth of large fortunes be laid to the charge of the protective policy. Protection has proved a distributor of great sums of money—not an agency for amassing it in the hands of a few. The beneffit of Protection goes first and last to the men who earn their bread »u the sweat of their faces. The action of the Senate in placing binding twine upon the free list is the kind of tariff reform that suits the farmers and promotes the welfare of the Republican party.

PRICE OF PLOWS AT HOME AND ABROAD.

During the recent discussion in the Senate regarding export discounts ths following letter was submitted by Senator Aldrich: Ghattshooga, Tenn., Aug. 28,1890. . Dear Sir: Your inquiry of the SI st received. Our foreign trade is iwith Mexico. Prices on implements in the United States are governed by 'cost and competition between manufacturers. Foreign prices are our home prices plus the difference in freight and cost of conducting buai■ness. Our net prices on plows, cape mills and everything we make, free on board cars at our factory, are prebisely the same to home and foreign customers. But the prices to farmers abroad are always higher than to farmers in the United States. Chattanooga canp mills, which we sell here for $24, SB6 and S4B, cost delivered in City of Mexico $72, S9B and $145, and retailed there at SIOO, $l5O and S2OO. Chattanooga plows, op which the, proportion of freight td'cqpt is not so great, we price retail as follbws: • .United iNo. States. Mexico. '32...W00 $8 00 33 6 00 12 00 34....'. 8 00 16 00 B 5 9 00 18 00 After deducting the discount on Mexican money this leaves the Mexican farmers paying an average of 75 per cent, more for their implements than onr home farmers pay. - Yours very respectfully, ' ~ Newell Saunders, President Chattanooga Plow Co. Hon. H. Clay Evans, Washington, D. C.

The figures which we publish elsewhere, taken from the Voice, clearly show that the Prohibocratic party is nothing more or less than a little handful of malcontents. Whatever may have been their hope twenty years ago, not one of them now believes that the formation of a party that can be felt is a thing possible. The fact that in twenty years it has secured less than 3 per cent, of the popular vote, when it takes 51 per cent, to enact a’law, is the very least 'indication of its failure. Look at the steady and rapid decline of the party for four years, as.shown by the figures taken from the Voice, and who car. have any hope? The truth is that these men are not prohibitionists now, whatever they may have been at one time. They are obstructionists and nothing else. Whatever has been done in the last twenty years has been done not only without their aid but in spite of their opposition. Look at their attitude to prohibition in Kansas and local option in Indiana.—Temperance Evangelist.

The present Congress has proved itself the friend of the workingman by the bills passed satisfactorily regulating and controlling convict labor, and for the adjustment of the accounts of laborers arising under the eight-hour law, with a view to securing them payment for excess of time which they may have worked. Another important measure is the amended alien contract labor act, the violation of which is made a criminal as well Ms civil offense. Steamship companies bringing over contract laborers are compelled to take them back at their own cost; and it is made unlawful for any person or corporation to encourage; alien laborers to migrate by promise* of employment through advertisements, and aliens thus persuaded are not to be allowed to land. The Republican party makes promises and keeps them. The Democratic party makes promises and forgets them. —Lafayette Courier. What are the Democrats going to do for a platform in 1892? The silver issue is settled, unless they want to take Cleveland’s determined opposition to silver as a keynote. The surplus in the Treasury will have been expended jn paying pensions under the new law, in building the new navy, in public improvements, and other necessary and proper expenditures, and the new tariff law will prevent any further accumulation of a surplus. The tariff question will have been settled according to the verdict of the people at the polls in 1888, and reciprocity will be the Republican watchword. Nothing will be left for them but to “view with alarm" the advance of Republican ideas. •

The sensible Democratic papers are telling their party to let New England and the Northwest “slide" and concentrate its efforts on New York, New Jersey and Indiana. The probability is, however, that the party will do nothing of the kind. It will keep right on as it has been doing and it will carry Maine, Wyoming and the other States in these localities in 1892 in just the same way that it carried the two here named this year, while allowing the debatable States to keep out of its grasp. In election methods as well as in the broad lines of economic and administrative policy the Democracy neither learns ndr forgets anything. --Globe-Domocrat. There can be no doubt that the single tax doctrine is growing in favor in all English speaking countries, mid we helievo there are many t ow living who will see its general adoption. —lndianapolis Sentinel. How do the farmers and real estate owners of Indiana like this new Democratic departure? The Republicans must gain by any fair Congressional apportionment scheme which’ can be deviled. Providence provided for this by giving a greater increase of popul-Alon to the Republican section of the we-try than to the Democratic.

BLAINE ON RECIPROCITY.

AnotheiLetter Irom the Secretary of Stats in Which HlaVlowe Are Toreely Given. The following letter, Written by Hon. James G. Blaine to Col W. W. CSapp, editor of the Boston Journal, was printed <ui the 17th. “Bap. Harbor, Me., Sept, 15. “My Dear Sir—l am in receipt of your favor asking me if I can attend the annual banquet o' the Boot and Shoe Club of Boston in October. You add that the members are ‘in hearty sympathy with my views regarding the best method of extending American trade, and would be glad to have me address them.’ I regret that my engagements will not pfermit me to accept the invitation, but 'you will please thank the club for the compliment they pay me. lam glad to hear that the members of the club aro interested in a system of reciprocal trade with Latin America. They can do great good by counteracting a certain phase of New [England opinion, entertained at home as well in Washington—an opinion which I must regard as it. the highest degree unwise and hurtful to New England interests. New England is to receive in the new tariff the amplest protection for every manufacturing industry within her borders, both great and small, and it will, in my judgment, be both inexpedient and injurious for Representatives to disregard a measure which will promote Western interests. “I have lately received a letter from Mr. J. F. Imbs, of St. Louis, a leading representative of the flour interests and president of the late convention of millers at Minneapolis. Speaking for the grain and flour interests of that great section Mr. Imbs says that ‘advices of recent date from Cuba state that the duties now collected on American flour are at a higher ratp than was first supposed to be the case,’ and he adds: ‘I respectfully submit that the American miller will be unable to retain any part of the Cuban flour tra le unless immediate relief is secured.’ “In view of these facts is it possible that a protectionist Congress can ever think of opening our markets to Cuba’s products free while allowing a great Western in* dustry to be absolutely excluded from her markets by a prohibitory tariff! With reciprocity the West can annually sell many hundred thousand barrels of flour in the markets of Cuba and Porto Rico, to gether with a large mass of other agricultural products. Without reciprocity she will be driven more and more from these markets. “Giving the fullest protection toallEagt--erh interests as the proposed tariff bi ll does surely no man of good judgement, certainly no protectionist of wise forecast, wishes to expose a Western interest to serious injury, especially when it is manifestly easy to protect it and promote it—manifestly easy because at this very time the boards of trade, the chambers of commerce and public opinion in Havana are demanding a reciprocal trade with the United States. I select Cuba and Porto Rico for examples because in certain quarters it has been said that while we might secure reciprocity with some little countries in South America, we could do nothing with the Spanish Islands. Let us at least give the Spanish islands an opportunity to speak for themselves. “Certain wise men ask: How can"we sell farm products in South America when the same things are produced there! Cereals are undoubtedly grown in the soothernmost portions of South America, but the wise men will remember that' cereals and sugar do not grow in the same soil, and that the sugar countries of South and Central America and the West India islands contain forty millions of people, who import the largest part of their breadstuffs. Indeed, the largest part of the sugar product of Latin America is at our doors, and we can greatly enlarge our exchanges there if Congress will give us the importunity for reciprocal trade. “Another class observe that they want time to study the system. To this, I might reply that the best method of study ing a system is to observe its practical workings. While studying in the abstract and ref using to take some object lessons, these gentlemen propose to open our mar- 1 kets to Latin American products free of' all charge, without asking Latin America 1 to give us, in turn, some freedom in their' markets. The object losson immediately; before us is the treatment of the sugar question. Shall we make Latin America 1 a gift of that trade? When we have studied that lesson we shall be prepared for the second. “The worst proposition of all is put forth; by those who say: ‘Let us put sugar on the. free list now, and next year we will take up the subject of reciprocity.’ If I understand their logic, it is to make sugar free this year; without condition, and nextyear, to ask Spain if she will not kindly consent to grant us reciprocal trade. Holding the f complete vantage ground themselves, the proposed policy transfers the vantage' ground to Spain. Instead of granting a favor to Spam to-day, we are to ask her for a favor to-morrow. Those who take this ground belong to that class of careful guardians of property who prepare a very; strong lock for the stabla after the horse, is gone. “I do not mean in any thing I have said to imply that reciprocity Is only a Western interest. As I remarked in a note, to Senator Frye, it will prove beneficial and profitable, both to the farmer and theshop. What, for instance, could be more natural or more just than that in giving a free market in the United; States to hides from the Argentine Republic, we would ask the Argeu tine Republic to give us a better market than we now have for the product of leather from the United States? The many forms in which our business interests will be promoted by reciprocity cannot be known until the active commercial men of the United States shall have daveloped those forms by investigation and experience. We shall not realize the full benefit of the policy in a day or a year, but shall we therefore throw away countless millions of trade, in addition to the sixty millions we have already thrown away, and then ignorantly declare without trial that the system ‘won’t work?’ “Finally, there is one fact that should have great weight, especially with protectionists. Every free trader in the Senate voted against the reciprocity proposition. The free trade papers throughout the country aro showing determined hostility to it. It is evident that tne free tradq Senators and the free trade papers have a specific reason for their course. They know and feel that with a system of reciprocity established and growing, their policy of free trade receives a most serious blow. The protectionist who opposes reciprocity > the form in which it is now presented, knocks away one of the strongest supports of his system. The enactment of reciprocity is the safeguard of protection. The defeat of reciprocity is the opportunity of free trade. Yours very respectfully, “James G. Blaine.”

There was a mass meeting of themiaen of the block coal district at Brazil Tuss day, and resolutions were passed oalliag for ten cents advance in wages. There was alse opposition shown to the continuance in office of State Mine Inspector Tisloe. The Farmers’ Alliance of Harrison county has placed a ticket in the field, headed by John P. N. Mcßae fob Representattve. It is expected that the Republicans will indorse the selections, and nominate no one in opposition.

ANNEXATION.

Is • Llitag Issue La Canada—A SemarkaMe Article. An Ottawa special of the 17th says: Ths fact can no longer be disputed that the ana nexation question is fast becoming one of the live issues of the day and will play an important part in the political future of Canada. The sentimental loyalists en. : deaver to belittle the movement, but, hev-: ertheless, aro whistling to keep up thei/ courage. It matters not what part of the : Dominion one looks to, there is to be found . evidence of dissatisfaction at the existing ; state of affairs. Lead ing public men have > not hesitated to call attention to the increasing popularity of the movement for • closer trade and social relations with the Un’ted States?—in fact, in some instances going so far as to espouse on the publio platform political union. the government organs has come out squarely fop separation from England. The Quebec Telegraph says: “If we are permitted to gauge current events on Canada, we thinkithat annexation to the United States is making.great headway among the people. It is coming, and that beforj long. Sir John may preach all kinds of doctrines, he may climb upon Johnny Bull’s back and become the last man on earth to accept the platform, but dollars and cents will bring it about. The McKinley bill is passed by a large majority, and that deals a hard blow to the com merce of Canada. England, we are told, is as ready to give up Canada and New foundland as Heligoland. Now, what can we do in this part of Canada without the United States? We are positive that at least this part of the country would be in a thriving condition if we had America merged into one general confederation. How would Brother Jonathan meet us but with an exgression of joy and comfort. . Dollars and cents’ property would boom and commerce with the world would be carried with a ring which would bring comfort and glory to the masses. “A few days ago the stars and stripes were raised over a custom house in Mon treal and now they are. flying over the grounds of the Toronto exhibition. What Is to prevent them from being raised over the nation at some future period? Something must be done, beoause we can not stand this tariff tinkering at Ottawa any longer. “This country is, in plain words, going to the Old Nick, and if in the next general election the reformers do not become aware of the situation, we will be starved out of existence by the United States tariff. England is neither a mother nor a friend to us. We have flattered her too jmuoh and now is the time (when one of her grandchildren Js here) that we should talk as plainly as possible of the situation. “If the capitalists of London can buy up the great stock companies of the United States, if they can place millions of dollars in the wild lands of that country, if they are scared to invest a single dollar in Brit*, Ish securities, then let us annex so as to secure their aid and land. Sir John ought to feel surprised at the enormous amount of money that Britishers are investing in the United States.” The article has caused a decided sensation here. Government officials state that such unreasonable and seditious language should not be overlooked.

FINANCIAL.

Sanator Farwell Thinks the Sub-Treas-uries Should Be Abolished. Senator C. B. Farwell writes the following letter to the Inter-Ocean from Waukesha, Wis. “I hear a good deal said in the papers about the tightness in the money market and that Secretary Windom has been; called upon to relieve it. The finances of! the country can never be in a healthy con-i dition when it is required that the Secret) tary of the Treasury shall be asked to step; and relieve a stringency which periodi-, eally ocoura. No ope man should have it| in his power to make money either cheapo or dear. ... “The government is collecting more money than it spends so that, according! to the last Treasury statement, there is! now locked up in the various sub-treas-uries of the country |107,000,000' over and above the liabilities of the Government. The total amount held in', the various sub-treasuries is somthing over? 17,000,000,000 and the Government holds as security for this vast sum of money the. bonds of the respective sub-treasurers signed by their friends for one-fortieth of this amount. “Now, if these sub treasuries could b® wholly abolished and money deposited in the National Banks with adequate security taken for the whola amount, instead of one-fortieth, which is given by those who now hold this money, Mr. Windom would not be required to go into Wall street to regulate the finances. - ‘ ;■ ' “The money would be safer than it now is, and half a million of money per annum would'be saved by the abolition of this system. There never was any good reason for the establishment of the sub-treasury system and it ought to be forthwith repealed.

The cottage of ex-Senator H. G. Davis at Deer park (M<L), which will be occupied by the family of President Harrison during the summer months, is un unpretentious little frame house, painted s?ge green with a red shingled roof. It 13 two stifcs and a half in height, has a frontage of 42 feet and is entered from a broad piazza, upon which open three long French windows. The parlor occupies the entire width of the building, in which huge fireplaces are built in the middle section of the wall which partially divides the room. There is neither hallway nor reception room. An apartment in the wing will be used by the president as a library or snug retreat flor his private use, and beyond is a small dining room finished in red. On the second floor are four sleeping rooms, reach ed by a narrow and steep stairway. Above are the servants’ quarters. The kitchen is supplied with a large hot water boiler for heating the bath. Every room is freshly covered with matting and supplied with bamboo furniture.

LIGHTNING-RODS,

While They Are Rot Reliable, They Are Better Than No Protection. SE . p>. - Indianapolis Journal. i It was found necessary last night at Plymouth Church to press extra chairt into service, such was the interest manifested to hear the lecture of Prof, j Leo Mees, of Rose Polytechnic Insti- [ tute, on “Electricity.” The large audience was composed in part of [ visiting scientists, but the greater portion were Indianapolis residents, to ! whom the lecture proved not alone ■ interesting, but instroetive as well. I In the absence of Professor Goodale,' I president of the American Association, the pleasant task of introducing Professor Mees devolved on Dr. Minot,: of Harvard College, who accomplished' it gracefully, saying in substance that it would be better for Pro'e sor Meesj to introduce him, as he came from' such a distance and was so little known to the people here. However, he represented, he said, the great association of scientists, and therefore, spoke not personally, but for them,: and so speaking expressed their grati-i fication at what he termed the accu-' mulated hospitalities they had en-. joyed at the hands of the people of' Indianapolis. Professor Mees prefaced his lecture, proper by stating that he had, been re-' quested to talk upon the general sub-j ject of electricity, but that it would be 1 futile for him to attempt in so short a[ time to give a resume of the develop-' ment of electricity during the last, century, for that period marks its gress. He had, therefore, selected the single branch of protection against; Injury from lightning, or, to be brief,, lightning-rods. It was supposed that the last word upon this subject had! been said when the lightning-rod congress of 1880 laid down careful rules; for pßjtection against lightning, yet ib is well known that from time to time lightning plays queer freaks with} houses amply provided with rods. Thei Professor then proceeded, with simple apparatus, to explain what he called! electrical inertia, which, he said, plays a very important part in the question. Inertia he defined as a negative property, stubbornness on the part of matter which doesn’t want to be disturbed. After illustrating inertia resistence in bodies at rest, he proceeded to demonstrate its existence in bodies in motion. A brass chain was placed on a grooved wooden wheel, which was revolved with great rapidity. and the chain, upon being forced off, flew through the air like a hoop and bounded along the floor, rigid for several seconds from inertia resistence, The Professor caused some amusement by remarking that a day or so ago he discovered by jumping the wrong way from a moving train that he was material, and that inertia characterized his body. An illustration which afforded the audience much entertainment was one with two connecting iron tubes filled with water. A violent blow with a mallet on aplunger inserted in one of the tubes caused the water to give several persons in the front row a small Medion of an involuntary bath. A repetition of the illustration caused one srentleman to raise an umbrella and hold it before him. When the water discharged hit the' umbrella square in the middle th®, audience voted the illustration an allj around success. To show the torch; required to overcome the inertia of air a thin piece of board was placed on a,’ table with its end projecting, and a ' piece of paper spread smoothly over, it. It could be tilted easily enough by? a slow motion of the hand, but when! the edge was struck a quick blow with; the side of the hand or a mallet, it| would break off without raising the! board in the least. This, the professor! explained, was due to the inertia of thei air confined by the paper spread over! the board. Without the paper the} same result could not be produced. Prof. Mees then proceeded to smash! into smithereens all the popular superstitions concerning the protection afforded by lightning rods. He exs plained that the Leyden jar, which he used to generate electricity, had re-, fused to respond early in the evening,; owing to the dampness in the phdre, but that he had succeeded im warming it up and must use it at once for fear that it might again get bashs ful and refuse to spark. This piece of pleasantry was duly appreciated by the audience. He illustrated the effect of lightning on a church spire, whether protected by a single pointed rod on • one consisting of several smaller points, and explained that with the clouds in a certain position the rods work all right, but that if that position happens to change so that there are two clouds, one overhanging the other, the rods are no protection at all. The Professor remarked, in conclusion, that while hq did not say lightning rods were not a good thing, for they were certainly a good deal better than nothing, he did know that they could not be depended upon. He was not, however, like the Boston clergyman, who, during Frank*, lin’s time, declared it impious to pul up lightning rods, thus attempting to ward off the wrath of God. Bethought! that the development which may result from experiments now being carried on might lead to a perfection of the! mode of protection* against and assured the audience that they*, need have little fear in any event. “H I have robbed you,” said he, “of thq protecting presence of the lightning rod. I can make amends by telling you! that statistics show that only two per» eons out of a million are killed each, year by lightning, and you have no cause to worry unless you are one of those two. The lightning’s bark la the worst part of it and its bite is not nearly so severe.” Savage died in a prison at Bristol,, where he was confined for a debt pi S4U.