Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, November 4, 1905, Page 3

' President Stickney of the C. G. W. Ry. Addresses the Roosevelt Club at St. Paul on the “Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen Roosevelt Club of St. Paul: In py pnderstand the attitude of the president regard to legislation relating to rails Detltive rates and the effects of the eras and the e: f - tem must be understood. yop ‘It is well known that ever since cum- petitive railways have existed, the actual competitive rates have been made by the rebate system. “The rebate system consists in collect- ing from ail shippers exactly the samé full tariff rates. The shipments are billed = materee a the books of both the varding station and on the books of the eet ig? station at full tariff rates. And these full rates are collected and the money is remitted to the treasury of the company. And so far as the accounts and records at both the forwarding and receiving stations—which are the only records which are by any means acces- sible to the shippers—and so far as the knowledge of the station agents goes, everybody is treated to the full tariff rates on terms of exact equality. In no other way can the necessary secrecy be maintained. Later, a portion of the money thus collected, sometimes 5 per cent, sometimes. 10 per cent, and some- times as much as 50 per cent, is secretly returned to some of the shippers, but not to all. And those who receive rebates do not necessarily get the same percent- ay ‘Str. Stickney proceeded to show that prior to the establishment of the inter- state commerce commission all the small shippers had been driven out of business by the enormous rebates given to the large shippers in some cases exceeding 60 per cent of the total charges. The Intention Was Good. The interstate commerce law, enacted in 1887, was designed to correct the evils growing out of the system of making rates by rebates. The chairman of the senate committee, in explaining the bill when it was introduced in the senate, ‘The provisions of the bill are based upon the theory that the paramount evil chargeable against the operations of the transportation system of the United States, as now conducted, is unjust dis- mination, The underlying purpose nd aim of the measure is the preventon of these discriminations.”" The law has been amended, and as it now stands, stripped of all its verbiage, | it provides: That the railway companies alone shall make the rates. That schedules of such rates shall be printed and published. That as long as such schedules are in force neither more nor less than such rates shall be collected. That such rates shall remain in force and cannot lawfully. be advanced until ten days after, nor lowered until three days after, new schedules are printed and publishea;’ and That the failure of the railway com- pany to strictly observe such rates shall be a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than $1,000 or more than $20,000 for each offense. It also makes it a misdemeanor for any citizen—using the language of the law—‘‘to solicit, accept or receive any re- bate, concession or discrimination in r spect to the transportation of any prop- erty whereby any such property shall by any device be transported at a less rate than that made in the tariffs published and filed by the railway company,” pun- ishable by a like fine of not less than $1,000 or more than $20,000. Railway’s Big Advantage. It is true that the law provides that the rates thus made by the railway com- panies shall be “reasonable and just, but, whether reasonable or unreasonable, until the court decides that a rate is un- reasonable it is a misdemeanor for a izen “to solicit, accept or receive” any ate, concession or discrimination whereby his property shall by any de- vice be transported at less than the pub- lished rate. Experience has proven that this general ion, “that all rates shall be rea- nd just,” enforceable only by the courts, is of little practical value. During the thirty years in which the f reasonabie rates has been in y in this state I can recall but » in which a citizen has had the temerity to invoke the courts to enforce the law. The case was carried from court to court on appeals by the railway company and was finally decided in the citizen's favor by the supreme court of United States just five years after the st trial. The amount involved was ex- y 43 cents. nm we consider that the whole vast revenues of railways are collected in petty amounts varying from 25 cents to practically fifty or sixty dollars, rarely more than $100, it will be readily seen that no one individual would ever be likely to have enough at stake to justify a contest with a railway company. Everybody Is Mulcted. Railway transportation enters into and becomes a part of everything. It is paid for, not by the shippers or receivers, but by the consumers, without knowing when and how much is paid. When one buys food or clothing he ‘pays railway trans- portation. When one buys a_ theater ticket, employs a, doctor, a lawyer, or pays rent, he pays railway transporta- tion. In short, it permeates everything, and, like the air we breathe, no one can refuse railway transportation and live. Stating t gist of the law in a nut- shell, the railway companies have an ab- solute monopoly in its production, and under the law fix the price upon that which they alone can produce and which every living man must consume, and the law makes it a misdemeanor for the con- sumer to kick. Is this a ‘square deal?” ‘Theodore Roosevelt says it is not a square deal. Gov. Cummins, who is here to-night, says it is not a square ded, and every fair-minded man will say it 1s not a square deal. Jt is wrong in principle, but as long as there are many competitive railways it is of little practical importance, because prop’ sonable unreasonable rates cannot be enforced. } But in twenty years, possibly in ten years, there will be few, if any, competi- tive railways, and it therefore becomes important, while we can, to establish the correct principle in the law, because hen all the railways of the country are brought under one control, having hundreds of thousands of voters, who are employes, having absolute power to re- ward and punish subserviency on the part of all occupations, and having an unlimited “yallar dog” fund, the ability of the then congress to ¢ tablish the cor- fect principle may well be doubted. Law Not Enforced. ‘he interstate commerce law had been in existence, but not to any considerable extent enforced, about seventeen years, and the evils of discrimination were still fampant when Mr. Roosevelt developed his present attitude towards railway rates by that famous message to con- ss, in which he said: “cabove all else, we must strive to keep the highways of commerce open to all on equal terms; and to do this it is neces- sary to puta complete stop to all rebates. Qwieether the shipper or the railroad is to blame makes no difference; the rebate must be stopped, the abuse of the private car agd private terminal-track and side- track ‘system must be stopped, and the Railroad Rate Question. ; to be unlawful for an; son or corpora= tion to offer, grant, give, solicit, accept or receive any rebate, concession or dis- crimination in respect to the transporta~ tion of any property in interstate or for- eign commerce whereby .such property shall by any device be transported at a less rate than that named in the tariff qealened, by the carrier, must be en- reed.’ I have not the honor or pleasure of a personal acquaintance with Mr. Roose- velt, but it is well known that he has never been a man of affairs, and that his tastes have led him to study history and literature, rather than practical econom- ies, and, besides, it goes without saying that no man can know the details of all the vast economic affairs of the world. But although he may be inexperienced in trade, he seems to possess, in an unusual degree, the great fundamental principle, which makes trade successful in the long run, the principle of the square deal. I can imagine that at the time he wrote his message he knew very little about the rebate system, but had absorbed from reading, and from contact with the peo- ple, a pretty clear idea of the vicious- ness of the system, and that his love of a square deal led him to pen the portion of his message which 1 have quoted. I can imagine, further, that after he had written it his innate honesty of pur- ay told him it was not a fair deal to let the railways make their own rates and compe! the people to pay them, right or wrong. Hence, he added the follow- ng: “While I am of the opinion that at present it will be undesirable, if it were not impracticable ,finally to clothe the commission’ with general authority to fix railroad rates, I do not believe that, as a fair security to shippers, the commission should be vested with the power, where a given rate has been challenged, and after full hearing found to be unreasona- ble, to decide, subject to judicial review, what shall be a reasonable rate to take its place; the ruling of the commission to take effect immediately, and to obtain ‘unless and until it is reversed by the court of review. “Steamship companies engaged in in- terstate commerce and protected in our coastwise trade should be held to a strict Buprrvasive of the interstate commerce act.” Offers Arbitration, If this recommendation of the presi- dent, in connection with the present pro visions of the law, be analyzed, ii amounts to this: That the railway companies may make the rates, but whenever a controversy shall arise as to their reasonableness and justness, this dispute shall be submitted for arbitration to a disinterested, perma- nent arbitration commission appointed by law, subject to judicial review. ‘The president therefore offers the prin- ciple of arbitration, and the principle of arbitration is a square deal. If the de- tails are worked out on-intelligent lines it would result in as nearly praceibal justice as is possible in human affairs. In working out the details of such a scheme, the language of the law, which says: “All rates shall be reasonable and just and that sory, unjust and unrea- sonable rate is prohibited and declared to be unlawful,” should be construed to mean just what is says. The language is now construed to mean that if any rate is found to be too high to be reasonable and just, it must be re- duced by the law. But if, on the other hand, one railway company, by reason of corrupt favoritism toward a particular industry, or to accomplish the purpose of the unlawful rebate by issuing a “‘mid- night tariff,” or otherwise, makes a rate too low to be reasonable and just to the railway companies, which rate all other companies, from the nature of the busi- ness, are compelled to accept, such a rate cannot be increased by law. Such an unnatural construction of the plain language of the statute is not a square deal. The law, to be just, should be just to the railways as well as to the people, As Mr, Roosevelt often says: “A square deal is a square deal, exact- ly as much a square deal for the rich man as for the poor man, but no more. Let each stand on his merits, receiving what is due to him, and be judged by his deserts. To more he is not entitled, and less he shall not have.’ If, therefore, the law is to be amended on the basis of a square deal, the arbi- tration commission must be given au- thority to decide as to the redsonableness of rates between the railways and the railway, as well as between the railways and the people; must have authority to raise rates which are unreasonably low as well as to lower rates that are too high. In no other way can symmetrical and just rates be obtained which shall give to every locality and every industry its dues. In no other way can discrimination be prevented, as many of the worst cases of such discrimination are produced by one railway making rates in the manner which has been Stated, for no other pur- pose’than to give an advantage by dis- crimination, which rates, in the nature of the business, all other companies are compelled to adopt. This practice must be stopped or the whole scheme of the law to prevent discriminations will fail. Judge and Executioner. Experience has proven that no commis- sion can be a disiriterested board of ar- bitrators while at the same time it is en- gaged in the prosecution of the case at bar. Hence, if the recommendation of the president is adopted, the arbitration commission, which should be appointed for the purpose of arbitrating disputes in respect to rates, should not be charged with the executive duty of enforcing the provisions of the law, or of their own decisions. The men appointed members of the commission should be men of the highest capacity and of the strictest integrity, appointed for these merits and not for the purpose of regarding political serv- ices. The position of arbitration commis- sioner shdtld be made of as much dig- nity and their tenure of office be as se- cure as justices of the supreme court of the United States. Like justices of the supreme court, their office should not be subordinate to or subject to dictation of any other branch of the government, and they should hold their offices during life and good behavior, removable from office only by impeach- ment and conviction, My own judgment is that, for reasons stated at Considerable length in an ad- dress at a meeting of the Washington Economic society last February, it would be wiser to clothe a legislative committee with general authority to make the schedule rates, but the recommendation of the president, with a properly consti- tuted arbitration commission, would work out, in the course’ of years, practically the’ same results, and perhaps a gradual working out of the problem would be wiser. Mr. Chairman, never before has_ the American people had a Roosevelt for a president. Never before has a president, in season and out of season, in official documents and from the stump, so cour- ageously stood for the square deal, Ex- actly aS much a square deal for the rich man as for the poor man, but no more. For these qualities the American people honor and love Theodore Roosevelt. Would that he. or such as he, could be legisiation of congress which declares it | president alwavs. Didn’t Forget the “G.” It is a well established fact that the average school teacher experiences a great deal of difficulty when she at- tempts to enforce the clear pronuncit- tion of the terminal “g” of each pres- t participle. Tagoberts” said the teacher of one of the lower classes during the prog- ress of a reading exercise, “please d the first sentence.” ie iminutive lad arose to his feet, and amid a series of labored gasps treathed forth the following: “See the horse runnin’.” “Don’t forget the ‘g,’ Robert,” ad- monished the teacher. ; “Gee! See the horse runnin’.”—Lip- pincott’s Magazine. Entirely Dissimilar. “Women’s clubs,” observed Mr. Buttinsky Nowit, “are very unlike In- dians, aren't they?” “Yes,” replied Mr. Grouchy Old- bach, “but they are more like Indian clubs than they are like dumb-belles.” —Dallas News. SUFFOCATES IN SICK BED. Smoke From Burning Clothing Chokes Helpless Man to Death. St. Paul, Oct. 31..— Walter Marmer, cated during a firesin his home at 2 v’clock yesterday afternoon. Mr. Mar- mer had not been in good health for some time, and during the past few weeks he has been confined to his bed. Mrs. Marmer started a fire in her husband’s room yesterday and placegl some clothes near the stove to dry. She went down stairs, and half an hour later she noticed that the up- per part of the house was filled with smoke. She became excited and ran to the neighbors. They in turn ran out and turned in a fire alarm, and no one ventured to enter the room where Mr. Marmer was dying of suffocation. The firemen rushed into the house and found only burning clothing, which they threw from a window. They found Mr. Marmer gasping for breath, and called the police ambulance. When the police surgeon arrived Mr. Marmer was dead. JAIL DELIVERY STOPPED. Sheriff at Yankton, Discovers Work Just in Time, ; Yankton, S. D., Oct. 31.—Seven pris- oners in the county jail, awaiting trial on various charges from murder down, almost broke jail here Saturday, by James Collins, charged with working bank drafts in three cities, sawing his way through a small window in his cell, which gave him an opportunity to work in an unused cellar under the court house steps, through a brick wall to freedom. Sheriff Wright took a notion just at the right time to go into the unused cellar and at once dis- covered where the brick had been picked away. An investigation showed that Collins had been passing in and out of the rear window in his cell. How he got the saw and file he used is a mystery. KEEPING DOWN THE LID. Four Men at Deadwood Are Charged With Gambling. Deadwood, S. D., Oct. 31.—Four men were arrested on a_ charge of having gambling paraphernalia in their pos- session. Although the gambling and games of chance were closed in this county last July, yet for the last few weeks the lid has been slowly pushed loose. In one of the places where the arrests were made a roulette wheel, some chips and a few dollars were dis- covered, In the other places the sheriff and his officers were unable to find any visible evidence of the trade. EKLUND CASE IS A PUZZLE. Clay County Must Act If Prisoner Is Wanted Here. Moorhead, Minn., Oct. 31. — The board of county commissioners is up against a stiff proposition in the Ek- lund case. The government has in- formed County Attorney Marden, through the governor, that it declines to take action looking to the landing of Eklund in New York. This means that if Clay county wants him it will have to send to London for him. The board has come to no decision in the matter. EX-CASHIER IS ROBBED. ° Wires Warning to Other Cities and Alleged Robber Is Caught. Moorhead, Minn., Oct. 31. — E. A. Amundson, former cashier of the de- funct Bank of Feltén, was robbed of $100 at the depot at Glyndon, while waiting for a train. Amundson tele- graphed to both Felton and Barnes- ville to watch trains, and at Felton a man having memorandum books be- longing to Amundson in his possession was arrested. MAY BE BANK ROBBERS. Prisoners Are Held for Alleged Com- plicity in Springfield Burglary. Aberdeen, S. D., Oct. 31. — “Jocko” Wilson and “Patsy” Carroll were ar- rested in an Aberdeen saloon on sus- picion of complicity in the robbery of the Springfield, S. D., bank on Oct. 5. Carroll has completed a four years’ term in Sioux Falls for robbery. Both men were well armed and had $500. Wilson fought desperately to avoid ar- rest. PEACEMAKER IS STABBED. Milwaukee Man “Butts” Into a Quarrel With Serious Result. Milwaukee, Oct. 31—John Green, a laborer, was fatally stabbed by a man known as “the Spaniard” in David Margole’s saloon on the South side during a quarrel. Green was stabbed while acting as peacemaker. Several arrests were made. Green identified a man giving his name as William Dickson as the one who stabbed him. FALL FROM WAGON IS FATAL. Load of Wood Tumbles Over and Man Falls Under Wheels. New London, Minn., Oct. 31—F. 0. Anderson, drayman of this place, was killed Saturday. He was driving down a hill near the Great Northern hotel with a load of wood, when the front stakes gave way. He fell be- tween the horses and wagon and one wheel passed over his head, breaking his lower jawbone in many places and smashing his skull, causing in- stant death. — S Sips sick and unable to escape, was suffo-" BOY IS LOST THREE DAYS. « Terrible Sufferings of Edward Erick- ‘son In the Forest. Duluth, Nov, 1.—Weary and almost famished, and with both feet frozen, Edward Erickson, a fourteen-year-old Jad of the new iron mining town of Bovey, Isanti county,, tottered from the forest into the open country sur- rounding the town while 200 men were searching for him. The youth had been lost for three days and nights in the woods and in addition to encoun- tering terrible hardships he had a narrow escape from death by wolves. Erickson will not lose his feet, but they are badly frozen and will require attention for weeks before he can walk with comfort. The lad went hunting last Friday, and when he did not return at night his parents gave the alarm. Erickson found his way out by accident. He evidently was in a terrible state of panic all the time that he was lost and gives as yet but an incoherent story of his experience. EXPRESS ROBBERY. $25,000 Stolen From Northern Pacifi Express Company. Y Helena, Mont., Nov. 1. — The con- tents of a $25,000 express package, sent from Hamilton, Mont., to New York, are missing, and as the result the Northern Pacific company has several of its detective force engaged trying to discover what became of the money. The money was shipped by Charles F. Kelley to N. H. Harris & Co. for investment. Instead of receiv- ing the securities he had purchased, Kelley was dumbfounded to receive a letter stating that the contents of the package, upon receipt by the New York firm, consisted of old newspa- pers. The seals were intact, however. The money came to Kelley as a wind- fall, staking a Goldfield, Nev., pros: pector. BURGLARS AT ALBERT LEA. Two Residences Ransacked for the Second Time in a Year, Albert Lea, Minn., Nov. 1.—The res- idences of Col. Charles Jorgenson, proprietor of Hotel Albert, and W. A. Morins were both burglarized, this be- ing the second time each has been ran- sacked this year. In the former place they found some silverware, but the greater part of the plate was in the safe and locked, but at the Morins house silverware, a watch and some money was taken. At the former visit the Jorgenson home lost a vast amount of silverware and at the Morins house a sealskin coat was stolen. No trace of the thieves in either case, and they are\thought to be the same parties. MAY BE A CASE OF FOUL PLAY. Young Farmer Is Found Dead in the Woods in lowa. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Nov. 1.—C. S. Carrier, thirty years old, a young farmer near Shellsburg, was found dead in the timber near Ely yesterday morning, the circumstances indicating foul play. He was last seen on Friday, when he left the home of Farmer Smith, a half-mile away, where he husked corn a little more than half a day. No one saw him Monday and the condition of his pockets indicates that he was robbed. The officers are now investigating. CATTLE PLAGUE IN IOWA. Strange Disease Kills Stock Despite Remedies, . Eldora, Iowa, Nov. 1. — A peculiar cattle plague has attacked cattle in many places in this state. The beasts seem to have died from some sort of throat trouble which affects the bron- chial tubes. Perry Burgess has just lost twenty-five head in Cerro Gordo county, after having exhausted every remédy he could secure to stay the ravages of the disease. SIX KILLED IN WRECK. Two Freight Trains Collide and Are Badly Wrecked. Des Moines, Iowa, Nov. 1. — Six persons were killed in a head-on col- lision last evening between two freight trains on ' the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroad at Casey, Ia. Both trains were badly wrecked and engines piled up into a confused mass, Held Up and Robbed. Fargo, N. D., Nov. 1. — Peter Ny- strom, a well known farmer near Horace, in this county, was feeding his horses in the barn about dusk when a masked man appeared with a drawn revolver and compelled Nystrom to lead the way to the house and there forced Mrs. Nystrom to get the cash, some $300. The robber locked the couple inside and threatened to shoot if they attempted to come out doors. He made his escape. Falls Dead at Store Door. Rapid City, S. D., Nov. 1—Mose La- meer of this city, a well known pio- neer, dropped dead yesterday morning at the door of the Central drug store, where he was going to find a friend. He was attacked with hemorrhages. Child Fatally Burned. Sleepy Bye, Minn., Nov. 1. — Whilo her mother was away for a few mo- ments, little Elsie Steinke was/seri-| questionable character, he has been ously burned. She was playing with | taken in charge by Deputy United holidays, are to be rum on the Lan- matches and her clothes took fire.. It | States Marshal Jones of Madison, Wis.,| cashire & Yorkshire railway, in Eng- is feared she cannot recover. St _ NATIVITY OF CITY PEOPLE. ‘State Census Bureau Statistics for St. Paul and Minneapolis. Nativity statistics for St. Paul and Minneapolis have been given out by the state census bureau. The St. Paul statistics show 98,699 born in Minnesota, 41,412 in other states of the Union, and 56,912 foreign born. These are divided among dif- ferent countries as follows: Germany, 15,868; Sweden, 11,901; Canada, 5,698; Ireland, 5,097; Norway, 4,155; England, 2,114; Russia, 1,984; Austria, 1,952; Denmark, 1,344; Po- land, 1,225; Bohemia, 1,065; Scotland, 872; Hungary, 841; Italy, 671; Switz- erland, 523; France, 272; Finland, 74; Wales, 65; Syria, 79; at sea, 31. The statistics show that in Minneap- olis 115,987 persons are natives of Minnesota, and 68,321 were born else- where in the United States. There are 77,466 foreign born, or 291-3 per cent of the city’s population. The for- eign born are divided as follows: Sweden, 25,561; Norway, 14,953; Germany, 9,074; Canada, 7,803; Ire- land, 3,248; . Russia, 3,007; Austria, 2,779; England, 2,347; Denmark, 1,904; Roumania, 1,191; Scotland, 979; Po land, 891; Finland, 844; Hungary, 602; Bohemia, 388; Italy, 349; Switz- erland, 297; France, 239; Wales, 202; Holland, 159; Greece, 110; Syria, 105; Belgium, 55; Turkey, 35; at sea, 43, The percentages of population in the two cities are: St. Paul—Minnesota born, 49.9; to- tal native born, 71.2; foreign born, 28.8. Minneapolis—Minnesota born, 44.3; total native born, 70.7; foreign born, 29.3. No account is taken in the state census of the “native-born of foreign parents,” which must be taken with the foreign born to give an idea of the real strength of the different nation- ality elements. In Minuescta State News ot th: >. tes a Week Briefly Told A horse and buggy belonging to Frank Roman were crushed by a train at Perham. The driver escaped. Steps have been taken to organize a stock company to build or purchase a first-class’ hospital building at Eden Valley. i Tom Amundson, who owned a threshing machine near Gary, was crushed and instantly killed by being thrown under his engine. Johnson & Rasmusson’s threshing machine was burned at Perham, to- gether with a quantity of grain. The fire was of incendiary origin. Mrs. Reginald Storbekken of Sinclair died of pneumonia after a short illness resulting from poverty and exposure in the unsettled portion of the county. The district church convention of the Red river valley opened at Zion church in Fergus Falls with many min- isterial and other delegates in attend- ance, John Holien was run over and kill- ed by the midnight train at Randolph. He was decapitated and the body cut in two. It is supposed he fell while asleep. Frank. Burjan, a brakeman on the Soo railroad was killed while coupling ears at Thief River Falls. He was 27 years old and had been working for the company but a short time. At the fall term of the district court, now in session in Worthington, the jury awarded Miss Della Swift a ver- dict of $400 in a suit for $5,000 against Henry Blume for breach of promise. D. W .Rathburn died at Spring Val- ley, aged 67 years. He was born in New York state and settled at Spring Valley in 1855. He represented this district in the legislature at one time. John Holien was killed by a Great Western freight train at Randolph, hig body being badly mangled. It is thought he was intoxicated and at- tempted to cross the track when hit by the engine. Cottonwood county will dedicate the new $100,000 courthouse Noy. 3. Gov. Johnson has promised to be present, and several district judges and former judges, as well as prominent attorneys, are expected. . i In a drunken row at Hanson’s sa- loon at Bagley, Louis Hagen was struck over the head with a chair by a young man belonging to one of the best families in town. He escaped arrest, but will be prosecuted. Tyler’s oldest citizen and the senior member of the firm of H. P. Lauritsen & Son, died at the home of his son in Tyler, at the age of 82. He was a na- tive of Denmark, where he figured prominently in, politics. Henry Schoezen, aged 76, an inmate of St. John’s home for the aged at St. Cloud, wandered away from the insti- tution recently. The next day his body was found in the woods on the Jodoin farm, near the home. Death was due to heart disease and old age. Edward Check, a lumberman, after crawling into a hearse ina livery barn at Virginia, drew a knife from his pock- et and cut his throat. No one was near to witness the gruesome act, and when help did arrive the man was too weak to speak, and died in an hour. While attempting to cross the Mil- waukee tracks at Twenty-second street south, Mirneapolis, when returning from school, Segie Carlson, ten years old, was instantly killed by being struck by a switch engine, and her older sister, Mary, was slightly injured. The friends and family of Conrad Lindmark of Braham are greatly alarmed over his sudden disappear- ance. He left home to go to Minneap- olis one morning recently, where he was seen twice the following day. Since then nothing has been heard of him. The golden wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. John C. Mills of Austin township was celebrated in G. A. R. hall in Austin. One hundred old set- tlers and friends were present and a banquet was served, after which speeches and songs made up a program that proved a thoroughly enjoyable en- tertainment. Harold M. Thomas and ‘Louis Wolf- rom, both about 16 years of age, kill- ed an old bear and two cubs near the golf links of the Northland Country club in Duluth. Young Thomas had a shotgun and Wolfrom a rifle, and they killed their big game with the skill of veteran hunters. The old bear dressed 300 pounds. The returning teamsters from the Dakota harvest fields are passing Fra- zee by scores every day. They report ; only fair crops and only moderate pay ‘for their work. The rainy season has : greatly hindered their success in mak- | ing money and many wish they had re- mained in Southern Minnesota. It has been very difficult to get laborers at $2.75 a day to work north of here at threshing, the men having gone into the harvest fields in Dakota, where they’ received less. Frank Burjan, a brakeman on the Soo railroad, was killed while trying to couple two freight cars at Thief River Falls. He was standing between the cars and lost his balance, causing him to fall on the coupler just as the cars came together. _ Because Gilbert St. John of Beloit sent to a young woman in Winona a postal card on which it is alleged he had written some statements of a STATE A BIG BAKER. Buys $30,000 Worth of Flour for State Institutions, Flour contracts aggregating $30,000 have been let by the state board of control. This represents the flour which will be used by the state insti- tutions during the next nine months, and the amount contracted for is based upon the quantities of flour used at former periods. Contracts were awarded for nine months on account of the probable rise in wheat and flour prices. This will supply the institutions until Aug. 1, 1906. The largest consumer of flour among the institutions is the Fergus Falls hospital for the insane, which uses 1,800 barrels in the nine months, or 2,400 a year. The total consumption at the institutions for nine months is 7,725 barrels, and the average price paid is not far from $4. The James A. Quirck Milling com- pany of Minneapolis got the contract to supply 525 barrels to the asylum at Anoka, 525 barrels to the asylum at Hastings, 550 barrels to the training school at Red Wing, 600 barrels to the state reformatory at St. Cloud and 1,400 barrels to the three institutions at Faribault. The John A. Cole Mill- ing company will supply 1,200 barrels to the hospital for the insane at Roch- ester. The Red River Milling Com- pany of Fergus Falls will supply 1,800 barrels to the insane hospital in that town. Sackett & Fay of St. Peter will furnish 1,050 barrels for the hospital for the insane at St. Peter. The Owa- tonna Milling company will supply the state public school at Owatonna with 75 barrels. The Minnesota Flour Mills Company of Minneapolis will furnish 1,000 barrels to the state pris- on at Stillwater. BUTTER SHOWS BETTER GRADE. Dairy and Food Department Finishes October Scoring. The October scoring in the twelve months’ educational contest conducted by the state dairy and food depart- ment has been finished and H. J. Ru seneau of Meriden won first place with a score of 97.50. H. A. Goetsch of Money Creek was second, with a score of 97, and N. E. Anderson of Norseland third, with 96.50. The quality of the butter this month was better than last month, owing partly to an improvement in the feed given the cows. There were 129 en- tries, which was somewhat less than usual, as those who scored low in the first months drop out during the latter contests. The butter was scored by J. C. Joslin and Frank Shrewsbury. There are two more contests before the end of the twelve months’ trial. The next one will be held in connec- tion with the State Butter and Cheese- makers’ convention at Mankato in No- vember. Bank of Central America. New York, Oct. 28—Cable advices from Berlin announce that the Deutsche Uerbesche Bank of Berlin, Speyer Ellison of Frankfort-on-the- Main, and the Frederische Credit An- istal of Zurich have founded a bank with a capital of $2.500,000 to be called the Bank of Central America, and which will have its bead office in Berlin. The business of the bank will be started in Guatemala, with the ultimate intention of opening branch offices in the surrounding Central American countries, “Bacchus Specials.” Civilization advances. “Bacchus specials.” to collect and carry inebri- ated trippers during bank and other and is now in jail at that place to await ' jand.