The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 30, 1901, Page 6

Che +Salie Call. SATURDAY.... MARCH 30, 191 JOHN D.. SPRECKELS, Proprietor. Address All Communieations to W. 8. LEAKE, Manager. ¥ ..Telephone Press 201 PUBLICATION OFFICE...Market and Third, S. F. Telephone Press 201, EDITORIAL ROOMS. .. .. 217 to 221 Stevensom St. Telephone Press 202. Delivered by Carriers, 15 Cents Per Week. Single Coples, 5 Cents. Inclunding Postage: LL (including Sunday), ome vear ding Sunday), § months ding Sundav). 3 months. Eample coples will be rded when Tequested. subscribers In ordering change of address shoull be give both NEW AND OLD ADDRESS in order rrect compliance with thelr request. Ma = prom OAKLAND OFFICE... e gn Adve pt and GEORGE KROGNESS. > 7. Margustts Building. Chiesgo. e Tele ‘Central 2619.") PONDENT ...Herald Square ¥ensger £o NEW YORK CORRE! CARLTON O NEW YORK REPR 2 NTATIVE: STEPHEN B. SMITH. . YORK Hotel; Unlon Square: e BRANC Montgomery, corper of Clay, open Haves, open until 9:30 o'clock. 6% $:20 o'clock. 615 Larkin, open until . open untfl 10 o'clock. 2261 Market, o'clock. H OFFICES. 106 Eleventh, open until 3 o'clock cor- ook ntil 9 o' ciock. AMUSEMENTS. Mir mter Alley m— T0 SUBSCRIBERS LEAVING TOWN FOR THE SUMMER. Call subseribers contemplating a change of residesce during the summer months ean have their paper forwarded by mail to their new addresses by motifying The Call Business Office. This paper will also be on sale at all’ summer resorts snd is represented by a local agent In all towss on the coast. AN AQUARIUM FOR SAN FRANCISCO. ay features that have been pro. Gate Pdrk for the entertain- tion of the people there is We have the beginnings zoolo garden, a museum and thing in the semblance on is the more at range possible to parks there cisco could be so eas 1g things of its kind have been ng the most ums established they interesting and In New York years ago at Cas! t stands in Bat me lower end of the island, far re- distr Imost equal to Central Park it- since it has been open the has been upward of 5000 a dx e attended the t and even in the smaller in- Berlin and other cities of » same remarkable public ap- ifested have to be overcome in the main- ms in New York or other local:.- nes of cold and heat are experienced e year. The water, which must be kept at a uit marine life brought from tropic ficially warmed, and consequently re large. No such difficulty would be hing an aquarium at Golden Gate Park, expenditure for maintenance would be equable weather of our climate would 3 ts, it has been found aquariums ai mals and fishes without hav- 1 heat to any considerable ex- period of the year. er advantage which an aquarium in this city uld have over one in any other important city of rid is to be fou f sea plants, rse te immediately available for it. We have the t our command, and in its waters and are to be found a well nigh infinits creatures of the sea. To gather fine ens of them would be a comparatively easy k, while to make the collection complete would re- rs of work znd thought, so that each suc- ng year would see marked improvements in the and popular mnterest in it would be con- excited by the acquisition of new specimens vonders of the deep s to be noted, moreover, that marine life is be- more and more interesting to mankind. Some e ablest scientists of the day are devoting them- that study exclusively. It has been noted quarium at Naples has made that city a cen- r for students from all parts of the civilized world. nned and well maintained aquarium world re be to San Francisco a most valuable addi- rer educational institutions and would socn ve a repute that would command the attention of cultured people in all parts of the globe. We cannot of course expect to obtain a fully eqmipped 2 we can of the 13t the to jeast make a beginning and lay the foun- dxtions upon which to build later on. There can be n that if well started the institution would # Iy grow. The life of the land shows no such wonders as the life of the sea, and accordingly the evhibits 2t the aquarium would soon attract so much of public attention that men of wealth would be glad to co-operate in promoting the work and augment- inz the plant. Private generosity would thus follow Jic enterprise, and it would not be very long be- the San Francisco aquarium would be world famous. An appropriation' for an aquarium is there- fe among the things which the Park Commis- sioners dan reasonably ask from the Superviscrs at the next tax levy, and the grant would meet with public approval. 4 ¢ rapidly 1118 Broadway | .30 “ribune Building | 109 Valencla, open sin tanks of large size suitable for | d in the richness of the ma- | d comprehensive aquarium at once, but ] ; CHILEAN WORLD POWER. ; ]\1 EWS from Central America makes it plain that i 1 | the United States is not alone in commercial ambitions and aggressive enterprise. 1t is an- nounced here that Chile has an eye to her position . ——|for trade,and deiense and propcses to secure it, as.] | Dryan wanted to get iree silver, without the aid or | consent of any other nation. | South of the Mexican line the Pacific coast is | lacking in safe and land-locked harbors. They are 5 scarce that the nation that secures one has the dip- | lomatic laugh on those that wait and get left out. | | The only such harbor of consequence on that entire coastline is Jiquilisco Bay,'in Salvador. Itisan ample karbor, with safe anchorage for a large fleet, and ap- proachable landings in abundance. In the bay are | large islands, ideal places for naval stations, out of | which another Esquimalt can be easily made. The | commercial drainage to Jiquilisco Bay is valuable. | T'he San Miguel River debouches into the bay and is | able right up into the coffee-bearing region of lutan, and around the bay are extensive and vir- | gin forests. | With the canal built the United States will greatiy nreed a convenient coaling station and naval ren- | cezvous, but it is difficult to see where it can be had if Chile accomplishes her purpose in Jiquilisco Bay. { I: will be easily seen that we need such facilities coh- | venient to the Pacific end of the canal far more than need to fortify the canal itself. | ve | With no coaling place nor naval station our position | would be intolerable, especially if we have to watch | our canal with such a waspish and aggressive neigh- ibor as Chile. N During the Spanish war her sympathies were bla- | tartly pro-Spanish, and she did not fatigue herself in | ny labored attempt to conceal them. Of all the South American countries she has shown the most truculent spirit. After practically destroying Peru she acted the part of spitfire toward Bolivia, has snubbed the Argentine Republic, and would not hesi- tate to defy Brazil. Aliogether she has the resources and the defiant spirit to make her a power hard to neighbor with, and we are not out hunting any more of that kind of acquaintances. | has been diverted from such concerns to the vas | complications caused by the Senate’s coufse on the Hayv-Pauncefote treaty, and so while the husbandmen | slept the enemy has sown tares. | The issue is of real importance to our Pacific | coast. It involves our casiest commercial intercourse | with Salvador, and an unscrupulous commercial ri | will not find it hard to make American commerce dif- | ficult in those waters. | Salvador is not a maritime nation. Her exports | and imports have to be carried by other countries, | and it will surely pluck plumage from the wing of our commercial pride if we find Chile carrying the Sal- vador output to the exclusion of our flag. We do not supposc it would be possible to have | joint occupancy of a naval station, sharing the con- ion with Chile, so if she get ahead of us we must grin and bear it. To bear a thing of that kind is philosophical, but to grin is a sacrifice of which we are hardly capable. N Our Government should look alive and see to it that no further aggressions escape notice, whether by Chile or any other power. In war time—and there will be wars and fighting, as in the past—an agtive enemy, with free admission to a | c raval and coaling station like Jiquilisco Bay, coulq ! hrow its commeree cestroyers over the line of the IMeutral zone and maké it more grievous than interest: ling for the merchant ships faring toward our canal. We want as little rick of such result as possible, and therefore are frank enough to dislike this smart Pmove by Chile. | When Wu Ting Fang, the Chinese Embassador, ved at the depot in Chicago on his recent visit to that city he looked at the dingy panes of the win- :du\\: and asked: “Why don’t you wash ypur win- | dows? I see you have soap advertised all over the | station; why don’t you use it Of course questions of that kind from a heathen Chinee are calculated to make an American tired; but all the same we would ke to know what old Wu would ask if he saw the | Southern Pacific passenger station in this city. | | TRADE ON THE GREAT LAKES. | ROM the Treasury Bureau of Statistics at Wash- | l: ington there has just been issued a review of ths { trade and shipping carried on by United States merchant vessels on the Great Lakes, which is of in- terest to the larger subject of American shipping erally because it shows what can be done in the | way of building up a merchant marine where ample ctection from foreign competition is afforded. | The lakes are small in comparison with the immense ircntage of the United States on the Pacific, the Gulf and the Atlantic, but, small as the lake frontage is, the increase in merchant shipping on its waters is one ci the marvels of American enterprise. It appears from the review that prior to 1890 the loke tonnage in American vessels never reached an | aggregate of 1,000,000 tons. In that year the aggre- gate tonnage was 1,063,064 tons, and from that time, | until the present day an almost steady increase has beer noted. Never since 1889 has the total droppec | below the 1,000,000 mark, and with the single excep- ticr: of 1804 there has been no year wherein the ton- nage has not shown an increase over the preceding twelvg months. The minimum yearly increase dur- ing the decade was 14,050 tons, arid the maximum 85,035 tons, the latter having been recorded in 1897, while the year previous has a gain of 82,608 tons to its | credit. The aggregate tonnage on'the lakes at the close of the last fiscal year (June 30, 1900) was 1,565,587 tons, a gain of 502,524 tons, or 32 per cent, during the interim covered by the comparison. Fassing from the tonnage carried to a consideration of the shipping itself, the review gives the informa- ion that in 1801, when the aggregate to'nnage under the American flag was 4,684,759, the tonnage of the lake craft amounted to 1,154,870 tons, or over 24 per cent. The aggregate tonnage for the nation in- creased very gradually prior to 1900, and thus in 1806 and 1807, when heavy additions were made to the complement of fresh-water carriers, the shipping of the inland seas represented as high as 29 per cent of the whole. Accorfling to the latest statistics com-. piled by the United States Commissioner of Navi- gation, the aggregate burden of American vessels is 5.164,830 tons, and the Great Lakes shipping, with 7,565,587 tons, thus embraces 30 per cent. 4 When attention is Cirected exclusively to iron and steel vessels the showing is much more favorable <o the laked, I+ is stated: “Of the aggregate of 1225 iten and steel vessels flying the American flag the Great Lakes has 322, as compared with 763 on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The inland waterway, with but 26 per cent of the metal vessels in the American ficet, has, however, 43 per cent of the tonnage, and ‘wlhereas the iron and steel fleet owned on the At- THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, Unfortunately the administration at Washingtoa | 7 o besind SATURD lantic and Gulf coasts numerically exceeds that on the lakes by 137 per cent, in tonnage the excess is less than 11 per cent. To carry this comparison further, it may be of interest to consider the apportionmeni of the larger iron and steel vessels—those of 1000 tons each and over—now operated under the Ameri- can flag. Of this class of tonnage, out of a total in the United States and Hawaii of 778 vessels of 1,710,136 tons, there are to be found on the Great Lakes 424 vessels of 011,533 tons. It will thus be seen that the lakes have 54 per cent of the whole fleet and 53 per cent of the tonnage.” So of the great steel vessels whose tonnage exceeds 1000 tons each, the lakes have more in number and | of a larger capacity than the Pacific, the Guli and the Atlantic combined. The showing is highly cred- itable to the lake ports, but it is not creditable to the nation as a whole. We give to our shipping on the lakes full protection ‘rom foreign competition, but we do not give any protection at all to Anierican vessels competing for the ocean trade, and until there is a change in that respect we shall continue to have this disproportion between the lak'shipping and that of the deep seas. A man down in Texas has a pig that has lived in such a way as to point a moral as well as adorn a tail. The man was married in 1898 and the pig was presented to him as a wedding present. From that pig, we quote the Sulphur Springs Echo, one of the most reliable of our contemporaries in the Lone Star State, “the man has raised meat enougl to provide for tire family, has sold $92 worth of meat, and has | the same pig on hand and a hog worth $10.” Now the tail may be curly, but the moral is straight. | Thrift wins, and a pig in the pen is money in the purse, TAXATION OF S examples of reform by statute which are now engaging the thoughts of the legislators of the Eastern States. At that time it was noted that the Wisconsin solons had before them a bill designed to promote matrimony, and it is only fair, therefore, to give Pennsylvania c-edit for a similar good intention. Representative Jeremiah Roth of Allentown has in- | treduced into the Legislature of that State a bill | which he says is intended to encourage matrimony and | at the same time provide for the support of old maids who have had no chance to get married. It is there- | fore a double-acting measure and merits at least a passing notice. The bill provides that “any male citizen of the com- nmionwealth who is 21 years of age and desires the office of husband may procure a license as prescribed 3 existing laws, provided he is under 4o years of age; Luit if the applicant is over 40 years of age he shall before securing the license pay into the clerk of the court’s office $100 as.a license fee, which this bill im- poses on all bachelors over 40 years old.” It 'is fur- ther provided that all the fees shall be turned into | the State treasury for the purpose of maintaining | three homes for old ladies over 40 years of age “who have not had a suitable opportunity or offer of mar- riage, and have not means sufficient to keep them- | selves in clothes and spending money.” Any bache- | lor over 40 years of age who shall go to another State | and procure a wife and shall return to this State shall | pay into the State treasury the sum of $100, otherwise | the marriage contract shall be declared null and void; jor any such bachelor coming from another State who has married after the age of 40 years shall come un- der the same laws as a resident. The State must be | divided into three districts. It is provided in the last | section that the act is jrrevocable and can never be jrepealed without the consent of the majority of the | old ladies who have been regularly admitted to the | ome. i A bill of that character of course cannot eécape criticism and even condemnation. It has been argued tnat so far from encouraging matrimony it will have an opposite effect. In fact, the Philadelphia Record says: “A male person who waits BACHELORS. OME days ago we directed attention to certain a | | | forty years | without trying to get married when the cost of a | Fleystone license is only 50 cents is not likely to be | spurred into greater activity by a tax of $99 50 in- 1 wended to prick the sides of his intent. Nor after he [should go out of the State to wive him would he be ‘;cncouraged to veturn by a fine of $roo. It | | | were better to stay in Chicago or Skaneateles than to dwell in Highspire or Harrisburg on such terms. Instead of encouraging matrimony the proposed law would operate to promote depopulation.” There are other objections made to the bill. It iz said that in Pennsylvania there are a considerable number of bachelors who have reached 40 years of age without having been able to find women who { would marry them. Should the measure go intc eficct there would result the possibility that soms bachelor of 40 when at last he was successful in his wooing might have in taking out a marriage li- cense to contribute to the support of some spinster -vhe had refused him. That would be the uttermost refinement of tyranny, and it is natural that an aroused sense of justice should lead to protests against the purposed iniquity of the man from Allen- town. There are so many States in the Union that it might he possible to set apart one of them for the purpose of making experiments with all such legislation as this. It might be arranged that every reform crank who believes in the statutory elevation of mankind, and who succeeded in getting elected to the Legisla- ture of any commonwealth, should be sent to take his seat in the Legislature of the State assigned for the experiment. Then the country would have a great and variegated object lesson and an opportunity for inextinguishable laughter. Russian diplomats are giving profuse assurances that as soon as peace and order are restored in China the Czar’s troops will retire. This is probably ons way ef declaring that Russia has entered China to stay, or until the ground she occupies becomes Rus- sian gerfitary. » It is intimated that President Diaz will be glad, if he can spare the time, to meet President McKinley on the international bridge at El Paso and shake hands. A few more intimations of this sort and Presi- dent Diaz might be asked not to spare the time. Once more we are getting reports of Turkish out- rages in Bulgaria, so it seems there was nothing the nineteenth century had which it did not leave to the twentieth, so as to make the world during the new era appear like the same old place. The latest novelty is an electrical exerciser. You push a button and then you never get a rest for any muscle in your body until you stop the machine. It scems to be a species of exercise without exertion, ‘When the President _.teiches California 35;1.;1. ers that bloom in the spring, tra la,” will have lots “to do with the case,” and we will have another proof AY, PAPERS ON CURRENT TOPICS PREPARED BY EXPERTS AND SPECIALISTS FOR - THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL. What the United States Government Is Do- . ‘ing for the Soldiers and Sailors Who Fight Our Wars. —_— By H. Clay Evans, COMMISSIONER OF PENSIONS. (COPYRIGHT, 1901.) VIIL—HOW TO SEUURE A PENSION. The pension laws of the United States provide for two systems of pensioning. Under the first system the pension Is based upon wound or injury received of disease contracted while in the military or naval service of the United States and in the line of duty. A distinction is created by the law between disabilities originat- ing prior to March 4, 1861, and those in- curred after thatjdate, but as the great bulk of disability pensions is based upon | service rendered since March 4, 1561, the system established by the acts of July 14, 1862, and March 3, 1573, will first be dis- cussed. Three distinct classes of bene- ficiaries are provided for under these acts, which constitute what is termed “the gen- eral law": First—The officer, soldier, sailor or marine who rendered the service. Second—Their widows and minor chil- dren. Third—Their dependent brothers and sisters. An application for pension properly exe- cuted must be filed in every case with the Commisstoner of Pensions. Upon appli- parents and any claimant or applicant for pension the Commissioner of Pensions will furnish such claimant or applicant, free of all ex- pense, all printed instructions and forms that may be necessary In establishing and obta‘ning the claims. Evidence of Wound or Disability. Declarations for pension ‘may be exe- cuted before any officer authorized to ad- mirister oaths for general purposes in the State, city or county where the officer re- sides. The declaration should bear the official seal of such officer, if he has one; otherwise his official character must be shown by the certificate of a clerk of a court. In évery case two identifying witnesses must certify to the applicant’s identity and state their means of Rnowledge. The declaration in the case of the soldier or sailor must set forth the following Roints: All service rendered by claimant: is personal description; full description of disability or disabilities claimed, the facts connected therewith and incurrence thereof and his hospital treatment. The declaration must be supported by competent evidence, showing that the soldier or sailor contracted the alleged wound, fhjury or disability in the service and line of duty. the records of the ‘War Department show his treatment for the alleged disabiiity in the servfce no further evidence is usually required as to that fact, but in the case of the wound or injury evidence is necessary to show the time, place and circumstances under which it was received, unless tge record discloses that fact. { there is no record of the alleged dis- ability in the War Department compe- tent testimony is required to show the time and manner of its origin. The best testimony upon this point is that of an officer or two enlisted men of the claim- ant's company havin; reonal knowl- edge, of the facts, and the testimony of the surgeon who treated him inthe ser- vice. Continuance of the Disability. After the origin of the disability in the service has been established the question of continuance is one of great Importance. The continuance of disability’ from causes alleged from the soldier's dis- charge must be proved In all claims based upon disease, and this should be done by medical evidence whenever that is ob- tainable. Any period after discharge that cannot be covered by medical evidence should be covered by the testimony of two or more neighbors or employers, giving a cific history of the claimant's condi- tion from time to gime since his dis- charge, describing his symptoms as well as it 18 possible for witnesses who are not physicians to do so. The claimant’s pres- ent condition s of course shown on med- ical examination by the examining sur- geons of the Pension Bureau. Claimants should use great care in the selection of their witnesses. All testi- mony sinould be based upon actual per- sonal knowledge and not upon state- ments of the claimant or of others. Many aflidavits filed in pension claims are found to be of no value, as they were giv- en merely as “an accommodation” and were not based ugon personal knowledge, This frequently brings trouble upon the witnesses and throws a cloud upon the entire cluim, The facilities enjoyed by the bureau for the cross-examination of witnesses enable it thoroughly to sift the evidence submitted, and to eliminate from consideration all testimony shown to be of no value. Claims of Soldier’s Widow. ‘When a soldier or zailor dles as a resuit of disadiiitieg contruotéd n service and line of duty his widow or minor children are entitled to penaion. A declaration in proper form is required, which should set forth all the materiai facts upon which the claim is based. The declaration shculd bé accompanied by a statement from the clalmant showing whether the soldier ot his widow had been married prior to their marri each other, and if so whether such relation had been terminated by death or divorce. Proof is required—the record if possible —showing date and cause of the soldier’s death and marriage of the claimant to the solaier. Also evidence s required showing that the claimant livcd with the soldier up to the date of his death and that she was never divorced from him. If the soldier left any children under 16 years of the dates of their birth must be shown by the best evidence obtainable. Copies of city or town records, ptismal records or the testimony of the attending th-l con- stitute the best evidence on this point. The widow’s remarriage forfelts her title to a pension from and after that date, and therefore proof of continued widowhood is ffll“d. e widow is entitled to a pension in her own t and also to $2 a month addi- tional for each minor child of the soldier under the age of 16 years. If, however, the soldier left any children under 16 a former e the widow is entitled Lo the increase of their account nl;elo long as she shall be char; their care riod durin; ‘ged wi and maintenance. ¥or any ‘which they are not under her care the a month :l v:{d to their guardian upon proper application and proof. Minor Chlldren of the soldler beeome en- titled to pensions upcn tite death or re- marriage of the widow, the proof re- uired in claims of minors is practically the same as in those of widows. An application by a guardlan is accepted in claims of minor children. ‘The pension to children ceases when they become 16 years of age. Dependent Parents and Others. If a soldler or sailor dies of a disability contracted in the service under such cis- cumstances as would have entitled him to a pension, and leaves neither wis nor minor in_dependent tives of the sol or sailor, if any sur- vive, may become en titled to a pension. tled, then UM T R | condition from the d filing b cation to /him i person or by letter by | SomesCn rom the date of fifing | to June 27, ninety days or more during the war of the rebellion, and were homorably dis- charged from the service. A declaration is also required under this act in which the necessary facts should be set forth. In the case of a soldler or sailor his dis- abilities, not due to vicious habits, should tully’stated in the declaration. It will be remembered that under this law each and every mental or physical in- firmity of a permanent character, not due to the applicant's own viclous habits, is duly considered, and the rate of ton to which the applicant is entitled is deter- mined by the degree to which all these in- firmities, whether minor or serious, when considered together, render the appli- gant unable to earn'a su by manyai or. How the Pension Is Granted. Upon receipt of the application a med- ical examination is ordered. If the certifi- cate of the surgeons discloses the exist- ence of a disability not mentioned in the declaration the claimant is afforded an opportunity of filing a supplemental affi- davit covering such disability. 1f more than three months bas elapsed between the filing of the declaration and the med- ical examination evidence is usually re- auized showing the claimant's physical s appli- A claimant who has reached the age of 7 years is allowed the maximum rate of $12 a month under «the act of 1590, for seniiity alone, even where there are no special pensionable disabilities. A _claim- ant who has attained the age of 6 years is allowed at least the minimum rate un- der the act of 1890, unless he appears to have unusual vigor and abliity for the pr- formance of manual labor in one of that age. The effect of partial senility is con- sidered with other infirmities, where there are such, and the aggregate incapacity 13 rated. 1f a_ soldier voluntarily served in the Confederate army and afterward served in the army or navy of the United States during the war of the rebellion he has no pensionable status under the act of June n, Widows and Minor Children. If any officer or enlisted man who served ninewy days or more in the army or navy of the United States or in its marine corps during the late war of the rebellion, and who was honorably discharged, has died, or shall hereafter dle, leaving a widow without other means of support than.her dally labor, such widow sfiau, upon_ due | proof of her husband’s death, without | proving his death to be the result of his army service, be placed on the pension roll from the date of the application under the act of June 27, 159, the pension to con- tinue during her widowhood. It is pro- vided, however, that the widow shall have marrfed the officer or enlisted man prior 1890, otherwise there is no title to pension under the act. The act of May 9, 190, amended the act of June 27, 189, by accepting dependence of a widow for pensionable purposes if she is without means of support other than her daily labor and has an actual net income not exceeding $250 a_year. The additional pension of $2 a month for each of the minor children of the soldier under the age of 16 years is pald to the widow in the same manner and under the egame conditions as those provided under the general law. The rate of pension to widows under this act Is $8 a month, regardiess of the rank held by the husband in the service. Applications of Widows. In order to secure the benefits of the of May 9, 190, a declaration must be flle thereunder, whether a previous declar: tion under the act of June 27, 1880, had been filed or not. Proof of the soldier’s death, of his mar- riage to the applicant and of her con- tinued widowhood and dates of birth of children is required the same as in claims under the general law. In addition, the claimant must file ncr statement showing the amount and vaiue of her possessions and her yearly income from all sources. This statement must be corroborated by the testimony of at icast two credible wit- nesses, who have personal knowledge of the facts, and by a.certificate from the assessment records showing the amount, character and value of er property. Where the witnesses go sess sufficient knowledge to desciibe the financial con- dition of the claimant the testimony above indicated is usually sufficient to establish the claim. In case of the death or remarriage of the widow the minor children of the sol- dier under the age of 16 years become en- titled to the pension until nui severally attain the age of 16 vears. If the children were born of a marriage entered into sub- sequent to June 27, 184, they have no title to_pension under this act. Proof of dependence in a pecuniary point of view is not necessary to establish a minor’'s pensionable status. Applications for pension in behalf of minor children may be made by their next friend, but before uz‘mnt is made a guardian must be appointed by a court of c?mp‘etem Jjurisdiction, to whom the pen- sion is K If a minor child becomes insane, idiotic or otherwise permanently helpless before it attains the age of 16 years the pension continues during the life of the child, or duflns the period of such disability. But a child who becomes insane, idiotic or per- manently helpless after he or she has completed his or her sixteenth year is not entitled to such continuance of pension, and there is no rrovl.slon of law by which a helpless or idiotic child, who was over 16 years of age at the death of the soldier or sallor, can be pensioned. Increases of Pension. The rates of pensions in the cases of ‘widows, minor children and dependent rei- atives are fixed by law and are not sub- Ject to change. But in the case of soldiers and sailors who are pensioned on account of disability, either under the general law or the act of J 27, 189, the law pro- vides_for the allowance of an ine; rate for increasing disabilities. It is also provided that except in cases of “perma- nent specific disabilities” no increase of pension shall be allowed to commence prior to the date of the ng sur- seox'n certificate establishing the same, made under the pending eclaim for in- crease. The law provides further that in this, as well as in all other cases, the cer- tificate of an e ing surgeon or of a board of examining surgeons shall be sub- ject to the approval of the ner °&""‘"§fx“ tion for § n application for increase must there- fore be nle?hl;y the claimant, and this usually all t is required in the way of evidence in a straight increase claim. An order for his medical examination direct to the claimant, ation usually determines to whether an sability is creased shown. When application is made for one t =: ;whxo lhi::,?'mmflu of pensior Tapany :fiflz h];h:‘rlulw cm; g.’tonufif' the cl; sioned causes. e < e gy service al ara s" service in the Black Hawk lence should apl on, sh :fitho tion, showi ant GOSSIP FROM LONDON’SWORLD- OF LETTERS Much hds been heard lately of the ia- mentations of publishers with regard to the coming spring publisn‘ng, but it would seem as if these lamentations were mors a mere habit than anything else. Publishers may moan, but they still g0 on publishing. The prospects of the spring season, they said some time ago, Wera anything but bright. Naturally a famine in books was expected, but that famine fills twenty-seven columns of the supple- ment of this week's Academy, which does not even profess to have recorded by any means all the books announced. The classes of books most prominent in the list are fiction, theology, blography and history. In fts numbers theology falls little be- hind fiction. Of blography there are about fitty volumes; of history nearly as many, of poetry nearly a score. The eriminal hero seems {o have an ex- traordinary fascination tor the litterateu “Claude Duval,” “Dick Turpin Fran- cols Villon,” “Jack Sheppard, p ‘Wild,” in various degrees have appear as heroes of romance in both drama and fiction. ‘i’luor Griffiths has written fnnumerable articles on crime, d:fl?ll.lnal‘; ?ndn’prlwm‘::. k Is considered sufficien - s o aimeils 1o amnounce thelr bring- ing it out in sixpenny parts. fl is now stated that young H. B. Ir- ving's studies of French eriminals will shortly be issued by Heinemann. Mr. Ir- Virig, who is the second son of Sir Henr: and whose Interest in the abnormal was shown recently by his ciever study of tho notorious Judge Jeffries the cynicism, refined cruelty and sheef brutality shown by such eriminals as La- cenaire, Troppmann, Prado and Rava- chol. The opportunities that are afforded by French criminal procedure for the complete exposure of the career and mo tives of an accused verdon give peculiar vividness to the Fremch records of crime. Mr. Irving has endeavored to select those criminals whose individualities and mis- deeds remove them from the category of lefact . O sy, be inferesting to know that long before Mr. Irving became an actor he was interested in the study of crime. His rooms at Oxford were piled high with eriminal records, The same subject inter- ested him during his brief career at the bar. Pending the spring publishing soma highly interesting sales ot old works ars to take place shortly. One sale will be that of a unique first edition of Bunyan's “Pligrim’s Progress,” which Is fixed by Sotheby’s for May 9. Half a century az) Holford’s copy, which was then regardel as unique and perfect. but which app ently wanted a curious frontispiece. was valued at about £50 (§250). As prices ga at the present time that seems absurd and probably four figures will be nearer the mark now. As a matter of fact, noth- ing is known of any copy ever before hav- ing appeared in the saleroom. PERSONAL MENTION. W. F. Purnell of Sacramento is at the Lick. 'W. T. Porter of Fresno is a guest at the Grand. W, M. Spencer, an oil man of Selma, Is at the Lick. T. J. Fleld, a fruit ralser of Monterey, is at the Palace. L. A. Hall, an ol man of Bakersfield, is a guest at the Lick. A. H. Ashley, an attorney of Stockton, is registered at the Lick. Albert Betters, manager of Byron Hot Springs, is at the Palace. H. BE. Adams, manager of the Stockton Gas Works, is at the Grand. W. H. Bray, a mining man of Nevada, registered at the Grand yesterday. Roy E. Sliner and wife of Los Angeles registered at the California yesterday. Colonel M. D. Cronin of the Thirty-third Infantry and Colonel J. S. Catlin are at the Occidental. . R. L. Peeler, assistant adjutant general of the National Guard of California, is & guest at the California. Vietor L. O'Brien, a young attorney of this city, has received the appointment to a fellowship at the University of Chicago. —_—————— CALIFORNIANS IN NEW YORK. NEW YORK, March 29.—The following Californians have arrived at the hotels: San Francisco—A. J. Campbeil at Vie- toria, G. A. Dubois at Arlington, J. B. Dyer at Park Avenue, J. N. Hays, H. P. Phillips at Holland, L. Hoefler at Hoff- man, T. L. Ryan at Grand Union, G. Traverse at Morton. ANSWERS TO QUERIES. DEPOSITORS—A. S, City. Of the two banks named in letier of inquiry the Hi- bernia has the largest number of depos- itors. COUNTING IN CRIBBAGE—A. 8§, City. Four fours, and a three spot turned up, :n cribbage, count 15-§ and 12—or 20 points. TIMBER LAND-C. H. B, City. For in- formation about timber land call at the United States Land Office, 610 Commercini street, San Francisco. EXTRACTS—Theresa, City. The best proot alcohol is used to reduce extracts. The quantity to be used depends upon ;rhn purpose the extract is to be used or. QUICKSILVER MINES — Subscriber, ©Oak Bar, Cal. For the information de- sired about the purchaser of quicksilver ines you should address th firm named in London. o 1y emm S ANNIVERSARY—A. B. C., Reno, Nav. Po:‘pl. celebrate by joyous festivities the ::ny‘ohurva by appropriate memorial service. SHEAVE WHEEL—A. M., El Dorado, Cal. A sheave wheel, used to reel a cable at a mine, may be either ki or loose, nmrdl:fi to conditions. It t and distance allow the sheave wheel is keyed; f not it is loose. LICENSE—Subscriber, Lemoore, and G. F., City. Book agents who sell by sample fl‘"n‘nr Dot if they. solicit orders and. e ce: " {hen, they mrest have's peddior's Hemma: en mu: e a Same l:y!o medicine. S A person e: in San Francisco in the sale of proprieiary medicine in stora or affice that is at a fixed place of business does not have to taxe out a license. TWO RIVERS—A. M. S. and others, City. The Mississippl River, as to it length, has been a source of a considerabla dispute, as what is known as that river is made of a number of large streams. one, the Missouri and the M i tl h of that river down to m Gh:l? of s 4300 miles; ! from the headwaters of l{heh.!l;:n" ot per, then the lem; ) miles. e The the Atlantic Ocean is 3750 mil Cholce candles, Townsend's, Palace Hotel * ————— Cal. glace frult 50c per Ib at Townsend's." —_—— Best eyeglasses, 10c to #lc. Look out for §1 4th, front of barber store and grocery. * Special information dally to ‘somery . Mmfl&-‘e.-mdeom done all tions the world Ereat Britain's ‘share i - 83 ‘per ‘cont