The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 4, 1902, Page 6

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1902. SEPTEMBER 4, 1902 tor, JOHN D. SPRECKELS, Proprie LEAKE, Massge:. TELEPHONE. Ask for THE CALL. The Operator Will Connect You With the Department You Wish. | PUBLICATION OFFI: Market and Third, 8. F. EDITORIAL ROOMS. .217 to 221 Stevemson St. Delivered hy Carriers, Cents Per Week. | Single Copies, 5 Cemts. Terms by Mail, Including Postage: DAILY CALL (including Sunday). ope yea DAILY CALL (including Sunday). 6 months DAILY CALL (including Sunday), 3 months DAILY CALL—By Singie Month. SUNDAY CALL. One Year. WEEKLY CALL, One Year All postmasters are authorized to recelve sabscriptions. Sample coples will be forwarded when requested. Mafl subscribers in orfering change of sddreas should be particular tc give both NEW AND OLD ADDRESS in order to ineurc = prompt and correct compliance with their request. OAKLAND OFFICE. ... .....1118 Broadway €. GEORGE KROGNESS. Yureger Forelgn Aévertising, Marguette Building, Chicags. (Long Distance Telephcne “‘Central 2619.”') REPRESENTATIVE: 0 Tribune Build! NEW YORK STEPHEN B. SMITH. NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT CARLTON......... ++ss.Herald Square C. c NEW TORK NEWS STANDS: Waldorf-Astoria otel; Brentano, 31 Unien Square: Murray Hill Hotel. CHICAGO NEWS STANDS: Eherman House; P. O. News Co.; Great Northern Hotel; Fremont WASHINGTON (D. C.) OFFICE, ...1406 G St., N. W. | MORTON E. CRANE, Correspondent. House; Auditorium Hotel. BRANCH OFFICES—527 until 9:30 o'clock. 200 Hayes, open until $:30 o'clock. = 639 McAllieter, open until 9:30 o'clock. 615 Larkin, open until | 9330 o'glock. 1941 Mission, open umtil 1¢ o'clock. 2261 Market, cormer Sixteenth, open until 9 o'clock. 1008 Valencia, open until § o'clock. 106 Eveventh, open until ® o'clock corner Twenty-second and Kentucky, cpen until 9 TEE OPPOSITION. clock. 2200 Fillmore, open until 9 p. m. HE Democratic convention met under circum- nces that would be called adverse in the case f a party less zcquainted with grief. ordered it 1o make a nomination to catch but the emocratic vote, and then the per noted and lamented that the leaders of were conspicuous for their absence! Per- cautious absence might not exist if 2 Demo- everyt same pa the pa cratic convention would meet to make a nomination the Democratic vote. nmary of the affair it might be said that the t for. With the doom ofi defeat written as plainly us a chewing tobacco sign on the ample gable of a country barn, no matter what it did the convention 1 y sure that even its funeral arrange- to be dictated by the Examiner, which de- not only would it not attend the obsequies throw stones at the hearse unless it had the picking of the zorpse. So, with all of its mor- ntericred with, and the very method ts decease dictated to it, the convention was as from cheerful as such bodies ever get. he platiorm makers were in a denouncing mood, and proceeded to denounce everything except what hu m most, the Examiner club. They dumped re and trouble by resolving in favor of the initiative and referendum, - for that knocks out the - Legisiature, and with twé branches nment amputated they hope to get a the executive, once in a great while. Just why this opposition to representative govern- ment no cne took pains to state. The men who devised le representative system of government fitted ts to that plan. When legisiating is done in the bailot-box there will be no need of itatives, and when the referendum knocks out the courts the judiciary will be unnecessary. Then the whols system will have to be readjusted to the remaining relic of the present system, the executive. Just what use the survivor will be is not stated. How- ever, the nominatidn of a Governor will make neces- sary a State convention to furnish use for the Ex- aminer’s celebrated club. As that is the only purpose for which the California Democracy seems to exist just now, perhaps it is wise to arrange to bother its head with nothing except dodging or taking the blows of that busy bludgeon. | —— clared th: but wou! tuary privileges z lot of chance A legislative committee of Texas has reported that in the penitentiaries of that State the life of a con- vict is esteemed of no more value than the life of @ dog. It is unfortunate, at least for the historian of Texan affairs, that the committee did not tell us what kind of 2 dog. We hardly know whether to be sym- pathetic or cynical. 5 Sam Small, the temperance lecturer, got drunk the other day and disappointed a large audience that ed to shudder at the story of the horrors of Sam should have remembered that we live century in which virtue should show itseli. He ought to have exhibited himself as a horrible ex- ample. & —_— A London editor has given us the benefit of an ex- ecutive scssion with himself and announces that Uncle Sam and his people live entirely too fast. Our Lon friend appears to be suffering from a dys- peptic brain and should take somethidg for an in- digestion of the mind, An unknown fool tried the other day to burn the town of Anderson. He seems to be the possessor of a fault which is worse than 2 crime and suggests in his able person tlhie necessity of an institution h shall be at once penitentiary and insane asylum. wh The jail at Honolulu is thronged with prisoners, it is reported, because the Government hasn’t money enough to pay trial jurors. The island city is to be complimented upon devising a way of keeping its disturbers out of harm’s way. A Berkeley “hello” girl sat quietly and bravely at her desk the other night while a burglar prowled about the building. This is simply another demon- stration of what we 2ll knew the charming “hello™ girls posscss—superb nerve. The University of California now enrolled twenty hundred students. We may be assured therefore that California will supply at least twenty- eight different schemes for the reformation of the umiverse, : has The Ex- | lots of fight in them, but nothing to | | treaty the shadow of obstruction, advanced in Montgomery, corner of Clay, own\}\ THE DARIEN CANAL. ENERAL SERRELL, president of the board G of consulting cngineers, while taking excep- tions to our expression of opinion that the Darien canal may represent those who desire to ob- struct any isthmian waterway, writes interestingly of the project which he favors. It is useless now to ad- vance or retard any canal project by statement of what route President McKinley would have prob- ably favored or disfavored. He wanted a canal, and that his fust prepossessions favored the Nicaragua 1oute was abundantly shown by the patient effort of his administration te clear the ground of that project from the international complications arising in the Clayton-Bulwer treaty. With that remarkable foresight which was high among his equipments for statesmanship he saw in the persistent attacks upon the Hay-Pauncefote the name of patriotism and commanding the influential sympathy of a considgrable, part of the people. That sentiment was prepaied to back propositions that were too cxtreme for international arrangement, and was not sensitive to the fact that the Nicaragua ne- gotiation must of necessity co-ordinate the four sep- arate sovereignties, the-United States, Great Britain, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Appreciating this difficulty, McKinley gave signs | early in 1000 of securing an alternative proposition, to the end that if our people maintained their extreme attitude we might resort to the Panama route, where only one other sovereignty had to be consulted, and the complications afflicting the other location would not appear. The Call was the first paper in the United States to interpret this indication, and the present situation proves the correctness of our judg- ment. With questions of title adjusted with the French company, it seems now that we are almost at the beginning of the great enterprise. In this situation any counter proposition of course may cause delay and be inimical to the work. It is not necessary to charge, nor do we intend to charge, that the motive of such proposition is to delay and defeat any canal at all. We are prepared to admit that the proponents of the Darien route zre sincere in all they say. That being granted, their proposition is open to impartial examinaticn. General Serrell’s letter discloses advan- | tages in the Darien 10ute that were not visible to Humboldt nor discovered by Lieutenant Strain in his exploring expedition. True, the greater knowledge of the country permitted by its subsequent civilization and settlement may expose what was hidden from both Humboldt and Strain. If engineering science establish the fact that that route is of one-sixth the length of the other line, and will require only one-third the time and one-half the cost in ccnstruction, and will need no locks nor dams, then there arises the prospect of a rival canal | that will command the confidence of capitalists even | after the Panama waterway is completed. If such demonstration be made scientifically, and the physical facts be as stated, one will marvel that this route escaped the scrutiny oi everybody from Humboldt to | De Lesseps, and that our own Canal Commission did | not equip itself with information of a route com- manding such great and obvious advantages as to pal- pably obsolete any other line. It will be seen that this puts upon General Serrell the burden of explaining why these advantages have remained unknown until now, if they exist at all. This is the element thdt casts doubt upon the claims as made. A canal that is the shortest, cheapest, at sea level, and that can carry two hundred and eighty ships per day as against one that can take only twenty ships per day, should be quite independent of any other route selected and built by the United States or any other Government or corporation. According to General Serrell, private capital could easily con- struct the Darien canal and have it in operation long before the United States could have the Panama route open. Thereforc one proof of the facts as he states them would be the adoption of that route and its immediate construction by the capital and enter- prise of the world that do not care to wait for the completion of a less excellent enterprise. What is supposed to be the smallest distillery in the world was recently unearthed in a public park at Atlanta by the revenue officers. The plant consisted of a quart milk can with a tiny funnel. Some twenty- four inches of copper tubing served as a worm and the tank was made of a half gallon paint can. The revenue men describe the apparatus as a “parlor still,” anJ say the advantages of it is that a man can carry it around with him from one place to another and distill whisky in small but profitable quantities in localities where no one would ever suspect him. A CURRENCY PROBLEM. VER in the East, where enormous crops in O all parts of the country are ripening for the market, thers is a demand for money to handle them, and thereby hangs a controversy. The situation has brought the currency problem out of the domain of academic discussion into the field of actual ‘business, and the discussion is now turning around the question whether or no our present sys- tem of banking and currency is sufficiently elastic to meet the requirements of our marvelously advancing industry and trade. B Secretary Shaw was recently in New York con- 'Ttrring with leading financiers as to the best means of providing money for handling the crops without causing even a temporary monetary stringency. Asa number of :onflicting' reports were given of the con- ference, there has recently been issued from Wash- ington the following authoritative statement: “The Secretary recently invited some of the larger national banks in the principal cities to order additional amounts of circulating notes to be printed. National banks are entitled to issue circulation to the full amount of their capital. The aggregate capital of na- tionalsbanks is $700,000,000, but the banks have out- standing only $368,000,000 of circulation. The Secre- tary has hoped to introduce an element of elasticity into the present system. His suggestions to the va- rious banks in the larger cities that they make prep- aration for additional circulation have met with very favorable response. It is not his intention that they should issue this additional circulation at all events, but only in case of actual necessity and emergency. He does not propose to inflate the currency in any sense, but to be prepared to meet the actual currency demand should one arise. With this in view, those banks which have. made arrangements to deposit United States bonds as security for such additional circulation have sent in théir orders, and the Secré- tary has had all branches of the treasury service busily engaged in expediting the preparation of the notes, pending a possible emergency. All this work of preparation does not indicate that the Secretary will expect the banks to issue additional notes ex- purely prudential and precautionary, and intended to ‘relieve any possible currency famine.. It does not conflict at all with any of the various other methods which have heretoforc been employed by the depart- ment in relieving the money market.” “ While the action of the Secretary in taking steps to prevent the possible . occurrence of. a monetary stringency during the period of crop moving is in it- self gratifying, it can hardly be satisfactory to the country that any such action on his part should be recessary, or be even so much as thought necessary. A scientifically constructed elastic currency would work automatically according to the demands of trade without the interference of the Secretary of the Treas- ury. This is the kind of currency the country should have, for it is not desirable that the Secretary of the Treasury should have to look after the finances of trade as well as the finances of the nation. It is to be noted, moreover, that leading bankers in New York do not appear to look with much favor upon the suggestion of the Secretary. They express a doubt whether in case of a stringency it would be possible for them to obtain the amount of Govern- ment bonds required to issue any considerable in- crease of currency. The New York Times says: “Harvey Fisk & Sons and Vermilye & Co., who deal largely in Government bonds, declared that it would be impossible to buy an amount anywhere near $100,- 000,000 at reasonable prices. Such a purchase would send up the prices to a point where it would not be profitable to issue circulation against them, especially for so short a period as six months. An officer of one of the largest banks said that it would not be possible to borrow that amount of bonds, although smaller amounts could be borrowed. The possibility of such a plan on a reduced scale depended on the willingness of bondholders to loan their bonds at a low rate of in- terest.’y It thus appears that the plan suggested by the Sec- retary is by no means an ideal one, though it is per- haps the best that could be offered under present con- ditions. Fortunately ‘it is not at all likely that any serious stringency will occur this year. Out of the discussion, however, there ought to come a more carnest study of our currency problems. Sooner or later we Jvill have a real emergency to meet, and it will be bad for us then if we have not been wise enough during good times to put our currency and banking upon a scientific basis. e e Sir Thomas Lipton has decided to have built a new challenger to “lift” the America cup. It is to be hoped that this time Sir Thomas will insist that the designers of the boat shall use the aid of ideas the only element of success which they have thus far forgotten, S complaining of the folly of political conventions in refusing renominations to experienced mem- bers of the House of Representatives. The argu- ment is that by the continual change in Represent- atives the cities are deprived of their rightful influence in Congress. The complaint began in the Boston press because of the failure of the politicians in thatacity to renomi- nate a gentleman who has served the city and his party with distinction. From Boston it spread to other cities where a similar political blindness pre- vails: The New York Tribune in referring to-the subject says: ‘“New York and Chicago, among American cities f the first rank, are equally culpable in foregoing the adventages which flow from the meaintenance of trained and practiced delegations in the House of Representatives. For ten years past New York City's influence in the popular branch has steadily decreased, until now, with fourtéen Repre- sentatives—three more than the whole State of Iowa —her share in shaping policies or controlling expend- itures has dwindled almost to the vanishing point. Of the members elected from the fourteen districts wholly within the limits of the greater city, only two have a record of service running further back than 1899. * * * * No New York City member has a committee chairmanship, and in the two great com- mittees of Ways and Means and Appropriations the delegation has, all told, a single voite, Chicago makes as relatively poor a showing, perhaps, as New York. Of the six Representatives from districts wholly within the city only three have more than a single year of service to their credit. Mr. Mann, the ‘dean’ of the delegation, has served five years. None of the six has a chairmanship or a committee place of the first rank.” § It is fortunate that the metropolitan districts of California can and do make a better showing than that. Of the three Congressmen who represent the population gathered around the bay, and which makes up greater San Francisco, all of them have had experience and all of them have been renomi- nated. Mr. Loud holds one of the most important chairmanships in the House and Mr. Kahn and Mr. Metcalf hold high nssiénments on committees and are in line for promotion, It is worth noting that while the great cities of New York and, of Chicago have not between them a single chairmanship out of their twenty members, nor as the Tribune says, even so much as “a committee place of the first rank,” San Francisco and the bay districts with but three members are ably and well represented. We have here a new proof of the wisdom of re- electing good men to Congress year after year. The Call has been preaching that doctrine for years and it is gratified to note that of late the tendency has been to follow it. That is the only way by which any constituency can attain and hold high prestige at Washington, e CITIE3S IN CONGRESS. EVERAL of the larger cities of the East are It is stated that while there were exported in the last fiscal year only 365 American locomotives as against 525 in 1900 the shops have not suffered any. loss of trade, for the home demand is so great it is impossible to fill the orders. ! —ry An English judge has fined a New York automo- bilist for racing his machine so as to endanger the lives of rational people. It is refreshing that there are some things American that our English cousins will not endure. / Newfoundland has indicated very clearly and em- phatically that she wants free trade with us. It would be interesting to kncw how long it would take to guess who expects to reap the advantages in such an arrangement. President Roosevelt insists upon interjecting, the strenuous life even into his pleasures. He killed a bear the other day just to show us perhaps that he is in trim to go gunning for bigger game in 1904. The Sultan of Turkey has again assured Uncle Sam that he .intends to pay what he owes us. As a per- former in promises the Sultan can eclipse even a i cept in response to real necessity. The movement is | Democratic campaign orator, | called for a suit of clothes belonging to | COMMISSIONER OF LABOR ON COAL STRIKE WASHINGTON, Sept. 3.—The report of Carroll D, Wright, the Commissioner of Labor, on-the anthracite coal strike was made public to-day. - Commissioner Wright finds that there.is no confidence existing between the em- ployes and their employers. This he be- lieves is one of the chief causes of the differences between the operators and miners. He suggests that it would be reasonable and just for the operators to concede at once a nine-hour day for a period of six months as an experiment. He suggests that there should be organiz- ed a joint committee on conciliation com- pesed of representatives of the operators and of a new union of anthracite em- ployes, to which all matters should be referred for investigation and that their decision should be final and binding upon all parties and that there should be no interference with the non-union men. Commissioner Wright says that the | facts seem to show that the officers of | the miners’ union, with perhaps one or two exceptions, believed that many of the alleged wrongs endured by the miners might be corrected by appeals to the em- ployers. Their attempt, however, to se- cure conferences between the representa- tives of the mine workers and the mine cperators proved fruitless and the miners themselves decided that a strike should be organized. NO ANTAGONISM TO UNIONS. All of the operators whom Wright met disclaimed- distinctly that they had any anrtagenism to labor unions as such. They did object seriously to some of the meth- cds adopted by the unions, and they felt that when asked to make a contract with the unions the latter should put them- selves in a position to be pecuniarily re- sponsible for carrying out such contracts. The miners see-little difficulty in adopt- ing the system of payment by weight, but they claim they are systematically de- frauded by the arbitrary action of the bosses, who determine how much deduc- tion shall be made for impurities and they especially complain that they are de- frauded when paid by the wagon or car- lcad. When it is shown that a ton of coal, says Wright, contains a varying percent- age of refuse as it comes from the mines it is difficult to see the force of the argu- ment why it should not be weighed and the miner paid for the work he does. At least the operator, he thinks, ought to share In the loss of labor in mining im- purities, DEMAND INCREASED WAGES. The demand of the miners that wages be increased 10 per eent in the rates per | ton to those men who perform contract ! work and 10 per cent reduction in the | time of those who work by the day is| backed up by the statement that after the increase which was granted in 1900 the prices of all commodities in a min- ing reglon were advanced accordingly. They urge that it is exceedingly difficult for them to live properly on the present wage. The reduction of time is put forward | by the miners and backed by the state-| ment that their work takes only about| 200 days In a year and that the remainder of the time they are practically idle. The | operators meet this demand with the statement that they are able to market only 60 per cent of the product of their mines-and that the fixed charges, includ- ing pumping, care of the mines, ete., go on for twenty-four hours a day and every day In the year. They insist that the in- crease of 20 per cent in wages which the men demand would mean about 46 cents a ton increase, The total amount of wages paid in the | anthracite coal flelds last year, is| stated -by the operators to have been | about 366,000,000 The increase under the | original demand of the miners, the ope- | rators state, would be about $20,000,000. | KUTNER LEAVES ESTATE | | TO WIDOW AND CHILDREN | Disposition of Late Fresno Capital-| ist’s Property, Estimated to Be ‘Worth Half Million. The will of the late Adolph Kutner, the Fresno capitalist wno died in this city re- cently, was filled for probate yesterday. Kutner, who was senior member of the firm of Kutner, Gcldstein & Co., which owns numerous stores throughout Fresno and San Joaquin counties, left an estate estimated to be worth a half million dol- lars, consisting principally of stock in the firm of which he was a member, stock in | the Fresno Bank and a large interest in the 8an Francisco Glove Importing Com- pany. Half of Kutner's estate, and the In- come from the whole, is left to Caroline | Kutner, his widow. The other half is to | be held in trust for his three children, Abraham, Leon and Teresa, until the youngest has reached the age of 35 years, | when it shall be distributed to them in equal shares. Pending the distribution of the part of the estate left in trust to the children, Abraham is to receive $50,000 worth of stock of the San Fran- | cisco Glove Importing Company, and Te- , resa is to recelve 500 shares of stock of | the firm of Kutner, Goldstein & Co. In! addition to the bequests made to the widow and children, Kutner leaves 35000 to Henry Korn and $5000 to Fresno Coun- ty charitie ————— Fire Commissioners Meet. At the regular meeting of the Fire Com—‘ missioners held yesterday a resolution | ‘was unanimously adopted reciting that it is the sense of the board and the opinion of the Chief Engineer that it is dangerous and pernicious for any board having au- thority to allow the alteration, erection | or reconstruction of any wooden struc- ture in this city to be used as a theater or for any kindred purpose. i The Chief Engineer reported having an interview with General Manager Chap- man of the United Railroads on the dan- gerous speed of electric cars, especially at crossings. Chapman will call a meet- ing of his superintendents to discuss the matter. The resignation was accepted of Driver | A. Hogan of truck No. 2, who leaves the department to become a policeman. ———— e Californians in New York. | NEW YORK, Sept. 3—The following ' Californians are in New York: From San Francisco—S. Sachs, Mrs. A. Stahl, at the | Savoy; §. Bissinger, M. Lamfrom, at the | Hoffman; F. L. Brown, at the Manhat. tan; H. A. Puzah, at the Imperial; C. Alfs and wife, at the Belvedere; J. L. Baar; J. Knag, at the Broadway Central; . M. A. Bryte, at the Grand Union; Mrs. E. C. Dillon, A. Friedman, at the Ca- dillac; F. P, McCann, at the Sturtevant; W. W. Treat, at the Ashland. From Los Angeles—P. H. Blader, at the Grand Union; M. Harttauft, at the Cos- mopolitan; H. L. Harris, at the Herald Square. | r———— e . Burton Is Discharged. The case of H. E. Burton, charged with grand larceny, was dismissed by Judge Cabaniss yesterday. Burton was the driver of a delivery wagon connected with a renovatory on Fillmore street, and | H. R. Rood, 2000 Vallejo street, that were | to be cleaned. Rood alleged that he had | \go mistake left a diamond ring valued at | in the vest ket. Burt ¢ that he had ceen ?t‘:cbut he u:n dfll‘{fi by Detectives Dinan and Wren on Rood’s- complaint. The Judge held there was ab- | solutely no evidence to show that the . diamond ring was in Burton's possession. | TO DEAL WITH WATER PROBLEM OF CALIFORNIA The California Water and Forest Asso- ciation is preparing to make a move of great importance and significance. A commission, of which Chief Justice Beat- ty is the chairman, has been appointed by the governing body of the association to prepare a bill which will deal with the water problems of the State in a large way. This bill is to be presented to the Legislature at the next session. There is no definite information concerning the bill yet. It is known that the ‘Water and Forest Assoclation collected 'a - vast amount of information concerning the cwnership of water, the status of exist- ing leglslation concerning it and riparian rights, along with kindred topics, two years ago. Records were searched all over the State. Professors of Berkeley and Stanford were sent into the fleld to study matters arising out of the general consideration of the water question in this State as a whole. The immedlate result of the investiga- tion that was then undertaken was the preparation of a bill that was passed by beth houses of the Legislature, but was prevented from becoming a law by the actlon of Governor Gage. Those who are in a position to know say that the scope of the forthcoming bill will be wider than was that of the measure that was side- tracked by Governor Gage. a The Water and Forest -Association un- der the presidency of Willlam Thomas has grown until it has a membership ot several thousand. Since its bill was kill- ed it has quietly awaited its next oppor- tunity to accomplish something for the State without deing much except . ta maintain its organization. Now it Is rezady to enter the fleld again. The main purpose of the organization has heen to provide ways to utilize-all the water in California that runs away in springtime and to make fertile with it countless square milés of land that are arid for lack of 1t. A CHANCE TO SMILE. A young man bashfully approached a popular official a few days ago and sald: “Judge, I have come to ask your advice. You have always been like a father to me, and I have now come to you on a very important matter, I am thinking of get- ting married—' “Well, young man,” interrupted the Judge, “if you are thinking of getting married go do it right away. Don't wait, because the girl might not be willing this time to-morrow.” “But you see,” proiested the youth. 'm afraid I'm not abie to take care of het."” “Tut, tut,” deprecatirgly retorted the Judge. “Why, when I got married I was 21 years old and $1800 in debt.” “Is that so?’ exclaimed the other, with happy encouragement gleaming from his eye. “And 1 suppose you must now be worth about—" “And now,” concluded the Judge, “I'm only $£3600 in debt.” Thas young man has not yet married.— Paducah (Ky.) Sun. Mother—Ncw, look here, Bob. You know your father has strictly forbidden you to eat any more of these dates, and here I find another stone. . Bob—Why, mother, sister must have eaten that date; I did not throw. that stcne there. Mother—Are you sure about it, Bob? Yes, mother, quite sure, because I swal- lowed mine.—Brooklyn Life. She—But if Adam was a myth! Why, | if such doctrines are accepted, the whole fabric of the church will fall to pieces! He—I'm afraid so. There won't be any- thing left but the mortgages.—Puck. “My young friend,” said Benator Sor- ghum, “you have an exceptional talent for speech-making.” “Yes,” replied the statesman, who gets a great deal of applause from the gal- leries. “I feel justified in saying that ora- tory is a gift.” “That's what it is! There dre mighty few people who can get paid for it now- adays.'—Washington Star. Friend—You have a lovely home here in the suburbs, but I should think your hus- band wculd dislike catching trains. Mrs. Suburb—He does. He dislikes it so much that he frequently neglects to eatch the Jast train home at night.—New York Weekly. A Jenks—Haven't you and that neighbor- ing farmer settled your differences yet? Farmer Akers—No, but our lawyers have settled. Jenks—Settled? How? Farmer Akers—On our farms.—Catholic Standard and Times. Mr. Simpson—Is your musical director a man of ability? Miss Jenkins—Oh, yes; at our concerts he places all the prettlest girls in the front row.—Detroit Free .Press. AN ADVOCACY OF A PROPOSED DARIEN CANAL The following communication to The Call, submitting the suggested. advant- 2Fes of a Darien canal, speaks for itseif: Editor San Francisco Call—Dear Sir: In the New York Herald of August 22, 1902, quot- ing your valuable paper, it is intimated that the friends of the Darien canal are endeavor- ing ‘to delay the construction of an isthmian waterway. This is not the case. I am im a position to know that the promoters cf the Mandifigo Darien canal route are acting in gcod faith. They have not only not done anything to de- lay the consideration of the Panama or Ni¢ar- ogua locations, or to obstruct or delay the regotiations that have been copducted by the Government, but have at their own cost devel- oped a line less than two-thirds the length of the Panama location and but & sixth the length of the Nicaragua route, A location having good harbors at each end, with the canal at sea level, a straight line from ocean to ocean, without locks or dams, that ean be bullt in a third of the time that either of the others would take, will cost less ‘than half as much as would be required at Panama or Nicaragua, and being In solid rock nearly all the way will not wash i or slip down, and has a capacity of over 280 ships @ day, while the best that can be hoped at Panama or Nicaragua is but twenty-five ships 2 day, and ean take through sailing ships as well as steamers by electric trolley, which the others are not intended for, being too crooked. Of all the people in the world the citizens of the west coast are most interested In the Mandingo Darien line, because it can be fin- ished soomest, will cost the"least and will do the most business when there to be done. In no sense is It In the interests of the trans- continental raliroads, cxcept that it will so flood the west coast with people that the local business, which we all know ls the best pay- ing for railroads, wiil be greatly augmented. Your worthy Senator Bard has been shown the maps and pians for the construction of the Mandingo canal and has been told what is here statéd and kmows It to be true. Some of the best years of my life were spent planning the rallromds from the Miss- Issippl to the Pacific’ and. devising ways and means to get them bullt, during which time 1 did not faver any Isthmian canal, but now that the East and West are tled together with bands of steel the time has come for uniting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as President McKinley said in his last public address, with “a straight line of water,”” and I am now trying to get the best line bullt, which is th's very same short, straight line, at sea Jevel, without locks or dams, and perhaps it is not too much to say that had McKinley lived it is believed that this, ‘the = straight line of water,” would by this time have been under construction, and all things seem just now tending that way, EDWARD W. SERRELL. Brevet Brigadier General, U. S., President goord Consulting Engineers, A, I. 8, C. o, West New Brighton, Staten Island, N. Y., August 23, 1902. J. G. Livingston Is Seriously Injured by a Falling Tree at Fort Baker. Lieutenant J. G. Livingston of the Artillery Corps was seriously injured at Fort Baker Tuesday affernoon by heing hit by a falling tree. He was engaged in superintending the work of a squad of men who were felling timber when the accident occurred. His back and limbs were badly bruised, and internal injuries are feared. Major Kilbourne, post sur- geon at the Presidio, was summoned and everything possible has been done to aid the injured officer. It was stated last night that he might not recover. - The following named officers met at the Presidio yesterday morning to examine candidates for commissions: Major B. H. Randolph, Captain J. V. White and Lieutenant P. K. Price of the Artillery Corps and Major H. 8. Kilbourne and Lieutenant H. S. Greenleaf of the medical department. Prunes stuffed with apricots. Townsend’s.* } * Townsend's California Glace fruit and candles, 50c a pound, in artistic fire-etched boxes. 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