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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1909)
THli SUNDAY OEEGOXI4.N, PORTIiAND, AUGUST 1, 1909. dDooLur f Mil mm I iiiiv Comparison of Taft's Methods With Roosevelt's; Senator Aldriclis Signal Success in Running the Government By F. P. Dunne. ELL sir." said Mr. Dooley. "'tis, a fine thing Tr this counthry to be rid lv Tiddr Rosenfelt. Mina ye. I liked him. But I'm no sycophant. I'm always with who ver is fn power. An' now that he's out v gunshot range I'm free to say that as a business man I'm glad he's gone. Mim bers lv th' wurrukin' classes like ye'er ilf. Hlnnissy, don't apprecyate tb' change. But to us commercyal leaders lf a great relief to be able to proceed with our interprises without beln' lnther fered with be paia spies fr'm Washing ton. Why. be hivens, a few months ago I wudden't dare to put a few dbrops iv water In a bar'l f'r fear iv th' odjous tyranny iv th' Governmlnt. Pro-gress was stopped. Enterprise was at a stand still. Commerce was all gummed up. Now. 'tis dlff'rent. Wanst more th' Joynts lv finance are at th" helium lv th" ship lv state where they belong Instead lv ehasln' around In a cab fr bondsmen. I open me -daily pa-aper an' find hun dherds iv chances to invest me savings in copper mines that th' owners are givin' up on account iv th' poor health iv their wives. Th' counthry is on th' boom. I wasn't sure lv it till I ee there were sthrikes In Pinnsylvanya. I knew by that sign that prosperity was barkln" at our dure again. "An" it's all due to Tlddy Kosenfelt skippin' off to 6 hoot th' wild beasts iv th' forest. I tell ye fr th' last few weeks lv .his admlnisthration I was sick an' tired iv him. It was Rosenfelt this an' Rosen felt that. Th' pa-apers were full lv him. -Th" prlsidlnt sint fr Sinltor Aldhrtch to come to th' White House to be insulted about th' lntarnel rlvnoo bill. Th' sinltor replied that he cud not go as his life in surance policy had lapsed. Th' Prisldint Informed him that onless he come he (th' Prisldint) wud go an" fetch him. Sinltor Aldhrtch appeared later at th' White House where th' Prisldint held an anny mated conversation at him. - Whin th' Sinltor emerged he Informed th' re porthers that th' Prisldint's argymlnts were so forcible that th' bill wud be amlnded to suit his wishes. It was re ported at th' White House that durin' th' ' chat Sinitor Aldhrich slipped an' tore his coat up th back besides sustalnln' a con tusion lv th right eye. Prlsidlnt Kosenfelt has ordhered all admirals In th' navy weighin' over two hundherd pounds to climb to th topmast Wry mornln' at 6 o'clock. Prlsidlnt Rosenfelt has wroa a letter to th" Sultan lv Turkey ad- vlstn' him to abdicate. He has abdicated. Prlsidlnt Rosenfelt has received a gift lv a pair lv hand-embroidered sus plnders rr'm th' Kaiser, wurruked be th' ICai-er's own hands. Uncle Joe GRAFT EXPOSURE STIRS CHICAGO r Windy BY JONATHAN PALMER. (oHTCAGO. July 31. Is Chicago rctten again with graft as St was - in the eld days of the "Gray Wolves" of the Council, and Is there a parallel to ths Ruef-Schmltz oligarchy which levied tribute of millions on the wickedness of the former San Francisco? To these questions there are two answers. One Is an emphatic affirmative. The other is that the real drama behind the disclos ures made to State's Attorney Wayman is a far-reaching game of politics. In which one faction seeks the scalps of the other. The preponderance of opinion un doubtedly Is that the "red light dis tricts are paying heavy toll monthly for protection in the doing of things that are not countenanced by the law. If the stories told to the grand Jury by habitues of the vice districts be true, t'hicago is in for one of the most as tounding revelations of corruption In its history, and that is saying a good deal. On account of the character of most of the witnesses who have given informa tion to the grand jury, fair-minded citi zens are holding their Judgment of the situation in abeyance until the test of trial shall come, but privately they are looking for the worst From data submitted to the grand Jury, it is estimated that the flow of gold from protected vice on the West Side alone to the grafting syndicate is from $110,000 to $150,000 a year, SO per cent of this coming from disorderly houses and the rtst from women of the street saloons with special privileges, gamblers, cocaine sellers and criminals. If the same or a similar system of graft prevails on the South Side and North Side vice districts, as is alleged to obtain on thle West Side. It Is safe to estimate the combined tides of Incoming protection funds at $300,000 a year. Soma computations have been made indicating the total Is nearer $2. 000.000. but such figures probably are ex travagant granting that the general sit uation 1 even worse than It has been painted. Indictments already returned run Into the hundreds. including 50 Chinese charged with keeping gaming houses. Officials high In the police department have been caught in the net of the grand Jury. They are floundering for an avenue of escape, and meantime the mesh of the net growa closer. Friends of the admin istration are waiting in suspense to see how close to the municipal throne the charges may be hurled before the finish of the disclosures. At any rate matters are taking shape for a brisk mayoralty campaign. Dcneen Appeals to People. Preparatory to the calling of a special session of the Legislature next Winter to try to p5s a primary election bill which shall stand the test of the courts. Governor Deneen purposes emulating the example of Governor Hughes, by appeal ing directly to the voters for support Ha will make an exhaustive tour of the' state to create popular sentiment, in the hope the legislators will receive a mandate from the electorate to do something that will pass muster. Three times laws have been enacted and three times they have been declared void. Incidentally the Legislative Voters' League Is preparing for an extensive propaganda In favor of the Oregon plan or electing United States Senators. Pro fessor Louis M. Greeley, of the law de partment of the Northwestern University. Is an enthusiastic advocate of the Oregon idea. He regards it as the best means yt devised to obtain direct vote on Senators short of an amendment to the Federal Constitution George E. Cole, another league leader, 1 ; ' HIS Cannon has been set back five numbers be th' Prisidint f'r careless marksman ship durin' th' last congressyonal reclp tlon. He now goes Into th' White House afther foorth-class postmasthers. Th' sage lv Vermillyon County Is greaUy dejlcted over his disgTace. but he Is practlcin" daily In his office an' hopes to regain th' favor lv his revered leader.' "There weren't anny statesmen In this counthry f'r nearly eight years. Th' on'y time ye heerd lv wan lv these lllusthrees men was whin Tlddy Rosen felt done somethln' lnjuryous to him. It was like gettin fame by beln' among those prisint at a boiler explosion. Now, be hivens, Wash'nton Is as full lv statesmen as a hotel corrydor tn Ally bama. Great leaders lv public thought can open their mouths without th" Pres Idint puttln his foot into it. No longer Is a United States Sinltor afraid to do his Jooty to th' great inthresta that City Also Mindful of Politics and Many believes the Oregon plan should be adopt ed In Illinois. "If a direct primary law Is passed." he said, "it should deal with the Senator ship In such a way that a popular vote on that office would not be a farce, as was the case last year. The Oregon way Is the best that has been devised." John M. Coulter agreed with his col leagues that the Oregon plan Is the best substitute until the Federal Constitution is so amended as to provide for a direct vote.' Illinois sentiment for a new order of things on the Senatorship has spread since the long-drawn contest of this year. when William Lorimer finally was elect ed by a Republican-Democratic coalition over Albert J. Hopkins, who had been indorsed at the polls. Senatorial elec tions in Illinois have been costly affairs Famous among the toga battles was that In which John A. Logan was victorious In 18SS. Another memorable contest end ed in the election of John M. Palmer. In volve In the first of these was a game of polltirs variously called a "still hunt" and a "gum shoe" campaign. Deciding the latter was a poker game, the Issue of which carried with It the election of Gen eral Palmer. These fights and the Hop-kins-Lorlmer-Fcss contest clogged the legislative wheels and ran up enormous bills, for which the state had to settle Now the voters are beginning to think they might as well pay the money for real primary. Much Divorced Woman. For a trl-partite husband and ex-husband maze the matrimonial tangles in volving Mrs. Pearl Lucy Kruger-Boud-Kruger-Bonard furnish about the last word. She is drawing alimony, so far as the court records show, from her first husband, although she has gone through a marriage ceremony with two other men since her divorce from him. The woman became the bride of Itichard O. Kruger in lSuO and was divorced from him in 1907. Before the expiration of the year during which the Illinois law forbade her marry ing again, she slipped over Into Indiana and went through a formal marriage cere mony with Frank Lv Boud. Mr. Kruger then asked to be relieved of the payment of alimony, but the Cook County Courts decided Mrs. Kruger had not been mar ried again. The Indiana marriage, said the court, was no marriage. Mrs. Boud next separated from Boud and asked the courts to. annul her In diana marriage to him. The courts re fused, saying there was nothing to set aide. Hence Mrs. Boud was not really Mrs. Boud at all but still Mrs. Kruger with the light to draw a monthly share In the Kruger income. Next she went out to Oklahoma and married Albert C. Bernard. The latter later riled suit for annulment of the marriage on the ground his wife was a bigamist. Afterwards be withdrew the suit and Boud is preparing to enter the courts with a suit similar to the one Bernard had dismissed. Boud is pro ceeding on the theory he Is the legal husband of Mrs. Boud, or Mrs. Kruger, or Mrs. Bernard. "Bernard wrote me," said Boud, 'asking me to go to Des Moines to testify that I was legally married to my wife or his wife. He wanted to procure an annulment of his marriage to my wife, but I have enough to do to get an annulment of my marriage to my own wife, who happens to be one and the same woman. If Mrs. Boud Is Mrs. Ber nard. I suppose Mr. Bernard has as good a right to get an annulment as I. Mr. Bernard offered me $25 for my services in freeing himself from my wife. I understand he offered Mr. Kruger ,a consideration to help him out. but if the Bernard marriage Is annulled, Mx. 1 b - CONTAOYOOS'SMii-E' have -sint him as their rlprtsintative In Wasn nton. .no longer, wnin a mes sage fr'm th' Prisidint is announced does a- Congressman have to arise in his seat an' say: "Misther Speaker, befure th message Is read I wlsht to say that if there is annything in It about me stealln' a pair iv pants, it is a basecalumy. Th' pants were given to me be a man In his sleep who f'rgot about it.' No, sir, we have a Prisidint now who Is satisfied to be Prisldint an' nawthln' more Presldint fr'm th' Latin wurrud manln' to sit down. "Ye pick up th' pa-aper nowadays an" ye reair 'Sinltor Aldhrich shows none iv th' athrain lv worry which th' responsi bilities lv govermlnt has placed upon his shouldhers. Th" aise with which he despatches public business is th' talk lv th" Capitol. Befure permlttln' th' Sinit to convene this mornin' he passed on at laste a hundherd applications f'r office. Jokes. Kruger may have to keep on paying alimony to Mr. Bernard's wife and my wife. Mr. Bernard tliinks Mrs. Kruger Is still married to me, and he does not relish a wife who Is married to some body else, but I understand he Is con vinced now he Is legally married and will let matters rest In status quo. The question with me is, am I anybody's husband?" Change in Drummers. That the old-time drummer has passed away and has been succeeded by the Virginia Offers Nation Statues of Washington and Lee ; : f If 0!l ; j.:; xJ 1 ts W - jm '.a I ' " H -f . - - j-fis''1 I ' : lUlT"', : :.:'!!! ? v? . I yy- i - -? - s m:m-:i' - i i ' ' v - " WASHINGTON, July Sl.-(Special.j Virginia's representation in Statu ary hall in the National Capitol, will be a bronze reproduction of Houdon's statue of Washington and a statue of General Robert Q Lee, already completed. That Is provided the Federal Government will received th" diplomatic corps an' Issued a number Iv Important ordhers to th' Navy. Whin he entered th' Sinit th' Sln Itors arose as usual, but he bade thlm be seated. On his desk was a bunch iv f'rget-me-nots bearin a card marked "W. H. T.," which th' Sinltor said come fr'm an unknown admirer. Th' Sinltor was in a happy frame iv mind today an' permitted ' siv'ral speeches, lndicatin with a nod iv hia bead his fav-rites. Among his callers was Prisidint Taft who wore his customary contagyous smile. Th' Sinltor was engaged at th' moment In an Important conference with th' prlsidlnt lv th' glue thrust, but with his customary affability he came to th dure an' afther shakln' hands pleasantly with his visitor an' giving him a ticket to th' sthrangers' gallery ' Iv th' Sinit chamber, begged to be excused. Misther Taft wished to be lnthrajooced to th' gintleman who, as he said, with a laugh, occypied th' same position in th' glue business that he did In th' govermlnt. But tb' great man was busy at his legis lative wurrk iv revisln' th tariff on glue an' cud not be disturbed. Mr. Taft, still wearing his contagyous smile, lin gered awhile collectin' th" autygrafts iv Slnitors. Among th' priceless gems he secured were specimens lv th'. handwrlt ln' of Sinitors Blvrldge, Lorimer an' Depoo. " 'Sinltor Aldhrich is wan iv th most pop'lar rulers th' Republic has iver had. He is always Jalnyal an' affable ' an' his manner Is th' same to'rds th' gin'ral manager lv a pow'rful wood pulp com p'ny an' an ordhlnry Cab'net officer. He comes to th' Sinit chamber In an autymobill without outriders an" he has declined to use a sedan chair presinted to him be th' Medeeval Furniture Man nyfacthers iv Grand Rapids in thanka fr th' Jooty lv forty per cint with which he pro-tlcts their Infant lndus thry agin th' pauper old furniture mannyfacthers iv Europe. In th Sinit his manner Is simple an' direct. He says nawthin. Afther revisln' th prayer he seats hlmsllf among th' oth ers an" a sthranger wud hardly be able to pick him out. Tet so great Is his power that he has been known to keep wan Iv th' most prom'nent manny facthrers lv tenpenny nails waltin' five mlnyits while he coortously listened to a speech be wan lv th' humblest lv Dlmmycratlc Slnitors. ' "Far diff'rent fr'm th' scene In th' einit chamber is th dolns at the White House. Th' lxicutive mansion no longer resounds with shrieks lv pain. No longer Is th' passerby startled be cries lv: "Te will, will ye," an' "Let me up, me back Is broke." An air iv dignified peace broods over th' classic roof. Th' vln'rable watch man sleeps undisturbed at his post. Th' sweet silence Is broken on'y be th' dull commercial traveler who drinks less. "sets 'em up" fewer times, plays less poker and is not so prone to story telling, is the message which the travel ing men brought to their convention- here. The salesmen of the road are represented as more businesslike in their dealings than they used to be. There are not so many tricks of the trade, not so much clever maneuvering as In the old days. Commercial travelers still study their men, but they rely more on the eloquence of their goods and their adaptability to the particular, needs of the customer than formerly. "Knocking" of rivals In trade Is frowned upon as unbusinesslike and un ethical. Stories are more of the parlor sort suitable for mixed ompany and for everybody's laugh. J. C. McMillen, of Milwaukee, although he sells caskets, has the reputation of being the funniest man accept both statues. If the Government refuses to accept the statue of Lee, It cannot have the statue of Washington. The Legislature of Virginia feels that In offering Washington and Lee it has selected, two of Virginia's sons without peers in the history of the country for elevation of character and ability and if X' x" droning lv th' blue bottle fly an' th pri vate sicrety. Spiders have wove their web over th boxin' gloves an' th' tennis rackets. In th' chamber sets th' Prlsidlnt, wearln' his contagyous smile an' occa syonally signln' something. How dlff'rent is this fr'm th' old disordherly days. Yet Prlsidlnt Taft has won th' resplct an" ad miration lv all classes. His Jianallty was shown th' other night whin findln' hlm sllf alone at dinner time, he set out to provide hlmsllf with comp'ny. Lockln' his. private sicrety in th dinin' room he took an automoblll an' ranged th' sthreets. He first landed Congressman Nick Longworth, who was divm' into a I on the road. He was ready to go out he said, with his "holiday line of goods." "It is a pleasure to vend coffins," opined Mr. McMillen, "because the man who uses them never kicks or sends back the gooa, besides coffins are always going down. "When you see a coffin man, a whisky man and a drug man traveling together," he said, "there's always something doing. We get them going and coming. One of the popular stories which went the rounds of the delegates was told by John B. Dougherty, a flour salesman. "A good old soul of a minister," he said, "had been called to a church in a small town. On the first Sunday he was asked to pray for Laura Gray. He did so. For three Sundays he prayed long and fer vently for Laura. On the fourth Sunday one of the deacons sidled up to him and whispered: 'Brother Jones, you- needn't the Government should reject the statue of Lee because he was the commander of the Confederate armies, the special com mission appointed. Is empowered by the Legislature to withdraw the offer of the Washington statue. The statue of Gen eral Lee was designed by Edward V. Valentine of Richmond. s -v j V""' '! " "V: W:i-yfti'W ' " ?ip ' -;- fVt ft " . I V - y .-- THE PRESIDENT. HELD . AN ANNYfl'VTEP WNVCMinilvn hotel. Afther securin' Misther Longworth In th' autymobill, th' Prisidint chased his aide de camp. Captain Butts, f'r nearly a mile. Captain Butts jumped Into a milk wagon, but was finally overtaken at th' corner lv G sthreet an' surrendhered. Th Prisldint nailed a retired admiral In Rhode Island avnoo an' an assistant sic rety iv th' lnteeryor In front lv th' Cap itol, where he was caught wheelln a baby carredge. With his guests th' Prisldint returned to tb' White House an enjoyed a dinner that, was a. great socyal success considbrin' that Sinltor Aldhrich on that very night was givin' a bankit lv prom-nent offlcyals to meet th' westhern pray for Laura Gray any more.' " "Why?" Inquired the preacher, with a pained look. 'Is she Is she dead?" " "Oh, no," replied the deacon, 'but she's won the derby.' " Frederick McMillan, a silk salesman, said he was chlded by an elderly Illinois woman restaurant-keeper because he ate her food so sparingly. "I told her about an important sale ahead of me," said McMillan, "and ex plained that I never ate much when I had a lot of talking to do. " 'Ah, said the woman, 1 see. You're like our old wagon. The emptier It Is the louder It rattles." " Harrison Campaign On. The first heavy gun In the Harrison campaign for the next mayoralty has been fired. It was trained on Roger C. Sullivan, the factional boss whom William Jennings Bryan called a poli tician of the cut-throat, train-robber variety, three years ago. Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Bryan were working hand in hand during the last presidential cam paign, forgetting the pleasantries of the past but no community of inter ests has been established between Car ter Harrison and Roger Sullivan. The former wants to equal the record of his distinguished father by being elected Mayor of Chicago five times. He believes the hour is propitious to go after the honor again. In the Chicago Bulletin, the offi cial organ of the Harrison wing of the party, is an excoriation of Sullivan ism. The article Is captioned "A Par ade of Defeats, or How the Party Has Dwindled Out" It holds Sullivan and his machine responsible for the dis appearance of three-fourths of the old Democratic vote In Illinois in eight years. From 1900 to 1902, according to the figures cited, 160,000 Democratic votes faded away in the stat.e.whlle the shrinkage In Chicago was 50,000. By 1904 the Chicago vote had dropped to 98.765 as compared with 177,165 four years before. Then, still quoting the Bulletin figures, there was a fall to 80.640 and another to 63,590. "But," says the Bulletin, "he (Sulli van) sits In the high place, serene and smiling, and welcomes defeat with open arms. It's part of his business. He has wrecked the party absolutely, but he Is a long way from the reefs him self." Shea Sentence Welcomed. There was deep but quiet rejoicing by the better element of organized labor In Chicago when "Con" Shea was sent to prison for murderously slashing a girl with a knife. There also were Aniens " when Judge Foster s arraign ment of the brutal strike methods of the man was read here. The ways of Shea were the ways of the thug. He mapped his campaign In the teamsters strike here in low groggerles and dens of vice, spend ing money like a drunken sailor, and con sorting with women of the town while his wife and children were virtually in want In Boston. These things are a matter of court rec ord and of public knowledge. It cost -Cook County $100,000 for a trial for con spiracy that resulted In the acquittal of Shea, but the compensation was In the showing up of the character of the man and his elimination for all time In control of any part of local organized labor. Shoes Cheaper Sometime. . Shoes will be materially cheaper to the American consumer, but not immediately. according to a manufacturer who was one of the leaders In the fight for free hides as a part of the forthcoming new tariff law. His statement of the case Is that cattle are scarce In this country at pres ent and that heavy hides have been hard to get the kind most wished for by shoe manufacturers. The Importation of hides involved the payment of a duty of 15 per cent For domestic hides the manufac turers were obliged to pay the packers the price asked. The packers, by virtue of owning the cattle, owned the hides also, and they were in a position to control the agent lv th' new creamry butter depart- mlnt lv th' Standard He Comp'ny." "An' there ye ar-re. 'Tts a good thing we have a Prisldint with a policy iv coaxing. Many a man can be coaxed that cudden't be dhriven. Ye catch more flies with mollasses thin vinegar, but ye catch more with fly paper thin with ayether an' ye catch thlm good. Tlddy Rosenfelt had no Idee iv catchin' flies alive an' tamln' thlm so they cud do thrlcks. His idee was that wan deid hostile fly was betther thin a thousand live an' frlndly wans, bo he used to swing a club at thim. Sometimes he dented th' wall or knocked a clock off th' mantle piece or landed on th' head lv an Innocent visitor, but sometimes he nailed a fly. But me frlnd W'illum Haitch Taft Ib not a desthructive nature. He rules be love alone. He is niver angry. Ye niver see him get red In th' face because things go wrong with him. No, sir. His first Jooty to his- counthry is to cultivate good nature. His counsel to his counthrymen is 'Grin an' bear it.' I know I've got to bear it an' I'm prac tlsln a grin. It looks a little artificyal so far. "Tis th' kind iv a grin I wanst see on th' face lv a man in Dock 0'Learys office that had thried to make a meal off sthrychnine. But I'm goln' on an' in th' coorse iv a year or so if enny wan mentions th tariff to me I may break out into a hysterical laugh. "He's a good man Just th" same," said Mr. Hennesy. "F'r a Republican he's a good wan." 'He Is that" said Mr. Dooley, "an they do say that if he lver puts his foot down, somebody will be surprised. Ivry body will be. I will be. vOn'y his meth ods Is diff'rent. Tiddy Rosenfelt was like O'Malley, th' polisman on this beat. He was lible to arrest f'r burglary anny man he caught goln home at night with a bundle undher his arm. He beat him over th' head an' locked him up an' if th' venal an" corrupt coorts wanted to let him out op th' ground that th' im pllmint In th'- package was not a Jimmy but a Jumpin' Jack f'r th' baby, let thim do It an" th' dlvvle take thlm. But Willum's policy is diff'rent Ha believes In waitln' till a burglary Is committed befur makln' an arrest an' thin givin' th' burglar two blocks start down th' sthreet. Wlllum doesn't veto a bill be fore it Is passed. Tiddy used to veto It while th" Sinitor was thlnkin' whether he ought to lnthrajooce It or not An" there ye ar-re." "Tlddy hadn't anny contagyous smile," said Mr. Hennessy. "I'm glad he didn't" aid Mr. Dooley. I wud-ve hated to catch that smile. Me face Is not roomy enough f'r it" (Copyright 1909, by H. H. McClure & Co.) market Free hides means, he says, a partial breaking of control of the pack ers, smaller cost of production of shoes and In turn reduced prices for the finished article. Generally low prices, however, cannot be looked for until the stock made on the basis of former hide values Is dis posed of. While shoes are to go down, shaves and haircuts are. to go up in Chicago. Barbers in the loop district have made a new scale of prices. They will charge 35 cents hereafter to trim a man's locks and 20 to 25 cents for removing beards. High rentals and Increased cost of laun dry are the reasons assigned for the ad vance. The new scale has precipitated a run on the shops for safety -razors, and mothers , more than hitherto will look after the hair of small sons and daugh ters. MORTGAGES RULE GERMANY Peculiar Financial Conditions Ke vealed by Chancellor. BERLIN, July 31. (Special.) Herr Sy dow, of the- Imperial Exchequer, stated In the Reichstag during the recent finance reform debates that "most Ger man property Is mortgaged." Herr Sy dow's assertion may sound strange to foreign ears, but mortgaging property is a recognized principle of German busi ness practice. It Is estimated that fully 90 per cent of the modern buildings ex isting in Berlin are mortgaged for lesser or greater amounts. The percentage is probably a fair barometer of conditions throughout the empire. Hardly any German thlnas of Improv ing his property without the employment of borrowed money. He will borrow and give a mortgage even if he has idle funds ' in the bank or otherwise invested. .The principle is that capital can be borrowed on mortgages at a lower rate of interest than capital can earn in other forms of investment. Not only is town realty generally mort gaged, but practically all farm lands and even the great landed estates. It is a peculiar fact that German mortgages are only in rare instances ever paid off. Most property that changes 'hands is trans ferred on terms which include the as sumption of the mortgages by the buyer, who, like the former owner, finds It pos sible to earn substantial profit from bis rents over and dbove ths fixed interest charge. "Building funds" are a unique feature of German mortgage practice. A man will build one story of a new house and mortgage It to secure funds to proceed with the second story, -and so on, story by story, till his house is built and fully mortgaged. It is easier to dispose of mortgaged than unmortgaged property In Germany, because the buyer is required to pay less in cash. HEAVY PENALTY FOR SPIES French Courts Severely Punish Men Who Sold Secrets. PARIS, July 31. (Special.) The trial of six spies who were accused Of trafficking In the secrets of the national defense had come to an end at Verdun. Three of the men belonged to a well-organized band, whose headquarters are abroad. The Pub lic Prosecutor asked that these three ac cused should be severely dealt with. , A commercial traveler was sentenced to five years' Imprisonment fined $600,. ior- -bidden to reside In the country for ten years, and deprived of his political and civil rights; a soldier of the Sixth Battal ion of the Third Engineers, . received a . sentence of two years' imprisonment and was fined $100; an Insurance agent was sentenced to IS months' imprisonment and fined $100, while an arsenal worker of Verdun was sent to prison for three months for stealing dynamite.
