The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972, January 01, 1911, Page 18, Image 18

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    THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL; PORTLAND, SUNDAY MOKNINft JANUARY 1, 1311.
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(Copyright, 1919, by Associated Literary
1TCSS.)
ITTrPTETEEN ten was a year of won
fill nva,.,..a,4 MlillIV' POm(t ll
the spring, with its Ull enveloping
ns in May; Chaxex, in an aero-
plane, oyer the Alps; Moisant, the
, - American, across the Enul'ah chan
1 ', nel with passenger; the Amer
ican . Johnston up nearly 10.000
- Tbet above the earth's surface; huge
. 1 iiraMim, MOMltn, lIlHltllM trAVP.llnff
' "fat. railroad sneed. on schedule time
. Bkmg regularly laid out and maintained
Siilr routes;'' between Important German
. cities, with the v travelers enjoying aw
the luxuries of the Pullman compart-
mentcar, Including a game or Driage;
i and a flaring band of Americans, under
v. the leadershio of Walter weiiman, es-
i saying a trip In a dirigible from New
WOTld ter Oldr-
" It was a year that caused us to
('"marvel at the. announcement that Pro
" , iHessor Paul Ehrlich of Berlin had at Inst
- found a cure for a dread disease that
for 0 years, to man's certain knowl-
...fdge, baa been causing untold woe and
death to a countless multitude in Eu
' Tvrope, to say nothing of the rest of the
" world!
Ol-' i V . - 1L1 ht tk.
i was a year ui ui6'".
- V world mourning, about the bier of a
monarch of that empire on which the
. fun never sets, and the last resting
piace 01 ttussiap . great nuvcu. aw
' Idealist , . -
It was a year when we of Amer
' ''"lea beheld a fellow citizen, emerging
. Jifrom primeval Jungle, received with the
' highest honors by the heads of great
. OWwers and showered with honors by
Uthe classes and the masses of the peo
i:Plft,wherever he traveled In Europe.
PHI ' . Horrors a rumj.
In the year we stood" aghast at the
ravages of the cholera: in Russia, where
' jiiofi man JVUtVu uvco waning
, by the-disease during the summer
' months. We were horror stricken at
the wiping out In the autumn of entire
towns and hundreds of lives by forest
fires In northern Minnesota; at the at-
,. tempt of a discharged city employe-to
assassinate .Mayor - Gay nor of New
,Torl on August 8. as he was sailing
- . , for a holiday In Europe.
' ' We viewed for a week the spectacular
1 'alh T-l In Ik, mrfn nf mlrhtv
. , flood that left In Its wake a money
, loss of $200,000,000. We sighed regret
. fully when, on August 27, Korea, quaint-
est of lands, passed from the company
Of the nations after, a national exist
ence of 10 centuries and became a mere
7 vassalage of Japan. The day follow
ing we felt as though we were present
at a performance of a comic opera In
' ' real life when Nicholas of Montenegro
i converted bis little mountain prlncl-'V'-paHty
Into a kingdom, and took a new
title befitting his altered ran.
K few days lees than three months
later we beheld a world -farce staged
In the harbor of Rio Janeiro, when four
' Brazilian warships, Including that na
' tlon'a two Dreadnoughts, were stolen
'-- by their crews, and for a week kept the
',' capital in terror until congress, hastily
t assembled, had granted them full
.A. amnesty for their mutinous off teera, and
solemnly assured them that their de
, - monds for the abolition of corpora! pun
' tshment more pay and less work would
' be granted after which the bold sall--
orraou, who had been led by a negro,
1 Joao Candldo, returned the warships to
I the natldn.
t In November, too, we were mightily
i "cheered despite the fact that from
t January on we had been constantly
t harried with rising price for the neces.
si ties of life when the last crop re
" porta were In, revealing to us that from
'- start to close of the harvest season we
had been i extraordinarily blessedby
Providence us a nation. The corn crop
topped by 300,003,000 bushels the an
';. tlripated 3,000,000,600 bushel yield; the
. crop of oats was also of banner dimen
sions in short, the crops "of the year
. . exceeded bv 9 cer cent the average
' cropf of the preceding five years,
l l' A Tsar of world Vnrsst.
Yet, Important or Interesting or enter-
- tainlng as these and other events more
- or less1 like unto them seemed at the
, 'tlme their happening, they were sim
ply happenings of a moment, a day, a
y week,' a fortnight, a month or a season.
' The one great overpowering, ever pres
ent event of 1916 practically the world
' ' over was pronounced political and eco
nomlc unrest,; manifesting Itself In varl
ous guises and With widely varying re
' - suits.
I" In our own country, this spirit of un-
'rest centering about the new tariff and
f the high, cost of living led to an lnler
, est log dramatic ballot box decision in
. , xavor of the lang drawn out Democratic
party. In ;ortngi.;it snatched a crown
' from a pleasure seeking boy's head and
raised up in his stead an aged university
, professor and poet as the new republic's
first president. In France It brought
" about a nation wide strike of railway
ftrhnlovM. an industrial movement thnt
at one period seemed to imperil the lift)
,of the republic Itself. ' ;
v In England H led to a general election
; In January, and another general appeal
to the electorate during the closing
' month, preponderalingly, over the ques
' tion of limiting the legislative powers
of tha bouse of lords, and barring the
' few weeks that the British were en
gaged In mourning for their, dead king
' and acclaiming his son . as Oeorge V,
-that question, and thf opes allied with
It Jn the Liberal program of reform, kept
. them in bitter turmoil the entire year.
.1 Porflrio Dial, Inaugurated president
j of Mexico for the eighth time on Po-
( , comber 1, was called upon the month
uviurr lu irui uuwii Mil aui'Biciiitv tt e-
fully planned rebeJliori. Spain seemed
, to be on the edge of revolution from
4. mixed courses the year throughout; It
' Svas an armed camp. In Japan hoary
. political Ideals were so shaken that
there was discovered a plot to assassln
, ate the mikado, hitherto venerated by
. .all Japanese as a sort, or supernmnj or
. deml-god. In Germany SoclallsF and
L suffrage demonstrations were numerous,
' several leading to rerious rioting; while
Greece and Turkey, witli Crete once
more the bone , of contention, seemed
several times-to oe on the verge of war,
Greece's problems. -being augmented by
, internal dissatisfaction and a li't.1ro for
a new and more liberal constitution.
f Though the regent of China, Prince
Chun, on October 3 marked a nw epoch
"in tho empire's WstorV when lie opened
'the new senate, a few weeks later the
government was petitioned to grant fur
ther .representative government, and
hot to postpone the assembling of a par
liament; until 191&, on the ground that
j " the Intervening time would, be necessary
cuuuntc 4iw iu nil appreciation
of constitutional government.
The Hindu agitation for self govern
ment, with the accompanying Incipient
attacks on British rule, harried ithe rep
resentaUvesV of Kings EUwanl and
George throughout the entire year, the
trial of a native bringing out the fact
that the establishment of an Independent
kingdom had been: planned, with a na
tive ruler. 14 Egypt. , too,, the question
of nationalism fare ths British officials
much concern, and stirred up an ocean
fif dlswr1'trrrrwtmerirsfoilow
log Colonel Roosevelt's approval of Brlt
iwlv rule In Kgj'pt , , ,
On , Pecember : I Ixsgftgneux won the
distinction of being the first aviator to
as.-end "to a liettfnt of 10,000 fefctvor
A Year of World Unrest, Politically and Economically, With
New Republic Born in Europe anrj Political Landslide in
the United StatesThe Largest, the Smallest, the Young
v est, the Most Ancient Nations Affected by the Spirit of
. Unrest the Year Through.' v.'
over, his actual altitude record "being
10,498 feet. S inrhes. On December 26,
Areh Hoxsey, lying at Los Angeles,
ascended to a height of 11,474 feet, set
ting, a new altitude record for pkymen.
Finland was restive and remstlve un
der Russia's efforts to take away the
last vestiges of the duchy's autonomy.
There was fighting between the govern
ment and the nationalist forces In Per
sia, and so great was the tomol! in the
reputed craaic or tne numan race mat
Great Britain, in October, threatenod
to occupy the turbulent regions .unless
order was speedily restored. Even so
Insignificant a political division as lit
tle Monaco was so affected by the gen
eral political unrest that, petitioning
for it. It secured constitutional govern
ment Indeed, the youngest as well as
the most ancient of nations the hugest
as well as the smallest found through
out the year a common bond":ln much
that the term "political unrest'! has
come to signify. ., ,
r Ballot Box Revolution.
Until the November elections con
firmed the, suspicion that a political
revolution had been in progress In the
United States, a revolution which was
foreshadowed. Derhans not Indistinctly.
by the September upheaval 4n Maine,
the reduced majorities In Vermont and
elsewhere, and "Insurgent" and "pro
gressive" primary triumphs In other
commonwealths, notably In the west.
tne year 1910 had not been epdthal as
far as Uncle Ram's nephews and nieces
were concerned. True, there had been
the homecoming and attendant welcom
ing of Theodore Roosevelt. But the po
litical landslide in Its eleventh month
transformed the year into one of the
historic twelvemonths of the century
for the country. In the forcible collo
quialism of Mr. Roosevelt paraphrased
slightly to fit the occasion the domi
nant party was whipped to a frazzle and
pu over the ropea, losing the lower
house of congress, governorships, state
legislatures and federal senatorshipa in
wholesale fashion.
The Democratic tidal wave, beginning
with the election of Frederick W. Plai
sted an governor of Maine, had an even
more pointed illustration in the greatly
reduced Republican majorities In such
states as Pennsylvania, Iowa and Rhode
Island than In the positive Democratic
victories in New York. New Jersey and
Ohio. Pennsylvania's enormous Repub
lican majorities of the past It gave
Theodore Roosevelt a plurality of 505,
000 ip 1904 -shrank to about 18,000 for
John K. Tener for ' governor; Aram J.
Pothler had but 900 Republican plural
ity In Rhode , Island, and Carroll, in
Iowa, received only 18,000 plurality
against 108,000 two years ago. John A.
Ulx's majority of 66,000 showed a
smaller Republican loss than occurred
In Pennsylvania, Ohio or New Jersey.
Woodrow- Wilson In New Jersey and
Kugene N. Fobs In Massachusetts
achieved remarkable personal triumphs.
tne lormer -Being a winner by a plural
ity of 49460, and the latter by 33,000,
after a campaign of only two weeks.. In
ConnecUcut, Judge Simon. E. Baldwin
was ejected by the Democrats by 8000
majority, while In Ohio, Governor Jud
son Harmon was reelected by the, larg
est majority -about 100,000 ever given
to a Democrat In that state. He is also
the first Democratic chief executive of
that state ever to be reelected.
In the 27 states noldlnr ruhemnfoHnl
elections, the. Republicans derived some
comfort from the fact that Mihi ran
rolled up a standard ReDUbllenn mnlnr.
Ity; Minnesota broke off the habit of
electing a: Democratic chief executive;
the party standard bearer in Nnbraska
defeated a Democrat, thanks, to Bryan's
bolt of his party's candidate; by the aid
of Independent Democrats, a Republican
will sit in the gubernatorial mansion of
Tennessee for a term, and Nevada pre
ferred a Republican to another Demo
crat. The following governors were
elected: .
Alabama. Emmet O'Neal (D).
California, Hiram W. Johnson (R).
Progressive.
Colorado, John F. Shafroth (D), re
elected. Connecticut, Simon E. Baldwin
(D),
succeeding a Republican.
Idaho, James 1 B. ' Hawley
ceeaing a Republican.
Iowa, B. F. Carroll (R), reelected.
Kansas, Walter R. Srubbs (RJ, re
elected. Progressive.
Massachusetts, 3ugene N. Foss (D),
succeeding a Republican.
Michigan, Chase sr. Osborn (R), Pro
gressive. Minnesota, Adolph O. Eberhart (R),
succeeding a Democrat
Nebraska, Chester H. Aldrich (R),
succeeding a Democrat"
Nevada, Tasker L. Oddie (R),' suc
ceeding a Democrat.
New Hampshire, Robert P. Bass (R),
Progressive.
New Jersey, Wood row Wilson (D),
succeeding a Republican.
New Tork, John A. Dix (D.), succeed
ing a Republican.
North Dakota, John Burke (D), re
elected. Ohio. Judson Harmon CD), reelected.
Oklahoma, Lee Cruce (D)
Oregon, Oswald West (D). '
Pennsylvania, John K. Tener (R).
Rhode Island, Abram J. Pothler m).
reelected.
South Carolina. Cofe L. Blease (D).
South Dakota, Robert S. Vessey (R),
reelected.
Tennessee, Renjamln W. Hooper (R),
succeeding a Democrat
Texas, Oscar B. Colquitt (D).
Wisconsin, Francis E. McGovem (R),
Progressive. ' )
Wyoming, Joseph M. Cary (D), suc
ceeding a Republican.
Democratic senators wHl succeed Re
publicans in Indiana, Missouri,. Mon
tana,. Nebraska, New Jersey, New Tors.
Ohio and West Virginia; for the first
time in 13 -years in Indiana tha Demo
crats control eveiy branch of the" state
government the vwo.Uoited fftates- sena
tors and all but one representative Jn
the house. In the senate the Progressiva
Republicans, generally successful In the
election, both as to state candidates and
congressional, will hold the balance, of
power, while the next house willJiave
227 Democrats, 1 S3 Republicans and one
Socialist, a Democratic majority of 68.
The strength of the Progressive move
ment In the Republican party was fore
shadowed by the September primary
elections held In many of the states. Ithi
Michigan Senator Burrows met defeat
at the hands of Charles E. Townsend, a
mgYe-vuTfi-'w,i!ongift'sen(ifor"rJ
Follette carried the primaries by. one o'f
the most sweeping victories of his ca
reer. )n Washington Representative
Poindi-xter. one of the most aggressive
Insurgents ,in the Sixty-first congress,
won his fight. Hiram Johnson. Insur
gent candidate for Governor of Cali
fornia, ' triumphed at the August pri
maries. Governor Stubbs pf Kansas,
who was an early recruit to the Pro
gressive cause,- was renominated. Rob
ert P. Bass, Progressive candidate for
governor of New Hampshire, won at the
primaries. v 1
In Wisconsin the Socialist strength
shown last spring ln ths election of
Mayor Selflel of Milwaukee became pow
erful enough -In November to carry ths
entire Socialist ticket in Milwaukee
county and to elect the one lone So
cialist who will sit in the next con
gressvictor Ld. Berger, the first mem
ber of his party to reach the national
legislature. In Pennsylvania the So
cialists were In fores sufficient to dis
place the Democracy in the' third col
umn In the official ballot and will get
the Democratic quota of watchers at
the polls in tho next election. They also
elected a member to the legislature for
the first time. Minneapolis came with
in 1000 votes of electing a Socialist
mayor. The Socialist vote (throughout
the country approximated 720.000, an
Increase of 75 per cent over 1908.
Woman suffrage was an issue in four
states Oklahoma,,, South Dakota, Orei
gdn and Washington. It was adopted
only ln the last named state, making
five states In which women?' have full
righ,ts at the polls Wyoming Colorado,
Utah, Idaho and Washington.' As a
result of the Colorado election four
women will sit In the state lower house.
In Oregon the voters faced the resnon-
jslbillty of the referendum for the first
time, no less than 32 DroDositlons helne
submitted to them. '
Ancient Kingdom Beoomos JUpubllc.
The other startling political revolu
tion of the year, and one In which bul
let", not ballots, played the leading part,
occurred In Portugal on October 4, when
the Republican party, with the assist
ance of the army and navy, overthrew
the Braganaa dynasty In a few hours
of fighting and established in its stead
a republic, with a venerable poet and
university professor, Theophile Braga,
as provisional president.
For years the throne of Portugal had
been tottering, .and for months .the Re
publican leaders had been assiduously
plotting for its overthrow not later than
Christmas of 1910, In the midst of their
planning came the murder of Bom
barda, a well known Republican and
antl-clerioal. and this was seized upon
by the revolutionists as ah opportunity.
On. the night of October 4, at a precon- !
eolved signal, several warships Jn the
harbor of Lisbon were seized by the
revolutionary members of the crews
and the royal palace and government
puiiaingB pom Darned at ihe same time
that various regiments came boldly out
on the side of the revolutionists and
seteed the approaches to and occupied
the strategic points In the city. King
Manuel, whose extravagance and devo
tion to a French music hall dancer had
aroused the Indignation of his poverty-and-tax-rtUdcn
subjects, together with
his mother and the queen dowager, were
permitted to escape to the royal yacht,
which bore theqn to Gibraltar, where
thoy remained for a brtef period before
taking up their residence in that asy
lum for cast-off royalty England.
The new government, which is grad
ually being recogniied by the nations,
promises financial reform, development
of national resources, reform of the
courts, freedom of the press, and the
suppression of the religious congrega
tions. Immediately 'following the suc
cessful termination 6f the revolution
and the restoration of order, the relig
ious orders were given 24 hours in
which to leave the country, under threat
of expulsion, ami the government pro-
iu cgnnscate an re.
ngious propertyj
Following the suceees-of hir hth.
rcn ln Portugal, the world looked to tho
Republicans of Spain to move to over
throw the Bourbon dynasty. That that
government was fearful of such a move
was shown by the manner ln which It
speedily transformed the country Into
something like an armed camp, paylrlg
especlnl attention to Barcelona. Bllboa
and other places where the spirit of un
rest was especially strong. But the an
niversary of the death of Ferrar, Octo
ber 13, passed off quietly, owing to the
preparedness of ,the government. Still,
It were useless to deny that the spirit
of political and economic unrest was
strong tnroughout the year ln Spain;
and the uncertainty of the situation was
added to by the government's determined
policy to exercise strict supervision over
all ecclesiastical mattess and religious
orders, a policy that brought Madrid
and the Papacy at loggerheads and led
to the employment of the military in
July to overawe threatened clerical dem
onstrations, partaking of a revolutionary
nature, against the government.
Other countries In which the forr of
arms played a part in emphasizing the
1 . . . , . , ff e . .
K. ...u, ur ,esa general or.
spec:ai unrefii were Mexico and Nicara
gua. In September the one hundredth
anniversary of Mexican Independence
was celebrated, together with the eight
ieth birthday of President Porflrio Diaa.
At that time the nation appeared to give
itself up unreservedly to the gala occa
sion, and, in the large cities at leas,
there was no external evidence of pro
found discontent with the existing order
of things. Later, it developed that for
at least four years the, United States
department of state and the officials
of the Mexican government hart hert'
waicninH tne unroldlng of a carefully-
plotted revolutionary movement for thai Z , ,J17 V 'L't!8 Paa8,mer
overthrow of President DiaT This wftflan1 fr6't rate?' Th grease In the
followed by numerous insurgent out-
urem -law in iovember
esneclallv iri
the northern
ftates of tW reri.MI,r. J
it-u icnm:u in a oonsiderablo less of
?ff an1.JTrty' but the government
hold a firm hand ln the crisis, md the
armed innurrection was largely at an
emt by December 1, when Dlaa was
again inaugurated president. Tim revo
lution In Nicaragua was really a left
2Vf,r kT,1 Th,!re were almost
daily batt es between the hostile forces;
but. finally, 011 August 28, President
Madri fled frofn the capital and Gen
eral Estrada, the vktur, proclaimed
himself- provisional -president and set
about to have himself ,:it,rted pre8l(leat
tor two years. , ' j"""
Twice during the year the capital of
Rio Janeiro was siibj,eted to bombard
ment The first bombardment took
y . ..-,, wnen me country's
two dreadnoughts and two other war.
him HA Btrvl,... i. .. . ut"Hr War-
" in,,,r Then
'wifoineT
Dv way ui ieuintr runs t.,
the mutineers Were In earsTl het?
demands that conditions tn the navy'bl
ameliorated. "That mutiny a 'an Ja
everything "was neaeef,,. L S,eJ
. ,7"v mutiny took
Dlikca
among the marines quartered on Cobras
Island, I. Rio Janeiro harbor. Tha 200
mutineers were almost annihilated by
the fire of warships and land batteries,
but - not ' before, they had . "shelled the
city. Inflicting considerable damage, and
killing a number of citizens. .
, Tsar of Contention, in, UfuinU
"The difference between the house of
lords and the house of commons served
to keen Great Britain In a political tur
mot throughout -the entire year, and
twice made recourse to the ballot box
necessary. . General elections began on
January 10, when the second parliament
of King Edward VII Was dissolved and
writs Issued for a new one to meet on
February 21. Is this election -the cam
paign leading up to It having been hotly
waged mainly around the government's
proposition to limit the lords' power of
yetQ.Jased on the lords' refusal; to ap
prove the budget the Liberals were re
turned to power, with but one vote .OVer
their Unionist opponents, a result that
seemed to satisfy nobody, since It prac
tlcally left all thedfsputed questions
unsettled. '' , 1 X"
Following the election the- months
were Spent by the liberal ministry In an
effort to put through its refprm pro
gram, announced in detail last year, and
now familiar to every Briton to the last
detail.' A series of conferences between
the warring parties failed "to lead to
any undertsanding regarding the reform
of the house of lords, a failure that
cansed George V to call a special meet
ing of the privy council to discuss' ways
and means of : surmounting the crisis
an unusual -proceeding ln British poll
tics, and one revealing a critical situa
tion. A few days later, on November
28, the king, who, had succeeded to tho
throne on his father's death on May
16, dissolved his first parliament which
had lasted only ten months, and sum
moned a new1 parliament (elected ln
December) to meet on January 31 of
this year.
In the second general election, which
began on.-December 3, the Liberals were
returned to power, and It now seems
certain that the lords will he reformed
according to the plans of the coalition
of tho Liberal, Laborite and Irish home
rule forces In the house of commons.
Another radical outcome of the election
will probably be some measure or home
rule lor Ireland. 9 What will be th
disposition of the troublesome votes-for-women
questloff remained problem
atical as the year closed. November
witnessed a renewal of suffrage at
tacks on parliament and harrying of
Liberal leaders. Premier Asquith being
surrounded arid beaten by a group of
angry suffragettes.
Great Crisis In r ranee.
The premier industrial manifestation
of world unrest and one that held for
a time momentous political possibilities
occurred In France. The National Con
federation of Railway unions, on Octo
ber 12, voted ln favor "of a general
strike on all the railroad svstems in the
country; electrical workers In the pro
vision industries were already on strike.
Great disorder and violence ensued for
nearly a week, but Premier Briand.
himself a Socialist and a friend of or
ganized labor, called out the army re
servists, some of them among the strik
ers themselves, and demanded their aid
In putting down disorder, declaring that
their primary duty was to tho country.
On this Issue he let it be known that
tne government would stand or fall, and
because of his firmness the strike was
called off, but not before .the republic
itself had seemed Iri danger from the,
revolutionary movement coupled with
the strike,
industrial unrest, dne In part, rat
least,, to the high cos of living that
was pretty general both in this coun
try and in Europe, led to numerous im
portant strikes, nor infrequent rioting,
and much agitation for higher wages
and Improved working conditions ln la
bor circles.
Early In the spring the great street
car strike, and sympathetic strikes In
volving 40,000, ln Philadelphia para
lyzed trade in that city for several
Weeks. The street railway strike In
Colurnbus. 'Ohio, which held throughout
the summer, developed Into a serious
conflict between law and disorder, and
for several wetoks the local authorities
seemed powerless to control the situa
tion and state aid was given. The gen
eral strike on the Grand Trunk system
also occurred during the summer, end
ing In wage advances: and ln November
the express package industry ' of the
country was partially paralyzed by a
strike of employes ln New York and
Jersey City.
In July and August a strike of 70,000
cloakmakcrs ln New Tork City ended.
after two months of great suffering
and anxiety, with an agreement by
which the strikers accepted the "prefer
ential shop" Instead of the "closed
shop," which they had demanded. These
strikers won most of their minor de
mands, such as larger pay and shortelrJ
hours. Later a city-wide strike of gar
ment workers began in Chicago, and
was unsettled as the year drew to. a
close. ,
The last of March 300,000 bituminous
coal workers quit the mines pending a
settlement of wage demands. In Jan
uary a riot involving 20,000, persons
took place ln Naples, due to Increased
rents of workmen's homes. In April
there was a general strike of the build
ing trades In Berlin. In August iosO
mechanics ln the Hamburg (Germany)
shipyards went on strike with a de
mand for Increased wages. In Septem
ber a general strike occurred In Barce
lona, with accompanying revolutionary
tenaencics.
The Bole of ths XaUroads.
The American railroadB were most
intimately connected with the national
economic unrest. During the early part
of the year many railroads announced
Increases ln wages. Some of these were
forced by employes' agitation for. bet
ter wages and Improved working condl
tions, wvhile other lines voluntarily
granted Increases m pay. This waa the
case with the Pennsylvania and the
Reading, each road increasing by 6 per
cent the wages of every employe earn
ing less than $300 a- month:
These grants o better pay were fol
lowed closely by Increases In passenger
commutation rates on ; railroads with
terminals in New Tork City met with
indlgnftnt protest, which in New Jersey
took " the form of a demand that the
gdvernor call - an extra session of the
legislature to empower the newly creat
d"Publlc Utilities commission to act ln
the matter. In November the Inter
state Commerce commission held hear
lngs In the matter, where the rates
raised were Interstate.
( The Increase In freight rates was of
even greater Importance, it was esti
mated by the railroads that the Increase
In wages would aggregate $150,000,000
an4 that It would be necessary to meet a
greater, part pf the shortage , in net
revenue that the Increased wages would
cause fey advances In freight rates: The
shippers at once took issue with the
roads on tnis point and tnereafter until
near the. close of .the year the Interstate
Commerce commission was engaged ln
hearing botn sides pr the .ease In various
men, with a membership of 300,000, in
dorsed the proposed increases hVfrelght
rates.';;;,.: : , ; :'
' The- same month President Taft an
nMaeed the personnel of the new rall-
A Year of. Natural and ;Mah-Made Wonder Overhead A
; Dread Disease Conquered arid Another One Rampant
Record - Breaking, Crop in ; America The Role of
Railroads -The Death of King EdwaTVUsand Europe's
Welcome of Theodore Roosevelt " ,' , - ) v ' '
rOaj commission; which the- recent
amendment to the railroad act author
izes, to report on railroad stock, bonds
and notes,' their Issuance and how It;
may be controlled by the public The
naming nr President Arthur T.- Iladley
of Yale university as head gave gre'at
public satisfaction. Professor B. H.
Meyer ofr the University ot Wisconsin,
another member, is also chairman of
the Wisconsin railroad commission.- Two
months later on November 27 the
new Pennsylvania railroad station In
the heart of New York ity and the
tunnels leading to It under the Hudson
river, were thrown open to the travel
ing public a gigantic Improvement fin
ished after seven years of effort and at
a cost of 1150,000,000. t
Deeds of Oongress In 1910.
Until the fall elections the most dra
matic event associated with the spirit
of political unrest ln this country was
tho undoing of Speaker Cannon in the
house of representatives. First , the
house voted not to let the speaker ap
point its members on the Balllnger-Pln-
chot Investigation committee, but tp se
lect the members Itself. That was ln
January. Later, the Democrats and the
insurgent" and other' Republicans to
the nuraber of 35 united to pass a res
olution authorizing a new committee on
rules, much larger than the old com
mittee and elected by the majority and
minority members of . the' house, with
the distinct provision that tho speaker
should not be on the committee. Of
the - old - committee the speaker was
chairman and that commlftee he ap
pointed. It was charged widely both
In and out of congress that the commit
tee ran the house to suit Itself. Since
the beginning of the first regular ses
sion of the Sixty-first congress ln, De
cember, 1909, there had been much dis
content over what were called the- ty
rannical ways of the committee and
finally, on March 19, after a bitter de
bate lasting two days, the speaker was
shorn of one of his time honored prerog
atives.
The Balllnger-Pinchot Investigation re
sulted from the controversy begun the
year previous between the two princi
pals and their adherents over the Sec
retary of the Interior's fitness to have
charge of the matters relating to na
tional conservation.
Early ln the year1" Secretary Ballln
ger asked for a full Inquiry at the
hands of congress and a Joint com
mission, consisting of six members of
each house, waa appointed to attend to
the matter. Before this commission
had ttmo to convene Senator Dolllver
of Iowa rose in the senate and read a
letter from Mr. Plnchot acknowledging :
that some of his subordinates had been
actively connected with the newspaper
attacks upon Secretary Balllnger and
the Interior Department In this let
ter the former chief forester com
mended the actlop of his subordinates.
This was followed by the removal of
Plnchot and his associates. Price and
Shaw., and the appointment of Henry S.
Graves, head of the Yale Forestry
school, ln Plnchot's place.
The investigation began in February.
Both sides were represented by attor
neys and testimony did not come to an
end until the, third "week ln May. On
September 9 the four Democratic mem
bers -of the committee made public at
Minneapolis, Minn., a report of their
findings against Secretary Balllnger;
Congressman Madison, of Kansas, "In
surgent," made a separate) statement,
also against the secretary. Four days
later the Republican . members of the
committee met at Chicago and de
nounced as unlawful the action, of the
Democratic members .
This majority, ln December, reported
to congress that "the evidence has whol
ly failed to make out a case. Neither
has any fact proved nor all the facts
put together exhibit Mr. , Balllnger as
being anything1' but a competent and
honorable gentleman, honestly and faith
fully performing the duties of his high
office with an eye single to ths public
Interest." The committee scored Mr.
Bellinger's accusers, called the forestry
bureau wasteful, and disapproved of
Mr. Balllnger's plan for selling Alaskan
coal lands, urging leasing. President
Taft's plan. v .
probably the , most Important legisla
tive measure passed by congress was
the ne.w Interstate Commerce act,
"which was signed by the president on
June"18, and provided for the estab
lishment of the long-talked-of eOmT
inerce court. Under the law the- pow
ers of the Interstate Commerce com
misshm are strengthened materially,
and it has ample time within which to
suspend "the operation of new railroad
rates pending Inquiry as to their rea
sonableness. While the bill was pend
ing the principal railroads attempted
some Important increases In , freight
rates. Just as thesu changes were
about to become effective, Attorney
General Wickers ham checkmated the
move by obtaining an injunction alleg
ing that the Increase would be unrea
sonable and oppressive and In violation
of "the Sherman anti-trust law.-There
upon, the railroads agreed to withdraw
tne rates and submit them to the In
terstate Commerce commission for deci
sion as to their reasonableness.
Congress also authorized the estab
lishment of a system of postal savings
Dan Kb. Separate statehood was granted,
to Arizona and New Mexlpo. There was
created a bureau of mines in the Inte
rior department for tho saving of lives
ana tne protection or the public wel
rare. An appropriation of $250,000
was made to pay for a year's work of
the tariff board under the president's
direction. The raising of the wreck' of
the battleship Maine from Havana har
bor was authorized and .the work is
now progressing. '
" In the Closing days of its first regular
BOTniOT,-;cwngres authorised tne lssu
ance of $20,000,000 In bonds, for recla
nation projects. It also passed a bill
giving the president authority to with
draw, lands from public entry pending
congressional action ror their disposi
tion,; Jr July President Taft began
affirming land 'withdrawal made by tho
preceding administration and also mak
ing lae withdrawals himself. 4n that
same month a total of Tl.BlS.SSJ acres
of coal lands were withdrawn In the
United States' and 770,000 acres in Alas
ka. On Juiy 3 the president signed or
ders for the withdrawal of 8,485,731
acres of power site, phosphate and pe
troleum lands. Thus far. tha
tal of land reserved by the. government
reaches th. of i(. inft
--
more than the combined land - and
water surface of New .York. "Pennsvl-
more man tne combined lanri... nnri 1 l;
RoIaand-SoutlL Carolina. "
x ' Tne president's Message.
, The closing session of the sixty-first
congress, which met- 4n December., lis-
tenea to ine rouowmg reoemmenaaTIons
made in the president', mesnagc: , '
, I nat a permanent tariff commission
be appointed and all future revision of
the tariff ba made, schedule by schedule.
That the Panama canal be fortified, and
an appropriation of $19,000,000 be made
for the purpose. That .the beginning of
ft'pareela- pest-eervioe ba ostabllshed on
all. free rural delivery routes. - That the
civil service rules be extended to Include
all postmasters, thus taking them out-Of
politics. (That the limitation which now
prevents the executive from withdraw
ing more forest v lands be withdrawn,
and that " other legislation looking to
wards the conservation of our natural
resources be enacted. That congress
give some fitting recognition to Peary
for his discovery of the North Poles
that Secretary Meyer's clan to reorsran-
ixe the navy and build two battleships a
year oe a train ana that a new army bill
for the .organization of volunteer forces
in time of war be passed; that a greater
numoer 01 army orncers be authorised.
That ,4he present eight hoar law be en
larged by providing that public works
ball be construed to include not only
buUdlngs and work upon publlo ground,
but also ships, armor and large guns
when manufactured In private yards or
factories. That with the exception 'of
a law to prevent fraudulent bills of
lading, no further amendment 'be made
to our corporation controlling laws ua
til they have been tested. Referring to
the recent fraudulent cotton bills of
lading scandal, he Urges congress to
enact a uvw under which one who In
good faith advances money or credit
upon a oiu or lading issued by a com
mon carrier upon an Interstate or foi.
elgn shipment can hold the carrier liable
fo the value of the goods desortbed ln
tho bill, at least to the extent of the
advances maoe ln reliance upon It H1
aiso recommenas that a punishment of
nne ana impnsomet be imposed upon
railroad agents and shippers for fraud
or misrepresentation.
The recommendation made ln the
special message last year for a general
law providing for the Incorporation of
Industrial and other cOmoanies nmraa-ert
ln interstate commerce Is renewed. He
also urges upon congress the propriety
of establishing cheaper and simpler
forma of Judiciary proceaure so that the
supreme court may be relieved of Its
burden of appeals. The recommenda
tion made in the last message ln favor
of a law regulating the Issuing of in
junctions without notice la repeated.
The president also urges the passage
of the bin now pending to Increase the
salaries of federal Judge
The Tederal Census.
This session of congress will have
among Its other duties the passing of a
new" apportionment bill based on the
r.ew census returns. The thirteenth cen
sus begun April 15 with 85,000 enumera
tors, was taken rapidly and on the
whole accurately.
It showfd a total population in the
United States proper, exclusive of Alas
ka, of 91-972.266. During the last 10
years tno stales or the union had an
aggregate Increase of population of 15
977,691, which amounts to 21 per cent
over the 1900 figures.
The population of the United States,
Including Alaska, Hawaii, and Porto
Rico, is 93,42.151. The total does not
include the Philippines. The increase,
in the area included, during the last
ten years was 16,146,62, or 0 9 per
cent., oyer 77,256,630, the population In
1900, compared, with an Increase of
i.io,oo, or Z2.7 per cent-over 62.
3 1 7.1 no, inn population ln 1890.
Since the first census was tvn
1790, the country has grown 25 times
as large, the population then having
been 3,929,214, slightly lanrer than th
present population or the state of Texas.
me unuea states and ail Its posses
sions contain a population of 101,100,
000, accordtng to the census bureau's
official estimate, and in the United
States proper the bureau estimates that
more than 41, per cent of the popula
tion IS urban: that in.
2ouv innauiiants or more
Two Interesting facts stand nnt
.... , . .... . ' w
spicuously. ln connection with the offic
ial figures for urban population given
out by the census bureau the rapid
growth of cities In the 100,000 class and
the Impartial distribution of this in-
creasy among iue geographical
tions.'
sec
The growth of the country's metropo
lis was phenomenal, a gain of nearly 89
1 rmurns irom many oth
er sections were almost eaualiv mimri.
lng. especially those of the Lake and
n;.M TOax craes. Men living today
T!t Ule nrst federal cen
sus of Chicago, In 1840, when the popu
lation was only 4.475. Now it i t .
185,258, easily the countrv'n uf i
The census also shows that New York
state has one-tenth of the population of
the entire country, 9,118, X79. This
means that the congressional delega
tion from the Empire state will be one-
. " w 0 anure Hous ' Represen
tatives. The present memhrhin nr .
body is 391, of which $7 are from New
York state. For the first time In Its
history the population .of New York
city has outstripped that qf the rest
ui w me ngurea polng 4,766,883
Other Federal AatMti.a
Throughout the year' the government
kept on the trail 'of the so-called "bad"
trusts. In March the National Packing
company, commonly known as the beef
trust, and ten subsidiary concerns were
mmviea , tor aneged violations of the
Sherman anti-trust law, and a bill for
the dissolution of the alleged comblna-
:,o .u 7 "iea ftt Un1caS- November
o- m.0 .ui.g twpeciea suit against the
sugar, trust was started In New York
city. It alleged a combination and a
uvu.iHcw.-y .in. violation or the anti-trust
law and was direct ,t ,
fuUS Rtfl.n,nsr company the trust
u...y ouuamianes,; and thirty-nlne in
dividuals. A . dissolution of w
P?? f-.nLa8kd'' but the court
shill enjoin them, their stockholders, of
ficials, directors and agents from doing
. a ""ou"e or , me conspiracy
against the anti-trust law or engaging
in Interstate or foreign huiino iL.
these suits affect interests that are na
tion wide. ,-' " -, . 1
The customs service was adminit".i
wKh.an e.ver Inci-easlng degree of effi
ciency, especially at the port of New
York, when ' Collector Loob uncovered
numerous frauds, both bis- iif.i-
against the service. The, postofftce de
partmbnt came to the nd of the fiscal
Lf"T l
year witn a aencit of t iaa aaa
. .r .T.-'--"YVV
lireveiiicui yi li.B JO.OOO OVer the rjrevl.
ous year; and following .the tnm.
lowf-ie-pees4dtm every department
of the. gvveBnment endeavored to con
ductlts business on lines of rigia econ
omy. Throughout the rear the nr,,
carried on the task, begun soon' after he
wok oiiico, 01 trying to place the d.
partmenta on an up to date, economical,
yet efficient and "smooth running1 basis.
By. the end of March the president had
completed the task of granting the mln- :
Imura rates under the new tariff law tof
all the world ln exchange for. similar
courtesies. ' : . .
bench of the United 1 States supreme
court by appointing Associate 'Justice .
Edward D. White chief Justice;, Willis " ,
cuit court ana Wyoming ana Joseph
Rucker Lamar of the Georgia sunreme
court, associate 1ustle.es. . The new com- '
merce court was appointed at the same '
time; Martin Ai Knapp, taken from the . '
chairmanship of the Interstate commerce -commission:
Judge Robert W. Arch'i
bald, Judge1 William H. Hunt. John , E. .
uariaoo, ana wuuan w. m&ck. xne su-...
preme court appointments were prorapi-
iyconxirmea.-, -,
,.The goVernmant'B 'most .hnpor
uwiu witu m lureiga nsiioa .wu uit
settlement by arbitration of the New
foundland fisheries case after a discus
sion lasting 130 years with Great Britain,
Canada and Newfoundland. The award
was, rendered September 7 at The Hague
and became law,flve days later. ,
, The Usue was presented ln the form
of seven questions and .the decision sup
ported the United States, on five connhs
and Oret Britaih on two. The Jlrst
question concerned the right of Great
Britain to make reasonable regulations,
without the assent of the United States, .
IV the matter of taking fish tn tb
waters of Canada and , Newfoundlands
The award went to Great Britain ln this.
The second aueetft dealt with the lib
erty ot American citizens to "employ ;;
persons not inhabitants of the United
States as members of their crews. The
verdict was favorable to the American
claim. The third and fourth questions .
dealt with the right of Canada and New- '
feundland to subject American fisher- '
men to entry at custom bouses, the pay
ment of dues or other similar regula-
tions. The American contention was
sustained. The fifth question which
bad reference to the measuring of the
coast line was decided against " the
United States. Question six, regarding
the right of the American fishermen to ,
take fish. In the bays, harbors and riv
ers of Newfoundland was decided in fa- J
v6rof this country. The seventh point, -f
vocof this country. The seventh point, i
also adjudged
red In, our favor, concerned
the right pf all American fishermen to
all commercial privileges on these treaty
coasts.
Booseralt In Europe.
Immediately associated with the
American political I record of the year
were the home coming and subsequent
campaign activity of ex-President Roose
velt Early In the year the Smithsonian,
expedition to equatorial Africa headed (
by the ex-presldent came, to a successful
end, and on April 2 the party landed at
Naples and proceeded to Rome, but not
before the colonel, In a speech delivered
before the students of the University of
Egypt, had commended British rule in
their country and denounced the sym
pathisers with '.he assassination, in
February, of the Egyptian premier,'
Boutross Pasha Glial!, by a Nationalist
in planning for Colonel Roosevelt's
brief visit at the Eternal City an audi
ence with the pope was Included. But
an unfortunate 'thing had happened In
February during the visit to Rome Of
former Vice President Fairbanks. The
Indiana statesman made the . usual" re
quest for an audience with the pope
after he had accepted an Invitation to
address the-Methodists, whose local ac- ,
tlvtty waa not relished at the Vatican..
The Incongruity of the situation was
explained to Mr. Fairbanks, but he did
net see how he could break his promise
to his fellow religionists, and the audi
ence did not occur. Mr. Roosevelt's re
quest for an audience met with a polite
assurance of welcome, and 11 might
have been well had not some one at the
Vatican suggested that It-would be wise ,
to caution Mr. Roosevelt against the dif
ficulty which had confronted Mr. Fair-"
banks. This hint was duly delivered,
but Mr. Roosevelt declined to limit his
freedom of conduct ln any way, and
made public all the correspondence ln
the matter.
The guest of Italy's. king and xoeen, -and
received by Francis-Joseph on April j
15. Colonel Roosevelt reached the
French capital April 31, and .deliyered
his lecture, "Citizenship, In the Repub
lic," at the Sbrbonne. At Brussels he
was entertained by the new king Albert,
at his palace of Laeken. At the, Dutch
court he lunched with Queen Wllhel- '
mlna- and Prince Henry Informally and
left for Copenhagen the same afternoon. ,j
There were royal receptions both at the '
latter city and later at Stockholm. At
Christlania, May 5,Mr. Roosevelt deliv
ered his address on international peace -before
the Nobel prize committee, King
Haakon and Queen Maud being present
Oh account of the death of King Ed
ward, and at Mr. Roosevelt's own, re
quest, the kaiser sidetracked all offi
cial functions In honor of the traveler
and received him privately. His im
perial host arranged to permit Colonel
Roosevelt to review the maneuvers of
12,000 picked German troops, and In
the presence of his entire staff the
kaiser called attention to the fact that
It was the first time a private citizen
had ever reviewed a German army. Mr.
Roosevelt delivered his lecture on
World Movement at the Berlin uni
versity May 12.
The nlans for entertaining Mr. Roose
velt In London were greatly modified on
account of the national mourning. While
still in Berlin he waa appointed by Pres
ident Taft special ambassador at King
Edward's funeral. Following the fu- ;
neraL Mr. Roosevelt was given the free
dom of the city of London at Guildhall,
where be spoke on Egypt, again praising
British rule In that country. His ad
dress, at tha University of Oxford was
delivered June 7. A few days later Mr.
Roosevelt took ship for. home, arrlvhur
ln New York June 18. v-.
oseTslVs Homeoomlng.
Of the great popular enthusiasm that ;
attended "the ex-presldeht'a Kboroecora- f
lng .it is unnecessary to epeakv There
wa a1 widespread feeling that,, his re-
turnrmlghfremphaslze factional difff. '
ences W his party The political git-'
uatlon in hw own state 01 .new xork had
undergone considerable change, u0
found Governor Hughes under appoint.
ment to take a seat .on , the suonw 4
bench Vat Washington in the autumn, i
U9 TQUna a f emocnn, nuimra-j. rjay
nor. governing the city of New Toi-v
with remarkable efficiency.; a He aim
found his former - secretary, Willie '
Loeb; as collector Of -customs, admlni. -terTng
the port of New York with an
nnarsrv, that was sending crookelii.
sourrylhg to COVer. We had made up hi
nnna noi uu us uranu luw me catn.
nalgn in his own state, but he sh'oMiB-4
yielded to the earnest request of $
ernor, Hughes and expressed himself .. )
favor- of a direct primary election li
and other Hughes reforms, 'Then J f.
came to the conclusion that his part tV,
the' 8tate-JotewoTlr-muBt0Tns
il ' new lpjidershtn nr be . snowo . ' -.
der: In the eomlng- electktni
' llll -
ti... -1
conviction
on, Ae speedily dissociated hi
m ' tfie -existing organization ,
self from
(Continued en Page Sevens