HISTORY
MADEDUB1
16
THE YEAR OF GRACE 1908
Record Is of Change anJ Death,
but Abo of Peace and
Prosperity.
tJATIOHS HAVE BTJLEES.
Msny Persons Known in Statecraft,
Politics, Music and Letters
Pass Away.
The year 1008, like most of those pre
ceding It, has brought about many
changes In all parts of the world. Death
has taken rulers and governments have
been t hanged, men and women of prom
inence and achievement In many lines
have missed '"to the silent hereafter,
fire and flood 'lave levied their toll
upon human life and property, greed
and hate have incited to grave crime in
uumtrous instances. But the record Is
not all dark. Man's activities along
peaceful ways have gone steadily for
ward, achievement has inside decided
headway, the quiet lives of the major
ity of earth's people have moved on un
vexed by war, pestilence or famine, and
a grateful material prosperity seems to
be the portion of most of the civilized
nations.
Kurly In February the king and
crown prince of Portugal were assas
sinated In a street of Lisbon and the
crown passed to a young son and broth
er, the present King Manuel. The
deaths, in November, of the Emperor
and the Djwnger Kinpress of China
caused a change In the ruling head of
the Celestial empire. A new president
has more recently taken hold of affairs
In Haytl, Iiulgarla has declared Itself
Indeiendcut of Turkey, and the last
onmed country Itself has made radical
Innovations tending toward a constitu
tional government.
The necrology of the year Is memor
able for the number of notable men
mil women of prominence in the world
of art, letters and music who have
passed away. Among those to succumb
during 1908 were ex-President Orover
Cleveland. Sir Henry Campbell-Banner-tnan,
ex-promler of England; Tomas
Estrada Pnlina, Cuba's first president;
Bishop Henry C. Potter and Rev. Mor
gan DIx of New York, Ira D. Sankey,
Pablo de Sarnsate, August WilhelmJ,
Edmund Clarence Stedman, "Oulda,"
Joel Chandler Harris, Murat Halstead,
Bron son Howard, Vletorlen Sardou,
Louise Chandler Moulton, Harriet Hos
iner, dins. Emory Smith and. Win. B.
Allison.
A destructive theater fire and panic
In Boyertown, Pa., the burning of a
school house In a Cleveland suburb,
mine explosions, forest fires in Michi
gan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and
itorms and floods In various parts of
the country caused the loss of many
lives.
The year witnessed the starting of
Admiral Evans' fleet of warships on Its
triumphal tour of the Pacific.
The horrible developments upon the
murder farm of Mrs. Belle Gunness.
near La Porte. Ind the unlawful activi
ties of the night riders In Tennessee
mid Kentucky, and the race riots In
Springfield. III., are dark spots upon
the record of the year.
The principal events of 1908 may be
thus epitomized:
JA!MIIAHV.
4 Jury d!sagrees la trial of Caleb
Powers for murder of Gov. Goebel of
Kentucky. .. .Jury acquits Geo. A. Petti
bone of Steuncnhurg murder In Idaho.
1.1 Theater fire and panic la Boyer
town, Pa., causes 1(57 deaths and Injury
of 75 persons. .. .Union station annex In
' Kaunas City burns.
IS Heath of Edmund Clarence Sted
man, poet. .. .Three miners readied after
being hurled for -ill days in mine at
Ely. Mo.
19 Death of Chns. Emory Smith of
Plrladelphla, former Postmaster General.
21 $1.000.1(0 tire in Portland, Me. . . .
Heath of August Williehnj, noted violin
Ixt. 23 Death of "Ouhla," English novel
ist. 28-$1,700,000 fire In Chicago.
,'MV Death of Burr Bobbins, well
known circus man.
FKIi II IT A It V,
1 King Carlos and Crown Prince
Lull Felippe of Portugal assassinated in
It recta of Lisbon. .. .Hurry Thaw ac
quitted of Stanford White murder....
Gov. Toole of Montana resigns.
2 Manuel II. proclaimed King of Por
tugal. It-Death of Col. Thos. G. Lawlor of
Rock ford. 11U
UV -Burial of King Carlos and Crown
Prince Lui Felippe of Portugal.
11 Anthracite eenteunial celebrated in
Wilkesbarre, Pa.
12 $23,000 bank robbery la Rich Hill,
Mo,
13 Marriage of Miss Theodora Shouts
and Due de Chaulnex,
IS-19 Severe bluiard sweeps middle
and western States.
20 Death of Senator Latimer of South
Carolina.
21 Death of Harriet Hosmer, Ameri
can sculptress.
27 Mine explosion near San Juan
de Sabictts, Mexico, kills 70 miner.
2S Unsuccessful lUttempt made to kill
Shah of Persia with bomb....W, O.
Bradley. Republican, chosen Senator from
Kentucky.
MAItCII.
1 Great fire In Tampa, Fla.
2 Attempted assassination of Chief of
Police Geo. M. Shlppy of Chicago,
4 178 Children lose lives In burning
t public school in North Colllnwood. a
Cleveland suburb. ... Death of Senator
Itedfield Proctor of Vermont.
, 10 Attempt made on life of King Haa
kon of Norway. . j . -' : - '
12-20- Floods do damage along' rivers
of middle west. . :
12 Admiral Evans' fleet arrives ! at
Magdalena Bay, Lower California.
17 Death of Senator William Pinck
ney Whyte of Maryland.
22 Death of Senator William J. Bry
an of Florida. , - -
23 200 persons drowned in coll'sion
of Japanese Hiips off Todohokke, Japan..
2( Earthquake and fire destroy Chi
lapa, Mexico. : -
2S Borah thrown in Union Square.
New .York, by SMig Silverstein.
APItl!,.
2- 3 Populist national convention in St.
Louis.
4 Sir Henry CampMl-Bannerman,
premier of England, res gns. '
0 Election riots in Lisbon, Portugal.
7 Death of Congressman A. L. Brick
of Indiana.
12 Chelsea, Mass., devastated by $10.
000,000 fire.... Death of Gen. B. M.
Cutcheon of Michigan.
13 Ha user Lake dam, north of Heiptia,
Mont., bursts and causes great havos.
22 Death of Sir Henry Campbell-Ban-nerman,
ex-preinier of England.
2.1 Death of Gen. Linevitch. Russian
'ommaiirler. . . .Due de Chaulnes dies sud
denly in Paris.
24 Destructive tornado sweeps 13
States, from North Dakota to Georgia.
23 American liner St. Paul sinks Brit
ish cruiser Gladiator.
.20 Notre Dame de Salette buried by
landslide. ,
2!) Death of Rev. Morgan Dix.
30 238 lives lost by sinking of Japan
ese cruiser, Matsushima.
MAY.
3 Burning of Aveline hotel In Fort
Wayne, Ind. . . .Marriage of Prince Wil
helm of Sweden and Grand Duchess Ma
rie I'aulovna of Russia.
4 120 persons drowned in River
Dneiper, Russia, by capsizing of ferry
boat.
5- 0 Nine corpses unearthed on farm
of late Mrs. Belle Gunness, north of La
Porte, Ind. . . '
0 Comb'ned Atlantic and Pacific fleets
enter San Francisco harbor. .. .Manuel
proclaimed King of Portugal.
8 Big fire In Atlanta, Ga.
10 Violent storm sweeps Southwestern
States. ;
11 Destructive tornado In northern
Nebraska.
13 Governors of all States meet in
convention in White House in Washing
ton. 21 Great railway disaster near Ant
werp, Belgium.
23 Death of Comedian Peter F. Dai
ley. 30 Sixtieth Congress adjourns sine
die. .
JUNK.
1 Death of ex-Senator James K. Jones
of Arkansas. .. .Oregon votes against sin
gle tax and equal suffrage.
2 Death of Sir Uedvers Buller, Eng
lish general.
4 Paris assassin shoots Capt. Alfred
Dreyfus.
13 Caleb Powers and James Howard
pardoned by Governor of Kentucky.
14 Death of Blind Tom, negro pian
ist. 10 Republican national convention In
Chicago.
18 William II. Taft of Ohio nominat
ed for President by Republican conven
tion. 10 James S. Shermnn of New York
nominated for Vice President by Repub
licans. 24 Death of ex-President Grover
Cleveland.
20 $1,000,000 fire in Duluth.
JULY.
2 Death of Murat Halstead.
4 Death of Joel Chandler Harris.
f Port au Prince, Hayti, swept by
fire. . . "
fl Commander Teary starts for far
north.
7 Democratic national convention
opens in Denver.
10 Wm. J. Bryan nominated for Pres
ident by Democrats.
21 Death of Bishop Henry C. Totter
of New York.
22 I'nited States Court of Appeals re
verses Judge Ijiindis' decision fining
Standard Oil Company $2!),210,O00.
24 Sultan of Turkey grants constitu
tional government.
28 Independence party nominates His
gen and Graves. . . .
AUGUST.
2 Great fire destroys cities and many
lives in British Columbia.
8 $1,300,000 elevator fire In Chicago.
4 Death of Senator Wm. B. Allison of
Iowa. .. .Death of Bronsou Howard,
American playwright.
8 First general primary election in
Illinois.
10 Death of Mrs. Louise Chandler
Moulton.
12 Death of A. R. Spofford, librarian
of Congress. ,
14 Fatal race rio"ts In Springfield,
111.... Death of Ira D. Sankey,' gospel
singer.
23 Great fire In Constantinople.
20 30 miners suffocated in coal mine
at llaileyville, Okla.
27 Death of Col. Wm. F. Vilas of
Madison, Wis.
30 $2,000,000 fire In New Orleans.
SKl'TKMIIKll.
1 Vermont election.
3 Death of Iword Lionel Sackville
West, former British minister to Wash
ington. '
4 Death of Frank P. Sargent, com
missioner of Immigration. .. .Rawhide
(New) destroyed by fire.
fi-10 Forest fires in northern Michi
gan, Wisconsin and Michigan and across
border .in Canada. V ' '
' 14 Republicans carry Maine election.
21 Death of Pablo de Sarasate, Span
ish violinist.
28 International tuberculosis congress
meets In Washington.
OCTOBER.
3 Bulgaria declares Itself independent
of Turkey.
8 Philadelphia celebrates 223th anni
versary, 7 Elevator explosion at Riohford, Vt.,
kills 13 persons.
10 Forest fires rage In Michigan and
Wisconsin Relief tralu burns near
Alpena. Mich, with 20 persons aboard.
121 I-and lottery of Rosebud lands
In South Dakota,
22 Marriage of "Prince August WIV
Ham of Germany and Princess Alexandra
Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein.
20 Canadian elections carried by Sir
Wilfrid Laurier and Liberal party.
NOVEMBEn.
1 Death of Mrs. Julia A. Carney,
poetess, at Galesburg, 111.
3 Nntio-al election. W. H. Taft and
James S. Sherman, Republicans, chosen
President and Vice "President '
'4 Death of Tomas Es rada Palma.
first president of Cuba Libre. .. .Chas. W.
L'liot resigns as head o7 Harvard univer
sity, - '.'' .; . ..
8 Death of Vie:o;-i:'n S.trdoa. French
pbywr'ght -,..;'."
!' Trial of Ray Lamphere begins in La
Porte, Ind. ... Former U: S. Senator Ed
ward W. Carmick shot drad in Nashville
(Tenn.) street. . . . Postmaster Edward
M. Morgan of New Yo-k s'.iot in street.
10 Warship North Dakota launched at
Quincy, Mass. ' ' . ' : '. .
12 Explosion and fire in mine in' West
phalia, Germany; kilis 33D men. V
13 Death of Emperor of 'China....
Secretary of the Navy Metealf res gns.
14 Death of Dowager Empress of
China ... .Gen. Jose Migird Gomez chosen
president at Cuban elect ors.
13 South Bend (Ind.) postolfice rob
bery. 24 Gov. A. B. Cummins clio-on IT. S.
Senator from Iowa. ... Lieut. Gov. Garst
becomes Governor of Iowa. .
20 Ray Lamphere convicted 'of arso
at La Porte, Ind.
27 Treaty between United States an'1
Japan is announced.
28 138 millers killed by explosion in
Marianna, Pa.
2D Flood at Guthr'e. Okla.
DEC'EMIIER.
2 President Nord Alexis of Hayti de
posed.... Pu Yi ascends throne of Cliin.i
..'..Hole blown in levee, saving town of
Pine Bluff. Ark. ,
,8 Fatal battles between religious fa
natics and police in .streets of Kansas
City. ' .
10 Abraham Rnef, San Francisco po
litical boss, convicted of bribery.
12 Dutch cruiser Gelderland captures
Venezuelan guardship Alix.
13 Death of Donald G. Mitchell.
17 Constitutional government' inau
gur.itrd in Constantinople. v-
20 -Gen.' Antoine Simon sworn .in as
president of Hayti
21 Graft arrests, cause sensation in
Pittsburg, .. .'
22 Burning of Herald Square theater
in New York.
ii I'siilB z
; II : lib 111 111.
Operation He (rum Drunkard.
By a simple operation on the head, re
moving pressure on the brain, caused by
an injury, Dr. Herbert L. Northrop of
Philadelphia has changed a man from a
drunkard and a thief to an'honest, indus
trious man, respected by his employers.
The patient declares that his desire for
drink and theft has entirely disappeared
and during twenty-two months he hai
lived an upright.. I. fe and been twice pro
moted by his employers. He was a man
of good habits when at the age of 48 a
timber struck hjm on the head, causing
contusion of the scalp and a hematoma
in tlie upper frontal region close to the
middle line on the right side. lie was
unconscious for sixty seconds. During
the twelve years following he developed
drinking and stealing habits, neglected his
family and was finally discharged from a
good position for drunkenness and for
misusing the company's funds. The op
eration was then performed, and after
twenty-two months of well doing with no
relapses, Dr. Northrop announces a com
plete cure.'
A Wonderful Kolt Bed.
An expedition directed by Prof. II. h
Oshorn of the American Museum of Nat
ural History has recently returned from
the Fayoum desert in Egypt laden with
new skeletons of prehistoric animals. The
Fayoym district is the bed of an ancient
liver, and in the sands are found the
hones of all kinds of animals, mixed in
discriminately.' They are o soft that
they'" can be removed only by pouring
shellac over them. One of the most im
portant finds is the skull of the giant
arsinoitherium. The dominating feature
is. .a long pair of sharp-poinled horns
protruding. upward and outward from the
snout for nearly two feet. This aniiml
was the brute king of 'its time. The
body combined the shape of the elephant
and the rhinoceros. The mobster was
named after the Egyptian queen Arsinoe.
famed for her beauty. The animal stood
sfx feet h'gh and nearly ten feet long.
The feet were .adapted to walking oa
sandy or sinking ground.
Header W"n Fuctn Flrit.
Prof. W. D. Scott of Northwestern uni
versity, in his new book on the "Psy
chology of Advertising," gives the results
of a set of. questions sent to 4,000 readers
of the modern daily newspaper. From the
answers sent by 3,000 men he has reached
the conclusion that readers do not care to
have a paper serve as interpreter of the
news or as advocate of the truth. Ail
that they want is a brief but comprehen
sive publication of the news. In his
opinion that editor , will be most appre
ciated who selects news most wisely ind
presents the unvarnished truth in all mat
ters in which tlie constituency are Inter
ested. He adds: "The ideal paper would
have to do only with facts. The news
would have to be well written, but the
interest would he mainlf in the -news
itself and not in the reporter's or the pub
lisher's views concerning it." The answers
showed that local news leads all other
features in interest. Then came in orler
named, political, sporting and financial.
Itaelt on the Firing Line.
In the November Everybody, Charles
E. Russell, known in two continents as
one of the greatest of muckrakers, and
who has been criticised for not doing
something constructive, comes to the front
with three specific proposals for civic
betterment. They are: To establish a
new standard of public service by discon
tinuing the practice of paying our public
officials salaries, to abolish the polities'
boss by establishing everywhere the sys
tem of direct nominations and "to clear
cur minds of the singular superstition
that so long obsessed us concerning the
public utility franchise" by adopting the
simple plan of the annual lease. His
belief Is that "the best way to abolish
the muckraker is to abolish muck."
The origin of the Great Banks of Ne
foumlland is said to have been in the
boulders carried down by icebergs. The
bank la 600 mile long and 120 broad. -
Government Has Given .to Settlers 112, CCOCCO Acre?, 2nd Hai
More than Lnoii$ h ' I eft to Make Four Matt s as Luge s
as Texas Vast Projects of Irrigation. ; : j ;!
No .wonder the world calls us rich.
What other country could make' tlii
protligal gifts to. its people which Un
cle Sam lias made from the public do
main. This government has aifeady
given to settlers 112,000,000 acres of
land. ' , ',' - ( .;-
But what the. government has given
away Is only a small garden In. '-comparison
.with what it bus to give.',; The
public domain, taking Into considera
tion land of nil sorts, good ami bad,',
amounts to the colossal um oj '"34,-.
S05.2S0 acres more than enough to
make four states ns large as Texas.
It is true that almost half of tbls'vnst
area Is in Alaska, where farms will
always lie about as valuable as ns they
are nt the north pole. But it is also
true that there 20(1.000.000 acres of
public land In the United States proper
that, sooner or later, will 'be devoted
to 'agricultural purposes! " In the arid
West It Is all a matter of getting water
on the Jaml. In the cut-over timber
regions, of the lumbering states. nil , that
Is needed Is to keep off tlie forest fires
and give the soil an opportunity "to re
cuperate. ; ' , V
Water Eld It Alt. V
The United States government owns,'
in Utah, for Instance, more than
enough huul to. make another state nt
large ns Michigan. Nobody who ; has
ever--climbed the foothills of the Wah
satch Mountains and seen what Brigh-
am Young and his followers did for
I
. ."Thl, land 'needs only wnter an
good society to. make the eouutry
pnradi8ej'.'.gaid one'dtthese" gentry? ae
c6'rdTng. ,to an; old Joke, v
. "That'S' all " the'" infernal .'regions
need," retorted -the, traveler", from tthe
lifast, who had Kentucky relatives.
Busy with Irrigation. ,' !f
But things have changed since then.
The government has become very busy;
In the Irrigation business, 'ifjs-pouring,
out 'money 'HUe, water for. tlie. pur
pose of. getting water. At this very
moment the government lias uuder way
twenty-eight , tremendous 'irrigation
projects, as the result of which 'Avifer1
will be tdrned on to more than half a
million acres of land 'this year." "At
Roosevelt. Ariz.,.. for ; instance public'
ffnitls are, being expended to throw
across Salt'lUver a dam i'84 feet;higt)
that- -wUl hold back- enough water to
put a- slice two. feet thick . over the
whole state "of Rhode Island. The dam
will not be finished t until,- 11)10,- but
when It is 'completed' it will convert
into garflens-lCOOO acres around. Phce
iiix thaf are pow good' only. for the huz
aardB to fly; over. The, agricultural ,de
partnient has 'analyzed! the soil and
found that it is remarkably . fertile;
the climate cannot be excelled, and, as
soon .as the water comes, no region
will be ftibre productive. ;: V- ? ;
Than jthere .is" California.' Anyone
who has ever'' entered the Golden State
at the little southern town called "The
DRAWING NAMES FOR LAND ALLOTMENTS.
Suit Luke alley need bo told what the
rest of Utah will some time look like
When the Mormons went to Utah the
country around Salt Lake was as desolate-as
the. mind could picture. Now
the River Jordan winds through as
beauti.ul a country as. lies outdoors..
Water did it all water from the river
and water from the mountains that
was sluiced over tlie land. And In that
state the United States government
owns mere than 3O.0Ul.00O of other
thirsty acres. , ' . '...""! '-,
The national government also has
large holdings in twenty-four other
states and territories. Uncle Sam owns
enough land In New Mexico, for,-instance,
to make two states almost as
large as New York and Indiana
enough - In Montana to make another
coniimiiiwealth far exceeding In are.1)
the great State of Illinois, and enough"
In Nevada to make twelve states as.
large as "New Jersey. He could carve
out live states as large ns Massachu
setts from what he owns In Idaho, and
wen Vermont s from his unused lands
i i Arizona. And thaf Is saying nothing
"lit his 2.CCO.0CO acres In North Da-k-'n.
1:1s 17.0(10,000 acres In Oregon, his
ri.t.ot'.ft'O acres iu Washington,, and his
".H 1.(00 acres in California .ami his
2l.(T('00 acres In Colorado.
'nme- .t" this laud has nothing but
gold and silver in It. The rest of It Is
heavily freighted v.lth the .latest. -possibilities
of potatoes, alfalfa, wheat, oats,
iii.'ti ar.d fruit, i' AM that this ., latter
ri s of sill needs to make It produc
tive is wafer. In the old days this
- vmcd to be an Insurmountable ditli
eulty. Arid laud boomers talked to
lluvr prospective customers in vain.
Needles" doubtless' remembers his
amazement that the state should be
called the "land of sunshine, fruit and
dowers." ? The sunshine is : there, all
right, but the fruit and flowers can he
found only in the dining car. ;;- Outsida
there Is only' sand, sand, sand mil
lions of acres of it, ns far as the eye
can reach and crt tus bushes. 1 It'i the
lower end of the Mojave. Desert.1 ' Fur
ther to the north is Death Valley, and
as one looks out the car window lie oc
casionally sees a mirage that, may be
anything from a ' green-fielded farm
house to a ship, sailing in the clauds
bottom side up. ' '
Government' Great Projects.'
However, all this is, to he changed.
At Yuma the government, has' Unvde .a
staff toward .Wpplyiiig'-wa'ter to the
desert, nd while the task mar not, be
completed for years, part of the arid
land will be reclaimed within the" next
two' years. " The undertaking now un
der way consists of damming the Colo
rado River. at Yuma and diverting its
waters inter twochaunels by mean! "of
which,, the 'adjacent country on both
sides of the stream will be watered.
About S4.000 ncr.es of land will lie
made productive by this work alone.
By similar means 12,000 acres will be
reclaimed in northern California.
- The government has also doue some
thing and Is doing more to bring back
to life some of Nevada's 61,000,000 dead
acres. At Truckee the melting, moun
tain snow- is .diverted to the parched
tracts -fat below in the valley. The
work "has already progressed ; so far
that water has been "turned on to 50.
000 acres, and within a few 'months
irrigation ditches will be ready lo sup
ply 1,000 more eighty-acre fame. Thli
Is only a start, of course, and does
not amount to much. But when the
fact1 is considered that the government
has .enough . arid . land .in Nevada to
make two states as large as New York
it is evident, that the small start that
las been uiade is but the forerunner
of a great finish.
Conduit Tlirouirn Mountain.
Out In what is known as the "Guuni
ion country" in Colorado, another gl
;antlc undertaking is under way. At
;he bottom or iiunnison canyon Is a
dcturesuue little stream called the
, Huinlson River, that up to this time
"ms "served no other useful purpose
;iian to Increase the beauty of the scen
siy ,r and hold speckled trout to lure
"shernien hundreds of miles. But the
.unnison River .will soon be known
no more to" tlie fishermen. Within a
year, probably," It will be shunted off
into- a tunnel, s This tunnel will take
the hirbuieut little stream through the
heart of a 'mountain and dump It over
140,000 acres of land! The conduit
through" the, mountain Vlll be almost
six nillest long, Work has been going
on for four, years, and five miles of the
tunnel are 'already completed. Forty
five miles of canals will also Irrigate
00,000 acres of land In Grand Valley,
in the western part of Colorado;
'' Then look at Idaho. When the cen
sus of 1900 was taken, the government
J " 1 I X, A. i 1. ,
eiitiiiit'iamis jounu m iuhi Hinie vuiy
1.9 'persons to the square mile. In
Idaho the United" States owns almost
27;OCp,0OQ acres of Innd. Think what
will happen to the population of that
state when the work now under way
Is ;' completed and : water Is turned on
tQ 372.000 ncres of land: The Payette.
Boise nud. Snake -rivers; In the south
western part of, the state, are simply
being turned out of their beds. The
work; Is so. far advanced that settlers
are already beginning to file on some
of the land that is to 6e benefited. At
Minidoka, another point on the Snake
.Rjver.' a huge-dam -will divert water
'to, supply 2(jflCfo acres. The work Is
already practically complete and water
will be turned on" next spring, j
Otheri of Importance. ;.
An extensive System of irrigation db
vices that " "extend along . the North
Platte for nearly, 500 miles will.-when
completed," supply water, to 200.000
acres of laud in Wyoming and an equal
area In Nebraska. ' ' In: fact, water was
turned on to 40,000 acres this year.
Settlers are taking up land rapidly.
Besides all this, work is under way
to . put water on to 200,000 acres in
Montpna.. 40.000 acres in North. Dako
to. 30,000 acres In New Mexico, 10.000
acres in Kansas, 220,000 acres In north
ern Ca'lfornla .and southern Oregon.
270000 acres In Washington, 40.000
acres in Utah, and . 100,000 . acres in
South Dakota. And. as a people, we
are just beginning to realize that It Is
"ood public policy to SRend money for
the Irrigation of arid Jands..'!
Those who are best - able to Judge
believe-that, in this way; we shall re
claim from 50,000,000 to 150,000.000
acres of land. In fact, tlnvexperts In
cline toward the larger figure. - And
what : does ,this, mean? It means that
we sliall put under cultivation 234.375
square miles, : Figuring the "population
at the same density as that of Kansas
eighteen to the square mill1 It will
mean ; that ' the government land will
provide, homes for more than 4,000,000
persons. And,; using the same multi
plier, "more than 3.000.000 persons: are
now Hvlng on land that the government
orlglnaly. gave to settlers. t . , ; -
. - ,.-;-' For Intensive Tillage. :
But.the possibilities ,of what might
be cnlleil the near present are dwarfed
by the probabilities of the remote fu
ture. Some day stern necessity will
compel us to be economical In the use
of our land," ns we are Just beginning
to learn that we should conserve what
remains of our coal, timber and iron.
some any we smui iearn rnar jio one
can really tlll'SOO or 300 aires of land,
or even 40 acres. ; " We shall become
masters; of hitensiye ; agriculture and
produce more from a few- tvell-tiried
acfes than we do now from the great
tracts that we cultivate with" little or
no realization of the great opportune
ties, that we overlook. We shair learn
a lesson,, perhaps, from the French
lieasants, who let not a foot of ground
escape untllled and make the fences
hold up the grapes for the sun to ripen
ttiein. - - .-
And when that time comes the land
that the government yet has to give to
settlers may support a population of
huudreds of millions. Scientific agri
culturists say that Texas alone has
enough land to support five times the
preseui puouiaiiou ui me uiuxea states.1
When the members of a standing
committee meet they usually sit down.
.U man who has flshed much can'
readily detect a lie in a fish story.
LAR3ESTABD MOST P0WEHFTH LOCOMOTIVE IN THE WOELD;
- . V
'- - --. ' V i T- - ' - "i r- -.
ky:4'-- -te'&u iiltsJh-'- di
TJie eijgiue and tender comWiied are ehihty feet loug
&r w elgh 2 '15'ii tons. The engine alone weighs 205 tons.
, R-Vi'S. tullr for the purpose of assisting trains over the
' grudv of the Li le Railroad near Susquehanna, and can
haul a freight train of 50 cars, two miles long,: carry
ing 10,000 tons of freight, at a speed of eight miles an
hour. If this freight consisted of grain it would repre
sent the harvest trom twenty-sU square mUes of fans
'land, ' - '