OUR AMERICAN LETTER

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14227, 15 December 1911, Page 2

OUR AMERICAN LETTER

(ntOB ODE OWN COBRESPONDENT.) SAN FRANCISCO, November 1. CHINESE REVOLUTION. The Chinese of the United States have evinced extraordinary interest and enthusiasm in tho overthrow of the Manchu dynasty. At the headquarters of the "provisional capital" of the Republic, 36 Spoffard alley. San Francisco, there have been daily scenes of jubilation, and money has poured into the war chest in largo quantities. More than £100,000 has been fonvarded from the Chinese of California to aid the rebel forces across the ocean. In exchange paper currency of the Chung Hwa Republic has been issued, and this the revolutionists promise to redeem in gold as soon as the- Republic is set up. One day a Chinese labourer deposited with the treasurer of the Chinese junta here £200. the entire savings of his life-time. He gave it freely and unsolicited. Says Tong King Chong, editor of the "Chinese Free Press," published in San Francisco:—"Everywhere in America Chinese of all stations in life are donating money and property to the revolutionary fund, many of the poor giving all their, savings. Business men and are contributing iri proportion to their, means. Many of the contributors are women, some of whom have pledged their jewels and other valuables to obtain money for the cause. The generosity displayed by the Chinese of America to tho causo of the new Republic is little short of marvellous, and they are contributing with a generosity unsurpassed by the patriotism of any race." Tho Chinese Freemasons of Victoria, British Columbia, recently sold their building for £10,000, and fonvarded the money to the revolutionists. Tho Chinese of New York held a mass meeting the other day, at which Jue Checkman, a promoter of the revolutionary cause, referred to Dr. Sun-yat-sen, who is regarded 'in America as the leading spirit of the revolution, as "the George "Washington of China, and coon to occupy the Emperor's throne as President of the new Republic." AMERICAN WOOL DUTIES. Exhaustive investigation of the cost of the production of wool in Australia. New Zealand and the Argentine Republic has been made by agents of tho American Tariff Board, preparatory to the making of its report to Congress next December on the revision of the duties on raw and manufactured wool. It is regarded as certain that the Board will recommend reduced duties, and President Taft, since his veto of the ill-considered. reductions passed last summer, has many times announced that his suggestions to Congress will be based upon the recommendations of the Tariff Board. The object of ascertaining tho cost of production abroad is that the American duties may bo fixed at a figure that will at least) cover the difference in tho cost here and in foreign countries. The Tariff Board is a rather close-mouthed body*. The results of its investigations in Argentina. Australia and New Zealand have not been made public; neither has tho Board had anything to say about its methods of conducting the investigations. The New York "Evening Post'" publishes the following list of other investigations made by the Board. The preparation of a glessary defining the various grades of raw wool and tlm various processes of its manufacture, in order to establish a uniform standard for the guidance of all concerned; the oollection and standardisation of samples, both of raw wools and of manufactured cloths, nearly fifty of the latter being necessary to cover the field; an investigation of the cost of majiitfactwring woollen cloths in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Belgium and elsewhere; an investigation of the relative efficiency of American and foreign labour and machinery; an investigation of the cost of making ready-made clothing, both men's and women's, both at home and abroad. In the States the investigation on * raw wool began in the Eastern States a yeac ,ago, and the experts have since followed th«j Western sheep from Texas into Wyoming and Montana. DISFIGURING ROAD SIGNa Since September 9th there has been in effect in New York a law which permits the destruction of any commercial sign or advertisement on a highway. It authorises the destmction "by anyone" of such signs and advertisements "within the limits of a public highway." Taking advantage of the law, a squad of automobilists. representing the Automobile Club of America, has been touring the State, armed with axes and hatchets, destroying thousands of advertising signs which have d sfigured the count.-y roads. On fences, rocks and trees throughout the State tho wandering advertiser had erected these defacing signs, and tho law was the result of. a general protest by automobilists and others. O* course, the law does not apply to cases where owners of land, near cities, or elsewhere, have sold tho privilege of erecting advertising signs, but it is znado a crime to paint or erect advertisement on private property

without the Written consent.of the owner, although private persons are not authorised to destroy such signs en private property. Already, it is reported, ftp of the country highways of New York hits been greatly improved, byjreason of the activity or the eign-d-estroyers. i A RACE WAR. I • Ok'ahoma, one of the latest States to be admitted to the Union, is just ns prone as sorr.-* of tlie ouler southern States to conflicts between whites and negroes. A serious race war occurred there last week, which was quelled only after the State Militia had been ordered into the town of Coweta. Several lives were lost, including that iof J. B. Beavers, the City Attorney, and a negro was lynched. The trouble started when a coloured man, Ruse, was alleged to have jostled A white girl off the sidewalk into the mud. The girl's escort beat the negro with h"s fists, while another white man held him. A second negro, nametl Suddeth, 'interfered, and opening fire with his revolver killed_ the City Attorney, who was sfand'ug by, ami wounded two other men. Then the crowd took Suddeth, put a rope about his neck, and swung him up. Before he was dead, however, they lowered him, fearing to precipitate a general race war Suddeth's respite was but•short. Aβ the Sheriff attempted to take him in an automobile to jail, tho crowd opened fire on the coloured man and, killed him. Probab'y fifty shots entered h:s body. Following this, outrages occurred all over the country, white farmers being attacked at several points. The negroes, who are numerous in that part of the began to organise to march .in ' a body to ' Coweta, which is a settlement of 1200 people. However, the arrival of the militia ended the trouble. Many arrests of coloured people were made, and all negroes were searched for arms. CANADA'S POPULATION. ." Despite her comparative closeness to the centres of dense population, Canada is not growing at an exceptionally rapid rate, although her gains are substantial. The figures of the decennial, census have recently been announced! They show that the total population of Canada is 7,031,869. The census of 1901 showed a population of 5,371,315. The figures regarding tho principal cities indicate that the greatest gains have been made in the West. The population of some of them is as follows:— Montreal 466.197, cain 198.407: Quebec 78,0(57, gain 9227; Toronto 356,240, gain 167,200; Winnipeg 135,430, gain 93,UiA); Vancouver 100,333, gam 73,323;" Victoria 31,620, cain 10,084; Ottawa 86,340, gain 20,412. CONTROL OF RAILROADS. The already extensive control of the Federal Government, over railways has been further widened by.a decision/ of the Supreme Court, and-again the railroad owners are bewailing the approach of Government ownership. In brief, ruling . is that the InterState Commerce Commission has supreme authority over all interstate railroads, even in regard to merchandise or, passengers carried from point to point within a State. State officials httve hitherto claimed jurisdiction to deal.with alleged wrongdoings by owners of inter-State railroads where the' act complained of had to do with inter-\ state transportation. Small as the point apparently is,, the decision is looked upon by the inter-State Commissioners as one of" great importance. By doing away with dual control of inter-State carriers it immensely strengthens thj hands of the Federal body. TV-day the Inter-State Commerce Commission fixesfares and freight rates and governs tho general operation of tho railways. Tomorrow, it may be, the Government, through the Commission, will determine just what new lines shall be constructed, as though tho systems were nationally owned. Franklin, K. Lane, one of the iiifler-Stato Commissioners, , , discussing the consequences, of the Supremo Court's decision, «aid: —"I believe that finally the Government will determine, as tho Government of Canada, for instance, determines, whether a proposed line of railway shall be constructed. The building and operation of a new line of railway may put out of business another line that i≤ equipped to supply all tho needs of the territory traversed. We cannot have separated articulated arteries of commerce.- Wo must have a national 'system of railroads under national control and regulation." Another effect of the Court's derision is that the Federal Safety Appliances Act and the Federai Railway Employees Compensation Act may now be enforced on practically all the railroads of the country. v UNSCRAMBLING EGGS. The Tobacco Trust is trying hard to commit'suicide in accordance with the mandate of the United States Supreme Court, but its proposed plan of giving itself the happy despatch is not approved; on all sides. The Supreme. Court ordered the combine to disintegrate iteelf along lines, to be submitted to land, approved by the Circuit Court of New York. That tribunal is now considering the trust'spplatn t which in a general way is:—Tne organisation, including several subsidiary companies, proposes to divide itself into fourteen separate and independent organisations, "no one of which shall hold a monopoly of any one branch of the trade." Che trust proper, known ac the American Tobacco Company, offers to divide t iteelf into ..four companies, "no one of which shall have a controlling influence in tho tobacco business." The independent tobacco interests denounce the plan as a subterfuge, and say that •!*<» trust is preparing to reorganise "on tho same basis as a 'possum playing dead.' . They assert that the same control will exist as before, and that the last condition will be worse than the first, because the reorganised combine would have the added advantage of the sanction of the Courts. The trust's-pl:«n to etab itself to death is described:'jy the New York "Press" as very stagey. "Tho knife has springs, and it will jsrak, not into the heart of the combination in restraint of trade, but into the handle." Attorney-General Wieksrsham, who is appearing in Court on behalf of the Government, is willing ilet the plan should be tried if mater ; aJy modified, with the reservation that V c Government be given the right to ««ppiy to the Court at any time within five years for further relief if the plan does not work out satisfactorily. T. Pi-r----pont Morgan's epigram has concentrated attention on the-difficulty of the task of dissolving a trust, "flow «<m you unscramble eggs?" asked the. financier. AN AMERICAN POPE. The announcement this week that the Pope is about to create three additional American cardinals, making four in all, is being discussed in Roman Catholic circles in this country, as paving the- way for the advent of an American Pope, and despatches from Rome published in this country show that the matter is being discussed in the same light there. It is pointed out that the largest body of Catholics in the world is to be found in the.United States, and its possessions, Hawaii, the Philippine Islands, Porto Rico, and Guam. An Irish-American Pope is suggested for the day when it shall be considered no longer necessary for the papacy to be held by Italians. The three Americans to be raised to the cardinalate are Archbishop O'Connell, of Boston, Archbishop Farley, of New York, and Monraenor Diomede Falconio, the apostolic delegate to the United States. The latter, however, does not expect to return to the United States after being elevated to the college. Cardinal uibbons, of Baltimore, at whose jubileo earlier in the year President Taft and ex-President Roosevelt assisted, has for a considerable time l>een the only American cardinal.