OUR AMERICAN LETTER

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14304, 15 March 1912, Page 9

OUR AMERICAN LETTER

NOTES AND NEWS

TAFT" GAINING GROUND. ••T.l'." IN A QUANDARY. .fl'l'OM OI.T. OWN ("Or.I!ESrOSI>KNT). SAN FRANCISCO, February '!.'. In the contest for the Republican nomination lor President, the only can-! didate at this moment making en avowed endeavour to win support is President Taft. La Follette, since Infell ill. seems to have suffered a *-«*rions eclipse, although hi.s managers ltow and atiain issue statements, assuring the public that ho is still in the rae.-. Theodore Roosevelt has strong support in a number of States, principally in the West, but the Colonel maintains an : obstinate silence as to his intentions and wishes. Ail the delegates to tl.e jiominatint* convention thus far chosen, are 'supporters cf President Taft. To be sure, there are but a few, the total being 40 out of a convention that will consist of 1070 delegates. Nevertheless, the indications aro that when the convention meets, there will l*e at least a clear majority of the delegate.*; instructed to vote for Taft as the parity's nominee. It i-i not denied by the Taft men that Colonel Ruo.-evelt would be a formidable rival if ho should become an active candidate for the honour of once igain leading the Republican Party. In "ie-v of the fact that four years ago he was the strongest sponsor for Mr Taft, nnd declared that ho would willingly walk on his hands and knocs from the Capitol to the White House to bring about his nomination, and in view, also, of the fact that ho bus never since attacked the President, it seems improbable that he will opposo the rcnomination of the present occupant of White House. At the same time, editorials in the New York "Outlook," of which Colonel Roosevelt is associate editor, would indicate* that he is loth to utterly oliminate himself from the list .of Presidential possibilities for evermore. When Mr Roosevelt was nominated in 1904 he said: ''Under no circumstances will I be a candidato for, or accept, another nomination." According to tho "Outlook," ho meant simply that he would not be a candidate in 1003, which would have made threo consecutive terms for him. Tho writer '. of the articlo uses this illustration: ,; .—"When a man says at breakfast m the morning, 'No thank you, I will not take any more coffee,' it does not mean that he will not take any moro coffee to-morrow morning, or next week, or next month, or next, year." It is apparent from this that Colonel_ Roosevelt ' still regards himself as avnilablo n.a- ---' terial for President. There is a strong feeling against a President serving more than two terms, and since tho foundition of tho Republic it has never happened. The fact that Roosevelt's .first term resulted from tho assassination of McKinley, and was a few months short of tho full four-year term, may alter tho circumstances, so far as he is concerned, in tho public view. A NEW STATE. There aro no more "territories" within' tho confines of continental United States. The last of them, Arizona, became a State ou tho 14th of this month, pursuant to an Act of Congress. The .'Republic contains 48 States, and the total will remain at 48 unless one of them should bo divided, or nnles.s Alaska or one of the continental possessions, such as Hawaii or tho Philippines, should be admitted to tho sisterhood of States. Within tlie last few years three territories havo evolved irto - States—New Mexico, Indian Territory, and Arizona. A territory is governed by officials appointed by- tho Federal Government, whereas a State elects its own officials. Arizona has mado wonderful developments in tho last few years, both industrially and in population, due principally to tho inauguration of large Government irrigation schemes. A WONDERFUL DISCOVERY. -Ouuax.it-iu.ui-j fc.\e.t*ciuctn Jiao - oeen occisumou in industrial circles l>y u»«-----»uuouu--euiojiii oi a. CU-.-A.l/ anu _»ruc-i.t-iiuio oiiuatiiuio ior ruouui* ana omer 'lu-jouu-Jiw lUiit meets tno nurut-st .oats. 'mo inventor -ox toe urtufic, wiiicu is luuuo irom any waste norous suusuiiico, is Juliua. tun, a weuiwiy resicien"-* or Tests wore mac-e 1-u-l iscccwocr ouiore a commit too oi uniinpcueimuie scientists, out too identity or ihe inventor /was not disclosed. Open tho announcement to tho world oi tuo favourable vcraiec of tno scien- - lists, However, newspaper reporters succ.cued in unearthing tne modest m- - ventor* Cotton stalks, corn stalks, and other fibrous material, hundreds ot thousands of tons of whicn are wasted every year, ar*© the raw material of tho rubber substitute* "Not alono can tlio. inventor niako a substitute for hard rubber, equal to and in many instances superior to hard ruuuor itself, but ho Can also make fibre, porcelain, cork, ■"-afid horn. Tho substance is made at a cost greatly below tho cost of rubber. George R. Henderson, a mechanical en.gineel", known all over tho United States, who was a member of tho committee of scientists, said of tho discovery: "1 consider tho invention a wonderful, one. It is destined to bo- j come a hew world material, with illinntt able commercial possibilities. It proriiisos to bo of inestimable valuo not • only to the electrical industry, but also ! in. many other industries of our modern civilisation.'' I Already a prominent New York financier has offered to organise a £10,000,000 company for the manufacture of tlio product. Mr Hall is holding the offer in abeyance. He does not seem to be anxious to make money out of it for himself. "I want to dispose of the process where it will do the most good for tho greatest number of persons," ho stated- The dominant idea in his mind is to benefit tho Southern States by providing a u'So for cotton stalks. Ho proposes to bido his own time in determining what ho will do about manufacturing and marketing tho product. EMPLOYERS' LIABILITY. .Oae of tho most bitterly-assailed pieces of legislation of the last decade Hi the United -States, the Employers' Liability Act, signed by President -Roosevelt in 1908, has just been declared constitutional oy the Supreme Court of the United States. The railroads of the country combined in an endeavour to invalidate this law. It is one of the measures forced through Congress by Roosevelt when President. The degree of protection now accorded railroad employees engaged in intcrbtato traffic is immeasurably greater • than before. By the Act the comraonjaw rule that an employer is not liable tor injuries resulting to an employee by the negligence of his fellow-servants is abrogated. The common-law doctrine of "assumption of risk" by employees is done away with, and also 'tho doctrine of "contributory negligence." The natural trend of tho changes described," says the Supremo Court, in its decision, "is to impel the ' carrier to avoid md prevent the negligent acts and omissions which aro made " the basis of tho rights of recovery . -which the statute creates and feigns. and as whatever makes for that end tends to promote the safety of the cm-

ployecs and to advance the commerce in which tney aro engageu, wo entertain no doubt that in making theso changes Congress acted within the limits of discretion confided to it by the constitution ' The law and tli e judicial decision constitute a recognition of the fact that under modern dangerous and complicated industrial conditions the common law is no longer a sufficient protection for employees. Congress having no jurisdiction over intra-»State affairs, the Act applies only to inter•Stato railroads. However, many of the States are adopting law.s similar in effect to tlie Federal law. The' Supreme Court's decision affects some 1.000.000 employees of railways.