SKETCHES FROM AMERICA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2803, 4 December 1907, Page 77

SKETCHES FROM AMERICA.

By Maokilansa.

(For the Witness.) lor generations past American parents have been accustomed to hold George Washington up to their children as a, model of all the virtues, particularly truthfulness. Ha 3 not the famous tale" of the cherry tree and the boy who "could not tell a lie" delighted or infuriated all youthful^ minds in all countries according to -yhether they were saints or sinners? Alas, respect is out of date, research is the order of the day, and ungallant writers have made public their discoveries, with the result that Washington, the father of his country, is now branded with ordinary mortals as a tax-dodger. He is even worse than the average man, because he is guilty of being found out. Criminal proceedings were instituted against him for having made an incorrect list of his taxable property, and for having sworn a false oath in the endeavour to avoid the legal charges which should have been paid on his ''wheeled carriages." A year j or so ago a yet blacker discovery was , made, and men began to wonder whether ' Washington's own interests had had any T j thing to do with his leadership of the ' revolt against English rule. A writer delving into musty folios in search of material for a. new American history dis^ covers papers proving that George Washington had usurped lands belonging of right to the British Government, which j Government had declared its intention of ■ prosecution. Of course the revolution put ! an end' to the endeavour* to force restitution. | Another interesting trial, and one held in Boiee (Idaho), the scene of the Haywood drama, lias just been concluded. The principal figure in it was William E. I Borah, United States senator, and one of the leading prosecutors in the beforementioned case. Borah was charged with attempting to defraud the State out of 17,000 acres of Idaho timber lands. Some 12 other prominent citizens should have been on trial with him, but they took advantage of a technicality which enabled them to possibly evade, and certainly | avoid, prosecution. Borah demanded an j immediate' trial, being determined to get I judgment delivered before it was neces- , sary for him to present his credentials, as senator. He also refused to allow bis I attorneys to take advantage of any techni- ] calities whatsoever. One of the* features that helped to give added interest to what , would naturally have been an important case on account of the position of the man involved was the persistent rumour to effect that the Western Federation of Miners had paid 15,000d0l to secure the senator's indictment as a revenue for bis share in the prosecution of their officials.' | The charire is that Senator Borah and 12 others entered into a conspiracy to pet 1 pc&seseion of the lands by arranging ■with a number of private citizens to act as dummies, take up a claim of 160 acres ' each, pay the minimum price to the Go- ! vernment, and then transfer it to a certain ! lumber company. The Government lost ! the first important point in the case when their witness broke down under crossexamination, admitted that he had been promised irrflrlunitv for the perjiirv he had i committed when taking out a land claim ' in return for testifying, and further that he had sworn to a complaint against a j man he did not know. . . . 'He be- ] lieved it to be part of the bargain that he should swear to any complaint against any person regardless of the knowledge he might have regarding that person's innocence or £uilt. This was the besrin- ■ ningof the end, for the evidence against the senator was purely circumstantial, and there was nothing to show that he had don* more than was incumbent upon him as attorney for the lumber company in question. In this character the deeds passed through his office. The iurv was out only lonpr enough to take one ballot, and the verdict of the acquittal was grppt^d with olvers. The w^ole iovrn vras seized with a desire fo show its concordance with the decision. A bmss bard appeared as if by magic, bells were rung and whistle 5 : sounded. The streets wero Mocked by cheer'ne crowds, who rrnde wnv for nothin? except tl'-» fire ermines. whiVh , were called nut to add a spectacular touch to the rejoicing. »So have erded th<» much-talked-of "timber lard frauds" of Idaho. The Americans -'ire rwait ; na Sir Thomas L'pton's further decision lesrardine the pttemnt to recapture the Cun w;th -no Httlp intewst. It is known that, could hp iret any well-known d^itrner to oVr'Tii a b<vit for him. he would even 'halienee ;,sa'-n under the old rules, but say a win is an imnossibilitv with a fr°,.k boat of th« 90ft clars. which would have to be fir«t sailed pcros/s the Atlantic, md could, owing to ite desien, be only 5t for the scrap heap after the race. Meanwhile , Americans are wondering if the Swedes. , really mean business, and have, in reply to inquiries, manifested their willingness to accept a challenge from the Norsemen povided the ch:>H<ni'jnsf va^ht be 9Cft on the water-line. As this is 20ft more than

the Swedish designers consider practicable, it -is quite possible that this challenge, - too, will fall through. ' If, however," the Americans become more reasonable and better sportsmen, or the, Swedes decide to "take the risk of making, the crossing in. a freak boat, the attempt wall .be consi- I ■ dered a national on*.. The- boat will be built by public subscription, of Swedish material, and by Swedish designers. • She must, too, be manned by sailors of Swedish birtb and origin as far back as the fifth generation. Even Nprw.egian, ancestry -vrill exclude' them from entrance. ' I The visit of the genial Mr Taft to Japan, en route for Manila, seems to bav.e done much to quiet the bad feeling tbat threat- ' ened . to disturb the diplomatic relations between the two countries. All America is pleased at- the enthusiastic receptions accorded her citizens. Palaces have been set at their disposal, and banquets and receptions proved the order of the' day. No one could have been more likely to give living proof of the friendly feeling of America's official classes towards Japan than Mr Taft, so Japan also is content, the more so that the cabled inquiry of the Japanese Government as to why some dozen of her citizens were being "excluded from the honourable schools of Chicago" promptly opened the educational institutions. Suspicion is lulled to rest ; there only remain a few who say. "Wait; perhaps Taft'e voyage to the" Orient is designed to conceal naval preparations, and ' apparent compliance with Japan's demands , is a temporary subterfuge." ; I Never, since the revolution of last year, has Cuba been in such a disturbed state as at present, when strikes and Tumours of I yet another revolt against American rule paralyse trade and cause a general feeling j of unrest, which is heightened by a gene- ■ ral suspicion that certain classes of Ameri- ' cans have been, for political ends, or finani cial reasons, furnishing funds to the -wouldbe revolutionists. Armed guards of Amei ricans ore surrounding the prisons where 1 leaders of importance are confined, as the I Government is determined to check any • attempt to free them. Prominent Cubans have been advised to discreetly check those who give vent to anti- American sentiments in their hearing. ■ ' ' , j For some time pa6t symptoms of a desire for a postal eatings bank have been manifested by the poorer classes of the • American people. Now the subject is being tentatively discussed. The bankers • are against it, declaring that it is an invasion of a private business field. The Government are certainly not for it, as they do not see how interest could be paid on money not used. It is not required for any purpose, for Uncle Sam is so rich that, millions are accumulated in the treasury, and an enorr.ious amount -is lent to the banks without interest in order to prevent a shortage. Yet it is feltthat there must be a vast sum -of money hidden away in the teapots and stockings of the poorer classes, for it is theee people who have the greatest distrust of the savings banks now in existence. There «ie now in the State© some 1300 banks rightly called "savings banks," and these count among them eight million depositors, each of whom has, on an average, £87 to his •name 1 . Though this totals an enormous sum, it shows that, compared to other prosperous nations, the proportion of people who saye — using savings banks to help them — is small. Germany, with less citizens by 20 milliors, ?an show double the number of depositors. And Denmark, with less talk of prosperity, has in her savings backs, twice as much per capita' as has America. Ail of which tends to prove the value of an institution upon which absolute v eliance can be placed ; yet such is the power" of polities here that no one expects the demand will be supplied in the near future. !N either pwty wishes to shoulder the responsibility of a reform that could hardly go smoothly at first, considering the contending inteie.«ts and the difficulties that would have to be surmounted. Sports are r.ovi o?ing weighed in *he dollar scale. A little Quaker lady of Ph ladelphia has just d:cd, leaving a wjfi behind her donating coal lar.<is worth some three million dollars to ,i small Jvit we!!- | known college, on the sole condition that ( it should immediately venouire all ath'e , ties. This has been taken to mran intercollegiate contests, and is Jie very feature for which Swarthmore. with its 300 students. ha 6 been most rioted. An earnest discussion Is continuing, but the i general feeling is that the !e«acy. large as it is in proportion to the size of the college, will, be refused. It is expected that x Ji" next «evsion of I'ihe Canadian Parliament wil! Imst about six months, and be a fiirhtinG: one fiom commencement to finish, fs there <ir>> many subjects of importance to be touched imon. For one tiling. Canada is desirous of having a friendly underoi^udiitr to limit the number of Japaneee entering Wr dominions in any one -rear to 60Q — two from every district in Japan. Canada has not vet forgiven or fonrotter the Alasknn boundary avrard, and stil! p-izss every opportunity to pro-sfi upon the Govprnnvnt the fact that subordinat : on of Canadian to Ir"Ti»rj,ql intprcFts must end. Canadian Ministe»s themselves have negotiated tho new comniercisfl treaty with France, which pives that country much thp same favour in the way of preferential trade as is enjoyed by Great Britain, though, of rouwc, the treats «raR signed, in addition, by the British Ambassador at Paris. DO YOU SUFFER FPvOM RHEUMATISM. GOUT. SCIATICA OR LTBI- . B\UO? RHF-UMO WILL QUICKLY CURE YOU. Rh"umo nuirkly cure? Rhfumatis n, CVut, onr! kindred diseases. V o marter row lon^ you niay have suffered Rhpirno will puv> you if ?ivpn a fair trial. Mr F. Nova!' i-: well known in Hamilton. R->ad how Rh^umo cur<"d h ; m. He wrile= on June 19. 1907: — ''Having been "a cuffei' 1 - fiom RJiea^atic Gout for some tin.o. T ha\e gr< at ploasuro in saying that T have cxvoi ienc^d great relief for same by using Rheumo. — F. NEWALL. Hamilton." Your storekerper or «hcmli<t ecils Rheumo at 2s 6d and 4s 6<L