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A UTILE FRIEND OF THE ROSE i I ' ' BT 8. FBANK A AIIOH, HE flower - loving Insects & __ V are all friends iu ueed; but I> I O the unhoneyed flowers alij _J^ so ^ave tijeir insect friend?, not agents of fertilization only, but protectors and | champions that fight the battles ot those that must depend on the flowei sterns and leaves and buds to survive, says American Homes and. Gardens. But though the flowers are voiceless, they tell us with none the less eloquence what their enemies are and how they suffer by them. Ask the rose. The withered, skeletoned leaves proclaim the enmily of the saw-fly slug; eaten leaves and others folded * over tell of the larvae of the colden winged tortricid moth; while cankerous, eaten buds and flowers deuounce the rose bug, tbe aphides, that crowds the green stems and leaves of the newer growth and swarm all over the tender buds. Annihilate the aphides upon a dozen stems of a thrifty bush and keep others off; then let a dozen others go full of the lice, and watch result. The numt>er and the beauty of the blossoms iwill be the answer. Now, Nature generally makes a wise effort to strike a proper balaucev and though we hare heard this denied concerning the potato beetle, yet it io true, more or less. Thus she has furnished several antidotes for the aphides; If she did not, the little pests would become a uuisance icJeed, past all calculation. This salutary purpose is effected by the several larvae of the syrp-us fly, the laceI wincpr? flv thp lflrtvhnc i ml a number of very small Hyraeuopterous parasites. Of these latter the most interesting ?>n<l the most common is the pretty |jttle fly known to the scientists as Praon, which may be called the cocoon-making parasite of the aphis. Any one with shraap eyes may discover this little friend oi the rose at work, and ' may follow, with a little care. Us complete life history. At the time when the plant lice are thickest a small insect resembling a miniature wasp, or an ichneumon fly, which it really is, may be seen making its way among the fat aphides, moving leisurely and with a dignity i <iuite beyond its size, for it usually is uot longer than an eighth of an inch. It approaches one of the larger aphides MIMATUKE TIG STICKING, Ai: GL A The fly of the rose aphis parasite st rose aphis. The plump little plant lice lo< a green pig and tney get about much like < . them to be readily attacked, and their on bodies from side to side, which sometimes and touches it with its antennae as a means of certain identification, scent far outranking sight in such matters among insects. If this were an ant ' the aphis would respond with a liberal supply of the coveted honeydew, but knowing friends from foes it now 6lin*s its body from side to side, quite violently indeed for such a lethargic creature, and the little fly is pushed aside. Not liking this it moves on to another or smaller aph:d with a less I vigorous movement, or pausing a moment attacks the same aphis again, .with perhaps better results. Choosing its position deliberately and carefully, yr\m its slender, stiltlike legs lifting it high, it widely straddles its victim, its fore legs often resting on the aphid's back, its slender body and long antennae much jostled by the agitated plaut louse. But now the fly is not to be dislodged. Its keen, swordlike ovipositor protrudes from iti sheath, and In a moment is thrust deep into the back of the plant louse, and is held for lust another moment, until an egg, so tiny as to pass through the slender organ, is deposited into the very interior anatomy of the rose pest. Then withdrawing, the fly straddles off and proceeds at once to convert anothei aphis into an incubator, and so on, until on doubt the egg supply, perhaps fifty or more, becomes exhausted. DEVICE TO AID THE SWIMMEfl I * A recent invention of c. Canadiar ,w'll be of interest to those who delighi I in swimming. it is au attacnmen -which, being worn by a swimmer, wil facilitate his progress iu the water bj affording him an enlarged area witl which to push himself forward. Ii the illustration it is snowu attachei to the leg of a swimmer, althougl it be modified to lie the arms also ThWperation will be obvious. i The device consists of an open rec tangular framework, within which an suspended a series of light vane liiugod along one edge of the opeJ framework in such a manner as to b susceptible of setting themselves witl the current of water going througl them as the legs are drawn forwari Of bent for the stroke. During the back stroke or thrust th vanes wih close and form a plan normal to the movement of the limt A framework of vanes of this kirn is supported from each limb of th swimmer, to which it i6 secured b, | Of course the aphis so treated doe: not die at once, else Nature's plai would miscarry. It lives and goes oi feeding and maintaining the same stif i and seemingly contented attitude fo : a little while. Meantime the eg] . hatches a minute, white, maggot-liln ; larva, and this at once begins feedini . on the soft muscular tissues of it ;l >j \ THE PARASITE OF THE R0S1 The upper figure is the fly as seen fr vellow, have almost a metallic luster, and beautiful iridescence. The lower figure is dried and distorted shell of a plant louse, the parasite larva while attaining its g host. Some little time is required fo the larva to complete its growth?flvi or six days during very warm weather longer when it is cool. With an in stinct that has ever been a marvel t< T~\ Y 5 SEEN THIiOUGH MAGNIFYING lSS. inging and laying its egg in the body of a >k like hybrids between a verdant goat and Jverfat swine. Their inactivity permits ly attempt at defense is in wagging their for a moment disconcerts the parasite fly. the naturalist the little larva does nol toucb tbe digestive organs, tbe vascu lar system of tbe more linportani nerves for a period, thus permitting tbe aphis to live and fsed until th? appetite and growth of tbe paraslt< warrant it to eat all before it. Ther tbe aphies dies, of course, and rapldlj becomes only an outer skiu, with heac and legs attached. For some strange reason the aphis not long before dying, forsakes it! place among its fellows. As if ostra cized for its condition, although it! disease is hardly catching, It crawls away to one of the larger leaves, fast ens up it in exile aud thus remains. I is obvious that this beuefits the para site; the aphis here is far less apt t< be found and attacked by nutnerou: other eneinks that would endaugei the life of its guest. But what can in fluence it? It departs from Its habit for it is altogether social and non ' migiatory. It removes to a less desir 1 able pasture ground. Normally, if (lis i lodged from the stem and falling 011 th< ' leaves it crawls back as fast as its iu dolent legs permit to the stem again 1 The parasite is alone benefited, bu 1 it is out of the world, so to speak; i ' can not get at its host's locomotory ap , pendages; it is a legless, eyeless crea > ture that at best would make a poo guide if it should get out and take thi | bands or straps, certain portions of thi frame being made buoyaut to an ex ii Help For the Swimmer. e ? y | tent sufficient to sustain the .weigt s lead. But the Tittle tiling, as unintelll1 gent as it looks, inaggot-like, has per1 haps a mind of Its own, as we have f seen. The habit is almost invariable; r the victims crawl from their usual 2; places and position themselves on the e leaves. Out of seventy-one parasitized 5 plant lice I found two on the stem s and one on the tip of a thorn, as if it j ( : ' i I I <rjZr~ > ? , S APHIS, MUCH MAGNIFIED. I om above; the colors, black, rufous, red and , the^delicate, transparent wings reflect a the cocoon of the parasite beneath the dead, ' the insides of wnich have been eaten by 1 rowth, after which it makes the cocoon. 1 5 t r thought a leaf ought to grow out 1 e there, but that was- too far gone to 1 search elsewhere. I TTrvrm nJ-tninlncr tfo ?rrr>trtli thf? nnrfl. O-^ " * ? ^ . > site larva cuts open the aphis skin un derneath and squirms part way out, i so as to have full swing with its head i end. Then it begins the construction of its cocoon, made, as with most insects, of its saliva, and eventually becoming, after a few hours' work, a silken, parchment-like, bulging, tentshaped affair, upon which the now shrunken and distorted skin of the aphis rests as on a pedestal. The parasite enters the completed cocoon and i becomes an inactive pupa or chrysalis, [ and in a few days thereafter, if it is warm, the perfect insect, the ?tiny fly, emerges and takes wing to work more mischief among the rose pests. The illustrations fully elucidate the facts set forth in the text. They present a wonderful insight into a small natural force, not the less masterful because of its mimic scale.?Scientific American. SELF-PLAYING ZITHER. Inventors are quick to attempt anything that aiTords a chance of reward. Why they do not tackle musical instruments is a query hard to answer, but the fact still remains that practically no new musical instruments are patented. Improvements on those already in use are occasionally recorded, one of the most recent being the selfplaying zither, illustrated here. This is ail attacnment ior zuners or siuiimr stringed instruments to produce a continuous vibration of tbe strings. Jour } Self-playing Zith?r. 5 r naled in the centre and at one end - of the zither are rolls to l'eceive a long . strip of perforated music. Between - the rolls are a number of holes which - connect with a wind bag beneath the - instrument. The passage of the roll - of music over the holes operates a sc ries of pickers, the latter vibrating the strings. The action throughout is simit lar to that used in pianolas and eolians. t ?Philadelphia Record. xhat is but an imperfect science r .which studies a world of effects and e neglects their cause. e of the device in the water. This constitutes the primary element of the attachment, the form and manner of attachment being modified to the requirements of arm and leg. To supplement the leg movement with the instep action of the foot, the vane frame is pivoted to the leg attachment by a system of parallel links, which link motion is connected by a light rod to the toe of a sandal or shoe on the foot. The feet, instead of act- . ing merely as paddles, are utilized to impart considerable muscular power to nM/Nnal hniltf fnru'o rrl tho loi'C being kept merely far enough apart to avoid striking the frames together.? Philadelphia Record. Record of Kniger's Voice. Dr. E. W. Scripture, who has been making researches in phonetics under a Smithsonian Institution grant, has secured a gramophone record of the voice of Emperor William of Germany. It will be preserved by the National Museum at Washington and, of course, - will not be used in any public way In it the Kaiser's lifetime. MIST LIMIT FORTUNES President's Radical Proposal in "Muck Rake" Speech, BITTER /GAINST FALSIFIERS r?nmorAU MakpR On ft of lli? Moit Nota* ble Addresses lie Has Ever Delivered .Proposes Levy on Wealth to Prevent the Bequeathing of Great Auonnti-Curbing the Great ltlcli. "Washington, D. C.?The sensation of President Roosevelt's much advertised "Muck Rake" speech at the laying of Hie cornerstone of the new office building for the House of Representatives, ivas not the reference to the mud slinging scribblers, but the springing of a wand new idea, so bold and radical that it fairly took away the breath >f the Senators and Representatives ivho heard it It was a proposition to :ax all fortunes and to limit the imount of money which may be belueathed to an individual. Th<? sneerh was nnp? of the most re narkable the President lias delivered, [t "was comprehensive to an unusual legree, embracing practically every :opic of the day and having some:hing in it in the nature of a moral esson for persons in every walk of ife. The President decried hysterical md unthinking sensationalism, scored lie traducers of public men and of the lation, and lauded those who exercise sanity and honesty in uncovering and lunishing fraud in low and high places, riiere was a note of warning to those indent enemies, capital and labor, ind a denunciation for the wealthy rust officials who by technicalities es:ape punishment for violations of law, ind for the "Sam Parka" of labor. rtnmrt +V? 1 \f\m holl ol 1 frtt* TCT 111 /">V\ J. licit tauic me kvui^utu J.V1 ?t M4v>* 'enr of those presf.ut were preparedhe advocacy of a graduated tax on ortunes, and ot a provision of law that viil prevent millionaires from bejueathing more than a certain amount >f their wealth, the balance to go to he Government. This proposal com)letely dwarfed the "muck rake" fea:ure and set the Senators to buzzing. [Vhen the ceremonies were over it vas the only thing that was discussed. It took Mr. Roosevelt half an hour ;o get through with what he had to my about the muck rake sort of criti:ism and critics. The salient para;raphs of this part of his address are ts follows:"In Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress' you nay recall the description of the Man vith the Muck Rake, the man who :ould look no way but downward, with :he muck rake in his hand; who was >?fered a celestial crown for his muck ake, but who would neither look up lor regard the crown he was offered, jut continued to rake to himself the 31th of the floor. "In 'Pilgrim's Progress' the man with :he muck rake is set forth as the eximple of him whose wisdom is fixed on ?arnal instead of on spiritual things. Sfet he also typifies the man who in this ife consistently refuses to see aught :hat is lofty, and fixes his eyes with solemn, intentness ouiy on mat wuiuu s vile and debasing. Now, it is very iccessary that we should not flinch Tom seeing what is vile and debasing. There is filth on the floor and it must )e scraped up with the muck rake; and :here ar6 times and places where this service is th? most needed of all the services that can be performed. But he man who never does anything else, ivho never thinks or speaks or writes, save of his feats with the muck rake, speedily becomes, not a help to society, lot an incitement to good, but one of :he more potent forces for evil. "There are, iu the body politic, ecolomic and social, many and grave ;vils. and there is ^urgent necessity 'or the sternest war upon them. There should be relentless exposure of and ittack upon every evil man, whether politician or business man, every evil practice. whether in politics, in business or in social life. "I hail as a benefactor every writer >r speaker, every man who, on the platform, or in book, magazine, or lewspaper, with merciless severity nakes such attack, provided always that he in his turn remembers that the attack is of use only if it is absoutely truthful. The liar is no whit better than the thief, and if his meniacity takes the form of slander he jiay be worse than most thieves. "One of the chief counts against those who make indiscriminate assault upon men in business or men ic public life is that they invite a reaction which is sure to tell powerfully n favor of the unscrupulous scoundrel. "One serious difficulty encountered v\ getting the right type of men to Jig the Panama Canal is the certainty that they will be exposed to utterly eckless assaults on their character and Mpacity. "The mea with the muck rake are pften indispensable to the well-being pf society, but only when they know tvhen to stop rr.king the muck. "Hysterical sensationalism is the rery poorest weapon with which to iglit for lasting righteousness. "The men who, with stern sobriety \nd truth, assail the many evils of our time, whether in the public press or in magazines or in books, are the leaders ind allies of all engaged in the work for social and political betterment. "The reform that counts is that which comes through steady, continues growth; violent emotionalism leads to exhaustion." But it was not the muck rake feature of the address that attracted attention. It was his new scheme for the progressive taxation of fortunes. On that point the President observed; Winter Wheat f!rnn is Bis. From tlio April report on winter wheat, Produce Exchange statisticians estimated that the crop will be 473.249,000 bushels. The present estimate indicates a crop 44,780,000 bushels larger than the crop of a year ago. Earthquake Shock Fatal. Over 100 lives were lost in the Formosa earthquake and thousands of persons are homeless. The shock was more severe than that of March 17, and later details are expected to swell .the list < f casualties. Labor Notes. The Stove Mounters' Union will bold a convention iu Cleveland in July. John Burns, tbe labor reformber in England, is now entitled to be called Right Honorable. Sixty-three labor and reform organizations joined in launching a new labor political party in Chicago. Imposition of fines for imperfect weaving caused a strike of about 300 weavers at the mills in Greystone, R. I. Oscar Ricketts, foreman of tbe Government Printing Office, Washington, resigned to become an insurance ageijt. * - - "It fs important to tblg people to grapple with the problems connected with the amassing of enormous fortunes and the use of those fortunes, both corporate and individual, in business. We should discriminate in the sharpest way between fortunes well won and fortunes ill won; between those gained as an incident to performing great services to the community as a whole and those gained in evil fashion by keeping just within the limits of mere law honesty. Of course no amount of charity in spending such fortnues in any way compensates for misconduct in making them. As n matter of personal conviction, and without pretending to discuss the details or formulate the system, I feel that we shall untimately have to consider the adoption of some such scheme as that of a progressive tax on all fortunes beyond a certain amount either given in life or devised or bequeathed upon death to any individual?a tax so framed as to put it out o: the power of the owner of one of these enormous fortunes to hand on more than a certain amount to any one individual?the ftfl y>ai?*?na +a Vva imnaoflrl Ktt thn Vn? *1 I a AI Ul tUUl 3C, IV/ Ut juipv/gvu k/ j luv HM tional and not the State government. Such taxation should, of course, be aimed merely at the inheritance or transmission in their entirety of those fortunes swollen beyond all healthy limits." During the delivery of the speech the President's features afforded an interesting study in expressions. At times he beamed and even laughed outright with good nature. For instance, when , he declared he was certain the country would soon have a good rate bill, he looked dow-i at Senator Foraker, only a few feet away, and smiled broadly, j But the President's face took on a severe, almost savage lock, as he de- i nouueed the liar in public life as no j better than the thief, f.nd inveighed , against the brutal gr^d of the "have nots" and the brutal greed of the j "haves." \ And it was interesting, also, to watch the features of the Senators, jammed up close to the speaker. As the Presi- , dent flayed the sensational and un- ( thinking writers who attack public men without just cause, there wero smiles \ of intense satisfaction from tcc Sena* ( tors, many of whom have lately been targets for the ten-cent magazines, j Whatever disappointment was felt because of the mildness of the "Muck Rake" feature of the speeco was more than made up by the surprise caused by the advocacy of the tax on fortunes. THREE NEGROES LYNCHED. Springfield, Mo., the Scene of a Murderous Mob Which Wrecked Jail. Springfield, Mo.?The lynching by 1 rope and fire of the two negroes, Dun- j can and Copeland, did not complete the ] night's work of horror. Those two ] black men, protesting their innocence of the charge of attacking a white girl, < had been hanged from an electric tower f topped by the Goddess of Liberty, and i nres naa Deen nguieu uuuci ucu uc- ? fore they were dead. 1 The lynching of a third negro oc- ( curred just before daylight. 1 The last man put to death -was Will Alien, charged with the killing in .Tan- 1 uary las;, of 0. M. Rouarks. The prison t was mobbed and the cringing negro i dragged to the spot where the horror < of a few hours before had been perpetrated. 1 The better element of the city is in- i dignant at the -work of the mob, es- t pecially as there Is no reason to be- i lieve that the three negroes who were 1 lynched were guilty of the crimes for t which they died. Miss Mabel Edmond- \ son, the woman who was assaulted, said that she could positively identify ' the guilty ones if they were brought to her. ( A reward of $300 has been offered by Governor Folk for each man proven to have been a party to the lynching. . T?.VrtTNrrc ROTLER EXPLODES. ! Driver Killed, Fireman Burned and | Track Torn Up For 200 Feet. Coatesville, Pa.?Charles Rank, en- t gineer, was killed and Barton Weiser, c fireman, -was burned as a result of the c explosion of the boiler of a locomotive on the Trenton cut-off of the Pennsyl- c vania Railroad near Frazer. Both are J from Columbia. ' The accident occurred while the ( train was going along at a good rate. ( Rank was picked up dead 200 yards * away and Weiser was found walking f about, bewildered. His face was bad- 1 ly cut and burned. The boiler was blown 400 yards and * the woodwork of the locomotive was t splintered, leaving nothing on the tracks but the truck. The rails were torn up for 200 feet. Weiser says he think3 the accident i was due to running eoiu water into <iu i empty and hot boiler. I TRAIN HITS FAMILY, KILLS 3. t t Mother and Two Children Dead and f Two Other Little Ones Hurt. t Greenville, Pa.?As a result of a f grade crossing accident on the Erie c Railroad at Atlantic, near here, three ^ persons were killed and two others c injured. The dead are Mrs. Maud Calvin, aged c twenty-seven, and two daughters, one c an infant and the other six years old. I A daughter aged three had an arm and leg broken, and a young son was badly C cut and bruised. P Mrs. Calvin and the four children t were in a carriage which was struck a by a train running seventy-live miles an hour. Prosperous Fishing Season. 1 The fishing season has been unusual- ^ iy prosperous, owing to the open win- A ter and the abundance of fish off the j New England coast. Nantucket fisher- f men report codfish and haddock the ? largest catch on record, and small j boats have been averaging nearly 300 a fish daily all winter. ? Whole World Demanding Money. Russia, Germany. France and England are all demanding great sums of money for enterprises that had been 1 postponed until universal peace was assured by the end of the Moroccan negotiations. Japan has entered tbe c1 field as a user of money on a surpris- t iug scale. ! s Mutinous Sailor Killed Officer. C Advices from Lisbon say that the * crew of the Portuguese battleship c Vnsco da Gama killed an otlicer who f had killed a mutinous sailor. In the Public Eye. Count Witte has a weak heart. When Senator Hoar was alive he and Senator Tillman were great friends. ; Ez-Senator David B. Hill says he is content to be a looker-on in politics. \ Senator Depew has declined to be a candidate for re-election to the Yale T Corporation. I Bishop Benjam.'n Wistar Norris, of the Potestant Episcopal Church for the ^ Diocese of Oregon, is dead. Justice Harlan, of the United States Supreme Court, has denied that he is about to retire from the bench. ???ii? TO PROBE COAL TRUST The Government Employs Charles E Hughes as Special Counsel, Enough Evidence to TTarrant Action? Administration to Retrieve Recent Defeat in the Beef Trast Case. Washington, D. C.?The Government lias employed as special counsel for the proposed investigation Into the interstate transportation anil sale of coal Charles E. Hughes, who was chief counsel for the Armstrong Insurance Investigating Committee. Mr. Hughes lias agreed to undertake the work. Alexander Simpson, Jr., will be associated with Mr. Hughes. The announcement was made in the following statement of Attorney-General Moody: "Charles E. Hughes, Esq., of the New York Bar, and Alexander Simpson, Jr., of the Pennsylvania Bar, have been retained by the Department of Justice to take under consideration all the facts now known, or which can be ascertained, relating to the transportation and sale of coal in interstate commerce; to advise what, if any, legal proceedings should be begun, and to conduct, under the direction of the Attorney-General, such suits or prosecutions, if any, as may be warranted by the evidence in hand and forthcoming. "The general subject for some time has been under consideration by the Department. It is believed that sufBcient evidence has been developed in the investigations of the Interstate Commerce Commission and otherwise to warrant the employment of counsel under the provisions of the appropriation act of February 25, 1903, authorizing the employment of special counsel and agents in proceedings of this nature. "An important element in arriving it this conclusion is the recent decision of the Supreme Court in Hale vs. Kenkel, holding that the Federal Govsrnment has the right, under legal proceedings, to examine the books and records of corporations engaged in interstate commerce." OPERATORS YIELD NOT. Flat Rejection of Anthracite Miners' Last Proposition. New York City.?The formal answer >f the anthracite operators' committee of seven of the last proposition )f the committee of the anthracite mine workers was sent by tbe operators to John Mitchell, after a meeting in the Jersey Central Building, [t is an unqualified rejection of all the propositions of the miners. While the letter does not say spe:ifically that the operators' last offer still holds good, it was declared that t holds good until a break comes, as loes also the alternative offer to con:inue the agreement under the award >f the anthracite strike commission .'or 'jhree years longer. Preparations are being made by he operators for strike emergencies mil flip stnrtinj? un of the wasberies s the entering wedge in breaking the leadlocl:. The "suspension of work" in the lard coal regions thus becomes a strike, so far as the operators' view of :he situation is concerned. They put t "up to" Mitchell's committee to agree :o limit arbitration to the two quesions mentioned, or to have their conrention formally declare a strike. TEN DIE IN ROW OVER EASTER. 3reek and Roman Church Adherents Fight About Date. Memphis, Tenn.?Ten Greeks are re)orted killed in a riot at the little itation of Gurley, Ark., forty miles 1011th of Helena, Ark., on the line of lie new Memphis, Helena and Louisana Railroad. Others were injured. The rioting began in a dispute beween Roman Catholics and adherents if the Greek Church as to the date in which Easter should be celebrated. Those who believed Sunday the day if days ordered beer and whisky from lelena to liven up things. While wiling to join in the carousal, the Greek 3hurch adherents insisted that their :alendar was correct. Bad feeling ioon cropped out, and, from individual luarrels the matter broadened into a lot. Sunday afternoon shooting was gen U.. 4-U * >ral, ana seven men were kiuuu u.v ime a messenger got away for Helena. HONORS SCION OP FRANKLIN. ludrew Carnegie Makes Miss Agnes Irwin a Doctor of Laws. Philadelphia.?In (he presence of he most brilliant gathering of scienists, philanthropists and men of leters seen since the Ceuteunial of 1S76, Lndrew Carnegie, as Lord Rector of he University of St. Andrews, couerred upon Miss Agnes Irwin, dean if Radcliffe College, and the greatlaughter of Beujamin Franklin, the legree of Doctor of Laws. It was the closing feature of the ipeuing session of the hi-centenuial elebration of the birth of Benjamin franklin. Miss Irwin is a gray haired woman last middle ; ge. As she stood 011 the. ilatform just in front of tbe marble lust of her ancestor, not a few in tbe udieuce found a striking resemblance. * Drowned Seeking Reconciliation. Thomas Leisure, a young farmer of Xiviess County, Kentucky, was lrowned in Rough River while on his vay to meet his wife, from whom he lad separated, friends having arranged or tbe conference. When he reached 1 stream in view of his wife's home le found tbe bridge washed away, ud attempted to swim across, with the atal result. CALLS AUTOMOBILIST CRAZY. nsurnnce Company's Reason For Refusing to Pay a Death Claim. New Orleans, La.?The Ocean Accilent Insurance Company has refused o pay a large policy on the death of H. L. Hancock, who was killed in an mtomobile accident in Los Angeles, Jal., several months ago, on the ground hat the company cannot pay n claim ?n an automobilist, as most of them ire monomaniacs on the question of peeiling their machines, and, thereore. the company is not responsible. The National Game. .Tim TVl.ih.uitv has been made third >ase on the Cincinnati team. ritcher Elliott is very sore over Lis ransfer by New York to Louisville. Strang "will again hold down the itility job on the New York National ;eam this year. Next spring the Fittsburgs will go o Hot Springs again, an agreement laving just been signed. Heiuie Peitz will be in the game igain this year. He has entirely re:overed froui his serious illuess. MESSAGE ON INSURANCE ||1 President Roosevelt Urges Congress to Enact a General Law. 1 Etwt Effort Should Be Made to Prevent f j a Hepetlllon of Scandals Dlacloaed j by the Aruutronj Inquiry. Washington, D. C.?President Roosevelt sent to Congress a message relating to insurance legislation, accom- j panied by the report and recommendations of the insurance convention, wbich was held in Chicago last February. "> i The text of the President's massoge * .Ojj follows: j "To the Senate and Eouse of Repre- j sentatives: ? "I herewith transmit the report and 1 recommendations, with accompanying -;'l papers, of the insurance convention which met in February last at Chicago. ; fq The convention was called because of ; I the extraordinary disclosures of wrong- Vga ful insurance methods recently made by the Armstrong Legislative Committee of the State of New York, the rag gestion tnat it snouia oe canea coming to me originally from Governor J?ha .. KM A. Johnson, of Minnesota, through: Commissioner of Insurance Thoma? D. O'Brien, of that State. "The convention consisted of about 100 Governors, Attorney-Generals and Commissioners of Insurance of the "*> States and Territories of the Union. The convention was seeking to accompllsh uniformity of insurance legislation throughout the States and Territories, and as a prime step toward this ^ purpose decided to endeavor to secure the enactment by the Congress of the ''.^?1 United States of a proper insurance code for the District of Columbia, which might serve ae a model for the several States. "Before adjourning the convention . fj appointed^ committee of three Attorney-Generals and twelve Commissioners of Insurance of the various State* to prepare and have presented to the Coneress a bill which should embody* the features suggested by the conven- ^ "The committee recently met in Chi- ' cago, and in thorough and painstaking fashion sought to prepare a bill which: ' j.i should be at once protective of policy holders and fair and just to insurance companies, and which should prevent / the graver evils and abuses of the business, and at the same time forestall any wild or drastic legislation which! w would be more harmful than beneficial. "The proposed bill is discussed at length in the accompanying letter by Mjj Superintendent Thomas E. Drake, of * the Department of Insurance, in the -Jitm District of Columbia. "I very earnestly hope that the Congress at the earliest opportunity will enact this bill into laiv, with such changes as its wisdom may indicate. I have no expert familiarity with the * business, but I have entire faith in the right judgment and single-minded- pur- . -;m pose of the insurance convention which! 'M met at Chicago and of the committee of that convention which formulated the ' ?' -i1|i measure herein advocated. , "We are not to be pardoned if ive fail to take every step in our power to prevent the possibility of the repetition of such scandals as those that have occurred in connection with the insurance * business as disclosed by the Armstrong? vj$l Committee. i "THEODORE ROOSEVELT. ! <%m "The White House." J STOCK TRANSFER TAX UPHELD. Highest New York Court Decide# Against Wall Street Brokers. 'Albany, N. Y.?The Court of Appeal? Jg decided that the stock transfer tax v ^ law passed Dy tne last legislature is constitutional, sustaining the contention of Attorney-General Mayer, who, . : in order that the State might Immediately collect the tax, amounting to $6,000,000 a year, took the law to the courts within a week after it was signed. The decision of the court upholding the constitutionality of the law ,i was unanimous. Wall Street interests are expected to pay up the tax they have withheld, and not to carry the fight to the Supreme Court of the United States. When the Jaw first went into effect the brokers declared that it would drive the New York Stock Exchange to Jersey City or Philadelphia, and end in ' depopulating Wall Street Instead of having that effect, the transfers of , stock upon which the State receives $2 on each 100 shares, have increased. COURT OUTLAWS CHILDREN. v 1 Divorces Void Where One of the Parties is a Non-Resident. ' jf Washington, D. C.?Thousands of -tttapa efomnarl a a lllaffStlmfliA LUlIUiCil ncic otauiygu ua m?mm ? by a decision of the United States Supreme Court. The principle established is that a State cannot grant a divorce "ivhen but one party to the marriage is a resident within its jurisdiction. A divorce must be of such a character as to be respected by all other States. The decision was by rJ vote of five to four?Justices Harlan, Brewer, Brown and Holmes dissenting. v It is estimated that at least 20,000 children are affected by the opinion. These are the offspring of marriages based on divorces granted where but one of tlie parties resided in the State % > issuing the decree of separation. The case at issue was that of John W. Haddock agamst Harriet Haddock. It came up on appeal from the New York courts. Ilussia Borrows Money. Witte won in the contest with Durnowo. and Russia succeeded in borrowing S450,000,000. >. Threat of Illegitimacy. Many persons of position and wealth In New York City were made auxlous lest the decision of the United States Supreme Court in the Haddock divorce case might affect them, and they sought lawyers for advice. Savings Bank Surplus Taxed. The Senate, at Albany, N. Y., ignoring Governor Higgins' ante-election pledge, refused to repeal tne tax on surplus of saviugs banks rnd billed the bill. Fatal Explosion on Warship. Three members of tbe crew of tbe British battleship Prince of Wales were killed and four were injured by a boiler explosion while the vessel was undergoing her speed trials off Malta. The connecting rod bolts on the high pressure engine and the top cylinder cover were broken. Senator Clark on Muck Rate. Senator Clark, of }*outan.?, in the Senate at Washington, D. C., held that the President's muck-rake speech, only serves to aggravate thi general unrest