Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, July 11, 1911, Image 1
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* ISSUED SEMI-WEEKLY.
l. m gbists sons, Pubu.hers. j % 4amil8 Beursjapeit: J[or th<promotion of the political, Social, a^rieultural and Commercial Interests of the j9e?pl<. j TIR"^~,iy,,""TBl"^T"'
ESTABLISHED 1855. YORKyiLLErS.C^TUESDAYrJULYll, 19t:K NO. 55.
I W R001
? =?=
IjS BY THOM
7?3f Copyright, 1911, b
. Pub. by Doublsday,
BOOK II?THE ROOT.
CHAPTER XVII.
Some Inside Facts.
As Stuart dressed for Nan's party he
brooded over his new relation to his
old sweetheart with Increasing pleasure.
She had begun to tease with gentle
raillery about his tragic exaggeration
of the treachery of her betrayal,
and laughingly promised to make it
all up by introducing him to a group
" - ? a l *!#..! ?Ula
of the Nenest ana most ueaumui 6u?>
In New York. He could take his choice
under her wise guidance. She promised
to begin his course of instruction
tonight.
Never had Bivens's offer seemed
more generous and wonderful. His
pulse beat with quickened stroke as he
felt the new sense of power with
which he would look out on the world
as a possible millionaire.
He gazed over the old Square with
a feeling of regret at the thought of
leaving it. He had grown to love the
place in the past years of loneliness.
He had become personally acquainted
with every tree and shrub and every
limb of the nearby trees. He had
watched them grow from his window,
seen them sway in the storm, bow
beneath the ice, and grow into new
beauty and life each spring. He was
J ?|J1__ * xorhono Thprc
UfL'IUlIig IUU OUWII, |/VI iiupw. .....
were some features of Bivens's business
he must understand more clearly
before he could give up his freedom
and devote himself body and soul to
the task of money-making as his associate.
He resolved to make his decision
with deliberation. But if he should go
in for money, he wouldn't forget his
old friends, nor would he leave Wash- i
ington Square. He would buy that
corner plot on Fifth Avenue across the
way for his house. There should be
two beautiful suites in it for the doc- <
tor and Harriet, and from their win- 1
dows they could always see the. old
home on the other side. He would buy '
the two adjoining houses, turn them i
into a sanitarium, endow it and place <
the doctor In charge. And he would I
give him a fund of ten thousand a
year for his outside work among the l
poor.
He woke from his reverie with a
start and looked at his watch to find he
had been standing there dreaming for
half an hour. He hurried across the <
Square to take a cab at the Brevoort. '
His mood was buoyant. He was 1
I *>? > Ufa nrtftx mnrp throueh
IUUMI15 WUI v?? IKV V..V? w__
rose-tinted glasses. At Eight street he I
met at right angles the swarming thou- i
sands hurrying across town from their
work?heavy looking men who tramp- i
ed with tired 9tep, striking the pavements
dully with their nailed shoes,
tired anxious women, frouzle-headed
little girls, sad-eyed boys half-awake
?all hurrying, the fear of want and the
horror of charity in their silent faces.
And yet the sight touched no responsive
chord of sympathy in Stuart's
heart as it often hud. Tonight he sawonly
the thing that is and felt that it
was good.
He pushed his way through the
shabby throng, found a cab, sprang in
and gave his order to the driver. A
row of taxicabs stood by the curb. He
took an old-fashioned hansom from
choice. It seemed to link the present
moment of his life to the memory of
some wonderful hours he had spent,
up tneir noses uemnu my wick anu
marvel at my low origin and speak in
bated whispers about my questionable
financial strokes?all have their little
secrets. For my own comfort I've made
a special study of great fortunes in
America. The funny thing is that
apparently every one of them was
founded on some questionable trick
of trade."
"Not every one, surely."
"In my study of the subflect I ran
across a brilliant young Socialist by
the name of Gustavus who has devoted
his life to the study of the o ein of
these fortunes. He has written a book
about them. I have read it in manuscript.
It will fill four volumes when
completed. Honestly I've laughed over
it until I cried. For instance, speaking
of the devil, here comes Major
Viking. His people are no longer in
trade. Such vulgarity is beneath them.
He comes here because I'm supposed to
be worth a hundred million and belong
to the inner circle of the elect. There
are less than two dozen of us, you
know."
"Delighted to greet you, major. My
old friend and college mate, James
Stuart."
The proud head of the house of Vik
with Nan by his side, years agu.
As the cab whirled up Fifth Avenue
he leaned back in his seat with a feeling
of glowing satisfaction with himself
and the world. The shadows of a
beautiful spring night slowly deepened
as the city drew her shining mantle of
light about her proud form. The
Avenue flashed with swift silent automobiles
and blooded horses. These
uptown crowds through whose rushing
streams he passed were all well dressed
and carried bundles of candy, flowers
and toys. The newsboys were already
crying extras with glowing advance
accounts of the banquet and
ball.
Stuart felt the contagious enthusiasm
of thousands of prosperous men
and women whose lives at the moment
flowed about and enveloped his own.
This was a pretty fine old world after
Ul. and New York the only town worth
living in.
And what was it that made the difference
between the squalid atmosphere
below Fourth street and the
glowing, hashing, radiant, jeweled
world up-town? Money! It meant
purple and fine linen, delicacies of food
and drink, pulsing machines that
could make a mile a minute, high-stepping
horses and high-bred dogs, music
and dancing, joy and laughter, sport
and adventure, the mountain and the
sea, freedom from care, fear, drudgery
and slavery!
After all in this modern passion for
money might there not be something
deeper than mere greed; perhaps 'he
regenerating power of the spirit pressing
man upward? Certainly he could
only see the nrignt side <>i u lomgni
and the wonder grew on him that he
had lived for twenty-five years in a
fog of sentiment and ignored deliberately
the biggest fact of the century,
while the simpler mind of the poor
white boy in Bivens had grasped the
truth at once and built his life squarely
on it from the beginning. Well,
he had set his mind to it at last in
time to reach the highest goal of success.
if he so willed. For that lie was
thankful.
As fcis cab swung into Riverside
Drive from Seventy-second street the
sight which greeted him was one of
startling splendor.
Bivens's yacht lay at anchor in the
river just in front of his house. She
was festooned with electric lights from
the water line to the top of her towering
steel masts. From every shroud
and halyard hung garlands of light,
and the flags which flew from her
peaks were illumined with waving red,
white and blue colors. From the water's
edge floated the songs of Venetian
gondoliers imported from Italy
for the night's festival, moving back
and forth from the yacht.
rQFlraS
= ?
AS DIXON ^
y Thomas Dixon.
The illumination of the exterior of
the Bivens house was remarkable. The
stone and iron fence surrounding the
block, which had been built at a cost
of a hundred thousand dollars, was
literally ablaze with lights. Garlands
of tiny electric bulbs had been fasten
ed on every Iron picket, post and cross
bar, and the most wonderful effect of
all had been achieved by leading these
garlands of light along the lines of cement
in the massive granite walls on
which the iron stanchions rested. The
effect was a triumph of artistic skill, a
flashing electric fence built on huge
boulders of light.
The house was illumined from its
foundations to the top of each towering
minaret with ruby-colored lights.
Each window, door, cornice, column
and line of wall glowed in soft red.
The palace gleamed in the darkness
like a huge oriental ruby set in diamonds.
Stuart passed up the grand stairs
through a row of gorgeous flunkies
and greeted his hostess.
Nan grasped his hand with a smile
of Joy.
"You are to lead me in to dinner,
Jim, at the stroke of eight."
"I'll not forget," Stuart answered,
his face flushing with surprise at the
unexpected honor.
"Cal wishes to see you at once. You
will find him In the library."
Bivens met him at the door.
"Ah, there you are!" he cried cordially.
"Come back down stairs with
me. I want you to see some people
as they come in tonight. I've a lot of
funny things to tell you about them."
The house was crowded with an
army of servants, attendants, musicians,
singers, entertainers and reporters.
The doctor had been recognized by
one of the butlers whom he had befriended
on his arrival from the Old
World. The grateful fellow had gone
out of the way to make him at home,
and in his enthusiasm had put an alcove
which opened off the ball room at
bis and Harriet's disposal. The doctor
was elated at this evidence of Bivens's
good feeling and again congratulated
himself on his common sense in coming.
Bivens led Stuart to a position near
the grand stairway, from which he
could greet his guests as they returned
from their formal presentation to
the hostess.
He kept up a running fire of biographical
comment which amused Stu
art beyond measure.
"That fellow, Jim," he whispered, as
a tall finely groomed man passed and
touched his hand, "that fellow is as
slick a political grafter as ever stole
the ear-rings from the sleeping form
of a fallen angel. He levies blackmail
on almost every crime named in the
code. But you can't prove it in court
and he's worth millions. His influence
on legislation is enormous and he can't
be ignored. He's one of the kind who
like this sort of thing, and he goes
everywhere. Money is power. No
matter how you get it. Once gotten,
it's divine. Call the man a thief and
grafter if you will, but the laws of
centuries protect him. There are no
rights now except property rights. I'd
like to kick him out of the house. I'd
as lief a toad or a lizard touched my
wife's hand, but he's here tonight, well,
because I'm afraid of him."
Stuart nodded.
"Yes. I tried to send the gentleman
to the penitentiary last year."
"But you didn't even get on speak*
AiA lfnii 0??
lug uisioiar ....... u.v.
"No, and?"
"You bet you didn't; he's a lawyer
himself."
"I thought he smiled when he shook
hands."
"You remember that old Latin proverb
we used to get off at college? I
was punk in Latin, but I never forgot
that? 'Harus pex ad harus picem*
when one priest meets another it's to
smile! The lawyers are the high priests
of the modern world. Only the women
support the church."
"At least we can thank God there are
only a few such men who force their
way into decent society."
"I guess you are right," Bivens answered,
"and he couldn't do it by the
brute power of his money only. He
has brains and culture combined
with the daring of the devil. Still, Jim,
most of the big bugs who come here
tonight live in glass houses and have
long ago learned that it don't pay to
throw stones."
A titled nobleman passed, and Bivens
winked.
"The poor we have with us always!"
Stuart smiled and returned at once
to the point.
"Just what did you mean by }hat last
remark about glass houses?"
"Simply this, old man, that all these
high-browed society people wno turn
ing grasped Stuart's hand and gave
It a friendly shake. His manner was
simple, unaffected, manly and the
bronzed look of his face told Its story
of life in the open.
"Not our distinguished young district
attorney whom the politicians had
to get rid of?" he asked in tones of
surprise and pleasure.
"The very same," Bivens answered
gravely.
The major gripped Stuart's hand a
second time.
"Then I want to shake again and offer
you my congratulations on the service
you have rendered the nation.
It's an honor to know you, sir."
Stuart was too much amazed at such
a speech to reply before the tall figure
had disappeared.
Bivens pressed his arm.
"That's why I could afford to pay
you a million a year."
"You don't mean to say that his
fortune is streaked with the stain of
fraud?" Stuart asked, in low tones.
"Certainly. Personally, he's a fine
fellow. He's a big man and lives in
a big world. His fortune is not less
than two hundred million, securely
salted down in gilt-edged real estate,
most of It. But the original fortune
was made by fraud and violence in the
old days of colonial history. The elder
Viking was a furrier. The fur
trade was enormously profitable.
Why? Because the whole scheme was
built on the simple process by which
an Indian was made drunk and in one
brief hour cheated out of the results
of a year's work. His agents never
paid money for skins. They first used
whisky to blind their victims and then
traded worthless beads and trinkets
for priceless treasures of fur. And on
such a foundation was the great house
founded."
"It's incredible."
"The facts have been pubiisnea. it
they were not true the publisher could
be driven out of business. The Vikings
maintain a dignified silence.
They have to do it, but softly, here is
the head of the house of Black Friday.
Everybody knows about his father's
sins. Yet he was the friend and comrade
of the great who were canonized
while he was cannonaded. Good fellow,
too, all the same breed when you
come right down to it, only some of
them have the genius for getting away
with the goods and saving their reputations
at the same time."
"For instance?" Stuart asked.
Bivens craned his neck toward the
stairs.
"There's one of them, now, one of the
great railroad kings, not one of your
western bounders, but the real Eastern,
New York patriotic brand, one of
the brave, daring pioneers who risked
all to push great transcontinental railroads
through the trackless deserts of
he west?with millions furnished by
the government?which they dumped
into their own pockets while the world
was shouting their praises for developing
the nation's resources.
"My friend, Mr. Jaines Stuart, Mr.
Van Dam."
It was with difficulty that the young
lawyer kept his face straight during
those introductions.
Van Dam bowed with grave courtesy,
and when he was beyond the
reach of Bivens's voice the little dark
biographer went on:
"Old Van Dam, the founder of the
house, whose palaces now crowd Fifth
Avenue, was a plain-spoken, hardswearing,
God-fearing, man-hating
old scoundrel who put on no airs, but
simply went for what he wanted and
got it. He was the first big transportation
king we developed. His fortune
was founded on the twin arts of bribery
and blackmail. The lobby he
maintained in secret collusion with his
alleged rivals in Washington while he
was working his subsidy bills through
congress was a wonder, even in its
day. He and his rival with two gangs
of thieves publicly lobbying against
each other met In secret and divided
the spoils when the campaign was
over. If a real rival succeeded in
getting a government subsidy for a
transportation line in wnicn ne naa no
share, his procedure was always the
same; he began the construction or
equipment of a rival line until they
bought him off by a big payment of
monthly blackmail. His income from
blackmail alone was frequently more
than a million a year. His sons are
fine fellows and doubled the old man's
millions in bigger, cleaner ways, as I've
doubled mine. But it gives me a pain
when these men begin to nose around,
inquiring about my early history."
"Well, Cal," Stuart broke in with a
laugh, "the one thing I like about you
is that you have never been ashamed
of your humble origin."
"Still I'm not without my weak
spot, even there, Jim," the little man
said, with an accent of pain that startled
Stuart.
"What do you mean?"
"You see that bunch of newspaper
reporters over there? They are the
ghosts that haunt my dreams. Oh, not
what they'll say in their dirty papers.
We can control that, we own them.
But there's a magazine muekraker
among them. He has nosed his way in
here tonight as a reporter, for some
devilish purpose. He has been down
in North Carolina, moving heaven and
earth to find my poor old father and
mother and get under my hide with a
biographical sketch. He has written
a volume of lies about them already?
but list, here's another one of the great
ones you must know, old Grantly, the
proud possessor or a ioriune maue in
the services of the nation for the nominal
consideration of SO per cent profit,
a typical civil war nabob."
Bivens bowed with exaggerated
courtesy to the great man, introduced
him and said with a quiet sneer:
"The kind that makes me really sick
is the patriotic poser. I suppose it was
because my dad wasn't a very brave
soldier." He laughed quietly. "Remember
the day you knocked those
brutes down at college for forcing me
to make a speech in praise of my father's
heroism? I could have died for
you that day, Jim."
"Oh. that was nothing," Stuart protested
lightly.
"To you, maybe, but to me?well, as
I was saying the great man who just
passed is very proud, not only because
he is a multi-millionaire, but because
his house is supposed to be one
of the pillars of the nation. The truth
is that during the civil war he formed
a 'Union Defense Committee' and raised
funds to carry on the war. Incidentally?quite
incidentally, of course?he
got contracts for supplies from the
government and made millions by th
frauds he practised. One of his tricks
was the importation of worthless arms
from Rurope which he sold the government
at enormous profits. He made
more than a half-million selling these
worthless guns to the state authorities
of the north. The Hall Carbine was
his favorite weapon, a gun that would
blow the fingers off the soldiers who
tried to shoot it, but was never known
to do any harm to the man who stood
in front of it. I never knew what the
fellow meant when he said 'Patriotism
is the last refuge of a scoundrel,' until
I became personally acquainted with
that gentleman."
Bivens bent low and whispered:
"The sweetest memory of my life is
that I pulled a couple of millions of
wool out of his hide In the recent
panic. Jim, you love to hunt. You
don't know what real sport is until you
jump a skunk like that in a panic.
You go all the way to Virginia to shoot
ducks. When you get to my office in
Wall street I'll take you on a hunt you'll
not forget. What's the use to waste
your time for a whole day trying to
kill a poor little duck when there are
hundreds of big, fat, juicy animals like
that roaming around loose in New
York!"
"I see," Stuart laughed, "that's what
you mean by the game."
"Surely, m" boy?It's the only game
worth playing, this big red game of
life and death with a two-footed human
beast the quarry."
Bivens's little swarthy figure suddenly
stiffened and his black eyes
flashed. He looked up the stairs and
a smile lighted his face.
"Now, Jim, here comes one Into
whose hide I know you'd enjoy putting
a harpoon?a pillar of the church.
Look at the cut of those solemn Presbyterian
whiskers. It makes me faint
to remember how many times I've tried
and failed to get my hooks Into him. I
know you could land the deacon. I'd
joyfully give you a million just to see
him wriggle in my hands."
Bivens grasped his hand with pious
unction.
"A glorious night, deacon. I know
you won't stay for the ball, but if you'll
do justice to the dinner I'll forgive
you."
The deacon murmured his thanks
and hurried on.
"It's evident that however much he
loves the Lord he don't love you, Cal."
"No, he's just afraid of me. That's
why he came tonight Jim, If you can
get even with him for me, I'd give
you the half of my kingdom."
"Why don't you like him?"
"Because he has slipped through my
hands like an eel every time I thought
I had him. His specialty is piety.
| That makes me tired. I'm a church
member myself, but I don't trade on
. my piety."
"Well, there couldn't have been anything
crooked about his fortune?"
Bivens chuckled softly.
"No. It was a masterpiece of fine
art! His father was the original founder
of the importing trade graft. He
was the first man to discover that a
colossal fortune could be made over
night by swindling the United States
envernnii?ut at the DOrt of New York.
His people have been noted for their
solid and substantial standing1 in the
business world. The head of the house
was known as the premier among the
high-toned business men of the old
school. His family set up his statue
in a public square in New York. I
suppose they bribed the city fathers to
get a permit. Well, one day before
this statue was unveiled a plain little
honest fool of a U. S. treasury agent
got onto the old man's curves and the
government brought suit for a part of
what he had stolen. Old William
Crookes paid into the treasury the
neat sum of one million and compromised
the case. Some of his modern
imitators with their false weights and
scales haven't been so wise."
"The world has never heard of this
?that's funny!" Stuart exclaimed.
"Not so funny, Jim, when you think
of the power of money to make the
world forget. God only knows how
many fortunes In America had their
origin in thefts from the nation during
the civil war, and the systematic
frauds that have been practised on
our government since. I've turned
some pretty sharp tricks, Jim, In
stalking my game in this big manhunt
of Wall street, but at least I've
never robbed the wounded or the dead
on a battlefield and I've never used a
1- Intn vnvorn.
IOI.ICII, I" < ...v? w.._ D~..
ment vaults at Washington. I'm not
asking you to stand for that."
"If you did?"
"Yes, I know the answer, but speak
softly, his majesty the king approaches
? long live the king!"
Bivens spoke in low, half-joking
tones, but the excitement of his voice
told Stuart only too plainly that he
fully appreciated the royal honor his
majesty was paying in this the first
social visit he had ever made to his
home.
The little financier's eyes danced
with pleasure and his delicate hand
trembled as he extended it to the great
one.
The king gave him a pleasant nod
and grasped Stuart's hand with a
hearty cordial grip. He was a man of
few words, but he always said exactly
what he thought.
"I'm glad to meet you, Mr. Stuart.
You've done us a good turn in sending
some of our crooks to the penitentiary.
You've cleared the air and made
w ?r>??iiiiA for an old-fashioned bank
er to breathe in New York. It's a
pleasure to shake hands with you."
The king passed on into the crowd,
the focus of a hundred admiring eyes.
Bivens could scarcely believe his ears
when he listened with open mouth
while his majesty spoke to Stuart.
"Great Scott, Jim!" he gasped at
last. "That's the longest speech I ever
heard him make. I knew you had scored
the biggest hit any lawyer has
made in this town in a generation, but
I never dreamed you'd capture the
king's imagination. I'm beginning to
think my offer wasn't so generous after
all. Look here, you've got to promise
me one thing right now. When
you do go in to make your pile it shall
be with me and no other man."
Nan passed and threw him a gracious
smile.
"It will be with you, if I go, Cal, 1
promise."
"Well, it's settled, then. Your word's
as good as a government bond. His
majesty is in a gracious mood tonight
Watch him unbend and chat with the
boys."
s "At least, Cal," Stuart broke in, jc'
i Ingly, "there's one exception to your i
i indictment of all great fortunes."
"That's the funniest thing of all,"
> Blvens whispered. "He's not an ex>
ceptlon. Understand, I'm loyal to the ^
i king. He's a wonder. I like him. I
i like his big head, his big shaggy
1 eyebrows, his big hands and big feet.
i I like to hear him growl and snap his ^
i answer?'Yes', 'No'?that means life ^
or death to men who kneel at his feet. .
ta
He's a dead game sport. But he, too,
has his little blots in his early copy- ^
books at school if you care to turn the
pages."
"No!" Stuart interrupted, incredu- ?
vv
lously.
Bivens glanced about to make sure
he could not be overheard and continued
In low tones.
"Yes, sir, he turned the Bllckest trick j
on Uncle Sam of all the bun^h. He ^
was a youngster and it was his first
deal. When the civil war bvoke out re
the government had no guns for the
volunteers. He learned that there were
arc
5,tyD0 old Hall carbines stored away
ai*ong the junk in one of the national
CO
arsenals In New York. He bought ^
these guns (on a credit) for a song?
about $3 apiece?and shipped them to ^
General Fremont, who was in St. ^
Louis for arms. Fremont agreed to ^
pa^ $22.50 each for the new rifles and ^
closed the deal at once by drawing on ,
i Icj
the government for enough to enable
the young buccaneer to pay his $3contract
price to Uncle Sam In New
Yofrk and lay aside a snug sum for a ^
rainy day besides.
fco
hen Fremont found that the guns
we^e worthless, he advised the government
to stop payment on the balance.
It was stopped on the ground of
fraud. And then the youngster show- ^
ed the stuff he was made of. Did he
crawl and apologize? Not much. He
sued the United States government ?
for the full amount and pushed that
CO
suit to the supreme court. In the face
W!
of the sneers of his enemies he won, "
and took the full amount with inter- cc
tr
eat He's the king today because he
was born a king. His father was a
millionaire before him. He's the great- t0
est financial genius of the century." V
Bivens paused and a dreamy look *?
came into the black eyes.
'{Jim," he continued with slow em- m
phisis. "I'd rather get my fingers on g(
his. throat in a death-struggle than vc
lead the combined armies of the world
to victory."
Stuart was silent.
The financier moved uneasily and
asked:
"What are you brooding over now?" 88
"I was Just wondering why the devil yc
you've taken the pains to tell me all e*
these incredible stories about the great
ones here tonight?" 8,1
"And I answer with perfect frankness.
When you come in with me It
must be with your whole soul, without n?
a single reservation. When It comes bl
to the critical moment of your declsion
It may turn on a sentimental whim te
?a question of high-browed honor. I fa
want you to come with your eyes wide
open. I want you to know that I'm no th
better, no worse, than the best of the 44
big ones whose names fill the world w
with awe. Every word I've told you m
about them is true and a great deal c0
more that will never be told; and
mind you there's not a Jew among the w
fellows I've sketched. There are two
men in New York of old Scotch ances- m
try who have more money than the ge
whole Hebrew race in America." se
"The stuff you've told me seems be
yond belief." ar
"Exactly. That's why I wanted you "
to know. The truth is, Jim, you'd Just as
as well face it at once. I am asking
you to resign your place in the old SF
academic world to enter commerce, the
real modern world. Pommerce is built
on the power to over-reach. Isn't deceit
the foundation of all successful
trade? The butcher, the baker, the
candle-stick maker, the banker, the Yi
broker?their business is all alike. A
trader is a trader, one who clutches
and fights his competitor and lays
traps for his customers, In short, his ^
victims. A trader is one who by hook
or crook beats down the price at which
he will buy below its market value and ^
marks It up to the limit of his victim's
credulity when he sells. That's the
grain of truth beneath the mountain of ^
chaff in the old aristocratic hatred of ^
people who are in trade. The world
has outgrown this hatred. The age of
the aristocrat is past." J
"I'm not so sure of that," Stuart answered,
thoroughfully. "The old aris- ^
tocracy had their weaknesses. They
C
were always gamblers and the devotees
of licentiousness. But they despised
lying and stealing. And the
feudal code of the old patrician bred a
high type of man. The new code of
the liar has not yet made this demonstration.
The grace, elegance, breeding
and culture of the past are no longer
binding laws on the new masters
of the world. I think you may get on
a while without the patrician, but the *.r
fr
question is how long can you live
without his virtues?" m
IS
An answer was on Bivens's lips
when the soft tones of hidden oriental w'
gongs began to chime the call for din- 8
ner. The chimes melted into a beautiful
piece of orchestral music which 8,;
seemed to steal from the sky, so skil19
fully had the musicians been concealed.
lU
Ci
Nan suddenly appeared by Stuart's
side, and he was given the honor of ',?
leading his hostess into the banquet
hall, before even the king, while the T'
great ones of earth slowly followed.
/nv? f~*rin H n 11 Prll
\ J. V? t?v ,
th
? Cipriano Castro, the noted ex-pres- C
ident of Venezuela, is giving some
concern to that government, more be- ,
i b<
cause the Venezuelans do not know
i tr
what he is doing than because they are
aware of his movements. The govern,
ment is anxious to learn his where- ?
E
abouts. as it has been informed that
^ Castro is planning a revolution against
the administration of President Gomez.
| The sudden and complete disappear- 11
ance of Castro from Las Palmas, Ca- sc
1 nary Islands and his reported sailing, 31
ostensibly for Havana, have caused pc
some anxiety, although the govern- ^
ment announces that it is fully pre1
pared to meet any armed invasion.
I At Washington the latest advices of the es
state department indicate that Castro di
, is still in Lisbon. The department is
closely watching his movements and
relying upon the co-operation of other 31
[ governments to prevent his return to M
Venezuela. When his present activity w
was first rumored it was reported that
he was bound for Cuba to operate '
1 against Venezuela. The department
, communicated with the Cuban govern- of
, ment and received assurances that any
such designs would be quickly frustrated.
ai
pisttUaneous grading.
WILSON ON LAWYERS.
ew Jersey's Big Governor Tells Some
Plain, Blunt Truths.
Gov. Woodrow Wilson spoke recently
i the New Jersey Bar association and
s address must have been painfully
ank to the legal fraternity. It cer.Inly
Is refreshing to the people of
le country to have their case against
ie delays and technicalities of the
w as practiced by modern lawyers
it an rilnlnlv and forcefullv. Gov.
rl1son, among other things, said:
"The people of the United States are
a very critical mood as to the
lurts," said Gov. Wilson, "and while
e respect for the courts Is Inherent
us all, It certainly has been strainI.
As for myself, I have a deepated,
I might say an Incorrigible,
verence for the courts.
"When I look around me," said the
vernor, "It astonishes me to think
what I might have come If I had
intlnued the practice of law. Still, I
ive been teaching law all my life and
ive been In touch with the currents
lawyers' thinking. This profession
ls not undergone the same llberallzg
in this country of ours that has atnded
It In other countries. In Amera
alone has It remained a truly techcal
profession.
"It used to be that the lawyer occued
a position analogous to that of the
mlly physician. He was the special
iunsel of the citizen, the family and
communities. He Is that no longer,
e deserved the confidence that was
ven to him then.
"There are a few men who still bear
at relation, but they are very few.
9U here before me are specialists in
chnical advice along very narrow
les. Most of you are advisers of the
irporations. I know many lawyers
ho, when a general law question
imes up, are obliged to go out and
y to find a lawyer.
"The task that is on my shoulders,
find a man suitable for judge, is a
;ry hard one. The field, I may say
you, Is getting mighty small. If you
ive to get a Judge you must find a
an that knows the general law. It is
Jttlng so that you have to catch 'em
>ung and make them judges.
"The community does not any longregard
you lawyers as a body of
tides of its affairs. The trouble is
at you have abandoned statesmanilp
to climb to technicality. I am not
ylng this by way of criticism, but
>u are now in the business of giving
:pert advice of technical matters,
his I may say to you is not a profeson
any longer; it is a business.
"We have intensified our technlcalles.
We have constructed so impregible
a tangle of technicality, an amlsh
of technicality that surrounds
e law and the courts that we must
ar the veil away In order to see the
ee of the facts.
"We must tear away the shell to get
e kernel, and It seems to the people
i if It were all shell, and as If there
asn't going to be any core. Now, you
ay restore your profession to the
infldence of the people, If you will,
ou may do It In a single year, If you
ant It done. Why do you not do It?
ou say you are acting for the comunlty.
If you are, why do you not
t rid of the technicalities Instead of
tting up difficulties anew.
"Let me say that these difficulties
id technicalities will be torn away,
this change is wrought without your
isistance, it will be wrought to.your
scredit. There is no mistaking the
tirit of the times. If that spirit Is
istile to institutions, those instituons
will fall."?Augusta Chronicle.
THE VALUE OF THE HEN.
ear's Egg Crop Will Bring A Billion
Dollars.
A billion dollars is set down as the
ilue of the poultry and egg products
the United States for the present
*ar, as estimated by the 1911 catogue
of an Incubator company, says
e New York Sun.
The United States census of 1900
ive the value of poultry and eggs at
80,686,429. In 1905, according to the
nth annual report of Secretary Wilm,
of the department of agriculture,
>ultry products had "climbed to a
ace of more than half a billion dolrs
in value," so that the farmers'
>n now competed with wheat for presence;
while at a banquet given by
e Washington Poultry association In
ecernber, 1909, Secretary Wilson said
lat "the poultry and egg products of
ie United States in 1908 amounted to
00,000,000, and were second only to
ie corn crop in value."
The catalogue goes on to say that tola
supplied by the government sho.v
iat in 1905, 1906 and 1907, the inease
was 50 per cent more rapid than
om 1HUU lO IttlH, a[1(1 u una laic ui
ore rapid increase was kept up for
OS, 1909 and 1910, as no doubt it
as, then it Is clear that in 1911 we
tall have a billion dollar poultry inistry,
and with a good margin to
tare."
Regular poultry courses are now
ught at more than twenty agriculral
colleges of the United States aid
inada, and graduates In poultry husmdry
are now receiving diplomas at
le rate of several thousand each year
tiese graduates are returning to the
rms of the country to raise more an 1
'tter poultry by improved methods, or
ley are taking places as professional
>ultrymen or starting plants of their
vn.
It is stated that probably more ar.d
tter poultry, especially dressed pouly,
is delivered daily at Faneuil and
uincy markets, Boston, than to any
her market place in the world. "New
ngland was the cradle of the poultry
dustry in North America and the
>ultry growers of that section have
illy held their own both in the
ience of breeding exhibition quality
id in the production of prime table
lultry, including broilers, capons and
le famous soutn snore son roasters,
hese soft roasters retail at $2.50 to $4
ich at weights of six to ten pounds,
essed."
Hundreds of carloads of live poultry
e shipped east from Indiana, Illinois,
issouri, Iowa, Kansas and other midest
states. More than 800 regular
mltry cars are now employed in this
rvice. Ten years ago the number
' these cars was less than 200.
More than 2,000 poultry exhibitions
e now held each year in the United
States, including fall fairs and winter
poultry shows. The different
branches of poultry raising as a business
include the operation of broiler
and roaster plants, eggs farms, duck
ranches, the sale of day old chicks,
custom hatching, the work of fanciers
and so on, the successful fancier being
now known more generally as a poultry
breeder, because of the increase in
the commercial value of his work.
There are now thousands of experienced
poultrymen in the United
States and Canada who make a regular
business of breeding standard bred
fowls, their annual production varying
from small flocks to thousands of birds.
Prices obtained for this stock range
from $1 to $100 a head, with occasional
sales reaching such figures as $200,
$300, $500, $800, $1,000 and even $1,500
for extra choice breeding stock or exhibition
specimens. Similar prices
now prevail in England also for exceptional
quality.
Eggs for hatching from standard
bred fowls now sell freely at prices
tnat would nave been declared impossible
twenty or thirty years ago. Customary
prices range from $1 for thirteen
eggs to as much as $10 an egg.
One poultryman sold 4,534 eggs last
winter and spring for $9,068, at the
rate of $2 an egg. Some specialists of
popular varieties now receive from $1
to $5 each for hatching eggs from
choicest specimens, and the demand
for them is greater than the supply.
Day old chicks now sell in great numbers
at from 10 cents to $5 each, according
to the quality of the parent
stock.
But it is still the poultry produced
annually on the farms of the United
States that form the solid foundation
of the country's great poultry business.
The poultry fancier, so called,
has done and will continue to do a
great work, but the farmer is the natural
poultryman, and It is on the
farms of America that the thousands
of tons of poultry meat are produced
and the millions of dozens of eggs are
laid aooVi voop T t la tho formftr and
his everyday helpers who are sending
to market the tralnloads of poultry and
egg products, it (is the farm product
that must be considered in tabulating
the immense figures that pile up into
a billion dollar poultry Industry.
KIDNAPPING KINGS.
Many Attempts Made to Change Dy?
nasties.
Not only Is the kidnapping of a ruler
or of a scion of royalty an ever
present peril and a source of Intense
anxiety to the police of Europe, but
it also adds not a little to the cares
and worries of royal parent/:. It Is
difficult, however, for people in this
country, when we consider the freedom
enjoyed by the children of King
Oeorge and Queen Mary, to imagine
the fear which haunts such royal parents
as the czar and czarina, the king
and queen of Italy and King Alfonso
and Queen Victoria of Spain. It is in
such countries of unrest and intrigue
that the plans of kidnappers of royalty
have to be guarded against as much
as the plots of assassins, and night
and day the royal children are guarded
by trusted servants.
By stealing a member of a royal
house, political plotters, of course,
mlcht ho nhlo tn rhaneo a dvnastv:
and it was generally believed that the
unsuccessful attempt to kidnap King
Alfonso when he was four years of
age was the result of a plot of the
more advanced members of the Carlist
party, who believed that by carrying
the little fellow off and holding
him for ransom they would be able to
induce his mother to surrender, In his
name, the throne to the Legitimist
party.
One of the most daring of kidnapping
plots was that which resulted In
Prince Alexander of Bulgaria being
seized on the night of August 21, 1886,
a year before he abdicated, and carried
off into Russian territory until
the protests which reached the czar
from nearly every foreign coUit in
Europe led him a few days later to
order the prince's release and safe
conduct to the frontier. The cause of
the kidnapping was to be found In the
fact that Prince Alexander, who owed
his election to the rulershlp of Bulgaria
to the backing of Russia, refused
to redeem certain promises which
he had made to Alexander III. and his
government. Doubtless It was hoped
to force the prince to keep his prom
ises by a period of captivity. As a
matter of fact it has often been said
that he abdicated because of a pledge
extorted from him by kidnappers
while he was in their hands.
Prince Alexander was succeeded by
Prince Ferdinand, who has on two
occasions been in danger of kidnapping
by plotters among his own subjects,
who dissatisfied with his rule,
arranged to seize him at night and
convey him to the mountain fastnesses
on the Macedonian border and to extort
from him there his abdication of
the throne. Failing in this, they have
endeavored to kidnap his children,
and in 1900, when the young crown
Prince Boris and his brother Cyril
were six and five years of age respectively,
a determined attempt was made
to kidnap the boys from Sandrovo,
the favorite country seat of Prince
Ferdinand.
The little boys were at play when
suddenly there appeared on the scene
some men in Macedonian garb who
seized the children in their arms and
rushed toward the hills, but the attendants
were quickly in pursuit and
the men were compelled to abandon
the children before they had gone
very far. One of them was shot, and
from him the details of the conspiracy
were obtained.
A remarkable story of how the Fenians
plotted to kidnap Queen Victoria
on the occasion of her visit to Ire*
1 1 ? 41 1 fllQ U'QQ rp.
lanu in llie uuiunni VI - vealed
at the trial of John O'Leary,
the famous Fenian leader, who died
in Dublin a year or two ago. The
plan was to kidnap the queen while
she was visiting the country seats of
the Duke of Leinster and several
other Irish noblemen and carry her
majesty off to some fastness in the
Micklow mountains, there to hold her
prisoner until her ransom was paid in
the form of home rule for Ireland. It
was a wildcat scheme, but would
nevertheless have been carried out
had it not been for the sudden illness
of one of the leaders of the plot.
Louis II. King of Bavaria, the predecessor
of the present mad King
Otto, in 1886 conceived a plot for kidnapping
the present king of Italy.
King Louis's idea was to capture the
young crown prince, as he then was,
and carry him off across the border to
some remote castle of the Bavarian
Tyrol and keep him there in captivity
until his father, the late King Humbert,
consented to restore Rome to
the papacy and to withdraw from the
Eternal City. It was really the discovery
of this plot which led the Bavarian
cabinet to place King Louis
under restraint.?Tit-Bits.
TRAVELING TOO FA8T.
Some People 8ay Swearingen Charged
Graft When He Didn't.
The following editorial article from
the Anderson Daily Mall is chiefly remarkable
for the number of misstatements
it contains:
"The Charleston News and Courier
has nominated Superintendent of Education
Swearingen for the governorship.
We do not take to this nomination
very enthusiastically. Mr. Swearingen
Is the right man In the right
place now, and if he can curb his Impulsiveness,
and refrain from charging
graft where graft doubtless never ex
loit-u, we wouia iavor retaining' mm as
superintendent of education."
The News and Courier has not nominated
Mr. Swearingen for the governorship.
It did say that it agreed
with The Yorkvllle Enquirer that if
Mr. Swearingen were a candidate for
the governorship he would receive a
handsome vote, and that if elected he
would make a good governor, but it
added that it thought that Mr. Swearingen
in his present position had ample
opportunity for the time being to
render effective public service. Mr.
Swearingen himself has stated, according
to a report printed in the Columbia
Record, that he does not intend
to become a candidate for governor.
Nevertheless, it is entirely possible
that he will be considered in this connection
In case Governor Blease offers
for re-election.
As to whether the News and Courier
would then consider it a duty to urge
Mr. Swearlngen to enter the contest is
a matter which the future must determine.
A number of gentlemen are
being spoken of in this connection?
Major Richards, and the Hon. T. O.
McLeod, and Lieutenant Governor
Smith and others?but it is entirely too
early as yet to give any serious attention
to the selection of a candidate.
We hope, however, that if Governor
Blease is in the held that those who
desire his defeat will unite upon a
single individual to oppose him. Surely
the people of South Carolina ought to
have learned by this time the folly of
splitting up the decent and enlightened
vote among several candidates. This
has been done repeatedly, with consequences
always regrettable and sometimes
disastrous.
As for the other point made by the
Mall, it only remains to be said that
Mr. Swearlngen has distinctly disclaimed
any charge of corruption. The
allegation he has brought against the
board is that in awarding the text
book contracts the board displayed "an
unjustifiable disregard of property
rights." This allegation has not been
preferred either hysterically or theatrically,
as the Mail suggests. Mr.
Swearlngen has shown that about 85
per cent of the books in use in the
public schools have been changed, and
that this change will involve a cost to
the public school patrons of fully 8204,*
000. He contends that this revolutionary
action was unwarranted. It would
certainly seem so.
Slurs at Mr. Swearlngen in the circumstances
are distinctly out of place.
He is one of our most capable public
officers and is trying to do his duty,
however disagreeable It may be.?
News and Courier.
? Columbia State: The Judgment
of the Lee county court has been af
nrmeu oy me supreme cuui t m mc
case of the State against Lena Smith.
The opinion is by Associate Justice
Woods. The appeal is from an order
of Judge Prince, quashing an indictment
for assault and battery with intent
to kill, on the ground that L A.
Morse, clerk of the court of common
pleas and general sessions for Lee
county, and ex-offlcio one of the jury
commissioners who had drawn the
grand jury presenting the indictment,
was an uncle of the wife of the prosecutor.
The circuit judge took the position
that it was in the exercise of
his discretion that he quashed the indictment
because of the relationship,
and he is upheld by the supreme
court. "The circuit court," says Associate
Justice Woods, "thus clearly
expressed that it was in the exercise
of his discretion that he quashed the
Indictment because of the relationship
of the clerk to the prosecutor. I
have held in this case what I meant
to hold in the case of the State vs.
Perry and the State vs. Henderson. It
seems that I did not make myself
clear in those cases. I thought in
the exercise of my discretion that a
man within the sixth degree was too
close to participate in the drawing of
the Jury. That is what I Intended to
hold and I am still of the opinion,
and I am certain that a man within
the third degree is too close kin. 1
think that we must not only deal
fairly with alleged criminals before
the courts, but we must appear to
deal fairly with them, so that the
public will not get an erroneous iueu.
that there was any unfairness committed
toward the parties." "After a
review of the case. Justice Gary for
the court thus states the rule in State
vs. Perry, 73 S. C.? 199. 'The correct
rule is that the consanguinity or
affinity must be such as would reasonably
lead to the presumption that
the jury commissioner would thereby
be affected in such manner as to impair
the proper discharge of his duties
and this fact must be determined
by the presiding judge in the exercise
of sound discretion. It would tend to
retard the trial of cases very much to
adopt any other rule.' It may be well
to remark that the trial judge in exercising
his discretion is not restricted
to the consideration of the degree
of relationship only. The court may
inquire whether the case had arisen
and whether the officer knew of his
pendency when the jury was drawn.
These and other pertinent inquiries,
in addition to the fact of relationship
may well enter into the exercise of the
discretion of the court. The trial
judge, in this instance, having exercised
a reasonable discretion in quashing
the indictment, this court can not
interfere. The judgment of this court
is that the Judgment of the circuit
court be affirmed."
When Knights Were Cold.?MontyMollycoddle
closed the window. Freddie
Freshair opened it. Then they
-? ~? ...k nlkur
iruwneu ai cav.11 uviivi.
"Do you mind lowering the window
old chap?" said Monty. "This weather's
exceedingly treacherous, and on
these chilly evenings one can't be too
careful."
"On the contrary," retorted Freddie,
"one can kill oneself with care."
"Yes; but It's easier to kill oneself
with a draught," observed Monty.
"Nonsense!" replied Freddie. "Look
at all these modern cranks, and compare
them with our splendid ancestors.
They don't stand comparison!
And our ancestors didn't take medicines,
or stay in stuffy rooms, or bind
their necks with woolen comforters
when they went out."
"I know they didn't," answered
Monty. "And where are they now,
old chap? All dead!"?Answers.