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IFHIE1T0 CiflllS. I P * Mkr * 5s uc * flinor Events of the Week In a # . ? Brief Form. Iff I * 5 1 ? i - Roper Fant. son of Superintendent ' Fan; and nephew of Major Pant, was kiik.'i at Ssntue by Brown Rodeers, j colored, Sunday night at 9 o'clock. i Brown Rodgers is a mulatto about 5 Icet 0 inches high and weighs about j 150 pounds. The killing occurred at j the house of a negress. Fant was on . the point of entering ihe house when j tie negro fire.', two shot* from with- (' in. either of \vhkh would have been j sufficient to produce death. The first < tO')!v OITCK't .li ICt* i.'It ui'L'Udi uau the heart. *he second entered , the ; n<\i of the reek at the base of the si.till. F?nt uird instant1.}. The J tnnrdercr tied leu inter surrendered to ( the authorities. Rod.gers is about 25 . years old. Tfie Odd Fellows of Columbia are i 1 looking forward to the meeting 01' their i 1 grand lodge which will ha hell in that ; < ity on the 12th and 13th of next 1 month. The grand lodge is purely a 1 business organization and is not out 2 fur pleasure as are some other soci- \ <-t!es?and for that reason a movement is <.n foot to have Columbia made the ' place at which the grand lodge will 1 men every year. The only celebration ( of any kind which will be held here 1 this year will be a reception tendered 1 !>v the local lodges on the night of 1 May 12th. J There is an insane Mormon eldr; in j the State hospital and the authorities ( ceo *a ??Ko* dn rln u*ith .ilit* .'u a. ^uauui; uo iu M uat iw v* ^ ...? , fejm. He attempted to commit a crim- ; j inqf assault near Lake City, a few i j weeks ago, and was all but killed by j < white men in whose presence the at- I ( tempt was made. There is no doubt ) nbout the condition of his mind; but ( \ .there is a State law against provid- j ( ins fqi' insane citizens of other States ; j In the State hospital .and it looks as ( if there is nothing to do for this fcl- < low, but to send him to Utah. Xin Oosnell died Monday night at J l is borne on Glassy mountain, about ] 25 miles from Greenville, near the j North Carolina line, ss a result of a M pistol shot wound in the head inflict- jJ < d Monday morning by an unknown j party. N'in Gosnell is supposed to have I 1 escaped several months ago from a ; 1 jai5 m North Carolina, where he was ; ' imprisoned for a certain crime. He was ], shot in the act of firing a brush pile by : <.r.n of four young men who came upon ' him. I Edgefield is aroused in the matter 1 <cf organizing an infantry company.: ; The organization of the Edgefield i Rifies antedates the Mexican war. and ; through all the intervening years, up ! ; to a short time ago, when the com- , nonr* fjyy enncoc wont tn niW'PS ! , it maintained organization and a ! high prestige, having in times of war and peace done active and valiant ser-1 -vice for the state and county. On the charge of infanticide three persons are in jail at Chesterfield, -John Horton, colored, who was captured in Georgia, and his accessories, Mary Jane Brown and her mother. The two last are white. These parties are all from an isolated section i of iho country, the same as where oc- j i nrred the dastardly murder c? Cassie ' Eoan three years ago. There was a light wreck on the Sealo:,rd near Mountville, Laurens couni ty, Monday afternoon, caused by a tail-end collision between a through freight .and a work train. Ine two had passed e: eh other, but several rear cars broke "loose from the freight and the work train backed ir.to them. Both cabs were destroyed by fire, but no one was imri. Ned Thompson, a negro, who was thought to be fatally cut by Joe W ingle at Florence, is doing nicely and v.ill recover as the result of a skillful operation performed by Dr. Gregg and others. The operation was a delicate one and required over two hours (o complete it. On the plantation of R. V,'. Hamilton, near Jonesville, two negroes had a difficulty and one of them felled the H-Uher with a large stick, and for a time the negro was thought to be dead, but later he revived and still lives. The nahies of the negroes could r.ot-be learned. A negro woman, living about three miles south of Yorkville, about two weeks ago gave birth to a child that bad only one hand. The left arm terminated at the wrist joint. The child is doing well. Major Thos. 0. Sanders, a prominent ritizc-a of Sumter county, and for r any years connected with the state agii-mlturaj society, died at his home near Ha #.od on Thursday of last week, aged 10 years. He was for many years a director of the State penitentiary. tuiraor reacnea L'ongnree recently to *the effect that a murder had been committed at Eastover on Saturday night; that a negro had killed another by means cf a blow upon the skull with a j aiiui. ice story was true, as lie slayer gave himself up. Alphas Bath, a stone cutter, died at 'Pu'-olet .Monday morning after a short .sickness and was buried by the stone cutters. Mr. Bath was a Cornishman and has a brother living near Boston. He wan <0 years of age and had no family. Adams Steele, colored, was committed to Yorkville jail on Monday by Magistrate Beckham, of Catawba town^ ship, on the charge of assault and battery with Intent to kill. Two Drowned. Henryville. Ind., Special.?A cloudburst at noon Sunday flooded this part of Ciark county and did great damage. The heavy fall of water has extended north as far as Sellcrsburg and Sevmcur. County Commissioner Raymond and wife were drowned while crossing Blue Lick creek. The waters rose so rapidly that the buggy was swept .away. Both bodies were recovered. SOUTH CAROLINA CROPS. Conditians Given in Weekly Bulletin. The week ending S a. m. Monday, April 6th. averaged about 2 degrees per day cooler than usual. due to low temperatures at its beginning and again at its close. while during the niddle of the week a few days had about normal temperatures. There was slightly more than the usual imoiint of cloudiness. The winds were ight until the night of the 3-4th. when easterly gales prevailed. Frost oecured on the morning of the 5th, light n places and generally heavy to kilfng. especially over the western routines. The resulting damage to fruit, obaceo. grain, gardens, truck and ten lor vegetation generally, oannoi now i )e accurately determined. but was not j serious as far as known. Heavy rains on the lif'th cf March, er.dered the grourd unlit lor plowing, farmwork was further delayed by :tin on the night of the 3rd. that caus?d the prv-paratioa of lands to be suspended for the remainder cf the week. The weather conditions since early n March have been favorable for the apid growth of vegetation, owing to hat month having been unusually ivarra, in fact the warmest March on ecord. but it was al3o unusually wet, tnd had an exceedingly email percentige of sunshine, and light winds. These latter conditions caused lands .0 dry out slowly, so that plowing and preparation of lands in general, were lelayed, making the season, to date, a ate one., except over the uplands of he eastern counties where the condiions were more favorable, and where planting operations are almost as far idvanced as usual. Rice is an excep:ion. as the low lying lands have been ontinuously too wet to work. In the eastern counties corn plantng is well underway, in places nearng completion, and some corn is up to stands. Some cotton has been planted. b?:t this work is not general. Tobacco plants in beds, are ready to :raasplant, and some have been set put. The acreage devoted to tobacco s beine increased and the territory ex ended well into the central and western counties. To the westward of a north and south ine through the middle of the State, little planting has been done, and preparation of lands scarcely begun, owing to the wet condition of the soil. Labor is scarce in some sections. The oats crop suffered severe injury Trom a grain louse that infests fields i:i the eastern, central and a few western counties. The plants turn red and soon wither where infested by the louse, fhe wheat crop looks fairly promising. The fruit prospects are good, with the exception cf regions in the central Savannah valley, where nearly all peaches are killed, and the crop will be ?. small one at best. The truck season is about two weeks earlier than usual, and heavy shipments of strawberries, asparagus, peas, cabbage, lettuce and beets are being made, but the recent cool weather affected tender vegetables unfavorably, necessitating much replanting. With the exception that the soil contains plenty of moisture, the conditions at the opening of the crop season are not entirely favorable. t, ^ ;???h 1 en i>g:rA vuuv^ivu. Charleston. Special.?In the city court 10 biind tigers were convicted of violating the dispensary law, one was acquitted and a mistrial was entered in the twelfth case, under peculiar circumstances. This was the case against R. E. McManus. He was to have been tried at the last term of the court, but the case was deferred 0:1 account of his alleged indisposition. When the evidence had bc-eu submitted and the,jury retiiecl. It was determined that the majority would rule and on ballot the jurors stood in favor cf conviction, with the exception of one man. The jury returned to the cour^ and handed in a verdict of "guilty." Juror Sigwalrt arose and announced to the court that the verdict was not his. and a discussion of the matter was entered into by the court, corporation counsel and attorney for McManus. Recorder Jervey finally decided to enter a mistrial on the docket, as the best way ou?. of the trouble. McManus recently achieved considerable notoriety by the porting of placards in the windows of his blind tiger, attacking Chief of Police Boyle.. The case against him was made out. however. previous to the posting of the indecent and offeus.ve placards. He will be tried at the next term of the ecurt in May. Admiral Belknap Eead. Washington, Special.?A dispatch was received at the Navy Department from Key W:st announcing the death of Rear Admiral George E. Belknap, U. S. N., retired. Death occurred of apoplexy. The deceased was detailed for duty in the execution of certain plans proposed by the general board for establishing a naval base. He v# III be buried at urooKiine, Mass. Will the Mills Have to Pay. Spartanburg, Special.?On next Tuesday afiernoon before Chief Justice Y. J. Pcpe. at chambers in Newberry, the motion to compel tne city council of Spartanburg and the two Spartan mills and Beaumont mill of this city to show cause why taxes have not been assessed end collected from the mi lis above mentioned will come up. Sease & Hcke are the attorneys for the citizens who brought about the action ?J. H. Milster and A. J. Abbott. It is claimed that the amount of taxation due the city, which has been exempted since 1S90 by ordinance of the council, by the mills above mentioned, will amount to about $55,000. The sequel of this intresting litigation is interestingly looked forward to. Democrats Carry St. Louis. St. Louis, Special?A light vote was polled here. A heavy rain set in just before the closing time. The election was for six councilmen, 28 members of the house of delegates, the upper branch of the city council, members of the school board and an inspector of weights and measures. Eighty-eight precincts, out of 333, give a Democratic majprity of 10,000 for the six councilmen to be elected. v ?. . jl . _ . - 10 PERSONS KILLED. A Path of Desolation Cut Across a Prosperous Farming Section. LITTLE ALABAMA TOWN RAZED. Besides Those Killed Outright. Three or Four Were Fatally and a Score Seriously Injured. Birmingham. Ala., Special.?Without a word of warning the little hamlet of Hopewell, foity inilcs north of this city and one mile from Hanceville, was sjvept away early Wednesday morning by a cyclone, which cut a path of desolation across a prosperous fanning section of Blount county. Ten persons were killed, three or four fatally and a score seriously injured. The dead: Nathan Grifiin. James Grffin, Henry McCoy and three children; C. C. Oden, a prominent planter, Heitc-r Oden. Miss Thclma Oden, Mrs. C. C. Oden. The Injured: A son and niece of Nathan Griffin, Mrs. Griffin, Mrs. Nora Oden, Mrs. Henry McCoy and two children; R. G. Quick. Dink Quick, family of McCoy, seven persons; Mrs. Holstin Horton. Miss Inez Horton, Richard Griffin. It is believed that several of the injured will die. The storm traveled in a northeasterly direction wrecking everything in its path. One of the first houses struck was that of Nathan Griffin, the house was demolished and Mr. Griffin and hi3 son. James, were killed. Mrs. Griffin was so badly injured that she died later. Another son and niece of Mr. Griffin made a miraculous escape by running from the house Deiorc me uemoiiuua ?aa tuu and saving their lives. They were injured, but all recover. The house of John McCoy was then next wrecked, but he and his family escaped with severe bruise3. The home of Henry McCoy, eon of John McCoy, received the worst impact of the storm. His wife was severely injured, two of his children are still unconscious and may die, and he and his babe and two other children are dead. The storm then struck the house of C. C. Oden. Tree3 in the yard were twisted into gnarled shapes and even the vegetables in the garden were torn up by their roots. Mr. Oden was killed out right as were his three daughters. aged 15. 12 and 9 years, respectively. Mrs. Oden received injuries from which she died later. The home of Mr. Henry WLarton was next attacked by the storm and it was wrecked b::t Mrs. Wharton wa3 not badly injured. Then came the home of R. G. Quick. It went to pieces and he and his two children were inj 1 *? - ?am im fatallUpn JUri'U, UUl lUCic HL4V iiv there. Little Rock. Ark., Special ?Specials to The Arkansas Gazette from severaj towns in Y/hite and Cleburne counties. Ark., tell of a tornado which swept through that section Tuesday night, leaving death and destruction in its wake. The major portion of the country through which the storm ploughed its way i3 remote from railroad. telegraph or telephone lines. The dead are: Jim Leggitt, Little Red; Joe Leggitt. Little Red; Tom King and wife. Little Red; 3 King children; young lady school teacher, who was boarding at King's; A. C. Williams, near Leber. The 'injured are: Infant child of + Vfwtr fomflv* ATr<3 A C Wil til c aiu^ lUii.i.; , ... Hams, near Heber, not expected to live; Buck Neeley, Searcy; Albert Kecier. Elbert Derriit, Walker Pollard. Little Red; two of tbe Pollard family near Albion; Mrs. Hoverton and child. Pangburg, not expected to live; Miss Burkhousen, Little Red, leg broken and skull fractured; Walter Muller Pangburn, leg broken; Mrs. Henry Wells, injured internally, fatally; unknown woman, Pangburn, both legs broken; Tom Houston, near Heber, both arms broken; unknown man at Bradford. A special from Heber says: "In the tornado which swept across this section last night A. C. Williams, living ten miles south of Heber, was killed. He was 70 years of age, and lived with his wife cn top of one of the mountains south of this town. His house was caught up by the wind and thrown down the mountain :.ide, he being killed and his wife badly injured. At Pangburn six residences were blown down. A large church near Pangburn was blown half a mile." Forty-three residences ar.d sixteen barns destroyed and ether wreckage is tne recoru 01 me aa-mugi? iqwi itu up to 8 o'clock. Mr. Steven-on Wound :d. Bloomington, 111.. Special.?Adla! E. Stevenson, former Vice President of the United States, lost his hair and moustache and received painful burns 'on his face, head -and hands Wednesday. while trying to extinguish a fire in his home. The fire started in a bedroom. When Mr. Stevenson rushed into the room the curtains wore in a blaze. Without calling aid ha attacked the flames. In a moment the hair on his head went up in a pu*t of smoke. The fire then seized his moustache ?:m ) blistered his face. Then Mr. Stevenson *'->? Vioin T-?ra retreated before uaiicu k\jx u^>p. aav -? the flames caught his clothing. The loss to the house was $1,000. Broke the Record. Pensacola, Fla., Special.?World's records are being smashed here with frequency by the ships of the North Atlantic fleet. The Illinois lowered all records for accuracy with 13-inch guns and the Iowa took the record with sixpounders. The vessel was firing the guns of this size in the gulf Wednesday afternoon when the gunners fired 30 shots in succession each falling true at a range of 1.700 yards. Three gun crews participated. I / a . . .. . ? 5 ye : / far MUCH DISSATISFACTION, Claimed That National Government Ij Not Acting Fairly. The State of South Carolina has lost already several hundred dollars on account of the seizures by the revenue officers of contraband liquors in storage at the dispensary. Daring the fiscal 1 f.AO IaaI' ft nVT\ j ) jcui uitr ^uvui uuiviit tuvn KVM* the State 1.1CC gallons of confiscated stuff?the reason assigned for the second seizure being that the government has a prior claim. There were less than 200 gallons taken from the State dispensary in the first sis months of the year, and the increasing activity of the federal officers has worried the dispensary authorities. The total amount of seizures of whiskey, rum and brandy made by the constables during that fiscal year was 8,000 barrels. Tiio part taken by the revenue officers was more than 10 per cent., and at least $2,000 in value. The proportion of seizures made by the revenue officers has increased greatly within the last three months, and it appears now that at least one-half of the seizures made by constables must be turned over to the government, whose agent. Mr. Trumbo, is ordered to inspect all the contraband brought to the State dispensary. The revenue officers have taken packages ranging in quantity from a gallon jug to a 30-gallon barrel, and sometimes dozens of bottles encased in drums and barrels are taken from the State. The commissioner, Mr. H. H. Crum, minus cms in uniair 10 me oiaie, aiiu has made a request for the return of the contraband captured by and belonging to the State. The government should be interested in no liquors on which the revenue has been paid. Mr. W. W. Harris, the constabulary clerk, who is in charge of the contraband room at the dispensary, says that it has been his understanding that all goods seized by the State in packages of less than five gallons would be presumed to have been tax-paid unless the contrary should be proved, the burden of proof being on the federal government instead of on the State as is now the case. The constables had instructions to ship all spirits in the packages in which they had found them so that the United States gauger at the dispensary could the better judge whether the goods were subject to seizure by the federal government. "The dispensary people have lived up to the agreement, but I think that the federal officers have not. When goods in bottles packed 100 or 200 bottles in a box or barrel are seized, we claim that each bottle should constitute a package and not the barrel." The attorney general will present the matter to the revenue commissioner at Washington as soon as he has recovered sufficiently from his recent attack of the grip. Graded School Burned. Greenwood, Special?The Greenwood graded school building was destroyed by fire at 2 o'clock Friday morning. The engineer of an outgoing freight train on the Seaboard Air Line was the first to see the flames. He gave the fire signal, which at once awakened John Stevens, a young man living in Greenwood, who has been a fireman on the Seaboard. Mr. Stevens. John Major and Prof. E. C. Coker, superintendent of the graded schools, were the first to at rive. TJrof. Coker and Mr. Major entered the building and found unmistakable signs of incendiarism. Kerosene had been poured all over the floor. A very strong wind was blowing and some alarm was felt by those living in the neighborhood. The building had been almost completed burned down before a weak hydran stream was thrown on. The fire fighters worked hard though they had little backing in the way of a department. There is no doubt in the world as to the origin of the fire. It was set? having been started with a goodly lot of kerosene oil. Oil was used to such an extent that it could be detected by the odor even at some distance. nr. Fant Killed. Santuc, Special.?Rodger, son of Superintendent Fant and nephew of Maj. Fant, was killed by Brown Rodgers, colored, at 9 o'clock. Brown Rodgers is a mulatto about 5 feet 6 inches high and weighs about 150 pounds. The killing occurred at the house of a negress. Fant was on the point of entering the house when the negro fired two shot3 from within, either of which would have been sufficient toproduce death. The first shot took erfct in the left breast and piercer^ the heart, the second entered the back of the neck at the base of tho skull. Fant died instantly. JThe murderer fled and at last accounts had not been captured, though a diligent search is being prosecuted by the citizens and officers. Rodgers is about 25 years old and wears a slight mustache. Further Ditails. Anderson, Special.?Mr. Charley Milford, a well known young farmer of Marion township in this country, met a tragic death Friday night. He had been in the city during the day, and while here purchased a bill of fertilizers and attended to other business. He started for his home late in the afternoon on his wagon, on which he had a load of 15 sacks of guano. He lived on a plantation belonging to Mr. Bailey Drake and in going to his home across the place he drove over a plantation road. The road entered the public highway over a rather steep grade and in making the turn the wagon went down a deep descent. In going down the grade Mr. Milford was thrown from the wagon to the road bed and both wheels passed over his body, inflicting injuries which caused almost instant death. Coroner Banister held an inquest and the jury returned a verdict in accordance with the facts. Mr. Milford was a prosperous and idustrious citizen, and the news of his tragic death was quite a shock to his many friends. He was about 38 years eld and leaves a wife and several children. Where one man diaa of thirst a thousand men drink themselves to death. j BILL ARP. j ssssss^sssscssssksxsssssS A good lady, a neighbor and friend, bought one of my books and expressed her pleasure at its persuasal, but found one fault that did not harmonize with her Hebrew feelings, for she is a Jewess. In two places she found a sportice anecdote that reflected upon some of her people, but they were too good to be suppressed, and would have been told on Gentiles as. well. My respect for the Jews has been too often expressed in my letters to be questioned. It is not mere respect, but it is wonder and admiration. I rejoice with them that the ages of persecution have passed, ailtf that they can now worship God according to their conscience and the faith of their fathers. Their ancestors appeared at the very dawn of creation. They have been broken up and scattered time and again, but have preserved their sacred literature and customs and religion and have outlived every nation that oppressed them. They have had no king nor ruler nor political head, and have been scattered among all climes and peoples, but have never lost their nationality nor mixed their blood with any other people. They have for centuries siruggieu against me r?gypuuu?, ojnans and Romans, and survived them all. They were in later centuries prescribed by the Catholics of Spain, the Protestants of Norway, while their persecutors sang the songs of the Psalmists and taught the wisdom of their prophets. We rejoice that their deliverance from persecution came along with that of our own when we proclaimed religious liberty and civil equality to all who made America their home. I have long admirel that people, who have excelled in domestic virtue, in obedience to law. whose children honor and obey their parents. Rarely among them are found convicts or criminals or drunkards or suicides, or divorced men br women. Their names seldom appear on the dockets of the courts. And yet they are patriots when patriots are wanted, Kosciusko had no braver troops than the Polish Jews who followed his banner. aiul if I had to name the most faithful soldier I ever saw in. our civilwar I wouid name Jonas of our town of Rome, a Jew who never shirked a duty or avoided a battle or loitered on a march. We have not forgotten how he C2me to time after a leng day's march from Chicahominy to Ranidan, and when the coloniel said, "Mr, Jonas, where is your company?" the tired soldier came to a salute and said, "I ish dcr komp'ny." That Jonas was an uncle to Israel Jonas, who all Atlanta knows, and who is now prominent in New York commercial circles. With great reverence do I recall our own Judah B. Benjamin, our secretary of war. and on whom Mr. Davis leaned for counsel more than upon any member of his cabinet. He was a very great man, or he could not have gone to England and worked his way unaided, to the very top of the English bar, and within eight years be appointed queen's counsel over the most learned members of the profession, I have not forgotten the perfect loveliness of the Jewess Rebecca in Scott's story of Ivanhoe. You may find broken vows and separations and elopements in fact and in fiction, but not among the Jews. They are in every town and city and are more of an example than a menace to our people and our institutions. Their names are found responding to every charity, and I noticed that the university fund was materially aided by their liberality, and I could not help wondering how much our Christian people would have given to aid some great Jewish school or charity. I would like to write more about these Hebrew's, for, as St. Paul said to the Romans, "with them was committed the oracles of God." But I am not well today, and must defer to a more propitious season. In my last letter I mad? a that must be corrected. I said that there were but ten months until ju.i..s Caesar and Augustus Caesary put in two more and named them July and and August. Somehow I have had that impression all ray mature life, and strange to say, I was corrected a few days ago by my good friend Gassett, a rrmlittn morHinnt nf nnr tnwn who is well educated and a student of ancient history. He wrote me a respectful letter and said that Numa, a Roman emperor, who resigned two hundred and fifty years before the Caesars, put in January and February for the two months, and the Caesars only changed the names of Quintiles and Scxtiles (the fifth and sixth) to July and August. So I make the correction with pleasure and give the credit to friend Gassctt.?Bill Arp in Atlanta Constitution. Brigham Young Dead. Salt Lake City. Utah. Special.? Brighani Young, president of the Council of Twelve Apostles of Mormon Church died in the city Saturday night, alter a lingoiing iilness. He was born at Kirtland, 0.. in 1336, and was the elderost son of President Brigharc Young. Tappshanr.ock. Special.?Alex Johnson. colored, of this place, was drowned In the Rappahannock river, near Fori j Rnv.il Ho wa.3 out in a skiff, which I was upset by the high winds, and though an expert swimmer, did not succeed in reaching the shore. Telegraphic Briefs. Republicans carried Cincinnati and Democrats won in Cleveland at the municipal election. Michigan Republicans elected their State ticket by from 35,000 to 40,000 plurality. President Roosevelt continued his tour of South Dakota and made a speech at Sioux Fail3 on the work the Government is doing for farmers and wage-earners. Twenty-two monuments on the battlefield of Shiloh were presented to the nation by the State of Indiana and dedicated. 4 Cfl Worklnsi of the State Aid Law. T T THE report of the recent good I , roads convention of the repre? sentatives of the boards of 8B"q pervisors of this State, held at Albany, is full of the usual photographs showing stretches of very bad and miry country roads, the same roada while under constructive operations at the hands of the State Engineer, and again after the new road has been completed. Of course the difference between the "before" and the "after" in' each case is that between barbarism and civilization. There are in the State ! of New York 73.857 miles of dirt roads, a great proportion of which are mere rutted tracks across the country?not really reads, but merely reserved striae of land upon wtyich roads must some time be built if the State fulfills its Implied pledge to civilization. In dry weather these roads are beds of dust, in wet weather of mud. Of course we cannot be at all prond of the fact that our State aid to roada law has been in operation since 1888 \ only. In 1899 the State of New York managed to construct five miles of good road. Ia 1900 ic multiplied this figura by seven. In the next year only twenty miles of State road were built but in 1902 the mileage constructed rosetn 126. So that we now have a total mileage of completed improved roads o( 186. against these 72,857* miles of Just pla;n mud-and-dust country roads. To give these figures in juxtaposition Is to present an argument in favor of iberal State appropriations for 1m- J proved roads. Evidently the people have seen the point of argument; tbey want the good roads. Forty-six counties in the State have petitioned for 2414 miles of improved roads. No county has ever had any road built in it by ' the State Engineer without asking for more. In creating this demand for additional good road construction the State aid law has accomplished a very consider- * able share of its work. T^ie main purpose of the law was to make the peo- ? pie discontented with their dirt roads, and incline them to be willing to bear their share of the cost of constructing better. The State should stand ready , to construct the improved roads wbicb-are now demanded in a rapidly increasing ratio. Everybody in authority,,w^ believe, favors the general plan. All the forces of progress are ranged on the side of improved roads. The only question is whether tha State shall immediately proceed to burrow money on a large scalo for tha wholesale construction of roads. 14 may bo that It can afford to do thtot We should say, however, that a better way would ha to continue and develop the method of appropriation which ha* been pursued up to date. Twentyseven counties have in the last year ap propria ted more than $2,000,000 as theft half of the cost of constructing 470 milps of road in the coming year. The State should stand ready to a'ppropTiate on equal amount as its half of the j This will represent a great gain npoa last year, and It is possible that a similar gain will be practicable for the ye*r next ensuing. It lias been estimated by the standing committee of the sopervisors' good roads conference that it will require the building of 7500 miles of highway by the State to improve the main market roads, the thoroughfares. This would be ten per cent* of the highway mileage'of the Statew Every mile at least of this 7500 should eventually he improved. But if a period of ten years is taken for the construction of this extent of roads no large bonding scheme will be necessary, and a prodigious step in advance will have been taken. By the time this work is done the people will have been so thoroughly edu- , cated in the science of road building; and put so completely out of conceit with the old dirt roads that they will. by their own labor and willing expenditure. redeem thousands of miles of subsidiary roads.?New York Mail and Express. ;y Goo.l ICoad* Appreciated. Beyond the question of a doubt the farmers of our State fully appreciate that bad roads mean empty benches la the sehoolhouse, a light attendance at church, assist in keeping friends apart; robs the social hour of many a pieaannt evening, depletes the town treasury and the individual purse and alwaj? raises taxes. If ftood roads means a full and punctual attendance at school, a happy and prosperous church, with pastor and people in close relationship in the church and in the home, an inspiration to neatness with more lawn and less mowing land near the house, and the farmer's tools removed from Cod's cowshed to a proper covering: tho brush book is made to sing a merry lay on tho margins of the road, the well are made happy and the ill are made well; in fact, ail nature presents a new face. With good roads the artist fas mv lino of home building finds employ mont; every town's grand list will be appreciated when the State has established Its Improved highways, and tb? tax hill will be thereby lessened. That the individual Is benefited, and \rltb the benefit that comes to the individual will come the prosperity of the^tow^ t the county, the State and the nation.? James R. McDonald, Connecticut RottA . Commissioner. > .* Shonld I?o Improved. The roads have been "worked" lonfr enough. Taey should now be injproved. . The Itett Thine. _ The best thing that farmers can lajt up for a rainy day is a good road.