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"TBE 4liTl?0T LAW. The Act flutfawins the; South eastern f wriW Association Said to Be Harmful to the Public. At the annual meeting of the State Association of Fire Insurance Agents in Greenville on Decembler 31st the following paper was read by Mr. I. H. Moses of this city. The paper made so favorable an impression that it was published in full in the Green ville News: THE ANTI-COMPACT LAW. I accept with a great deal of pride the invitation of onr President to con tribute in a very feeble way, to what should be a common cause, not only to the insurance agents, but to the ; insnring public,, which in my humble opinion, the discussion of the issue at hand is necessitated only through the ignorance: of insurance matters, of not only Our public generally, hut bar law makers themselves, and yon will notice with, .regret that-fche most of onr -sympathizers in po^8r? ate those, who hav^;been direci^in": contact with, or &8se had the actual experience of insujs^sg, as either local agents, or as We mrafc first eliminate that pre- ^ judiee from the minds of onr. legisla an$Utrua??Ia?Msits; ripa&r ?alt, and ..coayinee tfem rby, fa?'ra<Sap*itai3e, ^i&at in prohibit?gl the operation of the tariff association ia our State, that they win, eventually depri ve themselves and the people they of the^g^^n^^^ch ity, ^Sa^^^ror* ^^ra^ ited. of laws of what ever na iure^theyjaaay be, -tee right will still jthecc^B?an? Jo idBmandj :hasJa5e* &?ced upon jus, I ini^iy, w?thsijtfifce proper frv^stig? ti&L \ ?r , research * eh . the' part of * its m$^ys) ^$m?r &hescste& /necessarily, j igap^t^ the: iaaj -they: are dol^ lhera^vejr ?Bu their people. /He certainly; ms&l as *alnch-, toiua^tate, ^|^:;i^-iisist- iaw, not. o^ily .de pr^BBi^citizensof insurant protec tion Itsefir but the great, good \to' be defeedr^rom the. anspections of... onr: ] properties by ^tha - Booth .. Eastern Tariff Association^ and the representa tives of that. js&rthy organization ihe | Soathern Inspection Bureau, the abili ty of whom to determine a hazard is unquestioned. The result has r no -doubt bees, ? ?iat4he -propertyOffner | has been made to snfior losses, as well as the insurance companies, that could have been Averted hf : the" "simple j suggestion of an expert, ^prosi^ed our people, I may say, free of charge, by these oragnizations. Does it not stand to^eaaon,. /that <tbe T, insured .ig.:J&e: eventual-loser,., either . by. neeessaxy increase of rate, or by the absence of a company to assume this liability for iaim. I am indebted to one of our able insurance publications for valuable information, to the effect,, that, a ^decision was rendered in the Federal j court of Nebraska, in favor of the insurance company, in a suit for Eolation of the Anti-trus.t law, pre dominating in* that state. The decision rendered provided that "Class legis lation' ?? is unconstitutional the excep tion being, the permission of trades unions and other bodies Organized to enforce their demands. The result of the appeal to the Supreme Court wilLbe awaited with a great deal of interest. Much depends upon it. In the language of the editor, all such laws devised to prevent sensible agreements on races, will fall to the* ground. This class legislation exists in our own stau?, and I believe, if we are compelled to bring the matter to a decisive issue, that the companies would readily agree to a similar move, especially if imbued with the sucess of their fight for right in Nerbaska. But the fight must begin at once and in earnest, and with the local agent. If vve do not take a nand, as an in dividual and as a body, then we need not hope for a repeal It should be jfche object of every local agent to con-' vines his local representative that the loyal maintenance of rates, by the agents, under this law, is proof of the "fact that the Anti-trust law is not working tp the good of the insured in that respect, and certainly working to his hurt, in many others. In the words of another editor, "The legisla tive gun heavily loaded and aimed at insurance companies often kicks and does more damage at the butt, than at the muzzle." As in several of our cities, applicants for reduction in rates, on Account of improvements in protection and construction, have been repeatedly, but respectfully referred to the Anti-compact law of South Caro lina. I believe that if these occurrences were multiplied and presented to the public systematically, that we would -soon be rid of these obnoxious inter ferences, and receive the recognition of the right, to transact legitimate "business, by legitimate methods, which the insurance business rightfully de mands. " It seems to me that it would require no argument to convince the most skeptical, with the least knowledge of the hazardous experineces of fire insur ance cenpances, in this state as well as others, that cheap rates, to the most substantial of companies, must even tually, result in worthless protection, and the least thoughtful must decide, that the Anti-compact law certainly* furnishes the most effectual and direct means for this result. I am glad to have had the opportunity of discussing the A nti-compact law with the agents of our state. And may I, in closing, urge your full and hearty co-operation, with the officers of our association, in having this law repeal ed. The Auditors of Darlington and Snmter had the books for Lee county all ready and turned them over in nice order. The treasurer of Kershaw did not prepare any books, so he is l>asy now getting them ready.?Bishop ville Vindicator. Trenton, N. J., Jan. 3.?Augnsta Aiken Railway and Electric company with a capital of $2,300,000 was incor porated here today. The company is iy construct and operate electric rail ways and electric light and gas plants. IS&e snccrporatcrsare K $. McLaren, H. 0- Cough iin and Louis B. Bailey. MISSISSIPPI POSTOFFIGE CLOSED. President Roosevelt Decides That Indianola Shall Have Begro Postmaster or None. Washington, January 2.?The feature of the Cabinet meeting today was the decision to close permanently the post office at Indianola, Miss., from which the postmaster, Minnie M. Cox, re signed under compulsion, a few days ago, since which time the office has been closed. The bondsmen have brought the matter to the attention of the authorities here, with the view of being relieved of the responsibility of the accumulated mail. The Post master General has had a thorough in vestigation made and has become satisfied that the woman was obliged to resign under, duress?in fact, that her life was endangered. Having re presented this state of affairs to the Cabinet, after a long discussion the decision above noted was reached and the office will not be reopened until the . people in the district are ready to accept, this woman. as;ih.eir post master. ? During the afternoon the President discussed with several mem bers of t?e Cabinet the features v& Jft&cask U $^?ox,^^^oatowter.Gen eral Panye being in conference with the president for,an:ho.ur or more: It4. wa^ decided ?na?y: to issrio a formal;} sta^eme3rt\concerning .ctae- indianola; case. Secretary Cortelyouior Jfcne Pres ident, made jmbiie the following^ "The postmaster at Indianola, Miss, is Mis. Minnie JiL Cox> a colored wck " -i ^8ars aa^^ost-T Harjrisoh^l /oamo.i?fl mMjB&ak app^te^"m\i897, r&ar&l six 'years ago. Her " character a?u; standing in the community are en dorsed by the best and most reputable -people Jjn the^wn*. ?> Among those^n her 'JbQkd "is the present' Democratic :;gta.^ Senator Jxtiat, the district, io j?tfo^jsdtfci^e .-leading ^hanker ,otI IndVaryila, and ah Ex-State': Senator1! Srora the district, also a Democrat; ?J? .postmaster and herivngband;o^n-{ from ten to fifteen thousand dollars1 :?or^of-p2Aperis,inrSn^n^wer Xkmn< S^e,rfipar$^pf pojsto^ce inspectors who rh?ye Investigated the office from vtime to-itime. shqw^thatsheohas given -| the outmost. satisfaction' to all: the patrons' of the office; that she is at all: times \ courteous, i ? fahhfui, . com-j petej5t.and Jjonest. in the. discharge of. j her Unties. Efer moral standing in tne ..conimuitjr is of:th8highest. .Her re-.| putaticn is of the best. Few offices of -this grade in any State are conducted better. . "The postmaster recently forwarded her . .resignation,, jfco take; effect on * jannary 1, butthe report of inspectors and information received from various :repa_table., steafe -citazaas of. ,the town | and neighborhod show that the resig nation was forced by a brutal and law less element purely .upon the ground of ,her color and was obtained underterror c^ .0ureata :of physical violence. The ?mayor of tho town and fi^e.sheriff.. pf the county both told the postoSce in spector that if she refused to resign j they could not be answerable for her safety, although at the same time not one word was said against her manage ment of the office. On January 1 the bondsmen of the postmsster telegraph ed that the postoffice was closed; that the postmaster claimed that her res ignation was in the hands of the President, to take effect January 1, and that there had been no advice of the appointment of her successor. The telegram closed with this statement: 'Prompt action necessary for relief of business interests.' In the view of the President the relief of the business interests, which are being injured solely by the action of the. lawless element of the town, is wholly secon dary to the preservation of law and order, and the assertion of the funda mental principle that this Government will not connive at or tolerate wrong and outrage of such flagrant character. "By direction of the President the following telegram was sent by the Postmaster General to the bondsmen : '" 'The'postmaster's resignation has been received, but not accepted. In view of the fact that the office at In dianola is closed all mail addressed to that office will be forwarded to Green ville.' "The papers in the case have been sent to the Attorney General for action." Dun's Weekly, Review of Trade. ?New York, January 2.?JR. G. Dan & Go's Weekly Review of Trade to morrow will say: Despite the interruption of a holi day, taking of inventories and other disturbing elements incidential to the closing of the old year, the past week has been far from dull. Consumers were not perceptibly lessening pur chases, while the approoach of higher freight rates accelerated the shipment of goods. Transporting facilities con tinue utterly inadequate, the pressing need for fuel diverting rolling stock from other classes of friegbt. New wage scales have become effective, largely enhancing the purchasing pow er of the people. The new year opens with; every prospect of exceptional activity in all branches of business. Railway earnings thus far available for December show a gain of 7.7 per cent over 1901, and 1.9 per cent over 1900, while for the full year there are in creases of 4.1 and 16.5 percent, re spectfully, notwithstanding the heavy loss of coal traffic. The^ question of higher freight rates complicates the situation regarding iron and steel, but new orders are con stantly coming forward and the activ ity of plants would equal capacity were it not for the fuel shortage. Quota tions of all products in this industry are fully maintained, with a tendency toward higher prices, because of freights and fuel. Textile mills are busy with only a hand to-mouth de mand for cotton goods, but export buying for China continnes large. Farm products weakened as visible supplies increased, and reports from the West indicate that much more grain is offered for shipment than the railroads will accept. The Pacific cable was completed Fri day night to Honolulu and the first messages were transmitted to San Francisco. Six boys have died from lock jaw in Norfolk, Va., and four in Louisville, Ky.; within the past week, and each case is said to have resulted from wounds inflicted .by toy pistols. HESTER'S COTTON ST?TEMEKTS. Total Amount of Cotton Brought Into Sight This Season lip ta Close of December 6,773, 598 Sales, Against 6,689, 3i5 Last Year. New Orleans, January 2.?Secretary Hester's cotton statement, issued to dav, shows the total for December to be" 1.677,032 bales, against 1,846,302 last year. The movement from the 1st of Sep tember to the close of December, inclu sive, shows re^ipts at all United States delivery ports 4,934,177 bales, against 4,822,248 last year; overland, across the Mississippi, Ohio and Poto mac rivere, to Northern mills and Canada, 549,040 bales, against 597,930 last year; Southern mill takings, exclusive of quan tity consumed at .Southern out ports, 820,500 hales, against. 736,282 last year; interior stocks in excess of those held at the. commencement of the season 469,881' bales, "against 532,855 last year. 'V^eso'mafee the totalramount of* .the co$$c>a cropi Drought into sight: duping: (fi^iouf.:iheh^s:.en^i^^ilh the -close; of Deeenifcej. 6j??y5S8 bales, against; Q^6?9,^ia8^yep. >? ; j Soretga experts for >the 4oux months ofiheaseason' base been 3,^465,379^8168, ? snowing . a. decrease under last season. i&M$& & ? ?' . l? * Stocks .at the seaboard andjtbe-twan .^y-nine leading Southera-^intorior mar ?flat^it*fc&fcloseV*?l r-?6o?oj^..we're. aame^dateaa^.y^ifc.'r S -a > ^iciwii^.^pcS^;aad- interior- -tswU: stoel&defif^er&o^ sea sons and the number ;of balesVof >.fche: current crop brought into sight: dur ing the fo^ ibefeiu 3,988^672 iales, against ; :7,Q49,002 tlast year..; -'? t&im& .; Jn addition to $he. monthly: figures, Secretary Hester issued today a states ^sereh days.: ending: January 2, inclu sive, showing.;the total brought into -sightthisyear,-. Zi,2l&ibales, against 351,358 -for &e seven days ertding Janu ;ary 2 last year. ; New Orleans, January 2. ?Secretary Hester^ statement of the world's.visi tile- supply of cotton,' issued today, .'shows the total visible to be 3,926,428 bales, against 3,828,795 last week and 4,362,723 last year. Of this the total of American cotton is 3,251,428.. bales, against 3,171,795 last week and 3,688, 723 last year; and of all-other .kinds, includingkEgypt, Br?zi 1, India, etc, 675,000 .bales against 657,00 last week and 674^)00 last year, H i j Of th world's visible supply of cot ton there is now afloat and held in .Qreat Britain and. Continental Europe 1,899,000 bales, against 2,174,000 last year; in Egypt 189,000.bales, atrainst 227,000 last year; in India 5S5,000 ables, against;221,0001ast eyar, and in the United States 1,613,000 against 17,41,000 last year. ; ; i Old Gold Dish Supposed to Have Been Used By Alexander. The King's kitchen hides some thing like S10,000 m copper and iron utensils and ?9,000,000 in plate, says London Tit Bitts. Among the former should be mentioned the enormous mat screen of solid oak lined with metal which is nearly 300 years old, and bears the imperial badge of the House of Tudor?the portcullis and arms. Connoiseurs have sighed in vain for this meat screen, for its worth is inestimable. Then there are 4.000 knives. 3,000 forks and as many spoons used for cooking and kitchen purposes, which do not include 8,000 forks and spoons of massive silver for use at the royal table. There are 800 pots and pans, mostly of copper, and five scourers are solely employed to keep them brightly burnished.. Not far away are the plate rooms, two in number, which, although they measure only 13 by 16 feet, hold treasures 18 tons of sovereigns would not buy. . The most valuable item in the store room is, of course, the famous tureens, epergnes and candelabra, all of solid gold, which were made by Eoundelle & Bridges for George IV. This ser vice is only used on state occasions. Equally famous is the Emperor's ser vice of silver guilt, the worth oc which may be vaguely gleaned from the fact that each plate weighs a stone and the epergnes two hundred weight apiece. There is one gold dish, of rnrpassing loveliness, which is supposed "o have been used by Alexander the Gre^i be fore the batttle of Hydaspes, and for upward of six centuries it has reposei at Windsor. Another much valued piece of plate is the silver gift flagon, three feet in height, which was recov ered from an Armada wreck three centuries ago, while there is also a table of solid silver, the surface of which measures 9 feet square and is engraved with the four emblems of Great Britain. But perhaps one of the most cherished relics in the King's pantry is the golden eagle, which was taken from the Tippo Sahib's throne. It is of solid gold throughout, the feather tips being pointed with priceless diamonds and rubles, while the beak is carved from a flawless emerald. Millions for Atlanta Men. Atlanta, Ga., January 2.?Several Atlanta men have made fortunes through the sale of the brokerage firm of Murphy & Co. to A. B. Baxter & Co, of New York. The price paid is said to have been $1,000,000 and it is esti mated that $3,000,000 has been made by the firm. Joseph Gatins, James 33. McKeldin, John E. Murphy, S. H. Phelan and John Gatins are the Atlanta men who have struck it rich in this comapny, and the first three named, who owned about 75 per cent of the stock of the company, have made immenso for tunes, varying from $1,000,000 to $500,000. Joe Gatins, an Atlanta boy, the president of the company, has, it is authoritatively stated, made over $1,000,000 in his capacity as president and stockholder of the company, while both Mr. McKeldin and Mr. Murphy have made several hundred thousand dollars. HOUR'S ?HTI-TH?ST BILL Will Go to Committee on Judiciary When Cngress Convenes. Washington, .Tan. 2.?Senator Hoar has completed and today made public the anti-trust bill which he asked leave before the senate adjourned for the holidays to introduce. The bill goes to the committee on judiciary of which Senator Hoar is chairman. It is entitled "a bill for the regula tion of trusts and corporation? engaged in internal or interstate commerce." The first section continues in force the present inter-state commerce act and the so-called Sherman anti-trust law. Section 2 appropriates 8500,000 to en able the attorney general to prosecute offenses under this and existing acts and authorizes him to employ neces sary assistance. Section 3 provides that after June 30, 1904, "no corpora tion, joint stock company, or other as sociation, whose stockholders are not personally liable for their debts, creat ed by-any State or territory? shall.en gage in commerce with foreign nations or among the several States, or con tinue to carry on such commerce, un less it shall comply with the,following conditions. ?? ' ; First?It shall file a statement in the; office of the mter'-statecommerce com mission, signed .and sworn to by ...its: rprjpjsident, its' tres^nrer, ? its general managed .and a" majority of its direct jQT?i or 'bj the persona exercising the *j?wers;usnally. exercised by .such ofi ?cers and dyrjBctors oi inch coirporation^,, . joint stock" companies, and other as sociations on or before ,the 15th day of September in ?he yejir 190i, and ..shall .on or. before the lpth day of Sefrte^bej^ aji eac#>ear^ereaftw^?le aai&;sta$e ja)?P lorthe^ear Mt?ing-'^^thlAej :'c^ Jiine; in aaS? ja?rsk Respectively,; .showing: ? * / ? ; Swnd^Tbe imaount of its. capital, .stock... , V ? '" : " Third?The market value of the same.. ' "?'" f ,; 35J;! ! ; ^tirjth?flow mncJa of %h&same has :.l^n "paid in full in cash^ yhat .has. been received by .the said^coxpocation,; ;joint stock .company, or other ^associa-; ition, in lieu thereof, and .the valne of5 .whatever" shall have beien so' received hsW r' : ?} Hfth?Tbe names of all the officers and directors of sueh corporation, joint stock.company,. ->qr. other associa tion, and ail agents intrusted' with tue general management of its'affairsV Sixth?The amount: it' has paid in dividends during said period, the rate of ^rcenlfagie. of such. dividends, and times orf paying the, same. Sevetitsh?A statementof aU the stock owne&by it or. any other corporation, joint stock company, or ;other associa tioh, specifying "the corporation, joint stock company, Or etHer assooiattoh, and the number and value of shares in each ^ ?theamount of its own stock-held by .other"'*.''^c?ifpprati?ns, joint stock companies and other associations and the.value .thereof; and the "amount, of stock in other corporations, . Qr other associations held in .feusfi ibr it or in which it has any' interest, directly or indirectly, absolute or conditional, legal Or equitable, - specifying the cor porations, joint stock companies, or other associations. Eighth?An undertaking. signed by said officers, general managers and directors, that they will comply, with the provisions of this and all other laws of the United States in the man agement of the affairs of said corpora tions, joint companies, or other as sociations; and that they accept the provisions and liabilities of this act, and the obligations by it imposed, so long as they shall continue to hold or exercise said office or authority. "The attorney general of the United States may at any time require of any corporation, joint stock company, or other association so engaged any state ment ho may think fit in regard to the conduct cf its business. And he may especially require any such corpora tion, joint stock company or other as sociations to give a list of all contracts or transactions entered into within the 12 months preceding such requisition, in which it has sold any article or pro duct, or carried any article or pro duct at a rate less than the ordinary market price, if such article or pro duct had been sold or carried by any other persons than the party to such transaction. And he may further re quire the reasons for such distinction and the circumstances attended the same.'' Fighting Telephone Trusts. Lebanon, Ky., Dec. 30.?The citizens of Lebanon assembled at the City Hall again tonight and had another enthusiastic meeting in regard to the proposed telephone raise. The Leban on, Louisville and Lexington Tele phone Company wa? ready with its answer, saying it was losing from $200 to $300 a month at the present rates here and would raise the rates or move out. R. N. Wathen stated in a strong speech that he knew from experience that it was willfully misrepresenting the facts, and that he was in favor of driving it from the country. Others followed with rousing speeches. A resolution was adopted to the effect, that all subscribers in this county order their telephones taken out January 1. On January 2 the busi ness men will confer here with the Home Company, cf Louisville. The present company has $20,000 invested here. Senator Thos. G. McLeod and Hon. J. B. McLanchlin of St. Matthews have formed a copartnerbsip for the J practice of law and will open their j office here Jan. 1st. Mr. McLanchlin will move over immediately and would bring his family, but he can't secure a house. Mr. McLauchlin is a prominent lawyer of Or?ngeburg being attorney for the town council and bank of St. Matthews. Senator McLeod will also move up after the legislature adjourns. ?Bishopville Vindicator. In evidence of the market "develop ment" of two of the southern states last year, and which is still in pro gress, the New Orleans Times-Demo crat notes that 1,800,000 acres of land were sold in Louisiana and Texas dur ing the year, and $12,000.000 was in vested in irrigation canals, rice mills and other manufacturing enterprises, and that immigrants have been mov ing into the southwest to the number of 2,000 to 3,000 weekly, and the number is likely to increase to 5,000 weekly in the course of the winter. Mfeke The Ginners to the Government Appears Their Reports -The Crop to be Large. La "Washington, [Jan. 5.?The census bureau on the c otton ginned from the 1902 crop up to and including Dec. 13 last, is 9,311,33c! bales, irrespective of shape or weiglit, equal to 8,905,503, according to the commercial counting. This is 90.2 per cent of the crop. is the number of gin in the several States The following neries reportin and territories: United State 3,889; Arkansas}, Georgia, 5,046 30,194: Alabama, 2,510: Florida, 284: Indian Territory, 428: .1902 up to .bales av.e gross. Usin Lage for sqj ibales 253'po Kentucky, 3: Louisiana, 2,145; Missis sippi, 4,276: (Missouri, 59: North Carolina, 2,6*3: Oklahoma, 218: South Carolina J 3,187; Tennessee, 815: Texas, 4,542; "VTirginia, 109. Following is[ the number of bales of cotton ginned jto and including Dec. 13, (growth of ?902): 1 United .Stateis, 9,311,835: Alabama, 896,994: Arkansas, 763,861; Florida,: 54,443; Georgia, 1,37$ 850.; Indian Territory, 3721042; ,Kentucky, 1,027: Louisiana, 670l486; Mississippi, 135, 557; Missouri, i39,185; North Carolina, 517,068; Oklahoma,- 163,190; Scrth iCaroirna, 863,9*89; Tennessee, 272,135: Texas, 2,167?47$; Virginia; 12,537. I j FoBo/wing is) the ginners' estimate .as-^o'ihe.^quahftity1 to.be ginned Ixom 'this crop^after Dec* 13: : Suited State &QOg#WL; Alabama, - Arkansas, 149,715; Florida, &598; Georgik 66,714; Indian Ter ritory, 52,831; Kentucky, 150 ; Louisi ana, 159,908;? Mississippi, 225,150; Missouri, 3,1H5; North Carolina, 28, - 2&;,Q)dahc:n*, JS^S^^QU^h -Caro lina,; ^^vlJenheMe?, '3i&&&; Kedjfc 4 Fallowing j& ? !th.e.c??vassing agents*; estimate of thje per cent' of ihV crop, ginned to Dec! 13: " . rUnited States, . 90.2; Alabama, 94.2; A rkansas, 85. if; Florida, 87.9"r Georiga, 95.4; Indian I Territory, 87.2; Ken *tucky,,87.3; Louisiana, 83.2g Missisaip ?pi, 82.8; Missouri,..94.3; North Caro Una, 94.9; Oklahoma, 84.5; South Car cilina 96.4; Tennessee 8:3.8; Texas91.7; Virginia 82.0.[ ; The above statistics of the qnatity of .co^Jonginnedjto Decemiber 13th are ex pressed in' b^les -as. pressed, at the .ginneriesj irrespectfeivV of shape - or iweight. In the1 total of 8,311, 835-' hales .there iire.81%661 round .bales averaging: fro m. 240 to 300 pounds eaehv Counting suclh round bales. as half' ' bales, as. js the' custom in the com -.mereial.' eomxnunity, the total ginned ;to December 13th is 8,905*303. The innere have} not yet returned their ;baJe weights! for this cop, but' 40 cot .ton compress companies . distributed ^throughout &he cotton states advise jthis" office. tbt?t they compressed and ?actually .weighed from the growth of ecember 13th;- 1,060,434 ??'each 503.8 pounds this weight as the aver re bales and. for .round nds, the average, obtained from. .the weSght returns .of the home roffices. of the companies such patents, the equivalent number of 500 pound bales ginnedlto December 13th is found to be 8,974,722. Deducting the weight of the baggipg and ties (22 pounds per square bale)( the number of equivalent 500 pound bales, net weight, isJound to be 8,600,7.^8. By two tnosr thorough canvasses this season 32,558 ginneries, active and idle, have peen located and reported, of which number 30,194 have been operated f(tr this crop. In their December cianvass the local special agents ascertained the quantity of cotton ginnejd from the beginning of the season to anp including December 13th and also secured from each of the active ginnjerrs his estimate of the quantity off cotton to be ginned by his establishment after December 13. ?The estimate of the percentage of the crop ginned is based on the es timate of 6:16 canvassing agents, who were instructed to confine their es timates to the territories canvassed by them and (to the knowledge gained therefrom. ^ One estimate therefore serves as a check against the other.. According jto the estimate of the ginners 30.2 per cent, of the crop re mained to be gained after December 13, while ajccording to the estimate of the canvassing agents the percentage was 9.3. Applying these . percentages and the gejneral average bale weight obtained rpund and square bales, the ing to the ginners is 9,998, - md according to the can 54,106 bales of an average t of 500 pounds. The census es no responsibility for the these estimates. This re port will bje followed by a third and final report at the end of the einning season, abfout March 16th, which will distribute tne crop by counties, segre gate upla nd and sea island cottons, and give v,'eight of bale, i In giving out she report Director Meriam made the following statement: "It seems important to again state, in connection with these statistics of the cotton crop of 1902, that is so far as they relate to the bales of cotton ginned to December 13, last, they in volve no guesswork at any point, no estimate Tby anybody, and no uncer tainty of I any kind. They represent the exact fnumber of bales of cotton that have passed through the ginneries. All that has Ibeen done by the census office is to malke and verify the 'additions. Anybody Iis at liberty to exmaine the whole prjocess adopted by the census office in (handling these returns. The returns Represent the ginning opera tions of jovery ginning establishment which hafs handled any portion of the growth of 1902. 44The [report is made at a time so near t.pe close of the ginning season as to perijnit a very close approximation tual bales. It seems probable final report, will not show a of 50,000 bales from the es of the total crop which are d from two sources in connec tive figures of cotton ginned S3. "This/is the first time in the history of the American cotton crop that do finite an d exact knowledge of the sea son's growth has been placed in posses sion of the public at so early a date, or wiithn a date five months as early. "The census office is already perfect ing plans for more frequent reports in connecti on with the crop of 1803. Its first report will cover all the cotton ginned, of the years' growth, up to and including Sept. 1st. This portion of each years' crop is now assigned, in the comfmercial estimates, to the pro auction of the previous year as th crop accon 300 bales, vassers 9,! gross weig^ office assui accuracy ot of the ac that the1 variation, ti mates submittei tion witlp to" Dec commercial cotton year ends Sept. L "The second report will include all cotton ginned np to and including Oct. 18, 1903, the date of the first report for 1902, enabling an exact comparison in t?e two seasons. The third report will cover the cotton ginned up to and including Nov. 18, a period of the ut most importance to the growers and manufacturers. The fourth report will represent the cotton ginned to Dec. 13 The fiftjh will be the final report. "It frill be seen that this plan con templates practically a monthly re port during the cotton ginning season of 1903.j If it shall be found that still more frequent reports are desirable, the cenjsus office will be prepared to make tpem for the crop of 1901. 4' The census method of ascertaining the an nual cc tton crop can be gradually ex tended and developed, with compara tively little increase of expense, so as to include statistics of the cotton seed o? industry, the acreage annually devotep to cotton, and the mill takings a id cojpsumption of cotton, thus mak ing thf reports a complete showing of the production and consumption of domestic cotton. II WH TOPPLES Sift MISE Abandoned Coal Mine Causes D saster in Olyphant, Tenn. Jgcr&nton, 3?a.,> January 2:-?Aban doned workings of the -Eddy Creek Colliory of the Delaware, and Hudson ?Qdm?anyV beneath theT yjbij .hfsart of sthe.tpwn of Olyphant,, carved in., this ^terjbon ?and- -engulfed? four.. \fr?me ^uildSngs, covering .anv aggregate grouand space of six thousand square feet. ? ??>'> ' r^'.tl ; The set$#ag wa0.grj?4u*l and people in the affected territory escaped wi1i onUtfeing immed?tey e^dange^ed., .? igahg! of men s ?m?'.Qoys^ jfhp' ware at .work, in .the mine "beyond the. f?lT en vcpuhtered a -flooded ";dip,:r or depres sion In a veircinlmakiug tfteirwayout ? by a circuitous route.and had to swim ' from one .rise?toiithe other.: .$abnO either- abo,^? .-bejow: .ground; Jic#-; over,1 sustai^d:aAF::iniury> At 3 o'.clook Jbe s"0iliag began. At 3.30 it was; J?> longer perceptible. In the. intervening', half hqur .Q'.Brien's ..three-gtory hotels Jtfiss Ann- Evansfs ^double dwelling, Mrs. Jane Ackerlys Rouble store-building barber shop were mound of debris' in the.yawning pile, -iwith the u^psrmost part of toe mound #orty feetibelpw thosnrface. .O'Brien's Jqtel,, .wiiich, plunged first into {he ?opening, fras. entirely disappeared^ A ^few houses are projecting over the edge.of the-pik r ;The vein that, caved ,in is one hundred and fifteen feet ;below the surafee. I xniKs. Ignorance of Than a Source of j Danger to the Nation. An anonymous author of a volume of interesting essays, lately published under the title of "Musings .Without Mejthod," makes a rather slashing at ,tack upon the cult of modern lan guages. It was Lord Rosebery who irritiated this gentleman's mind and induced him to pen the essay. Lord Rosebery said at Glasgow that the average Englishman's ignorance of French and German is "a source of real danger to the nation." The essayist joggles with the phrase and rather perversely insists upon under standing it in its most literal sense. Of course, Lord Rosebery did not mean that the acquisition of foreign Ian guages by his countrymen would be in itself a national safeguard against either commercial or political peril. What he did mean, and what is true, is this: That the English systematic ally isolate themselves from intellectual contact with the two great continental nations. They are not throughly in formed of what their foreign com petitors are doing; they feel a sort of ur willingness to recognize the practical achievements of foreigners, and there fore in almost all departments of men tal activity, from philology to. chemistry, Englishmen are in danger of falling behind. Now one thing which powerfully tends to perpetuate this isolation is an ignorance of foreign languages, which acts as a sort of veil ic shut out the light which comes to bim who has easy access to the record ed thought of his contemporaries. I To know another language than one's own perceptibly enlarges one's intel lectual horizon and quickens one's sympathetic capacity. The English man who knows French and German must inevitably come to know some thing of the peoples who speak these languages. He must enter, if ever so little, into their mental processes, fie ,must see things, to some extent, from their point of view. In the end, by [learning French, he will become, in ispite of himself, just the least bit of a [Frenchman. In learning German he ? [ will half unconsciously put himself into the attitude of a German. In deed, the saying of a very famous statesman contained much truth in its seeming exaggeration when he de clared: "I am as many times a man according as I am a master of many I languages." Therefore when Lord Rosebery uttered his dictum at Glas gow thflre was a good deal of rather profound philosophy conveyed in it. It was not the value of modern lang uages as an accomplishment or their utilitarian value in the world of com merce that he had first of all in view, It was rather the fact that a knowledge of them unlocks the mind that would otherwise be obstinately closed to many stimulating influences, and confers in consequence not only suppleness, bnt strength.?New York Commercial Ad vertiser. _ _ Sranton, Pa., January 3.?Just be fore noon today another fall of earth enlargd the big cave-in at Olyphant and removed over half of the support from beneath ^ the Evans building, which stands in the corner of the cavity made by yesterday's cave-in. The house projects far over the cave and it is feared thr ; it will be swal lowed up. Several large cracks have appeared on the surface of adjacent property and the feeling of security which prevailed at daybreak has given way to one of alarm. The Delaware and Hudson Company has built a switch to the edge of the cavity and is dumping hundrds of carloads of ashes into the big hole. It will take about a week to fill it, even if it does not become enlarged. There is imminent danger that three other buildings will (disappear and the residents of the town are badly frightened.