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The River Press. Terms of Subscription : PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. One year S~ 00 Six months 1 00 All letters and communications containing mat ter intended for publication in this paper should be addressed to " The Hiver Press," and the name Of the writer must be given to insure attention Local advertisements will be&nserted in these alumns at the rate of ten cents per line from transient and five cents per line from regular ad vertisers. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 30, 1904. THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE. The manner in which President Roosevelt and his administration were endorsed by American voters at the recent election, suggests to the Globe-Democrat a comparison of this year's electoral vote with that result ing from former campaigns. With two exceptions—and these were due to most unusual conditions—the electoral vote for Roosevelt and Fairbanks is the largest in American history. In its review of the result, the Globe Democrat says the otiicial returns from Maryland give seven of that state's electoral votes to Parker and one to Roosevelt. The division of the vote was due to the failure of many of the voters to comply with the re quirements of a complicated ballot law. These failures, it is evident from the detailed examination of the ballots, told heavily against the re publicans. Probably Senator Gor man, the real author of the law, intended this. He knew that the re publicans were in the predominance in his state on a square vote, and he wanted to offset the difference by a statute which would hit the republi cans. The intentions of a majority of the voters, it is evident from the ex amination of the returns, «as to cast their ballots for Roosevelt, and thus give him the solid vote of the state. Making the required deduction from Maryland's split vote, Roosevelt's total in the electoral college will be 336 and Parker's 140. This will give Roosevelt a majority of 190, as com pared with 137 for McKinley four years ago, l J5 for McKinley in 1896, 132 for Cleveland in 1892 and smaller figures for all the other presidents back to Grant, who carried the country by 223 votes in 1872, the year of the Greeley canvass. In that year the democrats accepted a candidate and a platform put up by a bolting element of their enemies, and they did not sup port the ticket with any heartiness Reconstruction was still under way Many electoral votes, 17 in all, were excluded on account of irregularities of one sort and another. Exclusive of Pierce's big majority in 1852, over Saott, which was 212, and Grant's over Greeley, which was 223, Roosevelt's 196 lead is the long est ever gained by any president in a contested canvass. In the Pierce case the opposition, the Whig party, was demoralized by the drift of its south ern and its northern adherents over to the democrats on account of the slavery issue, and thus Scott carried only four states. Roosevelt's margin is broader than Jackson's was in 1832, when he defeated Clay and his nation al republican party. It is larger than Harrison's was in the "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too,' - canvass of 1S4U, which was memorable for its one eidedness. It beats Lincoln's major ity in 1864, when eleven states in ttie southern quarter were engaged in re bellion against the government, and thus excluded from the voting. It was a greut victory, and the presi dent and the party ought to be proud of it, as they are. It 1.1.1 SEASON Ol 1 ski /1. In an exhaustive review of the range beef season in the Chicago market, the Drovers Journal gives a record of receipts, prices and other data that will be of iuterest to Montana stock men. It says the returns received by shippers who expected high prices for their product have been disappoint ing, the average price of the season being about the same as that of last year. According the ollicial records of the Chicago stockyards, the reeepts of range cattle the past season were larger than expected. Marketing for the year thus far has totaled 267,000, and a conservative estimate on re ceipts for the few remaining days of the season is put at 12,000 head, mak ing approximately 279,000 for the whole season, against 209,900 in 1903, 309,300 in 1902, 140,500 in 1901, 146,900 in 1900, and 183,700 in 1899. This year's receipts, with the ex ception of arrivals two years ago, when the high prices then prevailing stimulated shipping of practically all stock of marketable age, were the largest since the banuer year in the history of the trade—that of 1895, when a total of 430,500 was received at Chicago. Since that year receipts have been on the decline, the mini mum being reached in 1901, when only 140,500 arrived. In comparing the prices ruling in the range cattle market the past sea son, the Drovers Journal says the average was about $3.65, the same as for 1903. This is a decline of $1.30 from the banner year of 1902, while standing 90 cents lower than 1901 and 70 cents under the average of 1900. Barring last year, the average price was the lowest since 1S94, thouch in the sixteen years previous to that date the average price was lower than this year during nine different seasons. Tops for the season sold in October up to $5.65, showing an advance of 60 cents compared with the high poiut in 1903, but $1.75 lower than the record price of $7.40 in 1902. Barring the record year and also 1899 and 1901, whe.-i top was $5.7u and $5.75, respec tively, this year's high mark stood the best since 1884, when choice lots reached $6.00, and showing an ad vance of $1.80 over the low year of 1879. The low price season for range cat tle was the year 1887, when the aver age for the season was $3.05. For the past seven years, the average price for grass western steers in the Chicago market has been: 1904 $3.65 1903 3.65 1902 4.95 1901 4.55 .1900 4.35 1899 4.60 1898 4.20 Referring to the new methods under which the range cattle industry will be conducted, the Drover's Journal ays: "The whole business is undergoing a change, and the better conditions now ruling in the range country would seem to be forerunners of what is to come in later years. Improvement the order of the age, and the range cattle growing industry is receiving full attention from the progressive men now populating the range coun try. They realize that in a few more years much of the lands formerly given over to cattle grazing will be come irrigated farms, on which will be grown various grains and other feeds, and in years to come the long horned, grass-fattened ranger pro mises to become as scarce as the old Texas longhorn steers of a few years ago. Quality, not quantity, has of late years become the slogan of the northwestern cattlemen, who have fol lowed in the footsteps of the south western cattle growers." The Importance of One Vote. The famous Tom Corwin, United States senator from and governor of Ohio, was fond of telling the following story : 'In the spring of 1811, at the annual election in Rhode Island, there was a town precinct closely contested by the federal and the republican (the peace and war) parties. A federal farmer, hurrying down to vote j before closing time, was stopped on his way by finding one of his valuable pigs fast between the planks of fence. He tried to pull the pig out and failed. Then with some difficulty he pried away one of the planks, re leased the pig, and started on a run for the voting place. Just as he got within a hundred feet of it the town clock struck six. The polls closed without his vote. The result that war representative from that town was elected by one vote. "When the general assembly met a few weeks afterward a war senator was chosen by one majority on joiut bal lot. In 1812 the declaration of war against England was carried in the United States senate by one vote. General Jackson was nominated as a major general and confirmed by one vote, January 8, 1815. He command ed the army at the battle of New Or leans, won a great victory, became a popular military hero, was elected and re elected president of the United States, turned all the whigs out of of fice, removed all the aeposits from the national banks, vetoed the bill, and played havoc generally, anil all be cause that pig away up in Rhode land got fast in a plank fence." Marking Railroad Ties. lvilispell Ilot». The Great Northern expects it few years to have a complete record of the year every tie ou its line, was laid, and to be able to tell exactly how long a tie lasts. The new system of marking ties consists of driving spike, bearing the year the tie was laid, near the north rail on the outer edge of the tie, so that the inspector can tell at a glance when every ti was put in place. Great Northern ties have been branded, the date beius. T burned into the wood with a hot iron. This, however, has not been entirely satisfactory, as the brands have worn away in a few years. The new date headed spike is expected to overcome that difficulty. The road will not- only so mark every tie laid, but has or dered all ties laid in the last four years to be so marked, which means a considerable amount of work for the section crews. Ties are becoming a greater item of expense to railroads each year aud much investigation is now going on as to how their cost can be reduced. Chinook Opinion: News has been received of the marriage, in Chicago, of R. X. Lewis, one of the proprietors of the Havre Plaiudealer, and Miss Ada Skelly of Laurium, Mich. The bride is a sister of Mrs. A. J. Broad water of Havre. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis will be at home in Havre after Thurs day. CO-OPERATIVE COMPANY'S TROUBLES Sam II. Wood, Its Former Manager, Se cures Appointment of a Receiver. Great Falls, Nov . 25.— J. W. Speer, of this city, has been appointed by the district court receiver of the entire business of the Montana Co operative Ranch company, and today takes possession of the assets of that corporation. The application for a receiver was made by Sam H. Wood, former president and organizer of the company. In the application a num ber of sensational allegations are made. Mr. Wood asserts that the indebted ness of the company is in the neigh borhood of $65,000, with assets in the neighborhood of $20,000. He alleges that on Oct. 3, 1903, there were about 33,190 sheep in possession of the com pany, but that 14,000 were lost through the severity of the winter, and that 5, 690 were driven off the ranges by stockholders; without warrant of law during October and November of this year, while 2,000 were sold, leaving 8,000 sheep in possession of the com pany. Except for the last two months there has been practically no man agement of the company's affairs, and everything has gone to wreck and ruin. The company's correspondence was a few days ago barred from the United States mails, under a fraud order of the government, the understanding being that it has been of the get-rich quick order, and with the mails closed there was nothing for the company to do except to go into the hands of a receiver. The Montana Co-operative Ranch company was organized about five years ago by Sam H. Wood, aud has done business all over the United States since that time, the money be received in small amounts from investors in the east, and especially Maine, Massachusetts and Penn sylvania. The officers of the company, by agreeing to pay large interest on small investments, attracted more than $100,000 during the past year, it is said, and it is probable that the stockholders will not receive 10 cents on the dollar, if they receive anything at all. In local financial circles the crash has been expected for a year or more, but to outside investors the fraud order of the government came as a surprise and the conditions shown by the receivership proceedings have developed a sensation. Light Sentence For Swindler. Des Moines , la., Nov. 26.—Letson Balliet, who pleaded guilty to charges preferred by the government of using the United States mails with intent to promote a gigantic mining swindle, was today sentenced to three months in the county jail and to pay a fine of $300. During a former trial of the case it developed that Balliet re ceived nearly a quarter of a million dollars in the sale of worthless White Swan gold mining stock, tne mine be ing located near Baker City, Ore. He was tried and convicted, carried the case to the superior court of ap peals and was granted a new trial. Upon a promise of leniency he pleaded guilty the second time and threw him self upon the mercy of the court Balliet is said to have speut most of his money in fighting the case. To Dismantle World's l 'air. St. Louis , Nov. 27.—Promptly at midnight Dec. 1, a force of 75 men em ployed by the general service com pany of the Louisiaua Purchase expo sition will shunt 200 freight ears load ed with empty packiug cases into the several exhibit palaces and the work of dismantling the World's fair will begin. Piled at different parts of the expo sition grounds are 1,500 carloads of empty packing cases while outside the grounds are others, aggegating 100 carloads more. This will be distribu ted as rapidly as possible aud th packing of exhibits will be rushed. At daylight on Dec. 2, another large force of men will begin to tear up the tracks about the exposition grounds. They will also tear up the switches in the rear of the Stadium aud lay tracks connecting the line with each of the ex hibit buildings. A bond has been filed with the Uni ted States government, through the treasurv department, by the World's Fair Terminal Railway company making it a common carrier which will facilitate the removal of the ex hi bits, as freight cars can be dis patched direct from the exposition grounds to their destinations. Livestock Exposition Is Open Chicago , Nov. 26.—The fifth annual international livestock exposition opened at the stockyards here today with thousands of cattle, sheep, swine goats and thoroughbred horses on ex hibition. The show is the greatest ever held in this country aud the prize list the largest on record. During the coming week the show will be a magnet for not only the na tion's foremost stoekraisers, but the leading livestock men of foreign lauds. Thousands of stoekraisers from all sections of the country, from Canada from Mexico, from South America aud Europe are here. The governors HEATING STOVES. Vulcan and AppoIJo Jewel in three sizes, for soft coal, slack, and hard coal. A perfectly operating Hot Blast Stove, of absolutely airtight construction. These stoves are excellent fire keepers and fuel savers. Heavy cast fire pot with draw center and shaking grate. Stove pipe, stove boards, coal hods, etc. BENTON HARDWARE CO. from a numij •< have accepted ent, and a di>z cultural coll*';; strongly re pre by large bod it professors. •if : M-kraisiog states ion- to be pres h leadiug agri >e c.>uutry will be a; the exposition udents as well as Organizing a Salmon Trust PORTLAND, Nov. 27.—It, is stated that a pi au ha- aimo-t reached per fection to secure the properties of the Pacific American Fisheries company and the Pacific Packiug & Navigation company^, the two largest- salmon packing companies on this coast, with the purpose of securing control of the entire salmon output of the Pacific coast, including British Columbia and Alaska. Eastern capitalists are said to be behind the project. Shot At Judge On Bench. San Francisco , Nov. 28.— Rev. Issac Selbv of Australia shot at Su perior Judge Hebbard today while the latter was ou the bench. The bullet came withiu an inch of the judge's head and lodged in the back of his chair. The would-be murderer was at once removed from the court room to the city prison and charged with at tempt to commit murder. Selby was recently sued for divorce by his wife. He conducted his own defense, but was unsuccessful, a decree ayaiur-t him be g granted. Judge H - j ob a rd, who is.-uad the de cree, wa.i tryiutf a ca.-e today, when Selby arose from a :-eat in the court room and fired point blank at the judge, who, heffiring the bullet whistle past his ear, rushed from the bench and grappled with his assailant pre venting him from firing another shot. 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