The river press. [volume], March 19, 1913, Image 1

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The River Press.
Vol. XXXIII.
Fort Benton, Montana, Wednesday, March 19, 1913.
No. 22
WILSON CALLS_ CONGRESS.
Extra Session For Tariff Revision
Program Begins April 7.
W ashington , March 17.— President
Wilson today issued a formal procla
mation convening congress In extra
session at noon April 7. Originally
Mr. Wilson bad fixed on April 1 as the
aate, Representative Underwood, the
majority leader having informed him
that the tariff bill to which it was
agreed congress should give immedi
ate attention would be ready on that
date. Mr. Underwood found, how
ever, that the ways and means com
mittee would need another week to
draft the tariff schedules and today's
proclamation is in deference to the
wishes of Mr. Underwood and house
leaders.
President Wilson plans to point out
specifically his wishes for the extra
session in his first message now in
preparation. This, it is known from
talks the president has had with mem
bers of congress, will outline the ad
ministration's idea of how the tariff
should be revised and just what sched
ules should be taken up. The belief
is general that the entire message
would be given over to a discussion
of the tariff with the exception of the
last paragraph or two, which will
draw atteation to the need of currency
legislation at the earliest possible
moment and will indicate the purpose
of the president to send later a special
message on that or other subjects
which he believes should be taken up
by the new congress.
Office Seekers Must Wait.
Washington , March 16.— Confer
ences today between National Chair
man William F. McCombs and demo
cratic leaders brought out the fact that
the administration intends to proceed
slowly and carefully in filling federal
offices throughout the country.
While the senate is expected to ad
journ early this week, President Wil
son and his advisers will continue the
sifting progress so that when the extra
Bession of congress begins on April 7
there will be a long list of appoint
ments ready for confirmation.
When the sxtra session opens, Post
master General Burleson also expects
to have ready his plans for dealing
with the situation created when all
fourth-class postmasters were put in
to the classified service. The post
master general had a long talk with
Chairman McCombs and said after
ward that he would occupy himself in
the next three weeks with the drafting
of a plan by which a merit system
could be applied to fourth-class post
masters.
Texas Produces Biggest Crop
Washington , March 17.— Illinois
again has yielded to Texas the honor
of being the premier crop producing
state of the union. Iowa holds her
position as third, while Ohio has lost
to Missouri the honor of fourth plaoe.
Id 1912 Texas produced 8407,160,000 in
the 12 crops reported quantitatively by
the government—corn, wheat, oats,
barley, rye, buckwheat, flaxseed, rice,
potatoes, hay, tobacco and lint cotton.
The enormous cotton crop easily gave
Texas as big a lead over the second
largest crop producing state Illinois,
whose aggregate production was valu
ed at $289,000,000.
Burglars Make Rich Haul
N ew Y ork , March 1 (5. —An east side
burglary perpetrated by clever cracks
men some time today netted the thieves
the largest haul obtained in New
York City in many years. Martin
Simons & Sons, pawnbrokers in Hes
ter street, were the victims and the
property stolen includes $250,000 worth
of jewelry, diamonds and other prec
ious stones and $100,000 worth of ne
gotiable securities.
The thieves gained access to the
pawnbrokers' richly stored vaults by
means of a tunnel from an abutting
building on a neighboring street. The
police believe six cracksmen were em
ployed and that the tunneling requlr
ed ail of last night and the greater
part of Sunday morning. It Is their
belief that the actual robbery took
place this afternoon while hundreds of
persona were passing along the street
in front of the pawnshop.
Mobbed British Suffragettes
London , March 19,—Suffragettes
who again attempted to hold a Sunday
afternoon meeting in Hyde park to
day were mobbed by a crowd of 10,000
persons. They were pelted with clods,
oranges and other missiles and when
the police were escorting them from
the scene, tha rioters tore off the hats
and cloaks of the woman and even
etruek some of them in the face.
The trouble began when "Gen."
Mrs. Flora Drummond mounted a
wagon and started to speak to the
great assemblage, which was largely
made up of youths, who had armed
themselves with ammunition of var
ious descriptions or with trumpets,
mouth organs and bells. Her ap
pearance at the front of ths platform
was a signal for an outburst of deaf
ening noise and a bombardment of
missiles. She had hardly uttered a
word when a olod of turf struck her in
the mouth.
Mrs. Drummond maintained her
good nature, smiled at her tormentors
and oontlnued her speech amid a veri
table tornado of abuse, catoalls, rag
time choruses and cries "go home to
your children."
Washington News Notes.
Washington , March 15.-The nomi
nation of John Burke, former gover
nor of North Dakota, to be treasurer
of the United States, was sent to the
senate by President Wilson this after
noon.
While the present week has been
given over largely to organization
and filling some of the vacancies oc
casioned by the change in administra
tion, the word went out from the white
house today that next week there would
be a change of activity.
Former Senator Joseph M. Dixon
of Montana, manager of Colonel
Roosevelt's presidential campaign,
met President Wilson today. Dixon
was in Secretary Tumulty's office when
the president left his own office to
shake hands with some visitors.
"Here is a man I want you to meet,"
said Mr. Tumulty as he led the presi
dent to Mr. Dixon. Mr. Wilson
smiled and put out his hand for a
hearty clasp.
Favors Republican Reorganization.
Des Moines , March 15. —Senator
Albert B. Cummins, in address before
the Grant club here, declared it to be
his deliberate judgment that the door
of opportunity "is now swinging wide
for the republican party, and that If
we do not enter, our temporary defeat
may become final and our organiza
tion disappear from the political
world."
After sayiug that the republican
party in its organization has ceased
to be representative, and citing the
preponderance^ southern delegates
in the Chicago convention, as proof
of bis statement, the senator urged the
importance of a national convention
before 1910 to formulate new rules for
the party.
Six Perish In Blizzard.
Rapid City , S, D., March 15.—A.
N. Perry, his wife,three daughters and
son were found frozen to death on
Box Elder divide, 16 miles east of
here, today. Leslie Perry, 19 years
old, another son was found delirious
on the prairie. His face, hands and
feet were frozen.
Perry, who was the postmaster at
Big Bend, left here Thursday with
his family and household goods in
four wagons, attempting in the face of
a blizzard to reach a ranch he had
leased.
The first intimation of their fate
came today when a pair of horses with
gunnysacks over their heads and
traces dragging wandered into the cor
ral of Milton Freaze'a ranch. The
trail of the horten led the searchers to
a wagon half buried in the scow. In
the wagon Perry's four children and
Mrs. Perry were found. The father
lay half on the ground, his feet in the
wagon spokes.
Bound To Railroad Track.
Philadelphia , March 15.— Bound
by four men to the track in fromt of a
rapidly approaching express train on
the Pennsylvania railroad, Patrick J.
Dugan, a eignalman, escaped being
ground to death when the engineer
noting the absence of the signal light
stopped the train within ten feet of
where he was tied. Dugan was uncon
scious, his skull fractured, apparent
ly from a blow from a pickhandle
He was on duty when he noticed that
a signal light had been extinguished
He went to investigate when the men
leaped upon him.
Another New County
Billings , March 16.— Stillwater is
the latest new county in Montana, and
is composed of portions of Yellow
stone, Carbon and Sweet Grass. The
voting on the question took place yes
terday, and resulted in 637 votes for
the formation of the county and 84
against. Columbus was chosen as the
county seat and a full set of officers
was named. The new couDty takes
six precincts from Yellowstone -coun
ty, five from Carbon and four from
Sweet Grass. This makes the third
loss of territory for Yellowstone by
the creation of new counties in the past
two years, the others being Mussel
shell and Big Horn.
DEMOCRATS IN CONTROL
Important Committee Positions Se
cured by Montana Senators
Washington , March 15.— With the
declaration from their leader, Sena
tor Kern, that they propossd making
the senate "democratic not only in
name but in practical results," the
democrats today re-organized the
committees of the senate and took ac
tive control of legislative affairs In
that body.
For the next two years at least Sen
ator Myers will be chairman of the
committee on irrigation and reclama
tion of lands, and his colleague, Sen
ator Walsh, will be ohalrman of the
committee on mines and mining.
These selections of democratic caucus
es were formally approved by the sen
ate and both senators immediately
take charge of the committees over
which they will preside.
While Montana senators are fortun
ate in their chairmanships, they are
equally fortunate in theirgeneral com
mittee assignments, and a study of
new committee lists shows that Mon
tana will be better represented on com
mittees duriDg the Sixty-third con
gress than any other western state,
excepting those whose senators have
been here a longer time.
Reducing Senate Payroll.
Washington , D.C. Maroh 15.— One
mournful expert masseur and two
equally mournful assistants who, ever
since the senate office buildings' lux
urious baths were opened, have
smoothed back the wrinkles from the
brows of the worried and careridden
senators, have been told that they are
to be dropped from the payroll of the
senate. The democratic committee
has so far revised the senate payrolls
that 60 positions are to be dropped at
a saving of 946,190 in the annual sen
ate expenditures. In the division of
patronage, each democratic senator
will have a distribution of positions
paying 83,360 annually.
Pneumonia Kills Indian.
Washington , March 15.— Hollow
Horn Bear, big chief of the Sioux In
dians on the Rosebud, South Dakota,
reservation and probably the most
famous of all Sioux chiefs, died here
early today of pneumonia. For 64
years the big chief had defied death on
the warpath, the plains, the mountains
and the forest, but the inclemency of
March weather in Washington, where
he came to attend President Wilson's
inauguration, was too much for the
old warrior.
Will Appoint Montana Postmasters.
W ashington , March 14.—Con
gressman Evans and Stout will sub
mit recommendations for 14 presiden
tial postoffice vacancies in about a
week. The two congressmen have
mutually agreed on division of the
state by counties in making recom
mendations for postmasters. Con
gressman Evans will take the west
side counties and Stout the eastern
counties. The division of counties
will be the same as the bill introduced
in the legislature dividing the state
into two congressional districts.
The senate democrats will assign
Senator Mvers to the committee on
military affairs and Senator Walsh to
the judiciary committee. Congress
men Evan«* and Stout have agreed
that Evans shall take a membership
on the house Indian affairs committee
and Stout on the public lands com
mittee. This agreement will bring
Congressman Evans more closely in
touch with matters affecting irriga
tion of the Flathead lands.
Power For Sun River Project.
Washington , March 14.—The in
terior department has closed a con
tract with the Great Falls Power Co.,
for electrical energy for use in con
nection with the construction of the
Sun river irrigation project. The con
tract calls for 2,500 kilowatts of power
through a period of six years, The
company will transmit the electricity
one hundred miles and deliver it to
the reclamation service at a number
of sub stations, from which It will be
distributed to the principal features of
the work.
The use of electrical energy for the
excavating of canals is not only a new
departure, but marks an epoch in con
struction work, and a reduction of
cost and time will be accomplished.
The electrical enery will bs of advan
tage in that each of the towns will
have cheap light and power for man
ufacturing and allied uses.
Besieged By Office Seekers.
Washington , March 13.— Office
seekers have pressed Attorney Gener
al McReynolds to the point where he
has been forced to have the depart
ment of justice closed to all visitors at
4 :30, senators and representatives in
cluded. Applicants for federal judge
ships and United States attorney
ships have been extremely active and
appeals have swamped the new attor
ney general. A continuously open
door would consume his entire time,
it was declared, and therefore he was
obliged to reserve the period after 4:30
for the transaction of government
business.
The failure of something like 2,000
nominations for federal offices in the
various states, by reason of the sen«
ate's refusal to confirm, has placed at
the disposal of the incoming adminis
tration the largest list of patronage
ever known. By instruction of the
senate, the secretary has compiled a
oomplete list of these nominations,
which correspondents have dubbed the
mortuary list."
Meat Supply la Short.
C hicago , March 14.— Arthur G.
Leonard, president of the Union Stock
Yards company, sent the following re
ply yesterday to a telegraphic Inquiry
from Mrs. Heath, president of the Na
tional Housewives league, as to the
cause for increase in the price of meat
throughout the country.
'For the period since January 1, as
compared wtth the same period of 1912
there has been a total decrease In the
receipts at Chicago of 646,600 meat
animals of every type, amounting to
an aggregate of 200,000,000 pounds."
Mr. Leonard said the higher prices
are due to the shortage and the short
age is due largely to the wiping out of
a large amount of the range country
and its division into smaller farms.
He said the shortage had been increas
ing in the last seven years and that It
would take a similar period to build up
the cattle raising industry so that any
material reduction in prices would te
possible.
STORM SWEEPS SOUTH.
Trail of Death and Destruction
Crosses Several States.
W ashington , March 14.—Wide
spread storms of cyclonic Intensity
swept over the middle west and the
south during the last 24 hours, out
their way through townB and cities
of five states, snuffed out scores of
lives, made hundreds homeless and de
stroyed property valued high in the
millions.
At noon today 51 persons were re
ported killed and the death list was
growing. Oher sections of the coun
try, from the great lakes to the gulf
and the eastern seaboard to the Rock
ies, were swept by gales, rain and
snow.
The storm took its heaviest toll of
life in Alabama, Tennessee and north
western Georgia.
From Nashville and Memphis come
reports of oyclones half a miie wide,
sweeping through five counties, tum
bling over scores of bouses, crushing
half a dozen towns and killing twen
ty persons. Rome, Ga., told a simi
lar story of the storm in northwestern
Georgia during the night, placing the
dead at eighteen. A cyclone 100 yards
wide plowed through Dekalb county,
Georgia just east of Atlanta cut it off
from the world and killed five persons.
Two persons were killed in Columbus,
Ga., six in northern Alabama.
A fifty mile gale passed over Chica
go and Illinois during the night and
caused damage estimated at 91,
000,000.
From the storm swept areas come
meager reports of devastation, indi
cating that the property loss will ex
ceed by far the earlier estimates.
Many towns have been cut off from
the world and in sections of four states,
thousands of telephone and telegraph
wires are prostrated.
dies all forestry legislation, including
appropriations for the department of
agriculture.
Montana Democrats Appointed.
Washington , March 12.—Senator
Myers and Senator Walsh, after a
conference today, sent to Secretary of
the Interior Lane recommendations for
the following land office appointments
to fill vacancies that have existed
since March 4: James T. Hamilton of
Stacy to be receiver, Miles City; F.
H. Foster of Billings to be register,
Billings; E. J. McClean of Red Lodge
to be receiver, Billings.
It is generally believed that Senator
Myers will become chairman of the
committee on mines and mining in the
new senate.
Senator Walsh of Montana, when
a^ked by the committee on committees
to specify those to which he would like
to be assigned, said that his preference
would be for committees that handle
legislation affecting Montana and the
west generally. He named the com
mittees ou public land, mines and min
ing, irrigation, Indian affairs and
agriculture. Tee latter committee han
FIGHTING BORDER.
American Troops On Guard Against
Mexican Intruders.
N ogales , Ariz., March 13.— En
couraged by federal defeats at Interior
towns and the bloodless victory yes
terday in talcing the port of Agua
Prieta, 1,000 Sonora state troops at
daybreak today attacked Nogales,
Sonora, opposite this border town and
customs port. Bullets showered Into
the Arizona town, which Is divided
from the Mexioan town by a business
street. Up to noon one Mexioan citi
zen had been wounded on the Arizona
side, and bullets entered the homes of
Americans in Nogales, Ariz.
United States troops rushed from
Fort Huachuca, were spread along the
international line, keeping back the
curious. The first charge of the in
surgent troops was repulsed with a
loss of from fifteen to twenty killed,
while the garrison defenders early in
the day lost at least seventeen killed
and eleven wounded.
Washington , March 13.— American
troops on the Mexican border have
been forbidden to return the fire of
Mexican troops except on speclfio
authorization from]the war department
at Washington. The instruction has
been sent by direction of Secretary
Garrison to Brigadier General Bliss,
in command of the border forces in
conformity with the war department's
purpose to remove all possible oauses
of frlotion between the Americans and
Mexicans.
Want Offices For Democrats.
Washington , March 14.—President
Wilson's advisers have hit upon solu
tions of the two political problems con
fronting the administration which
promised to be troublesome—wbatkind
of democrats shall get plums from the
political tree, and how thousands of
democrats throughout the country oan
be given a fighting chance a» least to
get near the tree.
Within the next few days Postmaster
General Burleson is*expected to pres
ent for the president'siconsideration a
plan which will open to democrats the
35,000 third and fourth£class postmas
tershlps placed under the olvil service
recently by Mr. Taft.
Mr. Burleson said that be had not
decided whether to ask-)>the president
for a revocation'of this order or not.
If he decides against asking for revo
cation, he will suggest that postmas
ters who benefited by the {Taft order
be required to pass a merit test, which
would be open also to others. If the
president took the 'first course thou
sands of postmasterships would be
available at once and if he chose the
other, the democrats who entered the
merit competition would have as good
a chance as republican incumbents.
New Slogan Forjrishmen.
New York , March 14.—"St. Pat
rick's day a holiday" willjsupplement
"Home Rule for Ireland" as a slogan
for the St. Patrick's day celebration
here Monday, according to Michael
P. Carolan of the board of directors
of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
A bill Is about to be introduced in
the state legislature making the day a
legal holiday, Mr. Carolsn said, and
the marchers this year will make every
effort to attract attention to the move
ment. About 50,000 persons are ex
pected to take part in the parade.
A Billion Dollar Congress.
Washington , March 14.—Appro
priation» of tha last session of con
gress, including the sundry civil and
the Indian appropriation bill, which
are to be put through at the coming
extra sessison, aggregated 81,098 ,647,
960. The annual statements given out
today by Chairman Fitzgerald of the
appropriations committee and by for
mer Speaker Cannon for the republi
cans agree on that total. Mr. Can
non adds, however, that in addition
to that amount, contracts authorized
for public works involve further ex
penditures of 976,956 ,713.
Defends Reclamation^Service.
Chicago , March 13. —Director F. H.
Newell of the government reclamstion
service in a statement issued here
takes issue with remarks credited to
James J. Hill in a recent speech. The
railroad magnate Is quoted as stating
that the irrigation work of the govern
ment could be accomplished at half
the amount now expended.
In his statement Newell declares that
Mr. Hill shows a surprising lack of
accurate information and apparently
clings to the worn out theory that the
government can not do work as cheap
ly as private enterprise.
Newell asserts that "a compilation
of the costs of all the irrigation pro
jects of considerable size recently
built or in process of construction In
the United States by 'private or cor
porate capital, including in this est!"
mate more than 100 large systems,
shows that the average cost of water
per acre is not far from 960. The aver
age cost for rights on the government's
projects is 845."
Considering that it is generally con-*
ceded that the government has built
more substantial and enduring struo
tures and has provided an ample
water supply which maay large enter*
prises have not, the comparison of
cost is even more favorable to the
government works.
Another Democratic 8enator.
Concord , N, H., March 13.— Henry
E. Hollis democrat was elected United
States senatortodaylby the legislature.
The newly elected senator is a lawyer
and a Harvard graduate. He was un
successful candidate for governor and
for congress on several occasions.
He received 199J votes, three more than
the necessary majority.
Washington , March 13.— The elec
tion of Senator Hollis aroused enthu
siasm In democraticjcircles of the sen
ate. The election makes the political
complextion ofjthe||Benate at present
as follows:
Democrats 50, republicans 42, pro
gressives 2.
Two vacancies exist from the state
of Illinois.
To Reduce Ccst of Living.
New York , March 12.— Another
scheme was added to the| many ways
in whloh New Yorkers are trying to
deal a blow at the hightcost of living.
The New York Railways company and
the Interborougb Rapid Transit com*
pany opened this morning^the first oi
a string of six] stores which are de
signed for the exclusive accommoda*
tion of the streetcar, elevated and
subway employes of the city.
Each of the 25,000 employes will re
ceive credentials permitting them to
buy any artlole of f ancyjor staple gro
ceries, meats, fish and other food
stuffs at prices said to be 30 per cent
lower than prevailing generally here.
It is declared that any article will be
sold at cost and all of the expenses
paid by the railroad employes.
Higher Wagpe For Women.
Chicago , March 12. — A careful
etudy of the probable effects of estab
lishment umring themselves of a mini
mum wage scale for •women is being
made by the big retail merchants here,
following the recent session of the
state vice commission.
Two knotty problems engage their
attention, the extent to which a higher
minimum would be reflected in in
creased compensation for the more
skilled workers and how many women
and girls would be forced out of em
ployment if a minimum wage law were
adopted creating a standard under
which it would be cheaper to hire men
or boys.
Testimony In Harvester Case.
Omaha , Neb., March 11.—Farmers,
dairymen and implement dealers oc
cupied the witness chair today in de
fense of the International Harvester
company to the suit of the government
charging monopoly of the harvester
business of the country. Although
the testimony varied, it again furnish
ed an insight into farming conditions
particularity as they^are affected by
the use of farm implements.
Oat of 217,000 farmers in Iowa only
214 own more than 1,000 acres, accord
ing to Htatistics presented by Attorney
Grosvenor for the government to
George W. Crossly, who was on the
stand today.
Crossly had given direct testimony
as a typical Iowa farmer to show that
harvesting machinery was a minor in
tegral of the aggregate of the farm
machinery. He stated of the 83,500
worth of machinery on his farm only
$350 represented the value of hie har
vesting machinery.
May Bring 16,000 Suits.
Chicago , March 11.—It was rumor
ed here tonight that the federal govern*
ment plans to Institute 16,000 suits
against various railroads for alleged
violations of the 16-hour railroad orew
law. it is stated one eastern road
will be charged with 5,000 alleged vio
lations of the law.
Evidence on which the suits may be
based Is understoodjto have been given
by railroad heads In reporting cases
where crews have been on duty longer
than 16 hours because of hot-boxes.
By the 16-hour law, of 1907, the rail
roads were relieved of responsibility
for crews being on duty for more than
16 hours when such violation was ne
cessitated by burned bridges, wash
outs or other unavoidable cause. The
roads are said to have held that hot
boxes would come under that provi
sion, but the government would con
tend that the hot boxes might be pre
1 vented by proper precautions.