1902 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
115 
Events of the Week 
DOMESTIC.—A collision between runaway electric 
cars at Wilmerding, Pa., January 29, killed three persons 
and injured a dozen others.A sleet storm in 
Arkansas January 30 did great damage at Pine Bluff, 
Jonesboro, and other points. The sleet fell to t,he depth 
of six inches and was packed into solid ice. The damage 
to stock and buildings is believed to aggregate fully 
$500,000.A disastrous fire occurred at Water- 
bury, Conn., February 3, causing damage amounting to 
$1,500,000. The fire originated in a dry goods store, and 
spread rapidly. A terrific gale, combined with shortage 
of water, prevented the firemen from controlling the 
flames.An explosion in a mine at Hondo, Mexico, 
February 1, killed 106 miners. A majority of the victims 
were Mexicans and Chinamen, but there were a few 
Americans among them.The custom house an¬ 
noyance of having trunks and valises roughly overhauled 
in order to enforce the law, which allows only $100 worth 
of personal effects to enter the country free, is to be 
called to the attention of the President by a petition 
signed by a large number of prominent women, who 
have themselves experienced the aggravation complained 
of at the hands of the custom house inspectors. Their 
petition represents that the customs officials dump the 
contents of their trunks out on the wharves, handle 
them roughly, ask impertinent questions and make com¬ 
ments on the articles of wearing apparel which they 
find that are offensive and humiliating. The petitioners 
declare that the law is obnoxious, that the execution of 
it is almost invariably disgustingly impertinent and they 
ask for relief.Mail advices from the Klondike 
state that scurvy is prevailing in and about Nome to 
an alarming degree. A great lack of all kinds of fresh 
vegetables was apparent. Many of the poor prospectors 
who were unable to get out in the Fall, are hibernating 
in their cabins, and it is among this class that the most 
pronounced cases of scurvy are found. The poor of 
Nome are proving a heavy tax on the charity of the 
camp. Destitution is general. There have been no ad¬ 
vices from the outside since navigation closed. The Win¬ 
ter has been mild, and an early break up is looked for. 
.... A boiler explosion on a towboat near Pittsburg, 
Pa., February 5, killed five men and injured four others. 
CONGRESS.—A bill to direct the resumption of the 
coinage of 214-cent pieces was introduced in the House 
January 27 by Representative Cummings of New York, 
who says that the prices of department stores and other 
business reasons make it necessary to provide such 
fractional coins.The House Committee on 
Ways and Means, January 30, unanimously authorized 
Chairman Payne to report a bill repealing all the war 
revenue taxes except the tax on mixed flour. The repeal 
is to take effect July 1, 1902, except the duty on tea, which 
is to take effect January 1, 1903. Chairman Payne made 
a statement showing that the total reduction would be 
$77,000,000 annually.Secretary Hitchcock signed, 
February 1, what is known as the Lemmon lease of the 
Standing Rock Sioux lands. This lease covers a tract of 
780,000 acres in the northwestern portion of the reserva¬ 
tion. The lease requires that the cattlemen shall fence 
in the tract which is to be turned over to them with a 
barbed wire fence. A provision was inserted, allowing 
each Indian head of a family within the borders o£ 
the leased tract to graze cattle to the number of 100, 
provided he would fence in the land required to graze 
his herd, 40 acres being allowed to each animal. It is 
said by the Indians and those acquainted with their 
situation that practically none of them will be able to 
do the amount of fencing required, and that, unless they 
are willing to risk having their herds absorbed by those 
of the cattlemen, they will be obliged to abandon their 
homes. The Indian who has 100 head of cattle would 
require 4,000 acres of land, which would necessitate the 
building of 10 miles of fence. The Indian herds range 
all the way from 20 animals to 66. Even those who have 
but 20 would be required to build more fence than the 
individual Indian unaided would be able to construct in 
a single season. The cattlemen are to turn in their 
herds April 1. As if foreseeing that the proposition to 
have the Indians fence in their grazing land was im¬ 
possible for execution, the Indian Office has inserted in 
the leases a provision that the Indians may graze their 
cattle within the leased tract on paying the lessees $1.20 
a year for each animal. It is understood that the Sec¬ 
retary of the Interior has decided to sign another lease, 
known as the Walker lease, which will drive an even 
larger number of Indians from their homes. 
GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS.—The text of the Neth¬ 
erlands government suggestion to England on the sub¬ 
ject of peace in South Africa and the British reply were 
made public February 5. The Dutch Premier is informed 
by Lord Lansdowne that if the Boers in the field desire 
peace, negotiations can be entered into, but only in South 
Africa. The British government adheres to its inten¬ 
tion not to accept the intervention of any foreign Power. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—The Indiana State Fair will 
be held at Indianapolis September 15-19. It will com¬ 
memorate the fiftieth anniversary of the existence of the 
Indiana State Board of Agriculture, and will be one of 
the greatest exhibitions in its history. Secretary, Charles 
Downing, State House, Indianapolis, Ind. 
The Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association met at 
Burlington February 5-6. 
The fiftieth annual fair of the Suffolk County (N. Y.) 
Agricultural Society will be held at Riverhead, N. Y., 
September 16-19. 
The Northwest Fruit Growers’ Association met at 
Walla Walla, Wash., January 28. The territory covered 
by this Association includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, 
Montana and British Columbia. 
The Northwest Wool Growers’ Association met at 
Helena, Mont., February 4-6. 
The Aberdeen-Angus bull, Prince Ito, sold at auction 
at Chicago, February 5, for the record price of $9,100. 
The highest price for an Angus bull ever realized in the 
ring before was $3,050. The Herefords made the previous 
highest record in 20 years with the bull Perfection, which 
brought $9,000. Black Cap Judy, of the same breed as 
Prince Ito, sold for $6,300, the female record price of all 
breeds since 1873. 
THE NEW YORK STATE GRANGE. 
Annual Meeting at Olean. 
The twenty-ininth annual session of the New York 
State Grange convened at Olean, N. Y., February 3. 
The early sessions had a comparatively light attendance, 
owing to the blizzard which delayed travel for many 
hours, but by the afternoon of the second day the vari¬ 
ous counties of the State were nearly all represented. 
The annual address of the Master, E. B. Norris, Sodus, 
was delivered at the first session. He remarked that 
farmers everywhere are taking a deeper interest in or¬ 
ganization, and the Grange is offering the greatest op¬ 
portunity and finest scope for the discussion of all the 
great subjects pertaining to agriculture. The future 
destiny of the Grange depends upon wise and careful 
conclusions to the end that its influence may be broad¬ 
ened and its membership increased. The principles in¬ 
culcated by the Grange have placed the Order in the 
foremost i-anks of all farmers’ organizations. It is on 
a sound financial basis, and its future prosperity is as¬ 
sured by a careful adherence to the declaration of its 
purposes and the exclusion of all partisan issues and 
sectional strife. On the subject of taxation, Master Nor¬ 
ris said that the Grange stands for equality before the 
law and equally distributed burdens, and it will strive 
by all honorable means to secure a law that will compel 
all property to bear its just proportion of taxation. On 
the canal question the Master recommended a full and 
free discussion, coming to some conclusion that can be 
supported by all the Subordinate Granges of the State. 
Secretary W. N. Giles reported 12 new Granges or¬ 
ganized the past year, and two reorganized. There are 
now 527 Granges in the State, with a total membership 
of 62,000, being a net gain in membership for the year of 
1,732. The counties with the largest membership are 
Oswego, 3,239; Wayne, 3,452; Chautauqua, 3,884; Jefferson, 
5,217. There are 46 counties in which Granges have been 
organized, and 31 have Pomona or County Granges. 
Columbia County was the last to organize a Pomona 
which had a charter membership of 220. The secretary 
commented on the encouraging condition of the work 
in the State as revealed by statistics, and on the satis¬ 
factory results attained particularly along legislative 
lines. Cooperative insurance is being found eminently 
satisfactory to members of the Order, as it is one of 
the grandest achievements for protection and economy 
ever brought about by any similar organization. “In 
the work of legislation,” said the secretary, “many good 
laws have been enacted and some bad legislation pre¬ 
vented. Let us ask for nothing we do not need, or say 
nothing we do not mean. Let us demand nothing but 
exact justice and insist on being satisfied with nothing 
less,” were the closing sensible words of the secretary. 
That the State Grange is in good financial condition the 
$15,000 in the treasury attests. 
Hon. Aaron Jones, of Indiana, Master of the National 
Grange, was present, and gave a stirring address in an 
off-hand style that captivated his auditors. Some of the 
good things said were these: “Be it understood that it 
is the purpose of our Order to create the highest and 
noblest type of citizenship. This can only be accom¬ 
plished by bettering individual character. Alongside tne 
church and the public school stands the Grange to help 
in the moral, social and educational work which goes 
to make true citizens.” He remarked that the farmer 
should not sit quietly by and allow himself to be shackled 
by unjust laws. We should not allow others to do our 
thinking. Our influence as an organization is being im¬ 
pressed on State and National legislatures. We are get¬ 
ting in the position where, if we conduct ourselves wisely, 
we may get what we want for the farmers’ interests, 
because we are not a partisan political organization, and 
demand only those laws which have equity and justice 
for their basis. “Our Order is growing better and 
stronger every day; New York is in the van, and 1 
hope,” said the speaker, “she will keep the lead. The 
ideal republic will be that having its foundations in the 
principles our Order represents.” 
On Tuesday evening public exercises were held in the 
armory where the sessions of the Grange were also 
held. An address of welcome was given by Mayor War¬ 
ring, which was responded to by Worthy Master Norris. 
Music and recitation filled out an interesting evening; 
a mixed programme with speeches by Assemblyman 
Litchard, Hon. Aaron Jones, ex-Lecturer Cole and Lec¬ 
turer Mrs. S. N. Judd and others. The election of of¬ 
ficers for the ensuing two years took place at the third 
days’ session and resulted as follows: Worthy Master, 
E. B. Norris, Sodus; overseer, Geo. S. Fuller, Philadel¬ 
phia, N. Y.; lecturer, Mrs. B. B. Lord, Sinelairville; 
steward, A. E. Hall, Amenia; assistant steward, F. N. 
Godfrey, Olean; chaplain, A. H. Dewey, Manchester; 
treasurer, P. A. Welling, Hannibal; secretary, W. N. 
Giles, Skaneateles; gate keeper, M. I. Harding, Hornells- 
ville; Flora, Mrs. F. E. Dawley, Fayetteville; Pomona, 
Mrs. W. H. Bulkley, West Groton; Ceres, Miss N. M. 
Cowles, Greene; lady assistant steward, Mrs. W. W. 
Ware, Batavia. j. n. d. 
Good Roads tn New York State. 
All over the State of New York at the present time, 
the subject of good roads has more discussion than ever 
before. Men of influence from all sections of the State 
have recently met at Albany to try to promote good 
roads by securing an appropriation of $10,000,000 for their 
construction. The “On to Richmond” Tribune is making 
an effort to have some people along the southern tier of 
counties try to see, from their castles in the air, a broad, 
macadamized highway extending from the Hudson to 
Lake Erie. From Kingston—the proposed eastern ter¬ 
minus—to some point on Lake Erie, is surely 300 miles, 
and about one-fourth of this distance, from Kingston to 
Sidney, is in the wilderness of the Catskill Mountains. 
Of course we read that “the wilderness and solitary 
place shall be glad,” as no doubt they would be by the 
building of a State road over the mountains and rocks 
of Ulster and Delaware counties. Again, three-fourths 
of the population of the State west of the Hudson, la 
north of this proposed road, to whom It will be of no 
benefit nor use, unless it be by an increase of value in 
real estate in the southern counties and a compensating 
increase in taxation. What will the people in the garden 
counties of the State, such as Albany, Madison, Cort¬ 
land, Otsego and Onondaga and so on to Erie, say about 
voting a tax of $10,000,000 for this Catskill Mountain road? 
Now, good roads are desirable, yea, of more value 
than can be easily calculated; but then, most people, 
and especially farmers, regard taxes as a burden. Canals 
are a convenience, especially to western shippers, when 
they are free to them at the expense of this State. There 
are a great many roads in this great State, leading in 
every direction, but not now so important east and west, 
as they were before the days of railroads. Three hun¬ 
dred miles of macadam roads in sections between the 
Erie Railroad on the south and the New York Central 
on the north, would benefit several thousand more people 
than the proposed east and west road along the southern 
tier of counties. Let us make haste slowly, but still 
keep up the discussion. Progress and improvement are 
in the air and should get down to our highways. Men 
who have no aversion to mud puddles and rutted roads 
will be slow to learn, but the dullest minds can be 
brightened. There are good roads among the granite 
hills of New England where one mile is more difficult 
in construction and maintenance, on an average, than 
two miles in this State. c. f. b. 
Auburn, N. Y. 
A Word for the Chinese. 
I read in your issue of January 4 what the Masters of 
the State Granges had to say about Chinese exclusion. 
1 have been acquainted with your paper for about 15 
years, taking it most of the time. I have esteemed it 
very highly, and deeply regret to see it go wrong, as 
well as a majority of the Granges. While I do not say 
that it is wrong to exclude the poor Chinese, I will most 
emphatically affirm that it is wrong to make a target 
of them alone. I wish to submit a few questions to 
these exclusion folks. First, what is the per cent of 
crime among the Chinese, as compared with that of 
other races? Second, is there any perfect government? 
Third, is there any government which does not claim it 
is the best? Fourth, what are the pernicious teachings 
of the Buddhist religion? Fifth, will you prove to me, 
if you can, that the white Caucasian or Aryan race is 
better than the Asiatic races? Right here I wish to 
state that I am not a Chinaman but have been around 
a little myself, and know something about the Chinese 
people, as well as several other races, and in the name 
of justice I feel it my duty to do what I can to stay 
the oppressor’s hand from a poor and submissive people. 
To the advocate of war I have nothing to say, but to 
the one who wishes to do to others as he would have 
them do to him, I will discuss this question as far as 
he may wish. s. c. 
Hale, Ore. 
Apples in the Mobile ^Market. 
The apple trade in this city has been very good this 
season, considering the high prices of fruit, and we feel 
confident that growers who have shipped good stock 
apples to this market have no reason to complain of re¬ 
sults. The most popular varieties here, in fact, in all 
southern cities, are Ben Davis and Winesap. The trade 
down this way demands red stock, and other varieties 
are slow sale at anything like fair prices. As to style 
of packages we will say that no package moves freely 
here excepting fulDsize barrels. Boxes are altogether 
out of place on this market. Retailers do not want 
them. As to what quantity is consumed here we would 
say that in our estimation this city will consume about 
10 cars a month. The majority of storage apples that 
have been shipped in here in the last few weeks show 
signs of decay and in nearly all cases we have been 
compelled to repack before shipping the fruit. We 
hardly know how to account for this, unless the stock 
was defective when put in storage, and keeping qualities 
of the fruit were anything but good. 
Mobile, Ala. _ muscat & lott. 
CORN OR TOMATOES?—It seems your correspondent 
from Johnston Co., Ind., page 57, takes about the right 
view of growing tomatoes. At the present price or corn 
I am quite sure that no farmer could afford to grow 
tomatoes for less than $8 per ton. This is a great pack¬ 
ing center, six canning houses will be operating here 
next season. They made big money last year; one I 
know made $12,000. He got his grown at $6 per ton. The 
price went up to 30 and 35 cents per basket (% basket), 
and many of the farmers jumped their contracts. This 
year they are offering $7. but the up-to-date grower will 
not contract for less than $8 per ton. We always get a 
good crop, some grow eight to 10 tons per acre, but the 
average is about four tons to the acre, 60 % baskets to 
the ton about. We have 15 or 20 packing houses in this 
county. Stick to your corn; it will keep. Tomatoes are 
an expensive crop from beginning to end. a. t. b. 
Cambridge, Md. 
A FAVORED GRAPE REGION.—We live in the fa¬ 
mous Chautauqua and Erie grape belt, from which were 
shipped the past season nearly 6,800 carloads of grapes 
averaging 3,000 baskets or over to the car, and probably 
averaging 10 cents per basket net to the grower. (Our 
individual crop netted us 11.2 cents per basket). Part of the 
above number of cars were shipped in bulk in crates. In 
addition to what were shipped over 800 carloads were 
made into juice, making over 1,718,000 gallons, of which 
a little over 200,000 gallons was for unfermented wine. A 
little figuring will show the enormous amount of money 
the grape crop bx-ings into this little strip of country 
along the lake shore, between Angola on the east, and 
Erie, Pa., on the west, besides giving profitable employ¬ 
ment to thousands of young people who come in from 
the surrounding country during the six or eight weeks 
of harvest in September and October. We have local 
telephone system which connects with all the surround¬ 
ing villages, reaching out into the country for the bene¬ 
fit of the farmers, and rural free mail del.very, and if 
efforts to obtain franchises from different villages along 
the route are any indication of final results, there will 
soon be a trolley line along the main road from Buffalo 
to Erie. w w 
Westfield, N. Y. 
