The Topeka State Journal (Topeka, Kansas)
June 6, 1908

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EVERYBODY 20 PAGES READS IT. EVERYBODY 20 PAGES NEEDS IT. LAST EDITION. SATURDAY EVENING, ffOPEKA, KANSAS, JUNE 6, 1908. SATURDAY EVENING. FIVE CENTS. ALTON TO TEST IT Brines Action Aeainst Murdock thirty years' standing at the depart ment, and. the railroads claim. Ignor KAIV ON BOOM. Reaches a Height of 19.7 Feet at Afternoon. SHORT SPEECHES. saasassassasBSBBssss They Will Be the Order at Chi cago Convention. ed the existing law. They have all Joined the Chicago and Alton In a test case, and propose to thresh the question out In the courts. Mail Weighing Reform. IVeighed Seven Days and DlYid ed by Six. KING EDWARD TO RUSSIA This Is Still Below the Flood Stage. Taft Nomination Speech Will Consume Only 30 Minutes. British Ruler and Queen Will Visit Nicholas. READS IT. J Suit Directed Against Postmas ter General Cortelyon. AN OLD T13IE RULE. For Thirty Tears Railroads Followed This System. Astounding Claim Because of Thirty Years Iniquity That the Fraud Should Be Con tinued Poor Defense. Washington, June 6. The suit to test the legality of the action of the post master general In changing the mail weighing divisor, filed In the court of claims by the Chicago ar'd Alton road is attracting marked at tention in railway circles over the en- Representatlve Victor Murdock, Who Championed the Just Claims of the Government Against Hallway Claims and Payments -.Which Were Presented for Thirty Years on a Fraudulent Basis. tire country. In its petition it asks for J 9,000 back pay for hauling mail for three months, which- it" claims it was deprived of under the new order. This is at the rate of $36,000 a year for that one road. The other roads of the country have filed claims with the post office department aggregat ing almost $4,000,000, and their final payment will depend upon the Chi cago and Alton securing a favorable decision. The only question Involved In the case is whether the government is now using the legal divisor in getting an average weight of the mail. Representative Victor Murdock of Kansas first opened the subject in an amendment to the post office appro priations bill two years ago providing that in determining the average weight of mall the total number of days' mail weighed should be the di visor. Before that the department had been weighing for seven days and di viding by six, thus excluding Sundays. Murdock wanted Sunday included in the divisor. Congress turned his proposition down, but Postmaster General Cortel- .you later Issued an order putting the CMurdock Idea Into effect. P, By doing so he changed a rule of Secretary itrge B. Cortelyou, Who as Postmaster General Bravely and Effectively Supported Congressman MurUock'g View of the Railway Welshing Proposition. Port Victoria, England, June 6. ine royal yacht Victoria and Albert with King Edward. Queen Alexandra, Princess Victoria and suite on board today, left for Reval, Russia. The king s new yacht, the Alexandra, will join the party at Brunsbuttal. Prus sia, and will be at the disposal of the royal party in the name. St. Petersburg, June 6. Emperor Nicholas and other members of the Imperial party, accompanied by a nu merous suite, will leave Peterhoff at 4 o'clock tomorrow afternoon for Re val to meet and welcome King Ed' ward and Queen Alexandra. The Russian Imperial yachts Stan dardt and Polar Star, escorted by the cruiser Aiazm ana rour torpedo de stroyers, will arrive at Reval early in the morning or june s. IT'S BLOWING OVER. Excitement Over Dreyfus Assault Now Subsiding. Paris, June 6. The excitement pro duced by the attempt to kill Major Al- Tred Dreyfus last Thursday at the Zola ceremonies in the Pantheon la rapidly subsiding. It Is now apparent that the Clemenceau government does not intend to play into the hands of the nationalists by reviving the old Drey fus issue and the Republican press generally is minimizing the Importance of the outrage and ignoring the .vapor ing of the nationalist press. Maurras and Daudet of L'Action Prancisca evidently are disappointed that they were not hauled up to ex plain their statements in this journal that 'a resolute patriot" had visited them and offered to kill Dreyfus, but that his proposal waa rejected. An editorial was published declaring that the cause of the king will soon over throw the Dreyfus republic. He de fies the government to prosecute him. The doctors have been unable to lo cate the ball in Major Dreyfus arm and say that possibly it may have been ejected by the muscles of the arm. Friends' of Gregoris advanced the theory that he used wax pellets in stead of bullets. These produce an abrasion of the skin, but otherwise are harmless. Some newspapers today say that neither the revolver nor any cartridges were found after the shooting. RISE AT MANHATTAN. Blue Has Overflowed on the Lowlands. Little Danger of Serious Flood in Topeka. The River and the Weather. At 2 o'clock this afternoon the govern ment river euaee measured 19.7 feet, or a rise of one-tenth less than a foot since 7 o'clock this moraine. The exact high water mark in Topeka is 21.6, and the highest point reacnea cur ing the flood of 1903 was 32.7 feet. A light rain fell at Topeka last night amounting to .19 of an inch, making the total precipitation for the past 24 hours .30 of an Inch. The forecast indicates thunder storms and showers tonight and Sunday. The temperatures since 7 o'clock this morning were: 7 o'clock 37111 o'clock 76 8 o'clock 37112 o'clock SI o'olock 69 1 o'clock .-.S6 10 o'clock 71 2 o'clock 84 The Wolff Packing House Reading.' The following readings were taken from the river guage at the Wolff Packing company's plant at the foot of Quincy street and are two feet and ten inches lower than those at the government river guage. These figures indicate a rise of only 14 inches in eight hours: 7 o'clock, 15 feet 6 Inches. 8 o'clock, IB feet 10 Inches. 9 o'clock, 15 feet 11 Inches. 10 o'clock, 16 feet 1 inch. 11 o'clock, 16 feet 4 inches. 12 o'clock, 16 feet 5 inches. 1 o'clock, 16 feet 6 Inches. 2 o'clock. 16 feet 8 inches. The government gauge located at the south end of the Melan bridge in dicate that the Kaw river has been slowly rising at this point since the first reading was taken at 7 o'clock this morning indicating 18.8 feet. The next reading at 11 o'clock indicated 19.4 feet or a rise of six Inches in four hours. Dispatches from the valley of the Kaw and its tributaries indicate a number of light showers, which with the rains of the past 24 hours, will cause a rise of about four feet by Monday afternoon. These figures are fe-lven out at the weather bureau sta tion in this city. The river will not leave its- banks at this point untiL af ter the 22 foot mark has been reached and even then only the lowlands will be flooded. The high water mark of 1903 was about 32 feet, according to the figures at the government weather station. The lowlands east and west of the city are flooded and direct street car ser vice to Oakland has been discontinued on account of water covering the track where' it passes under the Santa Fe track. The track at this point Is sev eral feet lower than that in the ad jacent territory and is close to the bank of the river. Reports from Junction City, where the Republican and Smoky Hill rivers unite to form the Kaw, indicate show ers this morning and rises In each of these streams. Reports from different points along the Kaw indicate farther rises which will reach Topeka Sunday night and Monday. At the government station the feeling is that the Kaw -will continue to rise until Monday after noon when it will in all probability pass the 22 feet mark. This prediction is made in the event that no more rain falls in the valley of the Kaw and its tributaries. The river is out of its banks in the lowlands east and west of Topeka and many of the more timid living m the low districts of North Topeka have moved with their belongings to this side of the river. The piano dealers who have sold instruments m North Topeka on the installment plan were busy yesterday arternoon and this morning removing them to this side of the river. Reports received from up the Kaw valley and the valleys of the tribu taries Indicate that light rains have fallen during the night and this morn ing which will add to the flood waters at this point. In most instances the rains have been in the form of local showers, the precipitation amounting to less than an inch. The railroads are refusing shipments of perishable freight consigned to points in the flood district. While a feeling of uneasiness pre vails in North Topeka there is no im mediate danger, as the river can rise three feet and yet remain within its banks. Soldier creek is bank full but the indications are that it will com mence to fall this afternoon as it will not be affected by the rains of last night and this morning. The water may come into low places in North Topeka through the government gauge will have to record 23.5 before Kansas avenue at the North Topeka fire station could be covered. It re quires a measurement of 26 feet before the Union Pacific railway tracks would be touched with water. At Manhattan the river measures 18.6, which Is six inches above the flood stage, though about 10 feet below the high water mark of 1903. The Kaw will continue to rise until late Mon day afternoon aa a result of the water which has already fallen west of this point and which must be carried away by that stream by way of Topeka. The Independent and Bell Tele phone companies have been able to reach many points in the valleys of the Kaw, Republican. Smoky and Blue rivers and their reports Indicate numerous light showers which will only slightly affect the Kaw at this point. In most instances sunshine has immediately followed the showers indicating that they were purely local in nature. The following reports were received from these sources: Salina, June 6.- No rain has occur red in this part of the country during the past 24 hours and fair weather prevails. Manhattan. June 6. Half an inch of rain fell during the early morning hours, though the sky clefvd im mediately following the shower. The Blue river is rising rapidly and is out of its" banks at places. -The Kaw is also rising rapidly and measured- It (Continued on Page F.lshU WOKKING ON CONTESTS Committee Scats Taft Delegates in Alabama and Arkansas. Little Opposition Develops in the Committee. Washington, June 6. The amount of time that may be consumed by each nominating and seconding speech at the coming national Republican con vention at Chicago, has caused the prospective orators on that occasion to diligently search the record for pre cedents. Roscoe Conkling's nomina tion of Grant for a third term con sumed 12 minutes and Garfield at the same meeting took but a little more time in placing the name of Sherman before the convention. Ten minutes was required for Ingersoll to nominate Blaine. These three speeches stand out prominently as models in the annals of national conventions. It is understood that Representative Burton win take 20 minutes in propos ing Secretary Taft as the presidential candidate of his party, and that Sena tor Borah will consume not more than six or seven minutes in seconding the nomination. Other speeches probably will be governed by the same limita tions, although the convention allows each speaker to be the Judge for the time he may consume In making nomi nations. When brevity has not con trolled orators on such occasions, an impatient audience generally has call ed time on them. The ordeal of speak ing in a large auditorium Is a still more ipotent factor in securing short ad dresses, as few men have voices suf ficiently powerful to stand the strain more than 10 or 15 minutes. First Draft of Platform. Norfolk, Va.. June 6. Wade Ellis, at torney general of Ohio, who has been at Virginia beach for several days pre paring the first draft of the Republi can national platform will leave to morrow for Washington and thence will go to Chicago. "The only work that has been done on the platform," said Mr. Ellis today, "has been the attempt to get together in concrete form some suggestions for the resolutions committee which might be the basis for the work to be done by that committee en the nlaifoi-m. There Is no intention of preparing a piatrorm in advance of the meeting of the committee. "Several prospective members of com mittee, chancing to be in Washington, talked the matter over with President Roosevelt, Secretary Taft and others interested in the subject. That Is all there is to be said about the, Washing ton conference." Taft Delegates Seated. Chicago, June 6. Without roll calls the Republican national committee decided the contests from Alabama and Arkansas involving twenty-four seats in the Republican national con vention in favor of the delegates in structed for Secretary Taft. The vic tory for the Taft forces wnj sweeping, not even a division being required to determine the will of the committee. Contests from Florida, Georgia and Kentucky are yet to be heard, the total number of seats affected being twenty-four. It was decided all sessions shall be executive, beginning at 10 o'clock and continuing without luncheon until ad journment for the day, which is ex pected to be about 6 p. ru in the case of contests involving the delegates at large, thirty minutes for each side will be allowed for presenta tion of argument and fifteen minutes will be allowed each side in district contests. Provision was made, how ever, for consolidation of cases from one state where the issues are identi cal, and also for using the same evi dence in such contests. The rule gov erning voting by the committee on the contests follows: "After presentation of the case the contestants and their representatives shall retire and the committee shall decide the case before calling the next one, without debate and by a viva voce vote unless a demand for a roll call is sustained by at least twenty members." The Alabama cases, by agreement of all parties concerned, were consoli dated and therefore two hours were given to each side. It was regarded as the most important of all the contests because of the fact that twenty-two delegates were Involved and it is first in the list of states that will be called in the convention when nominations are being made. The candidate secur ing the delegation from Alabama is sure to be the first placed in nomina tion because the state, having no can didate of its own, always yields to that state presenting the candidate favor ed by Alabama. All except members of the national committee were first excluded from the room and a few minutes later it was known that the Taft delegates had been seated. There was no demand for a roll call and on the viva voce ex pression it is said that only Mr. Scott of Alabama voted for the seating of the delegates elected by his faction. The Arkansas contest involving the two delegates from the Fifth congres sional district was then taken up. Only half an hour was devoted to it and the committee voted without a dissenting voice to seat the delegation instructed for Secretary Taft. The other delega tion is claimed to be for Taft's nomi nation also, hut it was not instructed. All of the members of the commit tee were present in person except 15. Thirteen of these were represented by proxies including California by Sena tor Charles W. Fulton of Oregon, Utah by Representative Joseph E. Howell of Utah. Alaska by Arthur F. Statter of Washington state, Hawaii by George B. MoClellan, New Mexico by Frank H. Hitchcock the Taft manager, Phil ippine islands by Senator Lodge of Massachusetts. John Edward Addicks, the member from Delaware, and James W. Brock, the member from Vermont, were absent and were not represented. Last night a meeting was held in the room of Senator Hemenway of Indiana at the Auditorium Annex, which was attended- by representatives of Senator Knox of Pennsylvania, Vice President (Continued on Page Slant.) News Item Taft insists on a tariff revision plank in the Chicago platform. SWEEPSjT CLEAN Tornado at Geneva, Xeb.,Carries Death and Destruction. Six Are Killed and Others Seriously Injured. Geneva, Neb., June 6. At least six dead, four fatally burt and several others more or. less, seriously In jured the -result of jptlday'e tornado. which swept across Fillmore county and destroyed everything In its path. A list of the casualties follows: The dead: LULU SMITH, domestic in home of John Shively. IRENE SHIVELY, 4 year old daughter of John Shively. ELIJAH ARGENBRICHT, two miles east of Shickley. TWO CHILDREN OF MRS. MALL, near North Branch, Kan. Fatally injured: John Merrlam, near Shickely. Mrs. Elijah Argenbricht. Ross Shively. Seriously hurt: EH. Fussel, farm hand on Shively's farm. John Shively and his wife. A number of other persons are known to have been injured. The tornadoes, two in number, were practically the climax of a series of smaller storms which passed over western and southwestern Nebraska, during the past two days. Starting In the southwestern part of the country, the tornado clouds became larger as they moved northeast, destroying ev erything In their path. Apparently sep arating the two tornadoes in Fillmore county swept separate paths across the country, levelling farm houses, killing stock and destroying crops. They rose and fell at Intervals, the first destruc tion being two miles east of Shickley when John Argenbricht was killed in his home and John Merriman fatally Injured. Moving towards Geneva, the velocity of the clouds increased until they struck the ground half a mile west of here, entirely destroying the home of John Shively. The four year old daughter was Instantly killed by a flying timber and an older son, Ross Shively, received injuries from which he probably will die. Mrs. Shively also was dangerously injured and her hus band badly hurt. Lulu Smith, the do mestic was in an upper room and her body was found several hundred feet from the ruins. From the Shively home the tornado swept to the northeast. The rain that followed has swollen all streams. REPUBLICAN FALLING. River Got to Within Six Inches of Flood Height at Clay Center. Clay Center, Kan., June 6. Re publican river here within six inches of flood height; is falling slowly. Cy clone reported Scandia last evening ac companied by cloud burst so we are not certain as to river conditions. No trains west of here Rock Island or Union Pacific. Crop damage on bottom lands in Clay county will be great. BIG CITS WELL FLOODED. Slasonry Wall Will Be Built Up Higher. The big well at the up river pumping plant of the city waterworks has been flooded with water from the river and only a part of the roof is showing above the surface. The well is used for reserve purposes and all of the wa ter which has now been contaminated by the flood waters direct from the river will have to be pumped out at a cost of about 1300 to the waterworks department. "We will have to build the masonry wall higher, about 6 or 7 feet said C. E. Jewell of the board of trustees. "It will cost probably $600." Weather Indications. Chicago; June 6. Forecast for Kan sas: Showers and thunder storms to night and Sunday. ELECTRIC WORKERS STRIKE. Trouble in Chicago Caused by Era plpyment of Nonunion Man. Chicago June A strike of 400 elec trical workers, the entire force em ployed by the West Park board of Chi cago, was ordered last night at a. meet ing of the Electrical Workers' District council. The strike, will.-take, effect today and as a- result practically 4,000 electric lights in Humboldt,- Garfield and Douglas parks and the entire west side boulevard system will be dark. The trouble arose over the employ ment of Oscar Carlstrom, a nonunion man, ,by W. A- Jackson, who has the contract for relis-nging arc lamps in the west side parks and boulevards. CLOSE FOR A WEEK. Thirteen Hundred Santa Fe Shop Em ployes Have Vacation. The following notice was posted at the locomotive department of the Santa Fe shops this morning: NOTICE. Locomotive Department, Topeka, June 6. 1908. This shop will close at 12, noon, to day and remain closed until Monday morning, June 15. JOHN PURCELL, Supt. Shops. The same notice was posted, up in the Santa Fe blacksmith shop, the boiler shop, the water service depart ment, the pattern and tin shops. The order thus laying off the men for one week is understood to be a temporary matter of economy; work to be resumed again a week from Mon day. The order affects about thirteen hun dred men of the twenty-three hundred to twenty-six hundred engaged in the shops. A NEW GUNNESS VICTIM An Inquiry From Sweden for Olaf Jensen. Laporte, Ind., June 6. Mrs. E. Male Svenkerud, Christlania, Norway, through the Swedish consul in Chi cago, today made inquiry of Sheriff Smutzer for her son, Olaf Jensen of Capron, 111., -who in 1906 left Chicago to marry a Norwegian widow living on a farm near Laporte. Jensen was never heard from after that. TWO GO TO LANSING. "Pie" Jordan Sentenced to Ten Tears May Buckmaster to Two. "Pie" Jordan was sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary today for burglarizing the Provident association rooms. He is an old offender and got the limit. May Buckmaster was given two years for killing Mrs. Hattle Pyle in a drunken debauch. TORNADO MEARKERWIM. Seventeen Farm Houses Destroyed and Four Persons Injured. Salina, Kan.. June 6. A report has reached here of a severe tornado in the vicinity of Kirwin about sundown jat Friday evening. The wires are down and particulars are nara to obtain out it is stated that 17 farm houses are destroyed and four persons are seri ously if not fatally injured. No Game Today. On account of a washout on the Frisco railroad the Hutchinson team was de layed so that It will hardly get home from Springfield in time for today's game with Topeka. One game tomor row. ENID UNDERWATER Twelve Feet Deep in the Main Street. Fifty Houses Carried Away, But No Lives Lost. Enid. Okla., June 6. Enid today faces the most disastrous flood in its history. Following six bours .rainfall. xuggy running iuruuKi ioq City this morning widened to from 250 to 2,0-00 feet and flooded practically the whole of Enid carrying away houses, flooding stores and endangering lives. Today water stood 12 feet deep in Main street covering two blocks of the business center. Fifty houses were swept away, and carried down stream with the occupants who had been driven to the-roofs shouting for help. Some families floated about at the mercy of the flood waters and in the darkness all night. All were finally rescued at daylight and no fatalities are reported. Today the water is re ceding slowly. The heaviest losers were the Enid Planing Mill company, whose ware house containing $10,000 worth of goods, was swept away. The Alton Mercantile company, wholesale gro cers, the electric light plant, flooded to a depth of four feet, leaving the city without lights or street car service. Both daily newspapers were put out of business by lack of power. The Rock Island's concrete bridge over Main street was carried out together with six other Rock Island bridges within six miles of Enid. The Santa Fe and St. Louis San Francisco re ports all their lines demoralized from washouts and bridges washed away. LOSS IS MILLIONS. Flood in Montana Plays Havoc With Crops. Butte, Mont., June 6. With crop losses estimated at from two-thirds to total destruction in several of tne rich valleys of the state with damage to railway lines, estimated at more than one million dollars, while the systems scarcely can be put upon a normal basis under two weeks, witn from 8,000 to 10,000 passengers stalled in this state, with little hope of imme diate rescue, Montana today is ex- -perlencing the worst flood in the his- tory of the northwest. Shortly after midnight, the North ern Pacific moved here to Logan many of the westbound passengers stalled at' that point, but it is now Impossible to get a train in or out of Butte over any railway. The Great Northern trains to and from Helena are tied up near Basin. The Northern Pacific officials frank ly confess that they do not xnow where their express trains are, nor can the whereabouts of the Oregon Short Line trains be learned at this hour. The new roadbed of the St. Paul west of here is badly wasned out in many places. The Butte. Anacon da Pacific has lost four bridges be- tween here and Anaconda. Because of washouts on the Great Northern, the Boston Montana pro perties in Butte probably will close to night, throwing thousands of men out of work here and forcing the smelter at Great Falls, which employs thou sands more to shut down. The heavy snow which fell yesterday is melting today under a drizzling rain and worse conditions are looked for when this additional volume of water reaches the lower valleys. Butte Is still without street cars, lights and electrical power of any sort. The damage in this city has been slight, but the property loss has been heavy on the lowlands west -and south of here and loss of life la feared. The damage to the new road bed of the St. Paul alone will probably reach half a million dollars. Bankers Are Sentenced. Pittsburg, Pa., June 6. For the embezzlement of $1,105,000 from the Farmers' Deposit National bank. Perry Reber and John Young, former paying teller and auditor respectively, were sentenced today to seventeen years each In the penitentiary.