Events and Comments

hv^ENTS AND COMMENTS. BY EDWARD H. ANDERSON. Agreement Cancelled.— On April 15, the agreement, about four years old, between the Southern Pacific and the San Pedro railroads, binding the latter road to adopt the rates of the former and not to change them without the former's con- sent, for a period of ninety-nine years, was cancelled. The agreement was dis- closed during the recent Harriman investigation, and was held to be a clear viola- tion of law. Whether the Interstate Commission will prosecute is not known at this writing. The penalty for the offense alleged to have been committed may be both fine and imprisonment. Under the new freedom given the Clark road, there should be better passenger and freight rates between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. Jamestown Exposition. —The Jamestown Exposition, commemorating the 300th anniversary of the landing of the English at Cape Henry, was opened April 26, in the presence of about sixty-five thousand people, and with unparalleled naval display. Jamestown was named from James I, and is located on the James River, thirty-seven miles northwest of Norfolk, Va. It was the site of the Spanish set- tlement of San Miguel, founded by Ayllon in 1526, but soon abandoned, and later became the first permanent English settlement in the United States. The colo- nists sent by the London company landed May 13, 1607. The slow growth and ter- rible suffering of the settlement, especially in the starving time of 1609-10. are well known historical facts. The town was burned by Bacon's rebellion in 1676. A few tombs and the tower of the Church are the only relics. Owing to the de- lay in getting the exposition ready, President Roosevelt, who was to have pressed an electric button to start the machinery, contented himself with delivering a special historical speech, as there was no machinery ready to start. The Pre.'^i- dent also reviewed the ships of the Atlantic fleet and visiting war vessels from foreign nations, anchored in three lines in Hampton Roads. It was the greatest naval display ever witnessed in American waters. In the first line were twelve foreign ships, British, German and Austrian; in the second, sixteen American bat- tle ships; and in the third, twenty-two cruisers, monitors and torpedo craft. Among the guests in attendance were- diplomatic, naval and military officers of nearly forty foreign nations.

— t)38 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Utah was represented by Hon. A. L. Thomas of the Utah- Jamestown Com- mission who was well received, and notified on May 3, that October 15 was set apart as Utah day at the Exposition, when Governor John C. Cutler, the Commission from Utah, and many citizens from the state are to be present. Twenty-seven countries, and as many states have made appropriations for buildings and exhibits. Street Railway Strike— On April 28, Sunday morning, nearly all the street car laborers in Salt Lake City went on a strike. An apparently satisfactory sched- ule of wages was fixed April 2, in which the wages were increased, but not to the extent the men desired. men had asked for 20 per cent more Six weeks prior the pay than they were getting. More or less fraction between the men and the company continued until the culmination on April 28. The city was without transportation during Sunday and Monday and part of Tuesday, but in the early hours of Tues- day morning an agreement was arrived at, through the oflices of Hon. B. H. Roberts, who secured from the company a concession to the men's demands for an increased wage scale. From May 1, and continuing for two years, they are to receive twenty-five cents per hour for the first year, and thirty cents per hour thereafter. Barn men to receive an increase of ten per cent. All other questions were dropped, and the men returned to work without ill feeling. There are about two hundred and seventy-five men in the service, and the increase in salary under the new arrangements is said to be about fifty thousand dollars per annum. On the second day, while the company were trying to run a car, there was some rioting in which some company employees were hurt, mostly by students under twenty years of age, and by town loafers. The police did little to interfere or to keep order. Twenty-three men stood by their posts during the crisis, refus- ing to join the strike, and these were later suitably rewarded by the company. The employees get what they asked for in wages, but the company does not grant all the demands with regard to working conditions, nor does it recognize the Union. The Idaho Murder Cases.— On May 9, the trial of the alleged conspir- ators in the assassination of ex-Governor Steunenberg of Idaho, began at Boise, Idaho. This affair has grown to national importance. Labor unions throughout the country have made every effort to free them untried, and they treat them Moyer, Haywood, and Pettibone — as martyrs to the cause of labor. They have also severely criticised President Roosevelt for classing these men, in a letter of October 8, 1906, as "undesirable citizens." Foreign socialists in New York and other cities have paraded the streets by thousands and made speeches in defense of the Idaho prisoners. The Work, a new York Socialist paper is raising money to save Moyer and Haywood, and it says the parades relate to "the persecution, miscalled prosecution, of the officers of the Western Federation of Miners, the exposure of the capitalists' conspiracy to terrorize organized labor by the use of ' the gallows. ' The parades are mostly foreign and appear to be composed of people who have learned their lessons of political violence in Russia. The Independent says, speaking of the parades of May 1 and 4, occasioned by the reiter-

EVENTS AND COMMENTS. 639 ation of the utterances of President Roosevelt, in which he classed the accnssed men as "undesirable citizens:" The "Socialist" clubs are numerous— Lettish, Hungarian, Polish, Semitische and Russian — under various names. There are a multitude of Radical "unions" and "associations" with strange names— Scheftlisticker, Ekaterinaslav, Krawkaser, Retchilzer, Dveusker, Kischenetf, Novazipkover, Tinkowitzer, Kinda- Cheniguar, nora, Yarover, Kartary, Bereza, Halopnitzer— and so on for nearly two long col- umns. There are a multitude of them and they made a great parade, but their children will know our institutions better. In the Socialist Appeal to Reason most radical, unreasonable and wild state- ments are made; in it also, Eugene V. Debs, who has been known heretofore to "breathe out threatenings and slaughter with word and pen," declares that "no blood-bought McPartland brand of made-to-order evidence [relating to Orchard's testimony] shall be allowed to servo the infamous ends of judicial murder." Ac- cording to Orchard's own confession, which it takes seven hours to read, he was the principal assassin hired by the Western Federation of Miners, to get rid of objec- tionable persons. Detective McPartland obtained this startling confession, placed it before Chief Judge Gabbert and others, and a number of corroborations of Orch- ard's story was made, after which the Governor of Colorado, where President Moyer, Secretary Haywood and Executive Officer Pettibone had their headquarters, granted the requisition for these men to be taken to Idaho. They were arrested in Denver, on complicity in the Steunenberg assassination, and rushed to Idaho on a special train. This is what the miners and their sympathizers call "Kidnap- while others looked upon it as a short cut to justice, carried out in char- ing," acteristic style. Whether the prosecution has direct corroborative evidence that these men conspired to murder Stunenberg is very important and remains to be learned. As far as the people are concerned they will heartily agree with Presi- of the Cen- dent Roosevelt, in this case, in what he said in reply to a committee Union of New York on May 5, who had been appointed to call upon tral Federated and talk with him about his criticism of Moyer and Haywood. He said: of The intemperate violence with which Socialistic or labor papers like that organizations, have insisted with- Debs, and, I am sorry to say, some other labor out any knowledge of the facts upon treating these men as martrys to the cause pressure being brought to of labor, has unquestionably resulted in tremendous them, whether guilty or bear upon the authorities of Idaho, to discharge or acquit innocent. i- • j • ti. justice is done these So far as the unions are anxious only to see that exact they are given their full legal rights and not condemned unless proved men that o-uilty of the specific act, they are entitled to the co-operation of all just and fair- minded citizens. So far as by any action or by murderous and treasonable language, as that quoted above from Debs (and others), they tend to bring pressure to such upon the State autnorities and the courts to obstruct the course of justice bear to convict the men, if guilty, they are equally without and to render it difficult stint to be condemned; and anything that the Federal authorities can do either m done. event to further the cause of justice is to be May 22, the jury had not been obtained in William D. Haywood's Up to case. Each case will be tried separately.

640 IMPROVEMENT ERA. State Board of Accountants. —Among other new laws passed by the seventh legislature was one creating a Board to examine all public accountants, and issue permits to individuals or corporations to engage in that business. On May 14 this Board was named by Governor Cutler: Douglas A. Swan, Salt Lake; Ralph E. Hoag, Ogden: W. J. Bateman, Salt Lake. "Adriatic."— This new, latest and longest, Atlantic liner of the White Star Company has just completed its maiden trip over the ocean. It is 725 feet and 9 inches long; 75 feet, six inches beam; and about 50 feet deep; tonnage 25,000 and a displacement of 40,000 tons. It has accommodations for 3,000 persons on its nine steel decks. Some of the special features included in her construction are a fully equipped gymnasium, a turkish bath, and an electric elevator operating through four decks. The main dining saloon on the upper deck is fitted with small tables accommodating 370 persons. It has a lounging room on the boat deck, 35 feet above the water; also a luxurious drawing-room on the same deck. The Big "U."— Reverend E. I. Goshen has condemned the big 100x100 foot ' *U' ' which the students have planted on the mountainside near the Uni- versity of Utah buildings. He said it disfigured nature. The students have re- cently rebuilt it of concrete at a great cost of labor and money. At chapel exer- cises, Friday, May 17, President Kingsbury took issue with the idea that the "U" was placed on the hillside in defiance of the laws of the land and of nature, and maintained that 'there is more than mere cold stone and cement on the hill There ' . is loyalty and faithfuless behind every shovel of dirt. The 'U' is not a monu- ment of commercialism, but is a monument for the expression of love, sincerity, unity,and devotion to our Alma Mater." We think there will be few who will not agree with President Kingsbury. Richard W. Young, Jr. , has been selected president of the student body to succeed President Stayner Richards who graduates. President Richards reported on the material and work on the "U." He stated that during the three days that the 1, 200 wheel-barrows of concrete students were working at it, there were used, 200 sacks of cement, 400 wagon loads of gravel, and 73 loads of sand. The boys in putting it on walked 93 miles. The cost of the material which included only sand and cement was ^350, of this amount the boys have succeed in raising $230. by subscription.The sides of the "U" are each about 16 feet wide, and the ground enclosed, about 65 feet in diameter. The following verse and refrain was written by Mrs. Guv Sterling, and Prof. Squire Coop will set the words to music: Old Utah has a husky lot of lads to do her will. She bade them write her autograph upon the eastern hill. They met with shovel and pick, too, with concrete, sand and lime, And set on high to greet the eye, a mark defying time. The 'U" upon the hill shall gleam majestic till ' Old Utah's head is hoary, her annals crowned with glory.