Events and Comments

EVENTS AND COMMENTS, BY EDWARD H. ANDERSON. Railroad Accidents. — In a bulletin issued by the Interstate Commerce Commission, it is shown that for the year ending June 30, 1907, there were not less than 410 passengers killed in train collisions and derailments on the railroads of the United States. The total of casualties to passengers, and employes while on duty was 81,286, or 5,000 persons killed and 76,286 injured, an increase of 775 killed and 9,577 injured as compared with the year ending June 30, 1906. The U. S. Navy. — This country now stands second among the nations in naval strength. The report of the secretary of the Navy, however, shows that when France completes the ships now in process of construction, that country will reach the second place, and the United States will fall to the third. Secretary Metcalf further declares that to maintain our Navy in a state of efficiency and to relpace obsolete ships by the newest type will require an appropriation of $69,270 000 for the construction of four battleships, and for cruisers, torpedo boat destroyers, submarine boats, and minor craft. Census of Cuba. — The registration or census of voters has recently been completed in Cuba which marks the first step toward the ending of American intervention in the island, and the re- establishment of the Cuban republic. A special commission has been formed to frame a new electoral law, and soon this new law will be promulgated. The date for the elections has not yet been definitely determined, and will doubtless depend upon the continuance of tranquil conditions in the country. It is expected, however, that municipal elections will be held in May or June, this year, and that by December the presidential election will be held, leading up to the inauguration of the president, perhaps in May, 1909. Postal Savings Banks.— In many of the European countries postal savings banks are long established. Why not have them in this country? In his annual report Postmaster- General Meyer strongly advocates their establishment in the United States, paying interest on deposits at 2 per cent. He gives as his reason that these banks would furnish an absolutely safe place of deposit for vast sums of money which, as in the recent panic, might otherwise be hoarded and so be kept out of circulation to the great detriment of business. One other change recommended by him is the establishment of a parcel post sys-

234 IMPRO VEMENT ERA . tem, with delivery at low rates, on the rural routes. This question will doubtless soon be handled by Congress, and there are many who will oppose its establisment, on the ground that it would injure the small merchants and the express companies, and for other reasons. The Cruise of the Great Pacific Fleet.— Sixteen battleships— Connedicut, Kansas, Vermont, Louisiana, first division, first squadron; Georgia, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Virginia, second division, first squadron; Miraraeso/a, Ohio, Missouri, Maine, third division, second squadron; Alabama, Illinois, Kearsarge, Kentucky, fourth division, second squadron, passed out from Hampton Roads, through the Virginia capes, early on the morning of December 16, followed by the auxiliary division of two supply ships— Glacier, Calgoa — Panther, a repair ship, and Yankton, a tender; also the torpedo boat flotilla of six, as follows: Whipple, Hopkins, Hull, Stewart, Truxton and Lawrence. The spectacle was transcendently impressive, as this line of battleships — this line of floating fortresses, commanded by Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans, four miles long, led by President Roosevelt, on the Mayflower, bayed in thunder tones a long good bye, and steamed out into the sea. Here was the finest display of cruising battleships ever beheld in this or any other country, embarked on a cruise unparalleled in history. As President Roosevelt extended his hand to Admiral Evans, to say good-bye, he said, ' 'Admiral Evans, I want to say, that I am very proud of this fleet, but as far as that is concerned, I believe everybody is. In saying good-bye, I also wish you a God-speed." Then each captain was given a "God bless you and God-speed" from the commander-in-chief. On the quarter deck of the Connecticut stood Rear Admiral Evans, grizzled, crippled, almost past the age of fighting, his face marked with strange furrows, his eyes turned to the southern horizon. He was on a ship that with its followers will roll, and plunge, and climb over and around fourteen thousand miles of sea, for the purpose of war practise. Here is a deep-sea harvest, the garnering of which no man can foretell. There are 15,000 men in the crews; the distance to be traveled is 13,772 miles; and the duration of the fleet's voyage is expected to be 135 days. The first stop will be December 28, at Trinidad, 1,850 miles: from there to Rio de Janeiro is 3,100 miles, to be reached January 11, 1908; to Punta Arenas, Strait of Magellan, 2,228 miles, January 31; to Callao, 2,666, February 18; Magdalena Bay, Lower Gala., 3,105 miles, March 14; and thence to San Francisco probably early in May. The flotilla will stop at other ports. Target practice will be held in Magdalena Bay. On the 18th, a wireless telegram from Admiral Evans announced that the fleet would cruise around the world. The Liquor Question. — A temperance wave or, more righthly, a check to the liquor traffic, appears to be sweeping over the United States. There are now only six states and two territories; namely, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah and Colorado, and Arizona and New Mexico, where the licensed saloon today has undisputed territory; and in Idaho the Sunday closing law, enacted in 1906, has already entered the wedge to prohibition. The strong sentiment among the Latter-day Saints who, strange to say, occupy much of the ground where the

EVENTS AND COMMENTS. 235 saloon now has undisputed sway, is sure to have a telling effect in aiding the antisaloon league to bring these six states and two territories into line for prohibition. > The accompanying map shows where prohibition has conquered; the blackened areas show the states wherein the liquor traffic holds undisputed sway under license. The parts left white indicate the territory where state or local prohibition laws are in force; while the shaded states are those which are part "wet" and part "dry."' It is remarkable that during the past few months, the governors of no fewer than thirty seven states have attacked the saloon, or endorsed prohibition. Georgia was recently added to the states, where prohibition is in force; and in all the states east of Wyoming and Colorado, the anti-saloon sentiment is spreading like wildfire. In California, Oregon, and Washington, much progess is being made toward the suppression of the liquor traffic. In Colorado, the antisaloon league is at present working a vigorous compaign. It appears to be only a matter of a short time when the entire suppression of the liquor traffic, in the United States, will become a reality. Dr. Alexander Alison, general secretary of the National Temperance Society, has already predicted that "the entire suppression of the liquor traffic in the nation will become a paramount issue in the campaign of 1912." "At the same time," he says, "you may look for substantial progress toward world-wide prohibition." There are several causes assigned for this wonderful movement that seemingly has come upon the nation all of a sudden, but which in reality has been a remarkable educational campaign conducted by the Temperance Society for the past forty- two years. The printed matter circulated, and the educational campaign carried on, by the society; the compulsory teaching to all the children in the land in the public schools of the disastrous effects of alcohol

236 IMPROVEMENT ERA. upon the system, which toaching is u part of the public school curriculum in the states of the Union are the means of the impending revolution. The fact that it is becoming increasingly difficult, and almost impossible, for a drinking man to find employment, and the further fact that practical prohibition is a financial blessing, are verities brought home to all who study the matter. We are told that in Maine, under prohibition, the population increased only 20 per cent in 37 years, yet the valuation per capita increased, in that time, 252; again, nearly all the leading corporations of the land refuse work to the tippler and the cigarette smoker. The growth ot prohibition is not carried on at present by spectacular crusades, sensational outbursts of misguided zeal, but rather by a steady growth of popular sentiment against the saloon, which appears to be as resistless as the rising of the ocean tide. As this sentiment is approaching the Rocky Mountain States from both the East and the West, it is a foregone conclusion that the suppression of the liquor traffic in them will also be very welcome; and further, that the Latter-day Saints will unitedly and enthusiastically join in bringii'g about its complete extermination. Saloon keepers who, driven from the east, by the temperance movement, are now' applying for licenses in the towns and settlements of Utah and Idaho, should be firmly discouraged by the temperence sentiment of the Latter-day Saints. Nobel Prizes. — Sir William Crookes, editor of the Chemical News, born London, June 17, 1832, discoverer of thallium, the inventor of the radiometer, and quite recently the discoverer of a process for extracting nitric acid from the atmosphere, which is expected to be of value for industrial and agricultural purposes, has been awarded the Nobel prize, in the department of chemistry. The prize this year for literary achievement is given to Rudyard Kippling, the distinguished English novelist and poet. These prizes are awarded annually, and have each a value of about ^40,000. Other prizes for achievements in physical science, physiology or medicine, and the promotion of peace, are given to different individuals each year under the provision of the will of Alfred Bernhard Nobel, the Swedish chemist and inventor of dynamite. It will be remembered that the first awards were made in 1901. The Swedish academies of science and literature decide who are the most deserving candidates for these prizes, except in the case of the Peace prize, which is left to the Norwegian Storthing. The prize for the greatest discovery in physics was this year awarded to Professor Albert Abraham Michelson, of the University of Chicago, who was born December 19, 1852, in Germanv, and graduated at the U. S. Naval Academy in 1873. His main field of research is light, and from his invention scientists have been able to ascertain the movements of the electrons inside the atom. In physiology and medicine the prize SIR WILLIAM CROOKES MR. RUDYARD KIPPLING.

EVENTS AND COMMENTS. 287 goes to Charles Louis Alphonse Laverau. born Paris, 1845. cause of malaria. He discovered the King Oscar II. — On December 8, the king af Sweden, Oscar II, who succeeded his brother, Charles XV, in 1872, died, at the castle in ."'lockholm. The crown prince Oustaf, the aged queen Sophia, and the ministers, were with him to the last. He was a grandson of Marshal Bernadotte, who arose from the ranks in Napoleon's army. Physically and mentally, he was .a man of distinction, personal bravory and ability. He was six feet three inches in height. Affable and democratic in manner, he was accessible to the humblest of his subjects, and to foreign visitors, several Utah people having been granted interviews with him. His literary ability was marked, and he wrote many volumes of poetry and history, and was able to deliver orations in Latin and in many modern languages. - He was just and impartial, and a lover of peace, and as such acted as arbiter in the Samoan question in 1902, and between Great Britain and the United States over the Venezuelan question in 1896. Born January 21, 1829, he was nearly 79 years old at his death. Of his four sons by his marriage with queen Sophia, June 6, 1857, the eldest son, Gustaf Adolph, duke of Varmland, now king, was born June 16, 1858, and married to Princess Victoria, daughter of the Grand Duke of Baden, September 20, 1881. He took the oath of office some four hours after his father's death, assuming the title of Gustaf V, and the motto, "With the People for the Fatherland." He resembles his father in features and stature, and has several times acted as regent in the illness of his father. The secession of Norway in June, 1905, was doubtless a great blow to King Oscar, who had labored untiringly, and with great tact and ability, during his long and peaceful reign to unite and keep upon good terms the "brother peoples." The Ocean Travel Record. — The turbine steamship, Lusifania, of the Cunard line, which made her maiden trip over the Atlantic, September 8-13, has made a new record, arriving in New York five days and fifty-four minutes after leaving Queenstown. The record had previously been five days, seven hours, and Photo by Florman, Stockholm. KING OSCAR II, IN 1892.

238 IMPROVEMENT ERA. twenty-three minutes held by the Lucania of the same line. On the second trip, October 7-11, she broke all records and made the time in four days, nineteen hours and fifty minutes. On this trip Ludtania made a day's run of 618 miles, and 23. 99, the fastest speed per hour, breaking the previous record held by the German liner Dentschland, of 601 miles per day, and by Kaiser Wilhelm II, of 23.58 per hour. Now comes Mauritania, of the Cunard line also, November 22, with 624 miles for one day to her credit, but still behind the Lusitania on crossing the Atlantic. Says Harper's Weekly: The driving power that sent the Lusitania across the Atlantic so swiftly and smoothly is a battery of turbine engines. The primary principle of this type of engine is that the steam is blown upon revolving blades as the wind blows upon the sails of a windmill. This sets up at once a continuous circular motion, instead of the to and fro motion of the old-style reciprocating engine. This continuous motion, it is claimed by the inventors, produces more power per pound of coal than the old reciprocating engine, and there is an entire absence of the vibration which has so long been the terror of squeamish travelers by sea. Presiding Bishopric Reorganized. — After a long and faithful service as Presiding Bishop of the Church, extending from April 6, 1884, Bishop W. B. Preston, on account of failing health and the death of Bishop Robert T. Burton, has been honorably released from that position. He retires with the love and good will of all with whom he was associated, and with the consciousness of duty well done. The announcement of his retirement was made December 6, 1907; and on the 11 fch, the following official announcement of the reorganization of the Bishopric was made public: To the Officers and Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Greeting: We have great pleasure in informing you that the Presiding Bishopric of the Chursh of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is again organized, with Charles W. Nibley as Presiding Bishop, and Orin P. Miller as first, and David A. Smith as second counselor, these brethren having been this day ordained and set apart to these offices in the Priesthood. Hereafter officers and members of the Church and others having business with the Presiding Bishopric will please address their communications to Bishop Charles W. Nibley, at the Presiding Bishop's office, 12 North Main street, Salt Lake City, Utah. Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder, Anthon H. Lund, First Presidency. Bishop Nibley is a well known Utah and Oregon business man, interested in many large business enterprises. He was born near Edinburgh, Scotland, February 5, 1849. He is the son of James and Jean Nibley, who were converted to the gospel in 1844, and emigrated to America in 1855, staying first in Rhode Island, and coming to Utah in 1860. They settled in Wellsville, Cache county, where Charles remained until 1863, when he went to Brigham City. The following year he went on a mission to the Eastern States. Returning, he engaged in railroad work until the spring of 1877, when he was called on a mission to Great

EVENTS AND COMMENTS. 239 Britain, then under the presidency of President Joseph F. Smith. Returning home, he went into business in Logan where he became prominent in business, social and religious affairs. For many years he was superintendent of Sunday schools of Cache stake. Some eighteen years ago he turned his attention to business enterprises in the Northwest, becoming a chief factor in building up eastern Oregon and western Idaho. Among the positions held by him are. Secretary Oregon L'lmber Co., vice-president Sumpter Valley Railroad, and now president of the Payette Valley Railroad, and a founder and chief official in the La Grande Sugar Co. In the organization of the Union stake and the colonization of Grande Ronde Valley, Oregon, and Payette Valley, Idaho, he took active and leading part. In Union stake, he was first counselor to President Franklin S. Bramwell. He is an active, progressive and aggressive man of affairs, whose life and character are irreproachable, as his integrity is unquestioned. His judgment and ability are of the highest order, and spiritually he is a good Latter-day Saint, and fills as well as any man the qualifications required of a bishop, as set forth in 1 Timothy 3: 1-7, which may also truthfully be said of Bishops Orin P. Miller and David A. Smith, his associates. It might be added that Bisnop Nibley's seven sons, who are now groivn, have performed, all told, 20 years of missionary service abroad in addition to his own missions. One son, Elder Alex. Nibley, has been on two missions to Holland, and was the president of the Netherlands mission. Bishop Miller, now promoted to first counselor, was born at Mill Creek, September 11, 1858, and has served as second counselor in the bishopric since October 24, 1901. He is one of the well-known business men of Salt Lake county, and has proved equal to the arduous task of his office during the ill health of Bishops Preston and Burton, during the past few months, when the burden fell upon him. David A. Smith is a son of President Joseph F. Smith and Julina L. Smith, and was born in Salt Lake City, May 24, 1879. For two years he was deputy clerk of Salt Lake ounty, and has acted as chief deputy for the past three years. His obliging ways and pleasant demeanor have earned for him thousands of admirers, and his special ability for his present calling is not doubted in the least by his hosts of friends. He has been a faithful worker in all the lower offices of the Priesthood, and in the auxiliary organizations. He was counselor to the M. I. A. in the Sugar ward, and later counselor to the stake superintendent Y. M. M. I. A. in Liberty stake, and was a member of the stake Sunday School Board before the division of the Salt Lake stake. The Third Douma. — On November 26, the Russian Douma voted 246 to 112 to strike out the title "autocrat" from the address which that body was framing to the Czar in reply to his speech from the throne. The vote was taken after a long and impassioned debate, and it virtually questions the right of the Czar to that title. But when Premier Stolypin, some three days later addressed the Douma, he strongly reaffirmed the autocratic power of the Emperor, and declared that the government would crush disorders with an iron hand. He then

240 IMPRO VEMENT ERA . told the gentlemen of the various administration projects to which they were expected to give their sanction. The next day there was a great tumult when one of the speakers applied an obnoxious phrase to the premier, for which he was roughly handled by members of the Right, and by the Douma suspended for fifteen sittings. Utah Bank Failed.— The Green River State Bank, of Green River, Emery county, was closed on the 18th, by order of Secretary of State Charles Tingey, and State Bank Examiner C. A. Glazier who is now in charge. The failure is due to general depression and loss of business as a result of breaking of an irrigation dam which left the place without water, and caused many people to remove and withdraw their money. The loans are said to be in good condition, and it is believed the depositors will be paid in full. The deposits amounted to between $48,000 and $49,000. Sixtieth Congress. — On December 2, the 60th Congress opened its first session. The new senators took the oath of nflSce, and then the Senate adjourned as a tribute of respect to the late Senators Morgan and Pettus. Once more, Senator Frye of Maine has been elected president -pro tempore of the Senate. The House of Representatives again elected Mr. Cannon of Illinois as speaker. On the 3d, the President's message was read. It is a long and important document dealing with the leading questions before the nation, and which every American should carefully consider. He renewed his recommendation of an extension of national activity in the direction of the control of railroads and corporations doing any interstate business, and urged that the Interstate Commerce Commission should have authority to pass on future issues of railroad stock, and to make physical examinations of railroad property; but considered that the Sherman law should be modified to permit of honest combination. In money affairs, he recommended early Congressional action to give the currency elasticity by providing an emergency currency based on sound guaranty. This currency should carry a heavy tax to insure its immediate retirement when the crisis had passed. Among many other important recommendations were these: Publicity of campaign expenditures, and congressional appropriations for each of the great national parties ; adequate support of the army and navy ; conservation of the nation's natural resources; an inheritance and a progressive income tax; the removal of duty on forest products, especially pulp wood; and a scrutiny of the tariff schedules, but not in a year preceeding a presidential election. [These are all live topics, and time may well be spent profitably in studying their every phase, as the young men of today are the voters who will be called upon to determine how the nation shall settle them.