The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 25, April 29, 1897

In 1862, during the war, there was a great rise of the Mississippi, which destroyed most of the levees along the banks, and from Vicksburg down the whole country was flooded.

Since that year the river has never risen as high until the present time, when the high-water mark of 1862 has been reached and passed in both New Orleans and Vicksburg.

For twenty-five years after, the people of the Mississippi Valley felt the effects of that great flood, and the worst fears are entertained for the ruin and desolation that the present one will leave in its path.

Thousands of people have been brought to want, through the sweeping away of their homes by the waters, and so much misery and poverty have been reported, that President McKinley sent a message to the Senate, telling them of the distress caused by the floods, and asking them to take legislative action for the relief of the sufferers. He stated that he had been informed that $150,000 to $200,000 would be required to assist the people.

On receipt of the President's message a joint resolution was offered, giving $150,000 of the public money for the use of the people in the flooded districts.

This resolution was passed by a unanimous vote of the Senate, and would have been sent to the President, but that word came from the House of Representatives that that body had passed a resolution voting $200,000.

The Senate immediately recalled its resolution, altered it to agree with that from the House, and passing it promptly, sent it to the President, who signed it without delay.

The Secretary of War, General Alger, has made all arrangements for giving the fund to the suffering people. Six officers are now in the flooded districts, finding out what the wants of the people are, and another detail of officers is to follow them, distributing food and relief according to instructions.

That every section may be reached, the flooded country has been divided into six districts, with one officer to go over each.

The Citizens' Relief Committee of Memphis, Tenn., had arranged to help the sufferers in its district before Congress was heard from. This one society fed and cared for nearly seven thousand people who had sought refuge from the waters.

This society has also sent large quantities of food and supplies to various points in Arkansas and Mississippi, but the help of the Government was very badly needed. The Citizens' Relief Committee could only reach a very small portion of the people who are suffering from the angry rise of the Father of Waters, as the Mississippi is called.

Matters are very unsettled in the Transvaal.

They are still inquiring as to who gave Dr. Jameson the authority to make his raid, but nothing of any consequence has been brought to light.

In the Transvaal itself, war with England seems to be threatening. There is much angry discussion over the late news that England has leased Delagoa Bay for thirty years, at a rental of $2,500,000 a year.

Delagoa Bay belongs to Portugal, and is the only seaport which the Boers can reach. The Transvaal, as you will see by the map, lies inland, and has not any sea-coast of its own.

The English deny this report, but, all the same, British war-ships are being sent to Delagoa Bay.

A new High Commissioner has been appointed to South Africa, and a great deal of surprise was felt when it was learned that he was to take a strong body of marines and sailors with him.

The Government says these fighting men have only been sent with the Commissioner to guarantee the carrying out of his commands, but it is very openly reported that they are being sent out to strengthen the force which England already has in South Africa, and that war will soon break out in that quarter of the globe.

The English people are very angry with President Krueger, because, at a recent banquet, his grandson, a lieutenant in the Transvaal army, made some rude remarks about the Queen of England.

But it would seem that they have little cause for anger, because Oom Paul rebuked his grandson and suspended him from duty. It is probable that the young man, whose name is Lieutenant Eloff, will have to leave the army in consequence.

It is said that the President is extremely annoyed that these remarks were made, and has ordered Lieutenant Eloff never to mention the Queen's name in public again.

New York City came very near having to build up a new charter.

After the work was finished by the Committee, it was handed to the Mayor, who for several days had his office open for people to go in and discuss the Charter before him.

It was believed that the Mayor approved of the Charter. Just imagine how surprised people were, when, the hearings in his office being over, he sent the Charter up to the Assembly in Albany, with the information that he disapproved of it and would not sign it; or, in other words, that he vetoed it.

The Assembly has, however, passed the Charter over the Mayor's veto.

A number of New Yorkers who do not approve of the Charter are going to fight it in the Legislature, and try to get the State Senate to throw it out. If this fails and the bill passes both Houses, they will try and influence the Governor to veto it.

There is a good deal of trouble ahead for the Charter.

Some ambitious people want to make a State of Greater New York, and call it Manhattan. They think that it will be of great benefit to the city to be a State, and that if this is done the taxes will be much lower and the city will acquire many valuable rights.

The Tariff Bill has passed the House of Representatives, and is now before the Senate. The friends of this measure think that it is sure to pass.

But the bill seems to have as many enemies as friends, for the outcries against it are loud and long from every section of the country.

It is difficult for us to guess whether the bill is going to be useful or harmful to us.

On one hand, the people who are in favor of it are praising it to the skies, and speaking of the immense industries that are going to arise as soon as the bill is made law. The duty on raw sugar, according to these people, is going to encourage people to try and make the raw sugar over here, and the American farmers to grow beets to make beet sugar from. They claim that a wonderful new business is to grow out of this new industry, that is to make all farms pay and everybody happy.

The importers and people who do not approve of the bill are crying aloud that clothes and woollen goods are going to be so much dearer.

A picture was published of a lady and gentleman seated in a pretty room, talking the tariff over, their little girl playing beside them.

Every article of furniture in the room, every garment they wore, and the basket of marketing which the lady had apparently brought in with her, had a ticket on it, showing how much more expensive each article would be if the Tariff Bill became a law.

This picture, however, far from having the effect intended, of making people dislike and fear the Tariff Bill, makes thinking people approve it.

When we remember that this tax is only to be laid on foreign goods that are imported, we are bound to think that if it is really true that so many necessary articles are imported which we could just as well make in this country, it is high time our industries were protected, and that the vast and wonderful resources of our own country were developed to supply our needs.

So great a blow will the tariff bill be to the importing trade, that some of the foreign ministers have ventured to protest against the bill, because it will damage their country's commerce so much.

Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands have been the first to protest. Germany has sent a decided hint, through her Ambassador, that she will make such a heavy duty on American goods, if the bill is passed, that she will ruin our trade in Germany as surely as we shall ruin hers in America.

The most serious complaint against the bill comes from the business men. They say that business was just beginning to pick up again, and that the introduction of so disturbing a question as the Tariff, at this time, is killing business, and making it as bad as it was before election.

The Ceremonies for the dedication of the Grant Monument will be very grand.

A fine naval parade has been arranged to go side by side with the land parade, and the President has promised to be present and review both parades.

Boys from the public schools are to march in line.

During the last few days there have been most marvellous reports about an air-ship that is declared to have been seen in the sky.

The stories come from the West.

People in Omaha, Nebraska, Kansas City, and finally in Chicago have all stated positively that they have seen a strange light in the sky, which was as great as that of twenty stars, which they said could be nothing else but a searchlight on an air-ship.

Astronomers, after carefully looking at the light, declared it to be a star, one of the Orion group.

People, however, persisted in thinking it a searchlight on an air-ship, because three lights were seen—a red, a green, as well as this great white light.

The astronomers said that the particular star referred to did seem to shine,with red and green lights at times.

Still, people were not satisfied, and soon a report came that the object had been seen more closely, and a cigar-shaped outline had been observed behind the light.