Eastern News Items

Mexico is decreasing its imports of cotton goods by establishing cotton mills.

Frances E. Willard was re-elected president of the National W. C. T. U.

A strawboard trust, including every plant in the country, has been organized.

Debt, less cash in the treasury October 30, $1,020,563,901 — an increase of $8,444,188.

The vote of Ohio is still in dispute and the matter will be taken to the courts for decision.

The famous San Marco hotel at St. Augustine, Fla., was destroyed by incendiary fire Sunday.

The new congressional library, which has been in course of construction for the last six years at Washington, was opened to the public yesterday.

A convention between the United States, Russia and Japan, looking to the joint protection of the seals, has been signed. It will require the ratification of the Senate to become effective.

It is reported here that Ben Butterworth will resign as commissioner of patents soon. He has told his friends that the duties are too onerous. The rumor of rupture with McKinley is discredited.

It is believed that the yellow fever epidemic in the south is on the wane. The cooler weather of the past week had a salutary effect. The total deaths at New Orleans to October 31 was 183. The total cases still under treatment was 528.

The South Pennsylvania Oil company closed a deal for the purchase of the oil property of the Devonia, Emery and Mason oil companies in the Bradford, Pa., fields. The deal includes 20,000 acres of land and 450 producing wells. The consideration was $1,400,000 cash.

The people of Mentonville, Ky., have a very effective way of keeping their preachers in orthodox lines or getting rid of them. A minister of the Christian church at that place recently preached a sermon in which he affirmed there is no devil. He was promptly ejected from the house and about twenty pistol shots fired after him as he departed.

Prince Mohammed Ali, who is brother to the khedive of Egypt, is engaged to marry an American girl. He has offered to renounce the succession of the khedivate.

The diet of the Greater Republic of Central America still refuses to accept Captain W. L. Merry of San Francisco as minister to that republic, but its action is believed to be a political move to compel the United States to first officially recognize the diet, which may be dissolved at any day by the withdrawal of one of the republics.