I know, of course, that Idaho is also a great agricultural state—and that southern Idaho claims with good reason the title of potato capital of the nation. I spoke last Friday in Aroostook County, Maine, which also claims to be the potato capital of the nation. I do not know enough about the situation—or perhaps I should say I know too much—to take sides in that controversy. But this much I do promise you: if I am elected President on next November 8, I will return the capital of the free world to Washington, D.C.

Representatives of our Territories and Island Possessions today ate and ate and ate potatoes from Idaho and Maine to see which are the best and then handed their votes in sealed envelopes to the speaker of the House. The world waited for the speaker to announce the result over radio.

A group of distinguished guests waited with the judges in the private dining room of the speaker in the U.S. Capitol. The Kleig lights poured down. The moving picture machines ground steadily. The speaker cleared his throat. “Ssshhhh!” said everybody. He opened the envelopes.

Blank pieces of paper fell out.

“It was a raw decision,” snarled Maine’s Representative Ralph O. Brewster. “Anybody ought to be able to tell those potatoes from Aroostook were the best.”

“Idaho’s are the best in the world,” barked Idaho’s Representative D. Worth Clark, “those judges must have paralyzed palates.”

A certificate emblematic of the championship in the “tall potato story contest” was awarded tonight by Maine’s Governor, Lewis O. Barrows to Governor Barzilla W. Clark of Idaho for asserting that Idaho potatoes are the best.

Governor Barrows had offered a Winter’s supply of the “best potatoes obtainable” to the Maine household consuming the most tubers during National Potato Week.

Governor Clark, learning of this, announced that he felt it his duty to donate the prize to the family since the “best obtainable” potatoes grew in Idaho.

Governor Barrows retorted that to supply a Maine family with a Winter’s supply would take the “major portion” of the Idaho crop and would create a potato famine in the Western state.

Idaho, Oregon and Washington were pouring their sports lovers into McCall all day Thursday, by horse, afoot, by train and sleigh, for the Payette Lakes winter sports carnival, and already promoters of the affair foresaw success for their venture. Though a special train was to make the trip from Boise starting Thursday night, many Boise folk did not wait for the special but thronged into the summer resort which aspires to be also a winter resort by all means of conveyance available.

And meanwhile preparations for the sports were complete, and McCall is ready to welcome the largest gathering in its history.

The snow is heavier on lake and mountain around McCall than in any other part of the United States, according to those who have arrived at the carnival, and with a big program of unusual events the celebration is expected to rival the older ones at Lake Placid and Saranac, becoming to the west what they are to the east.

Old men forgot they were old when they got behind the snow boat that sailed over the 18 inches of ice on Payette lake or took a long ride down the big toboggan slide.

Governor Moore, dressed in a heavy fur coat, was like all others and took a ride on the toboggan. He expressed himself as pleased with the carnival and other entertainment.

Lafe T. Holt gave visitors an additional thrill Friday when he arrived in town with a 32 pound gold brick, assayed value announced at $17 per ounce. Holt who is a veteran of the Klondike, traveled 65 miles on skis to bring the metal to McCall for shipment to the outside.

McCall’s winter sports carnival is destined to grow into an event of national importance, according to opinions expressed by Boise citizens who returned Sunday afternoon from the Payette lake resort on the Union Pacific’s special train. The affair was a decided success in every way, all were agreed, and should mean much not only to McCall but to all southern Idaho in the way of advertising and bringing easterners to visit the state.

From Mr. Kennedy’s representations we were led to believe we could get quite a number of deaf children. To make sure of this we advertised in the papers, and issued circulars to postmasters and others in the State.

To the notice and circulars being sent out, we had the cheering consolation of receiving not a single reply! Although the advertisement was dated Oct. 9th, 1861. No one of those we had been promised put in an appearance till Dec. 9th, 1861 when the one we were not certain of came—Miss Elizabeth Studebaker, and with her came a ham, some butter and eggs, and in a week or so a big wagon load of corn in the ear, to pay for board and tuition! The corn was dumped in a corner of the yard on the ground, where neighbors’ chickens and pigs and rats found a ready access to it for there was no demand in the village for it at any price and no use to us as we had no horse, no cow, no pig nor even chickens out of which to get even 10 per cent of what we had to allow for it.

The greatest calamity which has befallen this city in many years was the burning of the large and handsome Public School Building on Second street, South Frankfort, on Monday night. It was discovered to be on fire about half past eight o’ clock, and although the fire department were out promptly, the firemen could do but little to stay the progress of the flames, owing to there being no water convenient. The engine was stationed at the cistern at the North end of the bridge and a line of hose laid, but the one stream thrown had very little effect on the fire. A large crowd gathered in the street and watched the hungry flames devour what had once been the pride of the city until nothing but the blackened walls remained.

While the loss of this Institution has made many sad hearts in our community, we desire to remind the patrons of the Public School, and the Schools of the city and the county, and the public generally, that in their grief over this loss, they should not overlook the fact that we have made arrangements to assist to gladden their hearts, and to this end have carefully selected a stock of CHRISTMAS PRESENTS, that will be useful at all times, and the PRICES are such that they will be within the reach of everybody. Among our stock of CHRISTMAS GOODS will be found Books, Writing Desks, Gold Pens, Inskstands, Paper Weights, Bibles, Photograph and Autograph Albums, Scrap Books, Diaries, Picture Frames, Silk Umbrellas, Music Rolls, Games, Handkerchief and Glove Boxes, etc.

Washington’s birthday was celebrated last night at the Paris High School and an appropriate program of exercises was given by the pupils. Prof. E.W. Weaver, the clever and very enterprising Principal of the High School commemorated the occasion by issuing a neat and pretty souvenir on which was a splendid photo of George Washington. On the other side was a calendar of the coming events at the High School—excepting Prof. Weaver’s illustrated lectures on “Old Times in the Colonies” and “London to Mt. Blanc,” and “Paris to Yellowstone Park,” which were given Dec 4th Jan. 5th and Feb 5th.

Mrs. E.W. Weaver, the wife of a teacher in the Brooklyn High School, was found to-night suffering from dementia on the road outside of Lancaster County Hospital.

Mrs. Weaver had been visiting at the home of her father, L.C. Oberlin, at Norwood, near this city. Last Friday, while sitting on the porch at the Oberlin house, she started for a walk in the yard. She was apparently in excellent health. That was the last seen of her until to-night, although searching parties had scoured the country for her.

She was taken to the home of her parents. She was unable to tell where she had been, but it is supposed to have been wandering about the country.

Professor Weaver’s death, which occurred November 1, 1922, removed from the progress of his time a name whose influence for good cannot be computed. So deeply did his teaching reach into the serious and significant affairs of life that his work will long be remembered among people of his time, for his life history was a record of lofty achievement in a noble cause.

That day in the summer of 2001, in a backyard of an academic elder's house on the campus of LSU, Davis found himself staring at the player he idolized. On a mutual whim, the two began wrestling.

And the winner was clear when Davis, completely unintimidated, shocked the Diesel by lifting and slamming the 7-foot-1, 350-pounder to the ground.

O'Neal had a laugh while recalling the moment, but it clearly left an impression -- and it helped Davis get introduced to Dale Brown, then LSU's coach. Davis, still small in comparison with O'Neal's girth, matched up numerous times with Shaq on Wednesday and -- with a little help from the rest of the Celtics -- had the upper hand again.