MANY EARTHQUAKES IN
BEAUTIFUL JAPAN
It wss near the end of August that
a mountain, or prhaps more proferly
fpeaklng. a hlsh h!l'. wa3 razed by an
earthquake to the level of the plain
if Igusa. in the northern part of Japan.
That hill was mere than 500 feet high
and covered forty acre of the outskirts
of tte Tillage of Kolwayama. It sank
In the night, and in the morning the
terror-stricken residents of Kolway
ama were startled to find that It had
llsappeared from view forever. Apropos
of this occurrence. Mr. Clarence
? ? ? : 5"! ! 5 I t-tirW i
WINE TO THE GODS. TO PROPI
TIATE VOLCANO'S WRATH.
Brownell. author of "Tales from
Tokio." writes the fol oxing account of
hi own experiences with earthquakes
In Japan:
"We were up to d'ne near the Im
perial university in Tckio. Japan, one
?vening. In the beautKul puzzle-pathed
grounds known as Kaga Yashiki.
where once the Prince of Kaga had his
palace. The building had become one
Tor the investigation of earthquakes,
where those uncanny disturbances
made records on various contrivances
a famcus specialist had devised for
measuring all sorts of jilts and jars
and palpitations. Their capacity for
notation included all disturbances
from the upheaval of a mountain
range to the alighting of the most
VILLAGE ROAD IN JAPAN.
careful fly. The professor in charge
explained what a "quake" did to an
earth particle during a seismic disturb
ance how It mDved east and west,
north, south and up and down. He
ehowed a "track" a colleague of his.
Professor Sekiya, had made to illus
trate the movement. The track was
of wire bent and twisted so that it
looked like a skein of yarn a kitten
had txen playing with. To follow it
from end to end would have taken a
patient man a week.
Oh. for an earthquake," said one
cf the visitors.
"Well, you may cot have long to
wait." sail the professor. ' We have
abotit ZW a year In Japan, you know.
Cae may be along before the evening's
over."
And he ppeke truly, for the servants
had no more thin brought cn the fish,
wbn the floor bg.n to wiggle, the
lamts and p'.eture-s to sway, the win
dows to rattle and the dishes on the
mahogany to clatter as young roosters
do. He exelaimed:
"Here you are, boys. How singu
larly apropos. I'll have some good
records to show you In the morning.
Meanwhile, as this building is a bit
old. I suggst we get under the table.
It is built cn the earthquake plan and
should the roof fall,, we are safe
there."
By the time he had said "there"
all of ua were there, riding on the sea
leas ttilows of the floor, which creaked
and undulated and bumped our heads
against the table's unltr surface and
rolled ua against its sttlwart legs and
against each other as though we were
great dough billiard balls trying to
make cannon and cushion shots.
When we came from under the table
the professor lightsd a cigarette and
said:
"All Japan Is an upheaval, and off
the coast a bit. say from 50 to 200
miles east of Sendal. a town north or
here, there Is t-e greatest depression
la the world's crust we know of. The
Tuccarora Deep we call It, after tbs
United States government vessel that
discovered It. It wou'd be safe to dive
from the top of Fujil into Tuscarora
Deep, at least there would be plenty
of water and no danger of striking
bottom. The depth la more than 24.
00 feet. Fujil. the highest point of
Japan's upheaval, is 12 403 fest. So
we have 35.000 feet between top and
bottom. A safe seven miles, I fancy."
Down near Nagasaki, the chief sea
port on tte Island of Kiushiu. is the
largest ac'iva volcano In the world,
Aso San, yet in sr.Ite of Its ac.Iv.ty and
the terrible eruptions It has had. there
are some seventy Tillage Inside the
crater, with a totAl poDJlatlon of per
vmm&,
t'-i!!' mxr. - . .-svisaw-
2
haps 20.000. During one eruption Aso
San destroyed 50,000 lives obliterated
them.
All conditions of men. from Mlkados
down to the most lowly, have made
offerings and prayers to propitiate the
wrat!i of this vast volcanic moun
tain. Once the people heard rum
Mings and went to the priest with
money, but in vain.. The rumbling
continued, and the priest said ihat
probably God wanted more money
Then the Daorle gave nain. but God
did not grant their prayer.
"He thinks you have given insuffi
ciently." exp'aincd the priest, so the
neonle eive a third time. Then the
holy man brat his sacred drum and
clanged the sacred gong, repeated sev
en prayers and Informed his parishion
ers that God advlred them twice. First,
in the case of flood run to the hills.
Second, in case of earthquakes run to
the bamboo forest, where the matted
roots form a network that would hold
them up even tluug'i the ground
should open. And the people went
awav dissatisfied, for thsy had known
this all along.
WAYS OF THE HORNED TOAD.
Charles F. Holder, th naturalist,
writes of homed toacs as follows in
the Scientific Ameiican: "In handling
the lizards, which are perfectly harm
less. desDite their warlike array of
spines. I ncticed that, al-hough I had
treatel them gently, my hands were
spotted with blood, and upon examin
ing one of the anima's I found that its
eyes were suffused with blcoi. while
in another specimen i s eye appeared
to be destroyed, or repres?nted by a
blood spot. I at flr6t assumed that
while together the animals had in
jured each other with their spines;
but suddenly, when holding a lizard
near my face, it depressed or lowered
Its head, and I immediately received
a fine spray-like discharge, which
proved to be blcod. A glance at the
animal showed that its eyes were
bloody, as though ruptured. The volley
had come so suddenly that I did not
see it. but I was convinced that in
some way the lizird had ruptured a
blood e-ssel in its eyes and had forced
the Quid through the air a distance of
at least a foot.
"I ii.imeJiately began to experiment
with the little captives, and found that
the above explanation was the case be
yond question; but only a small per-
AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE.
centage of the lizards could be In
duced to respond to my methods; giv
ing them slight tap3 on the head seem
ed to exasperate them the most, and
they would lower the head convulsive
ly, the eye would be depressed, and a
jet of thick blood, or blood which con
gealed very quickly, would be shot in
a delicate stream to an extraordinary
distance.
"Suspecting that the lizards did not
consider me a dangerous enemy, and
that I would have better success with
some animal. I called in the aid of a
fox terrier, for which the litttle crea
tures evinced the greatest fear. When
the dog place 1 his nose near them they
crouched low and endeavored to shuf
fle themselves under the sand cut of
sight; but when the dog was urged on
and began to bark they would draw
back, hiss slightly, then depress the
head, and the whl'.e face of the enemy
would at once be spattered with drops
of blood. Such a discharge was very
effective and when received In the nos
trils it caused the dog no little annoy
ance and be ran around excitedly for a
moment vainly endeavoring to rid
himself of the fluid, which evidently
had some disagreeable feature."
Scots Had an Eye to Business.
The medieval university differed In
many respects from our Idea of a mod
ern university. It was primarily a guild
of teachers and scholars, formed for
common protection and mutual aid. It
was a republic of letters, whose mem
bers were exempt from all services,
private and public, all personal taxes
and contributions, and from all civil
procedure In courts of law. The teach
ing function was often secondary and
often entirely overlooked. The Scot
tish university from the beginning,
however, emphasized the teaching
function and created an atmosphere
academic rather than civil or political.
The early eufriculum was crude, but
full abreast of the age, comprising. In
the main, philosophy, theology, canon
and civil law. All Instruction was in
Lectin and the writing of Latin disser
tations was the daily task of the stu
dent a strait and narrow way of
learning. Scribner's Magazine.
A Doubtful Compliment.
She (arrayed for the theater) Sorry
to have kept you waiting so long, Mr.
Spoonamore, but it has taken me
longer than rsual to g:t ready. I look
like a flight In ttls hat, too. He (de
sirous of saying something complimen
tary) It isn't the er fault of the
lovely hat, I am sure, Ml:s Hankln3on.
London Tit-Bits.
THE EIELE AS A WAR CODE.
How
It Has Been Km ployed
In tilt
South African Campaign.
Mr. Kruger's cable to his Pretoria
relatives who inquired what was to be
done with the ex-President's hoiwe,
now it was no longer tenanted by the
late Mrs. Kruger, was "Read Proverbs
vii., verses 19-20" "For the goodman
Is not at home, he has gone on a long
Journey. He hath taken a bag of
money with him, and will come home
at the day appointed." Under Kruger
rule every South African editor found
the Bible an indispensable book of
reference, most proclamations from
Pretoria containing Biblical allusions.
The latest cable sent by Mr. Kruger
has now prompted a correspondent to
a Leeuwarden (Holland) paper to enu
merate a number of Scriptural mes
sages exchanged by the Boer leaders
just before the surrender of Conje. On
February 25. 1900, Mr. Kruger tele
graphed to General Christian De Wet
(who was to rescue Crouje): "Notify
Cronje that large reinforcements are
on the road, and he will be released.
Psalm xxii.. 21." which reads:
"Save me from the lion's mouth, for
Thou hast heard me from the horns
of the unicorns."
De Wet heliographcd Cronje tho
same day at 12:20 p. m.: "President
telegraphs. 'Stand firm; large rein
forcements are approaching. As soon
as they arrive we shall attack at dawn
on the north. Psalm lxlv.. 7."
Cronje replied with Psalm xx.. 7.
also mentioning incidentally that his
food supplies were getting short, to
which the ingenious De Wet retorted:
"Psalm lix.. 13" "Let them wander
up and down for meat, and grudge if
they be not satisfied."
But Cronje grew impatient: De
Wet's promised convoy of food was
long in coming, and he again helio
graphcd "Psalm xx.. 7" "Some trust
in chariots and some in horses; but we
will remember the name of the Lord
onr God."
No relief coming on the morning of
the 26th. General Cronje heliographed:
"The enemy has been enormously re
inforced; I am hard pressed. Psalm
ill.. 1."
Most of the verses have been most
aptly chosen, and in many cases con
vey the meaning of the sender as per
fectly as a long message sent over the
wires in the usual way.
NEW YORK BUTTERCUPS.
Club of Women Who Are I'lnrlrnl in
Say No Unkind Word.
Of making women's clubs there is no
end. New York has a new society.
The members call themselves the But
tercups. Why Buttercups, deponent
sayeth not. but the aim of the society
is a laudable cne. no less a thing than
the cultivation and dissemination of
charity and good will. No member is
to say an unkind word or to form a
harsh judgment. Every member is to
take whatever comes with cheerful
serenity and make the b:st of the
situation. Each woman is pledged to
spread abroad the club principles. If
any one in tho fold is heard to utter
an expression unbefitting the sister
hood her fellows are apt to say "But
tercups." The magic word will bring
the wandering one back to a s?nsc of
her responsibility. A member of the
society tried the formula on a mere
man the other day. He was talking
before an audience of women that in
cluded many Buttercups. He grew
violent on the subject of Czolgosz and
expressed an unchristian desire to
make th? a-sas in's punishment a
harsh one. Some of the women ap
plauded, but one woman arose to the
occasion. She was a Buttercup, and in
the words of the statesman she "seen
her duty and she done it." In c!arion
tones she called out to the speaker:
"Buttercups!" The man didn't un
derstand. Perhaps it was natural that
he shouldn't intuitively grasp the
meaning of the warning word. He
looked puzzled and went on with his
speech, but later he asked the signifi
cance of the enigmatic comment.
The Buttercups say he was deeply
impressed by the explanation. He
sighed to be a Buttercup himself, and
just to show that there was no hard
feeling the eociety made him a mem
ber. So one little wcrd may alter the
destiny of a man. New York Sun.
Lord Morris Counter-Thrust.
The late Lord Morris was unsparing
in the counter thrust when he was as
sailed. An English official, who filled
the post of undersecretary to the lord
lieutenant, once was rude enough to
remark, in a loud voice, at a Dublin
dinner table, that it was a strange ar
rangement, and one characteristic of
Ireland, that he should have a much
smaller salary than the chief justice
Morris was then chief justice though
his functions were bo very much more
important. Chief Justice Morris, amid
the awed silence which ensued, said:
"That is a thrain o' thought that I
am sure offen occurs to me tipstaff."
London Letter.
Protecting Young Cocoa Tree.
A traveler in South America, where
the cocoa tree is largely cultivated,
speaks of the great care with which
the young plants have to be protected
from the sun, which if very strong Is
fatal to them. To secure this protec
tion the planters shield them by ban
ana tree3 and plaintain trees, the broad
leaves of which give them the needed
shade. And even when they are fully
grown tliey need protection, which Is
given by trees known as "immortels,"
or, as the planters call them, "the
mother of the cocoa." Thus the whole
cocoa plantation has a sort of canopy.
Literary Tasks. ,
Penley Has Blufferton begun his
new novel yet? Skrlvner No. I heard
that, on account of it being the holiday
season, he is having some trouble in
getting his publisher, his dramatist
and his advertising expert together.
Puck.
How He Knew.
Dashaway Did you tell the Brider
leya that I wa3 gdng to cill there last
night? Cleverton Yes. How did you
know? Dashaway The wedding pres
ent I gave them was In the front par
Town and Country.
BIPEitlAL POLICIES.
WILL BE BEFORE CONGRESS AT COM
ING SESSION.
The Indication Are That the Repobll-
can Will Volt on a Flan to Bold
the Islands a a Colony with Limited
Independence to the Filipinos.
The future treatment of the Philip
pines will be for Congress to settle
next winter, and there is narcuy a
Joubt that great difference of opinion
an what the permanent policy shall be
will make the question of imperialism
again uppermost in the minds of the
people of the United States. A large
party of Congressmen of both parties
aave been visiting and Inspecting the
islands and their report of the condi
tions there will largely Influence others
in deciding on the course to be pur
sued. Commenting cn this the Wash
ington Times sayo: A curious item of
news reaches us from the Philippines,
in the Camarines province, a banquet
has just been held which was attended
by several If not oil of the American
senators and representatives now visit
ing the islands. Speaking at thin ban
quet Senator Bacon and Representa
tives Gaines of Teunrssee and Green of
Pennsylvania are reported as having
stated that "as soon as the war was
finished the United States would ex
tend to the Philippines freedom as it
was known in America." The Repub
lican members of the delegation pres
ent are said to have refrained from
tpeaking. The inference is that there
was probably some difference of opin
ion between the Republicans and Dem
ocrats concerning the matter referred
to, or at least, that the Republicans
did not feel at liberty to make any
promises.
It is quite probable that the idea
intended to be conveyed was that the
.'slands would be treated as an integ
ral part of the American Republic, with
all the safeguards cf constitutional
government thrown around them. Up
on what basis these gentlemen felt that
they could give even such an assurance
' l 1 -I I TO .... 1 . .A Anmn.AKAnl nnlAca it
be that they had la mind a modifica
tion of policy to reiult from a change
of the political complexion of the
American government.
It is rather early to figure upon that,
though, for at the soonest such a
change must be nearly four years off.
Besides, the report is that according
to these gentlemen the Philippines are
to have American freedom as soon as
the war Is finished. We muct conclude,
therefore, that they were cither speak
ing In very optimistic Tein, or that
their statements were accompanied by
qualifications that were omitted from
the news report.
However, the American public will
be truly glad when the war Is finished,
ind the number of people in this coun
try Is by no means inconsiderable who
believe that nothing would have con
tributed more to finish it long ago than
an official announcement that full Am
erican freedom would be extended to
the islands.
LAIIOR'fl LESf; A HARD ONE.
The voice of labor Is losing its In
Tduence with the Republicans; the cam
paigns of 1S9G and 1900 showed that
the persuasive and alluring powers of
Hanna were more cogent than the
fear of the trusts. Chinese Immlgra
tlon and other matters that the labor
platforms denounced. For this reason
it is doubtful If the extension of the
Chinese exclusion law will be passed
by Congress. Labor is calling for their
exclusion, but 'the best business in
terests," including the railroads, want
the Chinese admitted. The more
cheap labor, the greater their profits.
Chinese labor is not only cheap, but it
13 docile. It does not strike, but is
satisfied with almost any conditions if
the dollar a day is only promptly paid.
When labor aided in defeating the
Democratic party at the last national
election, they hung a stone about their
own necks that makes it impossible
for the Democratic party to save them
at this juncture. They aided in giv
ing the Republicans both houses of
Congress and the bands of the Demo
cratic are tied for the time being.
Labor, with many other people that
al3o aided the Republicans are learn-
ing a hard lesson that will cost them
dearly for the mess of pottage that
was promised them.
There are two ways in which they
can now help themselves. By bring
ing all the pressure possible to bear
on Republican members of Congress
who represent close districts, they may
force them through fear of being de
feated to vote with the Democrats for
the Chinese exclusion bill and on
other matters In which they are inter
ested. If this falls of success, by elect
ing a majority of Democrats to Con
gress next year, they will lay the
groundwork for a complete victory ot
the party of the people at the next na
tional election.
OUR TROUBLE IN PHILIPPINES.
There Is no doubt that the civil gov
ernment set up ia the Philippines is
for all practical purposes a failure.
Governor Taft has probably done ev
erything possible to make it a success,
but the conditions are unfavorable for
the dual government that has been set
up. The promises made to the Filipino
leaders to induce them to surrender
can in many instances not be carried
out, and the great increase of taxa
tion is causing great dissatisfaction.
The orders from the home government
to end the war at any cost and to
promise a civil government to the Fili
pinos, in which they should participate
as far as home rule was concerned, has
been found impossible in many of the
provinces for lack of friendly natives
and in other districts where army offi
cers have been appointed to civil office,
the leaders amongst the natives are
dissatisfied because no home rule pre
vails, in reality it only being a thin
veneer for a military government in
which the Filipino has no parcel or lot.
The massacre In Samar and the
statement that conditions in other
parts of the Philippines are not reas
suring will open the eyes of the Amer
ican people to the task they have un
dertaken and the enormous sari flees
of blocd and treasure they must make
to carry out the imperial policy. An
expensive and cumbersom attempt 1 j
civil government, which is in reality
m arm v. a v vvv ti w a uj a. i -ity
military, with about all the civil ser
vants Imported in fact, a copy of the
government of India by the English
cannot be expected to bring peace and
satisfaction to the Filipino, nor gratifi
cation to the people of the United
States who are furnishing their sons
for slaughter and the millions of
money to pay the bills.
The time has come for either giving
the military full power and recalling
the civil servants until such time as
peace has been well assured by the
strong hand of the soldier, or granting
to the Filipinos a government of their
own under the control and guidance
of the United States as we have given
to our new territory of Hawaii.
The imperial policy must be a gov
ernment of force or It Is a failure.
-TREE SPEECH ANI FREE PRESS.
In all this furore to pass repressive
statutes against anarchy and anarch
ists It is well for our statesmen to re
member that great mistake of the Fed
eralists, the "Alien and Sedition laws."
To suppress anarchy Is one thing, to
suppress free speech and revive No
nothingism is another. Is history to
repeat itself?
Free speech and a free press are the
essentials of liberty; they cannot be
abridged without a return to the times
of monarchies and kings, which would
be to us a return to the dark ages.
The Chicago Public commenting on
this wisely says: Should the unpatri
otic effort now making to destroy this
inheritance succeed, should conspiracy
against the person of the president be
made treason and the right of free
speech be abolished, it will be for no
other reason than the ignorance of the
masses of the people. Not ignorance
of reading and writing, not ignorance
of the things that would give the right
to vote under educational tests, not
Ignorance even of history in respect to
Its incidents. Not ignorance of those
kinds. But an ignorance far more
dangerous to the commonwealth, an
ignorance which the learned chare
with the illiterate ignorance of the
lessons which the history of Anglo
Saxon struggles for liberty teach. This
kind of history is not taught in our
schools. If it were, free speech, free
press, free assembly, and security from
prosecution for constructive treason
would be as dear to the hearts of the
people now as they were to those who
fought for our independence, who
framed our constitution, and who in
overwhelming numbers overrode those
earliest attempts at anti-anarchist leg
islation which hold an infamous place
in our political history under the name
of the alien and sedition laws.
NO CONCi:8SieN TO CCH..
The beet sugar trust and the tobacco
interest have already commenced their
war against any concession to Cuba
through their trust-controlled Con
gressman. Hepburn of Iowa has set
himself squarely against tariff con
cessions to Cuba, says the Chicago
Record-Herald. . He speaks primarily
for the beet sugar Interest, but having
committed himself on that ground ap
peals to the tobacco interests for sym
pathy. Neither of these interests
cares anything about the other, but
each dreads the competition of a great
Cuban export, and we find them now
in a very natural combination.
There is, however, no way in which
we could help Cuba so much as by a
reduction of the sugar and tobacco du
ties, and If the people who agree with
Mr. Hepburn carry out their policies
unimpeded the country will be in a
very bad dilemma morally. It has re
fused Cuba complete liberty, and it
has shown a disposition not to grant
annexation, which would result in free
trade. It prefers to keep a hold on
the island, which puts it completely
at its mercy.
Meantime it has been making loud
professions or humamtarianism to
wards Cuba, and has emphasized their
hollowness by a striking contrast be
tween Its treatment of that country
and Hawaii. Hawaii, which has a
much smaller proportion of whites to
its population than Cuba and a much
larger proportion of Chinese and Jap
anese coolies is admitted to the full
rights of an American territory and
given a free market for its sugar.
Seven hundred and fifteen new na
tional banks have been organized in
the past eighteen month, with capital
of $36,582,000. On this the people pay
interest on the amount of bonds these
banks hold, and of course if they want
to borrow any of the bank notes that
the government prints and give to the
banks up to the full amount of the
bonds, interest is demanded at the go
ing rate of the borrowers. Thus the
banks get double interest on their cap
ital, besides the use of their depositors
money. No wonder the largo banks
are paying such large dividends.
The Court of Appeals of the State of
New York has handed down a derision
sustaining the constitutionality of the
anti-trust law of that state. The case
decided was the American ice trust
case, which was instituted when the
ice trust arbitrarily fixed the price of
ice at 60 cents per 100 pounds, and yet
the trust organs persist in saying that
no laws can be constitutionally enacted
to reach the trust.
The Ohio State Board of Equaliza
tion, who are all Republicans, refused
to equalize the assessment of railroad
property as demanded by Mayor Tom
Johnson, and they will for another
year only pay one-third of the propor
tion of taxes that other people pay.
No wonder the Republicans do not
want state issues in this fall's cam
paign. That infant, the steel trust, whose
industry is protected by the tariff from
competition, managed to wring from
the American people the comfortable
sum of $34,954,871 during the past six
months, or about one hundred arid ten
million for the year. This is the first
six montbi ot its history.
A tre benefactor is one who makes
us do the best we can.
A loafer will spend a day trying to
Invent some way to churn in a rock
ing chair, but he won't work tb Wasl-
cr for fifteen minutes.
T!TTTQT"iI Tl' TfRITAWV
THE FATHER LAND ON THE VERGE
OF DISASTER.
The Iniquitous Protective Tariff Is
Working- Ruin to the Industries of
the Empire The Kind of Industrial
Despotism That Tlilj Country May Yet
Experience.
A recent report from our consul-general
to the Gerni3n Empire shows that
high tariff and the formation of syndi
cates or trusts have placed that em
pire on the verge of disaster. Com
menting on this the Nebraska Inde
pendent says: As this country is the
land of trusts, so Germany Is the
country of syndicates. There U scarce
ly a ramification of trade, the mem
bers of which have not combined for
the regulation and control of prices,
and even the quantity of output has
been regulated by them. Protected by
tariff the syndicates have been enabled
to inflate their prices to that limit
which Just rende s foreign Importation
and comDetition Impossible. Another
means of preventing foreign competi
tion is that the syndicates refuse to
supply any customers who purchase
similar articles from foreign manufac
turers. The retailer must obtain all
his goods from the home manufacturer
or be boycotted. The result of this
industrial despotism is that the re
tailer Is considerably limited in the
choice of his source of supply while
the foreign competitor finds no market
for his goods.
Another se:iou3 ihiss of the situa
tion is that the home retailer discov
ered that while h? was paying tremen
dosu prices for lila goods the same
articles were being placed upon the
foreign markets at a rediculously low
figure, which absolutely precluded the
manufacturer from reaping any profit.
In short, the retai!er was r;ot only pay
ing dearly for fcis poods, but he was
also paying for the loss th.t the manu
facturers were Incurring in the foreign
markets.
Such a condition of affairs could
have but one outcome. The Inevitable
result has ensued. The manufacturers,
secure from foreign competition by the
protective tariffs, have Increased their
prices to such an extent that now they
have attained an unenviable and ab
solutely untenable position. The re-
taller refuses to pay the exorbitant
prices, with the result that the de
mand has considerably decreased. Th:
commercial depression, which at fir3t
was considered to be only temporary
In character has now developed into a
matter of grave impoitance. In the
early part of 1900 it was impossible to
obtain sufficient labor to cope with the
orders In hand. Now it Is difficult to
find adequate work for the laborers.
Some industries, such as coal mining,
are still fully occupied, but others, such
as the iron trade, are experiencing
Eerious times.
Is not this a counterpart of what
may be expected to happen in this
country?
AWFIX CORRUPTION.
- In nearly every state there is some
corruption of the body politic, but it i3
a matter of congratulation to Populists
that they can point with pride to how
little there is in the states controlled
by their party. On th other hand,
there is hardly a single Republican
state that has not had a scandal con
nected with the meeting of the legisla
tures. In some states so notorious is
the corruption that as in Pennsylvania
even Republican newspapers are com
pelled to denounce it. The utter de
pravity of the Republican machine can
be seen when the Pittsburg Post says:
"No better illustration is available as
an object lesson thao the bribery and
corruption which ran riot in the last
legislature of Pennsylvania. It was
something awful in its extent and Its
audacity. Every part of the state has
become familiar with the purchase of
votes of legislators, the prices paid and
the influential character of the men in
business and social life who did the
buying. That i. the worst of it. The
bidders for votes, with their pockets
crammed with bribe money which they
lavishly disbursed, are of the class who
should be expected to set a good ex
ample and maintain a high standard of
public morality. Instead of doing that
they do the reverse. They make the
most infamous crime fashionable, and
a matter for Jocular remarks, rather
than the most bitter denunciation pos
sible, followed by criminal prosecution
and severe punishment. Between one
and two millions of dollars of bribe
money was uisDursea at iiarrisourg
last winter and spring by men of prom- thln the rPt h" ald bout th p"'8
Inence who would consider themselves Id,nt- there .woul? demand for its
hrhlv and uniustlv assailed If Rtt suppression like there is from the rabid
down as anarchists. But are they not
... ... I
anarchists? The anarchists would de
irnv all government, but what differ'
noe is there between that and cor-
ruptlng government and maklns it a
reDroach and a shame? Republics can
" I
be destroyed without the shedding of
blood by the power of bribery and cor
ruptlon.
"It Is no rurprlse to learn that the
monstrous cxamplo of the carnival of
Dribery at Harrlsburg last winter has
rstablished itseif In cities and bor
oughs of the state, and that the prlco
of votes has almost as quotable an
trtlcle as tho price of pork, flour or
whisky. We hear remarkable Ftorlei
of the bribery of councilmen In Pitts
burg and Allegheny and in some of
the smaller cities and even in the bor
oughs of the rural districts. If legisla
tors accept bribes for the discharge of
.heir public duties. It is no surprise
hat the local legislative bodies should
io so. Sometimes matters have reach-
d such a pass that they are bribed to
lo right as well as to do wrong. They
lave no conscience In the mr.tter. and
the Ironclad constitutional oa.h has no
nore effect than so much waste paper,
rhls fearful crime Is increasing. If the
prlberies that are talked of privately
jould be mado public with incontro
vertible testimony of tho crime, such as
xlsts, a revolution would bo t-rented.
rhe bribed rascals who sell their votes
tro bad enough and should bn
Irummed out of public life and into the
ieclusion of the penitentiary. But aro
:hey the worst of criminals? la not
the crime of offering bribes by men of
standing In business, In the professions
and In politics lnfts?tly worst? Tho
people of all partes should arouse j
themselves to this great peril to our
institutions and to the cause of public
morality. It is anarchy In its most
odious and demoralizing character. Tho
bribed ones are anarchists and the
bribers more so, as instructors and
tempters on tho same highway to perdition.
OVIt POLITICAL, DICTATORS.
That Wall street i3 the master and
dictator of this country has been evi
dent to all American citizens who have
fctudled the matter and noticed the
trend of events. Yet it is seldom that
the financiers openly boast of the
power they wield, but Russell Sage,
that eminent authority on the men
and measure of Wall street says:
"I have talked with pracally all
of the representative financial men of
this community, and all agree In their
determination to uphold President
Roosevelt We feoi it is our duty to
stand by him to show our faith in hia
ability to successfully carry on our
national government."
Now, that is very kind and consid
erate of Sage and the financial men.
but what would have happened if
they had decided not to uphold the
president. Are we to understand that
Wall street will decide for itself if it
will support the constitutional head
of the government or not. Undoubt
edly under the present financial sys
tem Wall street could precipitate a
panic as it did in the Cleveland admin
istration. Tho banks a'.l over the
country would at a word l. ra Wall
street stop loaning money, and call
in the loans and universal trouble
would occur and the wheels of busi
ness In a great measure be suspended.
This is a vast power, and Wall
street, according to Russell Sage and
the representative financial men, is
prepared to ue It when occasion
arises. Many of them openly threaten
ed to do so. if Mr. Bryan was elected,
but it is hardly likely they would
have carried out their threats, better
counsels wculd perhaps have prevail
ed. There is a coveit hint or even
threat In the Sage interview that Wall
street Is willing to give President
Roosevelt a trial, lhat they are not
altogether satisfied with him and that
it will b3 -well for him to follow la
the grooves that the financial machine
is now running in.
Wall street hss a great deal too
much power for the welfare of tho
people.
AN AN'TI-TRl'ST "PLAN."
Ex-Seuator Chandler has solved a
plan of action for the Republicans aad
amongst the things that be says must
be done is to "deal wisely with prob
lems connected with the perpetual
strife between capital and labor. Sup
press the huge corporations, which are
made so huge, not to promote economy
of production, but to create monoplies,
which will keep up the prices of com
modities and keep down the wages of
labor. The Republican party must do
this."
And then in rerly to the question.
"Can these things be accomplished?"
he says: "The repeal of the charters of
fourteen hundred million dollar corpor
ations would have been achieved under
Mr. McKlnley. It will be no less ac
complished under Mr. Roosevelt. His
conservatism will certainly not lead
him to do less for the -Interests of the
workingman of the country than Mr.
McKlnley would have done."
It Is possible Mr. Chandler may have
discovered some plan by which the ad
ministration may repeal the charters
of the giant trusts, but as these char
ters are granted by the states it is not
clear how the Federal government can
repeal them. Those trusts that do an
inter-state business can be controlled
by Congress, but even Congress cannot
disfranchise a trust or any other cor
poration that is doing a state business.
There is also great doubt if the Roose
velt administration will not be as
powerless to control the trusts as the
late administration was. The Repub
lican party is under too many obliga
tions to the trusts and Its leaders are
too much Interested In some of them
to be likely to even attempt to hurt
their own friends, Mr. Chandler to the
contrary notwithstanding.
What a joke it is upon the Washing
ton Post. It has for years been lam
pooning President Roosevelt and hold
ing him up to ridicule, but now it says
it never meant any harm in what It
said and will in future be pleased to
treat the president in a courteous man
ner. The Post Is an Independent Re
publican newspaper with strong pro
tection Ideas. If a Democratic news
paper had said one half the wicked
Republican organs against what they,
am IKa "vallnur Aiirnalj
Coaling the ships of war at Santiago
was 8 plous a matter as It Is to the
ordinary householder .now they have to
. 1-M...1 a . . . A a. -. a a.
vn inuu,e trust, mougn
the trust had not such a cinch on the
government as it has on the coal con
sumer now, but if we get into another
war tho government will have to pay
full J.rlbute to the trust like the bal
ance of us.
The news comes from London that a
new treaty with Great Britain Is ready
for presentation, which is the same as
the old treaty with the matter omitted
objected to by the senate. It Is to be
hoped that truckling to England will
not be the policy of the administration,
but with John Hay still in the cabinet
it Is doubtful.
The New York Museum of Art will
have to bo rechrlstened and called the
Lost Exposition since its managers
have determined to accept the loot
from China gathered by our enterprlH
ing Mr. Squires, who we have been
paying to look after the Interest ot
Uncle Sam.
General Grant was a great man an!
iiotcd for his sileuce; hi son, Fred, Is
bawling to the r.po.ters every chance
he gets.
"All thing come to him who waits'
on hlniBelf. E. K. S. in Metropolitan
MagarJue.
The creation of the Nicaragua canal
will cut off 10.000 miles from the voy-
go from New York to San Francisco.
