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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 1901)
1 3W&tffie3!.5C!&jI&Si The Omaha Sunday Bee. EDITORIAL SHEET. P PAGES 13 TO 24. 2 ESTABLISHED JVlslZ 19, 1ST1. OMAHA, SUNDAY MOUSING, ITEBltUAEY 10, 1901. SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS. 3 .1 1 ORIGINAL PLAN IS REALIZED Drem of Union Pacifio Railrcad rounder Comes Trae. FROM MISSOURI RIVER TO PACIFIC COAST Jllg Snlfm la Xnrr n Trnnacont Inentnl I.lno in Itrnllty n "Well an In Same Unrljr Irtena Mnterlnllxe. When the Union Pacific owners bought the Central I'aciflc they completed tho original plan of the promoters, who wero aided by tho government, and made ono lino under one management from Omaha to San Fran cisco a reality. Tho Union I'aciflp railroad system la again tho controlling power In transcontinental tram. Through the recent purchaso of the Central 1'aciflc by the coterlo of financiers who control tho I'nlon Pacific, tho Oregon Short Line and the Oregon Railway and Navigation company, the great trunk line from Omaha to Port land and San Francisco, which was built up only to collapse under its burden of 'debt, has been given a new and better life. In tho reorganization tho financial and managerial difficulties of a partnership "with the federal government have been eliminated and the rehabilitated system rests In the hands of financiers qualified by means and experience to maintain their position. 1 Tho foreclosure of tho government mortgage on the Union 1'aclflc and the plac ing of that Important railway property lu the hands of u private corporation has. In little more than thrco years, resulted In n rehabilitation of tho transcontinental cystcm that would have been utterly Im 'poislble had tho government continued to haro In tho ownership of Jhe road. The editorial position taken by Tho Bco along In tho '80s and maintained until the fore closure sale has been sustained by sub sequent History, on October 25, lis,, in referring to a proposition to have tho gov ernment bid in the property over the offer of the reorganization committee Tho Deo aid: Tor mom than ten years Tho Dee liaa opposed nil schemes for the . extension of me bonded debt or tlm Union Parities rail' road, it was the first paper In this coun. try to demand tho dissolution of tinrtncr ship between the United States nnd the I'aclflo railroads by foreclosure of their mortgages. Oovernment ownership may como In the distant future, but when It does como It must Include tho entlro rail way system of tho l tilted States. Tho purchase, of the I'nlon Pacific even If It were practicable at this Juncture, would be an extra hazardous experiment. Tho menace of ruinous competition would Impel tho railroad magnates that control the other transcontinental systems to combine, and exert all their Intluencu to make the experiment ti costly failure. Tho govern ment, mortgage on the. union I'ucmo does not cover tuo umaha bridge nnd term! nals, nor docH It Include the branch lines that constitute Its most nrolltable feeders. Unless the government was In position to hcqulrn tho termlnnls and feeders, the road could not tie nromubiy operated. J lie in evltablo outcome would bo n forced sale of tho road by tho government, nnd Its final ucquls)tlon by a private company. ImiHirtniit to the Ntnte. Again, on November 2, 1S97, after the sale to the reorganization committee had been I made. The Bee said editorially: .The.lmportancvpX.thlj sale consists not ;Oflly in the largo amount of money that torlll go. Into tho national treasury over $37,000.000 but to nlilto na great a degree In the fact tlmt it gives promise, It not unsoiute assurance, tnat uuh great rail way will be managed In the. future under mora favorublo auspices for tho develop ment of its business. Tho capitalists who hav) Invested their money In It may rea oonnbly be expected to supply whatever further capital shall bo found necessary to Improve the road and to attract business to It. They are paying an enormous price for tho property, but It must be presumed that as practlcnl flnnuclers they have no count or tneir nullity to inane tne in vestment fairly profitable. It Is to b ex pectcd that under the new control there will be more liberal nnd progressive methods, with resulting benefits to the region through which the Union Paclllc passes. Tho rehabilitation ot tho Union Pacific cakes It ot special interest at this time to .take a restrospectlvo view of the great transcontinental line. Orluln cif tho Itond. Various projects were presented to con tress In tho '60s and '60s for the con ctructlon ot a Pacific railway. Some ot them got aa tar as tho committee room, and n few wero favorably reported. Finally bill that gavo the start ot the route, ot tho Union Parlfle to this territory pabsed the senate on June SO, 1S62, and the bouse four days later. On July 1 President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill and It becamo a law, Tho act ot 1SGS created a corporation to be known as the Union Pacific Railroad company, to bo composed of 1&5 persons named In the act, together with five com tnlsstoners to bo appointed by tho secretary of the Interior. For every running mile of road constructed the government was to glvo tho company twenty squaro miles of land. The government further offered to lend large Bums ot money for the construe tlon of tho road. Yet capitalists did not come forward with subscriptions for stock Later on a bill still richer In government promise was put through and accepted This was the act Incorporating the Union Pacific and tho Central Pacific Railroad companies and glvlng-tbem authority to construct a railroad from Omaha to the eastern boundary ot California and to Issue their own bonds to tho same amount aa those issued by the government to sub eldlza them. The subsidy provided was 'equal to 115,000 per mile for that portion of the ltno between the Missouri river and the base of tho ltocky Mountain; JIS.OOO per mile for a dletanco ot ICO miles through the mountain range; $32,000 par mile for the dlstanco Intermediate between the llocky and Slorro Nevada ranges, and 143,000 per mllo for a dlstanco ot 150 miles through the Sierra Nevadas, Tho companies were also given a land grant of 12.S0O acres to the mile. The original net provided tha the government subsidy should bo u first mortgago on tho road, but by an amendment it was made a second mortgage. Slnrt on Construction. Tho first clovcu miles of tho Union Pacific railroad were completed by September 23 1S66, and forty miles were finished by the .end of the year. On October 5, 1SG6, the (mileage bad Increased to 247 miles. By .January 1, 1S67, tho road was Untuned and cperated to a point 305 miles west ot Omaha Jn 1S67 240 miles were built. The year 1SCS produced 425 miles and the first tour month of 1S69 added the ninety-eight miles necea tary to complete tho road to Its Junction with the Central Pacific nt Tromontory Tolnt, Utah, Tho Union Pacific had built 1.06S miles from Omaha und the Central Pacific had built 6S9 mle from Sacramento Full of Vicissitudes. The history of the Union Pacific from the time of Its completion to the period ot the receivership was a succession of vlcls uttudes, t being alternately In the control ot the Gould nnd the anti-Gould Interests. There wsb considerable progress In tho dl rectlon ot additional feeders, despite the fact that financial difficulties surrounded the management ot the road at all times. The debt to the government was a constan source of annoyance, and the Interest prob lem became a veritable nightmare to all concerned. On October 9, 1S93, Oliver Ames, second nd Samuel Carr. as executors of tho will f Frederick L. Ames, deceased, and Peter B. Wyckoff and Edwin J. Atkins began the ult that put the Union Pacific Railway company Into the hands of receivers. This ult was brought In tho circuit court of the United States, district of Nebraska, and on October 13, 1893, S. II. II. Clark, Oliver W. Mink and E. Ellery Anderson were ap pointed receivers of all the properties of the railway company. On November 13, 1SB3, upon the petition of the attorney general of the United States, Intervening In the suit, John W. Doanc and Frederic R. Coudert wero appointed as additional re ceivers. C'ultlnir Ilonn the System. During the four years of the receivership the Union Pacific system, through the forced segregation of tho branch lines, dwindled from 7.700 miles of railroad and about 3,000 miles of water communication down to a railroad of 1.063 miles, ot which the greater part was tho main line from Council Bluffs to Ogden. The following companies wont out of the Union Pacific system Turing the receivership: The Boise City Hallway and Terminal company, tho Boulder Valley and Central City Wagon Road company, the Bozeman Coal company. tho Cascades Railroad company, the Co lumbia & Palouso Railroad company, tho Denver, Lcadvltlr and Gunnison Railway company, tho Kansas Central Railroad company, the Kansas City & Omaha Rail road company, the Laramie, North Park & Pacific Railroad and Telegraph company. tho Lawrence & Emporia Railroad com pany, the Loveland nnd PaBs Mining and Railroad Tunnel company, tho Mill Creek Flume nnd Manufacturing company, tho Morrison Stone, Lime and Town company, the Oregon Railway and Navigation com pany, the Oregon Railway Extensions com pany, tho Oregon Short Lino & Utah North ern Hallway company, the St. Joseph ft Grand Island Railroad company, the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf Hallway company, tho Walla Wnlla and Columbia River Rail road company nnd tho Washington nnd Idaho River Railroad company. Irfissr Tlmt Meant .innictlilni;. Of theie companies tho most serious losses to the parent system wero the Oregon Rail way nnd Navigation company, which went out on July 3, 1S94, nnd tho Oregon Short lane, which left the system on March 15, 1S97. With most of the companies that became Independent properties tho Union Pacific sustained friendly traffic relations. but with the Oregon Railway and Navigation company and the Oregon Short Lino there was ono of the most animated controversies that ever stirred western railroad circles. A dlsputo arose between tho Union Pacific on one hand nnd the Oregon comoanles on tho o'her hand as to the division of revenues derived from through traffic over the three lines., Tho differences wero accentuated by the opening of "the Ogden gateway" to tho railroads east of Ogden other than the Union Pacific, and tho fight reached Its climax when all through tariffs on freight and passenger business on tho roads In volved In tho dispute were annulled and tho Interchange of business between them practically estopped. During this trouble tho Union Pacific abandoned Its former route to I'ortianu over the Oregon lines and threw all Ita business for Pacific coast points to the Central Pacific, via Sacramento. Settled liy Foreclosure. The receivership terminated by the fore closure of the first and second mortgages on the road. Tho foreclosure sale of the government's lien took placo In this city ot noon of November 1, 1S97, and was Con ducted by W. D. Cornish of St. Paul, Minn., who had been appointed master In chancery by Judge . II. Sanborn of tho United Stntes circuit court. Only one bid was made and that camo from General Louis Fitzgerald and Alvln W. Krech as purchasing trustees for the Union Pacific reorganization committee, which also included Oliver Ames, T. Jeffcr son Coolldgc, Jr.. and Jacob Schlff. The committee represented tho Vanderbllt-Mor-gau-Harrlman syndicate, and Its successful bid for tho government's Interest In the Union Pacific amounted to J3S,0G5,749. Beforo their purchaso of the second mortgage Interest from tho government the members of the reorganization committee had acquired 0S.5 per cent of the first mort gage botids, and on November 2, when the first mortgage foreclosure sale occurred, they bid In the property for J50.637.435, the minimum nmount fixed In the decree of tho federal court ordering tho sale Under tho reorganized management, with E. H. Harrlman as chairman of the execu tive' board, and H. G. Burt as president ot tho company, the road has been steadily built up. The Oregon lines have been reunited to the parent stem, and the ab sorption of the Central Pacific has again given tho Union Pacific control of the over land traffic. HOSPITAL SCHOOL AT CROOK ItcKlineiitii! IIiiMiiltal for Instruction of l'rluitc. (o lit- IXnlill.lictl nt .Nebraska 1'oM, Instructions have been received from the War department designating Fort Crook as one of the posts In the country where a tun ana compicto regimental hospital Is to bo established for tho purpose of Instruct ing privates of tho hosnltal corns In the auues ot tneir position. A regimental hospital corps consists under the present' regulations, of twpnt v two privates and five stewards, who are non-commissioned officers under the com mand of the post surgeon. The equipment consists of tents for a field hospital, am bulances, litters and medical and surgical chests. When tho school of Instruction I established the stewards under the Im mediate supervision of the curirmn in charge will drill tho privates In their duties, going through all of the various operations to be performed in time of bat tle, with especial reference to tho use of the materials prepared for tho first aid to the wounded. Theso schools of Instruction are looked upon as of tho greatest Importance to the nrmy and efforts are being roado to bring tho hospital corps to the highest state of efficiency. At tho present time tho corps at Fort Crook Is depleted and until the reorganiza tion of the nrmy under the new bill Is per fected no practical work can be done to ward the creation of the Fort Crook school. There is a rumor current In army circles that one of the new regiments to bo or ganized under tho new law will bo re cruited at Fort Crook. At headquarters this morning the officers said they had re ceived no notice that such would.be done, but thought it possible that one of the regl ments would be raised at this point. Canned (iooUs Men Confer, CHICAGO. Feb. 9,-The Western Canned Goods association Is holding Its annual meeting In the Sherman house, represent atives of over eighty factories In Btates west of Ohio being present. During the xcsslon the association will discuss matters referring to the trade and quality of canned corn, peas, tomatoes, beans nnd other canned products. Tho members of the canned corn group complained that prices In their line were below what they should be, o-wlng to an overstock of canned corn. Today the association will elect officers and choose delegates to uttend tho national con vention at Rochester, N Y , opening next Monday, CULTURE OF FLAX AT HOME Qneition of Interest to American Farmers and Manufacturers. THIS CLIMATE IS EQUAL TO ANY OTHER I'lni Ttaiatntr la br Xo Means n it Business In .Interim, lint It Una Been e:lectetl for Vnrlnua Causes. In view of the constant decline of Euro pean flax the subject ot flax culture for fiber has become one of special Importance to American farmers, manufacturers and In veutors. Flax culture tor fiber Is by no means a new or untried Industry In America, but Is ono that has been abandoned for a variety of causes, chief of which Is the extreme cheapness of cotton fabrics and the uni versal ttndeney of fanners to cultivate crops that may be placed upon tho mar ket without the additional labor after har vesting such as (lax for fiber requires. . Half n century ago flax for fiber was raised to somo extent In all tho New Eng land, snuthnrn nnd mlddlo states, aud al most any old American family of the pres ent day has more or less household linen and clothing mndo front flax raised In this country and spun and woven sixty, eighty or 100 years ago by the women of tho household. Practical experiments have fully demon' strated that so far as climatic and soli conditions are concerned, flax fiber may bo grown In tho United States equal If not su perior In quality to that raised In Belgium and Holland, tho countries that are now supplying tho Irish spinners nnd weavers with tho best quality of flax and finest yarns. There has been a constant decline In tho quality and quantity of Irish flax for years, due, It Is alleged, to the unprofitable prices realized tor tho crop, but a more reasonable solution ot the flax problem in Ireland Is shiftless methods employed In raising and retting the flax. Tho Irish flax grower has always prepared his crop for the manu facturer and tho double task of raising tho flax and retting and cleaning the straw required too much labor and experience to be successfully handled. The result has been that Irish manufacturers who pay the highest prices for flax have been forced to abandon tho Irish markets nnd Import their supplies ot flno-flax from Belgium or Holland. At tho present time Ireland weaves the most flax, Russia leads the world In the amount produced and BclglMn and Holland excel as to quality of fiber. Not a little ot tho success of the flax growers ot Holland and Belgium Is traced to the fact that they conflno their efforts to rnlslng the crop, leaving tho tedious process of retting the flax In tho bands ot experienced and skilled workers. The flax grower of Holland expects seed as well as fiber and fiber as well as seed from his flax crop and his efforts are rewarded by fair fiber and good seed. Ho determined the proper time for pulling his crop, so aa to lneurc getting good seed without damage to the fiber after the fol lowing fashion: A number ofseod balls aro gathered and" cut across through'tho center leaving a- sectional view of the young seed formed In the bali. If the Juices havo been absorbed by tho young seoda and tho seed Is perfectly formed the flax is ready to pull. Tho Belgium flax grower Bella his stand ing crop to tho flax merchant, who sacri fices the quality ot the feed to tho quality of the fiber. Tho seed Is rippled off green and when dried Is crushed and used for stock feeding purposes. Tho flax grower of Europe pulls his crop up by tho roots by hand, thus preventing any loss in the length ot the fiber by cut ting or breaking Americans are constitu tionally opposed to such alow and primitive methods and labor saving machinery will go tar toward hastening the establishment of tho flax fiber Industry. The application ot the Holland farmers method ot raising flax for both seed and fiber may be profit ably followed In the United States, espe cially when It Is remembered that the qual ity of the fiber is Improved by delaying the process ot retting until another season. Increnae In .tcrense. The flax crop acreage of the United States has been enormously Increased during the last six years. Tho flax seed crop for 1S95 13 estimated nt 1C, 000, 000 bushels. In the northwest especially flax culturo has at tained a remarkable development that prom ises a future expansion and opens another avenue for agricultural manufacturing and Inventive Industry In America. That labor saving machinery must necessarily prove nn Important factor In the successful revival of tho flax fiber Industry in this country has been admitted by all who have given tho subject attention, but it has remained for a Minnesota woman to make an exhaustive study of the requirements and bring to gether the requisite elements, which, If properly handled, must result In the suc cessful establishment of the flax Industry In the United States. Mrs. O. N. Olberg of Albert Lea, Minn., hus for years made a study of flax for fiber and her thorough knowledge of linen fab rics led to her appointment as a Juror and linen expert at the Columbian exposition, Chicago; the TransmlssUsippI exposition, Omaha, and the recent Paris exposition. Having spent seven months of last year In visiting the flax centers of Europe and In In vestigating the foreign methods of growing, retting, scutching and spinning tho flax Mrs. Olberg has returned to Minnesota and will assist In the establishment of a flax fiber industry at Albert Lea, which Is lo cated In the center of the vaBt region de voted to the cultivation of flax for seed. The flax growers of tho northwest, who havo annually destroyed thousands of tons of flax straw after the seed crop was gath ered, are to be offered and paid such prices for their flax straw as will prove an Incen tive to them to bring it to market. The services of G. Loppcns, a flax expert ot Belgium and the Inventor ot a novel and successful system of tank retting the straw, lias been engaged to spend the next two years In America showing the farmers how to successfully grow flax for seed and fiber as Is done abroad. Tho Ingenious Invention of a Chicago rail road man, which has been recently patented, Is to be employed to do away with hand labor In the task of breaking and scutching the straw. Mrs. Olberg says the machine Is one ot tho most perfect of Its kind ever In vented, as It breaks and scutches slmul tateously, producing as clean and perfect fiber as the best skilled hand labor, which it would be Impossible to employ In this coun try. The patents on these Inventions, which are destined to revolutionize flax culture and production In the United States, are controlled by those interested In the under taking, which Is placed upon a sound finan cial footing by eastern capitalists. Out)- In Kxperlmentnl SIiibc Flax culture for fiber Is only In tho ex perimental stage as yet In this country and Iho American farmer must learn by experi ence the possibilities ot his soil and climate for fiber production and the variety of seed best suited to his requirements. A careful consideration of tho method employed abroad by which the most satisfactory re sults are attained, and a knowledge ot the causes ot failure coupled with new world methods of retting and scutching th straw will not only materially Increase the value of a flax trop to tho farmer, .but It wilt eventually keep at homo a large portion of the J30.000.000 which tho United States ex pends annually for foreign linen fabrics. There arc six linen wenvlng mills In opera tion In this country tit the present time, all of which are juslng Imported flax fiber be causo the domestic flax Is not obtainable In sufficient quantities. These mills have dem onstrated that they can successfully com pete with foreign spinners by weaving linen as flno as sixteen lea, and a ready home market nwalts domestic flax fiber, as American manufacturers arc anxious to Mtve the duty paid on tho foreign product. The scarcity of good flax fiber in Germany of late has stimulated the Department ot Agriculture to renewed energy in giving encouragement and aid to the American flax grower. Consul Frank H. Mason writes from Berlin advising that "the tanners of the northwest devote their energies to sav ing the Important part of the flax fiber and prepnro It for export to European coun tries." While It Is generally admitted that flax Is ono of tho most eotl-cxhausting crops. It Is also a fact the advantages ot diversified farming nnd the excellent results ot crop rotation aro too well understood to stand In tho way of flax culture In tho vast agrjoul tutal regions ot the northwest. Experiments have proved that In most localities one fair crop of clover will restore to the soil the elements that two crops of flax havo re moved. A prominent. Irish authority on flax cul ture, In commenting on tho passing of Irish flax, summarized tho causes, which are ot interest to American farmers, as follows: First Tho five-year rotation of flax, causing the land to bo flaxed out. Second A hurried and haphazard. Instead of timely nnd systematic preparation, of the soil. Third The use of cheap and Inferior seed, which has become a serious factor In llax failures. Fourth Insufficient caro In weeding the early growth, a sin ot omission ot which the Belgian flax grower is rarely guilty. Harvesting and retting blunders are as follows: First Delay In pulling, giving a stalk too much wood and too littlo fiber and allowing the fiber to become too firmly gummed to the wood to be removed In the after process. Second Too tightly tying the bundles and over-crowding the dam and only partially covering the straw, causing an unequal and Imperfect retting and a discoloration of the fiber. Third Removing tho straw from the water too soon, causing serious waste at the scutch mill, or allowing It to rcmatn too long on the spread without turning, causing a considerable proportion of water stained fiber. Tho bulk ot the flaxseed produced in the northwest Is raised In Ncrth Dakota and Minnesota, where It is estimated that the crop yields from ten to twelve bushels to the acre, which finds n ready market at from S 1.25 to $1.55 a bushel. Inquiry at the' linseed oil works of this city revealed the fact that Nebraska has not engaged In flax culture to the extent that Kansas, Iowa or Missouri hare dene nnd the yield-last year In this state is estimated at' .from 250,000 to 350,000 bushels. CUT RATE BOOMS BUSINESS Ilurllncton Movea to Meet Increnaed Ueinninl for Toiirlat Tlcketa to I'm-1 ll I mint. The cut rato which tho Burlington has made to California Is bringing out a mass of business, which In turn Is calling for increased service. Orders havo gone out from the general passenger agents estab lishing additional tourist car equipment, nnd a new order, Issued here Saturday, gives tourists from this vicinity the benefit of another through car. A telegram from P. S. Eustls, general passenger agent at Chicago, announces that another car will bo put on train No. 3 Tuesday evenings. This train leaves Chi cago In the evening and goes west from hero at 4:25 Wednesday afternoon. While this car Is not open to those taking advan tage of the cheap rates from this point, as they are on sale only on Tuesdays, It Is available for all first-class passengers. This makes three tourist cars now In this service through this city. Two on Tues day S:40 a. m. and 10.30 p. m. and the new one leaving here Wednesday afternoon. Another goes west from St. Louis, being an addition to the service now established. An Illustration ot the demand being made on these cars Is shown by the fact that ap plications for next Tuesday's cars were re fused the first of this week. division sriu:ui.Ti;xniixTS jimrr. Union I'nclUc OIHeorx Talk .shop in (Mil re of Generiil Manner. Thfl rcpnlnr mrnMnir nf the stinerlntfind- ents ot the Union Pacific was held Saturday tn tha nfllpofi nf flpnnrnl Mnnnffpr Tllrlflnsnn In this city. The four division superintend ents W. L. Park of the Wyoming division, J. L. Brlnkerhoff of the Kansas division, W. A. Dewal of the Colorado division and R. w llnxlpr nf th. Mthrnivn ruriRlnn vnrp in attendance. It Is said that no special topics ueyona tne routine worn wire tuastuercu. Itnllrond Vote. E. R. Grlflln. general passenger nnd freight agent for the Union Paclflo at Denver, is in the city on business. An order hna been placed by the Bjrllng ton for live new dining cars, each to cost In the neighborhood of JW.tw). Thu earn will have the new emplro roof nnd each will seat forty passengers. Polished woods will be used in the Interiors to enhance the beauty. Instead of tho mirrors and tllagrte work. Tho IJurllngton has decided to place In commission a new trnln from Denver to St l.ouls which, It Is said, will be the equal of the trains In the Denver-Chicago service. The train will bo known ns the St. Louis Special and will leave Denver at 2:30 p. m., arriving.. In St. Louis at 6 o'clock the fol lowing evening. ALBYN FRANK WANTS JOB Solicit Support of County Coinnila alonera In Ciimllduoy for Aa alatnnt Auditoralilp. Albyn Frank, formerly clerk of the dls trlct court, was at the office of the county board Saturday soliciting tho support of the members In an effort he is making to secure tho position of assistant county auditor. This place, which carries a sal ary of only $1,000 a year, is now held by Halfdan Jacobson. Frank asserts that ho is entitled to a place from the fusion county commissioners on account of the. fight he made on Kler sttad, which he modestly designates as the causo of Connolly's election and the present fusion majority In tho board. That the fusion members of the board are not all favorable to Frank's candidacy Is shown by the fact that the republican mem ben of the board have been asked to help him out. Messrs. Harte and Oitrom, how ever, refuse to tako a band In the deal to discharge Jacobson In order to make a place for Frank, PRINTERS OF PIONEER DAYS Beminiicsnt View of a Graft that it Swiftly Palling. MACHINES HAVE WROUGHT A CHANGE Time Won When the World Wna the Printer Mnn'a Field nnd All Tnivna Looked Alike to It tin. hut It la Not So Xovi. Among the -arly residents of the city of Omaha there Is a, class around which there Is an air of ruoro or less mystery tho printer. Many tributes have been paid to the "old-time printer." and none of them undeserved. The present generation will bo the last to know nnythlng about that class of American citizens which has nlready dis appeared, as a class, from the country. In the quiet byways of the country prlntli. office they may be found, or In some of the editorial rooms or higher departments of the newspapers are men who In nn earlier day were "old-tlmo printers." The chief characteristic of tho printer of tho day when Nebraska was a territory was nn Inherent Inability or disinclination to "settle down" for life. He was generally a rolling stone and he fulfilled tho proverb In that he gathered no moss, or anything else that tended to nnnounce to a casual observer that ho had any right to exist on earth. Tho conditions of tho trado wero more re sponsible for his roving disposition than any Inherent laziness or deslro to avoid work. Among all the craftsmen ho was about the only one who could work at all times of the year and in any part of the country. The trado of the printer In those days could not be learned In a short time. A man was not considered to be a printer who could not work In every department of n printing office. At present tho trado has been "specialized." There; arc pressmen, Job printers, compositors' on plain matter, book binders aud In very recent years machine operators nnd machinists havo been added to tho list of separate trades connected with the modern printing office. Tho "old-tlmo printer" was not deemed fit to "hold a cord" unless ho could do everything that Is now dono In tho printing offlco by all except tho machine operator and the machinist. As a result there were moro situations than there wero men. The printer knew that should he leave New York he would be certain of work in Chicago. If ho left Chicago for tho west ho was almost certain that work was waiting for him In some other town, and seldom ho failed to be employed when he so desired. Tho first Journeymen printers camo from the higher classes of tho commu nity. By virtue of their occupation they wero elevated nbovo the mass. Tho succes sors of theso first printers never lost the sense of their greatness, and. although clothed In rags, with a drouth that was un quenchnblc, or ono that was for the time .drowned under libations of Kentucky's famous product, they held themselves Btralghtcr and carried themselves with greater pride when they announced that they wero printers. And this superiority was generally admitted, fdr It had an exist ence outside of the Imagination of tho craftsman. ft Conines' AVI tli Great Men;' When tho printing trado was less devel oped than at present the printer came Into close contact with tho author, the philoso pher and tho editor. He not only put In type their thoughts, but he held them In familiar acquaintanceship. Old printers still wist who havo hurried out of Greeley's room under a fire of words from that erratic editorial philosopher and statesman, brought on by the fact of their inability to read somo of the hieroglyphics which passed with that famous editor as manuscript. Under these conditions tho old-time printer becamo not only a man of liberal education, but his mind was broadened by contnet with tho great men of the day. The tramp prin ter, with his woeful appearance, was tho hero of many a young man Just starting out In a country printing office, and his high est ambition was to becomo one of the crowd which traveled from place to placo free from care and certain of a wclcorao ot every printing office. That these young men Joined the ranks ot tho tramp priuter and contracted his vices without In all cases emulating his virtues Is not surprising. These younger men may bo found today, tho last of tho "tramp printers," a base counterfeit upon their predecessors, and a tax upon the printers of today. Twenty-nlno years ago printers were not numerous In Omaha, but there wero enough of them to form a union. A roster of that union printed In March, 1872, gives the names of the twenty-eight members In good standing. Among those names tho men still residing In Omaha are: Henry Haskell, superintendent of the mechanical depart ment of Tho Bee (ho was then chairman of the finance committee ot tho union); T. J. Fltzmorris, now exchange editor ot Tho Bee: C. D. Shultz. now employed In an edi torial capacity with the American Press as sociation; Alfred Sorenson, editor of tho Examiner; E. E. Sylvester, still working at the trade. The oldest printer In the city today Is Dan Carpenter, whose name does not appear on tho membership rolls of the union at that time. Among those old-timers was Thomas Wolfe. He was a young man then and for tune has been good to him as tho years havo flown. He has broken all of the traditions of tho craft.and Is now a banker nt David City. They who know say that Tom l as good n banker as ho was a printer and that means that ono bank In Nebraska at least will never fall on ac count of bad management. There Is only ono objection that can bo urged against Tom Wolfe. He waited too long beforo ho got married. Ilri'vv ater'a lull-rent Inn t'ureer. Georgo W. Brewster Is now a populist editor, running a paper at Falls City. Since ho first Bet type In Omaha Mr. Brewster has had an Interesting career. Ho went Into tho country nowspaper business somo time in the '70s. In the early "80s he con ceived tho Idea that he would becomo a farmer and accepted the offer of Uncle Sam to give hlra a farm In the northwestern part of the state. Onco located on a quarter section of pralrlo tho deBlro to con tinue at his trado proved Irresistible. Send log to Omaha, ho purchased an outfit and the Brewster News was flung to the breeze. Thcro was no other houso In ten miles of the claim house, which was at once printing office and tho home of tho editor, but the News was printed every week. Then set tlers camo and with them land office notices which made the heart of tho printer glad and his pockctbook- corpulent. Then a postoffiee camo to Brewster and everything looked bright, but when the country had been settled and tho Bottlers had borrowed enough money on their farms to carry them back to civilization the editor's occupation was gone and he perforce followed In tho wake of his former patrons. P. F. O'Sulllvan was another one of tho members of the union of that day to go to the country. For many years he was influential in tho democratic ranks ot the state and tin editor of the West Point Democrat wielded morn than local power C. T, R. Williams was a member of the union In 1S72 and rtas nt one time foreman of The Bee. Today ho resides at Grand Island, where he represents the United States in tho capacity of deputy Internal revenue collector. Another ono of tho old timers holding n similar position Ib Carl Seeley, who beforo becoming connected with tho revenue servlco was editor of the Madi son Chronicle. ' Dick Pugh, whose camo appears on the roll. U superintendent of tho mechanical department on one ot the newspapers of Denver. Colo. William (Kid) Kelley, who appears on the list of tho union In 1S72 as a provisional member, Is now superin tendent of the registry department of the Omaha postofllce. Peter Wolfe, who was also on the provisional list at that time, was accounted a veteran printer when he died this fall In Omaha. Tho two honorary members of tho old union wero John S. Brlggs and Dr. J. P. Peck, both deceased. Mr. Brlggs Is be lieved to havo been the first printer to work at his trado on the present site ot Omaha. He was connected In some capacity with the Omnha Arrow, printed In Council Bluffs, and It Is said that ho came to Omnlu. with the first printing material brought to tho city. Dr. Peck wa tho father of Edward P. Peck, secretary of the Omaha Elevator company. So far as known the persons mentioned aro the only surviving members of Omaha Typographical union on the list mentioned May 1", 1M72. LIFE IN THE PHILIPPINES Cnptnln Thnniitn notx- Write n Let ter to Ilia .Nona IntereatlilK I'ea Picture of Tropic. Captain Thomas Swobc. whose homo Is In this city and who Is now connected with tho chief quartermaster's offieo of Znra bounga. P. 1.. has written nn Interesting letter to his sons In this city. The letter follows: Headquarter Department of Mindanao nnd Join, Chief yuartormaster'n UfiVc. .amoiwnni, r. 1., ij.-c. !', iw -.My icar Sons: Thlii Is a beautiful Sunday niornli.i; and n gieut llesta day here, ns tho people aro celebrntltig th? nnnlvcrmry of tho patron wiint nf .ambounga. The cere monies commenced Friday night uiul nri to Inst four days. Lam evening tlioy hod a large parade, which begun nt dusk. Each ono carried lighted candles and tho church bell rung ami two bnnds of music played throughout. The whole performance wus qulti- a novel one. Tho natives nro all Catholics nnd ndhere very strongly to the faith. They have, a groat many tlestaq dur ing the year nnd nil represent some ic llgious celebration. All turn out In th lr best clothes, the mt'n wearing white -ir.d most of the women black, maKing n novel contract. Some of the wealthier women, however, nro decked out In nil kinds of colors, and occasionally n very rich rllk dress may bo seen. I saw two of them yesterday, tho wives of wealthy Chlno- dressed In blue silk drcsscsi trimmed with point ince. They looked very swell and would make some American women cross, eyed with Jealousy. Tho Moros turned out yesterday morning and took part In tho parade, giving several spenr and bolo dances that were quite In teri.stlnc. . Thov were costumed and cov ered with all kinds of regalia and the spea'; and bolos wero bedecked with, origin col ored ribbons. Their costumes were of bright red or blue, nnd occasionally one of jellow. making the most gorgeous display of colors I have ever seen. The spc.ir pud bolo dances ure very Interesting, especially the tlrst or second time one see them, but they get threadbare. Just tho somo as every thing el?e. Tonight there Is to bo a dance, nnd to morrow night some kind of a theatrical performance, which will cloie the celebra tion. Yesterday morning they gave a break, fiisf nt SMO o'clock, to -which till offlctrii were invited. In fact, tho Qfficer. und especially lue siuii pincers, aro iiriivu iu nil tluir perfonnnnci-s. and nre given the right of wny. They feci highly honored and pleased to have im uttend I did not at tend tho breakfast yesterday morning, how ever, us I had partaken of their breakfasts before. Chocolate is always served nnd the edibles conMst mostly of cakes, custards and other pastry, all very nicely served and nvnrvthltiL- Kcrumilrmf i v clean. Tbev know how to entertain and seem to enjoy It greatly. Dntto Mandl Is on of the most hospita ble and gracious hostn 1 have ever met. )lc spends his whole tlmo seeing tint every body is being properly entertained nnd having a gfod time. Nearly every ril-h served nt all entertainments if" sweet. The natives call everything sweet "dulco." and they ar extravngnntly fond of dulc". In .:iwnUi,,rr ,,f th p.;,, ,.n t urtulntiients thev snv. "mucho tlesta. mucho muslca, niurho dulce. Tlint seems to cover inn rjuuu nnd nothing remains to bo said. Tho people nnntn t it t.nlnv themselves Ulld flTO IllWaVS happy, particularly so thl year. Tlioy are profoundly grateful In their acknowledg ment oi prospeniy. anu mij uhu mc Ican havo brought them prosperity and hnnnlmwa TllfV do not Want tO KO back under Pponlsh rule, as tho Spanish were nn v nrnni in iiipm. iiui vci v u :juil Taxis wero levied unmercifully nnd Spanish otlicen pocketed tho money. They were punished severely on the flimsiest pretexts and required to work out their tines on government vvnrK. Contracting the difference under Spanish nnd American rub thero is but ona s-ntl-nnni l.. t,lu nrnt wi nnd that Is nbn- lutely and unqualifiedly in favor of tho Americans. People were starving vhon wo took possession, a littlo over a year ago. ind such marked Improvement In a communltv has never been witnefed any where. Tho town had been burned during the Spanish war nnd desolation and poverty wero everywhere. Hundred nnd hundreds of buildings havo been erected all over the province in the last year mid a largit com munlty of people, once heart-broken nnd discouraged, made prosperous and hnpnv. They fully realize and appreciate the change Presldente Mcdell of the Philip pines and Dntto Mandl of the Moros nro not i,, vtrnHulitir ihplr n imreclatlon of the happy change In the condition of their people nnu givo inn i'reiu, a inc miuun .i.. i Drmiiiunt McKlnlev and tho admin istration They denounce In unmistakable terms the notions of tho Aguinaldo-IJryan-Town"-Stevenson nggregatlon. Tho people in this province, and they nro said to be tho most Intelligent In tha archipelago, crude nnd uneducnted as far as books nre concernu, aro what we would call a "lnnif heiided," deep-thlnklng people. They have no sympathy with anarchy, wildcat money or long-haired statesmanship. AH the ii-i-n tvmnnthlzpra In these Islands mnv bo found In the Insurrecto ranks, and, Ilka Bryan, they will soon uo reiegaiea to on- lirutn firm romihllriin nartv will ncaln rent) tho glory as It did In lbGI-5, of lifting the yoKe of bondage ami oppression from tho shoulders of millions of human beings what a glorl f,im roe nrdi. clvlnir them a good stablo gov ernment nnd making them a free, happy nnd prosperous people, l am giau mat you llllll I tllV M-Jiuuil' un. ., jw ..i.,v npologl.o for your politic. Well. It is lunch time and thero Is no more news to write, so I will close this epistle and write you tignln In a few days. My health Is fine nnd I nm feeling good nil the time, but anxious to get nome. i our ui fectionnto father. THOMAS SWOBE. WOULD CUT OFF THEIR PAY Tnxiinyer'n Complaint Against llitrn Help for County Attorney He InK Heard In Court. Joseph Campbell's action to restrain tho county commissioners from appropriating money to pay the salaries ot Harry 1. Butr.ham, deputy county attorney, and W H. (lunsolas. messenger to tho county at torney, came on for hearing before Judge Dickinson Saturday morning. After hear ing tho argument of petitioner's counsel the case was continued to Monday morning. Mr. Campbell, as a taxpayer. Bets up the claim that the county commissioners havo no nuthorlty In law to employ extra men for tho county attorney's office, and that any money appropriated to compensate such extra help Is a waste of public funds Woiiiiui Slops Ills I'rofnnlty. COLUMBUS, fid . Feb. D.-Mrs. John Manners, the wifo of a well known citizen of this (ountv, killed a negro named John I'lprinimti i.it niglll lor using profanity iri-.v.iru hit .iiitr sue nan toiu nun to stop. ;o urj bib nue uviu niuuu. Fcurity nnu pass tne ri'iimniurr i vun uneventful days In pondering over "what they might havo been" If they hod oniy or L-ooil horse sens. l lie BIBLIOLATRISTS IN OMAHA ITebruka MitropoUi Eat Iti Shan cf Eibliopoliim. BIBLIOPOLE HERE HAS A BUSY TRADE Wall Hooked and Cnrefnlly Selected . DllillothecnB Are Found In 3tny Unities Vnrlnttons In Illhllolntrlstlu Tnstea. Antiquarian book stores are always dark and narrow and tho long rows ot second hand volumes are usually visible only by the dim religious light of flickering gas lights. The air of mystery which attaches to such a bookstall Is as Inviting to book lovers as the lnceuse In an Indian temple to a devout Buddhist. It Is tbo hope ot finding some quaint volume hidden away In the dark piles of moldy rubbish thst at tracts customers to such a place. To complete such a shop tho dealer must bo old and wrinkled and must have a way of carsslng books and praising them In broken English sentences. This mAkes ordinary boons as valuable as Aldlnes. It gives them a foreign air and Imparts to them the value ot products of tbo Kensing ton press. There nro no more Interesting places in Omaha than the second-hand bookstalls. They nre frequented by persons of all classes. They combine tho unfortunate patrons of pawnbrokers and tho cllentclo of fashioned Jewelers. Micrlllcc Hooks for It rend. The sellers of books are more Interesting than buyers. Old books which havo been In families for decades are offered to deiileM by ragged men nnd women who must part with hcIrloomH to sccuro bread. The blank pages ot such books nre usually torn out to prevent the tracing of tho original owner ship to a family which has seen better dayi. Sometimes tho efforts at removing names from books aro unsuccessful and tell- talo loitering reveals tho history of somo book lover who has been compelled to part with a treasure. But misfortune is not all that can bo seen In tho Btacks of tho second-hand book dealer. As bookmen ago and their salaries Increase they Improve their libraries. Vol umes which wero tho best a depleted purso could buy raalto way for handsome dc luxe editions and the second-hand man Is called to cart away tho treasured books ot a former day. In somo ot the Omaha shops volumes ot the poets which bear the names of prom inent Omahans may bo found and the Inter lineations tell Interesting talcs. By this chanco scribbling the moods and tempera ments of the men are revealed to persous who havo no ncqualntanco with tho original owners. Owen Meredith's "Ixicllo" appealed par ticularly to ono well known Omaha man. He marked nnd commented on certain lovo passages In a manner that would make him blush were he to And that the volume had found Its way into the hands of curiosity seekers. Love seems to be the one sentiment which attracts the pencil of mcnand women of -. oil classes to printed pages.'Inbook'sfott fiction, history and poetry alike the refer ences to love aro underscored. Bertha M. Clay's dissertations on lovo and the love lyrics of Tennyson havo inspired annota tions which may be found In volumes of tho antiquarian. "This Is the way George used to talk." "It was ever thus," "Amen," "How true," "It never was said better." "I read this on the happiest day of my life," "Would that It wre true." are chanco Interlineations whlifli wero found In a stack of books that contained everything from "Paradlso Lost" to reports of tho Department of Agri culture. Different llensous for I'urclinae. Among the wealthy patrons of the second-hand book Btores nro two classes of men nnd women, Ono class buys books which are worthy of a placo In a library bocuuse of the excellence ot tho binding and the true merit of tho work, while the other class buys odd books In quaint bind ings regardless of the subjects which nre rcated. Several persistent Omaha book collectors seldom read anything they buy. Books which nro old and have unusual bindings are eagerly sought by them, and their col lection would delight a lover ot the quaint nnd disgust a mnn who Is accustomed to a well-assorted working library. Few representative Omaha women visit tho second-hand book dealers In search ol treasures which cannot bo had of modern publishers, but there are many diligent book collectors among well-known Omaha men who nro frequently seen In tho book stores and who havo private libraries ot which they are very proud. (Ono Omaha man has a complete edition of the works of Sir Waltor Scott which ho has collected after mauy years of effort. Tho set contains moro than fifty volumes and they all bear different dates, being tho original edition In which each book was Issued. A set of Voltaire's works moro than 100 years old and an old edition ot Rousseau are other treasures in his library. Charles A. Dletz pays particular attention to books of travel and has on excellent collection ot books ot that description. Ho has traveled widely nd for years has been diligently searching for unusual books de scriptive of foreign lands. JudKe tVooltt ortli'n Library. Tbo prlvato library of J. M. Woolworth Is ono of the best miscellaneous libraries In the city. J. J. Monoll hns n flno collec tion of books which wero carefully selected and are notable for tho excellenco of tho editions. The historical and Shakespearean library of tbo late Judge J. W. Savage ;s a valuablo one. This collection of books Is particularly valuable on account ot tho number of excellent works It contains con cerning tho history of the western part nf tho United States. This library has been drawn on extensively In tho compilation of histories of Otriaha and Nebraska. Bishop Scanncll's library Is particularly rich in theological and ecclesiastical works and tho library at Creigbton college also has many valuable books of this nature. Omaha Is fortunato in having go many citizens who arc engaged In collecting libra ries, which will be doubly valuable twenty years hence. Beforo Nebraska was sup posed to have tmhlbed nny of tho culture of the east, tho lato Byron Reed began tho collection of books and papers and everything, In fact, which he thoucht wou'd be of historical valuo. That collection Is now tho property of the publlo library has preserved much valuablo Information which would have been lost had It nut been for tha foresight of Mr. Reed. Hi was Omaha's pioneer collector. Among tho citizens of today ho has many worthy Imitators. Cnn Increnae Ita Capital, HARRI8BURG, Pa., Feb, (l.-Tho bill de. signed to nllow tho Pennsylvania railroad to Increase Its capitalization Is now a law, Governor Stone attaching his slgiiaturo to the measure today. V-