TTIE OMAITA DAILY DEE: TUESDAY, JANUARY , 1004. fniE Omaiia Daily Bee. E. ROSEWATER. EDITOR. PUBLI8HED EVERT MORNING. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. ?ally Bee (without Sunday ). One Year.. 14. Dally Dm and Sunday, One Year ' illustrated Bee, One Year J -Sunday Bw, One Year Saturday Hee, One Year J-JJJ Twentieth Century Farmer. One Year.. 1.U0 DELIVERED BY CARRIER. nl!y Bee (without Sunday), per copy... 2c Oally lies (without Sunday), per week...lje ually Bee (Including Sunday), per week..lic .unday Be, per copy .venlng Bee (without Sunday), per week 6C evening Bee (Including Sunday), Pr week ,nc Complaints of Irregularities In delivery should be addressed to City Circulation De partment. OFFICES. Omaha The Bee Building. South Omaha City Hall Building, Twenty-fifth and M Streets. Council Bluffs 10 Pearl Street. Chicago 1640 Unity Building. New York 233i Park Row Building. Washington 501 Fourteenth Street. CORRESPONDENCE. Communications relating to news and edl orlal matter should be addressed: Omaha Im, Editorial Department. REMITTANCES. Remit br draft, express or postal order payable to The Bee Publishing Company. Only J-cent stamps accepted In payment of mall accounts. Personal checks, except on Omaha or eastern exchanges, not accepted. THE) BED PUBLISHING COMPANY. STATEMENT OF CIRCULATION. 3tate of Nebraska, Douglas County, ss.t George B. Taschuck. secretary of The Bee Publishing Company, being duly sworn, jays that the actual number of full and complete copies of The Dally, Morning, Evening and Sunday Bee printed during the month of December, I&XJ, was as fol- lowei i. j. .w),2ao 17 80.BS0 IS 3O,870 19 31.020 ao aT,oao 21 31,270 23 30,770 23 80,fKM) 24 31,300 26 ai.r.oo 26 81JtlM 27 2000 28 30.7BO 29 BO .OiO so rw.oio 81 33,400 f 90 eOfVft ao .soo . B(ft,tflO 1 30,340 ( , SO.IHKI ( 81,110 10 SO,3BO .1. ....... .30, 400 12 80,400 11 37,010 :i ao.ttoo :i ...90,700 . 31.1UO Total 947,3. resa unsold and returned copies.... lo,42l Vet total sales 0,-ui,u:i4 Wet average sales 30,220 GEORGE B. TZSC11UCK. Subscribed In my presence and sworn to before me this 8lst day of December, A. D. W8. , M. B. HUNG ATE, (Seal.) I Notary Public. The Iowa state capitol was another lire proof building. I Bear Admiral Glass persists In lils determination to tell the truth, dry though it bo. Serious Indeed Is that hour when the vntlre national guard of Uruguay Is called to arms. Mayor McClellan has been solaced with the assurance that Mr. Cleveland really wasn't a bit hungry. Following . its time honored custom, the lower bouse of congress convened, pityed and adjourned for lack of a lucrum. With some surprise It Is noted Unit us yet the Kansas correspondents have contributed nothing to the current liter ature of the war In the far east - The Longhorns and the Shorthorns and the cattle without horns will be the main topic of discussion at the coming annual meeting of the Nebraska Agricultural association. Don't grumble about the weather. Boston and New York have been swept Ly a blizzard while Omaha and Ne braska have merely been gently pelted by snow flurries. The kaiser has decided to keep the Royal Opera house at Berlin closed until It is provided with better lire protection. The whole civilized world Is learning Cte lesson Chicago taught Two hundred and' thirty-three of the 586 victims of tho Iroquois fire are being buried outside Chicago, furnishing a striking indication of the very great ex tent of that city's floating population. ' The expelled democrats of 1800 are Invited back Into the fold again, but they are given distinctly to understand that they must sit at the second table and obey the maxim to be seen only and no$ beard. Governor Cummins worked with the volunteers at yesterday's fire, wearing hip boots and a rubber coat. Obviously, be means to assail the propriety of one certain Omahan's colored vests, later in the running. A good many people over all the land would like to clasp hands with that Chi cago minister who 'declared the theater catastrophe was due not to the anger Of Providence, but to the selfish Im providence of man. - Now that Omaha has entered upon its Jubilee year it is to be hoped that greater pains will be taken than heretofore to Insure accuracy of commercial and in dustrial statistics so tliHt future genera tions may be able to measure correctly the progress of this city. President Roosevelt has no hesitation whatever in taking the public as well as congress into his confidence in every thing that has transpired between this country and the republics of Colombia and Panama. This frankness will be admired even by those who disagree with bim. We have it on good authority that Supreme Court Clerk llerdmaii is In no hurry to have the Judges agree upou bis successor, but Is as willing to continue to serve under a court of which a ma jority are republicans as he would have been had the outgoing democratic Judge been re-elected. The war correspondents and the news photographers are already hurrying across land and water to get over to the scene of probable war between Jupun and Ituvsla. As oou us they get tlu-lr cameras located and their icrpevtlve measured they will give the liml for the fixbtlng te begin. wmrntsiDtifrs pah ah a missaqm. President Roosevelt's message, giving to congress full Information as to his action regarding Panama. Is a fctate paper of the highest Importance, which will not fall to command careful atten tion at borne and abroad. It supplies an answer, which we think will be re garded by all fair-minded persons as complete and adequate, to all the criti cisms which have been made upon the action of the administration and an en tirely satisfactory Justification of the course pursued. The president points out that our gov ernment most earnestly desired to deal Justly and generously with Colombia, as clearly shown In the terms of the treaty which that country rejected. He notes that the only criticisms of the treaty were for Its having granted too much. "Neither In the congress nor In the pub lic press," says the message, "at the time that this treaty was formulated, was there complaint that It did not In the fullest and amplest manner guar antee to Colombia everything that she could by any color of title demand." The president very conclusively shows that the demands of Colombia were such as to make the construction of the Panama canal by our government Im practicable. In regard to the revolution In Panama, the president cites the familiar fact that It had been threatened weeks before the uprising occurred and that it was upon Information received from our naval olBcers that war ships were sent to the Isthmus with Instructions to keep 'ianslt open. Tills was done in accordance with the treaty rights and obligations of the United States and the government would have been Inexcusably derelict hnd It failed to take such precautionary steps. Colombian troops had landed on the Isthmus and hostilities would have been inevitable but for the presence of American ships. Nothing could more conclusively show that there was no complicity or collusion on the part of our government with the revolutionary movement than the statement of PresI dent Roosevelt that at ranama, when the revolution broke out, there was no American mnn-of-war and no American troops or sailors there, while at Colon the American naval officer acted with entire Impartiality toward both sides, preventing any movement by either which would tend to produce bloodshed, The message says of the insinuations of complicity that "they are as destitute of foundation as of propriety." In regard to the recognition of the Panama Republic the president de clares that It was Justified by the highest considerations of our na tional Interests and safety. "In all the range of our International relations,' he says, "I do not hesitate to affirm that there Is nothing of greater or more pressing Importance than the construe tlon of an lnteroceanlc canal. Long acknowledged to be essential to our commercial development. It has become, as the result of a recent extension of our territorial dominion, more than ever es sentlal to our national self-defense." lie urges that In the light of our present situation the establishment of easy and speedy communication by sea between the Atlantic and the Pacific presents Itself not simply as something to be de sired, but as an object to be positively and promptly attained. "Reasons of convenience have been superseded by reasons of vital necessity, which do not admit of indefinite delays." In conclu slon the president urges that the ques tion before this government Is not that of the recognition of Pnnnma as an In dependent state, which Is an aecom plished fact, but whether or not we shall build an isthmian canal. MVKICIPAL TaXATIOK. Among tho problems with which the taxpayers of every city In America have to grapple Is the question of uniform and equitable taxation. Public-spirited property owners will always cheerfully pay taxes, provided they are assured that the money is properly spent and that each Is paying no more than his Just share of the total. In Omaha, at in all the principal cities of the country, mu niclpal taxes constitute the heaviest bur den, but a comparison with other cities develops tho fact that municipal taxa tlon is no higher In Omaha than it Is in other cities of equal or larger population. The taxation tables complied for the national municipal league show that the average city tax rate of twenty of the principal cities of the United States, based on an assessment of full valuation, Is 1.1515 per cent, or 13 mills. In San Francisco, where they have n combined city and county government, the ta rate for city and county together on the general levy is limited to $1, but Sa Francisco cannot be taken as n fair ex ample for the reason that It has no bombxl debt, consequently no Interest and sinking fund taxes. 1 Through all the years when other American cities were borrowing money to construct pavements, sewers, school houses and public buildings, San Fran cis resolutely refused to vote bonds because the affairs of the corporation were not managed on business Hues. Very recently, however, Ssn Francisco has authorized an Issue of $10,0110,000 of bonds the proceeds of which are to be devoted to public Improvements, Includ ing pavements, parks, sewers and school buildings. Although this bonded debt will Increase the annual taxes of San Francisco by more than $600,000, the revenues of the city from various sources. Including licenses, market dues, etc., are expected to more than counter balance the interest charge, so the tax rate will not have to be increased. The complaint lu all cities is not so much aliout the rate of taxation as about the luck of uniformity in the as sessment, and especially the favoritism exhibited in the ossessment of the prop erty of the railroads and other public and quuai-public corporations. In many cities there Is also Just complaint about wastefulness in the purchase of supplies. the employment of supernumeraries and a lack of. a proper system of check and balances in the auditing department While there is room for considerable Im provement in Omaha with regard to the former, little Is to be desired with re gard to the auditing department. Costly xperlence with defaulting treasurers In our city and state and the substitution of the guaranty bond for the individual bond has caused a very material im provement In the accounting system. That makes defalcation or materlnl loss by negligence and slovenly liookkeeplng Imost an impossibility. UKtSRAL LvyOSTHKKT. General James Longstreet who died Saturday, was the last of the great mili tary leaders of the Southern confeder acy. Graduating from West Point in 1S42, he saw service in the Mexican and Indian wars, and was a paymaster in the army when the civil war broke out Commissioned a brigadier general In the confederate service, he distinguished himself In hi first engagement, which was Bull Run, July 21, 1SU. He was n many of the battles in Virginia, al ways showing conspicuous ability and bravery. There has been some criticism of his action at Gettysburg, notably in book on the civil war by General Gor don, recently published, but It is unques tionable that he was a great soldier, easily Lee's ablest lieutenant and his most trusted military friend, not ex cepting Jackson, who was seldom very useful save when he fought under the direct eye and orders of Lee. Indeed it was the opinion of Longstreet as ex pressed in his book on the war, that Jackson was a much overrated general a view, however, which the southern people generally do not accept and which probably the union soldiers who encountered Stonewall Jackson would be disposed to question. Longstreet accepted unreservedly the result of the war and Identified himself with the republican party. He held several public offices, among them United States commissioner of Pacific railroads. In all of them making a cred ltable record. General Longstreet was a native of South Carolina, but had re sided in Georgln since the civil war. MA TOR M'CLBLLAIi'S FltOMlSK. In assuming the duties of chief exec utive of Greater New York, Mayor McClellan made a brief speech in which among other things he promised that no step backward wlll be taken in any department, but that progress will be made. ' The youthful executive of the American metropolis can make his po litical future secure if he shall show the ability and firmness to fulfill this prom ise. It is a great opportunity for him and doubtless he sincerely Intends to improve It He enters upon his duties with conditions in the great city much better than they were two years ago. The Low administration remedied some of the most crying evils and abuses, Reform was Introduced in all depart ments. Not all was done that it was hoped to accomplish, but a great change has been effected. If Mayor McClellan will take up the unfinished work and carry it out New York will become one of the best governed cities In the world Tammany, however, is the power which the new mayor has to reckon with and he will find no little difficulty In controlling the rapacious and un scrupulous politicians of that organlza tlon. It is not reassuring to find that he is already carefully catering to this ele ment The New York Evening Tost re marks that his completed list of appoint ments reads, in general, like the Tarn many directory it is. "An obvious mix ture," says that paper, "of the passable and the very bad, the unknown and the all too well known, there is small prom Ise In It of disinterested service of the city. With so long a list of Tammany district leaders In office, the pressure for loot will be fearful." Of course Mayor McClellan recognizes his obliga tlon to Tammany, but If he Intends to allow that organization to control his administration It is inevitable that there will be a step backward and the promise he has given will be discredited. William Jennings Bryan, who Is ex pected to return from his European tour tomorrow or next day, will proceed to Washington to confer with the demo cratic board of strategy to map out a program of congressional obstruction for want of a paramount issue. Colonel Bryan has not been a howling success as a political strategist When he re turned from his bloodless campaign in Cuba, for example, he urged the demo cratic and populist senators to ratify the treaty of Paris that provided for the annexation of the Philippines and a pay ment of $-JO.0on,0i0 to the Spaniards, and then he tore his nether garments over the policy of Imperialism to which Me- Kinley and the republican party had committed the country by the war of subjugation in the Philippine islands. It will be difficult for the people over In Iowa to decide whether the flro in their state capitol building is more to be deplored because of the pecuniary loss Inflicted or because of the postpone ment It has necessitated of the impend ing legislative session. It is a safe guess, however, that they, would prefer to have secured relief from the legisla ture In a less expensive way. The Monte Cristo smelter, recently purchased by the American Smelting and Refining company from John I) Kocueieuer, nas ciosea aown and a large amount of British Columbia-Idaho ores that were bandied at Everett. ashlngton state, will now come to Omaha for treatment Monte Cristo wag manifestly in this case uot a name to conjure with. It is now said that New York wants to put In a bid for the democratic na ttonal convention with the idea the attractions it can offer will counterlal ance all objections on account of the long distance the delegates from the central and far west would hate to travel. If Tammany kept open bouse for the visitors they could count on a hot time and red Are all around. But whether such a send-off would help the ticket Is an entirely different matter. The death of General Longstreet cre ates a vacancy in the office of United States commissioner of railroads. Here Is an opportunity for another ex-confed willing to accept a lucrative sinecure. General Joe Johnston, Wade Hampton and Longstreet succeeded each other as railroad commissioners, not because of any special claim they bad on the gov ernment they had so valiantly tried to destroy, but rather as striking examples of its magnanimity. The latest Information from Rome is to the effect that no additional cardinal will be created for the United Suites as forecasted In repeated rumors from the Vatican. The United States Is certainly entitled to greater representation in the church organization measured by the number and importance of its Catholic population. If the additional cardinal Is refused now it will still be only a question of time until the decision Is reversed. The theaters are not the only places that need thorough inspection and over hauling with reference to the prevention of fire and panic. The owners of every building in which large numbers of people are boused for any considerable portion of the time should be compelled to equip it with aty the precautionary devices experience has shown to be necessary for the protection of life and limb. The committee which has been honr ng testimony on the nomination of Gen eral Wood for promotion has brought in report for confirmation. Just as was expected, democrats as well as.republl cans Joining in the verdict. That will not however, prevent the democrats from trying to make all the political capital they can out of the Wood case wherever they think they can gain more by rehashing it than they lose. The supreme court has decided that rorto Rienns are not aliens according to the legal definition by which Lnlted States citizenship is established. It is entirely possible under our constitution for a Torto RIcan to become president of this greatrepubllc, but the proba bilities of such an event are decidedly remote. During the past year the Burlington has spent more than $1,000,000 in sup plying new equipment and motive power on Its lines west of the Missouri river, Whether the Burlington will voluntarily suggest an increase of a million dollars In tho assessment of its rolling stock this year has not yet been divulged. Our democratle"frlendg- who appear distressed as to whom Nebraska will be for in the republican national conven tion are not bothered with any per plexities as to whom Nebraska will be for in the democratic national conven- tlon. It is keeping them busy chalking off men whom they are against. - The Toklo correspondent to one of the London papers says, 'Don't look for n declaration of war." War sometimes insists upon breaking out without a declaration and other nations are not tied down like the United States by con stitutlonal prescriptions as to Just how war may bo declared. Hopes of Saddened Hearts. Chicago Record-Herald. ' In response to the many expressions of sympathy that have come from other cities Chicago can only reply with the hope that It may never be Its duty to respond In kind. Vanity Finds m Vent. Baltimore American. As !f the catastrophes which have over taken the public are not enough for a time, the British poet laureate has broken out In a new year war ode, full of lurid allitera tion, the burden of the song being that Great Britain Is "It." I'nchanared and I nehangeable. Philadelphia Press. Just as he was starting for home Colonel Bryan announced that his views on silver are unchanged. Tills la quite gratifying. If he had changed It would add one more to the curiosities In the democratic party, where there are too many already. Why People I.Ike Roosevelt. York .Republican. The president says things as well as does things. You like such a man If you are a ' man yourself. You know where to find him. Darn a dough faced milksop of a "diplomatist," who be lieves, as Talleyrand, that'langungo was In vented to conceal the thoughts and who would be broken-hearted If compelled to tell the truth or make a square statement and stay with It. Pay of Scientific Feeding;. Philadelphia Ledger. The search ' for the fountain of youth has not been abandoned, as the numerous dietary experiments abundantly attest. Science Is the modern Ponce de Leon. The era of strictly gclentlflo living for the most of us has not dawned, and Is afar off, but may we not hope that the time la' coming when the most casual caller at the lunch counter will order as many grams of protein, fat, carbohydrates and the rest as his physical or Intellectual necessities seem to rwqulreT The man who is about to produce an epic will see to it that his bill of fare contains the requisite amount of nitrogen and phosphorus and that he secures a sufficient number of calorics of heat value dally. Overworked Railroad Men Kansas City Star. Big headlines In the newspapers told of the killing of eight persons and the Injury of more than a score of others in the fear ful 'Frisco train wreck near Fort Scott, Kan., last Monday. The blame for the catas trophe was charged against a brakeman of a freight train, who. It was alleged, had failed to flag the passenger train. The brakeman had been on continuous duty for twenty-two hours, according to his statement. If that was the case, who will say the brakeman was at fault and not the management of the railroad which had kept him at his post beyond the period of physical endurance? It is a crim inal practice, almost Inconceivable, that railroads will endanger the lives of hun dreds of paasengers by trusting their safety to employes whom they have worked to the pulat, oc exhaustion, BITS OF WASHIXGTOS LIFE. Minor Scenes and Incidents Sketched on the Spot. There are twenty-five men who began their first service In the house of repre sentatives in the Fifty-third congress and who have served continuously since and are now entering upon their sixth terms. For ten years they hava been associated with each other, and this fact has started t movement to form a club for mutual ad miration and feasting purposes. Those who are eligible to membership are Adams of Pennsylvania, Babcock of Wisconsin, Har- tholdt of Missouri, Cooper of Wisconsin, Cooper of Texas, Cousins of Iowa, Curtis of Kansas, Dtnsmore of Arkansas, Dovener of West Virginia, Gardner of New Jersey, Glllet of New York. Glllett of Massa chusetts, Little of Arkansas, Loudenslager of New Jersey, McCall of Massachusetts, McCleary of Minnesota. Maddox of Georgia, Mahon of Pennsylvania, Parker of New Jersey, Swanson of Virginia, Tate of Georgia, Tawney of Minnesota, wnVoorhls of Ohio, Wanger of Pennsylvania and Wil liams of Mississippi. There are a number of doubles in the na tional house of representatives and many amusing mistakes arise as a consequence. Here are some of the Dromlos: Croft of South Carolina and Badger of Ohio, Thayer of Massachusetts and Butler of Pennsyl vania, Robertson of Arkansas and Watson of Indiana, Smith of Texas and Hopkins Of Kentucky, Lewis of Georgia and Miller of Kentucky. Payne of New York, who has shaved off his whiskers, Is often taken for former Speaker Henderson, although the latter has not been in Washington since the Fifty-seventh congress adjourned. While the art and practice of snuff taking are obsolete In the United States senate, the tradition is still cherished and the official snuffboxes are maintained and kept carefully filled with fresh material for producing sneeses. These boxes are two In number, little lacquer affairs about four Inches long, two and a half Inches wide and an Inch deep and are fastened by screws to the top of the projecting ledge, one on each side of the vice president's dlas. The snuff is purchased by the sergeant-at-arms of the senate in four or eight pound Jars at a cost of 75 cents a pound. and It takes an average of about n e pounds a year to replenish the boxes twice a week during the sessions. The work of refilling the boxes was for years one of the duties ceremoniously performed by the late Captain Bassett, the venerable assist ant doorkeeper of the renate, an Inveterate user of the powdi J weed; but since his death, five years ago, the task has fallen to the lot of one of the pages, who, natur ally, does not bestow upon It the loving care of his aged predecessor. Captain Bassett had when he died com pleted nearly sixty years of continuous service In the senate and was almost the sole relic of the days when the use of snuff was general In that body. For many years before his death hlB dignified, almost cere monious, manner of indulging in the habit excited the wonder and awe of the modern page. The negro boy who attends the door at the apostolic legation In Washington Is a linguistic wonder. He has had practically no schooling, yet he speaks French and Italian fluently and has a broad knowledge of Latin and Greek. He is only 22 years of age and has picked up all that he knows about the languages without the aid of a teacher. The boy Is sized up by nine out of ten visitors at the legation as a Jamaica negro or a native of one of tho other Is lands of the West Indies. He has a pe culiar shiny, ebony skin,' lils hair is woolly and long and his features are cast In any thing but an Intellectual mold. The boy was born In Maryland of American par ents, however, and has never been ten miles away from Washington. He has worked for eight years at the apostolic legation in this city, and acquired his knowledge of French, Italian, Greek and Latin through study. He Is not partlcu larly blight on other subjects, but Is one of those individuals who are able to master the languages as easily as some people pick up the art of fancy needlework. W. I. Bhallcnbergcr, second assistant postmaster general, In his report urges that there Bhall be a pension system for the railway mall clerks, which he says is service second only In danger to that in the army, navy and life saving service. Self- sacrificing services and heroic devoUon to duty are required and freely given by the railway mail clerks, and there should be a recognition of this. The figures he gives as to the casualties lust year would certainly support his recommendation. In all there were 373 accidents to mall cars last year, which Injured their inmatos, of whom eighteen clerks and three mall weighers were killed, seventy-eight clerks severely injured and 398 slightly so. This is a loss of life and limb equal to that in many small wars. Another question of strongly pressing na ture is that of the construction of mall cars so as to give the greatest possible protec tion to the men inside. There are earnest advocates of cars made wholly of steel and equally earnest advocates of wooden cars on different models. A number of experi ments have been made and expert opinions collected which seem to point to enrs con structed of both wood and steel. What the ideal car Is has not yet been decided upon The government has scores of portrait galleries, but, save the paintings of a long line of presidents, which adorn White House walls, there Is none finer than that in the rear lobby of the house, where the likenesses of speakers look down upon thousands of dally passersby. Some are In oil and some In crayon. All since the last congress adjourned have been refur bished and put in identic gilt frames. There Is one break In the line of speak ers, relates the Washington Post, which probably will never be repaired In this Im posing gallery. The portrait of Theodore M. Pomeroy will not be hung at the cap ltol, although he was In fact as much speaker of the house as any of his prede cessors or successors. He was elected to the high office for about twenty minutes, March 8, 18. Just as the Fortieth congres was expiring. This, as Is generally known was to enable Speaker Schuyler Colfax to abdicate and go to the other end of th capitol to be sworn In as vice president and presiding officer of the senate. The official record bears ample evidence to future generations of Pomeroy's appearance in the chair. The house had nothing serlou to do In the interval, and the new speaker was ps'teJ with complimentary resolutions, expressing deep appreciation of his eminent qualities and of his acumen with the gavel. Pomeroy's federal career terminated with his brief but exceedingly spectacular serv ice as speaker. "Uncle Joe" Csnnon usually wears spec tacles, but recently he put on eyeglasses. They bothered him and he laid them on the speaker's desk. Then he promptly forgot where they were snd banged them with his gavel, smashing them to small pieces. "That was a fine thing to do," said Speaker Cannon to Asher Hinds, the par llmentary expert. "Out of sight." Hinds replied, without batting an eye. There's th Hb. Chicago Chronicle. How ran Russia carry on war without ths help of wealthy Jews, and what Jew to- I day is In the mood of helplna; Russia Out of iiu oimguiu-ii ETEDI Til 15 1.AH HAXD. Beatrice Democrat: The Jacksonlan club of Omaha has issued an order restor- ng to membership the men who were ex pelled a few years ago for refusing to em brace populism. Kven a political club in Omaha gets right once In a while. i Jiutler iTess (clem.): Tho Jarksonian club of Omaha has reinstated all the bolt ers who Joined the McKlnley army. Having made treason honorable will be equal to a declaration of freedom hereafter to those who do not care to follow the leadership of 1 some of these old trust hirelings who used , the democratic party for twenty years to i save the old republican machine when I hard pressed by anti-monopolists. A short memory may be a blessing and the Jack sonlan club ought to know Its own busi ness. York Democrat: Dr. George I... Miller of Omaha, a nice old gentleman who Uvea in the past, says: "This action means that those democrats represented by the Jack sonlan club are now, willing to accept the eastern Idea of democracy, etc." Now what Is this eastern Idea of democracy? We have heard this generalization before. It Is a favorite theme of the ex-stuffed prophet, but we have never yet been able to discover that eastern democrats have ny Idea. There Is not one of them that has ever been guilty of an idea. Blind sub serviency to the money Interest may be an Instinct of eastern democracy, but Is Is not an Idea. They abhor an Idea. PUHSOXAL NOTKS. The king of England, who Is eatablish- ng the most friendly relations with the Irish people, will make another visit to Ire land. Only six people out of 32,000.000 traveling in Pullman cars have been killed In the last three years. Now you know why you are asked to pay $3: not for luxury, but for safety. Sir William Allen, M. P., the well-known engineer, shipping merchant and author, died In London on Monday. Sir William wrote of himself: "The world has been my chief educator and men my books." The grand mnstcr of a Masonic order was nvlted to lay the corner stone of the new court house at Flint, Mich., but the union demanded that before he could handle the t-c-wel he should take out a union card. Ambrose Swascy, a distinguished sci entist of Cleveland, O., has been elected president of the American Society of Me chanical Engineers, who have been meet ing at Exeter. N. H. Mr. Swasey Is known n the United States and In Europe ns the most eminent authority on the telescope and sidereal astronomy. The Park avenue tunnel disaster has cost the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad company $1,500,000 In damages paid to wreck victims, their relatives and lawyers. The suits have all been disposed of, the Inst one resulting In a settlement for $17,000 of the claim of Miss Margaret Lamb den of New Rochelle for $100,000. Charles Dana Gibson, who originated a girl and married her sister, draws the largest salary ever paid to an Illustrator of periodicals. The two publications for which he works give him $20,000 a year. A well known cartoonist In New York makes $12,000 a year from a single paper. Another was under contract at $13,000 and spent every cent of It. LESSO9 OF THK HOI.OCAt ST. New York Tribune: The moral of the Chicago horror seems to be the old one. that the human factor Is, after all, the dominant one. Fireproof theaters are a mockery, a delusion and a snare unless they are properly mnnaged by the men who have charge pf them. " 1 ' Chicago Chronicle: One of the most ob vious lessons of the Iroquois disaster is em bodied in a new ordinance recently Intro duced In the St. IajuIb city council, which requires that In tho roof over every theater stage there shall be a metal fire vent equil In area to one-tenth of the area of Vie stage and so constructed as to open auto matically In case of a fire. The people of St. Louis have evidently made a sngaolouit study of tho recent holocaust. Philadelphia Press: An asbestos curtain will lelp, but It must be In constant use or It will stick. Skylights will aid, but these must be large and open easily and in stantly. These are IndlspenFable, but noth ing will insure complete safety but abun dant fireproof exits from the galleries, widening as they desoen'l, enough to empty in five minutes. Nowhere are these exits required, and until they are theater fires will repeat the ghastly lesson of the Iro quois. Kansas City Star: How long will the lesson taught by the Chicago horror be efficacious? Two weeks? Or six months? Or will the American people overcome their shabby indifference to the publlo weal and insist that municipal offices shall be con ducted on a higher plane than mere par tisan grafting that fitness and competence shall be the standard for selection, rather than political pull that the laws shal be enforced and oaths of offlae regardd"at all times without the stimulus of tremendous calamities? Minneapolis Journal: Theater fires orig inate almost Invariably upon me stag among the highly Inflammable material which is stored there, and If theater-goers can be assured that a nre-proof wall and an asbestos or Iron screen stands between them and the flro, minimising the Imme diate danger, panic Is not likely to result. Certainly where so simple a precaution Is calculated to render so great a service, no playhouse can afford to deny the publlo the assurance which such pre action gives. Ths theater can make no bet . investment, viewing the matter wholly from the stand point of a business proposition. Philadelphia Ledger: Under the best conditions the liability of an audience to panlo can never be averted and therefore the first and essential requirement Is to In spire confidence and prevent an occaalun of alarm. The assurance that competent fire men are always on the watch Is one ground 6f confidence. If to this can be added as l T-"? SOT. POROUS PLASTERS A universal remedy for pains in the back (so frequent in the case of women). They give instantaneous relief. Wherever there is a pain a Plaster should be applied. Rheumatism, Coldi, Coughs, Waak Chest, Weak Back, Lumbago, Sciatica, &C, &C. Allcock's Plasters are superior to all others. For nr twit,. In the rtos nf Uv, .III, UC fX M I ' p.-r-. I Mrs. Hughson, of Chicago,1 whose letter follows, Is another woman In high position who owes her health to the use of Lydia2. Prnkham's Vegetable Compound. "Dear Mrs. I'iskham: I suffered for several years with general weakness and bearing-down pains, caused by womb trouble. My appetite was poor, and 1 would He awake for hours, and could not sleep, nntll I seemed more weary in the morning than when I re tired. After reading one of your adver tisements I decided to try the merits of JLydia E. Pink ham's Vegetable Compound, and 1 am so glad I did. No one can describe the good it did me. I took three bottles faithfully, and be sides building up my general health. It drove all disease aad poison out of my body, and made me feel as spry and active as a young girl. Mrs. Pinkbam's medicines are certainly all they are claimed to be." M ns. M. K. Ilvonsow, 847 East Ohio St., Chicago, 111. tBOOO forfeit If original of asoM Ittttr proving grmilnt. nu cannot ot srerfveetf- More than a million women have re gained health by the use of Lydla 1', Plnkham'sVofretableCnmpouml. If the slightest trouble appears which you do not understand write to Mrs. Pinkham, at Lynn, Mass., for her ad vice, and a few timely words from her will show you the right thing to do. This advice costs von nothing, but it may mean life or happiness or both. surance that an accidental fire on the stage A, can be certainly confined there, the causevS; for fright will be minimised. That the Ohlrago horror will for some tlme exert a disquieting effect on play-goers Is to be ex pected, yet In the incentive It must give to Increased vigilance and care it is alto gether likely to make cur theaters really safer than before. . St. Louis Olobo-Democrat: if theater fires endangered tho lives of the owners of the theaters as much as they do thoso who sit In them they would bo mado rafe. Hut after the fire the owners may s'? unharmed In their homes and offices and lift lamenta tions high, unavailing enough then. They are full of grief, but If they ware full of burns it would be a stricter 'ustice. Re sponsibility Is nver fait so keenly as when It is accompanied by the lash for its neg lect. Who cares for tears of remorse after the fact when corpses are stacked six doep on the sidewalk and a view up the alley shows no ladders on tho fire escapes, for which neglect some department of the mu nicipality Is as much at fault as others who are more directly connected with the building? SMILING IJWKS. Stella Pon't you wish we could Bee our selves as othors see us? Bella No; I'd much rather others saw us the way we see ourselves New York Sun. "They are well matched, aren't they?" "Yes. Her delightfully soft voloe goes well with his detestably soft head." Cleve land Plain Iealer. Magistrate (sternly) Didn't I tell you thn Inst time you were here I never wanted you to come before me again? Prisoner Yes. sir, but I couldn't mnko the policeman believe It New Yorker. "I.et's go out and see what's burnln',"' said Pat to Mike at the theater. "What d'ye mean?" "Those two men behind us said they were goln' to the foyer." Detroit Free l'ress. Ted What makes you think old Rorksey doesn't Intend to let you marry his daugh ter? Ned The tip he gave me on the stek market was a loser. Town Topics. Mrs. Youngcook You are sad. Does tin chicken I gave you recall soma of tle tender reminiscences Of your life? Tearful Tooley No, Indy; It romlnds uv many uv de tough propositions I've 1 1 1 up ag Inst. Judge. "Experience may ba a good teacher," sni 1 Uncle Lben, "but by de way you hyuh ; some people tellln' 'bout delrse'fa you wouldn t guess dat experience was as K1'' . JL ful 'bout de fscks as a teacher ought t " eS- TUB BACIIKLOK'S LAMENT, New York Times. bachelor, I cast about to And A wife with wealth and some experience No maiden coy, but one with ripened mind And common sense. What class, I wondered, might hold her I sought To bless the lot of me, lone, haplosn wight? The maidens? No. The widows? Yes, 1 thought The widow's might. Ah, well! she came at last, a witching thing; We plighted troth, and all my world itemed bright. Besides her money would have graced u king The widow's mite! A mite! Ha! Ha! A hundred "thou" per year! A royal sum! My hopes were all a-llght. Alas for me! I srmn had ramie to fear The widow's might. And now, when up tho silent stairs I steal On tiptoe, softly. In the dead Of night She's always waiting up. and then 1 feel The wlduw smite. I7, S r-T ts.mat In llivtitaMTa, H ittMWi or ir- wlMtta. or fur ftBrls, miar. , tTL, ftrwi IW AnlUatf t art, PtaaUi ruusl beut hm j V. I J AT