J
TITE OMAITA DAILY nEE: FRIDAY. FEmtTJAItY B. 1904.
! !
rniE Omaiia Daily Bee.
E. R08EWATER, EDITOR,
PVBLIRHED EVERT MORNING.
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TUB BEE PUBLISHING COMPANY.
STATEMENT OF CIRCULATION.
State of Nebraska, Douglaa County, es,;
Oeorre B. Tssrhia-k. secretary of The Bes
Publishing Company, being duly sworn,
says that the actual number of full and
complete eoplea of The Dally, Morning,
Evening and Bunday Be printed during
the month of January, 1904, wtt as follow;
l ....aoo tt...-... ,
1.. ...... n-M it .......m.too
l...-....T,140 . .19... StS 30
4 .ftO.HO
S. ........... ..2W.T0O
4...........2?,fHO
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1 3t,42
10.... JW.T05
II 2HJT0 '
11 SM.4BO
14 SfH,lXM
is aoto
u ao,i70
SS.OOO
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23 SW.TT0
2a 2,00
24. ...........
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28 200
37
29
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81....
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.20,170
.28,700
.29,010
,2A,2Wfl
Lees unsold and returned copies.
.. O.B47
Net total sales ww.aos
Net average tales 2H.403
OEO. B. TZSCHUCK.
Subscribed In my presence and sworn to
before me this 3d day of February, A. D.
1904. M. B. H UNGATE,
' (Seal.) Notary Public
It was not an earthquake In the In
dian Territory. Just the sound of a
United States marshal losing his grip
on his Job.
If there are any more rural delivery
routes to be established In Nebraska the
county supervisors will have to lay out
some new roads.
To Judge from the emotional press one
would think that King Edward Intends
to make of Mrs. Maybrlck. "a woman
with the Iron mask,"
Republican congressmen have a, right
to be proud of the record of the party,
but they should remember that many
a man baa stumbled while looking back
ward. If the Iowa democratic Insurgents
want to see the big-show at St Louis
they will be good, aa Charley Walsh
will have the tickets to distribute la
that state.-'
With both factions pledged to the nonv
Inatlon of President Roosevelt It la bard
to see any reason for factions among
Georgia republicans. Internal -fights
never made votes.
The Kansas farmer who bought a gold
brick can laugh at Governor Odell of
New York, who bought Shipbuilding
stock. The farmer at least secured
weight for his coin.
The coal dealers want the railroads to
rebate for short weight Id carload ship
ments, and the consumers would like
the coal dealers to make up for short
weight in the coal bin.
The first real evidence that China be
lieves that war will come between Ja
pan and Russia cornea with the state
ment that the empress dowager Is ready
to fly with the court from Peking.
Having succeeded In breaking the
Maryland deadlock Senator Gorman may
proceed to the more hopeless task of
conciliating all of the conflicting Inter
ests of bla democratic confreres in the
senate. ;
Liberal unionists of England who
Alodgv themselves to support Balfour
tinder all circumstances may prove to
r ie better "fair traders" than some of
the mors outspoken advocates of fiscal
reform. '
The deadlock in the Iowa delegation
ver the selection of a successor to
Judge Shlras can readily be broken by
the president and It la to be hoped that
he will exercise his prerogative at no
distant day.
The chief trouble with the boom for
Cockrell as democratic candidate for the
presidency Is that, his record did not
begin before the civil war. The echoes
3f the rebel yell still resound In the
bills of the darks.
King Peter finds it harder to manage
I he Servian people than bis Illustrious
ancestor did to manage the bogs. In
the formation of a new cabinet he has
an opportunity to satisfy the powers of
Europe and lose bla head by the act
The grow la of the Russian bear and
the British Hon over the Chinese cus
toms were so subdued as to be India
tlngulshable until the under secretary
of foreign affairs said lu the British
Parliament that the Hon waa provoked.
Its roar might have been, louder had
the bear not been so ferocious.
The decision of the supreme court re
gardlng the constitutionality of the
South Omaha Fire and Police commis
sion law la anxiously looked for by all
concerned. If the law Is declared valid
the commission will continue to do him!
aess at the old stand; if It lku krl
ut there. will be a rush of applicants
to U mayors office ,
AOAUIST TUB -OPBtT POOM."
An earnest supporter of the Chamber-
lain policy Is the prime minister of New
Zenlond. That official has no use for
free trade a nil the opt-n tloor and can
not see why any Englishman should
stilKrt such n policy. lie polnta out
41iat under it Imports of American goods
Into New Zealand bavs Increased by
over f5,000,000 In Are years and ob
serves that a good many of the leading
lines should hare been taken from the
motherland. Hy way of promoting the
Interests of the British manufacturers,
New Zealand has adopted a preferen
tial tariff ranging from 20 to 40 per
cent, which the premier thinks "ought
to give the British manufacturers a
good shot."
Possibly it will do bo, but such pref
erence shown In the Canadian tariff has
not proved of very material benefit to
manufacturers of England. In spite of
It American trade with the Dominion
has been steadily . growing. Perhaps
the experience of New Zealand will be
different because of the great differ
ence In conditions, geographically and
otherwise, yet much will depend upon
the energy and enterprise of the British
manufacturer In competition with thorn
of this country. The advantage which
the former will enjoy tinder a preferen
tial tariff Is certainly very considerable,
but when It Is considered that tbe prod
ucts of American mills and factories
are sold right In the English market
In competition with domestic products.
It Is not altogether Improbable that bur
manufacturers will be able to retain a
good part of their trade with New Zea
land. If Mr. Chamberlain had In all the
colonies of Great Britain as earnest
and aealous a champion of his reform
policy as the New Zealand premier his
chances of success , would be exceedingly
good, but as yet colonial Interest In his
scheme Is not so general or strong aa
to be greatly encouraging to him.
DBCLiaiao iwcunPonATtons.
The New York Journal of Commerce,
which keeps a record of the Incorpora
tion of companies with f 1,000,000 stock
each or more, states that the aggregate
capital of such companies incorporated
during January Is only a little over
$59,000,000, about $23,000,000 less than
during December Inst. Commenting
upon this that paper remarks that the
returns are both reassuring and dis
appointing "reassuring In that they In
dicate clearly that a halt has been called
upon the promotion of undesirable and
overcapitalized schemes; disappointing
In that the same Influences which have
checked wild-cat financiering have also
Interfered with the raising of money
for legitimate business ventures." But
It thinks that gradually the task of
floating companies intended to pursue
conservative and desirable business un
dertakings will be made easier and then
Increasing totals of capitalisation will
be a source of satisfaction. "At the same
time," It adds, "there la reason to hope
that the experience of the paat year In
the stock market will have a lasting
effect in hampering the organization of
unsound enterprises."
The decline in incorporations. Insofar
aa It Is significant of greater care and
conservatism on the part of capital, Is
to be regarded aa a wholesome condi
tion. No enterprise of a strictly legiti
mate character, for which It can be
shown that there Is a reasonable pros
pect for making a fair return on the in
vestment, will fail to secure needed cap
ital, but evidently the time has gone by
when any sort of enterprise can obtain
all kinds of money and that fact Is cer
tainly reassuring. The decline' In In
corporations seems to us to be a sign
of returning soundness in the business
affairs of the country which should be
welcomed.
a Dm ism at wn hot KBsroxxiBLB.
The attempt of democratic news
papers to fix responsibility on the ad
ministration for Senator Foraker's bill
to amend the Sherman anti trust law
will not succeed. We have already
noted the explicit statement of the Ohio
senator that he had not consulted the
president or any member of the admin'
lstratlon in regard to his proposed
amendment. This la corroborated by
the statement Of Attorney General Knox
that the measure was never discussed
by himself and President Roosevelt and
waa Introduced without the admlnistra
tlon'a knowledge or approval.
Moreover, the attorney general la not
favorable to the proposed amendment.
In an interview he pointed out several
vital objections to It among other things
saying: "The p oposed amendment over
looks the fact that the public welfare
Is Involved In any restraint that public
corporations may Impose upon them
selves and, therefore, the amendment
does not propose to Introduce the rule
of the common law, but ita enactment
would be a legislative grant of power
to restrain commerce, prohibited by the
common Jaw, as all restraints which
affect the public welfare injuriously are
void of common law." It If In the high
est degree Improbable that the presl
dent would take a position respecting a
matter of this nature without having
consulted the legal adviser of the ad
ministration and the fact of the attorney
general not being favorable to the pro
posed amendment establishes beyond
question that it has not received the
approval of the president. We think
that no fair-minded man can come to
any other conclusion. Senator Foraker
did not represent the administration in
introducing his bill.
There Is not the least reason to be
lieve that any change baa taken place
In tbe attitude of the president and the
attorney general on this subject It Is
not to be doubted that both want to
enforce the present law and have con
fldence In Ha adequacy. President
Roosevelt baa certainly shown an ear
neat desire for the enforcement of the
anti trust law and there has been notb
Ing to warrant a doubt respecting the
position - of, Attorney. General , Knox.
That very able lawyer has given a
clearer exposition of the Sherman act
than any of his predecessors and unlike
the attorneys general under the Cleve
land administration be has found it to
provide effective means for dealing with
the combinations engaged l'n interstate
and foreign commerce.
It la reported to be the prevailing opin
ion at Washington that there will be no
action on the Foraker bill at the present
session. It may even not be reported
from the committee and If it should be
It will be materially amended So far
as now appears few republicans In the
senate are favorable to the proposed
legislation and It is safe to say that It
will not receive popular endorsement.
A WATBR-LOOQBD gTATBSMAX.
When the compulsory water works pur-
chase bill waa before the legislature
The Bee pointed out many of Its glaring
defects,' but the father of the bill turned
a deaf car to every suggestion for Its
amendment and rushed It through nt
railroad speed. Now be tells the Heal
Estate exchange that his high-sounding
promises and big expectations have
proved , delusive. The . water-logged
statesman complains that the Water
board has been slow In performing its
duty and charges the council with seek
ing to do for the water company by In
direction what It could not do by direc
tion. All that might easily have been
foreseen. The bill was wrong in Its In
ception and crude in Its makeup. It vio
lated the bedrock principle of self-government
and home rule. No community
In this country has ever yet been com
pelled by a state legislature to buy or
sell a public utility plant and nobody
has ever yet presented a rational ex
cuse for -such action by the Nebraska
legislature.
The city of Omaha bad a contract with
the water works company by which It
was privileged, to acquire its plant by
purchase In 1903 without paying for the
franchise. The city also was privileged
to acquire the plant by condemnation
proceedings with the right to reject the
appraisement if too high or accept it If
satisfactory. Last but not least, the
city also had the right to establish a
water works system of Its own In case
the terms upon which It could buy out
the water works company were regarded
as unreasonable.
But ambitious politicians who hoped
to make political capital out of the
water works agitation would not let well
enough alone. They were bound to dis
tinguish themselves even If they extin
guished the city and submerged It under
a mountain of debt and tbe shrewd
managers of the water works company
did not Interpose an objection. They
knew, as The Bee had pointed out that
the bill was as full of holes as n skim
mer and could be successfully attacked
In the courts if the deal which it pro
vided for seemed unsatisfactory to the
water company. On the other hand, if
the deal was a good thing for the water
company they were willing to be ousted
from possession.
The most flagrant violation of tbe
home-rule principle and most unheard
of piece of legislation was the creation
of the water works board, appointed by
the governor, but not removable by the
governor or any Judicial tribunal, even
If It should see fit to plunge the city into
tbe most reckless and extravagant ex
penditures. Another monstrosity was the mutila
tion of tbe charter so as to prevent the
city from levying water rent taxes.
That piece of blind-bat legislation has
resulted In a Judgment for $100,000
against the city, on which 7 per cent
interest Is being paid, when by rights
the city should have collected the water
rent charges from the taxpayers, or, If
It was bound to stave off payment,
should have Issued $100,000 of 4 or 4V
per cent bonds.
All this shows that It la easy to get
the city Into a tangle, but It is another
thing to pull it out Scolding the Water
board and city council and damning tbe
water works monopoly affords no relief.
The Water board la not subject to dis
cipline by anybody. The city council is
as obstinate and unmindful of advice aa
the father of the water bill was when
admonished to go. slowly. The water
worka company la supremely Indifferent
about the scolding so long as it has the
whip hand and Is in position to drive
ahead or alow up.
If he la correctly reported, the nautical
senator from Douglas declared before
tbe Real Estate exchange that the pur
chase of tbe water worka would mean
a aavlng to the city within the next
twenty years of about $20,000,000, or
enough to almost wipe out the clty'a
bonded Indebtedness." This forecast la
somewhat murky. Tbe clty'a bonded
debt at thia time la something less than
$0,000,000, and we cannot for the life
of us figure out an additional bonded
debt of $14,000,000 even with all the
public utilities of Omaha converted into
bonds. How tbe city la to aave a million
a year by the water worka purchase la
also beyond our horizon. The gross re
ceipts of the water company. Including
the $100,000 of water rent scarcely
ceed $350,000 a year, and It will take a
phenomenal growth for it to reach the
mllllon-dollara-a-year mark twenty years
hence.
Stealing chlckena at night time la to
be made a penitentiary offense in Iowa
We thought that the patent for thia
chicken-stealing remedy belonged to the
Imperial state of Georgia, where chicken
atealing waa made a penitentiary of
fense as a check to tbe predatory habits
of the southern negroes, but more espe
cially to divest them of the elective fran
chlse after they emerged from the pen!
tent la ry.
There la nothing unreasonable In the
order Issued by the mayor and Advisory
board to compel theater proprietora to
place fire-alarm boxea on or adjacent to
the atage at their own expense. The
most sacred duty of municipal govern
ment la to safeguard the Uvea of the
people. This applies especially to peo
ple who patronize places of public
amusemeut-
If it- Is true that the occupants of
dwellings in the Immediate vicinity of
the gas works are liable to lose their
lives nt any time by possible explosions,
decisive action for their protection
should be taken by the municipal au
thorities or the gas company.
The tnxes paid In Nebraska by the
Standard Oil octopus may be devoted
with Impunity to the maintenance of the
university, but contributions from Rock
efeller drawn out of the Standard Oil
treasury must be rejected, because they
are bloodstained.
Larks the Clevelaadeaqae.
Chicago Tribune.
Mr. Cleveland denies that he said, "let
him go It," and we are ready to believe
him. He oould not Jtoaalbly have conveyed
the Idea In four words averaging two and
half letters each.
The Darning: Bntt la.
Philadelphia North American.
Although 46,000,000 Havana cigars were
brought to the United States last year,
apparently none of them fell Into the hands
of the men who carry lighted clgara Into
the trolley care.
The Oaly Thine that Flew.
Chicago Inter Ocean.
It Is unkind and unjust to suggest a
congressional Investigation Into Prof. Lang-
ley's expenditures on his airship, since the
money was the only thing connected with
the experiments that succeeded In flying.
Ittrda of a Fenther Flocking;.
Chicago Chronicle.
General James B. Weaver, champion of
"rag money," and Colonel James Hamilton
Iewls, the eccentric ex-congrersman from
Washington, are the latest notaries to join
the motloy political group now assembling
under the yellow flag.
. ' The People Still Lire.
Springfield Republican.
With corners In wheat and cotton In food
and clothing the people still live, and even
manage to weather one of the severest win
ters ever known. They are getting so hard
ened to speculative plundering that the ex
actions of the elements are made easier
to endure.
la Freedom Forarotteaf
Boston Transcript.
A pedestrian atatue of Koscluazko, to
stand In Lafayette square, Washington, has
been approved by President Roosevelt. , No
location,, however, ' has been assigned to
the statue of shrieking freedom, which, to
popular thought, should accompany the
Polish patriot
I Democracy's Greatest Need.
Indianapolis Journal
Colonel Honry Watterson, after a week or
two of comparative silence, has come out
with a striking and original epigram. He
says, "The democratic party needs votes."
Can that be the trouble? Bryan thinks
it needs silver, Hearst thinks It needs him,
Cleveland thinks it needs sanity, but Marse
Henry says It needs votes. Perhaps he has
hit on the great need of democracy.
fiaeat Expectations.
New York Tribune.
Radium will have to do a good many
things to keep up: with the doctors' ex
pectations of It. It Is to cure canoer, bald
ness. Insomnia and. stuttering, turn negroes
white, destroy . Injurious germs and foster
benignant ones, and Is constantly disclos
ing new potencies of the most diverse and
unexpected character. . The public Is
prepared to believe a good deal about the
therapeutic and other possibilities of this
remarkable substance, but there Is such a
thing as overstretching the string of expec
tancy, and this the doctors ought to know
better than anybody else, though they do
not hang out the tokens of It half so
consplctcuously as the subject would
warrant.
Another Hopeless Quest.
New York World.
That Mr. Bryan baa his "eagle eye" on
Mr. Dietrich's aeat In the senate, as stated
In the World, does not seem to alarm the
republicans nor encourage the democrats
of Nebraska. The former aay ha has not
a ghost of a chance, the latter say only a
"fighting" chance of carrying the legisla
ture. The figures of the last election In Ne
braska Indicate that Mr. Bryan's quest for
the senatorship is. as much of & "wild
goose chase" as were his campaigns for
the presidency. The republican majority
for supreme court Judge last November
was above J, 000. and the new legislature la
republican by 73 majority on Joint ballot
106 republicans, 27 fuslonlsta.
Still, this senatorial prise Is the only
thing "In sight" for Mr. Bryan politically.
and to secure it he Is willing to deny to
the democratic party of the nation Its only
chance of carrying the election.
DO NOT RKAX VIGILANCE.
Consumers Are Entitled to Know
What They Are Baying-.
Detroit Free Press.
People afraid of Impure food cannot afford
to rely solely upon government protection
even though the house has passed the Hep
burn bill with an emphasis Imparted by
an overwhelming majority. It has to pass
through other stages before It can become
a law. and even If It be given a place
on the statute books the methods of evasion
are never far behind those of prevention.
Many of the states have laws against
Impure and adulterated foods that, If en
forced, would keep such foods out of
the market and put thoso offering them
out of business. , Bat the laws fail to
meet the purpose for which they were
enacted, and the buyer has to select table
supplies with the finest discrimination In
order to be sure that a fair proportion of
what he eats la not a cheap Imitation, or
kept In a salable condition through the
use of preservatives condemned . by the
medical . profession.
There la never an Important move made
to Insure pure food that does not en
counter cunning, or worse. In this same
Hepburn bill there was an original provt
slon that In the case adulteration waj
charged the onus of proof would rest
upon the government. This would have
gone far toward defeating the purpose
of the proposed law and waa practically
an encouragement to Its violation. It would
be Interesting to know Just how that clause
came to be a part of the original measure,
and bow a man of Mr. Hepburn's legis
lative experience failed to eliminate It
before the house came to final deliberation.
Consumers are at least entitled to know
what they are buying to eat and It Is only
right that If an article be mlsbranded
or If an article bought as genuine prove
to bo adulterated, the fact should In Itself
make a prima facte rase against the seller.
The bill was amended to conform with
this Idea of Ita utility, but If made a law
there will be the same shrewd schemes
to fool the authorities that have met with
paying success In the different statea. The
new officers to be created may be equal to
their task, but the people Insisting upon
pure food will hava to do much of their
own detective werk.
FRATERNAL INStRANCB.
Lessons of the Recent Collapse ol the
Bankers' Inloa la Omaha.
San Francisco Chronicle.
A Nebraska insurance order bearing the
impressive name of the Bankers' Union of
the World has been placed in the hands
of a receiver by the supreme Court because
the deputy state auditor made a con
vincing showing of Its Insolvency. The
order was organised Ave yeara ago by a
Dr. E. C. Spinney of Omaha, where Its
headquarters were established. Spinney
has been its president from the start, and
appears to have regarded It as an agent
of personal profit however It may have
affected the general membership, for the
president had a healthy salary attached
to it, according to Spinney's own admis
sion. The deputy state auditor alleges that
Spinney drew a salary of $30,000 during
1903. Spinney explains that only 16,0 O of
this was on account of salary, 17,000 having
been drawn for commissions, $1,000 paid to
his wife for editing the official paper, and
$5,000 worth of stock Issued In his favor
by order of the directors. He thus ac
counts for (19.000 of the $20,000 charged by
the deputy state auditor as having been
received by him.
Evidently the. Bankers' Union of the
World was something like the Order of
Chosen Friends, which came to a disas
trous end In this state a few years ago.
In which the members got valuable experi
ence and lost all their money. The Omaha
concern reached out for business In all
directions. It Invaded twenty-five states
and carried life Insurance policies aggre
gating $28,000,000. It has come to grief
because Its revenues were Inadequate to
meet the claims against It for death pay
ments. The unhappy feature In the fail
ure Is that the sufferers are doubtless
mostly persons of slender means, who were
tempted to Join the order by the easy
method which it provided for paying ths
premium in monthly Installments.
The principle of mutual life Insurance
embodied in several of the fraternal or
ders haa proved to be eminently sound.
Some of them have been In existence for
over a quarter of a century, and they are
stronger today than they ever were.
Some of them, such as the Royal Arcanum,
have adopted the wise policy of providing
a reserve fund which can be drawn upon
In case of an emergency, without increas
ing the burdens of the membership. In
the case of the Royal Arcanum this re
serve fund Is steadily increasing and now
approximates $3,000,000, all of which has
been accumulated within a few years,
almost unconsciously to the members, out
of a trifling percentage of their monthly
Installments. The successful fraternal, in
surance organizations have been conserva
tively managed on the strictest principles
of life insurance. Their success has, how
ever, been used by unscrupulous adventur
ers to organize kindred Institutions for
self-gain. The latter made It easy for men
and women who had been rejected by the
sound orders and Insurance companies.
because of some physical or moral dis
ability, to obtain membership. Thus they
had a mushroom growth, and then came
to grief, like the Bankers' Union of the
World, whenever the states In which their
headquarters were established exercised
the right to Investigate their affairs.
State supervision over all of these Insti
tutions seems to be necessary for the pro
tection of policy holders and to prevent
fraud.
ALL THAT IS LEFT OF IT.
Haw HtTt the Mighty Fallen A
Reminiscence.
Philadelphia Ledger.
The announcement that the League of
American Wheelmen, the famous L. A. W.,
which at one time counted a membership
of 103.000, will hold Its annual meeting In
Boston on February 10, Is Interesting chiefly
as showing that the organization actually
exists. The membership has dwindled to
about 4,000, of whom many are life mem
bers, and many mora of that faithful and
sentimental sort who cling to old things
because they have contracted the habit.
At one time the bicycle craze possessed
the whole country; the youth who did not
have a bicycle was a forlorn and much
abused person; middle-aged men and
women who did not cars very much for
wheeling learned because they did not want
to be left behind In the procession; old per
sons displayed extraordinary energy in
taking up cycling, and all the world was
awheel, Millions were Invested In the
business; the official bulletin of the league
was a pretentious publication; membership
In the league was a thing which it did not
seem possible to be without, and every
hamlet and every city block had Its club.
We believe that messenger boys stilt use
the wheel; the bicycle still has a mild sort
of fascination for some small children, and
In lower Texas and In the remoter parts of
the Adlrondacks the young men and women
ride occasionally; but the craze Is gone, the
fad Is played out the wheel has been
passed and left behind. How the crazes
lift us off out feet bicycling, golf, auto
moblllng. Will It be flying machines next?
PERSONAL NOTES.
"Buffalo" Jones, In charge of the herd
of buffalo In Tellowstone Park, Is in Wash
ington. 4
More than six thousand theater people are
atranded In Chicago and vicinity. And the
walking was never worse. 1
A Scotchman who came to New York
City to buy a farm In Manitoba has gone
home disgusted, because America Is too
big.
'The English no sooner crossed the bor
der than they knocked an "h" out of
Thibet that bad been there from time Im
memorial. a
Calen Thorpe, believed to have been the
oldest soldier in the civil war. Is dead in
Mlllersburg, O., at the age of 101. Ho was
paat 60 when he enlisted. His widow la
101 years old.
A whisky advertisement advises travelers
to take a bottle of theirs with them, "it
will make the Journey smoother." Now,
which one of these bumplty-bump railroads
doe It mean?
D. B. Leonard of Cordele, Oa, sold three
bales of cotton last week, which be raised
In 1881 and has held ever since, refusing
to sell for less than 15 cents a pound. He
finally got his price.
H. V. Millard of California Is studying
mining In the Black Hills prior to going
46 Abyssinia, where he has received from
the Emperor Menellk valuable concessions
In the matter of gold mining.
J. N. Langham, assistant United States
district attorney for the western district
of Pennsylvania, has been called to Wash
ington by Attorney General Knox to bo re
tained In the Department of Justice as a
consulting attorney.
"It la curious," says the London
Chronicle, "that Nicholas It one of the
greatest of Uvlng monarcha, should also
ha una nt the smallest from the physical
point of view; and had be carAed out his
intention of visiting tbo King kit Italy, we
should have been treated to he spectacle
of a meeting between two of the shortest
sovereigns of their time. Yet the csar,
however small and slight of stature, haa
somewhat the advantage as regards Inches
of King Victor Emmanuel IL who requires
to get Into the saddl.' Ilka Napoleon III,
before he can bo stAa at bla best. There
Is nothing In the aVpearance of Nicholas
II to suggest his fAnshlp to Alexander III,
who was almosf a giant, or of Victor
Emmanuel to Recall the burly .soldier
like figure d bis father and bis grand-
, father.'
BITS OF WASHINGTON LIFE.
Minor Scenes and Incidents Sketched
oa the Spot.
A western senator, whose name is sup
pressed, but who ranks amen the liihi
widowers of the "august senate," was the
recipient or a leap year proposition the
other day. Nebraska Is rnnftnlriinual v in
the eligible list, and possibly the tender
suggestion points our way. Evidently It
reached a senstor who was not In a recep
tive mood, else the heart-appealing mlsalve
would not appear In the garish columns
of the Post Ths lady In the case halls
from Kansas and this Is her style:
Dear Senator: I read you are one of
the widowers of the senate who would
more than likely be the one who would be
next to net married. Now. I write von ihi
to Kk you. If you are not engaged to any
nay, ir you would consider myself as a
candidate for that sacred trust. I am a
widow, 66 years old, and should like a good
and loving husband, one whom' I could love
and trust I find life too lonesome to live
Without a maoA num. ' Ton ma think thl
very Impertinent In me to write you, but I
assure you i am no adventuress, only one
who Is so lonely, and there are no eligible
men in this town.
"I will wait with patience your answer;
then I will tell you more of myself and
who I am."
The senator's response to this tender mis
sive was written by his secretary, who Is
an unfeeling man and full canahin f
slamming the door In the face of hope.
Secretary Loeb at the White House the
other day opened a letter from a Kansas
woman who began by saying she was a sol
dier's widow. Thinking It related to pen
sions and the communication being very
long, he sent It to Pension Commissioner
Ware. The latter read It through and
found that the writer aeked for a great
many impossibilities, winding up with a
request that the president send her some
of his cast-oft clothing for her children.
Next morning Mr. Loeb received ths fol
lowing, signed by Eugene F. Ware: "My
Deer Secretary: This letter does not be
long to this bureau. We have none of the
president's old clothes on file. I suggest
that you go over the presidential wardrobe
and send this good woman something. I
would not send her the president's shoes,
Mr. Hanna wants them."
Democratic Leader Williams, In his reply
to Mr. Botitell, in the house, told an anec
dote of old-time Tennessee politics. He
prefaced it with some reference to the de
feat of Meredith P. Gentry, an old tine
whig, for governor, by Andrew Johnson,
afterward president. Gentry went Into a
state of decline soon after the election, his
wife died, and be was chagrined because
he "had bten run over by that calf," hav
ing held Johnson In great contempt.
"Gentry became more and more melan
choly," said Mr. Williams, "until finally
a lot of old whlgs concluded to Invite him
to Knoxvllle to the house of old Dr. Sandy
Williams and have a party of friends meet
him there and have a nice time and make
him forget bis sorrows.
"In those days the gentlemen had their
long-necked demijohns with their whisky,
and these old Tennessee whlgs drank until
pretty late at night when old Sandy said:
" 'Gentlemen, you know It Is the custom
of my house, whenever there Is a minister
of the gospel present to have prayers be
fore -weretlre. Brother Brownlow (Parson
Brownlow) will now (In the words of the
speaker) lead us In prayer.'
"Brother Brownlow, who was powerful
In praer, expanded and expanded, and
began to pray for everything. At last be
said:
" 'And, O Lord, If In Thy Infinite mercy,
It be possible, have mercy also upon An
drew Johnson.'
"Then it waa that Meredith P. Gentry,
great man that he was, arose with tears
streaming down his face and exclaimed:
" 'Stop, Mr. Brownlow. stop; you will
exhaust the fount of Infinite mercy.' "
"I see that Colonel Bryan wants the next
democratic national convention to ratify
the Kansas City platform In its entirety,"
said M. D. Garwood of Chicago to a Wash
ington Post reporter.
"A good many people will recall the fact
that Colonel Bryan got at Kansas City re
affirmation of the platform of 1896 by ths
slender majority of one vote. Prince David,
the delegate from Hawaii, cast the vote
that saved the old platform with Its declar
ation In favor of the 16 to 1 theory.
"The Inside of this affair Is Interesting,
and up to thia time has never been In
print. This Prince David, an amiable and
fairly Intelligent young Kanaka, was a del
egate to the convention. He knew but lit
tle as to the merits of the free silver cause,
and in reality cared less. His sdheslon to
the Bryan wing was, as he told me. baaed
on a sentiment of gratitude. He said that
when former Queen L41 had been despoiled
of her throne Colonel Bryan had taken her
side and expressed the opinion that a great
act of Injustice had been perpetrated. The
prince had at last got to a place where ho
could return a kindness, and he threw his
vote in favor of again affirming democratlo
allegiance to free silver."
It looks as though the proposition which
has been talked about more or less for
many years of having the government suit
ably mark the graves of the confederate
dead was at last to be adopted. This week
the senate passed a bill making an appro
priation of $200,000 to defray the cost of
locating these graves and to erect a small
headstone over each, similar to those placed
pi
Pimi'Mjois."
For Sprains or to take the Stiffness or Soreness
out of oyct-wxrted muscles and make them strong
and supple, nothing equals the genuine Allcock' s
ever the graves ef the soldiers of tbe con
federate section of Arlln
The number of graves to be thus mnrv,rf
SSregste more than SO.Ontl This tifito
In all confederate soldiers who died In fed
eral prisons and military hospitals in the
north, and who were buried near their
places of confinement. The Mil authorises
the secretary of war to acquire possession
of these burying grounds and directs him
to see that the same are properly fenced In
and cared for In the future. It Is esti
mated that probably 81,000 of the confed
erate soldiers are buried outside of national
cemeteries, where they are uncared for by
the government. The graves ef many
have been entirely obliterated. The senate
bill Is In charge of Representative Oros
venor In the house. The latter has stated
that he proposes to call It up at tbe first
opportunity, and it Is thought that It will
become a law Inside of the next ten days.
A list has been prepared showing the
location and number of all the confederate
graves that ere to be marked under the
terms of ths bill. '
President Rooservelt's elaborate entertain
ing at the White House Is understood to
compel him to make serious Inroads upon
bis private fortune. Tbe $50,0f)0 he receives
as salary from the government is far too
small to stand the strain of a constant
succession of receptions, dinners, lunch
eons, muslcalns and teas. Few of his pred
ecessors In office saved anything, and Presi
dent Roosevelt haa surpassed all ef them
In brilliancy of the functions which have
made the White House the real center of
Washington social gayety.
President Roosevelt Is not wealthy. When
he was elected governor of New York his
fortune was estimated at $350,000. He also
derived some revenue from the royalties of
his books, and bla prestige as president
baa since increased their popularity.
. The president himself defrays the bulk
of the expenses ef bis household. Pro
viding the table comes out of his pocket.
The furniture la purchased by the govern
ment. Provision Is made for the payment
of some servants. The president Is also
allowed a carriage, but ho has not availed
himself of the privilege. He maintains a
large and expensive stable, Including sev
eral saddle horses for. himself and Mrs.
Roosevelt and ponies for his children.
LAUGHING LINES.
"There's one kind of hunting that there
Is no closed season for," said Cumso to
Cawker
"What sort Is that T " '
"Hunting trouble." Detroit Free Press.
Hack Writer How would you like n'v
article on Solomon T
Magaslne Editor First-rate, If yon can
only furnish a complete set of portraits
of his wives. Somervllle Journal.
"Your trouble," announced the physician,
after a thorough examination, "is an affec
tion of the heart."
"If anything of that kind Is the matter
with me, doctor," said the patient, a con
firmed old barhelor, "It's purely platonic."
Chicago Tribune. ,
"I don't dare to tell madamo how flm
she looks in that gown," said the modiste
standing off to admire It. "It would tun
her head."
"But I want to make It turn other wom
en's heads," protested the stately dame,
frowning at herself In the mirror. Phila
delphia Press.
"You always appear to bo nervous," re
marked tho friend, solicitously.
"But, really," replied the housekeeper
"there are only two occasions when I an
nervous. One Is when I have a servant
girl and the other Is when I haven't."
Chicago Tribune.
Chaucer was explaining his method.
"I simply dictate and let my stenographet
spell as she like," he said.
Wondering nobody had thought of snch
an easy dialect scheme before, he ground
out "The Boke of the Duchease. New
York Sun.
"How Is your boy getting along?"
"Finrt-rate."
"Studying hard?"
"No. He writes me that be doesn't' hava
to. He Is eating a lot of the patent foods
that build up the brain and make success
ful men." Washington Star.
"But." said the merchant to the applicant,
"you don't furnish any reference from your
last place."
"You needn't worry about that," replied
the man with the close-cropped bead and
prison pallor, "I wouldn't be here now If It
hadn't been for my good behavior In my
last place." Philadelphia Press.
Teacher I am a thorough believer In re
incarnation. Willie (asldel If she ever comes back
here as a chicken I'm goln' to chop her
head off. Detroit Free Press.
Job showed the little, round, sore spot on
his arm to his physician.
"What Is that, doctor?" ha asked.
"That Is a boll," pronounced tho medical
man, after a brief examination.
"A boll?" echoed Job. "Well, that's a
new one on me!"
Later, however, there were others on him.
Chicago Tribune. -
SCHOOL FADS AND FRILLS.
They taught him to hemstitch and they
taught him how to sing.
And how to make a basket out of variega
ted string.
And how to fold a paper so ho wouldn't
hurt his thumb. w
They taught a lot to Bertie, but he. ' "Sk
Cmildn't do a sum.
They taught him how to mold the head of
Herecules In clay.
And how to tell the difference 'twixt the
bluebird and the Jay. .....
And how to sketch a horsle In a little plc-
turo frame. .
But strangely they forgot to teach him
J low to spell his name.
Now, Bertie's pa was cranky, and he went
one day to find ' .
What 'twas they did that made bis son so
backward In his mind.
I don't want Bartle wrecked," he cried,
his temper far from cool.
"I want blm educated 1" so he
Took him out of school.
Tie best treatment b to cut an Allcock s
Porous PUster size and shape required and
apply to part affected. There's nothinr that
will rive ach complete relief.
Porous Plaster,
RIBIBMBSR For over SS years AMctk t
ftroui Flttr$ have been the standard ex
terna! remedy lor every klad ol ache or ,
nala. Furthermore, AOK t PlmtUrt are
nbeolatoly safe as they do not contain
beHsaeaoa, opiam or aay poisoa whatever.
Always Irtalst on having th genuine.
POROUS
PIASTER
"Tho Eyes of tho World"
Occasionally need the attention of com
petent opticians. We offer an expert ex
amination free and glaasea (if you need them)
at extremely low prices. .v
J. G. I1UTES0I1 & Co., Opticians,
213 5. letb t., Paxtoa Block.