THE OMAITA DAILY BEE; WEDNESDAY. i 1 - - - 'i' ' " FEDRUARY 1, 1005. ( Tire Omaiia Daily Bee. E. ROSETWATER, EDITOR. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNINQ. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. TMIIy Be (without Sunday), on year.. $4 J ,laJly B and Sunday, on year Illustrated Be, on year Tl Sunday Be, one year. 2M l.W 1.00 .Saturday Bee. on year. Twentieth Century Farmer, ona year.. DELIVERED BY CARRIER, niiii nm oithn.it a.iniiav). tr copy lally Be (without Sunday), per week..l2c Ially Be (including Sunday,), V wk..l'C .Sunday Be,' per copy ? Evening Bee (without Sunday), per week o Evening Be (Including Bunday), P' mMk t , Complaints of Irregularities In llrery 'ahmild ba addressed to City Circulation de partment. OFFICES. nmha TV Y) . & T3., 11.41. i , South Omaha-City Hail building. Twenty- nnn and M streets. : Council Bluffs 10 Pearl street. ' .htaago)640 Unity building. New York 2328 Park Row building. Washington 01 Fourteenth strt. CORRESPONDENCE. Communlcatlona relating to new and edi torial matter ahonld be addressed: Omaha , Editorial Department. REMITTANCES. Remit by draft, enpf or postal order. Tiav.hl. TK t). EH,KIIhl.k HllinDIIir. Only 2-c.nt stamps received In payment of man accounts, personal cnecai, ec-ii Omaha or eastern ezchange, not accepted. , I THE BEE PUBLISHING COMPANY, STATEMENT OF CIRCULATION. ttttta nf NahrukL TKlllvlaa County. SS t Oeorge B. Tzschuek. secretary of The Bea publishing company, oeina; umy "wum, ays that the actual number of full and WimnlMa pnniea of The Dally. Morning, Svenlng and Sunday Be printed during the month of January, imjd, was mm iuuo. j .1. sot 17 T,T1W .1 W,MO 1 ST.B20 17... IS... at... 20... a... 22..; I ...... JW.4TO 1 t asio i ,..... 3T,TO I 2T,WtO ,' T.... 0,4 ' I............S0.140 1 8T.T0O 10 .11720 ' ..... XT.HOO 11 T,WO IS 2T.S40 3T.880 37,80 30,OeM so.ono 3a,i(M 24 ...2,TO 15 T,8tO M SH.1ISO :T 2S.OTO M SO.240 29 2,O0O so ar.sT u r,oo 1 ii so.noo it..: ar,Ho Total 8ajwo Lets unsold copies v,BlB Net tout sales '. 8H2.T72 Dallv averse 28,476 OEO. B. TZSCHUCK. Subscribed In my presence and sworn to before me this 31st day of January, 1906. (Seal) M. B. HUNQATE. k Notary Public r. t f. 1 I 1.aaaa anArna t rt j 1 1 C TH I VOIUII1B inrvwu d....- bo working overtime in the Philippines. If labor troubles cannot be given a political tinge at Warsaw, Polish pa triots have Indeed died in vain. In his decision t support the regi cides King Peter shows his recognition of the axiom that the creature cannot be greater than the creator. A revolution is said to be brewing in Guatemala, Some American investors must be wanting the United States to make their concessions worth what they cost The supreme court has decided against the packers in the famous suit against the Beef trust, but the packing houses at Boutn pmaha are sun aoing Dusiness at the old stand. "" ' . i j The charges ot Senator Bard with reference to Indian schools may give California an opportunity to succeed Utah for -while In the limelight of senatorial publicity. .-: Ladrones in the Philippines should re member that every man cannot be a Baisoull nor every captive a Perdlcaris. Above all, they should realize that the fnlted States is not Morocco. Colorado is talking of installing voting machines. This would at least relieve legislatures and courts from listening to testimony of handwriting experts who are always more positive than certain. - If "Jim" Hill's lawyers are as shrewd as they are lielleved to be they will have another plan to distribute Northern Se curities holdhiKS by the time the su preme court Anally decides the Harrl tuau case. ' .. ' In Indicating his intention to invoke the criminal section of the Sherman law gainst packers who may violate the "Beef trust" injunction, President Roose velt ehofe-s that he did not spend several years on a western cattle ranch for nothing. Japanese are taking unholy delight lu telling Iluwilan soldiers of the disorders in European Russia, but this may have the effect of making the Russians as willing to die In Manchuria as to return borne to the tender mercies of the bu reaucrats. There seems to be such a discrepancy between the different figures given of fraternal insurance society membership In Nebraska that it might not be a bad idea when the state census is taken to include a question as to what societies each inhabitant belongs to. The siege of the court bouse came close to taking the battlements by storm at the last meeting of the county board, but at the critical moment the besieging force was again repulsed. Another sortie is due before the week is ended, a a soon as the board reconvenes. No, there has not been another revo lution over in St. Petersburg ouly a speech on postal savings banks by the outgoing democratic member of congress from Nebraska. The large type on the front page of the local popocratic organ is responsible for such a natural mistake. Captain Clado swears that lie saw two torpedo boats when the warships of Admiral Rojestvensky fired upon the trawlers In the North sea, but this lacks considerable of proving that they were there, as Russian o (fleers on that famous cruise must have beeu able to see al most anything. As a result of its refusal to pay city taxes a receiver has beeu appointed for the street railway system at Llneoln. If it were only possible to imiHme a sim ilar penalty upon all the railroads that shirk their city taxes in Nebraska every railroad In the- state would be in the bands of a receiver. COXTROL or 1XTCRSTATE COMMERCE The speech of President Roosevelt at the bsnqnet of the Union leagne of Phil adelphia urged the necessity of national control of interstate commerce in all its branches and aspects, the president declaring that beyond question this was the Intention of the founders of our government. He euld that supervision by the government over business enter prises, required by the development of industrialism, should not take the form of violent and ill-advised IntcrfcreinH", but there is danger lest It take such form "if the business leaders of the business community con flue themselves to trying to thwart the effort at regula tion instead of guiding It aright." Mr. Roosevelt counseled cnutlon and moderation. "We must grow by evolu tion, not by revolution. There must be no hurry, but there must also be no halt, and those who are anxious thnt there should be no sudden and violent changes must remember that precisely these sudden and violent changes will be rendered likely If we refuse to make the needed changes in cautious and moderate manner." Iu this conserva tive spirit the president argues for national supervision of corporations engaged in commerce among the. states, as in the interest of both the pul llc and the corporations. Referring particularly to railway regulation, the president said that there must be lodged in some tribunal the power over rates, and especially over rebates "which will protect alike the railroad and the ship per and put the big shipper and the lit tle shipper on an equal footing." What Is needed is that there shall be lodged, in effective shape, in some such body as the Interstate commission, the power to see that every shipper who uses the rail roads and every man who owns or man ages a railroad shall on the one hand be given justice and on the other hand be required to do Justice. The great high ways of commerce must be open to all alike on reasonable and equitable terms. The appeal made by the president to the men who direct the great business interests of the country to work not in antagonism but in harmony for the at tainment of a proper and necessary na tional control of corporations engaged in interstate commerce should not go un heeded. Mr. Roosevelt's speech will undoubt edly make a good impression. While it shows that there is no abatement of the Interest of the administration In the subject which the president discussed, It also shows that he occupies a conserv ative position and is opposed to any ac tion that might prove revolutionary in its effect upon the business of the coun try. Indeed, it is recognir.ed by those who are able to take nn unprejudiced view of the president's position regard ing the corporations, that he is perhaps the most conservative force In the na tion today, standing between those finan cial interests that are opposed to any change and that radical element which demands the most sweeping changes. Convincing evidence of this will be found in Mr. Roosevelt's Philadelphia speech. . BRITISH RESENTMENT. There is no doubt that the attack on the British consul and vice consul at Warsaw, by Russian soldiers, justifies the strong feeling of resentment in Eng land over the circumstance, but it is not at all likely that there will be any seri ous trouble between the two countries. There Is a good deal of antl-Brltish feel ing in Russia, but it will probably be found when the facta are fully 'Investi gated that this had nothing to do with the Cossack assault on the British con sular officials. It has been alleged that the soldiers were drunk a not unuttuul condition for them to be In and having been ordered to clear the streets of riot ous strikers they did not attempt to dis criminate as to who they were riding down. It Is not difficult to understand that under such circumstances the Cos sack cavalry would pay no attention to Individuals so unfortunate as to be in their way. Should it be found, however, that the attack was wanton the British govern ment will undoubtedly demand adequute redress and it Is safo to say that this will be readily accorded by Russia. That country cannot afford at this time to Incur more of British ill will than Is already felt toward it and while it is proverbially reluctant In making con cessions it will hardly engage in any serious controversy with Great Britain over this incident. Some reparation will certainly be necessary and any reason able demand the British government shall make will duubtless be acceded to. ; Mr NOTE VNSATISFACTURT. It was not to be expected that the note of Secretary Hay, restating the position of the United States in regard to the In tegrity of Chinese territory, and which has received the approval of other neu tral powers, would be satisfactory to Russia., A newspaper of Pt Petersburg doubtless expresses the general feeling in declaring that the attitude of this country is not favorable to Russian plans and expectations In regard to China. It certainly was not mended to be, al though the Russian paper thinks it can be Interpreted lu different ways. The note states nothing new respect- lug the position of the United States toward the Chinese empire. Several years before Japan found it necessary to go to war against the aggression of Rus sia lu Manchuria our government had clearly defined its policy with reference to the preservation of the territorial In tegrity of Chins.- This was done when the powers were sendiug military forces to Peking and there seemed to be a very strong probability that some of them would demand or seize territory as in demnity. The government of the United States, in a memorable note to the pow ers, urged that the territorial Integrity ami administrative entity of tin Chinese empire Im respected and the appeal was acceded to. it also announced Itself as a aleadfust advocate of the open door, a policy which the other powers accepted, though some of them reluctantly. The position of the United States as then defined is still adhered to and what ever influence our government may hereafter be able to exert In behalf of the preservation of China's territorial In tegrity will undoubtedly be used. No one can foresee the outcome of the conflict In the far east, but whether Russia or Japan Is victorious It can be very confi dently predicted thnt the voice of the T'nlted States will be raised against dis memberment of the Chinese e np're. There should be no doubt about the meaning of the recent note of Secret! ry Hay to the powers. It Is nn entirely plain and consistent reassertlon of a policy first announced as far back as 18!!!!. . . -r THK MKAT OF THE CUOJASVT. The park board Just now is leing over run with deputations from various Im provement clubs endeavoring to Influ ence the Ixiard's decision as to the pro posed extension of the central boulevard northward. It Is natural that residents of different sections of the city should be eager to have the boulevard brought as near as possible to their particular localities. But the meat of the cocoa nut in this competition is to be found in the law which takes streets and thorough fares labeled as boulevard's out of the common category and provides the cost of construction and expenses of main tenance out of the park fund instead of by assessment upon the property owners Immediately benefited. As a result we have the owners of property abutting on one street called upon to pay for the puvlng, curbing and guttering and other street Improvements, while those In the next block abutting on a boulevard, which constitutes a more valuable Im provement to their property, are alto gether exempt. It is difficult to comprehend how changing the name of a thoroughfare from street or avenue to lioulevard changes Its entire character for the pur pose of public Improvement. Granting that the boulevard Is part of a park system, In the enjoyment of which the people of the entire city participate, still that is no valid reason why the property owners directly benefited should not contribute part of the ex penses, and at least ss much as they would be compelled to pay for the con struction of the street had no boulevard been established. The competition for boulevard location, therefore, is not nlone for 1he benefits conferred by the extension of the driveway, but for the exemptions carried from tax burdens otherwise Imposed. The total exemption of property abut ting on boulevards from special Improve ment assessments practically entails a double tax upon thor.e who are not so exempted. The owner of a lot on an ordinary street must pay his own paving tax for himself and then pay again into the park fund to pay for improving the Btreet in front of his neighbor. While the charter revisionists are do ing their work tbey should look Into this subject thoroughly and see if they can not devise some plan by which a reason able share of the cost of boulevard con struction and maintenance can be as sessed back upon those who reap the tangible benefits. The suggestion has been made by City Treasurer Hennlngs that the prompt payment of taxes on real estate could be easily enforced by the enactment of a law similar to that which prevails In several other states, requiring a certlfl cate that no unpaid taxes are outstand ing against any property before a valid deed for its transfer can be recorded. Real estate dealers, however, enter the objection that such a law would Im pede the free transfer of real estate be cause property Is frequently bought sub ject to taxes on a speculation In the expectation that the taxes can be evaded by compromise or by contesting their legality. Whether it Is wise to encourage transactions speculative on tax evasion Is a question that our law makers might consider in connection with the suggestion of such a law. The park board is uncompromisingly opposed to the work of the charter com mittee, recommending the abolition of $.".0,000 minimum for the park fund levy, notwithstanding the fact that it leaves the maximum of $40,000 untouched. The minimum levy practically gives the park board a fixed tax Income equal to the previous maximum. The real ques tion Is. Why should the park fund be selected for this advtange, which is en joyed by no other branch of municipal government? If the principle of fixed minimum levies is correct, then the other funds should have it aa well. If it is incorrect, the minimum stipulation should be abolished altogether. John Sharp Williams intimates that the attempt to reduce the pay of retired army officers above the rank of colonel who may be given assignments, is pun ishment of General Miles because he placed shackles on Jefferson Davis, and the democratic house leader says such punishment is too late. There Is a sus picion that If the gentleman from Mis sissippi meant what he said lie would not have said it. Another competitor among the asphalt paving contractors Is promised for Omaha by the time the bids are to be let for the next season's work. If addi tional competition has the same effect as the measure of competition we have bad the last year or two, the prospects for getting any new pavementa laid will be poor Indeed. u J- Too Chess). Chicago Reoord-Uerald. An Omaha paper says walking Is good, healthful exercise. But on doesn't have to pay Initiation fa or duea for walking. Washington Post. A Princeton dispatch Bays: "Mr. Cleve land Is doing a lot of thinking about the dnmucracy'a future, but refuses to talk poll tics tor publication." Mr. Cleveland's ample Is commended to certain other demo cratic leaders who talk for publication without thinking. Worst Traat All. Washington Post. Attorneys for the government are arguing la the court of claims that a Porto RL-an Is not an American citisen nor a subject of a friendly power. The government seems to hnve a notion that a Torto Rican cuts no more flgura than a democrat. VVaat Too Marh Cake. Boston Transcript. Our outlying poescsslons appear to be piling up a heap of anxiety for the Con necticut tobacco growers. They have not yet been ruined by Cuban reciprocity. In spite of dire predictions, but they expect tf be If the tariff on Philippine products Is further reduced, as proposed by Secretary Taft. The economic theory of these people seems to be that they sre entitled to cat their cake fend have It, too. l.ln'i Delay la Railroad Case. Philadelphia Press. The Interstate Commerce commission, or rather the shippers who complained to It about the alleged overcharges of the rail road companies for the transportation of hay, have at last obtained a decision from the courts. Judae Wing, In Cleveland, hns decided In favor of the railroads and against the finding of the commission. It was years ago that the complaint was made, and the delay In reaching a decision shows the Inadequacy of tho existing sys tem of dealing with such matters. Oeoked Work of Bank Officer. Philadelphia Press. The failure of the German bank In Buf falo" was generally believed to be due to Illegitimate work by the bank officers, and the arrest of several of them seems to show that opinion to be welt founded. If the laws In regard to such transactions are fully en forced bank failures will be few. The comp troller of the currency says that In nearly every case loans have been made In viola tion of law or some other Illegal" act done to cause the failure. The Oberlln bank would not have failed had not the president and the cashier loaned Illegally all of its funds to Mrs. Chndwlck. If the proper means are taken to punish all such de Hnqueneles bank failures will be few. I IT OX THF. SQXAHKf Features of the Hepbarn Rill that Aronse Suspicion. Minneapolis Journal (rep.). Esteemed contemporaries along the line are shaking the big. stick at the Hepburn bill. The Boston Transcript, which inclines toward moderation In nil things, views it as a "compromise." The New York Press, with a gift for explosive language, entitles It "Hepburn's bill to perpetuate railroad extortion." It declares that the bill is loaded with opportunities for hatr-spllttlng, and alludes to "the satanlc cunning which plans to wear down the complaining ship per by delays until he Is driven out of business or tiles of old age." This lg, of course, hyperbole, for the shipper, without any law at all, has done neither the one nor the other. The Journal has heretofore said that the section which abolishes the Interstate com mission and immediately re-establishes It. has a queer look, and that the absence of any provision for tho control of private car lines was a mistake, unless It was In tended to cover the subject by the Stevens bill or In some other way. It is difficult to believe that Mr. Hepburn, after numerous White House conferences, has brought In a plan which purposely breaks the word of promise to the presi dent's hopes. The bill probably Is a com promise, but not necessarily a sell-out, as the Press Infers. Its course In the house will certainly develop Its true character. If It dees not meet the real demands of the country It will most likely be dropped and the president will present the subject to a new congress, better educated on the needs of business. RAther a year's delay than a compromise on a law that does not clearly and unequivocally declare the gov ernment's right and determination to mak reasonable rates where the common carrier will not. THE FREIGHT RATH SITl'ATIOX. Practical Illustration of the ntfflril. Ilea of the Problem. Wall Street Journal. The rates on grain from Omaha nnd Kansas City to the gulf have afforded, this last week, a very forceful and practical illustration of the difficulties that rate re vision will present. Briefly, the episode n.ay be outlined as follows: Missouri Pacific made a contract with Hall, Decker & Co. of Kansas City to haul l.noo.OOO bushels of corn from Omaha to New Orleans at 15 cents per 100 pounds, a cut of 6 cento. The rate was filed with the Interstate Commerce com mission Just three days before the ship ment, as the law requires. The contract, of course, did not expressly state that the road received only 15 cents, but the rate quoted was from Omaha to Liverpool, eto., and since the steamship rates are known, the rate Omaha-New Orleans Is easily fig ured out. Competitive lines protested vigorously, and so did tho Atlantic coast lines. Mis souri Pacific was very sorry about It, and seems to have mads a half promise to behave. As soon as the conference was over It made another contract for another 1,000,000 bushels at the same rate. Rock Island, Burlington and Illinois Cen tral then went after the business In ear nest. They did not file any new tariff. Tlvjy merely made rates, Including "eleva tor charges," at New Orleans, which may be anything at ail that Is necessary to bring the actual cost to the shipper down to a figure equal to the Missouri Paclfio rates. Right here are two forms of rebates amply Illustrated. They are recommended to the attention of President Roosevelt, congress and the Interstate Commerce commission. The consequences seem to have been about as follows, the figures being the com tonnage handled on the new ratea to tho gulf by the roads named: Missouri Paclfia I.6K0.(ion bushels Rock Island &0O,00O bushels Burlington (per I. C.) 1.260.0U0 bushels Illinois Central 600,000 bushels This was a state of affairs peculiarly re pugnant to Chicago and to the trunk lines. Chicago considers Itself entitled to handle Nebraska corn, and the trunk lines need the business. There was an Indignation meeting In Chicago. It ended Friday. Right here the question arises which con grass will have to meet, sooner or later. How long are the Chicago shippers and the trunk lines going to make water run up hfll by the maintenance of a purely artificial rat schedule? Theee are four or five railroads from the Missouri river to the gulf, and every one of them can lay corn down In Liverpool cheaper, so far aa actual unlta of transportation cost are concerned, than can any on of th trunk lines cheaper, perhaps, than even th tramp steamers on the lakes. How long is it going to be before these rail roads claim the advantage nature has given them? Seventy-five per cent ot th grain of Nehrsska Is properly tributary to the gulf ports, and. before long, "5 per cant of th grain of Nebraska will rtmch gulf ports. If government rat control will help this fundamental law of nature against th artificial law of Chicago and th trunk lines, th sooner government control ar rives the better it will be for both til menttin couutry aud the wttra railroads. AHOTHF.lt I.F.M01 1 TRtSTS. Kmpr Combine Too Marh Roar and atraaales It.elf. Springfield (Mass) Republican. The receivership for the Standard Rope and Twine company conclude the third chapter In the story of the attempt to com bine the cordage manufacturing business of the country Into a monopolistic trust First, there wss the National Cordage company, which was among the enrlles of the trusts, organized In 1SS7. That wss reorganised Into the I'nlted States Cordage company, which went Into the hands o receivers In the'spring of 1?93. and csused ft seml-panlc In Wsll street, th Immediate precursor of the great panic which fol lowed In June and July of that year. Out of the ruins of the I'nited States Cordage company was constructed the present trust, which secured control of eight mills additional to the thirteen combined In the original rompany. The larger combination hss proved no more successful than Its predecessors I.Ike them and like the other trusts, 1 was generously capitalized. F"ull credit was given to those great economies In produc tl"n and distribution which are always the expectation and so srldom the resllzstlon In the trust movement. The capital stock Issued amounted to tl2.ouu.000. all appar ently based on these expectations ss to "economies." etc.. and on nothing else. bonded dM of about lio.flon.onr) has been additionally acquired. But profits for flrtl tlousj capital have failed to come In and the concern has hod difficulty In meeting the Interest on Its bonds, a difficulty which has now overcome It altogether. The re celvershlp discloses the fact that against a floating debt of tl.AQW and a bonded debt of lio.ooii. ono, the company lias com paratlvely little property, its assets con slstlng chiefly of the mills In active opera tlon, which are valued at 12.500.000. It ha followed the usual trust policy of closing many of the mills acquired and concentred Ing operations In a few. The failure further enforces the lesson that the economic advantages of Industrial consolidation are of limited extent In the best of cases, and can never be realized through the common practice of combining widely scattered plants of varying degrees of worth or worthlessness, and all capi talized as efficient going concerns. It be comes a sprawling, clumsy construction lending Itself but poorly to close and er flclent management; the expected econ omles fade away, and the attempt to make good a capitalization ridiculously inflated to correspond to these saving anticipations, only serve to draw new competing capital Into the field and finally to bring on bank fciptey. We shall have had brought home to the country a good many such prac tical lessons before the crazy trust move ment of the past few years hss fully com pleted Its course. RAILROADS CA BF. COSVWEU. Vetr 1 nlforni BUI of Lading Believed to Hare Been Propped. Chicago "Tribune. The railroads are said to have abandoned their Intention to adopt the ne- uniform bill of lading recently proposed. They have reached this decision after listening for two months to the loud and voluminous protests of tho shippers. The shippers protested against the pro posed uniform bill of lading because the railroads asked them to pay for a service which previously had been done at no extra charge. The laws of the different states impose certain obligations upon common carriers. These obligations give the shipper a guaranty that when he hands over his property, to a common car rler the latter will use reasonable caution In handling It. He must make a reason able effort to keep it from being stolen, or burned up, or lost In the rush of business. Other agencies for the transportation ot merchandise are obliged to assume these liabilities and the railroads have been will Ing to do o until recently. The railroads did not Intend to abandon this fundamental duty to the shipper en tirely. They were willing to assume It If paid a 20 per cent advance on the old rates. Inasmuch as but few shippers can afford to forward merchandise without hav ing the protection which the common law affords them the proponed bill was vlr tnaliy an advance of 20 per cent In freight rates. The protest was widespread and earnest The railroads have abandoned their original plan. They are Inclined to be fair to ship pers when convinced that there is a general determination that they should be. There should be a uniform bill of lading It should not be prepared by the rail roads, which have shown their unfitness for the task, but by the Interstate Com merce commission. It lias the authority and the capacity. It can frame one which will be fair to both shippers and railroads, Agreements of that Important nature should not be drafted by either of the parties interested, but by an Impartial and competent neutral. PF.nsOAI. MOTK. if in renorted that Admiral Rojestven- skv'a noet has been seriously damaged In a hurricane. Lucky dog, that man Rojest- ensky. He might have met the japs, nnr old friend. Wu Ting Fang, Is said to be a fugitive In Kngland. Wu always pro fessed to like us the best, btit when na nas my fugltlving to do he gives the Engnsn landlady the call. Samuel N. Plies, who has been elected i'nlted States senator from .Washington, rn liorn In Kentucky, and was admitted tr. the bar of that state before he was Zt years of age. He went to Washington In William J. Tyndall. congressman-elect from the Fourteenth Missouri district. Is re ported to have Jaken his first ride in an elevator after reaching Washington to look over the city where h Is to work for the next two years. Andrew D. White, who has spent many years In Kurope as a diplomatic representa tive of the Vnlted States, says thr ar three things with which h would deslr to supplement the civilization of this country: From Oreat Britain he would bring Its ad ministration of criminal Justice, from Ger many Its theater and from any or every European country, sav Russia, Spain and Turkey, the government of cities. A novelty In street railway rates in this country Is undergoing a test In Cleveland, where Tom Johnson's Ideas are taking root. In response to years of persistent agitation for reduced fares the street railway com pany decided to test tho sons rate system In vogu In Germany. A J-cent rat Is es tablished for a distance of two miles In every direction from th business district and the old rate of 6 cents to points beyond the son limit. Th experiment laats two wtoks and Is being closely watchtd by th company and Its patrons. Among th atandard annual publications of this country th Chicago Nems Almanac and Year Book deservedly holds high rsp.lt. It Is a handy and comprehanslv book of reference for busy people. Between Its covers Is a vast amount of Information about commerc. Industry, politics, history, duration and many other subjects, with a copious Index to facilitate the Inquirer's search. tn of the many admlrahl 1m ,,r.. t th Year Book Is the liberal spar given toplrs of partlculsr Interest to th great west, yet no part of th country is slighted. The leeu for liu Is an Improve ment on each of th preceding iwenty vol ume. To tlo familiar with this annual storehoiis of kuuwledg further commen dation Is superfluous. 4 HOtI AROtT SEW lORK. Ripple nn the Cnrrent of l ife In the Metropolis. Blizzard stories sre as tliitk as tlc snow piles In New York and vicinity. Favored people living In the Canada belt of the Mis souri valley are unable by experience to ap preciate the hardships which the real thlnK In bllzsnrds lavishes upon the big ton and Its neighbors. The article which tradition tells us bad Its habltal In some undetlned section of the west, but which moved esst ward to grow up with the country, was a mellow summer breeze lompatrd with New York's blizzard grown to robust maturity. Eighteen Inches of snow fell durlns the storm. Fifteen thousand men and .v'mi) teams were employed raising the snow blockade on the streets of New Yoik and Brooklyn, a job that cost ISiO.Oin). Moor men on the surface cars, having no shelter ing vestibules, were so mutfled up thst they could not hear th conductor's bell slgmils and many of them, benumbed by the cold, had to be lifted from the cars at the end of the run. On the day of the storm KW.nc) passengers were carried on the elevated roads and 411. ono on the subway line. A correspondent of the Philadelphia Iedger puts the cost of the storm up into the millions. The heaviest loss full upon the local railroads and the trunk lines from the stoppage of their Immense sub urban traffic. The big department stores did not suffer as badly as the railroad companies In proportion, since their trade Is of such a chsracter that people who did not go to the stores during the lat three days will make up for it when the weather moderatf, but still the loss of a day's business must amount to considera ble. This Is true of general business, which was completely paralyzed on Wednesday. The gas and electric light companies, the telegraph and telephone companies, the hotels, which accommo dated 1S.000 extra guests at the lowest cal culation, and contractors who rent their horse and carts to the city at exorbitant prices to carry away the snow were gain ers from the storm, but the amount on the credit side of the ledger Is compara tively small. Experts have determined that a serious London fog costs some $3,000,000. A fog In I,ondon Is costly, but It does not tie tip traffic more completely than It was tied up In New York by the storm. As the blizzard covered a much larger area, and Its hindrances are con tinued, and as positive damage to ma chinery Is done by the storms. It Is safe to say that the P.ono.nm estimate fulls within the actual loss on account of the blizzard of 1905. While the wind was playing pranks with women's skirts along One Hundred and Twenty-fifth street, tho clerks lu most of the stores amused themselves by taking observations from the front windows. Fin ally, from a shoe store which harbored a dozen observers, a man ran out and planted this sign, printed In red paint, in the highest snow bank: "We do all the rubbering in this neigh borhood." To provide milk for his 1-year-old sou George A. Ilourgois, one of the best known attorneya In New Jersey, paid t'JtO for two quart bottles ot milk and the same amount of cream, or at the rate of tin) a quart bottle. Mr. Bourgols lives In Ventnnr, which was completely cut off from Atlantic City. On calling up a milk depot the lawyer found that It would be Impossible to deliver the milk. He then hired Archie Burrell to get the milk. 8now drifts ten feet high In places blocked Burr-ell's horse and carriage. At times he was obliged to drive to tho beach, and his Journey, ordinarily three miles, proved to be thre times that distance and occupied more than four hours. But he reached th dapot and delivered the milk. Mr. Bourgols has been married about eighteen months. His wife was Miss Blanche Mllllette, his stenographer. The first wife, of Mr. Bourgols obtained a di vorce from him, after which he married Miss Mllllette. Mr. Bourgols gave Burrell check for $200. The encroachment of trade upon the resi dence section of Fifth avenue below the park Is proceeding with such rapid and Ir resistible force that within five years there probably will not be a home left In the famous avenue south of the plaza. Start ing at Washington square years ago. the upward march of business has reached Fifty-first street, where "society" Is making Its last stand. There ar a few residences left below this point, but apparently they are doomed by the real estate boom that Is sweeping along the avenue. Within the last few weeks several purchases of Fifth avenue property In the vicinity of the Wal dorf-Astoria, at prices which show an amazing advance In values, have been made by merchant princes, who Intend to erect Immense department stores on the sites. The purchase last week for $1,100,000 for j HAVE YOU A SMALL BOY? If you have one anywhere from 3 years, to 5 years maybe you will be interested in a BARGAIN $3, $6, $7 and $8 reefers, a small top coat for skating, coasting, etc. are on sale this morning for There are just 50 coats and they won't last a great while. Come early and get a coat for less than the price of the sleeve linings. R. S. WILCOX. Mgr. Fifty Years iha Standard 1H1 Made from, pure ere an of tartar derived from grapes. the site of the New York club, at Fifth avenue and Thirty-first street. Instances the grent demand for Fifth avenue prop erty. The building of the St. Regis hotel at Fifth avenue nnd FIfty-flfth street was (he entering wedge for the uprooting of homes In the few blocks below the park that had been preserved as a resident' section. Tremendous efforts were mad to prevent this Invasion, but they were futile. A construction company has purchased a site oppotite Slurry's and Delmonlco'a, at Forty-fourth street and Fifth avenue, and will erect a eky-s raper office building iher with an all-night bank on the ground floor. But what has startled more than any thing else the society people who are re sisting the advance is a report that a real etnc Kvmlicato wllh millions behind It Is seeking to buy the Vanderbilt twin man sion at Fifth avenue and Fifty-first street and erect on the she a twenty-story offlc building Unit will be the largest structure north of Wall stree. Whether or not this proves true. It seems a certainty that fashionable dweller on tills part of Fifth avenue must soon seek homes elsewhere. Police Magistrate t'rane sent this mes snge from the Judicial bench to the chief of detectives: 'Tell him for me thnt If he wants to he can clean every thief out of New Y'ork in forty-right hours." The resixinse of the ihlef was to th point: "Iocs he Includn nil the thieves known as speculators, promoters and apos tles of high finance?" The magistrate Is pondering on an an swer. M,; I.IMOS. "Hang it:" growled the pessimist. "I'm sure there's another snow storm coming up." "Well." replied the optimist, "so long h It doesn't como down we can't kick." Philadelphia. Ledger. ('holly When I saw how big a flsh I had hooked. 1 tell yoik I raught my breath. Miss Tart mi loll had soma halt for that along, too, had you? Chicago Tribune. "I heard you make use of the word 'Jack ass,' sir; did you apply It to me? No. sir. I didn't. You don't Imagine you're the only Jackass In th world, liJ you?" Cleveland Leader. "When you does Some men a favor," as Id I'lKie Klien. "dry gits scared an' sus picious light away for fear you're gwine to overtax delr gratitude." Washington Star. Tess She's being treated by one of thos complexion specialists. 1 woudn't let any body like that experiment with my face. Jens Why not? He couldn't possibly make It any worse. Philadelphia. Press. "You must get a good deal of old and ragged money here." said the man who wan paying his taxes. "We do," responded the cashier In th treasury department of the county building. "Don't you dread to handle It? "tin what account?" "Microbes." "My dear sir. thn atmosphero of this building kills the microbe the moment they are exposed to It." Chicago Trlbun. A WKSTF.HN WIFE. Nstlonal Magazine. She walked behind the lagging mules. That drew the breker thro' th soil: Hers were the curly rising rules. Hers were the eve of wifely toll. The smitten prairie hlossom'd fair. The soil home Inded from the seen; Firm gables met the wflp'rlng atr. Deep iHitvlu: lent repose serene. But wlth'rlng brow and snowy tress Hesiieak the early days of strife; And there's the deeper wrought Imur The untold pathos ot the wife. O western mother! In thy praise Nn artist paints nor poet sings, But from thy rosary of days God's angels shape Immortal wings! N W