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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1898)
WILLBE NO DEFICIT. democratic screams about THE FAILURE UNFOUNDED. Tta« Formal “Estimate" of tfao Secretary of War Show* an Apparent, Deficit for 1898 of •91,000,000, bat the Facte Poiat to a Probable Sarplue In That Tear of ■30,000,000. Washington, D. C., December, 1897. “And hereafter the secretary of war shall annually submit estimates In de tail for river and harbor Improvements required for the ensuing fiscal year, to the secretary of the treasury, to be included In and carried into the sum total of the book of estimates." From the sundry civil appropriation act for the fiscal year 1897. The above quotation from the last sundry civil appropriation bill as it became a law and stands upon the statute books, explains the apparent prospect of a deficit In the fiscal year which is to begin July 1st of next year. ' A good deal of professed distress has been manifested in certain quarters over the figures of the report of the secretary of the treasury which indi cate a deficit in the next fiscal year. The people indulging in these evi dences of distress will perhaps be gratified to know that the apparent deficit Is only apparent, and that the figures when considered In light of the paragraph quoted above, warrant the assertion that the fiscal year begin ning July 1st, 1898, will show a sur plus of 830,000,000, instead of a deficit of $21,000,000. The explanation of the apparent de ficit is found in a single line on page 12 of the secretary’s report. It is aa follows: "Public works, war department, $63, 400,409.81.” The above is the formal "cstlmato” ' for river and harbor Improvements In .the fiscal year In question now re quired by the paragraph quoted at the beginning of this dispatch, to be in serted In the annual estimates sent •to Congress by the secretary of the .treasury. Prior to the adoption of this new requirement the secretary of war'made his estimates of the amount requlred for the river and harbor Im provement upon the judgment of the chief of engineers. Now he Is required Ito Insert In the annual estimates ev ery 'dollar that any and every subor ;dlnate-*fflcer In charge of .the various Improvements the country ever may jchoqfltotaame as the amount that can jbe "pragtably expended” during ihe .coming fiscal year. | Everybody familiar with the reports <c* the Officers In charge of river and jbarbor works knows that It Is the hn jbtt to recommend the appropriation of jlargq sums, usually two or three times as much as Is expected to be obtained,., fcfr the “Vrorks of which they are iu charge. ’ * This custom magnifies to a certain degree the apparent importance of the work of which the officer in question Is In chargo, makes him ex tremely'popular with the people of ihe city or Ideality In which the work is (being cagTed on, and where ho usually .resides during the prograss of the .work' Itself, and Is looked upon as a Charmless way of pleasing the surround ing public and making the official in question both popular and his duties ^apparently important. The result is Tthat Is has been the habit of the war department for many years to reduce .to about one-third of their dimensions jthe estimates made by these subordin ate officers. { An example of this may be found in the total estimates for river and lharbor works as sent to congress in December, 1891, to cover the expendi tures of the fiscal year 1893, in which .the secretary recommends an appro priation. of $13,208,393 for river and harbor, wtjyks. On the very same .page' however, began a lengthy table which gave the detailed estimates pre sented for the various riveri and har bors, the total of these figures being $52,489,950. That table was preceded ;by the following note: | “Diver and harbor, showing the Amount that can be profitably expended tin the next fiscal year—The following statement is not furnished as a part of the annual estimates for the public service required by the act of March ;3, U75, to be presented by the secre tary of war to the secretary of the .treasury, but Is inserted as a conveni ent «nd oustomary summary of items taken from the annual report of the. chief of engineers for the fiscal year 1891, showing under the provision of the act of congress approved March Z, 1867, the amount that can be profit •i‘ ably expended In the next fiscal year on each of the works mentioned.” In the above case it will be seen that the figures covering the “amount that can be profitably expended In the next fiscal year” were $52,489,954, while the amount that was actually estimated was $13,208,293. Tho result was that the total estimates in that year as they went to congress obtained for river and harbor improvement only the con densed item of $13,208,393, instead of the elaborate estimate of “profitable expenditures" amounting to $52,489, 950. This has been the annual cus tom for many years to put into the es timates simply the amount which in the judgment of the war department should be expended. This year, how ever, tho new law enacted by last con gress compels tho secretary to put in to the annual estimates the entire 3um named in these statements of the “amount that can be profitably expend ed In the next fiscal year.” The re sult is that the sum “estimated” for the river and harbor works alone in the next fiscal year is $65,400,409.81, while nobody expects that tho appro priations will be more than one-third of this sum. Since the figures of the secretary of the treasury, including the $65,400, 409.81 for river and harbor works, on ly estimate a deficit of $21,647,885, and since it is absolutely certain that the actual expenditures for rivers and harbors will fall nearly or quite $49, 000,000 below tho enforced estimate, it Is quite apparent that tho actual ap propriations for the fiscal year will be $20,000,000 less than tho estimated re ceipts, instead of $20,000,000 more, as would appear, in the absence of the explanation offered by this new re quirement of the law. GEORGE WILLIAMS. Sowing. i i Reaping. r~y, » T.-t r i l1 i n t .1 i'i.i.h Reciprocity Prospect*. The Dingle? law Is only about (our months old. It has not had time to Justify Itself as a revenue producer, owing to the heavy anticipatory Im ports during the time that congress was giving It final Bhape, but Its pro visions have been clear from the day it was signed by the president, and foreign countries are fully advised as to Its bearing and significance. Is there a single sign of a tariff war against tho United States on the hor izon? Is there not, on the contrary, a sign,of commercial good will in every direction? Foreign governments are pitting the same high value on our markets that we ourselves In the Dlngley law have -put upon them, in stead of making war on us, they are making overtures to trade with us on terms of mutual benefit. The reci procity clause of tho new law prom ises to be one of the most useful fea tures. Great Britain Invokes it in the Interests of her possessions in the West Indies. Sir Wilfrid Laurler Is now in Washington willing to discuss terms for Increased trade between Canada and the United States. France desires to negotiate a reciprocity treaty and Peru does also. It Is not too much to say. Indeed, that the United States has only to show a willingness on the subject to extend her trade by means of reciprocity on advantageous terms In nearly any direction.—Washington “Star.” &!;♦. THE PERSONAL EFFECT8 CLAUSE. ■ Ma&iAu* Tourist (before July 24. i&ft \ “HKi It Call; there Is no duty V to My. afcA 1 woe't hare to buy any thin* at house for the best two years.” vr • '< v £ : ; v- V " Returning Tourist (after July 24, 1887): "No, sir; not this time, 1*11 wait till I get back to America, where the finest and the best fitting clothes to Um sk:1 &rs nade." REPUBLICAN OPINION. A good deal of distress has been felt in the mind3 of democratic editors for the past f?w days over the fact that j the estimates of the treasury depart* meat sent to congress at the opening ct the session indicate an apparent de ficit of $21,647,885 during the fiscal year which ends June 30, 1899. It Is proper, to say, with reference to this estimate, that a recently enacted law requires the war department to put into its esti mate for the expenditures of the com ing year all estimates made by subor dinate officers of needed expendlturfs upon the river and harbor works where they are employed. The result of this is that the estimates for river and har bor improvements alone amounted to $65,400,409.00, which, of course, is from forty to fifty million dollars more than will be appropriated for that purpose. Notwithstanding the fact that these figures were excessive, the treasury de partment was compelled under the law to Include them in its so-called esti mates, knowing full well they were absolutely excessive, and that the ap propriation for this work would fall probably $50,000,0uu below the flgur« named. These circumstances account for the fact that the official figures es timate an apparent deficit of $21,000, 000, when, In fact, It Is expected that there will be a surplus of at least that amount In the year In question. President McKinley Is still hopeful of definite and valuable results from the efforts in behalf of international bimetallism which were inaugurated by the Republican party immediately following his election. In his message he discusses briefly the work of the commission sent abroad for that pur pose, expresses gratification that our great sister republic of France was willing to join with this country in an attempt to bring about an agreement upon this subject, and closes his dis cussion of this question by saying that he has still reason to hope that the la bqps of this commission "may result in an international agreement which will bring about recognition of both gold and silver money upon such terms and with such safeguards as will secure the uso of both metals upon a basis which will work no injustice to any class of our citizens.” President McKinley speaks in hope ful terms, in his message, of the pros pects regarding reciprocity treaties with European and American coun tries. He expresses the belief that “by a careful exercise of the powers con ferred by the recent tariff act some grievances of our own and other coun tries, in our mutual trade relations, may be either removed or largely elim inated and the volume of our commer cial exchanges enlarged with advan tage to both contracting parties.” “The recent victory of the fuslonlsts in Nebraska,” said Editor Edward Rosewater of the Omaha Bee, “was In no sense a victory for Bryanism. It was a protest of the voters against the disgraceful boodlerism that had char acterized stato and municipal officials who happened to be Republicans. The state treasurer, the state auditor and the city treasurer of Omaha had all been guilty of purloining tho public funds, and the Republican party had to suffer for their sins. “The voters thought that the best way to rebuke such conduct was to de feat the party to which these men be longed, and there was no thought of any other issue. Mr. Bryan, of course, claims the fusion success as a personal triumph, but those who know the real conditions in Nebraska laugh at his pretensions. The Republican party has undergone its ordeal, and henceforth it will push to the fore. The people of Nebraska are with it on all the leading questions, and It is certain to come back into power.” sainco protection is ordained to stand as our national policy for an indefinite period, will our free tradg contempo raries contend that the tailors and other makers of and dealers in gar ments, are less entitled to share the benefits of that policy than their fel low-citizens engaged in other kinds of business? Is there any more reason why A should bring in a year’s stock of clothing for himself and family free of duty than for permitting B to bring In an Importation of wlneB, olive oil, cheese, or pickles? The free trade newspapers are sneer ing at the small amount of revenue collected under this clause of the tar iff. The Springfield Republican, for instance, says: “Some $74,200 in cus toms duties was collected during Oc tober on the personal baggage of re turning American travelers who land ed at New York. At this rate the yearly revenue from that source would | be less than $900,000, against Mr. Dingley’s estimate of $10,000,000.’’ Well, a yearly revenue of $900,000 is by no means a contemptible item. But that, considerable as it is at a time when revenues are behind expenditures is no gauge of the effect of that tax. There is every reason to believe that but for the personal baggage tax many millions’ worth of goods would have been brought home In trunks, free of duty, that have come and will con tinue to come as freight. This is '.he chief benefit of that provision. It subjects to the duties imposed the vast amount of wearing apparel that under previous tariffs escaped taxa tion.—Washington Post. Ho* ■ Bod Showing. The customs collections at the port of San Francisco for the month of Oc tober were $432,167, or $140,000 more than they were in September. Not a bad showing for the third month of , the Ding ley Bilk DAIRY AND POULTRY. INTERESTING CHAPTERS FOR OUR RURAL READERS. How Successful Farmers Operate This Department of the Farm-’-A Few Hints as to the Care of Lire Stock and Poultry. Experiments tVIth Poultry. ORTH DAKOTA Experiment Station report: January 1, 1896, we began a series of experi ments to detcr | mine, if possible, what effect, if any. heating the poul try house would have upon the pro - auction oi and the food requirements. On De ceiuuer l, we yui. iuuj-oja chickens, including several varie ties of birds into the poultry house. The weather at that time was quite warm and they were fed per day five pounds of feed in the morning and two pounds in the evening, the morn ing feed being table scraps, such as meat, pieces of bread, boiled and fried potatoes, and such material as usually comes from a boarding table. Their ration of grain consisted of wheat screenings, which was composed prin cipally of' small berries of wheat and cracked wheat. As the weather got colder, their food gradually increased until they took on the 31st day of De cember eleven and three-fourths pounds of scraps in the morning, and eleven and a half pounds of wheat in the evening. During the month of January the feed ration remained about the same. January 20 a large stovq was put into the house, and a fire started with lignite coal. On the 31st of January the feed had decreas ed to six pounds in the morning and eight and three-fourths in the even ing. The last of March four and a halt pounds mornings and four and three fourths evenings. The total amount of fuel burned from the 20th of January to the 1st of April cost $4.50. During the month of January previous to the use of the stove, the average number of eggs per day was 2%, the remain ing of the month from the 21st to the end, it was 6 3-11, showing the influ ence thqt heat exerted upon the pro duction of eggs. The question natur ally arises, can the farmer, under the conditions existing on the ordinary farm, afford to take care of his poultry by furnishing artificial heat? An ex amination of the above figures shows that but half the food is consumed, and that the egg production is more than doubled. With eggs worth 25 cents per dozen at this season of the year and food at the ordinary prices, it should seem to me that it would not only be economy to heat the poul try house, but would be a source of great profit, especially after arrange ments had once been completed, so that it would require but little extra work. Feeding for Eggs.—That food has aa much to do with the egg production as it has with beef or butter, there is but little question. We placed two pens of fowls, under exactly the same condi tions, as far as the temperature, room and care were concerned, but fed them with an entirely different object in ▼lew. One pen we wished for breed ing purposes and did not want them to lay until the breeding season opened, so that we can get a more steady egg production than if they were made to lay during the entire winter. The other pen it was not Intended to use at all for breeders, but to produce the greatest number of eggs possible, at the time of year when they would bring the highest price. During the month of December, 1895,the pen which was intended for laying experiment, contained nineteen pullets, and the one intended for breeding purposes contained sixteen pullets. During this month the laying pen laid sixty-three eggs, the non-laying pen no eggs. Dur ing the month of January the laying pen 124 eggs, the nonlaying pen seven eggs. During the month of February, the laying pen 109 eggs and the non laying pen twelve eggs. During the month of March the laying pen 16S and the non-laying pen forty-three. During the month of April, the laying pen 129, and the non-laying 189. We began the last of March to get our breeding pen, which has been so far designated as the “non-laying pen," into good laying trim, with the results as above stated. From this time on^ the breeders, although less in number than the other pen, laid a great many more eggs. For the month of May the laying pen laid 142 eggs, the non-lay ing pen 381 eggs. The method of feed ing that was employed to bring this about was substantially as follows: The morning feed for those which were Intended to produce eggs consist ed of boiled lean meat, scraps from the table, the fat having been removed, wheat screenings, with constant drink ing water. For the evening feed, wheat screenings what they wanted to eat, mixed with corn twice per week. Those which were not intended for producing eggs were fed on wheat screenings of poorer quality with corn. These gradually Increased in weight until they had the appearance of being over-fat. This pen, although not put to laying until the 1st of April, averaged 150% eggs per hen during the season. They were pure bred Plymouth Rocks. The other which was put to laying during the entire winter aver aged 153 eggs per hen. The average price of the eggs was 18 cents per doxen. The average price of those which did not begin until April 1 was 11% cents per doien, at regular mar ket prices. This shows a marked dif ference in the average price, due prin cipally to the high price of eggs dar ing the months of December, January, February and the for part of Varch. Care of Covi at Calvin* A critical time In the cow’s existence is at her periodical calving time. This porlod is the culmination of a season’s devotion to the growth and develop ment of her young and, incidentally, making preparation for milk giving. In her natural state, the cow feeds her calf a short time only, so that it is early taught to be self-reliant. This is necessary, since if the calf were to de pend upon the dam for sustenance long, in colder latitudes at least, winter would prove too severe for it. The aim of man in domesticating the cow for his use has been to lengthen the milking period against the cow’s habit of reducing her flow of milk after be coming pregnant again. And his greed for a long milking period in dairy cows, especially, has entailed disease upon the cow and a weakened consti tution in her offspring. Now, with a steadily Increasing population without a corresponding increase in the num ber of cows in the United States, it seems reasonable that it will not only pay to take good care of the cow, but to care for her in such a manner as to enable her to give birth to a robust, vigorous calf. In order that all this may be brought about, the cow should have a respite from milking of two or three months before the next calf is born. From the writer’s personal ex perience and observation, there is rea son to believe that the cow which goes dry for sixty or ninety days before calving will make equally good returns for food and care as one that is milked to within a month of .parturition. wun ul nua-iaciaiion the cow should be fed good, nutritious food; and with most animals it is de sirable that even a half-fat condition be reached before the calf is born. A cow in which the maternal instinct of milk giving is well developed draws upon this store of fat to augment her yield. And it is pretty good evidence of qual ity in cows when they fall away in Uesh while giving milk—provided they are fairly and generously fed. As ma-i turlty approaches the cow's physical condition should be closely watched A properly fed and well-treated cow seldom fails to "do well" at calving’ time. Cows fed largely on corn or such, carbonaceous foods are apt to be fev erish or constipated. This must be avoided or overcome by the best means possible. Oats or bran are foods which will bring about a las condition of the bowels and largely help to avoid the complications Incident to calving. Ep som salts or glauber salts should be among the medical stores of every well regulated farm. A pound of either of these salts dissolved in water and given as a drench soon before this event will have a cooling effect on the system. Yet it has been observed the same quantity given in, say, two ounce doses daily in a bran slop, for a week or so pre viously will have equally, if not bet ter, effects. One reason for which is that this detail would ensure closer observation of individual condition. Every farm ought to have a place where a cow about to calve may be turned into in anticipation of this in, teresting event. And she should be put there long enough beforehand that she may become accustomed to her quar ters before the calf is born. It is an inhumane way of treating a brute, even, to let a cow endure the pangs of labor while confined by a rigid stanch eon. Usually, the calf is delivered without assistance of the attendant, yet it is always desirable that help be given if needed; and when such is re quired, be deliberate and patient in so doing. After the calf is born give the cow a thin bran slop, which may be repeated until the cow has had enough to quench her thirst. If the afterbirth is not expelled within an hour or so give her a pailful of dry whole oats. This quantity of grain will not injure the cow and seems to act favorably to the desired end. The calf may be left with its mother during the period when the milk is unfit for use except as de signed by nature. To strip the cow at this time is to unduly excite the mam mary glands and often conduces to an increased feverish condition of the ud der. It is well, however, to have the quarters emptied uniformly; else trou ble of another kind may result. The cow’s food for a week or ten days should be of a light character, after which the food may be gradually in creased. Cows treated in a rational manner are not likely to be victims of milk fever, and the plan here out lined will go far toward insuring valua ble stock from this dread disease. Water for Poultry In Winter. The subject of how to water the poul try In winter is worthy the best thought of the poultry keeper. If the house be warm and the weather mild water will stand for some time with out freezing and if the birds are wa tered twice a day they will probably get all the water needed. We have known houses that were so warmly built .that water would not freeze In the coldest weather,; but there are few houses of that kind. Most of them are of single thickness of boards, and through these the cold soon penetrates./ There are upon the market different, kinds of water heaters, which prob ably are quite effective in keeping the water at a temperature above freezing. But most of our farmers will hardly^ care to Invest. Taking all things to-' gether, the best means for watering fowls in cold weather is to use water' that is as hot as they can drink with comfort and taking it away by the time it has cooled sufficiently to freeze. Wa tering them in this way twice a day will probably give all the water neces sary, but we do not consider it the best, as we believe the hen should have constant access to water. Some Hog Feeds.—Do not make a hog eat a bushel of filth in order to get a bushel of grain. A clean feeding flour is not difficult to have, and your grain will go further and the health of your hogs will be better for having it. Neither is dishwater a very hearty food, and must never be made to take the place of fresh, clean water.—Ex. Scrofula and All other blood Diseases are promptly And Permanently Cured By Hood’s Sarsaparilla. If you suffer from Any form of Blood Disorder, you should \ ' Inventor, at the Traat-Mluiutppl Eip» ■Itlon. Take Hood’s and Only Hood’s.' The United States Patent Office will expend $20,000 in making a display of models at the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, to be held at Omaha from June to November, 189&, To bring this exhibit up to date. In ventors will be invited to exhibit their meritorious inventions, and in this connection, Inventor Thomas A. Edison has pledged himself to mako an exhibit of one of his latest inven tions. Inventors having models of ^ clever inventions, should address Sues & Co., Patent Experts, Omaha, in charge of the section of inventions, for free information. The monument which the members of the “Iron Brigade” will erect to the memory of General John Gibbon in the Arlington cemetery across the Potomac from the national capital Is rapidly nearing completion. A bas-relief of General Gibbon appears on the front of the granite and ths whole will be one of the handsomest monuments in the cemetery. , FARMER'S HARDY FEED COOKER. iWe desire to call our readers’ atten tion to the Farmer’s Handy Feed Cooker, which is sold at the low price of $12.50 for 50 gallon capacity By feeding poultry and stock with cooked food during the winter months., kt least one-third of the food Is saved^ also having stock in a healthy condi tion, preventing hog cholera among your hogs, and insuring the hens lay ing freely during the winter months when eggs are always wanted at high prices. This Cooker will pay for itself in one week’s time and is without doubt the best and cheapest on the market—just what its name implies, & Farmer’s Handy Feed Cooker. Upon application to the Empire Manufactur ing Co., C15 H street. Quincy, 111., a cat alogue. giving a full description, may be obtained. They are made in all sizes. Diggs—They say that it is lawful for a man to gamble his wife away in Siam. Biggs—A law like that would be of no benefit in this country. Diggs —Why not? Biggs—It wodld be im possible to find a man to take the bet. Do You Dance To-Night? Shake into your Shoes Allen’s Foot Ease, a powder for the feet. It makes tight or New Shoes feel Easy. Cures Corns, Bunions, Chilblains and Sweat ing Feet. At all Druggists and Shoo Stores, 25c. Sample sent FREE. Ad dress, Allen S. Olmsted..LeRoy, N. Y. Recent Insurance statistics show that if tbe wife dies first the feusband on an average survives nine years, while if the husband dle3 first tho wife survives eleven years. TO CURE A COLD IN ONE DAT. Take Laxative Dromo Quinine Tablets. AS Druggists refund the money if it falls to cure. 256 Ruskin’s sixty-four books bring hint in $20,000 a year. - . NN Man is creation’s masterpiece'! But who says so? Man! •' - * Smoke Sledge Cigarettes, 20 for 5 eta. Swinburne, who writes very little, makes $5,000 a year by his poems. In Greenland potatoes never got larger than marbles. Go to your grocer to-day and get a 15c. package of Grain-0 It takes the place of co£> fee at £ the cost. Made from pure grains it is nourishing and health ful. Insist that roar grocer gives yon Aooept no imitation. r-. .f GRAJN-O. PENSIONS Get your PettsHw DOUBLE QUICK Write C APT. O’FARRELL, Pension Agent, 1423 New York Avenne. WA5HINQT0N, D.C. When Answering Advertisements Kindly Hetties This Taper.