Nebraska Newspapers

    Fleddie and Fleddis
By H. O. OA COSTA.
(Copyright. 1 90S, by Dally Story Pub. Co)
AjAjAjAjAjAJAjAj
How cold It was In Bleeker Lane!
The wind seemed to hare a particular
aplte against an old. ramshackle,
three-story frame building that stood
on the corner, bumping; Into it. and
weeping and growling about It until
It beared and groaned, as If crying
out against Its rough playfellow. The
falling snow piled up against It. and
by the dim light one could see bow the
boisterous wind lifted the snow and
flung It against the old house, snow
balling It, roaring with glee as now
and then a window broke In. Up on
the third floor the snow poured In
' through one of the broken windows as
If curious to see the Inside, then
formed little plies which were whirled
around the room by a stray gust from
the big wind outside, then piling up
against two huddled up figures that
lay in tho farther corner, revealing a
girl, scantily dressed, a rag of a cot
ton shawl wound round her, an eleven-year-old
girl, but with an expressive
wisdom and experience in her face
that made one shudder, while pitying
her. Her eyes were closed and she
breathed softly. The other was a dog.
The snow kept piling up against the
two until the dog moved uneaaily, and
licked his mistress' hand with a fer
vor that woke her instantly. She pat
ted his head, and slowly rose, reveal
ing an immense pair of shoes in which
her feet were lost, cut and torn, and
one latchlcss. The snow, losing Its
support, flew around the room, then
settled down on the floor. 'making a
white covering of purity that hid its
dirt. Everyone In Bleeker Lane knew
the girl and her attendant, the dog.
The dog had been rescued by Fleddis
from an immense tin pall which he
was regarding aggressively one sum
mer's day, crouchicg In the sun with
despair written in his very tail.
Bleeker Lane first knew them as
Fleddis an the dawg." then as "Fled
die an' Fleddis," putting the dog first.
He was a terrier of the ordinary size,
but his love for his mistress was so
fervent that it was a constant source
of wonder to the "Avenoo", as it was
derisively called, "why some on It
wasn't leaking out'n his skin." "Fled
die," she said, "wait 'ere till I comes
back." and he curled himself In a
corner accordingly. Gathering up her
wisp of a shawl, she dragged the shoes
down the worm-eaten steps, almost
being run down by a half drunken man
as she stepped outside. He raised his
fist threateningly. "Oh! Fleddis!" he
hiccoughed. end lurched on. Poor lit
tle girl! How pitiful she looked as
she passed up the narrow alley! As
she came to the wider street, a shab
by bouse, brightly lit up, caught her
attention. It was a children's party
going on, but she peered through the
half-curtained windows with little
gasps of admiration and envy, until
some one opened the door and she
scuttled away. As she went up the
street she begged timidly, and when
she finally got a copper from a passing
man it was accompanied with: "Chil
dren like these begging! Shameful!"
The snow was falling lightly, but as
sh tramped on it got in her shoes and
she could barely walk, her feet were so
cold. It was getting dark, and she
stopped at a friendly baker's and got
a roll for her cent, the' kind-hearted
woman putting some cakes in the bag
as she saw how wistfully her custom
er eyed them. As she drew near the
frame house she called home, a light
flared up in the sky. bursting through
a dense bank of smoke and revealing
the alley crowded with a jostling
throng.fi re lines drawn, and streams of
water spattering against the ram
shackle buildings, coating the street
with ice and freezing on the fire fight
ers below. A sudden pang seized her.
Fleddie? The fire was already circling
and coiling around the rotten frame
she had left, and it was doomed. The
firemen saw this, and trying to protect
the other houses, thought nothing of
the dog. The room was brightly lit.
and Fleddis saw her pet coiled In the
corner. It stirred, and then jumped
up as the light became brighter. Round
and round it sniffed, then ran to the
stairs. They were smoking, but the
dog went down a few steps, then run
ning back fearfully, sprang to the
vlndow and hung there, looking down
pitifully. Compassionate murmurings
fan through the crowd, and a net was
neld below, but the dog would not
Jump. A cry of sympathy went up
from below, and then oh! his mis
tress caught her breath as he gave a
long howl of pain and terror, looking
at her. The howl rose above the deep
undertone of sound, and seemed to
pierce her through and tnrough. As
he dropped there was a little rush
about her, and then from the specta
tors arose a cry of horror as a little
white figure struggled through them i
and plunged into the fire lines. On
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She stopped at & friendly baker's,
she ran. her head filled with one Idea;
she must save Ffcddl. A burly fire
man loomed up before her and
stretched out a detaining band, but
she dodged and passad him. and slip
ping on the lee-covered street Be lost
his balance and fetL Another plunged
at her and held her foot, but she left
the shoe in his hand and hobbled on.
She had reached the door and jumped
through the (tune. A burst of flam
prang to Met her, but she did not
feel it. A sfeft broke through, licked
up by the fire, tmt she scrambled to the
one above, groping ber way up the
smoke-laden steps. Up. up she went,
flaming and reached the top step. She
plunged Into the burning room, crying
for her pet, and groping for him till
she felt him In the corner. He licked
her hand feebly, then holding him fast,
felt her way to the window, her hair
on fire, her dress burning, but she did
not feel the peta. Up. up to the win
dow, gulfed In by fire, and then roar
after roar of horror went up from the
crowd below as they saw her reach It.
holding the dead dog tightly to her.
The fire embraced the whole house
now. and It was shaking ominously.
What a bright light that was! She
could see a long lane of gold reaching
far out in the sky, and she was taken
up to It. holding her Fleddie closely
to her. The fire hurt no more now.
How good she felt! The house leaned,
then toppled, falling amidst a shower
of sparks. A long flame shot up in the
v
"I 'I V.wNTiTV I It V
i. jy-
Sho plunged Into the burning room,
groping for her pet.
sky, left its parent stem reluctantly,
and flew into the night. Fleddie and
Fleddis were dead.
CHILDREN AT THE CORONATION
Space to Be Set Aside In Westminster
Abbey for Them.
If the earl marshal carries out his
present intention one of the most in
teresting places In Westminster ab
bey on the day of the coronation will
be the "children's corner," a space
which It is proposed to set aside for
the youthful little peers and peeresses
in their own right, who, though still
boys and girls, have a legal right of
which they intend to avail them
selves of being present when Ed
ward VII. Is enthroned on the "stone
of destiny."
There are several boys in the peer
age who, owing to the death of their
father or some other relative, became
hereditary legislators ' before they
gave up the nursing bottle, or soon
after, and several little peeresses who
succeeded to their titles at an Imma
ture age. These little peers and peer
esses, in their coronation robes and
coronets, it Is proposed to corral in
one group, which would make a pret
ty picture; but think of the possibili
ties, says the New York Mail and Ex
press, should the little folks get to
squabbling among themselves! The
earl marshal would better provide a
"lord high wielder of the birch rod"
to keep the children's corner in order
during the long ceremonies.
As the ages of the boy peers range
all the way from 9 to 19, the older
ones may be set as "monitors" over
them, the way they used to do at
school. A vast amount of property
will be represented by these children.
There Is the Viscount Combermere,
15 years old, and possessed of 14.000
acres, with three great country
houses, one of them being the cele
brated Combermere abbey; the Baron
Carbery, 10 years old, with an estate
of value In Ireland, and Lord Holm
patrick, with about 7,000 acres to his
estate. Among the big boys is the
earl of Caledon, 17 years old, an
immensely rich youth, with 30,000
acres to his fortune. Lord Camoys, a
year older, has an estate of 6,800
acres.
DOES BANNOCKBURN STILL GALL?
la the Sassenach Try Ins to "Oet Xtco"
After Six Hundred Tears?
The Highlanders gathered In great
force in the House of Commons at
question time recently. Four notices
were on the paper relating to the al
leged order to substitute the trews for
the kilt In the Highland regiments,
and when Col. Denny of Kilmarnock
defiantly arose to interrogate the secre
tary of war a cheer went up from the
Gaels on both sides of the chamber.
The Saxcn minister, with bated breath,
replied that the Highland regiments
would retain the kilt for full dress,
and that instructions would be issued
to provide them with kilts of khaki, or
some other invisible color, when on
active service, as Is done in South Af
rica. Then up rose William Allan, a ver
itable Lion of the North. With a
shake of his massive head and flowing
beard he cried across the floor in fierce
and dramatic tones: "Is it the inten
tion of the war office that the distinc
tive tartans of the kilt are to be abol
ished in the Highland regiments, and
is this being done by the war office
in revenge for Bannockburn?"
The sudden and gusty outburst of
the indignant Scot was too much for
the house. When the roars of laughter
and Ironical cheers which followed had
subsided. Mr. Broderick sought to turn
away the wrath of the honorable mem
ber by assuring him that of course the
distinctive tartans would be preserved
London Express.
Senator Vest of Missouri, who end
ed his eulogy of the late Wade Hamp
ton, in the senate, by quoting from
Tennyson, is said to outrank even
Senator Hoar in his familiarity with
the poetry of England and America.
Unskillful dentists are mors or less
conscientious. They spare no pains
at their work.
II..
1:1.
V 1 1
EMBARRASSED THE CLERGYMAN J
Minister's Makeshift All Rlfht Cotll
the Mnld Appeared.
A distinguished Episcopal clergy
man was once called on to officiate at
a fashionable summer resort church,
and, finding only a short surplice and
no cassock In the vestry, was very
much disturbed at the thought of hav
ing to appear In a vesture that to the
frivolous would look like a white shirt
and trousers. But a happy Inspiration
came to him. Why not wear one of
his wife's black petticoats? " The por
tion that would show below the sur
plice would look exactly like the regu
lation cassock, and no one would ever
be the wiser. So he hurriedly sent
one of the ushers with an explanatory
note to his wife In the hotel, and In
the nick of time the petticoat arrived.
The makeshift turned out to be a per
fect success, and no one at a distance
could tell that he was not wearing a
cassock. After the close of the ser
vice he decided to go out to the body
of the church without taking off his
robes. In order to egreet some friends.
And he was soon the center of a
group of fashionable women, when a
green Irish maid from the hotel came
up, and in a loud voice said to him:
"Yer Riverence, the missus sint me
afther her petticoat that ye do be
wearin. an' I wuz to wait till ye take
it off." New York Tribune.
MADE LIVING BY CRACKING WHIPS
Curious Trade Discovered by the I'ollee
of Trance.
The Paris police have recently been
Informed by one af the fraternity of
whip-crackers that such a calling ex
ists and claims recognition as one of
the "professions" by the exercise of
which men earn their livelihood in
France.
Whip-crackers, It appears, are men
who possess strong wrists and are
willing to crack whips all day long. If
required, on receipt of a suitable fee.
At the commencement of the shooting
season, when the proprietors of neigh
boring demesnes are not good friends,
the one who bears ill-will to the other
engages a whip cracker, whose duty it
Is to crack a whip so as to frighten
away all the birds at the approach of
the disliked sportsman and his friends.
The whipcrackers are also found
useful by farmers afflicted with dis
eased cattle which they cannot sell.
Having engaged a whlpcracker, they
turn out the sick beasts on the most
frequented highway they can find. The
cracker follows with his whip, osten
sibly to guide the cattle, really to
drive them under the wheels of a car
riage, a motor car or a tram. This he
does by cracking his whip at the
critical moment so as to frighten the
beasts and drive them to destruction.
Her Eevel Head.
"Of course," he said in an offhand
way, "it goes without saying that a
beautiful girl like you must have had
many offers of marriage."
She blushed prettily, and her eyes
seemed to say "Of course," but she
did not answer otherwise.
"And, of course," he went on, "I
wouldn't think of asking who any of
the men were or anything about them,
but I am interested in knowing how
they do it"
Then she roused herself.
"Look here." she said. "Are you
trying to get hints how to propose to
me or to some other girl?"
Thus it was that she pinned Lim
down, as it were, and brought him to
the point.
Napoleon Bonaparte's Wealth.
Napoleon Bonaparte's will, among
those of great men, affords the near
est parallel to that of Cecil Rhodes in
the fortune it bequeathed. He was
surely the richest exile since the world
began. From his lonely home at St.
Helena he bequeathed to his relatives
and friends 140,000,000. He had been
rich, in gold as in power, beyond the
dreams of avarice, r.nd there must
have passed through his hands a pri
vate fortune such as mortal man has
rarely dreamed of. His exactions set
down at nearly $373,000,000, which Is,
after all, but six times multiplying the
gift he secured for himself from the
Austrian treasury after Austerliti. He
died forty times a millionaire.
Roads Made of Cold.
The people of the two counties
south of Lacrosse, Wis., especially
near Prairie du Chien, have been for
years using gold-bearing quartz for
road making and house building,
thinking it was common stone. The
finding of a heavy, paying vein of gold
on a farm of Mrs. N. S. Dousman set
them right. By following up the vein
it was traced for many miles around,
touching, in some places, quarries
where rock has been taken for years.
Lightning striking in the same place
during successive storms led Miss
Violet Dousman to think that metal
in some form existed there. Her in
vestigations led to the discovery of
the gold.
Wot the Rich Only.
Uncle and Aunt Melcher went to
town to buy a new clock. "Now,"
said the dealer, "here is something
very attractive in the way of clocks.
When the hour begins, a bird comes
out of the top and sings 'Cuckoo!'
For instance, I turn this hand to 3
o'clock, and the bird comes out and
sings 'Cuckoo! three times."
"Don't that beat all?" cried Uncle
Melcher, enthusiastically. "Mother,
let's have one."
"No, no!" said his wife hastily.
"That sort of a clock might do for
folks that have got lots of time, but
it'd take me half the forenoon every
day to take care of that bird."
Youth's Companion.
His White Umbrella.
Aubrey de Vere, the aged English
poet who died recently, cared little
about his appearance, and even when
called upon to act as "best man" at a
wedding saw no reason for disregard
ing his shabby tweed suit and white
cotton umbrella in favor of a wedding
garment. In later years he still clung
to his white cotton umbrella and on
one occasion electrified London by ap
pearing in Hyde park in Mary Ander
son's carriage, at a time when she was
at the zenith of her popularity, calm
ly holding up this dilapidated machine,
the sides of which were ornamented
with long ragged Hts.
THE PROPER POLICY.
WHAT THE NATION SHOULD CO
WITH THE PHILIPPINES.
Instead of Attempting- to Establish a
Lespollm, Try the Introdaetlc? cf
KnUshtened Ideas, With the I'sual
eaaraatlea of Freedom.
It pleases the spokesmen of the ad
ministration to represent that the only
alternative to the existing conditions
n the Philippines is a scuttle and. un
fortunately, in this they are aided to
tome extent by those Democrats who
fall to suggest any other remedy.
The true alternative to the present
system of conquest, terrorism and si
lence is the introduction of enlight
ened Ideas of government and the pro
mulgation of the usual guaranties of
freedom.
In other words, the methods of Rus
sia and Spain, too long practiced in
the name of the people of the United
States without their knowledge, should
give place to the measures which the
great republic has adopted heretofore
in all its dealings with newly acquired
territory.
There is evidence that most of the
resistance which we have met with
in these islands is due to the fact that
we have been attempting to establish
there an Intolerable despotism. We
Dave played the same role that Spain
essayed for hundreds of years. We
nave carried the banner of freedom in
one hand and the weapons of tyrrany
in the other. We have demanded sub
mission not to the republic but to the
empire; not to the constitution but to
Elihu Root r not to the laws of the
United States but to the decrees of
Mr. Root's scandalous little bureau of
insular affairs.
What can we expect?
The people of the Philippines as a
whole may or may not be fitted for
self-government, but the fact that con
siderable numbers of them resist
tyranny is conclusive proof that they
are intelligent enough to appreciate
the fact that the policy which the ad
ministration is pursuing there in the
name of the American people is in
conflict with the ideas of liberty which
have long been associated with ti c
government and people of the United
States.
Elihu Root's policy in the Philip
pines is a blunder and a crime. It is
a blunder and a crime in which the
political party now in power at Wash
ington has shared. Considerations of
patronage and plunder have silenced
every member of the organization with
the exception of a few men of ad
vanced age who are no longer influ
enced by selfish ambitions. Dragoon
ing in the Philippines has been fo'
lowed by dragooning in America, and
such is the fear of the usurpers that
no Republican who looks to a political
future ventures to protest.
It must be clear enough now t ev
ery intelligent American that the Phil
ippines were acquired not for the peo
ile of the United States nor for the
lurpqae of conferring liberty upon
their inhabitants, but with the sole
object of opening up a new and profit
able field for the operations of syndi
cates and explorers. Despotism would
favor such a policy just as constitu
tional government would render it
impossible.
The alternative to a drumhead des
potism in the Philippines is not to
scuttle. It is to establish a government
In accordance with the constitution
and the laws. So far as certain Dem
ocrats have indorsed the scuttle poli
cy, they have contributed not a little
to the impression that Elihu Root's
tyranny must be accepted as a cnoice
Df evils.
Easy Way to I'lense Voters.
Advices from Washington indicate
that the majority members of the
ways and means committee are to re
vive for the coming campaign the
roaring old Republican farce "Tariff
Revision by Its Friends." If the Re
publicans really wish to satisfy the
voters of their disposition to do away
with protection for monopoly only let
them now, while they have the power
and when the beef trust's extortions
have given the poor a meatless dinner
pail, repeal the duties on cattle and
on meat that are needed neither for
protection nor for revenue, but serve
the trust alone. Farcical "investiga
tion" will fool nobody.
Fans ton Somewhat of m Nuisance.
For one who has done nothing that
a clever noncommissioned officer
might not have done that young man
is suffering from one of the worst
cases of conceit known in the military
history of the country. In a few
months he has done more talking
about the capture of Aguinaldo than
Grant did about Vicksburg and Appo
mattox during all his life, while Na
poleon himself never performed the
functions of a national schoolmaster
so arrogantly or so confidently. The
war in the Philippines is still some
thing of a national burden, but it is
ot half so burdensome as the mush
room heroes that strut across tnc
country and parade their petty
achievements.
American Farmers Not Benefited.
Northwestern Canada is producing a
surplus of 50,000,000 bushels now
which is yearly increasing, and this
is prevented from coming into this
country by the tariff of 25 cents a
bushel imposed by the Dingley tariff
law. As a matter of necessity it goes
abroad to be ground by foreign mills
instead of being made into flour by
American mills, which would be the
natural course. Anyone can see that
this does not benefit the -American
farmer, for the Canadian wheat com
jetes with ours in the foreign market,
and the demands of the foreign mar
ket control prices here, because we are
large exporters.
Haaae'a Interest la Rath. bone.
How much of Hanna's solicitude for
Rath bone is due to the services the
latter rendered Hanna in his cham
pion's senatorial fight? We are hav
ing a rehearsing of the story that
Rath bone has threatened in the event
that he has to serve his sentence to
tell tales which would not be agree
able to Hanna and others i high po
sition in the Republican party. And
last bat not least, not a fetr persons
are wondering If the order to General
Wood has anything to do with divert
ing Hanna's alleged ambition t fill
the place now filled by Mr. Roosevelt.
Good Reason for Alarm.
There is excellent justification for
the alarm which Is leading the Repub
lican party to make vehement protes
tations of loyalty to the people an
against the trusts. Never before,
since the evil of monopoly consolida
tion became a menace in American
life, has public sentiment been so
thoroughly aroused to the necessity
for overcoming that evil. Unhappily,
however, for the future of the Repub
lican party, the American people are
equally convinced of the truth that
the Republican party is responsible
for the trusts and that it Is absolutey
owned and controlled by the trusts.
Inefficient Cablaet Officer.
President Roosevelt has not been
fortunate In the service his adminis
tration has received from his cabinet
ministers. There have been turmoil
and friction, and one at least, the sec
retary of war, can undo what he has
blunderingly done only by resigning.
If Attorney General Knox carries
through to a successful conclusion this
movement against the beef trust ne
will do a much needed service for
Theodore Roosevelt. But to make it
count for anything it will have to bo
done before the elections for congress
men in November.
raying? Too Many of Hanna's Ilehts.
The relations of Hanna to the Mc
Klnley administration was at all
times an incipient scandal, ' but the
public was tolerant in view of the
genuine personal friendship existing
between the late president and the
chairman of the Republican commit
tee. But there will be harsher judg
ment if there is also too much Hanna
in the present administration. Presi
dent Roosevelt will consult neither
his own welfare nor his reputation if
he goes much further in fulfilling
Hanna bargains and taking care of
Hanna pets.
The Demand for Freer Trade.
'Freer trade is really the cry. And
that must come. The case was put so
clearly and convincingly by Mr. Mo
Kinley at Buffalo that the longer Uie
country ponders the subject the
stronger the demand is for such
changes in the tariff schedules as will
bring them in accord with the times.
"The period of exclusiveness is past."
Free trade, properly so-called. Is
neither possible nor desirable, but
freer trade is now one of the most
pressing necessities of our national
well-being. Washington Star (Rep.).
Straws In the Western Wind.
In the local elections in Indiana the
Democrats made notable gains. In a
dozen considerable towns, including
South Bend, Terre Haute, Vlncennes,
New Albany and Bloomington, the
Democrats either wrested control from
the Republicans or made substantial
gains. At the city election in St. Paul
the Democrats won a sweeping vic
tory. It is easy to overestimate the
significance of local elections, but
where the straws move in one direc
tion they "show which way the wind
blows."
Fair Return on Investment.
Primarily, we hate the Standard Oil
company because it pays so enormous
dividends. Forty-eight per cent on
$100,ou,0.. i is too much. Now, if it
would water up a capital of $600,000,
000 and pay 8 per cent we should rest
in peace and comfort. There are dis
contented persons who complain that
the $100,000,000 of common stock is
half water, whica shov.-s the wisdom
of Rockefeller. Ninety-six per cent
on $50,000,000 would look too much
like highway robbery.
Oar InveUment In Volcanoes.
Our new West Indian possessions
are within the volcanic area. Should
we acquire the Danish West Indian
group we shall be right at the seat of
tropical eruptions, and not so very far
from Martinique. Of course, in buj
ing the islands in a lump we take the
volcanoes with them and become re
sponsible for their good behavior. Who
knows but that our $5,000,000 may a!l
go up in smoke yet or disappear in the
depths of the sea?
Americans Must Foot tbe BUI.
That is a very magnificent offer
which the American tobacco trust
makes in order to gain a market in
England namely, to sell its goods at
cost for four years, and besides this to
distribute a bonus of $1,000,000 a year
among the retailers handling its goods.
Its American customers are expected
to be so dazzled by the splendor of
this example of American enterprise
that they will fail to see that they
must pay for it.
Reciprocity Is Cuba's Doe.
Cuba continues under the fostering
care of the United States, though with
all the rights and attributes of a free
and independent nation. We are
sponsor for her . to the world and
guardian of her rights and sovereignty.
It is fitting that In harmony with this
we should assume a measure of re
sponsibility for her future prosperity
by a grant of the reciprocal relations
for which we are asked.
Partisanship an Excuse for Iajutlee.
It is good news that Speaker Hen
derson has withdrawn his opposition
to the admission of Oklahoma, New
Mexico and Arizona, though it is said
he had to be assured that they are
safely Republican. It is a shame that
injustice should be done a territory
because of its adherence to any of
the political parties.
Experiment Is Worth Trying.
James H. Eckels thinks the Demo
crats can win on the tariff issue.
There may be some question as to their
winning, but tariff reform Is becom
ing, a very attractive Idea and the
Democrats have a right to make it
their paramount issue, as it has been
a part of their creed for some time.
It isn't what a man is, but what
ho pretends to be, that makes him
ridiculous.
rRUTH COMING OUT
fA0TS RECORDED IN DISPATCH
FROM GEN. CHAFFEE.
tmerlran feople Hare a Right to Kew
If Tales of Cruelty and Rathleas
blaufhter of Natives Are True IVlll
Not Oouateaaaee Despotism.
Secretary Root has graciously per
nltted tho publication of tho dispatch
rom Gen. Chaffee expressing regret
bat thlrty-flvo Moro prisoners, who
vvre disarmed, were shot down while
tttemptlng to escape.
Gen. Chaffee quotes a dispatch from
Ion. Davis stating that eighty-four
iloro prisoners who were sitting on
in open hilltop surrounded by a
itrong guard suddenly sprang up and
-ushed down tho hill, when the guard
tnd ono company opened lire without
rders and killed thirty-five of the
lumber. The others, oxcepllug nine
vho were recaptured, escaped.
Tho noteworthy thing about this Is
hat Seeretary Root has been so good
ts to glvo all this to tho public with
Hit waiting to have It extracted by
he main strength of a resolution from
ne house or tho other of congress.
For this burst of confidence in tho
Vmerican people on tho part of the
loppotle secretary of war we have to
..'mnk the Democratic minority in the
senate and a few indignant Republi
cans in both bouses.
The administration and its support
?rs in congress and the Republican
lewspapers with some honorable ex
;eptlons have been proceeding on the
.heory that the American people have
no right to know what is being done
Ii their name to the natives of islands
tome ten thousand miles away, and
.hat it is not only impertinent but un
patriotic for them to ask for informa
;ior;. They have assumed that if whole
iale slaughter, cruel torture and many
)ther things contrary to the accepted
iaws of civilized warfare were perpe
:rated in their name and in pursuanc e
)f orders nobody but tlie men who
jave the orders and executed them
iave any right to know the facts.
The minority in congress is on
;itled to credit for insisting on adher
;nce to the time-honored principles
tnd practices of tbe republic.
It is entitled to credit for dragging
:o light the secrets of war department
lespotism.
It is entitled to credit for disclosing
che fact that there are secrets in this
Philippine business not at all credita-
jle to the country.
It is entitled to credit for frightening
he administration into a disclosure of
jome of the ugly facts which prove
;hat an irresponsible e'espotism is ex
sreised in the name of the American
people over millions of human beings
oy men who prefer to conceal their
.'acts from those in whose name they
ixercise their despotic power.
How much more remains to be dis
closed can only be conjectured. We
may Infer a good deal from the state
ment of Senator Lodge, spokesman for
the administration, that over 300 of
ficers and men have been tried by
20urt-martial recently for cruelty to
the natives of the islands, but the
whole truth, which the people have a
right to know, will never be brought
fo light until we have a Democratic
jongress and administration.
The Revolt Against the Trust.
The people have been stirred up as
never before on the subject of trusts,
and especially of such trusts as derive
their power from tariff duties that aro
prohibitive and produce no revenue.
They expect congress to give them re
lief from such exactions by the simple
process of abolishing such protective
duties as are plainly used to maintain
oppressive monopolies. And if con
gress, which is controlled by the re
publican party, should not only dis
appoint them in this matter, but
should refuse to do justice to Cuba
and neglect to provide markets for our
own products by allowing the recipro
city treaties to fail, then the people
may be expected to revolt at th-i next
congressional election and prepare the
way for an administration opposed to
trusts.
Tloars Plan a Poor One.
The opponents of a direct election
of United States senators are willing
to agree to any change except the one
the people want. Senator Hoar, for
example, suggests that in order to
prevent deadlocks a plurality of the
legislature should be sufficient to
elect a senator. This would surely
reduce the character of the United
States senate to a lower level and
would make the senators more inde
pendent than ever of the people. A
corruptionist could, under this plan,
buy up a little more than 50 per cent
of the majority side in the legislature
an3 be elected a saving of time and
trouble, perhaps, but nothing else
could be said in its favor.
Giving- Trusts a Broad Mint
The beef trust does not seem to
have been shaken much by the Injunc
tion against it in Chicago. But the
injunction may serve the purpose of
the administration into fooling stupid
people Into believing that its "war"
on the trusts is anything but false pre
tense. These proceedings are likely
to be dragged out until after the con
gressional elections and then in all
probability they will end in a fiasco,
as some similar "wars" have done.
Incidentally the president may suc
ceed In convincing the trusts that if
they do not want to run up against
the real thing they would better make
quick decision in his favor as against
the wily Hanna.
Greed of the Trot Is.
The chief fault of the trust system.
aside from its crushing of small com
petitors, is the selflslmess of its
magnates. Their sole purpose, as
shown in the annual report of the steel
trust, is to swell profits and conse
quent dividends to the utmost. The
mea whose labor piles up the profits
nd the neoDle who buy the products
are left entirely out of the account.
tsi Partnership with tbe Trasts.
The people have long ago accurately
sized up the trust situation. They
know that the great combinations in
restraint of trade are n mermen o the
graveftt Import to th general good.
They have seen these organizations
created and fontered by Republican
HiUrlfM. In t'vury ImiKirtant polltlral
campaign they find the trusts allKrmd
solidly on the Republican !!., con
tributing heavy sums to tli. ItepuhU.
can campaign slunh funds and using
all their Influence to compel their em
ployes to voto the Republican ticket.
Innocent Investors Neeted.
Every bualncHS man will appreciate
at once the significance of the state
ment that whereas tho capitalization
of tho great Hamburg-American line
1 $45 per ton and the actual value of
Its shares only $17 per ton. the new
shipping combine w-lc h J. pu-rpout
Morgan is organizing in to be capital
ized at J IKS per ton. If carefully man
aged, the new combination would prob
ably pay dividends on $.'o,00i.00 of
capital. Where tho dividends on a
capitalisation of $17o,(miii,ikio are to
eome from In a mystery which Mr.
Morgan alone can solve.
Fooling- jbor Once More.
The disposition of the majority In
congress to coddle the "friend of la
bor." while taking care that tho
source of eririipalgu funds tihall take no
offeiiHo thereat, has been utrongly In
evidence during the current off -year
Hesslon. Itut tho device of pulsing
bills in the house, to be done to death
by tho senate nfter election, has be
come altogether stab' and malodorous.
A very little perfonmince In the upper,
branch would clouMlesH be acccjtted
cheerfully on all Hides us a Mibntltuto
for the vust amount of protulbe in tho
house.
An t'n1eaaiit Krjwtrl.
A Hnterneut which comes from Ha
vana concerning the close of the
United States regime there will enuMo
a widespread wish to have the factn
established on unciucstlonahlo authori
ty. It is to the effect that a $.,0m
silver service was presented to (Sen.
Wood by a syndicate which be? had
permitted to operate; the only gam
bling house in that city. If this fa a
fact and (;en. Woo.i has not re fused
the Kift it will Indicate nu iiiiHUspec ted
weak spot in the character of that of
ficer. Itathbone Will lln u!y (Ireatful.
In view of Senator Hanna's amazing
success in tecuring a peremptory or
der to Cuba to accept an ex-post fartj
law, notoriously drawn for the espe
cial benefit of convicted American
thieves, Kstes (J. Rathbone probably
will refrain from carrying out his
threat to "pull down the pillars of
the temple," ami some American
statesman will sleep better ' o' night.
Hanna Getting- Votes and Monoy.
To the trusts, which he so strenu
ously upholds both In and out of Con
gress, he turns for the necessary cam
paign funds; to the laborers he turns
for votes. This sort of political pol
icy has been sometimes called by scoff
ers carrying water on both shoulders.
Whether this can be done successfully
can be better known Anno Domini
1904.
race Are' lereytl ve.
"Soft mark"' Is writtep all over the
faces of Lyman J. CJage, Ccn. Fred
Dent Grant and ex-Mayor Grant of
New York, though it is well Known
that neither would prove an easy
proposition for the bunko steerer.
With faces the embodiment of inno
cence and incautlon they have the; ap
pearance of three KO"dy-c,oo'li s.
The Coal Trust's Kilorl I,, it.
The attorney general weiuld find
no difficulty in proc uring ple nty of evi
dence to prove the extoitioiiH of thej
coal trust. They exist in eve ry city
which is a coal distributing center,
and almost every large user of coal
can furnish plenty of testimony which
would convict the coal trust.
Will End the Wmr Once A rain.
President Roosevelt is announce!
for a tour of the south some months
later. The war between the north
and the south has been over for a
good many years, but of course the
settlement will be clinched again
when the chief executive g'es over
the field of carnage.
The Ship SolMtldy Indlrnltr.
If the government can give a sub
sidy to a "ship-builder It should also
make grants to farming or Industrial
pursuits. Their rights to dip their
hands into the treasury to advance
their private interests rests on as sol
Id ground as the grabbing purpose of
the ship-builders.
SabMI Have Failed Everywhere.
The plan proposed by the Hanna
Payne or the Frye shipping subsidy
bill is one borrowed from the French
and Italian practices of the past, a
practice that in both of these countries
has proved absolutely ineffective for
the attainment of the desired end.
Where the Stomach Win.
The beef trust, according to its own
Intimations, was starving the Ameri
can public In order to capture the food
markets abroad. To this the con
sumer will not consent. As between
"patriotism" and the stomach, this
time the stomach wins.
A Libel oa Abraham Lincoln
Secretary Long Is rather ridiculouf
in pretending to believe that Abraham
Lincoln. If living to-day would approve
the Philippine folly. Mr. Lincoln dis
tinctly declared that no man Is good
enough to govern another man with
out the other man's consent.
Wlf la Ills Generation.
Col. Henry Watterson is a wise poli
tician. He proposes to ascertain th
precise dimensions and proportions of
bis presidential boom before be placer
it on exhibition. And then he may con
elude to keep it as a family relic.
Conscience on One Side.
The conscience-stricken man whe
has paid . a railroad for stolen ride
will wait a long time for the railroad
to pay him for the money it has taker
from him In excess of what It honestly
earned In carrying him or his good.
I