VOL. XII.
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, DECEMBER 20, 1900.
NO. 31.
iW APFOHTiOKMEKT
ara Uitt HI Ttawe t-
a lJ 4i-Irrula( fla-la-rete
fmmwr la C"Ma-ras.
Wwtisgtoa, D. C Dee. I. Rep
reattJve Stark replied good-humor-41y
today wbfa the subject of th
Osut Bee's critlcUo cpoa hi atti
tude a the ratio of representation lis,
eosgreii was mestio&ed. The ro
taaxtie exrogttatiotm of Its corretpon
4est are taore ingenious than Ingenu
oei," he sa.l.ff. "He rt forth the ar
ea meat that a stacd for decreased rep
rstii.3 la congre would make
tae so popular wills all elae J a N
fcraaka as to Insure my election m
goieraor. ifcoags the republican na
tioaal ticket ti a plurality of nearly
f t t the tt election, aad at the
sas&e tlas woikt o cossmead eg to
the jatcoriry veryvrhere a to make
tcj tie BOft available candidate for
th- vice preaideocy. He erase me of
saak-iag combination with th eastern
democracy a&i wofkirg to their ad
ras.tjr. when - th most cursory ex
assSaatiae of the figure will how that
all th ratio for which there is any
possibility cf rr.y voting would result
ia a caic to southern rather thaa
eaitem deraocratic state.
The train 1 that I oppose a divisor
that while nominally allowing us to
l.clS our rak with 'tter state in
crease the relative power of so many
which have iiterr: divers to our
omL Bead the liet of republican cora
sicsvealths that will proSt if we adopt
a dirtr of 1I,77 (the cumber thai
It will be necessary to fix upon to re
tain oar prcsert represe&tatica): Ohio,
California, Connecticut. Iowa. Michi
gan. Washington. North Dakota ana
Wt Virgin:, osse member each:
&&chuetts. Mirnetota. and New
Jersey, two each; llhnoi and Pean
sylvaaia, thr-v each, and New York
foar. Tweuty-ftte sts la congre.
Is there one of these tates not wedded
to the tltfle sold standard? I there
or that hta sy terdeacy toward aa-tl-ior:oioly
or tsti-trast lesislatloa?
Is th-re or, which fellves !a the ia
rome tax. th t4ectia of United Statea
aeaator hy the people, or that you
ras depta-d a;oa to place any che-ek
Kpoa the riflsjc tetkdeccy toard Sm
jrt!sta. I4art the grata of thir
nide by !etaoeratie state under
thi diviar aad there remain twelve
rosgri!oaal ict cet. that mast b
given to T.tioaal back demiaatioo.
if taxra r.i aubid!ec. for the poor
rtiim of ar.iktr.ji: Nebraska teem to
hsveeld her cw a la popaUtioa when
eery acroci fv will I taacht dl.Ter--at!y
withia ;VlTr vzoZiua froas thin
i-areIits aad politicians
tare you belie re that th ead
rte would drop o"t af th uai verse.
li tie eoarrf-ss-joaal reprrser.tatioa of
oar taie ahouid fee dlmia!hed: that to
kwE a errewEcaa kouads the de-ath
kll of proerf-. aad prosperity. But
fcUtory rraii diffrre-slly. The most
e-eiebrat aad er;terpris!njr ttates cf
the uaios hv pi&ti through thl
eiperie-a- a?fd an apparently none
tfct worte for It, After the 1849 cen-
i. New Iersy, which !fore had the
marr: r?prc-atatioa that Nebraska
:.o ha was lowered to five, and
for thirty sar vai ht!d at that cam
"ot, jt in the lat d-cde New Jersey
ra! i i ia ixipulailoa cearly
a half trJUfos p-o0le. Bi-tw--a lSlt)
a ad IS S3 Coaactlviit t; s rdi3ew3 from
a to six. aad Mss-sicfa-usnts drop
p4 frcm to 12. Ap:ireatly neither
eter felt th Jar as th-) have steadily
lzsptov-d ai-d hate always beta knov.i
as lead'.rjf tat of the nation. Vir
ginia, mother of prid at, has had a
varied eiprieare. Ia li0 the had 22
ea?r3iea: fell in ivc to 12; ia
creaaed in 1H0 to IS; dropp-4 la
to IS. t:; 100 to 11. Ia 1M. to and
ha iav teerrased. Between
ad II W. Prsnsylvaaia lost four mem
1,-er. lirs redue4 from IS to 21. I a
the a.ise dade the great state of New
York wa dsiiaibed from 40 to 31.
her freseat represeatatioa. and though
he h nrur realard her lost cor
,reioaal M-ate 1 have nevrr heard
that fche ha a5ert-'l from lost of pres
tige or rre-t4 devlopmeat 1a eoae
taeac thereof. Betweea 1 ZS) aad
! Ohio wa lowered from 21 to 19
aad did not recove her old member
ship fo" twenty of the most glorious
year recorded fa her annals. These
lntacre are enoush to bow that the
prtacipal pro?relve rommonwealths
of America have cadersone thi ex
perieare. and not only turvired, but
&re aad tar bea doic. pretty well,
thaak jou. It is oataral for some peo
ple to attribute Interested aad selash
moil re to evry actios that doe not
Bieet wita their approval, but I cau
astsre my imajriaative eritic that 1
am no mo-re influenced by a dre to
t ultimately rbo a vie? presldeat.
thta he i tavoriajc increased power
of our chfHf executive over coloata
po-Iat. ia the top of being one
day appointed Saltan of the Sulu il-
aad.
A Perils! Clristoas
For ten ) ar populism ts been th
rel?t force ia politics and govern
ment ia the United States. It ha re
organized parti and changed the
roar of government. One party took
Its plitform four yesr aeo aad last
year both it platform and It caai
date. The dominant party ha not
t,nly ba he'd ia check, tut it ha
lera forced to adept the chief idea of
populism, the increased coinage of sil
ver, aad h5 la part adopted it other
most, japortaat d-?maad and ltued an
istaseasiL- aocat of prper money, if
tec. year aro sayoae had euggetted to
th republican leaders the idea of
fealKjlag a government canal across
the isthmus they would have receiv4
th ugget5oa with ridicule. Now tl
whol party -coarrrsmer. asd sena
tor indorse that project, and they
arc all probably :&crely la favor of
it except the railroad corporation.
Whyatouid cot the popentts oa this
If
Chrlstmaa day rejoice over their most
magnificent triamph. The party
wa not orsanlied to get the ofScea,
but to ret legislation. What have we
sot? The largest increase In the
amoutit of money in circulation ever
made In the same length of time. An
Indorsement o? the principle of gov
ernment ownership. All that, and
more, have we secured in spite of the
opposition cf bank, railroad corpora
tion and the whole money power of
the world. Great advocates of our
principles are. appearing in most un
expected quarters. Bishop Potter
would probably faint if he was told
that he went down to New Haven and
made a first class populist speech. But
that is exact!) what he did do. It
seems also that we have an ex-president,
who, since the election, has been
out making populist speeches. Gen
eral Harrison went to Ann Arbor last
week and made a speech in which he
declared that the constitution applied
alike to the states and the territories
aad that It mast apply equally to all
the people within the jurisdiction of
the government, ; The view that the
constitution did not apply to "our new
possessions" he declared to be "shock
ing," and "wojli not endure discus
sion." He said that congress, the exe
cutive and the, judiciary were all
created by the constitution as the gov
erning agencies of the United States;
that their power are defined and lim
ited by the constitution, and that ev
ery liberty. Including that of uniform
taxation, is guaranteed to the widest
sweep of national sovereignty.
Did any one ever hear of more rank
populism than that? Did any populist
ever hope, four years a.o. to see an
ex-president out advocating populist
principles. But this ex-presldent did
more than that. He poked fun at the
McKinley republicans and said that he
iad noticed that the carrying of the
white mans burden always Included
the carrying of the brown man's gold.
Let every populist eat a big Christ
ma dinner and then go out and con
gratulate himself that populism is mo
difying the policies of this nation
faster than he had ever hoped that
they would.
Britain Defeated
The death grapple between British
diplomacy and American policy over
the Hay-Paunccfote treaty in the sen
ate resulted in the adoption of the
Davis amendment, by a vote of 63 to
17 the greatest defeat Great Britain
has suffered in many a year.. This
means that the Nicaragua canal Is to
be an American canal, and that the
U ailed States will close the inter
anlc highway to Its enemies in time
of war or keep It open, as may seem
best. Not only was the Davis amend
ment adopted by a vote so overwhelm
ing as to remove all doubt that the
Hay-Pauncefote treaty has become a
aatioaal Issue and that tlreat Britain
is now dealing with a nation and not
with any faction, but abundant evi
dence was given in the senate that the
treaty will be further amended until
every trace of British interference in
the affairs of this country hav.e been
destroyed.
If Great Britain refuses to accept
the terms of the United States sen
ate, speaking for the undivided Am
erican people, the Clayton-Bulwer
treaty will be at once abrogated.
AN INDIAN WAR
Colorado Has Its Annual Rig Indian
Cam paig-n and Come off Victor
ious as t'nal.
Every year out in Colo-ado they get
up an Indian scare, the militia is called
out. or the governor is asked to call
them out The cowboys and game war
dens mount their ponies and start to
the hills. Then blood-curdling tele
grams are sent to the governor and to
Washington, the air is full of rumors,
the women and children are fright
ened, the tendcrfeet start out of the
country, blood-thirsty savages are ev
erywhere seen lurking in tue bushes
with war paint smeared all over them,
signal fires are seen at night, and this
year it all ended up with a telegram
from the game warden, which said
"I have driven every Indian out of the
state." Then gentle peace returned
and the children did not cry them
selves to sleep at nlgut. any more and
the women were not afraid to go to
the spring to get a pall of water.
All thi is brought about every year
in Colorado on account of the law for
the protection of big game. In the
fali the Indians go out to hunt deer
and are accused of getting over into
Colorado" game preserves. The
thing wa a little more ridiculous this
year than usual and It Inspired the
editor of the Aspen Tribune to make
a suggestion for a remedy which had
a whole lot of merit. It was to ap
point Indian game wardens, with a
big Indian for chief commissioner, and
to bar white men from the game dis
tricts for a decade. The Tribune
backs up its suggestion with the irre
futable fact that the Indians hunted
for centuries at will and practically
supported themselves off the game, yet
that the animals Increased and multi
plied so that when the white man cams
on the ground the mountains and val
ley abounded with game. It is pret
ty hard to get away from the conclu
sion that the Indians know a great
deal more than white men about the
way to take care of game though I?
Is a cruel blow to the calm self-sufficiency
of the Colorado game wardens.
At a meeting in New York of the
owner of railroad stocks and bonds
the other day. the presidents who have
heretofore thought that they were
mighty men. came to the conclusion
that they mere of about the size of 30
cent. They finally became impressed
with the fact that they, too, were only
hirelings and if they wanted to con
tinue to draw their salaries, they must
obey the nods of the men of money as
well as the section hand?
THE OUTPUT OF GOLD
It 1 an Aatonfahment to the World Six
Ktliona Greater la the United States
Than the Record Breaking Year
of 1853.
The report of the director of the
mint on the gold and silver produc
tion during the calendar year 1899,
shows only slight variation from the
approximate figures given out early in
the present year. The final figures are
$71,053,400 for gold and $32,858,700 for
silver at its average commercial value
during the year. The gold product was
the greatest in the history of the coun
try, exceeding that of 1898 by $6,590,
400, and greater by $6,050,500 than the
estimated product of 1853, the record
year in the working of the California
placer mines. The principal gains in
1899 over 1898 were in Alaska $2,934,
700, due to the Cape Nome district;
Colorado, $2,787,500, and Utah $1,165,
400.
The silver product of the United
States. in 1899 was slightly greater
than in 1898, being 54,764,000 ounces,
against 54,438,000 ounces. The aver
age price for silver during the year on
the London quotations was 60 cents
an ounce, as compared with 59 cents
in 1898.
The following are the figures by
states and territories for the 1899 pro
duction as valued by the director of
the mint:
Silver
Gold Commercial
Value. Value.
Alabama $ 4,300 $ 60
Alaska 5,459,500
Arizona 2,566,100
California 15,097,800
Colorado 25,982,800
84,060
946,980
494,580
13,587,740
Georgia 113.000 240
Idaho 1,889,000
2,311,080
300
60
67,600
60
9,657,600
Maine
3,600
Maryland ..
Michigan . .
Missouri . .
800
100
100
Montana 4,760,100
Nevada
New Mexico . . .
North Carolina.
2,219,000 506,040
584,100 301,980
34,500 180
1,409,500 80,580
160,100 240
6,469,500 87,360
6,900 312,000
3,450,800 4,255,980
100
7,100 60
685,400 153,600
29,600! i 240
(Oregon
South Carolina.
South JDakota. .
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virgina
Washington ...
Wyoming
Totals $71,053,400 $32,858,700
The world's production of gold in
1S99 was of the value of $306,584,900,
an increase of $19,156,300 over the yield-
of 1898. The principal gains were
$6,590,400 in the United States,
$7,485,600 in Canada (mainly
In Klondike) and Australia $14,860,
800. The most important loss was in
Africa, which fell about $7,000,000 be
low the output of 1898 as a result of
the war in the Transvaal. The war
broke out in September and mining
operations in that field were almost
suspended.
But for the interruption in the
Transvaal the world's production for
the year would doubtless have been
$25,000,000 greater. TheKlondike out
put for 1899 was about $16,000,000.
The world production of silver in
1899 was $167,224,243 fine ounces,
asrainst $165,295,572 fine ounces in
1895.
Mexico leads and Mexico and the
United States produce two-thirds of
the silver yield of the world. The
world's industrial consumption of gold
Is estimated at, $72,658,500 and of sil
ver $24,595,600.
The value of the product of gold in
the world during the calendar year
1899:
By Countries. Gold. Silver.
United States.$ 71,053,400 $ 32,858,700
Mexico 8,500,000 33,367,300
Canada and New
foundland . 21,324,300 2,047,000
Africa 73,227,100
Australia 79,321,600 7,612,000
Russia 22,167,100 80,900
Austria-Hun . 1,943,900 1,137,300
Germany 74,200 3,745,200
Norway 100,100
Sweden 70,600 44.200
Italy 165,900 482,700
Spain 2,000 1,471,800
Portugal 4,700 2,300
Greece 795,600
Turkey 14,200 85,300
Servia 13,300 11,000
France 276,600
Great Britain. 58.800 111.900
Argentina . . .
Bolivia
Chili
Colombia
Ecuador
Brazil
Venezuela . . .
Guiana (Brit.)
Guiana (Dut.)
Guiana (Fr.).
Peru
Uruguay
Cent. Am....
Japan
China
Korea
E. Indies (Dut)
E. Indies(Br.)
India (Brit.).
137,700 230,100
68,500 6,506,400
893,600 2,852,800
1,809,500 . 2,112,900
47.900 4,600
2,149,500
1,089,300
2,040,500
587,600
1,688,700
628,000 2,833,600
34,400
584,200 - 554,800
790,800 996,100
5,574,400
1,459,000
117,600
425,100
8,517,500 ......
Totals
.$306,584,900 $100,321,100
Would Nat be Right
Editor Independent: Do you think
it would be the right course of action
for fusion representatives in congress,
men who have preached . during the
campaign that the war waged against
the Filipinos was a criminal war, and
who were elected by the votes of peo
ple who thought the war a crime, to
now vote for an army and for appro
priations to carry on that war, on the
ground that a majority of tha people
of the United States voted for the war?
It seems to us who believe the war a
crime now, as well as previous to elec
tion, that it would be the same, as for
an individual furnishing a man arms
to do a criminal act, and that the war,
if It must be carded on, should be
carried on by an army ana by approp
riatlons authorized by the votes of
members of congress . who place the
dollar above the man and commer
cial expansion above, liberty and life.
O. E. HARRIS.
Crete, Neb. f . " :
(The position, of The Independent
has been that the fusion forces in
congress . and tue ; state , legislature
should not engage in "factious opposi
tion" to republican measure, but that
is very far from advising that the, fu
sion forces should support such meas
ures by their votes. ' Let them register
their dissent by their votes, and if
opportunity is . given, expose the f al
lacy of them. But the people having
voted for such measures, they are en
titled to them. . Reason has no effect
upon most republicans. . They can only
be convinced by an actual, physical
demonstration. It is to the interest of
good government in the future that
they should have it.- Ed. Ind.)
The Hunter Nuisance
If our legislators want to merit and
receive the everlasting gratitude of the
farming population of this great coun
try, let them amend our-hunting laws
The quail should not be considered a
game bird at all, or should be special
ly protected at all seasons for a series
of years at least, for no bird is more
harmless and beneficial as a destroyer
of noxious insects and weed seeds. And
the open season for shooting all kinds
of game shouldJ be confined to wild
lands and open tracts of country. Why
should the "sportsman" have any
more right to invade my fields and
shoot my rabbits and quails than he
has to shoot my chickens and tur
keys? Is it not a national disgrace
that the laws of . our land are so loose
that a man cannot protect all the ani
mals within the borders of his own
private domains' from the ruthless at
tacks of soulless marauders? There
were perhaps a half dozen flocks of
quail hatched-and reared around our
place this season, and as , they have
for a number of years become pretty
nearly extinct, our farmers were great
ly pleased to see them returning. But
no sooner did the open season arrive
than the warfare began, and it was
"bang, bang, bang," from daylight till
dark, with mea and dogs in" line,
marching through orchard, meadow
and woodland, until the cheerful pip
ing of our quail is heard no more. If
the family cat, or a turkey or chicken
happen to stray a few rods away from
the hotise the chancss are that they,
too, will often fall a victim and help
to fill the game-hag of-some "smart"
sport. Several cases of wounded sheep
and cattle have come to my notice, and
altogether it is becoming an unbear
able nuisance. The only protection we
have at present is in posting up tres
pass - notices, and be it known they
have but very little effect. The hunt
ers well know that we have no power
to arrest and can rarely identify them.
If our laws would make all the game
within a man's enclosures his personal
property, and make it a finable offense
for outsiders to invade the grounds at
all seasons without written permission
of the owner, very little game would
be destroyed either in season or out.
If every farmer who suffers from this
wrong would write to his represntative
it is possible that it might be righted.
Isaac F. Tillinghast.
We'll Civilize 'em
An Indianapolis paper recently pub
lished a letter written by Custer Hen
derson of St. Bernice, Ind., who is
serving in the Philippines, in which.
among other things, he says: "Last
October there were brought here from
China about 800 of the lowest type of
Chinese women, and they are installed
in houses, some for officers and some
for private soldiers. The worst of it
is these houses are all decorated in
side with the stars and stripes and at
night the streets are a mass of . howl
ing, drunken, half-naked women and
American soldiers."
We have just started to civilize the
poor heathen. Wait till we finish the
job. This may be expected as a nat
ural consequence of a policy of con
quest and plunder. It will not be sur
prising Jf within a few years the same
conditions prevail in "our new posses
sions" that mark the sway of England
in India. The Toiler.
Pauper Farmers
The pauper farmers who have a
pull, "will soon begin to receive from
their congressmen their gifts of seeds
for which the farmers who are not
paupers will pay. Our paternal gov
ernment annually gives away 24,000,
000 packets of garden seeds and tens
of thousands of dollars worth of flow
er aad .field seeds. The specifications
call :f or 241,000 pounds of lettuce, on
ionrcucumber, beet, radish and melon
seeds and 15,000 bushels of sugar corn
peas and beans, v besides many thou
sand pounds and bushels of other
products,, some oi which have a claim1
to value for food or ornamental pur
poses, and much of which can only
be TightfulTy denominated as trash.
It Struck Him
"The Polk County Independent, which
bears the sub-title "a republican news
paper," last week printed the follow
ing editorial:
"The editor of this paper is a lawyer
but he does not need to tell the peopls
of Polk county that he has had a
howling success in this profession, "for
McKinley prosperity has driven him
out of business, as the receipts, from
his profession for the past two months,
if invoiced in a careful, businesslike
way, would not . buy. a postage stamp
therefore he made up nis mind to go
into the newspaper business and starve
o death." . . .,
PATRIOTISM
As Defined by Th Modern Imperialist It
is the Moat Displeable Thing Known .
to Mankind
Tolstoi has recently written a book
entitled "Patriotism and Government"
In it he discusses this modern idea of
patriotism which says: "My country,
right or wrong." The great philos
opher insists that this sort of patriot
ism is the very worst of human pas-'
sions. We can see its effects upon the
American people. - The Incontestible
facts , of history, now known to all
men, are that before Admiral Dewey
sailed from Hong Kong he cabled the
American consul at Singapore to have
Aguinaldo meet him at Hong Kong.
The two, met there, and by arrange
ment Aguinaldo proceeded to Manila
to raise the Filipino standard and co
operate with Dewey in the conquest of
the Spanish forces. That more than
30,000 Filipinos rallied to Aguinaldo's
call, and that this Filipino army did
all the fighting and conquering on land
that was done, until the taking of
Manila, which was by prearrangement
with the Spanish general the Spanish
forces to put up only resistance enough
to make a show of defense that the
Spanish might not be disgraced when
they returned to Spain. That the Fili
pinos thus rallied and fought in ex
pectation of their own independence
which expectation was in nowise dis
couraged by the American officials at
Manila or Washington. That the fight
ing ended with the occupation of Ma
nila, and was ' followed with nego
tiations ending in the treaty of peace.
That by the treaty, the United States
bought from Spain its overthrown sov
ereignty over the islands, and with
that as its warrant notified the Fili
pinos that their further struggle for
independence was fruitless; that the
United States had bought them, owned
them and they must submit to the new
master instead of the one that had
just sold them Not helng willing to
yield their independence, the United
States proceeded to kill them with bul
lets and sword and bayonets, and to
lay waste their cities until, overawed,
those who succeeded in living might
submit to American rule. And the war
is yet eoing on.
Tha t is the work .that this things that
the imperialists call patriotism has
forced the American people to do. In
Germany It forces every male citizen
upon -arriving at the age of twenty-one
years to enter the army and there re
main for three years. In-France prac
tically the same law prevails. In Rus-
e fa the same-r3iffering only in de
tails. This is slavery in Its most de
testable form. For three years v the
citizen Is absolutely subject to the dic
tatorship of a multitude of petty ofll-
cers; the silgntest iorm or aisooea-
ience is punished with Imprisonment,
and what in civil life would be no of
fense at all is often punishable with
death.
This same sort of patriotism will
force a hundred thousand American
citizens into perpetual slavery in a
regular army in the United States,
that is. if the bill passes the senata
that was recently rushed through the
house. A hundred thousand Ameri
cans who must obey every wish and
nod of petty officers, do any sort of
service on pain of death which may
be imposed , upon I them. A hundred
thousand American '- youths, trans
formed from free men to a slavery
more onerous than that to which the
African slave was ever subjected and
all in the name of patriotism. This
sort of natriotism has become a fren
zy in all the Christian nations of the
world. It is preached from the pul
pits and eulogized in the parlors.
This thing caned patriotism is
worth studying for a while. It elected
McKinley. It defeated the reform
forces. "It saddled upon this country a
ereat standing army, a great navy and
a congress that appropriates the peo
ple's money by the billion. Yes, it Is
worth investigation. What is it? Shall
it form the policies and rule the peo
ple of this country for generations yet
to come? Or shall it be aenouncea ior
the cruel and wicked thing that it
really is?
CANAL CAN WAIT
Philippine Wars, Great Standing Armies
Immense Navies all Come High
and the People Can Wait for a "
Kioarugua Canal.
Washington, D. C, Dec. 14. The re
publicans want to get a lot of busi
ness out of the way before congress
takes a recess for the holidays.
The ship subsidy bill got by the
house easily enough, but Hanna is
worried about its progress in the sen
ate. ,
Just think what a howl would be
raised if it were proposed to pay tho
farmers of this country nine millions
a year "to encourage agriculture." Im
agine the derision that would be ex
cited, by paying the bulk of the sub
sidy to those already owning farming
land and paying .it without regard to
the amount of the crop or whether one
was raised at. all or not
The subsidy would encpurage lazi
ness among those who already owned
farming land, but it wouldn't encour
age improved methods in order "to
grow bigger crops and it, would en
courage poor men to go from the cities
to take up farming. .
Queer, isnt it how quickly the sub
sidy bubble would be punctured by the
common sense of the people if It ap
plied to anything on -land. But just
make it shipping subsidy and thi
whole thing gets out of the grasp of
the average voter.
There is a big English firm trying
to obtain an Interest in one of the
chief ship-building concerns in this
country. : English capital scents the
value of subsidies from afar. Imagine
subsidizing the American laborer in
addition to his daily .wages in order to
protect him from foreign competition.
How. very dreadful it would seem to
all the economists and business men.
But when it comes to a subsidy on
shipping, of course that's different.
One of the arguments made by the
subsidy people is that they would
have vessels ready for government use
in case of war. If they did it would be
at a very high price. The subsidy
would be forgotten then.
During the Spanish war the govern
ment bought hundreds of vessels from
private owners at about four times
their real value. Instead of keeping
them for. transport seryice, they were
sold back again at ridiculously low
figures and now some of the same ves
sels are being rented at an exorbitant
price. It costs $12,000 a day for the
rental of vessels in the Pacific trans
port service.
: .As to the iMcaragiian canal, that's
another matter. If our Philippine war
and our. new standing army and our
fighting navy come too high, why the
dear people can just wait for their
canal. That's a purely commercial
measure any way and cannot be ex
pected to engage the attention of an
imperialist administration just now.
EVA M'DONALD VALISH.
; Principal Imports
The transport Hancock arrived at:
San Francisco on Monday from Manila
with the bodies of l,500 American sol
diers and sailors who had died in bat
tle or from disease. The number of
corpses was increased on the . voyage
by the death of eleven of the three
hundred and odd sick' soldiers aboard
who' had been invalided home. The
transport Grant is following the Han
cock across the Pacific with 250 more
bodies." Many otner similar gruesome
cargoes preceded these and many oth
ers will follow. Steamship holds
filled with - dead Americans are our
principal import from the Philippines.
Is the game worth -the candle? It
doesn't 'matter so mucn about the $12.
000,000 or $14,000,000 - a month the
United States is spending to carry on
the war. The country can stand that.
But the loss of lives and the much
greater loss in men permanently in
fected with Oriental diseases is a cruel
drain on the life blood of the nation.
The shiploads of dead are the har
vest of imperialism; They are a sacri
fice to the s craze for forcible aggres
sion which takes the place of the
greedy idol, Baal, into whose brazen
furnaces the ancients used to cast
thousands cf children. We regard the
ancients as murderous lunatics. Den
ver News. '-- ! -
WOULD ROB THE STATE
An Attempt to Enter the State Capitol
i Building to Loot the Treasury.
Wednesday night ; an attempt was
made to rob the state treasury. At
about 3 o'clock: a, general alarm was
turned in from the'capitol and the en
tire police force and the sheriff hast
ened to the building. They found the
night watchman and one of "the jani
tors in a state of excitement, the
watchman having just exchanged
shots with two or three men who had
left without ceremony. The windows
of the office of the state treasurer were
open and the rooms were in some con
fusion. A candle was found, and a
stout cement sack, bearing the name
of a Ft. Dodge, Ia.; plaster firm. A
small chisel was found near the win
dow in the vault room.
F. M. Good, , the night watchman,
said that in his usual rounds of the
building he turned In the A. D. T. call
box, which he pulls hourly, at 2:45 a.
m.v This box is 'on the door of the
treasurer's office. 'A' few minutes after
ringing in he sat down on the stairs
in the corridor when 'he heard some
thing fall in the treasurer's office.
Thinking that perhaps Mr. Meserve
was around to test the efficiency of
the watch service Mr. Good lay with
ear to the bottom of the door until
he heard sounds that convinced him
that robbers were in the room.
Making up bis mind that the rob
bers had entered through the base
ment and that he could cut them off
in that way Mr. Good slipped around
to the stairway and started down to
the basement Just a3 he turned the
corner down the basement steps he
heard a man shout:
"Hold up your hands."
" He pulled himself back just in time
to escape a bullet that cut . through
his coat lapel and made a hole In the
wall at his side. It required but a
moment to turn out the gas jet in the
stairway. He then heard a sound of
some one running in the basement,
and as it was dimly lighted , took a
wing shot at a man as he rushed past
the stairway to ward, the west. r
- Good then listened, but hearing no
further sounds, decided to go to the
A. D. T. box and turn in an alarm.
Just ashe entered the corridor on the
first floor he heard a sharp command
to hold up his hands. Again he
jumped back and again he dodged a
bullet He had his own revolver out
all this time, and quickly fired a shot
down the corridor towatd the east. Af
ter that nothing more was heard". The
alarm was turned in and in a short
time the office was swarming with
officers who were ready to follow any
clue that might present itself. . ;
Further investigation will be made
today and if a proper trail can be
found the blood hounds will be put
to: use in pursuing the guilty parties.
The Dixon County Socialist is no
more. . It has accomplished its mis
sion the defeat of the greatest of
patriots of the nineteenth century.
Born of republican parentage and sup
ported by republican trust funds and
operated by one who had claimed to
-be one of Bryan's most devoted ad
mirers, it has died the death of the
unrighteous, to add a few paltry, Judas
dollars to his purse. If there" is any
consolation, and satisfaction in' such
deals it must be found in the wind of
a base traitor. Dixon County Leader.
TELLING THE TRUTH
How
Banking la Dona The Difference
' Between Checks and Paper Money
Issued by the BankS.
Secretary Gage got a truthful mood
upon him and made a speech before
other day in which he gave them some
instruction in banking. The readers
of The Independent can make use of
it by showing it to republicans who
hav.e been in the habit of claiming that
bank deposits represented just so much ,
money. They will remember how tho
great gold bug sage of Nebraska' City
triumphantly- announced that there
was over a million of dollars deposited
by the farmers in the banks in his
county and to prove it cited the bank
probably did not know any better,
The Independent recommends thi
speech by Secretary Gage for studyx
by those who aro unacquainted withV
banking. Only part of it is published V
.here for , the truthful mood of the
secretary, aia not noia out until ne
got through and he went off making
a plea for the issue of paper money by
the banks ! based unon their asseta.
That is not only rank heresy upon any
sound theory of banking, but an ex
hibition of financial nonsense never
excelled by John Law himself. Mr.
Gage said:
It is estimated that, taking the coun
try as a whole, 80 to 85 per cent (this
estimate is 30 per cent too large. Ed.
Ind.) of all transfers of property and
payment of debts are accomplished by
the use of checks and drafts, without
the useof actual money. Speaking..
broadly, bank deposits, with, their
cessory bank checks and drafts, fo
mucn tne larger part or our Dan
money. They at least perform in
large way the same function whi'
paper money performs in a small wa;
But let us get away for a moment f ro
glittering generalities and bewilderir!
figures to a concrete and simple fal
which may show how the bank
serves, how he takes responsibility 1
serving, and how he finds profit
serving the community.
Mr. A. is a man of some propw
and of good character. He ownf
mill, a furnace or a farm. To prj
cute his business he must buy raw I.
terial and hire labor. His cap!
available for these purpcBes la at tii.
insufficient He applies to the bankeY'
for a loan. The banker consents to .his
request and a transaction takes pLixe.
What is that transaction? Generilly
this: ,The borrower gives his nolo to
the .banker for a given sum, payable at
fvf" . with . -In fntnrec
f
TV with. an interest atri'ee-
mcr Inserted. The banker In
ref iB to the borrower a crudi:
uj , ,.joks for a like amount. The
wtftfi1 Tiling is equivalent to a con
tract wherein the banker says: "Prom
ise to pay me a certain sum at an
agreed date aad I will discharge - or
pay any checks you may at all times,
within the limit of my claim against
you,' draw upon me." You will see
that there Is thus created an enormous
credit fund against which checks and
drafts are daily drawn in the conduct
of daily business affairs.
The clearing-house reports of the
principal cities show a weekly volume
of about $1,500,000,000 of this kind of
Instruments of exchange. Reduced to
a dally average, we discover a con
stant floating volume of about $200,
000,000 or $250,000,000. The total credit
available fund subject to check is rep
resented 4 by bank deposits, and theso
amount to about $4,500,000,000.
We have now come to a point where
I desire your particular attention, nln
granting these credits, to be utilized
through the medium of checks and
drafts, the banker Is essentially free
to this extent, namely, he is not
obliged to furnish any kind of guar
anty that he will pay his dealers
checks, even if found. good upon hia
books. And yet, as we have . sen,
there exists, through the influence of
the banker's credit, a constant genor.il
average fund of $4,500,000,000 avail
able for the transfer of property, und
that to the extent of $200,000,000 or
$250,000,000 every day In the y5ar,
theso credits are used for '.the .pur
poses indicated. But there are pur
poses for which the banker's credits,
available only by the use of checks and
draft3, do not and can not meet the
needs of the public. For purchaseti at
small and remote points, where bank
ing facilities do not exist; for the pay
ment of wages, and for many of the
smaller purposes of business life, act
ual money, In moderate denominations,
either In the form of gold silver or pa
per currency, is essential. An illus
tration will serve to Indicate what I
mean. . Along the Atlantic coast In
the numerous tide waters of rivers,
bays and Inlets, thousands of men ore
engaged in gathering the food of th-a
sea. The products of their toil taey
bring to some one of the main ftta
tlons; where buyers for the markets
are to be found, and there they ex
change their commodities for cash In
hand. Needs not dissimilar e:tist
through the cotton fields of the south,
the corn and wheat belts of the west
and the mining regions of the moun
tains. vIf the needs of the commercial
community in the centers and towns
supplied by the use of drafts and
check are. larger, the needs of those
communities to which I have Just re
ferred; are not less important. We
have seen how: bank credits, available
through checks and drafts, supply
commercial necessities. We. have now
to observe that in the wide field whe-i
curreny or paper money is essential,
the bank credit is powerless. That Is
to say, the conditions of law under
which the bank may extend credit to
its dealers by-issuing to him its own
notes payable on demand, are entirely
different, from the conditions undei
which: it may give, him credit upon its
books, to be availed of by checks und
drafts. Yet there is no difference in
principle.; between the two. In the
one case the banker says . In effect:
"Draw-your , checks on me a3 under-
