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About Harrison press-journal. (Harrison, Nebraska) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1900)
A ROBBERY. ATTORNEY GENERAL'S SEVERE REPORT AGAINST Building and Loan Associations and Insurance Companies Are De nounced as Robbery. I Moines, la.. Feb. 27 In the re port of Attorney General Remecy, marit al the suggestion of the senate, on the building and loan and Insurance com panies, the charge Is mail that the most fraudulent methods are In com monuse, and It is declared that the present law are not sufficient to pre vent such infringements of the stat ute. Coni-erning the evils of building end loan --oinpanles, the attorney gen eral sayti. In part: WOODS FULL. OF COMPLAINTS. ''The evils are many and grievous. The many con-plaint received from all pane of the atate'of the wrongs, the :linppoirrment, the sorrows occasion ed by confidence In the promises of building uid loan assoi tations In a strong, i'gument. at .-aKt. that llu-re la something radically wrong with t he system. The complaints come from borrowers largely and from borrowing; meratiew who wish to withdraw their stock. It if no common tiling; to find i party Joying a given sum monthly for four t.r live years on his stock who wishes to withdraw from the asso ciation a much money he has paid thereto, nd this, too, In spite of the ussurani" lint the association has ben di-darin dildeml of I') per cent, 12 l-er cent or It pr cent. With Home associations a. sysV-m of fines and for fcaturcs has Iw-en adopted which bears heavily upon the unfortunates who arc unable to continue the payment upon their stock. I have jet to find u case i. tuns the prombes and representa tions made at the time the Mock was taken have ever been fully tilled, nor have I found a borrower who felt that le obtained money at a cheip rate of Interest, and that his connection with n building and loan association lias been other than disastrous. MONrlY LENT OKI!.- TAKE ADVAN TAGE. "It Is) a patent fact, and cannot be disputed, that under the plan of build ing and loan ass tations as now op erated; under the law, capitalists have taken advantage of the law to secure exorbitant Intel est on their investments and that, too. at the expense of the very persons the law Is Intended to benefit and protect. "Many of tin? domestic building and loan associations, however, show the l-xpenei to be far In excess of the amount received for the expense fund, hleh is in my judgment a. violation of the law. Other associations have made Investments of funds In a manner not authorized by law, which jeopardizes not only the earning capacity of the homebullders' fund, but also the prin cipal which he ha paid In from his savings. Other associations fall to show the amount of the salaries of their officers, but report thousands of dollars 'of traveling expenses, ollice help, etc., which aggregate the full amount of exis-tn" dues, one associa tions masks altogether under the title of sundries' over $40,000 of unclassified disbursements. Home association pay large aiarles, far In excess of the serv ice, rendered, ft seeming to be the prob lem hoar best to -pluck the gonose with out making It squawk.' " ' RF-MEDIKS St'OOKSTKIK On the question of remedies the at torney general suggests: 1. The law should forbid any part of the principal paid In by the stockholder to be used for exponas. 2. There should !e a limit upon the expenses of the association. 3. A guarantee stock or preferred stock under any and all names which receives a fixed dividend, whether prof its have Ix-en earned or not. thould be entirely eliminated. 4. The power to impose lines and for feitures upon persons who fall to pay the installments on their stock ought to he removed. 5. The repeal of the statute exempting- building and loan companies from thf law governing usury. 6. Th executive council ought to be given more plenary jKiwern, Including the power to revoke the certificate au thorizing' the association to do business. 7. The repeal of chapter 4. leaving all parties In their original contractual re lations'. AS TO INSURANCE COMPANIES. Concerning Insurance companies trn rcpyirt of the attorney general Is nearly a4wlslvo ns in the case of the hulld !jjr and loan companies. The greatest evil, he declares, Is that companies, many of them, are not compelled to submit their articles or Incorporation and methods of doing business to the state auditor for examination. The slate pretends to control many companies, which, in fact, It does control, and grievoun wrongs nre Inflicted thereby. The law Is not sufficiently explicit find comprehensive to prevent the compa nies from carrying on business contrary to law and public policies. There are all kinds of companies under all kinds of names and without proper regula tions. Ills profits are estimated and little ones accrue to the pollr y. holder. In concluding" on the Insurance compa ny vll the attorney general says: MAKES A MAN SICK. "The Etory of wrongs pcrp traied upon honest, slmplctnlnded, contlditig people which continually come to this office at the time make me wish I had ln born without sympathies or had not been honored by being chosen at torney general. Common honesty de mands that the state should control life Insurance companies doing husl hea In the state, lit fact, or cease to i i pretend to do so," j Along1 the line of remedies tho atlor-1 ney general says: '. All articles of Incorporation should bmjiubmltted to the auditor and ultor nefl general for approval. "1 All companies w hich make nssess 4mVta on the members or by a so-ralh-d ail-ty clause reserve the right to make assessments, should, by statute, be pro hlbitert from Issuing so-called paid-up policies, limited payment policies and rrom accumulating a fund to be paid hock to the members ss dividends, dis tribution of surplus or endowments In any form. , , . "jr. All forms of policies should he ubmltted to the auditor for his ap proval. ... "i All policies which require the pay ment of a fixed premium should be made non-foifeltable after two annual payments. ... "5, Any company publishing false or misleading statements ss to the nature f the buslneaa It contracts , or ss to Ita ability to fulfill contracts shall for feit Ita rlfht to do business " A $200.000 SUIT. Attorney General Smyt' Make, An other Attempt. Omaha. Neb.. Feb 27. -Th case of Ihe state of Nehiaska against th Omaha .National bank will .mi be or, trial again in the dfliict court of D ..us. las county. This is a suit Instituted by Attorney General Smyth in. beha'f of the state against the Omaha National bank to recover a portion of the hundreds ol thousands of dollars slol-n from the state treasury by ex-Slate Treasurer Joseph S. Hartley, , doing time In the penitentiary. Nebraskans will re member that when the Capital National bank of Lincoln failed several years ago that the state lost In the wreck many thousands of dollars. Included in this loss was, in round figures, jm.OoO of money belonging to the sinking fund. In ordr to reimburse this fund the cg. Islature passed a bill directing the state treasurer to transfer that amount of money from another fund to that of the sinking fund. The whole transaction was merely tho making of a couple of entries n simp bookkeeping. lint Instead of doing that. State Treasure!' Hartley at-onee made ot-t a claim to himself, an an individual, had It ap proved by ex-State Auditor Kug.-ne Mooie and his deputy, August H-d-lund (a line, pair to draw to), and these two worthies then drew a warrant In favor of Hartley us an Individual for the HSU.fwo. This warrant Hartley hur riedly brought over to Omaha, and Joe Millard, the president of the Omaha Na tional bank, negotiated its sale to or through the Chemical National bank of .New York City. The proceeds from the sale of this bogus warrant was placed to the pri vate account of Battiev in the Omaha National bank, ami the money after wards was cheeked ( . . hll ,lt va. rlous times and fur all ports of pur poses. Following close in the wak- of tills sweet-scented thievery In high life, the popocrats elected I heir state ticket, and a day or two before ex-Treasuier Hart ley was to turn his olliee over to State Treasurer Mcserve he slipped over to Omaha and gave President Millaid of the Omaha National Hank his chek as treasurer on state funds to redeem the warrant then held by the Chemical National bank, and which had be-n sent back to the Omaha National bank for rolb-cii,,;,. with int -ivst, which then, all told, amounted to a little- over .'im, 0O0. The suit against tne Omaha National bank Is now to compel this bank to re store to the state the stolen money. It Is charged that the president of the Omaha National bank knew that it was participating In a grossly fiaudulent transaction. That the bank olMcials knew full well of the action of the leg islature, and it manifest intention; that they knew that the state could not possibly owe Hartley any such fab. ulous sum In fact that the Omaha Na tional bank officials were parties to the crime, and for that reason the bank should be made to disgovge the J.'OtUJoO. The case was tried once before in Judge linker's court, and the bank won, but the attorney general carried the case up to the supreme court and had 1 1 if? decision of the lower court reversed and the case remanded for a new trial. For the past week or so the light has been over before which of the district Judges shall the new trial he had. The bank has won this ixjint, and the at torney general is forced to go to trial Ik-fore Judge liaker, a Judge selected by the bank to hear Its case. These transactions are of Importance to the people throughout the state, and Is but one Illustration of the rottenness that existed and for which they ate tailed upon by taxation to foot the bills. Attorney Ceneral Hrnylh has a rocky load to travel in this case. He Is op posed by the ablest lawyers arid spe cialists In other things which money ran buy. The position of the bank Is that It Is not llabl" that they acted In accordance with the rules of good hanking, etc. If this contention be sus tained by tin' courts Vmd approved by other bankers, then every crook who dials in slate warrants and money should come to Omaha, Neb., and hold one gigantic Jubilee meeting and pre. pare for prosperous times. INDIA'S HORRIBLE PLIGHT. Plague and Starvation Threaten One of England's Dependencies. Loudon, Feb. 27. The plague In In dia continues virulent. There were 5S3 victim In Homliay City during the week ending February IS. With over OUtOO.OOi) op.; affected by the famine and only about , 4.G00,0ot) In receipt of relief, India seems in a bad plight, tho' the death rales over the 5.rA"ot) square miles of Ihe famine area are decreas ing. The Indian government has Issued a tesoliition approving; Prof. HafTkln's anti-plague Inoculation and the viceroy, Ijord Curzori, Is advocating Its use In India and Is (laying high tribute to th'r professor. The spectator, which often voices Ihe government's view, claims It Is to Oreat Britain's advantage to have the I'nited States Interests to fortify the Nicar agua canal, and the idea that Oreat p.rltaln Is against such action Is a de lusion. The Spectator adds: "If America osks us to Rive up the clause foi bidding the fortification, we ought to and most certainly should at once agree to do so." The Spectator, however, points out lhat other poweis might not be willing, for though Oreat Britain In effec has acknowledged the validity of the Mon. roe doctrine, the rest of the world hus not. ' The Hev. F. H. Nash of Newark. ()., has written a long- letter to the Sat urday Itevlew, based on a recent cable letter of the Associated Press, main taining that the bulk of the American opinion sympathizes w ith the finer and expressing the belief that Oreat Britain has forsaken her role of defender ol freedom during the present war. 1'ASSKS A IU'RNINf VKHSFL. New York, Feb. 27. Shipping men fear that the crew of the 1, 090-ton un known hark which the American shli Manuel I.laguna saw on f!r tit sen. has been lost. This belief is strengthened by Ihe report of the Ward line steamer OlctifucRos, now In this port. Her log shows that on Febtu.iiy H she passed close to n lull on which was n lot of clolhlng and blankets. The I.higuna arrived here February 10. from Il-mg Kong, and saw the unknown vi-s.'el on fire .lanuaiy ttfl. She was burning fierce 1 yfore and nft, and was consumed ti the water's edge. The I.lagumi first saw the burning vessel at midnight, and reached a point to the leeward ol her at 4 a. m January JD. She roult find no ign of life. BEN. CnOflJE FIGHTS IMS WAV THROUGH THE BRITISH LINES. IS UNEXPECTED NEWS Great Brltlan Has Been Waiting the Past Few Days to Hear of the Boer's Surrender. Berlin, Feb. 24.-6:02 p. m. Several newspaper here announce" that they learn from private sources that Cen eral Cronje has succeeded in forcing his way through the British lines. WANT IT. HCT DON'T (JET IT. London. The dispatch from Paarde bufg, dated Thursday, February 22, made public this afternoon, shows that the condition of General Cronje, appar ently, had not changed for the better or worse up to Thursday, and confirma tion of the Ourlian report, announcing Oeneial Crenje's surrender, Is eagerly awaited. At tills hour the war office has no news, and 11 Is regarded as a curious fact that the Hist news of the surren der. If true, should have come from Durban. Lacking better authority, the Durban dispatch Is regarded as a very doubtful announcement. The announce ment of the British supply column at I'aardcherg may have given Genera! Huberts the opportunity to resume his lierce attack on General CronJe's laa ger, for, doubtless, he could not keep up the vigorous cannonade with which lie stalled. Possibly the long wait may be due to a determination to endeavor to starve out General CronJe's gallant force. Other lale Paardcberg dispatches say the lioeis' plight is still hopeless, and that Lord Huberts Is ready to meet all their reinforcements. From General Bullcr there is nothing new, but tl.' retreat of General Cronje seems to be having an effect on the Cape Boers, as a Dordrecht dispatch, dated Fi-htuary 22. says they have open have opened negotiations for submis sion. General Brabant Is treating with them, and in deference to the wishes of the governor of Cape Colony, Sir Alfred Mllner. Is offering lelnent terms, in the meanwhile ceasing offensive operations. A special dispatch from Arundel, un der date of February 23, says: "The Boers have a strong force seven miles west of here. General Clements has kept up a searching fire on their kopjes. We expect to lake their position before sunset." At war bulletin published in Pretoria. February 22, said communication with General Cronje was stil lopen February 21, and that reports of heavy fighting occurring east of General CronJe's laa ger have been received. A Sterksirmim dispatch of February 23 says a British refugee from Heidel berg asserts that the Boers have nd mltted losing roo men In the assault on Lady-smith, January 0. and that It was true that General Joubert was no lon ger in command. He admitted that some Fiee Staters were publicly flogged for cowardice ufter the battle of Bel mont. THINKS IT i.YlPHOBABLF.. Spencer Wilkinson, summarizing the events of the week in South Africa for the Associated Press, said; "On the night of Thursday, February 1.1, General Cronje marched out from Mager.sfontein between General French, who had just entered Kimlierby, ami General Kelly-Kenny, then at Kllfdrifl, on the Moririer river. The next clay General Kelly-Kenny pursued him un til the Highland brigade was on Its way to stop him on the south bank of the JI odder and General French could pars him on the north bank. "After a three-days' running fight General Cronje was stooped at Koo doosrand, near Fahrdeberg, where he was surrounded. His force was be tween the river bank, which gave him a defensive position facing either way, so that attacks on him involved heavy loss, but he was held until on Tuesday, Ivirri Hoberts arranged to grip him with a girdle of Infantry In his position, while cannonading him with fifty guns, enfilading the river bed. In the mean time Lord Hoberts. with a spare divi sion or two beyond the three brigades holding Cronje, set himself to intercept and drive away any Boer reinforce ments. "This was the siluatioti on Wednes day, and It offered reasonable proba bility of the capture of CronJe's force and of the defeat of any reinforcements W e have little news beyond Wednesday. On Thursday the shelling of Cronje was oiitinued hi Intervals, continuous shell ing probably Involving a too lavish use of ammunition. The Boers have been giving themselves up by fifties a day. on Tuesday Lord Hoberts drove off re. Inforcemenls coming from Coleslicrg, and from Natal. "A Berlin report declares that Cronje had forced his way through. This is Improbable, but may icier to a small party who may have escaped In the night. "Lord Roberts' advance has drawn a way some of the liner forces from Colesberg. Sterksclroom nnd Natal, as Is seen from tin- diminished resistance to the British attacks at these poiiils. General Bulli r. after taking Inhlawe hill, has recrossed Ihe Tugela river, and, according to tho latest telegrams, has 1 ecu lighting continuously since Thursday morning. This looks like a decided attempt to relieve Ladysnilth, wherein I expect General Culler will succeed, if he docs not, as. before, In terrupt his advance by stopping to count bis losses and declaring that he has lost enough. A general has never lost enough to Justify the giving up of his enterprise, so long as his troop are willing to go on with him. Lady smith can probably hold out for sev eral weeks longer, and In that time the effect of Lord Hoberts' advance will probably be even more marked thutv It has yet been." BREAK IN GUM COMBINE. One of the Clg Factories Bocomos An Industrial Insurgent. Indianapolis, I ml.. Feb. 27. Leo nnd Louis .Meyer have organized a stock company for Hie manufacture of chew lug gum. They control the Kiss-Me brand, and have Just withdrawn from Hie A luetics Chicle company. Thry have several propositions for a factory site, stid say they will employ VA) wo men nnd glils, and will have their pro duct ready for the market by June 1. Until then they will register their brands and furnish an entirely new product. They say their enterprise will be In no way connected with any trust or combine. NOT ALL ON CRONJE. Boer Hopes Do Net All Depend On His Victory or Defeat. New York, Feb, 26. Philip Louton Wessels, who recently arrived In thi Ity from South Africa, lived for years on his father's estate at Koodoosrand, where General Cronje is surrounded by the British forces under Lord Robert and General Kitchener. He gave a plain statement of the situation as he viewed it on the light of (he dispatches and his knowledge of the country. Mr. Wessels is here, on a semi-official mission from the Orange Free State. The Herald man saw him at the head quarters of the South African repub lics, No. 141 Broadway. He drew- a map of the Modder river country south east of Kimberley, and indicated on It Lord Huberts' base at Jaeobsdaal and Cronje' position on the Bloemfonlein road, near Koodoosrand. "Although the dispatches state that General Cronje Is surrounded and his troops are outnumbered about 5 to I," said Mr. Wessels. "I do not believe that he will surrender. He knows that re inforcements are on the way, and the only question is whether his rations and ammunition will last until help arrives. "He occupies a very strong position If he Is at Koodoosrand. 1 know- the country well and it forms a natural defense. There is a deep ravine in the center, with sides rising precipitately, and there is plenty of water. North of Koodoosrand is an open country, with a few small hills. "There are trees along the banks of the Modder river and several small pieces of forest north of the stream. The country south of the' Modder is rolling, with sonic hills 3W or 400 feet high. "Judging from dispatches Ihe Brit lsl troops surrounding the Boers are strung out in a circle about thirty miles across. This being the case the cordon Is not a very strong one, and with the mobility of General CronJe's force It would not be surprising if he broke through or If relief force smashed the British line. "I estimate CronJe's strength at 9,000 to 10,'KHi men. The British are said to number 4.",00n. When it Is considered that the Boers are fighting one man to five, that their laager Is surrounded and the British by the use of lyddite shells for their artillery, it will be seen that the stand Cronje is making is one of the most remarkable in history. "If the reports we receive are true, his losses must he appalling, and as his artilery does not reply, it may be am munition is scarce, and lhat the he roic hand arc- deliberately sacrificing their lives to stay the progress of the British troops. "CronJe's surrender would be a ca lamity, but It would by no means end the war. The men with Cronje are mostly from the Free State. They are burghers, who own their farms and are In good circumstances. They are the best men we have In the field, and we would be sorry to lose the aid of 10,000 of them. But reinforcements are being rushed into the country through which Lord Hoberts must pass to reach Bloc nifonteln. "Our men will oppose the Rrllish ad vance as men will when they are fight ing for their homes. We have better marksmen than the British, and if we had an equal number of field guns they could never conquer us." Mr. Wessels said that the war Is causing much suffering among the wo men and children In the Transvaal and the Orange Free slate, and thus con tributions from this country for the aid of the widows and, orphans would bf most acceptable. ENGLISH CATHOLIC JIN60ES. Duke of Norfolk Leading; a Revolt Against the Vatican. London, Feb. 27. English Catholles.ln obedience to the demands of the Jin goes, are arranging to formally disasso ciate themselves with the Vatican or gan, Osservator Homano, which stead fastly denounces the war. There w ill be a special meeting of the Catholic union, under the presidency of the duke of Norfolk, to pass a resolution denounc in gtlie journal and disclaiming sym pathy with its views. A movement is also afoot to deprive of employment the Dutch orchestra en gaged at one of the London theaters. These manifestations accomplish litUe toward checking Father Kavanagh, the eloquent priest recruiting in Ireland. He delivered a lecture in Dublin Friday on "England's l.'njust Wars," in the course of which he said he deplored the silence of his clerical brethren on the morality of the war. He would never, regret that he had raised his voice to warn Irishmen agninst taking part In it. The Copnaught Hangers were worthy of their masters and de served the worst that could befall them, lie added: "Ireland would have no tears to shed for the Connaughts. While waiting for freedom Irishmen should prepare by keeping alive a national spirit which would make Impossible such a mon strous thing as regiments of Connaught Kangeis, Munster Fuslleers or Dublin Fuslleers doing Knglanri's butcher work." Kxhibitons of jingo violence are grow ing rather than diminishing here. The mobbing of Prof. Tllle, a German lec turer at Glasgow university, by 300 stu dents, Is one of Ihe latest manifesta tions, in that case, however, the action of the students is rather deprecated by the jingo press, because of a desire not to offend Germany. Prof. Tille's offense was the sending of extracts from tho anti-war papers hero to the German Journal, Die Woche. ANOTHER TRUST IN 6LASSWARE. Housekeepers Have a Fruit Jar Trust to Meet. Indianapolis, Ind., Feb. 27. The result of the meeting of the glass fruit Jar manufacturers held In this city a couple of weeks ago is Just beginning to be known and It Is now known that the prediction thus made that a combina tion with hut a Blngle agency has been formed was correct. While the organ ization may not be railed a trust 1n ef feet It arrives at the same result. It Is now practically settled that the entire product of all the factories will be sold by one agency probably Hall Bros., at Muncln, as they have the larg est Interests. It Is said that this firm, which makes half of the total produc tion of Klasn fruit jars. Is acceptable to tho oilier, ns an agent, and that soo;; a circular will be Issued by Ball Bros., or some one representing tiu-m. that or ders Intended for any of the companies will be llled by them. It has been agreed, It Is now stated, that the man ufacturer shall share alike In all the business, according to the amount of capital they have Invested, or, rather, the number of Jnrs they turn nut, nnd It was the arranging of the details for this that held them here. MAY REVOLT CAPETOWN DUTCH PREPARING FOR INDEPENDENCE. ENGLAND'S TROUBLES With Her Oppressed Subjects Are Just Beginning, Regardless of How Boer War Ends. London, Feb. 27. Highly alarming dispatches are coming from Capetown. It was imagined that, as the native Dutch did not rise en masse when the Boers scored an uninterrupted series of victories, they would quietly accept the annihilation of their kinsmen by the British, but Judging from the Capetown dispatches the real danger of a revolu tion in Cape Colony is only now immi nent. The Dutch realize the ruthless spirit of their Knglish rulers. They foresee that permanent subjection would be their lot if the war is prosecuted to a triumphant conclusion. Frantic appeals for continued rein forcements, and for the suppression of the constitution of Cape Colony are iiuule daily by the Khodesian (tapers as the only security against rebellion. ENGLAND'S THI iT"HLKS"j CST HK GINNlNG. When the war is over England's trou bles will only be beginning. It will re quire a garrison of 100.000 men to main tain British rule in Cape Colony, which will become a perennial source of weak ness and danger to the British empire. In fact, all thoughtful observers agree that for all practictU purixises England has alieady loS't South Africa, unless it recognizes the Independence of tho Boer republics, ami even then its con tinued rule there Is only a matter of time. Nothing can restore the status before the war, and jingo sentiment here will support Chamberlain in those repres sive measures which must eventually be fatal to British supremacy. .SYMPATHY FOR THE HOICKS. American sympathy with the Boers is represented as waning, since the st-ciulng turning of the tide in favor of the British. This insinuation appears in different guises in most of the In dmi papers. It is a peculiar method of promoting the Anglo-American entente which the writers profess to have at heart. As a matter of fact, sympathy with the Boers Is increasing in every civilized country. General Cronje's ter rible light against overwhelming odds in that most trying and demoralizing of ail si niggles in which an army can be engaged a retreating action is re garded as among the very noblest ex amples of heroism in military history. His force, which is computed by Brit ish correspondents at 10,000. Is really not more than 6.000, and with this body he has thwarted, out maneuvered, kept at bay and Inflicted an Immense loss on the British army, which largely out numbered him from the start, and. dur ing the heaviest part of the fighting, certainly had ten men to every one Boer. WILL NEVER LET UP. The spirit manifested toward these gallant Boers by the press of this coun try is perfectly merciless. General Kitchener's reported refusal to grant General Cronje an armistice to collect his wounded and bury his dead is glee fully approved and relentless expressions- of delight are heard on all sides over the prospect held out by British correspondents that the unequal strug gle must inevitably eventuate in the wholesale massacre of General Cronje's force by enormously preponderating British battalions. But whatever hap pens, General Cronje and the Boers will fight on. TO FOOT IOWA'S BIG BILLS. Legislature Appropriation Commit tee Has a Tough Problem. Dos Moines, la., Feb. 27. The great question with the appropriation com mittees of the two houses is how to cut an $l,!s.j0,00O garment according to a $1, 300,000 cloth. Admitting its willingness to wipe out the half-million-dollar sur plus, the legislature .still finds itself un able to comply with demands made upon the treasury resources. The seek ers after appropriations demand a to tal of something like Jl,K.'iO,000, and the most liberal estimate of the amount available for extraordinary appropria tion is $l,:i(ti,00tt. Governor Shaw placed the amount at $1,236,000. Some of the statisticians declare that when unex pended appropriations of the last gen eral assembly arc deducted there may not be over $1,10,000 available. Just now the committees are trying to reduce these figures to something like certain ty, so that they will be able accurately to figure out the items of appropriation. It is found that about $123,000 of the old appropriation is still unexpended. At Cherokee not one dollar of the $100, 000 appropriation of two years ago has been spent. This for the reason that it was considered not worth while to re sume work and spend the amount which would not nearly complete the asylum. Then there is a large question what the revenues will be for the next bi ennial period. If the Insurance, tele phone and telegraph taxes must be paid locally Instead of going Into the jtale treasury, it will take about $140,000 off the current estimates of revenues. Treasurer llerrlott Is of the opinion that with a 2.5 mill levy: $1,200,000 will be available for extraordinary appro priations. -Chairman Junkln of the sen ate way and means committee doesn't place the figure so high. TRUST CETS IN ITS WORK. The Influence of the present era of high prices on tho appropriation Is be ing a good deal discussed. It la urged with much force that If prices remain near the present point for another year, the support funds of the Institutions will be taxed to maintain Ihem. Like wise, estimates for buildings and im provements made a year or two ago tire already about worthless, and thost made now may be equally unreliable a year hence. KRI'OKR SENDS SOME NEWS. New York, Feb. 27. A cable dispatch from The Hague to a prominent Dutch resident of New York, printed In the FJvcning Journal, suys: Dr. Leyris has received the following dispatch from President Kruger: "Free State and Transvaal forces to. gether south of Paardeburg. . Kelnforc rd and well Intrenched." BLACK StfASES ROLE. A Sample of Colonialism Run Riot England's Scandal, London, Feb. 27. Another gross ac&ib dal under Joseph Chamberlain's admin, istration of the colonial office was brief ly referred to in the house of com- mons on Thursday. A regiment of Central African black was recently sent to garrison the island of Mauritius, which is under the colo nial office. The Mauritians, who include a large French element, who have al ways to be tactfully dealt with, were indignant because the preservation of order in their community had been as signed to a regiment of savages. Thejr demanded the withdrawal of the regi ment. Secretary Chamberlain refused. The Mauritians then showed their con tempt and distruct for the blacks lm various ways. The latter, growing ex asperated, broke out of their barracks and made a raid on an adjoining vil lage, burnig houses, injuring men andj outraging women. The Mauritians complain that their" island has been made a dumping ground, for discredited officials as well as armed savages. Sir Graham Bower, who wasi dismissed from his position in the Capei Colony for complicity in the Jameson' raid, has since been apopinted Colonial? secretary of Mauritius by Mr. Cham berlain, his predecessor being Clifford Lloyd, the notorious removable magis trate under Aruthr Balfour, in Ireland, who could not be kept in that country. There is to be a full debate on the duct of Mr. Chamberlain In sending a regiment of savages to Mauritius. RED OAK'S ENTERPRISE. Looks Like Bellamy's "Looking Backward" System. Red Oak, la., Feb. 27. The Red Oak Express of Friday devotes more than two pages to an Illustrated w rite-up of the Red Oak Electric company's new venture, the installation of a heat and power plant in connection with its elec tris light plant. The system of heating used by the company, known as the Evans exhaust hot water heating sys tem, is probably the most perfect yet devised for furnishing heat from a cen tral plant. By the Evans system of hot water healing the water is first heated at the electric light station by exhaust steam from the engines. It is then pumped through a system of mains, iron pipes covered with layer ofter lay er of paper and wood, to business hous es and residences, where it passes thro' radiators, finally returning to the sta tion to be reheated, having lost not more than from five to twenty-five de grees in temperature in traveling a mile or as much as two or three miles. The temperature of the buildings heated Is regulated at the central sta tion, so that when the thermometer reg isters 30 above or below, the degree ot heat remains practically the same, and as the plant is operated continuously days, nights and Sundays, summer and winter, the patrons need give absolute ly no attention to the heating question. One of the benefits the town hopes to derive from the enterprise of the Red. Oak Electric company is the advant ages offered to small manufacturers of cheap and convenient power and heat, as with this plan one doesn't require an expensive power plant and he can dispense with the services of an en gineer, besides doing away with all the dirt, dust and annoyance that are neo essary adjuncts to a power plant. IOWA THRESHERS ORGANIZE. They Will Make a Uniform Rate and Adopt Other Trust Methods. Fort Dodge, la., Feb. 27. Farmers may face the heavy hand of the trust once more when they come to settle their threshing accounts. What will be known as the Northwest Iowa Thresh ers' association has just been organ ized. At present-the counties of Hum boldt and Pocahontas only are in the association, but it is intended to extend the Held of operations until all the northwest and north central Iowa coun ties are embraced in the organization. Of course the promoters of this new commercial combine deny that it is a trust, but as one of the principal fea tures is to secure a uniform price for work, as well as an effort to have leg islation enacted that grain cannot be sold until the thresher's bill is paid, It smacks strongly of the octopus. At the meeting at which the organ ization was perfected various other questions were discussed, an important one being that concerning county roads bridges and the law governing the trav el of threshing machines on the high ways. The threshermen think they are getting a bit the worst of it on the bridge law, which compels them to plank bridges when crossing them with an outfit, and makes them run their own risks from accident through the breaking down of the structure. The president was empowered to draft a resolution or petition directed to the legislature and calling for a law under which bridges shall be built to safely carry a load of 13,000 pounds; he was also empowered to affix to the same the signatures of the members of tho association. An election of permanent officers of the organization reluted In the choic of the following: James Winter of Oil more, president : J. M. Reed of Rolfe, treasurer, and W. B. Wler of Gilmnre, secretary. The association will hold its next meeting at Rutland in Humboldt county on Thursday, March 1. MUST SUPPORT ADMINISTRATION. Philippine Commissioners Must All Think One Way. Washington, D. C, Feb. 27. Ex-Congressman Hamilton Lewis of Washing ton state had a final conference with the president concerning his appoint ment asj one of the Philippine commis sioners. The president had the subject under consideration. Colonel Lewis frankly told the president that he was not In accord with his Philippine policy. The president then frankly told Lewi that while he would be delighted to honor him because of his personal re gard, he could not appoint him. Col onel Lewis assured the president of the appreciation of his confidence ex pressed and asked him to consider Ronit other Pacillc coast man for the place. I)NG DISTANCE. 'PilONEK. Niobrara. Neb., Feb. 27. The town board at Its lar.t meeting 'passed two ordinance:" permitting Ihe Dewey loug Dlslance Telephone company and the Nebraska Telephone company to enter the town. The former company has beep here since lust November, and the latter has reached Crelghton, ready to extend early In the spring. The Dewey company will go from here to Lynch and other Boyd county points, aa4 from. Crelghton to Wausa and Bloonv. field as toon as spring open.