A
lEmiBLt
m
VENEZUELA
Trouble between the United States
and the little Central American st:ite ot
Venezuela is possible as the result of
a quarrel between rival asphalt com
panies, who have conflicting claims
to the great Bermudez asphalt lake lo
cated on the shores of the Orinoco riv
er. Both of the asphalt concerns are
United States corporations, one of them
being the National Asphalt company,
commonly known as the asphalt trust.
It is even charged that the trust has
had a hand in encouraging the rebel
lion in Venezuela which is now in
progress. The leader of the rebellion
is Celestino Peraza, who until recently
was the secretary of the present pres
ident of the republic, General Castro.
General Castro himself came into
power as the result of a successful
rebellion which resulted in the over
throw of the government headed by
President And rade. Since Castro took
control of the government in the latter
part of 1899 lie has successfully sup
pressed at least two rebellions, so that
he knows what he has to deal with.
Leader of the Urouble.
Celestino Peraze. the leader of the
present rebellion, began his outbreak
in the country along the Orinoco river
in the last days of December, 1900. A
force of 2,500 men was immediately
sent against him by President Castro,
and several
small e n
g a g ements
have taken
place be
tween the
rival forces.
Now it ap
pears the
rebels are
running: low
on powder
and rouni
t i o n s of
war In gen
eral. As a
Glimpse cf an Asphalt Lake, result they
are said to
he about to seize the arras and other
property belonging to the New York
and Bermudez Asphalt company at the
Bermudez pitch lake, while the regu
lar government, under President
Castro, has seized a couple of steamers
belonging to a steamboat company
owned In the United States. In order
to protect the property of citizens of
this country from being confiscated in
this*way the United States warship
Scorpion has been ordered to leave the
harbor of La Guayra and run up the
Orinoco river, and it is reported that
the government at Washington stands
ready to send the north Atlantic
squadron with a fijjce of marines down
from Pensacola, Fla., to Venezuela if
the situation does not improve.
Venezuela's Chief Seaport.
La Guayra is the chief seaport of
Venezuela and the gateway to Caracas,
the capital of the republic. At La
Guayra the mountains overhang the
water, rising to a height of 8,000 feet.
They are visible at sea seventy miles
away. Caracas is distant only ten
miles, but it is reached by one of the
most tortuous pieces of railroad build
ing in the world. The journey by rail
from the seaport to the capital covers
a distance of seventy miles. The cli
mate of Caracas is mild and pleasant,
■which explains why large cities of
tropical America are usually situated
some distance from the coast. Caracas
is 3,000 feet above the sea level, and
the temperature averages 71 degrees
above zero all the year round.
LooKs LiKc A bsurd Prospect.
Some idea of the absurdity of a seri
ous war between the United States and
Venezuela may be gathered from the
statement that the Central Ameriran
country, which has an area five times
as large as that of the state of Michi
gan, has a total population of onljr
2,320,000, somewhat less than that of
Michigan, of which number nearly one
fourth are uncivilized Indians. The
regular army of Venezuela consists of
3,600 men, with a militia which in time
of civil war has put as many as 60.000
men into the field. So far as a navy Is
concerned, Venezuela has only throo
small steamers and two sailing ves
sels. with three or four small river
gunboats. Furthermore, it has been
only four years since the United Stati-s
intervened on behalf of Venezuela in
its dispute over the question of boun
dary with Great Ilritain and secured
the appointment of an arbitration com
mission, by the decision of which sev
eral hundred square miles of valuable
territory, including some rich gold
mines and the country to the south of
the mouth of the Orinoco river, were
saved to the smaller state.
Che Hone of Contention.
The asphalt lake, for the possession
of which the rival American companies
are fighting, lies between a range of
mountains and the shore of one of the
outlets of the northern delta of the
Orinoco river, near the bay of Paria.
The lake is a mile and a half in length
by a mile in width and comprises more
than 1,000 acres of swampy land. Most
of the surface of the so-called lake is
covered with a rank growth of grasses
and Bhrubs rising to a height of eight
or ten feet and interspersed with tall
palm trees. The pitch or asphaltum
does not lie in an unbroken surface, a3
on the Trinidad lakes, but bubbles up,
as if from springs. The pitch, how
ever, underlies most of the surface in
cluded in the lake and has a depth
varying from two to ten feet. In the
center of the lake is a patch of about
seven acres which Is free from vegeta
tion and in which the pitch is so soft
that it cannot be walked on. The whole
surface of the lake is so low that dur
ing the spring floods it is entirely cov
ered by water. The pitch is dug out
of the lake by native labor and carted
to a convenient place near a seaport,
where it is refined. The raw asphalt
is put into huge kettles and slowly
heated from above until the whole
mass is brought to a liquid condition.
The process of heating drives off the
water and gas with which the raw
A VENEZUELAN MAN-OF-WAR.
pitch is filled, while the heavy impuri
ties sink to the bottom of the kettle.
The pure asphaltum can then be
poured off.
Mr. and Mrs. T. B. Fitzgerald Of
Danville, Va., have deeded their place
on the north bank of the Dan river,
worth $20,000,to the Danville Orphan
age as a permanent home.
The late Chief Justice Falrcloth of
North Carolina bequeathed $20,000 to
the Baptist Female University of Ra
leigh.
A VIEW OF THE HARBOR OF LA GUAYRA.
*3* ^/Isphalt in History.
Asphalt has been known from pre- i
historic times. Some forms of it were
used as building material in ancient
Babylon, and others were used in the
preparation of mummies. During the
middle ages it dropped almost from
sight. In 1712 a Swiss physician dis
covered large beds of it in the Alps
and succeeded in reviving the use of
it as building material. It is said that
the value of asphalt for paving pur
poses was discoVvered by accident
while the crude asphalt was being
hauled from the deposits where'it was
dug. Pieces of the asphalt dropped
from the carts and were gradually
ground into the roadbed by the feet ol
the men and horses. It was noticed
that such roads soon presented a hard
and resisting surface, and the idea oi
using asphalt on other roads was de
veloped. It was not largely used, how
ever, until 1832, and within the last 25
years It has made its greatest progress
THE FREE-TRADERS.
THEY DIE HARD—THEIR LATEST
EFFORT TO LIVE.
Baatan on Land, They Tara Thalr Gann
on Protection on the Sea—Would
Orica American Cooiuierc* from the
Ocaant,
The prosperity which has built up
the industries of the United States dur
ing the past few years, or to be ex
since the Dingley tarifT has gone into
effect, has left our Free Trade friends
without a leg to stand on. It was
largely due to the operations of this
Jaw, which has kept our mills running
and our wage earners employed at
greater wages than were ever brfore
known in the history of the count y,
that secured for the party of protec
tion the splendid indorsement which
it received at the recent presidential
election.
Frte Trader Hies Hard.
But the Free Trailer dies hard. The
house has fallen upon him. but there
Is still a little life in his quivering
form. He is certain—at least he
claims to be certain—that Free Trade
is all that the shipping industry needs
to make it immensely prosperous and
place it away ahead of the same in
dustry in any otner country. Th?y
forget that they made the same claims
for every othpr industry, with the ad
ditional claims that Protection such
as it could get under the Uingley bill
or any similar bill would be the death
of it. Every intelligent reader knows
what has happened to our industries
and to the general business of the
country during the past four years,
and any reiteration of the facts would
be a waste of time.
Agatnat American Ship*. •
As we have said, however, the Free
Trader dies hard. Literally, he refuses
to give up the ship. Driven from every
other post, which he formerly held
with so much confidence, we now find
him standing on the deck of the Am
erican ship and declaring with the
same old confidence that nothing but
Free Trade will save her. A single
ounce of Protection, he argues, will
send her to the bottom. If the serious
minded Free Trader were not a men
ace to the prosperity of the whole peo
ple, including himself, he would be a
comical figure In this busy world. He
flies in the face cf facts as Don Quix
ote flew Into the destroying arms of
the windmill.
Free Trailer Cannot Reason.
It seems a fruitless task to reason
with these marine Free Traders, and
yet we would like to inquire what ex
planation they have for the prosperity
of our coastwise ships, under a virtual
policy of Protection, If the opposite
policy of Free Trade is the only thing
that will save and make prosperous the
ships in the oversea trade? Likewise
we would be glad to know if it is their
wise and unerring judgment that the
opening up of our coast trade to for
eign ships will be a particularly good
thing for the American ships now en
gaged in this trade. That would be a
Trade theory applied to shipping.
Some of Their Term*.
Two or three of these marine Free
Traders, in the warmth of their ar
gumentation, or fermentation, refer to
the Shipping bill as a "steal,” a "gigan
tic raid on the treasury,” etc. Tlnse
are unpleasant and unbecoming terms
to#apply to a policy of legislation
which, if it is adopted, will affect fav
orably every prominent industry which
goes to make up the wealth of the
country. There is a very truthful
axiom that "all Industries are united
In shipping.” To be explicit, as many
as three hundred different articles of
manufacture go into the building and
fitting of a ship. About 80 per cent of
the cost of the ship is paid to the labor
that built her. In the light of these
facts will our Free Trade friends have
the hardihood to contend that any
governmental aid extended to promote
the building and operation of ships —
the upbuilding of the American mer
cantile marine—will not benefit the
whole people?—New York Marine
Journal.
REPUBLICAN ••OPPRESSION"
No one can have forgotten the sor
rows of the Porto Ricans or the alleged
iniquities of the Porto Rico tariff of
which we heard so much a few weeks
ago. It was provided in the bill that
the 15 per cent of Dingley tariff rates
levied should be abolished as soon as
the legislature of Porto Rico should
provide other means of raising rev
enue. That body is now in session and
there is a strong protest in it to any
change. The representatives of the
Porto Ricans say that no other method
of taxation would furnish the funds for
the island's needs with so little hard
ship to the people, and they are in
clined to let the tariff alone. So per
ishes another instance of Republican
“oppression.” —Seattle Post-Intelli
gencer.
PARALLEL DOCTRINE.
The doctrine of protective far'ff and
the doctrine of the ship subsidy are
parallels. He who has accepted the for
mer as worthy of enactment into na
tional law and sustained it as a builder
up of home manufacture can find no
inconsistency with his views in the
subsidy bill. The idea of it 13 wholly
protective, as the McKinley and Dina:
ley laws were and are protective, not
withstanding the arti erotic yelping of
the “robber baron” chorus. It is very
plain that American ships sailing un
der the Stars and Stiipes, paying the
high American scale of wages, are in a
hole when competing with the rest of
the world, and the ship subsidy is but
the national helping hand to lift them
out of that hole. Now, then, the fellow
who sees nothing In it but a graft for a
few who have the "pull” can never be
expected to see any good in any bill of
the kind, and as the arguments for and
against the protective tariff are
passed, it will be worse than a twice
told tale to rehash them in defense of
the ship subsidy bill. Capital has been
induced to enter the fields of manufac
ture and remain there till In many
cases able to stand and walk without
support or protection. Now the pur
pose of the subsidy bill is to show cap
ital the business sense in entering the
seas and competing with the rest of
the world, whose immense handicap is
to be nullified to a degree by the ship
subsidy.—Dayton (O.) Journal.
FRANCHISE FOR NEGROES.
The existing qualifications for suf
frage in Georgia are one year’s resi
dence in the state and six months in
the county anil proof of payment of
all taxes lawfully assessed since 1877.
The last requirement has the effect or
excluding thousands of colored voters
in Georgia by a method which is not
repugnant to any federal laws, but It
is from some points of view unsatis
factory to the white electors for the
reason that it practically disfranchises
a considerable number of impecunious
white inhabitant citizens. At the close
of the civil war a registration of all
the electors of Georgia was authorized,
and it showed the number of colored
citizens at that period to be 95.000 and
white citizens 96,300. Since then by
the removal of disabilities resting on
white voters their number has been
largely increased, and in the presiden
tial election of 1892 the total number
of voters was 200,000, the actual num
ber of male citizens of voting age at
that period being about 350,000, of
whom 200,000 were white and 150,000
colored. The practical effect of the tix
provision of the Georgia election law
is to exclude 150,000 citizens from the
franchise, of whom considerably more
than two-thirds are colored. Although
this provision has assured white su
premacy, it is unsatisfactory to many
of the indigent white voters, who find
that in such neighboring states as
Mississippi and South Carolina, no such
discrimination has been found neces
sary. When the legislature met in Oc
tober Last Gov. Candler submitted in
his message the following recommen
dation on the subject of elective fran
chise: “In the interest of good gov
ernment and in the interest of the ne
gro race I recommend that an amend
ment to the constitution be submitted
to the people, providing for a quali
fied suffrage basis on an educational or
a property qualification or both. A
man who has by integrity and fru
gality acquired a little home and is a
taxpayer has been allowed to vote,
whether he can read and write or not;
but he who has for the last thirty
years had the opportunity of free
schools and cannot read and wuite and
who has had an equal chance for the
acquisition of property and yet has
through indolence or profligacy or
vice failed to become a taxpayer, con
tributing something to the support of
his state, should have no voice in
making its laws.” The Georgia
method of restricting the suffrage is
regardless of the grandfather clause,
under which other southern states
have been able to exclude illiterate
black voters, while permitting illiter
ate white voters to exercise all their
political rights, provided their fathers
were qualified to vote in 1867 or earlier.
The present provision as to suffrage in
Georgia is a part of the statute law
of that state, and the constitutional
amendment which is proposed has,
primarily, for its purpose to make thr
discrimination against the colored
voters of the state permanent.—New
York Sun.
GOOD SION FOR THE SOUTH.
There are a good many Indications
that there is a strong undercurrent of
sentiment In the south in favor of gov
ernmental aid for the American ship.
This will, no doubt, be brought out
very strongly at the National Maritime
congress soon to be held In Georgia.
In the meantime such messages as this
from the south show which way the
wind blows:
The Southern Industrial Convention
passed the following resolution and
directed it be sent to be read to the
United States senate: “Be it resolved,
That the upbuilding of our American
merchant marine is very important to
the further development of southern
industry, and therefore we recommend
to our national congress the early pas
sage of a ship subsidy bill for all Am
erican vessels which shall be equitably
based upon the tonnage actually car
ried, besides compensation for carrying
the mails."
Our esteemed southern exchanges do
not lead public opinion, but, like news
papers of other sections, try to follow
it closely. A few resolutions like the
above will do much in the way of shed
ding the proper light along the path
way of southern journalism. We re
spectfully recommend to industrial and
commercial bodies to hold aloft this
beacon whenever possible, in order
that our valued contemporaries may
have a light unto their feet.—New
York Marine Journal.
“What is the administration’s Phil
ippine policy, anyhow?”—Charlotte
Daily Observer.
It Is not the Bryanlte anyhow policy,
but the policy of protecting the Filip
inos from Aguinaldo’s brigand Tagals,
who would sack cities and villages,
murder peaceable citizens and rob de
fenseless inhabitants. And as sure as
vou are born McKinley will yet free the
Filipinos from their own ruthless land
pirates.
State Capital Observations.
• Expressions Emulative for the Good of
Republican Supremacy,
LINCOLN. Jan. 21.
Well, the first week of the big battle
for the two United States senator
ships has passed and still victory
resteth not with any of the aspirants,
more's the pity.
Unless appearances are deceptive
and everybody is misled the situation
has settled down to a deadlock that
may last possible all winter.
Repeated attempts have been made
to secure a caucus, but for some rea
son each attempt has failed.
One of the surprises of the balloting
has been the strength exhibited by
Senator Currie of Custer county, who
polled eighteen votes on the first Joint
ballot, 20 on the second and 22 on the
third. From this it is evident that Mr.
Currie will be a very important fac
tor in the fight.
Up to date there is little change in
the voting, but rumors are rife of an
outbreak among the supporters of
some of the candidates. The expected
explosion may come at any time. Its
anticipation is sufficient to attract a
largo crowd dally.
SO id
As the senatorial struggle hangs on
and the strife daily becomes more bit
ter, ttie rank and file are looking on
with anxious eyes and hoping that
nothing will arise that will have a bad
effect on the paity in the state. They
are not tied up with the candidates,
nor have they any special grudge
against any of the gentlemen who de
sire to go to Washington as United
States senators. Their greatest de
sire is to see a happy solution of the
muddle and one which will leave no
bad blood existing after it is all over.
Out of all the measures Introduced
relating to kidnapping and fixing a
penalty for kidnappers nothing radi
cal need bo expected. The variom
bills introduced tlx punishment rang
ing ail the way from one year In the
penitentiary to a death sentence, but
the more severe treatment is not like
ly to find favor. Referring to the sub
ject one of the most prominent mem
bers of the senate said:
"All this talk about making kid
napping a capital offense is, in my
opinion, entirely out of place. To re
store capital punishment for any crime
less than murder in the first degree
would be a distinct step backward.
The tendency everywhere is just the
other way. Instead of Increasing the
number of crimes punishable by death
the movement Is to abolish the death
penalty altogether. I have no sym
pathy with kidnapping or kidnappers,
but believe they should be promptly
and effectively dealt with by means of
a good, stiff penitentiary sentence, but
with a death penalty attacned it would
be impossible to convict them before
a jury if they were apprehended. Even
the optional death penalty, to be de
termined by a jury, would not accord
with modern ideas. I expect to see
some legislation enacted on kidnap
ping, but the death penalty will, in
my judgment, be cut out."
M to
W. H. Barger of Hebron was in the
city several days last week in atten
dance on the state board of agricul
ture. As a member of a committee ap
pointed to push a bill through the leg
islature to prevent the destruction of
game birds that are of great benefit to
the farmer, Mr. Ifarger called on
members of the legislature. He is
strongly opposed to the indiscriminate
killing of birds. With several state
societies and all the state and na
tional sportsmen’s organizations be
hind this bill it is believed that it
stands a good show of becoming a law.
It should become a law. When one
considers that $30,000 worth of game
is shipped out of the state yearly it
ought to urge him to call a halt on the
Indiscriminate killing of game in the
state, and support a measure calcu
lated to preserve for home enjoymeut
the fin, fur and feathered game of the.
state.
to
The combined appropriation In these
two bills is from $10,000 to $25,000 l^ss
than has been given by the legislature
at former sessions and If this saving
can be made good to the end of the
session the credit will be with the leg
islature. Whether the amount will be
sufficient is not yet known. The re
duction was made mostly in the
amount for incidental expenses. For
merly from $40,000 to $55,000 was ap
propriated, whereas this session has
started with an appropriation of $30,
000.
The following are the amounts: For
the years 1897 and 1899, $90,000 for
salaries and $40,000 for incidental ex
penses: for 1893, $85,000 for salaries
and $55,000 for incidental expenses;
for 1895, $85,000 for salaries and $403)00
for incidental expenses.
H »
Governor Dietrich appointed H. F.
Stewart of Omaha to tlie position of
superintendent of the sta'o institute
for the deaf and dumb in that city.
Jbr. Stewait served several terms as
a teacher in the Omaha institute and
is now engaged in a similar capacity
in the lowa state deaf and dumb school
at Council Bluff's, although lie main
tains his residence in the Nebraska
metropolis. He was highly recom
mended to Governor Dietrich, among
his indorsers being Former Superin
tendent Gillespie.
At their meeting last Monday tl ft
presidential electors of Nebraska cast
their votes for William McKinley for
president and for Theodore Roosevelt
for vice president.
The competition for the post of mes
senger to carry the vote to Washing
ton enlisted almost as many candi
dates as the senatorial contest. The
messenger would have the honor of
delivering the returns that reilect li e
most significant victory of the whole
presidential campaign.
The apportionment bills that have
already been introduced by various
members of their own accord as the
product cither of their own figuring
or of some mathematical constituent
all strike terror to the representatives
In various districts that are being
shifted around like pawns on a chess
board. The apportionment commit
tees will have to take these bills and
work them out anew into some appor
tionment bill, when it conies up for
final action, will have to be brought
before the caucus ar.d made a caucus
measure.
"A great many people want to
know," said Chairman Lindsay of the
republican state committee, "when the
hill favored by the committee will be
forthcoming, and,have taken it a3 a
matter of course that the committee
or its officers will prepare an appor
tionment bill. 1 do not believe this is
one of the duties of the committee,
and if we did prepare one it would
have no more claim for the support of
tho republican members than any of
them. I believe, however, that the
matter is so important that it should
be delegated to a committee of repre
sentative men familiar with all parts
of the state and with the political
complexion in various counties. They
might be members of the legislature or
might be outsiders called in to assist
with advice, but they should proceed
only after the most careful investiga
tion and consultation with the inter
ests of every section. The trouble with
most of tho bills prepared by the in
dividual member is, that while they
strike it all right in their immediate
localities, they lly wide of tho mark in
more distant parts of the state. The
next apportionment will have to hold
good for at least three legislatures to»
come and it is of great importance to
the people generally.”
'tf A
There is nothing but praise heard
for the stale senate’s action in the
Douglas county contests In seating the
two fusion senators whose seats were
contested. It abowa that it is possible
for a republican legislature to act
without political bias, which is more
than the fusiouists did four years ago
with the same opportunity. There
were evidences of fraud, but It was a
question whether that fraud was suf
ficient to have changed the result,
a a
The former secretary of tho state
banking board and chairman of tho
democratic state committee has ac
cepted a position as cashier in a we’l
known national bank at Lincoln, al
though as a good Bryanite he has been
denouncing national banks right along.
The national bank is a bad thing when
a popoerat is in office, but becomes a
good thing when it offers him a lu
crative position. '
Nebraska is cnce more to the fore
with the fine achievement of Consul
Church Howe at Sheffield, in allaying
a disturbance raised by the exporters
there against the consular office. With
bis inborn natural diplomacy Counsul
Howe has stilled the troubled waters
and restored serenity all around. All
Uncle Sam need do when confronted
with turbulent conditions abroad is to
draw on Nebraska for more consuls.
The state senate will probably have
an opportunity during the coming
week to confirm several gubernatorial
appointments. The populist governors
assumed to make their appointments
without regard to the confirmation of
the spnate, holding back the commis
sions until after the legislature had
adjourned. There was no good reason
why the constitution should have been
suspended for the benefit of populist
officeholders.
‘4 4
The Pigman-Ream contest was be
fore the house committee on privileges
and elections the latter part of last
week, an attempt being made to re
open it. The committee took no ac
tion, as it had already decided not to
unseat Ream or to go into a recount.
The committee’s action is interpreted
to mean that the case is definitely set
tled.
Governor Dietrich on January 17
signed two appropriation bills, ono
setting aside $85,000 for salaries of
members, officers and employes, and
one appropriating $30,000 to pay inci
dental expenses of the legislature.
It it
The legislators lost no time in pars
ing those bills which appropriated
money to pay them their salaries.
Bills of this character never have to
have a passport to get through the
lines.
it it
Governor Dietrich has appointed
Dave Shannahan of Omaha grain in
spector for that city. The station at
Omaha is r. fairly good paying office
and several applicants were after tho
position.
New Way to Ship ISanana*.
An American in Jamaica has built a
plant for evaporating bananas. The
thoroughly ripe fruit is placed in a
heated oven for not more than forty
eight hours, during which time tho
sugar crystallizes. It takes six pounds
of fresh bananas to make one pound
evaporated. The process prevents de
cay and cuts down freight charges.
Train Robbery Recalled.
The overland train was robbed by
Jack Brady and others of $50,000 on
the Yolo side, near Sacramento, Oct.
II, 1894. Part of the stolen money
was found by a tramp who was taken
in charge by officers Aug. 29, 1895.
Abandoned Tarra« Taken Vp.
The “abandoned” farms of Massa
chusetts are fast being taken up.
Three years ago there were 330 thus
classed in the state. A recent enu
meration shows there are now but 13ft
