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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (March 20, 1903)
X The most remarkable contests ever held will take place at Pads, France, next summer, when Santos-Duiuont, the Lehaudys, Tour and other famous aeronauts will start in a series of airship races. Huge barns for stor ing the leviathans of the air and equipped with appliances for launch ing the airships are now being built. More—the passenger airship built to carry a dozen passengers is fast near ing completion under the watchful eye of the little Brazilian inventor. “Paris will soon see the first of the union airship depots,” said Santos Dumont. ; "That means we may expect air ship races?" was asked. “Exactly,” returned the inventor. “My depot will have room for seven air ships. My own fleet for next sum mer will consist of three ships. Therefore at any time I could invite the owners of four other ships to stable their machines with me, where they would have a ready supply of hydrogen or illuminating gas and other conveniences. Then, when all is ready, the maneuvering trucks will roll out on miniature railways, haul ing the airships after them and hold ing them parallel at the starting line till the word ‘GoP would start the big fellows on their race through space. The illustrations herewith show the idea perfectly. For want of such a landing yard last winter’s accident at Monte Carlo happened. The balloon house built for Santos-Dumont by the Prince of Monaco stood just across the street that runs along the shore of the Bay of Monaco. Street car tracks, houses, trees, telegraph poles, lamp posts, ar.d, worst of ail, a great sea wall, threatened the air ship each time it left or returned to the balloon shed. The thing was almost inevit able in a crowded town, though situat ed on a sheltered bay. Santos-Dunaont lias aireaay invnea the Lebaudys to a race. These two well-known millionaire sugar refiners, Paul and Jacques, making themselves the financial backers of two engineers with aerial ideas—Messrs. Julliot and Surcouf—have built and even navi gated an airship called the “Yellow One.” The “Yellow One," according to those who have seen it, is a prom ising airship. Therefore Santos Dumont deposited 25,000 francs for feit money with the Aero Club and challenged the Lebaudys to a race for 100,000 francs a side. "We did not build the Yellow One lcr speed,” they replied, “but for sta bility.” “An elephant has stability,” said Dumont. Nevertheless the races are bound to come as soon as the experimenters perfect their airships to the point of making a few first flights each. At the present moment there are more than a dozen full-sized airships in and about Paris fully equipped and ready to mount into the air. The three dirigibles of M. Sontos Dumont—his “No. 7," swift and pow erful and capable of carrying two persons; his new “buggy” airship, for practice in aerial navigation, small and with but 3%-horse power, and bis new passenger airship. The Lebaudy airship, capable of carrying three people. The Rose “piano-aerostat,” which has been completed for two years past, the most enormous of all these contrivances, with more stability than navigability. The Deutsch airship, “I.a Ville Ce Paris,” built by the engineer, Tatin. It can scarcely be distinguished from one of the Santos-Dumoni airships. The Firmin l£«usson “bottle-shap ed” airship. The “General Tour,” built and in vented oy M. Tour, son of the general. The Moreau mattress shaped dirig j ible, which, Its inventor dec'rres, will act as an aeroplane. “The National,” called the “Secret of Meudon,” supposed to be already more than half finished, built for the French army at the Calais-Meudon Military Balloon Park. This military aerostat will make Its first flight, it is promised, in the spring. It is to be propelled by an electric motor, which will give it twice the speed of the “France”—the airship built by the Renard Brothers in 1884. Meanwhile Santos-Dumont is mak ing ready to take up twelve passen gers at a time. The immense bal loon envelope is almost completed at the I.achambre works. I myself have seen the keel, with its four great wicker-work baskets, each to hold three passengers. I asked Santos if he had any doubt about a sufficient number of passen gers offering themselves. “I have a list of a hundred volun teers already," he answered. “For the first trip I sJm really embarrass ed. They all want to make the first trip—personal friends and absolute strangers! I have letters from Eng lishmen, Americans. Frenchmen, Ger mans and Russians offering to pay much noise when I try it. I find peo ple just, about the same as razors, and I’ve got so now I'm a pretty good judge oi both. “Not too close? All right, sir!”— New York Press. TRAIN AND DANIEL WEBSTER. Anecdote Reveals Traits of Three Old-Time Statesmen. When little more than a boy George Francis Train visited Washington and called on Daniel Webster, then setre tary of state, whom he had met in Boston. Webster gave him a note of introduction to the president, Gen. Taylor. Train says in his autobiog raphy: “I was at once ushered into the presence of Gen. Taylor, who sat at his desk. The presidential feet rested on another chair. At hir, re quest I seated myself opposite him and from this point of vantage made a hurried study of his appearance. He wore a shirt that was formerly white but which then looked like the map of Mexico after the battle of Buena Vista. It was spotted and spattered with tobacco juice. Directly behind me, as I wras soon made aware, was a cuspidor, toward whica the president i>oubl,e deck car of we paSSEncsr airship any price even for the privilege.” And Santos laughed gayily.—New York Press. WHY MEN ARE LIKE RAZORS. Barber Shews That He Knows Some thing of Human Nature. “People,” said the barber as he lath ered, “are a good deal like razors. It isn't the ivory-handled ones that do the best work always. Yet that kind of razor sells more readily than any other. I’ve seen some expensive sil veY-steel fellows, too, that cut like Da mascus two or three times, but wilted when I tested them on a good horse hide strop—all right on the outside, but no body to the steel; soft inside. “When you select a razor, don’t look at the handle at all. It's the blade, not the handle that talks. The best razor in my shop has an old gutta-percha handle, and I keep it in a case that is red in spots and is getting frayed, but I d let you have all the rest of the cutters if I could keep this one. The man that made it knew his business. It’3 finely tempered, works well all the time, and it sings when I lay it on the leather pretty hard. “Same with people. Some of them do three days’ work in one day, and three hours’ work the rest of the week. When they’re tested, they go soft, and the silver-steel can’t save them, be cause there’s too mu<fh silver and not enough steel. A half hour on the stone makes a good razor better, but it kills a poor one. I’m alwr.ys sus picious of a new razor that makes too turned the flow of tobacco juice. I wai in mortal terror Uut he never misBec the custidor once or put my person ir jeopard.” The president at Train’s request added his signature to Web ster's letter. Then Train called on Henry Clay and asked his autograph, “I told him,” says Train, “that I was about to start for England and that as I had a letter Eigned by Mr. Webster and the President I should like to add his signature also. ‘1 believe that twe signatures are usually necessary on Mr. Webster’s paper,’ said Mr, Clay, with a smile.” Toadyism of the World. Because a man happens to grow phe nomenally rich it doesn’t follow thal liis mind broadens or his disposition sweetens in proportion. Quite the con trary. By necessity, his wits sharpen in the money getting process, which is considered an education in itself, and he then passes for the self-inade man of brains, entirely capable of compre hending and criticising the higher in tellectual orders. The spirit of toady ism, so rampant now, encourages this Pliitus to pose in any character he chooses, and his utterances on all the I great topics and questions of the da> are quoted far and wide. It is a syir<? tom of this age of gold that people ! think it worth while to listen to him while at the same time thew smile ui their sleeves. Cheap Travel in London. On all South London street rail ways the fare is now one cent. WHAT AT KIN LEY SAID \ND WHAT V» AS MEANT BY THE BUFFALO SPEECH. \n Address Which Hrs Been Persist ently Perverted to Mean the Aban donment of Protection Through the Adoption of Competitive Recip rocity. Carefully disregarding and usually emitting such quaiuylng phrases as hose which insist upon preserving the lomestic market to the domestic pro ducer, and which deprecate any cheme of foreign trade expansion haf shall "injure home industry" r "curtail domestic production”— ihrases which do and were unmis akably intended to indicate the gen ual tone of strict adherence to the principles and policy of protection— the advocates of wide-open reciprocity continue to parade certain parts , of President McKinley’s speech at lluf r~.lo in September. 1901, and to in sist that the President in that speech committed himself unreserved ly to the scheme of swapping trade privileges by means of special tariff concessions. It is not true that President McKinley committed him self or the Republican party to an such sacrifice or abandonment of pro tection. Let us take up that portion of the speech most quoted by the ad vocates of reciprocity in competitive products and see to what, extent, If any, the speech can be properly so construed. “A system which provides a mutual exchange of commodities is manifest ly essential to the continued health ful growth of our export trade.” That system we already have. We mutually exchaugo commodities to the extent of close upon a billion dol lars’ worth of merchandise which we annually buy of foreign countries nearly 5* per cent is admitted free of duty. Add to the billion dollars’ worth which we buy, the $200,000,000 which we pay every year to foreign steamships for carrying 92 per cent of our commerce and the total makes U3 out to be the most liberal buyer of foreign goods of any nation in the world. “We must not repose in fancied security that we can forever sell ev erything and buy little or nothing.” We are very far from reposing in any such security. As already stat ed, we buy in merchandise and freights about $1,200,000,000 a year. We buy even more than this, for our tourists spend abroad about $75,000, 000 a year, and we are paying $75, 000,000 more each year in the shape of interest and dividends on Ameri can bonds and investment stocks owned abroad. The total, then, of what we actually buy each year is brought up to about $1,250,000,000. That would hardly be called "little or nothing.” "Reciprocity is the natural out growth of our wonderful industrial de velopment under the domestic policy now firmly established.” True, provided it is the right kind of reciprocity, that is, in articles which we do not ourselves produce, or non-competitive reciprocity. Re ciprocity in competitive products would bo a distinctly unnatural outgrowth of our wonderful indus trial development, an absolute nega tion of the domestic policy now firmly established. “The period c£ exclusiveness is past.” Undoubtedly it is. A country which buys every year from the rest of the world $1,350,000,000 would not, wo think, be called an “exclusive” coun try. “The expansion of our trade and commerce is the pressing problem.” Yes, and we are solving that prob lem in the most thorough and satis factory manner. In the last five and a half years of protection we have made mighty strides in the expan sion of our trade and commerce. For 1901 our total exports wero $1,400, 462,806; against a total of $793,392, 690 for 1895; a gain of $007,070,210, or about 84 per cent. How is that for solution of a pressing problem? "Commercial wars are unprofitable." Truer word was never spoken. How to avoid them? Treat every na tion exactly alike and require at the hands of every nation equally fair and impartial treatment. This done, there can be no such thing as com mercial wars for our country. "A policy of good will and friendly trade relations will prevent repris als.” Good will and friendly trade rela tions are best conserved by strict adherence to the policy of non-dis crimination, non-favoritism. You ex cite jealousy, irritation and repris als when by special treaty agreement you admit the goods of one nation at a lower rate of duty than that Imposed upon the competitive goods of another nation. Commercial peace and amity are disturbed by such un fair and impolitic trade arrange ments. For every friend secured you make several enemies, says Andrew Carnegie. Uniformity and equality of treatment is the only policy of good vill and friendly trade relations, the only policy that will prevent re prisals. “Reciprocity treaties ire in har mony with the spirit o? the time; measures of retaliation are not.” Yes; reciprocity treaties arranged with countries producing articles which we “do not ourselves produce," no others. Reciprocity thus confined and prescribed creates no bad blood, inspires no retaliation. We shall never need to resort to measures of retaliation so long as we treat every ivdr alike and give offtnse f|• no! body. No one can now say what wi a l« William McKinley’s mind when h* made that speech in Buffalo. Whal was not in his inind, may, however, be fairly known cr inferred. It wai not in his mind to favor or advocatl reciprocity in competitive products the sacrifice of one industry for tht benefit of another industry, the aban donment of the principles for which h* had stood all his life long: Equa and just protection to all industrj and all labor. That much is morallj certain. THEIR PORTION. American Labor’s Share In the Ber.e fits of Protection Prosperity. It is announced from Chicago, un der date of Feb. 1, that on April 1 ai increase of wages will be paid by thi Pullman Palace Car company to ev ery man employed in the works Nearly 8,000 men are affected, am more than $70,000 will be added ti the company's pay roll each month One thousand extra men will be em ployed to do the work performed ii the ten-hour day by the old force. Un der the old schedule the men worket sixty hours a week. Under the new system they will work flfty-foui hours a week and will have their Sat urday afternoons off. Lacking only a few weeks of nlnt years ago the Pullman Palace Cat company did precisely the opposita thing. It put in force a sweeping re duction In the pay of its great army of employes, and because they re fused to accept the lower wages a great strike resulted which cost the country a vast amount of money, and very nearly plunged this republic Into the abyss of anarchy. This wage reduc tion and tills strike followed a little more than a year after the inaugura tion of a free-trade President backed up by a free-trade majority in both houses of Congress. The free-trade tariff law cooked up by Wilson and Gorman had not yet been enacted, but it was known to be coming, and its effects on all industry, all labor, all trade, all commerce, all business were already in full force. It was not the passage of the Wilson-Gor man tariff, but the anticipation of it, that carried the country into the most prolonged and devastating pe riod of paralysis and ruin that it had over experienced. The obverse of the picture is now presented. It shows 8,000 Pullman company wage earners working shorter hours and receiving as much pay as they did for working longer hours. It shows that these 8,000 workers have come into their share of protection and prosperity. The Big Obscured by the Little. cubasTi^ade WITH the United States ]*t^ 416,000,000. GERMANYSlXADE VVllH The United States $!50,qop,ooor Cuba's trade with the United States per year $16,000,000. Ger many’s trade with the United States per year, $190,000,000. Is It Fair? “Is it fair to reduce protective duties on sugar and keep them up or products of American manufacture which successfully compete with for eigri goods in foreign markets? And as for the plea for ‘suffering Cuba’— there is no suffering Cuba.”—San Francisco Argonaut. I3 it fair? That question is going to be asked many times and in many places in the event that the ruling powers of this country shall deeida to select the agricultural interests to bear alone the burden of so-called “reciprocity.” The farmers of this country who grow sugar, tobacco and fruits are very certain to inquiro why it is that their products are subjected to foreign competition for the sole benefit of manufacturers, whose protection is in no way dis* turbed. It will be an awkward ques tion to answer. Retaliation May Be Necessary. The loss of German's meat pur chases from this country, contem plated by the proposed German tariff, will seriously injure the export meat trade cf this country, reducing 11 twenty-five per cent. It is to bo hoped that the Injury ran be averted by the exorcise of wise »\\atesman ship on the part of German leaders, but if it cannot the United States will undoubtedly be driven to the adoption cf retaliatory legislation This would cripple Germany far more than the proposed German tariff af fects this country, and would prob ably have the ultimate result of bringing that country to terms. II is hoped, however, that such meas ures will not become necessary.— Terro Haute Tribune. Almost Nothing. Republican prosperity will not shut off steam and the Democrats have un limited wind, but besides that—al most nothing.—Staunton (Va.) Sum VILLONS LAST VERSE REMARKABLE LINES ATTRIBUTED TO GREAT POET. John D. Swain Recalls Mythical Death* bed Scene of the Famous French man—Eeauty in His Description ot a Wasted Life. (Francois Villon, being about to die, a worthy friar would fain have shrived him, and did earnestly exhort that he should confess him at this time of those acts of his life which he did regret. Villon bade him return yet again, that he might have time to think him of his sins. Upon the good father’s return Villon was dead; but by his side were the following verses, his last, wherein he set forth things which he did regret. Whereat the friar was sore grieved and hid them away among the manuscripts of his abbey, showing them to no man; yet they were found in some wise. The name of the friar and the very place where stood the abbey are forgot, but the verses have endured uuto this day.) I, Francois Villon, ta’en at last To this rude bed where nil must He, Fain would forget the turbid past Ami lay me down in peace, to die, “Would l be shrived?” Ah. can I tell? My sins but tritt--s seem to be, Nor worth the dignity of hell; If not, then 111 avails It me To name them one and all—nnd yet— There he some things which I regret! The sack of abbeys, many a brawl, A score of knife-thrusts In the dark. Forced oft, by b ate, against the wall. And years In donjons, cold and stark— These crimes and pains seem far away Now that 1 come at length to die; 'Tls Idle for the post to pray. (’Tls hopeless for the past to sigh): These are a troubled dream-and yet— For them I have but scant regret! Tht' toll my mother lived to know, What years I lay In gyves for debt: A pretty souk heard Iona: ago: where, 1 know not: when, I forgot; The crust I once kept for my one (Though all too scant for my poor use). The friend 1 left to die alone. (Pnrdle! the watchman pressed us close!) Trifles, against my crimes to set! Yet these are ull which I regret. Captains nnd rut-throats, not a few, And maidens fair of many a clime Have named me friend In the wild past When ns we wallowed In the slime: Gamblers and rogues and clever thieves, And unfrocked priests, a sorry crew, (How stubbornly the memory cleaves To all who have befriended you!) I drain a cup to them—and yet— ’TIs not for such 1 feel regret! My foundered horse, who died for me (Nor whip nor spur was hls. I ween!) That day the hangman looked to see Poor Villon earth nnd sky between! A mongrel cur who shared my lot Three hitter winters on the lie: He held the rabble off, God wot. One time I cheated in the deal: *Twas hut an instant, while 1 lied Down a vile alley, known to me— Hack In the tavern he lay dead; The gamblers raged—but I went free! Humble, poor brutes at best; and yet— They are the friends whom I regret! And eke the lilies were a-hlow Through all the sunny fields of France, I marked one whiter than the snow And would have gathered It. perchance, Had not some trifle 1 forget (A bishop's loot, a cask of wine Filched from some earbot—a bet—) Distracted this wild head of mine. A childish fancy this, nnd yet— It Is a thing that I regret! Again. I rode through Picardy What time the vine was In the bud; A little maiden smiled on me. I might have kissed her, and I would! I've known a thousand maidens since. And many have been kind to me— I've never seen one quite so fair As she, that day in Picardy. Ashes of roses, these, and yet— They are the things which I regret! One nrfect Illy grew for mo. And blossomed on another brenst: Olliers have clasped the little hands Whose rosy palms r might have pressed: So. as I die. my wasted youth Mocks my dim eye and fading breath— StlP. I have lived! And having lived That much Is mine. I mock at death! 1 should confess, you say? Hut yet— For life alone I have regret! Envoy. O bubbles of the vanished wine To which mv line were never set! O llns that dimpled close to mine. Whose ruddy warmth t naver met! Father, but trifles these, and yet— They ace the things which I regret! —John D. Swain. In the Critic. Simple Home Decoration. Never has there been a time when some element of interest has not at tached itself to hand work of even the simplest kind, and to-day, when the mechanical processes of pictorial reproduction have practically annihi lated the thought cf handicraft, it is pleasant to know that in many places the love for the old personal element in human endeavor is still cherished as a precious thing. One of the smaller fields for ex ploitation along these lines that has been considerably developed during the last few years is that of the hand decoration of some strong or beautiful thought, which when framed and hung as a wall ornament serves the double purpose of furnishing a pleasant bit of color for the eye and giving every day a needed uplift to the soul jaded with the strain and rush of our modern life methods. The writer has a very distinct re membrance of the effect upon him, during some gray days in his life, of finding upon the wall of a guest cham ber of a kindly home where he was visiting the prettily decorated lines now well known, beginning “Sleep sweetly in this pleasant room,” etc., and of how much sweeter his rest was than it would have been had not the dainty little mental sleeping draught been administered. There is also a vivid spot in his mind as to the time and place when he first ran across, during an evening call, William Ellery Caanning's sym phony, “To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury,” etc., and with what determin ed persistency he has continued to cling to the letter and spirit of at least the first clause of that fine lit tle production ever since. It has been a work of no email pleasure then to have been able for several years past to place these pregnant sermonettes in many homes where they have spoken gently and encouragingly every day to those that understood, each carrying with it a bit of hand work in water color in audition to the helpful text.
