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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (July 14, 1904)
Loup City Northwestern J. W. BURLEIGH, Publisher. LOUP CITY, - - NEBRASKA. Cheer Bp! The Texas yield of ■wa termelons will very soon be 3,000,000 a day. Perhaps some day the marriage ceremony will read: “Till death 01 divorce do you part.” An automobile race in which no lives are lost is almost too tame to be designated as “sport.” Two pests possibly might be abated if the gypsy moth and the boll weevil could be turned loose on each other. Haiti continues to furnish substan tial ground for the theory that it is in for a spanking one of these fine days. Imprisonment having become a tame story, our war correspondents are now getting themselves shot as spies—almost. With 100,000 more men than wom en in Canada, the necessity for reci procity with the United States needs no further argument. It is not true that the college motto is: Cast your honorary degrees upon the waters, and legacies shall return to you after many days. Three hundred more people have been hurt in toy pistol accidents. Sac rifices on the altar of foolishness n«ver cease for a lack of victims. It is easy enough to understand how such an office as that of Governor General of Finland might have to do considerable searching for the man. Begin now to look in the New Eng land papers for little items about un fortunates more or less seriously in jured by falling out of cherry trees. The name of Betsy Ross, who made the model of the United States flag, is a good deal better known than the names of thousands who have died for it. It might fce well also to teach every body that nobody need drown who keeps his arms under water and his legs working as though he were going upstairs. Some scientist has discovered that the burnng of incense will keep away 1 mosquitoes. Most men will, however, Sling to the idea that tobacco smoke is just as good. If the long-expected event now immi nent in the imperial family at St. Petersburg gives the czar a son, he will have good reason to believe his luck has changed. Venezuela has a new constitution. Those South American “republics” feel that they are falling behind the fashion unless they get a new consti tution every year. The straw vote promises to be un usually heavy this year. And the fool that rocks the boat will be found among those who vote early and as often as the hat is passed. It appears from Col. William F. Cody’s autobiography, just published, that tie killed an Indian at the tender age of eleven, and thus laid the foun dation for his future career. Perhaps the cut-rate immigrants who are turned back have no reason to complain. Twice across the Atlan tic for less than $10 is cheaper than staying at home, and the trip is rest ful. Nearly every day it is reported that a new bull movement is started in Wall street. But the Wall street bull has become a critter that merely looks around and then walks back and lies down. Mrs. Frances Crane Lillie may be right in the opinion she expresses that girls should be put into boys' clothing, but she is likely to have discouraging experiences if she ever tries to do it. Again has come the season of the year that reminds us of the old maid who hired a boy to pick her cherries for her and stipulated that he should whistle briskly all the time that he was up the tree. A New York physician has a plan to make electricity take the place of whisky. That is entirely practical up to the next morning. The old-fash ioned convivialists will miss the head ache and the “dark brown taste," We hope that Dr. Cook of the Agri cultural department, who has started from Guatemala with several colonies of fierce red ants to fight the boll wee vil, has them safely caged. Other wise he may have a memorable voyage. The pallbearers at tlie funeral of Laurence Hutton were six men who had beftn his dependents in life—a coachman, two hack drivers, a gard ener and two farm hands. At the fun erals of most authors this would not be possible. . Robert Treat Paiae of Brooklyn has Just married a beautiful and accom plished girl against all sorts of pa rental opposition. It will be remem bered that Mr. fine’s ancestor of the same name put his Joha Hancock on the declaration of independence. Statistics ’show that during the year before'last more than 5,070,000,000,000 conversations were held over the tele phones in this country, but what they don’t show is that perhaps 10,140,000, 000,000 conversations would have been held if the operator hadn’t said, “The line is busy.” The young man at Harvard who has Just won a Rhodes scholarship must n't expect to see half as much about himself in the papers as If he were one of the chosen athletes who are get tins ready now to row with Yale. WITH THE WORLD’S WRITERS CARLYLE’S CONTEMPT OF MAN. Carlyle’s opinion of Herbert Spen cer as “the most unending ass in Christendom” must, of course, be read in conjunction with Carlyle's de rision for mankind in general. “Most ly fools,” he cheerfully thought of us all. Darwin, we know, he would not have at any price—not a word of him. Cardinal Newman, he estimated, had “the brain of a medium-sized rabbit.” Ruskin was a bottle of soda-water. “A bad j'oung man” was his sum-up of another eminent writer, whom we need not name, for he is still living. But these hostile phrases were sub ject to considerable modification if the man against whom they were aimed came near enough to Carlyle to do him a personal favor, even to pay him a personal compliment. Dis raeli, whom he had described as a mountebank dancing upon John Bull’s stomach, offered Carlyle a baronetcy, and elicited from him, to gether with a refusal of the title, many tributes to his magnanimity. He said very little about Disraeli henceforth in print, and in private he spoke of him only as “a very tragical comical fellow.”—London Chronicle. DO WE EAT TOO MUCH? Physiologists say that the Japa nese present the most perfect phy sique of any /ace in the world. Most of the diseases common to the Occi dent are unknown among the sub jects of the Mikado, and this happy condition they themselves attribute to the fact that they eat sparingly and only of plain, nourishing food. A Japanese visiting in this country is appalled at the quantity of food con sumed by his host in one day. Especi ally is he impressed with the extrava gance of our poorer people. In Japan meat once a day is a luxury even among the well-to-do.—Robert Web star Jones in the June Housekeeper. FIRST CATCH YOUR HARE. Russia has served notice on the world that after she has whipped the Japanese she will make peace in her own way without interference by other powers; and now announce ment comes from Tokio that after taking Port Arthur the Japanese will hold it forever, to guarantee lasting peace in the^east. These evidences of the unconquer able will of the contending nations is edifying, but we cannot help reflect ing that the Russians are a long way from having the Japanese beaten. War has so many uncertainties that no man can tell how the pres ent struggle will end. but simple folk who know nothing of its workings, or of the great game of diplomacy in which the official manifestos men tioned appear to be a part, cannot help recalling that in war, as well as in other things in life, it is the best policy to catch your hare before cook ing him.—Boston Globe. CURBING LAWYER'S VERBOSITY. The supreme court of Pennsyl vania, in an opinion just sent to Schuylkill county, notifies the law yers that they can profitably edit their too verbose arguments. The court warns attorneys that the court’s judgment of the importance of a case is not at all influenced by the enormous size of the paper books submitted to it. ’Tis a warning per tinent wherever law is practiced. The infinitude of words which the law sanctions, if it does not require, as lawyers so often insist, is a source of infinite weariness to laymen. To them this broad hint given by the supreme court of Pennsylvania seems well worthy of being passed along down the line of states. It is not so impossible to make a compact, clear, yet comprehensive statement, as some of the lawyers train themselves into believing.—Springfield, Mass., Republican. NOT SO MUCH OF A SUCCESS. You will hear of the fortune that is paid annually to George Odom, the best American jockey for his services in the saddle. The figures will startle you and at first you will be much in clined to wonder. Then, as you look at his attenuated figure and the old, old face, and note the heaviness of his speech and the sometimes pathos of his voice, then it is thrust in upon you that, after all, at 21, it is hardly worth while, and that George Odom, Jockey, earning more each year thaif directors of great human events, is underpaid. There is brilliancy, ac claim, praise in extravagance, syco phantic following—all of that for the little old man-boy who rides. But he has lost so much.—Everybody’s Maga zine. f PATRIOTISM STILL A FORCE, Perhaps the world will some time admit that patriotism was but a stage in human development. Perhaps humanity will grow out of it into something better and broader—more universal. But it is evident that it has not yet grown out of it. Few stronger motives now dominate the heart of man. It is an enlargement, a glorification, of the love of father, of mother, of home and fireside, of the hills and woods and flowers of one’s native land.—New York Even ing Mail. WHERE SPECIALISTS LOSE. The advantages of the minute di vision of labor are manifest, and there is no doubt that in medicine and surgery especially a higher degree of skill is achieved by thje devotion to a single branch. There is, however, an other side to this. The specialist gains efficiency at the cost of breadth of mind. It is undeniable that devo tion to a particular small pail of any production tends to make a mere ma chine of a man.—Philadelphia Record. OUR BAD COLLEGE SPELLING Much is said in the papers about I college English. The people within and without college walls declare that students write badly. But there is a thing more fundamental than their poor English style; it is the mat ter of their spelling. Many college men, as proved by their essays, can not spell. They frequently make the mistake of transforming writing into writting, and of dining into dinning— an echo probably of the noise of a col lege dining-room. But poor spelling is not confined to college students. College professors are not free from the blame. A let ter lies before the writer in which the distinguished head of a most import ant department in an American col lege declares that a certain candidate, whom he has recommended as “com petant.” A New England college pro fessor has recently said that in mak ing applications for a place in Eng lish several candidates wrote of the salery. Of course, also, a man may lack culture and spell correctly. Spell ing is more or less a matter of an ar bitrary bit of knowledge. But what ever may be the psychological rela tions of the art, the schools should teach boys and girls to spell. By in correct spelling the higher ranges of learning are rendered less impressive. —Leslie’s Weekly. QUALITY OF PATRIOTISM. A New York paper tells a story of a Japanese cook. When his mistress spread a newspaper on the kitchen floor, for cleanliness sake, he hastily snatched it up and carefully dusted it. Upon being asked the reason he point ed to a picture of the Mikado and said, in a voice tearful with pride: “My King.” The paragraph closed with the extremely witty remark: “Wouldn’t that make you laugh?” The person who wrote this would doubtless approve of a big placard that may be seen on local billboards depicting the American flag waving over a bottle oi a certain brand of whisky, which is surrounded by typi cal veterans of the Rebellion. We might with advantage absorb a little of this Japanese patriotism and rev erence for the national emblem.—Los Angeles Times. INTERNATIONAL QUESTIONS. Every war brings to the front new questions of an international charac ter to be passed upon by the different governments and to add new chap ters to international law. Already two such questions have been brought out by the war between Rus sia and Japan. One of these involves the treatment of the wireless system of telegraphy, the other the use of floating mines at sea. These are two of the new problems which the pres ent war has brought to the front There may be others. In any event, there will be something for the in ternational lawyers of the foreign de partments to busy themselves about after hostilities have been concluded, if not before.—Atlanta Constitution. BEST FRIENDS OF HEALTH. The sea and the soil are so far from the office of the professional man or the counting room of the man of busi ness that it requires time to reach them, but the experience of those who have tried these friends of health, these soothers of the nerves, is that they not only prolong Ufa, but main tain strength am; health. There are vitality and healing in the waters and winds of the sea and in close contact with the soil rich with all growing things. The closer men of any age get to nature the more contented anJ the more humble they are likely to be, and, says Shapespeare, “content is rich.”—Philadelphia Ledger. EUROPE'S MILITARY BURDEN. Conscription as it is now practiced in Europe is a modern development of the Roman military system, and while it has been adopted in one or another form by all, it has reached its most drastic shape in France and Germany. It was the terrible power of conscription that enabled Napo leon to carry on the gigantic wars which placed all Europe at his feet. Prussia’s ingenuity in evading the hard conditions imposed upon her in the treaty of Tilsit, by adopting the “short term and reserve system," was the foundation of the practice by which entire populations pass under military training, and by which Eu rope has been turned into “an armed camp.”—Philadelphia Ledger. THEORIES UPSET BY JAPS. It has always been the favorite theory that when Asiatics accomplish anything striking it must be done under the leadership of a European, but the Japanese have upset all these theories. They have shown that skill in handling a fleet or an army is not the exclusive perquisite of the w-hite man. Certainly no European naval officer could have done better work than Togo has done at Port Arthur, nor could an army commander have sui passed Kuroki in his march across the Yalu or done* finer work than Oku in his capture of Kin-Chou and his swift advance upon Port Arthur.— San Francisco Chronicle. FEWER PARTY ORGANS. How many party organs are there left among the great newspapers of the country? They can be counted on one’s fingers, and the few that are left are not always to be relied upon as truly loyal. The most marked change in American Journalism of late years has been its development of in* impendence.—Boston Herald. hiiikilljjj/i ggrYfigray o |n p By Earl M. Pratt, Oak Park, Illinois. Arthur Mitchel, who preached Pres ident Garfield’s funeral sermon at Cleveland, one Sunday told the chil dren of the congregation that many of his sermons were based on notes taken in church while he was a boy. The following is taken from a little church newspaper: This report of last Sunday morn ing’s sermon was taken by one at our girls. Only half of it is given here. It is good practice: Winning in Life’s Battle and More —“In all these things we are more than conquerors.” “There are fewr chapters in the Bi ble well worth reading more than the 8th chapter of Romans. There is no condemnation, is the first stroke of the picture: 2d, freedom; 3d, peace; 4th, awayening to higher life; 5th, patient in suffering, courageous, hope ful, confident that God will not with* hold any good things from his chil dren.” “We all agree that this is a most beautiful picture, priceless as one of Ruben’s masterpieces. I think he thought of all that see the picture is, ‘O that it might be a picture of my life.’ ” “The whole Epistle ought to be read to find Paul’s thought; the pow er of God to save the world. He shows the descent of the people of Rome.” “In the 3d chapter Paul shows that some people talk a great deal of their righteousness. He gives a descrip tion of the contest going on in all souls and then gives the beautiful description of the Christian life in the 8th chapter. The first step that a man must take to acquire life is faith.” Why Lawyers Make Money There are 2,000,000 civil suits brought in this country every year. If the plaintiffs were different in every case, one in eight of the voting popu lation could be said to be a litigant. As it is, the actual number of differ ent litigants is not in excess of 800, 000—400,000 plaintiffs and 400,000 de fendants—which is 1 per cent of the total population of the country, now about 80,000,000. The number of lawsuits brought in a year in Trance is 80,000. In Italy—Italians are much inclined to litigation—it is 1.400,000, and in Germany it is 3.000,000, a very much larger number, both actually and rel atively. than the number in the Unit ed States. Civil actions of all kinds begun last year in Great Britain and Ireland numbered about 1.500.000, or one for nearly every tenth male or female adult in the United Kingdom. In 1902 there was an increase of nearly 62,000 ov?r the previous year, and 472,041 actions were heard out of 1, 410,484 that were begun. Of the number of appeal cases heard, one in every three was suc cessful, against one in four or five, years ago. The total cost of British litigation in 1903 was placed at $7, 809,875. The best measure of litigation is usually the number of laws or stat utes. and not, contrary to general be lief, the number of lawyers. In this country it is found generally to be the case that the largest amount of liti gation does not originate among Americans, but among newcomers here, who appeal to the courts for the adjudication of matters of trifling account. In no other country in the world are there so many damage suits brought as there are in the United States. Made His Death Tragic In a squalid court in Edinburgh many years ago a man who had been notorious for his cruelties as a slave trader lay dying. Mental terror made his end appalling to witness. Accord ing to Scotch custom, the family opened the door to let the spirit pass. To their infinite horror the bloody head of a black man suddenly rolled into the room. The family shrieked with fright, the man on the bed gave a yell of terror. They turned to his bedside, but he expired as they watched. When they looked toward the door again the head had disap peared. There was a splash of fresh blood upon the floor to mark the spot where it had been, but nothing else to certify that the horrid sight had not been a creation of morbid imagi nation. This appearance of a negro’s head in the room of a man dying after he had committed innumerable barbari ties upon black slaves was a strange coincidence and nothing more. Prof. Owen, the famous anatomist, had been attending an anatomical lecture, where the body of a negro had been dissected. He was taking the head home with him to examine it more carefully. The streets were wet and slippery. Just as he was passing the open door of the house in which the man lay dying he tripped and the head, slipping from the cloth in which he had it, rolled into the little room. The cry of the dying man di verted the attention of those who were in the room, so that Owen was able to secure his treasure and de part unnoticed. The Tyrant of To-day And it came to pass that, in the very height of modern times, an arbi trary tyrant ruled over a great coun try called America. The name of this tyrant was Every bodydoesit, and all the inhabitants of the land bowed themselves to his will. Terror of the autocrat caused grown men and women to cast aside every dictate of common sense—sometimes of honesty as well. Children overstudied, wearing out precious eyesight, cramping growing organs, yet mothers whispered under their breath the name of Everybody doesit, and the evil went on. Men bought houses and European passages, automobiles and other ex pensive luxuries, the cost of which was out of all proportion to their in come. “Everybodydoesit” was the explana tlon they gave. Sorriest of all was the case of the young girls. They patronized unwholesome plays, read books produced by dis eased minds, they overdressed, aban doned the gentle ideals of theii mothers’ day, and grew old before their time. “Everybodydoesit,” they said. And thus it was in all classes of society throughout the broad land. All men and women, young and old. recognized the sway of Every bodydoesit and bowed their necks to his yoke. Fiction in the Making No farther Southwest than Communipaw Was it ever my fate to go; Nor Indian nor cowboy I ever saw Except with a Wild West show; But I’ll weave you a tale of the bound less plains. The gulch, and the mining camp. The mountain trail, und the burro trains. And ranges where wild steers stamp. It is true that I flinch ut the sound of a gun— My nerves are deplorably weak; All quarrelsome persons I carefully shun— My nature is shrinking and meek; But the Alkali Alecks and Piute Petes Through my powder-grimed chapters shall prance; They shall shoot tip the town as they dash through the streets. And make the pale tenderfoot dance. Oh, it’s Whoop for the broncho-buster bold! And it's Wow for the fierce bad man! —June Critic. And there’s always a market for stories told On the strenuous border plan. I never have sailed on a gallant ship, And I've vowed that I never will: For It only requires a ferry-boat trip To make me unpleasantly ill; But I’ll spin you a yarn of the salt, salt sea. And the storm-lashed Atlantic’s surge. Of masts by the board, and of surf a-lee That moaneth the sallorman’s dirge. I am not quite sure If the mlxzen-truek Is a rope—or a species of sail; If the flying jib-boom with glue is stuck. Or merely held fast with a nail; But I'll prate you of main topgallant stay. Of capstan and crossjack lift. As I tell of a voyage to far Cathay Or where Arctic Icebergs drift. Then it’s Yo-heave-ho! and Avast below! And Shiver the binnacle light! For why ever to sea need a landsman go A nautical novel to write? Bruin Lost His Job Bruinskl, the pet bear of the Colum bia’s jackies, was not sent to the "Zoo” because he tried to eat the captain’s dog, says an officer of the ship, but be cause he turned a solemn ceremony into a farce. Every day after dinner, Bruinskl and his particular friends in dulged in a nap. Bruinski stretched himself out on the deck and his chums spread themselves around him, using him as a pillow. Just after Capt. Wilde came to take command of the yard he sent word that he was going to visit the ship at a certain hour. The men were mustered as quickly as possible, to receive him with all the honors. Bruinski’s friends with the others responded to the bo’s’n’s call, but Bruinski slumbered on until after the men were all lined up on deck. Then he roused, and, missing his friends, went to seek them. He mount* ed to the deck where the men were lined up and, erect on his hind feet, passed slowly dow'n the long line until he came to the group of his associates, v Then he turned, and, backing slowly, wedged himself into the line. His solemn visage and pendulous paws were to much for the commandant as well as the other officers. The cere mony was cut short and Bruinski hus tled below. The captain of the ship thought the presence of the bear could be dispensed, with after that, and he was given permanent shore leave.-* Philadelphia Press. Encouragement. Never mind, my boy, if they frown on You now, They’ll give you praise some day; They will lift their hats and they 11 solemnly bow And think of kind things to say. Never mind, my boy, if they fail to per ceive Your usefulness here on earth, Some day they will gather around ana frieve exaggerate your worth. Never mind, my boy, if they hurry along. Not deigning to yield a nod; . They'll regret, some day, that vney judge you wrong— . When you're sleeping under the soa. Never mind, my boy, oh, never you mind, . Though your merits are now denied, Some day. if you may look back, you ii find That they have been multiplied. Never mind, my boy, if they scoff to-day. For the grave is not far ahead. And they’ll all have excellent things to say As soon a» you're safely dead. — 3, L. KlSci. NEWS OF THE LABOR WORLD. Items of Interest Gathered from Many Sources. Prussia has 2,033 associatiors of stenographers with 51,291 members. Portsmoutph, N. H., musicians are planning to organize a union in that city and nearly all are favorable. The Central Labor Union of Boston is assisting to raise funds for the Free Homes for Consumptives, to be built in Dorchester. The Chicago Electric Fixture Hang ers’ Union has raised its dues to 10 cents a day, the highest paid by a Chicago labor union. Chicago freight handlers voted $5, 000 and assessed themselves $5 a week for the support of striking mem bers of the union in the east. Union musicians in New \ork ^ill soon have a building of their own worth $125,000. Ground has been I cleared and excavation commenced. Don't hold your meetings on the street corners—the place you pay for 1 the privilege of so doing is where they should be held.—The Steam Fitter. Typesetting machines are to be in stalled in the government printing office, and next December the Con gressional Record for the first time will not be set up by hand. The call has been issued for the annual convention of the British Trade Union Congress, which will be ^ held in Leeds this year, meeting there on Monday, Sept. 5. The last time the congress met in that city was in i 1873. The locomotive firemen at Wichita Falls, Texas, have formed a mechani cal and reading club and they meet once a week to discuss mechanical subjects. The lodge rooms are open as m library to the members at all times. The executive board of the Elevator Constructors’ International union or dered on strike the 7.000 men employ ed bv the Otis Elevator company at ! New York. The strike is in sympathy with the workers in Boston and Phila 1 delphia. Outside of plans for organizing work and agitating and pushing the union label, the international conven tion of the Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union accomplished practically noth ing. The general strike suggested by the president was not ordered. Judge Littleford at Cincinnati held that blacklisting could not be reme died or prevented by injunction. He refused to restrain the proprietors from blacklisting members cf the Cab Drivers and Hackmen s union, who have recently been on strike. There was recently a disastrous fire at Yazoo City Miss., in which several of the churches were destroyed. Ya zoo carpenters’ union voted a 5 per cent assessment on the wages of each member for one year, the entire amount to be distributed equally among the destroyed church parishes and societies to assist in rebuilding and continuing their work. Nearly every shop in Boston and all the shops in Cambridge and in the South Boston district have granted the request of journeymen horse shoers’ No. 5 for a Saturday half-holi day during June, July and August. A special meeting of the union has been called for this afternoon at Jefferson hall to take decisive action regarding the few' shops which have not yet de cided to close Saturday afternoon. The Brotherhood of Railroad Train men is the strongest numerically and the most aggressive of the various railway labor organizations. Although it has always worked along conserva tive lines and endeavored to avoid strikes, on several occasions it has shown itself ready to fight if that be came necessary. In that respect it may be said to be more of a trade union than any of the other railroad brotherhoods. The teamsters’ unions of Chicago are planning a Labor day celebration and parade this year, since the Chi cago Federation of Labor decided to abandon the usual marching owing to the heavy expenditure attached to the labor organizations taking part. With this object in view the teamsters’ council adopted a resolution favoring the project and ordered a vote taken by the sixty locals. Should the team sters make a display it is counted that at least 25,000 men would turn out. The Chicago Federation of Labor has gained at least 10.000 members in the last year, according to the report compiled by Secretary Nockels. “With all the battles organized labor has fought wdth employers and employ ers’ associations in the last year, which resulted in the defeat of a num ber of unions, we still gained in mem bership,” he said. “A year ago the Chicago Federation received per capi ta tax from unions representing 170, 000 members: this year 450 locals are paying on 180,000 members.” At the convention of the Engineers’ Union, in session at Boston, resolu tions denouncing General Bell of Colo rado for what was termed his perse cution of the miners and members of other labor organizations In the Crip ple Creek section were adopted and madb a part of the record of the En gineers’ union. When the resolution was introduced by President William R. Whelan of Boston every person present rose to his feet and cheered. The vote on the adoption was unani mous. Sympathetic strikes among trades unionists working for the same em ployer received the Chicago’Federa tion of Labor’s approval June 20, after it had voted down a section of its new constitution making possible a general strike of organized labor in Chicago. The section adopted provides for a concentrated attack upon any em ployer when he violates a working agreement, and reads as follows: “If one agreemnt is violated by an em ployer all other agreements between that employer and other unions are thereby abrogated.’’ Tie-up of lake navigation which, through the strike of the Masters and Pilots’ association, has kept approxi mately 150,000 men in idleness and bottled fleets of grain, or • and coal and freight vessels in the gr*>at lakes for six weeks, has been definitely broken. The captains, seceding from the union in which they were afikiaf ed with the mates, surrendered to the Lake Carriers’ association, leaving the mates to fight it out alone. The cap tains decided in Cleveland to return to work for the Lake Carriers’ asso ciation without having gained a point in their struggle. A settlement with the mates and pilots followed the capitulation of the skippers. The first convention of the Struc tural Building Trades Alliance has been called to meet in Indianapolis, Aug. 10, where a permanent body is to be formed. The two preliminary meetings to form this alliance, which promises to play an important part in the labor world, were held in In dianapolis. At the two previous meetings no definite action could be taken, as the organization at that time was only proposed, but now near ly all the building trades have taken ! favorable action on uniting with the alliance, and an exact plan of work and purposes can be adopted. The national and international unions of building trades which have indorsed the formation of this body have a membership of 500.000. Union printers in the district sur rounding Chicago have started a movement for the establishment of the eight hour day for their craft throughout the United States. Plans for the campaign were prepared in the conference of members of the In ternational Typographical union at Chicago. Ats a result of this confer ence recommendations will be made to the coming convention of the union that the following line of policy be adopted: No new agreements to be entered into except on the eight-hour basis. The collection of a fund ot $500,000 by an assessment of $10 on each member of the unon, to be used exclusively for the agitation for the shorter day. The creation of com petitive districts, in which all locals shall act together. The first financial statement of the United Association of Plumbers’ Gat Fitters. Steam Fitters and Steam Fit ters’ Helpers of the United States ana Canada is just issued and is the most remarkable showing ever made by a labor organization in this country. The plumbers, through their high dues system, paid $186,373.95 in dues alone, against about $8,000 formerly. Wi»ta the accumulation of this fund the par ent organization was enabled to pay $24,650 in sick benefits, $31,605 in strike and $4,500 in death benefits. Local unions were paid $29,322 for various purposes, and the internation al received only $26,825 from its lo cals, making it a good investment for the membership at large. The total receipts from all sources for the year were $307,724.20, and the expenditure for all purposes $227,241.74, leaving a balance of $80,482.46 on hand Jan. 1, 1904. The number of members who paid dues for the year, excepting those traveling or suspended, was 17,944. The following editorial, clipped froir the Worker, Brisbane, Australia, is significant of what has been accom plished and may be done by the labor victories gained in that far-off coun try. The editorial reads: “Labor has come to claim its own. It is contem as yet with a portion only. The time is not far distant when it will be sat isfied with nothing less than ALL. ‘Old age pensions’—that is the limit of demand to-day. But for how long, think you, can the creators of wealth be appeased with a pauper dole? ‘Conciliate and arbitrate!’—that Is the present ultimatum of labor to capital ism. But one day the grim humor of conciliating and arbitrating with a system of organized plunder will be recognized, and the ultimatum then will be short and sharp—‘disgorge!* Nevertheless, distasteful as the fact is to ardent spirits, these palliative measures are necessary stages on the way to the final goal. And they will be all the* sooner passed because we have coming to the front in the move ment men who honestly regard them as measures of permanent value.” Most thinking men, including many who do not sympathize with organized labor, are ready to admit that they believe labor unions stand between so ciety and anarchy or revolution. If labor unions are driven from the eco nomic field will they enter the political field, not as they do now, but as a class? Are not the employers making a mistake from their owii point of view in attacking labor unions, and thereby accentuating class lines, which must eventually result in a state of socialism? The socialist the ory is not calculted to benefit the capitalists. It is aside from the ques tion to say that socialism is impos sible. That will not prevent working people from seeking it if their labor or ganization are destroyed. The labor union serves as sort of s&fetjr valve. It la probably more dangerous to the employer to have it removed than it is to the working class. They woold do well to think the matter over sort ously.—Chicago Inter Ocean.