DECEMBER RETURNS SWELL
TREASURY S GENERAL FUND
PROBLEM OF EMPLOYMENT
Itgfr t of Gereral Interest Gatnersd
Frcm F.e «: t Source* Around
the State House.
Wasters l*r New* F. rvlra
I'miaMHl; large remittance*
(res <Lusty treasurers, whirb have
beet. -onus* m to Slate Treasurer
Hail «»&«• Dheslet I. are again
betid mg up the state general fund
and o’ber (usds at a rapid rate. The
■aosry has literally been pouring in.
in.. ' a:ie« that the people of Nebras
ka live firs'y of money to pay their
tabes and are doing so earlier than
The total amount r-t-t.rm t»y uie
otate treasurer fro* sicty-lve coun
ty treasurers so tar beard from in
D*~ esste-r is i««i U4. of which Irts.
M< is for the general fund. As the
grtc-rtJ lead contained $*47 900 on
Not* *t*r SB. and as not to exceed
i; « • ■ has teen paid out of it this
moo h The feast e on hand in that
* fund » no* about HM.WO
Thi* will be depleted to some ea
ter.? by the first of the year, as the
pururt; payroll of state officer* sill
have to be met. besides other un
u» ..>'1 eapt-use* It is probable bow
ev—• that Tr »-jr»-r Hall will Ret
through and start the new year with
at less* fl.tUr.beo Ui p ug m the gen
srs fund
State £"9erf* to Be Reappointed
Mam Ewunerr Gemma E. Johnson
• ili be reappointed fur two years,
jr „er the meowing state administra
and Soy L Owhfma. of North
1 inis will be hie deputy. All three
stwswtuer* of the new state board of
trr pattern Go vernor elec' Nenlle. At
torney General Keed and Land t'on
a. - tc? SSws.way—hare indicated
that they are screed to mate these
appo s'jcents
T • state trr cation asnoedhtiaa.
which h-H its cawwal eowrewtion at
B' if' port laid wee*, paff'd re#olo
tk a* asJune the reappo.ntment of
: * Kr.ciweer John sow and also re
*wwt k that Cochran be made his
<*-: . Gotrrnorelect NerlBr and
Lane r*o—Swiomw elec* Shwmway.
s he* atri* pritfiit. fU-«*d That th* y
wwwld hm cwUMl toy tto* rm. mmmxaa4a
tkam» Mr XwriSle aai<i hf* al*o
ha 'to** iinwlBi t/ AUonry Gmm!
ill* * tm JlMil# toy t**».
RfCO-ee of trj oy~trt
■ : ■ t: * r
m~s> t - :rie*rs of the Nebraska tsa
t> lisa.- , who will bo her*’ toff*?®?*
1» :<rjx nf~ t«* t » r^wjrtF
to# r* vi j lir i tom «*d*' G^Sfrii
Hi tki * -'A&a . ' 1 *o start ft* so
lu' J« ity rBlu',::* the aid of the la
bor - <. amt:»am ia finding* place* for
a po-t *. (f the met- ft is said that
mat. w.'l step into plat •■* which
the', left ne»ri> six roantiis ago to
respond u> their country's call Bu:
that number if small compared to the
Butiiber of met! enlisted l 'on. this
■cat- and it will be up to most of
I he® t* find work after they art. re
bom
Will fitcrgtmn Depart event
ktmoeBcemmt regarding the <-otn
pc>* • c.g of tw office force was node
<taie Saperoitenden'elect W. H.
< * : » r.s of Fremont, during a short
via:: m Lincoln last week. Mr Cler.:
»r;v stated that Miss Fora A.
Ti ompson of Bridgeport. superintend
ent *>f schools for Morrill county, is
•« i>e one of his a»ai»*anix He ;^as
tendered feer a place and she has ac
cepted The Biwr o endent-elect also
told that be plans to organize the
d« part men* of edtteai ion on a tone
a sat d-.fe-ent has.* than heretofore.
At the same time, he said that some
o? the people no* employed in the
office *•111 he retained This will in
clude most of those tilling clerical
and >•*•:,*-graphical positions
Nebraska legislators =et $600 for
fheir session*a work That Is their
pa- no matter whether they stay
at Lincoln sixty days or a hundred
and s;xiy—or even If they hare to
sandwich a special session in dur
ing tbei- tenure of office.
*B tat '8 Nava State Houad
It begins to look as though some
de i t* action will he taken by the
incoming legislature with reference
to a new state capltol building There
ere » 'e» who would ’ patch up” the
old state house and run along a few
years Then there are many more
who believe that the great develop
mcf.t of the state and its rapidly
growing interests demand i turned .ate
reflet iB the construction of a mod
ere commodious and sanitary cap
• »1 building capable of accommodat
ing a greet commonwealth
Acting upon the recoin mendat ion
of Land Commissioner Beckmann.
»no recently viewed several trets of
siate school land in Morrill. Banner
and feoer counties the board of ed
at - nal lands and funds has voted
to ra«s«- the valuations materially
over the appraisements made by
c«f:b! » hoards The Increase amounts
to t- TVC on all the*-* lands aggre
cat nr about tw« sections. The valu
aturns so fixed are the prices at
which the lands will be sold by the
state to those hav ing contracts Jot
them
Corn busker Will Join Navy
T.-r Corey, retiring captain of
the Nebraska university football
team may bo a member of the navy
aowad at Annapolis next year, ac
cords tig t~ statements made in uni
varsity athletic circles. Corey. It was
said had received assurance* he
oo«ld receive an appointment as
cadet if he cared to accept. The re
tiring < omhusker captain said he
had not decided what he will do If
he remains In Nebraska university
he will graduate and receive his de
gree next June.
OFFERS A SUGGESTION
Superintendent Thomas Is Strong for
Consolidation.
Ti.cre are '•? school distrlc.s in .
the state with a census of one to
tweive children of school age; fif- I
;cen of them with one child each, j
twenty-two with two, twenty-seven i
with three, forty-five with four, six- !
ty with five and the balance with be- j
tween six and twelve children of 1
school age.
This according to an educational j
survey. by State Superintendent
Thomas, shows tnat consolidation is !
to be desired, for operation of
s. bools w ith a small number not
nearly as produi tive as larger schools.
The state officer continues by :
snow ini; that of 6.571 schools operat- •
ed in the state during the past school
year there were 3.390 operated with
from one to twelve pupils each.
Thirty schools had but one pupil !
each One hundred and one schools
had two pupils each. Sftfe 151
s nools had only three pupils each. A
total of 220 schools had but four pu- |
pi's each and 299 schools bad five
pupils each Of six-pupil schools |
there were 319 and of seven-pupil j
-chools 363. The balance of the
schools up to 3.39c had between sev- i
en and twelve pupils each.
P'an to Cure Defects
V meeting of the joint committee
of the legislature and state bar asso
cial.cn was held at the legislative
reference bureau rooms last week. .
Tf ere were present: J. J. Thomas,
.•Reward; Bayard H Paine. Grand Is
land: John Mattes. Nebraska City; i
C E. Sandall. York; J. N. Norton.
Polk; J P. Palmer. Omaha; J. H.
Brcady. A. E. Sheldon and C. E. |
Sorenson. Lincoln.
The plans for securing improve
ment in legislative methods were dis
cussed and an agreement reached for
a report which will be submitted to
-:ate tar association on Decem
t J J. and the state legislature
* *n t convenes. The points cov
re: inc lude appointment of a com
n.ttee of -hree from the senate and
t ree from the house to be called a
re\.«ion committee to work in con
net lion with the legislative reference
bureau in revising bills before their
ntroduction in either house and the
j ;rp* *■ o securing the correction
of obvious errors in form. This re
v -ion »;.! be advisory only and
• mi mie r v. ho d- sir- s to introduce
a bill may disregard it if he chooses.
C.scusses State's Oil Prospects
tv 'her lucre s joi! and gas down
near Table Hook, or whether there
- not. is di-cu- ] in an article
i-t writtin b> G E. Coiidra. < .
1 or id int Nebraska const rvat <n and
• ’ - y Alter showing hat a
an at anti.-liiie e\*>t» in Xu'ir-iska
"i a* t ■ the on- n II nsas where
.1 and g.s have been lund in im
ps- . !) .*;< - and ' - Nebraska
!>'.;< in.. - really aD t sion of
' •• Kansas formation. Doctor Contira
a :• • at -a.-paper story, tells
“4 a up he. in connection with C.
J !!uru. an oil operator, made
: ;'.i southern Nebraska and down
Kar. jf. where he proved to the
-faction of Mr. Hurst that the
■ I* -i.t ;<l fori itiun of the two stales
i- similar in this respect.
Deplores Educational Situation
Nebraska's lortune is to have some
ex lent ieai !i* r» in the normal
1 schools.
-•tit Nebraska's misfortune Is to
lose -hem too often to states which !
jay more mot b i states the nor- j
-ra' bi..rd rejxm given at a recent
meeting of that body. In addition
to nu mg this interesting observa- i
tion ' ie board says that it will need
uiort money :or the future than it
s during the past year. The state
b vy need not be changed, however,
the hoard says, hut may remain at
five-eighths of a mill. The increase
.n valuation will take care of the
greater sums needed for this work.
T»r 0. K. Condra, director of the
-tate conservation and soil survey,
•* -rone to Washington, where he
'll! check uj) 'he soil survey work
done jn co-ojteration with the United
States bureau of soils. The survey of
five Nebraska counties has been com
pleted ihi* year. He will also be in
conference with federal roads depart
ment and with the national commit
tee on topographic mapping, of which
he is a member
Commission Needs More Money
If the railway commission wants to
serve the people to the utmost it will
have to have more money. The $93,
<M» which it has had for the past bi
ennia! period will have to be in- I
creased by at least $9.00*—and the
commission could use $20,000 more |
■' the legislature would vote it. That i
is the statement which Retiring Com
missioner Henry T. Clarke makes to j
Governor Morehead as the latter in
fulfilling his duties as budget officer,
casts about to make the expense 1
list for the coming biennial period.
Will Prosecute Raffle Cases
Since Attorney General Reed an
nounced that raffling automobiles to
stimulate trade constitutes a viola
tion of the state law, numerous calls
have come in to him from out in j
the state asking “if he meant it,” and
if such and such a proposition”
would come under that head. To
practically all of which he has re
sponded that he meant just what he
said and that prosecutions would fol
low fractures of the law.
Earnings of Nebraska Railroads
Revenue earned in this state by
the tailroads operating here totaled
$59,204,518 for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1916. according to a report
of the state railway commission.
This huge sum represents a gain
of nearly $10,000,000 since 1912 for
I he annual revenue of that year bare
ly remcneU $50,000,000.
In the meantime the same report
shows that the operating expenses of
the roads allocated to Nebraska,
have increased only from $33,048,000
to $84,841,000.
CONDENSED NEWS
OF INTEREST TO ALL.
OmTES FOR COMING EVENTS.
January 1 to 6—State Poultry Show at
Kearney.
Jan. 10-11—Odd Fellows’ District Con
vention at Alliance.
January 15-20—State Improved Live
Stock association meeting at Lin
coln.
Jan. 15 to 20-—Organized Agriculture
Annual Meeting at Lincoln.
January 16—Nebraska Association of
Fair Managers’ Meeting at Lincoln.
January 16-17-18—Annual convention
of Nebraska Volunteer Firemen at
Auburn.
January 16-19—Winter Apple, Floral
and Potato Show at Lincoln.
Jan. 19—Northeast Nebraska Editorial
Meeting at Norfolk.
Feb. 7-8-9—Nebraska Retail Lumber
Dealers’ Association Convention at
Omaha.
February 15—State Volleyball Con
test at York.
North Platte is laying plans for a
semi-centennial celebration to be
held June 26 to 30. that promises to
outdo anything in the line of munici
pal celebrations ever held in western
Nebraska No program as yet has
been outlined other than to live over
again the days of fifty years ago. when
the west was "wild and wooly.”
Three hundred and fifty thousand
bushels of grain, mostly wheat and
corn, were lost in a fire which de
stroyed Elevator B of the Nye
Schneider-Fowler company at Fre
mont. The loss was estimate/! at
$500,000. practically covered by in
surance.
Eight banks of Harlan county have
per capita bank deposits of $172.19.
according to an official statement
issued recently. The total bank de
posits is $1,721,954.19. Every bank in
the county has over $100,000 and
all but two have over $200,000 on
deposit.
Milk stations, where milk will be
sold as drinks and tables with read
ing matter furnished, to take the
place of the saloons after May 1.
were suggested at a meeting of the
Omaha Epworth League union.
The Barnston Mutual Telephone
company had an unusually prosper
ous year, according to the report of
the secretary-treasurer, just issued.
The company has installed a new
switch board and other improvements
a- the plant during the year.
Th-' Fourteenth district bar associa
t on. comprising nine counties in
.-outhwest Nebraska, went on record
favoring the calling of a constitu
tional convention during the annual
n: cting at Cambridge.
Christmas boxes weighing 2S3
1 ’ nds were sent to members of Com
C Nebraska National Guards
’ the Mexican border by the people
■ f Ha-tings. Delicacies of all kinds
were included in the shipment.
Lieutenant Governor-elect Edgar
Howard was tendered a complimen
tary banquet by men of Columbus
last Monday. A number of guests
from outside the city were in attend
ance.
Mr. and Mrs. B. Pont of Shubert
recently celebrated their golden wed
ding anniversary. The aged couple
have lived in the town nearly fifty
years.
Three dozen fancy chickens were
sent to the National Poultry show at
Chicago from the 1732. Poultry Ranch
near Keamev. This ranch has fowls
that are valued at $250 each.
Fire of an unknown origin destroy- i
ed the big flouring mill at Badge,
with a loss estimated at $13,000. The
mill was insured for $10,000 and will
probably be rebuilt.
Superior is to have a new hotel
which will cost in the neighborhood
of $50,000.
After nearly forty-six years of con
tinuous service with the Burlington
railroad and after rising from the
position of chairman with a survey
ing party, out near Kearney, to that i
of chief engineer, Thomas E. Calvert j
died of heart failure at his home in ;
I.incoln.
The Grand Island Horse and Mule j
company closed a new contract with ,
the British government for an inde
finite number of horses. It is expect
ed that between 10,000 and 15,000
horses will be delivered under this
contract.
Citizens of Greater Omaha are
planning to make the city still great,
er by annexing two more suburbs,
Florence and Benson. A bill to per
mit the merger will be presented to
the state legislature the coming ses
sion.
Frank Howard, of Pawnee City,
purchased eighty-five head of horses
in Beatrice. He said that the horses
were purchased for use in England,
France and Italy, and that they will
be shipped to Europe as soon as pos
sible.
The American Beet Sugar company
employes at Grand Island will re
ceive at the close of the campaign,
which will last 100 days, a bonus of
40c a day or $40. officials of the firm
announced.
Ashland voted bonds to the sum
of $60,000 for the purpose of erecting
a new high school building. It will
occupy the site of the present struc
ture, which was erected fifty years
ago and has been condemned.
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Young, of Brock,
recently celebrated their sixty-first
wedding anniversary.
Omaha was the scene of nearly
seventy conventions during the past
year. Twenty-four conventions have
already have been booked for the me
tropolis by the bureau of publicity for
1917.
The David City Congregational
church was damaged to the extent of
one thousand dollars a few days ago
by fire. It was the third fire in the
town within ten days.
The summer convention of the Ne
braska Press association will be held
in Omaha. June 18, 19 and 20. It will
be largely a' social gathering.
Bishop Tihen of Lincoln delivered
the sermon at the installation of
Archbishop Hariy as bishop of the
diocese cf Omaha, which took place
in St. “Cecelia's cathedral. Omaha,
last Thursday. Most Rev. James
Keane, archbishop cf Dubuque, la.;
Rt. Rev. J. J. Hennessey of Wichita,
Kan.; Bishops Cunningham of Con
cordia. Kan.; Burke of St. Joseph,
Mo.; Duffy of Kearney, Neb.; Mc
Govern of Cheyenne, Wyo.; Mul
doon of Rockford. 111.; Dowling of
Des Moines, la.; one hundred and
twenty-five priests, and 2,000 persons
attended the ceremony. Archbishop
Harty is a man who was beloved and
held in the highest affection and es
teem by the people of M-tiila, Phil
ippine islands, where he was arch
bishop for twelve years.
The Mid-West Oil company of Cas
per, Wyo., is making rapid strides
with its drilling operations near
Chadron. It is estimated that the
1.000-foot mark has been passed. Vari
ous oil companies from different
parts of the United States are mak
ing every effort to obtain control of
the unleased land in this district.
Geologists who have investigated this
field claim that if oil is found it will
be one of the largest fields in the
United States.
Three hundred and fifty sheep
feeders of the North Platte Valley
and representatives of the stock yards
and commission men of Omalia, Chi
cago, St. Louis. Kansas City and St.
Joseph and officials of the Burlington
and Union Pacific, railroad attended
the annual lamb feeders’ dinner at
Mitchell. Kambs to the number of
340.000 are being fed in the North
Platte Valley this year and great in
terest was shown at the gathering.
E. P. Haynes and “Dazzy’ Vance
of Hastings claim to be the champion
rabbit hunters of Adams county. One
day last week they went hunting and
returned in four hours with ninety
two rabbits. These animals are re
ported to be the most numerous in
the history of the county and hun
dreds are being marketed in Has
tings. which is said to be responsible
for the slight lowering of meat prices.
Six thousand eight hundred dollars
was the price paid for the Wahoo
Mills at an auction sale last week.
The mills were built ten years ago at
a cost of $-,..000. The owner of the
plant suspended business in July,
1915. and since that time they have
stood idle. The Farmers’ Co-Opera
tive company of Wahoo are the new
fttvners and expect to put the mills
in operation in the near future
Parents-teachers associations have
been organized in each of the
schools of Norfolk. The object is for
greater co-operation among the moth
ers and teachers in training the chil
dren They plan to have the teach
ers give the parents advice and the
parents to give the teachers advice
and so make the school life and home
life of the pupils closely related.
Kearney Comercial has se* aside
a fund of $500 for the purpose of
carrying on the. freight rate fight
which the city is making and more
will be available if needed. Expert
Powell has been engaged and the
citizens and business men are deter
mined that Kearney must have
equalized rates competitive with
other cities of like size.
Dr. G. J. Collins of West Point was
elected president of the Nebraska
Veterinarians’ association at its an
nual meeting at Lincoln. The by-laws
of the association will be changed so
that in the future the meeting of the
association will come the week after
the national meeting, instead of at
the same time, as now.
Hogs reached $10.15 on the South
Omaha market a few days ago. which
is the highest price ever paid for
hogs in December there.
Young men of Elk City. Douglas
county, are soliciting funds for the
purpose of establishing a community
center meeting place.
^.eDrasKa tanners have planted in
creased acreage in winter wheat this
year to the amount of 8 per cent over
1915, according to a summary issued
by the U. S. department of agricul
ture. The report shows 40,090,000
acres in the United States seeded in
winter wheat, the greatest ever plant
ed in the history of the nation.
The State Dairymen’s association
will hold the most important meeting
of their history in the new dairy build
ing on the state university farm,
Lincoln, on January 17, 18 and 19,
1917.
The Brick feed and boarding barn
at Holdrege was completely destroyed
by fire, burning fifteen horses, five
horse-drawn hearses, twenty tons of
hay. about thirty carriages, harness
and all grain, causing a total loss of
$25,000. It is understood that the
property was insured.
Frank Fowler of the Nye-Schneider
Fowler Elevator company announced
that the big elevator destroyed by
fire at Fremont recently will be re
placed in the spring by a huge new
modern steel structure.
James Brennan. residing near
O'Neill, killed a rabbit recently that
had a pair of horns fully two inches
long. They protrude just inside of
the ears, resemble bone, and are
jagged, but curved similar to cattle
horns. Mr. Brennan caught the freak
in a trap intended for barn rats.
The Omaha school board faces a
deficit of $234,373 at the close of the
year, according to a report of the
financial secretary.
Rev. S. J. Megaw of Fairbury has
taken up the work as pastor of the
Presbyterian church at Fullerton.
Construction work on the Farmers
Equity Co-Operative creamery at Or
leans is well under way. The plant
will have a capacity of two care of
butter a week and will be the cen
tralizing concern for Nebraska and
Kansas exchanges on the Burlington.
The company is capitalized at $50,000.
Rev. F. H. Saeman, former pastor
of the Lutheran church at Rock Fort,
Mo., has been elected to the pastorate
of the Lutheran church at Berlin.
. Nebraska Retail Lumber Dealers'
association will meet in Omaha Feb
ruary 7, 8 and 9.
CONGRESS IS BUS(
—
MEMBERS NOT WORRIED OVER
THE HUGE AMOUNTS THAT
ARE TO BE EXPECTED.
SANCTIONED BY THE PEOPLE
Additional Legislation Concerning
Railway Labor Troubles Causes
Some Concern—Clark and Mann
Not Distressed About Next Congress.
By GEORGE CLINTON.
Washington.—Congress is quickstep
ping along on the first lap of the track
I which by time’s measure runs three
months. The representatives of the
people show no particular concern be
cause they face appropriation esti
mates that reach the ought-to-be stag
gering total of one and three-quarter
billions.
“The country’s necessity” is the
salve which keeps down the fever of
resentment and protest. As a matter
of fact the congressmen seem to be
lieve sincerely that the huge amounts
to be expended are, under existing con
ditions, rather modest in their propor
tions. Preparedness costs much, but
they look upon preparedness as insur
ance. The country, it Is known, to a
considerable extent is divided on this
issue, but it is held that the election
returns show that sanction has been
given to the appropriations program
presented to congress last year and
continuing this year, and so signs of
worry are conspicuous by their absence
at the capitol.
Just now the legislation which in a
sense is an offset to the so-called eight
hour legislation is engaging the atten
! tion of the members of both houses
and moreover is somewhat troubling
the men who must frame the acts
' which are to become law. The presi
dent has urged that this legislation
take specific form, and as the adminis
tration's party holds control of both
houses at present by a big majority.
! the president's will in the matter prob
ably will be done.
Labor Law Troubles.
The right-hour law, as it has come
I to be called, and which was read into
the statute books within the span of
48 hows near the close of the last
session is variously spoken of here
as an art of justice, an act of injustice,
an act brought into being by coercion
and an act which went through be
cause of its manifest righteousness.
However it is viewed, no member of |
congress denies that labor scored a vie- j
tory. Now there seems to be a desire ■
to do something in behalf of capital if I
one niav speak of the employers as j
capital. The legislation which is caus- j
ing iCT>st trouble for the lawmakers is
that which proposes an amendment to
■ tlie existing statute which provides for
arbitration, so that a full public in
vestiiration of the merits of any dis
pute shall be instituted before a strike
or a lockout lawfully may be at
tempted.
Tkis proposed, amendment is similar
to a law which they have in Canada.
It Is objected to by many representa
tives of labor and it seems likely that
i there will be a hard fight on it before
it finally is passed, although the out
look apparently is that passed it will!
be.
Although the next speakership is at
stake, the two most unconcerned men
in the house of representatives today
seeluingly are Champ Clark, the Demo
cratic speaker, and Representative
James R. Mann, the Republican floor
leader. No one knows definitely yet
how the next house is to stand. It
may be a tie between the Democrats
and the Republicans with half a dozen
m«?n of other parties or no parties hold
| ing the balance of power. Mr. Clark
naturally wants to succeed himself
as speaker. Mr. Mann unquestionably
would hail the opportunity to be speak
er in his own behalf. Any day may
bring a change in the membership of
the next house of representatives for
several seats are in dispute. If the
Democrats secure a majority, of course
Clhrk will be re-elected speaker. Mann
perhaps gets the job if the balance goes
the other way.
These two party leaders, rivals for
th% highest office in the gift of the
house, and in power the second highest
office in the government, are exceeding
ly friendly, even though they “row it”
a good deal on the floo' The friends
of both seemingly are much more con
ceded over the future than Is either
on® of the men who have most at stake.
Wilson Faces Another Ordeal.
President Wilson is facing the oreal
of another inauguration. Why ordeal?
Because, despite the pomp and glory
of the thing, presidents time out of
mind have imported to their personal
friends in advance of the swearing-in
process that they rather dreaded the
turmoil and the toll of it all.
Every four years the good people of
this city are torn up, while the city
itaelf also is more or less torn up. in
the apt-to-be stormy month of Febru
ary. There are signs of the tearing np
of the residents of this town already,
for they are bent on having an in
augural ball, and seemingly the presi
dent is bent on not having one.
There was no inaugural ball four
years ago. Mr. Wilson said “no,” and,
of course, the citizens’ committee,
which has charge of the inaugural pro
ceedings, of necessity was forced to
bow to the word. The chances are
there will he no inaugural ball this
year, and there is the evidence of dis
appointment among the citizenry that
was manifest four years ago.
Inaugural proceedings cost the peo
ple of Washington a good deal of
money. They always have depended i
upon the inaugural ball to get their
money back. The big affair has been
the one great public or semipublic so
cial function into which no one has
been allowed to enter without a ticket,
except the president and vice president
of the United States, and their wives,
if both gentlemen have happened to
be blessed with them. Even the mem
bers of the arrangements committee,the
men who do the work, always have
paid admission to the ball. The price
has been So per person and the equal
ity of women in the paying matter has
been recognized In this, if not in all
other matters.
Bill Money Pays Expenses.
The money which has come in from
the inaugural ball has been depended
upon to pay the expenses of the grand
stand building, of bands, of flags, of
flowers, of the parades of local bodies,
and of a score of other things which
cause Uncle Sam’s cash to change
from one hand to another. With no
inaugural ball, the citizens who con
tribute to the expenses of the govern
ment will not get their money back
directly.
However there is a silver lining to
every cloud, literally a silver lining,
because silver is money, and indirectly
probably all the good people of Wash
ington who put their coins into the
contribution box will have them make
their way back, even if it is by a cir
cuitons route.
In about six weeks an army of car
penters will take possession of Penn
sylvania avenue. They will erect sight
seeing stands all along the way from
the state, war and navy building
down by the White House, the treas
ury and the post office department to
the towering capitol. A stand, partly
glass inclosed, will be erected directly
in front of the White House. and there
the president, the vice president, their
wives, the cabinet officers and their
wives, and chief of staff of the army
and his aids will view the passing regi
ments and the passing bodies of civili
ans.
Nearly all the residents of the city
of Washington who have offices over
looking Pennsylvania avenue will in
vite their friends to view the parade
from their windows, or, if they are
thriftily inclined, will rent out window
space at anywhere from $0 to $10 a
pair of sight-seeing eyes.
Ready for Social Season.
Washington is “all set” for Its
social season. President. cabinet
officers, senators, representatives,
army and navy officers and their wives,
sisters, cousins and aunts must amuse
themselves daring (he off hours of the
working day, or at any rate such is
their desire, and therefore society runa
a pace which outstrips laggard legisla
tion.
The most brilliant event of the so
cial season, unless the army and navy
reception be excepted, has been aban
doned. The reception to the diplomats
of foreign governments must be fore
gone until the war in Europe is over.
In lieu of the reception the president
and Mrs. Wilson are to give two din
ners to the diplomats this winter.
When there are two affairs, it is pos
sible to keep the warring diplomats
asunder. At one dinner there will be
present the representatives of the al
lies and a considerable number of the
representatives of the Central and
South American countries. At the sec
ond dinner there will he present the rep
resentatives of the central powers with
the representatives of the other Cen
tral end South American countries who
are not present at the first dinner.
It might be asked why the central
powers’ representatives would not take
offense because the first dinner, the
dinner of precedence, is to be given to
the representatives of the allies. The
answer is easy: Because J. J. Jusse
rnnd. the French ambassador, is the
ranking diplomat in Washington oy
account of his great length of service.
Therefore the first dinner must be Riv
en to that group of diplomats which
includes the highest ranking ambassa
dor of the city.
With the diplomatic reception omit
ted from the White House social calen
dar, there will remain the three othv
big receptions, the one to the judiciary,
the one to congress, and the one to the
army and navy. In addition to these
functions every cabinet officer give*
what might be called a state dinner to
the president of the United States, to
which the other cabinet officers are in
vited. And to these a couple of mu
sicales each week at the White House
and scores upon scores of dances, re
ceptions and teas at the various official
houses of officialdom, and it easily can
be seen what a busy winter society haa
in Washington.
Breaking It Gently.
“Beauty,” said the lecturer at the
hygiene circle—"beauty is everywhere.
It is possessed by everyone of us in
some degree."
After the meeting he was stopped
by a terribly deformed dwarf from the
traveling circus, who asked, with some
bitterness, whether the lecturer could
tell him where his—the dwarf’s—
beauty lay.
The lecturer looked at him for some
moments, as though summing him up.
Then he spoke:
“Well, my friend, I must admit that
beauty is not so apparent in you as it
Is in some. At the same time. I can
tell you quite honestly that you are
the best-looking deformed, hunch
hacked, bow-legged, broken-nosed
dwarf with a hare lip that I’ve ever
seen!”
Value of a Fruit Diet.
Apples, oranges, pears, peaches, lem
ons, strawberries, blackberries, rasp
berries—in fact, all the various acid
fruits—are, according to Physical Cul
ture, exceedingly wholesome in char
acter, and are capable of furnishing a
j_L1
very large amount of nourishment tn
one’s daily diet. Strange as it may
seem to the average individual, almost
anyone of these fruits, lemons except
ed. would fully and completely nourish
the body for a prolonged and even an
extended period if one were for any
reason compelled to secure nourish
ment entirely from food of this char
acter, although, of course, it would
require a considerable period for the
organs of assimilation to acquire the
habit of absorbing all needed nourish
ment if a radical dietetic change of
this nature was made.
Poor Outlook for Patsy.
"Ma, won’t yer let me have some
cake now?”
“Didn’t I tell ye Oi wouldn’t give
it to ye at all if ye didn’t kape still?"
“Yes, but—”
“Well, the longer ye kape still the
sooner ye’ll get it, moind that.”—Bos
ton Transcript.
Osage Orange Toughest Wood.
The toughest American wood, ac
cording to United States forest serv
ice tests, 4s that of the osage orange.
APPEALS FOR PEACE
WILSON ASKS ALL NATIONS AT
WAR TO DISCUSS TERMS.
WASHINGTON AMAZED BY ACT
Proposition Put Forth By President
Wholly Without Notice and Con
trary to All Expectations.
Washington.—President Wilson has
appealed to all the belligerents to dis
cuss terms of peace. Without actual
ly proposing peace ci offering media
tion, the president has sent formal
notes to the governments of all the
warring nations, suggesting that "an
early occasion be sought to call out
from the nations now at w-ar such an
avowal of their respective views as
to the terms upon which the war
might be concluded and the arrange
ments which would be deemed satis
factory as a guaranty against its re
newal or the kindling of any similar
conflict in the future, as would make
it possible frankly to compare them.”
Wholly without notice and entirely
contrary' to what administration offi
cials have described as his course, the1
president dispatched the notes to all
the belligerents, and to all the neu
trals for their information. Summar
ized in the president’s own words, as
contained in the notes, his attitude is
as follows:
“The president Is not proposing
peace: he is not even offering media
tion. He is mereiy proposing that1
soundings be taken in order that we
may learn, the neutral nations with1
the belligerents, how near the haven'
of peace may be for which all man-'
kind longs with an intense and in->
creasing longing. He believes that>
the spirit in which he speaks and th©1
objects which .he seeks will be un
derstood by all concerned, and he con
fidently hopes for a response which
will bring a new light into the affairs
of the world.”
It was a most distinct surprise to
all official Washington, which had
been led to believe that with the
formal tranasmittal of the proposals
of the central powers the offices of
the United States would await further
moves between the belligerents them
selves and that certainly, in view of
the speech of Premier Lloyd George
and the announcements in Russia.
France and Italy, further action by
neutrals would depend upon the next
careful and delicate moves of the
belligerents.
The whole tenor of official opinion
throughout Washington when the
president's action became known
was that it immeasurably improved
the prospects for some sort of ex
changes looking toward an approach
to peace discussions between the bel
ligerents without '•’’pairing the po
sition of the United States should
they finally be unable to find a
ground on which to approach on©
another.
rv own ere on the surflace appears
any indication of the history-making
events, which diplomatists generally
are convinced must have transpired
since the German allies brought forth
their proposals, to dispel the gener
ally prevalent belief that such an
action on the part of President Wil
son would be unacceptable to the en
tente powers. British embassy offic
ials declared they were utterly taken
by surprise, were wholly unable to
explain it and were emphatic in their
statement that no exchanges what
ever had passed through the embassy
here as a preliminary.
The wish and hope of the German
powers that President 'Wilson would
intercede in some way has long been
well known and has been conveyed
in different ways to the White House.
The attitude of the entente allies, as
expressed by their statesmen and cer
tainly until recently in official ad
vices to the American government,
has been that a peace offer by the
United States would be considered
almost the next thing to unfriendly.
The nearest parallel in world his
tory for President Wilson's action
was President Roosevelt’s move in
1905 to end the war between Russia
and Japan. But in that case the pres
ident had been assured his proposal
would not be disagreeable to either
of the belligerents, and, curiously
enough, it was through Emperor Wil
liam of Germany that the preliminary
soundings crystalized into the sug
gestion that President Roosevelt taka
the steps.
Cold Weather Record Broken.
Pierre, S. D —On the 20th day of
December the government record
showed 24 degrees below zero, the
coldest December weather that has
been experienced here in 25 years.
Oklahoma Bank Robbed.
Tulsa, Okl.—Oklahoma bank rob
bers made a large haul the other day
when they entered the Oklahoma Na
tional bank at Skiatook, near here,
blew open the safe and escaped in aa^
automobile with $20,000 in currency!
and silver.
Huge Sum for Breach of Promise.
Pittsburg. Pa.—Miss Nettie Rich
ardson, aged 40, former cashier in a
hotel, was awarded a verdict of $170,
000 in her suit for $500,000 for breach
of promise against Henry Denlston.
Bank Resources Grow.
Pierre, S. D.—An increase of nearly
five and a half million dollars in state
bank deposits for the two months
from September 12 to November 17
is shown in the report of state bank
examiners. The state banks show to
tal resources of $98,200,277.31.
May Close Paris Theaters.
Paris.—The Association of Paris
Theater managers has notified tho
government that if the proposed new
tax on theaters is imposed all tho
theaters will be closed.