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6
THAT "an administration constantly eulogizing
war is bound to regard conquest as a legiti
mate adjunct of strife" is one of the strong points
mado in this textbook. The following extracts will
bo interesting: "The conflict in the east between
Russia and Japan has a pregnant bearing upon
America's future, in tho spectacle which it has
offered of a great power reduced to pitiful straits
through need for defending an isolated position,
removed thousands of miles from its baso of sup
plies. Russia's homo strength could not be trans
mitted to Tort Arthur and hence tho spectacle
of a giant bleeding to death at an extremity. In
tho event of America being forced into a foieign
war, tho difficulty that would attend tho defense
of a scattered archipelago in tho Orient is only too
obvious. It will not do to say, as Mr. Roosevelt
does, that it would bo 'unwise' for him to inform
. tho American public what is the next thing ho
intends to do in tho Philippine islands. If ho
were dealing only with the Filipinos, he might
contemptuously tell them that it is none of their
business what he proposed to do; but as tho
American people are interested in this question,
thoy are entitled to know for what purpose and
with what object, and for what probable length
.of time, this administration Is spending its money
by tho hundreds of millions. Tho democratic party
declares plainly and unequivocally what it intends
to do. President Roosevelt simply tells the Amer
ican people that it would bo unwise to tell them
what 'his next step will be.' " '
I
THE visiting Filipinos now in this country have
declared for either statehood or independence
and on this point tho textbook says: "We know
that the loading Filipinos, and those most friendly
to and most trusted by our own representatives
in the Philippines demand statehood in the Amer
ican union, and the only permanent alternative to
that is absolute independence. The federal party
in the Philippines, which has been the friend of
the United States from its formation, and from
whose membership nearly all the native officers
are drawn, declared for statehood, was submitted
in its first platform, and that platform, before
its adoption, was submitted to and revised by Gov
ernor Taft and the American members of the com
mission. How soon wo have forgotten the prin
ciples upon which we were going to act when we
..tqqk possession of the Philippine islands! Then
wo were to have the 'open door.' That was dis
tinctly proclaimed in annex to protocol No. 15 in
the treaty of peace4It being the policy of the
United States to maintain in the Philippines an
open door to the world's commerce.' Yet, when
certain interests demanded it, we promptly im
posed an export duty on all hemp going trom
tho Philippines to any other country except the
United States. Protests are now on file in tho
state department from nearly every country in
Europe against this violation of our specific prom
ise to maintain the 'open door to the commerce
of tho world."
ON THE subject of railroad employes the text
book has this to say: "Every railway cor
poration in the United States is compelled by law
to report to the interstate commerce commission
at Washington the aggregate number of days
worked during the year by all its employes, and all
those belonging to each class, and the precise sums
paid in wages to all employes and to each class
From these data the commission's statistician fig
ures averages of daily wages, which represent
every workman employed during the year, and
every dollar paid in wages. Railroad labor affords
tho most accurate barometer of wages. A large
. proportion of its employes are union men, whose
wages are comparatively steady. Now, the wages
of railroad employes, as shown by the interstate
commerce commission, averaged nearly the same
in 1901 as they did nine years before, in 1892 -In
1902 they wore 1 1-4 per cent higher than in 1901
and 5 per cent higher than In 1897."
IN THE same publication a, table Is given from
the interstate commerce commission report
which table gives in detail the number of earners
in each class of railway labor with their average
daily labors for specified years, it is further said
"From the above table it will bo seen that the
, greatest increase in wages, excluding general of
ficers, from 1897 to 1903, was only 14 per cent or
less than the increased cost of living duiing 'the
same period, according to Commissioner Wright's
own table of retail prices; it is only about one-
s half of the increase in prices, according to Com-
The Commoner.
missloner Wright's table of wholesale prices, and
only one-third of tho increased cost of living, ac
cording to tho honest and scientifically constructed
table of Dun. Since 1903, there has not been
oven a 2 per cent increase in railway wages. On
tho contrary, as is well known, there have been
material cuts In tho wages paid railway labor, es
pecially to such employes as are not members of
labor unions. At a conservative estimate, 200,000
men have been laid off with no wages at all, and
the wages of many classes of labor that were re
tained have been reduced since 1903 by an average
of 10 por cent. And this, in spite of the fact that
the cost of living has continued to advance, and
on March 1, 1904, was 43 per cent higher than
on July 1, 1897." The figures given are supported
by tables from authentic reports.
THE strenuoslty shown in "class rushes" Is now
attracting general public attention. A writ
er in the New York World says: "In Springfield,
O., five men have been seriously injured, on per
haps fatally, in a 'rush.' The nominally non
cambatant girls 'became excited.' While busy in
the merciful errand of carrying water to tho war
riors they freed those who were bound on the
field 'prisoners of rope,' as it were so that they
might resume the battle. In Senator Beveri'dge's
old college in Indiana the sophomores painted a
freshman black and threw him into the river,
where they kept him until he laid the foundation
for a possibly fatal attack of pneumonia." These
practices are vigorously condemned by the World
editor and he calls upon the officers of the law in '
all college towns to 'punish severely every crimi
nal act of hazers and rushers."
WILD fig trees are referred to by a writer in
the Geographical Magazine as "a pirate
among plants." This writer says that among all
the. forms of vegetable life in the Mexican tropics,
these trees are remarkable and that some o tliem
show such apparent intelligence in their readiness
to meet emergencies that it is difficult not to credit
them with powers of colitlon. This writer adds:
"In the tropics, where the wild figs flourish, there
is a constant struggle 'for life among numberless
species of plants. Certain of the wild figs 'appear
to have learned this and provide a fruit which is a
favorite food for many birds; then an occasional
seed is dropped by a bird where it finds lodgment
in the axil of a palm frond high in the air. There
the seed takes root and is nourished by the little
accumulation of dust and vegetable matter. It
sends forth an aerial root, which creeps down the
palm, sometimes coifing about the trunk on its
way. When this slender, cord-like rootlet reaches
the ground it secures foothold and becomes the
future trunk of the fig tree. After the descend
ing rootlet has secured itself in the ground a
branch bearing a few leaves springs from the seed
in the palm top and a vigorous growth begins.
Then the fig gradually enlarges and incloses the
supporting palm trunk until tho latter is com
pletely shut in the heart of its foster child and
eventually strangled." '
IN JAPAN, .there is no such thing as disrespect
from youth to age. A writer in Leslie's
Weekly says: "No Japanese boy or giri could
ever think in a light or disrespectful manner of his
or her superiors or teachers, and this may account
for the earnestness so unusual among young chil
dren. When a student enter a master's presence
in Japan he bows to the floor, and when the lesson
is finished he bows again, with expressions of the
deepest gratitude as he takes his departure. The
teacher, sitting In most cases upon his feet on
the floor, gravely returns each salutation, then
lights his little pipe at the inevitable bit of a
smoking-box and waits for his next class. There
is no hurrying of masters from room to room, as
in some of the schools In our enlightened land.
Great imitators as they are, the Japanese are
remarkable for knowing instinctively those 'for
eign customs which would not coincide with their
national characteristics."
FROM the Idaville, Ind., Observer a New York
World writer has selected a number of inter-
?w &news !ems and has comP"ed the same un
der the headline, "A town with millions in it"
as follows: ' Floyd Million and wife attended Re
becca lodge at Logansport Friday night, ir M
hili0 Wife of Lake Cicott were among friends
natU,r?.ay, nlne. Mrs. Bert Goslee of nea?
Delphi visited her mother, Mrs. Emma Million
last Friday. Robert Million and family were the
Sunday guests of William Allison south of town"
. I -. .VOLUME 4, NUMBER 3I
Grace and Effio Million entertained Riiey MpPll
tic and Essie Edgerly Sunday. The ladL nr I"'
M. E. church gave a supper and ice cream
at the Million building last Saturday evenlng?ial
THE announcement that Joseph Jefferson th
veteran actor, would retire from the It X
was made September 18. Tho Boston con LIS?
ent for the New York World says: "Joseph jE'
son has been at the Hotel Touraine in this cK"
several days, a voluntary prisoner, by the adv Z
of his physicians, who-have urged him to kZ
to his room until ho departs for a stay at Paim
Beach, Fla., within a few days. Mr. JaftcRoS
condition is not regarded as serious, but he his
family and his physicians agree that he should
take no chances. For some days ho suffered se
verely from indigestion at his summer home at
Buzzard's Bay, but he had partially recovered be
fore he came to Boston early last wecu. Tho
change to this city was advised by his physicians
Ho and his family secured apartments at the Tour
aine, where he has since immured himself, denying
himself to tho few callers who learned of his
presence in the city, and being accessible only to
his physicians. No new stomach trouble or lcw
Illness of any kind has developed, but it was
feared that, with Mr. Jefferson's age and en
feebled condition as a result of his recent attack,
any attempt at activity on the stage might result
in a recurrence of the malady in an aggravated
form, and that a complete suspension of work,
mental and physical, was absolutely necessary. To
this Mr. Jefferson very reluctantly agreed, and the
fall tour was abandoned."
REFERRING to his father's rotirment from tho
stage, William Winter Jefferson, in an in
terview with the World reporter said: "My father
is simply resting. He is suffering from no new
illness, but has made up his mind that in his
present state of health it would not be safe for
him or fair to the public to risk breaking down
on a tour which he feels might bo too much for
him. Since he broke down in the middle of a tour
some years ago father has been very careful not
to run the risk of a repetition, as he is very
sensitive about disappointing the pulilic. We shall
go ahead and play 'The Rivals' for the three weeks'
tour we were to make before my father should
join us. We may book some further engagements
at tho close of that tour, but things are so upset
now that nothing can be said definitely. 1 be
lieve, however, that the present situation will not
affect my father's tour next spring, although It
all depends upon his health at that time."
ON AUGUST 17, Judge Parker sent to Geoige F.
Parker, chairman of the democratic commit
tee, the following letter: "Rosemount, Esopus, N.
Y., August 17, 1904. Mr. George F. Parker.-My
Dear Mr. Parker: The Times of this morning
says that the party textbook is about prepared,
and that it will go to the printer in a few days.
Therefore, I hasten to beg you to see to it that
there is no word in it that reflects upon the per
sonal honor and integrity of President Roosevelt.
An Evening Post editorial indicates that but little
care was taken in that direction toward myself by
the compiler of the republican textbook, but let
there be no rejoinder In kind or otherwise. I feel
confident that you need no reminder, slill my
anxiety impels me to send this caution. Very
truly yours, Alton B. Parker."
IN THE opinion of "The World Today," stripped
of all technicalities, the question at issue is
whether under tho conditions prevailing in the Illi
nois river, the typhoid bacillus is able to pass
from Chicago to St. Louis, a distance of some
350 miles, and demanding a mean average flow
of eighteen days. "Tho World Today" says; it
is generally known that typhoid fever is at pres
ent, practically the only water-borne disease imm
causes great concern Iri this country. While tneie
are other infections that aro occasionally causeu
by polluted drinking water, there is strong reason
for believing that tho specific pathogenic microDca
concerned in producing them closely resemble iu"
typhoid bacillus, in their life history. It Wi '
that what applies to the water carriage of tynow
fever applies also tor these less common i1"110.1 '
In the actual conduct of the case the battle uu
centered around the question as to whether PU"
bacilli introduced intp the sewers of Chicago' u
and do travel in a living and virulent condition
the intake of tho St. Louis water works."
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