PAGE 6
&6a Nebraska. Indopcndont
OCTOBER 19, 1905
I IN THE WORLD OF PROGRESS'
-
William J. .Bryan and his family, who arrived
at Yokohama Saturday, will spend two weeks In
Japan They will make a visit of five days to
Tokio and Marquis Ito, president of (he privy
council, and Count Okuma, leader of the progres
sive party, will invite Mr. Bryan to a dinner. The
Jaan-American society f nvited Mr. Bryan to
a'Hreps its mem I ers at the Young Men's hall
October 17. Count Okuma presided at the
function. .
Senator Elkins, in a very frank statement,
vaults into the arena alongside of Senator For
aker, and proves that the anti-administration
fight of the rate legislation question is on, not
withstanding the statements of Senator Foraker
that there was no trouble between; him and the
president on this subject. Senator Elkins re
veals, unwittingly, perhaps, the secret of the
forthcoming senate committee bill.; He says it
will omit the president's' vital suggestion that
the, ratemaking power be given to the interstate
conimerco commission.
The "law and order" parties breathe freely
again in Germany now that the second ballot at
Essen has resulted in the victory of the Ultra
montane candidate, Herr Giesberts, over his
socialist antagonist, Herr Gewehr. It Is, however,
not a "famous victory," as out of a total of 80,
105 recorded votes the socialist received 38,058,
only 4,000 short of the victor's number. The total
Increase in the socialist vote was 9,500, a state
cf affairs which almost justifies the Vorwarts in
Its triumphant remark that Essen, the center of
benevolent despotism and patriarchlal methods
of treating workers, will surely elect a socialist
at "the next election.
Secretary Shaw has a remarkable financial
scheme that he is, anxious to see put into oper
ation. He let the outside world In on it In a
speech before the bankers at Cleveland, Ohio,
last week. The scheme, in a nutshell, Is that
the limited special privileges now granted the
national banks be made unlimited: that where
now they can issue bank notes only to the ex
tent of their bond holdings, hey be allowed to
issue more notes, on nothing, you might say, the
notes; to be pledged by the government, same as
at present, the difference being that in case of
failure on the bank's part, the people (through
the government) lose all. To pay for thb extra
privilege, Mr. Shaw would compel the bankrs to
pay 5 per cent on the notes issued in excess of
their bond-holdings, on which, of course, they
pay one-half of one per cent.
The relations between European working
people settled in this acountry nd their rela
tives and friends abroad are so close that an
unusual demand for labor is almost immediately
satisfied through immigration of additional Euro
pean laborers. The number of alien arrivals at
the pert of New York during the second quarter
broke all records, reaching 294,381, as against
202,099 for the corresponding quarter last year
and 274,507 two years ago. The largest contin
gent cf immigrants came from South Italy, 95,025,
or 32 per cent of the total. Polish immigration
has increased largely and has assumed second
place with 33,438 arrivals. The Germans, w'th
20,904 arrivals, maintain the third rank, while
the Hebrews (17.2S5) have dropped to fourth
place from second place a year ago. New York
state received one-third of the immigrants, as
against 12 per cent a year ago.
In the New York state labor department's
bulletin for the second quarter of 1905 Labor
Commissioner Sherman calls attention to a
marked Improvement In trade, which begun in
tho middle of 1904 and has continued almost
Uninterruptedly, There aro relatively fewer Idle
ftago earners In New York than there were oven
in 1902, tho most prosperous year of the decade.
The a v trace number of unemployed reenbers
vt labor unions was only 151 per l.OOu In the first
half of 1905, ax compared with 202 lust year
and 1S lit 1902. At the beginning of July ibis
fear tho proportion of Idle men was 91 In l.ooo,
tevnlnm US In 192, The Matlsjlcn of unem
ployment In New York, Ktales Commit loner
Sherman, nn In notahlo contrast with tr.nso of
Great UrPftlu. where tho number of worker In
dNfrefu has grown m laro as to becomo tho
itubjtrt of parliamentary discussion. In Kmjland
ami Utnovo gem rally the womt year of tho In
dustrial depression of the nlnettci was 191, and
thereafter business steadily improved until the
culmination of the period of prosperity in 1899.
On the continent the subsequent stagnation was
most marked in 1902 or 1903, but in England it
continued in intensified form throughout 1904,
and brought about the enactment of the new
unemployed workman act at the recent session
of parliament. In New York the recent period
of prosperity did not set in until 1897 (four years
later than in England) and did not reach Its cul
mination until 1903. During the latter part of
1904 there was a reaction, but it was only a tem
porary check, says the commissioner, and the last
twelve months have been so favorably to employ
ment that instead of providing new measures
for the relief of the distress among unemployed
workmen, the state finds its established institu
tions only partially used.
The decision reached at a cabinet meeting
to make the packers throughout the country pay
for inspection tags means more than appears
on the surface. For several years small pack
ers throughout the country have been up in arm3
because the secretary of agriculture could not
give them the same inspection service as is ac
corded large packers. This, it was urged,t worked
a hardship ou the small packers and practically
denied them the right to enter the export trade.
Secretary Wilson urged upon the president the
Importance of doing something for the small
packers and after outlining his plan to make all
packers desiring inspection service pay for the
tags used, the government having attached them
free on carcasses inspected heretofore, it was
thought an exceedingly clever move to give all
packers Inspection. Secretary Wilson stated oa
leaving the White House that he estimated the
government would receive at least $50,000 a year
from the sale of tags which would be Yised to
broaden the inspection service. The secretary
was optimistic on the question, believing that
it will solve what has been a most perplexing
question in the bureau of animal industry. '
The long promised re-organization of the con
sular service will be brought about by legislative
action during the coming session of congress If
the influence of the president and Secretary Root
is of avail. It has been determined, in behalf
of the tremendous trade and other interests of
the United States abroad, to push through the
two houses a bill which will permit the creation
of a permanent corps composed of alert, intelli
gent Americans, who will be paid sufficiently to
enable them to live comfortably with the pros
pect of promotion. Secretary Root is responsible
for the re-organization of the army, which he
accomplished when he was at the head of the
war department. He found a vicious system ex
isting, and he corrected it, in order that the coun
try might be provided with efficient means of
military defense. He has come into the state
department and has confirmed the view, gener
ally held, that the consular service is Inefficient,
unwieldy and incapable adequately of protecting
the foreign interests of the United States and
expanding the trade of this country. He received
the resignations of consular officers who were
appointed through political pull to posts with
which they were not satisfied. These men sum
marily threw up commissions rather than re
main at points at which they were named.
The reorganization of the Panama canal
commission has been followed by a general re
duction in the working force and a cut In salaries
all along the line. Colonel Edwards, in charge
of the commission headquarters at Washington,
in explaining this action, calls attention to tho
fact that retrenchment wan neressury, as under
the administration of Admiral Walker the force
included several officials whose services were not
at all necessary. An Instance of the method of
the Walker commission Is found In the fact that
now one man Is doing the work formerly done
by three, all of whom drew IiIkIi salaries. Ad
miral A. 8. Kenny, United Stales navy, retired,
held the poriitlou of treasurer of tho eomnilHsiou
under Admiral Walker at a uktry of $7,fM). The
deputy treasurer was N, t Patrrett. uho drew
$:t.oeo. An aK.sUt.uit deputy received a salary
of $1.shi. All tlti t re displaced by Colonel
IM wards and now James ('. JoMer doe th work.
Mis salaiy Is $1,0iu) a year, m that here In a
Having of $9,300 In this one instance, It v. a
found that In other caste the Walk r commits
Hell bad b'N lavish ill thlUK iMtaiie of mieor
official and lnr tin chutist? many of the up.
polutcea have voluntarily restated, the others
have either been sent to the isthmus at reduced
salaries or removed. How extensive the reduc
tions have been is indicated by the fact that em
ployees formerly receiving $3,000 now receive
$1,800; those receiving $2,000 now receive $1,600,
and those receiving $1,600 now receive $1,200.
A number, of tho women clerks were reduced
from $900 to $740.
Considerable concern has been caused the
administration as a result of the action of the
Hamburg-American Steamship company in pur
chasing Water island, a small key which com
mands the Danish West Indies, for use as a coal
ing station. Advices to the state department
which have been furnished by Consul Payne, who
is stationed at St. Thomas, intimate that the pur
chase was effected through collusion between the
German and Danish governments. The anxiety
of the authorities arises not only from this fact,
but from tho further fact that the Hamburg
American company is subventioned by the Ger
man government. Its steamers aro available In
time of war for use as auxiliary cruisers, and its
coaling stations may be utilized by the German
government in order to. carry on hostile opera
tions.
It is a matter of record that in 1893 in a
certain rural community in the south six acres
of land sold for $13.98, or $2.33 an acre. Last
year these same six acres sold for $1,660, or
$276.66 an acre. Near this, another tract which
in 1892 sold for 70 cents an acre sold in 1901 for
$150 an acre. All of this land, in 1892 and 1895
was out in the country. It is out of the country
now, and it is used for farming purposes only.
No speculators have run its price up; no "boom-,
ers" have laid off a city there and advertised
"comer lots." There is no city there, and the
people have no intention of building one. Neither
is there even a cotton mill or other manufactur
ing concern there or anywhere in that vicinity. -People
have lived there for nearly 200 years and
tilled the soil, and that is what they are doing
now. The difference Is that for the first time
they are learning how to farm, how to bring
land formerly considered waste such crops as
sell at a big profit. And along with this, and
in consequence of this, they are learning how to
live comfortably in the country, how to build
themselves homes, how with others near them to
build up a community life and enjoy those intel
lectual and social pleasures which they were wont
to consider possible only in the town. Some
"new blood" has been introduced into this com
munity, people who came down from the north
west to engage in truck growing, or any other
kind of growing the land was capable of; bur.
the natives, too, have been stimulated, and, thus
assisted, have gone to work to better themselves
and build up their community. Zach McGhee, in
Southern Workman.
Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor who modeled
the figures of the Angel of the Annunciation and
the Angel of the Ressurrection at the entrance
to the Belmont chapel of the Episcopal cathedral
of St. John the Divine, in New York City, has
destroyed tho two figures which have aroused
such a stormy discussion in the church and in art
circles over the statement that the statues were
feminine, when there was no foundation for the
belief that there were "women angels." The- mat
ter resulted in instructions being given the sculp
tor to fashion them along more masculine out
lines, and that he has begun to do this by de
stroying those already in the crypt of the church.
"I have smashed them," said Borglum "to put a
final dam par ou this pedantic controversy. They
were modeled after the poetic, religious and ar
tistic notions of angels, as I believe. They wem
my ideal and were evolved to fill a certain pur
pose. I smashed them so that they could not
come to an end other tha.. that I had labored for
and Intended. How I am to go about replacing
them I have no Idea. There is nothing In art
upon which I can base my work, riven the Bible
fa'lx to be of any assistance. In fashioning the
fisures which 1 have destroyed i followed tho ion-,
approved artistic notion of tho spiritual with
much of the feminine eliminated, but wlilt cer
tain dclhate touclu and features which to my
mind wo cannot Hcpuratr from our mental pie
turo of an anueh It Is a Motueo of much wotuu r
to mo bow or fit) clergymen can Htun.t hi tho
preenc of relifciom tlatue uto) Hv In thrni
nothing hut lite tMiiMiiil, mining entirely u,
hpltltual."