The Nebraska Independent
MAY 24, 190$-
gaining entrance to England, making
the capital their headquarters.
Ambassador Reid gives a reception
to American women in London, and
while a small fortune is spent in
decorations, the refreshments are so
plain as to present a curious con
trast. Canadian parliament is considering
a most ' drastic elee'don law, which
would disfranchise for six years any
voter who failed to cast a ballot for
a member of parliament.
Czar will make important conces
sions for the sake of avoiding a rup
ture with 4he douma," granting par
lial amnesty and allowing the lower
house of parliament to select a new
premier.
Demands for sweeping reforms in
Russia are to be made upon the czar,
by parliament. . Cabinet .virtaully de
cides to grant amnesty.
MICHIGAN FOREST FIRES
Five Counties Devastated and One
Hundred Square Miles of Ter
ritory Swept by Flames
Milwaukee A dispatch to the Sen
tinel from E.scanaba, Mich., by a staff
correspondent says:
Four known dead, a score or more
missing, hundreds of families home
less, several million dollars of prop
erty burned, four towns wiped out en
tirely and a dozen more partfally,
five counties devasted and one hun
dred square miles of territory fire
swept. This is the dreadful picture
that the northern Michigan peninsula
presents after the worst fire since the
Pestigo disaster in 1871 has spent it
self. General Superintendent W. E.
Wells of the Escanaba & Lake Su
perior road, along which right of way
the greatest loss occurred, has re
turned from a trip of inspection over
the fire stricken area and says that
the flames have gone down and for
the time being the danger is, over un
less a new gale arises to again fan
the embers into flames.
Scores of homesteaders and woods
men are missing, and many have
probably perished in the flames.
Territory devastated, five counties
Marquette, Menominee, Delta, Alger
and Dickinson.
The territory fire swept is 100
square miles.
Towns Burned
Talbot, Mich., 300 population; only
a few houses left standing.
Quinnesec, Mich., 400 population;
only one house remains.
Saunders, 150 population; all wiped
out.
Niagara, Wis., 300 population; all
wiped out.
Towns partially destroyed North
land, Cornell, Antoine, Spring Valley,
Kingsley, Woodlawn, Foster City, Sa-
la, Metropolitan.
D. R. FRANCIS THREATENED
St. Louis It has become known
that former Governor D. R. Francis,
president of the world's fair, re
ceived an anonymous letter threaten
ing his life unless the sum of $5,000
was placed at a designated spot on
Delmar boulevard, just outside the
city limits in St. Louis county between
8 and 10 oc clock last night. Detec
tives were stationed at the designated
place for several hours without re
suit.
Better Than Spanking
Spankinff floes aot cure children of bed wet
ting. Hit did there would be few children that
would do it. There is a constitutional cause
iv,(o Mn M Snmmc.rs. Box. 169. Notre
Dame. Ind.. will send her home treatment to
any mother. She asks no money, w rue ner
to-day if your children trouble you in this way.
Don t blame the child. The chances are it
can't help it.
RAILWAY RATE REVIEW
Attacked by Chandler Provisions In
serted in Bill by Senate De
clared Too Broad.
Washington, May 20 In a signed
statement given The Chicago Record
Herald tonight former Senator Wil
liam E. Chandler, president of the
Spanish war claims commission, con
dems the court review provisions in
serted by the senate in the Hepburn
railroad rate regulating bill.
Mr. Chandler's part inthe negotia
tions between the president and Sen
ator Tillman to secure the passage of
a strong bill brought him prominently
into the limelight in the debates in
the senate, and his views on the sec
tions of the bill which he and Sen
ator Tillman assert were the prin
cipal features of the negotiations, are
interesting. He takes substantially
the position occupied by Mr. Tillman
and Senator Bailey in regard to the
court review amendment, declaring it
too broad. The statement follows:
"The railroad rate bill as it passed
the house had many merits and some
beneficial amendments were . adopted
in the senate. As a whole it is a
great advance over the present laws,
which holds the commission as to
ratemaking far behind the position it
was supposed to occupy when the law
was passed in 1887, but which sup
posed position has been destroyed by
various decisions of the supreme
court.
Invites Interference.
'The power which is now to be
given to the commission to hear com
plaints of exorbitant rates and to apply
remedies is a great assertion of pop
ular and legislative power which will
never again be destroyed. The fun
damental mistake of the bill as it
stands is that it invites judicial in
terference with the administrative
work of making rates which is to be
performed in the first instance by the
commission.
"The railroads need no protection
against the commission except what
their situation gives them. They can
refuse -to qbey any order of the com
mission fixing rates, and thereupon the
commission is helpless until it goes
nto court in one or all of three ways:
(1) For mandamus orders against the
carrier; (2) for penalties; (3) for
damages to the shippers. Whenever
these proceedings are undertaken
any constitutional rights of the rail
roads can be asserted, and that class
of rights can not be taken away by
legislation. Every other right of in
terference with the commission can
be and should be taken away , by
legislation. Therefore while the bill
in any shape in which it is likely to
pass will be a great advance upon
present conditions, it will not be what
the true interests of the people re
quire.
Would Strike Out Clauses
"All invitations to the court to in
terfere with the rates made by the
commission which have been put on
in the senate should be stricken out
in conference, and even the implied
recognition of the right of review in
the bill as it passed the house should
be stricken out. If these things are
not done by this congress they wil
be done by some future congress which
the people will choose for that pur
pose.
"Meantime we must be thankfu
that in the first great battle between
the people and the railroads the peo
ple have won something and the rail
roads have not won everything. The
exceptions to the free pass prohi
bition make it almost worse than the
present law.
"WILLIAM E. CHANDLER,
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PEACE CONGRESS IN A YEAR
The Hague It is regarded here as
practically assured that, the .second
international peace conference will be
postponed until the end of May, 1907.
JkJ0i 2ATX Mj. yKTjs
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Land Department
Lincoln, Nebr.
' Nebraska G3ws
Beatrice T. J. Maloney, a Wymore
youth, was fatally shot today by Fred
Hanes, a companion. The two boys
had climbed a tree when the gun in
the hands of his companion was dis
charged, the entire load taking effect
in Maloney's abdomen.
Merna Material is on the ground
for the water works system. The first
dirt was turned for the trenches yes
terday. Oakland The commencement ex
ercises of the Oakland high school
will take place in the Lutheran church
Thursday evening, May 31. Rev.
Joseph Nugent of Des Moines will "de
liver the address.
Beatrice The first of a series of
summer concerts was given last even
ing by the Beatrice military band. The
band will give a concert Sunday after
noon from 3:30 to 5 at the Institution
for Feeble Minded Youth.
Oakland At a meeting of the
school board Wednesday evening
Miss Jessie Powell of Urbana, 111., was
elected as assistant principal in the
high school to take the place vacated
by Miss Mandlin, who has accepted
a position in South Dakota.
Grand Islam The Messrs. Bern
liard Weise and Ed Stoltenberg, re
siding near Abbot, heard a loud noise
in the barnyard a few days ago and
upon investigating fou-d a six-foot
reptile of the "blacksnake" variety in
battle with a 440-pound hog. The
snake was killed.
Fremont Farm work has gone
ahead rapidly during the last two
weeks and most of the corn is in the
ground. The early planting is up and
looking well. The condition of small
grain is satisfactory. The surface of
the ground is dry and would be helped
by arain.
Oxford Work on the proposed
Catholic house of worship was to have
been begun this week, but will be de
layed a few days owing to the pre
vailing scarcity of workmen. The
structure will be of frame, 28x50 feet,
exclusive of side wings and will cost
when furnished approximately $3 000
Tecumseh This week William Carr
& Son of Tecumseh have been given
three miles of eradinar on the Rnritn.
I ton's Lincoln-Milford line near Ger
, mantown. -At present the gentlemen
, are doing some work for the Union
, Pacific near South Omaha, but they
jwill begin work on the new contract
ai once.
Oxford The following teachers
were elected this week for the ensu
ing year: Mary E. Foster, Union,
Neb., high school principal; Sylvia
Miller, Blue Springs, grammar do-