< > te > k > k'x > l > li > ii > k > k > k > k > k > k > k > k > i > kj. } * fe i 1 1 l\ \ "A STORY OF THE lH BOER CAMPAIGN H ON THE , . . , * W XU : c IN NATALXXX * * \ VELDTW M VELDT Dy H , 0. Mackenzie a1 CHAPTBIl V. ( Continued. ) It WUB n bright moonlight night , and the palo Hllvory light foil on the Ions rows of gum treoes and notttles , glv- " Ing a atrango white nhoeu on tholr leaves , nnd tracing a curious chcckored pattern on the path below. Suddenly , us Uluobcll Booked , a horseman uhot Into vlow a horao riding Htmlght up towards the IIOUHO. Even as Bluebell , with a sudden llttlo gasping cry drew back , she Haw the rldor pause. Ho turned his horse round and waved something It loooked llko a pistol- in the air , aa If to some one behind him ; then , turning again , rode straight up the avcnuo. Hluohell only waited to BOO another and yet another borsoman Hhoot Into vlow , then , turning quickly to her door , she opened It and flow along the passage to her father's room. She knocked furiously. In a moment her father's voice demanded sleepily , "Who Is there ? " "Father , father ! " she cried , her voice ringing out clear and strong , though her heart seemed almost bursting and her tongue parched and dry. "Illao quickly and got your revolver ! The Boors , they arc coming up the avenue ! They are almost on us ! " She could bear her father mutter a wild oath. At that moment It scut a nbudder through her. There were only women In the house , Besides her aunt and herself- there- was Marie , the girl they had bad as servant for two years , and two half-caste Zulu girls , who slept down stairs. The native "boys" slept In an outsldo shed. Adam Leslie and Blue bell herself were the only two who could defend thcmsojvos against an attacking party , for Bluohell bad long since learned to uno firearms. "ftam ready ! " cried her father In a moment. "Let the villains como on ! I'm more than a match , for u score of Boer doga ! " "Father , father , oh , don't speak llko that ! " cried the girl as Leslie Hung open the room door. "Let us speak pleasantly to them. Perhaps , after all , they have no unfriendly intentions. Why should they ? Wo have never done them any barm. Wo have al ways " "Hist ! " .oxclalmpd hen father. A horrible spasm had passed over his face ; but at that moment the scunio of what seemed a score of horses' hoofs ooundcd under the stoop ontsldo. nnd a loud exclamation wua uttornd.- "Keoop back , girl ! I shall go to the window myself , " said Leslie'In a low voice. Bhlobell stood back aMlUle. At , thjo ' ' Bame moment a sound 'of 'shrieks jbe- hlnd told her that thq servants had been , roused , frpnn tholr slumbers. She turned And saw Miss [ Elisabeth , pale and liorror-strlekon , in > her blue duffle dreddlng'gowni h'er" hca'd'covered with the ugly white cap which she always1 Wdro Ulirliii * tU ' 'night,4 "hurrying towards her , followed by the shrlel - ing Marie n'nd the howling native girl ? . "Keep them quiet. It wllr bo all right , -auntie. They i can't mean us harm ; It in the Boors , " Bluebell said , in sho'rt 'whispers , 'for she was listen ing at the samp time1 to what wetit on ' ' ' " " ' ' ' at'tho window : , . Her father had flung It opo.n . A ' v'oiqq frp.ni bolpw called out : < "Open the door tous , Adam Leslie , and surrender yourself as our prisoner , or wo1' shrill burn your huutio about your ears ! " Bluebell tild not recognize the voice , which , though Dutch in accent , spoke excellent English. Her , father an swered , In a voice that-trembled with ' ' ' ' " ' ' passion' ! "I will not open the door to you , yoli Boer dogs ! , What do ypu want with mo' " I10' ii I ' > ! "Bolter apeak clvily , for the suko of your own life ! " retorted the voice * Tn answer. "Yoii'ro a base informer , nnd , but for thu klmlneus of Almlgthy Qed , wo should have been without our lenders through ydlij 'Surrender you'r- eolf prisoner , ory SJll hang you tb the nearest trcoo anil lau'ii your bouso and nil It contains ! That's thp beat course with villains UkQ youj" "I refuse to isurronder ! " shouted Leslie , ' bcsido himself with rage. Ho turned to Bluebell. "Bring mo my revolver loaded ! " he cried , be tween his teeth. . But , instead of obeying. Bluebell i sprang forward , nnd , pushing her father aside , interposed herself be tween him nnd the window. With oye's that hardly seemed to sco she looked down on the men below an army they seemed to her uxcitcd mind tall , stalwart follows in khaki and wide Boer hats , each man armed , and , cach with stern and relentless gaze on the window. In front , on n fine , hlgh- Rtcpplng horse , sat the man who was ovldehtly the leader a young man lt dressed llko the others ; but with a face not unhandsome though It was whose merciless determination struck u cold chill through Bluebell. "You make a mistake , " she said , and her voice rang out clear and sWoct after the men's bourse , , angry voices , "My father is no informer. Some one has been tolling you a wicked lio. Wo were always friendly wllh any Boors .that we know. " The young man looked behind htm. The .noxUInstaut-a horseman in 'the , background rode forward ami came alongside thn Boor loader. Bluebell gave a faint cry , almost staggering backward , nnd oho heard a fearful oath burst from her father us he. too , recognized the man. It was ( icrald Moore. CHAPTER VI. In the moonlight his mocking , dark face bad a look upon It that seemed to niuebcll's oycs us malevolent and wicked us thut of any fiend could bo. He was looking sValgth up at the win dow. "There Is no necessity for undeceiv ing your daughter , Mr. Lcalle , " he said ; "but. you see , there's absolutely no tiHQ In icslstancc all Is known now. If you don't surrender yourself as prisoner It will bo worse for yourself. Tlio commando have orders to shoot you If you realat. " A shriek broke from Miss Eliza beth's lips behind Bluebell ; but the girl uttered neither word nor cry ns her horrified eyes , looking dark and largo In the midst of her ghastly whlto face , strained themselves to catch a glance from her father. He gave her none. His own face was contorted and convulsed with some terrible emo tion , the veins In bis forehead were swelling to bursting. For a moment or two ho could not speak , though his lips twitched convulsively. Then suddenly his voice broke from him , low and bourse a voice that made Bluebell shudder. "You traitor ! " ho said , and ills tone was terrible to hour , so that even the Doer lender shrank away a little , glancing at Moore doubtlngly. "I see your game now ! You urged me to give information , and then you your self turned and informed on me ! You aio a Judas Iscurlot ! And I would have sold my child into your bunds for gold ! May God Almighty forgive mo ! My " The words were strangled In his throat. Ho made a wild movement , as if ho would have leaped out of the window upon Moore ; then a sudden , strange convulsion shook him from head to foot , and ho fell back against Ulucbell , rolled from her grasp , and , falling to the floor , lay there , after ono or two convulsive motions , per fectly still. Miss Elizabeth gave another cry , and moving forward , bent over him. Ho lay on his side , his face still a deep , almost a purple , red In hue , hs | eyes half open but glazed and unsee ing , bis Jaw dropped. Bluebell , strick en dumb and motionless ; stood beside him , unable to make 'miy tternjif to raise him from the ground4. Meantime a rapid consultation was going on be tween the leader of the commando and Qorald Moore. , ' "You can set fire to the house and do ns you llko with the old man ! " said Moore , savagely. " 1 have something else to do. The girl is niy jjroperty and I claim' ' her. ' " "Do as you like , " replied the young leader .coldly. Ho uyed Mooie with cold contempt. ' "Notwlthstitndliig' the use that they had made of Moore , big , was not a character which com mended Itself to the Doer lenders , \vho knew more aboht him 't'han did most Englishmen. "I have nothing to do with any dirty prlyatq work. , My duty Is to ti\kq Adam Leslie , dead or alive , and I mean to confine myself to that. " In a few minutes the word of com mand had been given to' the com mando , who proceeded lo break down1 the door , hull nlso to force their way Into the house by means of the glass door of n bedroom which opened onto the stoop. The women upstairs heard' ' the noise , and Miss Elizabeth uttered , a terrified exclamation- while tlio frightened servants howled and' shrieked In concert. "I shall go to them nnd demand their right to force themselves Into any one's hoiuo llko this ! " said Blue bell , suddenly starting us if from 'a horrible dream. Before Miss Eliza beth could prevent her she had moved from the room and out to the licai of the stairs. . All was dark below , only she could sco that the outer door had been opened , and a flood of moonlight , streamed In upon the floor. In Its light she saw the Boers , In tholr sandy- colored clothes , striding through that beam of light. But she had no time to speak , no time oven to think. Before she knew what was about to happen she was seized in a strong , almost vlco-llke grip , something dark , close and stifling was fastened tightly around her face , so that she could not utter a sound save a low , stilled moan , and she felt herself lifted off her feet and carried as easily as If she was a child down stairs. She struggled violently , mak ing wild efforts to free her hands and arms , which were bound lo her side by a cloth ; but It was useless. As well might a fly have struggled to escape from an Imprisoning web. She could not feel the channc from the warmth of the air Inside to the chilly atmobphero without ; but aha guessed that her captor had Immedi I- ately passed outsldo with her , and In. It u few minutes sbo could feel the Jolt ing of his steps a < ? 119 passed over thorough rough and uneven pull } outsldq the. homcdlcudlng. . , A deadly despair 'succeeded the 'first" ' , wild revojt of Bluebell's senses. She I could have , no doubt , as to who her | captor was. Shn had been can led off as truly as was over maid of the eight eenth century by the man who , for some reason of his own Bluebell had never thought It love wished to muko her his wlfo. She was In the snare of the fowler , as powerless to frco her self as any poor , fluttering , broken- winged bird. The thought of what she was leav ing behind was terrible to her as her unknown fate. Her father had Bcemud dead as she looked upon him. Was he leally so ? It almost seemed to Blue bell's shuddering heart that It would be better for him If ho wore. She had been stupelled at first by the fearful accusation made against her father , but In the moments that elapsed between hid seizure by the visitation of God and her seizure by man's villainy Bluebell had slowly been coming out of her stupor , to rea lize that It might bo true. If It were so If her father , tempted by the traitorous villainy of the man whom ho had called a Judas Iscarlot , had committed this base deed , though Bluebell could not Hud It In her heart to call It a crime , then the punishment meted out to him might bo so terrible that natural death would be a thou sand times preferable. And then poor Miss Elizabeth , left to face these terrible men , with , per haps , the dead body of her brother In the house ! Bluebell felt her hearj. torn with anguish and anxiety as she thought of It. Again she made violent struggles to free herself. Alas ! they were worse than useless. The strong arms held her as In a vice. At this time no word had been ut tered. Suddenly Bluebell's captor paused ; the next moment Bluebell heard a long , peculiar cull rising on the night air. It was llko the "voo- ee ! " of the Australian bush. After a momentary pause It was answered. Then Bluebell's captor continued his walk , Jolting nnd stumbling at every step. Presently there was another pause. Then Bluebell funded she hoard the sound of horse's hoofs , but her bearIng - Ing was so deafened by the thick cloth that she could not be sure. In a few minutes , however , she knew she had been correct. She felt herself lifted up and placed on the side-saddle of some animal , which she guessed , from the height and from the use of the side-saddle , to be a 'horse. Then a voice spoke close to her ear the voice that was so hateful to Bluebell , and with such good reason. "There is no use In resistance ; you are wholly In my power , and 1 am determined you shall not escape me ndw. You are on horseback' ' . I am going to release your arms so that you may hold on with allyour might , for wo are going over a bad bit of ground. If yon-don't make any resistance 1 will take off that head-dress presently , but the more resistance you make the worse you will be treated. And let me tell you it Is perfectly useless ; noth ing but death can save you from mo. " Of course Bluebell could make no attempt at moving. Her hands were relcuhod from the cloth that had pin ioned them to her side , reins were i placed'In her hand , a whip was flicked in the hir , and the animal beneath moved forward. For the next hour Bluebell found thinking Impossible. The horse Jolt ed , stumbled nnd bumped at every steifeomotlmca \ putting bis fore-feet Into holes from which he had to bo extricated by main force , then plung ing over loose clumps of grass or shrubs with such suddenness as al most to unseat her. Bluebell was ac customed to the difficulties of riding on the veldt , but now , disabled by the want of sight , MilYocated as she wns 'by the cloth over her head and mouth , she , was Utterly unable to keep steady , and several times her gnUlo had to seize her as silo was falling from the horse. ( To bo continued. ) ' SmoUril WhlV llcliig I Dover ( Del , ) correspondence Phila delphia Press : Robert Tllghman be- llovos in the novel , oven though he be an offender against larceny laws. To day , for fracturing the state's rules of correct living , Robert underwent a whipping. This was not unusual , to bo sure , but the .10 persons who watched the floRKlngs were dumbstruck when Tllghmah1 deliberately lighted it clgnr- etto and puffed contentedly while the lashes wei'6 beihg delivered. Sheriff f Wlihrfon used the customary rawhide - hide whlp.altogether different from the instrument of torture used in New castle county , known us the ont-o'- nlnc-talls , and while ho piled the lash vigorously on the bared back of Tllghman the prisoner was unmoved , to the uwo and wonder of the crowd. In all nlno persons underwent the punishment. llrotlior'H Anlit'4. Mr. E. W. Scrlpps , of San Diego.Cal. , of the Sorlpps-McRao league , newsa- per publishers , says the Cincinnati En quirer , arrived and registered at the Hotel Alms yesterday morning with Ilia family , consisting of two sons , James G. and John P. Scrlpps , nnd daughters , Misses Dorothy and Ellen Scrlpps. . Ho la also accompanied by his secretary. Mr. II. B. Clark. Mr. Scrlpps left San Diego some days ago with the ashes of his brother , Mr. George II. Scrlpps.who died at the Mlr- amar Ranch , In California , on April 13 , and whoso remains were cremated in that State. Mr. E ; W. Scrlppa will louve tomorrow evening for Rush- vllle , Ilh , with his brother , ' : ) ashes , where they , will bo Interred. A. num ber of ; relatives of the late.Qeqrge II. Seripps will uccompanyj > Mr. 'E , Wi Seripps to Rudhvlllo , . Ill , to attend the funeral. Of Hie AlcKinley , , , Administration. , ; Washington Letter : "TtiftJ settle ment lo'f1 ; the Pacific railroad 'indebted ness must bo ranked ns ono of the greatest achievements of President McKlnley'd administration. " said Gen eral Charles Dick , member of Congress - gross from the Nineteenth district of. Ohio , and secretary ot the Republican National Committee , to-day : "All efforts , either by Congress or the executive departments prior to 1897 , were of llttlo avail in protecting the government's interests in these roads. In fact , there were grave > < oubts whether the government would succeed In being reimbursed , oven in part , the vast sum expended by the United States In aid of their ' construction. But the government has realized In cash or Ito equivalent , within two years , the sum ot ? 124- 421,671 out of about $130,000,000 that was due , and more than half the money collected was for accrued In terest that had not been paid. "The discovery of gold in Cali fornia ; the rapid increase in wealth and population In the territory west of the Rocky mountains , and a move ment on the part of the older states lo establish closer connections during the Civil war with those outlying communities , led Congress in 1SG2 to authorize the construction of a rall- road to the Pacific ocean. The direct benefit to bo derived by the govern- ment Was its use for postal , military and other purposes. The act of July 1 , 18G2 , chartering the Union Pacific Railroad Company was not sufficient ly liberal , and therefore nothing was accomplished after its provisions. Though the Union Pacific Company was organized no one was found who would venture money In the construc tion of the road. "On July 2 , ISO I , Congress amended the act of 1862 , by making provisions more favorable to the companies. The actoflSG2 provided that the''govern- ' ment Should have'a first mortgage ! on the property of the company , while the. fffVt of ISC i provided substantially thatr for the bonds the go.ve.rnn\ent should issue in aid of the construc tion -ot the road , it should take a sec- ondllihortgage. Two companies were organized under the provisions of the acttof 1861 , and entered energetically UP. ° A .the work of construction. The road was built from the California end' eastward by the Central Pacflc Railrortd Company , and from the Mis souri -river westward to the common meeting Jiol f aj , Ogde , ' , liy 'the Pacfic1 Company. , , , ' , , , , , . ; "Their lines -ware united May 10 , 1869 , anticipating by more than seven years the time required by Congress. The Union Pacific Company construct ed 1,034 miles , and the Central Pa cific 743 miles. The rood of the latter company was subsequently extended 140 miles , nnd the lines of the two companies from the Missouri river to San FrrincIs O represent a mileage of ' l 1,917 miles. ; , , , "In aid of these roads and connect ing branchea the United States Issued bonds to the amoin'it of $64)G23,512.I ) Failing to fle reimbursed for the In terest paid 'on these , bonds , it tiecamo necessary , In protection of the Inter ests of the government , to pass the act of May 7 , 187S , known aa the 'Thurmun Act. ' This act provided that the whole amount of compensa tion which migh.t from time to time bo due to the railroad companies for services rendered the government should be retained ' by the ' gov ernment , one-half .to be applied to the liquidation of the inter est paid nnd to bo paid by the United States ' upon the bonds Is sued to each of the companies , and the other half to bo turned Into a sinking fund. But It soon became ap parent that , with the approaching mar turity of bonds Issued in aid of tiio roads the provisions of the 'Thurman1 Act' were not adequate to the pro- , teotlon of the government's interests. Efforts woi-o persistency made lookIng - Ing to a Settlement of this vast indebt edness , but without success. So ' re cently as the Fifty-fourth Congress nn attempt was made to pass n bill to refund the debts of the Pacific Railroad Companies , but it was de feated in the House by a vote of 167 nays to 102 yeas. "On January 12 , 1897 , " continued General Dick , "tho day following the defeat of the funding bill , the at torney general was informed by the President Unit default had occurred In the payment of-tho Union Pacific and the Kansas Pacific indebtedness to the Government , nnd ho was directed to make arrangements to secure , as far aa practicable , * the payment ot their indebtedness. An agreement w'as entered into between the government' and the re-organlzatlon committee ot the Union Pacific Railroad , by which the committee guaranteed , should the , government undertake to enforce H.s lien by sale , a minimum bid for Uio Union nnd Kansas Pacific lines that would produce to thu government , over and above any prior lines nnd charges upon the railroads and sinking fund , the net sum of $ 15.731,039.99. In per formance of this agreement the bid was guaranteed by a depoajt of $1- 500,000. "Bills were then filed In the United States Circuit court3.for ( Uio foreclos ure of the * government Hon. ' Thq de crees entered tor fbe sale of thVtoads not being satisfactory to the govern- Papers wore prepared for an ap- peiil. Then thb.lrc-orgaatzatlou'com- mitteo came forward with an offer to increase Its bid to $50,000,000 instead of $45.751,039.99. Subspquently , to set tle all polntc in dispute , the rc-organ- izatlon committee decided to abandon this second bid and to increase the minimum amount to bo offered for the property to $58,118,223.75 , being the total amount duo the government on account of the Union Pacific road , ns stated by the secretary of the treas . ury' , Inclu'dlng the sum 6f $4,549- 368.20 cash In the sinking fund. Such nn amount was bid by the reorganization tion committee on November 1 , 1897 , and ' the sale was confirmed by the court -November G , 1897. After the confirmation of the sale the whole amount was paid into the treasury of the United States in convenient In stallments , thus relieving the govern . ment from any loss whatever upon Its claim for principle and Interest due upon its subsidy , and bringing tea a final and most satisfactory termina tion : one of these loifg-stnnding and ' troublesome ' questions. "In the case of the Kansas Pacific indebtedness , by decree of the court an upset price on the sale of the property I wns fixed at a sum which would i yield to the government $2,500- ' 000. ( The re-organlzatlon committee Ic In I conference with the government declared its purpose of making no higher bid than that fixed by the de cree of the court , so that the govern ment was confronted with the dan ger of receiving for itsr total lien upon this line , amounting to nearly $13- 000,000 , principal and interest , only the sum of $2,500,000. Believing the Interest of the government required ' that an effort should be made to ob tain a larger sum , and the govern ment having the right to redeem the Incttmbraiiccs upon the property , which were prior to the lien of the government subsidy , by paying the sums lawfully due In respect thereof out of the treasury of the United States , the President , on February 8 , 1S9S , authorized the secretary of the treasury to pay the amounts lawfully due upon the prior mortgagca upon the eaatqrn and middle divisions of said road. "Thentho re-organlzatlon commit tee of the Kansas Pacific offered to bid for the road a sum which would realize to the government the whole amount of the principal of the debt ? G,303,000. It was. believed that no better price than this could bo obtained at n later date' if the sale should be postponed , and it was deemed best to permit the sale to proceed upon the guaranty fault bo made cither of the p of principal or Interest of either 8jl5 notes or in any part thereof , thcnall of the notes outstanding , principal and Interest , immediately .bccamo duo and payable , notwithstanding any other stipulation of the agreement of settle ment , i i i 1 ' "U was further agreed tthat the pay ment of principal and Interest of the notes should bo secured , by the depos it with the United States treasury of $57,820,000 faqOjValuo of. flrat refunding mortgage 4 pijr cent gold bonds , to bo thereafter Issued by the Central Pa cific or Its successor having charge of the railroads then owned by the com pany , such bonds to bo part of ! the issue of not exceeding $100,000o6o in nil , and to bo secured by mortgage upon nil railroads , equipments nnd terminals owned by the Central Pa cific Railroad Company , the mortgage being a first Hen upon the property. "In pursuance of another provision of the agreement , the four earliest ma turing notes were purchased by Speyer & Co. , March 10 , 1893 , and tli3 proceeds , amounting to $11,762,543.12 , and accrued Interest to the date of payment , $35,771.02 , In all $11,793.- 314.14 , wore received by the Treasury March 27 , 1899 , as part payment of the Indebtedness of the Central Pacific nrt ) Western Pacific Railroad Companlcp/ The proprietors of the various com panies comprising the Central Pacific system were subsequently conveyed tea a new corporation called the Central Pacific Railway Company , which latter executed the mortgage nnd bonds pro vided for by the agreement of settle ment. "On October 7 , 1899 , bonds were de livered to the Treasury Department by the Central Pacific Railway Company to secure the outstanding notes held by the Treasury. The United States , therefore , holds the notes of the Cen tral Pacific Railroad Company to the amount of $47.050,172.30 , bearing inter est payable seml-unnally at the rate of 3 per cent per annum , nnd secured by the deposit of an equal amount ' ot first-mortgage bonds of the Pacific Railway Company , thus providing , be yond any doubt , for the sure , and grad ual payment of the whole of this sub sidy debt , nnd providing in the mean time for the payment of Interest at the rate of 3 per cent upon the unpaid bal ances. The Unlt9d States , through the settlement agreement thus entered Into will bo reimbursed the full amount of the principal and Interest of the Central Pacific nnd Western Pacific debt , aggregating $3S"812- ; 715.4S. "The' amounts due to the United States March 1 , 1900 , from Pacific Rail roads on account of bonds issued1 in aid of their construction , were as fol lows : IA\ AMOUNT DUE THE UNITED STATES MARCH 1 , 1900 , FROM PACIFIC -n , S'T ' ' > i n ' " { ' " ' ' iRiVIIjROA' A ! ' n / i jf "i ' > ' ' " Name of Road. Principal. Interest : * Total. Central Branch Union Pacific $1,600.000$2,152,359.54 $3,752,359.54 Sioux City and Pacific 3,628,320 2,578,677.68 4,206,997.68 Totals $3,228,320 $1,731,037.22 $7,959,357.22 of a minimum bid which would real ize to the government the whole prin cipal of Its debt. The sale thereupon took place , and the property was pur chased by the re-organization com mittee. The sum yielded to the gov- ' crnment was $6,303,000. It will thus' ' be percolyed Uiut the government secured - ' cured ahVadvance of $3,803,000 on ac count of'lts Hen , over and above the sum which the court had fixed as the upset price , and which the reorganiza tion committee had declared was the maximum' which they were willing to , pay for , the property. ' ' "The result of these proceeding against the Union Pacific system , crh-i bracing the main line and [ the Kan sas Pacific line , is that the government , haa received on account of its ' subsidy clajm the sum of $ G > ,751,223.75 , which Is'an'Increase df $18,9'97.-163.78 oven'tho sum which ftho're-organization ' com mittee first a.grecd to hid for thp Joint property , leaving duo the suni of $ G- 588,900.19 Interest on the Kansas Pa cific subsidy. The prosecuUon of a. claim for this amount against the 're ceivers of the Union PacificjCompany in 1S9S resulted In securing to the government the , further amount of 5 21,897.70. ' ' ' " "Tho indebtedness of1 the. : Central jPaclfic Rullrond , Company tq the gov ernment became duo January , 1 , 1898 , When dcfa'nlt ' in payment wasMnaflo- by the company , The deficiency ap propriation act of July 7 , 1898 , ap pointed the secretary of the treasury , the secretary of the Interior and the attorney general a commission with full power to settle the indebtedness to tho-"government " growing1 out of the issue of bonds to aid in the construc tion of the Central Pacific and West ern Pacific roads , subject to the ap proval of the President. "An agreement for the settlement of this Indebtedness was entered Into be tween the commissioners nnd the iallroad ; companies pn Februoj/ , 1899. The amount' ' then cine to the United States for principal and inter est upbn its subsidy liens upon the .Central Pacific and Western Pacific railroads was $58,812,715.48 , more than one-half of which was accrued Interest upon dhe/lJrlnclpalJdobt : ' The. ngreer incut for settlement provided for the funding of this amount Into promis sory notes bearing date of February 1 , 1899 , payable respectively on or before the expiration of each suecoii- Bivo six months -for ten years , each note being for the sum of $2,910- 035,78 , or one-twentieth of the total amount duo. The notes bore interest at the , , rate of 3 pef cent annum , pay able 'serii'l-ahmmlly. and had a'condl * lion attached to the effect that , if de- "Efforts are now pending looking to the collection of this indebtedness. "Out of an indebtedness of about $130,000,000 , more than one-half of which consisted of accrued interest , the government has realized in cash , or ita equavllent , he sum of $124,421- 670.95 , within a < panpd' of less than two years' ' No oUjer a.Smlnlatratlon In the history of Uie United States has ever so quickly , so thoroughly , and so satisfactorily enforced the settlement of large " chUms held , by _ .the govern ment"-"againsT business corporations , oTj Jlos nny filmllar settlement over Deviously been mndo by the govern ment to such goodifinancial advan tage. The claims were due. ? The President insisted upon their collec tion , nnd this was done ; In a prompt and bualnoss-llke manner. . " , , < c WESTERN WOOL V'AlluES. I'arnifM In Idaho Sco tlio UeiU'lflH of ' 1'rotectloii. ' . " * ' > Western wool values continue , to at tract the attention bf farmers , daho affords an interesting exhibit , as fol lows : , , j V. , Farm Price Tola lf" Ypar. Pouniln. in Cents. Value. IbSl 3,51SSJ n 1M 2 ; 3.CSU.53' ' ) 13 -IT'J.GW 1S9J 5J6'J,5.i 10 10G 1S9I 5,456SL : i G WH , t..vr WjjMrY , ISSG . . . . . . . . 7.632I 1507 9C.12S31 9 WK5.93I 13 1,502-Ji 1SU9 t.lG.\KlltiO \ 12 1.541,973 11)00 ) IS.CIO.Cil 12 > , i 2,32CS ± > , The .valuo of Idaho's wool decreased by one-half under free trade , but It is n w back to regular protection prices. In 1891 the value of 8,514,000 pounds of Idaho wool was 5456,790. But double the quantity , was worth less money in 1896. ' ' Just before President McKinley was Inaugurated In 1897 the value of 9,633- 000 pounds of4 Idaho wool was $866- 951. This year , for less than twice the quantity , the farmer in that state got nearly three tlriies as much monoy. 1'roxvrutlon , Not I'roti > rtlnn. The Republican'party prbaep.lites and punishes these oft its public officials > vho betray th.olr trusts. Protection for tllshoiiestyhevVr was a Republican practice. Disappoint IIIK Di'inorrnry. The peaceful and satlafactory solu- tfon 61 n labor 'difficulty' Is always n disappointment 'to Democratic leader- ' ' ' Vttrletle * of I'npnllim , / iMldde-ofTtho-road.PQp"ullsb ! contlnW ilek" to' show light to UIQvariety thai dodges about the fence corners.