Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911 | View Entire Issue (March 6, 1895)
bt onxml ?$& ? VOLUME XXV -NUMBER 47. COLUMBUS, NEBRASKA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 1895. WHOLE NUMBER 1,295. (fflkmlras h V A . . 1 s . f TT& I lt"fc I S. J? ill I "" vairflii hS7 . VERY" .summer the J5rc tons have fetes and dances, each town or ham let having1 a. spe cial day, and those clays are looked for lonjrinjjly by the natives, for it T i v e s them a chance to displaj' all their finery and show how they can dance when they want to. Besides, a 1 1 the neighboring villes turn out in full to see what their rivals can do; o quite an interesting time is gener ally had. Concarncau had its clay yesterday, oc rather it started yesterday, for the feto lasts three days. Of course all the coin's and big collars of the women were all fresh, the clothes presses were relieved of their cam pliorous content, and sabots were all cleaned nicely for tlic occasion, for it is only once a year that such a chance is had. xs early as 11 in the morning the town began to fill with new faces and queer loohiii-- coifl's and cos tumes (for each district has a dis tinctive coin of its own). They were arriving from the G.ire and in carts by the dozens. It looks pretty to see a. small cart filled with eight or ten peasant women, each in her quaint head-dress and pretty apron, while one of the men peasants, with his lit tle short coat up to his waist and hat with ribbons dangling down his back, drives the ass or mare. All the fish ermen were out in their best, and some even got a shave, for no boats went out that day- Then all the '(() Jishing boats were cleaned up and newly painted The event of the day was a grand regatta, in which the rival fishing boats would be able to prove their superior sailing qualities, and settle long-standing disputes. The lonir dyke, or breakwater, was arranged with seats and awning, and a franc admission charged for entrance fee. Here were assembled all the cr-am of Ilreton society swell peasant girls, home "worth," it was whispered, the immense fortune of r0, ()()( francs. Some were dress "d in the most ex pensive Incus an I silk i, an 1 looked sweet, and were envied by the sar dine factory girls and sa'lors gathered on -the rocks oppjsite. Then their fathers and brothers were swell, too, for they had on all their gilt braid and brass or irold-plated buttons, and real velvet ribbons on their hats. toppeu off with a nice little peacock feather. Many of the boats were coated with grease and sardine oil to make them go faster, and others were provided with brand new sails and masts anything to beat the others. At given signals all the boats started, mid were soon speeding away for the "lies des Moutous," far off on the horizon. Then eame the great ISreton dance, the gavotte. All made for the Place le Xueion, opposite th old fortified Ville Close, where the dance was to be held, and the two musicians secured from 'jiiimper were on hand with their bagpipes. Two big barrels were lixed up with a platform and eha'rs for them under one of the trees in front of the big market. Around the place were shooting galleries, hitting ma chines, roulette wheels, cheap jewel ry shops, and the like, and, above all. a big merry-go-round, with an organ loud enough to bj heard at !!eg Miel. The musicians started up after having been liberally filled with hard cider, and the tramping of the sabots SOKT OF A T110T, THEN' A HOP. .'onnne need, sounding like a troop of 30.000 horses on the plank road. The music sounded exactly like that you hear in Chinatown. Of course all we Americans crowded around to learn the dance, which seemed quite complicated at first, but in fact was only a sort of trot, then a hop, and a trot again. The spectators formed a large cir cle, inside of which were the dancers. The old sailors danced as well as any of them. The dance requires six in each narty. Four girls clasp hands in a line, at each end of which is a man. The on; in front leads, as in "cracking the whin," only they don't crack, but just do the trot and hop. Oil, it's beautiful! And so they keep going round for about half hour with ut stop, which is rather tiresome, obut the sardine girls can't get enough and never think of getting tired, and only five minute-, rest between each dance. But then cMer was plentiful at two sous a bowl. It was announced that the gavotte d'honeur would commence, and all necks were strained to see the dancers, for it is the prize dance. One prize is given to the best and most graceful dancer, and another or the one that can dance the longest without rest. As soon as all who thought themselves equal to the honor had taken their positions, the band played and away they went to win tii prize for the most graceful danc ing. How they did dance, and the grace they had all the grace that could possibly be pnt into the gavotte was utilized. Some ideas of grace were, quite interesting, too, remind ing one of a cake walk, but some did really well, considering that the aver age girl weighs about ISO to 200 IM! I M iruu r.m (uHittsa flaw 'ter' - ! ' ill pounds and wears sabots of solid wood. But the men sailed around with their long, lanky legs, the nice little ribbons streaming in the breeze. The judges looked wisely on from their stand and took notes. At the finish of the dance all crowded round the judes and received the decision. Then came the dance of endurance. This time all gracefulness, etc., was forgotten and the easiest way was the vogue. Round and round they went, the dust rising to the tramp of the heavy sabots, the crowd cheer ing and yelling and clapping, and still they weuL Half an hour passed, then one by one they began to drop out and at the end of an hour not over four were still at it, and they looffed mighty weary. Then more dropped out until two were left, and how they went at it and how the crowd did yell and urge them on! Finally only one was left. He took the prize after an hour and a half of hard dancing, while the musi cians ncarlj dropped dead from loss of breath. Then came climbing greased poles and duck chasing jn the bay, in which all the future Concarncau fishermen joined. That ended tho fun till evening, when more dancing was to take place in the big stone market. We had all learned the dance by this time, and resolved to show the Bretons what Americans could do. So, after supper we all strolled down to the Hallcs, from which issued a deafening roar of voices and thumping of wooden sabots on the stone floor, mingled with the delicious strains of the bag pipes. The big market was all ablaze with gas liirhts and filled to suffocat ing with girls and young men going round the old hall to the time of the pipes. We immediately solicited partners, but none of the girls would go with us for some reason; so we all got to gether and had a dance of our own. You ought to have seen the people stare and laugh at our attempts, but we did not mind that and kept right on. introducing a few American steps, and then the people looked serious and said: "Tres bien!" "Encore!" and we did give it to them. We soon had three Brittany maidens at the end of our string and tlm girls began to desert the sailors for us. So finally we eaeh got a big string of maidens of our own and led them through the mazes of the Brittany gavotte, to the envy of all the other girls, and then peasants ami sailors began to hook on behind until we each had a row of a dozen or more and owned the place. It was the most laughable thine I ever saw a lot of American students leading the native dance away off in I without suffering extreme nervous tor Brittanv! Manv of the men trot ann-rv ture which would increase hour by at us for taking their partners, and hissed as we passed. "Galle Ang laise!"' (they always call us English), and "couchon!" But we owned the plaee and didn't care. The girls pre v t-y C -" ferred us, as we were much cleaner and better dressed than their sailor friends. It was rather hot work for us to tow a load of Ureton girls after us round the hall and dance for an hour at a time, and I had on a big pair of sabots full of big nails I here were several American girls j there, too, and they had much sport ' with some of the native girls doing the gavotte. Mine. Sarah Bernhardt was there, leaning against ona of the stone pillars with her son, and seemed quite amused at the gayety gjle came over especially from Big Miel to .see the fete, and it's a wonder she didn't take part herself, for she is just the kind for such fun. At mid night all the lights went suddenly out, ending the evening and leaving all in total darkness, and much Breton squeezing, etc.. was done. Since that night we have been the acknowledged leaders of the cotillion at Concarncau, and the sardine girls point us out with great pride to their friends. The whole town knows us now. .fthcs or Karly I ttbnrjprs. Some bodies were removed from Trinity churchyard. Sixth avenue. Pittsburg, a few days ago, which had been interred in tho early part of the century. One was that of Dr. Phelix Brunot, born at Morey. France, in 173:.'. He came to America in 1777 with the marquis de Lafayette, and fought with tho Americans during the revolutionary war. The Brunots became very wealthy, and an island in the Ohio river, ten miles below Pittsburg, still Iicars the name of Brunot's island. No burials have been made in Trinity churchyard for many years. It is no v.- in the heart of the city, and the windows of the palatial Duquesno club look down upon this resting place of the early Pittsburgers. An AMrnintuc . in ipric. "Did you know that Alderman Rowdy was a great man to collect ani mals?"' "No; is that so?" "Why. yes; last week he had two zebras, a sacred white elephant, three lizards and a whole cage of rats." "What became of them?"' "Oh, he took some bromide ana they went away." Chicago Record. Wuntetl : C 1iiiil-. Mr. Wearie Have you any maga zines published in Kamtchatka or the South Sea islands? Newsman N-o. Won't you have one of the American or European mag azines? Mr. Wearie Thanks, no. 1 am get ting a little tired of Napoleon Bona parte. False Hope. Flannigan Say Moike, this won't do. Paplo say you are shwate on Mrs. Flaherty, and she a married wo man. Mike Phwist! Not a wurrd. Thot's onlv so Oi can go on borrvin' ' terbacky av old Flaherty. He's in hopes Oi'll elope wid 'cr. "What Ite Woul.l Do. "You've had a hard time of it, S wig gles. You have a right to be a cynic and misanthrope. If I had such a grudge against the human race as you have I'd find a way to get even." "What would you do, Birkenhead?" "I'd become a dentist.' Maine's oldest fisherman. Uncle Tim Dyer, died at Portland a few days ago at the age of 92 years. He worked at the nets almost up to the day of his death, and less than a year ago captured, single-handed, a halibut weighing 332 pounds. Danelar on Skate. Everybody has seen and taken part in the ordinary conventional society dances aud balls and at homes, but ho iv many have seen, let alone taken an activepart in, the mazy dance on on skates to music in a covered rink? Canada probably is the only place on the continent where such a scene can be witnessed. Every afternoon at the skating rinks are seen graceful young girls, accompanied by stalwart, athletic-looking youths, dancing to the music of a military band. It is impossible to describe the grace, ease and apparent lack of exertion with which these cap tivating young women go through the most intricate figures. Theon-looker is completely mystified and watches the scene as if in a trance. The skirts seem to emit sweet melody as they sway to and fro. Every twist and turn of their lithe young bodies is bewitching to the'beholdcr, and he gazes on the scene until he becomes dizzy with emotion. At last it is over, and, as he gives a sigh of intense enjoyment, he descends to earth and votes ball room performances insipid in comparison. On Reading. To sit down in a chair with an ob ject is to jump into a ticket of tempta tions. A vacant hour is always the devil's hour. When time hangs heavy the wings of the spirit flap heavily and slow. Then it is that a book is a strong toivr. nay, a very church, with angels lerking among the leaves as if they were so many niches. Reading helps to make conversation harmless, by making it less petty and censorious, by furnishing us with other topics than our neighbors' faults and foibles. It is very hard for n person who does not like reading to talk much in company without sinning. Furthermore, a taste for reading often hinders our taking the wrong side in practical questions which are mooted in the world, but bear upon the church. It does this either by the information it has en abled us to obtain on the subject itself, or 03- making our instincts accurate and sensit ve through our familiarity with right principles. l'aber. COT A BABY BOY NOW. Happiness In a Southern Sinn's florae Toll's About the Keil FlaR of Danger at tho Railroad Cros- InR Warning to America's Men. "For twenty-sis years I have used tobacco in preat quantities and of late years took to ciparette smoklng'writes Mr. W. E. Simpson of Leconipte. L.a. "I want to go on record that tobacco has robbed me of many years of life and a great deal of happiness. I realize it now as 1 compare my feelings and my condition with that of a year ago.when I was a tobacco saturated cigarette fiend. Many and many n time did I try to quit smoking myself into etern- i Ity, but I could not put through a day hour till finally, to save myself as it Feemed, from almost flying to pieces, I had to light the little, white pipe stick and swallow the smoke. One day I read In my paper "Doi t Tobacco Spit and Smoke Your Life Away," just what I was doing, it came to me like the warning of the man who waves the red flag of danger at the railroad crossing, and said that No-To-Bac was an abso lutely guaranteed relief from tobacco slavery. I did not believe it, but Iilte a drowning man grasping at a utravv I commenced taking No-To-Bae. The ef fects were magical, it destroyed the nerve craving, and desire for cigarettes. Two boxes, would you believe it, made me well anil strong. I have gained mcntrlly, physically, in vigor and man hood, and with the brain free from the nicotine and a breath no longer be- fouled with tobacco smoke I am so hap py to-uay to write Ao-To-oac old it all a year ago, so the cure is time tested and tried, not only in my own case, but several of my friends who have been also cured. "We have a baby boy now. My wife and I feel that all this happiness start ed from the time when I first used No-To-Bac, and in evidence of our appre ciation and in order that the memory of the happiness may be perpetuated in a living form, we want to name our baby boy after the man who wrote the line "Don't Tobacco Spit and Smoke Your Life Away." "Xo-To-Baclspopularhereand all our druggists sell it. Hardly a day passes but somebody asks me about No-To-Bac, so 1 don't want you to hesitate to use these lines in any way that you think will make known to suffering hu manity the happiness that there is In store for the many men with nicotin Ized brains and weakened resolutions. If they will only make up their mind to save tne waste ot vital power to say i nothing of the money now going up in smoke and out in tobacco spit." Firt Screw Steamer. The first screw steamer to cross the Atlantic, the Great Britain, was com menced in 1S30. and floated in 1S-J5. Her length over all was 322 feet, her depth "2 feet, and her displacement at a load draft of IS feet, 3,G1S tons. Her first voyage from Liverpool to New York betran July 20, 1S45. and occupied nearly fifteen days, the average speed during the run being nine knots an hour, says the Chicago Inter-Ocean. After remaining on view about a fort night in New York harbor, the return passage to Liverpool was successfully accomplished. Voyages back and forth were made with satisfactory results until the autumn of 1S40, when, on a very dirty night, in the month of Sep tember, she was stranded off the const of Ireland. There she remained for eleven months, through a tempestuous winter, until she was finally floated in the following autumn and taken to Liverpool for repairs. Irrigated Frnit Land. Bid you fee the fruit in the Idaho Ex hibit at tho World's Fair! Nothing flner.first premiums and all rained on irri gated land. It's sure, it's abundant, it's I rofitable. it's your opjiortunity. Tho country is new, the lands are cheap, and the eastern market is from 500 to 1.500 mies nearer than to similar lands in Ore gon. asliington and California. Advertising matter seat on application. Address E. L. Loniax, G. P. & T. A., Oma ha, Neb. The Origin of the Whigs. It was in February, 1S34, that James Watson Webb, of the New York Cour ier and Enquirer, hit upon the title of Whig for the national Republican party brought into existence by the ad i ministration of John Qnincy Aciams and led by Henry Clay. The name was i suggested, as Webb averred, writes I Noah Brooks in the February Serib- i ncr's. by :he act that the party was j ! pledged to res.st arbitrary government, j j as the English bigs resisted royal i I tyranny. It was songht, though, un i successfully, to brand the Democratic- . Republicans with the odious name of i -. . . .. . . . tones. " J ne lories, saut L lay. were the supporters of the executive power, of royal prerogative, of the maxim that the king can do no wrong:" the Whigs, he added, "were the champions of lib erty, the friends of the people." What more appropriate d stinction than this could be mnde between the Jackson men and the followers of the great commoner? HIS LAST BE 1R HUNT. ( GENERAL MILES' ADVENTURES ' ON THE PLAINS. lie Was on the Right Trail, llut a Conple of Cowboy Got In Ahead of Him A Black Boar as Sarac as a Cinnamon or SllTrtip In an even, low-pitched voice, that veteran major-general of our army and famous Indian fighter. Nelson A. Miles, related to me, a few days sinco. some of his latest experiences in tho far West. Of all the great huntsmen who have gono out into the wilds for big game and made names for them selves among the Nimrods of the world, General Miles is tho most re nowned, writes John Paul Hooock . in Leslie's Weekly. I had the pleasure of being out on two hunts last year, for prairie chick ens in Nebraska and for bear in Now Mexico. There are wild turkeys and quail in New Mexico in abundance, but I was after bear. Hunting tho silver tip and tho cinnamon bear in the Rocky mountain country corre sponds as nearly as possible to tiger hunting in India. There is peril as well as pleasure in the sport. "An English gentleman named Stephens, a personal friend of mine, has a ranch down in New Mexico, 150 miles from any railroad. There was a party with me, one or two of them New Yorkers. That whole country is a jumble of mountains, peaks heaped on peaks, with deep valleys and pre cipitous canons in between. We left the railroad at Fort Wingate, and traveled south through the San Fran cisco and Tulerosa mountains. When wo reached tho Stephens ranch we were about 10,000 feet above the sea level, and in tho thick of the wilds. As 1 have always l)cen a devotee of naturo for her own sake tmmarred by man. uncut by machinery, and un dimmed by coal-smoke in short, as nearly as possible in primeval condi tions. I was delighted with my friend's surroundings. "We had a merry welcome at the ranch and were soon prepared for our ihst bear drive. I had only a few days in which to enjoy myself, and I did not wish to lose any tim. Mr. Stephens has a pack of liear-fightcrs. as they are called, down there, which are admirably adapted for the pursuit of bruin over the rocks, along tho cliffsides, and through canyons so dismal that even a bear might le sup posed to want to avoid them. Many of these bear-fighters are half hound and half shepherd dog. Some aro long-eared bloodhounds and some English staghounds. Others have a decided strain of the fox terrier in them, and theso little beasts would surprise anybody who had never seen them at a bear's heels by their bravery and sagacity. They all hunt well together, and when on a bear's trail will not notice even a do?r bound ing by, while at wild turkeys and hares they would not even look up. They track tho liear until they get to close quarters and then light him to a ' standstill. Of course it is as much as j a dog's life is worth to run in on a ' bear at such a time, and tho bulldog frequently pays tho penalty of stupid savagery in just that way. Ho charges and takes a hold he will not let go, while the fierce old cinnamon or silvertip will speedily hug him to death and throw his lifeless carcass to one side. Not so tho fox terrier, Jhese little fellows are game to the backbone, but light with intelligence. They exasperate the bear until he once more takes to flight, when the dogs nip him at the gambril joint of the hind leg and try their best to hamstring him. If they once suc ceed in biting through the tendons which interlace and cross there tin; bear's leg is useless to him. "At first wo got after two or threr bears, but the tracks were old and thev got awav. The dos coul 1 not find them. Finally tho pack chased i a tremendous silvertip up the monn tamside and finally wore him almost out. L'p the steep declivities they pursued him. and across the ridge four or live miles right into a cow boy's camp. And what do you think happened thon'J The cowboys rope 1 that bear, lassooed him fairly and squarely, and made him a prisoner in the center of the camp without firing a shot. Th.;y knew we had started him and proposed to show us what they knew about boar-hunting with a rope. When they had him well secured they cut the liear's throat witn a small knife. I couldn't help laughing when they called out to no. pointing to their quarry: "General, there's your bear!" Two days later the same pack drove a black bear up a tree and I got a shot at him. The cinnamon bear and silvertip bear are no more savage than a black lear at certain times es pecially if sho has cubs She will kill anything living that doesn't get out of her way, if she can. I had a 11-months old fox terrier with me that ' didn't weigh more than thirt- pounds and yet had whipped a badger in a fair fight. Wiien the b?ar had lieon treed I got a crack at him with mv express rilie an 1 put a fifty caliber ball in his right eye. He tumbled straight to tho ground with a era-di that raised the dust, and scarcely struggled after he fell. It was in an open forest of scattered pine where riding was pos sible. I had to lcavo shortly after ward, coming out of the country by j the way of Socorro ,,,, , i ne party got four or five bears. I heard, after I had to leave them." (ieneral Miles has killed about all ., . . , . A. ... I the tug game that the once magnih- .. e ,. , .. , .? ., cently supplied continent of North i , - '.J , . ,, . , , ., America afordef. Buffalo, bear, elk. deer and antelope have fallen in num bers to his rifle. Turkeys, ducks. pcaQ, quail and prairie chickens galore he has knocked over. Nor have the big brook trout of the glori ous West failed to feel his fly. He has taken them in the upper waters of the Yellowstone. Columbia and Willamette rivers, and far uj in tho Kalamath. where there is said to bo the best trout fishing in the world. There the brook trout grows to a weight of ten pounds. 1 he Honest Client. A San Antonio, Texas, lawyer was appealing most eloquently to the jury on behalf of his client, who was being tried for larceny. Even the prisoner himself was moved to tears, and was wiping hi8 eyes with a handkerchief. when his attorney turned and asked the jury to gaze on the honest fea tures of his client, and say if they could believe that it was possible for a man with such an honest face to bo guilty of theft. Suddenly tho lawyof paused, gasoed for breath, and ejacu lated: "Well, I'll bo bio wed if tho blankety blank scoundrel hasn't swiped my pocket handkerchief." Argonaut. ICE CREAM SODA IN LONDON. Has Only Been Itscentlr I lit rod .-.ceil, But Ha J'eciimo a Crazj. "Tho ice cream soda craze, tthich American women have had so badly for" the last few years, has broken ctit in London," said a traveler1 recently returned from abroad. "It hasn't got a firm clutch on tho English women yet, but it is growing rapidly, and I expect that in the course of a. few years it will materially aid in tho dis appearance of tho lieauttful English complexion for which women of tho old country arc famous. An Ameri can confectioner is responsible for the production of tho ice-cream soda in London. Before ho settled in a place in upper Regent street tho deadly mixture was practically unknown in that city. The few English women who had been to this country and tasted it here of course knew what it was, and they lost no time in patron izing the confectioner. "The great mass of women, how ever, looked aghast at the combina tion of strawlierry syrup, live soda water, and ice-cream. Those who got up enough courage to tackle it were not sorry that they had dono so, and the result was that it soon ! camo necessary for other confectioners in the neighborhood to get soda foun tains and learn how to mix tho drink in order to hold their trade. There are now half a dozen or more places in London where ice-cream soda is sold, and all day the fountains are surrounded by women. The scene reminds one very much of any one of our uptown confectionery shops on a hot afternoon. 1 export it will not be very long before the English women will Income as devout worshipers at the ice-cream soda shrine as are our American women at the present day. Heretofore the chiaf diversion of the English woman out shopping has been to eat ices and cake and drink choco late, but I predict the entire disap pearance of tho fashion in a very short time. Ice-cream soda has never failed to get a deadly clutch on the women of any country where it has settled, and it will bo funny if it does not make a complete conquest of the Londoners.' V c-lMtcr' lloy Piilol. " 'Fame!'1' echoed Mr. Watterson. "I never hear the worl that 1 do not think of Daniel Webster's story of the time he met an old gentleman in a railway car, and learning that he was from New Hampshire, thought he would draw him out a little about tho old home state. A little more con versation showed that tho stranger eame from Mr. Webster's native town. Here was an opportunity not to bo lost. " 'Did you over hear of the Web ster family there?" asked the statesman. " 'Oh. yes: I knew Ihem very well The old man and I were great friends.' -AiiTHen viii ejin nrnbible f.ll . me what becamo of tho boys?' -Well. E'okiel became a big law- j yer tho biggest lawyer, I guess, in ' all New Hampshire. The girls, too, turned out well.' Von don't sav so: and wasn't there a boy named Daniel0' The old man pondered a minute befor; he answered. 'Now I come to think, there was a boy mm ;d Dan'l, but he went down to Boston yeas ago. and no one an't heard of him since.' " Kat? Field's Washington. n OfTens'vB Coil. Some time ago a tame long-ha'rcd 'oal lonneU P ol l: logular crew of a l':l's 'n"ov stoamur on seivic; be- iv, ecu u i ugiisii pori. an i a conii- i ' nental one. After a tint ; t!r; cus , toms authorities discovered tha' it ' more a faiso coat, many tiin"s too i large for it. The goat's own hair , was clipjKjd very cios. around its ho !y were packed cigars, lace. etc. . and then the false co.it was skilfully 1 pnt on and fastened by hooks and eyes. Notes and Queries. ANIMAL LIFE. The ostrich farming business in California is neither a rosy success nor a dreary failur -. There are 2.0J3 lobster traps aroun 1 and about Mon began is and. Maine, and they are all making money. A herd of wi'd cattle has been roaming Via mountains between Rogue riv r an.l the south fork of the Empqua in Oregon for twnty years, and it now numbers in the neighbor hood of .-.00 cattle. They are wild as deer an. I difficult to approach. The pract cal harm they work is that gen tle cattle belonging to farmers are enticd off and join this wild' band. It is prono.s -d to round them up and kill them. Som years ago a tame long-haired goat formed part of the regular crew of a p issenger st amer on service be tween an English port and a conti- , nental one. After a time the customs J authorities discovered that it wore a false coat, many sizes too lrge for it. j The gat'.s own bar was clipped . ..... very close: round its body were '..-.. ,.,.-, ,u, .., tii. llll.ll w, fajMj cmt was sk5Ilfllll . pnt OI1 !in(1 vif.lrf! nlf n i-c lmi.i .C- i nil tlii.r, , li fastened by hooks and eyes. I ! T f fi tn it'in iz1 atwl; nt. tlin rncii1f , ,., ,"',- ' t u of recent exploration have been f, , , , , . ; , ,-f , found to be richer in animal life than . t i , , ,. was formerly supposed. As the re- suit of a year's investigation bv the British association, through its com mittee, has been found that of birds there are seventy-eight species, of wh'ch fifty-seven are peculiar to this group. All the land and fresh-water shells ar peculiar and of a thousau I species of insects, 700 are not found elsewhere. Deer forests are expensive luxuries. On the Genquoieh and Glengarry for est, so long rented by Lord Bitrton, j the yearly outlay for all purposes is 10,523, and during the last twentj-- f one years and no less a sum than 221.- ! D02 has been spent upon it- On J Guisaehan forest, the property of j Lord Tweedmonth, there has ba n an , annual outlay of 10,000, on that , rented by Mr. Winans 13,077, and on the duke of Portland's forest of j Langwell and Braemore 1,000 a year, j AUSTRALIAN RAILWAYS. SOME COMPARISONS WITH THOSE OF THIS COUNTRY. flow Ouf Railways are Regarded State Ownership and Management of Rail waysPoints of Similarity Between Australia and the United States Rail way Bnlldlna; Comparisons of Kama and Victoria The Earn Ins Capacity and Opportunity, State Railways In Australia. Frohi Journal of Political Economy.! "Industrial discontent in Australia has not manifested itself by burning hundreds of freight cars in one night, nor have the strikes which are common there been directed specially against the railways, as has been so notably the case in the United States. Here the safeguards which aro thrown around property seem to be less effec tive in proportion to the importance and wealth of the corporation in con trol. Whatever the cause may be, our railways arc regarded as legitimate prey by all classes, from the millionaire shipper who demands passes in consid eration of the great amount of traffic which the road carries for him at cut rates, or the politician who makes the same demand on the gronnd of "influ ence," or levies blackmail by threaten ing vexatious legislation, clown to the striker who demands increased wages regardless of the financial condition of the road, or his riotous supporter who loots and burns cars with a vague no tion that nobody but the railway suf fers. Even the government officials here seem to regard railway property as less sacred than the property ot other corporations and individuals. This feeling may be partially due to the disregard of law and the rights of others which the railways have shown in many ways. From this and other causes has arisen a demand, which the recent strike with its far reaching con sequences has done much to strength en, for a closer government control or even for ownership nnd management of railways by the government. "This change is advocated by a school of social agitators who favor an exten sion of the functions of government in all directions. They are sup ported by a large body of unthinking people who see evilb in the present reg ime, who look upon the railways as the worst offenders, and who do not real ize the far reaching consequences of the proposed movement. "Those who advocate the nationaliza tion of the instruments of production are want to cite, in support of their position, the success of state owner ship and management in Prussia. Aus tralia, and other countries. But what they call success is not always so dem onstrated. Our socialistic friends say that we must not inquire too closely into the pecuniary returns, but look at results in the large, the effect upon men, the increased prosperity and hap piness of the community in order to de termine the success of any system or enterprise. Unfortunately they offer no means by which these points may be ascertained. Who is to determine whether the well-being of the commu nity has been increased or diminished? Is not ability and willingness to pay the safest and surest test of the im provement? If a railway really in creases the prosperity of a community is not that prosperity manifested by in creased ability to pay for the services of the railway? Many kind of expen ditures are made, and rightly made, with no expectation of a return in money. But an individual or a well regulated community does not sink wealth in railways or other objects whose purpose is wholly utilitarian, unless a definite return is in sight. Years may be necessary to realize this return, but in pro portion to the time of waiting must be the greatness of the profit finally realized. True, the ground may be taken that the means of communication are a necessity of modern life which should be furnished by the government with no special regard to income. Or one may go so far as to say that they should be entirely free to all, expense being paid from the general treasury. As this would require a doubling of all our taxes, that is the payment of an other billion dollars annually, the tax payers are not likely to entertain such a proposition for a moment. It remains, then, for the government, if it takes control of the railways, to manage them on business principles, and make them pay their own way, or come as near to it as possible. Any light which expe rience can shed upon the problem is increasingly desirable in proportion to the demands for and the probability of public ownership and control in this country." "Experience there is an abundance. But how much of it is really helpful to us?" "It may be worth while to note the points of similarity between Australia and the United States, for it is only when conditions are similar that the same results are to be expected. Both are new countries of great natural re sources, with a scant population com posed of English speaking people with all the customs, traditions and enter prise belonging to that race. Both have self government with noclasses orclass legislation, and no great vested inter ests to modify or control their develop ment." By taking the best and most popu lous section of Australia and comparing it with one of our western states of similar size and population the most hopeful results may be expected. In area, population, and general condi tions, Kansas, more than any other state in the Union, seems to resemble Victoria. They are about the same aije. Victoria became a constitutional government in the same year that the Kansas-Nebraska Bill concentrated the , attention of Nortii and outh upon Kansas, but a considerable population had already been drawn to Australia' by the gold discoveries. Even before the discoveries tiic population of Victo- I ria was nearly one hundred thousand, , and had increased to tiiree hundred and twelve thousand in the year that Kansas began to be settled a number not reached by Kansas until fifteen ' years later. The following table shows the growth of population in the two countries: Year 1S.70 1W1 JTO ls4) iMrf Victoria 76,152 .t.'57,M7 7i.,.7.fJ sW;7 II.:a.-" ' Kansas 107.3G :;i,::o jVX), j,j;7,iM The railway building also began earlier in the Australian colony. From 1S45 to 1S60 the railway question was there discussed, and the experience of England, France and Belgium studied, j A few private lines were built, butcap- , ital for them could be secured only by ' a state guarantee of interest. Even ; then the opportunities for investment were so great that the guarantee of six , per cent did not attract sufficient cap- ital, and the colony finally deeided that , the only way to get the necessary rail- . ways was to build them. j During the period of this discussion, however, Kansas, through private en- ' terprise, had been supplied with fifteen i miles of railway, while Victoria had j secured but two hundred and seventy four miles by 1S70. Since that year j Kansas has developed faster and se cured railroads much more rapidly than Victoria has been able to do with all her borrowing. The mileage has been as follows: 1con Year 1K0 1n0 Jf2J Victoria 274 1.II9 ij Kansas J.501 WOO -V4 In the five years from lS5Sto lSt'.2 the Victorian government had incurred a e'ebt of over S3S,000,000 to open oulv 2J4 miles of road, an average expenditure of $130,000 per mile, t'rorn lSti to 1S70 the expenditure in build ing railways ranged from S300.000 to f, 000,000, with an average of SI, 341. OOOpervear. Yet the 10,700.000 ad ditional expenditure opened only sixty miles of new road, thus bringing the average tin to $177,000 per mile. ince 1S7- the building has been more rapid, and the expenditure has ranged from 54,000,000 to S10.000.000 per year, bring ing the total expenditure upon railways tip to SISU'.O-N.'VW in 1JW5- The cost per mile has declined greatly, and at present averages about C1.4'-'.". some $2,000 less than the average of the United States roads as returned by the companies, but it is well known that the returns here are above the actual cost. 'Kansas railways arc returned atS47, 437 per miie. $27,100 of which is bonds. As the stock of the purely Kansasroads is largely wnter, and gets no dividends, it can hardly be counted as partof their cost. It is "safe to say that the Kansas lines have cost less than half as much per mile as those built by the govern ment of Victoria but the latter are built more substantially. The differ ence, though, can hardly be so great as the difference in cost. "The amount- of useless building, if building far in advance of the population, or the possible needs of the community be called useless, has been great in both states. Both have many miles of road which do liot pay operating expenses, to say nothing of interest on capital. In Kansas this ex cessive building has been latgely due to the rivalry of competing companies. They build branch roads to secure traf fic for the trunk lines, and, taking the system as a whole, they manage to make expenses and pay interest, if not too seriously interfered with by hostile legislation. In Victoria the excessive building has been due to political con ditions. Each new line must be voted by parliament, and naturally each member tries to secure a road for his constituency. Such conditions make log-rolling almost inevitable. Mr. Speight, the chairman of the Vic torian Kailway commission, gives the following statement: '"1 he railways of Victoria have hitherto been made on the principle that if there is a certain amount of money available for con structing railways it should be fairly and equitably distributed over the colony.' Acting on this principle lines have been built through territory where the population consists of one sheep to three acres. The whole policy has been to build without expectation of early returns. As England furnished the capital and the colony at large was responsible for the interest, the check upon useless building has been reduced to a minimum. Just here an important difference be tween useless building under public and private management should be noted. Shall the whole people be res ponsible for the mistakes of their rep resentatives, or shall each company pay for the blunders of its ollicers? In either case experience proves that building is likely to be too rapid. Under state ownership there is no limit to the amount expended so long as the state's credit remains good. The managers of railway systems in the United States arc probably as ready to build new lines and devclow new territory as the legislators of Australia j are, but they are guiueu uy oincr prin ciples than the desire to distribute the benefits of the new road equally to all sections of the country. They may look a long way into the future and build branches which, at present, do not pay either by their own traSlic or by what they furnish to the main line. But a system which builds many such lines soon finds itself in a receiver's hands. Thus the self-interest of the owners and managers offers one check to extravagant building. They must not go beyond what their system can carry, while Victoria goes beyond the ability of the entire railway system of the colony and saddles the deficiency upon the taxpayers. If Kansas should put all her rail wa3s into one system, let the good ones pay the losses of the poor ones, remit the $1,00,000 taxes they pay, and give them a bonus of one or two million dollars a year, she would be doing pre cisely what Victoria does for her rail way system, although, with a larger territory and almost as large a popula tion, the southern colony lias but one third as many miles of railway. The farmers and shippers of Kansas are not slow in making complaints against the railwaj-s, nor have they been free from legislation which the railway men call confiscation. The party now in control demands government ownership, and if this is to be secured by confiscating the existing roads, thereby wiping out all interest charges, the farmers might jra'n something by this, provided they kept the management up to its present etlieiency. But if they took the roads at their bonded value, wiping out all the stock, and undertook to pay 4 per cent on the bonds, business and rates remaining the same as at present, they would find themselves confronted with a deficit of $."..0 o.os.n. no part of which could be assessed upon tho railways. Or to put it in another way, ihc rail ways of Kansas do their business in that state at rates which leave them, after operating expenses and taxes are pa id. 1.30.1.000 winch is Jess man s per cent on their bonds with nothing on their stock. In Victoria the taxt-s which have been paid to keep the railways running amount to almost $3.".0(i..oj), an aver age of $1,000,000 a year since the first road was opened. If this amount is saved to the people of Victoria in lower rates tiie showing will not be so bad. It is. therefore in c.rdcr to make a comparison of rates on the two systems. I nfortunatcly the returns made by the lai.way commis sioners of Victoria do not enable the compar'son to be made in the way that would be most telling or most desirable from the standpoint of the public They do not give the ton mile or the passenger mile rates nor do they separate the train mile earnings of freight and passenger trains. The train mile income and expenditure may be as good a unit as any from the rail way managers' standpoint, bnt it does not afford the public the information which it wants. Besides there is a great difference in trains, particularly when the passenger and freight train mileage are lumped together, fro hi: co.snxri.P. Several articles which are an outcome of .Julian Halph's voyage to China, un dertaken in the interests of Harper's Magazine and Harper s Weekly, will be published in the Magazine during the summer months. The first of the series will be entitled "House-boating in Chi na, and will appear in the June Har per's. In all there will be three arti cles or more, amply and beautifully illustrated from drawings by C. D. Wel don. who accompanied Mr. Kalphtothe interesting points in China which are described. Colnmbns - State - Bank J pays Iitmst n Tlw DcwslS lata Lias oi Eeal Estate; mttm ik siain ei 0 , CUaac Kw Tark am afl mil t iranm : tickets. BUYS GOOD NOTES iai Ua Hi Cutemsn vka thay Nsd Hal OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS: Leander Gerrard, Pres't, B. H. Henry, Vice Prest, M. Bruoger, Cashier. JonN Stauffer. G. W. Hulst. -OF- COLUMBUS, NEB., HAS AX Authorized Capital of - $500,000 Paid in Capital, - 90,000 m OFFICERS. O. H. SHELDON. Pres't. H. P. II. OEIILKICII, Vice Pros. CLARK GRAY, Cashior. DANIEL SCU RAM. Ass't Cash DIRECTORS. II. M. 'Wmsi.ow, II. P. H. OEnLiucii. C. II. Sheldon. W. A. McAllisteh, Joxas Welcu. Caul Rienke. STOCKHOLDERS. B. O. Ghat, Gerhard Losekb, Clark Gray. Daniel ScnitAX, J. llENRTWDRDEMAlf,' Henry Loseke. , Geo. W. (i alley. A. F. H. Or.iiLnicn. trOAHK KORER. J. P. Pecker Estatb, Rebecca Becker. Banket deposit; Interest allowed on time deposits; buy and sell exchange on United. States and Kurope, and buy and sell avail able securities. We shall bo pleased to re ceive your business. Wo solicit your put ronaga. .. ..Tina . First National Bank :i OFFICERS. A. ANDERSON, J. H. OALLET. President. Vice Pres't. O. T. ROEN. Cashier. D1KKOTOKS. "1 a.lfotMOir. T.AICDtMOX, JACOB BlUXZf. HZM1XSAQATZ, JAJCU CBHBSJt. StateveBt af the Cratltfoa at the Close ef Bisiaess Jaly 12, 1898. mzSOtTBCU. Loans and Discount !, 241.467 5? Real Estate Furnltura and Fix- turea 18,ni 01 U. S. Bonds I5,2X 0) Duo from other banks.. ...137,878 31 Cash on Hand 21.867 68 59,. 43 63 Total.. , $333,m w a tummifc Capital Stock paid la I 60.000 00 Surplus Fund 80,000 0) Undivided proflta,,...... 4,576 00 Circulation .. ........... 13.5'X 00 Deposits.......... 2 j, 1 19 37 Total..... ....,.... ... ..a333ilw 35 HENRY GASS, rrNrDETATTER ! Collins : and : Metallic : Cases ! tW Repairing of all kinds of UpJiol ttery Goods. Ut -COLTJMBTJB.HIBBABXA. Goiuiddus Journal 10 FBBTABVD TO FCBNISH ASTTQINO KBQUXaxo or a PRINTING OFFICE. COUNTRY. COMMERCIAL KSjfiH5