Nebraska Newspapers

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tfitnraL
WHOLE NUMBER 1,419.
VOLUME XXVIII. NUMBER 15.
OOLUMBUfc, MfcftASKA. WEDNESDAY. JULY 21, 1897.
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FLOOD THAT HELPED.
RANDM OTHER
Melton lighted the
kitchen lamp and
set it in the middle
of the table.
"We might as
S-.s'iits&S' well have supper,"
V she said. "Your
C'27fc- fathcr prob'ly
-KvI5hi on'1 be back tiH
-' JlQ!tf late
Fred and Polly
drew nn their chairs, and Grandmother
Melton brought a steaming bowl of (
mush from the stove and dished it into
two smaller bowl:;.
"I'm hungry as a bear." observed
Fred, between - mouthfuls. "I think
it's a shame we have to go so far to
school. There isn't a single boy or
girl In Sprlngville that has to go half
so far as wc do."
"I don't see why father doesn't move
down there," complained Polly, pour
ing more of the rich yellow milk over
her mush; "he could get to his work
Just as well, and it would be ever so
much pleasanter than this lonesome
place."
"Ycu must remember that your
father Isn't a rich man," answered
Grandmother Melton, gently. "He
owns this cottage, and if he moved he
would have to rent another home, and
perhaps he couldn't sell this one."
The Meltons had only been in their
new home since the summer before.
Hoth Fred and Polly had enjoyed it
very much indeed during the pleasant
warm weather of August and Septem
ber. Then the wide, swift Mississippi
had gleamed through the willows and
there had been unlimited boating and
swimming and fishing. But with the
coming of winter the roads choked
full of snow and "ice, and the winds
swept up the river sharp and cold, and
it was a dreary, lonesome walk of four
miles to school at Springville. As the
winter progressed they had complained
more and more, and now for a week,
pwing to the spring freshets, Polly had
been unable to go at all, and Fred was
compelled to make a long detour over
the bluffs to avoid the lagoons in the
river bottoms.
"They'll all get ahead of me," Polly
had sobbed; "and I can't pass my ex
aminations." That morning Father Melton had
gone up the river to help watch the
levees. Reports had been coming from
St. Paul, St. Louis, Cairo and other
points farther up the great river that
the water was rising rapidly. The
levees must be watched night and day
to prevent breaks. On leaving his
home that morning Mr. Melton had
told Fred that he would bo back be
fore dark, and that there was no dan
ger to fear from the water. All his
neighbors had told him that his cot
tag was high enough to be safe, even
in the greatest floods.
"It's after 0 o'clock now," said Polly,
as she arose from the table; "I wonder
where father is."
"I'd go out and watch for him if it
wasn't raining so hard," said Fred,
and then he looked around toward the
doorway, anxiously.
He caught his breath suddenly. Then
be half rose from the table and pointed
at the floor. Grandmother Melton
t :
dropped her fork noisily on her plate
and her eyes followed the direction in
dicated by Fred's finger. Polly sat still
and gazed at the other two, wonder
ing what it all meant.
There on the floor, crawling from
the crack under the door, was a dark
wriggling object. At first Fred had
taken it to be one of the swamp rattlers
so common to the Mississippi bottoms,
and his first impulse was to spring for
his father's rifle which stood In the
corner.
"Its the flood," said Grandmother
Melton when she could get her breath.
By this time the black ribbon of
water was spreading, slipping into the
cracks and creeping out over the floor
toward the table. Polly broke into a
cry of terror. Even Grandmother Mel
ton seemed uncertain what to do.
Fred suddenly roused himself. He
remembered that he was the man of the
house, and fhat he must watch over
and protect it in his father's absence.
So he tprung from his seat and threw
open the door, not without a throb of
.fear. It was dark outside, and the rain
came down in torrents. Curling up
over the step they could see the muddy
water, and they cowld bear the sound
of it slapping against the house. It
stFetehed away into the darkness in all
directions as far as Fred could see. He
, knew that it already must be a foot or
" more high around the house.
"The levee's broken," said Polly, in
a scared awed voice. "Do you think
we;l be washed away?"
At that moment something bumped
agiinst the side of the house with so
miich force that the dishes rattled.
Fred ran to the side window, peered
ofct, and found that a big log had
washed down against the building.
Grandmother Melton, who -aas usual
ly cool and brave under the most try
ing circumstances, was wringing her
hands in terror.
"Run upstairs," shouted Fred, "and
Polly and I'll bring all the stuff we can
with us."
Grandmother Melton waited no long
er. She crept up the narrow stairway
to the little attic Fred ran to the cup
board and began filling his arinr. with
. dishes of food, while Polly in h&r ex
cltajnent seized the first thing that
came to hand grandmother's rocking
chair and struggled up the stairs
with it.
"We'll need clothing noren anything
else." called Grandmothe- Melton.
Fred ran back. The floor of the cot
tage was now entirely ccred with
water. He splashed through it and
seized all the slothing, coati nd jack
ets he cou'J carry. Pohy bravely
wiped away her tears, and when Fred
brought the loads to the stairway she
ran with them to the bedroom where
Grandmother Melton was sitting.
By this time the building had begun
to shake and quiver as the water beat
against it.
"She's going soon." shouted Fred.
Tm afraid the water will reach us
np here," suggested Grandmother Mel
ton. Fred looked up. The ceiling was low,
and just above him there had been nn
old trap-door, now nailed up. In
stantly Fred seized the ax and burst
it cpen. Above they could see ths dark
Iky and the rain coming down In steady
torrents. Fred piled a trunk on top of
the table and climbed out on the not
He couldn't see fa: but ha could
hear the roaring of tu? water from
every direction. His heart sunk; he felt
sure that they all would be drowie.'t.
Suddenly PometliiiiR thumped heavily
against the side of the building, and
the next Instant the front end or the
room went up and grandmother and
Polly slipped down toward the rear
end. Fred narrowly escaped beiag
hurled off the roof.
"We're going! We're going!"
screamed Poll'.
"We're just off the foundation,"
answered Fred, as bravely as he could.
Then he swung back down into the
bedroom and helped Grandmother
Melton and Polly up through the trap
door to the roof. He covered them up
as well as he could and told them to
cling to the ridgepole whatever might
happen. Then he ran down for a coil
of clothesline. This he tied firmly to
the window at one end of the bedroom,
carried the other end up through the
trap-door, along the roof and dropped
it over the eaves. Down he went
again and fastened it to the other win"
dow frame. It would do to hold to.
Hardly had he finished his work when
the building gave another great lurch.
"Hold on," shouted Fred.
The words were hardly out of his
mouth when he found himself thrown
violently from his feet. He caught a
glimpse of the water pouring up the
stairway and then the lamp was cap
sized and went out Next he found
himself pounding about in the water.
"Fred! Fred!" came the agonized
voice of Polly.
"Here I am," spluttered Fred. In
falling he had caught the edge of the
trap-door and Polly helped him to the
roof.
"We had all we could do to hold on,"
gasped Grandmother Melton.
"We're moving," shouted Polly.
They rocked and scraped and bump
ed along, with the water swirling and
crashing around them.
"It's our first voyage," said Fred, with
an effort to laugh; "p'raps we'll wind
up In the Gulf of Mexico."
But Polly didn't laugh; neither did
Grandmother Melton.
A few minutes later they heard some
one shouting far out on the stream and
they saw the glimmer of a lantern.
They shouted in return, but there was
no answer, and presently the lantern
was swallowed up in the darkness and
the three casta ways were even more
lonesome and terrified than before.
They were compelled to cling firmly
to the rope and the ridgepole all the
time, for the house was continually
bumping against obstructions in the
stream and careening and jolting like
a boat in a rough sea. Besides this,
they were wet to the skin and shiver
ing with cold and fright. Occasionally
huge forms would loom up near them,
and they would sec the outline of trees
or buildings floating down the river.
They were momentarily afraid lest
their boat should bump into something
and be broken up. If this happened
they knew they would have small hope
of escape.
Quite suddenly they felt the building
grind on something, and then, with a
jolt, it came to a standstill. They
WERE MOVING.
could hear the timbers strain and creak
and the current of the stream splatfiing
about it, but it did not move.
"Well, we're anchored," said Fred.
"I suppose we're out somewhere on a
sandbar in the Mississippi."
"Do you think we have reached
Memphis?" asked Poll-, anxiously.
To Polly it seemed as if they had
been drifting for hours.
For a long time they remained al
most still. Occasionally they joined
their voices in a great shout, but there
was no answer. Fred said the water
roared so loud that no one could hear
it, anyway, but it eased their spirits
to be doing something.
At last they started again, with a
Jerk and a shiver, as if some of the
timbers of the building had given away.
They bumped on for what seemed an
endless time, and then, after scraping
along for some minutes, they again
stopped. By this time the rain had
ceased and the moon shone out faintly
through the clouds.
"There's lights." cried Polly, joyfully.
Sure enough, on the hill, not such a
great distance away, they could see
many lights gleaming out over the
water. Nearer, there were other lights
moving about, as if in boats.
"It's Memphis," said Polly, and then
they all shouted at the top of their
voices.
But no one heard them. The water
roared too loudly. So they sat for
hours and hours it seemed to them
until the gray light of morning began
to break in the east. They strained
their eyes as it grew brighter and look
ed off across the gray flood of water
with its scattering heaps of wreckage
to the town on the hill.
"I thought Memphis was a bigger
city than that," said Polly.
"It isn't Memphis." said Fred, with
a little joyful ring In his voice that
made Polly and her grandmother look
around quickly; "it's Springville."
Springville!"
And Springville it was. They could
see the little weatherbeaten church on
the hill, and the red-brick schoolhouse,
and Judge Carson's home, and a great
many other familiar places, although
some of the buildings that had stood
near the river had disappeared.
"But haven't we come only four
miles?" said Grandmother Melton,
looking greatly surprised.
Half an hour later two boats came
alongside and the castaways were car
ried ashore. On the bank Polly found
herself in the arms of her father, cry
ing and laughing all at once. Father
i Melton looked old and worn ud wor
ried. He had given up his family for
lost, and he was bravely helping the
other people in the work of rescue.
After the flood was subsided the
Meltons went down to look over their
home. Father Melton hardly knew
what to do, but Polly spoke up quite
promptly.
"I tell you, father, let's leave it fight
here and live In It; Fred and I won't
have so far to go to school."
And what do you think? That Is jU3t
what Father Melton did. He straight
ened the house around, built a new
foundation under it, and the Meltons
are living there today, quite happy and
contented. So you see the flood helped
two persons at least Polly and Fred.
Chicago Record.
OLDEST BANK IN THE WORLD.
Founded at Naples la 1530 sad Been la
Existence Ever Since.
It will probably surprise a good many
people to learn that the oldest bank
Jn.exlster.c3 is the Bank of Naples,
which haslately been passing through
such troublous times. The British con
sul at Naples in his report for last
year furnishes some details of the
foundation of the bank In the six
teenth century and points out that the
earlier banks, the Monte Vecchio of
Veniea and the Banco San Giorgio at
Genoa, established in the twelfth cen
tury, and the Bank of Barcelona, es
tablished in the fourteenth century,
have all ceased to exist. The report
fixes the foundation of the Bank of
Naples at 1539 and the institution is,
therefore far older than the Bank of
England, which was established in
1694. It Is In the unique position of
having a considerable capital to which
no one lays any claim. For the expla
nation of this curious state of affairs
one has to go back to the time when
the Neapolitans, In order to receive
Charles V. with great pomp and mag
nificence, obtained vast loans from the
Jews against valuable pledges. The
difficulties of repayment were solved
In right royal fashion by the king ban
ishing the Jews, but the jews con
trived before leaving to dispose of
their securities to two Neapolitans on
very easy terms. The buyers offered
the pledges to their original owners at
a reasonable profit on the transaction
and also offered further loans without
Interest on the old security. Philan
thropic gifts were then made to the in
stitution on condition that It advance
leans without Interest, and n this way
the bank started practically aa charita
ble pawnbroker. Gradually, however,
it developed into a bank doing ordinary
commercial business, and up to nearly
the end of the seventeenth century
prospered greatly.
Varying Power of X-Raya.
At a recent meeting of the Royal so
ciety in London a description was
given of the change that occurs in the
penetrative power of the X-rays ic
proportion as the air is more and more
completely exhausted from the vacuum
tube in which the rays are produced.
At a certain degree of exhaustion the
rays penetrate the flesh and show the
bones of a human hand in shadow.
With a greater exhaustion of air the
flesh becomes almost perfectly trans
parent, while the bones remain opaque.
With a still higher degree of exhaus
tion the rays begin to penetrate the
bones; and with the highest vacuum
through which the electric discharge,
will pass, the bones themselves be
come almost as transparent as the
flesh. Similar variations in penetrat
ive power can be produced by increas
ing or decreasing the power of the
current, or by varying the electrical
resistance of the tube.
la a Complacent Monil.
"This is a splendid chares for you
to tackle papa, George."
"How so:"
"He's just home from a fishing trip
and if he can get you to listen to his
stories he'll give you anything you ask
for."
"I'll do it for your sake, dearest."--Cleveland
Plain Dealer.
MIXED PARAGRAPHS.
About 7o.000.000 feet of logs are go
ing down the Connecticut river in New
Hampshire, bound for the mills.
A petition has been circulated in a
Michigan town requesting the council
rot to levy any taxes on account of the
hard times.
Switzerland has issued a new twenty
franc gold piece, Helvetia being repre
sented on its face, a realistic peasant
girl's head. Around it are twenty-two
stars for the twenty-two cantons.
The municipal debt of London
amounts to f37.941.000, which is less
than the proportionate debt of nine
out of ten of the next largest cities.
The estimated expenditure for 1897-9S
is? 2.452,000.
B. P. Hutchinson, known as "Old
Hutch." is living at the home of his
son-in-law, E. A. Lancaster, In Chi
cago He does not go out a great deal,
and when he does venture on a walk
he is attended by some one.
In the public schools of Japan the
English language is required by law to
be taught. The Japanese youth in the
open ports and commercial cities are
all eager t learn English as a passport
to wealth, position and employment.
A plausible young man accosted a
Georgia farmer one day last week, and
in a very little while induced him to
pay $50 for a machine which he assured
him would turn out brand-new twenty
dollar bills by simply turning a crank.
Senator Wellington, of Maryland, in
terests himself while the senate Is In
session in looking over newspaper
clippings about himself. He subscribes
to a news-clipping bureau, and reads
everything that is said about him with
a great deal of interest.
Lightning struck the home of Mar
shall Spring, at Hiram, Me., and set
fire to six rooms, bajildes tearing np a
board under Mr. Spring's chair and
melting a bronze bracket near which
one of his children stood. The whole
family escaped unhurt, however.
One of the gifts at a recent silver
wedding was twenty-five silver dollars
of 1S97. There was some difficulty
found, in making the collection of that
number of dollars of this year. At the
beginning of each new administration
the money in the treasury is counted,
and late usues are hard to And, New
York TiM.
MISPLACED ECONOMY.
It Is Uraaiiy Practiced .tfy th Fair
Sex.
There is certainly such a thing as an
exaggeration of economy and a mis
placement of effort, as in the case of
the genius who advises making eourt
plaster at home out of tightly stretched
black silk find gum arable or the
one who gives Us a long formula for
the compounding of a glue to mend
china, says the New York Post. An in
vestment of a dime around the corner
from anywhere procures a supply of
either commodity that will last a year.
Such thrift Is like that of the woman
who bought 5 cents' worth of sugar of
lead to set the dye in some calico. She
used half and her economy would not
permit her to throw the rest away. In
stead she tucked it under the edge of a
carpet, where she thought it would be
safe, and forgot all about it. Later she
left home on a visit She had been
away only one day when, in thinking.
as women will, of the impossible things
she could worry over she suddenly re
membered the poison, and at once
found it a very good and rational cause
for anxiety. How easy for one of the
children to find it In one of those pok
ing moods which at any moment may
attack a child! It was at night that
the vexing thought came, and she was
f-leepless till morning arrived and with
it the opportunity to send a warning
dispatch. .As a mere financial transac
tion it was not profitable, for the dis
patch cost her forty cents. There was
the sleepless night to reckon, too.
RUSSIAN POLICY.
Christian Empire is the controllinj:
force of Russian diplomacy. Midway
in this century Russia attacked -Turkey
in a war for the recovery of the places
made memorable by Jesus Christ in
Palestine" as well as for the occupation
of Constantinople. She counted upon !
Austrian support, since Russian troops
had succored. the emperor in invading
Hungary and causing a revolution.
When France and England fought
against Russia in the Crimea, Austri i
held aloof, and the cause of the Turk
triumphed with the help of his allies.
When the war was over, Russian
statesmen had only one idea. That
was to punish Austria for her ingrati
tude. They encouraged Napoleon Hi.
to fight Italy's battle. They allowe.l
Prussia in 1866 to invade Austria, to
take away from her the leadership oi
Germany, and rejoiced when Austria
lost two provinces.
When Austria was well punished,
Russia again declared war against Tur
key in 1877. Again the Holy Land was
the cause of the declaration. Christian
pilgrims were being persecuted there.
Germany and Austria remained neu
tral, but at the close of the war Eng
land, under Lord Bcaconsfield, was in
the way of Russia's complete triumph.
The treaty which had been dictated at
the gates of Constantinople was revised
by the congress of Berlin. Russia lost
through infamous English intrigue
much that she had gained by war.
For years Russia has been steadilj
working against England at Constanti
nople and in Europe. She has com
pletely supplanted England in the sul
tan's councils. She has made an al
liance with France, and during the lasi
year has been drawing Austria and
Germany to her support. This has beer
the Russian method of punishing Eng
land for her meddlesome activity in the
Balkans in 1878. England will soon re
ceive an awful blow from Russia.
All this time Russia has been dream
ing of universal empire in the East II
is her ambition to control Constanti
nople, to occupy Jerusalem, and to ex
ercise dominion whereever the sultar
now has power. She bides her time,
she punishes those who oppose hei
will; but she never forgets her dreair
of reclaiming the sacred places of Pal
estine from the desecrating Turk.
Small and feeble nations stand ir
her way unless dependent upon her
For that reason she preferred a divided
Bulgaria to a united Bulgaria, whict
might aspire to hold Constantinople
She does not want rivals on the grounc
when the Turkish empire finally is
overthrown.
Russia is willing to wait until the
fruit is so ripe that it will fall intc
her hands without the shaking of the
tree. She is already the power behinc
the throne in Constantinople. She
wants dominion in an undivided em
pire. That is the dream of Holy Rus
sia, and the Christian world hopes tha
it will be a reality some day.
Fighting- Bicycle.
Capt. Gerard of the French army ha
formed an experimental company o1
sixty men riding bicycles, and intend
cd for a fighting corps on wheels
The captain has invented a specia
form of bicycle for his men. Tht
cross-bar is hinged, so that the ma
chine can be folded and carried on tht
back, when ground impracticable foi
wheeling has to be crossed. It it
thought that companies trained tc
maneuvre on wheels may be very use
ful in light skirmishing and scouting
Each rider carries a Lebel rifle and
bayonet.
A Birds Sea Resort.
Naturalists consider it a wonderfu
fact that the Bermuda Islands havi
only seven native species of land
birds, while no less than a hundred
and twenty-eight other species pa
visits to the islands. Many of thes
visitors are birds which pass the sum
mer in the United States, and utilize
the Bermuda Islands as a convenient
winter resort, thus imitating some ol
their human compatriots. Even some
American bats follow the example ol
the birds by wintering in the Bermu
das.
Not Fart.
May "Does it ever occur to you that
Mr. Smithers is acting a part?" Har
riet "No, Smithers always seems tc
me tc think himself the whole thing.'
Truth.
Why They Do It.
She "A woman marries a man tc
keep him indoors." He "And a mat
marries a woman to keep her In hats,''
Yonker'e StateHmau.
WASHINGTON WISDOM
IN9I6E FACTS ABOUT THE
NAf tONAL 6APITOL.
As Interesting Talk With the iist--taat
Secretary of Agriculture A Cool
Dtijr for Bryan and Ills Free Stiver
Artoriatttt
(Washington Letter.)
Mr. Bryan, the late' candidate for
the presidency has been in Washington"
the past few days and has discovered
some rather troublesome facts about
the growth of our currency and espe
cially the growth of the gold supply
of the United States and of the world.
Mr. Bryan, it will be remembered in
his speeches last fall assays d that the
it million dollars necessary to keep
pace with the growth of population in
the United States could not he pro
duced since the suspension of free
.coinagtuftft.sitrft; and quoted Senator
Sherman in support of his theory that
this amount was necessary to be added
to the currency of the country each
year. He was undoubtedly right In his
quotation of Senator Sherman but it
Is now-apparent that he was both in
accurate and misleading in assuming
that this amount of currency cannot be
and Is not added to the circulating
medium of the country by means of
its present facilities. The coinage of
the mints of the country in the year
which ends with the present month
will be in round numbers 100 million
dollars, three-fourths of it gold, while
that of the calendar year 1S96 was 99
million dollars. Add to this the fact
that the money In circulation today is
$138,000,000 more than it was a year
ago and it will be seen that Mr. Bryan's
statements in this, as well as in many
other things, were to say the least,
misleading. The director of the mint
estimates that the gold mines of the
United States alone will this year turn
out over CO million dollars, which is
greater than in any year except 1853
when the California gold mines were
at their zenith.
The Retaliation Bugaboo.
Recent statistics show that Japan
has sold to people of the United States
in the past decade goods amounting
to 313 million yen, the value of the yen
being about equivalent to the dollar,
while she has bought from us goods
valued at only 78 million yen. This
simple fact disposes of all the hum
buggery which the free traders are in
dulging in about the alleged probabil
ities that Japan will retaliate upon
the passage of the new tariff bill, by
shutting out American goods. The
shrewd Japanese are not likely to sus
tain this assertion which freed trad
ers are now making that there will be
retaliation against the United States
on account of our new tariff. Japan
has been especially pointed out as like
ly to take a step ol this kind but her
financiers and statesmen will not take
a step which would close the'markets
of this country to the products of her
own people when those markets are
four times as great as those which our
own goods supply in that country.
Altant Secretary of Agriculture Talks.
No man in public life is more close
ly allied to the farmer and his inter
ests than is Asst. Secy, of Agriculture
Brigham, whose record as master of
the National Grange has brought him
in close touch with that important
element of the population. In a talk
with your correspondent a day or two
ago he made some interesting sugges
tions. "The cause of the agricultural de
pression," said he, "is not easy to name
In a word. Tariff for revenue and free
raw material are probably responsi
ble to a considerable extent. Under
these principles the duties have been
taken from wool and lowered on other
agricultural products, thus operating
directly upon the farmers of the Uni
ted States by reducing prices. The
general revision of the tariff has in
terfered with other great business in
terests of the country and checked
production. The effect of this has been
to throw labor out of employment; the
men who once had money to buy farm
products have been living only by the
greatest economy, and the surplus of
farm products has accumulated in the
farmers' hands."
"What about the attitude of the ad
ministration, Mr. Secretary, and its
desire for speedy tariff action?"
"The administration has been earn
estly advocating the early passage of
a measure that will correct the evil
results of the Wilson low-tariff froe-raw-material
law a measure which is
expected to give adequate protection to
the agricultural Interests and with a
tendency to remove the present exist
ing depression. There has been less
delay than in any previous legislation
of the kind. E-en the opposition has
not been captious in its efforts to delay
the passage of the measure, but has
quite generally recognized the fact that
the pecple rejected the 'tariff-for-reve-nue-only'
idea and condemned the pol
icy which compelled the farmers and
some other Industrial classes to pro
duce the so-called 'rad-material' In di
rect competition with the cheapest
labor of the world, whilst other inter
ests were protected. The wool-growers
and wool-buyers are waiting with
some impatience the passage of the bill
regulating the duties upon imported
wool and woolens. Wool is now ready
for market, and this suspense is very
detrimental to both seller and buyer, as
they do not know just what rates of
duty will be fixed. The farmers are
very earnest in demanding adequate
John Ball Gets Hurt.
protection on all farm commodities
grown here iti competition with sim
!ar products grown abroad and some
times fterorted into this country, and
the administration s fnlly eomfllftted
to this policy of giving ample" protec
tion to agricultural products. The
farmers Qt Ohio are not so much in
terested in the chit? upon hides as are
those who live in the great west, but
they believe it (o be a matter of Justice
and equity that there should be softie
protection to the men who grow hides
as well n to the men who manufacture
from (hem."
"What do you think about the re
vision of the" tariff schedules in the
senate?"
"The new tariff bilf Sb It passed the
house is believed to be mofe in the
interests of agriculture than the bill
as amended in the stnte committee.
Now that the measure is uniiCT discus
sion in the senate the representatives
from the agricultural districts are ex
pected to see that It Is properly amend
ed before H becomes a law. it la very
cneertngto "flpfi the breaking up of
partisan line' on this daeslios. The
old tarlff-tor-rcvenue-only Slogan, so
long relieit upon by the leaders of One
of the great political parties, has large
ly lost its influence, and" fh represen
tatives of agricultural districts. trfth
out fear of the old-time leaders, do not
hesitate to support measures calculated
to give some portion of the protective
system to their constituents. I believe
that no party which advocates free raw
material and protected manufactured
goods can ever again secure a strong
following among the agricultural
classes."
"What do you say, Mf. Prlgham in
regard to the delay in the return of
prosperity?"
"It Is hardly fair to expect benefits
from a protective system before the
law has been enacted. People should
not forget that we are still living un
der the Wilsott low-tariff-free-raw-material
measure and that at present the
only advancement or improvement in
conditions is the anticipation of the
good effects of the new measure. Prog
ress on the bill Is much greater than
has been expected by those well in
formed and familiar with tariff legis
lation, and the measure will undoubt
edly soon become a law, and not by
the votes of one party alone. But the
hue and cry against the delay in the
coning of prosperity in not properly
chargeable to the ignorance of the
farmer and workingman on this sub
ject. They are pretty well informed.
This cry comes principally from the
cheap politicians who arc strivins to
make capital out of the matter. There
is no sense in asking for this promised
prosperity before the passage of a bill
which will cut off the enormous im
portations of foreign stuff, and give the
country a chance to right itself. When
the remedy is tried and fails it is time
enough for people to say that we are
mistaken and unable to bring prosper
ity." G. H. WILLIAMS.
A Warning From the Wct.
Recently a leading member of the
house of representatives who has busi
ness interests in the west made a trip
through Indiana and Illinois, and he
returned to Washington with a word
from the people, concerning the de
uy In the passage of the tariff bill,
which should be heeded. The honor
able gentleman said, in speaking of the
situation he found in those great and
I rogressive industrial states of the
middle west:
The universal cry of the people is
for relief from the dangers which
threaten in the way of an overstock
ed market. The slight impetus that
has been given to industry in this
country by the assurance that a tariff
bill will soon be passed will be re
tarded by the fact that the increased
importations are crowding out Ameri
can goods and filling the markets with
cheap importations. These goods are
rerching the west. They are in bond,
in warehouse, in transit and in store,
irundating a market that has already
suffered from under consumption as
a result of the idleness and low wages
that followed the free trade policy.
I say the goods are cheap. They are
cheap and trashy. The mills of the
foreigner are running day and night
rushing out the cheapest possible fab
rications for the American market. I
have heard some Democratic repre
sentatives say that the importations of
"cheap" goods would be a source of
gratification to the workingmen of the
country. This is the usual Democrat
s' illustration of the beauties and
glories of free trade. I have yet to
hear the first Democrat exslain what
satisfaction it would be to the Ameri
can workingman who is out of em
ployment brciuse his factory is shut
down, and who stands in idleness
without a dollar in his pecket, to learn
that the shoddy imported goods arc
selling at lower prices than they could
be produced by the mills and factories
of the United States.
Some New Facts Ahi tit Our Cnrrrni-y.
Mr. Bryan's visit to Washington was
somewhat embarrassed by the simul
taneous announcement of the director
of the mint that the gold production of
the United States in 189C was $33,0SS,
000 and is likely to be over $00,000,000
in 1897. This figure for 189C is greater
than for thirty years, and if the pro
duction for 1897 exceeds CO millions, as
is expected, it will be the greatest in
the history of the country, with 'he
single exception of 18o3, which reached
r,5 million dollars. The total coinage
of the mints of the United States in
the fiscal year just about to end will
be in round numbers 100 million dol
lars. That of last year was in round
numbers 09 million''. In the same con
nection it may be remarked that the
money in circulation in this country is
?138,149,12 greater thas the circula
tion one year ago. Add to these inter
esting facts one other, namely, that
the gold prediction of the world 'this
year is likely to reach 250 million dol
lars, or far more than any other year
in history, and makes a very unpleas
ant combination for the advocates of
free and unlimited coinage of silver.
The tariff bill is making splendid
progress, despite the fact that the
mossback Democrats are taking up a
good deal of time in scolding . the
younger generation of senators for
their protection votes. Not only is the
bill making good progress, but the
changes made aro proving extremely
atisfactory. especially those relating
to the tariff on pottery, tea, and rice,
and the elimination of the proposed In
crease In the beer tax.
TIMELY TOPICS.
The wings of the Democracy are not
"Happing together" very much these
days.
The prospects are still bright for
President McKinley's realization of
his ambition to attach his signature to
the new tariff bill on the Fourth i
July.
The growth of manufacturing indus
tries In the south is produriug us ef
fect in developing a protective senti
ment. One-third of the membershlr
from that section in the present con
gress has supported high protection oi
refused to vote agalnat it.
It will not be easy to induce the Ohic
Workingmen who have been on halt
woges under the Wilson tariff law to
vote to put a free-trader into the senate
In the place of Senator Hanna, espe
cially when that action wonld make It
certain that the Democracy would
control that body for the next two
years. ' ""-
The recent developments in congress
Id which a large number ol Democrats
nave abandoned the free-trade theory
and supported high protection, coupieti
T.ith the fact that a larse number of
Defilo:rats in every state where there
are campaigns this fall have refused to
support the sliver issue, are rapidly
disgusting the Populist leaders and de
ciding them to dissolve the partnership
existing between those two parties, and
it is probable that fusion between Pop
ulist? and Democrats will be impossible
in the future.
A slow but steady gain in business
w'lth an advance in prices, an increase
in the number of hands employed and
growth of new orders, and an increase
in the amount of work done are point
ed out by "Dun's Review" in its last
Issue as a renewed evidence that bus
iness is improving. A study of the
newspaper sentiment of the country as
expressed in the publications of all
sentiments shows a concurrence in the
belief thus expressed that there is a
marked and general improvement in
the business situation.
Senators Jones. Vest, and Mills are
good ones to arraign the Republican
party because of a slight advance in
sugar-trust stocks Incidental with the
adoption of the sugar schedule. It was
these very men who framed the sched
ules of the Wilson law and sugar stock
advanced 53 per cent in value while
they were doing it, whereas these
stocks have increased 6 per cent since
the Republicans have been considering
the present bill.
rrotect This tittle Fellow.
Surplus and No Surplus.
There is a surplus In the treasury
which, though it was placed there by
the sale of bonds of the United States
to help out the deficiency caused by
the failure of Democratic revenue leg
islation to provide the necessary reve
nues, still the surplus is there. This
makes the question of necessary na
tional revenue less iniportant for the
moment in comparison with the ques
tion of promptly excluding foreign im
portations in the interests of protec
tion. There is a surplus in the treas
ury, but there is no surplus in the
pcc'ets of the American workingmen
who want employment. Fix up the
tates on protective lines, and send the
measure upon its mission of protection
to Amcr'cin industries and working
men. Give them the chance to earn a
living ;nd accumulate a surplus.
Will the Nallcni t-'ilit Our T.irifT?
The protest of certain nations against
the protective tariff which the Tnite 1
States is about adopting and their
proposition to "retaliate-" by shutting
out the products of the I'nited States
is ludicrous, when the effect of such ;t
proposition is taken into considera
tion. Japan, for instance, which is sai
to have indicated that the United
States might lose a market for certain
goods which it "ends to that country
if our tariff bill should not be framed
to suit the Japs, has sold to the United
States in the past decade just four
times as much as the United States har
sold her. The imports into Japan from
the United States in the past decade
have amounted to 7S million yen,
while the exports from Japan to the
United States in the same time have
amounted to 3KJ million yen.
The "Stop Tiller Cry.
"Stop thief! " is the popular cry of cer
tain classes of people at certain times-.
Somebody in Washington with a good
j memory has just brought to the sur-
face the fact that the gentlemen in the
; senate who are now loudly shouting
about the alleged advantages given to
I the sugar trust by the new tariff are
j the very men who framed the sugar
schedule or me w nson uiu, wuicu
brought such scandal upon the Dem
ocratic party with reference to the
sugar trust, whose stocks advanced 5."
per cent in value while these very men
were framing the sugar schedule,
whereas the recent advance over which
they are screaming is only 6 per cent.
None Too Soon.
Th" industrial invasion that has
haa been overwhelming the United
States since August. iSyi. will soon be
checked by the reconatructiou of our
wall of protection.
iiii
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