The Conservative *
A CONSERVATIVE CONTKIIJUTOU.
The communications of Doctor Frank
S. Billings , which have appeared from
time to time in THE CONSERVATIVE ,
have caused much comment. They
have been attractively original and ob
stinately independent.
The recent death of Robert 0. Bill
ings , of Grafton , Massachusetts , who
was the uncle of the contributor to THE
CONSERVATIVE , has been mentioned
very generally by the newspapers of
the United States. The generous be
quests to public institutions by the de
cedent were as follows :
Harvard university , $100,000 ; Massa
chusetts institution of technology , $100-
000 ; to Massachusetts institute of tech
nology , to found the "Billings student
fund , " with the understanding that any
student receiving benefit from the fund
is expected to abstain from the use of
alcohol or tobacco in any of their varied
forms , $50,000 ; to the Museum of fine
arts , Boston , $100,000 ; to Massachus
etts general hospital , $50,000 ; to New
England hospital for women and child
ren , Roxbury , $50,000 ; to Massachusetts
charitable eye and ear infirmary of
Boston , $50,000 ; to Perkins institute and
Massachusetts school for the blind , $25-
000 ; to the kindergarten for the blind at
Jamaica Plain , Boston , $10,000 ; to
American Unitarian association , Bos
ton , $25,000 ; to the "Grindall Reynolds"
fund of the same association , $10,000 ;
to the Boston young men's Christian
association , 18 Boylston street , Boston ,
$25,000 ; Hampton normal and agricul
tural institute , Hampton , Va. , $25,000 ;
Tuskegee normal school , Taskegee , Ala. ,
$10,000 ; Atlanta university , Atlanta ,
Ga. , $10,000 ; Massachusetts society for
aiding discharged convicts , Boston , $10-
000 ; Boston asylum and form school for
indigent children , Thompson's island ,
$10,000 ; Children's mission for children
of destitute parents , Tremont street ,
Boston , $10,000 ; Boston lying-in hos
pital , $10,000 ; Morton hospital , Taunton ,
$10,000 ; Benevolent fraternity of chur
ches , Boston , $10,000 ; Home for the
aged , Walnut avenue , Roxbury , $10,000
Boston home for incurables , $10,000
Washingtonian home , Waltham street ,
Boston , $10,000 ; Massachusetts infanl
asylum , Jamaica Plain , $10,000 ; trustees
of the Eliot school , Eliot street , Jamaica
Plain , $10,000 ; Unitarian church , Corey
street and Center street , West Roxbury
to be invested in a secure mortgage for
the benefit of the church , save that the
church is to care for the Eben Billings
tomb , $10,000 ; Sailors snug harbor
Quincy , $5,000 ; Boston pilots relief as
sociation , Boston , $25,000 ; Boston dis
pensary , Bonnet street , $10,000 ; Ja
maica Plain dispensary , $25,000.
And to THE CONSERVATIVE contribu
tor , was given $100,000 and to his wife
and daughter , about $00,000 more. Be
side that Mr. Billings made bequests
ranging from $1,000 to $100,000 to
other relatives. Two of his servants
who wore in his employ for forty years ,
are willed $10,000 each.
Other bequests of the will are : Rov.
Edward Everett Hale of Boston , $5,000 ;
to Rev. Charles L. Dole , of Jamaica
Plain , $5,000.
Thus has been distributed with great
judgment and a solicitude to do good to
the race a fortune of more than two
millions of dollars. The friends and
admirers of Dr. Frank S. Billings will
be gratified to learn that in his vast
gifts to the 'public the uncle did not
forget his nephew and his family.
Properly
ANEDUCA-
TIONALIUND.Com Harvey and
William. Jennings
Bryan have evolved and inaugurated
"The World-Herald Educational Fund"
and all good citizens will rejoice in the
opportunity thus given for the improve
ment by the study of finance and gov
ernment of the editorial contributors to
that fallacious journal. No other in
Nebraska more needs an educational
fund. Depositing the dimes and dollars
which are to be thus contributed for the
obliteration of a dense ignorance in such
a plutocratic institution as a Packers'
National Bank seems hardly consistent ,
however , with the preachments of popu
lism.
lism.Are
Are not the national banks in the aw
ful "money trust ? " Is there not dan
ger that the cruel money-changers , who
constantly count , handle and fondle
filthy lucre may infect the money itself
with avarice , with a wicked desire to
wreak ruin upon the great and glorious
cause of 16-to-l ? Can cash remain in
such contact and afterwards render rea
service towards raising the price oJ
silver to $1,29 an ounce ?
Plan of Operation.
First "The treasurer of the fund
will be The Packers' National Bank o :
South Omaha , and all remittances auc
payments should be made directly to it
Second The bank will from time to
time forward its funds direct to the depository
pository of the democratic national com
mittee.
Third "The bank will report to The
World-Herald all subscriptions as fas
as received , and The World-Herald wil
acknowledge receipt in its columns , giv
ing the real name of the contributor , or
his assumed name if he prefers not to
be known.
Fourth "The money will be used by
the national committee in education a
work for the campaign. "
"The plan of operation" is taken from
the columns of the anti-trust , anti-cor
poration , anti-gold standard , anti-con
tentment and anti-prosperity organ a
Omaha. And the particular pleasure o :
contributing over an "assumed name'
is no doubt one of the ecstaoies in whicl
that establishment will indulge itself
The exquisite felicity of giving over an
"assumed name" will likewise be gener
ally experienced by those "who prefer
lot to bo known" as probable caudi-
iates before fusion conventions. But
; he silver smelter and refiners' syndi
cate can likewise contribute with meek
obscurity over an "assumed name"
as many hundreds of thousands of dol-
ars as they gave in 1896 to the same
cause.
The last supreme assurance that "the
money will be iised by the national
committee in educational work for the
campaign" is an appeal to young and
; ender credulity which the "plain pee
ple" can never resist. It is a persuasive
and irresistible exhortation to put up
money to pay the expenses of print
ing speeches and for liquidating the
cost of traveling by gentlemen who
wish the presidency and all other fed
eral offices placed at their disposal for
four years so that the republic rnay bo
saved !
Iu fche ° Piniou of
Jj. . , _ . _ , , . _ _ ,
the Buffalo Ex
press ( Rep. ) "any amendment to the
pension laws should bo in the direction
of retrenchment rather than extension.
The excessive liberality of the past is
really responsible for the discriminations
and injustice which have grown up in
the pension system. A thorough and
equitable revision of the rolls and the
laws would be in the interest not only of
the public treasury , but of all veterans
honestly entitled to pensions. "
The Detroit Tribune ( Silver Rep. )
gleefully tells how the Michigan repub
lican delegation in congress lost the op
portunity to trade on the speakership.
"The leaders of the delegation , " it says ,
"entered into correspondence with the
various candidates to ascertain who
would trade the most jobs for twelve
prime Michigan votes. A caucus was
called to enable the delegation to open
the bids ; but before it could be held Mr.
Hopkins iugloriously retired in favor of
General Henderson. Before the delega
tion could transact business with Hen
derson , Massachusetts had pledged him
her support and ho no longer needed the
votes of Michigan. "
It puzzles the Boston Herald ( lud. ) to
know just what is meant by the refer
ence in the Ohio republican platform to
"the master guidance , " under which
great things have been done and are tote
to done by the administration. It can
not mean McKinley , it thinks , because
"the president , in important matters ,
appears to be ono of the guided rather
than the guide. " Neither is the sup
position that God is meant "consistent
with the circumstances ; " and congress
and the people are barred out , as the
president has recently "gone ahead with
out much solicitation of their will. " It
is therefore "compelled to believe the
master guidance to be that of Mark
Hauna. "