t3be Conservative *
SIMPLE TREASURES.
Was over lofty motint so high
Among the Alpine ranges
As Grandsiro's woodpile , still in sight
Beyond the long years' changes !
Wore over brarer tourists known
Than wo whoso hearts were quaking
While climbing up with slipping feet
That kept the sticks all shaking !
Till there we sat perched on the top
In breathless joy and pleasure ,
Such happy lads and lassies midst
A store of simple treasure.
Wo tore the crackling shagbark up
In pieces long and brittle ;
Soft bits for boats from cottonwood
Were broken off to whittle.
Beneath the bark the logs were white
And smooth like satin lining ;
Above lay flecks of velvet moss
Like jewels in their shining.
When o'er the rough pile's jagged edge
Our eager eyes tried peeping ,
Like honey lay the drops of sap
From out the now logs creeping.
About us was our childish world ,
The lane that seemed ne'er ending ,
The corn house near , the great red barn
Where joys untold were blending.
We smiled down at the clucking hona
With tiny chicks of yellow ,
And jeered the gobbler as ho passed ,
A strutting , cross old fellow.
Sweet forest odors filled the air
Like those we mot when playing
That we wore Gypsy vagrants bold
And through the woods went straying.
Ah , wella-day 1 We still look back
Like wistful lads and lassies
And smile e'en though that woodpile stands
Before our tear-dimmed glasses.
MARY FRENCH MORTON.
President M o
WANTED A
Kinley lacks back
VEKTEBRA.
bone. He is a
creature of impulse , with a different
policy for each day.
He recommended free trade for Porto
Rico. That was right. The next day ,
because of opposition in congress ,
lie gave it out that ho did not care
whether his recommendations were fol
lowed or not and that he would cheer-
fully sign any measure presented to him.
Another day later ho is as enthusiastic
for the House tariff bill as he was for free
trade not forty-eight hours before. We
have confronting us questions for con
stitutional interpretation , having a far
reaching effect upon our republic. We
have as our president in this national
crisis a man who is not of the same
mind forty-eight hours.
The president should be a leader and
not a mere puppet in the hands of a con
gressional majority. He should bo a man
imbued with a determination to carry out
his convictions and not change with every
little congressional zephyr. He should
be a man of the Cleveland stamp. Presi
dent Cleveland recommended to con
gress that the national credit demanded
the repeal of the Sherman law. In
spite of a more determined congressional
opposition than McKinley had to face ,
he adhered to his recommendation and
finally secured the needed patriotic leg
islation. His influence was directed to
have congress do what ho wanted and
not what somebody else wanted.
Had McKinley the moral courage of
a Cleveland , congress would have given
Porto Rico free trade and the presi
dent would be credited with qualities of
genuine statesmanship.
A Reverend Shel-
A YELLOW
PULPITEER Aon is editing for
one week , the Topeka -
peka Daily Capital and showing how
Christ would run a newspaper. The
pious expounder is severe in his denun
ciation of "yellow" journalism. He
believes the newspaper panders too
much to the curious , maudlin impulse
aud-appeals too little to calm , intelli
gent judgment. "Yellow" is just as
much in evidence in the pulpit as it is
in the press , of which the quixotic at
tempt of this pulpiteer is abundant
proof. Preachers would be doing a
greater service to humanity by first ob
literating their own jaundice.
United States
THAT
STINGEE. Senator Gilbert
Monell Hitchcock
would by this time have distinguished
the state of Nebraska had ho not met
with the misfortune of a sting. It was
not the sting of the Bee , but the deadly
and malignant sting of ingratitude that
politically disfigured with pestilent
pustules the fair and stately candidature
of Mr. Hitchcock. And now.the sting
ing has become epi-democratic in Oma
ha where Mr. Hitchcock so generously
publishes a non-partisan "independent"
journal. This "independent news
paper" has made a large fortune for
Mr. Hitchcock an independent fortune
and illustrated the fact that an inde
pendent is one that can not be depended
upon , posing either as a journalist , a
friend or a politician. Not to be de
pended upon is to be an independent.
DECLINING
DIVIDENDS.TimesHerald
which heretofore
has been a fervid fanatic , experiencing
ecstacies and beatitudes , even at the
mention of Saint McKinley , has pub
lished recently some severe criticisms of
that statesmanette.
And yet the Times-Herald was one of
the original syndicate that paid up the
debts of the bankrupt McKiuley for the
purpose of making him a candidate for
the presidency. Something like sixty
thousand dollars was advanced for that
patriotic purpose it is believed by H.
H. Kholsaat during the month of Feb
ruary 1898. The debts of the Napoleon-
otto having boon thus paid by the enter
prising promoters and stock holders who
included , it is said , Bellamy Storor
and Mark Hanua , they put up enough
assessments to elect him. For the first
time the president of the United States
was known and recognized as ' 'a corpor
ation. " Dividends began at once. The
Chicago end of the corporation named
the Secretary of the Treasury. Since
then it has been handed a United Cir
cuit Judgeship and other returns.
But the Times-Herald indicates now
"a passing of the dividend" period. The
McKinley presidential trust stock is
declining in value. Ben Harrison stock
is in demand and may go up to par.
WICKED.
demnable for a
gold standard democrat to vote for a re
publican , who agrees with him in finance.
But it is very commendable for a silver
standard democrat to vote for a repub
lican who harmonizes with him on the
question of coinage. And they are
quite worthy of fervid praise when the
two silver citizens vote for a populist
who advocates irredeemable paper
money and repudiates all metalic cur
rency.
A protectionist silver republican can
always depend upon a free trade silver
democrat for support. But the populist
who cries for fiat currency , made of
paper , can command the votes of the
twin paradoxes above named at any and
all times. They squeal for and he fattens
upon offices.
ISLEMANIA.
symptoms of isle-
mania broke out when the Hawaiian
Islands and their lepers became objects
desired by the jingoes of the United
States. Since then the intensity and.
accuteness of the disease have been
marked by the Porto Eico and Philip
pine contagions.
The disease has become so chronic
that Denmark offers a job lot of West
India Islands to the government with
perfect faith in soiling. All the island
sellers on the globe seek the American
market. The twenty millions paid for
the Philippines after getting them by
conquest has stimulated all the bunko
island peddlers of the earth to try and
confidence Uncle Sam. The islemania
may develop a reaction and a wild de
sire to sell islands. The power to pur
chase implies the power to sell. Why
not have an auction sale of islandsWhy
not realize on our insular assets ?
Peter Cooper and
MODERN
CIIAHITY. other noted phil
anthropists of the
last generation will blush for shame at
the crndeness of their methods when
they look down and contemplate the
broad humanity of President McKiuley
in returning the Porto Rican revenues.
With them , giving without reward or
expectation of return was an indication
of philanthropy. Now it is philan
thropic to give back a part of what ouo
has taken.
