Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 1902)
ttoe Conservative * 5 R The new style UNDIGNIFIED , of oratory adopted by members of the senate , is certainly very impressive , but hardly praiseworthy. Senator Tillman delivered an impassioned address and made a telling point on Senator McOlaurin's forehead. The latter being adroit in debate delivered a forceful and eloquent reply which completely shattered his opponent's logic likewise his nasal appendage. Wjth the house gone anarchistic , the senate gone pugilistic and Prince Henry hero on a visit , it begins to look as though both branches should be spanked and put to bed when the country has company. While it is true that duels are not unknown among the legislators at the German capital , and ink-stand throwing is a regular pastime upon the floor of the French chamber , while in England speakers are frequently arrested , and South America has adopted poison and pistols as proper weapons of debate , still it J is not necessary for our soloug to re sort to fisticuffs , merely to show the Prince that they have a proper con ception of the ethics of their high office. Con gressmau MIXED Wheeler , the in- . . METAPHOR. flamed Kentuckian , ' | j i > who proved upon the floor of the house that he is in a class with the gentleman from Bun combe , is also entitled to a place in history on account of his abilities as a mixer of metaphor. Previous to Mr. Wheeler's effort , the reporter who , in describing a death scene set forth that the "icy hand of death fluttered its silent wings over the sufferer , and softly spoke his name , ' ' was considered pre-eminent in this line , with Pitchfork Tillman a reasonably close second , he having ac cused a boiling pot of rising up and saying things. Mr. Wheeler's com position treats Miss Roosevelt's pro posed visit to England as "another step in the chain which shows us whither we are drifting. " And just to think that an unappreciative and envious house is preparing to expunge such a gem as that from the record 1 . Wishing to earn an honored place beside this trio of artists , The Con servative suggests that such an action on the part of congress would be another - other link in the book of time which beckons the country on to destruction. CHINESE FEUDS. [ Taken from the U. 8. Consular Reports. ] Olan fights are the curse of the Ohao prefecture , and , indeed , of the whole province. They start from the most trivial causes , of which the fol lowing are a few of many : Two men met in a village , and , after they had saluted each other , one took excep tion to the other being a native of a certain village. From this started a fight involving hundreds of men. In Jab Peng , the Ur-Ohang fight was brought about by two men of the Ohang clan , who had been out to catch frogs , passing naked , at night , through the village of one of the branches of the Ur-clan. This brought on a fight where one clan numbered about 20,000 and the other about 16,000. Another fight , in which the amount of damage done was over $10,000 , started in a row over 2 cash (0.0028 ( cent ) in a gambling house. Many years ago these fights became of such alarming proportions t.hat Ad miral Fang was sent to this region with soldiers to end them. Being a man of great ability , he made forced marches by night , appeared when the people least expected him , burned villages ai'd tortured te death men without number. In a very short time lie had put an end to the fight ing. As long as he lived , and for several years after his death , the people kept the peace , such was the terror of his name. Of late , how ever , these fights have been increasing * ing to such an extent , and have so interfered with business , that the foreign merchants and the members of the shipping firms in Swatow have sent a memorial to the doyen of the consular corps in Swatow that he re quest the viceroy to put an end to the fighting In many cases the local magistrates are helpless or are ham pered with other duties. For example - ample , with fights raging in all parts of the prefecture , the military exam inations , at which the presence of the district magistrates is compulsory , are now being held and have been forever over a month. The usual method of stopping those fights is for the magistrate to send out two or three constables to inquire into the matter and report on the state of affairs. Then , if the fighting be serious , a few tens of soldiers are sent there , who in no way interfere with the fighters , but quarter them selves on the villagers until , tired of their presence , the fighters stop. A board of arbitration is then ap pointed by the magistrate , which estimates the number of men killed on each side and the amount of prop erty destroyed. Both sides then pay a certain amount in proportion to the damage done. Sometimes the magistrate comes in person , but oven his presence does not havu the desired effect. In 1891 , at Ohai Yau , in the Hak-ka country , a district magistrate , proceeding to settle one of these fights , was sot upon by the fighters , his escort scattered and his chair de stroyed , he himself barely escaping with his life. The taotai sent 500 soldiers , who scattered the fighters , many of them going abroad. Eight of the headmen of the villages wore pat to death , live by crucifixion and three ' by torture. In connection with these clan fights comes up the question of smuggling arms. The majority of the weapons used by the fighters are the two-men muzzle-loaders , one man acting as a * rest and the other firingtho piece , the damage in lives lost being compara tively small. Recently , however , many arms ' have been smuggled into the prefecture from Canton and from Hong Kong. Those from Canton come overland into the Hak-ka country and into the Kieh Yeng district of the prefecture. The majority , which come from Hong Kong , are brought up in small junks , whose sizes enables them the more easily to escape detec tion , and are sold to the elders of the villages and clans for from $4 to $20 apiece. The elders in turn sell them to the clan for from $4 to $6 advance. The introduction of these weapons has increased the death rate in the clan fights to an alarming extent , the death rate in the Jao Peng fight having been increased to an average of eight a day , and in tne Oho Yang fight to ten and twelve a day. It is in these two districts that most of the arms are landed. These clan fights are a serious detri ment to the commercial relations , nor can there bo said to be any social conditions which will improve them. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. Gives advice and answers , without charge , inquiries about investments. Studies underlying causes of market movements. Determines facts gov erning values of securities. Criti cises , analyses and reviews railroad and industrial reports. Has complete tables of earnings of properties. Quotes active and inactive stocks and bonds. Records the last sale of bonds and the yield on investment at the price. Quo who daily consults The Wall Street Journal is better qualified to invest money safely and profitably and to advise about investments than one who does not do so. Published daily by Dev , Jones & Co. , 44 Broad street , N. Y. The old est news agency of Wall street. $8 a year , $1 a month. . THE CUBAN WORM WILL TURN. Unless this congress , ruled as it is by hide-bound protectionists , concedes some of the things which are absolutely essential to the Cubans , it is likely that the "worm will turn. " "What can wo expect ? There is no possibility of the Cubans holding their own against the will of the United States , however un just it may bo. But the Cubans take little account of possibilities , as their long and hopeless fight against Spain attests. Boston Post.
