THE HESPERIAN.
lit
It
iii
I-
scored a point. From a. worldly point of view, however, he
has been left to the mercies of a cold, cold world. He has
refused to come to the ultimatum of the catholic church. Will
the catholic church come to the views of Dr. McGlynn? It
seems quite unlikely.
Prohibition in Iowa seems, at present and especially since
the last election, to be in a bad way. Two years of democratic
rule have caused a practical suspension of the law wherever
public sentiment has favored license. Governor ltoies, after
giving his oath to support the laws has apparently made no
effort whatever to enforce this law. The old principle of state
sovereignty has been let to apply to every community in Iowa.
At the present tinie, accordingly, prohibition in Iowa, while
not a dead-letter, has, however, no great measure of success.
In the late election the issue in Iowa was the prohibition
law as regards state politics. The national issue in the cam
taign was the McKinley tariff. A strong fight was made on
lxth issues, particularly by the democrats. The republicans
discussed the tariff issue chiefly. In the election the demo
crats were successfull in electing the state officers. They also
reduced the republican majority in the legislature to five on
joint ballot. Now the democrats in their platform declared
expressly against prohibition and in favor of license. The
republican platform declared in favor of enforcement of the
prohibitory law . A large number of rcpulriicans did not favor
the law; in fact, many were very bitter against it. As a result
of the outcome of the election their number has been largely
swelled. They lay the continued ill success of the republican
party to the prohibition law. They vehemently wish to throw
prohibition overboard altogether. It is a question, therefore.
whether the republican side of the legislature will hold firmly
and solidly to the enforcement plank in the republican plat
form. The outlook for the continuance of prohibition in Iowa
is certainly not the brightest. The probabilities all point to
the repeal of the law this winter. It would lc the strange out
come of strange events.
Superintendent-of-thc Census Porter in a recent number of
theNew York Independent enters into an exceedingly interesting
comparison of the growth of the metropolitan districts of Lon
don and New York- According to his figures the metropoli
tan dUtct of New Yoik has added in the last generation
1,526,077 to its population and 1-ondon 1,407,067. 15y the
metropolitan district of New York is meant the territory com
prising the five cities of New York, Jersey City, Newark, and
If ohoken. This district, it must le rcmemlered, is smaller
by seventeen square miles than what is called Registration
Ixmdon. The area is a very important consideration in com
paring ibe $3c of cities. Chicago, for instance, covers an
area larger than New Yotk and Ijondon together. lint now if
the increai of population in the metropolitan district of New
York and in Registration Iondon k compared, it is found that
New York with the smaller area increased nearly three times
as fast as Ijm&oh. From this Superintendent Porter figures
out thai New York, al the present rate of increase, will out
number I-ondon by half a million inhabitants in 1920. If,
moreover, the area of New York be made to include as many
square miles as Registration Ixmdon then New York will more
than overtake lxradon by 1913. New York is, of course,
handicapped by her cramped quarters. It seems likely, how
ever, that loa-er New York 7rilf more and more become a
region of warehouses and business blocks. Continually cow
the process is going on of transforming this par: of the city
into buildings intended for business only. Residents are being
forced gradually farther out of town. In respect to area, Chi
- cago has a great advantage over New York. In area it is
quite unrestricted. Bnt New York has the start and will not
be easily overtaken. Whether, however, New York will not
be enough hindered in its growth by its small quarters to pre
vent its overtaking London is a matter yet to be decided. It
hardly occms probable, though, that the present high rate of
increase will continue indefinitely. Nevertheless every Amer
ican citizen proudly believes that New York is bouud to be
the largest city in the world.
If prosperity makes people thankful, then the farmers
should be thankful this year, especially the farmers of thr
west. Year before last there was an immense crop. Yet
this j ear's crop of torn, oats, and wheat exceeds the yield in
these staples of two years ago by 77,000,000 bushels. What
a shortage there was last year may be seen from the fact that
this year's crop of the above named staples is about a billion
bushels ahead oi last year's. If times were hard last year on
account of a small crop, surely there is no reason now why
they should not be easy in the near future. 'Some statisticians
have estimated that farmers in the west will this year pay off
mortgage to the amount of $200,000,000. This seems not at
all unreasonable as the value of the crop of corn, oats, and
wheat alone is $400,000,000 more than the value ol last year's
crop of the same staples. Nebraska, we all know, surely
comes in for her share, and no small share, of the tremendous
increase. It is said that the seven western states, Nebraska,
Iowa, Minnesota, the two Dakota, Illinois, and Kansas will
receive fully fifty per cent, of the money paid in the United
States for the enormous crop of the three grains above men
tioned. Truly Nature and Providence have been bountiful
this year it ever. et let there be two seasons alter this as
prolific as this and then one of crop failure. What would be
the effect? Great financial depression as last year. The
farmers will then wake up again, politically, and wonder ii
there is not something wrong. They will Ik? very aggrev.ive
in reform until another good crop has set them again upon a
living looting. Their aggressiveness will then disappear.
The same conditions, however, will still remain. When
again fulfilled they will produce similar results. What folly
then to advocate reform only in times of depression, times
when the judgment is unduly influenced by excitement, if
not stronger passions. It seems a pity that men will not
understand that, if matters were as they should be, one season
of crop failure should not produce such great harpship and
such hard times as came to this state last year. Ancient
Egypt, under Joseph, we are told, hoarded enough together
in seven years of plenty to last through seven years of abso
lute famine. Modern Nebraska is unable after several years
of abundance to pass through one year of poor crops trithcut
great physical and financial distress. There is something the
matter. Will entire satisfaction with a good crop tell m what
the trouble is? The farmers arc called on to answer.
ATHLETICS.
The tennis grounds have at last been marked ofl but it is
not likely that much playing will be done now as cold
weather will uo doubt soon set in. The grounds have been
leveled np and grcrtly improved. This mode of exercise
is bound to grow in favor, and arrangements should be made
this fall to have more courts laid off so that playing may
begin early next falL
Did you ever consider how important and neccessary a
seconder of a motion really is? The names of the persons
who make the motions arc printed in bold type and sent
broardcast over the country while the wen wno second tfceve
4
