Nebraska Newspapers

    THE OMAHA DAILY flEE : SUNDAY , SEPTEMBER 0 , 1891.
THE DEBT OF NATIONS
Whole TTarlA Mada Acquainted for the First
Time wl'li Wtnt it Owes.
MOST GOVERXfOTS PILING UP DEBTS
rignrea on State , Municipal , County and
fcluol 1'strict { Indebtedness ,
ENVIABLE POSITION OF THE UNITED STATES
This dountrv'a Splendid Showhj iii Eela-
tion to the Per Capita Cost.
GOOD FAITH AND ABILITY TO PAY
C''JUii > rnliciMlvn Tnbln ShowingVliut the
Lending CIUr.1 of tlio 'United Slutes
< Mvn : iutl the Iteveiuio lerl\cil fur
1U
With the completion of the mortgage work
totaling to Individuals , the eleventh census
will have contributed to the world's Informa
tion on this subject the most elaborate and
valuable treat Iso extant. Nothing compara
ble to It has ever been attempted by any
government , Tim cost of this slupend'ui
piece of KUUIitlcal work , Including the printIng -
Ing nt several volumes , will not tall far short
of $1,000,000. Enormous as thin expenditure
seems , t regurd It as the wisest outlay for
statistical work ever made. It 1ms brought
not only this country but the world for the
first time tarn to face with what It owes.
It has called attention to the real burdens of
Individual mortgages and given us accurate
Information In relation to a class of Indebt
edness which had been used by demagogues
to create a class feeling In the republic and
discourage those who were thrifty etr.ugli to
purchase their farms and ( heir homes and
Improve tlielr property ,
llcglnrilng with the public debt of nations
representing -population tf 1,102,000 , ODD
and InclmllriK local debt , dealing with an
aggregate of $30,000,000 of Indebtedness , this
Investigation was continued d-wn through
state , municipal , county and school district
finances , until It finally embraced nn Inquiry
nt the dour of every farm and home. As a
result MO have a complete budget of the
amount of Individual Indebtedness , the pur
pose for which It was contracted , the rate cf
Interest , the distribution oC debt , and other
rssonllal data for a satisfactory study of this
Important question. When completed In all
Its details , 11108 ? reports will occupy at least
three quarto volumes cf 1,000 , pages each.
In the compilation of this work , which took
four years , 2.000 field agents were employed ,
ami GOO or 700 clerks at Washington ; mil
lions of letters and circulars were sent out
ami returns were obtained direct from nearly
30,004 county and municipal divisions of the
Drifted States , and nearly 200,000 school dis
tricts. One of these volumes has been Is
sued , and the other two are well under way ,
Numerous bulletins and some advance
figures liavo supplied sufficient data to enable
me to present for the first lima a Er nd re
view of all three Investigations.
THE OltEAT PROBLEM OF THE AOE.
The debt problem In Us broadcit sense la
probably the greatest problem of the age ,
For half a century nations seem to have
lie en going headlong Into debt , In some In
stances literally piling up debt until the
capacity for borrowing was exhausted. There
Is an old saying that the world Is made up of
two classes , those who borrow and these who
lend. It Is different with nations , for all
n bo can seem to borrow. Some nations
( IhD United States and Spain for Instance )
seem to pay their Indebtedness , but as a rule
national debts are either stationary or In
creasing The world's national debts hav *
been gathering In volume of late years about
as follows :
1848
Doll am
7.G-7,6 : ,213
1860
Dollnrs
10.399.34I.CS3
1870.
Dollnra
17m , IOl28
1880.
Dollnrn
27,421.OJT.SU
1890.
Dollars
S7.WOrG.91 !
18U J77roi.JIS
IO.XM.S-II.CSS
U70 . , , 17lt,610.I2S
IWl * y. 2,4ioiicu
27E. . : < , 'J76'Ji ;
Diagrams , when simple and striking , often
convey Information illtllrult to absorb from
lani ; rows of figures. From the alr.ve we
nee at one glance that while the principal
rutlons of the world during the decade end
ing 1890 are not still adding billions to their
national debts , as they did In the decade
ending1870 and 1880 , they are ( excepting the
nations mentioned ) by no means reducing
these obligations and lifting the enormous
burdens of Interest. The extent of tliene
fluctuations during the decide ending 1800
may bo best studied In the following di
agram : a-
Hut the real test Is the per capita coit ot
thlt debt The weight cl the burden can
Ixit be guiiKetl by th ? number which share
the rcspomtlblllly The PIT capita of lliete
national debt * In some Instances Is very
targe. From tills utandpolnt , however , the
United Sidles ocounle.i an enviable rank.
If we fchould nM the p r rnplta oC htntc
nnd locul debli. tofevtlnrwith 111 ! mortgage
debt in lorco , the annual Intcri-st on which
Is $104.000,000. the republic might be called I
upon to change places tvllh * ome of the J
effete Jitnl tolierlnir moitarnlile * of Kiirope , .
though hardly Kith those now nnd debtconJ J
trading communities uhlch lead the fol
lowing Komevvlint gloomy diagram :
anything like the full value of the outlay.
Thta rceins to have \itfn followed by more
careful expenditure of municipal funds and
In sonic large cltlei by a decrease of indebt
edness , State and county debts cut a smalt
figure In our elate and local finances any
how , and the tendency Is to reduce rather
than Increase. The most vital part of this
problem In , therefore , municipal debt.
Of the $724,000,000 under consideration
about 1151,000,003 represents the total debt
of the cities having A population ot 50,000 or
more. To those cities It may be well to dl-
DOLLARS .
coo f-j T
ojn ro lft
Queensland . . > . . . . . w-1
South Australia . . . . .
New Z'aland . >
NOW South Wales , . . . . . .
Victoria .
"Western Australia .
Tc monlu . . . . . .
Honduras , , . .
Poitugal . . . . . . . . . . . .
Krancp. . .
Nether lands. . . . , .
Croat lirllaln. . . . .
Kfipt .
Italy .
Austria Hungary. . . . . . . .
Argentine Itcpubllc * .
Spain , .
Paraguay. . .
Havana , NATIONAL DEBT
\Viiileinberg
Canada PEH , CAPITA
linden
Ilrazll OF THE
b.txony
Prussia
llO'iinaiila _ r PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES
Ulilll
Russia
ServU
Iliwuil
Turkey
CViombia
Denmark .
United States
Sweden
IMllvU
Venezuela.
5'nhMtlor
Japan
Norvvaj
Mpxlro
Snlt/crland
India
Alsnec Lorraine
Gorm.in Umpire ( proper )
At the moM ! In a popular nrtlclc of this
kind It Is possible by a tew bold strokes
to map out tiie general tendencies of national
debt. Sine : ; the compilation ot the figures
from which the above diagram was con
structed the burden lias proved too great
for FOiiiLot the Australian colonies and
South American countries. If the nations ot
the world have entered upon a period of cur
tailment in industrial enterprise , ot rail
road expansion , and of debt paying or ad
justment , the next century may celebrate
Its birth by a decided per capita reduction
In national debts. If other nations should
take the cue from the United States and
Spain , the world vtould stand six years hence
appalled at a reduction ol $14,500,000,000 In
national debts. This Is not likely while
national debts are regarded as national bless
ings , that some nations certainly seem loath
to part with. The Individual fluctuations In
the amounts of Indebtedness of the eight/
three foreign countries making the aggre
gate , I have given above , for 18)0 and 1880
have been considerable , during the decade.
The total Indebtedness shows an Increase of
$1,131,490,332 , while the decrease ot the
national debt of the United States during the
same pnrlod was $1,030,537,260 , thus making
the net Increase In national debts ot the
world only $103,939,272. Our own national
debt so long as the party of the union held
control literally melted away from 1866 ,
when the burden was greatest , though nt
present It Is In a fair way to Increase. This
Is best shown by the subjoined statistical
silhouette giving the annual interest charge
per capita :
One dollar one Inch.
'Aw nn t'/iw AIH
'H&6 '
Our national debt decrease In the per
capita Interest charges slnco the war.
Nothing could be more healthful and sat
isfactory than the public debt statement for
the United States In 1890. Individual In
debtedness wilt be disiUMsod and illustrated
in a second article , bo that can be dismissed
while we take up A few facts In relation to
state-and local Indebtedness , Here we have
the two pictures clear , concise , end com
prehended In n moment.
National debt cut In halt from a per capita
ot $33.33 to a per capita $14.M ; state debt
from a per capita of | 5.93 to J3.6G ; county
debt from n per capita of $2.47 to $2,32 ;
municipal debt from $13.64 $ to $11.57. The
only Increase bclnc In school district In
debtedness from 50.35 to 30,59 In 4890. Rela
tively to population all classes ot public
debt has decreased except that contracted
for education. The actual Increase In muni
cipal Indebtedness has been small when
compared ulth the growth of our civic popu
lation during the decade and the municipal
Improvements which have been completed
during that period. Between 1870 and 1880
there was undoubtedly a wave of municipal
extravagance which Increased debt and tdld
not secure for the communities Incurring It
Hundreds ot millions of dollars.
1880 TD 1890 <
§
i
Franco
M
Itussln | 9(1 (
BOon
Grout llrltnln . . . . -I
Austria Hungary ]
Italy | on
HO
Spain , |
HO
United .States . . . j
NATIONAL DEBTS
Hraill | OP THE :
Holland j PRINCIPAL COUKTRIES OF THE
lloiglum | WOR u D
JttPa f BO D 1 A G" R A M
Argentine. Itupub | SH.OWINCINCRE.ASE AND
Canada } gj [ DEC REASE OF DELBT
Uoiimauta J-
Greece , . . . . J
Gormun Kiuulro. | 00 '
Sweden A Norw'y j
Meilco j
Ooumirk. j g {
Towhat extent have our large cities In
curred debts which have been unwise or be
yond their means lo pay ? Have we any
means ot ascertaining just where the safetj
line lies ? One of the wisest checks on local
Indebtedness Is state constitutional limita
tions. Eighteen years ago , after an elaborate
personal investigation of the budgets of
j many ot our large municipalities , I became
convinced that constitutional limitation
should be universal , and I believe every state
constitution since then and some before
have limited debt to a percentage of the as
sessed value of property. The factors whlcl
constitute the borrowing po\\er of a munici
pality arc :
First , goad faith.
Second , ability to pay.
GOOD KAITH.
An old community like New England ,
where financial conservatism Is bred In the
bone , may be of Itself sufficient guaranty of
good faith , but In new localities made up of
irioro ambitious and reckless men , where
capital reaps great returns , the power to Is
sue municipal obligations , If unchccXed , Is
liable to be abused and the tax payers to
overburdened that repudiation results , and
credit ruined. To check such n tendency
within the last twenty-five years , constitu
tional and legal enactments have been
adopted In many of the states , with a view
to IIx a limit to the Issues of such securities
and to create a fund from which the Interest
will bo paid from year to year , and the prin
cipal at Us maturity. Thus restricted In Jts
operations the several municipalities have on
the whole maintained a good credit for sev
eral years and today there Is not on the
market the bond of any city In the United
States on which Interest is not promptly
paid , i/r on which there Is any doubt as to
the payment ot the principal at maturity ,
exceptingperlups. . In a very few cases ,
where the legality of the bonds Is In litiga
tion.
tion.The
The good faith , therefore , of the several
municipalities Issuing this class of Indebted
ness stands practically unquestioned save
possibly In some small "boom" towns and In
a few places visited by misfortunes.
ANILITY TO PAY.
There Is. also , no reasonable doubt that
through natural conservatism or legal con
straint the limit of the borrowtnc power of
our municipalities Is In no case exceeded to
day.Tho
The following table shows the- bonded debt
less water bonds , the rate per $100 of the
debt to the assessed , valuation and the per
capita of such debt of all the cities In the
United States having a population ot 50,000
or more in 1890 , No account IE taken In
this table of the sinking fund , which , In a
few cases , would considerably reduce the
actual burden of the debt , or of other
bonds , which are remunerative or paid
from other sources than taxation
( except water bonds ) which would still fur
ther reduce the amount In a few cases , no
ticeably In that of Cincinnati , The sinking
fund. Is , however , generally offset by the
floating debt.
The tabVe shows neirly enough the limit
whch : has been reached In the municipal In
debtedness ot the several cities In ques
tion. This table , t am aware , looks some
what formidable , but readers are only ex-
expected to look at the facts given fcr tha
cities In whloh they Are particularly In-
tcrettcd. It forms , however , a vital part
of this , article and cannot well be omitted ,
ai It Is of great valuu for future reference.
Statement show.ng tha asaejsed valuation
ot municipalities In the United States hav
ing a population of 60,000 or more , the
Amount ot their bonded debt , less water
bonds , Its percentage if the tssesscd valu
ation and Its per capita in 1890-
i HomtiHl I HVI
Anti'Rjwd th M lo Net ilcbt
MI-NICIPAMTV. ValiiiitfOii.l VVstiT Oeht | * * r
IlomliJ _ . _ . . .
_ i li < iiil. tlt > ittn |
toMl | jtjnt | l,9i > i'tW,8W 97f r. IM |
i 70 IH
- - 7 , tJSOO | 7 1'J
97l.tl1.29l1 , O.I2 : . 1M & in 17 < 'i
lliwklyn 7 2IW W
2oiit ; ; ) smiit c-i
ttostnn . . ) " " ; : i | 415W u
9 M , l 0)
' '
' '
3Jl'.V..l'lin | i'.m'nOJ mi 2 ot
Clnclnnnll 1 177iT7ICI ( < N.M7.R11 , ' . 73 , II 5.1
B.3SJ.7M
liifTnln 6.Ba-.ltl .1 9321 \ I. . * )
< i iv Oil > 'unf..i ljN,9t,01l is 30 01 n- ,
" ' ' . . r. is M n
ivticiit f..V.V.V. | t itti ! < ; o l.ftll.MOl 1 01 7 ai
ilwaukeeIW.ISI.'Qi i.w.r , < v > t - _ _ 5 S5
rnnth Ifi.fit''WJ ' n MI < I > : .y
- . . . - , 1H.HW.141 I S7I % 11
Jtii-i-y city. I 7ii.lSI ' , .
, 8Bij.Oi > in 5riat ( ]
19 , vi,71S 1lMlWl ( 9 ffil1 | ? l
2.1li.OMI 2 XllIC 0)
HI. Paul - . . I KM.0 > ) 3 WM 91
l\Hnvin tlly I 83.I1VS1J 1.UI1.121 t 57 7 k7
: * r < i\Ulence . . . . . . . . 140. < l7.orii ( s.nw ' t i i2j n
Denver . . . . . . . . . . . . .I CC.C2t-iO usi f. m
1nillannpoll | SS.Zrt'i.lWI 3 2711.1 07
.MICRlicny . I H.7D,1TJ 73H.iV > ) 1 K < SI
Albany " ' ' - - " J.r.H. I 5 67 3T 51
3. 6 .900 8 40 41 M
> car u < n 43,4VStl 1.4K.S04 3 rijlt .1j
73,417,4W , 3s.r.,7' ' a M 4i .u
Tr tr lo B.KS.a * ) ' C 7- . ! 51
Itklimnnd . . . * itjiid e * * it
Mew llnven co.7xi.niii S,2M.4rn ) 4 ss'jr ' it
1'mem.in iV8JtSMl : 1 2D.IVJ. ) 4 ro.r. st
IX.VM'II MOI .7'J' l lfi.n,7iX , ) 2 6.1 21 <
33Wj,725 | 1,103,1(10 ( 411n , n
union li.7M.SJ71 , 441 , GOO 2 si s 'it
K..II . Ittvor r ,47l,4.V < 2:4ISRI 4 193i1 | 11
I'imtjriilse 67,471,9.V. 1,014,0X1 , 2 SV 7 *
Atlmt i 1 i.jst.aoo . 4 30'i ' ? TD
s 21'so ' :
M.d'O.OWi 817,1 W ZR ' "
> lull 3D.7M.T3fl X 07
4i.lMi.773 Sff > , K'l ' 1 SI 1,1 r.
1 ,175.000 O TSI 2 n
.11.6' , 1.901 5I4.WV 1 f.J' ' 1 7
C.miLlrn ir , 4j.osfl TT7.MII - - - - I G <
Ti < ? nlon S1.03J.2tS 1.003.600 3 51 17 17
I. kiln 296 21 IT.
Lincoln Nili & ! 4KS64 1 llll.GOO 21 76
I'li.iilei'lnn 2l,38fl.5n .1972.113 7.21
llurtfori ! ' ' 3.031t H ) or. ! w m
SI SO'TMI'SW 1.G11.300 31 II
" " ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
I : VaiiM IMP" . , . . . . . . . . j 17.MN\W5 1.74.-.000 II 31
AriK < > t < . . tJ.s.'O.nro SW.llflJ
Moln < M. . f.W.OII I 02111 IS
The constitutional or legal limit to muni
cipal Indebtedness Is IKe.l , If at all. frdn
3 to 15 per csnl of the assessed valuation ,
nllowancs } being made generally for bonds
not payable from taxation and tor the sink
ing fund. The average per cent of the sev
eral cities mentioned above was but 5.G4 ,
about on-thlrd of what In some cases has
been MX.M ! by law as a prudent limit.
Within the past thirteen years a few
cities have Incurred obligations which they
subsequently declared they were unable to
llquldat , aud rather than to meet the de
mand by further taxation the city govern
ments resorted to repudiation and consequent
loss of credit and financial Integrity.
Of course there ) Is a limit to the ability of
a city to pay Its debts. The limit cannot
bo so easily determined as In the case < of an
Individual. No one. expects a propeity
hlsldnr to actually give up Ills house , his
furniture ml his personal belongings to
satisfy a municipal obligation , and the holder
of eiicli an obligation took It knowing that no
such sacrifice to meet Its payment would be
made.
Every city , however , rhould do all that a
roasannblo man could expect to meet Its
obligations , end It through an honest error
of judgment Its liabilities have become to >
great to be met the limit must be fixed at
some point , and the public must judgeof Its
fairness. . .
The following table shows the assessed
valuitlon , total debt. ' fle"bt p6r capita and
per $100 of valuation ailtl the basis of ad
justment the cities mentioned defaulting
slnco 1SSO In payment of their bonds.
BUNDS.WAI MI
BUNDS.
Total.
. . .
Kalmay , N.J. : .5 5,74 | 1.200.000) ) 4 73 251 S5 35 n
MeinililA [ . . . . i.78t.3U i4. 4.Jr)5 25 M 13S . MOD
IVnsacola . . . .KC.tSy , 7M.OOOI M 24 | lO-J 51 40 OT
In the case of M mp ls great depression
resulted from the scourge of yellow fever.
and business become so prostrated that the
scaling down of municipal obligations to
one-half was generally considered Justifiable ,
though the totaj debt was only about one-
fourth of the assessed valuation of the city.
In the other cases thV limit 'was above -12
per cent , and one cane above CO per cent
before financial embarrassment ensued.
It must be remembered also that the
amount of capital sdeklng Investment In
this country slnca 1880 has been so much
greater than before that period that the
rnto of ( Interest has been reduced just
about one-half. Where a rate uf 6 per
cent prevailed In 1S80 loans can be easily
put now at S per cent , and where 8 per
cent was the ruling rate 4 Is now the
highest asked for. This largely Increases
the borrowing power of a city , doubling the
principal without Increasing the annual In
terest charge.
As the legal limit of 10 01 15 per cent of
assessed valuation was fixed generally fifteen
years or moie ago It Is safe to Infer that
with the present low Interest charge the
legislators would not have deemed even 20
per cent an excessive limit , especially as
even with an Interest rale double of the
existing- one only one city had foiled to
meets Its obligations until above 40 per cent
was reached.
Again , the total municipal debt ot the
country , less water bonds. In 1890 Vvas but
J65G,925,412. Of this amount the cities hav
inga population ot 50,000 or more had
Issued $453.888,378 , leaving to all other
places (202,036,434 , against a valuation rf
J17,413,712,437 , or a rate per $100 of $1.15. a
per capita of $3,95. Moro than one-half ol
this debt was held by places having be
tween 4,000 and 50,000 Inhabitants , leaving
to small villages and agricultural stctlons
about $7fi,000,000 , against a valuation ol
? 13,041,786,137 , or more than one-half of the
total assessed value ot the country ; a rate
of only 57 cents on $100 of assessed value.
The existing burden of municipal debt ,
light as it is , seems to be borne by the
large cities. In fact , throughout the south
ern states few municipalities outside of the
Urge cities have but little. U any , power
to contract a debt , and virtually no muni
clpal debt exists.
In vltw of "theso facts It may be safe
to say that the municipalities of the country
are able to sustain a much larger Indebt
cdness than they are at the present moment
though the safety of It does not admit the
wisdom ot such a course. All this am
much morn of Infinite value In the conduct
of local finances may be found In these ex
hausting and remarkable volumes on debt
Issued by the census ofllce.
p. ponrun.
The summer school of Cornell university
which closed last week , was attended by
nearly 300 students , many of whom -were
public school teachers fitting themselves for
a more Intelligent prosecution of their schoo
work. J
Nikolai Mlchallovltchr Jadrlnzeff , the
founder of the Siberian university , died re
cently In St. Petersburg. , He was the edl
tor of awell known weekly Journal , and liar
explored almost every part of Siberia , writ
Ing a number of bpubiiiupon the country
He was born In 184iH. (
The regenU ot the , flnlKsrslty of the State
ot New York have appointed examiners In
twenty-one departments' learning to ex
nrnliie persons who urn unable to go to col
lege , and wish to pursue home study. 0
the forty-two examiners , -one-third are pro
lessors In Cornell unlifprnity.
Prof. Morris , at the , h , ad ot the chemlca
department of Cornell university , com
inenced work as n flrelttan ou the New York
Central railroad. He Advanced to be en
alncer , and then inaiVi lup his mind to ge
an education , which hc.flpally accomplished
and graduated with honor at Union college
Kdwln D. Searlcs,1wlio"marrJcd the widow
of Mark Hopkins bi 'Callfornla , has pre
sented two valuable pictures to the Hopkln.
Institute of Art In San.J'rancUco. The Instl
tuta la a department of the University o
California , and occupies the castlellko house
built by the late Mark Hopkins for his owi
residence.
Among the methods of instruction sparsely
yet known in our country , but long estab
llshed In Germany , says Dr. nice In th
Forum , l the school excursion. Indeed , whll
to the uninitiated this measure may be re
Karded as no less than revolutionary. It I
nevertheless true that excursions from twt
to three weeks In duration -were undertaken
by Salzmann with thopuplU of his schoo
at Schnepfeuthal In Thurlnsla. when Wash
Inglon was president of the United States
Since the close of last century , the tchoo
excursion , In one form or another , has beei
growing In popularity in Germany , and tixla
It forma a regular feature of perhaps th
majority of the elementary tchools of tha
country.
Ward & ffi le m Carpet Co.
Great Basement Sale
Read these prices and sec if they can be
duplicated.
vjf
Goods in basement sold for cash only
and no measures taken.
A few pieces all wool Ingrains 4Sc yard
Remnants , all wool Ingrains 4Oc yard
25 pieces Tapestry Brussels Carpet. . 4Sc yard
Moquette Carpets , only a pair SSc yard
2OOO Manufacturers' Samples Mo
quette and Brussels Carpet for
Rugs , from . to lj yards in
length 28c to $ t.OO each
011 Cloth , all widths 17c yard
Chenille Curtains ( single ) 9Oc yard
Chenille Curtains , plain colors $1.SO pair
Chenille Curtains , with figured dados 2.OO pair
Chenille Table Covers , 1 yds square S6c each
Lace Curtains ( single 83c each ) 7Bc pair
Moquette and Body Brussels Rugs made
up from last of pieces with borders.
12 ft. 1O in. by 1O ft. 5 in $ . . , ;
' '
11 " 4 "by 9 ' 7" 21.OO
8 " 3 "by 7" 6" 13.OO
8 " 3 " by 6 " O " 9.OO '
All sizes at same proportions of price.
STATE NUMBER FORTY-FIVE
Admission of Utah Marked by a Cessation of
Factional Strife.
HARMONY PERVADES ALL CLASSES
With the Overthrow of ralyifniuy Pulillo
Soiitlmont ItaiuulB u llounltoil IViopla
I'roud to lleloni ; to the Sltt r-
liuoil of Status ,
PART I.
The addition of a new member to the
group of American commonwealths Is always
an event of Importance. Particularly Is this
true as prospective states become fewer and
we approach what now seems to be the , "ul
timate union. " The admission of Utah , the
preliminary steps for which were completed
In July last , commands an Interest far
greater than would probably attach to the
creation of any other new state. The pecul
iar social conditions which exist there , the
almost dramatic circumstances of Its early
settlement , the character of Its population ,
the friction between Us majority and minor
ity all these have not only been the means
of keeping Utah out of the union , but have
given It the most prominent place among
the territories and have made Its questions
a subject of national controversy. Outsiders
are now naturally wondering as to the prob
able effect of statehood upon these peculiar
conditions nnd long discussed problems.
The signature of President Cleveland to
the Utah enabling act on July 17 closed a
struggle for statehood which , both In dura
tion and Intensity , Is unique In American
history , No territorial form of government
has ever existed so Ion * ; no territory has
made such numerous and persistent , yut un
successful , attempts to gain admission , and
concerning none has there been such pro
longed and bitter controversy. The party
contest over the annexation ot Texas Is per
haps the nearest parallel , Yet it was less
than ten years from the time that slate sep
arated from Mexico until It became a mem
ber of the union. The first secular govern
ment In Utah was organized In 1S19 , the ter
ritorial form being finally perfected the next
year. It will require , under the provisions
of the new enabling act , almost a year and a
half more before the final preliminaries of
admission are completed , Thus the period
of Utah's territorial life will lack but little
of a halt century. During this time no less
than six statehood conventions have met and
framed constitutions nnd appointed represen
tatives to urge the territory's claims for ad
mission , while in recent congresses bills
have been pending almost constantly for the
same purpose. The requisites In wealth and
population were lone lnco attained. Utah
has now about twice as many Inhabitants as
Nebraska had when admitted , more than al
most any of the recently formed states now
have , and more than five times the present
population of Nevada. A majority of Its
people , too. have always heartily supported
theie tffortti toward statehood. Iu ) a minor
ity , smalt yet active , has always opposed
them , and it has been aided by J strong
party outside of Utah. This opposition has at
times been quite bitter , taking In the east
the form of a lellgloui crusade , UH advocates
claiming that the admission of Utah meant
the formation of a polygamous common
wealth , Yet In the lust congress thli oppo
sition seems suddenly to have vanished. The
bill for the admission of Utah had passed
both houses with hardly the formality of
debate , before tha general public was scarcely
aware at Iti pendency , and this , too , with
the active support of all parties In the terri
tory. Gentiles and Mormons , democrats and
republicans , vied with each other In this
final and successful effort for statehood. '
This sudden unanimity concerning a nutter
which had BO long been a bone of conten
tion was a curious speclaele. and to many
outsiders Is perhaps yet difficult to under- '
stand. Indeed , one must visit Utah and j
mingle with UH people In order to appreciate :
the "era of good feeling" which lus there
succeeded the long period of strife , of which
the unanimity for statehood la only one of
the symptoms. This fact Is one of th most
Inlereitlne In connection with tba situation
In Utah today. I have talked % vlth men of
various classes concerning Its cause , and with
those prominent In all parties , and In the
main their explanations agree. The reasons
advanced for the cessation of the old strug
gle may be summarized as : First , the. for
mal renouncement of polygamy by the Mor
mon church , and , second , the readjustment
of parties throughout the territory. Kach of
these causes will bear separate considera
tion , and a retrospective glance is necessary
In order to appreciate thu force of cither.
THE TWIN IIBLIC AND ITS KATE.
The existence of polygamy has , of course ,
always been the stock objection on the part
of those outside of the territory lo Its ad
mission. It has also been one of the
causes of dissension between Mormons and
Gentiles. Hut It has not been the only
one , nor , it would appear , the principal one.
If the Mormon church had never taken any
part In politics and if Its members had not
voted so nearly as a unit It Is probable
that wo would have heard much less from
Utah about polygamy. At any rate , the
attempts to suppress It probably originated
In the. cast. No such attempt was made
fo'r fifteen years after the settlement ol me
territory , though polygamy was generally
supposed to have been practiced by the
Mormons before their migration from Nnu-
voo. At length , In 1862 , congress passed
an act to prevent polygamy In the terri
tories , aimed , of course , at Utah. Llttla
effort -was made to enforce this law , and
the practice continued without Interference
for twenty years more. In 1882 congress
passed the Edmunds law , disfranchising
polygamists and Imposing severe pentltles
upon them , besides placing the government
of the territory largely In the hands of a
commission appointed by the president. The
enactment ot this law marks the beginning
cf nn epoch lasting eight years , which wit
nessed the fiercest conflict between Qentlles
and Mormons. The government was on
the side of the former , and , as every one
know ; ) , the provisions of the new liw were
rigorously enforced.
li was supplemented In 1881 by the Kd-
munds-Tucker act , which , besides extend
ing the provisions ot the former law. also
dissolved the Mormon church as a corpora
tion and declared its property escheated ,
The constitutionality of this legislation was
attacked by the Mormons , and the litigation
carried through the courts , but generally
without success , the supreme ccurt of the
United States anirmlng the validity of the
acts. Measures still more drastic were
pending In congress when suddenly events
took a turn. On September 24 , 1890. Pres
ident Woodruff , the head of the Mormon
Church , Issued a manifesto directing his
people to abandon the practice of polygamy ,
and on the 6th of October following the mem
bership of the church assembled In confer
ence and formally ratified the action of Its
leader. This step marka the beginning of
the end of hostilities. The Mormons uni
versally and emphatically declare that the
renouncement ot polygamy was actual and
final , and that since then the church Max
neither taught nor sanctioned It. 1 learned
of at least one case where a prominent mem
ber was disciplined severely for not observing
the new order. On the part uf the Gentiles
there seems to be a general feeling that this
action of the church was taken In g cil
faith. Editor Goodwin of the Silt Lake
Tribune , who has for many years been the
recognized leader of the anti-Mormon party
In Utah , and who Is qualified , if any one IB ,
to speak for the nentllcs , assured me that
he accepted the action of the church as
final and regarded p lygamy as a dead Is
sue. Similar velws were everywhere ex
pressed by other non-Mormons , and uhla
one yet hoara of secret and Isolated Instances
of polygamy , they arj mostly conceded to
be the continuance of old relations , and not
newly formed ores. ,
Tha contest ever polygamy would thus ap
pear to have been cl scd by thu surrender
ot tha Mormon cluicli as a result ot the
vlgoroua measures prosecuted by the gov-
crnm nt. Vet I think one may find traces
ot a deeper reason for the rcllnqulshment of
tihe ( Uctrlne , An IntcAllgent M rmon In Salt
Lake , whCse opportunities fur knowing must
have been good and who could have no ap
parent object for misstating the facts , told
inn that he thought not over & per cent of
j , the members of the church were actually
practicing polygamy when President Wood
ruff's manifesto wia Issued. Moreover , It
Is c.nceded on all aides that llm younger
! generation of Mormons has langjjcen averse
to the practice , whatever may * have been
J Its views as to tha theory. Perhaps , then ,
tha church merely anticipated what It taw
waa Inevitable * nd ohoao the period of
fiercest persecution an the moit opportune
time for a stroke of flnecse. If thta la true
It la a still stronger reason far regarding
the change ai dual tnd permanent , II gives
prom U o also that the remaining traces ot
the twin Tclic which the law has failed to
reach will yet yield to the slower but lesi
resistless force of social Evolution. C. S. L. .
Brooklyn has ninety-five religious societies
for young people.
The Russian Illhlc society has distributed
over 1,688,000 bibles among the peasants ot
that country in the last twenty-five years.
Gcn'ral Ilootli of the London Salvation
army will sail for New York September 10
to make a tour of the United States.
Archbishop Vllatte , the head of the new
Polish Catholic church , Is about 40 years of
age , and was for i time a clergyman of the
Episcopal church.
Early in the approaching fall ground will
be broken for the first of the buildings of the
Methodist university , which will b ; erected
at Washington.
Hev. Edward Allen of Somerset , Eng. ,
claims to b3 the oldest clergyman In the
United Kingdom , lie was born In 1798 , Is
In vigorous health , and reads without specta
cles.
cles.The
The latest statistics show that In Brooklyn
there are nlnety-flvo young people's societies ,
with a membership ot about 10,000 , and forty-
two Junior societies , numbering about 1,700
members ,
The Methodist Episcopal church has 202
educational Institutions , with over 43,000 stu
dents , and property and endowments valued
at $2f > .E > 83OUO , and an annual income of tl-
810,171.
A Scotch minister a few Sundays ago held
out as a warning to his congregation the
case of an Aberdeen man who rode on his
bicycle Sundays with the rssult that "ha
broke a blood vessel Monday , went to hell
Wednesday , and was burled Saturday. "
One of the most noble and bold depart
ures In mission work was the cstabllslimunt
ot the China Inland Mission. Th'sc workers
In the Inland parts of China now number
350 , and eleven of the seventeen provinces
of China that have no mission stations are
occupied by them.
Uev. W. A. Parks of Georgia always goes
to camp meeting with en old-fashioned army
haversack which contains the blblo an.J
hymn books. The haversack Is made tf
black oil cloth , and is the one he carried
In the war In which he Hays ho carried his
"bluo beef and corn bread. "
The Scclety of Mutual Helpers of Iloslon
distributed last year 30,000 bouquets In tha
tenement house districts of that city , to the
sick and aged. The friends In the country
gather the flowers nnd send them to thi
city , where they arc distributed. Sixty
towns are Interested In this work.
According to the latest statistics of Ilia
Free Church of Scotland , there Is i total
membership uf 311,082 an Increase of C.8S1
for two years. In the Sunday schoola there
are 222,611 > .ung people and 18,938 teachers.
There are 59 theological students , of whom
thirty-two have volunteered for foreign
service.
According to the latest census returns
there arc In New Zealand 1,197 rhurchea and
chapels , a growth ot 134 In five years ; 211
school houses and 161 dwelling : anil publla
buildings are used for Sabbath purpos B , all
these various edifices having accommodations
for about 278,000 persons , less than half the
population of the colony , and are actually at
tended by less than 200,000. Of the varlo.M
denominations .the Preabytrlan report 10,785
attendants , the Episcopalians 37,252 , Human
Catholics 30,025Wesleyans 27,106 and Salva
tionists 14,442 ,
Mra. Ellen Malson , wife of Elder MaUori.
pastor of the U. li. chruch at Gallon , III. , la
speaking ot Chamberlain's Pain Halm , * ay :
"I can cheerfully recommend It. " Applied
to a cut , bruise or burn. It produces a BOO th
ing , pleasant efCect , relieving the pain al
most Instantly and healing the parts quickly
and without leaving a scar. A flannel cloth
dampened with thlt liniment and bound ou
over the affected part will cure a sprain In
less time than any other treatment. Sold by
druggists.
Tl.ii Mini ) I ) | < 1 Not Work.
Puck : Green Mount Them fellen down
to New York Is a pack of thieves. Cheal tha
eye-tooth out'n ye , they will I
Jay Bird Took ye In when you wus down
there , I gue 7
Or eon Mount Wa-al , I nbuuld gay ) I went
to a sody fountain chap an' asked for hl
bust sasiyprllla. I winked all right and I'll
be goll-swlzzled If he didn't give ma baniy-
prllla ! '
Oregon Kidney Tea cure * all kldnt ;
trouble * . Trial elze , 25 cents. All druggUU.