Ecarcliing Inrestlgation of tlio Census Office
Into Individual Debt.
GRADUAL DECLINE OF FARM MORTGAGES
Fnrras atd Landi Oarry Ltsa Than 33 For
Contof Koitgagd Inikbtetlness ,
THE LARGER CITIES BEAR THE BURDEN
Iiidiapntab'o ' Evidence that Mortgage Debt
ia the Handmaid of Prosperity.
DEBT OF NEBRASKANS IS UGH I
Jon Itiiliurl 1' , J'urlcr 9I ken uu
illniiry Kjhluit uf tlio Truu Umiillttou uC
Iturroiri-M Inroiigliout tliu Dulluit
itnt l'ut.i unit I I
Tha stupendous investigation of the cen
sus ufflcc Into Individual Indebtedness has
brought tu light strange and fascinating
lads In relation tu debt and Its attendant
burden ot Interest. This Inquiry was con
ducted in tnn ways , and as a result we have
practically two separate reports , each reveal
ing fnrts of vital Impcrtance to the prosper
ity of the nation and of great value to
economic discussion. In tha first place ,
all existing mortgages were transcribed for
.1 period of ten years , thus showing the real
estate mortgage movement In the various
states am.1 territories. Krom this and -ether
ubtalnablo data the average life of inert-
gages en acres end mortgages on lots was
secured , and the actual mortgage Indebted
ness was ascertained. It Is believed by the
most accomplished statisticians that the per-
ccntjgo ol ! error In this work fa less than 5
per cant , The completed tabulations an
nounce the fellow Ing startling results :
Mortgage Indebtedness of United
States , 1830 $8,019,079985
Is'umbci uf mortgages ienc-
Henteil 4fl GOS
Annuul Interest charge $ 307,412792
Think of what these totals really mean.
A debt more than eight tlmca the aggre
gate oC the national debt end three tlracj
as large as all the public debt , put tog-ether
A debt which , when added to the public
debt , makes a grand total of over $8000-
000.000. A debt which , ronsideicd by It
self , takes ntarly J400.000.COO annually Irom
the productive foices of the country to meet
tha Interest account Truly this view of
the subject seems at first sight appalling , and
In a measure justifies the cry which cam °
from some of the western states that farm
mortgages were becoming a greater burden
than the people'could bear. That the In
terest was sapping up the profits ot agricul
ture and tlmt the principal could never be
paid. A further study , however , of this
problem with all the data at hand may en
able us to take a more cheerful view ot the
situation.
AN ASTONISHING PACT.
In the first place , we discover this encr-
inous total Is not all farm Indebtedness.
Indeed , mortgages on acres seem to form
a smaller share In this gloomy and at first
apparently overwhelming nggiegate Indebt
edness The dwellers In our cities and
towns seem to have been bitten by the
mortRage craze or epidemic to an even
greater extent than the honest , hard workIng -
Ing farmer. Not that we lire called upon
to waste any sympathy or shed rfiy tears
on lil account , the "tolling farmer" alone
eliciting the sympathy of the politicians
Still , as a statistician , the facts must be
presented , even If In doing so the populist
bubble , that the farms ot the country are
plastered all over with mortgages , shall be
pricked. Lcok at these two pictures :
ACRES.
Number of mortgages 2,301,001
Amount ? J2,2H,148,431 (
Annuul Inteiest charge 162C5J,014
LOTS.
Number of mortgages 2,474,677
Amount : . . . $3,810531f.r > 4
Annual Interest chaigc 231,789,8) ) $
Of the amount of mortgage debt placed on
real estate In the United States In 1800 48.19
] ler cent was on acres and 51.81 psr cent
flu lots ; of the- amount in 1889. 3342 per
cent was placed on acres and GO 58 per cent
on lots , shewing the Increasing Importsnce
of mortgages en lots This Is unexpected ,
to say the least. Hero was an Inquiry In
vented , patented , worked up , put on foot
for the single purpose of revealing the awful
condition of the American agriculturist under
tha wicked system of protection. Instead ,
it discloses the lot cr c.ty side of the scales
weighed down while the acre cr farm side
poises In the air.
DWEUCRS IN CITinS THK RDAIi BOR
ROWERS.
Still worse ! New York < | 2GS ) leading In
the highest per capita mortg-gc debj , nnd
not Kan as ( $1C5) ) . There ore twenty-nine
counties containing the gicat cities of the
United States , each ot which has an exist
ing mortgage debt of $25,000,000 or more.
The mortgage debt of the twenty-nine coun
ties la 43 34 per cent of the mortgage debt
of the United States. The per capita mort
gage debt of the twenty-nine counties Is $232 ;
of the United States , outside of these coun
ties , JUG ; of the United Ststes , ? 9C. The
percentage of true value of all taxed real
estate represented by the mortgage debt In
force the United Slates , 16 6T per cen ; the
twenty-nine counties , 2324 per cent ; the
United States outside cf the twenty-nine
counties , 13.70.
In New V < rk City and the ten counties
neighboring thereto in New York and New-
Jersey tha mortgaga debt Is $1,279,343,70J.
which Is 21,25 per cent of the mortgage debt
of Ihe United Slates. It Is 2 S7 times the
mortRago debt of the entire south , and , It is
estimated , la 1.29 times the entire real estate ,
chattel and crop mortgage debt of the south
ern states. u is 1.32 times the mortgage
debt of the south and that part of the
united States that lies west cf the Dakotas.
Nebraska , Kansas and Texas , comprising the
Rocky mountain and Pacific coast regions.
It is 81,50 per cent of the mortgage debt
of what Is commonly known as the west.
extending from Ohio westward to Kansas
anil northwestward to the Dakotas ,
wan Its populous clt.cs of Chi-
caRo. second only to New York , of
Cincinnati , Cleveland. Detroit , Indianapolis
\ Kansas City. Milwaukee , Minneapolis , Omaha ,
. St. Louis and St. Paul. The mortgage debt
of New "iork City alone Is 4833.084,530. This
Is 139 ; ? Per cent or the mortgage debt of
the United States ; It Is equal to the mortgage
debt of the south and E5.44 per cent more
It Is nearly twice the mortgage debt of the
Rocky mountain and Pacific coast regions
It la 8662 per cent of the mortgage debt ol
these regions and the south combined , and
U Is 40.42 per cent of the mortgage debt ol
the west above described.
T1IR BAST NOT THE WEST.
Although so much has been said about the
mortgage debt weat of the Mississippi river
yet. as u matter of fact , Ihe principal per
tion of the mortgage debt of the United States
Is In the six states of Massachusetts , New
jorls. New Jersey , Pennsylvania. Ohio and
Illinois. In the great industrial states we
have nearly two-thlrds of the mortgage
debt. These states owe B7 per cent , or nearly
three-fifths of the mortgage debt ot the
country. In short , the figures show that
rlghl along the line of greatest prosperity
nd progress , whether it be agricultural
mining , manufacturing or commercial , there
you find the largest amount of debt. It Is
found that mortgages are responsive to high
real estate values , to business activity am :
to tlio growth of towns "and cities. If a
map at the United States were to be- shaded
In accordance with the amount of mortgage
debt the darker portions would be found in
such ureat Industrial states aa Pennsylvania
Masiachusotts ana New York In the eat
tha new mining nnd manufacturing- region !
of Alabama , and Tennessee * would be the
dark spots of the south ; Illinois and Ohio
would be darker than Indiana lit thu oie
west ; and Chicago would be black Indeed.
Tha reason for tht ls that mortgages enable
able- men who can make partial payments
lor real estate purchases to branch out Into
cnuertaUngs that would otherwha b be
yond their reach It la lllcelr to be a slow-
; oliig community where tha Inhabitant * wait
to s.ive thrlr capital out ol their own earn
ings ! > ut let neighbor borrow from neighbor ,
and the south nnd west borrow from the east
and then young men who are too Impatient
and rntcrprlnlng to neglect opportunities that
call for more capital than they have saved
Increase their manufactures , extend their
trade , liu > farms and homes for themselves
and create A market for labor , which la HIP
best that the world has ever seen.
HOW THU MONBY WAS KXPKNDKD.
One of the moat Important conclusions that
this Investigation lias established la the vol
untary char.ictcr of mortgage Indebtedness.
It doc * not represent a lost of wealth by
debtors , which they nre replacing by borrow
ing. Prum three-fourth ) ) to nlnc-tcntlia ot
the debt lias been Incurred In the purchase
of real estate a nil to pay for improvements
and If to these arc added business purposes
and the purchase ot the more enduring kinds
of personal property , almost the entire amount
uf the real eatiito mortgage fleet of the United
States Is accounted for. The farmers of the
west mortgaged their farms In order that *
they inlgtil buy them , erect buildings and
procure Rtock and machines with which to
pursue their occupations. In this way there
has been strengthened a demand for farm
laiul.t. and mortgages have been Instru
mental In preventing the growth of great
agricultural holdings by linillonl * . Under
our system of mortgage securities and free
alienation no one need long be landless who
Is thrifty and Industrious
These statistics Indicate tint the affairs
of the pcoplei of this country are undergoing
some rapid and tremendous changes t have
shown that In 1MO the mortgage debt of the
United States amounted to upward of ? 000.-
000,001) ) . or lu one and one-liilf ; of the wealth
of the country This debt has doubled in
ten years. Although population Increased but
one-fourth nnd wealth one-halt during the
same time Hut what has this $6.000.000,000
been expended for11 What has been the ob
ject of the Indebtedness ? The lollowlng
tables tell the story far more strikingly than
any words
OhJirlH of hull III elneei
Tuliil fJT I'li ' cmmllis
muni's
Imprmi nn ritH , . .
I'urctiiiM * money ami Impimeinonl"
domliliuil )
Pnim ninililnes , domestic animal *
an I oilier personal proporo
Pmclmai * iiioiiej , iTiiproMMiiimts ,
UuplnfJ1 * lunl i era ml propeitv
( cniiihliKil with one another ) . , 1.73 2.13
I'll u huso money , ImproM'inents
IiiiclneFs nnil personal proportv
lumhlniil ivltli objecln ntlier tlnn
riinills mil ( arm tipciiaes o.n oca
I'urrlniot money Impruvt mrntx
busliiisK mill jwrsonil innperts
( comlilmil vvltli farm nml fumlls
2 01 1.12
l'irni .nul t , niHIj eir 'i'es . . 5 19 I " 3
All oilier nliJKlH . . . 1 95
Totnl f u jniri liino monev unil
Imimixi in. nt mot cnmlilneil
will ) nthu objcitH . SO 13 X2.56
Uotnl fir i > uiclin < i' montM. Im
inovoments. liiiHine - niul ti * r
Bonnl ) jrninij | ( nit comlilmil
with otliiiohjw ti > ) . 89 ? 2 > U7
PROSPniUTY AND DEBT MARCH HAND
IN HAND.
To buy land , build homes , erect barns nnd
Improve propeity. It waa incurred volun
tarily It Is an evidence of enterprise , of
thilft , of filth In the futuie of our country ,
at all that goes to make good citizenship
The mortgage movement when studied In
nil Its bearings Is an evidence of the upward
movement of the people , of the reaching out
for land ownership , lor better homes , for
better surroundings In doing this the future
may have been discounted somewhat. But
what successful business man has not done
this ! Not only are these mortgages evi
dences of prosperity , but they are as u rule
the rebiilt of prosperous tlnias. There was
a considerable Increase of debt In 1SS1 , the
year that first distinctively shows a recovery
from the great flnancia ! depression ol 1873
to 1877 ; and a ponsldeiable Increase Is shown
for 18 ! ! . ! . The period of financial depression
that then began almost entirely arrested the
Increase of nioitgaKe debt for three years.
In ISSifi , as the depression was ending , mort
gage nuking galneil great Impetus and the
greatest Increase for any one year of the de
cade was for 1887. The progrcsslveness of
the movement temporarily spent Itself In
that year , for , In 18S8 , there was n decrease
ot Incurred debt , although u was an Increase
over 1SSO. The yearly upward tendency of
the mortfiiigc movement was resumed In
18S9 with much vigor and the readers of
this Journal all know what a good year for
bu&lneas tlmt was. This Intimate relationship
between mortgages and business activity , con
fidence and expansion , Is unquestionably es
tablished by the census figures.
HOW Tlin DEBT CAN BE PAID
In this article we have gauged the
mortgage debt , learned something ot Its dis
tribution discovered that more money Is
owing on the 1,161,138 mortgaged lots
oC cities than on the 273 252,109
mortgaged acres In the country as ascer
tained , the purpose for which a debt cf this
vast magnitude was Incurred , formed un
Idea of its annual burden upon productive
industry and brought to light some facts as
to the relation of this debt to the true valua
of all taied real estate Having discerned
briefly these points and before taking up
the still more interesting question of
mortgages on our homes It might be well
to examine for a moment the chances of
paying off tlie existing mortgage debt It
is generally conceded that all taxed real
estate can be Incumbered for two-thirds of
Its true value. During such periods of
depression as the present , when real estate
has decreased In value , the burden of some
of thebo debts must Indeed be relatively
greater thin in times of prosperity , The
subjoined table shows the percentage of
existing debt to the true taxable value of
the real estate. It brings to light two Im
portant facts , namely , that the largest per
centage of deb * to valuitlon la not confined
to the agricultural states and that no state
has as yet reached what may bo termed
the dinger line :
States and Torrltoiles. Percentage.
The United States 2300
Alabama 23 15
Arizona 721
Aikansax 101)1 )
California 23SG
Colorado 19 2
Connecticut 21 07
Delauaie 23 &S
District of Columbia 3301
PloiliU U74
Ut'OlKlu 10.73
lilillm , G44
Illinois 1855
Inillanu 1371
Iowa , 2436
Kansas 1021
Kentucky 1051
Louisiana 17 S3
Maine 2092
Muiylatul 4. . , . 1645
Massachusetts ! , . - ? . 2S98
Michigan 2083
Minnesota 3101
Mississippi 14 1
Missouri 2J7-1
Montana . . . 717
Nebtaska ? . . . . 3001
Nevada . . GS9
New Humpshlm. . . 1811
New Jersey 39 ? i
New Mexico , 17 W
New York 459,1
North Catolliia 1238
North Dakota. . , . . 3001
Ohio 1M1
Oregon 11 2S
Pennsylvania 2.171
RhoJu Island 17 S8
South CarolIna. , . . , u 29
South Dakota 31 a
Tennessee U 20
Texas 1246
Utnh 972
Veimont 33 as
Virginia 957
Washington 1411
West Virginia 12 4 !
Wisconsin , , 1781
Wyoming 2S23
Upon the nbEUinptlon that all taxed real
estate can ba Incumbered for two-thirds ol
Its true value , without Increasing the rate
of interest to cover additional risk , it tollows
that 25 per cent of the real estate mortgage
debt limit has been reached In the United
Stiltos. Xmv York , Kansas , District ot
Columbia , Massachusetts , Minnesota , Ne-
bra&ki. New Jersey. North Dakota , South
Dakota , Vermont , Wyoming and Pinnsyl-
vanla have all exceeded this limit. In no
case lius the danger limit of two-thlnls
the Yultiii been reached , except possibly In
some "boom" community , where \alu a
Iiuvt * gone down to nothing.
Such Instance * , In my opinion , only repre
sent Ihe usual business misfortunes. Taken
as a wliols the Individual mortgage debt ol
the United States ha bsen contracted for
wise purposes , the rates of Interest are not
excessive , and with the return of Rood
times It will b met and the Interest paid
regularly. A. nation that regarded its na
tloual debt almost In the light of a personal
debt and paid It as wo have done Is not
likely to repudiate the debt which enabled
the thrifty nnd energetic ta purchase land
build homes ami rnnk wilderness blossom
THE PAIIMS ANO TUG HOMES.
The second part of this Inquiry dealt with
each home and each farm. At every one
ot the upwards of twelve millions ot dwelling
houses of the republic the enumerator was
Instructed to Inquire If the home or the
faun was hired or owned by the occupant ,
and If owned whether It was free of debt or
encumbered. This was one of tha so-called
"Inquisitorial" features of the census , nl-
thcURh hardly any work done by the census
office was lest Innulsltorlil than this. The
ownership of land nnd the mortgages that
Incvmber It are matters of public record , and
Inquiries In regard to them were made of
the- people to save expense. While the
epidemic of newspaper abuse ot one tlmo
seemed likely to etnljairasa this Investlgu *
tlon I am Inclined to thlnV It merely called
attention to II and perhaps aided the olllco
In securing returns. The results which Mr.
George K. Holmes , the tpeclnl agent , who
ha * had charge of the viork , has 4 < lndly sent
mo this week Indicated a completed task.
Ho reports n totil of la.G'JO.lfiZ farms and
homes. Of this number -1,767,179 are re
turned ns farms and 7,92Jfl73 BS homes.
Thp total number we find about equally
divided between those who own their farms
or homes and those who hire Here It Is :
rAMIMUS OWNING.
Totnl farms nml homes fi Ofifi.rs.J
rnrms 1ll-,721
Homes 2,923,1,71
FAMILIES HIRING
Totnl farms nnd homes t 623,7fiD
rnrms . . 1,621,113
Homes 4.0993JJ
When , however we compare farm owning
and homo owning It Is discovered that
relatively speaking the farmer Is much
better oft than his brother of the lurg
cities Of the 4,7t)7.179 farms no less than
3,142,721 are owned and only lG24,4.r > S are
hired. Of the 7,922,973 homes , however ,
nearly 5,000,000 nre hired and the remainder
owned Thus we nre rapidly becoming a
nation of house renters and not of homo
ovvrers. It does seem wrong that In thU
country , where land Is cheap and easily
purchasable , two-thirds of the homes are
hlicd After all allowances have been miula
for the families that are too poor to own
houses , no matter for what reason , tlrre
still remain a large proportion of tenant
families that do not want to own their
homes under the circumstances In which
the } live , although able to do so Men
must feel settled In life and have what ap
pear to be permanent local attachments
before they will own their homes. Perhaps
this In part explains the fact that such u
Urge proportion of our homes are hired
For example. In the largo cities containing
population of over 50,000 there are 2,301,577
homes , of which number I find only 567,740
owned nnd 1,735,837 hired Here we have
over three-fourths hired , or 76 per cent nf
the aggregate homes , and only 24 per cent
owned. Of the 6.0GG 332 farms and homes
reported as owned by the occupants we
find the following distribution of those free
of debt and those Incunibercd *
Tree Incumbeieil
Farms and homes.I.3GMI IG91,8.t8
Farms 2.JT SH SSfi,909
Homes . . li.113,710 801,931
Here we have a most satisfactory condi
tion of affairs Ot owning families we
find the following percentage free from
debt.
Free Incumbered
Furrns and homes 7J ZS
Farms 72 28
Homes 72 28
This for all families owning Tn the large
cities , however , a greater proportion of
homes arc Incumbered , namely , 38 per cent ,
anil only 02 per cent free of debt. So long
as 72 per cent of our owned farms and
homes are free from debt and so long as
mortgage Indebtedness does not exceed 25
per cent ot the true- taxed value of real
estate we have no reason to feel alarmed ,
especially with a national debt melting away
rapidly , the per capita of all debt decreasing
and the valuation of pioperty Increasing nt
a greater rate tlmn any kind of public debt
Nevertheless there are some cheerful
pictures in relation to our hearths and
homes which speakers will have , to omit
from Fourth of July orations In the future
The flat , the boarding house , the monster
hotel are alike playing havoc with the In
crease of population , the sle of the family
nnd homo owning In the United States.
ItOUCRT P. PORTER.
( O.VA Ulll.l 1,11 IKS.
He I would do anything In the world for
you She Well , then , why don't you go
home now ?
A pneumatic biby carriage Is a good deal
better thing to have In the house than a
pneumatic baby.
"What makes you so sure that Dlankly be
lieves In future punishment' " "He's going
to marry the lady he was divorced from al\
months ago. '
He When I succeed In getting on the
right sldo of you I'm going to propos ; . She
Well , if you do , you'll find ycurself on the
left side almost Immediately.
One of the customs of ancient Babylon
was an annual auction of unmarried wo
men. The proceeds ot the sale of the beauti
ful women were used as a dower for the
ungainly ones.
It's hard fcr an eld married couple to
realize , when they see a young unmarried
couple spooning In the twilight , that they
were Just exactly as big fools themselves
years ago , when they were young.
Among the Sioux no lover can have the
girl of his choice unless he can outrun her.
The scientists say this Is a survival of the
earlier method of ambuscading an Intended
wife and kidnapping her as a means of open
ing the courtship.
The engagement is. reported of Mine. Lil
lian Noidlca , the prlnta donna , and Zoltan
Dome , a young tenor who distinguished him
self at Hayreuth this summer. Jlme.
Nordlca's former husband was Frederick A.
Govver of Providence , who was lost in a bal
loon ascension from Havre In 1885.
Mrs. Irene House , or Carson , as she now
calls herself , who has been married more
times tiian the average person In Trenton
can keep record of. Is in the Mercer county ,
New Jersey , Jail on ccmplalnt of Paul Red
mend , one cf her husbands , who charges her
with assault and battery. Paul Is No. C.
Ono of the most picturesque and Interesting
of the September weddings to Now Yorkers
will be that of Miss Mary L ° o Duvall , the
daughter Of I'lrst Lieutenant William P.
Duvall of the Fifth cavalry. U. S A. , to Loula
Eugene. Marie , a son ot the late John B.
Mnrle of Philadelphia , and a nephew cf
Peter Marie cf New York , which is announced
to take place on Tuesday night.
Miss Estelle Robertson of Albany , N , Y ,
and Prof. Alonzo Stagg , the Yale athlete , now
ot the University of Chicago were married In
Albany Tuesday Prof. Stagg U one of the moat
prominent figures In the athletic affairs of
the country , as he has been since he first
achieved fame as pitcher of the Yale base
ball team and one of Its famous football
players eight or nine jears ago He was then
In college preparing for the ministry , as was
generally supposed , but on graduation he con
tinued his athletic work. When the Univer
sity of Chicago was started Stagg was se
lected as the bei > t available man ta direct
the athletic efforts of the undergraduates.
ItnvcftloU Fluvv.
Chicago Tribune : "I wish you hadn't had
your hair cut su short , Harold , " exclaimed
the joung woman , turning away from him
Involuntarily ,
"What difference does It make , dearest ? "
asked Harold , with lender anxiety.
"You you hive destroyed an Illusion , " she
sighed , "That U all. "
"You didn't think I was a poet , did you ,
Clara , because I were my hair long ? "
"No ; I never suspected you of being a
poet. "
"Or an artist ? "
"No. "
"Then what Illusion have I destroyed ? " he
demanded.
"Perhaps I should say , Harold , " she
answered , with tears In her voice , "that you
have unconsciously revealed n , fact I never
suspected , n > ar. Your ears ain't mates. "
I'lnrntlnir 1li rulillr.
Indianapolis Journal. Coroner See here ,
boys. It won't do to IIml nobody guilty. The
people are getting tired of It , and when a
boiler bust up like this out ? somebody has
got to smart for It. Does an ) body know
when the boiler was biilltT
Foreman ot the Juiy About eighty year *
ago.
ago."Good niame the explosion on the teller *
that built tlie bller. "
RAILROADS AM THE PEOPLE
1 n
Terse Presentation of 'fctublmn ' Facts by n
Bailrcai ) Mm.
WHO PAYS TllE/'FKEI ' HT BILL ! ?
Henry C. 1'rliik of New Vork Thrown n
Srnrcli l-lulit Vnim tint Durlc Ito-
rrsse * of AlrirHiitlta mill I'oMi
ll ill llitllrinidinj ; .
Every person In the Unllcil States native ,
naturalized , alien , solourner or traveler
pays tribute , directly or Indirectly , In our
railroads , every day , We ilo not ride on a
railroad every day , but everything vve eat
niul everything we use has helped In some
ay to swell tlie earnings of sonic rail
road.
The Infant at Its mother's brenst Is , bj
the very act of absorbing food , contributing
Its mite to the inrnlngs of railroads. The
clothing tliat covers It has contributed. The
bottso that shelters It , mid the fuel that
warms It have contributed. The bed It
Bleeps In , the cradle It rocks In , and the
chair It sits In have contributed. The table
It situ at , and the plates It cats from him ;
contributed. The book , slate , pencil , paper
mill pen that help It to learn have con
tributed The school house It recites In
has contributed. The light It uses at night
to study by has contributed The Implements
It uses in tilling the farm and garden , um |
in harvesting the crops have contributed.
The shop It works In , and the tools It handles
have contributed. The church It attends , and
the show It goes to have contributed. The
book , letters and newspapers It reads have
contributed. The Jewelry , musical Instru
ments , paintings and statuary that adorn Its
home have contributed. The carriage it
drives In , and the horse It rides , and the
boat It manages have contributed The
mm It drinks , and the tobacco It chews and
smokes , and the snuff It takes have con
tributed. Its medicines and lts s > urglcal ap
pliances have contributed. The coffin It is
burled In , the crematory It Is burned In , the
tombstone set over Us grave , the urn that
contains its ashes , all have contributed.
From birth to death , the children of God In
this civilized country arc continually con
tributing to the earning capacity ol Us net
work ol railroads.
Very few of us , however , seem to be aware
of the fact. The commuters and the com
merclal travelcis realize that they are doing
considerable business with the railroads. So
do tht merchants who are receiving large
shipments of goods on vhlch they must
primarily pay the freight The majority of
us think very little about our servants , the
railroads because we do not often come In
direct contact with them Our annual va
cations , our occasional excursions and our
Hying holiday trips bring us to the ticket
window , and when we must attend court or
the funeral of a relative In another town
or state we know that \ve must pay our serv
ant directly ; but hoy. many of us pa >
a freight blllT or think that we are paying
for anything that we use or consume ? Those
who nave seen a freight bill are In a very
small minority.
* * *
Let us first inquire whether something
could not be saved 'out ' of the operating ex
penses of our railroads. The high salaries
paid toofllceis should ba cut down unsparingly.
Legitimate railroad business Is very simple ,
and It does not waVrant the paying of ex
traordinary salaries. " 'Tlte railroads , as com
mon carriers , have only two sources of reve
nue , namely , freight ana passengers. The
passengers pay before they get on the cars ,
and they load and utildad themselves. Freight
on perishable property1 must be prepaid. On
other kinds of property , the freight Is paid
at destination before. , delivery to consignee ,
Indeed , before a delivery order will be Issued.
Any claim far overcharge , or for loss or
damage , must be made afterword. , Now ,
what is there to be done In such an easy
business , by even the'highest ' officer , to earn
more than $5,009 or 10,000 a year' The sim
ple duties required , by the people of their
servants do not call for very high remunera
tion But , when the servants are expected
to bamboozle and hoodwink the people , to
bribe their legislators , to subsidize their
newspapers , to make special rates and to paj
secret rebates , to organize fast freight lines
and to pay them commissions for doing work
that could be done Just as well by the rail
roads themselves , to place tickets In the
hands of speculators at reduced rates , to
form car trusts and construction companies ,
to "water" and otherwise manipulate stocks ,
and to do all kinds of dirty work for the di
rectors , they naturally look for large figures
opposite their names on the pay rolls. *
The mismanagement of railroad officers
and agents for a long time past has brought
the business Into great disrepute. They seem
to act contrary to all good business princi
ples. When business Is dull they grind down
their subordinates to Ihe verge of starvation
When business Is lively , they work their men
extra hours , but do not restore or advance
their pay , thus creating just dissatisfaction
and causing strikes to discommode the pub
lic. *
Commissions and mileages paid to fast
freight lines make a big hole In the gross
cat nlngs of our railroads There are dozens
of these parasites sometimes a half-do7en
or more on u single railroad or "system. "
What good are these fast freight lines to
the people ? What good are they to the
railroads ? What evil can be worked through
them In the way of absorbing surplus earn
ings , pa > lng rebates , conducting late wars
and practicing discrimination ? What profits
do they make , and to whom are the profits
paid ?
If you want to go from New York to Chicago
cage or St. Ixmls or Snn Francisco , you can
buy a through ticket at the office of any of
the trunk railroads. When you want to ship
a car load of merchandise to either of these
points , why should > ou be referred to a fast
freight line for a through rate and a through
bill of lading ? Is It because the railroad
company Is afraid of having too great an
amount of gross earnings to report ? The
fast fieight line Is a great absorber of earn
ings. It must have a general manager and
some general agents and some contracting
agents , and some accountants and clerks , and
some offices and some printed matter and
some stationery. When it Is known that a
man In this city has a few car loads of goods
to ship , he Is likely to be waited upon by
forty or fifty representatives of fast freight
lines , all bidding against each other to se
cure the shipment , The result Is pretty
sure toi be a cut In the rate and a dis
crimination against other shippers , who have
not so large a shlprne'rit to go forward If
a rebate is agreed' ' upon between the ship
per and the successful bidder , the fast freight
line must pay the rebate out of Its com
mission , or arrange to pro-rate the amount
of the cut with theitalVfoads over which the
fast freight line operates , according to their
respective mileages prr earnings. The goods
are received by theftrallroads , and loaded by
the railroads , and tfid 'freight ' Is collected by
the allroads All th * last freight llnea can
do la to solicit theiphlliments. In this coun
try and other countries ( somtt of the fast
freight lines are bonded , under the imme
diate transportation icl'f ' but that arrange
ment falls with the oilstmn house ) and to pay
promptly any claims for overcharge or loss
and damage , and reclaim ( he amounts , along
with tholr commission ; monthly , from the
railroads , according ' ' 16 the mileage per
centages. The com.mUxioits allowed to the
fast freight lines ma * , he 10 or 15 per cent
of the gross earnings of the railroads , de
pending upon the classification of the goods
It the officers of the railroads
covered by a particular fast freight line own
the capital stock of the line , or a majority
of the capital stock , they will have a personal
Interest In pushing1 the > shipments through to
destination In the fastest possible time , thus
keeping their line popular with shippers end
consignees.
Some of the fast freight lines own cars , but
the shipments secured by those llnei need
not necessarily be carried In their own cars.
Any available car of any line of railroad
may ba loaded. ( It must bo understood that
the property loaded In a car destined from
the east to the west , or from the- north to
the south , or vice versa , Is not to ba trans
ferred or unloaded until It arrives at destina
tion , unless some accident occurs on the way
by which the car becomes disabled. ) There
fore you can eta trains composed of all kinds
of cars , belonging to varlou railroads anil
fast freight llnei and car trusts , and fre
quently there will be cars of one system of
railroads or fast fir sht line * running over
rival systems nnd HUP * The cars may
be full or empty for the Imlntice uf trade Is
BOiiiellincs In the Interior unit sometimes
tt the seaboard. A car tuny be loaded from
New York to Chicago and then be sent empty
: o Minneapolis. Prom Minneapolis It may
he loaded back to rhlcngD anil then be Bent
empty to Coum.ll lllurts. rioni Council
Illtiffs It may be loided back tu Chicago again
mil thence reloaded to Albiny. Prom Al-
limy It may be em empty to Itnston , where
It may be loitleil to llutTalo ami then be sent
empty to New York , where It may be loaded
to St. Louis nr some other southwestern
! > olnt So the cars of nil roads ami lines are
kept on the move In nil directions : . Just now
there Is n strong dcmind for cars In the far
west , and It mn > b ° profitable or expedient
to send them there cmptv as fast ns they
are unloaded nt the seaboard ur Intermediate
points , without wttltlifg to reload them ,
How Is a railroad or n fast freight line
compensated when another railroad or another
fast freight line In using Its cirs ? That Is
very simply arranged liv , the different rail
roads agreeing lo pay iiifTeuge on all the cars
they haul , excepting , of course , their own.
Car accountants or reporters art1 stationed
ut all Initial , Junction and terminal points ,
and their business Is to keep records of all
earn starting , passing or arriving , anil to
send dolly reports of them to the head offices
nf the various railroads and fast freight lines.
The accounts are adjusted and settled
monthly. If u car Is carded "New York to
Chicago nine Line. ' nnd If It gets through
without accident the records and reports will
show that It has run a number of miles on
the Central-Hudson rend and n number of
miles on the Michigan Central load A car
cirded "Boston to Cleveland White Line. "
will earn mileage from the Iloston & Albiny
road , the Central-Hudson road and the Lake
Shore road If ,1 loaded car is delayed or If
an empty car is slde-tracueo too long , the
car accountant of the railroad ur fast freight
line that owns or leases the car will tele
graph to the superintendent of Ihe rallroid
that the car was list delivered W to hurry
U along or to chase It out U the superin
tendent does not heed the request his rail
road may receive a bill for demurrage at the
rate uf , say $ G a day.
The rate of mileage may be from V4 cent
to 1H cent per mile , according to the style
of car , some cars being specially constructed
to carry live stock dressed meats , fruits and
dairy products. It makes no difference
whether the cirs are loided or empty , they
earn their mileage Just the same , for as pre
viously stated , It may be highly necessary to
run trains of empty cars occasionally In one
direction or another , and It might bother the
car accountants or reporters ut lime" to dy
termlne whether the cars are loaded or
empty. Car trusts are formed for the pur
pose of building cirs to run either Inde
pendently , on a mileage basis , or to be leased
to railroads or fast freight lines , who , of
course , will pocket the difference between
the mileage earnings and the rentals that are
paid to the car trusts.
Let us select a fast freight line calling It
the "Happy Dispatch Transportation com
pany" to prevent Jealousies , and let us as-
smiie that Mr Wlmlerpelt owns all or nearly
all of the capital stock Suppo e the capital
to bo $200,000. which Is used to purchase a
few cars and to organic the Happy Dispatch
Mr Wlmlerpelt confers with the managers
of other railroads and distributes * ome ot the
stock among them Then tic confers with
some of the principal shippers and receivers
of goods , perhaps , and lets them In for a few
shares of the stock , so that they will feel an
Interest In having their packages marked
"Happy Dispatch. "
So the business stnrts off , and because the
Happy Dispatch Is a pet of Mr.
Wlnderpelt and other railroad owners
and managers , and of certain large
shippers and receivers ot Roods ,
and because fast time Is made and all
claims are paid promptly , the business nat
urally Increases. A substantial dividend Is
declared , and a surplus fund Is created to
purchase more cars Say now , that the
Happy Dispatch owns 10,001) cars , and that
It agents are located here , there and abroad ,
soliciting shipments. The earnings are likely
to be $100,000 n month for commissions and
mileage , or $1.200000 a year on a capital
stock of only 1200,000 ! After deducting ex
penses for salaries , olllco rents , printing and
stationery , and repairing cars , think what a
fat dividend Mr. Wlnderpelt will have to
tuck away In his inside pocket.
But where do the people come In on this
deal' Mr. Wlnderpelt may have a fine con
servatory or a fast yacht , but he wouldn't
let you pluck a flower In one or take a ride
on the other. lie would rather blow up the
conservatory with dynamite and sink the
jacht to obstruct navigation on the high
seas.
seas.The stocks of the railroads covered by the
Happy Dispatch , watered though they be ,
are considered pretty good paper on 'change
hecausp they pay dividends of 4 or 5 or 6
per cent , and are therefore above par , but
the stock of the 'Happy Dispatch Transpor
tation company ' is not on the market. De-
cause why ? It Is beyond the market1
Well , now , after the Happy Dispatch has
been running awhile , the general business
of the railroads over which it runs Increases
from natural causes until It would seem to
warrant dividends of 7 , 8. ! > 01 10 per cent
on their stocks ) Uut It would never do to
pay such huge dividends , the people might
think that their nervants were setting too
wealthy So the managers of the railroads
proceed to organize another fast freight line
to absorb the surplus earnings and divert
them to their own pockets , and so on , as
long as the people will submit to It. The :
managers of other rallroid systems see the
point and are quick to follow Mr Winder-
pelt's example ( It would amount to the same
thing If he followed their example ) so that
"They've all got 'em.
Or If they haven't got 'em , the } 11 get em
by and by. "
Car trusts , construction companies and rail
way equipment companies are doubtless close
corporations also , having the effect ot ab
sorbing and diverting gross earnings and in
creasing the total of the operating expenses of
our railroads.
Some political organizations are calling for
governmental control of our railroads. The
action of the railroad managers , themselves.
In making extensive combinations for the
avowed purpose of economizing expenses and
reducing rates Is one of the best arguments
In favor of governmental control : tor , If It
Is more economical to place a system of
railroads extending across several states un
der the management of one man , why would
It not be still more economical to place all
our railroads under the general management
of a secretary of transportation In Washing
ton , at a salary of 18,000 a year , the same as
other members of the prosldent'fl cabinet ?
Our servants , the railroad managers , ob
ject to being controlled , saying that their
business is of a private nature which does
not admit of any Interference. That Is not
true , for the people gave them their char
ters and their iluhts-of-way , and what the
people gave they can take away again , unless
their business is managed to their satis
faction. It is openly stated , on good author
ity , that the charters of man > railroads in
this country ore already forfeltable , owing to
the misdeeds of their managers.
rit.iTTJ.i : OF z it K \ < nr.infKit.f. .
Teacher What Is the difference between
liabilities and assets ? Smart noy Well , as
sets are what he's got , an' liabilities ara what
he Isn't liableto pay.
Teacher The race Is not always to the
swift. Do you understand the Inner meaning
cf that ? Bright Boy Sometimes the head
feller's tire gets punctured.
A caller had mentioned that a neighbor had
been obliged to shoot his dog because It bad
grown old and cross. After he had gone lit
tle Edith , who had been very quiet since the
dog had been spoken of , surprised her
mother by asking , "Mamma , when do you
think papa will slrot Aunt Sarah' "
Little Dot Oh t I want to live to be ever
BO old. Tiny Dot I don't I want to die
young so I'll have lots ot friends to go to
my funeral.
Willie Winter Plcnte , mamma , may I go
down to the rink this aftern en ? Mrs. Win
ter You foolish child , don't ' you know that
they ara not opn in the summer time ?
Willie W. Oh , yes , they are , mamma ; I
heard papa tell Mr. Joyce- this morning' that
he had a beautiful ukato yesterday.
Teacher What ls your name ? Little Boy
( from England ) 'Enry Hidams Little Girl
( front New York ) He , be ! Hear him mis
place his h's. Teacher And what U your
name ? Little Girl Idar Warnliah ,
Little ISthel Mamma , I wish ycu'U wash
Willie 1'rottlo's face. Mamma The Idea !
He's not my little boy , I have nothing to
do with htm. Little Ethel But I have.
WO'B become engaged , and I wont to klsi
him.
ALWAYS SOME UNEMPLOYED
Views of Edward Everett Halo , the I'nmotn
Anther eml Statesman ,
A FEW SENSIBLE AND ORIGINAL IDEAS
'I hero Is No I. UT , Hiitimlt ur Olvlnc , VMilili
AiinmiiKT * lli.it Men Mmll Ho Urn-
plojnl All th 111 1 1 1 .Nntur.ll
llolliliijr Si > i ( in .
tOoli ) lighted t ) ( hf tnlur H.Mi'lleiili )
Writing In the middle' of August It seems
possible to percu.ida somebody who hurt some
vvr.clc of bcnio left to consider the minsc'iine
which the last jear has listened to ou the
cnbject of the "uncmplajod. "
When 10 per lent of the mnmiructuriuR es
tablishments of the country were thrown out
of g ar. It followed as a mutter ot course
that 40 per cent of the people who worked
In them were obliged to ecK other omipv
tion. There thus presented Us If the very
gravest problem for nil orts of people
Those who believe In the present Institutions
of society saw that they were on trial , and
had to do their best to show that they were
equal to so extraordinary an emergency
Those who do not believe in them had nn
excellent object lesson And from that ob
ject lesson they irgucd fulrlj and well tint
It was time to have some Improvement In a
state of tilings < hlcli admitted uf such sud
den calamity.
All this time the cxlstcnc of a bed > ot
'unemploved" people was < ipokrn of ns If It
were an absolutely new icvelatlon unheard ot
by gods above or by men b'low It seemed
as If we , In the > ear 181 ! were eillod upon
to behold a new epidemic , nf whkli wo knew
aa little as our foiefuthers knew of Asiatic
chol'in In the > ear ISjl This supposition
has led to a great deal of blindness or cleir
folly In the treatment of the very dltllcult
subject under conslderitlon
SQUAUE AND SIMI'LH ' 1UU1II.
The squire and simple truth Is that there
Is no law , human or divine , which announces
that men shall bo "employed" all the time.
On th other hand , same veiy old customs or
traditions or conditions of socletv require
distinctly that people shall not be employed
one da > In seven The conditions thus ex
isting are so distinct thai a large part of
HIP people of the world believe that the
volco of God Almighty himself required rust
one day In seven There aie even those
who go so far as to say that he necde'd this
lest himself
Moie than this It ought to bo remembered
that all conditions of Industry , up to the be
ginning ot this century were such that
ntiny men were "uncmployfd" at certain
seasons In every ynr. The only exceptions.
Indeed to this condition were simply those
of some handicraftsmen in cltUs and towns ,
and were very few
In the last century even soldiers were not
"employed" It ) winter. Armies went Into
vvlnt'r quarters as late as the time of Tred-
erlck. The oIHcers exchanged visits with
each other , and danced at each other's par
ties , so distinct was the understanding that
the business of war was a business of
eight summer and autumn months , and did
not belong to winter or eaily spring
THE BUSINESS OP AGRICULTURE
The business of agrlcultuie , from the na
ture of the case , Is a business of which nine-
toen-twentleths Is done between this breaking
up of the frost In the spring and the closing
of ground by frost In the autumn The New
England farmer works , and works very hard ,
from April to Thanksgiving time. From
Thanksgiving time to April It Is hard for
even the farmer's almanac to t = > ll him how
he Is to occupy his time. In point of fact ,
when he used It as a New England farmer
liked to do , "to the glory of God and to
enjoy Him forever , " li used It In reading erIn
In writing or in other mental cultivation
from this necessary leisure of the ' unem
ployed" grew the admirable system by which
In the old days , bett'r than ours , the schools
were kept principally in the winter months
Akin to this Is the custom of all colleges
and schools which from year to yefir have
lengthened their vacations , so that they now
cover well nigh three months of every yeir
In which the professors and the pupils nil
the ranks of the "unemployed "
THE FISHING INDUSTRY.
Writing en the seaboard of New England ,
ono remembers the great fishing Industry
of New England , the Industry which created
states , and which created when the time
came , the navy which wrenched from George
III. that empire which we now call the
United States of America. This fishing In
dustry , In those days , was confined to the
months between April and December In
those months the. hardy fishermen , who
feared nothing which was In the order of
Gcd , least of all feared such people as
George III. and Lord North and the officers
of the English navy , carried on their proud
vocation on the seas When they came
home they were "unemployed. " But a great
many of them In Essex county tcok up the.
business of making shces during those
months , and It Is from this Industry of thtlrs
that the gieat shoo manufacture of New
England has grown.
Passing to speik of this manufacture It
has been its law from the beginning that
people worked when they had anything to
da When they did not , they did not work
Any large dealer In slices can tell us that
when the orders come ho has his stalT
of people who fill thosp orders , then there
will be a leisure week or perhaps a leisure
month when there are no orders At
that time these people are reading Shakes
peare cr Huxley or Benjamin Kldd or they
are at the clubs discussing Browning or
Wagner , or they are playing transcendental
music on the piano. They are not going
round saying they are "unemployed
The manifest increase In the number ot
holidays , which now gives us a holiday for
alm.'St every month lit the year Is an In
dex that people dc not like to be "unem
ployed , " If only the lack of employment la
something which follows n fixed rule
LESS DRUDGERY , AND NOT MORE.
To sum all this up , the whole tendency
of modern civilization Is that there1 fchall
be less drudgery and not niTe. When we
succeed It la by making a giant which we
call a steam engine do for us the work of
drudges who existed under the system of
slavery fifty or 100 years ago And the svll
In the last year was not that many people
had nothing to do , but pimply that this lack
of labor came In like a Herd striking at
the same time all sorts and conditions of
men , and striking them without such prep
aration as the farmer or the flshcnirni has
It proved , as It Is apt to prove , that the
people concerned understood their business
a great deal better than the philanthropists
did or the social economlstx When John
found that the locomuivo works weie shut
dawn he sold to Jane , ' My dear , I th nk we
will go back to the old farm There Is
plenty of pork there , there are pitatccs
enough for all , there is room enough , and
my mother will be only too glad to see
the babies. " They went back theie , and
John bored auger holes In tlio fence posts and
made himself generally useful ills name
never appeared on any list of the "unem
ployed , " 'lu ' < never needed uny rugs o
weave or any cellars t whitewash And tltli
is the reason why , when Mr Closson col
lects the statistics of the "unemployed" who
wore found finally In cities , they make so
very small a number In comparison with the
horrible list which could be made from those
who , as we know , were thrown out of em
ployment ,
EVERY MAN CAN EARN HIS LIVING.
And the moral of all this Is here. While
the earning of money v uged depends on Mr.
Cleveland , .Mr Wilson , Mr T m Heed ami
the other people vvlio mal c I riffs | j it
greater ir ! OM > c\tint , ivory nbli budiul man
In America who hoi n jrur to R ve ta he
bmlness ran earn his living | i it. ono
tlilnK to earn money , It la atiothnr tliliir In
earn H living | . * t s n member Hint tlio
united Slites nfmerlcn has I.OOO.WO nf
square mile * , in re cr less ol territory , and
that In each of tluso square miles tliTc are
CIO acres. Now , IH all toll ] we Kti nb ut
10,000,000 families , It Is n satisfaction to
know If by any throw of thu diet we sh ulit
divide evenly all round , ench of us would
hiivc-IfiC acres Really , that Is more thnn
I can use to advantage ; I would bo sntlsfuM
with the eighteen acres I should lime In
MaimcliuseUs If by some tlitovv if tin1 illco
box tlut should fill to mo When we re
member th s we ma ) nssuru ourselves that
" ( ho problem of tlu > unemployed" will bo
nlde to lal.e cnrc ot Itself ns U tins done be
fore.
fore.We
We owe. our present production cffthent
anil the enoiin im export ot It to nil the
nations ot the world to the development of
the soil between the Allrglioio range ami
His Rocky iiuuntnlns which followed on the
Industrial depression of 1S7.1
ID\VARD : \ IVIUITT : : HALK.
Rcxbur.v , Mass.
JI/.A or mi : UO.I//.N r.
Anrnloten niul InilitiiitH About I'eoplii of
I'limitm inc.
When Westlnghouse first obtained his
patent on the nlr brake , like most Invititors ,
he wns poor and frl mllcss , and he found
considerable dllilculty In Inducing Ihe rall-
roids to nppl.v It to their cars. Ilo man
aged to secure nn Introduction to Com
modore Vnmlcrbllt , who was never noted for
his gentle mnnnets. Wcstlnghouie found ]
him otifcro&sed In his correspondence and
he did not deign to stop reading his letters
while the Inventor extolled the merits of his
device. When he had spolun his llttlo
plec Vnmlerblll for the Hist time seemed
to take notice of him , nnd looking up sud
den ] } said In his gruffest tones :
"What's that you sav . ' "
So Wcstlnghousc commenced all over and
explained liovv by an nlr pressure of thirty
pounds to the squan foot the brnku wan
npplUl by the engineer , and when he
tlrlMied he wulted pntlontlv lor the verdict ,
Once more the old commodore raised his
head long enough to Jprk out1
"What's that jou snv about air ? "
\VestlnghouBo told him
booking him steadily in the face the ol I
man replied In free/Ing loncs : "That will
do. 1 have no time to waste- with n d d
fool. "
Discounted but not disheartened WestInghouse -
Inghouse left , only later to bring his grtnt
Invuitlon to the knowledge ot the Pennsyl-
vnnli railioad authorities. At that tlmo
Tom Scott vv s the president of the corpora
tion and he nt once PIW Hie practicability
of the limntlon nnd allowed some of his
cars to be equipped with It With that
opening it was casv enough to n"t the other
loads to use the brake , tmcl Westlnghouse's
fame nnd fortune were made When that
time had arrived he one day received a letter
from Commodore Vixudcrbllt , n'klng him tu
call nt the Central's office Mr. Westlng-
housi's reply wns terse and 1o the point.
He simply wrote
' I have no time to waste with a d d
fool '
A lady , vvho has mauo an extensive study
of newspaper portraiture , was commeiitlnK
yesterday , sajs the Ne\v York Sun , upon
what she cillod "the niHsslvo and stutei-
iranllko face" of Lcvl P Moiton. It seemed
an odd description to people who see Mr.
Morton In real life , but It Is a fact that tha
artists cannot give a portrait of the ex-vlcj
president which the public will recognljs ,
unless tha features are/ shown In heroia
proportions. Newspap r portraiture hasdonu
as much to build Mr Morton up as a public
Idol as it did to detract from the personal
appearance of the late Roscoe Colliding.
Nnbody ever succeeded In representing Mr.
Coplcllng In the newspapsrs as he looked In
real life , and the eftlgy of him which adorns
the southwest corner of Madison sqiuiu
gives no Idea of the nobility ot carriage
nnd remarkable grace of the great
"stalwart " Mr , Morton nt ona time were
a remarkable pair of side whiskers , and hh
wigs were woven Into perfect Imimony with
them. It was his custom to stroke the.o
whiskers with a dellcnte mind , on which e.
large seal ring was conspicuous When tin
news wns sent abroad that the banker Im4
sacrificed his whiskers the public looked lor
a rermrluble ciiaiiK.It was remarkable ,
since It changed Mr Morton's appearanuj
from that of a robust nnd prosperous banker
to that of a thin-faced nnd careworn doctor
of divinity He han , howevei , apparently
never regretted the loss of the whiskers , for
without th in he takea rank plctorlally as an
Ideal statesnmn
A writer In the Springfield Union says that
Senator Ilrice got his start in life In n rather
Interesting way After he left college ho
studied law , but he didn't get on very well ,
and he went to Charlie Foster , then governor
of Ohio , Nnd asked If something In the way
of olllce couldn t be found for him. "Im
possible , " said the governor. "Von are u
democrat and I am a republican. It would ,
cause no end of talk If I vvero to give- yon
a place , with BO many re-puhllcans wanting
offices. " Hut Drlco was In straits , and ho
begged so earnestly for some help by which
he might cxttrliate himself that Poster
flnallj placed a sum of money In his hands
nnd told him to come to New York and look
after a certain financial transaction. Ilia
last Injunction to the young man waa to
follow Instructions. When ho got here Brlco
made Inquiries find and then acted directly
contrary to what he had been told , telegraph
ing forthwith what he had done. Poster
wired Indignantly for the reason , The reply
was "Hecause I could make $40,000 for
you. " There was no question beyond that ,
and thenceforth roster and Ilrice worked In
harmony In various railroad operations , the
latter giving up his Idea of a legal career
for the more lucrative ono of railroad builder
and promoter.
When Charles II. Turner of New York Clly
was In congress he was famous because of
the fact that he had been an Iceman. There
will be n member of the house In th Fifty-
fourth congress who wad oncn n pollcemnn ,
and a capital policeman at that. His na-no
Is R. P. Bishop , and he has been nominated
as the republican candidate In the Nnlnth
Michigan district , which is solidly anti-demo
cratic. After serving as a. capital policeman
for some time , Mr Bishop was made cleric
of the house committee on military affairs ,
the chairman of which at thetlmo was Gen
eral Cutcheon of Michigan , now the civilian
member oC the army ordnance board. Gen
eral Cutcheon was defeated for re-election
to the Plfty-second congreii In the tidal
wave of 1S90 , and afterward moved out of
the district. Two years later It returned ta
Its normal republican majority , but thu gen
eral has not been In politics since , except
as an ofllco holder. Senator Gorman's friends
"point with pride. " to the fact that he was
once a senate page , but othei men climbed
the same rounds In the ladder of fame. Mr.
Bishop will be the first man , however , ta
reach congress by way of the police forca.
Prof. Richard T Ely of the University ot
Wisconsin , who was recently accused ot
teaching pernicious theories of socialism , was
horn In Rlpley N. Y. . April 13 , 1854. II
attended the Now York State Normal school ,
was graduated from Columbia college ii > 1870 ,
mid as the holder of the graduate fellowb.ilp
of letters of that Institution studied nt HelileN
hers university. Germany , from 1876 to 1879 ,
receiving the degree of Pl-.l ) , In lSte5 he be
gan a long term of service In the chair of
political economy at Johns Hopkins imlver-
Blty , Baltimore , and for many years was tax
commissioner of Maryland. Ills fame as a
writer on political economy noon becanio
widespread , and not , long- ago thfr University
uf Wisconsin called htm to his present place
on Its faculty , He has written half a doien
or more books on political economy end
kindred lubjects , and his latest work la called
" and Social "
"Socialism Reform ,
JRYA
EXACT SI2E PERFECTS
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