Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 1894)
THE 03IAHA DAILY BEE : SIHSJ3AY , BECEatlJER 9 , 1804. 13 GIVE 'EM ' MORE ROPE Grasping Fnilway Monopolists Diligently Hanging Themselves , GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP INEVITABLE Irresistible Demand for Eoliof by the Pcoplo of Great Britain. THE RAILWAYS FORCING THE ISSUE Public Interests Chained to the Chariots of Private Qrced , COMMEF.CE AND INDUSTRY STRANGLED The Problem of Truniportntlon DUcusnod by itarilghtcd KiiRlnlimcn I'nctfl nnd 1'lKurc * 1'rmluccil In Support ot UoTcrnment Ownership. LONDON , Nov. 30. ( Special Corre spondence of The Bee. ) I have quite unex pectedly as It were been hurled headlong Into the discussion .ot the railroad quei- tlon. Before I left home Mr. Rosewater of Omaha suggested that I should look Into the problem of transportation and tlnd out what tha most capable and farslghted Eng lishmen were thinking on that complicated subject. Naturally I have asked a good many questions whenever brought In con tact with persons supposed to be keen on these matters. Dining , a coupe ! ot weeks ago , with a member of the present cabinet , I chanced to speak of the extension of electric railroads In the United States and of their Increasing value In connecting towns , as In New England , and tor taking the workers In our large cities Into country districts to live. The low cost of building and operating these Toads and the reasonable rates for carryIng - Ing passengers seemed a matter of surprise ; to my English friend , and at his request I wrote out what I knew about the subject. It Is only fair to say that this was really very little , as such satisfactory progress lias been made In this direction since the census year ended June 30 , 1890. To make a long story short , this letter iound Its way Into the London Dally Chronicle , and as a result I am suddenly and most unworthily looked upon as an expert In such matters. The whole kingdom Is Just now In a state of righteous Indignation about Its railroad charges , which , so far as relate to Irelght , have been , so traders and agri culturists contend , unnecessarily and most unfairly Increased. Slnco the publication o { the aforesaid letter I have received many letters , Innumerable pamphlets , and several persons Interested In the subject of light railroads have called to exchange views. J liavo been invited to deliver addresses upon the subject. Among the most curious re quest of. this kind , I opened one yesterday from "Tho Balloon Society of Great Britain , " which reads aa follows : BALLOON SOCIETY OF GREAT BRIT AIN St. , Andrew Chambers , 26 Bridge Row , Cannon Street , London , E. C , , Nov. 28 , 1894. Jlobcrt P. Porter , Esq. , Dear Sir : The Dally Chronicle has given expression to your views on "Cheap Transit. " Can you favor us with a paper before thin society ? I shall be liappy to fix the date If you acquiesce. WILLIAM II. LEVEVE , C. E , Pres. CHEAP TRANSIT. All this , and much more which will b'e presented later on , goes to show that the light railroad question In England is occupy ing to a large extent the public mind. Un fortunately I have neither data nor experi ence that will throw light upon the question One gentleman wrote to know If my "sys tem would work well In the Highlands of Scotland. " Alas ! I have no system for cheap transit. If I had there would be no difficulty In bringing It to the attention ok the British public. Viewed on all sides as a cheap railroad expert. Invited to deliver ad dresses , give opinions , consult with com mittees , explain "my system , " etc. , I feel very much like a humbug when I am obligee to confess my entire ammunition may be found In the one accidental shot fired intc the columns of the Dally Chronicle. The compensation for all ths ! embarrass ment has come In another way. it has brought to my attention much that Is Inter estlng and worthy ot attention in relation to the English railway system and the tendency of British thought on this subject. As a result , It Is safe to say that a majority o the people here have about made up thel minds that the- ' railroads would be mucl more economically managed and the public more satisfactorily served If the state Inateac of a handful of railway magnates admin istercd this enormous trust. In England sensible , far-seeing , conserva live statesmen ore strongly advocating the absorption of the railways by the state. Thl Idea has , long since passed out of ths hands o tha extremists nnd cranks and Is receiving { ho best thought of those most deeply Inter csted In Internal commerce the boards o trade and commerce nnd agricultural organ Izatlons. In short. the Idea o national railways has crystallized am will probably become an accom pushed tact this generation. While thl phase of the question has taken Itself t the realm of constructive legislation and I awaiting a bold and able hand to shape I Into accomplished fact , the cranks and fad Cists have gone a good step forward and ar advocating not only state ownership of rail ways , but free railway travel. The last proposition will no doubt provok a smile , but when ably presented and vigor oualy backed up by existing conditions in England it Is novel and by no means unat tractive. Talking with one of the promlnen managers of Cassell's publishing house a few days ago. he said ; "You certainly ought t aa R. A. Cooper of Norwich before writing your artlclp on the railway question In Eng land. Ho Is today on this question simply what Rowland Hill was half a century ag on the postal question. We shall live to sc the natlonal'zatlon of.railways In England and that may be followed by fre ? rallwa travel. Anyhow , Cooper hag gone to th bottom ot his subject , and his views , far from being the lavlngs of what you In the state call a "crank , " are based upon an extraordl uary amount of labor and no Inconslderabl amount of thought. I regard him as a re workable man. " PREB RAILWAY TRAVEL. The advice of this gentleman was followed nnd Mr. Cooper was found to bo all hi1 friend said of him. He Is a man with purpose , and that purpose Is free rallwa travel. Everything bearing on that sub Ject has been caught In his net. and he ha the subject so well In hand that when th first step has been taken , namely , the pur chase of the railways by the government R It most assuredly will be , free rallwa travel becomes at once most attractive t the socialism which li rapidly encompassin the United Kingdom. Ths foundation of the argument in favo of free railway travell , . ot course , the g gantlc , waste of the present system. Elabor ate calculations show that every traveler wh buys a ticket for a scat In an English ral way train really pays for nine seats. Th competition which seems to compel rlva companies to run halt empty trains bstwee the tame points at precisely the same tlm I In fact a charge upon the public. So ar the Innumerable boards ot useless and enor mously paid directors , so are the rival sta tlons and other expenses peculiar to the pros nt iystem. II Is not contended that stat control or free travel would absolutely remed this waste , but the advocates ot free trave do undoubtedly bring forward facts which In tllcate that the waste of seats under fre travel would be but trifling compared wit the enisling waste from ticket travel. 1 short. It Is estimated that all the people wh could poisbly want to travel It the railway ot Great Britain were as free a the high vrays could ba accommdated. under econom cl management , with the present rollln rtock , Figure * are produced showing that th open of All bridges , and In oni nitancei even ferric * , tn England , lias re- uced tha actual coit to the public to one- Ixtecnth. Ot course the additional number nklng advantaga of this free cor.imunlca * Ion la Included , hut assuming that railways Ike other highways arc for public good nnd lot private proAt , the deduction-Is not tm- nlr. The British publlo It paying over 160,000,000 annually for railway fares , 'robably five or six times as many people would have used the rail had the fares iccn within their means. For this , sum rco railway travel for the kingdom It Is lalmcd could be maintained. Mr. Cccper aid : "The principle ot free travel Is not new , mt old. Wo pay our highway rates , and mvo good highways for It. Who would wish o return to the old system ot turnpike \nlca \ with a toll collector every few miles ? But the ticket box Is a railway turnpike ; ate to every traveler , and more deterrant linn the old turnpike gates. It is much ettcr to pay our railway fares In rates nd taxes , for In so doing we would get five r ilx times as much for our money. The expense having been paid , the British pub ic would have gained the Inestimable ad vantaga and right of free railway travel vcr every railway In Great Britain and reland. Every man , woman and child would be free to enter any train and go as ar as they pleased , and back again for nothing , until the demand on the existing oiling stock exceeded Its accommodation. So long as the existing rolling stock could upply seats for all , no additional expenio need be Incurred. Rates and taxes equal to he present fares would bo more than sum- lent to pay all expenses , while the fares ructifylng In Iho people's pockets , Instead t In the coffers ot the railway com- > anles , would provide the money to pay the ox or rate. " "How do you answer the objection that hose who stay at home would be made to pay part ot the expense of those who travel ? " "Why should they not , If free travel be I > ubllo advantage ? They gain as much as hose who travel. PIckford's thousands of vans pay no tolls ; they go over free roads , > ut who does not share the advantage that PlckfordH derive from free roads ? Those vho now travel pay enough for the limited distance they go to convey themselves nnd he remainder of the population all over the railways of the country. All classes would gain. Those who now use the rail would exchange the right they possess of traveling over distances strictly limited by the fares or on unlimited right at less cost , to go vhen and where they please over all the railways In the country. Those who now emaln at home , nearly all by compulsion , or the difference between the total tares tow paid and the alia re o ? ( fie tax to be paid jy those who now travel will obtain thn same unlimited right of free travel of which they are now deprived. I'rce travel will bo nalntnlned by the whole nation at small cost to each , and an Immense gain to all. " GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP. So much for the free railway travel theory. It Is next proposed to take up the more practical question , namely , the causes vhlch must In England , If not In the United States , ultimately lead to government ownership of railways. In doing this I must ntroduce another Important person In Brit sh railway discussion James Hole , secre tary of the Association of Chambers of Com- nerco of the United Kingdom. Mr. Hole ias devoted his life to tnc study of the ques tion , and Is the best Informed man on thr qusstlon from the traders' point ot view n England. Occupying the position he does , the fact that ho and the vast interests h represents favor the nationalization ot rail ways Is to my mind most significant. Per sonally , I found Mr. Hole a most agreeable man , and I spent a morning with him or Greatj College street , Westminster , going iver the facts and figures he has collected. Mr. Hole Is Just sending to the printer the manuscript ot a supplement to a book which he published in 1893 on this subject , and he kindly permitted mo to read this copy and make such notes as were necessary for this article. These data , to- ; ether with the verbal statements of Mr. : lole , present a fair review 'of the utter failure after half a century of British rail way legislation to glvo the public a service : hat Is fair and equitable. Indeed , If wo take out the speculative feature of the American system the shippers and pas sengers who use the raijways for legitimate purposes nro as well. It not better , off In the United States than here. Certainly the rates both for freight and passenger traffic are moro reasonable. In the manuscript of his new work Mr. flole starts with the statement that with the United States rate for agricultural produce the farmers of England would have saved this year 12,000.000 ( $60,000,000) ) , surely a very large sum. For many years In England an agitation for lower rates has been kept up only to be met by the railways In 1893 by an enormous advance In rates. This action on the part of the companies has naturally enraged the shippers of all classes and a war has begun which In Its mildest form means the construction of cheap or light railways , and in Its most formidable aspect the purchase of the entire railway system and Its administration in the In terests of the public by the state. The ground Is taken that the profits of 400 000 shareholders of 15,000,000,000 of capital am the welfare ot an equal number of employes are only ono side of the account. The Interests of every trader and shipper and pas senger in Great Britain , a much larger con sldcratlon , Is Involved. Two-thirds of the railways of the country are In the hands o six private companies. These companies are practically managed by a dozen men. There are In Parliament and the House of Lords over 100 railway directors , who thus far by their own direct votes and the votes of thos' they Influence have been able to clrcumven the scattered traders and agriculturists , am after half a century ot commissions am legislation , private Interests absolutely con trol the situation and public requirements have been sent to the wind In the true Vanderbllt way of the public be d d COMPETITION IS DEAD" "You may safely state , " said Mr. Hole "that today some score of persons llnke < together by a common Interest control nearly one thousand millions sterling of capital and 20,000 miles ofhe \ most Important communl cation ot the country. Mark this ! Th shibboleth of this age 'competition' Is dylnj with the century that gave It birth ; II I : not found so full of blessing , nor so essen tlal to the exercise ot Individual energy as I was once believed to be. Educational prog ress , where It was deemed Indispensable , 1 fast discarding It , and this will extend tether t other fields of social action. We must no be frightened by words. In any case , com petition Is Inapplicable to the railway system which Is essentially a monopoly , and fnlli under the condition stated by Mr. Frederic ! Hill. He says that 'the true line ( of dls tlnctlon between things the state may no take up ) Is between things which can b multiplied Indefinitely , and In which , there for ? , there can be an effective -competition and those In which there is in the natur of things a monopoly. ' " "The results o ( your studies lead to th conclusion that state ownership Is the enl solution ? " . "Most assuredly. The fair presumption I that railroads , Ilk ? all other roads , ehoul be under public authority , and this Is con finned by practical experience. In othe words , that to secure the full advantages o which the railway system Is capable , It shoul bo tn the ownership of the state , as th trustee of the public. " "Both tor England and America ? " "For all countries. The worst state sys tern conceivable could not have made- inor miserable failure tn administrating such trust than wo witness today In your country At least wo should know who to hang. 1 la little better In England , where free compe tltlon has been tempered with legislation In the one case speculators have defraude the public , in the other casj oligarchies con trol transportation , and tn their greed de stroy Industry and trade. " "You must admit that In our case rates ar reasonable enough on the general throug lines. " "I do , but you have not adequately te warded those who have provided the capita to * inako the > railways. In a rational so clety a Jay Gould should be Impossible th controller of one-tenth of the railway mllcag of the United States , one-twentlith ot th mileage of the world , and of 180.000 mile ot telegraph wires net for the public welfare but aa Instruments to txtract , boundles wealth to add to his hoards. Yet , in spll ot this , I am by no means certain that yo won't put your great highways on a tails factory basis before this country , wher privileges and 'interests' of all kinds s powerfully resist every reform. Your grea country baa already solved tough problems ted this cue will have its turn. " SQUEEZING THE LEMON. ' , 'Do I understand you to say that rates to MAIL ORDERS FILLED , * ! Mlt.ll -.I al > itr > About Underwear Whenever a hard-up jobber comes our way with a little jag of Underwear or in fact anything in our line that is good we are the people who do the buying but now that we've picked up just such a snap in Underwear you are the people to do the buying for we , while the goods are superior in qualify , we've made a price equal to the occasion and quote them many cents under value , * A fine warm Undershirt , a lot in which there are no drawers to match ought to be 500 , but it's Elegant ribbed Undershirts or Drawers very desirable for winter wear at less than half price Genuine woolen Undershirts or Draw ers you'll see them \n \ some windows dews to-day at S c , here they are The very best fleece lined woolen Un derwear the jobbing price is $ i , but we are buyers our price r it The H. M. Cook Clothing Co. , 13th andFarnam ; , Omaha. Irelght have been recently seriously lncreasd tti < ! m from 40 to TOuper cent. A parcel jy the English railway companies ? " travels 500'.miles In England for .liulf the "They have not only been Increased , but In price It coats for thirty miles , In Ireland. some cases outrageously increased. ' Here Is Average pa'ssenger farcs''lh ' Englandi 8V4d. what has been done : Scotland 10 4d , but In'Ireland < 'ls 3Hd' ' Such "And this Is what has been given us after years ot agitation for a lower rate. " "I hear a great deal about the Inequality of your railway rates. In fact one gentle man said to me that the railways of England have brought about their Inequality of rates , a ondltlon of affairs almost as bad as would follow ono country putting on a , tariff on the products of another country. Is this true ? " "When we want to compete on the conti nent we find ourselves driven out of our old markets by lower foreign ratea. Girders from Belgium were eent through Orlmsby for a lower rate per ton , though there Is loading and unloading twice over than from Sheffield to Qrlmsby with one loading and unloading. The Northumberland farmer says , 'It will cost me more to send cattle to Liverpool than to send them from Chicago or New York. ' H costs more to send grain from the east ern counties to Birmingham that It does from Odessa. And It costs more to send cheese from Cheshire to London than to take It from New York right past the Cheshire stations to London. " "This Is pretty hard on the English pro ducer ? " "For private Individuals to bs allowed to Inaugurate such a system , affecting as It does to so large an extent the varied Inter ests of competitors and persons scattered over hundreds of miles ot country , and to do all this at their cwn sweet will and pleasure Is , to say the least of It , one of the most strik ing , and at the same time pernicious , anoma lies ever recorded In the annals ot a com mercial country. " MEAT FOR THE LAWYRRS. And worse than all the now rates are said to bo so Intricate that a writer In the London Times pathetically declares that the aid cf a trained lawyer \vlll bo necessary to a trader anxious to know 'whether a rate from London to Swansea or Ulrmlngham Is legal or Illegal. If Illegal It must be remembered that the re-dress can only be obtained for the particu lar Item , thus requiring constant litigation. During my stay In England this time I hove eeen repeated complaints of apples and pears rotting on the ground In the country districts whllo California fruit was sold In the streets of London and the principal towns. And this because local freight rates prohibited trans portation. It seems almost Incredible that such should ba the case In England , Had as It li In England , poor Ireland Is even worse. Several years ago when studying the economic condition of Ireland I found that railways had hindered rather than aided the develop ment of Its resourcuo. It Is no better today , as will be seen from what Mr , Hole says : PLUCKING HUSH TRADE. "In the recent Inquiry (1889-1890) ( ) ono wit ness after * another gave evidence ot the shortcomings ot the Irish railways. Through out Ireland there was the strongest com plaint of the Inadequacy of station accom modation , especially for cattle , which lay about In the road waiting tor wagons. The high coal and mineral rates of the local lines check all enterprise and are prohibitive to the Industry of the country. It was cheaper to send cattle by road than by rail , cheaper to take coal from Scotland to a seaport than to get It ten miles Inland , cheaper to carry good * to England and have them re- shlppei to Ireland at through English rates than to pay the local rates. Goodi are often shipped from the eastern seaboard for Sllgo and Dalllm via Glasgow , The rates be tween Belfast and Drogheda , are as high as between Belfast and English towns. The high charges have injured the woolen , the flax and the milling Interests , yet the new schedule proposed to give power to raise arc some of the Items.lu the Indictment ot the Irish railways. "Yet the total 2,500 miles of Irish rail way Iwve to look after them 303 directors , ninety-seven secretaries , engineers and man agers , and about sixty auditors , and solicitors. " ABOLISHING THE CLASSES. "In your plan of state control I supposu you would abolish the classes ? " "Why not ? Today the third class pas senger practically pays for the luxury of the first class. The working man hero Is supposed to be good enough to govern us , ho might be thought good enough to ride with those he governs. Why should the English man be worse treated than the American ? Almost your whole passenger traffic Is first class and It costs only one-fifth of a penny moro than the Englishman's third class. This should Interest your people. " PERCENT OF PASSENGERS CARRIED. First Second Third , . , . , , , Class. Class. Class. United Kln&Jom 6 10 84 ! ranee , 8 32 60 Germany 1 13 go United States 99 U of 1 of 1 The so-called "Workman's" trains hero are not used for workmen entirely , for John Burns told ins that one of his committees discovered the other day that young dudes , who drove up to the stations in dog carts , were using these trains. In all these mat ters London Is undoubtedly behind New ork and our other largo 'cities. ' CAUSE' OF THU INCREASE. Atter hearing all these complaints , which naturally lead to the only solution state control It may bo worth whlla to search for the reason for the Increase of railway rates In England , while in ih'oarly all the other countries In tha world , rat , ji have decreased. There sems to be two causes. First , the excessive cost of Englfsfr'Tilllwaya , and sec ondly , the fact that the'shareholders must receive at least 5 per , Fcnf , , for their Invest ments. The railway .system of England and Wales has cost fBS.Oo'd per mile ( | 2G7.- C57.50) ) . This , I supposed , Wimoro than double the cost of the roads flfiapy other country. To pay a dividend of G per cent on their capital stock the railway's1 of England and Walts must earn 2.76d-$13,382.87) ) per mile. In the United States the sime dividend can be earned % vlth a gross-revenue , of 569 ( J2.769.03) ) per mile.bIit" Germany with 1.005 ( (4,870.83) ) per frtllu1 ; ' In Franca with 1.361 ( J6.623.30) ) per roflftuand In Belgium with 1,325 ( J6.418.il ) per. mile. In the worst of these cases tUe railways must draw only about one-halt tile "Revenue In order to pay the same rate of dividend. These figures were jdveji.jne by Mr. J. S. Jeans , secretary of tile "British Iron Trade association , who takes almost Intelligent In terest In the railway question. Ills solution I believe would be the .cheap light railway , which would pnetrata Into agricultural dis tricts now untouched by railways. In a conversation the other May on the subject , Mr , Jeans said : 'The high cost of Brltlih railways alone Is a sufficient explanation , although probably very far from being an adequate vindication ot the higher range of transportation charges In Great Britain than In moat other coun tries. In other countries as traffic , has In creased and as new economics have been ef fected In the construction and maintenance 'of railways , the freight charges have been reducjd In a notable degree , i This has been equally characteristic of continental and American railways. The movement has probably witnessed Us most striking mani festations in the United States , where , on th eighteen principal lines of railway , the a.verage ton-mile rate was reduced between 1873 and 1893 from 1.985c to 0.79c , being : reduction of not less than 60 per cent. Dur Ing the same period the average all-rail rat charged for the transportation of a bushc of wheat from Chicago to New York was re duced from 33c to 14.2c , being a rcductlo ; ot considerably moro than one-half. It ha been the same with other descriptions o traffic. In a more or less conspicuous de grce. In short , there Is little-need to labo the now universally admitted fact that It ha been due to the low range of America ! transportation charges and of ocean freight that American wheat and grain have nov for many years been landed In England a prices that have gone a long way to ruli English agriculture , and to cause an cxten ot business depression that has been botl general and prolonged. " This Is Indeed a tribute to American rail ways , as Mr , Jeans In several recent article : has severely criticised the United States to : various real and imagined shortcomings. As I have said , the English railway systen Is one of private ownership and management tempered by state Interference. The Russlai government , I believe , has been defined as i despotism tempered by assassination. Judg ing from all I hear ono Is about as successfu aa the other. AMERICAN SUGGESTIONS. I found Mr. Hole very enthusiastic eve a recent book by George II. Lewis , publlshei by Dcdd , Mead & Co. , 1393. "This book,1 said Mr. Hole , "Is ono of the ablest eve printed on the railway problem In th United States. If I had seen It bcforo wrote my own book I don't think I shoul hove written It at all. " In his forthcoming work Mr. Hole make the following summary from Mr. Lewis work : "In an admirable book on the 'Natlona Consolidation of the Railways ot the Unite States , ' by George II. Lewis , M. A. , th 'writer states his conclusions as follows : II says : "In common with all who have given serl ous thought and labor to the study of thl great subject the writer has become mos deeply and profoundly Impressed with th magnttudo and perplexity of the rallwa problem and with the vital neceeslty an inestimable value of Its right solution. Som just and satisfactory settlement of the polltl cat and economic questions Involved In thl problem Is absolutely essential to the preserve tlon ot equal 'rights for all the people an the contervation of commercial and politic : liberty. "Tho sphinx of olden times devoured thos who could not rightly answer her riddles. "Tho railway system of this country Is sphinx whose' problems must be solved b the nation , or all true national life will b swallowed up. " The writer believes that the following con elusions have been made clear : First The plan of national consolldatto Is In accordance with law and the constltutlo of the United States. Thla has been show by many decisions of the supreme court i the United States. Many moro could t added it necessary. Second H -entirely feasible and pract cal. We have seen that Mr. C. P. Hunting ton , ons of the most able and expelence railroad men tn the country , advocates tli formation of one corporation to own an control all railways. Third It recognizes that consolidation I some form Is certain'and Inevitable and seet to turn this Irresistible tendency Into rlgt channels. It shows how consolidation ma create a great public corporation which sha ba a minister of good to all the people li stead of a vaut monopoly oppcetslng all. Fourth It Is Juit to all Interests , preser Ing and maintaining all real rights of pr vate Investors as well as those of the publl which are jus.t as real though not so we understood nor so readily conceded. Fifth It will remove all the dangerot conflicts and all the elements ot Irrltatk and enmity between the railways and the employes and the public , which now coi stltute a most portentous peril to our nation : security and good order. Sixth It will do away with the greate sources of waste and Ions under our preset system and reduce the cost ot transport ; tlon to the lowest figure , thus satisfying tt necessary and inevitable demand for the r ductlon of rates. Seventh It will remove the unjust li equalities and the unrighteous dlscrlmlnatloi now prevailing. Eighth It will entirely and forever destrc all rats wars , with their waste and dltturl ance of valuei and of builneis , and will mal rates steady , uniform and low. Ninth It will do away with all itrlki and dangerous riots on the railroad * , b cause It will remove their underlying and li citing causes. Tenth It will bind the different sections < the nations together by the strong tie ot con mon ownership and control ot the unlti MORSE. ICtli nnd Fnrnnni , The grand opening of our immense toy de partment Saturday was attended by thou sands of enthusiastic admirers and eager Duyers. We have scanned the markets of the world for toys and show iron , tin , wooden and combina- ion toys from France , Austria , Germany and America , from every place where they make toys. The won ders of Fairyland are depicted in the grand display of Christmas goods. On account of the thousands of arti cles shown in this line t is not possible to quote prices. We'll simply say that there are hundreds of arti- iles at Be and from hat they climb to any point your purse can stand- Especial atten tion is called to our 25c , 4Bc and 98c bar gain tables , they are filled with the choicest of things , bunched to gether for your con venience. Our Dolls are already the talk of the town , all kinds im aginable are shown , and the prices , they've never been so low be- fqre. Come Monday and bring the children with you , buy what you want before the assortment is broken , and while you can get waited upon promptly. KID GLOVES. A woman without gloves is scarcely half dressed. Kid gloves are essential to the complexion of your toilet. We place two styles on sale Monday. B-hook blacks , browns , tans , Suede. Kvery pair valued at J1.25 , at 77c. G-hcok Gluce , black , tans and browns. Jl.DC value at { 1.00 per pair. The winning hand is yours if gloved by us. As a special thing to put more life in our glove department we'll sell a lot of ladies' fancy finished black silk mittens at $1 per pair. railway system. As the different localities of the country Increase In power and wealtli the forces tending to disrupt ahd break u [ the national organization will neces. sarily become in ore and more power ful. The problem will be tc find Eomo centripetal furca to counteracl this tendency without Involving a perilous In crease of the political power of the federa government. A great railway corporator uniting all the railways of the land and ownec and controlled by the people , as proposer under the plan of national consolidation , wouli constitute a force for cohes'on and union with almost Inconceivable power. Eleventh It will furnish a vast and safi foundation for all the great banking am financial Institutions of the country In thi stock of the consolidated company , will pro tect Investors In railway securities by mak Ing their Investments as solid and permanen as government bonds now are , and will maki a perpetual end to gambling In railroad se curltles , with Its unrighteous practices ant evil results. Twelfth It will take railways wholly ou of politics and remove the corruption nov so common and so dangerous. Thirteenth It will dignify all rallroai duties and elevate every class of employe : to a higher piano of manhood as free , unfet tered American citizens for the great advance ment of our social and economic condition. Whatever may be said of the above view on our own side of the Atlantic I can sei that the Idea of state ownership of railway In England has made great progress durlni the last ten or fifteen years , and that It realization this generation Is by no mean Improbable. ROBERT 1' . 1'OHTEH. Z..tllUU NOTKH. National anarchists Is the latest anacbron lain. Detroit machinists won a strike. Nashvllto is tn have a co-operative store. Grand Rapids furniture drummers hav organized. The use of Iron In building la * dlaplacln bricklayers. Providence baokmen and expressmen hav a union. Moldera have struck at Tacoma , Seattl and Cleveland , The cornice workers strike In Chicago ha been compromised. The new metal workers federation figure on 100,000 member * . Rhode Island Central Labor union adopte the American Federation of Labor platforir The Altrurlan co'ony purchased 2,00(1 ( acre of land near Santa Rosa , Cal. The gravedlggers are the latest trade t claim an eight hours day In Great Britain. The Trade * assembly , Kansas City , Kan SILKS. We name three values - ues for Monday , which are a sample of the prices that prevail in this popular depart ment. Judge the rest from these : Uliick China silk , 27 Inches wide , K > c. White Chlnn Bilk , good ( iimllty , Me. 27-Inch China Bilks , llrst quality , and III nl colors , C9c. For a few days we are making special prices on all evening silks , dress goods , laces and trimmings. BOOKS , The book depart ment opened up in all its glory yesterday , Sales were more than we expected. Monday we'll be more busy than Saturday. You can't help but buy when you see litera ture so cheap. Cloth bound works of llctton by all till popular writers , valued nt 33c , go nt 19c. Fine cloth bound works by Dickens , Haw thorne , llunyun , Kllot , Scott , Irving. un < others. Commonly sold nt COc. We ask yoi but 27c. The new Astor Library fancy covers , llnely llnished , by all the popular authors Other places get 73c for them. IJuy 'cm hen for COc. Children's A II C Uooks , Picture Hooka Cinderella , lied Hiding Hood and others b ] the thousand nt So , lOc , ibc and upward. STAMPED GOODS. Table covers , scarfs , tidies , doylies , lunch cloths and the like in a very large variety of designs. Special prices for the holidays. BLANKETS AND COMFORTS. We repeat the news of yesterday , because it's good news for you , 10-1 white blankets , 13c pair. 10-4 gray blankets , 43c pair. 11-4 white blankets , 97c pair. 10-4 all wool blankets , 12.25 pair. 73c grade comforts , 33c. T2.00 grade comforts , $1.50. .00 grade comforts , $2.00. , . ' 51.M grudc comforts , $3.09. CHINA Here's the place that attracts the ladies. Nothing so pretty , nothing more appro priate for a gift than a choice piece of china , a vase or what you will. Here's a half acre show room resplend ent with dazzling beauty and crystal ele gance. No such stock , in town , and as to prices ours are always the cheapest. Shop around town , get the lowest prices , then come here and you'll find them lower. MORSE DRY GOODS CO. , IGth and Fnrnum. adopted the American Federation of Labor platform. Molders claim to have suffered less from wags reductions during the panic than any other trade. Employes of the Parkersburg , Pa. , Iron company have accepted a wage reduction of 10 per cent. The union bricklayers of Jacksonville , Fla. , went on strike for $3 per day for nine hours work. The Iron Molders union of Tacoma , Wash , , has been sued for damages by an expelled member. Now Zealand Is going to extend the prin ciple of co-operation In other public works be sides road making. The Robinson woolen mills at South Wind- ham , Me. , are In full operation , one-halt ot the mills running night and day. The Philadelphia , Heading & New Eng land railroad will restore to Its employes the 10 per cent cut from their wages some time ago. The Pacific Co-operatlvo company hag been established by worklngmen and reformers at Portland , Ore. It Is proposed to cover the Pacific states. The weavers In Oiborn Mill No. 2 , In Fall River , struck against a reduction In wages and an attempt to compel them to run six or eight looms on wldo and fine goods. The American Waltlmm Watch company In Waltham , Mass. , has restored the former rate of wages to the employes of the setting- up department , about 100 In number. Thirty-four families left Pullman , III. , for Hiawatha , Kan. , to join the new co-operatlvn colony there. They Include a number of mechanics , former employes In the Pullman shops. A. K. Kllpatrlck of Flllmore , Cal. , had the misfortune to have his leg caught between a cart and a stone and badly bruised. Ordi narily ho would have been laid up for two or three weeks , but says : "After using ono bottle of Chamberlain's Pain Halm I began to feel better , and In tbreo days wax entirely well. The peculiar soothing qualities which Chamberlain's Pain Bnlrn possesses I Imro never noticed In any other liniment. I talcs pleasure In recommending It. " Thin lini ment li also ot great value for rhotimatUm and lame back. An ArtUc. Town Topics ; "We ore not allowed ta u ll whisky except for medicinal purposes or tor use In the arts. " said the drugglit. "I need half & pint for use In the arts , " replied the customer. "Are you an artist ? " Inquired the drugglit , aa the bottle was handed over. "Yes. In a way , I have taken ft contract to paint the town red. "
