THE OMAHA DAILY J3EE : TUESDAY. JAXTJATIT 25. 181)8. )
Tim OMAILV DAILY PER
M. ItOSnWATEU , Editor.
EVERY JIORNINO.
TEHMS of suusciunioN :
Dally Den ( Without Sumlny ) , Ono Yenr i 00
D.illy UPC ami Sunday , One Venr. 30
Hit Months 4 0 >
Thrwj Months 2 i >
Hlltxlar lite. One Yrar. 2 0
HiUurelay lloe , Una Vour IV
Wooklr Dec , On Yfflr < < "
01-TICCSi
Omaha : The lice rtullillng.
Smith Omnlm : SlnRtr IJIk. , Cor , X and 2Hli Sis
Council IJlmrn : lu I'enrl Street.
utilvnicn oillce ! tin Chnrnbcr of Commerce ,
New Vorh ; Temple Court.
Washington : Wl Fourteenth Street.
COHUKSrONOENCB.
All communlaillons rdalltiR to ne-ts ntiil "illto-
rial matter nhould fie uOdi-o.iseil : To the lull'ur.
J1U8INE83 1.CTTEU3.
AllLtulnosB loiters nnd romlllnnces fhould he
mMrrated to The lice rulillnlilni ; Compiny ,
Omaha. Ptnfts , clii'ckn , expiem and | > osuiiflc
money onli-rs to be tnada pa > jbln tu thu otucr ol
thu coiimnny.
TUB 1JER PUUUSI11NO COMl'ANV.
BTATKMKNT Or CIRCULATION.
Btalo of Nebraska , DoiiKlan County. " '
Ucorca n. Tzschuck. ta.Telnry ot The lice Tub
llfthlni ; Compnny , being duly tworn. * ny Ihnt the
nctual number of full nnJ cotnplfto copies of The
Dally , Murnlnif , Evening nnJ autulny lli-o ptlnleil
ilurlng tlio month of December , U9J. wu follows -
lows :
1 ZI.SI7 Z1.15J
Z 21,373
3. . . 21.HU 13.
4 21 , : ; ? 21 MO
t > 24.C.12 si.sv
C 21.3SD 22. 2'- '
7 21COS
8 21,319 21 S1.511
9 , : i.ru-)3 ) 2.1 ( m'rn'g only ) lO.Soi
10 2i , : < ,3 28 SI MO
11 Hl 2- , 21.WI
is 2i.oa JS 21,330
13 22217 w zi.oss
14 21,343 SO 21.010
1 ! 21,577 31 21,333
1C 21,2CI ,
Tolnl KC.S72
rclurneil nnd unsold copies i:2
Not tntnl sales C1I..V , '
Net dally averaso 21133
nnonnn n. TXHCHUCIC.
Fwnm to before me and culfcrlboil In my
runMico thin 1st day of January. 1S3S.
( Seal. ) N. I' . KIZIU
Notary 1'ubllc.
Now for a protest from thu
nvaliMt tlio coli'liriitlou by Ctillfornlu of
u xoldpti jubllrn.
The nntl-soalsklii Inv ; CIUISPS no lioart-
unions those who tiiii'iul tliL-lr
rtuTu.'itlon inonoy at lionu .
It Is too btiil : i real president docs not
pass through Omaha every week. If he
ditl there might lit ! a Creator rush to sut
places In tilt- city eounell.
Italy now wants a treaty of commer
cial union with the IJnlted Status. Italy
Jiot only known a piotl tiling when It
Hues it hut It wants to have a share In
It If possible.
The dnitf store jzln mill must KO. If a
( IriiKKlsl Insists on ( loin , : a saloon busi
ness , he should be cnaipolliul to take out
a § 1,000 license Just the sat.io as other
liquor dealers.
A view of the exposition buildings and
grounds is the best advertisement of
the magnitude of that great enterprise.
Let no stranger within our gates escape
without seeing them.
What Justice Is ii.-iv ! in conipull'iiij a
liquor dealer to pay $1,000 for his license
anil permitting drug stores to sell liquor
wholesale and retail on payment for a
? 10 druggist's permit ?
That 10,000 legislative sniniing com
mittee may have turned out a big grist
of campaign thunder , but up to date it
has not recovered- for the treasury
enough money to pay half its own ex
penses.
The president of the city council for
got to remind the president of the Sand-
wkii Islands Unit hu has more white
constiliHMits In the Second ward than
Ills fellow president has In his whole
Hawaiian republic.
t Not satisfied with publishing the news
as it arises a number of populist editors
of South Dakota arc planning to start
a news factory of their own to supply
themselves with news colotvd to milt
their partisan purposes.
The appearance of a licet of Ameri
can battleships at Key West ! does not
Indicate preparations for war , hut It
does Indicate that the rights of Ameri
cans will be protected in Cuba as well
as In all other countries in the world.
The same old arguments are being
urged by the opponents of an exposi
tion appropriation by the Iowa legisla
ture that were employed last year
against the exposition appropriation In
the Nebraska legislature. The mossbacks -
backs should be turned dowu again.
There is an iiudellneil rumor abroad
that the redoubtable .Tim Dalilnmn Is
contemplating resigning his $ li,000-a-
year sinecure as donothlng state rail
road commissioner. Dahlman resign a
political soft snap ? We would prefer to
eeo his resignation before believing It.
The leading candidate for the presl-
diMiiy In lira/I ! promises to celebrate
his election with a visit to the United
States. We doubt , however , whether
he will sell his "observations" to the
'mnvspapt'r that offers the highest price.
The new director of the mint Is the
author of one of the most effective an
swers to Coin Harvey's imir-bralned
literary production. It Is safe to say
that the mint reports will In the future
as in the past stick to facts rather than
to llctlon.
One of Missouri's promised contribu
tions to the exposition curiosity depart
ment will be an animal that faces both
Avnys. This will not fairly represent
Missouri , for the Mlssourlans are all
headed straight for the exposition and
u good state exhibit.
When Governor lloleomb appointed
his bogus reform pollc con.mission
Hubert I'J. r < eo Ilerdnun wn.s supposed
to bo the worst of the Job lot Hut now
It would be dllllcult to < nv which of the
trinity , IK > rdman , Oregory and 1'eabody ,
lias earned the most unsavory notoriety.
The only war cloud visible In the west
appears to be due solely to thu deter
mination of the Colorado gam > warden
to prevent the stockmen from violating
the game laws by servlnj , ' buffalo , ante
lope , elk and mountain sheep meat at
their Denver itarbei-ue , and the assertion
of UK ; stockmen that thesa delicacies
will be served despite the guuie laws.
A n'Aii snir AT ; i.ir.uvA.
It Is said that there Is no significance
In ordering the battleship Mnlno to
IJavnnn. The explanntlon of the ac
tion Is that it Is simply the rcsnmptloi
of an old custom , which the ndmlnlstrn
tlon thinks was unwisely abandoned
when the Cuban Insurrection broke nut
nnd which Is In accord with the practice
of other nations. The dispatches state
In umiiiallllcd terms that It Implies no
change of policy In respect to Culmi
affairs nnd Secretary of the Navy Long
gives assurance that the visit of the
Maine to llavnna will bo simply a
friendly call.
The explanation is undoubtedly cor
rect , but It remains to bo seen whether
It will be accepted as satisfactory by
the .Spanish government , which so fai
as appears was not Informed of the
proposed move. It Is Hot at all Improb
able that that government will regard
the action with some distrust , uspeclnlly
In view of the fact that there la a
formidable American lleot concentrated
off ills Florida coast But If the Span-
Isli government should ho satlslled with
the assurance of the Washington au
thorities that no menace Is Intended It
will be most surprising if the Spanish
press and people do not find In tlio cir
cumstance a threat of Intervention by
the United States and urge the govern
ment to got ready for war with this
country. It Is likely also to arouse the
Indignation of the Spaniards in Havana ,
whose Jingoism is more pronounced , if
possible , than that of their brethren In
Spain.
The American people , however , will
very generally approve the action of the
administration. There Is no good rea
son why our naval vessels should not
make friendly calls at Havana and there
Is a quite general feeling that one or
more should be kept there , though per
haps this Is unnecessary. Spanish opin
ion In tile matter will be received with
considerable Interest.
T7JJUDIl.KK OF TlIK AHGONAVTS.
On January 21 , ISIS , the llrst gold
nugget was uncovered In California.
The jubilee of the greatest gold discov
ery of the century Is now being lltly
celebrated in San Francisco by a mining
fair Illustrating a half century's progress
In mining.
At this fair , which Is to be kept open
a month after the spectacular part of
the jubilee this week ban buvn ended ,
there will be shown samples of ores and
mineral bearing rocks , tools and ma
chinery used in prospecting and mining ,
all the old and new processes of ex
tracting th. ? iireelous metals from the
rock's and placers and everything that
interests miners or those who contem
plate engaging In the industry. There
Is .so much about mining and prospectIng -
Ing that does not appear to the unini
tiated that thousands on their way to
the new Alaska gold felds and others
who have looked longingly at the gold
lined mountains of the west will visit
the fair-and be prolited thereby. While
the fair Is not for the purpose of seeiir-
ng recruits for the army of prospectors ,
t is expected to disseminate knowledge
that will make success in mining more
certahu In this way , Indirectly , the
fair should produce results of great
value to the whole mining region of the
United States.
The suggestion that after the close of
th ? jubilee celebration the mining fair
exhibits be moved entire to Omaha from
San Francisco as a part of the Trans-
nississlppl Exposition is one the Call-
foriiians would do well to act upon.
Here It would be to thousands of vislt-
irs the revelation of a great industry
It would give them their llrst adequate
conception of the importance of the min-
ng Interests of the west and they wouh
carry back new Ideas of the vast un
developed resources of the transmissls-
sippl region. Where hundreds will
learn lessons at the mining fair In Snn
Francisco , it would be a school for thou
sands in Omaha.
FOlt 11KTTKR UANKINO MCIUTIES.
The urgent demand from ( lie south for
better banking facilities ought to re
ceive tlie early and earnest attention
of congress. While there Is no proba
bility that any general currency legisla
tion will be enacted by the present con
gress , It is possible that a bill can be
passed amending the national banking
act so as to permit the establishment of
hanks with le.s.s capital than the law
now requires. It would seem that such
a measure must receive the support of
all southern representatives and senators
Who understand the situation in that
section and who are disposed , regard
less of their views respecting the cur
rency In general , to afford needed relief
to the commercial and agricultural in
terests of the south.
The secretary of the treasury , In ids
annual report , clearly pointed out the
expediency of the proposed amendment
to the national banking law , saying that
the complaint against the act as It now
stands Is directed toward the o restric
tions it embodies , which result in Its
failure to accomplish the full benefit it
ought to carry. A bank cannot now be
organized with a capital of less than
$ . " 0,000 and consequently many com
munities In which a national bank
would be located , If allowed to organize
with a smaller capital , are deprived of
the aid of banks of Issue and burdened
with onerous rates of exchange and In
terest charges. This condition is not
peculiar to the south , but also exists in
portions of ( he west , though perhaps
most seriously felt In the former section.
At present th > circulation of Vho na
tional banks In the south amounts to
only about $ ltOCO00 ) ! , a wholly Inade
quate Mipply of currency. Of course
the banks of that Kot'tlon borrow from
hanks In the east , but they cannot do
this to the extent of the commercial
necessities. The eastern banks require
collaterals and these are limited in the
south.
Mr. John W. Fries , memlwr of the
monetary commission from North Carolina
lina , said In an addresj before the
Massachusetts Ueform club a few daya
ago : "I am sorry to say It , but
I believe it Is the truth , that
unless the republicans uml con
servative democrats of the south can bo
smircly united on a platform of sound
money and currency reform , our section ,
will go not for free allvur merely , but
for lint money pure and simple. " Thnt
there Is a tendency In this direction In
a considerable portion o tlio south Is
not to be doubted. Tito easy nnd prac
ticable wny to check the tendency Is
by legislation thnt will enable thnt sec
tion to secure more currency nnd thereby
afford relief from tlio onerous rates of
exchange and Interest charges It Is now
compelled to pay. Hotter banking facili
ties would be the most efllcnclous of
nil menus for strengthening the sound
money sentiment In the south.
It Is probable that n measure to give
the south the currency relief asked for
will be passed by the house , but whether
such a measure- could pass the senate
Is of course uncertain. The fact that
such legislation would probably have
the effect to reduce the free silver senti
ment In that section would doubtless
lead most of the silverltes In the senate
to antagonize it. At all events the re
publicans In congress should do their
duty In the matter.
TUK COVXCIL SHOULD STAND rm.u
The pressure brought by the frail-
cliised corporations upon the city council
for a reduction of their assessments
should ba resisted because it is unrea
sonable and unfair to the great majority
of taxpayers. There Is no disposition
on tlie part of any citizen , so far as we
know , to Impose unjust burdens upon
these corporations. All that Is de
manded and expected Is that they shall
share equally with other taxpayers In
the expenses of our cjty government.
For years there has been a most glar
ing disparity between the taxes levied
upon real estate and those levied upon
corporate property that derives Its value
chlelly from the use of the public high
ways and privileges that give a sub
stantial monopoly of public necessities.
It is because they have been so long
specially favored that the franchlsed
corporations now resist the effort to
place them on an equal footing with
the owners of other classes of taxable
property.
As a matter of fact , the valuations
fixed by the tax commissioner upon
most of the franchlsed corporations is
still far below the proportion of the
true value as compared with the assess
ments of business blocks , factories and
dwellings. The true value of these cor
porate holdings can scarcely be less
than the mortgage bonds tloated upon
them. On that basis their assessments
exhibit partiality In their favor rather
than discrimination against them. The
truth is , that if they had not for years
been exempted from a large portion of
their just dues to the city they would
consider the new assessment as ex
tremely advantageous.
How the council , acting as a board of
equalization , can , In the face of these
well known facts , yield to the unreason-
ible demands of the corporation mana
gers Is incomprehensible. The threat
that they will refuse to pay their taxes
ind light the assessment in the courts
should have no weight with the council.
There is no danger whatever that such
i policy will bo pursued If thu mayor
ind council stand firm. Tlie city has
> een very generous to the privileged
corporations , but there must be a limit
: o its generosity when it conies at tlie
\\pense of the whole body of taxpayers.
OF MAAWACTUKHH8.
The third annual convention of the
National Association of Manufacturers
will meet in New York City today and
t Is expected that Its proceedings will
ba of unusual interest to tlie industries
represented. The membership of the
association has trebled during tlie past
year and it is said that in capital in
vested and In value of products the as
sociation probably represents larger ag
gregates than any other business organ
ization In tlie world. This statement
gives an Idea of the Importance and In
fluence of this body of business men.
AVlillo the association discusses vari
ous matters relating to the business In
terests of the country , Its chief purpose
Is to extend our foreign trade in manu
factures and in tills respect it has done
valuable work. It has been notably
zealous in efforts to promote trade with
South and Central America , having nl
ready established In the capital of Vene
znola a warehouse for the permanent
display of American goods. It is In
contemplation to establish similar ware
houses in all tlie trad- ? centers of the
southern countries and perhaps in timi' '
this -will be done In all th important
markets of the world. It has a bureau
of Information through which any mem
ber may receive special trade informa
tion In any line. It will thus be wen
that this association of manufacturers
Is not merely for the purpose of con
sidering economic questions , but has a
distinctly practical aim , In p'ursuance of
which'it lias already made a largo ex
pendlture of money , a notable result of
its efforts iK'ing the creation of the com
mercial museum In Philadelphia , opened
last year by President MeKinley.
An association whose object is to pro
mote the commercial growth of the na
tion and which Is pin suing this object
in the most practical way , must com
mend itself to general favor and cer
tainly merits the substantial support of
all who are engaged in manufacturing
industries.
Nobody expected Itobert M. Lee Herd-
man to live up to the oath he took ui :
police commissioner. The former stand
ing of Dr. 1'eubody In the community ,
however , led his friends to believe that
an honest sense of duty would guide all
his ulllcial action. To find him acting
simply as a puppet for Ilerdmaii and tlu
gang naturally not only disappoints
them , but makes thorn feel they had
l > con buncoed Into believing In tlie doc
tor's honesty In the llrst place. If Dr.
i'eabody only continues to play pig-tall
to llerdman long enough h ? will suc
ceed In alienating the few friends that
still recognize him as an honorable gen
tleman.
The vaslness of the Nicaragua canal
[ iroject and the Interest taken by Amer
icana Is shown by the fact that four
teen American engineers are now In
Nicaragua making Pstlnwtes on the cost
of construction and thu preliminary es
timates range all the wny from $2. ,000-
CXX ) to $100,000,0flp. If , after Inspection
of tlio survey ; tlio American engineers
are satisfied jhey cnn do the work , a
company will bo organized to propose
tlm construction , of the canal. The out
lay will be enormous , but In these times
of great enterprises this fact is not an
Insuriiiouutnblii obstacle.
There is prc ril prospect of seven
tickets In theflejd In Oregon for the
June state flection , although an effort
Is being made ' ( h combine nil the dlssnt-
Islletl and discordant political elements
ngnlnst the republican party to ac
complish Its ilkfc'iit. But 'there ' seem
to bo two kinds of populists lu Oregon
and several brands of democracy , all
warranted to be slnion pure and relia
ble , while the republicans are standing
firmly on the national platform. Of
nil the western states Oregon has least
to gain by popocratic rainbow-chasing.
Bryan appears to be trying to repay
tlio favors shown him by the Mexican
railroads that placed private cars at his
disposal by advising' his friends to
visit Mexico and contribute to their
revenues. Mr. Bryan , however , falls
to state whether or not the Mexican rail
roads recognize nn order from the news
paper In which ho holds stock for a
free pass for "our Mr. W. J. Bryan"
with the same alacrity as have the
American railroads which ho has
worked for free rides.
The coincidence of a Hnsslnn demand
for the payment of the balance due from
Turkey on the Indemnity debt of the
old Husso-Turklsh war nnd another
hint about Until settlement of the Cretan
question , is a reminder that the United
States Is not alone in falling to get a
settlement out of the. sublime per to.
The bankrupt Turkish government will
settle nothing that can be put off In
definitely.
Southern planters are again rending
advice from cotton brokers about over
production of cotton and the breaking
down of the markets. A great many
of the planters realize now that the
only way to reduce the cotton acreage
is to show how better returns may be
had from a diversity of crops.
The production of grindstones last
year showed an increase of 'J5 per cent
and nearly the entire product came from
Ohio. Ohio people not only keep their
knives sharp all the time , but are pre
pared to supply sharpeners for all the
other people.
.V Itrvl'si'd . .Motto.
ChluaKo Post.
" first oUr ' afterward ! "
"Silver ; country' ap
pears to be tlio cry'ot ' all the white metal
men except J3ryan. ' His cry la : "Bryan
final , silver nojct an(1 our country after
that ! " ' , _
VarliitiiijiiN In 5nulal Life.
Philadelphia North American.
Eight killed attthq latest Kentucky daaco
party. How social customs dlfter. . Among
the " 400" of New York objectionable per
sona are cut. If. appears that they are shot
In Kentucky. '
_
Fanning1 ( fcuccii 1'olarlN.
GlobeDomocral. .
At Omaha's ice carnival. Queen Polaris
.had to bo fanned constantly dtirlnpr her cor
onation , and many of the old settlers
emerged from the shade Ions enough to in-
nulro of each other , "Is this hot enough , for
you ? "
DoIiKC < lulti i\Vfll , Thank Yon.
Chlcnpn llecoril.
Friends from Lincoln , Neb. , report that
\Vimam Jennings Uryan has -made a largo
sum -of money by Ills lectures , and Is laying
It up for a rainy day. IHIs largest receipts
wore realized at Wichita , Idin. , where ho
got $2,400 for a single lecture. At a llttlo
town lu Missouri he made $ S75. Ills regular
charges are $500 for every appearance and
one-half the net receipts over and above
that sum.
_
The Ciiiintry In Safe.
Now York Sun.
Another attack upon tlie rights of Ken
tucky freemen has beta repulsed. A bill to
tax dogs a dollar a piece has been killed In
the legislature of that state. The Kentucky
dogs can bay the silver inoon appreciatively
without having to pay for the privilege , and
every Kcntucklan who Is "forehanded
enough to keep a dog" can continue to lift
toward the skies a brow unruflleJ by any
thought of dog taxes. "Tux the plutocrats ,
not the poor dogs , " says Colonel Jack Chlnn ,
whoso present sack consists of sixteen dogs
of high birth and 'breeding ' , and ono yellow
cur.
The AVorlil'H Machine Nhon.
C'hlcnRo Trlliutis.
The American builders of locomotives ,
both steam and electric , are having a boom
In foreign orders. In addition to heavy
orders for engines for China and Japan and
from several localities In Europe and South
America , .the General Electric company of
Schenectady. N. Y. , has lust received an
order for thirty-two electric locomotives for
the Central London Underground railroad ,
which , It was understood , would be built In
England. The same- company Ins orders for
the largest direct current railway genera
tor over mada In the world , 'having 4,000
horse-power , and for thirty-six 17C horse
power motors for the Metropolitan Elevated
of this city.
coyruv I.MH.V.V w.vims.
Tin.Viniiliir IloereiiHliiK anil the A ] > -
nriiiirlntloiiM IncrtMiNliiK' .
1'hllnilclphla I'rcsa ,
The appropriations for the Indian service ,
juat reported to the house , do not reach tlio
figures of recent years. , but they nre largo
cciough to raise a serious question as to llielr
future.
The Indian population grows smaller all
the time , but the cost of oaring for It tends
steadily to Increase. In 1SSO thcro wore
249-273 Indians. Twenty years before there
wora 00,000 more. Today there are not over
230,000. Nearly .twenty years ago , In 1881 ,
the Indian appropriations were $4,535.038.
Ten years ago , liilSSS. they were $5-101,330.
Fir 1S99 they arc to bo $7,527,201. The
Indians nro leas numerous , and , as they are
Micro highly clvllzn1 ( , they ought to bo able
to do more for tlipni elves , but , Instead , tlioy
are costing ? 3,000,00 , < l more.
Thla year's rgprtprlatlona are , however ,
small by some of these of recent years ,
swollen by special 1aymenta. In 1S92 I'M
Indian appropriation bill was $10,278,492 , or
twlco the cost of the government n century
ago. i-rid in IS95 It was $10.751.733.
The average of ItftotyeaTg la , however , about
$7.000,000. Halt i\\lla. \ \ or $3.250.399 , ROM for
treaty sttgulatlon , and this Is as much a debt
as any betid Isaiioil by the treasury. On
this nothing Is 1m ! > < > Bald. One-third Is for
cduratlon , or $2r.7U&40. ( In 1899.
Public opinion approves liberality at this
point. Liberal the government certainly Is.
The expenditure Is about $ SO a head for thu
school population 0:1 : the largest estimate.
Ten years ago , in 1889 , only $2i > o.uuo was ap
propriated for Indian sohcols. In ten years
the approprlat'ons ' liavo grown nine-fold.
Some aj.propriatlons , lllco these for Indiana
at Hampton , do great good. Some nre of
doubtful use. The policy of liberal appro
priations Is Hound for a season. It cannot ,
go on Indefinitely. The federal treasury Is
now spending on these Indiana more Tlbor-
ally than any city of the ame population
as the Indians is on Its schools. Year by
year these appropriations tend to increase ,
A 'halt trust bo called , The limit U reached.
' ! ) y ton years , or Itss , u reduction ought to
begin. The Indian cannot forever bo treated
as n pauper , -tad national philanthropy has
its limits.
TAUC AUDIT TUB AIIMY.
\Vnahhigton Post ; Wo think that undue
alarm bus been caused la certain quarters
by Assistant Secretary KooscYclt'a remarks
concerning the navy nnd by young Mr. Me-
Clellnn's criticisms of the army. We see
In o.tilto a number of our esteemed contem
poraries doleful and lugubrious utterances ,
bewailing the nation's helplessness In ease
of war and imploring everybody to bo care
ful about giving offense lest wo bo thrnsheil
out of human recognition by so mo raging
European power. Of course , this is all non
sense without the shadow of Justlllcatlon
in fact or reason.
'Minneapolis ' Tribune : The son of General
Oeorgo 11. McClellan , who Is n member of
congress , denounces the organization of the
United States regular army ns obsolete. This
Is singular , in view of the fact that the gov-
ormncnt maintains A military ncadrmy at
West Point tor the education of olllccrs. nnd
It has bciu pronounced by many military
men to bo the best military school In the
world. The great majority of the tinny of
ficers of tlio present day are graduates of
that school , and if they cannot maintain an
up-to-date organization what Is the use of
educating them for their positions ?
1'lilladelphla Record : Perhaps our army
stafi , ( U General Miles Intimates , has plans
"up its slccvo" to meet almost nny possible
emergency , but It will not bo denied that
the first requisite of nn army Is arms nnd
the second ammunition. Dut , 'according to
Mr. McClellan , the Springfield armory has
nt present n capacity for the production of
only ISO magazine rifles nml cnrblnes n. day ,
or 54,000 n year , BO that If hostilities should
bo declared tomorrow wo could place 230-
000 men In the field nrmed with modern
long-rango weapons In nbout flvo years nftcr
the outbreak of war ! Wo now liavo on hand
enough reserve ammunition for the new
Krag-Jorgensen rlllo to keep our regular In
fantry at its present strength supplied for
about six hours In n hot action , and with
its present output the Frankfort arsenal
could in flvo years supply cartridges enough
to sco the same small force through two
or thrco battles. If wo should bo so foolish
as to scviil hastily raised levies Into the
Held equipped with the 215,000 old Spring-
Held rifles now on hand to flght enemies
armed with guna shooting four times as far
"
and ten times"as fast wo could supply them
from our reserve of 4,000,000 cartridges with
n sufficient number of rounds of ammunition
to last about n quarter of a hour.
AVAIIIIUUI'S OP Till ! \V1XDV.
Globe-Democrat : When
Congressmen Do-
Annond and Clark of M > aourl succeed la
forcing hostilities with Spain they must bo
sure to avoid the example of their party in
1864 , which declared the war a failure and
discouraged enlistments. The mission of the
democratic party in the last war was to
keep up a flro In Uncle Sam's rear.
Springfield Hepubllcau : The dally activity
of the state of Missouri In the debates of
both houses of congress Is extraordinary.
In the senate thcro is Vest , who Is a per
fect conflagration before the first alarm Is
rung In , while In Uio lower branch 'Messrs.
UoArmond nnd Chump Clark , not to men
tion Illaud and Uockery , are running con
stantly on full time , making business for
the paper-makers who supply the raw ma
terial for the 'Congressional ' Uc-cord.
Indianapolis Journal : Representative Wil
liams of .Mississippi , who has made an at
tempt In the houseto be indignant over
the wrongs of Cuba , belongs to the party
which amended the. constitution of the
state which ho represents without submitting
the question to Uho voters , so that more
than 100,000 colored voters were robbed of
the Tight of suffrage. The Independence of
Cuba Involves giving fuiTl citizenship and
the ballot to a people the majority of whom
are of African descent.
Now York 'Mai ' ! and ( Express : "I don't fear
war , " shouts the valiant stateman , Berry ,
of Kentucky , causing the rafters of the
house to smoke with the sizzling heat of
his martial ardor , "and I think a llttlo blood
letting would bo good for us. Let Spain fire
on the American flag Just once and the flame
win ba kindled that will free Cuba. " Let
the haughty dons of old Castile put that In
their pipes and smoke it ! Meanwhile , if
there Is to bo any sanguinary goings-on. It
Is moved and seconded that Statesman
Berry be permitted to go first.
Philadelphia Record : Not a ripple of ex
citement has been caused In Spain by the
fulmlnations against her which have beoa
reverberating through the halls of the capltol
at Washlngtca during the greater part of
the current week. This Is really too bad !
What do the base Spaniards mean by main
taining a freezing silence under euch a
bcmbardincat of American "patriotic" elo
quence ? Ikfl the hollowncss of the clamors
of our Jingoes been discovered , and are our
valiant swashbucklers contemned and held
In ridicule even by the melancholy Span-
lards ?
lj 'AMI OTHERWISE.
George- Washington is the name of a
clergyman In France.
Oregon is a fortunate state. Its legislature
Is still unable to organize.
Mayor Van Wyck of New York objects to
being addressed as "your honor , " holding
tdat for a Joffersonlan dernociat. " .Mr.
Mayor Is the correct phrase.
A bill to abolish book agents has been
introduced in the Pennsylvania legislature.
Tha average Pennsylvania legislator < cri-
sidem It the height of folly to spend money
for books.
Gcorgo Gould showed his usual shrewd
ness 'When ho consented to serve on the
Trenton grand jury. That act demonstrated
that for all taxable puitfoses ho Is a citizen
of Now Jersey.
afanagcra of theaters In Illinois are com
plaining that the competition of the churches
Is injuring their business. They say tlm
competition la uujusl , because the managers
have to t > ay a , license and the iireachcrs
don't.
The loosening of white doves at the
launching of the Japanese cruiser orompts
the Philadelphia Press to suggest the ap
propriateness of setting free n young englo
when a Uulted States war vessel first meets
Wio water.
Not long ago a distinguished European
scholar 'waa lecturing In a western city , and
In the courseof bin Iwturo ho remarked
that Goethe was , perhaps , the greatest man
intellectually who hau appeared since the
days of the apostles. Ho was at once inter
rupted by a woman in the audience , who de
clared tbat Dr. Talnmgo was as great a man
as Goethe over was.
Edward B. 'Curtis , an old minor , became
Interested in spiritualists some tlmo ORO.
Ho consulted ono , who mapped out a course
for him to follow. He did so , and In Gun-
nlson county , Colorado , struck a deposit of
gold which assays 6,000 to the ton. As a
result the "Clairvoyant Gold Mining com
pany" was formed , with a capital stock of
$1,000,000 , for the purpose of developing the
claim ,
It Is said that ex-Governor James B.
Campbell of Ohio , who was In the naval
service during the war and was for u tlmo
disabled through the explosion of a shell ,
applied for a pension , which for some
rt-ason was delayed , and w'hcn it was
flnaly allowed ho 'had ' so far recovered that
bo declined to receive it , although the sum
accumulated was large , on the ground that
ho had recovered his heultb and was not
entitled to U.
Colonel "Foghorn" Kunston of Lawrence ,
K.n. , burning with noble enthusiasm to
obliterate the Spanish , has been fighting for
"Cuba Libre" with somewhat unsatisfac
tory results If the following letter from
him expresses his sentiments : "I nm more
than glad to bo out of that hell-holo. I
wish to arlso In my neat and say with an
earnestness bordering on profanity , that It
Is good la again bo In the United States.
What a frightful prlco I have paid for my
boyish folly of mixing up In that war ! I
am a battle-scarred and malaria-laden wreck
of my old self and I am out of pain only
when asleep. "
Within the past week or two several people
remarkable for longevity , all being centenari
ans , have died In the vicinity of Clarksvllle ,
Tenn. 'Ibe oldest woman known , and one
of the most remarkable , Is Prlscllla Coleraan ,
colored , living near Ulckson , She la 120
years old , the mother of twenty-nine living
children. Uler health 1s geoJ , 'having never
remained In bed a day In her life on account
of sickness , and nbo attends to her household
duties , and , up to tills year , has always as
sisted In cultivating a garden. Hose Perry ,
a negrcai of Clarksrllle , died on the 9th ,
aged a llttlo over 100 years. She bid been a
widow for three-quarters of a century and
for years had been an old-time town charac
ter.
THU IUSI2 IX IMUCKS.
Present llnnuo Comtmrril rrlllt ( hut of
l-'nrtiipr V nrn.
Gt. Louis OlobDemoor < U.
The general rise In prices which has
tnken place recently la a business pointer
which everybody will see Is significant.
Bradstrecfs makes a comparison of the
prices of ninety-eight staple commodities
for each quarter of n year since October ,
1S90 , and for each month since January ,
1SOS. which given MI Interesting revelation
of the rise nnd ( all In values. From
this exhibit It appears that the Index num
ber representing the general average stood
nt 114.171 nt the beginning of October. ISiW.
That mark represented the highest mean
touched In the past seven years. A fall in
prices began iiftorward , and , with consider
able fluctuations , a very low level was
reached In the latter part of 1894. the Index
number on October 1 of that year standing
at 77,501. Then a rnlly began , nnd the
SO.700 mark was touched on January 1 , 1S95.
A drop took place soon afterward , nnd the
index number was down to 72,052 nt the
opening of April , 1S93 , which wns the low-
nu for that year , and It was nt C7.1S2 on
July 1 , 1S96. This was the lowest mark
touched In the period covered by IJrad-
strcet's tables.
An advance in prices has been made re
cently , the Index number on January 1 , 1898 ,
standing nt 80,110. Here is the highest
polut reached since the beginning of Jnnuary ,
1S95 , when the 80,700 mark was touched. As
shown by the table , an advance In prices
began around the middle of 1S97 , the Index
flguro on July 1 of that yenr being 72,999.
With some fluctuations this has been un
der way ever since. At the present time
the general level of prices , ns before men
tioned , is close to that of the beginning
of the year 1893 nnd Is still nenrer to thnt
of the opening of the yenr 1S94. The gain
which la under wny Is slow , but It Is likely ,
on that account , to be continuous. A period1
of rising prices of commodities has usually
been a tlmo of general business improve
ment , nnd vice versa. The mean level of
prices Is still far below thnt of the period
before the beginning of the convulsion of
1S93. Probably , owing to the tendency to
ward cheapening of production , which In
constantly under wny , the price level of
half a dozen years ago will never bo touched
again.
It Is cusy to tmco the chief causes of the
fluctuations In prices. Tlie Barings' failure
In the latter part of 1S90 , followed soon after
ward by the crash lei the Argentine Republic
dealt a blow to business confidence throughout -
out the world and was the forerunner of the
patties In Australia , the United States a
mcflt of the countries In Etircve In 1S9.1 and
1S94. Then thd sliver menace In the United
States cnpoireil , which still furl'jcr height
ened the financial alarm. The porlo.l between
the meeting of the Chicago convention of
189C nnd the election of that year , which
severed the Bryanlto reign of monetary
terror , la marked by the greatest stagnation
of the four years of business depression and
the lowest drop in prices of staple com
modities. After , the Bryanlte menace w.1 ?
removed a gradual Irr.rrovDment Ui comlt-
tlona took place. The Improvement was
slow , for the pelII which was averted was
serious , and the s'.iock to business confidence
wiis profound. Confidence , however , has now
been almcst completely restored , as shown
by the most trustworthy Indications of trade.
The advance lu the general level of prices
of staple articles reinforces the Incrcasa In
bank clearings nnd railway earnings as evi
dences of the diversion of the financial
clouds and the rising of the sun of Industrial
prosperity.
IIOMH.VC VI' 1MIOSIHUITV.
CiilnmUy Scun'InrH ' OrtdiiK In Their
Dcncllj'Work. .
I'hllndelphla Press.
Tlio New York batiks and the capitalists
connected with them nre loaning $10,000,000
today in London which under ordinary cir
cumstances would bo loaned in New York
and this country.
The reason , and the only reason , why this
sum Ls loaned abroad Instead of at homo Is
because the men who loan It know that the
English Parliament will not change the
value oi a pouad s.tcrllng and no one \vantn
to In JCnglMul in or out of Parliament. In
this country these bankers know that a large
number of congressmen and 0,000,000 voters
wnnt to change the value of a dollar.
The senate now is considering a resolu
tion reported from the senate flnnnco com
mittee proposing to reduce the value of
United States brads one-half by paying
them In silver. This repudiation of half the
righteous obligation of a government bond
has votes In the senate west and nouth.
This halts prosperity. No man will In
vest or ought to Invest In regions where
the value of his Investment will bo halved
if the voters In that region have their wny.
The revival of trade is stopped point blank
by proof and evidence of this view , and until
this Issue is settled nothing Is safe or ciui
bo safe.
If the curiency standard Is settled beynnd
the possibility of a change , our banking
bused on wealth and not credit and our
money values established permanently on
gold and not on promises to pay silver or
gold presidents can pass and congressional
majorities niter und the prosperity of the
country will bo unchanged. But uatll this
Is done everything will bo nt loose ends.
Reorganization and refunding In railroads
nnd other uitcrprises go on well enough
with a dubious currency. They affect people
ple whoso money Is In already. New enter
prises will not start until the value of a
dollar la raised above the chances of n
nrosldnntlnl
When congress once makes the gold value
ot our currency permanent our Industry ,
prosperity and credit will bo safe. As long
as congress does nothing and leaves the cur
rency in doubt nothing is safe.
K.VfJl.ISIL SPOKKX AMI W1UTT13.V.
Ttvii-'riilriln of the Corri'MiioiiiK'iiui * . of
( lie World Done In thnf I.IIIIKIIIIUC.
At the 'recent postal congress , reports the
New York Sun , attention was called to the
fact that two-thirds of all the letters which
pass through tlio postotllccs ot 'the world are
written by and sent to people 'who speak
Hngllsh. There are substantially 600,000,000
persons speaking colloquially ono or another
of the ten or twelve chief modern languages ,
and of these about 25 per cent , or 125,000,000
persons , speak Kngllsh. About 90,000,000
apeak Russian. 75.000.000 Gorman , fi5.000.000
French , 45,000,000 Spanish , 35,000,000 Italian
and 12,000,000 Portuguese , and the balance
Hungarian. Dutch , Polish , Flemish , Bohe
mian , Gaelic , Roumanian , Swedish , Finnish ,
Danish and Norwegian , Thus , while only
oiva-quartcr of these who employ the facili
ties of the prst.il departments of civilized
governments speak 'as their native tongue
Ungllsh , two-thirds of these who correspond
do so in the English language. This situa
tion arises from the fact that so largo a
sbaro of the commercial business of the
world is done in Bfigllsh , oven among tl'ioso
who do not speak English as their iratlve
language. There are , for Instance , more
than 20,000 postofllccs In India , the business
of which In letters and papers aggregates
more than 300.000.000 parcels a year , and the
business of these cilices Is done chiefly In
Kngllsh , though of India's total population ,
which Is nearly 300,000.000 , fewer than 300-
000 persons cither speak or understand Hng
llsh.
Though 90,000,000 speak or understand
Russian , the business of the Russian post
department Is relatively mnall , the numbers
of letters sunt throughout tbo czar's cmplro
amounting to less than one-tenth the num
ber mailed In Great Britain alone , though
the population of Great Britain Is consider
ably less than ono-h&lf of the population of
Russia In ICitropo. The Southern and Central
American countries la which cither Spanish
or Portuguese Is spoken do comparatively
llttlo postofDco butilneas , the total number of
letters mailed and collected ! n a vear In nil
the countries of South and Central America
and the West Indies being less than In Aus
tralia. Chill and Argentina are. In fact ,
the only two South American countries In
which any Important postal bualnees Is done.
and most of the letters received from or
sent to foreign countries are not In SpanUh ,
but la 'EnglUh ' , French , German or Italian.
l In llrlmlr of U'oi-ili-n ,
CHICWao. Jan. 21-Kupeno V. Dtbs has
Issued a plea to the public In behalf of Bailer
T. Worden , who la unllcr sentence of death
for traltuvrecklntr near Sacramento , Cal. ,
ilurliiK the rallrouil strike of UM. .Mr , Debd
assertH that Wordon In th ; victim of a eon-
vplrucy of railroad detectives , and Unit It Is
liulUivt'd the condemned mun waa but u tool
In the detectives ) ' hand * .
THIITlt AHODT THH KLO.VI11KE.
\Vhnt n Ciiitmllnu Piilillrnllon Snyn
AlllMlt It.
ItllwAukro Wlftcondn ,
The most authentic reports In regard to
the Klondike gold region nro undoubtedly
these from British Columbian sources. The
Canadian governmental system In that region
simply required extension , while- that of t'.io
United Stater had comparatively no exist
ence In eastern Alaska bordering on the
Klondike gold fields and consequently official !
retwts from the scene of the rush tor gold i
claim. * and In ros rd to the character of the
gold deposits oiiuo flrst from Canadian
sources.
The latest Information from Canadian
officials IB lei the "Year Hook of llrltlslt
Columbia for 1897 , " edited by R. K. ( Jos-
neil of the Provincial Library and Statistic *
department , which shows thu area of tha
gold country nnd frankly explains the dim-
cultlcs of placer mining In frozen e.trth. T.ia
figures in rcgird to the area of the new gold
regions are startling. The "Year Hook"
says on the subject : "Tho Yukon district
comprises cti area of approximately 192.000
square miles , within Canadian territory ,
over 150,000 square miles ot which Is In
cluded In tin ) watershed of the Yukon river.
In other words , Its area Is nlmcwt equal to
that of France and greater thnn that of the
United Kingdom by over 70,000 square
miles. " Rich protocols are said to have
been found within an area ot from P50 to WO
tulles long , and from ten to ICO miles wide- ,
embracing about 100,000 square miles.
These fto nro Imagining from the glowIng -
Ing rciwrls which have been received from
the Klondike region that gold Is found there
mcTo easily than In nny of the old gold dig
gings , will bo somewhat surprised by ( ho
remark In the "Year Book" tint the as
set tlon thnt every dollar of gold lifted by
the ordinary nrocess of mining costs n dolhr
to ( iroduco it is "particularly true of the
wealth of the Yukon. " The editor's opinion
In thLi particular Is based upon -t'lo follow
ing computation : "Of the 10,000 people who
started this year , $ EOO each by way of ox-
pondlturo would he ft meliorate estimate In
deed. Tint represents In Itself ? C,000,000 , OB
against $3,300,000 mined , and In reality ? 10.-
000,000 would bo neart-r thn total of tlio ex
penditures In reaching the Yukon alone.
Ago.ln , If wo accept the eatlmnto
that < it least 100,000 persons will
start ror the mines In 1S9S , nt
an average of ifoCO , the amount u.HondtM
will bo $50,000,000 for ono year. " Agaltiat
this exppnillturo In one year Is placed the
intimate that the output of the Yukon gold
fields iltlr.'ng tlu next ten years will bo from
$05,000,000 to $7 ; > , oooooo.
Information of tSIs kind is calculated to
put a dnmper on somu of the wild Klondike
schemes exploited In various parts of the
world , but unfortunately the Klondike boom
ers have grounded among their victims a
belief that rrportii such as that quoted from
the "Year Book of British Columbia" are
made i'jr the pmtwso of discouraging gold
Beckers In the- Interest of those who are now
on the grounds.
l'IISllii ( ; ) TO A l-OIXT.
Chicago Itcponl : "Why do you speak of
the girl In this book us a. distillery heroIne -
Ine ? "
"Well , t'.ie novel -writer says she had
eyes oC a rich , liquid , warm , amber
"
brown.
Hi-ooklyn Life : "Why. Jim. what did
you shoot that man for ? "
"To avoid trouble. I knew we'd ! > o a
quarrcllii' If wo kop' on , and I hatu ti row. "
Chicago Tribune : "For once In my life- , "
exulting- ! cried the reporter making his
ilr-'t balloon ascension , au lie looked at thu
rapidly receding earth and then lit the
boundless sky towar.l which ho nus mount-
Ills' , "for once lu my life I have all Hies space
there Is ! "
Judge : "Did your husbnml die happy ? "
Widow Drown. Oh , yes ; Just before ho dleil
ho crlod out ecstatically. " 1 see a great
light , " and then added " '
softly , "I think I'm
Kolns whore they give better gas , " and
passed smilingly away.
Dotrolt Frco Press : "Wh.it did the telephone -
ophono girl say , Chumplov when you
asked her for nor hand ? "
" ' ' "
'itusy now.
Washing-ton Star : " \Vhat position do you
think the senate will assume on thnt sub
ject ? " Inquired the man who worries over
Ills country's future.
"I can't say exactly , " replied Senator
Sorghum. "Hut In all probability it will be
the usual altitude of rcpcae. "
Chicago Tribune : "Pardon the old ques-
llon. " snld the tourln on the oaHtboiind
Atlantlu liner , "but how did the Amerlc.iiiH
Impress you ? "
"I hunlly met enough of thorn to form nn
Idea. " replied the English traveler , In a
manner somewhat oolil and distant.
"You went through the country hastily ,
perhaps. Journeying for pleasure , may I
ask ? "
"No , sir , I was lecturing , sir. "
Chicago Post : "In New York , " she said ,
"they give afternoon teas and receptions
for their pet dogs. "
"Is that so ? " ho aplml In astonishment.
"Well , ilo.you know ) that' ' up to the present
time I have always boon Incllnpil to dis
pute thci assertion that Now York could do
moro fool things thaiv ny other city on tha
American continent ! "
II Y THIS ll.VIt.S.
I'hllnilolphla Dullclln.
The following lines may be read either up
ol- dawn without alteringtbo SOIIHQ :
The stars were all alight ,
The moon was overhead :
I named iher queen of night ,
As she my footsteps led.
So wondrous fair was she ,
I as 'ed ' her to lie mine ;
As she Blanccd up at me ,
I thrilled with love divine. < 7
Bosldo the meadow bars ,
As wo stood llnKcrliii ? there ,
Her eyes were Ilko the stars ,
In radiance wondrous fair ,
"You're all thu world to me , "
She murmured sweet nnd ahy.
A thrill of ecstasy
I fell t her reply.
Love led us all the way ,
As wo turned ihomo again
Our hearts \vero light and Kay ,
Thii world was blissful then ,
Though shadows crossed the Hlty , '
Naifloom our hearts could know ,
True bliss Is ever nigh
When hearts are blended so.
NOT A FATALITY.
A C'urloiiN I/mv That Si-mix ( n Fol
io v Some I'rl'HOilM
, llollrvt'll to
'lie ' IIvfrliillc. .
It has frequently been observed that when
a married couple arrive nt the point where
they have furnished a nice homo and after
aoino ycurs of work and economy are Juat
ready to enjoy life , ono or perharw both
find that cllacano of some sort has made Its
nppearanco cad eadly marrc-4' the happy
picture.
A llttlo ciro in the selection of food , dur
ing the tlmo ono l well aad trong will
prevent the encroachment of disease , whereas -
as a continuance In the use of Improper
food and drlak Is euro to build In disease
sooner or later , and by some curious law the
demon shows lilmealf Just when wo nro on
the point of accomplishing some Jong chcr-
tjhcd plan.
But poor lodgement for disease can ho
found In the properly fed and nourished
man or woman.
Coffee la an Insidious foe to some systems
while U doea not seem to hurt others.
In casf-a where palpitation or unpleasant
symptoms of heart appear or stomach , hrad ,
liver or bowel disturbances , It In almc/it
always traceable to coffee and can bo made
plain to the user by abandoning coffee 10
days to a month and adopting Pcstum Food
Ccffeo which will furalsh the elements need
ed by the body and much the same element ! )
as are destroyed In the nerve crntcra by the
use of Coffee. People
can bo happy and ceu
realize their wishes If they will mo good
reason ! ci their dally habits of toot and
drink. Wo take pains with our animals to
see that the food la carefully delectedjot
, \j-ot
wo are likely to eorioualy maltreat that
marvelous bit of machinery raid to bo raada
In the' likeness aud Imago of Him who plan *
nod It all.
Juat thlak a little , that's all , ,
