TILE OMAHA DAILY JiEfi : * BUSTDAT , MAY 15 , 1808. 21
AFRICA'S VAST FREE STATE
Inrtnsctive History of the Progress of tht
Kongo Country ,
CREATION OF THE EUROPEAN POWERS
11 oiv ii ml wii > II WIIN tlntilliiliMt mid
Declnrcil Inilrpruilent Hurt i'l-
ou Development ot the
Illnck llelt.
Lieutenant Char leu Lcmalro of Brussels ,
ex-commissioner of the Equator district of
the Kongo state , details In the New York
Independent the origin and marvelous de
velopment of the Kongo tountry. In twenty
years , he writes , the creation of a vast frco
ntatc has completely changed the greatest
river basin In the world , till then profoundly
burled In darkness and barbarism , and made
It a land of order and civilization. This
astounding transformation Is due to the will
of u single man. Before mounting the Bel
gian throne , the then Duke de "Brabant , In
n volume entitled , "The Complement of the
Work of 1830 , " pointed out In the moat ele
vated language the necessity for Belgians
to have a colony beyond the seas. Become
King , this same prince , Leopold 11 , now sov
ereign of the Independent Kongo state ,
turned his attention forthwith toward carryIng -
Ing out this dream of many years.
In 1870 the , king brought together In his
palace Uie Brusseln Geographical congress ,
composed ot well known men of learning ,
geographers and explorers of nil nations.
This was the origin of the International
African society , whose aim was to create an
uninterrupted chain of stations from the
eastern coast to the great lake * discovered
by Livingstone. This meant the penetrating
Into equatorial Africa from thu cast , as all
attempts from the west had failed.
The best known of these expeditions from
the west was that placed ; by the English
admiralty under the orders of Captain
James K. Tuckey. In 181C Tuckey went up
the Kongo to a distance of some 170 mlle
but lost clghtcn men In four months , which
s cmcd to check further attempts In that
direction
On August 9 , 1877 , a man arrived at the
mouth of the Kongo and said : "It ts now
999 da > s since I left Zanzibar. I have seen
all tbo lands known to the Arabs of the
east and , during 281 days I have traversed
countries which no white man ever saw be
fore. I have sailed along over 1,500 miles ot
n wondeiful rUcr and , by making a detour
of some 150 miles , I ha\e been able to pass
around forty cataracts. "
j ' Work.
The man who told this wonderful tale was
Stanley , who had thus completed the dis
coveries of Livingstone , and who , In order
to Bolve the problem ot the Kongo , which
could not bo approached from the west ,
had taken It nt the other end and had de
scended tiom Nyangwe to Banana , telling elMs
Ms thirty-two fights which ho had had with
cannibals along the unknown river , of the
sever , equatorial catararts ( today Stanley
falls ) , of the thirty-two falls , of terrible
p-tvatlons , deaths , massacres , etc.
For the third time Africa had now been
crossed from the Orient to thq Occident
After iVlnB8ton ° nn(1 Cameron , Stanley hac !
traversed those legions marked on the maps
ns terra Incognita. Doubllcss an en
thusiastic welcome awaited the bravo ad-
\cnturcr. Not at nil. nuropo pretended tc
ECO In Stanley signs of nn Impostor and mis
trusted him. But ho Inspired confidence Ii
the king orthe Belgians and from this con
fidence was to spring the future state o
. . . , ,
In 1873 , nt the suggestion and under thi
auspices of Leopold II the Committee foi
the Study of the Upper Kongo was formed
Its purpose was to do on the west coas
what the International African society wai
endeavoring to accomplish on the cast coast
This new organization also determined t <
fOatcr commercial development , which Is thi
best way to get Into contact with thi
negroes. . ' t
An expedition , whoso aim was the stud ;
of this whole question In detail and on thi
spqt , was Immediately organized and placec
under the orders of Stanley , who. In 1879
again appeared at the mouth of the Kongo
nnd set to work to perform the duties as
signed him. These duties were to cxamlni
Into navigability of the river , and It
affluents , to enter Into peaceful commercla
nnd political relations with the natives ti
secure territorial concessions , to establlsl
posts , conclude treaties , to learn what wer
the exploitable riches ot the region , to de
clde what lines of artificial coiumunlcatioi
could bo opened , and particularly to find ou
If It would be possible to link , by mean
of a railroad , the Atlantic coast with th
river system of central Africa. This pro
gram reveals the long cherished dream o
Leopold II the desire to create an outle
for the Industrial activity of his people , t
spread the benefits of civilisation by. mean
of commerce and labor , and to found , with
out the effusion of blood .which characterize
earlier conquests In Africa , n grand , rlc !
colony that , later , could be handed over t
Belgium.
Full of enthusiasm , Belgium officers beg
gcd to join the expedition , and , accompanie
'
by them. Stanley sailed up the noble rive
and Its branches , making treaties and drop
ping along Its banks bis agents , whom h
Inflamed with his own enterprising ardoi
And In the footsteps 'of these bold pioneer
followed missionaries scientists , merchant !
nnd , curiously enough , even tourists , som
of whom were so filled with enthusiasm fc
the enterprise that they asked to be allowc
to share Its dangers and hardships alongsld
of the Belgians. Such , for Instance , wa
Lieutenant Mohun , U. S. A. , consular ngen
charged by his government with a mlsslo
to the Kongo , who made this whole can
palgn.
Government.
In the end the decisive results obtain *
by this Stanley expedition led the Con
mittce for the Study of the Upper Konf
to transform Itself Into an Intcrnation
Kongo association , BO that the newly c :
jilorcd territories could be brought under
strong and Independent administrate
emanating from n duly established nutho
Ity , recognized as such by the principal : u
tlons of the \vorld.
Toward the end of ISS3 the Intcrnation
Kongo association had In Its possesslc
more than 10,000 treaties signed by the ni
tl\o chiefs , who \oluntarlly ceded their BO'
orelgn rights over the lands \\hlch tin
occupied. While continuing Its active woi
In Africa- the association entered in to dl |
lomatlc relations with the great powers , !
order to obtain from them the recognltlc
of Its sovereignty in the Kongo basin ar
the cujo > incut of the Immunities and pn
rogatlves of n state. The United Stat <
was first , on April 10 , 18S4 , to rccoitnl :
the ne\r 'state , and , seven months late
the German empire followed this good e :
ample.
On November 15 , ISSt. opened the coi
fcrenco of Berlin , assembled to regulate ,
n spirit of mutual amity , "the condltlo
nhtch should assure the development
commerce on the Kongo nnd prevent co :
tentlons and misunderstandings. " Tl :
memorable conference traced the limits
the conventional basin of the i\ongo. Inil
catedUat the economic legislation shou
be for Its Kernimnt : , declared Its ne
trallty , that It should be under the pr
tcctlou ot nations , that free navigation ix
liberty of conscience should be assure
that the nUve trade should bu prohlbttc
nnd finally decided that , "In order to proti
the natho population from the o\IU of w :
All serious dlQerencvB concerning the Hi
Its. or within the limits , of the territories !
designated by the conference should bo sub-
mlttrit to the mediation ot one or govern !
governments. "
During the Hillings of the conference
most European nations. Imitating the ex
ample sat by thu ITnlted States and Ger
many , recognised the sovereignty of the In
ternational KTIHRO association , and the asso
ciation Itself having , on Tcbruary 26 , 18S5 ,
adhered td the resolutions promulgated by
the conference Prince Bismarck closed the
assembly with n speech In which he ex
pressed best wishes for the prosperity of the
new state.
Tlir Hulrr Choneli.
nut a ruler for the statn wa * necessary.
The Berlin conference had unanimously
proposed Leopold II. Thereupon the Bel
gian Parliament authorized the king to nc-
tept the new so > erelgnty by declaring that
"the union between Belgium nud the new
state will be an exclusively personal one. "
The government uas then Immediately or-
ganlziH ) , and In July , 1883 , the constitution
of the Kongo State was proclaimed nt
Bananu nnd nt nil the stations of the In
terior districts. In August of the ame year
[ Leopold notified all the powers of the crea
tion of the Independent Kongo Btato nnd
that he had become Its ruler. The declara
tion of neutrality Immediately followed , nnd
the tate was thui definitively founded.
By this time Stanley had. by the aid of
three little steamers , got up the river s
high as Stanley falls , and had explored sev
eral of Its affluents , while still others were
explored by his successors , so that there
could bo 110 longer nny doubt as to what
there wa In that great white blank found
that time. It
en o\eu the latest maps at
had been learned that at some
200 miles from Matadl , which the
great ocean steamers could reach ,
spread out an Ipcompnrablo river
system , some 20,000 miles of whoso banks ,
accessible to steamers , had been visited. The
world now knows that this Immense basin
was a hundred times larger than Belgium ,
that It was once a vast fresh water lake ,
which buried for n time the fecundity of the
submerged soil ; that this great plain was
virgin , waiting for n comer ; that It was
covered with the richest of tropical vegeta
tion , nnd was cut up by a network of navi
gable1 waters , the like , ot which could be
found , probably , nowhere else on the globe
for there Is no point on It more than
sixty miles from a river bank ; that the re
gion was peopled with millions of negroes ,
those Incomparable laborers of the tropics.
But Stanley declared to all who would
listen that the full possibilities of the re
gion could bo realized only through the In
strumentality of a railway which should
connect Matadl with Leopoldvllle. He fur
ther stated that no other road was neces
sary unless ono wished to reach the moat
distant confines of Central Africa and to
pass from the basin of the Kongo Into that
of the Tchad , the Nile nnd the Zambezi.
Thereupon came to the aid of the king dar
ing men who promised to build the road
from the ocean to Stanley I'ool. Nothing
daunted them neither numerous deaths , the
continual disappointments nt the start nor
the unmerited attacks of low politicians. So
from 1889 , the year when the work began
In Matadi , until the present moment the
gigantic labor has. gone on , so slowly at
first that oven the most sanguine lost
heart , then faster and faster , till finally the
whistle of the first locomotive from Matadl
reached Stanley Pool and was answered by
the whistle of the steamers on the Upper
Kongo. This memorable event happened at
the moment I was writing these lines , and
I can easily Imagine the emotion It musl
have occasioned In the hearts of the white
men assembled on that occasion from ever }
part of the Pool.
Ititllrond Development.
Under the pressure of political parties
theBelgjan go.venjmejxthich had accords
to "tho Kongo railway undertaking a cer
tain amount of pecuniary support , wa-
forced to send out In 1S95 n technical com
mission charged with drawing up n repori
on the condition of the work already fin
ished or under way , on the possibility o ;
completing the whole enterprise and on tin
amount of traffic which would probably oc
cur on the line. This commission , which wa :
extremely cautious In Its statements , re
ported that the work on the road was wel
done , that the rolling stock was well madi
and properly mounted , that the trains rai
regularly , that the whole labor could 1)
finished by the end of 1900 , nnd that thi
road could do an annual business amountlni
to 30,000 tons' weight. But the fact Is tha
the road will bo ready from one end to th
other and Inaugurated this month , thus re
quiring half the time for completion statei
by the commission , while the engineers no\
declare that It can easily handle 60,000 ton
of merchandise annually.
While the railway was being finished
European establishments ot one kind am
another began to spring up on all sides
Trees supplanted brushwood. From year t
year now steamboats , carried up overland
piece by piece on the backs ot men , wer
put together on the Upper Kongo. Commer
clal agencies \iero set up on every hand
white Catholic and Protestant mlsslonarie
divided the country among them up a
high as Tanganyika.
A few figures will give a more strlkln
and exact Idea of the present situation o
the Kongo. There are now forty-flv
steamers constantly plying on the waters c
, the Upper Kongo and Ita affluents , transport
. Ing merchandise , food and troops , thus carry
Ing life nnd progress everywhere. It Is tru
that the largest of them are of only fort )
five tons burden , for , as has _ already bee
said , they had to bo brought'up from th
coast on the backs of men. But now , thank
to the railway , n steamer of 250 tons bs
reached the Pool , where It will be at wor
, In two months more. Another of the sana
capacity is now being built at Antwerp an
0
will join Its sister In duo time.
I'roilurta of the Country.
What do these steamers carry ? AH thos
products collected since the fourteenth cer
tury till now only along the coasts of Al
rlca Ivory , gums , resin , wax. Incense , o ;
trlch feathers , pepper , coffee , cocoa , tc
bacco , cotton , rubber , skins , oils , Indlgi
fruits , animals of various kinds , etc. 1
glvo an Idea ot what may be exported froi
the Kongo , I may state that the coffee an
cocoa fields pla 'ed only In 1891 now cot
tain 1,500,000 coffee plants and 200,000 cocc
plants. Not 100 pounds of rubber was e :
ported In 1S83 , whereas not less than 3,000
000 pounds were extracted from the fores
of the Upper Kongo In 1896 , valued at $1
500,000. In 1S97 these figures were double
and coming years will sco them still furthi
Increased. It Is not astonishing , therefor
that Antwerp tends to become for rubber-
as It Is already for Ivory the most Impo :
tant market In the world. The followIr
table showing. In round numbers , the trai
of the Kongo Independent State , speaks fi
Itself :
Year. Import * . Exports. Total
1V.O JJ.029,700 JI.&W.OW JX53J.7
1594 2,371,000 I,20fsOOO ! 4,577,0
1S33 l,3iW.UOO ! 2.427,000 4.7J3.0
ISM 3,20'i,00'J 3,012,00 > ) C,22J,0
The figures for 1897 are not yet give
out , but It Is known that the total su
passes $7,000,000.
A few more figures ; In 1891 the Koni
budget was , In round numbers , 1911,000. 1
1595 It U $3.450.000 , with a growing ten Jen. .
to balance. The number of Europeans <
ithe Kongo Is l.GOO , of whom 150 ar Cat !
Is ollc missionaries and 250 Protestant ml
Isof
oft slonarlcs. Three missionaries occupy son
tId hundred missions scattered over the who
Id territory , and nobody denies the good tin
uD - are doing. Among the moro Important r
D- llglous establishments should b > particular
Did
idd. mentioned the Colonial school , where tl
d.d. . btate receives abandoned children and glv
d.ct them professional und agricultural Instru
ct tlon.
ir , I Order is preserved by a remarkable c
aloulal force whose nolJlers are at the sat
time laborer * . This body , which In HS9
contained only 111 natives , now has en
rolled 12,000. of whom 8,000 are militiamen
and 4,000 volunteers. There are properly
constituted courts In all the chief centers
and postofflceii all the way to Tanganyika.
A telegraphic line Is being built from Stan
ley Pool to Stanley Fulls. Linos-for new
railways are being examined , so that In the
near future roadi will run to the Nile In
one direction and to Tanganyika and N'y-
asaa In the other. Well fitted-out scientific
expeditions are studying all the unexplored
regions.
A Hi-lull ! Crimn Jewel.
Such , rapidly told. Is the present condition
of the Kongo state , whose participation at
the Brussels exhibition last year produced a
sensation In Europe. The preparations for
the Paris exhibition of 1900 are already un
der way on the Kongo , and on that occa
sion Europe will , I feel sure , again pro
claim that the constitution and development
ot theKongo State la and wilt remain one of
the brightest jewels of the Belgian crown.
An uninterrupted series of successes of a
scientific , economic , moral and military na
ture the bringing within the boundaries of
civilization the whole heart of Africa ; the
suppression throughout this Immense terri
tory of those cruel bands that used to send
to European markets Ivory stolen through
the blood of men , and to eastern harems
violated orphans ; the establishment of or
der , justice , labor , the faith revealed to
millions of human beings ; such are some ot
the results attained by the Kongo State.
The black population of the Kongo basin
Is estimated to be 30,000,000 souls. The Bel
gians have undertaken the task to act as
rpvt nti pirfi'lTbo A\T PIIIIV
GENERAL SICMJES ON SPAIN
What the Dons Thinit ' < JpTJs and Whj They
ExpeAtoWin ,
DELUSIONS ABOUT 1/THU / UNITED STATES
A 9ncec fu ! WpirMiMenn * Incrrnne l
rrentlice In itwb | e Olmervntlonii
or the UlHtlniv lkrtl UMln -
* liter tUitMndrlil.
"One fact that needs to be appreciated In
order to understand { he situation In thu
present war between the United States and
Spain , " said General1 * "Dan" Sickles the
other day , "Is the \llfference in the extent
and accuracy of the Information which each
country possesses In regard to the other. "
Probably there Is no man In the country
better qualified to discuss the Spanish-Amer
ican complication than the doughty old gen
eral. He Is of the last of the "fighting"
volunteer generals of the civil war , and
perhaps the most prominent of those who
remain. Though ho Is past 70 now and haste
to stump around upon one leg ( the other
was left upon the field of Gettysburg ) , he
| takes a keen Interest In the present war
and Is actively engaged with Lieutenant
General Schoflcld In the formation of the
National Volunteer reserve. General Sickles
knows the realities ot war , for he was In
GENERAL DANIEL E. SICKLES.
their educators , for the climate will not ,
permit the white man to labor uninterrupt
edly on the Kongo. He can only direct
others. The high tablelands ot the Ka-
: anga , where the temperature Is lower , can
[ > ecome the regions habitable by our race.
At present Europeans must return home
after n sojourn of two or three years lu
Africa. The number Is continually Increas
ing of those who go back for the fourth and
fifth time. In n word , this distant colony
has p"xit fresh life Into the Belgian nation ,
which was In danger of growing torpid after
sixty years of peace. It needed this now
venture to bring out once more its vlrllo
qualities.
LAIion AND IMDUSTBY.
American manufacturers ot machinery
have recently received some unusual orders
from Germany.
All but ono of the thirty blast furnaces In
the Plttsburg district are In operation , thu
best showing In years.
Newfoundland Is now the sixth copper
producing country In the world , and Ita
supply Is said to bo practically Inexhaust
ible.
Japan established Its first watch factory
In 1878. There are now forty-five factories ,
employing 11,000 operatives , and watches
exported last year brought $1,500,000.
The General Electric company wilt not
take any orders for wire for one month , as
the government's order for torpedo wire
taxes their capacity for that time.
The Belgian government has offered a
prize ot $10,000 to the person who can In
vent a satisfactory chemical to replace
phosphorus In the making of luclfcr
matches. _
'
The Annestown cotton mills. Stone Moun
tain , Ga. , Is erecting an addition and is also
making plans to build a knitting mill. It Is
also Intended to put In looms for weaving
light cotton specialties , such as towels.
The Norfolk- & Western railroad has is
sued an order that all employes using any
kind of Intoxicating liquor as a beverage
shall bo discharged Immediately , and that
none shall bo employed who use the same.
Although wages of American shoe opera
tives are far higher than those paid German
operatives , the labor cost of a pair of
American factory-made shoes is definitely
less than that of a similar pair made In
Germany.
> a Two leading London shoo stores Imported
10,161 pairs ot shoes from New England
during November , 1897. An Amsterdam
ts merchant says American shoes are half a
century ahead ot those of Europe In ele
gance , style and workmanship.
The Baldwin Locomotive works have 4,900
hands on the pay roll , and the Cramps will
soon have 5,000 men at work. Not long ago
at Baldwin's not one-third of the present
number of hands were employed and at
Cramps' only about 500 men were kept , busy.
Probably 50,000 people are directly sup
ported by these two great plants , and In
directly the money thus set going helps
many additional thousands.
A steamship , finished complete from keel
to smokestack In six weeks. Is 'Frisco's lat
est achievement. Never In the history of
shipbuilding In California has there been
such activity In the business. Every ship
yard about the'bay Is working overtime ,
and In some Instances day and night , so
Ktcat Is the demand for vesssels to send to
In the Arctic.
Spinning frames are not used In the
, n SaVannah cotton mills. The spinners there
. . receive $9 a week , the speeder tenaers average -
: age a dollar a day and the card strippers
are paid 9 ? cents a day. Connected with
10 the mill is a dye house , and the negroes
employed In the dye house receive only 70
cents a day. The mill Is run eleven hours
ea. . day , sixty-six hours a week. In North
ly J Carolina the rate of wages Is lower than
jo ! any other state In the south. Speeder teud-
ca I crs receive only from 40 to 50 cents a day ,
card strippers 50 cents and weavers average
$4.50 a week , and for spinning on frames
the pay is 80 cents per ICO spindles a day ,
Some of the mills In North Carolina run
seventy-two hours a week.
the thick'of the fray at Chancellorsvllle ami
Gettysburg and other hard fought fields
He Is familiar with the political aspects o
the present contest , too , for he has been :
congressman and a member ot our Euro
perm diplomatic corps. Likewise it may bi
believed that ho understands the temper
disposition and resources of the Spanish , to
he was formerly the United States mlnlste
at Madrid and his wife was a Spanlsl
woman.
"Americans are as a rule well read am
well Informed , " went on General Sickles
"They don't know all about Spain , but thej
know In a moro or less general way of Hi
extent and Its resources. They know , too
something of the character and habits of thi
people. A good many of them have actual ) ;
visited Spain and have seen the country foi
themselves ; nearly all the others have rea <
about It. To be sure I think the Ideas whlcl
our people have formed regarding Spain an
not altogether accurate. We are apt to re
gard the upper classes of Spain as Ignorant
lazy and worthless and to believe that thi
rest of the nation Is made up of bull fighter
and muleteers who are good for little else
As a matter of fact the. resources of Spall
are apt to prove surprisingly great consider
Ing the desperate condition in which it I
now placed , and the average Spaniard
though he may be averse to ordinary labor
looks upon fighting as an honorable am
worthy employment and generally has en ,
Joyed some training for It. Mind , I am no
casting doubt on the result of the presen
war ; It can have but one ending. What
may B.iy Is that wo must not expect Spall
to cnimblo to pieces at the first touch of ;
hostile nation. The fully Informed peopl
of this country do not expect that , but the
realUe that Spain Is Immeasurably weake
than the United States. In general th
ldi > aa In regard to our opponent which pre
vail In this country are pretty accurate.
SnnnlutdH Know Little ot lf .
"When one turns to Spain , however , th
situation Is very different. The people o
Spain , taken en masse , are not well edu
cated or widely traveled , and they are par
tlcularly Ignorant as to.vhat this partlcula
part of the world Is Uke jf Even those whor
one would expect to find well posted In thi
particular cherish singular delusions. The
these Incorrect Ideas persist is due , I b
lleve , to the fact thntt.they are constantl
put forward by the teilitors of newspaper
and the civil leaders iwho know them to b
false. One cannot aVoidjthe conclusion ths
there Is systematic nndi willful mlsrepre
sentatlon of the UnltoJUStates on the pai
of the Spanish leaders. JWhy this la so I
hard to say , but It accounts for the genen
misinformation thatn oUtalns throughot
Spain on this partlculaVl tiubject. Well edu
cated Spaniards bellevo5 < that there Is a uma
cultured class In tlte 'United States , bt
that as a nation we are made up chiefly (
shopkeepers and dltch-'Ulgfeers. '
"They have been toiiilorer and over agal
that wa have no courage , that we are afral
to fight , that our navy' is useless , or nearl
so , and that our leaders are all blowhai
politicians. Naturally they have come I
believe this , and so confidently expect I
whip us. As for the lower classes th <
actually believe that the principal Industi
of America ts the raising ot hogs , and at tl
word Americanos they conjure up visions <
swlneherders and their droves.
"Ono or two Instances will glvo a belli
Idea of these popular misconceptions ,
comic paper has just been started In Madrl
It Is called "The Porker , " and Is devoted
the ridicule ot Americans. The title do
not seem at all crude or exaggerated to tl
average Spaniard , I'll warrant. The oth
day the Spanish press printed a report th
the savages of Ohio and Illinois had rls <
and that all the regular troops would ha1
to be called from the seaboard to quell tl
outbreak. From wbtt 1 know ot the state
ot public Information In Madrid , I dare say
this story didn't mine a smllo ot Incredu
lity In all the capital unless U was In the
casd ot some American-born resident. It
seen to be the settled policy ot the Spanish
officials nnd newspapers to Increase rather
than to dltpcl this Ignorance. Therefore
the Spanish people arc likely to experience
a rude awakening before this war Is over ,
an awakening that may be fraught with
danger to these same officials.
The 9mnUh KIKhtlnK Spirit.
"At the same time I bcllcvo that those
who expect Spain to yield the present con
test without a struggle are badly mistaken.
The Spaniard Is really n desperate fighter
when ho ts pushed to It. What Spain has
done townnl quelling the Insurrection In
Cuba ts not to bo taken ns n fair test ot
what It can do In an extremity , There nlay
have been sufficient reasons why the Span
ish generals did not wish to bring the Cuban
war to n speedy end , nnd , anyway , in that
contest the Spanish nation has not been
straining every ncrvo as they will against
the United States. The Spaniard's bonst
about shedding the last drop of blood III
defense of his country's honor may be partly
buncombe , but It Is not altogether without
foundation.
"Some of the wars between the South
American countries , whose people are of
Spanish blood , give Instances of this des
perate species of bravery. In the war be
tween Chill nnd Peru , after the Chilian
vessel had been sunk and while Its crew was
struggling In the water , they still fought
with their knives against the Peruvians who
came to rescue them and died rather than
accept aid at the hands of their enemies. "
"Do > ou think that the present plan ot
raising an army by calling out the national
mllltla will provide a more efficient force
than the north had at Its command at the
beginning of the civil war ? "
"The conditions are widely different , but
they are alike In this : At the beginning of
the civil war It wns necessary to make an
army and now It ts necessary to make an
army. There was mllltla to be called on
then ns now. Perhaps It Is a little moru
numerous and n trltle more efficient and
better equipped now.
A Wnrtlmc Mnxlm.
The * truth of the matter is that we have
plenty of material for the ranks , but It
Inevitably takes some time to get It Into
shape for efficient work. Perhaps the best
lesson to bo drawn from the civil war Is the
necessity of taking plenty of time for
preparation ; It will shorten the contest In
maxim for war time and
the end. A good
one that our leaders seem to be obeying
Is : 'Prepare for the worst and hope for
the best. ' It looks now as though the bruut
of the present \\ar would fall upon the navy.
While I am not a naval authority , It seems
to me that our navy should easily outclass
Spain's In point of efficiency nnd settle that
part of the affair at the first opportunity.
carried to a
"If the war Is vigorously
successful termination , I think that It
should strengthen the moral Influence of the
the European nations
United States among
by correcting some of the false notions that
prevail throughout the continent In regard
the old world the
showing to
to us , and by
American people as they really nro : 'Strong
In righteousness , just and brave. ' "
< iOSSIl * AOUT M TEU 1'KOl'bU.
President Crcspo ot Venezuela , who was
assassinated recently , was very sensitive
about his dark skin. He was more Indian
black blood In
than negro , but despised the
his veins. An American with a camel a who
once took his picture became persona noa
grata because the president's face appeared
too dark.
In the death the other day of Prince Kung ,
president of the Chlneso.f.oreign office , China
has lost Its foremost diplomat and -the man
who virtually ruled the empire from I860 to
of the
1884. Ho was a typical specimen
Manchu gentleman and a statesman of great
ability , with a wide grasp of foreign ques
tions.
Arthur J. Balfour , first lord of the Brltlst
treasury and Lord Salisbury's right-ham
objection to readlns
man has a deep-rooted
newspapers. Lord Roscbery , on the othei
hand.- preferred , when he was Brltisl
premier , to read the criticisms of his friend :
and opponents first-hand , for , in addition ti
, his lordship Inslste. .
all the mornlns papers
upon being regularly supplied with ever ;
edition of every evening newspaper.
When Rudyard Kipling recently vlsltc. .
Capo Town he was visited by a delegatloi
from the South African league , a body vhlcl
professes progressive political principles , am
was asked to give nn Idea for n coat of arm
for the league. He at once sketched a rougl
design , the main feature being n shield ii
four colors-red , white , blue nnd orange
the great rivers o
the divisions being by
South Africa , the Zambesi , the Limpopo , th
. Dominating the whol
Vaal and the Orange.
was the lion couchant. wearing a crown ii
token of the suzerainty. Beneath there wa
a scroll bearing the motto , "Not less thai
the greatest. "
Despite his exile from office , Prince Bis
marck's admirers show no falling off , judgIng
of gifts that marked hi
Ing from the list ,
birthday. The number of letters , telegram
and presents , Indeed , seems to have bee
larger than ever. Among the latter figure
flowers In profusion , cakes , cigars , cheese ;
barrels of beer an
sausages , casks of wine ,
dozens of assorted liquors. The accustome
basket of plovers' eggs from the falthfi
ones of Jever was not wanting , while Bis
marcksburg. In Togoland , sent a tribute c
crows' eggs and coffee. Some Indian prlnc
thought a cage of doves an approprlat
offering. The oddest present perhaps wa
that of a bicycle from several admirers.
The French musician , Mallhol , who hi
Just died at Toulouse , was fond of practlci
jokes. Some years ago he composed a marc
which he considered the proper thing to 1
played at duels , and he sought In vain n
opportunity of having it performed. Finall
he stirred up a quarrel between two singer
and succeeded In getting a duel arrange
Hardly bad 'the two adversaries crosM
swords when to their Intense astonlsumei
they heard a concealed orchestra strike t
f Mallhol's march. Realizing that they wei
8 the vlctlme of the facetious composer , bi
being Gascons themselves , and consequent
fond of a Joke , the two duelists Inughc
and , naturally , the whole affair finished in
t good-tempered way.
s
l The Kennebec ( Me. ) Journal sa > s th ;
t when autograph hunters ask Speaker Rec
for his signature he writes It rather liastll
It and It Is simply T. B. Reed. If the pen do
t not mark plainly the speaker does not a
'f ' ways take pains to dip It anew , provldi
there Js a scrawl and all the letters a
visible. Not so when the oblong forms
parchment are handed to him from tl
committee on enrolled bills , of which Repr
scntatlve Hager of Iowa Is chairman. II
Hinds , the clerk to the speaker's desk , nan
up the pile of parchment and the speak
carefully looks over each. Taking the
down one by one ho writes his name slow
and carefully. It does not appear as T.
Reed , but as "Thomas B. Reed. " The Ii
Is dipped from a bottle that sits within
silver tray , wllch ) has come down from t ;
time when Henry Clay was speaker of t :
house of representatives. Then the sign
ture Is carefully blotted , the precious pare
ment Is carried to the senate , and eventual
finds Its way to the State department , whe
It Is stored away among the archives.
Maos of Cuba at The Bee office Omaha
Council Bluffs or South Omaha. Cut
coupon from page 2. Address Cuban m
dept.
GRUEL CONSUMPTION
CAN BE CUBED.
The "Slo&um System" the Most
Marvelous Discovery
of the Age.
Three Free Bottles of This. Wonderful
Treatment to All "Bee" Readers
for the Asking.
Consumption , Catarrh , La Grippe and Other Lung
.
Troubles at Last Annihilated.
Arc you
a consumptive ?
It is yafe
lo iis-suniu that you inv , for iiino-lontlis
of the liunmn family suitor from one
form or another of this King of Disease's ,
this rii'spoller of homes , this common
enemy of health , which strikes rich and-
poor alike anil Is no respecter of pci'soiib.
Ileretofoie
wvalth has Ircon n necessary part of the
cure wealth to itnke you to tl e Kreen
fields and ( the sunshine of ellnu'-s that
know uuiifjlit hut sitmmer and none hut
the blue skli'.s of. .Tune ; wealth to o-iublc
yon to partake of the. elaborate . -ystems
of hifih-prleed treirtments ; wealth to buy
this Heeling hope that kads yon on and
on to the inevitable end death.
But now
all this has been changed. The poor ,
aye , the pooivst of die poor , may be
saved from tlh > clutch of Consumption ,
La ( .Jrlppe , Catarrh , Coughs nnd the
kindred evils that belong to the con
sumptive family.
Any afflicted
who desire ito avail themselves ot the
benefits of this marvelous discovery ( the
Slocum System ) , which Is offered In a
philanthropic t > plrlt to all who sutler ,
have but to "ask and you shall recel\v. , "
The Sloi'um System
Is "bottled life. " It builds up ithe tired
and woinout bodies of those who suffer.
It noes at once to the seat of tlu disease
and drives out the germs that are living
on your vital strength. It takes hold oC
your blood , and wlure It was once slug
gish and slow It causes H to leap and
dance through your veins with the vigor
of health.
It makes
rich , rosy blood , and rich blood mean *
health and .strength.
The Slocuin System
Is a crystallization of the mighty mlmlf *
1 of the modluil world. It Is u praetiuu.
j condensation of the Investigations of
Koch , 1'n-tour , Vlrohow and Metennr-
kolf , all put In practical form by ono off
the foremost medical M-lentlnts of ithe
country. It Is putting at the frervico ot
sulfoivrs the result of years of s'ludy ' anil
reseaivh of eminent men. which result
they could not have bought with king
doms.
The entire system
lsvfully explained in a now lumphlot ;
brimful of testimonials , which will bo
sent with tlnce free bottler of this re
markable sy.stem of treatment to any
and all readers of Tlij Bee who will
.send their name anil address to Dr. T.
A. Slocum. The Slocnm Building , New
York City , and wliti will 'agree ' 10 use
them for the relief of 'ihoSe who
u.MIHIT A.MJ
31UUIT ALU.\U.
Medicine Reduced to an Exact Science by the
World's Most Famous Physician.
KDITOU'S NOTE All raiders of The Omaha Bee nnxlotiH regarding the
health of themselves , children , relatives or friends , can have Three Frew
Bottles of the Slocum System , a > roprj i > nted lu the above Illustration , with
complete directions , pamphlets , testimonials , etc. , by sending full address to
Dr. T. A. Slocum , The Slocum Building , New York City. Th s Is a plum.
honpst , straightforward offer , and is made to Introduce th. * Merits * of The
Now SyMom oC Medicine , and should 1m accepti'.l at ontv. When writing the
Doctor , please mention The Omaha Bee.
THE AMERICAN NAVY
The United States has few prouder paces In her history than those given to the
exploits of her navy. Are > ou familiar with them ?
How many of these names do > ou know w(5ll ( well enough to recall all that la
associated with them Serapls , Levant , Cjane , Pcaiock , Shannon , Phoebe , Penguin ,
Boxer ? Are they unfamiliar ? Kvery ono of them Is an Important name In Ameri
can history and most of them are names of honor , although they are not names
of American ships.
Of course you can Qnd out about them from uny one of the naval histories , but
then you would get nothing but naval history. Any good United States history will
tell you of them but then you will get nothing but United States history.
In Ridpath's
History of the World
You will find all about them and all history besides. It will be a constant astonish
ment to you to find how thoroughly even the little details arc covered In a single
work. If ever a history deserved the title universal , this does.
What do you know about the Philippine Islands how long they have been sub
ject to Spain about the natives amount of annual exports and Imports , etc. ? II
you turn to Vol. Ill , page 770 , you will find some very Interesting Information.
8 Massive Volumes. 6,500 Pages. Nearly 4,000 Illustrations.
By Joining the Megeath Stationery CO.'H History Club now you cecuro a * set at
halt prices and on easy payments. Thu complete set , eight massive volumes , C.SOO
pages , 4,000 Illustrations , Is delivered on payment of membership fee Ono Dollar.
Fifteen monthly payments thereafter U.CO for cloth-bound ; J2.00 for half Russia ,
by far the more durable and attractive , or $2.50 for eumptuous full morocco.
Members may resign within ten days and their payments will be returned.
Write us for 40-page book of specimen pages and illustrations , maps , chart * ,
etc. Mailed free.
MEGEATH STATIONERY GO , , OMAHA.