12 THE OMAHA DAILY JJJEE : SUNDAY , DECUMBER 21 , 180J ) .
TME OMAHA SUNDAY BE&
B. ItOSUWATtiK , Editor.
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Ailvrrtlnliiir KM n IINIIMM Kiietor.
Publishers' Guide , Now York.
If one thing Is more apparent
than another In the wonderful
newspaper development of the end
of the nineteenth century , It Is that
advertising Is a factor In modern
merchandising as necessary as rsnt
or clerk hire or transportation.
.C'hrlstmas cheer conies only once a
yoir. :
I'oncc on cnrtli , KOOI ! will to sill men
except the I'.ocrs.
General Hnller's C'hristnius tMiddinp : ,
which ho was to eat in Pretoria , evi
dently burned on the bottom.
Ti | to date the prince of Wales lias
not volunteered to KO ( o the Held of
carnage In tliu jungles of South Africa.
There will lie no wolf .prowling aronnd
the. door of the widow and family of
Ceiienil Lawton and there ought .not
to be.
Paul Vandervoort is going to Cuba
for the winter. Somebody ought to
notify the dcfenselesH Cubans to be on
their guard.
With nil its generals In the Trans
vaal England will be In rather a sad
plight if the. French should suddenly
take it into their heads to Invade Brit
'
ain. But
Our old maid friends can console
themselves anyway that whether the
coming year Is the llrst of the twen
tieth century or the last of the nine
teenth , It will only count one In reckon
ing up the age limit.
The weather man has not favored us
with traditional Christmas weather , but
lie has been especially kind to that class
of people who can hardly afford to buy
fuel and to whom cold weather brings
much suffering and distress.
The Croekers are going to build a
million-dollar fireproof hotel. This
hotel Is not to be In Omaha , but in San
Francisco. It serves to remind the
people of. this city that one of its great
est needs Is' a strictly fireproof hotel.
Reports from the Philippines are
that Agulnaldo is Just one lap
ahead of his pursuers , who are making
a spurt to close up the gup. The
chances of his retaining the long dis
tance foot race clminpl > mship are at
present about even.
You can never make tliu clerks in the
postotllce believe there Is not an arm
load of presents there for every man ,
woman and child In the city. Pros
perity Is a good thing , but the postofllcn
clerks prefer to have the evidence of
It scattered through a longer period.
The current number of Harper's
Weekly reproduces an excellent
photograph of 'President MeKlntey and
Assistant Secretary of War .Meiklejohii
strolling together down a AVashlngton
avenue. Nebraska plainly never stood
in higher favor with any national ad
ministration.
Andrew Carnegie has served notice
ipou his employes In the Plttslmrg
Steel works that he has decided to
make a voluntary liiclvaso In their
wages , beginning with Now Year's day.
Carnegie Is one of the very few pluto
crats who are willing to share their pros
perity with the tellers In their work
shoes. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Whatever may be said to the contrary
by the disgruntled Cubans , General
Ilrooke has made a very dignified and
efllcient military governor and Cuba
was very fortunate Indeed to have a
man of his high character and unswerv
ing Integrity placed In the most trying
and responsible position within the gift
of the president Immediately after the
close of the war 'with Spain.
t HV
It goes without saying that the tend
ency of American municipal manage
ment Is on the line of the nonpartlsan
Ideal. The difficulty encountered up to
tills time by municipal reform advo
cates has been to Improvise a scheme
for nonpartlsan nominations without
making choice of candidates nominated
by existing parties or organizing an In
dependent parly pledged to municipal
reform.
The most novel and by all odds the
most practical scheme for divesting
municipal government from all party
bias has been Improvised and recom
mended by the municipal code commis
sion of Ohio. That commission was ap
pointed by Governor Hushnell in April ,
1SOH , and Its report will be submlttrd
to the legislature about to convene In
January.
The Ohio Ideal charter for the gov
ernment of cities divides all municipali
ties Into two classes cities and villages' .
The only difference between cities Is In
the number of olllcers created by city
ordinances. The responsibility f > r
municipal government Is divided be
tween mayor and council. The execu
tive functions devolving upon the
mayor are limited only by the num
ber and character of appointive olllees ,
which are subdivided into four depart
ments on what Is known as the federal
plan. The heads of the /our depart
ments will be appointed by the mayor
without advice or continuation by the
council and will be responsible to the
mayor alone. The mayor may remove
at will any of these directors. Tills
plan llxes the responsibility for the mis
use of power on one man , who will be
accountable to the voters for every fail
ure to perform executive duties.
To guard against a misuse of the ap
pointing power a complete merit sys
tem will be applied to every executive
otllcer , except the mayor and heads of
departments. The city councils are to
be reduced to one chamber , composed of
seven members , three of whom shall be
elected by the city at large and four by
councllmanie districts.
The most novel and Interesting fea
ture of the new departure Is , however ,
the nonpartisan election scheme. Nomi
nations for municipal olllees are to be
made by petition only , and no nomina
tion by caucus or convention will be
recognized. Political designation of
candidates on the ballot is prohibited ,
so that every voter will be compelled to
make intelligent selection. When party
conventions , caucuses or nominations
by primary elections are abolished the
nonpartlsan principle will have fair
play.
Another striking feature of the pro
posed Ohio code for cities Is to be found
In dealing with franchises. It Is pro
posed that every city shall have the
right to own , control and manage its
own telephone , gas , electric lighting and
water plants after the people have de
cided upon such action. Cities of over
SO.tKX ) population shall have the right
to own and operate their own street car
lines. No council can alienate by gift ,
sale or lease any franchise for jiny
public utility excepting upon submis
sion to and approval by the people.
Abundant provision is , however , made
for protecting the rights of owners of
existing franchises.
Tlie homo rule section of the pro
posed Ohio code Is also an Innovation
that will meet with great favor among
municipal reformers. The amplest
power of self-government will bo given
the municipalities , based upon the con
viction that , the people of any given lo
cality know far better what they need
than the members of a legislature re
siding in a hundred other localities.
Whether this Ohio Idea will meet the
sanction of the incoming Ohio legisla
ture Is still problematic. The changes
proposed In the method of city govern
ment are so radically at variance with
the existing machinery for' governing
Ohio cities , excepting alone In the fed
eral plan of responsible department
heads , that It Is doubtful whether a
majority of the legislature cau be con
verted. The pressure from political
bosses and corporation lobbyists will
also be hard lo resist. In any event
the Ohio Idea will become a subject of
discussion ill every section of the coun
try and some , if not all , the reforms It
proposes will be engrafted upon the
charters of American cities.
IXTKItKHTIXO lAllll ( F.H.TS ,
The bulletin of the New York bureau
of labor for the quarter ending with
.September , just issued , presents pome
very Interesting facts regarding the
condition of labor in that state. It
shows Unit during the period covered
there had been a rapid Increase In the
membership of labor organizations and
a largely reduced percentage of idle
ness , as compared with the correspond-
lug quarter of the previous year. The
Increase In the number of trade unions
was li.i ! : and the membership of labor
organisations Increased 38,000 , During
the quarter the number of members Idle
was only 2..1 per cent of the member
ship , as compared with 5.7 per cent In
1SS. ! ) The diminished Idleness , the re
port states , Is accompanied with In
creased earnings In most of the trades.
These fortunate conditions are not pe
culiar to New York. .They are paral
leled In till of the Industrial states , such
as Massachusetts , Pennsylvania. Ohio
and Illinois , and Indeed It Is not Improb
able that In some of these states the
percentage of Idleness among members
of labor organizations is even less than
In the Kmplro state , small as that Is.
Perhaps Now York Is somewhat In ad
vance of other states in the Increase of
labor unions , though progress In this r < > -
spoct Is being everywhere made. The
Federation of Labor now has a mem
bership of about 800,000 and this does
not embrace all organized labor. At
the recent convention of the Federation
It was shown that there had been n
great decrease In Idleness during the
past year and that the conditions as 10
both employment and wages were
highly satisfactory.
Such fads furnish the mobt conclu
sive evidence of prosperity and the man
who In the face of such evidence as
serts that the country is not really pros-
per-ius , ns some of the demoi-mllo lend
ers do , proclaims himself o wanting in
Intelligence or honesty as to be un
worthy of confidence or respect. Cor-
I talnly such people will it of be able to
deceive the worklngmen.
Tin : nnnir KII > / tnrt.\n.
Tlie announcement thnt Andrew Car-
| neglo Is iilmnt to present to the city of
Lincoln u . fTt'.OOO public library build-
ln . ' . conditioned upon the furnishing uf
a site nntl nit assurance of an nniiiiiil
appropriation for maintenance and cur
rent expenses , iclnl'crcps the. faet that
there Is a right kind of giving and a
wrong kind of giving. The right kind
of giving , Illustrated hy Mr. Carnegie's
Kilt , Is that which alms at Improving
the condition , menial , physical or mural ,
of the pi-eat body of the people. A pub
lic library well housed and adminis
tered is a constant and perpetually
potent factor In the upbuilding of a
community ; it becomes a center of edu
cational study and research and supple
ments the work of the public schools
to ninny of those who have cither com
pleted their school course or have been
unable by force of circumstances to
avail themselves of the advantages of
otir public school system.
The wrong kind of giving , of course ,
Is that which panders to the selfish de
sires of the Individual gifts which are
consumed once and for all time and
leave no traces of good accomplished.
It is the useless class of gifts as dis
tinguished from those that are called
useful , using the term In Its broadest
sense. AVhllo few can bestow benev
olence upon thn scale Indulged by Mr.
Carnegie , the principle he has adopted
can bo followed even down to the
smallest degree. . In spreading this doc
trine Mr. Carnegie's gifts are accom
plishing as much as by the direct re
sults of the institutions he Is founding.
/.VN PUltKMUiiT SELKIRK.
Field Marshal Lord Huberts , the fore
most soldier of Great Itritain in respect
to achievement , has started for South
Africa , bearing with him the esteem ,
confidence and hope of the Hrltish na
tion. Less than a month ago General
Duller was heralded as a military com
mander who would speedily retrieve
what Britain had lost ami show the
Doers what real war meant He left
England jiinltl enthusiastic popular acclaim
*
claim and having the nnloundedcontl- )
dencc of his countrymen , many of
whom believed that the boast that he
would cat his Christmas dinner In Pre
toria would be verified.
Ituller's prestige was eclipsed in a
single battle and today he stands no
better In English public opinion than
the other generals In South Africa
whose military knowledge and experi
ence have availed them little against
tlie tactics of an enemy for whom they
had only contempt. Koberts may not
have such an experience , for while un
doubtedly a much abler military man
than Duller , he will hardly fail to profit
by the bitter lesson the Drltlsh have
had In South Africa. His record as a
soldier entitles him to the confidence
that is reposed in him and although
well advanced in years his mental
faculties are probably as strong and
acute as they have ever been. Then he
will have as his chief of staff another
distinguished 'soldier , General Kitch
ener.
The record of General Roberts justi
fies the expectation that there will be
11 change in the situation very soon
after his arrival In South Africa , but
there is very sure to be disappointment
for those who anticipate sweeping Drlt
lsh victories.
A COMMERCIAL I'ltODLUM.
Whether or not there will be In the
future closer commercial relations be
tween the United Slates and Germany
will probably depend chiefly upon the
policy of the latter country. President
McKInley said In his annual message
that "In all that promises closer rela
tions of Intercourse and commerce and
a better understanding between two
races having so many traits In com
mon , Germany can be assured of the
most cordial co-operation of tills gov
ernment and people. We may be rivals
in many material paths , but our rivalry
should bo generous and open , ever aim
ing toward the attainment of larger re-
suits and the mutually beneficial ad
vancement of each In the line of Its es
pecial -adaptabilities. " Heclproclty
negotiations with Germany are pending ,
but It Is not likely that anything will
bo accomplished prior to the framing
of a new German tariff , which a com
mission Is now engaged in doing. In
tliu meantime there appears to bo a
growing sentiment In both countries
favorable lo closer trade relations.
Prof. Gore of Columbian university
has made a valuable contribution to
the discussion of tills question , which
shows It to be a matter of larger Im
portance than Is ordinarily supposed.
Our total trade with Germany amounts
to ? 250,000)00 ( ) annually and In 180S
the oxcous In favor of the L'nlteil
Stuli'H was $ in,000,000 : , while as late
us 1S1K5 the balance of trade was In the
opposite direction. Obviously ihls Is
a trade worth fostering and the prob
lem Is as to what shall be done to pre
serve ami Increase II. Prof , Gore
says : "We need Germany as a buyer
of foods , of raw materials and of cer
tain manufactures that for obvious rea
sons wo are especially fitted to fur
nish , " and he adds : ' 'There has not
been for twelve years such an .ppor-
tinio tlmo'as now for putting tills coun
try on tlie safe side In our commercial
relations with Germany. The term of
Germany's tariff schedule ) has nearly
expired and a commission Is now pre
paring the schenie for the new uiie.
Since these bills have a lixed period
during which they are not subject to
change , it will be readily appreciated
that the prosperity of the United States
Is t j a considerable extent Involved In
the conditions that may be placed on
Imports from this country. AS an in
dustrial country Germany would lie
only too glud to make favorable ar
rangements with the I'nlted states , but
something must be conceded for each
favor expected and a sort of reciprocity
must prevail. " What Voncesslims shall
this country make In order to obtain
a larger share nf German. * ' * trade ?
, What sort of reciprocity ciu : we offer
to bring about closer eonitiimercial re
lations between tile two countries ?
The chief complaint of Germany is In
regard to the countervailing sugar duty ,
j applying to sugars Imported from coun-
j tries that pay an export bounty. Wo
| cannot abandon Unit duty without
I doing an Injury to our own sugar In-
j dustry and therefore It Is useless for
I Germany to seek any concession In this
1 direction. As to other features of our
i tariff which have reduced Imports from
Germany It Is entirely certain that they
will not undergo any chniige In the
Immediate future and whenever they
are modified it Is highly probable that
the conditions will be such that Ger
man manufacturers will get no material
benefit. It appears , therefore , that the
promise of establishing closer commer
cial relations between U < > rmtiiy : and the
1'nlted States is not particularly bright ,
for the reciprocity provided for In the
existing tariff law offers no great op-
portuulty for trade Improvements and
there Is no probability of any conces
sions beyond this.
C.lU.SfcS OF ST
The monetary stringency Is due to
various causes. There has been during
the past year an unprecedented expan
sion of trade , prices of commodities
1mvo advanced , labor has been active
at Increased wages , all of these condi
tions making a demand for more money.
Then the creation of new corporations
and the consolidation of old ones , repre-
resentlng Issues of stocks and bonds
aggregating n billion and n half of dollars
lars , diverted loanable funds to n very
large amount from legitimate enter
prises. Federal taxation IIIIH tended to
reduce the volume of money In circula
tion , the gold in the treasury having
risen $ ( X,000,00 ) ( ) within the year.
While there has been a considerable
addition to the money supply it has not
kept pace with the growth in trade and
the rise in values. Noting those concur
rent conditions conducing to monetary
stringency , the New York .louriml of
Commerce says the situation lias been
seriously strained by the absence of
elasticity in our currency arrangements.
"The retail trade , " remarks Unit paper ,
"and the fall forwarding of the crops
arc dependent almost exclusively upon
bank notes and the silver currency.
Doth these forms of money are a virtu
ally lixed quantity. It has thus been
Impossible to satisfy the unprecedented
demand for these forms of money. "
It says that had the banks of
the seaboard cities us well as those of
the western centers boon grunted terms
upon which they could conveniently
and with reasonable profit expand their
note issues to meet these fall emergen
cies , their lawful money reserves would
have been kept intact , there would have
been no need to artificially contract
their local loans nor to withhold accom
modation from the banks of the agricul
tural sections ; stringency would have
been Impossible and the rate of interest
would have remained stable.
Such experience as we are having is
undoubted ! } * calculated to Impress the
public with the expediency of legisla
tion that will enable the banks to Is
sue "emergency" circulation under
such restrictions as would prevent mi-
duo inflation. The comptroller of the
currency strongly advocates this , pro
posing that the notes thus allowed to
bo Issued be subjected to so heavy a
tax that they could not be Issued in
normal times for tlie purpose of prolit.
lie urges that the tax should be so
large as to force tills currency into re
tirement as soon as the emergency
passes. The chairman of tlie house
committee on banking and currency ,
Itepresentative Drosins of Pennsyl
vania , approves this suggestion as a
practicable plan of providing an elastic
currency and it has been endorsed by
many prominent financiers. This Is
one of the matters In connection with
the currency which ought to receive the
careful consideration of congress.
Farmer Frank Hlbhard , who has
been feeding at the popocratlc trough
for the last four years and ought to bo
familiar with sham reform by this time ,
bus suddenly discovered that the do-
nothing railroad commission Is a sine
cure with which tlie taxpayers of the
state could well dispense. All tills be
cause tlie railroads have recently
changed their scnedule from carload to
pound rates on cattle shipments from
Irvlngton. Mr. Hihhard bus known all
these ; years that the do-nothing com
mission was about as usele.-s as a food
commissioner , and ho has known uli-o
that his reform parly stood pledged to
rid tlie state of the Imposition , but lie
never winked once until the locomotive
struck him. Hence these steers !
The state employment bureau gives
out a statement that It has n inrge num
ber of applications for employment ,
some of which are from those who pro
fess lo be willing to do manual labor ,
but the greater portion from applicants
for clerical positions. Those who de
sire manual labor need not apply to the
bureau for a Jon , as the johs are huntIng -
Ing for them. Only last week an Iowa
railroad was forced to glvo up some
contemplated Improvements because
men could not be found to do the work.
The Nebraska sheriffs who have been
meeting in Omaha in their organisa
tion lay great stress on the luck of
available funds with which to pay the I
transportation of sheriffs taking people
to the penitentiary , insane asylum or !
reform school , and call on tin * leglsla- i
turo to be more liberal In Its next up- j
proprlallon bills. As most of the slier-j
Ill's ride on free passes the hardship
seems to bo not so much ( in those offi
cials as on the rallronds that have to
furnish ( lie transportation.
Pronunciamcntos and edicts seem 10
bo the order of the day. No sooner had
the defuncto candidate for I' . S. S. Is
sued his manifesto to the Slate Doard
of DII Nothings than up Jumps Candi
date for Congress defacto Smyth with a
peremptory writ ordering the llitvirail -
load drmlos to enforce an order which
had boon plgon'i-hnlod two years ago by
order of the railroad managers. Pres
ently wo shall see what wo shall see.
The probabilities are that the Honor
able .loo Edgorton and the Very Honor
able .llni Dahlinan and the lllght Hon
orable Gilbert L. Laws will took Upon
the Smyth edict as did the astronomers
of old upon the pope's bull ng.ilnst the
comet.
Attorney General Smyth has put his
typewriter Into action in the freight
rale controversy. The last reports from
the tiring line Indicated that the Dourd
of Transportation was entrenching ami
unless unforeseen events occur was
hopeful of being able to hold Its present
position without calling for reinforce
ments.
When Constantine .1. Smyth gets to
be congressman managers of the trusts
will take to the woo.ls. Farmer Hlb-
bard will get a premium from the rail
road for shipping his fat stock by rail
to South Omaha , and the W.-II. will
have a system of free telephone and
telegraph wires Installed In Its counting
room.
The unanimity of the Insurance
agents In favor of the Weaver law after
II has been knocked cold by the su
preme court Is most phenomenal. When
the bill was before tlie legislature no
Insurance agent could be found to slug
Its praises. H Is another en o of "be
fore taking" and "after taking. "
The gold product Ion of the United
States for the past year shows a heavy
lneroao and will help out the shortage
from the Transvaal. Whenever tlie
world Is short of anything H calls on
America to let out another notch to sup
ply the deficiency and it always re-
SIK uds.
Tlie conscription of Drltlsh transat
lantic greyhounds Into the military
marine operating In South Africa will
doubtless intensify the hostile sentiment
of the French , who will interpret this
reduction of o/oan transportation facili
ties as a blow at the Paris exposition.
CIIIINC mill Hlloi't.
I'hllndeilphla Times.
Naturally enough the money market never
Bets tight when the nioney Hews llko
"
water.
Calm A in 111 ( InStorm. .
Kansas City Journal.
N
The great , throbbing west has reached that
comfortable position where London and New
York can throw all kinds of fits without
disturbing UB serenity.
Great 1'oivornVaalnnr. .
Baltimore American.
England Is not the only great power losing
pcstlge. A Gotham plumber was found wan
dering In the streets , homeless and penni
less. Theru eeerae to be a general uprising
of the humble and lowly everywhere against
their haughty tyrants and oppressors.
Star * In die INiNtnl l-'lrinainenf.
Philadelphia Ledger.
The now order of the I'ostonice depart
ment , giving letter carriers stars Instead
of stripes to designate length of service ,
may bo in the interest of esthetics , but
not of uniformity. "Service stripes" are
In use everywhere , in this country , and In
others , but the department will have Its
service stars to itself.
lallalloii Sharply lliiUrd.
Springfield Republican.
One wholesome effect of the panic will bo
to call a sharp halt on the building up of
more Inflated combinations. It Is announced
as a result of the present state of tbo money
market that the proposed thresher combination
tion- $60,000,000 capitalization , the chain
combination , $0,000,000 , and the chair com
bination have been given up for the tlmo
being at least. They do not find their pro
posed securities popular In the market.
A lUlHon-Dollar Country.
Louisville Courier-Journal.
General Harrison some years ago , in re
sponse to a complaint that the government's
expenses had Increased to an enormous
sum , replied : "Well , this is a billion-dollar
country. " From the reports of our foreign
trade It seems that the United States Is a
billion-dollar country In fact anil truth. Kor
the cloven months ending November 30 our
combined Imports and exports aggregatedd
| 1,8C3,930-I07 , and If December keeps up the
a\erago the total will reach ? 2,033,370,000
for the full year.
AVliy Simla Hcjok-cx.
Doston Transcript.
Ono result of the campaign In northern
Luzon will carry gladness to Spain. In the
last month our troops have compelled the
Insurgents to allow at least 3,000 of their
Spanish prisoners to escape. These men our
government will furnish with transporta
tion nnd otherwise nd ! In reaching their
far-off homes. Many of them have boon
captives with the Insurgents ever wince
May , 189S , when Agulnaldo began his Insur
rection as Admiral Dewey's auxiliary. They
liavo suffered untold hardships , but have
berne up under them all and have retained
enough nplrlt to take a hand with our troops
In getting even with their former captors.
( iatlu'rlaK In Culiati A mix.
Now York Mall and KxprcsH.
The surrender to the American officials
of 10,000 rifles and a largo amount of am
munition by the authorities of ono Rinnll
town In Cuba helps to confirm the belief
that largo stiDplles of war material were
secroti.'d by the insurgents at the clone of
hostilities and arc Btlll held for fjucKtlonablo
purposes. The threats of armed resistance
to American authority which have recently
Itccn made In some parts of Cuba are per
haps inaplred , to some extent , by the knowl
edge that weapons are easily available and
so long B such Is the case them Is always
danger of lawless outbreaks. Conditions In
the Island are such that the nooner these
lildden arms are discovered nnd placed un
der lock and key the better for all Interests.
( irotvlli of llfiiMHiiraair. .
Chicago Chronicle.
Life- Insurance men are congratulating
UieiDBulvPs over the business retrospect for
ISU'J by rcaaon of the largo amount of new j
Insurance Issued and of its ( juallty. In j
other words , It is said to be Insurance that |
etlcks. The term "life Insurance men , " by |
the way. Is rather more comprcheiiBlvo '
than It at first appears. It means not only '
company magnates and their lens of tlmuI I
sands of Held workers , but also tha members :
of the companies themselves , the policy
holders , who now number close upon 2,000-
000. These are ccrtulnly lifo Insurance men
In the broadest and best tense , with a vital
aliaro in the prosperity of their respective j
companies and a profound lntent > i in all <
that pertains to the advancement of the
line organizations with which they arc con
nected. To them It IE a matter of more
than ordinary Interest to know that thou- I
band * of new Insurants have Joined their '
ranks during the year and that the latter
have come Intending to HI ay. It Is gunned
that not far from $1.000,000.000 more In
surance will bo In operation in the regular
companies at the end of isaa than waw In
force when the year began
' MX II , Ml SHOTS IT TIIF. I'MPIT
| Chloneo T'mos-Herald. ' The avornpe sal
nry pnlil 10 Methodist minister * In thl coun
I try la t jour \vns \ $173.33. Atler all , tin
j } 10-H-we ( < ! i clerk at the rlbtun countei
might know hlo blblo better nml fnrc wors
Cleveland Plain Dealer : It wns an Atlant :
pastor who said In his Sunday crmon thn
he believed our principal Institutions o
Irnrnlnfc voro "going to hell nt the rate o
a mile n minute , sweeping , as ( bey go , mln.
Isters nnd laymen by the thousands. " Some
I body should furnish this recldcsa down grnrtt
I pArfon with a full set of airbrakes.
Detroit Vreo Press : Thcro In a Inrgi
clement of our citizenship thnt Is shockri
at the nttlttide of many ministers towan
our own foreign policy with its tragic at
tendants. They want liberty at home , bill
uphold enforced vnt-salnge In ur new pos
sessions. They Indorse militarism there am' '
would llglit It here. They \vmild take U
the * field to defend our Independence , bill
c-neotirnge wnrfnro upon BtriiEslIng Inde
pendence abroad. Their prcnchmrnts arc
for pMcp > except when the fundamental.
of rellRlon are overshndo\\Cil by the Im
pulses of a sanguinary , thmiRli unworthy
and Irreconcilable patriotism. It civiliza
tion demntulp such wars , then civilization
Is only rcflned and educated li.irbarlsm , cat-
lug with a silver fork nnd observing other
urtlflcliil proprieties.
riitso\\i : , A\I > orunitwisl : .
Is catching on to the South Omnlin
plan of handing a bullet to the man who
asks "jour money or your lite. "
( ircat Hrltatn resolutely leclllics to par-
llclpnto In the cnd-of-tlie-cftitury discus
sion. dent Ilrllnln has trouble enough.
The most aggravating feature of those
Hocr victories Is that the Hocr generals do
not wear medals or a uniform to Bpeak cf.
Senator Wolcott'n famous Imv library In
Denver Is the envy of the Colorado bar.
The senator recently retimed an offer of
$50,000 for Its 10,000 volumes.
The cruel Irony of fate was strikingly
shown In the house of representatives last
week when adjournment wns taken , out of
roepcct to the memory of Richard I' . lUand ,
Immediately nfter the passing of the gold-
standard Mil ,
Civilization Is making some progress In
Arizona. Two actors wounded each other
by using ball Instead cf blank cartridges
In the play. A few years back the shooting
came froai ( spectators who resented tin ? per
nicious ncllvity of the vaudevllllan In chas
ing thu soii'jretle.
AmoiiR the members of the present con
gress 03 per cent wear I'rliico Alberts and
ellk hats , which has caused observers to re
mark that It Is the best dressed congress in
many years. A majority of the senators
stick to business suits , while a great many
of them drees like farmers.
Dr. Benjamin Andrews , superintendent of
Chicago's Bchool , is again In trouble. Helot
lot go his hair-trigger mouth recently , much
to the annoyance of the Intellectual giants
who hold down chairs In the city council.
Andrews resents the notion that aldermen
possess a monopoly of gas In that section.
Colonel Baden-Powell , commander of the
belcagurcd British in Mafekinp , Is not al
lowed n monopoly of the gaiety of war. The
Boers nre handing him a few harmless balls ,
containing requests to save a few snorts of
whisky for them when they call. The
humorous colonel responded gallantly with
several high-balls.
You can't lose 'cm. Out la the sunny
land of Samoa , lounging beneath the shads
of royal pulms , is "His excellency , Sir George
Thomas Michael O'Dlen , knight commander
of the most distinguished Order of St.
Michael nnd St. George , her llritannlc
majesty's high commissioner for the west
ern Pacific. " So reads the name and title
attached to a proclamation published In an
Apia paper.
Several young women , presumed to be
handsome nnd charming , nre about to start
a magazines in Chicago devoted exclusively
to the interests and wellbelng of bachelora.
That , surely , is an Ideal ambition. Here
tofore the welfare of bachelors has been
woefully neglected. When chunnlng young
women take after them their welfare and
future state does not require the gift of
prophecy to picture.
I'UXSIO.VIXG
Startling I'ronoNltlnii KniljoiUrd in a
Illll Iiitroilnrril la the Svunte.
Philadelphia Ledser.
In every laud the soldier who wilfully
abandons his post In wartime and becomes a
deserter is branded with Indelible disgrace
and should consider himself fortunate if he
has escaped the death penalty utter n sum
mary trial. One who lias so grievously of
fended against his country and the code of
honor does not deserve , according to mili
tary law , the forgiveness or forgotftilncss
of a magnnnlmous government ; must less
does bo deserve any portion of the pensions
or other rewards which are the recompense ,
when worthily bestowed , for disability re
ceived In the line of duty by the faithful
patriot In arms. Desertion Is an Insuperable
bar to llio allowance of pensions under tbo
existing federal law. The barrier cannot be
removed without effacing the distinctions b9-
tween right nnd wrong , fidelity and faithless
ness , honor nnd dishonor. The rule that ex
cludes deserters from the bounty of the gov
ernment U so just , so obviously necessary ,
not only to safeguard tlie treasury , but to
preserve primary distinctions , that the pith-
lie wore naturally astonished by the recent
announcement that Senator Cullom had In
troduced In the senate a hill wiping out thcsi
distinctions , proposing full amnesty and f r-
givcni'BS for nil deserters during the rebel
lion and moiling them eligible lo a plnco on
the pension roll , If disability received during
their transient military service can bo
proved.
The me.ro presentation of a bill of thli
character Is an inault to the senate , to tbo
nation and to every veteran who doca not
wish to convert liln country's roll of honor
Into a roll fit infamy. Every pension certifi
cate should bo tbo credential of loyal , faith
ful soldierly service and thn certificate of a
soldier' * ) dishonorable discharge from tliu
service Is a voucher for courage and con-
Htancy of priceless value to the veteran.
The deaerlor bears no such credentials and
has no Biich voucher , yet It IB proponed to
cheapen every evidence of soldierly fidelity
In the country by making dt'sorters and
bounty jumpers eligible for n place on the
pension lift without the possession or pro
duction of throe badges of honorable service.
It is inconceivable that tlie pension esti
mate for tbo fiscal year K'Ol ' , reaching the
colossal aggregate cf } H5,230:30 , is to bo
Increased by the addition of an unknown
hut large sum parsing to deserters as n
reward , nut for tliu performance of sol
dierly duly well done , but practically as an
encouragement of cowardice , evasion of duty
and the comml&slon of the tint reprehen
sible offense known to the military code.
Hut remarkable propositions are likely to fen
submitted to tliu congrc ? . preceding a na
tional election. Some of them may bo favor
ably received to catch votes. lioth parlies
will net a sail to catch every fnvorlng breeze ,
but "friendship for the soldier" should not
carry congress to such an extreme limit
ao to embrace drucrtcrs and liiutity Jumpers.
Whether tills remarkable bill lias been Intro
duced by misapplied "courlcny. " with mi
serious purpose lo press It to pasnagc , or
whether it SB a deliberate movement , ro-
malnti to be dlsclosod. Hut It IB a typical
example of the inUchlevouB legislation which
thrifty pension attorney * will vnduavtr to
push through rongivjs before tbo presiden
tial fli-cllon , when the courageof the bo-.Iy
In not likely to be very aggressive ! ) ' in evi
dence.
i.\vi-s I.-IKMI n\M's itoitv
Many lose thplr nmils to MVP their * kin
Spiritual vision lt > not material bllmlncpn
It Is ft mtalHke to be fore-vcr crpytcg
copies.
The roses drop from sin , but thc > tlinmi
remain.
The simplest patriotism Is this hardest ! <
practice.
llltimilmii Is nn nttrtrtpt to feed"lucn on
furniture.
The godly man Is ho who aels ulvliicly t
his fellows.
The riper the frtill Of hollncfc , tlid IOW-T
It be mis ItBclf.
Ho ! s n brave men who thinks new
thoughts aloud.
A criminal may escape * from his cell , but
not from himself.
Duplicity of conduct will not win Im-
pllrlty of confidence.
There- will be "good will amongst men"
when they all do llul's will.
The angel's song l.s not set for their choir
alone , but for nil the chorus of
DO.MK.STK IM.r.ASA vri
Chlrapo Tribune : Maude After our on
gngemoiit Jack told me It was a case of
love at llrst sltbt on hlH part.
Clara-'l'oor ' fellow ! Is lie near-sighted ?
Puck : Pntlicr-So my daughter referred
you to me"
The Suitor Yes , Just as a matter of form.
Chicago Itecnnl : "Don't you love an old-
fashlmied Hiiowstorm , l'aillitH'7"
"Yen , If the man who takes mo out has u
llPW-fllKlllolllMl
Washington Star : "Oh , have you scon
your i'h riHt inns present to me , dear ? " ulu-
linked ,
"No , " lie answered , "what Is It ? "
"This beautiful imffot for the dining
room. "
"Uy Cioorgo , it Is halulsonio ! " he mild ,
"how mucJi Old I pay for It ? "
Chicago Post : "Stolen kisses nro swcct-
ept. " he said.
"How I dislike a man who doesn't pra. -
lice what he preaches , " silo returned.
.Occasionally n man has to be jarred before -
fore ho realizes what l going on.
Detroit Journal : "I had thought thee an
Idol of gold , " he sadly sighed , "but thy feet
nre clay ! "
Ucronlce Itrlsklt contemplated him with
hauteur , also froldeur.
"Well they're only 2H's , If I do say it
myself ! " shu retorted.
lloro they drifted apart , Inasmuch as they
wcio palpably not alnnlte souls.
Cleveland Plain Dealer : "Do you think
George IH as near-plghtud as ho pretend *
to be ? "
" 1 don't know' " . Why do you ai-k ? "
"Ho wns trying to toll the color of my
eyes last evening and he not HO oloso that
his mustache tickled my upper lip. "
THIS WONDUHKl'l , ( 'IIIIIST.M.VS TIII3I3.
On Ibis sharp winter's night child-eyes are
bright ,
And their voices full with ROP. !
For well they know strange fruit doth grow
On the wonderful Christmas tree.
Its branching arms bear varied store ,
XutB and candles and sweets galore.
Whllo the selfsame tree tit this good tlmo
Is rich with the fruit of every clime.
Did you loiii ? for a slol or express cart red ,
Or a doll-baby fair to son ?
Then wait your turn , right soon you'll lc rn
Tho'ro on the Christmas tree.
At Christmas time once In each year
This tree by magic doth appear.
And whcneo It comes , or whore It cocs ,
These uro things which no child knows.
Wouldst llko to leurti whence comes Its
cheer ?
Then listen now to me ,
iVlillo I shall tell in what sweet dell
Grows Kteen the Christmas tree.
In soli made fertile by father'.1) love
And watered by mother's tears.
This magic tree strikes down Its roots
And Its long nrms skyward rears.
Then honor they parents , my lioy and girl ,
Who pray on bended knees- .
That their love-l ones may roam and ba
happy
' .Mid a forest of Christmas trees.
Omaha. G. A. .M'LKAN.
HMY.MKS 01. ' TIII3 DAY.
Iaii > ( y .Stocking" .
ladles' Home Journal.
Oh. mothers ! n homes tlnit are happy
Where Christmas comes laden with cheer ,
Where the children are dreamlnpr already
Of the merriest day In the year.
As you gather your darlings around you
And tell them the ' 'story of old , "
Remember the homes that nre dreary !
Itcmembcr the hearts that are cold !
And thanking the love that has dowered
you
With all Hint Is dearest and best ,
Give freely , that from your abundance
Some linrc little life may be blessed !
Oh. go where the stockings' hang empty ,
Where Christmas IB naui > ht but n numa ,
And give for the love of the Christ-child !
" 1'wus to seek Hiich as these that He came.
llefon * anil After fSlvliiK.
New York Herald.
I.
My love has all thnt wealth can bring ;
5f comforts ov'ry mortal thing ;
! ut as 1 think of Chrlstnlnn near ,
With all Its frolic , fun and cheer ,
heave a sigh of bitter woe ,
And think of Croesus long ago ,
\ml yearn for riches , too. that I
IMio whole wide. Aynrld fur her might buy ,
Oh , poor , unhappy me !
II.
Vo costly sifts I gave my love ;
iut with the mistletoe above ,
A klM 1 gave her well , say two !
? he blushed a lovely rosy hue ,
Phe while she murmured In my oar ,
"JUKI what I wanted , Jack , my door ! "
Oh , happy , happy me !
A Merry Christmas
to All.
Evening
Clothes
A suit for evening dress
used to be a costly luxury.
Only the best tailors could
offer you a satisfactory fit.
We have changed all
that.
that.Our
Our newest patterns are
simply perfect and the prices
are half What the tailors
charge ,
And at the same time
we can supply you with
shirts collars ties
proper , , ,
shirt studs and cuff buttons
and shirt protectors , as well
as the right thing in over
coats in fact , with every
thing but shoes.
IIHlalilc and Kirlimlvo I'iiriiliherl.
Closed All Day
Christmas.
