THE OMAITA DAILY BEE : RATUHPAV , , TAXtTATCV 0 , 1000. TIIE OMAHA DAILY DEE. E. UOS'EWATER. Editor. I'L'UMBIIKD EVEUY MORNING. Dally Bee ( without Sunday ) , Ono Year.$6.00 Dftlly Bee and Sunday , One Your S.OO Dally. Sunday and Illustrated , Ono Year S.3o Sunday ami Illustrated , one Year J.'K Illustrated Bee , Ono Year 2.00 Sunday Hoe , One. Year 2.00 Saturday Bee , Ono Year 1-80 Weekly Bco , One Year I. . . . . . .95 OFFICES. Omaha : The Bee Building. , . _ „ . . South Omaha : City Hall Building , twenU'-tlflh nnd N streets. Council Bluffs : 10 Pearl slreet. Chicago : IWO Unity Building. New York : Temple court. Washington : SOI Fourteenth Street. CORRESPONDENCE. Communications relating to news and edi torial mailer should be addressed : Omaha Heft , Editorial Department. BUSINESS LETTERS. Business letters and remltlancos should bo addressed : The Bee Publishing Com pany , Omaha. Omaha.REMITTANCES. . Remit by draft , express or postnl order , payable to The Boo Publishing Company. Only 2-ccnt stamps accepted In payment of mall nceounts. Personal checks , except on Omaha or Eastern exchange , not accepted. THE BEE PL'BLISIIINO COMPANY. JJTATI5MI2XT OP CIIICIJI.ATIO.V. State of Nebraska , Douglas County , ss. : OcorRO H. Tzschuck , secretary of The Boo Publishing Company , being duly sworn , says that the nctuiil number uf full nnd complete copies of Thp Dally , Morning , Evening and Sunday Bee , printed during the'month of December , 1SVJ , was ns fol lows : 1 U 1,700 17 li.-.imr. Net total sales ' ' i.tfoa Net dally 'avernRc - OEORPE H. THSCHUCK. Sulicrlbod and sworn before mo this 1st day of January , A. D. 1POO. . M. B. HUNTATE. ( Seal. ) Notary Public. Wliut is tlu- Hoard of County Toin- inlKsloncrs oliiK to do about Albyn 1'nmk's dollV _ . Judge Sfott says ho retires from tlio bench wltli plwistirc. That will do to lull tliu horse marines ! . If sill thu sulf-inailts puffs of all the poriOLTats who want city ollii'o arc to 1) ) printed tin- party orstm will have to enlarge the paper. „ The Iowa legislature does not meet until next week , but the wires at the DCS Molncs end are already pretty close to the fnsiiis point. The TUiers are reported to have fired shells Into the Hngllsli lines loaded with plum pudding. This blow below the belt is clearly a foul under the rules. Omaha's two. ycjlhyv journals have now reached the condition of "Von pat me'and ' T pat you. " This is'another jl case of "I expected this , but not so " soon. Seventy-live cents a day in fines IS all that the police court has turned into the school board treasury In 180'J. ' No wonder Judge ( Jordon is popular unions tile criminal classes. Of course tlit-re Is nothing wrong In the oflico of the late clerk of the dis trict court. All this trouble arises slm- pl j'- because of the exposure of his crooked work in The Hee. The 1'eter Cooper club will have a goodly sized art gallery stowed away In the basement if the pictures of all populist leaders unfaithful to their promises are to be consigned to the storage room. A judge of the Oiowii supreme court has promulgated the opinion that twenty-two years is long enough to hold olllce and lie will'voluntarily retire. It Is always refreshing to find a man who known when he has had enough. How kind of the members of the pop ulist national committee to go to all the trouble to assemble at Lincoln at the same , time as the meeting of the populist - ! list state committee , Just to give the ' latter friendly counsel and advice. Interest in the lowu senatorial tight appears to be centered more on what Dr. Klker Is going to do next than upon the result of the organization of the legislature. As a handy legislative acrobat Klkcr Is entitled to the cham pionship belt. The supreme court pressure gauge shows that unless the safety valve goes nil pretty soon an explosion Is likely to * follow. c There are so many appll- cants for the clerkship perched on the lever that the pressure Is rapidly reachIng - Ing the danger point. If Albyn Frank wants to test the new law requiring him to account for fees received as clerk of the district court the way to do It Is to arrest him for embezzlement at once. That Is what his refusal to pay over public money which ho has appropriated amounts to. When the popocratle conference was called to meet at Lincoln Mr. I'Mmisten neglected to state "None admitted ex cept on Invitation. " The result Is he has a number of uninvited guests mi his hands whom he cannot well get rid of. The democrats are sticking closer to the populist wagon than a poor re lation. IMaylng revolution will probably not bo so popular In Franco since the sen- tonee to prison of one of the royalist conspirators. The French government's leniency heretofore has encouraged peanut politicians to make cheap no toriety without any danger to them selves. Prison sentences may htivo ,110 terrors to men really moved by Unu convictions uf right , but noisy agitators are not likely to court .them. v . . Till } HKfiATI- : ; /A.IAf/.U / , HILL. The most Interesting portion of the speech of Senator Aldrleh. chairman of the senate finance committee , In ex planation of the bill reported from that committee as a sulHlltuto for the meas ure passed by the house , relates to the provision authorizing the secretary of the treasury to convert a portion of the national debt Into bonds bearing - per cent Interest. This Is perhaps the most Important difference beiwien the two bills and the one likely to cause greatest discussion In conference. The proposition , Mr. Altlrieh stated , "contemplates a profitable anticipation of Interest payments and consequent , reduction of the public debt. " In order to effect this the holders of the out standing bonds specified In the bill are to be paid In exchange for them "a sum not greater than the present worth of such bonds , computed to yield an In come of U l-l per cent per annum and their par value , " which according to Senator Aldrieh would take ? SS.ono.K)0 ( ) out of the treasury. II is doubtless true that under present conditions the withdrawal of this amount from the treasury "would afford welcome relief from dangerous congestion , " but would the transaction be of any advantage to the government ? .Mr. Aldrleh says It would be of Inestimable advantage to place the national debt upon a 2 per cent basis and keep the obligations is sued at that rate at par In the markets of the world. It Is of course desir able to reduce the rate of Interest though it is very questionable whether it can be done at this time-but it Is not apparent that the conversion of bonds proposed by this bill would result in any saving of Interest to the govern ment or any benellt whatever to the na tional treasury. - It pt'obably would beef of .benefit to the money market and It is very likely that the national banks would regard a 2 per cent bond more- desirable as a basis of circulation than the outstanding securities , . With the re sult of Increasing bank circulation. These are considerations favorable to the proposition , but they are not con clusive as to Its value. The plan of extending the public debt , as this bill proposes , when the treasury has a surplus available for re ducing the debt and its receipts are In excess of expenditures , Is a departure from the past policy of the government which will hardly meet with general public approval. It is true , as Senator Aldrleh said , that there may be dis bursements which cannot be paid from current revenues and It Is always pru dent to consider the possibilities of the future , still It is not. clear that In any event there is anything to be gained by extending the debt , even at a lower rate of Interest , instead of reducing it. So far as-tlie money market Is concerned the latter should be quite as bcnellclal as the other. In regard to other features of the bill the explanations given by Senator Aid- rich will not change the very general opinion that on the whole the senate measure is inferior to the house bill. This Is especially true in respect to the declaration of the standard ami the pay ment of the obligations of'the govern ment In gold. It is not as direct , straightforward and unequivocal in these particulars as the measure passed by the house , which leaves nothing open to doubt or question. The state ment of Senator Aldrieh that the senate bill contains no disavowal of the posi tion heretofore taken upon the question of international bimetallism and places no obstacles in the way of its accom plishment in the future seems Irrelevant and if intended for political effect would better have not been said. In declaring for the gold standard the republican party should drop all thought of Inter national bimetallism , which is a present impossibility and will probably never again be seriously considered by the leading nations of the world. TllK SCHOOL HOAltD DEFICIT. The Hoard of Education has made a startling exhibit. The receipts from all sources for IS'.K ) show an ostensible fall ing off of over $ l.r.0,0)0 ( ) as compared with those of the preceding year , while the expenditures for 1800 exceed those for 1SOS by over .f 10,000. Thus.the year I'.MM)1opens ) with 'a shortage of over $100,000 , which must be paid oft sooner or later In addition to the current ex penses for maintaining thu public schools. The shrinkage In receipts for JSDIt Is practically confined to the slump in the amount collected from licenses and police court lines. The comparison between the receipts for licenses for IhOS and 1S09 shows a shrinkage of $1-10,000 In the liquor li cense fund and over $1.OUO ! In the po lice court lines. The showing with re gard to the license fund is , however , ( let it ions. If it were correct It would mean that every other saloon and liquor shop In Omaha had been closed within the past year , when In fact the decrease will scarcely exceed 10 per cent. What concerns Omaha taxpayers at this juncture Is how they can meet the demands of tlip school board without almost causing contlscatlon of property by the tax collector. At the present rate of assessment , one-third of mar ket value , a tax of 10 mills would yield about $ : iri ( ) . < )00 ) , or a 1-inlll tax would yield iR.'l.'i.OOO. I'nder the old system of I taxation the school tax levied In 1 Sill-1 ! was : i mills ; in ISill-r. , ; t mills ; In IS'.i.Vit ' , 7 mills ; In 1SOII-7 , r mills. All these taxes , however , were Imiwsed on the old system of valuation , which varied between one-sixth and one-tenth of the true value. If we are to make good the deficit of former years and meet the estimate of this year we shall bo obliged to levy a tax fully three times as heavy as was ever levied In Omaha. If wo do not levy it and continue the wasteful system of Issuing 7 per cent warrants without applying thu pruning knife we shall suon pile up a crushing school debt that will overwhelm the taxpayers. The problem before Omaha taxpayers Is how to put on brakes without crip pling the schools and how to meet the obligations already incurred without enormous Increase of this year's tax burden. Manifestly the shortest way out would bo to fund the debt , and the mo t effective brake would be to en force the law prohibiting warrants to Issue unless there l < < money In the treas ury to pay them , and to lop off all use- h ss frills. tr.i.v ; rnin rn.\in : A correspondent of the New York Kvenlng Post In Puerto Hie- ) says that the great hope uf the Islanders just now Is free trade with the 1'lilted States and he observes that while thU i would unquestionably be of enormous benellt to the Island , tile po-id effects would not be as Immediate as many think. The two principal products to be benefited would be sugar and to bacco , each of which would be greatly stimulated. To Increase the sugar out put , however , extensive machinery would have to be bioiight InM the Island and plants established , all of ! which would take considerable time. ! Tills correspondent says that a certain result of free trade and of the Increased ' stimulus to cane culture would be a rise In the price of labor , the effect of which would be to practically kill the coffee trade of the Island , heretofore 70 per cent of the annual o..pirts. Thus free trade between Puerto lllco and the United States proper , as pro posed by the Forakor bill , would not be an unmixed blessing to the Islands , though very likely the gain would over balance the loss. The coffee-producing Interest would suffer , but the sugar and tobacco interests would profit by It. An Interesting question is whether this profit would be at the expense of Amer ican producers. With sugar production stimulated In Puerto Hlco and increas ing In Hawaii , what would be the effect upon the home Industry ? And how will our tobacco Interest be affected by free trade with Puerto Hlco ? These are questions which congress will be called upon to give attention to. T//K SUMAYIKK. . People who want the best newspaper will find It In The Sunday Hee , which will outclass all competitors in every Held which goes to make up a modern paper. The lice's foreign cable letters cover all important events , not only In Knropcan capitals , but also at the war centers in South Africa and the Phil ippines. Its domestic news service supplements that furnished by the As sociated Press , with special dispatches from Its own correspondents at all the principal points in the transmisslssippl territory covered more particularly by this paper. Its local news is always comprehensive , accurate and readable. This weed's Illustrated Heo will be [ an educational number , a great part of It being devoted to subjects relating to public schools. The frontispiece Is a line likeness of the new president of the Nebraska State Teachers' association , who is also president of the Doanc college at Crete , while an illustrated article reviews the meeting of the teachers at Lincoln dur ing the holidays , with snap shots at the principal educators who llgured in its sessions. More than twenty of the best known Nebraska teachers and superintendents appear in these pic tures. Another article which appeals directly to the patrons of the schools deals with the experimental school city Inaugu rated in the Kelloin school in Omaha , where the children have been organ ized into a model municipal govern ment , under a mayor , police judge and city council. The principal of the school tells lii a striking am ! effective way how the idea was brought hero and the plan put into operation. The pictures show the children at an elec tion , at a council meeting and holding police court. The newly elected president of the Iowa State Teachers' association is also Introduced to The Hee readers by a clear-cut portrait of that otllcer. Timely alid to the point is an article on the charactoriatlcs of two noted con gressmen , accompanied by portraits , one of whom is readily recognized as Con gressman Dolllver of Iowa , the orator of the house of representatives , and the other is Hepresentatlvo Payne of New York , the new chairman of the ways and means committee. Among ether interesting pictorial fea tures are : A snap shot at a number of Omaha letter carriers loaded down with holiday mall ; a view of the process of movini ; the passenger station on railway trucks at Lead , S. D. ; a group of the oflicors of the division of Ne braska , I'nlon Veterans' union , and a group photograph of the Hastings fire men foot ball team. The woman's page shows the latest fashions photographed on living models posed for the purpose. Kvory one should read The Heo Sun day , particularly those interested In the cause of common school education. The Hee is an educator In itself. He sure to read it. One of the beauties of the tripartite Mm in worked by Nebraska fuslonlsts. who have the same candidates nomi nated under three labels by the same people masquerading In three different organizations , is seen In the resolution of tin1 so-called sliver republican state committee empowering the executive committee to name the delegates for Nebraska to the sliver republican na tional convention. The executive ( om- mltteo will , of course , go through the formula of making out credentials to themselves as the political reformers who constitute not only ( he olllcers , but also the entire rank and ( lie of the so- called silver republican party which long ago ceased to exist , If It ever had a separate existence. Hy this method , however , the humiliation will be avoided of calling a primary , at which no one would vole , and holding a state convention , which only a handful of pluggers would attend. According to the comparative exhibit just made by the Hoard of Kducathm the funds derived from flues turned Infer for INKS by the police court amounted to $ : ) , - ; ; for Ihe year ISOfl the entlro amount f lines collected and paid into the treasury by the police court amount lo $ -(11. ( In other words , In the year l.sfiS tlii' police court lines amounted to $1,100 nor mouth ; iu lbl)0 ) they were nly i'-Jl per month , or 7."i WIN a day. Tllat showing alone H an Indictment of the police court that cannot be brushed away lightly. The lea t that can be done Is nn Investigation by the council. The d-'w-in China is to remain open at the request ( if the I'nlted Slates , or at least the lalchstrlng IM to be .illowed to hang out where it can tendily be reached. The Vnltod Stales today Is In n position to secure without ( "litest from the powers of'the ' world anything which In Justice It is entitled lo. Hy being reasonable In Us demands as in this case It can continue to hold this position. The present administration musi be given the credit for bringing about this happy condition of affairs. Omaha may not be accorded the privi lege of holding the headquarters of ihe Pacific Express company , but It Is to tie honored yearly with the holding of the election of olllcers because the charter of IncoriKiratlon requires them to lie held here. We feel sure , however , that Omaha would be glad lo give up the election if It could get back the head quarters. ' Omaha property owners paid over $50,000 last year in interest and lines on delinquent taxes. The treasurer , how ever , would get along better by foregoing ' going the Interest if the taxes we're paid promptly as levied , because the city Is ' paying out even more Interest upon' its outstanding obligations. Tin(11,1 Stvle. Olobe-Democrat. Last mouth the public debt was decreased $5,791.824. How agreeable and how repub lican ! A l.onii-l.VI . Indianapolis Journal. The increase of wages by prominent In dustries continues , but what the Hryatiltc politician longs for Is a general reduction of wages. Wluit llmxiirnl ( I , , , lint.oil. ! Minneapolis Tribune. The inflated American trust balloon waa brought down Iu reality by the unerring Hccr rifle shots. That IK to Bay , It was the British defeats Iu South Africa that started the liquidation in Wall street that squeezed the water out of so many inflated couceriiK. Slinrlii" Slm-lc with HniploycN. SprliiKlieM Republican. The Great Northern railroad follows the Illinois Central In ofTcrlns attractive op- i portunltlcij for the purchase of the stock ! of the company by employes. It is to In- I crease Its stock capitalization by 10 per coat , and employes who receive salaries or wages of less than $3.000 a year will be given the privilege .of taking the new stock at p.ir. The vnluo of this privilege will be under stood when It Is stated that the market value of the outstanding Block of the com pany is about $175 a share and will be little depreciated by the now issue. Some DcliiNloiiH Almul War. Southern Soldier In Portland Oregon ! . . The British dispatches about great loss ot 1 Boers under artillery flre , bayonet charges , etc. , are all rot ; f Swords , bayonets and lances are as obsolete as bows and arrows , and artillery flre.is'tho most harmless thing in the world When directed at men under 1 cover. Wo blazed'away at Gettysburg with ' 200 guns , and IJUoh't 'believe ' wo hit ten men in the federal trenches , and as for bayonets , there were very few , If any , In the j confederate army during the last years of the war , and il"iifcver , saw a man stuck by ! oue or ti man ' \tht > had 6ecu , and I was four years with the army of northern Virginia. Ilovinii > lnur 1111 Olil Talc. Minneapolis Tribune. The Spanish admiral , Montojo , In explain ing how he was whipped by Dewey , gays the American fleet , by reason of the longer i range of its guns'could anchor out of reach of the Spanish guns and pour In their fire with perfect safety to the Americans while carrying destruction and death to the Spaniards. Montojo seems to Infer that Ad miral Uewey lacked chivalry in taking this I course , but acknowledges that it was busl- ness-llkp. It was fortunate for the men under t j ' his command that Dewey was not sufficiently "chivalrous11 to get them killed when them waa no need of it. AVanliliitttoii'M StnliicIn I'nrln. Chicago Hec'brd. The city council of Paris has chosen a site for the equestrian statue of General Gcorgo Washington , paid for by the subscriptions of American women. H is the work of the American sculptor , French , The ulte is a fine one , the junction of two great avenues , and sitting on his horse , the sightless eyes ot the American hero nro directed toward the Arc do Trlompho , the Palais du Trocadero , along the Avenue do Jena and other memorials of glory , which , In the French Bonso of the word , he cared nothing about. The erection of thin simple and heroic figure In the midst of the city of Paris should servo a good purpose. A soldier by necessity , a gentleman by nature , a statesman because sincere , honest and straightforward , a hero without glitter or protcnce , George Washington may veil re main a figure for the Parisians to look at early and often. 111191,10 IX THIS IM'HMU SCHOOLS. Dfolilnl INHIII * TiiUon ivltli ( InDiil - Nlon of .Siiicrlii | ( < - niln ( .IIU-UNOM. American Israelite. In deciding u case laid before him , Super intendent Jackson of Lincoln , Neb. , Bald : "There seems to be nothing in the laws of Nebraska that would prevent the simple reading of the blblo In our public schools. I am of the opinion that In this enllgliUncd ! age and Christian land the public Hthool teachers ought not to be deprived of reading - i ing , without written or oral consent , the ] bible , or of repeating the Lord's prayer. " : This statement Is disingenuous and an attempt to defend n weak decision. When the matter Is fairly looked nt , who can deny that a public reading out of the blblo and the repetition of the Lord's prayer or any other IB a religious service and nothing else ? Kveryono who Is present at a lellg- ioiw service IB mipposcd to tuko part In It. It Is the Intention of every state to have such a public school system that no man can have honest conscientious scruples which will tend to prevent him from allow ing his children to attend them. Forcing the children of Jews , Cathollrfl. free-thlnk- crB , agnostics , atheists , etc. , to take part In what | s , after all ( and IntemloJ to be ) u Protestant Christian religious exercise , Is n wrong and has a tendency to drive the children out of the public schoolg. H Is u shortalghted policy to pander to the wight * of superheated rcllglonlhtB on so vital a question , for they are , after all , In the minority. The public schools are to teach the secular branches anil the ruJI- niL'iiis of goal'citizenship. . The teaching of what Is duo from each man to hu God , to his neighbor and to himself , is the duty of the parents or of such n church to which they delogatu their right. Whenever the state undertakes to do this work it meddlcw with matters with which it ban no concern , and In the cases whom the rightful guar dians object h becomes un Intruder and usurper , nothing less than an oppressor. Superintendent Jackson had bettor recon sider his decision and change It no as to put Nebraska In line \\lih the mo.it InU'lll- geiit tJtatea of the union , 1111 : Tiuri : IN IIOKIUMMI. ludliinnpollii NewsIn answer to a Drlt- Ish hrllogr.iph mrsfagp the lloers replied "lints ! " It I ? hind to RDP why the Hoers nro considered nn unprogrosslvo nation. Globe-Democrat : When driven out of a position , which docs not happen often , the lloets show remarkable recuperative powers. They seem to h vo an Idea that fight Ins Is easier than running. Snn Francisco Call : Several times during tliu Christmas holidays the Hoers have been dropping shells stuffed with plum pudding Into beleaguered I.ndysmllh. Next thing we know they will bo dropping oysters on the half-shell. Chicago Chronicle : It Is painful to note that later reports from Coleaberg Indicate that General French's glorious victory was , after nil , of the usual " one "I-regret-to-re- port" variety with which Hrltlsh military lltoraturo has mado'us familiar the last three months. Minneapolis Times : First the Missouri nnileu stampeded and brought disaster upon u HHtlish force , and now cornea report that a railway engine has run away and carried numerous members Of the Atkins family Into the very Jaws of the Boors. Oem l\iul will soon begin to bellevo that all things como to him who waits , Philadelphia Record : The tremendous financial outlay which Knglnnd is under la by no menus represented In the estimate of $300,000,000 for the Boer war. The outlay for relief In the Indian famine districts Is placed nt $100,000 per day besldo the ordi nary expenses of government. Great Britain , as It scans these figures , can appreciate Kipling's truthful verse that It Is "I'.iy , pay , pay. " Detroit Journal : When the forces of the British In South Africa numbered 80,000 the Journal throw out a guesn that I'OO.OOO would bo nesessary to the subjugation of the Boers. Approximately that number ot troops will bo under Lord Roberts' command when hu lands , and the London Standard now suggests that 100.000 moro will not be too many to make the end sure. The Idea seems to bo to fill South Africa so full of British tioopa that the Boers will die from loss of sleep , having no room In which to lie. down. Springfield Republican : The fact that the Boers do not have a highly developed social | life counts heavily In their favor In the present crisis. In the one matter of raising the crops the Boer women are In the field to do the work of cultivation and harvesting , thus allowing every available man and boy to shoulder a rifle. If the "Indies" of the veil were accustomed to Browning , G o'clock tens and evening whist partlea you may bo sure they could not bo got Into the planting , plowing and reaping on such short notice. A nation in the position of the two republics needs women like the wives and mothers of the Boers. Ol'HX 11OUII IX CillXA. Philadelphia Pi ess : After a prodigious but fruitless agitation In England , Secretary Hay took the simple , direct and effective step of demanding that our treaty rights be respected and accepted by all nations ac quiring territorial rights In China. All thu "signatory powers" Italy , Great Britain , Russia , Franco and Germany have given the required pledge and accepted our view that these treaty rights go with Chinese territory and must be observed by nil who control the ports and provinces to which this low. tariff now applies. Detroit Free Press : What In the world was there to prevent thu renewal of agree ment just secured by Secretary Hay ? Not an old-world power of consequence dare Invlto any moro trouble than It now has on hand or feels the liability of encountering. England is too busy to accept any moro orders. France is watching for an opening and cannot be Interrupted. Germany has nets out In every direction and cannot toke her eyes from the borders. Russia is In training for armed trouble and Japan Is working full time to make the trouble. When the secretary asked the representative gav- ornr.nents on the other side of the world to sign "just as a matter of accommodation , " It was easier to comply than to arguo. The grab game Is being played nt too furious a rate to regard such little Interruptions. But some day , when there is less on hand , It will bo the way of the world for some of these powers to ignore the compact and try to barricade the door after closing It. St. Louis Globe-Democrat : This diplo matic victory of the United States will have bencficient physical as well as moral con sequence for China and the rest of the world. It was the apparition of Vnsco da Game , in the service of Portugal , rounding the Capo of Good Hope to India in 1197 , anil of Magellan , In the service of Spain , crossIng - Ing the Pacific from the American con tinent In 1521 for the same goal , that frightened Japan , China and other Asiatic countries , aud closed them to "outside barbarians. " Forty-live years ago Commodore - , modore Matthew Cnlbralth Perry , on the deck of a United States shlp-of-war , dictated , to Japan , still a hermit nation , a treaty of amity and commerce which , as followed In later years by like conventions with other nations , opened Japan to Intercourse with the rest of mankind , and started her on the road to that moral and material advancement' ' which , in 1899.has placed her in the list of the world's great states. Today America , standing nt the open-swinging portals of the now age , has , In relation to China , achieved a triumph of vastly greater service to Itself ; and to civilization , and will give an opportunity to the Chinese to ultimately have a share with the Japanese In the designation of the "Yankees of the east. " IMH.ITICAI , DltlFT. The senatorial plum tree In Washington Is painfully slow In responding to the silent , shakes of Matthew Stanley Quay. Colonel Jack Chlnn and P. Wat Hardln j nro on the firing line at Frankfort. The Kentucky battle may now proceed. In proclaiming slavery a dead Institution In Guam , Governor Leury spoils n plnnk j cut for the revised Chicago platform. Before the Michigan legislature could de fend ItEc-lf Governor I'lngroo had dropped three inoiB messages Into the question box. Somebody mentions General Leonard Wood , an n presidential candidate la 1004. He ! ought to control the Cuban delegation by that time. Ono of Dick Croker's legs la broken. The foreign pull seems moro dangerous than the homo variety. Perhaps that Dublin "bust" had something to do with It. Hawaii's American colony wan to to be represented In the republican national con vention , and S. HartweU. agent of t'io ' Island , has been appointed delegate. The new citizens nro not permitting any offices or honors to get nway. Among the men who have como to con- Kfcfti this session for tlielr first term la Delegate Pedro I'erea of Bonmllllo , N. M. . who is one of the wealthiest ranchers of the soutluvost. Ho 1 * < a man of medium stature , has sparkling black eyes and In many respects looks like a Spaniard. His family Is one of the oldest in New Mexico. New York aldermen declared their sym pathy for the Bocis , but that dora not di minish their liking for "bulls" of their own Invention. One of Gotham's solons declared himself , solemnly , regarding a public nicas- lire , that if Controller Color "insiats on cramming this tunnel down our throats we will bury his mutnmy In it when he at tempts to ascend his political throne. " Illulit Illril fur ( Oi-faxliHi. . Philadelphia Time * . About the only special muKosilan In Hrynn making an osirlch the detmrratlr bird IH Iu Us offering such long fadiitlo * for ( jetting it In the neck. OTM.H I\MIS TIIXN in us. The jcquol of the prospnt war Is clearly appreciated on tl < p continent of Europp. "Had England hopn victorious In South Afrlcn , " ! > nya the Moscow OazpttP. "U would not have had much efteel In Europe , but hpr final defpnt may he followptl by a vat now universal policy In which Rus sia would lakp a leading part. As matters stand today that mompnl can senrcely ho far off. All thosp iiolnts cf the world where English ahd Russian Interest * ' arp In con- Illci and which are not ncccsslblo lo. th British fleet will fall Inlo UiiMln'R hands. " The Austro-lltif.ilan ngrcpmenl made two nnd n half years ago having assured peace In the Balkan peninsula , "Russia. " Iho Gazette continues , "lias n free hand to execute her plnns In Asia , which nro of morp Importance to her than anything else. Events In South Africa will not fall to stimulate Ruwla's spirit of enterprise In the far east. " No doubt when England shall have lost her present position ns n leading world power bv reasonof her de feat In South Africa , which Is not likely , there will bo a scramble for her place , nnd Russia will be among the foremost com- pelllors. 404 The preeeni altllude of Franco and Ger many In respect to ( Jrcat Britain and the war In South Africa shows how closely balanced are International jealousies and nnllpaihles ou the one hand nnd selfish mo tives on the other. ( f war were not BO easily Great Britain would probably not have an apparent nlly In normally , nnd Franco would txmrcely pretend to maintain a neutral atltludc. The Herman press and people niako no concealment of their dis like for the British and their sympathy for thf Boers , although some sort of nn un- i dorstnndlliK undoubtedly exists between ! the governments of Orcal Britain and | Germany. The French exult In every Boor victory and rejoice nt every disaster to Iho , Brlllsh arms. A distinguished German I professor of hlslory , writing In the North 1 American Review , asserts that England has I only onp friend In Germany , the kaiser , and j Is heartily haled by the German people. The I French welcome British defeat as revenge i for Fashodn. It Is not likely that It Is an tipathy to blootl'lottlng or Ihe other horrors ; of war which prevents "sudden volcanic out- 1 bursts of popular passion" In France and Germany , with Great Britain ns the object i of their common dislike. These nations ore ! doubtless restrained from clvlng vent to 1 "tiger passions" aud to "Inveterate Inter national Jealousies and antipathies" by the conviction that It would be moro profitable for each In the long run lo allow Great Britain a free hand In South Afrlcn , I A few months ago the British admiralty put their old naval training ships , which wore full-rigged vessels , out of commission , and replaced them by modern cruisers with out masts or sails. It is Inferred therefrom | that the government bus decided that It is no longer necessary to train young olllcors In a form of seamanship which , In the royal navy nt least , has become obsolete. Their fiction has provoked much criticism In the daily press , ninny writers , Including a largo proportion of naval olllcers , maintaining that the practice with ropes and sails , even If superfluous as modern naval education , In nevertheless Invaluable for Its development of resourcefulness , nerve , activity , and other virile qualities essential to Iho ideal oUlcer. This evidently Is Iho view of the United States authorities , as Is proved by the recent launch of their new Falling training ship. It Is interesting , also , to note that the North German Lloyd company Is about to sot up a trntnlng-shlp , having sail power only for the practical education of cadets , who later j on , when they have passed the necessary examinations , will receive commissions ns officers in their great steam fleet. The teach ing of these cadets will be under the super vision of the Bremen School of Navigation. Viticulture In Franco has almost regained the ground lost by the wholesale destnicllon of vines by Iho phylloxera. Before Ihls In sect parasite Invaded Franco the annual production of wlno in that country amounted to l,68i,000,000 ! gallons ; the yield of the wlno-growing districts of France , Algeria nnd Tunis for 1899 will bo over 1,268,000,000 gallons. The ravages of this Insect have cost Franco more than did the Franco-Ger man war ; and they still continue where the native vines have not been replaced by American grafts , which seem to bo Immune against the attacks of the pest. Of the C- 000,000 acres of land under cultivation when wlno production in France was at its high est over 4,000,000 acres have been restocked , and the substitution of American for native vines proceeds nt the rale of 30,000 acres a year. In a few years thu professors of viti culture expect that Franco will produce moro wine than over before. We need not fear a flood of wine Imports , however ; for notwithstanding the steady Increase of wlno production in Franco since her recovery from the plague of the phylloxera , her ex ports of this beverage have grown persist ently less having fallen from 05,500,000 gallons lens in 1SS7 to not quite 49,000,000 gallons In 1S97 while at the name time prices have been advancing , so that the total vnluo of her diminished exports Is gneator than that of the larger qunntlly formerly sent abroad. * * The French newspapers nro discussing somewhat prematurely the details of M. Berller's great scheme for constructlnu a tunnel between Gibraltar nnd the coast nf Morocco. Ho believes that lucre would bo no danger of the tunnel leaking , ns the bottom tom of HIP straits IB compact rock , while thi engineering difficulties , he thinks , would not be greater than those which have been over come In the Mont Cenls , St. Gothard or Slmplon tunnels. There remains , of course , the delicate point of diplomatic dlfllcultle4 about which ho Is less sure , though he de clares that ho has been promised the goad will of the Spanish government , nnd Is now In negotiation with the government of Mo rocco. Supposing diplomatic obstacles to be surmounted , ho believes In the perfect suc cess of Iho proposed tunnel and expresses Iho opinion that It would do more to develop Africa and extend French commerce than any number of expeditions. Goods , ho points out. could ho sent from Franco to Algeria nnd Tunis without their having to bo shipped nnd unshipped for the crcHsing of the Med iterranean , not to mention various other ad vantages resulting from the scheme. With regard to the expenditure M. Heritor takes the St. Gothnrd tunnel as n basis , the cost of which was 3,800,000 francs per kilometer. The tunnel under the Mrall' would bo fortv- one Id'onie. ' rs In long'h ' This work , accord Ing to the onngulno estimates of M. Uorllef , could bo accomplished In seven years. England's view on the subject , apparently , bus not yet been taken Into consideration. TIIIAMI : or < ; iin. . I'jirtltlonliiu ; Afrlcn : i Sourer tit ScrlmiN Trouhli' In ( he POUITM , Detroit Free PrmH. I'arnphrjulng an old saw , African compli cations make strange bedfellows. There may he truth In the cabled opinion that all Europe Is yelping at the heels of England , but there Is a prudent disposition to keep outside of the kicking range. Not n fair , open , stand-up challenge has the British nation received , except from the Boers. Even thu ouilonders , said to outnumber the controlling people two to one , fhnwed their Indignation for previous treatment by mak ing the beat tlmn possible and by the short est route In getting out of ( ho danger zone. The German government favors the En - llt.li. hut the liberal nnd Intelligent clement of the people appear In a vigorous but Impu. tent opposition , for the emperor will dictate the national policy so long as he weara the crown Dr. Bnrlh mnv denounre fhnm lwlnlit'4 rmirsp as un Mkubly stupid ami predict the overthrow of English nulhoriiv In South Africa. HP may picture the al vnntngp * that would ho RuiniM by tut world , England InNudPd , should ti pncntin ter dtifrnt. but ho deals with BPiillmeiiis that do not nppo.il to the ambitious wnr king On tup reverse appears Germany in rcas Ing If * navy and stri > nsthenlnp ! ( * ' ) force becsuac II distrusts Its ally nn believes Ihnt Us fulurp mfety and His observance of fulurp good faith toward it by Kunlmid II liable to turn upon the qur ) tlon of Its ability to take rare ( .f IT . f should Great Britain oleet to rrpudmnho ( terms of tltp alliance. Being of the sime blood , the interested rulers probnbh utidrr stand each other. In seeking the Influences now bearing upon the great powers of the old world It ts tmii'h wafer lo ntlck to business considerations than to morallzatlons based upon civilization or Chrlstlanliy. Africa Is four ilmos as largo ns the I'nlted States nnd Iins a wc.ilth in marketable products that Is not approached by any other of the natural division * Within ICBS than a generation this MIRI territory linn been nelred upon ami api.ro prlatcd by conquest or through the Iniimidn tlon of natives by a mere showing of i ivil zed force. Franco has the largest iprrl'or , U posscsFlons. exiual to the entlro orpa of o > i own country , while England owns a Into S that Is far richer and more desiraMp The holding of both nro practically < -on tlgtlOUH. In Iho order of their possessions after these two come Turkey , Germany. Belgium 1'ortugnl , Spain and Italy , the indepeiKip-i stales being Morocco , Abyssinia. S" > , ' i African Rupubllc , Orange Free State nn 1 Liberia. Within these Is n population < r nearly 150,000,000 , largely native , and 'ho annual trade , capable of Indefinite expan slon. of $7SO,000.000. With EO many contestants In the ring with the enormous advantages to be gained by continuous railroad lines under one ron- trol nnd ports most desirable In commerce , thu dangers liable to preclpltalo n general struggle become apparent. Thp dark con tinent , In which civilization was cradled nnd from which It departed centuries ago , will niako startling history for years to como. THOUGHTS THAT TICICIiH. Cleveland 1'ialn Dealer : "Did Hev. Mr 1'liiin leave any tracts when he called yesterday , Bridget ? "Yen , mum , an' I mopped 'em up. " DotroM Journal : "Why was I over born" " The man with the emaciated east of countonancn rendered long nnd bitterly " 1'erhnpn It was because I am a i > oot ! ' ' IIP llimlly exclaimed , In a hollow voice. Art Is notoriously Illogical. Detroit Journal : First Cnnnlbal Thcro wasn't much of the milk of human Hliulnesa iboul our Into missionary. Second Cannibal I should etiy not ! I foci as If 1 had pntcn a dairy lunch ! Chicago Tribune : "Dorothy , " said the mistress of the establishment , happening In just tin the gardener went out , "who Is Hint man ? " "Only a hoe beuii , mii'iun , " replied the kitchen mnld , blushing rosily. Indianapolis Journal : Clerk Did you say you wished to see wine glasseH , madam" Madam ( severely ) Wine glasses ! Not at all ; show mo some unfermontcd grape juice glasses. Washington Star : "Alas , " she slclied , "we haveno great Htutesnion any more " "What do you menu ? " asked the eminent senator. "Why , I could point to one of my 01 ' .leagues who alone Is worth moiv than the whole senate was In "Webster's time1" Chicago Tlincn-llernld : "Hero's an article that says stars arp wood tlmekeeprrs , " said t-f > man In tins club window. "The fellow who wrote that , " replied the man at the wrlliiiR lable renilnlseently , "must have offered a watch to a comic opera prlnrn donna. " Philadelphia Press : "Oh , there was tin awfully funny joke in the paper today. " ! - Kan the dear llttlo wife. "It was nnout a man and his ) wife , who went to the opera " ere "Yes. dpar , " the great brute Interrupted "F read it. " "Oh , you mean thing. I wanted to toll It tmynli. It WUH HO funny. " "Go ahead , dear. It will be oven funnier the way yon tell It. " IIOTBST. Must It be sin In follow out The bent bequeathed me by my sires ? Were their HI legacies but left To damn me In hell's avid llrcs ? Like some rash stream that luimeH down The mountain side and never tires So leaps my wayward soul down life To wallow In earth's noisome mires. Ye pow'rs who shaped mo as I am Anil frnwn on sin In savnije Ires , Unmake me , else forgive me when I gratify my mad desires. WILLIAM ItEliD D THY Till' : nun. When the cat's away tlm mice will play , t'nloss , perchance , nlnck ! The mice have heard that noted song- Of how the cut came back. If yon IOVP a girl , why , tell her KO , Nor kfpp her spirit sad. If you've a business , make It "go" Hy putting In an "ad. " -C. 13. PIIOCTOR. Fort Crook , Noli. To pretend to have the only wearable clothing and to be in the habit of selling it for less than cost all the time even bread costs money and porterhouse terhouse steaks bought on the profits of SJO.OO Suits for $ J,97 won't be very thick , But to say that our Men's Suits are the best for the money say $ JO to $25.00 is simply to affirm that doing the largest manufac turing business in our line in the country , we naturally have im portant advantages over others.