6 THE OMAHA DAILY BEE : THURSDAY , FEJ3UUARY 15 , lJ)00. TIIE OMAHA DAILY BEE. K. ItOSEWATEIl , Editor. MOUNINQ. TEK.MS OF SL'HSCflU'TlON. Dally Uco ( without Sunday ) , Ono Ycnr.JO.OO Daily Jico hnd Sunday , One \eiir. . . . . . . . 8.00 Dally , Uunflny and lllugtrntcd , Ono lear S.i. tfundatf anil Illustrated , Ono \onr 25 Illustrated Doe , Ono Year 2.00 Sunday Hoc. Ono Ycnr J.oo Saturday Hoc , Ono Year 1- Weekly Ucc , Ono Year & > O1-T1CES. Omaha : The Ileo Building. . . _ „ „ Soutii Oinalia : City Hall Building , Twenty-fifth nml X streets. Council Bluffs : 10 1'carl street. Chicago : 1610 Unity Uulldlng. New York : Trmi > lo Court. Washington : Wl Kouiteonlh Street. ComiKSPONUBNCU. Communications relating to news and cdl- lorlal matter should be nddrefscd : Omaha lli'o. editorial Department. UUSINKHS UiTTEnS. Iluslnoss letters and remittances should lie addressed : The Uco Publishing Coin- l > any , Otnnhu. Otnnhu.HKMITTANCES. . Horn It by draft , express or postal order , payable to Tlir flco Publishing Company , only 2-ccnt Hlampa jc-ce | > tid In payment or tna'l accounts. Personal chocks , except on Omiiha or Knntrrn exchanKPS , not accepted TMK 11B1J 1'L'llMSIllNa COMPANY. STATlj.MU.Vr OK CIKCUIj.VTIOX. Slrtto of Ni-braikn , Douglns County , ss. : tionrcn 15. Tzsc-liurk , pocretnry ot The Bee I'liblls-hliiff Company , bring duly sworn. EIIJ-S Unit the actual number of full and complete r-iplos of The Dally. Morning , ICvcnlng nnd Sunday Hoe , printed during the month of January , 1900. was ns follows : l 111,0110 IT ar.ao 2 . -.ai.nao 35 a.i.iio 3 ai,7 0 10 : tutso : 4 ai,7so 20 a.,7n.p G 111,710 21 us.-iio o ai.itio 7 ar.s7i , V. ) . 30 ai.DHO 28. , n.sio 31 ai.7RO 32 . . ! _ , . ! Ill ) 23 . iortr : 33 li.-,71ll 20 . ju.uuo 34 a .7-IO SO . 1:7.0:10 : v , -ttn , : : 31 . 'M.tt'M 30 aiu , u Totpl T.css unsold and returned copies. . F.IICH 7t ioi , : : Net dally average. . . . U5.UIB O. B. T55SCI1UC1C. Sco'y and Trcas. Subscribed and sworn bcforo mo this 1st day of February , A. D. 1500. ( Seal ) SI. H. mJNGATR Notary Public. f . . . Itoptibllciiii city primaries todiiy. Kvery republican Is expected to do Ills duly at Hie city primaries today. If tbe political ciinipal n brings Omaha a free site for Is ( utiditorluin so much the better. Tlio city council seems to be copying the United .States senate in going into the practical joking business. lOvery good republican Interested in 1he success of the party will see that Ills vote is recorded at the primaries to day. The disintegration of the conglomerate ticket put up by the fuslonists lias al ready set In. The voters will llnish the job on election day. Omaha hopes , to build several viaducts In the next three years and for that reason it will want a mayor who Is not tied tight with railroad strings. Krom Iho allegations made In the great suit against Andrew Carnegie , the ivny to become a multi-millionaire is to embark In the steel manufacturing business. General liullcr seems to have missed n great opportunity in not being able to send to Iwoiidon a valentine missive indicating that he had reached' the heart of the Uoer country. Nebraska is Just getting ready to Bhow the world what another big crop looks like. Thq snows will put tbe ground In prime- condition for spring ami give- the crops a good start. Nebraska is not only ready to take charge of tjie maize propaganda at the 1'arls exposition , but Is also In position to grow corn as the taw material that Is not to be-matehed in any other state. Senator Teller Is still denying that the United Stales Is on a gold standard basts. The Colorado senator then and the other sllverltes ought to be satlslled without crying for a 10 to 1 free coin age enactment. ; The home Industry exhibition will doubtless' benefit the manufacturers par ticipating , but the Investment of the Fume amount of money in pntronllng : : the advertising columns of the home newspapers would briny better returns. Secretary Porter Is nbout It lie might Insist on knowing where the Bi'hool money in the custody of the Htato treasurer Is deposited , as well as the reason It Is not Invested where it can bo earning something for the liubllc. 1 . ' The candidacy of J. II. Edinlsten for the secretaryship of the populist national comifilHeo' would HCOIH to in dicate that ho has measured Lee Herd- man's supreme clerkship pole and coino to the conclusion It Is longer than any thing ho could raise. The populist national committee meet- Jug ami the National liuttennakers * convention occur In Lincoln at the name lime , The populists will probably take occasion to protest against the golden standard for butter as an unwarranted anil unjust discrimination. The 't.'ugllsh are of the opinion that the best Held In the world for the good roads movement Is South Africa. In Natal the roads uro so miserable that General .Duller has as yet been unable < o travel the short distance from Colenso to Ladysmlth iii sixty days. Secretary of State Porter has discov ered that Mesurve , the great reform treasurer , has accumulated nearly $ ; { ( )0- ) 000 In educational fund money which ho Is planting Komewheru for his own hen- rllt. Secretary Porter will have the backing of the entire body of taxpayers who want no repetition of the old prac tice of farming out the public funds. ' JVO DAAOKll The opponents--of the pending cur rency bills profess to believe that the- greenbacks are endangered by the pro posed legislation and It Is plain to be seen that they Intend to employ this In the presidential < campaign. In the senate debate on ( he finance measure Tuesday , Senator Allison , , replying tea a question whi'tlier. tlio 'ultimate re sult of the senate bill would not be the icllrement of the greenbacks , stated that under the bill the greenbacks can not be retired and added : " 1 want to say that the retirement of the green backs , or any other part of our money , should never bo attempted without tht most careful scrutiny and the wisest consideration of the legislation provid ing for It. " Yet In the face of this statement by the lowu senator , who has always been friendly to the greenback currency , Senator .Tones of Nevada ad vanced the view that the retirement of i the greenbacks Is contemplated and that there will be additional legislation presented at some subsequent date for this purpose. The oM standard ladvocatest said the iNovnda. t-vuator , "know that It would not do to attempt to carry through all of their plans at once. That would be n shock to the American 1 people. There will also bo an effort in j I the near future to- retire thu treasury . notes. " Now so far as the house and senate currency bills are concerned , there Is nothing in either that en dangers the greenback currency or In the remotest degree Implies a purpose , to retire that currency or the treasury ! i notes. The object sought In respect to ' the paper money of the government by the bill passed by the house Is to ! protect the treasury against what Is I called the "endless chain" and to ac- 1 eompllHh this It is provided simply that when the groenbackfi are redeemed In gold they shall be reissued only In ex change for gold. This. % J.IQCS not mean their retirement , - It means only the safeguarding of the. treasury against such raids as It ; was subjected to a few years ago and which "once or twice threatened to force the government tea a suspension of specie payments. This the proposed legislation would accom plish and there can be no doubt that the effect would be most salutary , If pos sible strengthening the United States legal tender notes , as a part of the cur rency. AVe arc well aware of the fact that there are republicans who believeIt would be wise to retire the greenbacks , but these constitute .a very small minority of the party and the number of such is not likely to increase. In deed , with the proposed legislation in operation and its good effects , so far as the greenbacks are concerned , realized , there will probably be nothing further heard about retiring that currency , un less at some time the democratic party shall demand its retirement In the in terest of state bank Issues , -which Is by no means-Improbable. The republican parly Is friendly now , ns It has always , been , to the greenback. * * 0114. those who profess to believe that money -in danger from the party In power know * there is no substantial ground for any ap prehension. OCCUPATION OF CUBA. General Ludlow , military governor of Havana , Is of the opinion that Amer ican military occupation of Cuba must continue for some time. He says that after the municipal clecllon In May the expense of maintaining troops In the island can possibly be materially reduced , but that It may be several years before a complete Insular gov ernment can be organized and that until tills is accomplished tbero must be American occupation. The opinion of General Ludlow In this matter Is cntllled lo great consld- crallon. He has had abundant oppor tunity to become well acquainted with the characteristics and the capacity of the Cubans , having necessarily come into more or less intimate relations with all classes of them. Hut it Is to be observed that General Ludlow's Judgment may bo Influenced , In the first place , by his military point of view , and In the second place by his close contact with the belter clement of the population Ihc professional , business jmd property-holding classes' most of whom are not favorable to Independ ence and want cither annexation to the United States or a protectorate. It Is undoubtedly true that a very consid erable portion of the Cuban people are not now cai > able of sclf-govcrnment. There Id a formidable percentage of Illiteracy. Moreover , It appears that really very little has been 'accomplished during 'American occupancy toward preparing the Cubans for Independence. Major Ituncle , In au article In the North American Iterlow , declares that Cuba has been misgoverned under our mil itary rule , that while there has been Improvement In t-omo directions , In others the conditions are as bad now us under Spanish' ' rule. Ho eays that almost every abuse against which Cuban. ) rebelled and to remedy which thu United States 'Intervened Is in oper ation today under American authority , "Then * exists throughout the Island , " he declares , "a condition of lame an archy , which awaits' only the with drawal uf the American forces to burst out Into anarchy of another type , " and ho concludes with the observation that If no change occurs soon the last state of Cuba bids fair to bo far worse than the first. Perhaps this Is a somewhat exag gerated statement of the situation. It was written before Governor ( Jerreral Wood had entered upon his adminis tration and some things huvo since been Improved and at least partially reformed. It Is unquestionably a fact , however , that the Cuban problem Is still far from being solved and that no ono can 11 r any detlnito time when it will be. It all depends upon the Cubans themselves , says General Lud low , but the question is whether the United States is called upon to ludetl- nltely protract its occupation waiting for tlietiu people to tit themselves for In dependence and siHf-governlupnt ac cording to the American standard. We are certainly tinder no promise to do this. Our pledge was that when pa- clllcatlon had been accomplished we would turn over the island to the con trol and government of Its own people. Apparently the work of pacification Is complete and we shall have fulfilled our obligation as soon us the people are enabled to form their municipal governments , which will 'be within the next three months , and after this first step to procL'ed with the organization of au Insular government , It would thus seem that wo should bo able to discontinue our military occupation within a year and it may be found ex pedient to do to. The several railroad lines projected In Nebraska would be ( if bonellt to Omaha and the state , but the line which would be of greatest benefit of all Is seldom mentioned seriously. That is a road which would give Omaha n direct route into the heart of Soutii Dakota. Such a line Is never lllcely to be built by any company now operating In this territory , UH it would come into direct competition with longer lines already built and divert traflle from points where the roads now get the long haul. Kansas City and other places have solved similar problems by pulling local capital Into the enterprise and Omaha could do thu same. Such a road would not only open up now tel'- rltory lo Its Irade , but prove a rate equalizer for lines already built. A telephone leak from Lincoln says that Leu llerdmtufs victory in the re cent primary fight in Omaha has landed the supreme court clerkship for him. The appointment will not be made , how ever , until after the coming meeting of the populist national committee , In which the fusloulsts still have use for Mr. Edniisten. Throwing Kdmlslen down ahead of the committee meeting might Interfere with some of the fusion plans for the manipulation of its ses sions. The women who appeared before the congressional committee to discuss the suffrage question proposed lo demon strate they were qualified for suffrage by getting up a regulation Kentucky political meeting , but the bald-headed congressmen who could not get in on the hair-pulling play spoiled it all by adjourning the meeting. The value of the live stock of the country has increased $ 'Jlti,000,000 dur ing the last year and if.YTO.OOO.OOO dur ing the last four years , according to the statistician of the Department of Agri culture. And still the calnmityites would have us believe that the farmer has no part in the present prosperity of the country. The quarrel among the popocrutlu statesmen is daily bringing to light somenew , , fact bearing on the misman agement of the state's affairs or mak ing more clear mailers partially known previously. Political ambitious which run contrary are having a more salutary effect than any pricks of conscience. Well ! Well ! Well ! tlilnk of J. U. Kitchen saying that the election of his candidate for mayor would do much to Increase the prosperity and growth of our city. We thought Mr. Kitchen had made his mind up fully that no pros perity could spread over Omaha as long as the gold standard prevailed. One Reform .Mini I Incedn. . Indianapolis News. One of the earliest reforms in Manila should bo nigh license and patrol limits and the higher the license the -better. Common SriiMe Vermin Science. Globe-Democrat. It is no exaggeration to say that the War departments of the world are going to school to the Boer militia. The burghers have shown -that t'ho ' military science- the post la no match for the common sense of the present. WAR SO I.O.VCKU IIO.MANTIC. "imlm Ic < I FnriiiurM" of South Africa HlddlcN the Glamour. Chicago Record. Ono fact impressively demonstrated in the progress of the South African wnr UN to dote is thnt , the entire character of war fare as n spectacle has undergone a radical change within recent years. Battles hava lost much In plcturcsquencss and glamour , liven so recently ns In the Franco-Prussian conflict In 1870 and in tbo nusso-Turklsh war of 1S77 battles were still heroic subjects for the painter. With some modification , they were quite ns romantic nnd inspiring ns those of the earliest recorded ware , when armies advanced clad In steel armor nnd men fought hand to hand , A 'battle ' in the Franco-Prussian war was a tremendous spectacle of serried in avisos of close-ranked men , brilliant uniforms , tossing plumes nnd bnnncra and officers leading with sabera in the- air and directing dashing charges. The day for this kind of warfare has passed , 'and , as Frederic Villers pointed out in a recent article , the whole aspect ot war , aa a dramatic exhibition , has changed. Tin- engagements in South Africa boar no re semblance to those of past history. Tha scene is unrelieved by a single- dash of color. The EOldlcrs and officers alike wear a cos tume of a dun shade , which 'blonds ' easily into almost any background. Not oven a fchoulder strap Is worn , and flags have been discarded. Troops are almost never played into action , and no heroic drummar lioya load the line of advance. Officers and men alike carry rifles , and there is no saber- waving. The thrilling spectacle of a frontal arsault , the advancing force marching rhyth mically shoulder to shoulder , Is entirely out o ! the question. In fact , war has licen robbed of most ot its martial glory. It is a matter of business of manual labor In making trenches , ot keeping the laborers fed , of having a good liogpltal service and ot taking as few risks as possible. The man who stands up to bo shot at may bo heroic , but bo doesn't help win battles ; bo Isn't fighting on modem lines , The modern soldier has absolutely no chance at tbo kind of fighting which consists In overcoming opposition by exer cising his own strength. A disinterested bullet/ from a wholly Impartial and un prejudiced soldier a mile away may drop him while ho is wetting his 11 pa with his canteen. Ills business Is to take the fewest possible risks , to work his rlllo with me chanical precision and put up with any hard ships incidental to the job. The modern soldier , in fact , is no longer a sculptor's j incdel ; be is an earnest laboring man , and i during working hour he looks the part. ) < A iro/i/j irmf U.W.UM I have been asked by ninny repub licans to dcfluo my position with regard to the run test for the nomination of mayor on the republican city ticket. In asmuch as the outcome of the city doc- llou Is sure to exercise a potential .in fluence in Hie impijndliia battle of S'o- hrasku , 1 venture to outline my view of the situation in order that no one may misconstrue the course pursued by mo up to tills Mime. To go back no further than the cam paign of 1SD ! > , It will be readily romciu- beiod that disloyal faclloiilsts fried lo excuse tholr treilchery to the repub lican slate and county tickets last fallen on thu ground that Its success meant the perpetuation of Prank 1-2. Moores In the mayor's olllce through the agency of a so-called Ilosewaler-Moorcs nui- chine. Thu baselessness of this pretext has already been publicly proved and denounced by mo. As a matter of fact the defection was nn organized bolt Inspired by traitorous leaders masquerading as patriots , but carrying out'the behests of corporation managers bent on defeating .Intlge Jl cc.se. The cry against Moores has from the first been thu malicious work of demo- cratlu mud-HHiigers aided by disap pointed republican place-seeket-H. What ever may be said of Frank K. Moores , Ids record as mayor of Omaha Is cred itable , lie has given the oily an honest admlnlstralion , standing for the taxpay ers against every raid and job and fear lessly opposing by his veto nil lawless or extravagant appropriations. The only fault found with his conduct of city affairs Is with his liberal construc tion of the Slocnmb law and his toler ance of vicious elemenls Unit secured Ihelr lodgement in Omaha during the Ilrst exposition under the protection yf the old Ilerdmau-l'eabody police board. The only tangible ground upon which * Mnyor Moores' opponents stand is the cloud raised by Hie case in the supreme court attacking his eligibility on" the charge that ho was In default as clerk of Iho district court at the time of his election as mayor. While 1 do not be lieve Frank M. Moores guilty of the charges and am fully convinced that lie was the victim .of a conspiracy to blacken his reputation and usurp thu oflicu lo which he was duly elected , i realize that they would handicap him more or less as a candidate for re election. Imbued with these views and appre ciating the fact thai Ihe harmonious support of the entire rank and file of the parly is essential to republican suc cess , I have not only refrained from taking an active part in behalf of Mayor Moores , but have labored earnestly to induce prominent business and profes sional men lo become candidates , as suring them that , if nominated , they would have my vigorous support. 1 have said nil Ihu. lime , however , that no candidate should be foisted upon the party Who turned his'back on the ticket last November. " ' ( t If the re-uointiiajjon of Mayor Moores tends lo alienatenuy , considerable num ber of republicans , the nomination of W. AV. Ulnghnm would , in my judg ment , be more hazardous. As the can didate of the Captain I'ulmer and Cadet Taylor kuife-wielders , Mr. Lilngliam would Invite reprisals from the friends of the men who were slaughtered at the last election. Mr. liinghum was accorded the privilege of personally naming his own ward delegation , and I venture to assert that not three of the ten could truthfully swear that they volcd the republican ticket last fall , while several of them were openly work- lug for the fusion candidates. As the avowed choice of the corpora tions , with a railroad solicitor as l > js campaign manager , 31 r. Hlnghnm would repel hundreds of republicans without attracting a solitary democrat , even if he were up lo Ihe slaudard expecled In a mayor of a inotropolllun city. Personally I have no grievance with Mr. lilugham or any other candidate In the field. My sole desire is to see the republicans nominate a city ticket that will win. K. UOSBWATBU. of ( he Union I'lU'llli1. Springfield ( Mass. ) Republican. Flvo years ago the government's second mortgage claim against the Union 1'aclfla ] railroad was not deemed worth much rooro , than half Its face value. Now the directors of the road arc declaring a dividend of I'/i ' per cent on the common stock. This stock ; was issued , in the reorganization of thu baukrupt company ; dollar for dollar for tlio old common stock , which was supposed to be worthless , and -while the reorganization effected a material reduction In fixed charges , the payment ot a dividend on thu common reflects Ilttlo the less strikingly the great improvement in the railroad business which has recently taken place. Still , It Is well | that the government has settled up with thu Union Pacific and is out of it. I'foitler < > ( o Illume. Philadelphia Lodger. The state legislatures as a rule do not con tain na many members of commanding ability and statesmanship as they did forty yearn ago. If the federal senate has suffered n ducllnu It Is for the reason that the people themselves have grown cart-less In the elec tion nf legislatures. If this Indifference Is to ho repeated In. the election of Unltoi ] States senators by a direct vote Ilttlo will j bo gained by the Innovation. The qucatli seems to bo broader than that of mothi in selecting United States senatoiw. MIllloiiN for iniilr - . Springfield Republican. One-quarter of the sum Kngland is ex pending in the war to extend Its dominion iti South Africa would sufllco to feed ovcry starving mouth In India. That tbo world ghould bo asked to support her fauilne- strlcken subjects In ono part of the empire In order that it may devote all ltn energies and money to crushing a people who stand in the way of a Ilraltlees extension of the empire in another part , Is certainly a most extraordinary proposition. Ullilil Mil" rnavalllililr. lluftalo Express. It lt to bo regretted that former Governor Wolcott of Massachusetts has refut > od to ac Is cept a position on the new Philippine com mission , us he not only la a man of 11 rat class executive ability , but Is a strong ad vocate cf the merit system , A IMUziirU , ItilllliT. Mlnnwuioll ? Times' , The announcement that congress will ad journ early has been made. It cotneti as regularly as that of the failure of t'bo peach crop , and It , if pceslble , even lets reliable. noun AND nniTo.v ix UATTMS. Slilo Mulitft on lliiiii | < iiliiK < > III ( lie Tticntvr of Wnr. 1'lty the sorrows of a thrice defeated gen eral ! Honiomber how sally nnd confidently Sir Hodvera Ilullcr sailed for Capetown some four months ago. nnd the joyous faith reposed - posed In him by the folks at home. Llku Fentlmriits were entertained by tlio. army. Jlut when the prowess and talents of the cnmmandcr failed In three successive trials , faith nnd , hope wore dashed to earth. Shot- tcred runfldouco Is not , tlic worst phase of tinTtigeln disaster. A 'London cable to the Ni'\\- York Times says that relatives an.l ofllcers hi Huller'B nrmy assert thlt the Rcnrrnllius , proved hlmsol : utterly Inonpable In the field. Ono startling letter from an oinrer who was In the Colonso fight hns found Its way Into print , charging Uullcr with cvciy sin a general ooiild bo guilty of. Orders were iFsiicd In the mo t slovenly manner , without being committed to paper ; troops were flung nbout promiscuously. Ig norant of the position of the enemy they were sent to attack ; ambulances were posted in front of the big naval guns , ami close under them , so as to bo In the direct line of the enemy's fire. No rcconnolBsance was made ; artillery was dumped around with out purpose or dellnlto plan. "It Is Ilttlo short of murder , " the ofllrer wound up , "to Intrust , the lives of the troops to the hands of such leaders. " As Carlyle remarked about the Ideas on nrmy leadership current In the early part ot the last century , "Tho Kngllsh have n notion that generalship Is not wanted , that war Is taught 'by nature , as eating Is , that courageous soldiers led on by a courageous wooden pole with n cocked hat on It will do very well. " The first line of defense to the Orange Frco State Is In the high and almost Inac cessible range known as the Stormberg mountains. These mountains are about twenty-five miles south of the Orange river , and extend from Dordrecht on the east , to Colcsberg on the west. Their almost Inaccessible heights and Impenetrable passes are thoroughly fortified , nnd the Uoera undoubtedly are thoroughly prepared for any movement against this position that the British may see fit to make. Of this General Gatacre la a competent witness. The second Boer Hue of defeuso is the broad , uufordablo Oningo river. The third Uoer line of defense IB fifty miles further north on the south Irank of the Uelt river , nnd about twenty-live miles south of Bloom- fonteln. British army olllcers and correspondents arc quick to inform the world when the Hocr , violate the usages of war. But great care Is taken to suppress news of similar outrages on the part of the British. Dr. Hamsbotton , head ot the Uoer Hed Cross , reports that he und ten other doctors , all wearing the Insignia of the Hed Cross , were taken prisoners by the British after the battle of Belmont , while attending to the wants of the wounded. They were carried from Orange river to De Aar Junction in cattle cars , rudely treated and given Ilttlo to cat. Later on they were released and permitted to return to their camp , but the British refused to return their ambulance wagons , Instruments or supplies. At Mod- dor river the British arrested four Boer doc tors and twenty-nine assistants , all mem bers of the ambulance lied Cross. Letters from soldiers who participated in the battle of Colenso are reaching Kngland , and they tell some amusing and pathetic Incidents of the struggle. Ono officer tells ot a private , evidently n son of the Emerald isle , who , us he received his first wound , laconically remarked : "Ah , and If bastes haven't tilt me ; that's one ter them. " Hardly were the words out of his mouth when he received a second wound , and , cooler than ever , said : "Bo Jabers , if they haven't struck me the second tolme. " The third bullet struck him. Ho laughed and Mid : "Well , that's -No. 3. I dothink the blay- guards moight let a ( teller alone after they've hit him wance. " Recent events have recalled that General Sir Iledvcra Bulle'r , until this war , was on terms of warm personal friendship with the Kruger family and that they were wont to exchange cards of good wishes every Christ mas. The friendship dated from twenty years ago , when Duller had a regiment of Boers under his command in the war against the Zulus. The Manchester Courier , relates on the authority of an officer's private letter , a remarkable instance of Boer chivalry. At Magerefonteln the Boers were so moved by the heroic Indifference to death displayed by it party of two officers and twelve privates who charged up to the very muzzles of their opponents' cannon , that , casting aside tholr weapons , -they rushed In nn over whelming number on thceo men Into their trenches. Then , when they had been dis armed , the Boer commandant said : "There , you are free to go , and we- will not open flro until you are within your lines. " A London correspondent who visited tbo Boer laager near Norvalepont says ho found the burghers dally engaged in athletic sports and nightly In meetings of their debating bating- society , singing and prayer. They seem also to begin the day with a religious service , at 4 o'clock In the morning , when In fixed camp followed toy coffee at G o'clock. Of drill or military exercise , says the cor respondent ' , there ec-ems to bo Ilttlo or none Taoyond 1 what is necessary for the construc tion of trenches nnd the sentries and am munition guards at night. A former Wall street magnate admits ow ing $1,292,730 and has assets of $150. The British public is beginning to under stand that no news from South Africa means bad news. The tougher the play the stronger Now York fights for It. Much will bo forgiven there , If the thing has a foreign flavor. Undo Sam has picked up a few more stray Islanda In the Pacific. While wo are In the business , there In no sense in letting any thing get away. c A Maine > mau is being sued for breach of I promise , and makes tbo defense that the a woman proposed to him , although admitting ; t that bo accepted her. s The following Is from the honeyed tonguu ii of Max O'llell , who is arranging for another t tour of the United States : "I have never seen in America an absolutely , helplessly a. plain woman. She is always In possession a of a redeeming sompthlnR that saves her. " Max , old boy , just name tno price and It Is yours. The Samoa Weekly Herald reports that "Stanley R. Osborn , who Is clerk at tliu United States consulate general and clerk of the itupremo court of Samoa and re ; ; ! trar of titles , has at the unanimous request of the Jf members of the -bar been appointed marshal of the supreme court of Samoa. These ar -jf all somewhat responsible positions. " Commander Wainwrlght is embarrassed by ' ) the 'honor thrust upon him In Secretary it Long's tender to him of the superintendency of the Naval academy. The hero of the > Gloucester may Injure ills chance : * If he de . clines , and yet , If lie accepts , his Income will bo Iwa than it probably would be were hole lo decline , and as he IB a man of family , tills important. Colorado solons havn framed a bill regu : lating marriage and providing for physical examinations before tbo ceremony. Those who arc physically defective are to bo denied the right to wed in the btutc. If the bill : becomes a law , Nebraska and Kansas will , provide Grctna Greens for the accom modation of Colorado crips , The Immortal Declaration protects every one In "pursuit of i happiness , " and by the eternal no koplul : state ehall abridge It. 01 t ST.\xn.\nn nivmnxn HATH. lloovfnl I'rliiof ( III Tlcltln Million * for tlir TrttM. t'nlted States Investor ItoMon. ) The recent declaration by the Standard j Oil company of n quarterly dividend ot ! ' 0 ! per cent on Its capital stock should disabuse j the public of any lingering , belief that they I I may have retained.In Iho benevolent chsrao- ' ter of this monopoly. For many years there i has been an unmlstaknblo tendency to view 1 the Standard Oil Trust In the light of n | i benefactor because since its nppenranco on itho'scene 1 the prlco ot oil , hns apparently j ' been reduced In u very striking manner. H I Is clear , however , that absolutely no credit i ' is Ouu the Standard Oil company for the reduction. Tlicro is every renoon to sup pose that the prlco would have droppeu to a point admitting of only the narrowest mar- Kin of profit per unit of production , even if th Standard Oil Trust had never entered the Held. The only difference between the trust nnd the other producers was that by Its ruthless measures It was nblo to seize posscFslon ot most of the business offering , nnd was In n position by reason of Its enor- mpua sales , to make tremendous earnings on u margin of profit per unit which would hardly have allowed other companies foothold. lu crushing Its competitors , the Trust no doubt cut prices temporarily and In particular localities below thu nguro to which ordinary competition would have car ried them , 'but thu influence of such cuts was probably not far-reaching , so far as consumers were concerned. Having by its dastardly method * crushed out competition , the Standard Oil Tiust has lately been In n position to ad vance the prlco of Its product. It has no love for the community. It Is not nn elee mosynary Institution. H Is merely n Brlnd- IIIL- monopoly of the worst nud moat despic able character. Just BO soon ns the oppor tunity presented Itself to the trust to dou ble tire prlco of oil , up went the price. Dur ing the first half of this decade the trust paid 12 per cent in dividends annually. In 1S9C it paid 31 per cent ; In 1S97 the rate was : ! 0 per cent ; In 1SBD it was 33 per cent ; und WOO opens with dividends at the rate of SO per cent. This question arises , will an SO per cent dividend rate rovlva competition ? We presume the trust has been acting ad visably in Increasing the-price of its product so tremendously , nnd It can probably be taken for granted that competition will be nipped In the bud If it shows signs of asserting Itself once more. The trust unquestionably does not expect to pay at the rate of 80 per cent right along. It is Blmply gathering rosebuds while it may. There is food for reflection to the people of this country in the fact that the pcr- petrators of this policy practically dominate the financial situation of the United States today. They possess the power ( and they do not hesitate to use it ) to manipulate the money market in their own interests. No vested rights nro free from the like lihood of assault 'by them. They have como very near succeeding In an attempt to wreck the entire copper interest of Boston , Through their control ot the largest bank In the western hemisphere they aided ma terially in producing such a state of affairs in Wall street in 1899 as necessitated the intervention of the national government to prevent a financial panic of the. greatest magnitude. These are not facts to bo Idly dismissed. Their bearing upon the < lestlny of the republic is perhaps the most im- pcrtant question that confronts the Ameri can people. Before leaving the subject wo may call attention to the fact that in the last two years the Standard Oil party have locked up many millions in a copper share specu lation. Does It not look as If they were determined that the people of the Unltec Slates should make good these millions to thc-m ? An advance of 43 per cent in tha ptica of qll since last May helps out a gooi deal. PENSION ATTOKXI5YS' AVOIUC. Set-ret of ( lit * PiiHh Ilclilnil Sppolul PeiiNloii Ijculnliitluii. New York Times. It Is well to remember that the enormous amount of pension legislation now be pressed in congress is not the work of the soldiers as u class , nor even of a very great proportion of tbo soldiers. In very large part , the persons receiving or Becking pen sions now aio not soldiers , but the relatives of soldiers , and these have none ot the sense of prldo that generally is felt by those who have been In the military service. Another considerable number of the present appli cant's for pension are men who deserted from the army or In other ways forfeited theli rights , or these who were mere camp fol lowers and never exposed themselves to an ) danger. Back of this army of hungry and unscrupulous persons or persons never really connected with the service arc tha pension attorneys , more greedy and unprincipled than the clients they hunt up from all cor ners of the land. It is this class that are hounding congress for the passage of the flood of private pension bills , almost ovcry ono of which enacts a claim that has bcei carefully and "honestly examined lu the Pension Bureau and rejected for good cause. The whole theory of the special leglslu- onthis subject is wrong. There are only a very few cases In which a pension should bo paid except in accordance with general laws nnd capable of definite proof In compliance * with the tests imposed by the bureau. Thorn is almost no claim that can ho passed on toy a committee of congrees so honestly , fairly , and wisely as by the trained and responsible officers of the bureau. Wo p do not know that there Is. any way of en forcing on congress the application of this ° perfectly sound principle. It Is not prac tlcabJo to restrict the powers of congress ] by statute , and If the committees nnd the two bouses cbooso to abuse their powers , as tboy continually do , they cannot bo pre- vented. But It ought to bo well understood by the country that their motives nro not good , and that In the great body of cases they are not acting from reckless generosity , but selfishly. The pension attorneys arc the organizers and managers of the so-called "soldier votcv" and they menace with it every congressman who stands In their way. Probably nine-tenths of the undeserved pen sions voted In congress are the product of this sort of blackmail , in which the pension sharks arc experts. The only check on them is wholesome public opinion , muinly that of the real soldiers , and this Is not sufficiently direct and well Informed at present to have . decided Influence. There has never been time when congicsa wuct so reckless nnd shameless In this direction. HAWAII'S POPULATION. It In I.iir t'r 'I'll a n Hint of Ollirr Itc- liloiiH OruuiiUt-il UN 'IVrrlloi-li-N. The proposition pending in Washington for the aJmltslun of Hawaii as u territory the United Stated on similar termx with Matka and not as a colonial dependency " the United State.i , ns is the case with Porto Klco , has received much support , ne of the arguments advanced In favor nf , says the New York Sun , Is that Hawaii lias now more than the ( usual population " f a territory , By tlio census taken In 1S97 .he total population of the Hawaiian Mauds ivas 100,000 and us there * has been a con- ildcrable Increase In population an well aa \ n trade since the formal annexation of the glandu In ] 898 the present population is " crfalnly in excess of 110,000 anil probably considerably more than that. Alaska was lurchiued from Russia in 1867 , and lt popu- atlon was estimated then at 25,000 , Ily the IV ensus of I860 It was 30.000 und In 1SSO u vu 33,000. There ! e no established provision requlr- ng a stated population for u territory as prerequisite to organization au such V ongroja , and a majority of the territories rcanlzed had at tbe time considerably Ie03 population than Hawaii la known to hav6 at present. Minnesota wa * organized as a ter ritory ( It became- stnto In 1S5S ) In ISlli , nnd It , 1mit by the first census surcecdlnp Its ailnilMlon a population at only C.OOO. t'tih became a territory In ISi.O and it had at the tlmo a population of only 11,000. Oregon gen was organized as n territory In ISIS and It had at the time a population of only , 12,000. Its growth afterward was rapid and it had more than HO,000 population ten years later. Colorado wn organized us n terri tory in ISfil and It had at the time n popil- latUm ot 30,000. Twenty years later the population of Colorado was 200,000. Ari zona was organized as a territory In 1S63 nnd hnd nt the tlmo n population of about 7,000. New Mexico , which , with Arizona , has 'been for a number of years a claimant for admission to statehood , wan organized in 1S50 with it population of 60,000. Wyo ming nt the first fcdcrnl census nfter Iti ndnlFMon had 9,000 population , Idaho 15,000 , Washington 11,000 , Dakota , Including the present stales of Xorth nnd South Dnkotn , 4.SOO , Nebraska 28,000 , nnd Kansas , organ ized ns n territory In 1S51 nnd admitted an a state in ISfll , 107,000. It nan been found usually that unorgan ized regions of the country , when they ro- celvo stable government under congres sional authority , Increase population with great rapidity ntid that whatever reasons were urged ngulnst organization nt first do not eland the teat of growth lu population and resources which follows. WOHIIS OX WOMAN. Conipllcnlcil Siilijout SiKM'1'snfully nml 1'rnutliMilly lln < Min pit. "Woman , " cald the old Codger to a New York Sun man , "Is a perpetual paradox , a chronic conundrum without an answer , an unknown quantity possessed of unexpected possibilities , a perpetual prize package ot peculiar potentialities , a conventicle of char acteristic contradictions nud nn auinranthlno abrogation of other attributes which are not alliterative. "She Is man's greatest earthly blessing and the cause of most of his misery. Sbo is his chief inspiration to the achievement of nil that is good , grand nnd glorious In thin world nud at the same tlmo a laborsaving - saving dovlco to help him make n fool of himself. Shu soothes his tired nerves with the coo of her gentle voice , but she- always bar the last word In every controversy with him and , Incidentally , about 07 per cent of the preceding conversation. She brings him Into the world and in a few years late * ' i talks him to death. , * "Most of man's iTouble Is caused by woman , but so deftly docs she pllo the load oil him that whenever his burden of trouble Is lifted he wanders uneasily about hunting- for more otherwise , there- would bo very few second wives. She will cheerfully go to the Btnko for the truth's sake nnd llo about her age without even being asked. She will grow weary of an Indulgent husband , but will cleave unto death to the .man . who boats her regularly. She will break her V-V ; htnrt because a man docs what she don't 1 vnnt him to , nnd love him nil the better for so doing. "Sho scorns all advice In the selection of a husband , but lakes two other women along to help her pick out n hat. The Icsn actual comfort to be obtained from a thing , the more enjoyment a woman gets out of its possession. At 1C she Is a young woman ; nt 25 , If still unmarried , she is n girl. She will face the grim specter of death without , a tremor , and swoon at the sight of a mouse. The only time she ever docs what you expect her to do Is when you expect her to do just what you don't expect her to do. The sole reason why she does anything - Is simply because she don't know why she docs It. She jumps at conclusions and al ways lands on them squarely , for the aim. plt > reason that when the conclusion skips to ono side , thinking to avoid her , it gats , _ . . exactly in her way. She Is tno dearest thing In all the world , and the most aggravating.- She Is ns she Is , and that's all there is In do about it. The only man who over fully understands a woman Is the man who un derstands that ho don't understand her. and has got sense enough to let it go at that.1' ciii-nsuv CHAFF. Somervlllo Journal : When the para- grapher nH.serts Unit a sodii crncki > r l a square meal , 1m thinks , of course , that lie Is Indulging la dry liumor. Indianapolis Press : "Undo Abner. did you enjoy staying at that big hotel In totvn ? "Gee I guess HO ; T rid up an' down In II ; ' ! lero lron lire-escnpo all day fer Chicago Record : "An Inventor is a man who dlfcove.ru something new , Isn't ho ? " r No ; 1111 Inventor Is a man who eets a. . 'j natent out ahead of all the other men who A have Invented the same thing. " t\ Philadelphia Uncord : Hoax I belleva everything my wlfo tells me. JOHX On general principles. Hoax Yes ; I think ovury man should be- llevo nbout half ho hears , nnd I prefer to bellcvo the better half. Detroit Free Prows : She Have you de cided what the national air Is ? He Oh ye. . . She What Is It ? aie-aillllonalro. Chicago Tribune : "For my part , " said the man In thn mackintosh , "f am clud „ tnoy liuyo organized a banana trust. " * - - - - the man with tlio ogRow "The next time I slip on n. Imnana skin "kCB 1M1 Un ° W whom to HU" Nws : ' " < 1 a no' ' ' " the Kitchen and -crept down. Ho carried a Htol and she a curtain nolo. They they , J discovered the canso of tlm nolHo. Did yoii see that rnt Jump out of Inn \ il7 IM' ' " ? , BnB ) Cv ( holding lier. nklrtd \Vliy lldn't " < you shoot him ? " ? ! WUS J"Ht ° Ut ° f my range " he , * ! < sin Porter 12. IJrown In Boston Globe. Sir Iledvers UuIIcr stood upon a kopje fair nnd round , And gawd at LadyHrnlth ncroxs ( ho voldt. Ami whicd a 'tear ' from out his eye , anil then lie heaved a Mich , 'Twoiiid sure have caused an fceman'/i / 'heart ' to nielt. Around iiinj stood hl snllnnt staff with hyphenated mimes , And modal : ) on their chests full two feet deep , Who were xvhlto dressed kid cloves upon their , bunds whene'er awake. And undressed ones whene'er they went to sleep , The button * which they had would make a bellboy turn iiulte green ; 1'lnk weather strips were wound around their calvp , Ami most of them were filiifle-lmrrclcd sriassi1. * In tbt-lr oycs ( Thi-y will Insist on doing things by luilves. ) Sir IU'dv TH wiped a furtlvo tear from out bin easlo eye , And longingly ho guzed ut tadj smith. Baid hi1 : "Sometime we'll eat out Hunday dinner In that idaco. Hfllovo inn when J uuy that ain't no myth. "It germs finite -strunge- that wo who each IUIVH iwfii pulra of ; > ants , And titles whli'h we carry round In vana. And sixty ft-et of choice gold braid nround our manly client ) * ? t And whlto kid gloves to wear upon our ' ban's , "Should have to duck around and dodge a lot of rustic Hours. Wbosii whiskers look like hay of years \Vltli only ono suspender not ; n eyeglass in the bunch , It Biirely is most horrid , dontcherknow. "Wo'yo often thought we'd eat our Sunday dinner there before , Hut Ootn I'uul Kruger doc not think : it beat , ml surely 'twould bo very Impolite , and very rude , If wu did nut accede to i\\o \ \ request , Perhaps ho'l ! realize how unkind his ac- tlon.i really uro , Ami let UH cat our Sunday dinner theie ; L'ntll ho doea , we'll wander nuud and go nnd shoot the chutes. We'll now return to cumn and comb gits