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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (July 10, 1902)
TOE OMAHA DA1IT BEE: THURSDAY, JUI,Y 10, 1002. Tiie omajia Daily Bee E. B08E WATER, EDITOR. PUBLISHED EVERT MORNING. TERMS OK SUBSCRIPTION, pally Bee (without Sunday), One Year.$l W J)ily Hee and tiundnj, One Year Illustrated iiee. One J ear Sunday Be. One lear ' gaturoay Bee, One Yar 1W Twentieth Century Farmer, One Year.. l.M DELJVEHED HI CAKKItH. Dally Bee (without Sunday), per copy.... c lialty bee (without bunoayi. per wee....lio lally Bee (Including bunuayi, per wees..lic Sunday Bee, per copy 'J', fevening Bee iwitnout Sunday), per weeS.Wc Evening Bee tinciudtiig ounuay), per week 180 ComplaJnta of Irregularities In delivery hould be addressed to City Circulation lepartment. OITFICE8. Omaha The Bee Bui.alng. South Omaha City Hail Building, Twen-ty-htth and M Streets. Council Bluff 10 fearl Street. Chicago 1M0 I'nlty Building, hew iork Temple Court. Washington bul Fourteenth Street. ( CORRESPONDENCE. Communications relating to news and editorial matter should be addressee Omaha Bee, Editorial iepartment. BUSINESS LETTERS. Business letters and remittances should be addressed: The Bee Fub.uhlng Com pany, Omaha. REMITTANCES. Remit by draft, express or postal order, payable to The Bee Fub.lshlng company. Only i-cent stamps accepted in payment vf Dial I account. Personal checks except on Dmaha or eastern exchanges, "t ccepted. THE BEE PLBLJdMI.nO COMPAN t. STATEMENT OF CIRCULATION. Btate of Nebraska, Douglaa County, ss.: Oeorge B. Tmchuck, secretary of ihe Be Publishing Company, being auly worn, ays that ths actual number of full and complete copies of The Dally, Morning, Evening and Sunday Bee printed during iba month of June, 1302, waa as follows: 1 lfl,41u 16 JW.460 StMlH) 17...'.. ...'.. ...." l se,tno ' 18.... ,Tw 4 W.8TO . 19 29,740 t at,5M 20 .....2t,500 W.510 21 X,tt70 1 2tt,ft70 22 J,IW ittMMHI 23 SHI.6H0 2D.B4U 24 31.330 JO 21,10 25 JIO,ttK li itv.nBO 26...;.: a,Bw u nv.sio ri sni.eso 13 WI.IMQ 28 ao,B40 14 au,oo at an.oik) 16 2U,58U , 30 20,810 Total 8B,2!M Leas unsold and returned copies.... ,ra Net total sales 87tt,BU Net daily average 2tt,318 GEO. B. TZSCHUCK. Subscribed In my presence and sworn to before me this 30th day of June. A. D..19CB. (Seal.) M. B. H UNGATE. , , Notary Public The hearing- before the supreme eoart of the salt Instituted by Ed ward Rosewater and M. P. Har rlasjtoa oa behalf., of the Bee Balldlatr company and the peo ple of the state to compel the state board of equalisation by tvrlt of mandamus to reconvene ad aaaess the franchises of the railroads of Nebraska la to close at boob today. The fall steno graphic report of the testimony, proceeding: and arguments la thla, the most Important ease ever tried la that eoart, will be printed la The Bee, the arst Installment appearing- tomorrow aad eoatla mlng from day to day. . This Is a good time for the rainmakers to take a vacation. The revised list of democratic heroes shows that Admiral Dewey's name has 4een expunged. . When It comes to evading taxes, the community . of Interests, between the railroads Is all-Inclusive. The ratio against Tracy, the fugitive Oregon' convict. Is steadily becoming more unequal. At last accounts It was 1.000 to 1. Another curfew ordinance has-been passed by the city council. What has .become of all of the curfew ordinances previously passed? . Because every railroad attorney may -be a friend of the court. It does not fol low that every friend of the court must be a railroad attorney. When the State Board of Equalisation comes to fix the state levy Douglas 'county should be entitled to the best fate siren to any county In Nebraska. Mtoeouri democrats have endorsed the Kansas City platform. As the Kansas City platform Is a Missouri product, its sponsor would certainly be In hard lines If Missouri went back on it Ak Sar-Bt'n's motto this year will again be, "Let there be light." With $2,500 appropriated for the purpose out of. the. city .treasury, the carnival Illumi nation should excel all former efforts. It looks as If the secretary of the In terior were In earnest In ordering down the -Illegal fences on the government do ma. ' The cattle, syndicate that wants to keep out of trouble will conform to the order. While about it, why. should not the school board make three-year contracts with 'the book trust, the coal dealers, the architect, the Janitors and the Ice man and' then take a three years' ad journment? . ' -- - , According to the weather bureau sum mary for,the entire country, our trouble Is not that we have too much rain, but that It is not properly attributed. A new set of distribution pipes should be ordered at once. . , . A greet fuss Is always made by the banks over their assessment for taxa tion by 'the county board. But the banks' keep mum about the offset they are enjoying by absorblug the interest on deposits of county funds so graciously remitted to them by the lenient county treasurer. .. .Jf this Interest were cred ited to the taxpayers the tax rate might be pulled down another notch. All that can be done under the new Irrigation law this season la to procure the preliminary surveys which will de termine the location of the experimental reservoirs. With this work completed actual construction' should begin by the opening of next spring, so that when the Fifty-eighth congress meets It will have several object lessons to draw from In case further legislation Is needed. . TBS APPROrtitATIOXS. The democratic rongreanlnnnl cam paign managers will endeavor to make political capital for their party by al leging that the present congress has been extravagant In appropriations. It will not le denied that the congress has been ifberal In this respect, but as was said by Mr. Cannon, chairman 'of the house committee on appropriations, "the appropriations of the session com pare favorably with those made at any previous session of congress and lii their every detail they will stand successfully the test of the most searching examina tion by fair-minded and intelligent men who believe In wise, prudent and suffi cient provision for every proper function of government of our great, growing and progressive country." It Is nearly Impossible, we suppose every intelligent man will admit, to avoid some expenditures that are not absolutely demanded in the interest of the public service, or that are not some what in excess of the requirements of that service. In the multitude of mat ters to be provided for and with the vast number of Interests asking con sideration, It would be most remarkable If there did not get Into the appropria tion bills some provisions that are un necessary and which could be dispensed with without disadvantage or Injury to the public service. This Is the uni versal experience. No European par liament escapes criticism on this score. In his statement Just before the ad journment of congress. Chairman Can non said that the total appropriations made, exclusive of that toward the Isth mian canal, aggregated a little over $750,000,000.. The chairman of the house committee on appropriations, than whom there has never been in congress a more earnest advocate of economy in public expenditures, said: "The great In crease In population and the phenomenal expansion of commercial and industrial interests throughout the country are of themselves sufficient to explain the necessity of this apparent Increase." He went on to point out where appro priations, In comparison with those of the last session of the previous con gress, had been decreased or Increased, and we think no fair-minded man can read Mr. Cannon's statement without coming to the conclusion that on the whole tflb first session of the Fifty seventh congress, while confessedly lib eral In the matter of appropriations, was "not Inordinately extravagant and thatall things considered Its record In this particular compares very favorably with that of the last democratic con gress, which It is well to remember was a bllllon-dollar congress, with much less reason for. being so . than the present congress had - for Its large appropria tions. It should be borne in mind that a very considerable portion of the expenditure authorized by the first session of the Fifty-seventh congress will extend over several years. This Is so In regard to the appropriations for rivers and har bors, public buildings and an Increase of the navy. AH the money appro priated for these purposes will not come out of the treasury at once. It Is also to be considered that this money will be distributed In the channels of trade and . Industry, thereby contributing to the general welfare and prosperity. Re garded from the practical point of view, therefore, the, iuiocrats will not be able to make any political capital out of the appropriations at the first session of the present congress, for while re publicans will not hesitate to admit that perhaps a few are unnecessary or ex cessive, as a whole they are Justifiable and 'in the public Interest. EXPORTS TO SOUTH AFRICA. Already exports from the United States to South Africa are Increasing in a marked ratio, A New York paper states that three allied transportation lines, which have been doing all the bus iness,, are advertising six sailings a month and are dispatching large steam ers with full cargoes, the trade being so good that two other companies have established a Joint service, clearing a steamer every two weeks'. This new concern got out one steamer with be tween 8,000 and 4,000 tons of merchan dise just two weeks after peace was agreed on. The demand from South Africa Is mainly for lumber and all building materials, and agricultural im plements. More freight Is going at pres ent to Natal and( Algoa bay than to Capetown, the business methods of the Dutch residents of the latter being slow and primitive, while Durban, in Natal, Is full of energy and modern methods and consequently Is growing rapidly. There is every reason to expect that a large trade will be built up between this country and South Africa within the next few years and it will not be con fined to the products now In demand. South Africa will want a great deal of American machinery, a large amount of our cotton goods, provisions and other things and there Is every reason to ex pect that the demand for these will grow from year to year. There are 150, 000,000 people In Africa and there will be sharp competition for the trade, par ticularly on the part of England and Germany, but the United States Is In position to secure a liberal share of it aud our merchants and manufacturers will not fall to take advantage of their opportunity. , -TH CASK OF TBS FRIARS. In the instructions to Governor Taft regarding the Philippine friars the con dition was made that all friars of the four orders shall withdraw from the Islands within two years from the first payment for their lands. This require ment was made on the ground that the removal of the friars is necessary to convince the Filipinos that the ancient regime of the Spanish friars is finished and there is no doubt of the expediency of having these people gradually with draw from the archipelago, since they are very generally disliked and dis trusted by the natives. But It la a rather embarrassing matter for the Vatican. Then will probably be no difficulty In reaching a satisfactory arrangement for the purchase and trans fer of the lnnds of the friars, but the question of getting tBem out of the country is a much more serious one. The vntlcan authorities are not dis posed to assume the somewhat grave responsibility of attempting to compel the friars to leave the Philippines and appear to be seeking some compromise plan that will save them from the ap pearance of voluntarily ordering the de parture of the frlnrs. Should there be failure to reach such a plan our govern ment will be called upon to consider whether It shall expel these churchmen from the archipelago and It Is easy to see that this would be a rather embar rassing question. To deport hundreds of these people, on the ground that their presence In the country Is objectionable to the natives, would be a proceeding which it Is doubtful if the government would adopt, even If It can do so under the law Just enacted. Manifestly there Is presented in the case of the friars an altogether unique situation and one that may prove very embarrassing to the government CLASSIFICATION OF C1TIIS. The decision of the supreme court of Ohio, declaring unconstitutional stat utes relating to the incorporation of cities of a certain clasi on the ground that although In general terms they are really special laws prohibited by the constitution, has prompted the Lincoln Journal to suggest that the same point might be successfully made against our Nebraska statutes providing for the in corporation and government of cities and towns. It is pointed o'ut that In this state the classification has been -made so as to make each of the larger cities stand in a class by itself, giving the laws relating to that class the char acter of special legislation because they affect no other city. The situations In Ohio and In Nebraska, however, are entirely different so dif ferent that without great stretching the decision of the Ohio supreme court would hardly apply to the Nebraska municipal incorporation laws. In Ne braska the limits of classification have not- been overstepped. On the con trary, the boundaries of the different classes are natural and broad, dividing cities according to population at points where the necessity for more compli cated governmental machinery appears. In Ohio the classification theory has been worked so far as to provide that a particular law shall apply only to cities which by the last census had a popula tion, for example, of not less than 27,000 nor more than 27,720. Such palpable attempts to evade the spirit of the con stitution requiring all laws relating to the government of cities to be general could not fool anyone, much less the judges of the court when called to pass upon them. But this does not militate against the validity of classification on broad, gen eral lines, which has been recognized and upheld by courts In nearly every state In the union, Including Nebraska. The Ohio decision need not cause any uneasiness In Nebraska. The campaign for tax reform In Omaha and Douglas county Is only a small part of the fight for equitable taxation. The fight for the assessment of railroad property and franchises on the same basis as other property throughout the state Is the same fight over again, but on a much bigger scale. Where the fight for a better local as sessment in Douglas county has added between 82,000,000 and 83,000,000 to the grand assessment roll, the fight for a more Just assessment of the railroads should add from eight to ten times as much to the aggregate of taxable prop erty In Nebraska. As a result of the campaign for more equitable assessments and a lower tax rate, the city levy has been reduced from 34 to 80 mills and the county levy from 17.2 to 15 mills. The reduction in the city levy would be greater if the school board had reduced its levy for the school fund proportionately to the Increase In the grand total of taxable property. The net result Is that the tax rate has been reduced materially for each of the local authorities except the school board. It will be up to the school board to make a showing of economy next time or explain the reason why. Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock Is said to be ambitious to solve the Indian problem during bis term as a cabinet officer, so that his successor may be re lieved of the Indian as a ward of the nation. In furtherance of this laud able ambition the secretary is deter mined that no rights of the Indian te sacrificed and no Indian left a helpless prey to unscrupulous white freebooters. If Secretary Hitchcock succeeds in his plans he will be almost canonized In the Indian folklore of the future. Our conscientious ' county attorney wants the courts to come to his rescue with a mandamus to compel the chief of police to furnish evidence against gamblers In Omaha, which he himself and all of his private sleuths have been unable to get in the three years he has been in office. But the county attorney does not ask for any court order to compel the police authorities of South Omaha to help him convict South Omaha gamblers. Is he on the square? King Edward Is said to be Insistent on holding his coronation In August, de spite the protests of his doctors. In anything that relates to Illness the king Is a submissive subject to the medical experts, but when It comes to questions of royal ceremony, bis sovereign au thority must be vindicated. The quarterly balance sheet of receipts and expenditures shows that the busi ness of the postal service Is practically self-sustaining. If congress would only shut off the franking privilege on con gressional garden sass and oratorical narcotics the postal surplus would soon assume tangible form. ThouahttuI Considers tlna. Philadelphia Ledger. Happily for human nerves, ths Steel trust and the Standard Oil company do not exploit their fabulous profits at the same time. Jarrlnaj Political Crockery. Chicago Tribune. The troiihla with flrnver Cleveland la that every time be makes a movement of any kind he knocks down a lot Of fragile democratic crockery. Poor L.o Jumps at Work. Minneapolis Journal. Great surprlae Is expressed because the Indians of the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota went to work when they were offered employment. Can It be pos sible that the Indian hasn't worked in ths past because he haa had no opportunity? A Bunco Trick. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Congress ought to Insist on finding out how It happened, without Its knowledge, to. relieve brokers of $3,000,000 taxes due on bond sales. Such bunco tricks upon congress can never be stopped by neglect ing to identify the persons who engineer them. Wrltlne; History by Law. Cincinnati Commercial Tribune. Louisiana's legislature has enacted that no history be allowed in her schools that does not give the credit for the victory at Santiago to Admiral Schley. The Louisiana legislature may be a Judge of history and Schley may be entitled to all the credit for the victory, but the Louisiana legislature Is cone the less an ass for Its attempts to write history by legislative enactments. Business Methods la Postal Affaire. Indianapolis Journal. The Postofflce department has Just footed up Its receipts and expenditures for the first quarter of the year 1902, which ended with March. The receipts for the quarter were 132,400,000 and the expenditures 131, BOQ.OOO. A surplus of 1800,000 In any quar ter of the postal service is a thing unheard of. Moreover, the expenditure was larger than usual because of the establishing of so many free delivery routes. It Is estimated In Washington that the deficit for the full fiscal year will be considerably less than $3,000,000. This is a decided change from a deficit ranging from $7,000,000 to $12,000,000 a year .with a much leas diffusive service. Objections to Consolidation. Chicago Tribune. A corporation which controlled the meat Industry of the United States and abused Its power would awaken competition which would pull It down. But however con servatively such a corporation might be managed and however reasonable the prices fixed by it might be, the publlo could not be persuaded the prices were reasonable. It would believe It was being overcharged because the corporation had the power to overcharge it. This is one reason why the consolidation of the great packing com panies will be Inexpedient It will be es pecially Inexpedient if the packers select Mr. Rockefeller as their patron saint. The people will aot take kindly to the sugges tion that he la to regulate the price of their beef, pork and mutton. LAND GRABBING! IX ALASKA. Railroad Corporations Pla-lnar (or a Lara;e Slice. San Francisco Chronicle. Several applications have been made to congress during the' session just closed for land subsidies' by 'The promoters of rail roads In Alaska. A half dosen such bills, Introduced In the senate during the earlier part of the session, were referred to the committee on publlo lands. They were permitted to repose there undisturbed. During the last days of the session another was added to the list, passing through the same course. The bill grants the right-of-way to the Valdes, Copper River Yukon Railway company from Port Valdes to Eagle City. The latter place Is on the Upper Yukon, near the boundary line, and convenient to Dawson City. But besides the right of way. which follows the line of the trail surveyed at the expense of the government, the bill grants all alternate sections of the public domain within five miles on each side of the road, or, In the event the odd sections or parts thereof shall have been previously homesteaded or pre-empted within these limits, lieu lands shall be selected within a belt of twenty miles, that Is, of ten miles on either side of the railroad right-of-way. It Is stipulated In the bill, according to the tele graphic' report received from Washington, that the lands granted are to be exclusively non-mineral, but for the purposes of the grant coal and iron are not to be con sidered minerals. A similar bill was Introduced Into the house on April 6 In behalf of the same corporation, the only difference In It being that all unoccupied odd sections within the belt described were applied for, irrespec tive of the agricultural or mineral char acter. The house made short work, how ever, ef not only this but of all other railroad land subsidy bills before it, the committee on publte lands reporting ad versely on all of them and declaring Itself unqualifiedly against reviving the old pcllcy of subsidising railroads. Under cover of a supposed military necessity, congress granted in the sixties an Immense area of the publlo lands to en courage railroad construction. The gran tees were enormously enriched thereby, Subsequently a reaction set In, and public sentiment haa since been unalterably op posed to the' policy. If any section of the territory under the Jurisdiction of the United States is a suitable field for rail road building, the builder must rely upon the legitimate business he can get out of It for his compensation. That policy Is fixed. It railroad promoters think that public sentiment will be relaxed as to the dis position of the public domain In Alaska because of Its remoteness from civiliza tion and the central seat of government, they are sadly mistaken. The people have a fair appreciation of the value of the public lands in that territory, where not even the flimsy excuse of a "military necessity" for a railroad can be advanced to persuade the government to part with them with the popular consent. The elimination of mineral land, except coal and iron, from the proposed grant does not alter the conditions. Alaska is rich In both coal and Iron, and there are doubtless big deposits of both In the belt to be traversed by the Valdes, Copper River Yukon railway, or the promoters of the scheme would not exempt them In the classification. Besides, the , country haa learned by experience that the exemp tion of mineral land In railroad grants la virtually meaningless In practice, as vast areas of the mineralized belts In this state have passed Into ths possession of the subsidized railroads. Furthermore, the timber and agricultural lands of Alaska are far too valuable to be given away. It will not be many years before bona fide settlers will be seeking these lands In the territory, and the public do main should not pass Into ths possession of any one except actual settlers. When congress convenes again the senate should follow the example of the house and put a quietus to all land subsidy seeking for railroads. BITS OK WASHINGTON LIFE. Mlaer Scenes aaa Incidents Sketched on the Spot. Consternation reigns among the feather bed naval officers quartered In Washington. Being poesessed of social or political pulls, or both, they have for years monopolized the most attractive assignments "on shore duty," snd have had more experience In navigating the dizzy social whirl than In breasting the briny billows. Mr. Moody, the new secretary of the navy. Inclines to the belief that the salt sea air would be a great benefit to the eocial pets snd proposes giv ing them a taste, while the latter fear the salty water will spoil their good clothes, but refrain from saying so, contenting themselves with wlerd lamentations to their friends. The shortage of officers to man' the ships renders necessary the abolition of shore sinecures, apart from the desirability of re quiring all officers to render the allotted term of sea duty. In an article on "Social Life at the White House' Anne Holllngswortb Wharton writes In the Era Magazine: "Mr. Roosevelt, in addition to being emi nently social by nature, possesses the happy faculty of throwing aside the cares of state and entering Into the bright talk of the luncheon or dinner table with the spirit and test of a collegian, while Mrs. Roosevelt's afternoon teas are ss easy and Informal as thore of any other Washington lady. "Mr. Roosevelt Is usually assisted by the president's sister, Mrs. Cowles, Miss Alice Roosevelt, who Is one of the debutantes of the season, and by some of the cabinet ladles. After being received by the hostess at the door of the Blue room and enjoying a few words of conversation with her. If other guests do not claim her attention, the visitor passes on to the Red room, where the charming hostesses who preside over the small afternoon tea tables draw groups of guests around them to exchange the last Washington gossip or bonmot over a sociable cup of tea." It has been fully demonstrated that the house can furnish on the shortest notice a splendid vaudeville team, capable of an evening's entertainment, reports the Wash ington Post. On Sunday quite a large delegation of members sailed down the Potomac seventy miles and back again aboard the fine revenue cutter Algonquin. The air was bracing, the scenery Inspir ing, and the surroundings on the cutter most congenial. But withal the company sighed for variety. At that Juncture Representative Hamil ton of Michigan, an orator of no mean ability, came forward and rendered In en trancing tenor, voice some topical songs. His Interpretation of negro melodies on encores developed a surprise, for Mr. Hamilton appeared as an artist of merit. There were calls for Mr. Kahn of Cali fornia, formerly a tragedian of note, and he gave some impromptu parodies on Julius Caesar that brought down the con gressional audience on Algonquin's broad deck. There were also Scotch ballads and buck and wing dances, making altogether a rare al fresco performance such ae the local theaters probably could not duplicate. On the way down Algonquin approached Sylph, whose passengers Included Speaker Henderson, Secretary Moody and Represen tatives Olllett of Massachusetts, and Met calf of California. The channel being blocked for Sylph It was forced to pull down Its flag, after which some of the congres sional contingent raised a megaphone and shouted friskily: "Dave, what's the ante?" . i , i J "There has been a great deal said ' snd written about the colossal bronze statue upon the apex of the dome of the capltol," said an attache of the force of that build ing, 'quoted by the Washington Star, "with reference to Its facing what Is supposed to be the 'wrong way,' and other features of this commanding representation of a draped female form, but the statue Itself Is almost Invariably designated by the wrong name and the fringe, or cluster, or bunch of feathers, or whatever else the Imagination of different persons may consider Its head drees, I have never seen satisfactorily ex plalnd. . "In the first place, the fringe Is not that of the Goddess of Liberty, as It Is almost universally called, but its correct designa tion Is that of the Statue of Freedom. This may be a difference without a distinction, only the first Is incorrect and the latter Is correct. "As originally designated, prior to the civil war, there was no fringe of feathers on the lady's head, as this fringe Is Intended to represent eagle's feathers. I understand the true story of this adornment to be as follows: "Jefferson Davis was at the time the statue was cast secretary of war. In com pany with some of the officials of the 'gov ernment he visited the foundry where the bronze lady was to be cast. He happened to notice a cast of eagles' feathers, and, con sidering that It would be a good idea to have them adorn the bead of the statue, ordered them to be cast therewith and It was done. "This reminiscence of bygone days calls to mind the long-chertshed wish of the venerable senator from Vermont, Mr. Mor rill, that the bronze lady be trated to an outer covering of polished gold leaf during his lifetime. The times were many when the aged aenator from the Oreen Mountain state arose la the senate, bis bent frame and snowy hair making him a personage of Interest among his dignified colleagues, and asked that the sum of $5,000 be specially appropriated for thla purpose. In fact, he expressed this wish but a few weeks before bis death and I well remember the occa sion. His wish was never fulfilled, as the Statue of Freedom wears today her robe of duaty bronze Instead of one of gold so much desired by Mr. Morrill and others who shared his views. "The statue faces the right way from an artistic snd architectural standpoint. It faces the front of the building, If not that portion of the city where the great bulk of the people live. Every day strangers say to me, 'Why don't they turn it around?' A reversal of the position. of tho statue, would be as Incongruous as would be the placing of the clock tower on the Post office department building on the C street side of that structure." A Tobaceo Generation. New York Tribune. Never since Blr Walter Raleigh enjoyed bis first pipe baa the warfare of anti-tobacco crusaders been less effective than It is now. To the man about town the prob lem of the continued existence of so many cigar shops becomes more perplexing every year. In almost every hotel, large or small; In almost every barroom and drugstore, el gars are sold. Nevertheless, In the cities and towns and villages, from Alaska to Pat agonia, In every zone and every clime, every shop in which nothing but tobacco In one form or another Is sold, seems to eke out an existence. How can such hosts of shops get a sufficient number of patrons to keep them going? In this city amazing rentals for quarters on frequented corners are paid by the dealers who cater to the tastes of the devotees of tobacco. The ranks of the cbewsrs and the takers of snuff have been extensively reduced In this generation, but the Innumerable host of men and boys wbo seek solace In cigars, cigarettes and pipes, and spend a great deal of money in ths worship of the nicotine goddess every year, grows even more rapidly than the percent age of advance In population. Above all ether tobacco-smoking erss of the past, this Is sending clouds of smoke Into the air. HOW IRRIGATION WILL HELP. Likely to Cheek the flash tor Canadian Lands. St. Louis Olobe-Demoerat. Irrigation will aid the country In one particular which Is not commonly kept In mind. At the present moment there la a strong drift of American farmers across the line Into Canada. Jamts J. Hill of the Oreat Northern railroad estimates that 161,000 settlers were carried by the north ern railway lines between Jsnusry 1, 1903. and the beginning of June. As he figures, 7,000 of these have located west of North Dakota's western boundary In Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon and 25,000 have gone to Manitoba. The drift across the International bound ary Jias been under way for a year or two, according to the indications, but it Is In far larger volume now than at any previous time. The loss ef these 25,000 settlers In the first five months of 1902 Is something which ought to attract a little attention from the country. These persons evidently suppose that they will have advantages across the line which they can not get on our side. Of course, one of the reasons why thi country hss not been able to hold them Is that the quantity of cheap and fertile lands is get ting smaller with great rapidity. Theoretically, there are many hundreds of millions of acres of government land still to be had In the United States, but most of this Is in the arid region, and It can not be utilised In any Important de gree for agricultural purposes except by Irrigation. Private enterprise has done much irrigating in the last twenty years, but It can not do much more In that di rection at the present ttme. The states would be willing to do this, perhaps, it the government would give them the lands, but even the states could not do It as easily and satisfactorily ss could the national government. There are la tho arid section of the country, which extends from the 100th meridian onward to the Cascade mountains, somewhere about 60, 000,000 acrea which can be rendered highly productive by Irrigation. The act which will start In operation this reclamation of the arid lands will at once go Into effect. As a means of holding Americans In Amer ica It Is essential that this law be put into effect as fast and as far as practicable. Let us make our wild lands so attractive that no American farmers will cross the line to locate. PERSONAL NOTES. . The suspicion grows that Oregon's Illu sive bandit la none other than P. Crowe. Rubber plants are becoming popular In many households. In most Instances they are useful as genealogical trees. An alligator has been caughjt is Chicago river. . The weary saurian sought that limpid stream, doubtless, with suicidal In tent. William C. Whitney of New York has given a handsome house and lot to the physician who attended Mrs. Whitney - In her long Illness. The frequency and persistency of sum mer showers are without rational explana tion. No Methodlat conference Is la ses sion hereabouts. The number of fingers lost by small boys In celebrating the Fourth was not a marker to the number of "fingers" ac quired by their fathers la the same pa triotic employment. Yankee notions continue blazing the path of civilization. Rural free delivery has been established along the shores of Lake Wlnnlplseogee. The lake Is not la the Philippines, but in Massachusetts. Not long ago a New' Yorker, well known for his convivial habits, sent a box of candy to a girl uptown and wrote oa his card the hackneyed sentence, "Sweets to the sweet." The next day he received a brief acknowledgement which read: "T anks to the tank." John E. Mllholland Is trying to get the federal government to purchase tor $30,000 the ruins of old Fort Tlconderoga and re store It to the exact status It bore when Ethan Allen demanded Its surrender. He formerly was editor and proprietor of a Tlconderoga newspaper. A former Virginian who migrated to Aus tralia twenty-four years ago. Is making a visit to this country after his long absence and in conversation with a gentleman in Washington regretfully said: "Though I am a British subject now, I must confess to the superiority of some of the social customs of my natlvs land.' For Instance, though mint Is grown In Victoria, some how or1 other the people have never learned the old Virginia way of making a Julep." James Fergus, a Scotchman of Lewis town, Mont., called the "pioneer of four states," died at his western home. a few days ago In his 89th year. He came to America In 1832. He spent some time In Chicago. In 1840 he went on to Iowa and founded the town of Sabula; In 1854 he went to Minnesota and aided In found ing the. town of Little Falls, building a dam across the Mississippi at that place. Then be assisted In founding Fergus Falls. In 1862 he Joined an expedition to Bannock, Mont., and spent the rest of his days in that state. 1 . W7 V Here's a And a fine one for those looking for "something for nothing" or there-about. We place on sale Friday for one day QNLY 75 dozen Madras Negligee Shirts in several patterps and all sizes from 14 to 18r these are exceptional values and at .this special price of , ,; . 55 cents each ought to interest eyeryone. ' . Our Douglas street window Is filled with the different patterns. Make your selection and buy Friday POSITIVELY for that day'cnly no limit to quantity. N. B. This Is No. 1 of a series ef bargains we will offer Frldavs ef each hereafter. : Exclusive Clothiers and Furnishers. P. 8. Wilcox, Manacer. WHITE HOI SK IMPROVEMENTS. Eateaslvo Alterations t'nner Way In the Historic Mention. Philadelphia Ledger. The most Important and most gener ally Interesting of the Washington Im provements authorized by the prt-sent con gress Is the renovation and, to a certain extent tbs remodeling of the historic White House. Congress appropriated for this pur pose a total Of $540,641. of which $475,445 Is to be expended for "alterations and addi tions," decoration and refurnishing for the White House, and the sum of $R5.196 goes for the erection of an office building for the use of the executive clerical force. Work Is progressing rapidly, already on the White House and office building, and In the meantime the temporary presidential residence Is at 22 Jackson place, which Is familiarly known at the "Little White House." The plans for the renovation of the White House will In the main meet with general approval. At one time during the long dis cussion about the Improvement of the pres idential residence If seemed likely that one of the several schemes Involving radical change or practical destruction of the build ing which Is closely associated with our history would be adopted, but the compro mise plan finally agreed upon retains the old building as It stands today, and makes addttlons which will probably harmonize with the old structure admirably. The ex terior walltf are not to be touched at all, nor 1 there to be any marked change of the Interior arrangement. The conservatories and greenhouses which adjoin the White House on the west are to be removed and will be replaced by a marble terrace) leading to the office building at the extreme end, to which entrance for the public hav ing business there will be from the street, between the War 'department building and the White House.. This alteration Is de scribed as In the nature of a restoration, since President Jefferson had his offices where the new office building Is being erected. From tho east side of the White House another marble terrace, sym metrical with the first, will run to the road way between the White House and the Treasury building. By this plan the presi dent will have the proper privacy for his family and the addition of the office build ing will offer much needed facilities for the transaction of executive business, while the White House, which Is one of the most beautiful of the nation's buildings' will re main essentially unchanged. POINTED REMARKS. Brooklyn Lfe: "She hasn't much of a figure, has she?" "No, but her father has." Puck:' She Hogan has had another ad dition t' his family. Ryan Odd oi aven? Philadelphia Cathollo Standard: Mrs. Clubb I tell you, this discussion of the servant girl problem Is a serious thing. Mrs. Housekeep It Is, Indeed. Youcan't tell what mlnyte the servant girl will over hear you. Ohio State Journal: Muggsy How much did yer bet on de home team? Uwlpeey Two cents. Muggsv Aw, why didn't youse bet more? Why, de home teem's got a cltich! Swlpsey Dat's all right. I only got 8 cents an' I'm not goln' ter risk all me fortirh'. Bomervllle Journal: Bell He Is only flirting with her. He doen't love her. Nell How do you know? Bell Because sne dropped her handker chief last night and he let her pick It up herself. . . . . Philadelphia Press: - Bragg Miss Pepp rey acted as If she thought I waa con ceited. Did she say so? Miss Sharpe No. she merely said your greatest fault was your unlimited credulity.- m . . Bragg Indeed? Miss Sharpe Yes, she said you believed la yourself without sufficient reason. New York Times! Abraham Gruber sal to a friend the other day: "I always like to visit those dime museums." "Why?" Inquired his friend. "Eecause,-' said Mr. Oruber. "whenever I'm there I'm constantly Impressed with the fact that this Is a freak country." BIS FORTE. New York Times. In early life'twae thought of course he'd be the president. He was eminently fitted, but, Instead of him. The people gave to baser men the reins of government. 'Twas a shame to see hew others got ahead of him. , He ' tried commercialism,' but somehow it wouldn't go. He found It filled with Intrigue and du plicity. He swore that corporations smacked of re gions down below d And that financiers were wary or pub- Ucity. ' It seemed a moral certainty that literature and art . Were fields In which he'd shine and which would bring to him The public recognition that he craved, but from the start . He falled-the critics "didn't do a thing to hlra' . It really . would appear that' from bis la- bors In the past His country would regard him as a credl - tor, 1 ' But, never mind, as "Veritas" he's struck his gait at last. ' Be'i the man who writes the "Letters to the Editor." Chance j