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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1902)
Tim OMAHA DAILY J1EE: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 100. Tiie umaiia Daily Bee E. nOSEWATEn. EDITOR. ITBLJ8HED EVERY MORNING. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION.' Pally Ree (without Sunday), One Year..$4.0o JJally Bee and Sunday, one Ye.r llluetraled Hee, Onf Year 2-'0 Sunday Her-, One Year '.. 1 "0 Paturuay Iee, One Veat i. I S" 1'wentleth Century Karmer. On Year.., l.W DELIVERED BY CARRIER.' : Pally Bee (without Sunday), per Copy... . Ually Bee (without Hunday), per wee. ...He Dally Hee tlnrhxliiig Munday), per week..lC Hunday Bee, per copy..: 60 Evening Bee (without Sunday), per week. c Evening Bee (Including bunuay), per wet-k 10c Complaint of Irregularities In delivery should be addressed to City Circulation De partment. OFFICE8. Omaha The Bee Building. Bouth Omaha City Hall Building, Twenty-fifth and M Street. Council Bluffs 10 Pearl Street. Chicago 1M) I nlly Building. New York M2 Park Row Uulldlng. Washington Wl Fourteenth Street. CORRESPONDENCE. Communication!! relating 10 news and edi torial mntler should be addressed: Omaha Bee, Editorial Department. BUSINESS LETTERS. BuKlneea letters and remittances should b addressed: The Bee Publishing Com pany. Omaha. REMITTANCES. Remit by draft, expreea or postal order, payable to The Bee Publishing Company. Only 2-cent stamps accepted In payment of mall accounts, personal checks, except on Omaha or eastern exchanges not accepted. THE BEE PUBLISHING COMPANY. STATEMENT OF CIRCULATION, fjtate of Nebraska, Douglas County, ss: George B. Txschuck, secretary of The Be Publishing Company, being duly sworn, says that the actual number of full and complete copies of The .Dally, Morning, Evening and Sunday Bee printed during the month of September, l&ri, was as fol lows: . ... .30,130 ....30,740 .;..30,B0O ...,BO,310 ....81,070 ... .80,420 ....21M470 ....30.UOO ....30,700 ....81.0BO ....80,80 ... .31,250 ....81.200 ....20.B0O ... .31,000 IS.... IT.... 18.... 19.... 20.... 21.'... 22.... 23.... 24.... 25.... 28.... V.... 28.... .... 80.... .. .31,150 ...81,020 .. .81,140 ...81, IOO ...Sl,4-10 ...80,070 ...31,000 ...34,000 ...32,240 ...81,200 ...80,770 ...80,30 ,;.S,U2S :..8O,H0O .. .81,100 12... 12... 14... 19... ToUl ........028,225 Less unsold and returned copies..,. 10,144 Net total sales OIH.ohi Net dally average r..f.'....3M02 GEO. B. TZSCHUCK. Subscribed in my presence and sworn to before me this 3uih day of September, A. D.. luX M. B. HUNGATE, (Seal) Notary Public. In the meantime the state of bellig erency In the anthracite coal district re mains unchanged. ;' Some more Venetian towers show Signs of tottering. Venice should take something for that tired feeling. Reports indicate that while Colonel Bryan Is making about ns many cpccchcn oa ever, not eo many hearers re present. Is It not about time for candidates on all tickets to define their positions pub licly on the questions of home rule and railroad taxation? It will bo a very easy task to elect a new board of directors for the audi torium, but the new board of directors may find It a very heavy task to finish the structure. Strangely enough the military maneu vers at Fort Riley are going on Just the same as If Nebraska's gubernatorial accldency had not rescinded the order detailing the Nebraska militia to partic ipate in them. Dr. Sheldon, in declining to be a can didate for congress, Is doubtless able to quote scriptural authority for his action, although In the formal paper filed with tho Kansas secretary of state be re frains from doing so. In Greater New York the city street cleaning brigade has been detailed to pull up worn wooden paving blocks and give -them to the poor for fuel. Such an experiment in Omaha would not be out of place. Most of these, wooden paving blocks have become stumbling blocks. Stockholders of the Chicago, Milwau kee & St.. Paul road have authorized the directors to Issue $25,000,000 of new stock. Part of this new stock Is to bo used for extensions, but a' very respect able block, which represent" betterments made within the last'&ve year, and are charged to operating expenses, v,i'. be distributed . by pipe line to the stock holders Ilk Waukesha mlnerul waters. The increase of live stock receipts at the South Omaha market indicates the steady growth of the live stock inter ests in the country naturally tributary. Those Interests are In a healthy and prosperous condition. The advantages of the South Omaha market are surely pushing It to the front, and the records Indicate that the business for the cur rent year will exceed any previous year In lis history. John Brtsben Walker, who' claims to have given the anthracite coal miners' strike profound study, has appealed to President Roosevelt to use bis in flu ence with the conflicting interests to make J. Plerpont Morgan the referee in the fight Why not make Mr. Boer the referee? He has been the Initiative and might as well be the referendum in the battle. He is only a coal baron in the kingdom of which Morgan, is the monarch. Amendments to the city charters of , Omaha and South. Omaha of the utmost Importance to property-owning tax-pay ers of those cities arc imperatively de manded at the hands of the next legis lature. .The time for considering and discussing these ' aoieudmeuts Is not after election bnt before . the election. Candidates for the legislature who pledge themselves to briug about specific re forms can for the mot part be dVpvuded upon to edeem their' pledges, but can dklates who go free to do an they plvaae will make faevs at you after they are elected and politely inform ' you that they know their own business and will twt submit to dictation The national administration having fui.j ..ci id. d Unit It Is without authority to lake any action In regard-to the an thracite conl strike, and the operators having absolutely rejected all proposi tions looking to a settlement, appeal is now to be made to the miners to end the struggle, by resuming work under the projiosltlon that something may be doue to Insure them a correction of grievances and fair treatment In the future. In other words, the miners are to be asked to show a patriotic concern for the public interest by a surrender of their demands, and a complete submis sion to the operators. The question that naturally presents Itself is, Why should the miners sur render and thus practically concede that they are In the wrong, besides putting themselves absolutely at the mercy of the anthracite coal combine? They cer tainly owe no more to the public than the operators and In the general Judg ment not nearly so much. . The coal combine obtained its rights and priv ileges 'from the state. Every railroad connected w!th,U is a quasi-public cor poration, owing certain duties and obli gations to the public. : . If these corpora tions refuse to respect these duties why should the miners, who have no such relation to the public, be expected to yield and thereby place themselves com pletely In the control of the corpora tions? It might, be to the benefit of the miners if they should surrender and doubtless It would be to the present ad vantage of the public, but most people will doubt whether such a concession to the operators, meaning the .destruction of the organization of coal miners and the firmer intrenchment of the anthra cite coal monopoly, would be to the ultimate benefit of the public. Indeed, it seems obvious that the result would be distinctly against the public interest, for not only Is It safe to assume that the miners would be subjected to greater hardships and grievances than they now complain of, but that the public Would be mulcted to a greater extent -than heretofore. Having broken .down the miners' organization the anthracite coal combine would have the public com pletely at its mercy and how relentlessly it would use its power everybody understands.- The national administration has con fessed that It is powerless to grapple with tho sltaation. The able lawyers of the government, who are undoubtedly in hearty sympathy with the desire of the president to . do something for the relief of the public, find noth ing in 'existing laws that will reach the case. The anthracite opera tors are uncompromising. There is no easuu tu'. expect lliul the lulueiB will surrender. They are ready , to make a settlement through arbitration, but it is most improbable that they will yield and thus in effect confess that they are wrong in their contention. It is believed it6, be within the power of Pennsylvania to effect, a settlement and the country looks to the' authorities' of that state to make an earnest effort to terminate the disastrous conflict ' ' ' , THt WtST AND THE VUHREBCT. -The statement of a banker of this city that the west is able to take care of itself financially is undoubtedly sub stantially true and it is to be remarked that this is a comparatively new expe rience of the west and it must not be assumed that it will be continued in the future, however probable that may be by reason of the large amount of money certain to come to this section because of the great crops. It Is a well under stood fact that during the present lack of money but a very small part of the need for currency was due to the de mands made by the west and that the difficulty was largely local to New York, being the result of stringency produced in that center by unwise loans and the attempt to Inflate Industrial enterprises whose stock was being carried on money advanced by the banks. While It Is true that the western banks have made a considerable drain upon the east during the last few weeks, it is still a fact that the deposits of western banks in : the east during the past - year have been more than ordinarily large, exceeding thus far in the cur rent year by nearly $2,000,000 the de posits of the corresponding period in the preceding year. When this fact is considered It will be found that although the call of the west upon the east has been more this year than usual, there Is still a balance in favor of the west and so far as now appears there Is likely to be throughout the season, though of course this Is problematical. According to official figures It appears that nearly $14,000,000 has been deposited during 1002 thus far. from the west with the assistant treasurer at New York for pay ment elsewhere, as compared with $12, 000,000 during the corresponding period of 1001. This of course does not repre sent all the money which the west has deposited in the east but it serves to show that the amount has been consid erably larger this year than last and this Is a fact in the monentary situation which is important The demand on New York and other eastern nioney centers this year has un doubtedly' been somewhat larger than last year or for several previous yeara At least this Is what the figures appear to show. But this fact does not ac count wholly for the eastern stringency, which is admittedly due mainly to speculation, which the eastern banks have not been sufficiently careful to guard against although they had a bund ant warning of the expediency of doing so. ' Meanwhile there seems to be no doubt that the west as recently re marked by a Chicago banker, "will take rare of Itself," although western bauk ers may still deem It the part of wls- lou to. withdraw money from the east for use In legitimate business rather than to permit it to remain there to be employed in speculation.- It is a quite satisfactory circumstance that the bank ers of the west are showing a conserva tive tendency in respect to the money under their control sod In existing con- dltlons they shonld maintain this policy. It is sound and the examples should be emulated by eastern financiers. , tyrtnsTATt cummissiox powkrlis!. The investigation of freight rates on anthracite coal to be made by the In terstate Commerce commission will be simply a farce. Whether the commis sion concludes that the rates are too high or not there will be no practical result The commission has no power to compel the railroad companies to re duce rates, if found to be extortionate. Commissioner Trouty forcefully admits the Impotency of the commission and makes clear the further important fact that no other agency of -the government is competent to deal with the subject "Neither can any court" he truthfully says, "compel them to reduce rates." The commlvslon can, indeed, report the facts as It finds them, but the only way In which public opinion, if aroused, can accomplish anything is, as the commis sioner points out through congress to secure "such amendments to the inter state commerce act as will more fully carry out its prohibition of discrimina tions in sate making." But the rail road corporation will not be much alarmed at this prospect They have confidence that the senate, as at present constituted, will see to it that no such amendments are actually passed, and their confidence Is not misplaced. For all practical purposes the Interstate Commerce commission Is ornamental rather than useful. What is the use of investigation? Anybody can investi gate. What is needed is authority and remedial action. WHKBM UMABA MIST LOOK FOR RCLltF. Under the decision of the supreme court in the Omaha tax case, the assess ment of the property of the street rail way company, the gas company, the water company, the electric lighting company and the telephone company was increased about $1,500,000. All these corporations combined do not own half as much property as do the railroads that converge in this city. Yet the railroads, taking advantage of a provision of the charter smuggled into it for their benefit are paying less in city taxes from year to year, notwith standing the constant Increase in the values of their properties. A striking illustration of this flagrant abuse is shown by the records of the tax commissioner. In 1897 the aggre gate valuation placed upon the railroad property within the city of Omaha by the state board was $410,041 and the amount of taxes collected thereon was $22,070. In 1809 the aggregate valua tion, notwithstanding the erection of two new paascngcr depots at na'cxpenoe of fully $500,000 each, was $367,574, and the total tax only $9,189. In 1901 these properties were assessed for $193,674, on which the total tax amounted to $6,584. In 1902 the aggregate valuation returned by the state board was raised to $205,855 through an Increase In the. assessment of the Belt line, but the tax for lflO'J aggregates only $6,175, because of the reduction In the city tax rate from 34 mills to 30 nillls. Contrast 1897 with 1902 and note the shrinkage of DO per cent of the value of the railroad property in Omaha in five years and a drop in the amount of taxes paid on this property from $22,676 to $8,175. . In view of the fact that the properties assessed by the state board Include the bulk of the most valuable assets of the railroads, namely, their terminal facili ties, depots and depot ground the pres ent method of assessment on the mile age basis is tantamount to tax exemp tion, so far as city taxes are concerned. The death of General Bela M. Hughes at Denver removes one of the most con spicuous characters who figured in the stirring scenes in the early development of the Transmlssouri and mountain re gion. He was a tine type of the pioneer who not only helped prominently' to fight the battles of the frontier, but also grew with the Industrial development of the country as the frontier disap peared over the mountains. . A Ken- tucklan by birth, he settled early In Missouri, where be established a reputa tion as a lawyer and reached the rank of a general of militia before entering the field of the western prairies and mountains. He soon became a. leader in all the most important transportation enterprises, being associated with the famous Ben Holladay in the overland carriage and a prime mover in the Wells Forgo express, the South Park Stage company and similar undertakings. .. He was a leading spirit In the Denver Pa cific, to connect with the Union Pacific at Cheyenne, and as its president car ried It through to success. His prom inence and great activity in these un dertakings brought him into close touch with the pioneers', and few men had a wider acquaintance between the Mis souri river and the coast. He reached the age of 85 years, having retired from active business nine years ago. Congressman Mercer is now in the midst of his house-to-house handshak ing campaign, but up to date he has not yet divulged even to his most con fidential admirers whether he in tenda to settle In Omaha after election or whether he will continue to reside in Minneapolis, Atlantic City and Wash ington. He has not yet disclosed whether he intends to turn over a new leaf after election and stop drawing the $100 a mouth clerk hire which bo has been pocketing for years, although it was never intended to be- congressmen's pocket money, but should have paid the salary of some young Nebraskan willing to begin life at Washington in a clerical position on $100 a mouth. Republican prlmanes will be held next Friday, for the nomination of five candidates for the Board of Education, but up to this time not the slightest in terest has been manifested by . the voters most interested, namely, the tax payers and parents whose children are being educated iu the public schools. Five members constitute one-third of the entire board, and their tenure of office during the next three years will make them very Important factors In the management of our public schools. When It Is borne In mind that the Board of Education disburses from $400,000 to $500,000 a year, the Importance of se lecting as members of the board men who are Identified with the future pros perity of Ouaaha, and especially men who have a sincere desire to Improve our public School system and raise It to a higher plane should be manifest to all. ' That ransom paid for the release of Miss Stone, the American missionary, looked so much like easy money that the brigands are loath to retire from business. Their latest exploit Is to cap ture a wealthy Turkish land owner and put upon him the moderate price of $15,000. Inasmuch as the victim this time Is not an American the chances are that the draft will have to be heavily discounted. ' Suppose that the New York banks had been conservatively managed and had discouraged and repressed the stock Job bers and speculators, while a contrary condition existed among the western banks. Suppose that the latter were now appealing to the national treasury for relief from the consequences of their own action. Imagine the outcry from the eastern press that would follow. Drawing on Imajrlnatlon. St Louis Globe-Democrat. Imagine tb king of England calling the heads of great corporations together and reprimanding them for their actions. This 1 one instance of the puerility of klnaa aa compared with the president of a republic There's the Rnb. Chicago Chronicle. Coming down from the Napoleon of finance to the ordinary burgher, it may he said that the currency problem is not how to Increase Its volume, but how to get hold ot a small proportion of what is already outstanding. ' Boodlers Giving Themselves Away. -"Washington Star. St. Louis boodlers who handled thousands are far siore ready to "peach" on their pals than the artful dodgers who filch pocket handkerchiefs. The higher you go In crime, the further you seem to get from a oode of honor. Flaunting Wealth. Boston Globe. A gold scarf pin with a little niece of coal set like a diamond in a gold crown has passed through the New York nontnfflr. The ostentatious display of wealth Is get ting to be one of the greatest evils ot the modern social system. The Real Object. .., ' San ttancisco Call. Governor Boles has come out for free trade as a remedy for trusts and Is making It the keynote of his campaign for con cr. We have thus another piovf that the freetraders are willing to take any weapon that serves in their fight against protection. War against trusts is only an excuse. Free trade is the real object. The Nation's Growing- Income. Indianapolis Journal. The receipts of the treasury last month over the expenditures were $10,675,434, so that the surplus of the first quarter of the fiscal year is about $9,000,000. If this excess should continue during the year the surplus will be over $40,000,000. When the war taxes were repealed it was predicted that the revenues would barely meet the ex penditures, but so much merchandise has been imported that the receipts are well maintained. American Tones for Americans. Boston Herald. Those truly patriotic Americans who have always felt more or less humiliated In singing our national hymn, "America." to an old, second-hand - tune which Englishmen and Germans empley for their national anthems, are glad to know that aa effort is jbelng made to get an entirely original air to go along with our words. Colonel Asa Gardner, through the Society of the . Cincinnati, has offered a gold medal for tbe right sort of musical accompaniment for Mr. Smith's stanzas. Therefore, tune up, all ye Yankee muslck ers. Let the watchword be, "American tunes for Americans." - Who Owna the Earthf Washington Star. Many men who-before the coal situation became acute viewed the doctrine of the national . ownership of public utilities as chimerical; if not; anarchic, have modified their opinion. It Js probably within reason to say that the coal strike has drawn more serious attention to this question than have all the socialistic theses published in a hun dred years. Certain it is that more men in the Hotted States are asking than have ever asked before whether the life and health, business and success of all men shall b at the will of a few men whose dollars are Invested in natural resources and human necessaries. If the people shall ever make negative answer to the question they are asklog, the men who profess to regard coal production or coal non-production as a private matter will realise their folly. REGCI.ATE COAL ROADS. One Effective Meaanre ef Carting the Conl Monopoly. Indianapolis Journal (rep.). The country will expect congress to pro vide some effectual bar against the repeti tion of the present situation. With the warning experience , of the last It should have done so before, but continued failure to do so will be Inexcusable. Legislation on the subject should not be directed against any class nor discriminate for or against capital or labor, but it should pro vide a means of preventing the Interrup tion of an Industry so essential to the pub lic welfare. As usual, the constitution will be cited as a bar to any remedial legislation, but rightly construed it is not. Tbe constltu tion gives congress exclusive power to regu late commerce between the . states. The anthracite coal trade is such commerce and railroads which eogage In it are thereby brought within the constitutional sphere ot congressional action and government eon' trol. Tbe constitution fixes no limit to the regulation which congress may exercise over Interstate commerce. It may regulate such commerce to tbe fullest extent and in tho (lightest detail. Tbe present interstate commerce law is but a first step in tbe exercise of constitutional power In that di rection, and congress should take as majy more steps aa may be neceaaary to safe guard the public welfare against tbe greed of capital, the demands of labor or the clashing of Individual interests of any kind The common weal is above all other con siderations, and congress should take care that it la safeguarded from Injury. - Aa ether secsleo of congress should not be allowed to pass without bringing every coal road In the United States that' does an interstate business under the operation of a law that will prevent a recurrence of the present situation, White House Pahllo Wrath Rising. Washington Star. Absoluts refusal to admit the public ne cessities as a factor in the calculation will bring upon the obstinate and short-sighted obstructionists an overwhelming wave of public resentment, of whose vast and fast increasing volume neither operators nor strike leaders seem to be fully aware. Arrogance ot Mine Owners. Buffalo Express. There Is no loglo In the refusal of the coal mine owners to negotiate with tbe representatives of the union. Capital has eomblned as well as labor In this struggle. Capital Insists that Its combination shall remain Intact so far ss united action is con cerned, but It refuses the same privilege to labor. There Is neither reason nor jus tice in this position. An Intolerable Condition. Detroit Journal. That which tbe president pronounced In tolerable at the opening ot the conference becomes more Intolerable after that hideous exhibition of the spirit which actuates the. one side In the contest and the apparent fairness ot the overtures proffered by the other. The president has failed, but it is impossible that he has not formulated plans for utilizing other means In staying the calamity that hangs over the hearth stone. Receivership for Mines. Boston Advertiser. The courts have not hesitated to take charge of public service corporations and carry them on by means of receivers. This is a form of temporary application of so cialistic principles, only so often employed that the public Is used to the method. Unless tbe owners of the anthracite mines are able to run them, why not In the public interest apply this power ot the govern, ment, leaving the quarrel between the mine workers to be settled out of court, sfter the publio needs have been satisfied T The Right to Organise. -., St. Paul Pioneer Press. They (the operators) may succeed in beat ing the strikers for the time being. But they will only have postponed the solution of -the problem. They will sooner or later have to recognize the right of their em ployes to organize, and they would better have embraced the opportunity offered by the -mediation of President Roosevelt and the proposition of John Mitchell to control In some degree tbe character ot that organi sation, eliminate Its mischievous features and impose wholesome restraints upon it in the terms of arbitration. Fundamental Facta. Indianapolis News. Here are some fundamental facts of the anthracite situation. Tbe men have as good a right the same right to combine as tbe mine owners. The men .have the same right to declare on what terms they will accept employment as the operators to say on what term, they will give employment. The mine owners want weraera; u m.nera warn work. They differ as to terms. The miners have from the start been willing to leave questions In dispute to sn Impartial board of arbitrators. The mine owners have re- fused to do this or anything. Which side seems to be tbe more reasonable? The Present Question. Chicago Tribune. The question now Is whether the oper ators will submit to -reasonable "regula tions" or have their mines seized. -The lat ter alternative .might involve the. govern ment In some difficulties, but If the question becomes one of seizing mines or starving people. - "necessity knows no law." Some one besides the present owners will get the mines. The people of the United States win have coal at reasonable prices, "peaceably if they can, forcibly if they must." The owners ot this little patch of anthracite eoal territory, barely forty miles square, do not seem to have their' eyes open to the true situation at the present moment. They are blind of ore eye and Incapable of see ing much with the other. Without Parallel in History. Kansas City Star. The failure of mine operators and the representatives of the miners' union to come together on terms ot agreement at tbe White House conference does not lessen in the least the great honor and PERSONAL HOTES. Newoort Is maintaining the reputation aiven it by Colonel Watterson there are forty-two divorce cases on the docket. Indianapolis Is striving, with a ghoulish story, to break the free ad grip ot St. Louis. It won't sJLlck. St." Louis is playing with live stiffs. Squire Croker. It Is said, has lost $1,000.- 000 on the turf In England. If he won't tell where he got It. people at least know where some of It went. M.vnr Harrison of Chicago has ordered the arrest of all suspicious characters who are hanging around the city without visible means of support. sn rhlraroans under 14 years old are carried half price on the trolleys, and the number under that age shows that the census takers didn't half do their work. iA.m Oliver Wendell Holmes has ac cepted the Invitation to be the guest of honor at the Inaugural exercises of Presi dent James of Northwestern university, on October 21- tr Thomas A. Hendricks, widow of the farmer vice oresldent. has consented to sell the home whers her husband spent his last years, to mske way for building improve ments in Indianapolis. The fact that the widow of the famous "Parson" Brownlow ot Tennessee is still living at the age of 89 has been brought out by the erroneous report of a pension having been granted to her. In the treasure room of ths Maharajah of Baroda Is stored a piece ot woven work which cost $1,000,000. It is only 10x feet in size, but it Is woven from strings ot purs pearls, with a center and corner cir cles of diamonds. It took three years te make it. General Lukas Meyer, the Boer leader, was a big man with big Ideas. Some years ago be formed a sort of republic of his own, with headquarters at Vryheld, but was persuaded to tack It on to the Transvaal. He was always very popular and used to be known as "the lion of Vrybeld." Mayor Low has officially esutloned the beads of city departments against permit ting tbe levying or collection of as sessment upon publio employes for politi cal purposes, as ths same is a violation of the civil service law. Each one Is In structed to Inform his men that they will be supported In "resisting any attempts to make such collections should any such effort be m4." ' J. Daua Blckford, a New England Inven tor, la actively Interesting himself and en deavoring to engage the sympathy of other inventors In a proposition to Mtabllah a home for Indigent Inventors at West Med' ford, Mais. A large dwelling house has been aecured aud Mr. Blckford la about to address letters te persons throughont the country In an endeavor to secure coa tfibutioBs for the purpose. . .. . ,- ; Conference credit due to the president for his patriotic Interpretation In the case. Ills offer of mediation is without a parallel In the history of the republic. The Impulse of a mere politician under the clrcuiu stances would have been to keep aloof aa far as possible from the controversy. Mr. Roosevelt is much more than a politician, though his courage snd sincerity and bis disposition at all times to do what he regards as best for tbe country are endear ing him more and more to the people, thus showing that after all the highest order of statesmanship Is the very wisest politics. Irritating and Inanltlng. Milwaukee Free Press. The attitude' of most of the presidents and the tone in which they address them selves to the subject matter of the con ference must have been extremely Irritat ing to rresldent Roosevelt, as It certainly will be to the country. There was a scorn ful and impertinent tone to the replies made by the various presidents, more par ticularly Mr. Baer. who was positively Insulting to President Roosevelt In his r.ference to Mr. Mitchell of the miner. union, who was present at the conferei "e as the equal of Baer snd the other presi dents, because, first, the Invitation ot the president made him so and because, fur ther, he naturally possesses the qualities that make him so. Impudence of Mine Owners. Detroit Free Press. It Is a curious stste of affairs when half a dozen men can Insult the president, defy the national and state governments and Impudently ask 80,000,000 persons what they are going to do about It. Yet that Is precisely the condition which exists today. In Great Britain the coal trust under such circumstances could be snuffed out and Its property confiscated by act of Parlia ment. - In France or Germany the army would take possession of the coal mines snd proceed to operate them until the owners came to their senses. In this coun try six men msy call their 150,000 employes thugs, vandsla and outlaws In tbe presence of the president ot the United States and bluntly Inform him that when he gets ready to shoot down their recalcitrant em ployes they will consider the matter of selling the people fuel. Wages of Coal Miners. Chicago Record-Herald. In this connection the report of Bishop Fallows of Chicago, who recently visited the mining district on a tour of Investigation, Is of great interest to the public. On the queetlon of wages the bishop says: "The miners' figures ss to wages are far different from President Baer's. Baer has insisted that the average day's wages for the 26,270 men working in the Reading mines is $1.89. Thle would make the average annual wage $396.20, but Mr. Mitchell can prove that it is really only $348. Out of this must be taken a total, in round numbers, of $100 for rents, powder, oil and the annual fee to tha Pomn.nv.. rtncinr. l.vin h..t lws fr foo(1 clolhlng ,, fuel... To clalm that the ,um ( Iug or twIce that amount ufflclent t0 pr0Vlde food, fuel and clothing for aB aVeraae famllv. to aav nothing of educating children and supplying the ordl- nary COmforts ' of life according to the standard of living in the United States, is an insult to popular intelligence. Sab. line Cheek. Chicago Inter Ocean. As between the two bodies of men In question, the legal presumption is in favor of the miners' organization. The right ot men to organize for their common benefit snd protection Is Imbedded In our laws and affirmed by hundreds of court decisions. Whatever may be the offense of Individual miners, the right of the organization to exist cannot be disputed. At the same time. the legal presumption is against the mine owners' organization. It has acquired an evident monopoly of a necessary of life, Any such monopoly is abhorrent to our laws. Its right to exist is never conceded. but always questioned. Yet this monopoly assumes its own right to exist and pre sumes to deny the right of the miners' union to exist. It scouts the union of the miners, refuses to deal with them on any terms as an organization and yet Insists that they, and the whole American people. snd their president, shall deal with it as if Its own legal status were absolutely un- questionable. What Impudence! What nonsense! AS TO OLD AGE. A Short Dissertation Which Should Be Interesting to Peealmlats. Des Moines Register. .Since the beginning of time old age has been the biggest -bugaboo ever set up to turn affrighted mankind Into .ways . of righteousness and pure living. Eat, drink and be merry today, while yoa are young, for tomorrow .you will be old, aud old age Is an abomination unto alU-eucb has been the rule upon which those supposedly wise have attempted to run tbe world. "Re member now thy Creator In the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not. nor the years drawn, nigh when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them." Thus salth the preacher. But that he was the first of a long line ot black-garbed pessi mists that have come drearily drooping down through the days, who that has lived does sot know? Do ths days come oftener to gray beard than to youth when he may ssy, "I have no pleasure In them?" Or rather has not a blessed disposition made It that changing ages, like the season, ars successively welcomed, and each, as It The Power of Bigness Ours is the largest business of tbe kind In the world with Its central New York Factory and Fifteen Retail Stores. . , This fact gives us great economic advantages in buy ing woolens and In making clothing. We manufacture the be,st garments we know how to luake. . And we've been at it' 50 years. That's why "No Clothing Fits Like. Ours." . Exclusive Clothiers and Furnishers. tl. 5. Wilcox, Manager. comes, for the time seems the best, and In ' winter we would not turn to spring, aa lo i spring we do not hope for winter. Old age baa lis rotmolatlons no less than youth. Supposing tbe windows are dark ened snd the light has gone from the west. Some prefer tho soft starlight to the glare of day. It Is something to have uvea ami Md . prt of m,ny thl0,. mt man having lived would begin again! The test Is good. The fearful school boy, look ing shead to the sdvsnclng years, dread the added tasks that are set before blm. But the years arrived, the tasks at hand, all seems easy and natural and right. Provi dence has made it so. It Is doubted If a man ever feels truly old. Tbe spsrk of youth somewhere within us burns to the end, and feelings and desires belie tbe face In tbe looking-glass and the pitying looks ot friends. No matter how slow, stfalthy and Insidious tbe approach ot tbe Pale Tretorlan, when he comes he Is un expected, unlooked for. As long as life is In him man Is filled with the thrill of living. Therefore, why fear old age or give it thought? It is only a scarecrow at best. It will ccme upon you before you, know, snd even when it comes it is doubtful If yon will realize. Hear Stevenson. "A sort of equable jog trot of feeling.'.' he says, "Is substituted for the violent ups and downs of passion and disgust; the same Influence that restrains our hopes quiets our appre hensions; if the pleasures are less Intense the troubles are milder and more tolerable, snd, in a word, this period for which w are asked to hoard up everything as for a time of famine Is, In its own right, the richest, the esslest and the happiest ot life. Live so that when the so-called ovll days come vou will still e able to rule your self " LIGIIIQ OAS, Washington Star: "Is she a blonde Or a brunette? asked one young woman. "I couldn't say positively.' answered tli. other. "I met her In one of the cities v. li they are burning soft coal." Chicago Tribune: "No, sir," said the man In the mackintosh. "I know too mucli to allow myself ever to get caught on a jury." "How do you manage It?" asked the man who had his feet on the table. "Didn't I Just tell you? I know too much." Baltimore American: "I observe, madam," said the new boarder, "that you have one of these pictures of a clock, with the legend beneath: 'No Tick Here.'" "Yes, sir," answered the grim landlady. "Well," went on the n boarder, "does that refer to your beds or your business?" Philadelphia Press: Caller So the doctor brought you a little baby sister tho other night, eh? Tommy Yeh, I guess It was the doctor done It. Anyway, I heard him tellln' pa some time ago 'at If pa didn't pay his old bill he'd make trouble fur him. ., Baltimore American: "Your majesty," sdvlses the Head Physician to the Cannibal King, "had beat abandon your meat diet for a few weeks." "What shall I dor muses the- King, a hungry look jpreading over his - counte nance. "Ah." he smiles, as a happy thought strikes him. "those last missionaries who came to the island said they .were vege tarians." , . . Cleveland Plain Dealer: "An eastern woman had her husband arrested because he wouldn't bathe onee a week." . "Wasn't he foolish?" "Why so?" "If he had taken Just that one bath he wouldn't have been kept in hot water all the rest ot the time." Philadelphia Press: 'It's like pulling teeth to get a drink in this state, isn't it?" remarked the stranger In Maine. ' "Yes," replied the native, "and "when ye get one and swallows it it's like havln' teeth pulled." Baltimore American: "No, Indeed," said the crafty passenger agent to the bride and groom. . "Our company doea.Jiot pro hibit kissing on the platforms."und, Te sldes, I would call your attention to the fact that we have more and longer tunnels than any other railway in the world," "SUPPOSIV SO." Baltimore American. We waste our time supposln' things, Imaglnln' an" wonderln how We d act or what we'd do if we Were not the same as we are now. We worry over lota of things, When all the time we o'-ht to know That guessln' isn't evidence Supposln' so don't make .'t so. Some fellows wear your patience but Supposln' things, an' askin' whv You do the wicked things you do- Supposln' you should up an' die! 8uppo8ln' you should lose your health; Suppose your friend should prove a foe An' things like that. They got to learn Supposln' so don't make It so. ,. Supposln' Isn't worth a cent. A man can fritter through his life Supposln' what the girl would say . If he would ssk her for his wife. The man who wins the swiftest rsce Don't think of anything but "Go!" He knows he might get beat but, then, Supposln' so don't tnajte it so. So what's th use supposln'. things, When trouble's almost sure to come? It's best to wait until it strikes There ain't no sen Be supyoaln' some! "Supposln" things" don't educate Us like the things we're sure to know, And some day we are sure to learn Supposln' so don't make It ao. Arthur Hochman "The dry bones of the wan ing season were rudely shaken last Tuesday night by Arthur Ilocbmau. He has' price less gifts." William J.. -Henderson In the New York Times, March IS. 1902. His picture will shortly appear In these columns. - V (