1? TITE OMAHA DAILY TIEE: SUNDAY,' DECEMBER 21, 1002. Tim Omaiia Sunday Ber K. ROSE WATER, EDITOR. , PUBLISHED EVERT MORNING. TERMS OP SUBSCRIPTION. Dnllv Ilea twlthou. Sunftnr), One Year.. $4 -00 . Dally Hee and Hunday, One Year t-W Illustrated Uee, On Year w Bunilav Hp, One Year J-JJ' (Saturday Hee, One Year Twentieth Century Farmer, One Y'ear.. 1.W DELIVERED HY CARRIER. rally Hee (without Sunday), per ropy.... te Dally Hee (without Sunday), per week.. ..lie Dally Bee UncliHlIng Sunday), per week.. 17c Hunday Her, per ropy "c Evening Hee (without Sunday), per week 6c Evening iiee (Including Sunday), per week ..........10c Complaints of Irregularities In delivery houltl be addressed to City Circulation De partment. OFFICES. Omaha The Bee Building. South Omaha City Hall Building, Twenty-fifth and M Streets. Cotinrll Bluffs 10 Pearl Street Chlcago--1K40 Unity Building. . New York Ma Bark Row Building. Washington 6iil Fourteenth Street. CORRESPONDENCE. Communication relating to news and edi torial flatter should be addressed: Omaha Bee, Editorial Department. STATEMENT OF CIRCULATION. State of Nebraska. Douglas County, si.: George B. Tzschuck. secretary of The Hee Punllshlng Company, being duly sworn, pavs that tho actual number of full and complete copies of The Dally, Morning, Evening and Sunday Bee printed during the ftionth of November, UUZ. was as louowa; 1..... 31.4TO 28.43S I 2U.4SO I........ Sl.OUO i 4.... Sl.SBO 17 - ao,eo 18 30,870 1 8O.B40 20 30.800 a 30,030 B 81,410 3 28.810 24 30,020 25 31.OO0 2 31,000 27 .-80,780 28 81.130 2 . 31.4HO 30 28,4TB I.... 41.0H8 34.BSO .... .31.210 S ,80340 9 2ft.B7S 10.... 31.300 , 11 80.9TO ! 11 80.TOO 13 80.820 ;14 80.730 16 81,310 . Total B32.1H0 Less unsold and returned copies.... 9.Z3T Net total sales 22,6T Net average sales 30.7BB GEORGE B. TZSCHUCK. Subscribed in my presence and sworn to before me this 30th day ot??Z$- D IBfW M. B. HUNOATfci. (Seal) Notary Pubila. It Is the Christmas spirit that counta not what you rIvp, but how you give it As between the Bnioke nuisance and the tog nuisance most people would pre fer the smoke. Tmspects point to a scarcity of Christ inns turkey. The goose, however, does not bang quite so high. Tt is to be hoped the school children will all enjoy their Chrlstmns holidays likewise the school teachers. Equitable taxation Is one of those things as to which too many people ! favor the principle, but resent the ap ', plication. - Murat Ilalstead must certainly have a complete history of the Venezuelan war ready to Issue red hot from the press before the new year sets In. The piece do resistance of the Outlook , for tho current week Is ''The Quest of 'tho Three Kings," but no mention Is '.made of the quest of the four aces or of the straight flush. According to Delegate Kodey New Mexico has not less than 320,000 Inhab itants, of whom about 50,000 altogether live in towns and cities and the other 270,000 are scattered. What this country wants most Just now Is au India rubber currency so elastic as to fill in the gaps canscd by tho shrinkage of watered stocks and Inflated trust balloons. The guessing contest on the governor of New York was closed some weeks ago, but the guessing contest on tho mayor of Omaha will remain open until the raw month of March. Uncle Sum's star mathematician Is try ing to figure out bow much It will cost to fatten a lean Texas steer in the semi arid region with grass grown on laud leased for 2 cents per acre. .' 1 .1 .. Ji The Chrlstmns thaw has forcibly called attention to the fact that the electric wire conduits, planted in frozen ground, are liable to cause serious damage by settlement of the pavement. Andrew Carnegie's notice that his daughter is not to be overburdened with his riches will not deter ambitious suit ors from taking a chance on an elev enth-hour change of the parental mind. 1 A tract of land at the mouth of Big Goose creek, near Sheridan, Wyo., has been proclaimed as the coming summer resort. Iu the meantime the worst Ml card of the scusou Is raging along Big Goose creek. When It comes to International arbl tratlon, the powers of the world all rec ogulze the fact that Uncle Sam can act as arbitrator with less chance of par tiality ami discrimination than any 'other of their number. The Monroe doctrine does not neces sarily mean that Uncle S:uu is to as aunie the task of bad debt collecting ageucy fur European speculators and adventurers who have uncollectible claims in South America. That proposed bill to punish husbands who wantonly desert their wives should be supplemented by a bill to punish wives who wantonly desert their hus bands. Equal rights for all no did crimination on account of sex. The chances are improving with the lapse of time that there will be no further fulmtnatlons or ebullitions from the executive mansion of Nebraska until the present accidental occupant unload bis first and lust tuesaago to the legU lature. An appropriation of f 73.000 for Ne braska's participation In the St Lout ; exposition will be among the recom i mendations of the message of the out I going governor. The legislature, bow ever, will be amply able to take rare of , this proposition when the time cornea. MAIXTAIXISO IhK -ooctrim:." Nearly seven years ago, when the agitation over the boundary controversy between tireat Britain and Venezuela was intense, the committee on foreign relations of the United States senate made a declaration of the attitude of our government regarding the Monroe doctrine. This reaffirmed the principles promulgated by President Monroe In his message of December 2, 1823, and de clared that the United States will assert and maintain that doctrine and those principles, specifying the conditions and circumstances under which this country would regard an Infringement thereof "as the manifestation of an unfriendly" disposition toward the United States and as an interposition which It would be Impossible In any form for the United States to regard with Indifference." The resolution of the senate committee re lated to any attempt by a European power to acquire new or additional ter ritory on the American continent or any Island adjacent thereto, or to assert any right of sovereignty or dominion In the same In any case or Instance. , In the executive session of the senate last Tuesday the Venezuelan situation received attention and while there was no disposition to attribute ulterior mo tives to any of the parties to the trouble, there was a resolute purpose expressed, above and beyond all partisanship, to maintain the Monroe doctrine In spirit and letter and to permit no aggressive movement that might aim at the acquisi tion of South American territory by any European nation. There is no doubt that this Is In accord with the feeling of the American people, Irrespective of political division. As a democratic senator said, on a question of this kind there was no party division, "the maintenance of the Monroe doctrine devolved on the whole people." But while there Is unanimity of sentiment In favor of up holding the doctrine, there Is divergence of opinion respecting its meaning In scope. This has been strikingly shown In the public discussion of the prin ciple enunciated by Monroe in connec tion with the Venezuelan matter. It has been urged that the United States would have been Juslfled by that doctrine In proposing and Insisting upon arbitration, although no territorial acquisition Is con templated and the European powers ex plicitly avowed their purpose to be to simply collect their claims by means hlch this country had not only recog- lzed as legitimate, but had Itself em ployed. It Is not remarkable that there hould be misapprehension on the part of the southern republics regarding the Intent and scope of the Monroe doctrine. It is easy to understand that they should construe it as affording them protection In any circumstances for their refusal to pay their Just debts or any violation of their obligations, as well as from attempts by foreign powers to take their territory or Interfere with their political Institutions. i But all intelligent Ameri cans ought to understand the extent of the application of the doctrine, which has been repeatedly and plainly defined. It must now be clearly understood even by the southern countries that the United States does not propose to as sume any responsibility for debts which they neglect or refuse to pay and will not shield them if they attempt to re pudiate such obligations. Neither will It undertake to protect them from proper punishment for any violation of Inter national duties and responsibilities. As President Roosevelt has said: "We do not guarantee any state against punish ment If it misconducts itself, provided that punishment does not take the form of the acquisition of territory by any non-American power." THIS CHILD LABOR EVIL. The movement for the correction of the child labor evil does not appear to have yet had any very Important prac tlcal result, though It has aroused an In terest In the problem, both north and south, which can hardly fail to ulti mately be productive of remedial meas ures. The New lor livening rosr, which has been especially zealous In support of the movement, says that "de spite the capitalistic Influences at work to prevent the rescuo of the children, there is a steadily growing recognition that the fight Is one for the health and welfare of coming generations." It states that the movement is gaining strength dally In North and South Car olina, aa well as In Alabama, where one of the largest mills works children of 6 years or more thirteen hours a day, with twenty minutes for dinner. The defenders of this system In the south, the Post says, effectively appeal to sectional Jealousy, representing that the north Is meddling in matters which do not concern it and urging that New Englund should set its own bouse In or der. Unfortunately, there Is abundant warrant for the southern' employers of child labor retorting "You're another. Great numbers of children, hardly more than Infants, are employed In northern mills and factories, though not gener ally under such hard conditions, either as to hours of work or wages, as com monly prevail In the south. According to reports of factory inspectors, 0,000 cblldfeu are employed In Massachusetts, 10,000 In New York, 20,000 In Illlnoi aud 3.1,000 In Pennsylvania, exclusive of boys in the coal mines. It Is said that In Illinois the numler of children re ported by factory Inspectors has more than doubled In the five years between 1897 and l'.Wl. The testimony given be fore the anthracite strike commission In regard to the employment of little girl In the silk mills for periods of twelv hours at a few cents an hour was revelation that has made a strong Im pretsion aud ought to strengthen the movement for remedying the child-labor evil. One of the active leaders In the move ment says, that the "child labor problem, far from being a local one to be dealt with by a small group of southern cot ton-manufacturing states. Is a great aud growing national problem." No one can doubt this who will take the trouble to nvestlgate the facts. Tens of thou sands of children are being deprived of n opportunity for learning even to read nd write and are suffering both phy sically and morally from the system hlch it Is sought to remedy. The move- ent should have the hearty support of II who nre concerned for the health nd welfare of coming generations. PRIVATE rKSSlOX BILLS. The present session of congress prom ises to keep up the record In pnsslng pri vate pension bills, showing that public criticism in this matter has very little nfluence at Washington. One day Inst eek the house of representatives passed 4 private pension bills iu thirty-nine minutes, or at the rate of almost five a minute, which is certainly very lively work. Of course there could be no real consideration of these bills by the house. The speed at which It worked made crit icism or objection next to impossible, had any one desired to Indulge in either. But it Is very rarely that a private pen sion bill encounters objection. There seems to be a common understanding that these measures are not to be Inter fered with. A couple of years ago a sen- tor, we think it was Mr. Galllnger of ew Hampshire, called attention to the carelessness shown by congressmen gen erally In regard to private pension bills and the baste with which they were passed and nrged that they should be given more consideration, but bis sug gestion was not heeded. Perhaps no reform In this matter is to be expected, yet no hnrm will be done occasionally reminding congressmen that this method of taking money out of the public treasury ought to be con ducted a little more carefully than is the rule. Undoubtedly some of the private pension bills are meritorious, but this should be fully established in every case. A VITAL AtKRGLR DEFECT. Financial Journals are calling atten tion to the lack of sufficient working capital in a multitude of Industrial mergers and consolidations usually re garded as legitimate undertakings, as potential factors In the present money stringency. It Is noted that In the original organization of these vast con cerns Insufficient provision was made for capital to carry on their business, so that in some coses, like the American Bicycle company, a receivership was the only resort, or In many others, like the American Linseed Oil company and the United States Rubber company, Immense mounts had to be provided by ad dltional issues of bonds and stocks, while Innumerable companies which avoided such issues now find themselves bard Dressed for operating funds. The actual lack of funds was in large meas ure concealed by the liberal advances the banks in fl usher times could give, but which are now withdrawn. This grave defect was In fact lnevlt table In the methods by which the great majority of the consolidations were or ganized and launched. Even In most of the cases where legitimate Industrial concerns were the subjects of consollda tlon, an Important and often the chief motive was speculative, and while ex cessive prices were paid for the separate properties enormous amounts of the cap italization were set apart for the man agers in addition to what was seized as profits to the promoters and financ ing syndicates at every stage of the re organizing process. The plain but vital matter of operation being a secondary thought. Its needs were neglected. Not only so, but most of the concerns went Into operation having their capital still In the form of unsold securities, and to make them tempting in the market or to maintain them there high dividend rates had to be Insured, thus cutting down surplus earnings needed in the business. A striking illustration Is afforded by the American Grass Twine company, a far stronger concern than the average, in cancelling its announcement of t quarterly dividend of 1V4 per cent. This is significant of what must perforce be done by a vast number of pretentious consolidations. What Is actually trans piring and Impending as the result of Inherent defects In Industrial reorgani zations to speak plainly about it Is commonly known aa wringing out the water. MUNICIPAL OWHBR3HIP IN IOWA. The extension of municipal ownership of public utilities has In no western state been more rapid than lately in Iowa, a noticeable Impevus having been recently given by the decisions of the courts. The most Important cause of this growth, however, Is the satisfactory experience of municipalities which have made the experiment For the most part these have not been the largest cities of the state, for the reason chiefly that about all of those bad already long since reached what was under stood to be the constitutional limitation of indebtedness, depriving them of the means of providing the funds necessary for expensive plants. But for a period of years a large and constantly inercas lng number of the smaller cities and towns have owned and operated the plants by which particularly water and light are supplied. So low have been both the charges and the operating expenses of these plants that a multitude of towns have been able to supply themselves where It was Impossible to enlist private cap ital to operate under franchises. There Is almost no record of towns which have thus administered their own pub lic utilities abandoning the effort or subsequently turning over to franchised corporations, but there are numerous cases where the latter have orlglnnlly attempted to supply the public ur.d failed, where the municipality taking it over has succeeded. Municipal owner ship Is now practically the rule, so fa as water and light are concerned, in the minor Iowa cities. The case Is materially different in the principal cities, for the constitutional reason already cited and for the fur- ther reason that the experience of pub lic ownership In the larirer has not Iwn satisfactory as In the minor mu nicipalities. But under the holdings of the courts a distinct movement Is al ready on In the former to control di rectly as proprietors their public utili ties even where they are now In the ands of eonrations. The extent to hlch the public ownership movement as gone In Iowa has hardly been ap preciated even within the state Itself. AH EFFSCTlVK DUHKADK. A blockade of the ports of Venezuela, to be effectively maintained, has been declared by the British government. This gives a changed nspect to the sltu- tlon, for while under the so-called Pacific blockade only the vessels of Venezuela could be prevented from en tering or leaving the ports of that coun try, now the vessels of all countries are subject to the conditions specified In the proclamation of the British govern ment and authorized by International law. Of course our government, os has been already announced, will recognize the blockade, which implies the exist ence of a state of war, so that American essels attempting to enter Venezuelan ports after the time designated In the declaration will do so nt their own risk, being liable to seizure and condemna tion. This action simplifies the situation by establishing n definite understanding. It Is ou unmistakable fact that the allies nd Venezuela are at war and neutrals ill govern themselves accordingly. The declaration of the blockade will not necessarily put a stop to negotia tions looking to arbitration and there seems to be favorable promise that these may be successful, unless the Castro government should soon be over thrown, which appears not improbable. It should be remembered that Innum erable "restorations" of rates which the eastern and western railroads are mak ing or contemplating are In fact sheer advances of rates. While It Is true that many of the rates which have actually been in force were below the tariff fig ures, it Is also true that the tariff fig ures in these cases were never or sel dom actually changed. It Involves the exaction of a higher tribute from the public, and the pretense of its being a mere "restoration" does not in the least affect the character of the advance. It Is noted that Canada's imports from the United States have grown steadily notwithstanding its preferential duty in favor of British goods. But Its trade with Great Britain has also grown stead ily, and there is no question that the United States woujld have gained still more had It been ton nn equal footinz with Its competitor. If full reciprocity should be Instituted between the United States and Canada Uncle Sam would soon outstrip his British' cousin In tho race for Cunadlan trade. As a result of a citizens' movement and investigation begun last fall the assessment roll of St Joseph has been Increased by between $4,000,000 and o,000,000, and the Increase represents property on which taxes never were paid before. The experience of St. Joseph Is the same as that of most other western cities. Through lack of ade quate public interest abuses steadily crept In until they became too flagrant to bo endured. The commercial forecaster of Dun Co. has favored the country with the announcement that the yenr 1002 will end well. On the theory that It Is some what rlfky to praise a man until after he Is dead, because he might do some thing out of the perpendicular before he draws his last breath, the prediction of the Dun forecaster Is slightly pre mature. There are still ten days for the unexpected of 1002 to happen. The pure food bill was passed by the lower house of congress without creat ing a ripple of excitement in the house and senate restaurants, where soft shelled crabs are flavored with cham pagne sauce and Virginia Springs min eral water is adulterated with old Irish bug Juice. Another Revelation. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. President Roosevelt's plan of requiring the Indian to work for bis living must be quite a revelation to the red man. Exercise for the Inert. Saturday Evening Post. Exercise la Just as valuable when done as work as when performed In a gymnasium. The muscles do not know the difference be tween chopping wood and swinging Indian clubs. Joy Be With Em. Chlcasro Chronicle. I Coincident with the approach of the yule- tide season come the Joyoua Intelligence that a Job lot of short weight coal dealers are headed for the county Jail. This ren ders life worth living. The Fiction of Pence. Philadelphia Record. There is no war in South America. Eng llsh and German men-of-war have captured the Venezuelan navy and destroyed most of it, and they have knocked Venezuelan for tlflcatlons into brickbats, but perfect peace prevails. More, More, .More! Baltimore American. Rockefeller gets a four million dollar check aa a quarterly dividend on bis Stand ard Oil stock, and at the same time the price of oil Is put up. These two facts coupled together seem to indicate that there is still something wrong in the world. Boomer of Great Schemes. Philadelphia Record. ' No promoter la the land carries more speculative bees in his bead than Senator Morgan of Alabama. Ilia latest scheme 1 to colonize the American negroes In the Philippine inlands. He would have th government undertake the necessary transportation, giving free passage and a twenty-acre homestead as inducements to emigration, without consequent impair ment of any of the rights of America citizenship. No doubt there are cllmatl arguments which would justify such movement. The negro flourishes under tropical conditions that enervate or ds etroy white men. If only Mr. Morgan were quite assured that the transported negro would work, once domiciled In Luion, Pansy or Mindanao, his colonizing plan might also work; but there'a the rub. Will They "Save the Country f Indianapolis News. Dealers say that coal prices will be tlgh ntll something Is done to Increase ship ping facilities. If this Is so. It looks as if it were up to the railroads to aave the country. famine; it Down the Line. Baltimore American. First, there was a scarcity of coal; then of railroad cars; then of locomotives; then of coal carta, and so the excuses go along down the Una. But there is no scarcity of mpty coal bins, nor of a cold public that s fast losing patience over the exasperat ng situation. Rood Thins- to raas Around. Washington Pct. Secretary Wilson contends that the peo ple who kill their cattle afflicted with the foot-and-mouth disease should be paid for the same. What about the man who sorts his potatoes and Is obliged to throw away the bad ones. Then there is the newspa per publisher who would not object to re ceiving compensation for the papers thst re spoiled in the process of printing. But there are so many other industries the ecretary might benefit In thle manner that It Is not at all practical for us to attempt to enumerate. If we are going In tor pa ternalism, why show discrimination. Par I.lvlna; Wage or Quit. Minneapolis Journal. Judging from Judge Gray's remarks In the coal arbitration commission's sesBlon the commission does not propose to go into the question ot whether the operators can fford to pay living wages or not. It as sumes that If they can't it would be better to close the mines. This is good sense. Inquiry as to whether the operators can afford to pay what the men earn would last Indefinitely and would be aside from the point. Let those mines close that cannot pay fair wagea, and the sooner the better. Not many, however, will close even under application of this rule. Cheerful Symbols. Boston Herald. We get further substantial evidence of tho prosperity and generosity of our peo ple from the enormous quantities of Christmas gifts with which the outgoing ocean liners have been laden during the past week or two. The great bulk of thee okens of remembrance, numerically at least, are those of the comparatively poor, and It Is significant of the condition of this class of people that their remittances, In one form and another, have been excep tionally large this season. It Is recalled how Mr. Beecher onco remarked that tho gifts aent from children In the new world o their parents and relatives In the old home were a symbol of love and affection without parallel, and the highest tribute to the character and value of the newly arrived immigrant. It Is apparent that the growth of this sentiment is almost keeping step with the enormous growth of immi gration. POINTIXG IX MIGHT DIRECTION. Free Rural Mall Delivery a Promoter of Good Roads. New York Sun. If report be true, the postmaster general Is soon to be asked to consider a pretty promising plan for the betterment ot the highways of this country, submitted to the superintendent of the free delivery system by a citizen of Pennsylvania, Mr. Joseph W. Brown. It is based upon the tact that only one serious obstacle stands In the way ot developing the free delivery service, namely, the present condition of our coun try roads. Mr. Brown's Idea Is that If a certain road Is reported ss practically impassable for the carriers, the highway authorities of the town wherein It Is found are to have a reasonable length of time within which to repair It, and the penalty for tholr falluro so to do Is to be tho cessation of free de livery in that locality. In his recent report Mr. Martin Dodge, director of tho bureau of public roads In quiries of the Department of Agriculture, made some Interesting comments: "The circumstance that over 18,000,000 was appropriated by our last congress largely to be burled in our muddy roads In the delivery of our rural mails, while only tho small sura of 120,000 was last year de voted to meeting the road problem, indi cates the great need of education regarding tha present necessity and demand tor vig orous and Intelligent road work. "As much of these large appropriations for rural mall delivery could be saved If we had good roads, it Is obvious that an amount equal to a considerable portion of these sums could be spent to good advan tage In educating the people In the work of Improving our country roads, and thus for ever close a large drain on our national caBhbox." If the Introduction of free mall delivery results in the Improvement of our country roads our rural friends will have occasion to bless the art of letter writing and the poitofflce twice over. ONE WAY TO KILL, IT. An Old Reliable Remedy for the Germ of I.aalnesa. Baltimore American. It has remained for an American scien tist to discover that strong aversion to work, deep anxiety to refrain as far as possible from anything that even smacks ot toll. Is due to a germ. It Is the custom nowadays to blame nearly everything on thia apparently Innocent factor In the makeup ot the universe, and it will prob ably not be long before tt Is charged with being responsible for original sin and tor other mental and moral weaknesses that have brought all kinds of woes upon the human family. This scientist Insists and cobody yet has arisen to question the ac curacy of bis discovery that the germ ef laziness has at last been captured; but as yet he has found no method of killing it. If tt partakes ot the nature of the human being in which tt exists, there is not, how ever, any danger that It will run away, and the scientist may have all the time he wants to find its antlduto. It has generally been held that some people are born lazy; others acquire lazi ness. Just as some unwise men acquire an Insatiable desire for rum, and still others a fondness for company that does not ben efit either their minds or their morals. Cases have been known In which even household servants, who fall to wake jp when the cock crows or when the alarm clock goes on a rampage, have been ac cused of laziness; but the housekeeper has never felt It necessary to send for a doc tor to search for the germ. Emphatic lan guage from the head of the house or a prompt discharge are generally employed to prevent a recurrence of the lark of ap preciation of the flight of time. The tramp and the hobo, if laziness b a germ, must be well supplied with the article, for even the law cannot cure them of the resolve to keep far away from anything that re sembles toil. The American scientist can reat assured that If laziness be a germ, work will cure It. Enforced labor with head or hands or feet will knock out laziness quicker than even Dewey could knock out a Spanish fleet. The remedy Is Infallible, and when once employed the patleut is not apt to cows around analog for another doss. PERSONAL AMI OTHERWISE. Two short weight coal dealers have been hustled Into Jail la Chicago. One In a while justice does a Job which cancels a multitude ot sins. Kentueky's whisky crop for the year will be 30,000.000 gallons. The fear of drouth In the Bluegrasa state seems to be without substantial foundation. Five Crows, an Indian chief In Oregon, I dead. Too much nectar of civilization. When Old Crow and Five Crows got to gether some one bad to croak. The man who rocked the boat has retired from business, but the one who tries to skate over the air holes ot the Missouri river will be heard of presently. Medical sharps claim to have discovered a specific for the germ of laziness. Hitherto the dictum of Josh Illlllrps held unques tioned sway: "There ain't nothing that's a sure cure for laziness, but I have known a serkond wife tew hurry It some." A young woman In Oshkosh was forcibly kissed three times and was awarded a ver dict of $166.66 for each kiss. This raises the 0:,hkoh kiss to tho notch of luxury. At this season, however. It Is expected ev ery young woman will be generous to the poor. Peter Flnley Dunne of Dooley fame will not philosophize on "domestic relations" for some time to come, "for, you see," he observes, "marriage Is one of the few things It Is better to 'dlscoorse' on before the experiment." Dooley has gone and done it. A bronze memorlnl bust of the late Colonel Richard W. Thompson, secretary of the navy in the cabinet ot President Hayes and for sixty years aa active participant In national politics, has Just been unveiled In the court house yard at Terre Haute. Ind. The Philadelphia Record scores an un doubted "scoop" by Issuing Its annual almanac two weeks ahead of the proces sion. Its early call makes Its welcome all the warmer, and Its record of the waning year is as interesting as its forecast of com ing events is Instructive. Some unknown knocker sent personal In vitations to New York aldermen to visit and Inspect local Jails. The salons took the hint and promptly approved the Pennsyl vnnta tunnel scheme which was held up for months past. Recollections of Bill LIneed and Jake Sharp are a power for good in Gotham. The Washington Star swelled out of all proportion on the 16th Inst, the occasion being the golden anniversary of the found ing of the paper. A Beventy-four-paqe edi tion and a magazine supplement fittingly marked the event. It was a notable achieve ment In the newspaper line and epitomizes the progress of the national capital In half a century. TRl'STS' POLICY OF DELAY, Modern Application of "Flavian Mill. tary Tactics." Baltimore American (rep.). The policy of the trust magnates during tne present session of congress reminds one very much of the famous Flavian mili tary tactics. There Is a very obvious In disposition to precipitate a congressional contest which 'will -force a general battle, with Its final' decision. The trusts are afraid to- face -such a crisis. Like the Ro mans of old,, they know the fierce power of their adversaries. All of the arguments of fairness. Justice,' honesty and national contentment have been, marshaled under the banners of the anti-trust army. Such an array of power Is entirely too formid able for -the trusts to chance a -conclusive trial of arms against it. Were the matter pushed to a final .' Issue at this session there is no doubt as to the over whelming, the. crushing defeat , which the trusts would sustain. The champions ot the trusts are sharp enough to see their danger, just aa much so as the Roman general was shrewd enough to perceive the perils which would be en countered were the legions of the empire again dashed against the battalions of Han nibal. The policy ot delay, as a conse quence. Is being resorted to by the trusts aa the beet way to avert a legislative calamity. Strenuous efforts are being put forth to prevent this session of congress from enacting any measure which Is In the leastwise aggressive. All of the combined power of their wealth and Influence is being utilized in the plan of choking off discussion as far as porsibie and of holding down legislation; that Is, if legislation must corao, to some trivial and Ineffective measure. The trusts hope to accomplish much in this way. They have great fears of tho consequences should a constitutional amend ment follow. They also oppose the sug gestions about publicity and capitalization. Any radical law In any one of these direc tions would be ruinously hurtful to the trust method of operation. For that rea son the trust champions are conducting a three-cornered light. They are endeavoring to split the anti-trust army Into three parts, each part representing some special pet measure of its own. By this process ot dividing the enemies' forces the trusts count on preventing the mustering of enough support around any one proposition to carry it to enactment. In other words, it Is desired to keep the several divisions so far apart that they cannot act ta unison. By so doing the matter ot actual anti-trust legislation will ba so delayed that the end of the session will find the situation such that no effective law will be likely of enact ment, and. Indeed, there may be ths pos sibility of no enactment at all. United action on the part of opponents of the trusts is absolutely imperative in order to make the Flavian policy of tho trusts a ridiculous failure. TS07ow SPECIAL ONE-WAY HOMESEEKER.S EXCURSIONS VIA UNION PACIFIC January 6 and 20, February 3 and 17 TO MANY POINTS IN KANSAS. NEBRASKA AND EASTERN COLORADO Ono-Hslf On BoguUr Fare Plus f 2.00 CITY TICKET OFFICE, 1324 f ASSAM 'Fkoaa 81. BLASTS FROM RAM'S MORS. Humility is the prelude to honor. Mammon la the mother of misery. Men need soft hearts In hard times. Gems are but pebbles without the grind lng. High pressure In society Is apt to go with low pressure in ploty. Our gslns depend nit on what we can get, but on what wo can give. t.. i.n r nietv will not live by being stuck In tho soil of prayer about once a week. The life wholly spent In the closet Is sa useless as the life without the cloict Is powerless. If you hide your sins In the cellar they will be sure to make themselves known la the parlor. The religious market will bo dull as long as we preach No. 1 hard and practice screenings. GETS A RKW DEAL. Cards Stacked Too Early In ths Gam for the Judnshlp. Chicago Record-Herald. There seems to be a fine opportunity for political reform In Douglas connty, Mo., where Judge Burgess of the state supremo court ht Issued a writ of ouster against Judge Burkhead of the circuit court. It appears that Judge Burkhead secured his nomination ss the result of a gams of cards. Burkhead Is a republican, and ho defeated George W. Thornberry, democrat, at the polls. Thornberry comes forward now with the claim that Burkhead and a man ot the name ot Bronson were rival candidates for the republican nomination. In order that there might be no contest In the convention, he says, they agreed to play a game of cards for tho Judgeship, the win ner to pay the loser the sum of $1,375 la cash. Bronson won at cards, but when he went Into the convention it was found that ho could not secure the nomination. He then, according to the allegation, turned his votes over to Burkhead, who gave up the finan cial stake to Bronson. The defeated demo crat rises now and virtuously declares that neither of his republican rivals is entitled to the seat, and that he ought to have It. Leaving that matter out of the question, it must be rather humiliating to the repub licans of Douglas county, if the charges are true, to think that their votes could be played for at a card table as if they had been poker chips or three-for-flve stogies. DOMESTIC PLEASANTRIES. Cleveland Plain Dealer "No, my hus- bnntl never talks bnek "Fome impediment In his speech, ma'am?" "Yes. I'm the Impediment." Baltimore American: "Speech is silver," said the hardened cynic, "but a Judicious rllence properly distributed is the only thing that makes golden weddings possible." Philadelphia Press: "I wns thlnklnR," said the old-fashioned young man, "of ask. lng her lather if 1 might pay my addresses to her." "H'm," mused the wise girl, "In this case I'd advise you to pay In advance." Yonkers Statesman: Mrs. Church Is your husband the kind of a man who believes In killing two birds with one stone? Mrs. Gotham Gracious, no! Why, he's president of the Audubon society! Baltimore Herald: "When Jack proposed I suppose you asked him if you were the only girl he ever loved?" asked Poll v. "I should Bay not. I Inquired If the other girls didn't represent steps In his progres sion to his present Ideal," said Dolly. Detroit Free Press: Preacher Well, maw, I Just made a splendid arrangement with a shoe dealer. His Wife About what, EsraT Proacher He has promised to buy all the slippers I get at Christmas at CO cents a pair. Chicago Post: "Do you admire mother-of-pearl?" "Well, hardly." "You don't?" "Certainly not. I married her, you know." 'Married who?" "Why, Pearl, of course." Somervllle Journal: New Cook Does tho manter like his beef well done? Mm. HlKglns Mr. Hlgglns says that his only requirement Is to have hla meat well cooked. Washington Star: "Do you think such a play ea you are producing conveys any valuable suggestion to the Intelligence?" "Yes," answered the manager; "people who see It once will know better than to attend another performance of it." MIsS OMAHA'S CHRISTMAS STOCKING. Miss Omaha sits wondering What Santa (Mails this year will bring. She knows from past experience Did Santa can be very "dense'' When one expects he'll understand What one'a most urgent needs demand. However, she has managed to Ride many Yuletldes safely through, And so, though furrowed Is with curs Her brow, she think not to despulr. Rut reads the promise in the sky Of wishes realized by and by. For Santy's benefit we'll here Enumerate the things most dear To Mistress Omaha's big heart. That he may do his generous part. (For things he can't in time rush through Let Santy give his I O U.) An auditorium she wants; Her dreams Ak-Sar-Ben's castle haunts; A temple for sweet muslo's home; A market hall to call her own; More factories, shops, good tenements And cottsges at lower rents. Then cheaper power, light, heat needs she. And more street car facility; The paving; of her streets made good, And aephalt substituting wood; More public spirit enterprise; Less idle guya who Just look wise. Well, snyhow, she's hung It mind. The MgKat hose Miss O. could find Where Santy, when he makes hta call. Must tumble In. reindeer ami all. It does one good Its size to view. Now, Santa Claus, It's up to you! ALFRED MARSCHNER.