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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 1902)
THE OMAHA DAILY 11EE: HATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1902. n ib umaiia Daily Bee E. ROBEWATER, EDITOR. PUELI8HED EVERT MORNINQ. TERM8 OP SUBSCRIPTION. Pally pf (without Sunday), On Year. MOO Pfuly we and nunriay. On Year 6 0k Illustrated Hee, One Year . t Ou gunday Bm, Or Year 2 uu Saturday ie-, One Year l.ou Twentieth Century Farmer, On Year.. l.Oll DELIVERED BY CARRIER. Dally Pe (without Sunday), per copy... 2c Dally He (without Bunriavl, per week..Uc Iallv Bee (Including Sunday, put wcea.lc Sunday Bee, per copy 6c Evening Be (without Sunday), per week 8c Evening Bee (Including Sunday), per week 10o Complalnta of Irreguiarltlea In delivery hould t addressed to City Circulation De partment. OFFICES. Omaha The Be Building. South Omaha city Hall Building, Twenty-fifth and M Streets. Council Bluff 10 Pesrl Street. Chicago 1RH) Unity Hulltllng. New York 2328 Bark How Building. Washington 601 Fourteenth Street. CORRESPONDENCE. Communication relating to new and ed itorial matter should be addressed: Omaha Bee, Editorial Department. 8TATEMENTOT CIRCULATION, fitat of Nebraska, Douglas County, a).: George B. Txnrhurk, secretary of The Bee Publishing Company, being duly sworn, say that the actual number of full and complete copies of The Dally, Morning, Evening and Sunday Bee printed during the montn ot isovember, 190Z, waa as follows: 1 ...81,470 It ,'. SS.43S 1 2V.4BO IT 8.0 t S1,MM It 80.STO ... 81 ,360 U SO.W40 t... 41.0HA 0 ...,.80.eMM t .....84,6lia n.. 80.H30 T 81.210 22 81,410 t 80,840 23 8M.310 2V.OTB 24 ja,KID 10 SIIUO ... 81.000 11 80,970 2C 81,000 12 8O.T0O 27 8O.7N0 U 80,8:10 21 81,180 It 80,780 2t 81.4MO 1& 81,810 ft) ..M7a Tout bwi.iuo Las unsold and raturaed copies... 0,237 Nat total sale Ki,7 Net avrg sale..... 80.7M GEORQB B. TZSCHUCK. Subscribed In my presence and sworn to before me this 80th day of November, A. D. 1BH2, M. B. H UNGATE. (Seal) Notary Public The fact that John L. Sullivan bag again signed the pledge la another sea sonable Indication. Mr. Senatorial Deadlock threatens to transfer hla home, at least temporarily, from Nebraska to Colorado. The first business In order for every Nebraska legislature 5s to repeal the bill passed by the preceding legislature. It costs a big sum of money to stamp oat the cattle foot and mouth disease, but It would cost far more not to stamp tt out In biblical parlance, the burning up of the two big barns and 500 sheep at the Union stock yards at South Omaha was a Christmas burnt offering. Submarine cable magnates manifest no anxiety over the specter of wireless com petition, and the stock market reports In dicate no panic on this score. Prof, Kates' discovery that thoughts bare .color has long been well known In the newspaper profession, at least with respect to one color of journalism. The most varied assortment of Santa Dlaus bric-a-brac Is being unloaded upon the dead letter office at Washington for lack of proper directions to the postal carriers. If any member of the Douglas delega tion has anything under hla hat or up bis sleeve he would confer a favor on his constituents by taking them Into his Confidence. The completion of the Pacific cable be tween San Francisco and Hawaii will relieve the country from the periodic press news from Honolulu by steamer rla Victoria, B. C. - The Commercial club has appointed a committee to formulate amendments to the city charter. , The first question that naturally presents Itself la "Will the committee ever meet?" The cattlemen would doubtless apper clate the actual help of the Denver Hu mane society In watering and sheltering the exposed cattle more than mere doc umentary evidence of sympathy for the suffering brutes. I No doubt Is entertained among the well informed at Salt Lake that Reed Smoot controls a good majority of the Utah legislature for the United States sena turshlp, and whatever else bis enemies are saying against him no one charges that he is talking too much. Ex-Seeretary OIney has politely de fined an Invitation to be the star guest of the forthcoming Jacksonlan banquet In this city. If Mr. OIney Is ever to be the democratic candidate for president the honor will have to be thrust upon him without waiting for bis aid or consent One of the bills which the senate In hertted from the last congress is for an amended federal bankruptcy law. It cures most of the defects which expert ence has developed In the present law, and was so carefully drawn as to pass the bouse with very little opposition. It Is In such shape that It might easily have been disposed of by the senate be fore the holiday , adjournment Kansas City grain men complain that the Burlington railroad has declared an embargo against their town by refusing to furnish cars for Kansas City ship ments from southern Nebraska towns From which nearly half . the grain bandied by Kansas City grain dealers emanates. Ornah grain men make no complaint They have not been troubled In the least by the embargo on the south' xa Nebraska winter wheat belt. WILL GO TO THt BAGVK COURT. The European governments have fipreed to submit the Venezuelan dispute to The Hague tribunal and Venezuela is willing to have the claims against her passed upon by that International court Although not a signer of the arbitration convention, that agreement makes provision for the arbitration of controversies between signatory and con signatory powers. Article xxvl of the convention says: "The International bureau at The Hague Is authorized to put Its offices and Its staff at the dis posal of the signatory powers, for the performance of the duties of any special tribunal of arbitration. The Jurisdiction of the permanent court may be ex tended, under conditions prescribed by Its rules, to controversies existing be tween non-signatory powers, or between signatory powers and non-signatory powers. If the parties agree to submit to Its Jurisdiction." In urging that the Venezuelan dispute be submitted to this tribunal President Roosevelt acted In conformity with the spirit of the arbitra tion convention, which made the Inter national court accessible to all countries rather than to those only which signed the convention. Created In the Interest of peace. The nague tribunal Is open to any government that may wish to have a controversy with another government submitted to arbitration. Our government having proposed that the Venezuelan dispute be taken to The Hague court, the acceptance by the European governments Is ' particularly gratifying. It very greatly simplifies the situation and It Is not probable that any new complications will arise. It Is stated that the Monroe doctrine will not be Involved In the arbitration and cer tainly there Is no reason why It should be. The course of the European govern ments in dealing with Venezuela has not been sucb as to call for the application of that doctrine and those governments have very explicitly declared that they had no Intention to contravene It On the other hand, our government has dis tinctly said that the doctrine cannot be Invoked to shield a country that refuses to pay Its Just debts from such coercive measures on the part of creditors to collect the debts as are held to be legiti mate and which do not Involve the taking of territory. This is now fully understood and It Is perfectly clearhat the Monroe doctrine does not enter Into the matter and has no bearing whatever upon the controversy. It Is said to be the feeling at Wash ington that our government should Insist upon the blockade being called off while arbitration la In progress. The Euro pean governments will act wisely If they shall suspend the blockade without being asked to do so, as they could hardly find Justifying reasons for main taining It after having submitted their claims to arbitration. Manifestly under such circumstances it would be most un just to neutral countries to continue the blockade and besides nothing would be gained by doing so,' but on the" contrary would be a-losing policy, since the effect would be to lessen Venezuela's ability to pay, In the event of the award being against her. When the European governments have taken their claims Into court coercive measures should be abandoned and probably this will be done. THK COAST DtrSNSCS. During the last fifteen years over 130,000,000 has been spent In carry In e out the plan of coast defenses devised by board of strategists of the army and navy. That plan has been strictly fol lowed and with good results, but It ap pears that In the Judgment of officers of the army and navy It Is time to re vise the plan and provision la to be made in the fortifications appropriation bill for the appointment of a commission to modernize the present scheme for the coast defense of the country. The ne cessity for this grows out of the condi tion or our insular possessions. Terri torial expansion and the establishing of numerous coaling stations, which of course must have defenses, has created new requirements. These must have prooer consideration. but not at any sacrifice of the defenses on our home seaeoasts. While these have beea very much Improved, there are still points on the Atlantic coast that need attention and these should not be neglected In order to provide stations In the Philippines or elsewhere. Of course these must be cared for, but at the same time the the coast defenses of the United States must continue to be looked after and Improved and strengthened wher ever required. This Is not less essen tial to our security than la an adequate navy, which the country now realizes we must have and maintain. A thorough system of coast defenses together with an adequate navy constitute the best guaranty of peace. BKLPMQ THK PBlLlPPt.VES. Unquestionably the proposed reuuctlon of tariff duties on Philippine products coming into the United States would be very helpful to the archipelago. It would Insure a greatly Increased trade with this country In what the island pro duces and tbus serve to stimulate and Improve Industrial conditions there. The value of this In the good effect It would have upon the Filipino people cannot easily be overestimated. Nothing con tributes more to the creation of mutual confidence than close commercial rela tions and the Filipino people when they shall realise that the trade of their coun try Is growing and that this Is due to the favor of the United States, will as su redly think better of Americans and of American government There are some who advocate free trade with the Philippines, but this Is clearly not practicable at present for the reason that the Philippine government needs the revenue, all duties collected In our custom bouses on Philippine prod ucts being paid Into the Philippine treas ury. The San Francisco Chronicle fa vors free trade with the Islands because "while ws govern the Filipinos i Is our duty to do the best that can be done for them." This may be admitted, yet duties one-fourth of the Dingley rates would not be a hardship to the Filipinos and It Is better to provide revenue In this wny than by Imposing additional Internal taxation. Twenty-five percent of the Dingley duties will not be bur densome and will probably supply more revenue than the Philippine government now gets, which will enable that govern ment to do a great deal for the benefit of the Islands and will avoid the neces sity which there would otherwise be of more heavily taxing the people. DEMOCRATIC tlOBT LY IOWA. There has been no doubt that a strenu ous struggle would be carried on be tween the Bryan and the conservative factions of the Iowa democracy for con trol of Its next state contention, but It has not been anticipated that Its pre liminaries would begin at so early a date. Nevertheless the Bryan leaders are already preparing and, It Is under stood, have agreed upon the issue, which is the reaffirmation of the Kansas City platform, or Incidentally the same posi tion they took In this year's contest The followers of Mr. Bryan cannot get Into the fight too early or-prosecute It too vigorously, for they hold a far less ad vantageous position In Iowa for the com ing year than was theirs at the opening of this year. The result of the state convention last June was the disastrous defeat of those who stood with Mr. Bryan for reaffirmation of the Kansas City platform, losing control of the state central committee and of the party organization in many of the congres sional districts and counties where their Influence had been dominant for six or eight years. But the most serious re sult of that defeat was the encourage ment it gave to a vast number of demo crats who from discontent with the Bryan leadership had either silently voted the republican ticket or sullenly withdrawn from activity In the party. These opponents of the. Bryan program are now far more formidable than they were. It will not be easy for Mr. Bryan to stand aloof from active participation In the Iowa fight Many of bis followers feel that If be had rendered timely as sistance he could certainly have turned the scale In the last state convention. which was doubtful up to the very last. and they will demand something more than a waiting policy on his part till after the result is decided and then a denunciation of the "cowardice" of the triumphant conservatives. Moreover, It can be safely predicted that the con servatives. If they again win In Iowa In 1903, will have no difficulty In win ning In that state and In the national convention the next year. CCD AH BEC1PROV1TZ. According to the most trustworthy In formation from Washington the outlook for the Cuban reciprocity, treaty is not favorable.' The fact appears to be that the opposition to granting a tariff con cession to Cuban sugar and tobacco is quite as strong now as at the last ses sion of congress. So far as now seen there Is no reason to. believe that the hostility to the proposition to admit Cuban products to the American mar ket at a reduced tariff rate is less pro nounced than at the last session, when It was strong enough to prevent the passage by the senate of the bill pro viding for a reduction to 25 per cent of the tariff on the products of the Island of Cuba. It Is definitely announced by the beet sugar Interest of the United States that It proposes to continue Its opposition to the proposed tariff concession on Cuban sugar, and there Is no question that It has a stronger position now than It bad a year ago, for the reason that Cuba Is very much better off than when this question was first presented for consid eration. As a matter of fact Cuba does not now need any help Industrially or commercially, the truth being that the new republic Is getting along very nicely and with every prospect favor able to Its continued progress and ad vancement The question of closer trade relations with Cuba, therefore, Is not so much as to the benefits that might result to that country as it Is to the advantages that would accrue to our own trade with the neighbor republic. We are now having a very considerable and profit able commerce with Cuba. The ques tion is whether we shall Increase it and the answer Is to be found in the pend ing treaty. svaoESTioxa to thk couxty board. The people of Douglas county are to be congratulated upon the announce ment that the Board of County Commis sioners has decided to turn over a new leaf with the opening of the new year There has been a great deal of room for reform in county management and the board, can. If it is so disposed, save the taxpayers anywhere from flU.OOO to $100,000 a year by lopping off sinecures and plugging up leaks. Much will de pend upon the manner in which the board goes about this business and the ability of members to withstand the pressure from outside. Tue first step in the line of reform will be an Inventory of all the property be longing to the county from every county officer and custodian. The next thing In order should be an overhauling of every office from sheriff down to storekeeper with a view to as certaining how many employes are ac tually needed for an efficient discharge of the duties devolving upon each of the seretal departments and bow many sine cures are on the pay roll. Next In order should be the adoption of regulations in every department that will enforce accountability and Insure efficiency In every department coupled vith the adoption of stringent regula tions concerning the disbursement of county funds. No money should be paid out of the county treasury except by resolution adopted by a majority of the board on a recorded vote before the service Is ren dered or the materials furnished are purchased. All road and bridge work should be done by contract, awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, and no pa.vnient for contract work should be made before the grading or bridge construction has been Inspected and certified to by the county surveyor. The county hospital has been a source of extravagance and wastefulness In the past and the Dew 1903 broom should be vigorously spplied to the abuses that Infect that Institution. The city of Omaha Is a corporation that owns more than $100,000,000 worth of property, whose stockholders are the taxpaylng citizens. The supervision, management and control of this $100, 000,000 corporation Is vested In a di rector general called mayor and a board of nine directors called councllmcn, who disburse more than $1,000,000 a year and collect back that amount from the stock holders through the lvy of taxes. A new board of "directors for this great corporation Is elected once every three years. The next election will take place the first Tuesday in March, 1903, and It behooves the stockholders, as a matter of self-interest and mutual protection, to size tip the timber at their disposal or, In other words, pick out the men that are to manage the affairs of the corpora tion for the next three years. Down in Greater New Tork where the whole police department Is under the direct control and supervision of a single police commissioner appointed by the mayor, some of the politicians have been trying to induce Governor Odell to offer his advice to Mayor Low In the selec tion of a successor to the present Incum bent who Is about to retire, but the gov ernor refuses to mix In. . Governor Odell Is said to have declared emphatically that he Is a firm believer In municipal borne rule and that he does not believe It to be In the province of the governor of New York to Interfere In purely local matters unless the duties of his office required , It . . Governor Odell has the right Idea on this subject and his posi tion could well be emulated by other governors. Hope' Long; Salt. Baltimore American. Wireless telegraphy is a grand achieve. ment ot the century, but It will never be complete until it results In polelesa streets. Theories Rodely Shattered. New York 'World. Trusts have pointed " with nrlda tn the Standard Oil as an instance where monop oly has lowered the price of a oroduct. Now comes the squeexa, coincident with the op portunity. Bracing; Ip for a Licking;. San Francisco Call. Colombia, free from lighting with Itself. now wants, to pick a quarrel with Nica ragua and possibly gain control of both available lsthmiaa canal routes. Some ot these days Colombia may wake tin and And Itself off the map, ... Liberality with a Lesson. Chicago Record-Herald. A Chicago man has siven 14(1 ooo tn urn. waukee girl because she was kind to him when they met. as strangers on a railway train three years ago. After this It nnaht to be reasonably easy for a man to strike up an acquaintance with the woman who Is traveling alone. The Way the Wind Blow. Boston Herald. The haate and trnanlmltv with Mo. both parties in congress tumble over each other to vote a half million rtnii.r. prosecute the truBts denote a very lively appreciation on tnelr part of the direction in wmca tne wind 1 blowing lust at nre- ent Meanwhile tha trustwarii tonI... does not seem to abate appreciably. Starting Fir in th Rear. Chicago Chronicle. Th circumstance that a oort held h tha Venezuelan rebels is not blockaded by the allies seems to indicate that the bill col lectors have formed an alliance with th. tn. surgents. Whether these latter persons, if they be successful, will nrnvA anv pay than the present administration Is i matter which Mr. Bull and his associates may do well to consider. Otherwise, the de vice of harrying a debtor by encouraging his enemies looks to be of questionable value. Roattae Bar the Way. Philadelphia Record. Just now the cry from Washington Is: "Important legislation will be taken up Im mediately after th recess1." After th ra ces th tun will be: "Appropriation bills snd other necessary routine legislation will have th right of way. Other important legislation will hav to go ever for th con sideration of the next congress." These are th usual "befor recess" and "after re cess" announcements. Routine bar th way. It is th whip that the obstructionist stalwarts hold over th head of th strenu ous Roosevelt - Intolerable Discrimination. Philadelphia Press. The Interstate Commerce commission has been bringing out some startling facts in New York. It appears, for Instance, that vulcanite cement Is shipped from Antwerp, Belgium, or from Hamburg, Germany, to East St. Louis for 65 cents a barrel, while the rat from New Yorjc City Is 68 1-5 cents. Crockery, it Imported, Is taken from New York to Chicago for 18 cent per 100 pounds, but the charge on th domestic product Is ti cents. Evidently th railroad managers ar seeking to reduce th tariff. Buck gross discriminations ar intolerable. Well Enalpped for HI Task. Boaton Herald. Our Minister Bowen at Venezuela appears to be well equipped for th emergency. He has been In the consular and diplo matic service for twelve years sod Is a son of th late Henry C. Bowen of th New York Independent. He was transferred to hi present post from Spain, where as consul at Barcelona he got a good insight into Spanish character. Besides being a diplomat he is poet, a tighter and a linguist, speaking French. Italian and Spanish besld bis native English. Born In New York, he wis educated in Oermany, Italy and Franc befor entering Yale and th law school of Columbia university. When he was a student at Yal he had a llttl difficulty with a tutor on matter not affecting hla scholarship snd b was graduated somewhat prematurely, but quit likely both th tutor and Yal hav forgiven him befor this, now that he ha achieved aa honorable distinction In the public service, besides writing a book on International law which Is rated of stand ard quail ur. SEW ERA Il TELEGRAPHY. Mareoal'a Great Trlaaaph asi What It SlgalSe. New York Tribune. The Interchange of messages between th old world and the new now authoritatively announced, was definitely foreshadowed last February while Marconi was on board the steamship Philadelphia. His previous experiments on Bignal Hill, Newfound land, last December, however convincing to him Individually, were unsatisfactory ss a publlo demonstration. It Is not cus tomary to accept the announcement of a scientific discovery or achievement on th strength ot any on man's word. Self deception Is so common an experience among reputable Inventors and Investiga tors that corroboration Is absolutely nec essary. This was afforded by the self registering Instruments and the testimony of the ship's officers In Marconi's later tests while himself crossing the ocean. The publio was then fully Justified In believing that messages bad been received 1.650 miles from Poldhu and signals at a distance of 2.100. In order to attain his recent success Marconi has overcome several obstacles, real or Imaginary, which beset his earlier efforts. Neither high mountains nor th bulging ot the earth's surface between stations Interfere now with transmission. The paralysing Influence of daylight upon communication can be overcome by using more power at th sending station. Marked Improvements, too, have been mad In th receiver. Marconi's own magnetic detec tor will handle forty words a minute, whereas th Branly and Solarl coherers could take only fifteen. It I not certain how effectually he will deal with two other embarrassments. Some of the Poldhu mesas ges which were addressed to Carlo Alberto last summer were picked up by people for whom they were not Intended. Perhaps the sending Instruments had not then been ''tuned." Th virtues of the means which Marconi proposes to employ for Insuring secrecy have not yet been fully ascertained. Nor does the public know how well he can protect his com munication from malicious interruption snd confusion. Still, his past progress In spire confidence concerning these remain ing defects In the system. It Is not to be supposed that the methods and apparatus used during tha Isst few days represent the highest stag of development In th art Whatever be the Imperfection In wireless telegraphy as now practiced, one cannot but admire th manner In which It has been brought to Its present degree of perfection by Marconi. Others had thought vaguely ot the same thing, and had even devised ap paratus having the same object In view. But they either sbandoned the Idea tem porarily or failed to work out a solution of the difficulties which they encountered. So far as practical results are concerned, Mar coni is really the pioneer In wireless teleg raphy. He has gone ahead where others have halted. He has worked while others talked. He has been peculiarly modest and reticent, rarely talking except when at tacked. So far as the public can Judge, be has born himself In a manly fashion to ward all rivals. To th suggestion that the marquis of Solarl has been unfairly dealt with there ar several effective an swers. On is furnished by th many hon ors bestowed on Marconi by the king of Italy during tne last few months, and an other was afforded by the fact that Solarl himself accompanied Marconi all last sum mer and fall on board Carlo Alberto. As for "priority of Invention," If anyone has anticipated the young Anglo-Italian the courts will no doubt ascertain the fact In du time. Until th world has new light on th subject It will regard, him as a gentle man as well as a genius, and accord him the chief glory of making transoceanic wireless telegraphy possible. POLITICAL NOTES. State capitals will soon be a feature of political date lines. They are all Jumping on Dave Hill, par ticularly his political associates. But Dave Isn't saying a word. He is too sor for utterance. The total vote cast for socialist candi dates at this year's election was heaviest In Massachusetts, In which the combined votes of the two socialist parties was In excess of 36,000. General Charles Dick, who Is an avowed candidate for the republican nomination for governor ot Ohio, is now serving his third term In congress as representative from the Nineteenth district of the state and has been elected to the next congress. There is a proposition on foot In Ver mont which has recently experienced a sort of political awakening, to change tha capital from Montpeller to Burlington, the chief commercial city of th Green Moun tain state. Vermont will vote on th pro posed new local license law to supersede th prohibition lsw early next year. Henry Watteraoa is searching for a ray of hope In th political outlook for 1902. Cleveland and Bryan ha regards as Impos sibles. Dsv Hill's aspirations ar classed as amusing. Tom Johnson and Patttson wer eliminated by the result of- th last election. "Who tha unknown may be," conclude the colonel, "remains a secret to all except the Creator." Th stat of Texas has pending Just now a controversy as to Its boundaries, the Irregularity and uncertainty of which have 'been In dispute before. Several southern states hav Ilk disputes pend ing and a few southern cities as well. Th long contention over the boundary line between Grayson and Carroll counties, Virginia, has recently been established by a survey. After an Interval of many years Nevada will have, after March 4, a democratlo senator Th retirement of John P. Jones ot that state will leave William Allison of Iowa the senior senator, in unbroken service. He first took hla seat on March 4, 1873, and by subsequent elections has served continuously since, a period of thirty years. HI present term will not expire until March 4. Senator Allison is a native of Ohio. He was a member of the bouse of representatives for four terms befor his election to tha senate. La Vol Del, a Mexican newspaper, dis cussing th low pric ot silver, give an Instructive lesson on "free silver" and th disastrous effect of a fluctuating currency. "At present," says th Mexican paper, "there exists In Mexico a surplus stock of liver to the amount of 1180,000,000, and, consequently, when th pric of diver goes down 1 cent w los $1,800,000, which Is a permanent loss to th country snd s great drain on th publlo weeUh, Taxes and contributions to th government ar paid in silver. Th taxes and contributions amount to 1100,000.000 annually, wall th salaries paid to th various government employes amount to $5,000,000. Th part of th government debt which Is payable la silver amounts te 1300,000,000. Th valu of urban property amounts to $260,000,000. To sum up: Tha government los $1,000. 000, th employes of th government $50, 000, th creditors 13.000,000 and th own er ot urban property $2,600,000 each time th valu of th silver dollar fluctuates 1 cent. During th present year th valu of diver has gon down nearly 10 cents. ' Marfan Asrrec te Famish Heat. NEW YORK, Dec. 2. Th suit against J. P. Morgan, brought by Harry Nevelaon, for the alleged failure of th flnanctar to provide heat in an apartment laaaed by Nevelaon, has baen sallied out of court Mr. Morgan's agents promised that ther should be aa immediate aupply of coal to th Itouaa. THE OLD Absolute! Puro THERE tS NO CUBGTITUTE OTHER LA3DS THA IV OUR.9. The national spirit of the Finns has not neen crusnea py in various measures adopted to effect their Russlantzatlon. Re ports hav Just leaked out of a meeting that was held at Helslngfora in the middle of November. Between 200 and SOO persons wer present, Including a number of farm ers and representatives of the working classes. Among other resolutions adopted waa the following: "That this assembly considers It Imperative, for th mainte nance of our political and national exist ence, to .continue everywhere, unswerv ingly, and until legal conditions sre re stored to the country, tha passive resist ance against all measures conflicting with, or calculated to abolish, our fundamental laws." What Is meant by passive resist ance the Russian authorities well know. It Implies a dogged refusal to comply with any regulation which is held to conflict with the Immemorial rights of the nation. One result of this attitude of the people was the failure of the attempt to carry Into effect the new army edict at the army levy last spring, when about 60 per cent of the young men refused to present them selves. It was predicted in the Russian press that ' the recent ordinances would quell resistance, but It Is plain that they have had no such effect. The meeting also passed a vote of want of confidence against the Senate fur their lack of firmness in withstanding Russlflcatlon and their mis placed zeal in furthering Illegal measures. While the news from South Africa does not go to the extent of a declaration of anarchy, all th indications point to a condition of affairs not faz removed from it. Thousands of mechanics and others emigrated from Australia and Great Brit ain Immediately after the conclusion ot peace, and as many more who were in the army remained In Cape Town instead of returning to England. The result Is that the labor market Is highly overstocked and must continue to be tor some time. There Is much building to be done, but ther is no material to do It with.. Merchants rec ognize an opportunity to go Into manufac turing, but ther is no machinery. Mines sre idle, because It is not known what stand the government is to take with re gard to taxation. Farming I poor be cause the British army and the Boer raid- nwledge of real mysteries and had an era depleted or stampeded the stock and ,nfluence on events to an extent that was worked general destruction. In short, th unuP"cted by people at large. By de country is in s state of chaos, and the Kree" ne cma to the conclusion that this guiding band of Mr. Chamberlain Is sadly niust be regarded as a Action. Ths am needed to straighten out matters. Rents Dag1", "as Important In the old days ar soaring, provisions are high and board wnen tDe WM .scantiness of mesne ot or lodgings can only be procured by the ,nformatlon about foreign countries. But man with the long purse. With s large tne 'allroad, the telegraph and, above all. class of men In South Africa It is not a the n"wPPer correspondent, had changed question of beg or starve, even if begging aU that' Political secrets are no longer to would do any good. It Is, since they can- be P,cked UP high society. The smbas not find work to do, either to steal or Mdor wno "ent Information to his govern starve and they prefer the former to the 0161,4 foun1 tUt 11 had be,n forestalled alternative. With stealing naturally go br tho8 wh0Be bu8ln6" " ' to collect assaults, and occasionally an assault re- the newi an1 conTeT " the world at suits In murder; hence at the present time Urge H""0"1 tb" newspaper. To ta South Africa is a good place to stay away "accurc dispatch" of these corra from. I spondents King Edward's ambassador paid a warm tribute. "Yes," said he, "It Is to The British admiralty Is really waking ! tbe entl9men of h" P" that a serious up. If such energetic reformers ss Ad-' fhan,e ,n th8 cnBracter of diplomacy Is, mlral Henderson and Admiral Lord Cha les ' h' 110 mean" ,n aUht ae. au- w Beresford msy be believed. The former : c,nnot mpeu with them In the daily aid th other day at Plymouth that h transmission of local and special Intel thought that the lesson of th South Af- "ence- Man of thes able men have still rlcan war had been taken to heart by tha f"her Invaded the Held of our functions, suthoritles. There had been a chang for an1 tranamlt hy telegraph to th great th better already In the material, and th JurnaIa 'nlch they represent their own change In the personnel would come soon. nllntnel comments npon current polit Every officer snd man who had to form tha ,cal ents or official utterances and nav of tha flltura raiut liau entry, must have a common training, and . . - . .". w must be prepared to take upon his shoul ders ever one of th multlfarlnua rinHaa which wer connected with the control ot th. warship of th. present d.y. Lori Charles Beresford also declare his con- vlctlon that ths scheme which th admlr- alty ha In hand will prove of th greatest puaaiuio utm-ui 10 in service, ana ne intl- mate that It will prove to be one of the most drastic that could have been con ceived. Already, he says, th. Mediterranean fleet has been strengthened, the coal supply ha been Increased and plans hav been formulated to regulate th action of th fleet In case of war. Special committee have been formulated to regulate ths action of manning th reserves. etc. Lord Charles vigorously denounced th habit ot patching damaged boilers. Faulty boilers, he said, ought to be put on th scrap heap and replaced by new ones. a Some of th. London newspapers ar. printing details of th consequences of th. prolonged drouth In Australia, chiefly In the provinces of New 8outh Wales snd Queensland. It is estimated that the total wheat shortage in Australia Is 13,000,000 bushels, of which New South Wales has lost $,500,000. Families In parts of Queens land are living on bran and treacle, bought originally a a makeshift food tor aheep. It la officially calculated that ther ar not 20,000,000 sheep left In New South Wales, ss compared with 60,0(0,000 Ave years ago. Squatters have dismissed th duie ot tneir employes, retaining only a tew hsnd. necessary to burn th. carcasses! of sheep snd cattl. where they have i dropped dead In th paddocks. On man who originally had $5,000 aheep preserved by artificial feeding saw th majority die. and lately, tn eonsequenc of th pric. ot loader, cut the throats of th. survivors. Another claims that be spent 100,000 on fodder. Thlrtv thousand ihun aa within fifteen miles radius ot Marsden. New South Wales, since th. latest shearing 1 On. station in th. neighborhood lost 12.000 beep within . week, another sh.ar.d ,.200. but mustering them soon afterward found only 2,000. These were turned adrift on tb road In th hop of their reaching grass, but the latest account, aay that. hundreds ar dying on th Journey. ; ', Agnatic prevail, in England for th. establishment of some kind of a royal com- mission to Investigate th. question of what la there call.4 "municipal trading." RELIABLE ( that Is, the entering Info various manufac- turing schemes, such as the manufacture of ass by the municipality. The trouble seems to be that In soma of these enterprises there are profits, and they ar applied. In part at least, to the payment ot taxes. Sir Edward Clarke, who recently made a speech in favor of the establishment of the commission, objected to this by ask ing why one man should be made to pay more for his gas In order that taxes which another had to pay should be re duced. Thl new Idea seem to have made some impression, though the mala argu ment against municipal trading I that It fosters a monopoly.- It la, however, pointed out by those opposed to the proposed com mission that the real queatlon Is between public and private monopoly. FUTURES OF DIPLOMACY. Importance of th Profession Dimin ished hy Newspaper. New York Evening Poet. It was Henry Wotton who, . In 1(12, set down tn a friend's autograph book the fol lowing merry definition, as he called It: "An embassador Is an honest man aent to He abroad for the commonwealth." But times have changed sine then. It Is no longer necessary for a diplomatist to do violence to his conscience. He Is now al most entirely an ornamental personage. His principal duties are to sppear at formal functions, to be affable, te make graceful after-dinner speeches, to pay the right sort of compliments, to unveil monu ments, to accept honorary degrees from for eign universities and to spend more than his salary on entertaining. In the case of our representatives It is necessary further to endure the agony of appearing In even Ing dress In the daytime. A curious piece of testimony to th change that ha come about In International relations was furnished the other day by Sir Edmund Monaon, the British ambas sador to the French republlo. Speaking at a dinner In Paris he said that when be entered the service he realised that tho Id doctrine that , It ' was baa to lie for tie's self, venial to ')1 for one's friend, but a duty under some circumstances to He for one's country bad been exploded. - At that time, however, be still believed that ambassadors wer in the possession of I SCtlOIlS." PASSING PLUASAHTRIES. .... ,.al" i01"" . j-una man ! JaTe.d otnTClc.,': 1 perfectly justified In asking who th lrl "' Brooklyn Life: First M. D.-What a lot : or inin,- nave oeen found tn th verrol form appendix. Second M. D. And look at the money that ha been taken out of It. Boston Transcript: Mrs. Mateland Henry, I wonder if you lov m a much a you UBed to lov ma befor w were married. You never say the pretty things to me that you did tn thoae days. Mr. Mateland That's because I lov you more than I did Jhen. dear. I lov you too much now to 11a to you, you know. Newark News; "Madge aay, n 1 JO- odd years old. "That makes her more than 40." "How do you make that out?" "Count th ven year, too." Town Topics: "Is he a wall Informed marvr 'I should sav so. Wh ! n. him everything." . Waehlnrton Iot r "How's your rheuma tls?" asked the neighbor. "Rheumatlts Is doln' dm." answered th village Invalid. "I'm th feller that get tln' th worst of 1L" "JUST AS IT USED TO BIB." Towe and Country. I wlan I wer boy again. That ! wara hut a dr..n i That thing would change from what the) t -,.. .i . . IndVrom'm? m.Tn?. Could find that dear old Fairyland. tfusi as ii useo io D. If wishes only wer a horse. How fast away I'd rid Arrow th plains of yesterday. Bold comrade by my aid; One mora I'd rescu captive maid; ni uuuaniy uveas you a S, If I wer but a hero bold. I ,ut 1 v" t0 be. With Beanatalk Jack I'd sally forth " . To slaxits kill galore; Irt,?ncha.nrd,.hod,trl1 Where ogres dwell. In castle hug, An1 mermaids swarm th sea; 5;,.h,ow. Vk '0VJi0.nnd ,thtxa al J " " th"r.UMd t0 My little boy says I'm all wrong That nothing changed at all, Vd."0. Th.n'ullf Then, clasping his dear hand in mine, H d forth to a Yju.t a.f to'L1'" "IU1