Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, December 31, 1902, Page 6, Image 6

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    0
THE OMAHA DAILY BEE; WEDNESDAY, DEtiEMDEU 31, 1902.
'Hie uniaiia Daily Bee
B. R08EWATKK, EDITOR
PUBLISHED EVERT MORNING.
TERMS OF 8lfc8CIUPTION.
Dally Ra (without Hun. lay). One Tear. MOT
I'aJly Hee and Sunday. One Year MM
Illustrated He, One Year 2M
Sunday Hee, One iear 2.v
Saturday He, One Year 1.60
Twentieth Century Farmer, One Ttar.. l.UU
DELIVERED UY CARRIER.
Pally pee (without Sunday), per copv... 2c
Dally Hee (without Hundnyi, per week..Uc
Daily Bee (Including Sunday), per week. lie
Sunuay Bee, per copy no
Evening Bee (without Sunday), per week c
Evening Bee (Including Sunday), per
week 10c
Complaint of Irregularities In delivery
Should be addressed to City Circulation De
partment. OFFICES.
Omaha The Bee Building.
South Omaha city Hall Building, Twenty-fifth
and M Streets.
Council Bluffs 10 Penrl Street.
Chicago 1H4( Unity Building.
New York 1328 IJnrk Row Building.
Washington MX fourteenth Street.
CORRESPONDENCE.
Communication! relating to news and ed
itorial matter should he addressed: Omaha
.Bee, Editorial Department
STATEMENT OF CIRCULATION.
Btate of Nebraska, Douglas County, as.:
Oeorge n. Tawhuck, secretary of The
Uee Publishing Company, being duly sworn,
aya that the actual number of full and
complete copies of The Dally, Morning,
Evening and Sunday Bee printed during the
month of November, lSoi, was aa follows:
1 ,...1,470 16 'AH.4H3
..2(t,43l 17 8,(iDO
ai.OHIt 18 30.M70
4 8l,nO 19 BO.IMO
41.H5 70 SO.KHO
84,BftO 21 IMM-M
T , .81. BIO 22 31.410
30,840 ' 21 2M.U1U
,8T5 24 BO.KO
10 81.HOO 25 .81.O110
11 0,l)T( '23 ai.ooo
12 80.700 21 80.TMO
M ao.HiiO 28 81.1KO
14 30,730 23 31.4NO
U 81,810 ) it,47S
Total .' oaa.oio
Less unsold and returned copies.... 9,237
Net total sales Oin,Ta
Net average sales 30.7M
GEORGE B. TZSCHUCK.
Subscribed In my presence and sworn to
before me this SUth day of November, A. D.
l)2. - M. B. HUNOATE.
(Seal) Notary Public.
The grim renpor seeuia to keep his
Scythe sharpened all the year round.
For the dying year, death always
cornea promptly at the predicted time.
The merger of the Denver labor unions
shows that they are bound to be In the
Style.
Ilad Venezuela been able to raise the
'wind. It could have raised the blockade
much sooner.
Nebraska implement men . come next
a Omaha's guests. Make ready the Im
plements of hospitality.
From the number of elephants em
ployed It la clear that the Curzon festivi
ties are to be a big thing. ..
Omaha can be made a great grain
market, but nothing comes without ef
fort It la worth working for.
All hopes that the Btratron will con
test might prove la the same class with
the Fair will contest aro now shattered.
The glowing accounts now being sent
out regarding Grover Cleveland's health
will hardly escape the eye of Colonel
Watterson.
A New Year's day reunion and Jollifi
cation of all the beneficiaries of Gov
ernor Savage's pardon pen with the
great pardoner as guest of honor would
seem to be .In order. .
Footings of the city assessment roll
show that the recent Hoard of Iteview Is
t the only board that ever made any ma
terial Increase In the totals returned by
tbe tax commissioner.
From New York to Chicago In four
hours la the promise held forth by an
ambitious Inventor. ' From Omaha to
Lincoln in one hour Is equally desirable
and much more practicable. '
And now the police commission hints
that It will apply faith cure treatment
to all liquor license ailments. In other
words, ft has no faith In the circulation
statements of the pretending Fakeries.
If that newly Invented machine will
really heat a room for $1 a year, It must
require extraordinary self control on the
part of the Inventor to refrain from
aelllng them under existing circum
stances.' Those South Omaha olliclals who are
getting apprehensive over a prospective
overlap might apply to the Omaha school
board for cousolutlou. Our school fund
has' a perennial overlap, but It never
disturbs school board member8.
Down in Lancaster 'county a bank
combine that has been working the tax
payera, for county deposits without pay
ing the Interest required by law has
been broken. There Is no good reason
whatever why Douglas county should
not get Interest upou Its treasury bal
ances, and it would get the Interest
speedily if the responsible authorities
went about It the right way.
British observers take comfort In the
thought that so long as American manu
facturers have the profitable home mar
ket at their command, there la no danger
of American products supplanting Brit
ish products either at home or In neutral
markets. But had It not been for the
policy of protection American manufac
turers would not have had the home
market much less a foothold abroad.
Senator Teller Is treading on the thin
nest kind of Ice la his effort for re-eleo-tlon.
It Is known that a number of the
democratic members of the Colorado
legislature are strongly dUiKHted to
throw him overboard aud to lulst ou an
out-and-out democrat. In spite of the
fact that be publicly declared bis ad
hesion to that party last summer. The
prospect Is for a loug-drawn out coutest,
with a growing feeling that the demo
cratic members cannot, lu auy event be
held together long for hliu.
the closihg tear.
The year 1002 has contributed much
Hint Is notable and valuable to the
world's history. For this nntlnn It hns
liecn a ix-rlod of progress lu all direc
tions, of growth In power, Influence Hud
prestige. We have had unbounded busi
ness pronicrity, bountiful harvests that
have rlchlv rewnrded the Industry of
the producers, a constant demand for
lnlor In mill and factory, unprecedented
activity In transportation, henvy Invest
ments of capital In industrial enterprises
and a marked development of resources
nloug all lines. In material well-being
no country lias ever occupied a higher
plane than does ours at this time.
The United States ) playing a large
putt in the world and it Is doing so
In the Interest of peace and civilization.
In tills second year of the twentieth
century no other nation has done so
much for the betterment of mankind.
We have given to an alien people, a
povernment of liberty and law, with
every assurance of future care for their
Interests and welfare. We have as
sisted In establishing a new republic,
modeled nion ourown political Insti
tutions nnd which we are pledged to pro
tect In Its Independence and aid Id Its
material development. We have taught
Europe a fresh lesson In the Interest of
peace In Inducing three of the powers
to submit to arbitration their claims
against a state of this hemisphere. We
have again shown the independent coun
tries of this part of the world that tbe
nited States Is their friend, readv
t nil times to protect them from for-
gn nggresslon, but requiring of them
ic fulliilnient of their Just obligations.
'e have demonstrated anew that as a
nation we love peace nnd that we desire
to cultivate friendly relutlons with all
other countries. There is no doubt that
today the influence of the United States
upon international affairs that touch Its
Interests is greater than ever before.
European countries have been less
favored than ours In the past twelve
month, many of the people of some of
them having experienced severe hard
ship and privation. It Is stated that
British trade for the year has been good,
yet there is a great deal of destitution
in England, especially In the larger
cities, recent reports stating that nov-
erty Is more general and distressing
than at any time since the repeal of
the corn laws. England has enlarged
her empire by annexing the South
African republics, but the taxation
which the war made necessary bears
heavily upon her people and her Indus
tries. The British isles will not soon
recover from the effects of the Boer
war. In Germany the Industrial depres
sion that has continued throughout the
year Is not being relieved and great
numbers of her people are out of em
ployment and destitute. Tbe conditions
In Austria-Hungary and Italy are no
better and France Is by no means
prosperous. In Russia there la a deplor
able state of affairs, a late report from
St Petersburg stating that the govern
ment is face to face with the grave
problem of how best to feed 15,000,000
bungry peasants scattered over numer
ous provinces. Throughout Europe, in
short many more millions of people are
now. feeling the pinch of poverty than
a year ago and the governments gen
erally are finding in this the most
troublesome and difficult problem with
which they have to deal. But they con
tinue to heavily burden their people with
taxation to maintain great military
establishments and there la no promise
of a change from this policy.
The American people will say farewell
to 1902 with a feeling of gratitude for
what it gave them In euch rich abund
ance aud will welcome 1903 in the con-
Udent expectation, which all signs seem
to warrant that it will contribute no
less liberally to their prosDerity and
happiness. . ,
AH "OPEN DUOR" QUESTION.
Some montha ago the British and Ger
man governments protested against the
remission of the export duty, $7.50 a ton,
on hemp from the Philippines to the
United States. Those governments urged
tbat this discrimination against them la
an infraction of the open door policy, for
which the United States has earnestly
contended In the far east and expressed
the hope that It will not be continued.
The correspondence In the matter la now
lu the hands of the senate committee on
Philippine affairs and It la understood
will receive consideration In connection
with the pending Philippine tariff bill.
This is tbe first question that has been
raised bearing upon the open door policy
of this government and ita determina
tion will be important It la aald that
the congressional theory seems to be
that an executive proclamation of the
open door, made before congress as
sumed Jurisdiction of the government of
the Philippines, Is not binding upon con
gress now that that Jurisdiction la In full
operation. It also appear to be the
opinion of some that as long as tbe
products of other eonntriea are admitted
Into the Pblllpplne8 on equal terms with
our own, no foreign nation can complain
that we have closed the door because a
Philippine product ia laid down In San
Francisco cheaper than la some porta of
Europe. The San Francisco Chronicle
takes the view that It Is none of Eng
land aud Germany's business what we
do with the Philippine islands. It says
iu regard to the open door principle, that
we have simply insisted that so long
as China is recognized as an independ
ent nation she shall observe, and be
permitted to observe, her treaties with
this country.
There la no doubt as to our right to do
a we tilease with the Philippines. We
can establish free trade between the
Islands and this country and maintain
a prohibitive tariff In the Phlllpplnea on
goods of other countries than our own.
We may of right discriminate to the
most radical extent against our com
petitors for Philippine trade. But would
It be expedient to assert this right?
Should we not In doing so invite retalia
tion ou the part of countries that ant In
position to control markets in the Ori
ent? Tlie maintenance of the open door
policy undoubtedly depends a great deal
upon the iosl(lon of the United States,
and our Influence In behalf of that policy
would certnlnfy le very much wcakeuVd
if in the Philippines we discriminate
against other countries. The question
raised merits Uie very careful attention
of congress.
GUARANTIES l)F' ARlilTRA TfO.Y.
There Is no end of Irrelevant ar sertlon
or assumption that guarantees of the ex
ecution of the finding of the arbitrators
must be had In the sense that some an
thorlty will undertake the collection of
whatever damages may be found to be
due from Venezuela. No such result Is
necessarily Implied In International ar
bltratlon as It has been resorted to or
as Is provided for in The Hague treaty.
Nor Is It probable that President Boose
velt would In any event have consented
to act on such terms.
Where disputes are submitted to ar
bitration of course an Implied obligation
is upheld and almost invariably the ex
press pledge of the parties Is made to
carry out Its decision. But no case of
International arbitration can be cited
where governments as third parties
have stood by with drawn swords to en
force the finding of the referees. It Is
sIro true that no nation could refer a
matter to arbitration and then refuse to
abide by the result without putting It
self clearly In the wrong and forfeiting
the respect of the civilized world, while
the other party or parlies to the arbitra
tion could still resort to other remedies
previously at its command. '
It is a conceivable case, although In
high degree an Improbable one, that an
arbitrating lward might find an amount
to be due which It would be impossible
for' the debtor or offending nation to
pay. But as no such case has yet arisen.
It Is not necessary to cross that stream
before coming to it. The usual method
when war Is resorted to and the In
demnity, required by the conqueror can
not be paid la to appropriate territory,
but the Monroe doctrine forbids this re
sult In American countries as against
Europe. The refusal' or the sheer In
ability of Venezuela to pay nn award,
If It be conceived as possible, Is all the
greater reason why no strict guaranty
of enforcement can be exacted.
WHAT WERE THE! ELECTED FORI
The republican membera of the dele
gation from Douglas county are reputed
to be under a pledge not to commit it
or any of Its members for or against
any Issue that may come before the leg
islature until it has received the ap
proval or disapproval of a majority of
the delegation In star chamber session.
In other words, every member of the
delegation is reputed to be pledged to
surrender hia own convictions to the
will of the majority, and to take nobody
Into his confidence except by permission
of the majority of the delegation.
This Unique gentlemen's agreement
has Its only counterpart In the now fa
mous St Louis councilmanlc agreement
which bound the members of the com
bine not to speak except through the
chosen spokesman. From the dark re
cesses of the chamber In which the
Douglas delegation has held its secret
conferences the public ia assured that
the prime object of this extraordinary
policy la to promote the public welfare
and forestall adverse criticism. How
the public welfare ia to be promoted by
a refusal to discuss public Issues In pub
lic can only be surmised by the tip given
to tbe Real Estate exchange by one of
the spokesmen of the keep-lt-dark dele
gation when asked what position he and
hia associates would take with regard to
the proposed repeal of the section of
the chsrter that virtually exempts the
railroads from local taxation. "The dele
gation would prefer not to touch thia
matter, but leave it to the courta to set
tle," was the response.
This la cooler than a 30-below-zero
breeze. It la a declaration In so many
words that the Douglas delegation
would prefer to be excused from dis
charging Its plain duty and leave the
taxpayers, who have for years borne the
burdens that should Justly have been
Imposed upon the railroads, to the ten
der mercies of these corporations uutll
the highest courts have pronounced upon
the constitutionality of the tax-exempt
ing clause of the charter.
The question that will naturally force
Itself upon the mlud of every taxpaying
citizen Is, What are they there for?
What object la there In electing repre
sentatives to the legislature If they will
deliberately decline to represent the In
terests and wishes of their constituents?
What other natural Inference can be en
tertained than that they have mort
gaged themselves to the corporations
that own $23,000,000 worth of property
in Omaha which is assessed at less than
1 per cent of Its actual value, while all
pther property la assessed at 100 cents
on the dollar?
How can any representative to the leg
islature Justify himself In surrendering
his own individual convictions by shift
ing the obligations Imposed upon him by
his constituents on the plea that he la
tied hand and foot to do only that which
the majority of his colleagues will per
mit him to do, even when hia action or
attitude ia In conflict with his own hon
est convictions and when he believes it
to be detrimental to the public welfare?
The dominant majority of the Donglas
delegation to the legislature is repre
sented as expressing a desire to be ex
cused from striking out tbat portion of
the charter which permits tbe railroads
to evade, their taxea by having their
property In Omaha assessed at mileage
rates by the State Board of Equaliza
tion and let this disagreeable duty be
performed by the courts. But suppose
that the railroads should succeed in
overruling and reversing the action of
the Board of Review by buying up a
majority of the city council, how would
the railroad taxation clause of the char
ter get Into the courts? Suppose, on tbe
other baud, that the railroads refrain
from tampering with the council. Why
should taxpayers of Omaha be compelled
to wait for a decision from tbe federal
courts, or the supreme court of Ne
braska, when its representatives in the
legislature can give them relief by
knocking out the railroad taxation
clause?
There Is no room to doubt that the
Monroe doctrine la exceedingly unpopu
lar with the German nation, however,
the government by Inference may have
recently recognized It The Immense
expansion of German foreign trade has
raised visions of colonial empire which
have pointed toward South America.
With a large German population already
In some of the states. It la natural that
the aggreaslve spirit of the mother nn
tlon should be dissatisfied with an In
ternatlonal rule whose maintenance
bars It from the chance of territorial ac
qulsltion In a whole continent The
German people would hall with delight
a positive movement on the part of
united Euroie to annul the Monroe doc
trine, but there la not the ellghtest pos
sibility of such a movement at present
nor la It probable that It can ever be
consummated.
The new year will ppen with a poor
prospect of peace among the great rail
road systems especially Interested In the
traascontlnental traffic. A bitter war
has sprung up between the Gould and
Harrlman Interests, which will Inevi
tably result In construction of a great
deal of new mileage and It Is Just pos
sible the Milwaukee will resume Its plan
for building to the coast.
The. Real Estate exchange committee
on taxation does not appear to be willing
to lay down Just to accommodate the
tax-shirking railroad. The taxpaying
citizens of Omaha certainly will not lay
down even if it takes years to fight It
out.
Time to Break Loose.
Chicago Chronicle.
The mad mullah has not been killed for
almost, two weeks and his friends are be
ginning to foel uneasy, about him.
Old mm Good as the New.
Philadelphia Preea.
It is not necessary to go to the trouble
of getting up new resolutions for the New
Year. Tbe old ones can be worked over
once again.
Cot Out tbe Preface.
St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Arbitration Is a goqd thing, but should
never again be prefaced by the seizure of
a navy and bombardment of a tort as a
means to collect private debts.
Opportunity for Mlllloaalres.
Brooklyn Eagle.
If our mllllonlres want to do one of the
greatest services to the human race that Is
possible to them, why don't they engage
Dr. Lorens to live In -America, at a suf
ficient Income, and let blm cure the poor?
Jaar Haadle ' Soars-eatloa.
Portland Oregonlan.
Ia Nebraska the State Board of Chari
ties and Corrections is arking the legisla
ture to pass an act making It a crime for
a husband to desert his wife. How foolish
to expect a legislature of men to pass such
a law! Acting upon ' the suggestion, they
may paas a law making It a criminal offense
for a wife to desert her husband.
Cm We Live- Wit boat Them
Baltimore American.
The highly dangerous habit of kissing
having been called by special legislation to
the attention of the public, the practice of
hand-shaking has next been haled before
the medical bar to give reason why It
should not be banished from modern so
ciety as harboring objectionable germs. It
looks as though we were gradually work
ing back to the old days when clothes were
made out of armorplate.
Wbooplnar lp the! Farmers' Trait.
Philadelphia North American.
The farmers are trying to organise a
trust, but It will be seen that among the
announced purposes of tbe combination lim
itation of products, destruction of compe
tition and dividends on fictitious capitaliza
tion are not Included. The aim of the
farmer Is not Morganlzation of agriculture.
He desires to encourage Improvements In
methods, Increase the crops, obtain a fair
price for farm products and get a square
deal from the railroads. Success to the
farmers' trust and more power to ita arm!
Aeroarrama la a Sterna.
Victor Smith la New York Press.
While the storm was thickest on Satur
day afternoon, about S:30, I stood on top of
the Cbesebrough building, IT State, street.
reading aerogram from Coney Island and
Fort Wadaworth. Not an object In the har
bor was visible, but the blizzard's fury did
not retard measages in the slightest de
gree. As a matter of fact, a great preci
pitation of snow or rain serves to Increase
the efficacy of the wireless system. Aero
grama fly all the faster and truer as the
elements destroy or embarrass the existing
standard Una service.
PILGRIMS KNEW BEARS.
Primitive Hew Enarland Knowledge
Which Was Scant Elsewhere.
Boston Olobe.
The glory of the New England forefathers
Is not likely to soon fade from tbe earth.
In New York, Philadelphia, In tbe west,
and. In fact, wherever we cast the eye we
find ready representatives of the Pilgrim
Fathers assembled to sound their virtues
and glorify their names at this season.
In New York and elsewhere some at
tempts have been made to imitate the
Pilgrim Fathers in the bills of fare served.
How puerile it looks to try to Imitate the
Pilgrim bill of fare In the Waldorf-Astoria
and similar fashionable gatherings! Even
it they bad the food they haven't the men
and the parlors of fashionable hotels are
not the places to display them.
But It may surprise a good many New
Yorkers to know that the Plymouth colony
raised potatoes as early as 1863, and that
about the same time Gosnold's colony
raised oats and barley. Ia fact, right here
In Boston we raised beana as early as 1602,
and forty-two years afterward they bad the
conceit to think that they knew beans in
Manhattan and Virginia.
The fart Is that the Pilgrim Fathers
were a plain, blunt, 'unvarnished set of fel
lows. Ret. Dr. Twlng, president of tke
Western Reserve university, lately stated
that the Pilgrim Fathers were even a very
uneducated1 et of men. Not one of them,
he aald, except Brewster, had ever seen tbe
Inside of a college.
Yet few men have ever been more hon
ored at seats of learning, especially by
Harvard university, and by other colleges.
It was not tbat they were learned, but
that they were men of character and convic
tion. All honor to the Pilgrim Fathers! We
will even forgive them, though they allowed
history to chaat Caps Cod out of the real
honor ef being their first !-ef laadlag.
HOI X D JUIOVT SEW YORK.
Ripples oa the Carrent of I.lfe la the
Metropolis.
"The accounts of the high prices paid
for real estate on Manhattan Island read
like the records of a boom town" a
letter in the Philadelphia Ledger, "and
many people are wondering If a reaction
will set In. Prices continue to advance
to sensational figures. This particularly
is true In the business sections and in the
more arlstrocratlc residential districts, and
It la true to some extent In every other
part of the island. The reason Is plain.
The city is cspable of almost Indefinite
expansion north and east, but Manhattan,
which Is tbe heart of the city. Its center
of business, of amusement and of art. Is
restricted to a fixed territory that can
never be enlarged. Hence the owner of
real estate oa Manhattan Island has from
one point of view a monopoly. Its value
must necessarily Increase as the trade and
commerce of the city grows."
After a wedding at Grace church the
other afternoon, relates the Evening Post,
there was a street scene that In Its com
position and pictorial value was like a bit
from a play. When the bridal party came
out of tbe church they stopped for a mo
ment, laughing and talking gaily. In
stantly traffic was stopped and a crowd
formed on the sidewalk the audience.
The bride triad e a conspicuous figure be
cause of her dress and the background of
martly attired attendants. Each woman
that joined the sidewalk audience - said
softly and apparently unconscious! "Ain't
she sweot?" then began a critical Inven
tory. Tnree or four dirty-faced urchins
came out of Ninth etreet with a rush, saw
the throng and wormed their wav ihrmmh
into tbe first row and waited for something
to happen. A spruce young usher furnished
the excuse. He had gotten a bag of rice
and when he and the others began to
toss it over the bride tho urchins set up
a shrill cheer and clamored for "Jest a
little handful."
Up In Morningslde park, In Harlem, by
permission of the city, says a New York
letter, there has been a camp of about a
dozen male consumptives since October IS.
They are taking the new open-air cure for
the disease. Each man has a shelter tent
and there is a big A tent used as a kitchen.
The men take turns doing the cooking for
the camp and a sort of voluntary military
discipline la maintained, the most robust
man of the lot and the term is rather
pitiable at that having been chosen to
boss tbe outfit when the camp was estab
llshed. The men are visited every day by tha
physician in charge of them, who ia posi
tive that the open-air scheme Is the only
way of curing pulmonary diseases. The
men are very warmly clad in several suits
of heavy underwear, but they are not per
mitted to have any sort of a fire in or
around their shelter tents and they are
required to keep on the move as much as
possible during tbe hours of the day. At
night they sleep In their shelter tents
under heavy bedding, but their heads are
exposed to tbe cold air, of course. The
medical man having them in charge main
tains that the more frigid air tbey breathe
while thus comfortably wrapped up in
their bedding the better are their chances
of being cured. Other features of the open
a'.r cure are a diet consisting very largely
of raw eggs, unlimited quantities of pure
milk and a certain emulsion of mixed fats,
which has attained a big vogue over here
even among persons who are only In a
run-down physical condition.
The funniest version of English In the
city, reports the Times, Is that heard at
the Chinese kindergarten, and the quaintest
little "Americans" In New York are the
small, plg-talled persons who go to 114
Mott street to weave paper mats and learn
their first pothooks. Some twenty or twenty-five
of them gather around the teacher
each day. The muster roll Is much longer,
but they are excessively irregular as well
as unpunctual in their attendance. The
Chinese empire may bo founded upon com
petitive examinations, but those members
of it found in Chinatown have apparently
little conception of the value of education.
That they have some Is proved by the fact
that three-fourths of the pupils are boys,
while a good percentage of the girls are
little 'half-and-halfs," whose mothers do
not consider tbe education of the kinder
garten too advanced for their daughters. A
desire to have the children learn English,
the difficulty of sending them to tbe pub
lic schools on account of the teasing of
other children, and a vague knowledge of
the Gerry society which permeates the
quarter, are other elements conducing to In
crease the attendance.
As for the little Chinese girls, not one
of them is to be seen on the street after
she is IS years old. She sits at home with
her mother, doing Chinese sweatshop work
on the loose ' -er garments worn by the
men of the Jar rter. One never sees a
woman on the streets of Chinatown.
Beneath stout bars guarding a wide
arched window In the United States assay
office, in Wall street, thousands of dollars'
worth of little gold bricks, the honest and
true kind, paas every day from Uncle Sam's
coffers to the hands of Jewelers and bank
era. And all that Uncle Sam charges for
the exchange is t cents on $100 for the
small ones.
The bars Uncle Sam dispenses are of two
general sizes, the $5,000 size for bankers
and the $150 size for Jewelers, the small
size being about an Inch and a quarter long.
three-quarters wide and perhaps half an
Inch or less in thickness. Very often tbey
run up to $200 or even more in value. Their
size adapts them to the size of the jewel
er's crucible. As for the banker, he does
not melt his gold; he contents himself with
shipping It back and forth across the ocean.
A remarkable feature of the exchange of
legal tender for gold bars Is that one can
not always get Just tbe amount he wishes.
If a Jeweler or bunker wishes $10,000 in
gold bullion Uncle Sam gives him as near
tbat amount as be possibly can. It may
be $9,970.50 or $10,000.30, because the bars
vary In size and weight and practically ell
of tbem have odd cents in their value. Two
bars the caahler handed out one day re
cently v. ere stamped $531.70 and $23.10.
In buying gold bars the purcbaaer first
tel a the cashier at the assay office how
mach be wishes. The cashier comes as near
this amount as he can with tbe bars on
haad, and then the purchaser goes next
door to tbe subtreasury, where he depoalts
his legal tender, gold certificates, green
backs or gold coin, for the amount desig
nated 'by the assay office cashier as the
nearest to the desired amount, receiving
therefor a certificate which, upon presen
tation at the asiay office. Insures tbe de
livery of the bars. But before tbey may
be taken away the recipient must sign for
them In the register, which lies open be
neath the bars of the" wide arched window.
Something short of seven years hence it
will be 300 years since the Hudson river
was discovered, and already numerous
representatives of old Holland families In
New York state and city are considering
plana for fitting celebration of the tri
centenary. A committee appointed by the
Holland society to outline some scheme In
cludes such good old names as Van Dyke,
Van Norden. Van Wyck. Roosevelt, Banta,
etc. A good many of the members favor
a world's fair, but there is tbe embar
rassment that New York City has no fit
ting site other than Central park, and to
tha selection of that spot there would be
strong public opposition.
WHEN HKSRI SINGS.
Aa Apostrophe to Watteraoa'a Melll
flaoas Voire,
Washington Post.
Colonel Henry Watterson Juggles very
prettily with words. Is his melodious peri
ods we have the rebeck and the lute, the
deep and thrilling timbre of tbe horn, the
fiddle's wild complaint. He smites the
haro and waken the palpitating pipe. He
sings as Sappho sang, upon the great
white rock of Mltylen; yea, like Parthea
ope herself. Aa Eurydlce followed Or
pheus, so has the star-eyed goddess hung
upon the colonel's tuneful heels In this
otherwise sordid and unpoetle age. But
when Colonel Watterson flutes to us that
the Monroe doctrine "took no account of
imperialism In Brazil or royalty In
Canada," we feel like hiring a little Ger
man band and smothering him with Wag
ner. .
Has Colonel Wstterson examined the
Monroe doctrine very recently? We fancy
not, for if he had examined it, he would
know that It took account of more things
than Brazil and Canada. He would know
that It took account of the two Oulanas.
tbe French and Danish colonies, and all
the rest of them, and stipulated only that
there must be no more of It. The United
States government did not warn off the
premises anyone already In possession. It
simply said that the line was drawn, and
that It must not be disturbed thenceforth.
8trange as it may appear, the men who
were running this country at the time un
derstood that England, France, Holland,
Denmark and so on, were then In occupa
tion of certain areas and territories In the
western hemisphere, and frankly admitted
their right to remain In such possession as
long as It might suit their taste and fancy.
Tbe proposition was tbat the status quo
should be preserved and that there should
be no nonsense about it for the future.
Perish the thought that anyone or any
thing shall interrupt the flow of Colonel
Henry's song. This feeble chirp of ours Is
a mere sacrificial tribute to his mellifluous
flood. When the skylark trolls his midair
lay, what does the cricket hope to do upon
its towiy perch T When Rlzzlo shakes the
night with song, let meaner minstrels
squat.
CORN REGAINING LOST GROUND.
Increased Demand Abroad Ikons ta
the Exports.
Cleveland Leader.
American exports of corn are steadily
Increasing and the shipments of that grain
from tho Danube valley to western Europe
are as regularly diminishing. The Indi
cations are tbat tbe exports of American
maize for December will be three times
as great as In tbe corresponding month of
last year, though the shipments will hardly
be more than 30 or 35 per cent aa much
as they were in December, 1900. ' ' The
main thing is that the changes are con
stantly In the right direction and they are
by no means slow.
These conditions In the corn trade Indi
cate that the effects of a very bad crop
which cost American farmers the tem
porary loss of a big export trade In the
most important American cereal will soon
pass away and It seems reasonable to
expect that corn alone will lift the total
trade of the United States $50,000,000 over
the figures for the current year in 1903, un
less there should be a serious loss In
some other direction. Natural conditions
favor a fine business with Europe in many
leading agricultural products, notwith
standing the excellent harvests of that
continent last season. - Australia must
import wheat rather than dispose of a
surplus and tho Argentine exports of grain
promise' to be only .moderate. - i
Conservative-. Americana sometime have
serious doubts about special features of
the financial situation, such as the fate
of certain heavily watered trusts, but
there is no room for uneasiness concerning
such basic elements of our natural pros
perity as the abundance of great staples of
the soil and the size of the surplus which
can be sent to other markets.
PERSONAL NOTES.
Prince Leopold Ferdinand of Saxony
thinks America is the only country In which
to start life afresh. There are some lives
that sadly need starting afresh.
Governor Yates of Illinois has abandoned
his trip to Cuba and expects to return from
Florida and spend New Year's day in the
executive mansion at Springfield.
It is said upon reliable authority that
when J. P. Morgan and King Edward went
to a pleasant little game of bridge at Am
bassador Cboate's recent affair the band be
gan to play "God Save tbe King."
Commissioner General Sergeant of Wash
ington, who waa grand master of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen for
seventeen years, has been presented by the
order with a handsome silver service of 191
pieces.
C. P. Harder, now postmaster of Danville,
Pa., enlisted as a drummer boy In the union
army in 1861 at tbe age of 10 years and 6
months, and now claims to have been the
youngest soldier to enlist In the war. He
was the youngest of live brothers, all of
whom entered tbe union army.
Gilbert's pooh bah does not compare with
Lord Raglan, governor of the Isle of Man.
Ho Is president of both bouses of tbe Island
parliament, he can initiate laws and taxa
tion, be Is chancellor of the exchequer,
president of the government board, chief
Justice of tha courts, admits members to the
bar. Is bead of the military forces and po
lice, besides being commandant of the pris
ons. In fact be ia invested with such multi
form authority that he may be regarded as
an absolute monarch.
m. n. ijii mum
W7
CLOSED ALL DAY NEW YEARS
We are going to taks Inventory all of our broken lines
and other articles of merchandise that are not complete'
have been reduced for this occasion to go Into effect to
morrow. All through our store are values that are to he had at
no other time and are difficult to duplicate our children's
department also Included.
If there is any article of wearable for the man or boy
to be had, you will bo money ahead ta Investigate these
values. i
"No clothing fits like ours."
R S. WILCOX, Manager.
EXCKSSIVB rpr.IGIIT R ATES. '
Will Coaareaa Take the Matter lp and
Ita Somethlnvf ' -
Chicago Tribune.
Discrimination In railroad rates Is grow
ing. Extortion in rates 1s the crying ev'l
now. Under the'new order of things no In
dividual is specially favored, but all am
treated unjustly. Railroad combination has
done away largely with the favoreJ shipper.
It Is not so easy for him to extort cut rates
from one road by threatening' to turn hi
business over to another. But combination,
which makes It possible to maintain uni
form rates, has also Made it possible to fix
and maintain unjust rates. ,
According to Mr. Prouty, Interstate com
merce commissioner, the overtaxation rf
the publlo through excessive freight rate
Is already a serious matter snd threaten
to become more serious. The rallroails.
says Mr. Prouty, promised, when they worn
combining, that tbey would not raise rate,
but rates have been advanced and are still
advancing. There aro now complaints of
Illegal charges before the courts which
amount to a lump sum of $400,000,000. On
the one Item of anthracite alone, say Mr.
Prouty, the roads have been squeeslng the
consumers out of $50,000,000 a year. .
Mr. Prouty has his plan for dealing with
the railroad question. Other men have
theirs. Congress has no plan and pays nn
attention to the subject. - This Is chiefly
because there Is no general popular demand
for action. These are prosperous times, and
moat people take railroad rates as tbey
coma. Whenever the pressure of rates is
generally and seriously felt, and there Is a
popular demand for legislation, as there
was when the Interstate commerce law was
enacted, congress will take the matter up
and do something.
MILES OF TUB OLD TEAR.
Boston Transcript: Canvasser I've a
book here I'd like to show you.
Busy Man I've a bulldog In the next
room I'd like to show you.
Snmervllle Journal: Slim Man 8v, old
fellow, you've got one of your socks on
wrong side out.
Fat Man Well. It doesn't make any dif
ference to ma. ,
Chicago Tribune: "Pigeon shooting al
ways seems to me such an Inhuman sport."
"How can you call It that? Nobody but
human beings ever Indulge In It"
Detroit Free Press: "They say she has
absolutely no leisure In her married Uf."
"No; she married her husband -to reform
him," -
Philadelphia Record: "What a noisy thing
that bass drum is," remarked the clarionet
disgustedly.
"YeH," replied the trombone, "Just like a
human being. Isn't It?"
"Uke a human being?"
"Yes, It's the one with the big head that
makes the moat noise."
Baltimore American: Waggsby The
most remarkable frankness 1 have ever
seen! ...
Naggsby What's that?
Waggsby That dairy wagon that, just
went by waa labeled "Crystal Brook
Dairy."
Chicago Tribune: "I beg your pardon,
doctor," said the toastmanter, after the
dinner was over, "for introducing you In
advertently as 'professor.' "
"That's all right," replied the principal
speaker of the occasion. "The title fits tno
better than 'doctor' does. I profess to be
a doctor, but I get mighty little practice."
NEBRASKA POETS ON NEW YEAR.
I saw an old friend turn away from me
And slowly totter on his ancient cane.
With labored steps, as one who suffers
pain,
And dim, sad eyes that scarcely eeemed to
see.
I called his name, again, again, but he
Was all unheeding, and the snow and rain
Came in between with dull and. mlty
ataln.
And shut blm out beyond my sight or plea." '
Ah, well, he was not always over kind; y
Nay, often even cruel, I confess.
Yet. strange at parting I tjut call to mind
His better deeda, hia sometime lenderneea.
And I am glad, since we - no more shall
meet,
The bitter to forget and keep the tweet. "
ISABEL. RlCHEY. -
The old year wore a robe of green.
With many garlands of sweet flow'rs.
And fastened with the golden sheen
Of shining, shlmm'rlng, dreamy hours.
And then the ripening summer time
Made him a garment of spun gold.
With gleaming emeralds at each line,
And beauty lurking in each fold.
Rich autumn changed his brilliant dress
To sober brown and quiet gray,
And rubles gave it loveliness, '
Burning with light of closing day.
And now the spirit of the snow
Bestows a cloak of fleecy white,
Bedecked with diamonds that show .
Unrivaled splendor day and night.
The signal fires of the sun
Proclaim the dying of the year;
His spring and summer time are gone,
The winter of his life Is here.
He meets the new year, fair and glad;
He turna to greet him at death s door.
And smiles to see him gaily clad
In the last mantle that he wore.
BELLB WILLEY DUD.
The Year Is drawing to a cloae;
Old Year, good-bye)
To some 'twas filled with Joys; to others,
woes:
Old Year, good-bye!
We leave the past. with deep regrets and
tears.
For hours misspent have added to our
years.
And to the future look for recompense.
When we may gain more wisdom and more
sense:
Old Year, good-bye I
Thou glad New Year, we welcome thee;
All hall. New Year!
And may your coming fill with glee;
All hall, New Year!
Our new resolves will be our lives to make
More worthy, less of sin and grave mis
takes; And If our efforts fruitful to the end
Wa'll mourn thy waning days as some lout
friend ;
All hall, New Year!
CORYDON ROOD.
31