Nebraska Newspapers

    The Omaha Daily Bee.
ESTABLISHED JUNE 19, 1871.
OMAHA, THURSDAY .MOHMJJH, MAIIC1I 11), ' li)03 TEN PAGES.
SINGLE COPY THIt El CENTS.
ARGUE MERCER CASE
Noted Lawyers Attack and Defend the
Northern lecnritiei Company.
BECK SEES OBVIOUS RESTRAINT OF TRADE
Claimi Wabash Employes Were Guiltless
Beiide Hill Faotion.
RATES NEW JERSEY'S RECKLESS CHARTER
Deolarei No Other BUM Woild Grant Un
limited Right'-
YOUNG REPLIES FOR RAILROAD MAGNATES
Briefly Sketches Ulster? of Mara to
Coast, Showing How Trade Waa
Gradually Bnllt I p to
the Gait,
6T. LOUIS, Mo.. March 18. For the first
time In history, and by authority of a spe
cial act of congress, four United States
circuit judges are sitting together to bear
arguments In the fight of the government
against the Northern Securities company.
Under tbia special act the United States
circuit court for the district of Minnesota
Is holding its session In St. Louis, and by
this arrangement the case can go Immedi
ately from thla court to the supreme court
of the United States and thus aave from
two to three years.
The four Judges before whom the case la
being argued are Judge Caldwell, Sanborn,
Thayer and Van Devanter, Judge Caldwell
presiding. I
The attorney for the government are
Games M. Beck and William H. Day, D. T.
Watson of Pittsburg and D. P. Dyer of St.
Louis.
For the Northern Securities company are
John W. Griggs, Oeorge B. Toung of St.
Paul, M. D. Grover, general attorney for
the Great Northern railroad, and C. W.
Bunn, general attorney for the Northern
Pacific.
Most of today'a session waa taken up
with an elaborate argument presented by
Assistant Attorney General Beck. After
he had concluded, an argument for th3
Northern Securities company waa begun
by former Judge George B. Young
Mr. Beck began speaking aoon after court
convened at 10 o'clock and with the excep
tion of two hours he spoke continuously
until 6:62.
He referred to the Wabash Injunction
case, saying the laws were such that em
ployes of a railroad who did not own 1 cent
of stock, or one rail of the road, could
be enjoined from striking and thereby Inter
fering with the interstate commerce act by
topping traffic, but that unless this court
o ruled the government waa powerleaa to
prevent the ownera of railroads themselves
from merging, preventing competition and
thereby Interfering with the very rtghta
the Interstate commerce act sought to pro
tact. Try to Override rnbllo Will.
Xji Tila-arg-umart; Attorney Beck said, la
part:
It would be difficult to exaggerate the Im
portance of thla controversy. Few cases
have ever been presented to any court
which affected corporate Interests of such
magnitude, and attll fewer which more
. vitally concern the welfare of the Ameri
can people.
If competing carriers can form a stable,
permanent and controlling combination
with Indefinite and perpetual powers,
through the simple device qf a so-called
' holding corporation organised under a
state charter a form which Is far more
1 Inimical to the public Interests than the
trnfllo arrangements or technical trusts
which the luw has hitherto condemned
then both the Interstate commerce act
of 1SR7. with Its Inhibition of pooling, and
the act of July 2, with Its sweeping
condemnation of all combinations in re
straint of trade or attempted monopolies,
will be nu II I lied by the power of Indi
viduals, who will thus show the lm
potence of the declared will of the Ameri
can people.
Mr. Bock then reviewed the corporate
history of the Great Northern, Northern
Pacific and Union Pacific aystems. He re
ferred at length to the attempt made In the
. year 189S by the Northern Pacific and
Great Northern interests, to unite their
respective systems, and quoted at length
from the decision of the supreme court In
- the ease of Pearaall against Great Northern
Railway company declaring the attempted
amalgamation unlawful.
. Hew Jeraer Recklesa with Charters,
There waa considerable discussion as to
what charter could be secured to protect
Mich extraordinary powers. After careful
consideration by eminent counsel. It waa
finally decided that the state which had won
a bad pre-eminence for Ita reckless sale of
corporate privilege to secure petty feea.
waa the atate whose protective power
should be Invoked. Accordingly, the char
tec was applied for In New Jersey on No
vember 13, 1901. The whole transaction
waa nothing more than, the exchange of
oertl&catea of ownership; the buyers were
the sellers and the sellers were the buyere.
with thla Important difference, that the
part owner of the property of the Northern
Pact&o railway, or - the Great Northern,
found himself a part owner of the property
of both.
Had the two constituent companies for
mally consolidated, no different results
would have been accomplished. Had the
Great Northern and Northern Paclflo for
mally merged their corporate Identity and
Issued new capital stock In retirement an J
exchange for the pre-existing holdings, the
result would have been precisely the same
as In the exchange tor the certificates of
the Northern Securities, with the single
exception of the name. Between a tech
nical merger and a transfer to the so-called
holding company Is the difference between
' tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee,
Obtalaa Eatraordlnury Powers.
Mr. Beet then analysed the charter of
the Northern Securities company, and said:
fluch extraordinary powers were never
yet granted to a corporation unless It be
or.e of the New Jersey breed. In a few
words. Its powers may be classified as fol
lows: tl) Infllnlte In scope.
U) Perpetual In character. I
(3) Vested In the hands of a few.
() By methods secret even to stockhold
ers. It will be Interesting to follow out the
possibilities of sut-h a corporation. The or
' Initial Idea of the holding corporation, as
explained by noted financiers. Is to enable
the minority to rule the majority.
A majority of the Northern Securities
company, namely. SAl,tM,uno. controls the
Hurllngtim, Northern Pacltio and Ureat
Northern systems and all subsidiary com
panies whose aggregate capitalisation. In
cluding funded debt, exceeds $l.(i.(i.(HJ,
but the board of directors, whose holdings
of Northern Securities may be compara
tively Insignificant, can, during the tenure
of their oltice, appoint a committee with
power to act and to use the aeal of tha
corporation at pleasure. This committee
may only be thru In number, and c ma
jority la determinative This. In the last
analysis, two men may control the un
limited powers of the holding company,
which In turn controls the vunt powers of
t:m tiurdngton, Northern Pacific and Ureat
(Continued ta Firth Page.)
PEOPLE OF FRANCE PLEASED
Take an Interest In Panama (.'anal,
AHhongh United Stales
W 111 r It.
PARIS. March 18. ... -cment of
the ratification of the Paw -If . 'reaty
by the United States senate i -is
received with satisfaction by tn..
and others here who have long been ,
estod in this project.
In government circles the senate's action
v.aa considered to be an assurance that the
United States will carry out the work be-
j gun under French auspices. Although the
government oi rTance nas no connection
with tl:e Panama Canal company, the
former has always taken a deep Interest In
the success of the late Count de Lesseps'
project, owing to the great number of
French Investors in the canal company.
It Is understood that the French com
pany will-not make any definite plana for
the future until the congress of Colombia
ratifies the treaty, when 'he procedure for
distributing the proceeds of the sale of the
property will be arranged.
On the bourse today Panama S per cents,
which closed at 46 francs yesterday, ad
vanced to 47 and 48 francs. These repre
sent the bonds having a fac value nf BOO
francs, which sold u'most at par during
the palmy days of Count do Lesseps. They
had been greatly depressed during recent
years, but revived and have advanced
steadily since the United States began the
discussion of the treaty with Colombia.
MOODY LIKES THE HARBOR
Maya Proposed Site for Coa II na
ltd
tion In Cuba Is Host
Desirable.
HAVANA, March 18. Secretary Moody
and party, with the exception of Postmas
ter General Payne and Senator Hale, left
for Santiago on a special train today. Mr.
Payne continued his Journeys to Santiago
on Dc Iphtn and Senator Hale has started
for V aahlngton.
Mr Moody will atop for three hours at
Matanzas. He will also visit Santa Clara
and Buerto Principe and will arrive at San
tiago Friday.
The secretary informed the correspondent
of the Associated Press previous to hla de
parture that the Impression he had formed
during hla three hours' atay ashore at
Bahla Honda waa entirely favorable. The
harbor, he added, la convenient, and there
la ample alte for a coaling atation.
The coral formation of the bottom of the
harbor will apparently require little dredg
ing. Mr. Moody found that an American
company had already purchased a big tract
of land for colonizing purposes In the Im
mediate vicinity of the coaling site.
NOVEL' MACHINES FOR FAIR
One of Them Catches the Heat Units
Firing; Oat of a Factory
Chlmneyt
BERLIN, March 18. Among the new ma-
chlnea . for conserving energy that Lieu
tenant Godfrey L. Carden of the United
States revenue cutter service haa found for
the St. Louis exposition la cue to catch
the heat untta flying out of a factory chim
ney. This appliance In a plant at Dussel
don now yields S.lOO-horse power.
Another device to economise force can
be attached to a steam engine and Increase
Ita power one-third without Increased fuel
consumption.
Lieutenant Carden, who baa been search
ing Europe for eight months for useful ma
chines Invented since the Paris exposition,
haa arranged to aend over about twenty
other novelties. Including the process for
making smokeless briquettes, which has
been adopted by the British admiralty, and
also a German briquette machine to utilize
coal waste.
LIBERALS WINANOTHER SEAT
Conservatives SnflTer a Crushing De-
lent In Rye Election
In Snssex.
' A
LONDON, March 18. The conservatives
have Buffered a crushing defeat In the Rye
division of Sessex, where a bye election waa
held yesterday tor a successor to A. L.
Brookfleld, conservative, who has been ap
pointed British consul at Montevideo.
The result waa the return of C. F. Hutch
inson, liberal, by a majority of 631 over
Edward Boyle, conservative. Mr. Hutchin
son, who appealed to the electora aa a
critic of the government's whole policy,
obtained over 2,000 more votea than he did
In 1900, when he opposed Mr. Brookfleld,
while the conservative vote fell oft about
100.
There was much talk in the lobby of the
House of Commons today about the "moral"
effect this and the Woolwich reverse would
'have on the government.
SULTAN IGNORES AMERICA
Refuses
Cls
to
luia
See Minister Rearing"
Roosevelt Wishes
Settled.
LONDON. March 19 The correspondent
of the Dally Chronicle at Constantinople
aaya United Statea Minister Lelshman ia
atill vainly waiting for an audience with
the sultan to deliver President Roosevelt
autograph letter on the American clalma
regarding the missionary schools In Ar
menia.
In response to Lelshman'a demands Tew
flk Pacha promised that the sultan would
receive him after the celebration of Ba.ram
but the festival passed and Mr. Lejshman
la becoming exasperated.
MEMORIAL WREATHS CENSUREO
Berlin Pollre Gnnrd Aaalast Sedition
When the Pepnlnee Decorate
Rebels' Graves.
BERLIN, March 18. This bring the an
nlveraary of the revolutionary outbreak of
1848, crowda of Berllners wsndered to the
cemetery to decorate the gravea of those
who were killed.
A police lieutenant stood at the gate and
examined the Inscriptions on the wreaths,
while a policeman standing behind him
with a pair of shears clipped off the rib
bons on which objectionable Inscriptions
had been made.
KING REMEMBERS COL. CODY
Sends Distinguished American Hand
seme Scarf Pin aa a
Soavenlr.
LONDON. March 18 King EJward haa
sent Colonel Cody (Buffalo BUI) a hand
some scarf pin with the royal cipher In
diamonds surmounted by the crown, aa
aouvenlr of hla visit laat Saturday to the
Wild West show.
FLOOD SURROUNDS TRAINS
Past
enters
Caught Between
8pend Day in Can.
Wa'honta
WEATHER BUREAU IS MORE HOPEFUL
"'atera Mill Rise at Memphis, hi
atlsewhere Situation Is iteported
J as Grently Improved and
Dancer Passed.
WASHINGTON, March 18 The Ohio river j
ha fallen 1.8 feet at Cairo, and as a conse
quence the Mississippi river, while slightly '
higher at Memphis, can rise but little more.
The stage at the last named point thin
morning Is 39.6. The situation, below Is un
changed, the stages belo?: Vlcksburg, 43.3,
a rise of three-tenths; New Orleans, 19.S,
a rise of one-tenth.
MEMPHIS. Tenn., March 18. There Is
scarcely a ray of hope In the flood situation
tonight except In the fact that tributaries
of the Mississippi to the north of Memphis
are reported falling.
One of the molt serious developments
Is that all railroads enter'ng the city from
the west have been washed out and all
tralna tied up.
So suddenly did the rise come after the
St. Francis levee broke at Price Landing
that two passenger tralna were caught be
tween washed out points and are now sur
rounded by water on blind tracks about
three miles west of Bridge Junction, Ark.
Aboard each of the trains are about seventy-five
passengers.
Hescne Fifty by Risky Work.
The trains are on the track of the Iron
Mountain . near Altmar, Ark. By taking
risks several handcars succeeded In rescu
ing them today and about fifty passengers
were brought to thla city over submerged
and snaky tracks. The remainder are
housed In the coaches, being fed by the
railroad companies.
Some persons were rescued from Marlon,
Ark., today by means of skiffs and the sit
uation there is 'somewhat relieved. Eight
white families 'and fully 200 negroes re
main there In the second stories of build
ings.
NATCHEZ, Mies., March 18. In spite of
the great width of the river a rise of a
quarter of a foot waa recorded here today.
A dispatch from. Covington atates that
Island No. 85. which la considered one of
the highest In the north end of the river, is
flooded for the first time In Its history.
Sixty persons were rescued from the Island
this morning by a steamer.
The situation In North Memphis Is un
changed. People are transferred in skiffs
and many are Idle because of the shutting
down of several Industries.
SPRING VALLEY, Wis., March 18. Very
heavy ralna last night over central Wis
consin caused floods In all the smaller
rivers. At Martell, on the Rush hlver, a
dam went out, taking three men, two of
whom were rescued. Leon Gasman waa
drowned and Henry Gasman badly hurt.
Five railroad bridges are out between
here and . Elmwood, a distance of eight
miles. The roads are almost Impassable.
8T, PAUL, Minn., March 18. In eighteen
houra 1.42 Inchea of rain fell In St. Paul,
this being- within t.OS Inches ef the aomtaal
rainfall for the entire month.
SCHWAB TALKS OF HIS TRIP
Steel President Indnla.es in Sarcasm,
bnt Closea with Prac
tical Hint.
NEW YORK. March 18. Charles M.
Schwab, who returned to New York on the
ateamer Kronprinx Wlihelm, said In the
course of an interview that he never had
felt so well la his life or been so glad to
get back to work. He declared he bad no
Intention of resigning the presidency of
the steel combination, adding: "But, of
course, I don't own the United States Steel
corporation, and Ita stockholders choose Us
officers."
When asked regarding hla big automo
bile, Mr. Schwab replied: "The one In
which I was said to be making a tour of
Europe T Oh, I sold that. It waa too fierce
for me. 1 am pretty strong, aa you aee,
but that machine waa a terror to every
chauffeur I had, but I bought three machines
aud they will be here pretty aoon."
"What about that phantom yacht of your
that waa making such remarkable speed on
the Swlsa lake?" Mr. Schwab was asked.
'That waa a nat little launch that I
hired for a few days. Its remarkable speed
was only part of the phantasmagoria that
have surrounded my Journey and given the
trip Ita bizarre character."
"Your cruise in Mr. Drexel'a yacht,
Margherita, was real, waa It not?"
"Indeed It was, and the most delight-
ful reality of my life.- We all enjoyed the
Mediterranean, but a great many absurd
things were said of that cruise. We did
not go up the Nile and our Itinerary does
not call for special notice." ' ,
Referring to hla observations In Europe,
Mr. Schwab 'said: "I made this trip to
study nature. I muat Bay, however, that
there Is great commercial activity In some
parte of Europe. Germany, for example,
as well as France. This Is not the only
manufacturing nation In the world, and the
aooner we realize that the better."
Charles M. Schwab was at the office of
the United States 8teel corporation today,
where he waa greeted by the chiefs of the
various divisions. Later be called at the
banking house of J. P. Morgan A Co., and
conferred for a long time with several
members of that firm. '
FIVE BOYS DEAD IN WATER
Haft rnpslsCs on Which Ther Are
Playing Near Chant, In
dian Territory.
4
JOPLIN, Mo., March 18. News of ths
tragic death of five boya waa received here
today from Chant, I. T. The boya were
playing on a raft which capaized.
Dead:
RAYMOND CROCOFT.
RALPH OAKS.
CHARLES OAK8.
PETER BERRY.
LUTHER BERRY.
The ages of the boys rsnged from 6 to
years. The bodies were rescued.
JAIL OPENS FOR MAD MAN
St. Joseph Eiobesaler Leaves Prison
for Washington Iasnne
As lam.
JEFFERSON CITY. . Mo., March 18
United Statea Marshal E. R. Durham to
day atarted with Lee Gallagher for Wash
ington, D. C, where he will be placed in
tha government Insane asylum.
Gallagher waa serving a term for em
bezzlement committed while s beak dark
la SU Josafh.
WABASH WA
AE
ON UNIONS
lalms Real (rtrTsinres Originated
tilth Men's Leaders, Who Wish
Organisation Recognised.
ST. LOUIS, March 18. Affidavits were
finished and argumenta commenced late this
afternoon tn the Wabash Injunction suit.
In opening for the company. Colonel
Blodgett said: "We claim that the griev
ances said to exist on the Wabash origi
nated with the defendants in this case and
not with any of the employes of the com
pany. As evidence of Ihjs I point out that
there Is not In any 'of the reports of the
meetings of their grievance committee a
single statement to show that any of these
so-called grievances were ever discussed
by that committee.
These grievances must have originated
somewhere, and we claim that the proceed
ing.! of the grievance, committee show that
they were made In accordance with the
demands of the Western association of the
general committee ot these two organiza
tions as a foundation tor their demands
for official recognition of their union.
"It Is Important," to declared after read
ing the bill of complaint, "that It should
be understood what ,is meant by a 'union
road.' It Is' a road whore committees of
labor organizations ; are recognised and
contracted with, whefre written agreements
are signed by the mi of their representa
tives, and by the managers of the road. A
nonunion road formulates Its own rules and
schedules and posts them where they may
be seen. There are no algned agreementa."
At this point court adjourned.
Among affidavits submitted by the railroad
today were those of John W. Schrader, who
said he was a member of the Brotherhood
of Railway Trainmen and personally
acquainted with Grand Master Morrlssey.
He declared he had heard Mr. Morrlssey
threaten to bring about a general tleup of
all Gould lines unles-t the union waa rec
ognized officially by the Wabash.
Grand Master Hannahan of tUe Firemen
and Vice Grand Master Lee of the Train
men, were similarly accused. ,
In rebuttal, Messrs. Morrlssey, Hannahan
and Lee offered affidavits of energetic de
nial. They declared the affidavits charging
them with uttering threats to tie up the
road or injure ita business were false In
every particular and declared they had
never before heard ot the men who made
them.
OMAHA TACTICS REPEATED
Kansas City Soathern Follows Union
Pacific Lead In Attempt to '
Break Strike.
PITTSBURG, Kan., March 19. After
being idle for a week, the Kansaa City
Southern shops started again today with
ninety nonunion men .brought tn from the
north. The men were unloaded and escorted
to the shops under an armed guard fur
nished by the railway. The guard, however,
waa unnecessary, as the strikers made no
attempt to molest the hew men.
A ato,?kade Is being 1 built around the
ehops and grounds, inside which the new
men will Bleep and eat in tents and board
ing cars. ' Today fifty guards walked a. beat
around the ahops, whjle 300 rifles were
tacked, up Inside tht,' a Closure. ... 4
A number of the railroads painters went
out today and eight ot the company a
roundhouse men also quit.
LABOR UNION INCORPORATES
First to Tnke the Step Fllea Artlclea
at Hartford, Connecti
cut. HARTFORD, Conn., March 18. The first
labor union to file artlclea of Incorporation
in this state did so today, when an applica
tion was presented at the office of the sec
retary ot state for the incorporation of the
Metal Polishers, Buffers, Platers, Molders
and Brass Workers' union No. 73 ot Merldan.
The objects of the proposed corporation.
as given In the application, are reduction
of the houra of labor, municipal ownership
of public utilities, government ownership
of national monopolies, abolition of govern
mcnt by Injunction in controversies between
capital and labor and the enhancement ot
wagea and the general welfare of all labor
Ing classes.
COLORADO MINERS SCORE WIN
Most Companies Agree Not to Ship
to Boycotted Redaction
Works.
CRIPPLE CREEK. Colo., March 18.
With few exceptions the mines approached
by the Western Federation have agreed
not to ship ore to the mills of the United
States Reduction and Refining company.
The mines which have shut down are the
Independence, 4.r.0 men; Isabella, 100;
Thompson, SO, and Granite, 40 a total of
640.
MORRIS TO BUILD A PLANT
Chicago Meat Packer Decldea
Spend One Million Dollars
In Kansas City.
KANSA8 CITY, March 18. Nelson Morris
Co., the packers, are to establish
$1,000,000 plant here which will employ 1,000
hands, according to a statement made pub
lie today by Colonel C. F. Morse of Chicago,
bi baa been In (he city for several days
in connection wnn tne project.
Colonel Morse says that building opera
tlons will be begun at once and that the
plant probably will have been completed by
fall. The plant will be built at Riverside
Kan., a suburb of Kansaa City, near the
stock yards, and on a tract of land forty
Ave gcres in extent, which waa purchased
several montha ago.
WOULD RAISE RAILROAD TAX
Mlnnesotn'a Lower House
Asks Peo.
pie to ote
oslllon,
Prop. i
ST. PAUL, Minn., March 18 By unanl
nious vote this afternoon the house passed
a bill to aubmit to a vote of the people
a proposition to raise the gross earnings
tsx on railroads from 3 to 4 per cent.
A similar law passed by the last legisla
ture failed to receive a aufllcient vite at
the last election.
FINE FUN TO WRECK TRAIN
Indiana Boya Pile Ralls on Track
and Hide to Watch the
Crash.
MARION. Ind., March 18. Charles Cecil,
IS, aud Harry Wilkinson, 12, were ar
rested today for attempting to wreck a
train on Saturday.
Cecil ssys a crowd of boya placed Iron
ralla on ths tracks and then hid under
iuidae la watch tha train Jump off.
MANY NEW UNION BUTTONS
Omaha Street Car Employes Can Nearly All
Wear Them Now.
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE IN A DAY
I nlon Holds n Bin" Meeting and Takes
In Members by the Score and
Is Kow Numerically
Strong.
Division No. 28S, Amalgamated Associa
tion of Street Railvay Employes of Amer
ica, received a landslide ot new members
at the all-day meeting held yesterday.
About 125 names were added to the roll of
the union. According to Presldcjt O. H.
Smith of No. 2S&, there are now, counttng
the accessions of yesterday, 425 men In
the union. The street railways of this city
and Council Bluffs employ about 600 men,
so It will be seen that the nonunion men,
that is those who hsve not yet Joined the
organization, are greatly tn the minority.
The unusual number Joining yesterday
did so because that was the last day on
which membership could be obtained for t'..
At the time, of organization it was decided
to hold the membership fee at this figure
until this date and then raise It to $5 for
one month and afterwards to $10. This
raise affects only men in the service at
this time; all men newly Joining the street
car service will be charged the original fee.
The men who are still holding aloof from
the union are almost to a man old employea
of the company, and those who Joined yes
terday were for the greater part aleo ot
this class. Those early In the organization
were mostly men who had not served any
great length of time. Many of those who
have Just Joined had Intended to put In
their names at some time, but had delayed
action, for one reason or anotner. Those
still remaining out ot the organization are
aald to have done so through fear of some
complication or unpleasantness.
Lenders nre Jubilant.
Men who have been prominent In the
work of organizing and Increasing the union
are Jubilant over the accession of yester
day and think that It will be but a short
time until practically all of the car men
are In line. The majority of the men ot
the Council Bluffs line early Joined the
union, and most ot those still unsigned
are on the Omaha side.
The union was organized August 28 of
last year. At the time application was
made for the charter 234 names were signed
to the application as Intending members.
Most of these later withdrew from the
movement and only seventeen men . ..uielned
to fight for the association. These were
suspended by the street railway company,
but were later reinstated. Eight others
Joined the movement on the night that tho
seventeen were suspended, and these twenty-five
pioneers elected officers and began
work among their less active companions.
The union men say that they have no
grievance against the street railway com
pany at this time, but tool that they should
be organized. They expreas the Intention
to inake the union work for the good of Ita
membera and for the good of the service,
and are confident1 their employera will
never have any cause to complain of Ita
actlona.
SNOW STORM IN COLORADO
Proves to Be the Most Severe Bllssard
Experienced There Thla
Winter.
DENVER, March 18. The snowstorm
which reached this city from the west this
morning haa proved to be the most severe
bhzzard experienced here thla winter. The
snow, driven fiercely before a high north
wind, makes pedestrlanlsm difficult . and
business la generally suspended. There la
every indication that the storm will con
tinue throughout the night and that the
weather will become decidedly colder, es
pecially in northeastern portion of atate.
Within the city llmta all street cara with
the exception of a few downtown lines were
effectually stopped and tralna have been
stalled on some of the railroads.
F. P. Johnson, a well known stockman,
said If the storm should continue for twelve
hours the loss of cattle will be Incalculable.
"The sleet Is of such dampness that It
will atlck to their hides," he said, "and
will chill them so that they will die by
thousands."
CHEYENNE. Wyo., March 18. What the
stockmen consider the worst blizzard of the
winter has been raging In thla section since
early morning. The air la full of wet anow,
and a high wind la drifting It badly. The
weather Is cold.
SALT LAKE, Utah, March 18. The se
verest snowstorm of the winter Is prevail
ing here today. Up to 2 o'clock over four
Inches of snow had fallen, accompanied by
a forty-mile wind, anl street t radio is
aerlously Interfered with. The storm Is
general throughout southern Idaho, north
ern Utah and western Wyoming and Is
working westward rapidly.
MERCURY BREAKS RECORDS
Reaches Eighty In the Shade at Bur
lington nnd Breaka Rec
ords Klsewhere,
BURLINGTON, la., March 18 The mer
cury rose to 80 In the shade today.
MILWAUKEE. March 18. According to
the weather bureau today'a heat broke the
record for March for the thirty-three years
alnce the local weather bureau waa estab
lished, the thermometer registered TlVs.
LOUISVILLE, Ky., March 18. The ther
mometer registered 81 degrees today, 23
above normal.
CLEVELAND. March 18. The tempera
ture today for March was a record breaker,
reaching 74.6. The highest previous record
for March waa In 18'.6, when 74 degreca
waa reached.
AMES PLEADS NOT GUILTY
Appeara la Minneapolis Conrt on
Seven Indictments Charg
ing Bribery.
MINNEAPOLIS, March 18. Dr. Ames,
former mayor of Minneapolis, pleaded not
guilty to all aeven indictments against
him, charging bribery, conspiracy and ex
tortion, in the diatrlct court today.
Bail was then fixed at $18,000 and he waa
given four days to secure bondsmen.
CLEVELAND KEEPS BIRTHDAY
Former President Passes Slsty-Slsth
Anniversary Quietly nt
Home.
PRINCETON. N. J., March 18 Former
president Cleveland waa 66 years old today.
He passed the day quietly with his family
at his residence Bayard lane.
CONDITION OF THE WEATHEf.
Forecast for Nebraska Snow and CoMer
Thursday; Friday Fair.
Temperature at Omaha yesterday!
Hour. Dear. Hoar. Den.
n n. m ill 1 p. n tw
n. m till 8 p. m IT
T n. m tui A p. na hh
H a. m Ht 4 p. m 7
f n. m t K p. m MM
to n. m. . . . . . Ul II i. m
11 n. m U T p. tn l
1J m til M p. m l
9 p. tn Ut
WESTERN UNION MOGULS CALL
Snperlntendenta of the Centrnl Divi
sion Spend n Dny at the
Local Office.
Prominent representatives of the West
ern Union Telegraph company were In
Omaha yesterday. T. P. Cook, general
superintendent of the central division; D.
R. Davles, superintendent of construction
for the same, and Morris Cook, private
secretary to the superintendent, arrived
In the morning In the Western Union's
private car Electric over the Purllngton
road on a tour of Inspection and remained
until after noon, when they went to Lin
coln. From there they go to Topeka and
through Kanana to Derver aud then per
haps south to Texas. They are accom
panied from Omaha to Denver by C. B.
Horton, superintendent of the third dis
trict of tht central division, and Foreman
C. L. McKean of the same.
W. W. Umstead, local manager, stated
last night that the officials were on a tour
of Inspection and that while there is con
siderable construction work In progress
and several new wires coming In from the
east, their visit here waa without' special
significance.
PENNSYLVANIA TO MEET
Are Arranging for Their Annual Re
union at Myrtle Halt on
Mnrch 2K
The Pennsylvanians of Omaha, South
Omaha, Council Bluffs and the tributary
vicinities are to have their annual as
sembly and reunion at Myrtle hall, Fif
teenth and Douglas streets, Thursday even
ing, March iS. In preparation for tho
event, which Is Invariably a "big time,"
the various committees met at Drlesbach's
candy store last night to report progress
and discuss the finishing details.
This year, aa last, the plan ia to have a
box social at which each woman will pro
vide a box of lunch and the men bid for
It, the highest bidder to lunch with the
woman who filled the box. Tho proceeds
of the auction defray the expense ot pro
viding music and decorations.
The Pennsylvanians have an organization
or club, with W. G. Bhrlver as president
and Mel Horner as secretary. At the box
social the attendants are to be native Penn
sylvanians or the wives or children of such.
It ia anticipated that between 600 and 600
will be present.
TO STUDY THE RACE PROBLEM
Bill Before, tho Wisconsin Legislature
Provides for a. Conference
' oat the Subject.
MADISON, Wis., March 18. The Joint
resolution of Senator Hatton providing for
a conference on the race problem came up
In the senate today for action.
Senator Hation made a speech in favor ot
the resolution. He spoke of the importance
of the question and cited the sayings of
southern writers on the outlook. It was
not proposed, he said, to have a gathering
of politicians, but of economists and so
ciologists to consider establishing train
ing schools for teachers, in different
branches, etc.
He read a letter from Acting President
of Wisconsin University E. A. Birge rec
ommending the conference, and moved to
refer the resolution to the oommittee on
education. The motion was carried.
While the sentiment In the senate seema
to be atrongly against the bill Senator Hat
ton Is ot the opinion that when ita Intent
and scope are better vnderstood the feel
ing regarding it will be different.
METHODISTS HISS MORMON
Utah Elder Trlea to Address Chris
tian Conference, Wlthont
Success.
PHILADELPHIA, March 18 A Mormon
elder, who attempted to addresa the
Methodist Episcopal conference today, was
ejected amid a storm of hisses.
Dr. Sarah J. Elliott, formerly a medical
missionary among the Mormons, was de
nouncing Mormonlsm and polygamy, when
a middle-aged man edged his way to tho
front and handed her a card bearing the
Inscription, "N. F. Simpson, Salt Lake,
Utah." The reverse side bore the Mormon
declaration of principles.
The card waa passed to the chairman,
who announced that a Mormon elder de
sired to speak. Immediately the church
was In an uproar and there were cries ot
"Put him out."
"I only want to say a word," shouted
Simpson, but the sexton was called and
escorted the Intruder to the street.
TO HUNT F0R BLUE BEAR
English Museum' Wants Specimen of
One of the Rarest Aalmnls
in the World.
NEW YORK, March 18 To aeek In
Alaskan wilds the blue or glacier bear, an
animal so rare that ao far at is known
only one has been killed and none captured,
two English sportsmen. Captain Charles
Eustace Radrllffe, a retired officer of the
Life guards, and Richard Fitzgerald Ulynn
of the First Royal dragoons, having been
commissioned by tha British museum to
get a specimen of this animal, have arrived
here on their way to northern Alaska.
Movements of Ocean Vessels March IS,
At New York Arrived: Georglc. from
Liverpool; Astoria, from Glasgow. Bulled:
St. Paul, for Houthnmpton ; Germanic, for
Liverpool; btatendum, for Rotterdam.
At Liverpool Arrived : Oceanic, from
New York: Hhynland, from Philadelphia.
Sailed: Celtic, for New York via Queens
town. At The Llsard Passed: Minneapolis, from
New York, for Ixindon.
At Queenstown Arrived: Baxonla, from
Boston, for Liverpool, and proceeded,
flailed: Ultonla, from Liverpool for Boston.
At Houthnmpton Arrived: Philadelphia,
from New Vork.
At Naples Arrived: Palatia, from New
York, for Genoa, and proceeded.
At Fay&l-Balled: Commonwealth, from
Genoa and Naples, for Boston.
At Algiers Hulled: Sardrguu, from Genoa,
for New York.
At ("herbourg Arrived: Pennsylvania,
from New York.
At Hong Koug Arrtvsd: Hysdes, from
Taconis via Yokohama: Indrasama. from
Portland, Ore,, via Yokohama; Shlnuo
Uaru, front Seattle via Yokohama.
BILL READY TO PASS
Home Orders Bevenue Measure Engrossad
for final Passage,
SEVEN fUSION VOTES GO TO RAILROADS
Test Comes on Amendment Offered by Ten
Ijck During Debate.
CLOSING MOMENTS IN COMMITTEE LIVELY
Ilectrio Light, Gas, Telephone and Other
Companies Get Bnsy,
RAILROADS HAVE ALL THEY WANTED
Measure aa at Present Endorsed t on
tains Exnrtly the Provision Pro
posed by the Special Rev
enue Commission.
(From a Staff Correspondent)
LINCOLN, March 18. (Special.) After all
the pow-wow indulged tn by the organa
and leadera ot hyphenated politics In Ne
braska abotit minority membera In the
legislature being the only true advocates
of tax reform, seven of these minority
members fell In line and cast their votes
with those to whom these organa ot fu
slonism have all along been referring as
"tools of the railroads" and "hirelings ot
the corporations."
The test in which these aeven fusion
membera Jumped the track came on an
amendment to the revenue bill submitted
by Ten Eyck (rep.) of Douglas, providing
for n method of local taxation of railroads.
a counterpart of the principle embodied in
H. R. 330, out of which the fusionlsts tried
to make so much campaign thunder. Thirty
votes were cast for the amendment and
62 against. Of the twenty-four fusionlsts
In the house only sixteen supported tha
amendment, seven voted against It ani
one evaded the roll call. Fourteen repub
licans votd for it.
The house '.oncluded conoideratton of tha
revenue bill and adopted the report ot tha
committee ot tlu whole recommeudlng It
fc passiKC. Th. bill, with Its amend
ments, will be engrossed fcr a third read
ing after tho amendments have been printed
ai.d It Is not probable that it will be back
In the Jioui, for a third reading before
next weeK.
Corporntlons Lose Again.
The house devoted the greater part ot
Ihe day to the Ml). In the Interest of the
street railway tori orations certain mem
bers prolonged uipcusslon on tbe bill so
aa to give tha Interests they represented
time to slip In their amendment placing
them under the gross earnings-franchise
tax system. The amendment waa submit
ted by Burgess of Lancaster after the mo
tion was made in the committee ot tha
whole to report the bill for passage. But
It did uot prevail. On the contrary. It waa
voted down very decisively. Koetter and
Mangold of Douglas voted for it.
Thompson of Merrick secured tha adop
tlou of his 4Ttcnd.ucnt knocking out tha
electrlo light companies from this provi
sion. The electrlo light concerns, with
other utility corporations, had surrepti
tiously tacked on an amendment to sec
tion 80 of the revenue till giving them tha
benefits of this gross earnings-franchise
method of taxation. They were found out
and Mr. Thompson's amendment waa their
deathknell. However, the gaa companies
were not caught. The bill got through
before It. was discovered that they were
couched safely in the fohls of thla provl
sion.
The street railway concerns, which are
accused of tying up with the Burlington In
securing a sifting committee to their lik
ing, endeavored to rule with an ircn hand
today and probahly this accounts, In some
measure, for their decisive thrbwdown.
Certain membera balked when thla com
bined lash was wteldcd end the result wsa
disastrous to ths street railways. It has
been suggested that It might have been
better for them had not they fallen heir
to a share In the sifting committee.
Railroad Clause Stands.
Desperate efforts were made, to amend
the revenue bill ao as to change the pro
visions relating to railroad taxation, but
all in vain. Loomla submitted an amend
ment, which waa a modification of the
Caldwell amendment, and Perry ot Furnaa
resubmitted the Caldwell amendment. Tbe
former was defeated by a vote of (7 to 35,
one fuslcniBt voting against It, and tho
latter was lost by practically the same vote.
Thus the bill goes through with the Iden
tical railroad taxation method provided by
the joint committee that framed tbe bill.
It bas been generally argued by those op
posed to the bill that this mesne an enor
mous Increase in all taxes save those of the
corporations, which, under the State Board
of Equalization arrangement, will be given
Just as good, If not better, opportunity
for evading their taxes aa under tbe old
law. To offset this friends ot the bill
protest that the measure contemplatea aa
equality In taxation and places at the
disposal of the assessors every means of
getting at the taxable property ot the
railroads which will tend to prevent tax
shirking. Course of Fusion Leadera.
Now that the revenue bill Is recom
mended for passage by the house, tbe atti
tude of the fufclohlute will be watched
wjLh Interest. As a matter ot fact, tho
fusionlsts have themselves largely to
blame for the succeM of tbe bill, aa la
generally understood. It la no secret In
the state house that the high pi tests of
fuslonism wanted a revenue bill passed
that would not be satisfactory to the people
of Nebraska. Their purpose waa ao ob
vious as to deceive no one, and the man
ner In which they have conducted their
fight to suppress any other sort ot legisla
tion along this line haa been a aubject ot
general comment.
One little detail of the fusionlsts meth
ods: Soma days ago they mads a big ado
about not allowing the street railway, ga,
electric light and telephone companies to
be taxed on tbelr gross earnings for
their franchises, and gave It out cold that
they would see that all these utility cor
porations ware placed in tbe same category
for taxation purposes. Today was the time
for them to "mks good" their housetop
proclamations. But toey slunk away in
stead with the amendment In tbelr pockets
and didn't open their mouths about tha
proposition, except to consult privately
among themselvea, and decided alnce one
prominent fusion member owted stock In
an Independent telephone company that It
would be unwise to suggest this change,
y Legislative Employea.
The present bouse of representatives haa
bad appointed Just an even 100 em
11 of chapter xlvllt of the compiled atatutea
ployes, the senate only flfty-nlna. Section
provides that the house ahall not have
to excesd seventy-live employee, and sec-