Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, June 20, 1903, Page 6, Image 6

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    THE OMAHA PA1LV HEE: SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 1003.
Tiie Omaha Daily "Bee.
E. ROSE WATER. EDITOR.
PUBLISHED EVERT MORNING.
TERMS OF SUHRCr.lPTlOS.
Dallv (without Sunday). One Yeor.W.OO
Pally Hee and Sunday. One Year
Illustrated I.e. One Year
Sunday Hee. On Year
Saturday li , One Yar
Twentieth Century Farmer. One Year.
DELIVERED HY CARRIER,
rtttiiv ri.. rn iihnut RiimiNi-i wr copy.
0
2 on
l.nn
1.IW
1.00
I)aily Pee (without Bunday)', per week
.12c
Dally Ilea (Including Sunday), Pr week.. lie
Sunday Hee. per copy.
Evening- Hee' (without Sunday), per week. 6c
Evening Bee (Including Sunday). P
Complaints' Vf'TrreVu'laritles In rt!pllvry
should be addressed to City Circulation De
partment OFFICES.
Omaha The Bee Building.
Bouth Omaha City Halt Building, Twen-ty-nfth
and M Streeta.
Council Bluffs 10 Fearl Street
Chicago 1640 Unity Building.
New York 233 Par Row Building.
Washington 501 Fourteenth Street.
CORRESPONDENCE.
Communications relating to news and edi
torial matter Bhould be addressed: Omaha
Bee, Editorial Department
REMITTANCES.
Remit by draft, expreaa or postal order,
payable to The Bee publishing Company.
Only J -cent stamps accepted In payment or
mall accounts. Personal checks, except on
Omaha or eastern exchanges, not accepted.
THE BEfcJ PUBLISHING COMPANY.
STATEMENT OF CIRCULATION.
RUte of Nebraska, Douglas County .ss. :
George B. Tsechuck, secretary of The Bee
lublishln- Company, being duly sworn,
aays that the actual number ot full and
complete copies of The Dally. Morning,
Evening and Bunday Bee printed during the
month oi May, is, was as iouowa
i.. go.ono
17 28,450
U 31,030
i 30.T80
JO 30,860
21 80,870
a 80,940
B 80,830
34 -..JW.330
5 80,830
M 80.T90
JT 80,700
30,080
a ao.eoo
30 31,800
U STOO
t aetoo
4aea a .SOafiOO
.... 80,T30
30.BTO
I.... ....... 80,670
soij io
!K,740
10 T,T75
11 80,440
12 80.3T0
II 80,020
1 80.T80
IS ....8O.6S0
It.,... 80,890
Total .. 777. 0O3.&0O
unsold ana returned copies
Net total sales 94889
Net average sales 80.43T
GEORGE B. TZ3CHUCK.
Subscribed In my presence and sworn to
before ma this Mat daJofB1 no ATE? '
(Seal.) Notary Public.
Nearly $18,000 for a hog of the four-
footed variety sets the mark for pros
perity prices.
The next muyor's proclamation will
be fornlnst dynamite crackers, roman
candles and E Plurlbus Unum sky
rockets.
The next bridge arbitrary to be lifted
.will be the 10-tent passenger toll levied
on all the Council Bluffs patrons of
Omaha retail stores.
Omaha's long felt want has been and
continues to be cheaper power and
Omaha Is not in the least particular as
to who supplies its long felt want.
Woujd It not be prudent to give Jthe
automobiles right of way for the next
two weeks? Automobiles don't shy at
Chinese fire . crackers and buzzing pin
.wheels. - . ,-
It Is to be noted that up to the hour of
going to press Colonel Clowry was still
serving as president of the Western
Union, all fake stories about bis reslgna
Uon to the contrary notwithstanding.
4 ' a
The Mexican government proposes to
protect the integrity of the language by
requiring all billboard signs and dead
wall advertisements to.be In Spanish
Poets who write advertising doggerel
will please take notice.
All of which reminds us .thut the
county Judge mmst be getting an extr-i
allowance of pin money out of his mar
riage license fee mill and diromo mar
riage certificate booth as a result of the
Juue rise in the matrimonial stream
William Jennings Bryan's former law
partner has been crowned as head con
sul of the Modern Woodmen, doubtless
because of his Napoleonic features,
There is a strong suspicion abroad that
this is the first step in Nebraska in the
direction of Imperialism a la Bonaparte
Over in Chicago It Is the strikers who
are refusing to arbitrate. Whichever
party to a labor controversy refuses to
admit that there may be some merit in
the contention of theother side runs the
grave risk of forfeiting the very neces
sary support that comes from a sympa
thetlc public sentiment
Two members of the Lognnsport (Iud.)
council bave been indicted for breaking
a Quorum to prevent the passage of a
competing street car line franchise ordi
nance for a consideration. In Onmiia
the councllmanic gojne of flde and reek
hus been played frequently, but nobody
In the game has ever yet been Indictt 'l.
The Russian government suggests to
King Peter that it will be dangerous to
the tranquillity of Servia to leave un
punished the crime by which King Alex
ander and Queen Dragu met their
deaths. The answer will doubtless le
that It would bo dangerous to the tran
quillity of King Peter to punish the crim
inals. The suggestion of "an optimist" that
Euclid Martin be crowned perpetual su
preme ruler of the Business Meu's as
sociation and that Mr. Kenjon Ikj per
mitted to turn on the big water power
is apropos providing Mr. Jptlmlst will
condescend Jo become private secretary
for the high Joints, and provided he will
make known his Identity to a rubber
necked public.
The decision of the supreme court of
Nebraska granting a new trial In the
Flgglte case, which attracted so much
attention at the time it was originally
heard, will give the Flggites another
chance to occupy the center of the lime
light As experience has taught that
these peculiar sects usuully flourish on
publicity and stagnate when let alone.
It Is a question whether the court Is
helping or burtlug the propaganda.
TUB TaLLK or vnrPAHATioX I
In his address at the University of Vlr-
ginla President Roosevelt dwelt some-
what upon an Idea he has frequently
urged, that In the interest of peace and
cood will between the United States and
other nations it is important that we
xlmll be prepared to protect ourselves
in any emergency. It is not by any
means a new idea. It was presented by
our first president and has been ap
proved by numerous American states
men since. The fact that It Las been re
peatedly advanced by Mr. Hoosevelt may
seem , to imply that he doubts whether
the American people are as fully alive
to the necessity of preparation against
possible war as they should be and that
therefore it Is the duty of the head of
the government to Impress this upon
them at every favorable opportunity.
This the president does with charac
teristic directness and earneHtness. He
desires that the United States shall pur
sue a policy that will be fair and Just
nd without offense to any other nation.
We should handle ourselves "with n
lew never to wrong the weak and never
to submit to Injury from the strong."
Our country should always behave with
consideration for others. It should never
apeak in a manner that is insulting or
might wound the susceptibilities of any
foreign nation, never threaten and never
boast, "but when we feel that our In
terest and our honor demand that as a
nation we take a certain position, to
take that position and then make it
good."
Certainly there are no Americans with
any true feeling of patriotism who will
not approve this. The constant aim and
endeavor of this country In the future as
in the past should be to cultivate the
most friendly and cordial relations with
all the rest of the world. More than any
other nation this republic stands for in
ternational peace and good will. All our
Interests dictate this and Its encourage
ment has been our policy from the foun
dation of the government. It must con
tinue to be the policy of the United
States, but its observance does not for
bid placing ourselves in a position to
command respect for our rights every
where and to Insure protection for those
lights If they Bhall be assailed.
The United States will probably never
need a large standing army. It must.
however, have a strong navy and it is
this that President Roosevelt urges
should be provided. There are some who
think that he has an extravagant view
of what is necessary in this respect, but
we believe thoughtful men generally,
who understand the new conditions
growing out of the events of the last five
years, concur with the president and
would have our sea power Increased un
til it shall be sufficient for any exigency
that may be thought possible. The build
ing up of such a navy, as was said by
Mr. Roosevelt, is the surest guaranty of
peace, the best Insurance against war,
but If war should come it would be a
guaranty that It would end "leaving un
dimmed the record upon which is writ
ten the feats of Americans in arms."
ESTIMATED TRADE BALAHC.
It is now safe to estimate that the ap
parent trade balance In favor of this
country for the fiscal year Tvhich will
end in ten days will not be far from
$450,000,000.. This is somewhat smaller
than earlier estimates, but It Is an
amount which must be regarded as en-1
tirely satisfactory. We shall make an-
other record In this fiscal year, in the
matter of imports, which will be some-
what in excess of $1,000,000,000. It is
estimated that of the apparent Inter-
national trade balance, much of
which has of course been utilized,
something ' like $200,000,000 must be
liquidated In other ways than by
freight payments, the drafts made
by American excursionists In Eu-
rope, Insurance and other hidden
methods of liquidation. It is assumed
that our foreign commerce for the vmr
will have made available In tha wsv of
international credits something like
$200,000,000. so that It is thought to be
quite possible our bankers will find It
expedient this summer to Import gold.
At anv rate it is said that the feelln
w
In New York and in Europe is that the
dnv for -xoessive imrWta or enort f
gold to or from the United States has
passed.
The present condition of the foreign
trade of the United States must be re-
gurueu as on me wnoie nigniy sausrac-
tory and the outlook is good, but the ne-
cesslty of enlarging our exports In order
to maintain present industrial activity
ls Decerning steanny more manifest. It la
not sufficient to hold the trade we have
got, which perhaps we shall be able to
Co. We must enlarge our markets or be
forced to the alternative, sooner or later,
of curtailing production.
THE COLOMBIAN COXfjRtSS.
This is the date for the meeting of
the Colombiau congress to consider the
Panama canal treaty and it will doubt
less soon be known what the fate of
tiiut convention is to be. According to
the recent reports from Washington the
president U not disposed to submit to
unreasonable delay on the part of
Colombia in acting upon the treaty, but
our government is not likely to take
any course that might be regarded as
coercive, though it perhaps might with
propriety Indicate Its desire to have the
luatter settled as soon as possible.
There is said to exist ln official circles
a: aaiiiuffTnii un opinion mat me
treaty Is n mere extraneous detail, so far
as construction of the canal Is concerned,
aud would serve only to settle diplo
matic questions; that the United States
I Tl ,.-,
j..j...f. j
000,000 Mill have the full right to go
ahead with the construction of the canal
without any treaty with Colombia. It
can be very confidently assumed that
no such opinion as this Is held by either
President Hoosevelt or Secretary Hay,
The territory through which the canal
passes Is tart of the republic of Colom
bia aud the United States could uwt
rightfully take possession ot It by
simply buying the cannl franchise from
the Freuch company. To do that would
be a clear case of spoliation 'hat vovld
be in the highest degree discreditable
to this country. The American people
want the canal only on terms aud con
ditions that ure entirely fair and. Just to
Colombia.
SOUTH OMAHA BOSD PROPOSITIONS.
The citizens of South Omaha are to de
cide at the ballot box next Tuesday on
four separate propositions whether the
bonded indebtedness of that town is to
be increased by a quarter of a million
dollars. The proposed increase of the
bonded debt of South Omaha will not
merely affect the taxpayers of that city,
but Incidentally, will sooner or later
affect every taxpayer in the city of
Omaha.
It Is an open secret that a large pro
portion of the tax burdens of South
Omaha are borne by citizens of Omaha
who own real estate in South Omaha or
are interested in various business tuiter
prlses in South Omahn. This Includes,
as a matter of course, the public utility
corporations that supple street railway,
gns, water and telephone service. A
serious discussion of the South Omaha
bond propositions is, therefore, pot out
of place.
Proposition No. 1 Involves an Issue ot
$70,000 In bonds to take up the overlap
in the municipal treasury. While the
creation of this overlap was reprehensi
ble and In violation of. charter limita
tions, the outstanding warrants consti
tute an obligation that will sooner or
later have to be met. By substituting
bonds for warrants the city will doubt
less effect a saving, and if South Omaha
taxpayers see to it that no new overlaps
are created hereafter, It will be good
business to authorize the issue of these
bonds.
Proposition No. 2 contemplates an is
sue of $100,000 in bonds, the proceeds of
which are to be expended In the erection
of a high school building. On broad
gauite lines the erection of a substantial
school building for the accommodation
of high school students commends itself
to the friends of education and all
classes of citizens.
Proposition No. 3, for an issue of $35,
000 in bonds for sewer construction,
strikes us as of doubtful propriety until
a comprehensive system of sewers has
been planned for South Omaha and the
money voted for. sewer construction 'is
devoted to the execution of the plan
without wastage or Jobbery.
iVopoeitlon No. 4, for an issue of $50,-
000 in bonds to be expended in the erec
tion of n city ball, can scarcely commend
itself to sensible business men. In the
first place, $50,000 for a site and build'
lng will at best result only in the erec
Uon of a secondrgrade structure not
much better than an ordinary firetrap,
In the next place, the inevitable amalga
mation of Omaha and South Omaha will
render such a building useless, but the
bonds once Issued create a perpetual
debt. ' . f
Lastly, the very material increase in
the bonded debt of South Omaha will
correspondingly increase its tax rate,
lower Its credit and prevent future pub
lic Improvements that will be needed
very much more than those now contem
plated.
Nebraska's peerless populist reformer,
J. A. Edgerton, has issued an unofficial
invitation to the remnant of the populist
party to convene itself in Denver July
27 for the purpose of attempting to
amalgamate the reform movements of
the country. Why Mr. Edgerton should
have chosen the 27th of July instead of
the 4th Is incomprehensible. Tradition
and precedent have canonized Inde-
pendence day for the initiative and
referendum of all political reform move
ments and especially the national popu
list party which was born at Omaha on
July 4, 1802.
county Board of Equalization Is
" right track this time in taking the
valuatlon adopted by the city Board of
Eevlew n tue standard for assessing
real and Personnl PPerty for county
BUU purpuaes. xne oniy jusunaoie
I At 1.. It M . 1L. x. l a l 1 a.
u-"" sumuaru woum oe
property that has been materially 1m-
pruvt-u buii'u iuc city assessment was
completed or Improved property that
has been damaged by fire since that
period.
The invitation extended to Booker T.
Washington to act as a commissioner for
the Brltlf)h South Afrlca comnnnv to In
vestigate and to report upon race condt-
tlong ln the British terrltorv is a re.
minder that other countries besides our
own are harassed with race problems,
aud although they may not be able to
help us find the solution which we need,
we may be able to help them out of
some of their difficulties.
iue t;nicago-si. raui railroads are
amusing themselves with a passenger
rate war, but the trouble is not likely
t0 become epidemic. The railroads, geu-
erany have a thorough understanding as
to their community of Interest in rate
schedules and they will be careful not
to let little difficulties cut into their total
I receipts
President Cleveland is now quoted as
saying that it is absurd to suppose for
on instant that he has any desire to re-
enter political life. If he had said that
It was absurd to suppose that he had any
1)IIL'"-' "l '"""ms jmuui-ui me
Colonel Bryan would probably agree per
fectly with him.
Where Proteetou Is Needed
I ' ' '
jjr. Parry purposes to organise a com
pany to Insure employers against strikes.
Maybe the time win come when the con
sumer can be insured against a boost In
prices.
i Faeeiaa; Over Trivialities.
New York World.
So there Is to be no anthracite strike.
The miners are to bave the men they
I wanted on the Board of Conciliation and
tha operators are to have the satisfaction
of knowing that they are properly "In
dorsed." If the business ot the country
had been wrecked a second time on a
triviality .like this, labor and capital alike
would have been disgraced.
A Moving? Spectacle.
6t. Louis Republic.
Dispatches to the British War offloa
announce that Hajl Monaramea vnn
Abdullah, the Mad Mullah of 8omallland,
la again on the move. U he has to carry
that name very far he will not move very
fast
Cams for Tbaakfalness.
Baltimore American.
Every American politician must secretly
thank his stara that tie. was not born In
England,, where officeholders are expected
to resign when they are criticised by the
public. With l such sensitiveness to publlo
opinion It would be difficult over here for
the patriots who serve their country to
amass even a moderate competence.
Landing; on a Tender Spot.
Philadelphia Press.
Down In Mexico a newspaper has been
suppressed and the editor put In Jail for
cartooning a public official. But that Is
nothing. In England 100 years ago, as we
are Informed by the governor of Pennsyl
vania, for less offense a man would have
been drawn and quartered and his head
stuck on a pike without the city walls.
Courage Ilegets Conraite.
Cosmopolitan.
One brave step makes the next one easier.
True, the road seems more piled up with
obstacles as one goes along, but then one
is made stronger and more capable with
every step, so that relatively we have an
easy road always before us. At least, If
not exactly easy. It becomes more Interest
ingone feels less Inclined to grumble.
nemarkable Case of Thrift.
New York Sun.
Quite the most remarkable feature of Mr.
Roosevelt's reply to the Jewish delegation
asking that this government should speak
to Russia about Klshlneff was the story
of the Jewish policeman who educated his
younger brothers and Bisters and got here
two or three of his kinsfolk from Russia
and provided homes for them out of his
salary. It would not be easy to And a more
remarkable case of thrift
A Jolly Salt Water Sport.
Philadelphia Record.
Absolutely the most cheerful man aver
heard of In real life, and fully tha equal of
the fictitious Mark Ta.pl ey, la Sir Thomas
Llpton. He is confident that Shamrock III
will win. But if it should not he promises
a Shamrock IV. His pluck and confidence
In the name are Inexhaustible, and so long
as Sir Thomas shall remain In this Ufa we
may expect a procession of Shamrocks ot
increasing numerals to cross tha sea after
that cup.
What Tllden Escaped.
Louisville Courier-Journal.
Mr. Tllden's place in history cannot be
fixed until the controversies which closed
his public life cease to embody the Interest
and feeling of men yet living and to re
flect upon the story of bis life and char
acter the Imperfect beams of partisan
bias. Even then his name and fame will
belong to the domain rather of the world's
thought than Its action. He was a thinker,
a dreamer, an Idealist. He- rescued his
party from a kind Of bottomless abyss and
put it upon high, solid, dure ground.
Happily, hedid not live to see It slip away
from this, if not back Into the abyss, yet
Into the morass of fraudulent Cleveland-
Ism and Impossible Bryanfsm, the sport
and prey of every , ewt win4 which bad
leadership and hard loWk can conjure out
of the devil's own abominable care of
winds! r - . --r.aatvv. ;. ; -. -.
HARXESSIXG The floods.
Problem
of ' Vast Proportions and
Great. Cost.
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
Plenty of water Is one of nature's great
est blessings, the key to successful agrU
culture, and therefore to stable national
prosperity. The problem of floods is one
of control, not of a search for a region
where they are unknown, a quest that
would and at Sahara. ' A flood suddenly
coming out of the Kaw, a minor river.
meeting high waters at other points,
caused a lamentable loss of life and a de
struction of property worth not less than
30, 000,000. In addition to widespread human
suffering and Interrupted business. The
sea of water that has been hurrying down
the Missouri and Mississippi during May
and June would be of untold value if It
could have been restrained and regulated
through July, August and September. In
this connection comes In the immense sig
nificance of the new ' Irrigation movement
in the United States. Though restricted
at the start to the arid region, there can
be no doubt that "eventually Irrigated
areas will be found throughout the conn
try. New England has just passed
through a six weeks' drouth, and Its crops
for the season must suffer ln proportion.
What can be done to hold back the sur
plus ot rain ana menea snow to serve a
systematic, useful purpose, as well as to
prevent ruinous floods?
Government officials in charge of the
reclamation policy authorized by the re
cent Irrigation act passed by congress are
studying, among other things, the subject
of stortge reservoirs at the headwaters
of streams, as well as the features of rain
drainage lower down., The secretary of the
National Irrigation association estimates
that storage reservoirs far up on the Mis
souri ami its tributaries would reclaim
86,000,000 acres of so-called desert lands.
Crops can be made, with irrigation, by the
end of any August. At present they wouM
be drowned out ln the spring and burned
up ln the summer. Canals and ditches,
aggregating hundreds of miles in length
could conduct off a vast quantity of water
now ravaging Its borders ln the turbulent
main channels. By means of canals and
ditches, says the secretary, almost In
calculable quantities of flood waters could
be spread out "to Irrigate millions of acres
of farming land in Wyoming, Colorado,
Kansas, Nebraska and the Dakotas, thus
reducing the flow of the lower reaches ot
the Missouri to below the danger point."
The canals and ditches would be a second
ary restraint to the storage reservoirs
headwaters.
Ground even still more advanced along
the same line Is taken by the New York
Evening Post, which points out that the
configuration of the sharply sloping plains
from which the present flood came Is
favorable to the Impounding of vast quan
T.f o,i,. .v...
tities ot water.
"this nue.tlon of the control and iittll.f
of the natural waters Is now upon the j dn county. Pennsylvania. He frankly an
country." and thut the national Irrigation ! nounces in a letter to the voters that he
bill Is but a beginning. It declares that the h "needs the salary of the office so much."
"whoi riviiiMd world la irlvln mnr t. iMr. Richardson has been lame since chlld-
ter.tlon than ever before to the problems
of water storage and control," and that
'It Is a question almost as pressing for
New England, and New York, and the
Appalachian region as It Is for the west."
When such views come from a conservative
source on the borders of the Atlantic, con
gress may take up the subject of irrigation
and headwater reservoirs with an assur
ance of the unanimous support of the
country. Levee systems are a branch of
the same methods of securing sure and
bountiful crops, the foundation of the na
tion's wealth, the first great necessary con
dition of good tiroes.
SPECULATORS TO THB FORD. ,
Systesaatle Laa4 Qrabblac 1st tha
Wostera States.
Nsw Tork Tribune. '
The wisdom of President Roosevelt's sug
gestion In his annual tneseag of last De
cember, that tha land laws ba amended to
preserve the publlo domain for the use of
actual settlers, becomes more and more
apparent as we learn ot the abuses which
exist through the failure of congress to act
upon his advice. Senator Gibson of Mon
tana estimates that in tha fiscal year now
closing 2,500,000 acres of land have been
taken np In his state alone under desert
land and homestead filings; yet there has
been practically no Increase' In the agri
cultural population of Montana. All this
land has been taken up by speculators,
much of it In anticipation of national Irri
gation enterprises, which would mak
desert lands extremely valuable. . Senator
Gibson points out that In the Great Falls
land office, one of the seven In Montana,
In the nine months ending April 30, entries
were made for (42 desert land and 70S
homestead claims. In addition to such
claims, about. 600,000 acres more were taken
In the state under the timber and stone
act and forest reserve scrip. He says:
"At this rate of land grabbing, for It can
be designated as nothing else, all the de
sirable lands of Montana will be taken up
In a very short time, and the great na
tional work of reclaiming and settling the
farm lands will be at an end, so far as this
state Is concerned."
This Is just the situation which the presi
dent sought to deal with when he said:
"So far as they are available for agricul
ture and to whatever extent they may be
reclaimed under the national Irrigation law,
the remaining publlo lands should be held
rigidly for the home builder, the settler
who lives upon his land, and for no one
else.- In their actual use the desert land
law, the timber, and stone law and the
commutation clause of the homestead law
have been so perverted from the intention
with which they were enacted as to permit
the acquisition of large areas of publlo
domain for other than actual settlers and
the consequent prevention of settlement."
No doubt tha conditions described by
Senator Gibson exist In other states where
there are lands which promise to become
valuable through national Irrigation. The
receipt during the last year of 17,000,000
for the Irrigation fund from the sale of
publlo land would Indicate a general land
buying movement quite out of proportion
to the growth of population in tha regions
where tha landa are located.- Such a move
ment threatens entirely to defeat tha origi
nal purpose of national Irrigation schemes.
Owing to tha failure of congress to act so
as to save for actual settlers the land to be
Irrigated, tha country may soon ba forced
to face the question of changing the plans
entirely or spending millions of dollars
merely to enrich a few land speculators.
It was Intended that 'land should be re
claimed and sold In small holdings, and
that tha money obtained for it should be
used to reclaim more land. But If the
speculators are to get all the benefits of the
first step In tha enterprise and keep ahead
of the government, taking up as desert
land and at appropriate prices the terri
tory which Irrigation at publlo expense Is
to make valuable, the . wisdom of proceed
ing with tha process Is open to serious
question.
MARVELS OF OIR RAILWAYS.
How the I'nlted States Compares with
the Rest of the World.
V. New York World.
The report of the Interstate Commerce
commission upon American railways Is a
tale of marvels.
We have 282,471 miles of track, of which
about 82,000 .miles are douKS track and
sidings. All the rest ot the world has but
three miles to our two. This country has
eighteen feet of railway for every inhabi
tant; In the world outside there are eight
een Inches per inhabitant.
It has probably cost to build- and' equip
our railways about $30,000 per mile, repre
sented by $6,000,000,000 in bonds. Promoters'
profit and other original and incidental
"water" are represented by $6,000,000,000 ln
stock. Nearly half this stock pays no divi
dends, but the remaining portion yields
enough so that the average for the whole
Is SH per cent a fine profit considering the
origin of the securities.
Soma of the greater lines earn twice or
thrice the dividends they pay, but put
surplus earnings Into "betterment," a con
servatlve policy quite opposed to that fol
lowed in England, where extravagant divi
dends have . been paid and Improvements
made by new capital until it Is difficult to
pay dividends at all. The total capital of
British railways Is $283,000 per mile; of
American roads $00,000 per mile. Since 1896
the dividends of the principal British roads
have decreased; on American roads they
have increased.
Our engines are comparatively few be
cause they are the most powerful known.
Though but 41,228 n number they haul ln a
year 649,878,605 passengers and 111,089,347 tons
of freight. For every passenger car there
are forty freight cars. We are a stay-at
home people. Instead of traveling we send
goods.
In one respect our railways are shame
fully Inferior. There were 346 passengers
killed last year In this country, none In
Great Britain, though the usual number of
employes were killed or injured there. Here
one employe out of every twenty-four was
Injured within the year. However, as the
average passenger must trat el the equlva
lent of 2,800 times the circumference of the
earth before he gets killed, railway jour
neys are not to be classified as "extra
hazardous."
POLITICAL DRIFT.
Rumor has It that Tammany has slated
Congressman George B. McClellan as Its
candidate for mayor.
Ex-Governor Candler of Georgia wants a
new light-bearer for the democratic party.
H says both Cleveland and Bryan have
been snuffed out
Allen W. Thurman, who was the leading
advocate of free silver in Ohio, declares
for A. P. Gorman for the demooratlo nomi
nation for president.
Ex-Senator Marlon G. Butler of North
CurolLna Insists that the populists will
have a ticket in the field In 1904. This
frank statement ought to silence the cruel
report that Mr. Butler had shaved.
J. E. Burke, the blacksmith who has been
declared mayor of Burllngtun, Vt, by the
supreme court has appointed himself his
chief of police. His predecessor he charged
with "excessive partisanship."
Harris Richardson, who hus been a crip.
Die for many years, has been nominated
! for Judge Dy tne repuoucans oi nunung
,hood nd hl" w,fe ha" hem an ,nvalli tor
twenty years. There seems to be little
doubt ot his election.
A letter from Governor Jefferson Davis
of Arkansas shown to a favored few
about the state house attracted some
little attention and aroused amusement as
well, because of its grammar and orthogra
phy. It began by stating that tha writer
was interested in "a matter which In
volve," continued to speak of "a appropria
tion," referred to a legal question which
had been "ejudicated," ajid wound up,
"Very truly yours, Jeff Davis, Governor
ot Ark."
- OTHER LA OS THA Oins,
Formosa, which became a Japanese pos
session as the result of the war with China,
Is the native borne of the camphor tree.
The Formosa n output of camphor gum av
erages (.000,000 pounds a year; that of all
the rest of Japan Is about 3t0.000 pounds
annually, while the Chinese yield never ex
ceeds 230,000 pounds. The bill passed by
the Japanese Diet on Friday last extending
the control of the government over the sup
ply of camphor to all parts of the Japanese
empire, therefore, establishes a praotlcul
world-wide monopoly. The alleged purpose
of the monopolisation Is the protection of
the camphor forests of Formosa from tho
Inroads of the savages who Infest the east
ern half of that Island; but, Inasmuch as
the Japanese government assumes the right
to limit the production In order to prevent
an "oversupply," It Is quite evident that
the real object Is to keep up the price to
the highest point the traffic will bear.
Reform ln local admlnstratlon has for
some time been one of the most burning
questions In Spanish politics, and there Is
much excitement Just now and no little 111
feeling, over a bill Introduced In Parlia
ment by the minister of the Interior, Scnor
Maura. It was hoped and expected that
this measure, which had been spoken of as
almost revolutionary In its radical treat
ment of old abuses, would afford at least
some practical relief from existent evils,
and the disappointment was profound
when, upon publication, it proved to be a
plan for making Madrid more than ever
the center of municipal authority. Senor
Maura has been the object of a vigorous
press attack from all sides. The repub
licans assert that he has been actuated by
the sole Idea of keeping them out of mu
nicipal councils. The radicals denounce his
whole project as a most pernicious s-chemo
of reactionary centralisation. Generally the
tone of journalistic comment Is pessimis
tic concerning the political situation and
the national prospects.
It is generally known that Germany has
not made a striking success ln Its . at
tempts to colonize, especially In Africa,
but the extent of Its failures has been fairly
well concealed. Almost all the German
colonies are largely dependent on subsidies
paid by the imperial government to balance
their budget. This year these subsidies
amount to considerably over $7,600,000. The
one colony which Is financially Independent
this year Is Togoland, and this is dae to the
fact that the expected construction of a
railway has been delayed and the pay
ments on It deferred. In the whole of the
German protectorates In Africa there were
but (,661 white Inhabitants ln 1902 and of
these only 4,203 Germans. That year Was
one of marked Increase in the white pop
ulation. Southwest Africa gained 1.000 from
the results of the Boer war. East Africa
gained four, the Cameroons thirty-three
and Togoland twenty-two. The census of
the South Sea possessions was very disap
pointing. In Samoa there are but 847
whites and on all tha German islands only
862. The exports of Samoa declined $65,000
and the Imports double that amount In
China, in Kiao-chau, tha expenditure was
much heavier than the revenue. Thla year
the imperial subsidy comes to $3,205,000, or,
$95,000 more than last year. And tha worst
uu immii
capital have so little faith in the colonies
that very little new capital is going into
them for their development.
It would be difficult even in this country
to parallel the gTOwth of many English
towns In tha last ball-century. Summar
ised statistics of tho census taken in 1901
Snow most remarkable figures regarding
the urban growth of the country, and the
general movement toward towns. Such
cities as London, Liverpool, Birmingham,
Manchester and Leeds have trebled, qua
drupled and -.quintupled r their .population
since l5i, but these are not to be com
pared with smaller centres.' Barrow-ln-
Furness has grown from 1,000 to 67.000;
Bradford from 2,000 to 47,000; West Hartle
pool ftom 4,000 to 67,000, and Rhonnda from
4,000 to 113,000. The growth of tha towna
about London Is still more remarkable.
East Ham, from a village of 2,000, has be
come a city of 66,000; West Ham, from
19,000 to 267,000; Walthamstow, from 4,700
to 95,000; Tottenham, from 7.000 to 102,000;
and Leyton from 4,000 to 98,000. The other
side of the picture is found ln the figures
regarding some of tha counties. Cornwall
has decreased since 1861 and Herefordshire
and Shropshire since 1871. In Cornwall In
1891-1901 the excess of births over deaths
was 26,846, and the loss by migration 26,838.
In Herefordshire In the same period the
excess of births over deaths was 9,576 and
the loss from migration U.362.
Tha European newspapers contain many
reports of violent encounters between cler
icals and anti-clericals In Paris and else
where, denoting a growing bitterness of
feeling, which might easily lead to incal
culable consequences. The earliest provoca
tion, perhaps, was given in violent pulpit
denunciation of. the associations law, ln
which the president and ministers were
compared with Herod, Pontius Pilate, Judas
Iscarlot, and so forth, the anti-clericals re
taliating by - protesting In the churches
against the sermons of unauthorised
preachers. Scenes of disorder and riot
naturally followed and seem likely to be
repeated with Increasing animosity on both
sides. The socialist element among the
anti-clericals hoped that the disturbances
would precipitate the coming breach be
tween church and state, and the destruc
tion of the concordat, but these excesses
have alarmed the more prudent of their
own party and the republicans, and have
actually forced the government, which bears
them no ill will, to employ the police
against them, in defence of Roman Cath
olic rights. A recent attempt on the part
of the socialists to break up a Roman
Catholic meeting at Mont Parnasse, resulted
WHY?
We make more and sell more good clothing thati
any other house in the country.
WHY?
Ask the public in any of the 15 great citis in
which we have retail stores. j ''
They know where they cau get the best, and where
they are best suited.
No Clothing Fits Like Ours.
Don't put off the straw hat purchase to long-Mines
are getting badly broken, and if you want to mak a
good eelection come now.
Browning
R S. Wilcox. Manager,
In a very serious row, In which firearmi
were discharged. Nobody was killed, but
much damaKA was done to surrounding
property. Illthrrto tho wornt sufferers In
these affrays seem to have been the police,
who, In thclr efforts to preserve the peace,
have bren belabored impartially by both
sides.
I.ET SO (U1LTV MAS F.SCAPE.W
Prealileat Itoosevrlt's Knergy Mani
fest In rostofllrr Int rat laa t Ian.
St. Louis Globe rvmoerat' (rep.V
President Roosevelt Is acting In the pos
tal scandal Just as the country had a rlphl
to expect that he would act. He Is deter
mined that a rigid Investigation Into nl
the reports of wrong-doing shall bo niado.
and the guilty persons be promptly pun
ished. The postal authorities have , beer
urged to push the Inquiry with tho greatest
possible speed. Whatever crookedness has
existed or which now exists will be quickly
exposed, and the offenders will be deal)
with rigorously. Let the country rest easj
on those points.
Moreover, the president Is In thorough
harmony with the heads of the postal de.
portment ln this matter of bringing th
guilty persons to Justice. Postmaster Gen
eral Payne is working in unity with th
president in this affair. Tho stories that
the postmaster general was Indifferent ln
the matter of pushing the Inquiry Into the
frauds, or alleged frauds, were got up by
the democrats, and ware circulated by the
democratio newspapers. Their object Is to
discredit the administration If possible, for
partisan reasons. They Imagine that this
will win votes for the democratic party
next year.
But the democrats will soon learn that
no party capital can bo made out of the
postal Irregularities. The president ts a
good deal more anxious than the heads of
the democratio newspapers are to have the
investigation rigidly pursued and the
offenders punished. He has more Interest
In the matter than they have. He wilt
manage the affair with mora Intelligence
and courage than any of the democratio
editors would display tn a Uke situation.
Whatever wrong was done will be exposed,
and the guilty persona will be promptly and
effectively dealt with. The Job will be done
so well by the administration that none
of the democratio papers will dare say a
word about It in the campaign next year,
for everything that could be said would be
a tribute to tha president and the postmas
ter general and would help to bring votes
to the republican party.
FLASHES OF FCN.
Colonel Blublud-By gad. suh!
whisky la enough to make yore
That
mouth
watah.
rolonel Bluegrass-What mignty , po
whisky It must bel-New lorn oun.
He If I should klaa you, what would you
aShe-I never meet an emergency Until It
Arises.
But if It should arise?"
"I'd meet It face to face."-Yale Record.
Emily You don't mean to say'you failed
o Dass your exams sain thla year!
MaudYes, failed agalp.
Emllv What was the trouble this time?
u.., whv thv naked tha same aues-
Hons they did last year. Columbia Jester.
J NedTe-i rT resoWed to give up betting
,! a drlnkinc ana ail
Fred Huh 7 You'll never keep that reso-
1UNearil bet you the drinks I do. Judge.
He (after a tiff) Going homo to your
mother, ehf . ,
She Yea. I m.
He-Huh! What do you suppose she 11
say to you7
She Sha ll say "I told you so." (Ha made
up.) New York Weekly. . ,
"I never heard Dlnsmore acknowledge
that he was growing old before today."
"How did he acknowledge It?"
"Ha announced that he felt just aa young
as ba ever did." Detroit Free Press.
"You didn't have any'liicHcT rfhe 'Sald In
quiringly when he returned from his fishing
trip.
"None at all," he admitted.
Then she got a whiff of his breath.
"No wonder," she commented. "You
must have taken all the bait yourself.".
Chicago Post
"It would be Interesting to read the ac
counts of that big distillery fire in Scot
land." "I hope they gave the reporters all tho
latitude they needed. Think ot the reeling
walla!"
"And the red demon exulting over his
fiery potion."
"And the tongues of flame licking up the
reeking floors!
"What an opportunity!" Cleveland Plain
Dealer.
A TERROR TAMED.
James Barton Adams in Denver Post.
Dick Deadeye was a bandit bold, a bandit
fierce was he, who held up stages,
trains, and things here in the west
countree.
He'd lie in waiting In a place where chapar
ral grew thick, and when the stage
came on apace would turn his littlo
trick.
His name would cause a thrill of fear to
sweep the country o'er, for rumor said
ha quenched his thirst on naught but
gurgling gore.
The many men that rumor said he'd downed
, In gun disputes would All a gravevard
v to the brim with stiffs yet in their
boots.
The cash and treasure he had got from
tourists as a loan was heap times
more than waa required to ransom
Ellen Stone.
"Hands up!" he yelled one day; the man
who drove chewed not the rug; he
knew Deadeye would give blm'ten per
centum of the swag-.
"Climb down an' git In line!" unto the
passengers be yelled. They quick
obeyed aa tourists do when they are
upward held.
From out the stage a female came. Dick
Deadeye quaked with fear, as near
him drew the ancient dame and seized
him by the ear.
"You good-fur-nothln wretch!" she cried,
"you rello of the past, I've sought you
far, I've sought you near, and here
you be at last!
"I'm all impatience now to hear wliat atory
you kin tell!" And then she pulled
him by the ear Into the chaparral!
Again the wheels begin to hum, the driver
scratched his head. "That mua' be
Deadeye's wife, Jes come 'yur from the
States," he said.
!