THE OMAHA DAILY HEE: SATURDAY. FEniU'ARY 25 1905.
The Omaha Daily Bee
E. ROSE WATER, EDITOR.
. (.00
. 2 . 00
Z.N
PUBLISHED EVERT MQBNINQ.
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION.
pnllr Bee (without Sunday), one year. .M.JO
wily tiee ana Uunday. one year.
Illustrated Bee, one year
Sunday Km. nr vonr.
Saturday Bee, one year "
Twentieth Century Farmer, one year...
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f-venlng Bee (without Sunday), per week ?o
Evening Bee (Including Sunday), Pr
week 120
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houldbe addressed to City Circulation De
partment. OFFICES.
Omaha The Ie Building. ,
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CORRESPONDENCE.
Cnmmiinlratlnna relating to new and edi
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e. Editorial Department.
REMITTANCES.
Remit hy draft, expres or postal order,
payable to The Bee PuMlhln Company.
Only 2-eent stamps reccrvert In payment or
mall arronnm. Personal checks, except on
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THE BEE PUBLISHING COMPANY.
STATEMENT OF CTRCTn.ATION.
Btnfe of Nebraska, Douglas County. ss.:
Oeorae B. Tsschnrk. secretary of The Bea
Puhllshtng Company, being duly sworn,
ays that the actual number of full and
eompleta copies of The Dally. Morning.
Evening and Sunday ftee printed during tha
monin or January, 1W6, was a lonows:
i so.xao
2A.040
1M.47
4 2A.S10
117,080
T 80,420
80,140
ar.roo
10 8T.8JO
11 87.800
U S7.4NO
U 27,840
14.... KO.8O0
U 80.BOO
u atau
17 27,710
IS 27.820
13 27.3RO
10 27.B20
Zl 30.080
22 80.050
1 0 82.t0
14 SO.S70
28 27.MO
fg; 2M.1K0
27...; 2M.070
28 30.240
""'29 2.BIMt
SO 27.870
i 27,000
Total. 802.50O
Leis unsold copies 9,818
Met total sales 8H2.772
Dally average S8,47
GEO. B. TZ8CHUCK.
Subscribed In my presence and sworn t
before ma tbla 3ist day of January, 1906.
, (Seal) . M.. U. HUNQATE,
Notary Public.
Consolidation of local government is
the order of the day.
Although Omaha has been storm cen
ter In the grain rate war It has not been
badly storm beaten.
To make the matter as International
as possible the North Sea commission
returns a Scotch verdict.
Now that alleged "Boodler" Kratz has
been acquitted someone should pay him
for that hurry trip to Mexico.
Someone must have been singing the
"Pirates of Penzance" at Warsaw. The
policemen threaten to go on a strike.
Omaha Is forging ahead In metropoli
tan ways. The cheap and nasty yellow
Journal is to be followed by the cheap
and nasty dime show.
' l m
Mrs. Chad wick proves on the. wtfness
stand that women are not always talkaT"
tlve. But Mrs. Cbadwick lias furnished
a whole lot of surprises. ' '
With six new grain ('levators to be
built In Omaha within the next twelve
months, half a dozen flouring mills
would be welcome as an accompaniment
The way to stamp out the lawless
bootleggers around the "Winnebago
reservation Is to stamp out the licensed
liquor dealers in the vicinity who sup
ply the bootleggers.
Friends of the Panama canal will be
encouraged, to learn that the Slmplon
tunnel has been pierced and this was
another enterprise which waa. "Impossi
ble" a few years ago.
By keeping the names of grand jurors
secret until they meet to consider the
"Beef trust" case it Is possible the Chi
cago court Is Interfering with a partial
diversion of the profits.
There can be no question of Japan's
claims to rank as a civilized power since
Its Parliament has military officers un
der Investigation for "grafting" in con
nection with army contracts.
While the offense has doubtless been
aggravated, the people of the United
States are hardly willing to have Varda
man of Mississippi added to the woes
of the United States senate.
. Senator Dolllver desires quick work by
the senate on the subject of railroad reg
ulation. That study of the question he
announced a few weeks ago must have
included a brief survey of local senti
ment at home.
If any $100 bills, encased In scaled en
velopes, are floating around among Ne
braska solons, they are pretty careful
to keep them to themselves rather than
contribute them to a collection on the
speaker's desk.
Now that the senate committee on
Interstate commerce has decided to ask
permission to sit during the recess of
congress, a -discussion of something in
teresting may be In ordeiv-eay, a discus
sion of the army canteen.
i
Suppose the people of Omaha should
finally decide that they do not care' to
boy the water works at the figures
fixed by tha present appraisers, of what
nse then would be a salaried' water
board with no water plant to manage?
What's the matter with the young men
of Indiana that a bill prohibiting the
marriage of Indiana women to persons
of more than one-eighth Filipino blood
should be thought necessary? Is the
competition so strong that the Hooslers
need protection?
g: I
A resolution has been adopted by the
United ' States senate barring flowers
from the chamber. Washington florists
will "view with alarm" this vital attack
upon a local Industry, especially when
new members take their seats at that
promised special session.
TIME FOR A RErVRLlCAS COX FE HE KCE.
The legislature Is like a ship without a
rudder, drifting toward the open sea.
There is no retngnlzed leadership In
either houne And no plan for concerted
action on any of the issues lu which the
people are vitally Interested., Like the
company organized by Artenius Ward at
the opening of the civil war, tu which
every man. was a brigadier general,
every member of the legislature Imagines
that he has a star on his shoulder straps
and therefore is not willing to subordi
nate bis own ideas to those of any other
man, even If by so doing he Impedes
the welfare of the state or brings dis
aster to the political organization that
will be held responsible for his conduct.
In view of the unprecedented majority
by which the republican party obtuined
control of executive and legislative de
partments of government, this situation
Is deplorable. It seems to us the time
has come for a conference of republicans
who have been entrusted with legislative
authority to consider and formulate the
important measures affecting the people
of this state with a view to their enact
ment during the present session.
First and foremost, the conference
should, If possible, reach an agreement
upon all constitutional amendments to
be submitted at the coming election. A
failure to submit amendments under pre
text of economy, or any other pretext,
will be justly Interpreted by the people
as a declaration in favor of perpetuating
the system under which Nebraska has
accumulated a debt of $2,250,000 in spite
of the constitutional provision limiting
the debt to $100,000, and under which a
score of executive offices have been cre
ated and maintained In defiance of the
constitutional provision that prohibits
the creation of executive offices not enu
merated in the constitution.
Next In order should be an agreement
upon the aggregate amount to be ap
propriated for the maintenance of state
government and state institutions during
the next two years. While the taxpay
ers . of Nebraska have cheerfully sub
mitted to Increased taxation under the
new revenue law In the hope thnt It
would finally result In a decrease, they
will not cheerfully submit to a repetition
of the dose by reckless appropriation of
funds beyond the possible revenue that
can be collected under existing laws un
less the assessaients raised are materi
ally all along the line.
Next to the question of revenue and
taxation comes the question of railway
regulation. The passing of resolutions
endorsing President Roosevelt's policy
of national supervision and regulation of
railroads and endorsing the Kansas
method of dealing with the Standard
Oil trust Is a harmless diversion unless
It Is also coupled with some state regu
lation that will afford partial relief from
excessive burdens arbitrarily Imposed on
producers and consumers. The legisla
ture is not expected nor asked to enact
any measure that will confiscate the
property of railroads, but it is asked to
enact 'measures that will prevent the
railroads from confiscating the property
of their patrons. I
Incidentally, the people of Nebraska
look to the republican legislature to en
act a few laws that will protoct them
against rapacious combinations that
seek to enrich themselves by destroying
competition In the price of farm prod
ucts and the distribution of commodities
that the farmers are compelled to purchase.
ling western markets. That situation
nas noen to a large extent ii iwi
corrected and the lesson It has taught
should not be forgotten. There is rea
son to believe that we are entering upon
another period of prosperity that may
surpass that of the last half a dozen
years. The Industries of the country
generally are active and the outlook In
all directions Is favorable. The signs
Indicative of a greater prosperity are al
together auspicious. The railroads as a
most Important factor In promoting pros
perity should be prepared for all de
mands upon them.
, ARE RAILWAY FACILITIES ISAV
'" EQUATE.
This question was considered by the
first vice president of the Carnegie Steel
company In an address a few days ago
bpfore the community of freight traffic
interests and be took the position that
the transportation facilities of the coun
try are not at present sufficient to meet
the demands. lie said that If the pres
ent year Is to be a record breaker In Its
tonnage and its returns one factor must
be supplied., The transportation Inter
ests must be prepared to promptly and
properly handle the volume of raw and
finished materials which has been offered
to them for several months past and
which Is likely to continue to bo offered
for a considerable time to come.
He said it Is a fact too well known
to admit of argument that with motive
power and equipment not in first-class
condition operating expenses are largely
Increased, particularly In times of con
gestion. The average carrier is not In
clined to purchase these Items except
when earnings are at their maximum,
and when, under these conditions, earn
ings are r.r a maximum, so likewise are
the operating expenses. "We recognize
that there may be economy for a time in
periods of depression In the curtailment
of expenditure on equipment, but the
penalty Is Invariably paid through In
creased operating expenses at a time
when the maximum of operation should
call for the minimum of operating ex
pense." He urged that , the railroads,
even In times of depression, should not
practice an economy that 'would' leave
them unable to meet the demands of a
period of prosperity, but at all times
should maintain an equipment and facili
ties that would enable them to be always
prepared to meet any demands upon
them.
How railroad managers generally will
regard this eounsel It Is Impossible to
say, yet It will hardly be questioned that
there Is practical common sense In It.
Within the recent years of prosperity
and Increasing growth of Internal com
merce It has been demonstrated that the
railroads were not equal to the demands
npon them ami that fact was no Insig
nificant drawback to the country's trade.
Sagacious and far-seeing as most rail
way managers are, they had not gener
ally prepared for the great Increase of
business that came some seven or eight
years ago and even as recently as three
years ago the transportation facilities of
the country were Inadequate, with the
necessary effect 'of putting a Check
npon business operations. ' TsTie prod
ucts of the west were delayed In reach
ing the seaboard and equally the man
ufactures of the east were slow In reach-
COMPLAlSTS AOAIKST RAILROADS.
Some weeks ago the United States
senate adopted a resolution calling upon
the Interstate Commerce comriilsslon for
a report In regard to the complaints
against railroads which bad been lodged
with It. The resolution was Introduced
by Senator Elklns of West Virginia, who
stated that there was no rvnl dissatis
faction with the methods of the railroads
and that only an occasional and unim
portant protest had been filed with the
commission.
Thnt body is now working on the com
pilation of complaints against railroads
during the past five' years and members
of tho commission are reported as say
ing that they will surprise Senator El
kins with their report. It will show
that several thousand complaints have
been received, protesting against over
charges, discriminations and departures
from the published rates. A great many
of the complaints have been informal in
character, but they led to correction of
Injustices to shippers. Others were more
formal and Involved long Investigations.
The members of the commission say that
the report will show that a greot deal
has been accomplished In the past five
years In the way of holding the roads In
check.
Undoubtedly most people think as Mr.
Elklns professed to believe, that very
few complaints are lodged with the In
terstate commission against railroads,
while as a matter of fact there Is prob
ably hardly a day that a complaint Is
not submitted. The report of the com
mission In response to the senate resolu
tion will be instructive and Interesting.
THE WAR TO CQNTIXCB.
By way of Berlin It is stated that the
czar of Russia has decided that the war
shall continue and If the report be true
It simply shows that Nicholas is still
dominated by the military Influence
which was able to lead him into a posi
tion that made hostilities Inevitable. Ac
cording to the dispatch, one of the con
siderations prompting the decision of
the emperor Is the Judgment of the mili
tary stuff that the Japanese army can
not defeat the Russian forces under
Kouropatkin, but is in danger of suffer
ing defeat itself. From the beginning of
the war the military counsellors of the
czar have been telling him that Russian
defeat was Impossible, yet tn not a sin
gle Instance has It been victorious. The
Manehurlan army is now confronted by
a Japanese force equal to It In strength
and not Inferior in fighting qualities, and
commanded by officers who are at least
the peers In ability of the Russian com
manders. No one outside of .the St.
Petersburg military staff thinks there is
much danger of Japanese defeat In the
battle that is likely soon to be fought.
The decision of the czar, assuming the
report to be correct, will probably have
tho effect to stimulate military activity
on the part of Japan and It will not be
surprising to hear of additional rein
forcements being sent to Oyama and of
other movements against the Russian
position. Of one thing there Is certainty,
and that Is that Japan, with the great
advantage she has, will not take the Ini
tiative In proposing peace.
In this era of spasmodic railroad regu
lation numberless visionary schemes for
relief are suggested and projected. It
is proposed, for example, that govern
ment directors be appointed to partici
pate in the management of the various
railroads with a view to protecting the
patrons of the railroads from prevailing
abuses. As a precedent for this mode
of governmental participation In the
management of the railroads, it Is
pointed out that up to a very recent
period the Union Pacific was managed
on the Joint directory plan. Teople fa
miliar with the operation of that plan
will remember, however, that the gov
ernment directors of the Union. Pacific
never seriously disturbed or annoyed
the Credit Moblller managers In the
days of its most rank discrimination
and spoliation. The government direc
tors, to be sure, made three or four trips
over the line between Omaha and
Ogden every year and their triumphal
passage was marked, mile by mile, with
champagne bottles and other evidences
of convivial entertainment.
Senator Gibson has Introduced a bill
"by request" to refund the special as
sessment paid in to defray the cost of
a particular street Improvement, the
levy for which was later declared Ille
gal by the courts on some technicality.
Senator Gibson Is evidently unaware
what a bad precedent such a law would
establish. If It were followed up for
all the special assessments In Omaha
and South - Omaha that have been
knocked out by the courts It would
bankrupt their treasuries several times
over In all these cases, the property
owners themselves asked for the Im
provement and got Just what they
wanted and most of them had no ob
jection to paying their shares of the
cost. The proper thing would be a law
to validate and reassess the levy on
those pieces of property that have got
ten the benefits and evaded the assess
ment on hairsplitting pleas.
Inasmuch as the work of charter
revision has not yet been completed by
the Douglas delegation, The Bee ven
tures to suggest the insertion of an
amendment prohibiting the occupancy of
any public building, or any part thereof,
by private parties, whether they pay
rental for the same or are given permis
sion to occupy it without pay under any
pretext. City buildings, whether they be
the city hall or any other building, ex
cept a market house, are erected at the
public expense for the public use and
should so be maintained.
Although Governor Folk banished the
professional lobbyists from the Mis
souri capital at the beginning of the
session, the disappearance of an Im
portant bill from the files of the lower
house would Indicate that the governor's
edict has proved a dead letter. Bill
stealing Is one of the common practices
of the expert In legislative sleight-of-hand.
Turkish troops who locked up their
officers and made the commander of a
ship take them back to their home port
have thrown more light on the condition
of Turkey In a day than any nuniber.of
boards of Inquiry could have done In a
year.
Confidence Well flared.
Chicago Record-Herald.
Evidently Mr. Aldrlch was right In be
lieving the senate could be trusted not to
do anything rash or hasty In favor of the
people as against the monopolists.
Wbit'i the l ae!
Chicago Tribune.
If George Washington had this senate on
his hands he would be tempted to use some
of that strong language he is believed to
have used on rare occasions when circum
stances seemed to Justify it.
One Job at m Time.
Washington Post.
The president's order that federal office
holders who also hold offices In political
organisations must resign one position or
the other Is expected to cause a pretty com
plete change in the official roster of the
political organizations.
The Nation's Ash rile.
Leslies Weekly.
One record made by the American people
in 1904 Is not a record to which we can
point with either pleasue or pride. We re
fer to the amount of property destroyed by
fire during the year, the amount reaching
the stupendous total of $250,000,000, an tx
oess of about $115,000,000 over the year 1903,
and the largest loss ever known.
Menace of Rebaters.
Baltimore American.
The most serious Injury to the general
business of the country Wrought by the
present system of railroad management Is
not the rates openly fixed by the combina
tions so much as the rebates and special
privileges granted. While railroad mag
nates may discuss plasuibly the impolicy of
having rates fixed by the government, tHey
cannot offer a reasonable plea for rebates
and special privileges.
Vindicating; the Lowest Bidder.
OTHER I.ASD9 THA OVR.
Emlle Loubet, the president of the French
republic, completed six years of a term
which will expire on February 18, 1906, and
his political friends are trying to persuade
him to stand for re-election. There Is no
reason why he should not do so If he sees
fit, but at present he Is not disposed to en
tertain the proposition and has announced
In emphatic terms that he Is firmly decided
when his term expires to retire to rrlvate
life. Yet a good deal may happen In a
year and It Is possible that before the
next twelvemonth has run Its course M.
Loubet may be Induced to change his mind
upon this Important subject. The French
presidency hns little of the Importance
which belongs to the presidency of the
United States. In their anxiety to prevent
the repetition of such a coup d'etat as
transformed the republic of 1M9 into the em
pire of 1851 the framcrs of the Wallon consti
tution went to the other extreme and sur
rounded the office with so many disabilities
and restrictions as reduced the president to
not much more than an ornamental figure
head. Tet the office Is a great one, and
Its occupant is able In various ways to
exert a very considerable Influence. He
cannot long resist the will of the Chamber,
nor can he maintain himself under the
pressure of an adverse public sentiment,
especially when that sentiment finds ex
pression In a Justifiable ridicule. Marshal
MacMahon made a desperate effort to
secure the execution of a political program
of which the national assembly disap
proved, but Oambetta remarked that he
would either have to submit or retire, and
he was eventually compelled by the re
fusal of the Chamber to vote the necessary
appropriations to accept the latter of these
alternatives.
A well known expert In forestry, Trof.
W. Schllch, furnished some Interesting
facts concerning the work of afforestation
accomplished In India, In a lecture deliv
ered before the British Institution In Lon
don the other day. Originally India was
very heavily wooded, but the forests were
gradually destroyed, the railways contrib
uting In no small measure to the destruc
tion. It was not till 1855 that Lord Dal
housle laid down the first forest regulation,
and ten years later the first forest laws
were passed setting aside permanent gov
ernment forest areai. There are today 88,
000 square miles (9 per cent of the country)
thus reserved and 120,000 additional square
miles (11 per cent) of protected forest, ad
ministered by a body of 200 Europeans and
more than 10,000 native officials. The net
revenue of the woods and forest depart
ment has risen from 1.070,000 rupees In the
period 1862-1867, to 8.060,000 rupees In 1897
1902, and this latter revenue did not Include
produce to the amount of 3,500,000 rupees
given away to the native population. This
lesson has been taken to heart by the
rulers of some of the native states, who
have forestry departments of their own.
Now Indian forestry officers are In demand
in South, East and West Africa and also
in the Soudan.
...
There are more than 4,500 students In the
University of Moscow, nearly 4,000 In the
University of St. Petersburg and 2,500 at
Philadelphia Record.
The president's decision that the Midvale I Kiev. The attendance at the Universities
company shall have a contract for 1.000 tons 0j Kharkov, Dorpat, Warsaw, Odessa and
of armor Is a recognition of the rights of i Kazan averages about 1,400 students apiece,
the lowest bidder, and must allay any ap
prehensions on the part of naval officers
that the new ships will have to wait for
their armor. These apprehensions had a
very slender foundation and one that needs
to be looked into more closely, but the
president may be excused for feeling some
delicacy about entirely overruling the sec
retary and the department.
PI.AI DLTY'iOB1 THE SEN A Til.
Demand for Relief . from Railroad
Discrimination and Rebates.
. Leslie's Weekly.
No president of : the United States has
ever reached more closely to the hearts
of the people than Mr. Roosevelt. Born
amid tha surroundings of luxury and
wealth, bred an aristocrat and educated
at an exclusive university, he entered pub
lic life soon after he attained his major
ity, with the deep-seated purpose to seek
Justice, equity and right for all his fellow
men. His career Is an open book. In no
line of public duty has he ever flinched
from the performance of the most difficult
and dangerous tasks. As governor of New
York In the closing days of an exciting
legislative session, with the enemies of a
franchise tax law, backed by an almost
Invincible lobby, congratulating themselves
that they had checkmated him and tore
to pieces his special message calling for a
franchise tax lay, he immediately sent
In another and a more peremptory message
and the lobby fled, the legislature yielded,
the law was passed and Is on the statute
books today, and the dire consequences
predicted by its opponents have failed to
materialize. All sorts of threats against
the governor from the greatest corporate
powers were made, but the law still stands
on the books and Mr. Roosevelt la presi
dent of the United States.
As president, In a Judicial, fair-minded
and conclusive manner he has pointed out
the Injustice and hardship of the system of
rebates and discrimination adopted by the
centralized railway Interests of the coun
try to their own enrichment and to the dis
comfiture of small competitors.
The cry of the independent shippers all
over the country Is for relief from this
kind of oppression, and the president has
taken the matter up with a determination
to do Justice to all without Inflicting Injury
on any. In his annual message to congress
he made a demand for fair play, and in his
recent striking speech at the Union League
club at Philadelphia, in the presence of
some of the wealthiest men In the country,
he made a logical and conclusive argument
In favor "of an Increase in the power of
the national government to keep the great
highways of commerce open alike to all on
reasonable and equitable terms." The pres
ident added: "We are for every man, rich
or. poor, provided he acts Justly and fairly
by his fellows, and If he so acts the gov
ernment must do all It can to see that in
asmuch as he does no wrong, so he shall
suffer no wrong."
In accordance with the president's pur
pose a bill Is now before the senatethe
Townsend-Esch bill which empowers the
Interstate Commerce commission to de
clare any existing passenger or freight
rates "unreasonable," and to fix a "reason
able" rate, operative thirty days after
notice, with the right to the railroad to
appeal wlnthln sixty days to a "court of
transportation," which Is created by tha
bill. The justice and fairness of this propo
sition cannot be disputed and if a repub
lican senate should fall to carry out the
president's desire and the people's purpose
In this matter It would Invite Just retribu
tion at the polls. We do not believe that
it will fall In Its clear duty toward this
vitally Important matter, especially at this
critical time In the nation's history, when
the resentment of the masses, against the
brutality, avarice and greed of concen
trated capital In too many notable in
stances has been aroused as It never has
been before.
The republican press of the nation should
not hesitate to put itself plainly on record
in this matter, for the time has come to
prove the promises of the republican party
are made to be kept and not to be broken.
We remind the few recalcitrants among the
republican leaders of the senate that we
have an administration at Washington that
the great, intelligent, thoughtful masnes
of the American people sincerely believe
they should swear by and not at I
and there are several smaller institutions of
higher education In oilier cities. Altogether
the universities of Russia are educating
about 19,000 young men and women, or al
most three times as many as attended such
Institutions thirty years ago. Needless to
say, they represent much of the empire's
best In intelligence, strength of character
and power to serve the state. So conscious
Is the government of the need of educated
men to lead the Industrial, commercial,
professional and military life of the country
that, notwithstanding its persecution of
politically progressive students, It en
courage the development of the universi
ties. x
Yet the students are always a source of
uneasiness and often of grave anxiety to
the Imperial court and the ministers of the
czar. They are geneirally very advanced In
their views, only a few, comparatively,
siding with the reactionary Imperial princes
and their retainer.
Among other curious features which make
Turkey an anomaly In Europe and among
modern governments is the ban against
electricity in the dominions of the sultan.
There are no electric lights, yet there are
gas plants: there are no telephones, yet the
Turks utilize the telegraph; and the first
electric railway is to be built, although
steam roads are no longer a novelty. It
will not be long, however, before this bar
rier to progress will be removed, for, ac
cording to United States Consul Ravndal,
plans for an electric railway and for elec
trlo lighting at Damascus are under serious
consideration. That such a project should
be taken up In this, the oldest surviving
city in history, Indicates that Turkey Is
about to keep step, in this respect at least,
with the modern world. High government
officials are Interested In the Damascus
lighting undertaking, for which $260,000 la
to be raised. Ahmed Izzet Pasha, second
secretary to the sultan, and his brother,
Mustafa Bey, have both promised to take
stock, as has also the council of the prov
ince. If this should prove the entering
wedge which It seems, there is a field for
the immediate attention of American elec
trical engineers, manufacturers and pro
moters. A Russian correspondent of the London
Statist, vouched for by that Journal as "In
a postlon to have the very best Informa
tion," asserts "that the average revenue of
a peasant In Russia is only $10 a year, of
which sum he has to pay $4.50 for the needs
of the government." As the Statist re
marks, that "may well appear incredible
to the ordinary reader." How a man can
live on less than 3 cents a day in Russia
or In any other cold climate Is not capable
of explanation. The strikers in Warsaw,
the correspondent says, work 69 hours a
week, and weavers there earn only $3.06.
while other workers get less. -"They are not
allowed to form labor unions, a very neces
sary reatrlctton when the pay is so meager.
Agricultural laborers receive very much
less pay. But the czar receives $12,000,000
annually, with free palaces and other
things, and the grand dukes, etc., are paid
in proportion. Russia will never have what
may be called a settled government under
such conditions.
...
Ellesmere land, which has Just been an
nexed by the Canadian government, is In.
tlm&tely associated with the voyages of
Tarry, Franklin, Narea, McClintock and
other explorers of the Arctlo regions. All
the territories Included under the name
have nominally belonged to the British em
pire since 1819, when they were claimed on
behalf of George III by Sir William E.
Parry, at that time Lieutenant Parry, on
his first voyage to the Arctic. Ellesmere
island, or a it la termed, Ellesmere land,
consists of 18,000 square miles; North Devon,
another island, has an area of 21,000 square
miles, and North Somerset Is 10,000 square
miles In extent. They have heretofore been
classified as a part of the northwest terri
tory called Franklin, In memory of Sir
John Franklin. The territory is 690.0D0
square miles in extent, and consists of all
the Arctlo islands belonging to British
North America. Ellesmere land t sepa
rated from Greenland by Smith Sound, and
possesses a range of mountains rising from
1.000 to 6,000 feet above the level of the sea.
The Islands are by no meuns unpopulated,
though, so far as Is known, no census ha
ever been taken. The Inhabitants, of course,
Lare Esquimaux. .
POLITICAL DRIFT.
One more week of congresa. But don't
get gay. The legislature Is with us.
Efopus was not wholly wiped off the map
last fall. An elopment was pulled off there
Inst week.
A remarkable symptom of reform appears
In Chicago. Two officeholders have paid
their back taxes.
Congressional eulogists of the late Senator
Quay never mentioned his great talent in
shaking the plum tree.
John M. Harlan, republican candidate for
mayor of Chicago, is a son of Associate
Justice Harlan of the supreme court.
The Ciar of all the Russians gets $12,000,-
ood a year and President Roosf-velt $50,000.
The mikado of Japan gets J.ooo.ooo yen a
year. A yen Is equal to a silver dollar.
Indiana's Ananias is a wise one. Realis
ing the handicap of his name he produced
the money as evidence of hie charge of leg
islative bribery. There is no chance to
Commerford him.
Much persuasion was required to Induce
Governor Stokes of New Jersey to wear a
silk hat on the day of his inauguration. It
Is recorded for the benefit of governors In
general that the tall cady caught the crowd
and the cheers.
Legislators are mighty sensitive In spots
The governor of Rhode Island cent to the
state senate a message reciting reports
that a senator had told a man, "Get $2,000
and we will put your bill through." There
was other scandalous matter which the
governor called attention to, and then ad
vised the senate to Investigate Itself. Rela
tions are now strained between the gov
ernor and the senate, for the message was
returned to the chief magistrate, as a re
buke to his reflection upon the honor of
co-ordinate branch of government.
TUB PRESIDENT ASD HIS PARTY.
'Good Time for Even Temper and
Sound Thinking-."
Washington Star (Rep.).
It is probably a hasty calculation, or one
dictated by desire, that sees In the episode
of the arbitration treaties the beginning of
a serious break between the president and
his party. Why should it go that far?
Why, Indeed should It go beyond its pres
ent limits? The very effort to make It
serve a further purpose should put the re
publican leaders on their guard. It is a
good time at both ends of the avenue for
even temper and sound thinking about the
future. The new lease of power voted in
November has not yet begun, and there are
a number of Important things that should
be attended to by the party In commis
sion. Only ten years have passed since a great
political organization was wrecked by dif
ferences between the executive and con
gress. The democracy had full swing when
it returned to power In 1893. Its majorities
In congress were not large, but large
enough, and business of the highest Im
portance awaited action. But Mr. Cleve
land faced in one direction, and the ma
jority of hla party in congress faced In the
other, and the result waa a clash, and then
chaos. And out of the chaos sprang the
Bryan movement of 1896. By that time the
democratic party was In a state of angry
demoralization, and the great majority of
Its members were ripe for anything that
roundly repudiated Clevelandlsm.
We have not the counterpart of that sit
uation today. The party which won the
fight In 1892 was a confederacy of loosely
Joined factions, requiring the most delicate
handling. It was likely to go to pieces over
the very questions finance and the tariff
which confronted It, and it met that fate.
But the republican party of today is a
homogeneous party, and has been indorsed
at the polls upon a platform about the
meaning of which there can be no good
reason for quarreling. The country Is rest
ing easy in its confidence that the platform
will be adhered to, and that nothing of
more recent date will be permitted to divide
or confuse those In whom it has expressed
its pleasure. Nothing could be plainer than
the duty of the republicans to keep their
organization In shape and move on in solid
column.
There is probably some warm times
ahead, but they needi not foreshadow disas
ter. While the republican party Is, as a
rule, better drilled than Its rival, it is a
party of perfectly free expression, and any
member with an opinion usually finds a
hearing for it.
v mn Iff m
CBEAB3 -
BMW
Improves the flavor
and adds to the health
fulness of the food.
FLASHES OF FIJI.
"Time Is money," quoted the Wise Ouy.
"Yes, especially at the pawn brokers!
rate of interest." added the Simple Mug.-
Philadelphia Bulletin.
Weary Wraggles Leddy, I'll saw soma
wood for youse if youae'll gimme some hot
grub.
Mrs. Flrstflore BulL my good roan, can't
you see this is a flat? We mirn only gas.
Weary Wraggles Den, leddy, I'll turn oa
de gas fer youse. Louisville Courier-Jour
nal. a
"He was knocked down by nn automo-i
bile, you know, and he got $2,ouU damngea
from the follow."
"Goodness! 1 wondor what he'll do with,
the moneyT"
"Oh! he's spent It; bought the fellow'
automobile with it." Philadelphia Press.
Mrs. Bacon I see there are 30,000 drfl
goods stores in the United States.
Mr. Bacon I'll Just write that down,
dear. It may be of some help to tne when
you want mo to mutch the next piece of
worsted for you. Yonkers Statesman.
Bomfl people, gum inirem, two uhbji
making mistakes. Funny, Isn't It?"
"Oh, I don't know," replied Kaustlrk.
"Of course, there are some people who
never had tho henelit of your advice."
Philadelphia Ledger.
Stranger So this Is the Sheep-RIacka.
mansion. Have they many family se "
crets?
The Butler Yes, Indeed, sir. Why, they
have so many skeletons In their closets)
the place looks like the catacombs. Detroit
Tribune.
They were exceedingly smart young men,
and they proceeded to have fun with the
dlenlfled waiter.
When he approached their table to take
their order they stood up and yelled In
unison: . I
"Half dozen raw!" M
"I see vou are. young gentlemen," replied
the imperturbable functionary. "What will
you have?" Chicago Tribune.
"Do you observe the golden rule?" aaked
the earnest man. .
Frequently, answerea tne coia-oiooaea,
person. It is so popular as a murai crec
oration that one can't help observing It."-
Washington Star.
ORCHARD LANDS OF LON'Q AGO.
James Whltcomb Riley.
The orchard lands of long ago!
Ah, drowsy winds, awake and blow
The snowy blossoms back to me
And all the buds that utied to be!
Blow back again the grassy ways,
Oh, truant feet, and lift the haxe
Of happy summer from the trees
That trail their tresses in the sea
Of grain thnt float and overflow
The orchard lands of long ago!
Blow back the melody that slips-
In hazy laughter from the Hps
That marvel much that any kiss
Is sweeter than the apple Is.
Blow back the twitter of the birds,
The lisp, tha thrills and all the words
Of merriment that found the shine
Of summer time a glorious wine,
That drenched the leaves that loved It SO
In orchard lands of long ago!
Oh, memory! Alight and sing
Where rosy-bellied pippins cling,
And golden russets glint and gleam
As In the old Arabian dream
The fruits of that enchanted tree
The glnd Alnddln robbed for me!
And drowsy winds, awake and fan
My blood as when It overran
A hnnrt ripe as the apples grow,
In orchard lands of long ago!
COAL WOOD COKE KINDLING
We sell the best Ohio Cooking Coal-clean, hot, lasting.
Rock Springs, Hanna, Sheridan, Walnut Block, Steam Coal.
Best medium grade is Illinois Nut $6; Egg and Lump $6.29.
For heaters and furnaces Cherokee Nut $5.25; Lump
$S.50. A hot burner-Missouri Nut( large size $4.50; Lump
$4.75. Scranton-the best Pennsylvania Anthracite mined.
Spadra-the hardest and cleanest Arkansas Anthracite.
All coal hand-eoreonod and weighed over any city eoales desired.
COUTANT & SQUIRES, "l&MX&l"
ran
w
Our Clothin
indows
are" filled with values that should interest anyone who de
sires a suit, overcoat or an extra pair of trousers, not only
for the balance of this season, hut next as well. There are
jorae very low prices and as this will be the hiHt chance be
fore we open our spring garments, special attention is di
rected to this MARK DOWN.
But if your wardrobe is complete, possibly this damp
weather will turn your thoughts to "Jtain Coats" a great
line of the serviceable coats in all colors and mixtures,
and the only garment for spring wear, and anywhere in
price from $10.00 to $30.00.
NO CLOTHING FITS LIKE OURS.
R. S. WILCOX, Mgr.
r. '
