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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 1907)
THE OMAHA DAILY BEE:" MONDAY. FEBRUARY 4, 1907. Tiie Omaha Daily Dee FOUNDED BT EDWARD ROSEWATER. VICTOR ROSEWATER. EDITOR. Entered at Omaha poet office s seoond tins matter. t -V ' TERMS or SUBSCRIPTION. pally B (without Sunday) one year. 14 00 fially Hn and Sunday, on year J. Sunday Re-, on year J " Saturday He. on year ' DELIVERED BY CARRIER. rajy pea (Including- Sunday), per week. .ISO elry He (without Sunday), per week. ..10c Evening Bee (without Sunday), per week. Go Evening Bea (with Sunday) per week... .11 Address compalnts of irregularities la de livery to City Circulating Department orncES. Omaha Tha Boa Building. Soutk.Omaha City Hall Building. Council II luff a 10 Pearl Street Chicago 140 Unity Building. New York-lSo Home 1.1 fa In. Building. Waahlngton oi Fourteenth Street CORRESPONDENCE. ' " Comurtlcatlons relating to news snd edi torial' matter ahould be addreaaad: Oman Be Editorial Department. REMITTANCES. Remit' by draft, exprer or postal order, payable to The Bea Publishing Company. Only l-ent stamps received In pjyment or mall accounts. Personal checks, except on Omaha or eaatm exchanges, not accepted. THE BEE PUBLISHING COM PANT. STATEMENT OP CIRCULATION. State of Nebraska. Douglaa County, aa: Charlea C. Roaewaterr general manager of The Bee Publlahlng company, being duly worn, aaya that the actual number of full and complete coplea of The Dally, Morning. Evening and Sunday Bee printed during th mntifh nt Jimmrv. 19ir7. Wa aa follow": 1. .. 3000 2.. 3880 I .3170 4. 3100 I.. 3100 30,000 7..... 3160 I.... ......3800 17 . .irfw If 31,0 !.. 81,790 20. 30,300 21 8100 13,000 21 . ... 31,640 24 S1.W0 . . 10. . ... .8800 ....33,040 ....31,870 ....38,050 ....80,400 ....31,730 ....3130 ....83,180 St.. 2. . V, 2. . 79.. to.. ,. .81,700 ,.31,880 , .30,500 , .31,830 , .8159 .31,390 , .8180 Total...--". .88880 . 8,134 Leaa unaold and returned coplea Net total 87348 Dally average 81,301 CHARLES C. ROSE WATER, General Manager. Stibacrlbed In my presence and aworn to before ma thle tlat day of January, 1(07. (Seal) ROBERT HUN'lER. Notary Public. WHEN OIT OP TOWK, Babecrlbere leavlaa; the elty teai. uorarlly should liav Tke Be mailed to them. Addreea will, ka. ekaagta aa oftaai aa requested. Tho railway block syitem ia not ef fective la the hands of blockhead op oratora. " Up to date the earthquake has not been asiigned as a causa, of the car shortage. Tho ground hog is clearly open to contempt of court proceedings as an ally of the Coal trust. "Salome" and Senator Tillman's minstrels have both been withdrawn as offensive to the public taste. Chicago Is making as much fua Ot0r the grain rate aa though it dealt la Veal, grain, Instead of options. Water wagon drivers in Chicago have gone on a strike.' Chances are they didn't have passengers enough left to make It pay. New York is to increase its police force from 8,000 to 10,000 men. Look like a confession that Dr. Parkhurst'a reform efforts have been futile. It Is Senator Aldrlch of Nebraska, not 8enator Aldrlch of Rhode Island, who is actively pressing legislation for the regulation of railway rates. . "How to Treat Senator Tillman" la tho subject of an article in the New York World, which has evidently, for gotten that the senator is a teetotaler. Canadian lobster packers are fight ing a bill requiring them to piece dates on their packing. Yet the lob ater and the date usually go together, Looking at it in one way, 'the Omaha minister who preached a aer mon against dealing In futures would appear to be knocking his own bust oesa. It might have been more satisfac tory If the Thaw trial had been hold during Lent, in order not to Interfero with other social functions in New York. The conductors' reports right after March 4 will show how many eon gressmen retain their passes on the ground that they are railway em ployes. . A few more grand jury Investtga- tiona may convince United States sen ators that a certificate of election Is nq proper collateral to offer for loans from privileged corporations f Coffee exportatlona from Java have been stopped by the revolutionists. Most Americans have become so accus tomed to drinking near-coffee that tbey will hardly notice the difference. Oklahoma proposes to select a state flower at ber constitutional eonven tlon., The way Oklahoma's suggestions are being turned down at Washington suggwts that the lemon would be aa appropriate state flower. If we are to have a new federal judge there ia no good reason why bo should not come from Omaha. We aro sure several capable lawyers at tho local tar would bo willing to exchange their practice for a life tarm at hard service on the bench. Nebraska lawmakers will ant that a county option bill practically the same aa that pending before them has met with untimely death at the bands of the South Dakota legislature. The new prohibition Is not finding much favor In our neighboring state on the Brth; . Congress has practically decided to reat the Indian no longer as a ward. With 8 mistaken Impression that the Indian of Oklahoma, Indian Territory and some of tho northwestern states were still wearing blankets and living In wigwams, the authorities at Wash- ngtoa hare gone on year after year pending money -belonging to the In dian for eiperlments With " theoretical Ideas of bringing the red man to an appreciation of the white man's meth ods. A subcommittee of the senatef after a rlatt to Oklahoma and the In dian Territory, has secured on amend ment to the Indian appropriation bill conforming to the real status of the Indian of today. The Indians there are to be given -their lands In, allot-, menta and allowed id dlspoe:sf them; as they please, with the exception 6f a forty-acre homestead, which cannot be alienated for twenty-five years. - The necessity of such an amend ment ia shown by the peculiar condi tions existing in the Indian-' Territory. With an area about equal to that of Indiana and a population approximat ing (00,000, the Indian population of the territory is less than 80,000, of hlch less thatf 2.000 are what In known as "blanket Indians." ' et 400,000 white people are to be found located In the territory, without the privilege of buying or owning lands, without schools, without roads,, with out asylums or any of the necessities of civilisation except such as they have been able to secure through the suffer ance of the Indians. Those familiar ith the situation have marveled for years that the Indian Territory, oy reason of the opportunity for conflict, has not been one rule of riot Nearly all the Indians of the terri tory are educated as well as th aver age resident of the frontier districts. They dreas well, conduct business en terprises successfully and hold thlr own with the white men in every re spect. They have long1 felt their quali fications for caring for their own for tunes, a responsibility the government now promises to place upon them. The new law will remove restrictions, that have long' served to naraper the" devel opment of one of the most promising sections of the southwest. If the Int dlan of Indian Territory has the rignt stuff tn him he will prosper along with the white man it not, he will soon be crowded out altogether. RED VCKD MA 1L CARR TlSO A LLliWA NCK The estimated reduction of $12,000, 000 in the compensation to railroads tor carrying the malls in the postal appropriation aa it jrill he introduced in the house Is a long-delayed step In the right direction, and has a very lm Dortant bearing on the question of postage rates.. It has long been known that the excessive allowances to the carrier companies ' more than .. ac- coatated for the large annual detci W of tho departments. These deficits have been the basis of efforts to Impose higher postage rates on second-class mail, on' newspapers and periodicals, On the grpund that 1 cent a pound Is not compensatory for the service. which la mainly transportation. Cogent proofs are abundant that the second-class rate Is actually re munerative so far aa legitimate news papers are concerned, considered purely as freight, and saying nothing of the enormously stimulating effect of their " Circulation upon., the volume at the highest postage rate. The In dubitable fact Is that the roads actu ally favor express companies far more than the government on matter alnil lar to newspaper mail. The express companies carry, a large amount of newspaper matter considerably below 1 cent a pound tn competition with the postal department heflever It can be delivered In time," It Is a 'further fact that not a little newspaper weight is carried by railroads direct at quarter of a cent a pound. None of this newspaper b'ulk bandied by rail roads and express companies without ever getting Into the mails At all 18 carried at a loss. . Tho .material reduction la railroad compensation In the committee's .bill la the most Important reform step, at tempted by congress In the postal field In many a day, because the abuse a bleb It attacks Is parent to innumer able other abuses. It Is, however, i rocky road that this provision will have to travel 'through congress amidst the powerful Influences against It before It can become a law. rOLLOWlNQ THE RIGHT PRECEDENT The first monthly financial state ment made by State Treasurer Brian hows that Nebraska's a'ew treasurer Is following the' right precedent. t Tho exhibit gives .' (he amount of m6ney constituting tho balance In each state fund at the beginning and like wise at the end of the month, Includ ing thfr various trust funds, such as tho permanent school fund And the permanent university" fund, and- also the place of deposit, and'.acnotint of bank balances, which foot up" to a penny with the total aieney on hand. This means that Treasurer Brian, fol lowing tho example of former Treas urer Mortenaen, proposes to account for tho trust funds the same as for the current funds and to turn into tho trsasury tho Interest earned on all moneys la his custody, without again raising tho oulbble. about .the trust funds being exempt from the provi sions of tho depository law. Looking back to, the time before Treasurer Mortenaen Introduced this rule, It Is amazing to recall how sue- I cessivo state treasurers, republican and populist alike, split hairs oa tho scope of the depository law ta order to jus tify themselves ta farming out the schools funds and pocketing the Inter A named oaThem. ' "Tho pretense was made that 'iq- record the deposit of this money In a bank would be the earn as- admitting Its embeislement and Inviting criminal prosecution, and so tho practice was pursued of deposit ing tho money in banks or loaning It out without public record and secretly embesiling the Interest Income. When Treasurer Mortensen openly announced the deposit of tho school funds and began crediting back the in terest, as every strictly honest man would do, tho talk about prosecuting him for technical embezzlement died out at once, and the very suggestion now would be scouted as . part of a deep laid plot to f resurrect the dis carded custom of treasury farming for personal profit. Without anticipating the policy of the new treasurer, It Is none tho leaa satisfactory td note ''that his first monthly statement figures out right. . THE 8TKKL COMBINE' S EARNINGS. The net earnings of the United States Steel corporation for the year 190S reached the stupendous sum of $166,619,111 almost as much as the total net cash In the United States treasury, less reserve fund, the first of the year; nearly $20,000,000 more than the total pensions of the United States in 1906; nearly as much as the total gold in tha Bank of England, and almost exactly equivalent to the total value of iron and steel exported from the United States last year. And after setting aside Immense sums for main tenance and - enlargement of plant, sinking fund, etc., the giant combine actually paid a remunerative average return on its billion and a half capital ization, fully half of which Is believed to, have been water, at the time of or ganisation. Nor does the annual report given Out at the directors' meeting Wednes day indicate any less extraordinary re sults during the present year. Plant ad ditions during the last year will mate rially Increase the output, and this for the most part has already been en gaged for the first three quarters. The operations of the United States com pany, too, have been duplicated by the independent .companies, some of which are Immense ' concerns, according to their several capacities. The steel and iron trade Is justly accepted as one of the most accurate exponents of universal, business, .ris ing and falling with its fluctuations. The scope of the United States com-. bine Js so comprehensive that its expe rience during the year and its present outlook must be taken as a reflex of pervading industrial conditions. ; STRAIN LOAD AND BltlP LOAD. The same principle that has caused the increase of the train load has also been revolutionizing the steamship load. Within the few years during which the average train load has risen from less than '200 tons to over . 400 tons tha steamship load has far more than doubled, and astonishing further increases are now being made. The new steamship Europa, for the Hamburg-American line, will be. 720 feet long, 80 feet beam, 42,000 tons displacement and equipped to ' carry 4.70D passengers. . There are already built or building a large number of ship as big as the Europa. . Ocean transit is certainly matching railroad feata when a single liner now can carry In its cabins the equivalent of a half dozen great national conventions or the whole population of a good sized city, and Jo Its hold several hun dred big train loads of freight. Yet these enormous enlargements of the loads of a train or a ship mate rially reduce the actual cost of carry ing . a passenger or a ton of freight, and the present scale, incredible as it would have seemed only a few years ago, Is known to be still far below the possible maximum. ' " ' The new federal judiciary bill pur ports to abandon the division of Ne braska into two. districts, but nonethe less provides certain divisions with the further requirement that all cases mast be tried in the division in which they arise.- It is asserted by those who are competent to speak that in th recent land fencing - conspiracy cases no indictment would ever have been found and no conviction ever have been recorded had the court been compelled to select tho juries from tho district in which tho land frauds were committed. This ex planation may throw some light on the new bill as well as on tho old bill. Tho attention of the Commercial club has been called by Postmaster Palmer to the desirability of a revision of (he train' schedule oa the North western road,, so as to be less discrim inating against the business Interests of Omaha. Omaha is more poorly ac commodated by the train schedules of tho railroads radiating from this point than any other city in Us class. Tho railroads would not hurt themselves any by consulting the convenience of the business houses hero that depend on them for their malls and recipro cate with their traffic. Census statistics just published at Washington show that property val ued la excess of 1500,000,000 was de stroyed by fire In 1906, while the total expended in buildings for tho year was a little less than $605,000,000. The heavy loss from. fire has never been equalled In the history of the coun try, and should emphasise tho neces sity of more stringent building regula tions n all of tho larger cities of tho country. It should mark tho doom of frame buildings in business dis tricts. Interstate Commerce Commissioner Lane In an address at San Francisco declared that the practice of the rail roads 'mUlug la politics brings tnem more Into "dlsrepule" fth the people than anything lse the? do. Mr. Lane should come to Nebraska and repeat that speech to a select audience of railroad managers and lobbyists whose names can be easily secured for the Invitation list. Governor Bhejdon has at last discov ered the charges.. against the members of the Omaha. Board of Fire and Po lice Commissioners among the accou trements of the executive office be queathed to him by his predecessor. It is not near enough the end of Gov ernor Sheldon's lerm, however, for him to count on handing the package on to some one who is to come after him. r That carryall driver who upset a carload of distinguished law-makers on a tour of inspection of Nebraska state institutions should be hauled un ceremoniously before the bar of the house on a charge of contempt. The .legislature -must maintain unimpaired Its monopoly of bumping people. The wolf scalp bounty must be a remnant of the fiat money craze. Cash ing wolf scalps Into dollar bills by presentation to the state treasury Is not dissimilar to the coining of 50 cents' worth of bullion Into a sliver dollar by presentation at tho govern ment mint. For some unaccountable reason the legislature has knocked out a bill pro viding for a Hen on wells for unpaid claims due the well digger. This in justice ought to have a remedy even If the well digger has to be authorized to dig up the well and take It with him. Inasmuch as the intention is to put In barges instead of ice boats, the de lay In organizing the Omaha and Mis souri River Navigation company will not cause much inconvenience while the thermometer is below zero. , The automobtlists seem to be singu larly neglected in the bill hopper, at the state capitol. The farmers must be becoming reconciled to the whls wagons scaring the colts and playing havoc with the chickens. Carrie Nation says she cannot un derstand Why she was denied admis sion to the White Houbo. Possibly the president feejahe can do his own smashing when occasion demands. Good Thlnar Pnah It Along. Cleveland Plain Dealer. It la stated that an Illinois medicine com pany has been forced Into bankruptcy with $80,000 liabilities by the enforcement of tha pure food law. At the aame time that will not arouae any general demand to have the law repealed. Coal Roada la C'oart. ' - Philadelphia Record. The whole story of the relations between the anthracite railroads and the lhds pendent anthracite producer, which . the Interstate Commerce commission ha only partially explored, may be brought out In court. : One of the independent producers has commenced suit against a railroad company which refuse to escute a trans portation contract he had with an under lying company, and there la Involved In the caae the entire process by which' the coal road have been gradually forcing the Independent out of business. Pabllo sad Private Owatnklp, New York Preaa. The publicly owned and operated street car line of Scotland and England provide ample car for the public at all times, In rush hours and alack houra; th private monopolies of New York, in contrast, never do. Every passenger in a Olaagow car ha a a seat; In New York one In three la lucky to get a seat. The publicly owned and op erated .car In Oreat Britain provide and for a cheaper fare a ride and a seat. For a larger fare the private monopoly here provide a ride without a aeat. One give ample and comfortable transportation;-the other an experience of Indecency, brutality and extortion. . ' Coca I me Draar Evil. Baltimore New. Tha cocaine evil I more rampant in some southern cities than It I here and the need of measure of special severity to repress It I fully recognised. The drug la so easy to conceal and carry about and Its effect upon th nervous system so prompt and potent that Its use seems to have come about as a bandy substitute for alcohol. warranted to "make the drunk come1 quicker ' than the strongest tanglefoot whisky. At all events. It has taken hold on an element of the population liy various cities and as Its uae spreads It leave trail of Insanity and death. The increase of Insanity among the colored populatloa la already very marked and this new vice will augment the Influences that are al ready overcrowding the public aaylums. HIMA.MTY. Corporatloaa Wltfcoat Boat. bat Maaaarera Have Hearts. Brooklyn Eagle. It . ha passed into'' a proverb that cor poratlon have, no aoula. Fortunately, the man- who manage corporation often have heart. The new item which tella how the 8t. Paul railroad ran a apeclal train 100 mile to carry to a aurgeon a brake- man who had hia foot cut oft la at least uggeatlv. W do not imagine that the superintendent who ordered this action will be a candidate for a ttfa-eaver'a medal, and we have no Idea that tha president of th road who will approve the course Jaken will expect a vote of thanka from the union to which tha brakaraan belonged. They will no more seek to star their generosity than do the mine-owning corporation man ager when score of men are buried by a dispensation of Providence, -and it take thousand of dollar to dig the victim out. "Every generalisation is false," aald a witty Frenchman, adding, after a pauaa, "even thla one." Corporation have no soul. A manager of corporation property 1 a trustee who can only be generous with other people's money. Therefor, the Inhumanity of corporations must exceed that of Nero, who had momenta of pity; and of Caligula, who sometime relieved distress. Reason that way. a far aa you like, and your , generalisation la false. Stockholder are men. Director are men. Managers and superintendents and foremen are men. Tbey have Indignation to ; be tlrred; scorn to be aroused, tear to be had. And when th emergency come, and th live of th humblest employe ar In peril, the newa file of American news papers will show that corporations ar very, very rarely derelict In the matter of hu mane compassion, oven- when humane com pa. salon Involves sortou 'expenditure of dollars and eat. . ' BITS Or WASHINGTON I.trB. Mlaar Seeaea aad larldeato Sketched tho' Spot. Senator Thomas Collier Tlatt of New Tork, the "Easy Boea" of other days, ia moving Into the deep shadow of oblivion practically deserted by Ma former follow, era. His famous pie counter, uaually well Stocked, has not enough on It now to tempt the poorest hobo of tha Empire lata. The famous "Amen comer" la aa voiceless as a tomb, and the equally famous express office, 29 Broadway, has new tenants. On top of theee wrecked temples of former greatneaa rises Mra. Piatt, defying the aged senator by lnetl tutlng aulta agmlnat Waahlngton papers for 1300,000 damages for publishing the story of last summer's tour In which Coachman Hedges figured aa valet and guest. This eplaode Is auppoeed to have caused the separation of tha Piatt a. widely reported laat fall. To stir up the meaa In the courts of Waahlngton within earahot of the Ben ate la th crueleat cut of all and lends a touch of pathoa to tha Hgure of the bowed senator participating in tha opening pray er or tna senate. Indulging In reminiscence of times that are past the old Inhabitant said to a party Of friends that tha coming of a member of the Hebrew race to congrea from the west in the person of Mr. Ouggenhelm of Colorado, Would be eomewhat of an In novation. "There have beea Jew in both house of congreaa, but as far back as I can remember," he remarked to a Wash. Ington Post interviewer, "there have been none or tne tribe of Israel from th far W AW r ... V - i ""i" nttrw ueen i rum oiner ec tlons, and they have ever been faithful and Induatrioua men. To the south alone." he continued, "be. longa the palm of having sent th greatest man or ail Judea's clans to the United etatea senate. I allude to Senator Ben la- min of Louisiana, named after the ancient ana nonorea patriotic Judah, the progeni tor oi a noble race. Judah P. Benjamin wa an orator among orator, and I have heard hi sliver tongue In debate for th. demanda of the south whftn the whole en- cemea peiioouna. 'To my dying day," he assured hia n. teners. "I will remember hi valedlotory wnn ma iaie, Loullana, seceded from me union. There wer great men In the senate from all parte of tha nnun- that dy. they were all in their seats on tha occasion. The galleries wer crowded, as they always were at that per ilous period In the nation's history. Benja min wa a snort, chunky man. somewhat of tha build of Stephen A. Douglas. He had very black hair, an olive completion, and bright, piercing dark evea witi. .u he wa the personification of dignity and courtesy. 1 recollect a part of hi perora- iiu.i vno ending or It. on that div v he aald, addresalng the republican of the enate, of whom William H. Beward'was probably the most conspicuous, -you may conquer us, you may defeat us, you may , ui you can never, nmttmr subjugate ust Never! Never! Never! He sat uown. ana mere was for a moment a pro- .ounu Biience. Alter a few second a man In the gallery clapped hi hands together. It was the signal for a volcanic explosion sppiauae such as I never heard before or ainee, ana i have seen the gallerle In oom douse or congress stirred proper limits many times." beyond " T, I- - . . " " " mmw wea jamea Wllaon has, In this day of graft, with respect to th duty an Inventor who use government time and naienais nas toward that governments He holds that whatever the man Invents should be patented for tha benefit of the whole people and be given to them for their use without price. , Two fit . tiit schntits nnder Wilson. !re lates the' Pittsburg PIspatch, . have per fected a mechanical apparatus to be used In ascertaining the amount of moisture In grains.. It Is to be used in the grading of corn, wheat and oats when the farmer brings them to market. Any Intelligent layman will be able to iise It. Secretary Wilson ordered it patented and dedicated to the people of the United States for their free manufacture and use. The people of foreign countries have to pay royaltle on it. With that apparatus the farmer will be able to tell the grade of the grain he take to market and compel payment for that quality instead of being paid for No 3 wheat and then finding that th elevator where he sold it disposed of It a No L which ha been tha practice In the north west to such an extent that congrea took charge of the grading of grain and put the work Into the hands of Secretary Wil son, i, . . Wilson's scientists have patented a toxin that destroy the germ of hog cholera and a process for the propagation and dis tribution of nltrogen-gatlu-rlng bacteria which enables farmer to fertilise field that have been robbed of nitrogen without Inoculating them with piece of od brought from land known to have th little In sect needed to restore the proper amount of nitrogen by taking It from the air. Th two invention would have made the ln ventora millionaire, but Wilson compelled the Inventors, who were working on gov emment time and ualng government labors, tories. to dedicate their discoveries to the free use of the people of this country. That appear to be th quintessence of a square deal for the people who are pay ing the bills. It is notable, however, be cause of the different practice In the War and Navy department. In the army and navy when an officer who ha been palcf for hi tlm and ha used ' government materials and labora tories to perfect an invention it Is the cus tom for the officer, to give the free use of hU Invention to the government. If the government as an organisation desires to uae his patent. If It does not and they usually see to It that It does not-the In ventor Is held to be at liberty to sell hi Invention to a Arm or corporation which will use it and compel the government to pay royalties. That I the exact condition with respect to the amnkeless powder used by th navy. Tha patent Is owned by a naval officer! The Navy department has th right to uae the patent, but it refuae to do so. So th officer ha transferred the patent to the Powder trust, which exacts 70 cents a pound for powder which reliable uwiIm maker will contract to furnish for not to exceed J cents a pound, If permitted to use th patent worked out on the time of the government and with the material belonging to the government. Wilson holds that the law allowing free patent If the Inventor will allow the gov. eminent to us th Invention ahould be construed to mean th people of the United State Instead merely of the organisation called tha government. Gettlaar Aloac Katrlr Well. Cincinnati Enquirer. Five Spanish ministries have collapsed within the last eight months. Still, Spain seem to be getting along better than for many generation before. Minister are not so almighty steady In th United State, and we. too, aro getting along well, at leaat fairly welL I There a Workable- Resaedyf Philadelphia Record. Th statute of limitation aeema to ran equally In favor of th Standard Otl trust whether it be applied to past crime or to proposed means of punishment, i Tito Inter, state Commerce commission has convinced Itself of the atrocious Iniquity of the Stand ard, but aeem unable to find any suitable workable remedy. TIP OM TTIR l.KfJISI. ATVRfC. Kearney Hub: .The legislature ha been scratching th aurfac of th printing truat In Nebraska. If It dig deep enough It may find something worth while. Tosslmy a good argument could be found for estab lishing a stste printing office. ( Plattsmouth Journal: During the season. when the bottom has dropped out of the roads and the whole country la a veritable sea of mud, a prayer will go up to the Nebraska legislature . (If It ha not ad journed before that time) to sidetrack all legislation and gtvs us a more practical road law. Those who ., want better roads should get in their work with their repre sentatives right now. Lynns Mirror: Th Nebraska legislature la a rotten farce. It will not fulfill a sin gle pledge made during campaign. It will not paas any anti-pass, lower freight and passenger - rates or any other law for (the relief of the people without, having tacked Oft to th bottom of each one the words, "unles,"' "except." "perhaps" and many similar ' words which makes a law invalid to the people's Interest. Beatrice Sun: The county option 'bill Is going to be on of the disturbing elements In the legislature this winter, aa was pre dicted hut fall. . But like all good things It has been overworked and th really good people who thought to regulate the cities by th help of th country vote now And that If the country ahould go wet It will lay down th bar at all place and practically kill local option. It I a hard matter to make a square plug At Into a round bole. Aurora Bun: Tb republican in the legis lature are now claiming aa a defense that their platform did not provide for a t-cnt passenger rat. That Is tru. But It Is also true that, the republican candidate for th legislature, tn order to save their hides, made, such a promise In order to secure sufficient votes for their election. Buoh was th case In Hamilton county with both our representative . and stst senator. , Orand Island . Independent: . The Ne braska legislature . should net . forget a more stringent law governing th sal of morphine, opium, cocaine and other do pea. WhU It might be .well to enact a law regulating the sal of proprietary medi cine, patterned closely after th. national measure, the indiscriminate sal of th drug named, as now practiced In this state, does Infinitely more harm than the so-called patent preparations. Wood River Sunbeam: If the legisla ture lays down upon the republican plat forrn and refuse to enact any of the leg islation therein specified. Such a they want to do With tho direct primary law, what's the use of a man standing up for his' party hefeaftert -The -people of Ne braska are entltfed to at least one session of the legislature wherein laws ar made for their benefit,' and if this session does not do something pretty soon, the members should have no claims in the rank of the party. . Lyon Mirror: We would Ilk to see the time when a governor is elected who would give th dirty hireling who- mis represent the peopl just ten days to get down to earnest and sincere work for the people. If they railed to do so have them arrested for conspiracy ' against the state of Nebraska. In the meantime call out the state militia to see that the good work was properly carried on. Wouldn't a lot of these legislative frauds and- Un sc.runuloua nrocrastinalors look nice In their real place behind prison bars! ' Crete Vldette-Herald: The people elected the members of the legislature without much assistance from the . railroads. The members elected .their officers and ap pointed their several committees wlthput the aid. consent pr approval of the corpora tions. They seem to be moving slowly but sanely .and surely along the lines laid down In the republican platform. They have fulfilled the pledge to the people of electing a United States senator. The next move will be for . the direct primary, terminal taxation, the antl-paas law, and the law to give power, to the railroad commission ers. With these things done the members can come home, without fear or trembling, and look their constituents square In the face. "Surely the world domove." Friend Telegraph: Among the great trusts doing business In this state the Bt&te Board of Agriculture seems to be about the closest corporation Knows, for many years and ever since lu organisa tion one-half of It membership hav been engaged lu perpetuating the other half In office, that unles a member become obstreperous nothing but death Is allowed to create a vacancy. Matter In this di rection seem to be growing worse year by year, and the much-boasted Nebraska State fair la fast becoming, a horse racing show, while the premiums In the other departments are being annually scored Mown and those raised In the speed de partment. There Is a crying need for a law that will allow the people or eacn county to elect It member of th Stat Board of Agriculture, and not until this la accomplished will there :be anything In oommon as betwwan the people and the State Board of Agriculture of this state. Sterling Sun: The Nebraaka legislator who falls to vote to redeem th p!edges made In the republican slate platform must not complain If the republican newspapers and republicans generally condemn his ac tion and refuse to place further confidence In him. The. republicans In state conven tion made certain pledges to the people and the people at the election last fall fully endorsed tbelr action by electing the whole republican ticket In the state and sending a good working majority to th legislature. If they had not wanted and expected these niAa tn be carried out they would have elected the other fellow, and If they are not carried out the othSr fellow will prob ably be elected next time. And be ought to be. The republican of thla state ar not going to stand for any monkey busi ness on these question. Th thing for th r.nnhitcan leslslatur to do Is to fully redeem every party pledge, and then If the laws are found to be unsatisfactory tney may be changed. It la not for the legis lature to say that the people did not know what they. wanted; they thought they did. and you promised, to give It to them If elected. Republicans expect you to redeem your promise by performance. Nebraska CMy Tribune: The legislature, in iiaii.nin the DrAanective needs and cost of maintaining state Institutions, seemed to evince some astonishment at tne cost "per capita" of maintaining the Insti tute for the Blind In this city. The only trouble with th legislature I that it ap proaches th question from the wrong standpoint. The "per capita" estimate la misleading and tend to wrong conclusion. Th fixed etiargea-llght, heat, water, etc., the management and teaching force, would be about the sam If tk attendance were doubled, and taking that view of th case the expression apparently emanating from the legislature is one of regret that there are not mora .blind children In the state to attend the sohovl and thus reduca Ue per capita eoat a eoncluaton that the legislator . mi wo wise Intended.. Further, the per capita, coat of recent years eons pare moat favorably with that of year In. the past' and also with tb reult ob tained In like institution In other tatea which ar admittedly well managed. The fact la that a school for th blind ia la a claaa by itself and that a per capita esti mate, compared with other state Institutions-af ra 'widely different character, I valueless' fot purpo of information and totally misleading. POLITICAL T-KKK KETil. Repetltlea t( tho Far Decreed by Coaa-re-eeaaea . New York Tribune. The house committee on agriculture ha been defeated again tn a praiseworthy ef fort to ring down the Curtain on the fare of free seed distribution. Th absurdity of the present practice of buying common garden seeds from deeJera- and then dis patching them broadcast on the requisition of congressmen seeking not so much to stimulate horticulture as to cultivate po litical popularity has long been recognised by the Department of Agriculture. Secre tary J. Sterling Morton once tried to abol ish th girt seed package outright, mil eon. gress overruled him and made him go on mailing souvenirs and samples to gladden rural gardena and the denlsens of rural poultry yards, "eoretary Wllswn baa tried to cure th abuses of th present ayatem by restoring the original Intent of th fre eea law. which merely directed the de partment to secure new vsHam r and plant for distribution to persons willing to experiment with them. Thle Is a perfectly legitimate governmental func tion, sine it seeks onlv to hmr tri. edge and diversify ,. horticulture. But no suoh purpose is served, or can be served, by th government's Purchasing seeda which every seed dealer has for sale, and then franking them gratis to persons who In most cases have not asked for them and hav no public or scientific end in view t experimenting with them. Th advocates of the fre smi t,,,,,,,. probably do not take their own arguments very seriously. Th trouble Is that they consider th prise package a valuable po litical asset. Thlf belief Is an inheritance from th neriod when -a. nonarrusinBn'a chief functions were supposed to be those or a place hunter, orno broker and pa tronage solicitor for his constituents. The spoils system Is practically dead, and (egls lators hav been released in large meaaurs rrom its crippling and hateful responsi bilities. But this Chang has been forced. upon them no mor or less against their win, ( and there are many who sUll feel that more political credit is to be gained by petty service Ilk tb dispatch of a prls seed package than by Induatrioua devotion to purely legislative duUea, It Is tnis false conception., which exnlalna h unreadiness of th average congressman to surrender what he regards aa a political perquisit and his anxiety .to maintain a bounty system In seeds for which: tber la no rational Justification.. , ,. .... PERSONAL NOTES. The wife of Wu Ting-Fang, former min ister from. China to the United States, has just paid the cost of building a large and fin hospital in Hong Kong. , '- , . The story goes In New Tork that th opposition of tha opera house directors to a continuance of "Salome" was due to th Influence of one of J. P Morgan's daughr tern. . , ....... . The' talfbst soldier In th world Is said to be "Long Ivan," a member of th First regiment of guards In the Russian army. Ivan lacks Only half an Inch of being eight feet In height. He is n years old and finely proportioned. . . Students and admirers 'of George' Mere dith will be pleased to learn that, although u. a..v- i. . nA man Via hna arnnd " health and hia heart Is as young and Ms . Interest in life as keen aa ever. Mr. Mere f dlth was born In 1828 and ti began pub lishing with a book of poems In 1851. Missouri and Kansas Investigators, having pulled the scales from the eyes oMh feed weigher in the Kansas City stock yards; the management proposes to put scales oni the wagons and give buyers a square deal. ; When the j legislative stick .collides with th Knuckles of Graft results follow the squeal Ludwlg Fulda, one of the greatest Qer- . man dramatists," who visited America some . time ago, has been sending aavance cupi . of his "Impressions" to friends. In this country, and these Impressions ar said to be written In a more laudatory vein prob ably than any other foreigner who has ever toured th new world. , . . , To show that he ha no HI will against . the "only man who ever knocked me down.' President Roosevelt has had C. S. Hanks, a college mate, commlsaloned as a sta-. tistlcal sleuth. Hanks had a much longer . reach thSn Boosevelt ' when both put oa - th gloves In Harvard's gymnasium. Strange to say, the senate does not applaud Hanks' talent. Henry Squires, who has Just died In Burlington, Ia., was at one Mm recog nised a the greatest tenor singer In Amer ica. He began his musical career In Bur lington, Vt., In 1825, and sang In numerous grand opera troupes and traveled all over the world. He sang In concert with Jenny Llnd and tn opera with Carlotta Pattl, a sister of the diva. He had been living In retirement for some years.' ' LINES TO A LA I OH. flenetor Bunksley Is not real statesman." ;. . . "Why do you say that? . . "In his speech yesterday1 he referred to something he nao rena in ".7 -'-''' -' 'Real statesmen slways speak, of the pumlo r'hiriLvn Record-Herald. "I didn't know Rev. Mr. Ranter took any Interest In European politics. ' "He doesn't." ; . "Why. I heard htm declare his bitter opposition to the Triple Alliance. ' "Well, by Triple Alllanoe he means th World, the Flesh and the Devil. Phi UV . delphla Press. "I slways understood that Osptaln Shirk bad quite a fighting record." . "60 he has. He alwaya fights fiercely against any attempt to have him assign 1 " duty In the field "-Baltimore American. ; The talesman plainly did not want to "Whafs your excuse?" sternly asked th "ram reputed to be of at least average Intelligence." replied the '""mn; .realch-na- for hia hat, for. of course, they had IS let him .-Philadelphia Record. ' "Doctor, my wife says she is getting ell her It's because so Is getting old." "Do you believe she Is . deaf enough-for that to bo safef" Houaton Post. Fbllette (recently married) A man Is called a "Bpnodlct" whea he is married. What la a girl called unaer me x-m cir- : cumstsjicesf ' ,.w.n ' I Anna taiso rnwim , 1..-. depends altogether on What, she merries. Brooklyn ute. y , Mosery Wraggs SpoMn" you had all. th m-iney you wanted. Wot thenT ,. - w.r.ham ixmawi'd want more, ' course. Chicago Tribune. ' , Thst msn Is positively dishonest!" said the protesting cltlsen.. . - . - "No," answered Senator Sorghum. "H Isn't ss culpable aa you think. He merely lacks the high Intelligence which enable 1 a man to exercise fin ethical dlscrinilna- . tlon."---Wsshlngton Star. v A PLEA FOR MBRB MAN. New York Bun. Ths latest charitable-scheme Proclaimed with tongue or psn: A refuge for stenographers From wicked business men. Tts well to feed their tender souls With lunchroom tea and cake. , But on the W. B. M. Will no on pity UkT For oft sweet, pompadoured young things phonetlcaUy pll And turn a lucid bustnes not - -To Choctaw weird and XmL Ah. then erect your rescu guild , . Where man may flee for rest. Where doctors soothe hie fevered brow And calm bla troubled breast. There let a tempting meal be served -To turn dark thought from drink . And save th W. KM. ' From black destructions brisk. . ..