THE OMAIIA DAILY BEE: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 190S. Tim Omaiia Daily Bee FOUNDED T EDWARD RCH9BWATEH VfCTOR ROSEWATEK, EDITOR. Entered at Omaha postofflce aa eecond- clan matter. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. Dally Km (without Sunday). on yeer.14.00 Dally Bee and Sunday, on year w DELIVERED BY CARRIER. Dally Bee (Including Sunday). par wjk..ljo Dally Bee (without Sunday), par week .100 Evening Bee (without Sunday), par Evening- Km. (wUh Sunday), par week..l Sunday Uro. ona year..... ' Saturday Bra, ona yar - Address all complaints of Irfa-ularltles i In delivery to City Circulation dapaxttnant offices. Omaha Tha B Building. South Omaha Twenty-fourth ana w. Council Bluffs 18 Srntt Street Lincoln-lift LltMe Building. . Chicago-IMS Marquette Building- New York-Rooms 1101-UO No. M West Thirty-third Street Waahlnalon-T Fourteenth fltreet, N. w. CORRESPONDENCE1. Communlratlone relating to news ana ani forlel matter ahould be addreaaed: Omana Bee, Editorial Department. REMITTANCES. Remit by draft, expreaa or po' rjJr payable to Tha Bea Publishing Company. Only 2-cont stamps received In payment ox mall accounta. Peraonal checks, exerpt on Omaha or eastern exchange, not aecopteo. BTATEMENT OF CmCTJLATIOaf. State of Nebraska. Douglas-County, se t Oeorae B Tsachuck. treasurer of Tni Bee Publishing company, belnt ou'T wo'j aaya that the ectaal number Of full ana complete copies of The Dauy. Morning. Vveninr an4 nnnAav T)e nrlnted during me month of November, IX. wil aa '0)ow' 44,000 .....88,100 45,880 M.650 41.M0 39420 .....38,30 .....87,400 SV.MO 87310 . 1 .4.37,780 lt... 87,180 38370 80,80 0 ..87310 ji" ...;..-T000 11 .!..... ..37-580 , 87310 .4',.,, 87,090 H 87370 i' 38,940 tl 87,140 tt 38,890 S9 38,700 to 37310 to.! 11.. 12 37,880 If 37,890 14 37,680 It 38,000 Total 1,101,870 Less unaold and returned copies. " Net total 1,180,108 Dally averaare 38,338 UEORdS B. TZSCHUCK, Treaaurer. Subscribed In my presence and aworn to baforo m thla lat day of December, lave. iSaai) M. P. WAL.KJI.R, teau . oWry j,uUUo. WHEN OCT OF TOWSJ. Sabacrlbara leaving tka city taaa- norarllr afaoald have Tk mailed to them. AdaTlswam will I rkaae;e4 mm often aa raat4. The boycott and the black Hat must both go. Reserved Beats on the water wagon are In demand. Mr. Compere Is doubtless convinced that his case was heard before tho wrong; Mf. Wright,.1. - John D. Rockefeller says be is op posed to liorse racing. Horse racing is not a sure thing. ' When Castro fled from Venezuela he took Job, 000,000 with him, to cover his running expenses. A Maine hunter lays claim to have killed a five-legged deer. Still, some folk8 insist that prohibition prohibits. "A Way to Save Temper" is the title of an article in the Pittsburg Post. The best way to Bave it Is not to lose it. It La said ' that Castro refuses to speak with anyone but the head waiter at a Berlin hotel. These dictators are apt to be clannish. TurklBh women are certain to be disappointed." Just a they have dis carded their veils, fashion decrees that vails must be worn. Dr. Wiley ! citing arguments and statistics to show that the health of the country will be Improved If con gress gives absinthe the frappe.) The popular celebration of the Lin coln centenary will be world-wide and Omaha's part must ' be befitting the size- and importance of the city. Mr .Carnegie could not furnish the ways and means committee with any figures on the cost of pteel, but he fur ntshed . them - plenty of figures of speech. Castro having been removed from Venezuela -as a sort of. a vermiform appendix, 'the body ' politic in that country Is showing signs of rapid re covery. , . ' A California man gave his former wife 24,000,000 the day she secured a divorce .from him. . It will be diffi cult for her to feel that she has won her case. A press dispatch tells of the open ing of a new union station at Floyd, Tex. This leaves Kansas City the only fair-sized town in the country without a railway station. Champ Clark declares the average price of women's bats is about 85 The women must regret that Champ Is wasting, his time l congress la stead of running a millinery store. "What's the matter with . Champ Clark for president la 1912T" asks tho Atlanta Constitution. Nothing much, except his politics and the fact that Mr. Bryan will not let him run, The czar, of Russia, showed his warm-heartedness on Christmas by pardoning ten prisoners who had been condemned to death. All the men had done, however,-, was to kill eighty-five of the czar's dissatisfied ubjects. "I am barbarian, although, born in New York." President Roosevelt la quoted as having said to Prof. Ferrero, the Italian historian: The remark would be more easily understood If the president had used "because" In atad ot "although," . v- ; -. THK ANlHRACtTK COMMISSION. The anthracite coal miners of Pennsylvania have demanded that the Board of Conciliation, established by the Coal Strike commission, as a re sult of the great coal strike in 1902, be abolished when the present agree ment expires byllmltatlon next April. The strongest argument In favor of the retention of the commission is the work it has done. In the last three years the Board of Conciliation has considered ISO complaints, of which lit were disposed of in the period covered by lta latest report. Of the complaints, seventy-tour . were dis missed by the board or withdrawn by the miners, eleven were sustained, eight were compromised, fourteen were settled before the, final hearing by the board, twenty were passed upon by an umpire, who sustained four and rejected the others. A.8 a net result there baa not been a Btrlke In the anthracite region in three years, the men are better sat isfied than they have been before In years and there is no serious differ ence of any kind between the mine operators and the workmen. In the old days any one of the 150 com plaints might easily have led to s strike which would have tied up the entire anthracite mining Industry. The abolition of the board would be a check to the splendid progress that has been made toward better working relationa between the miners and the operators. THE BAN ON ABSINTHE. Dr. Wiley, the head of the bureau of chemistry of the Department of Agriculture, reports encouraging prog ness in his efforts to arouse congress to a sense of the necessity of passing laws against the importation of ab sinthe into this country. He has fur nished the ways and means committee with data showing the increase in the use of absinthe in this country and with the opinions of eminent physi cians oil the harmful effects of ex cessive indulgence is lt. The strongest protest against ab sinthe is the record of Switzerland and France in suppressing its manufacture or restricting Its' use. Nearly all the absinthe consumed In the world is manufactured in either France or Switzerland. Its use was brought into France some fifty years ago and has become so general that the decadence of the French people Is largely at tributed to it. The French authorities have prohibited the consumption of absinthe in the army and navy and are planning to tax lt out of the reach of the common people. In Switzer land the people have voted against the manufacture orthe liquor and its sale is prohibited, under strong pen alties. Absinthe is a product of wormwood, distilled in alcohol and made pleasant to the taste by the addition of anise oil. .Its first effect, according to ex pert physicians, is an exhilarated in toxication, but its constant use causes derangement of the digestive organs, hallucinations of sight, giddiness, loss at brain power and idiocy. Of all drinks, lt produces exhilaration soon est, takea the drinker farthest aloft and drops him hardest. Proof is at hand that absinthe drinking . is in creasing rapidly in the larger cities of this country and Dr. Wiley will perform a distinct service if he suc ceeds in keeping it from getting en trenched among the popular beverages in America. THE BALLOON IN WARFARE. The pioneer in this country ot dirigible ballooning, Roy Knabenshue, gave Los Angeles an illustration the other afternoon ot the possibilities of the balloon in warfare and furnished, incidentally, a Justification for the in terest now being shown in army cir cles throughout the world in the sci ence of aviation. Knabenshue made a trip over the city in one of his aerial contrivances and amused himself by dropping confetti bombs on the city hall and other public buildings and showering it upon gatherings in the streets and parks. He explained that lt would have been Just aa easy for him to have dropped enough gun cot ton or dynamite to have wiped the city off the map. Novelists from Jules Verne to H. G. Wells have pictured the destruction of armies and cities by such methods, but Knabenshue's playful experiment Illustrates the ease with which a war balloon might play such havoc and es cape behind friendly breastworks without incurring undue risk. The nations that have been planning for aerial warfare apparently do not have to look very far into the future to see prospect of putting their plans 'to a test. The encouraging feature ot the situation is that with possibilities of warfare bo horribly destructive, the very preparation for war may be a long step, or flight, toward agreements to make war impossible. AMERICA'S SWEET TOOTH. According to figures just fur nished the federal bureau of statistics, the average American eats about half hla weight in sugar annually, the con sumption last year being in excess of 7,000,000,000 pounds, or about 82.6 pounds per capita, compared with 58.8 pounds per capita in 1900. The value of , the sugar consumed , last year la placed at f 872,000,000. Of thla amount 21 per cent waa produced in thla coun try snd the balance imported. Do mestic production has trebled since 1900, owing largely to the develop ment of the beet sugar industry, but the nation still has to depend upon foreign countries for about four-fifths of its sugar. The reat of the world goes much lighter on sweet stuff. The per capita consumption of sugar in Europe is but 27 pounds, or about one-third what lt Is la America.. The Turk consumes but 7 pounda of sugar annually, the Greek but 8 and the Italian only 6. In Germany the per capita consump tion amounts to 34 pounds and to 88 pounds In Norway and Sweden and to 55 pounds in Denmark. The world's production of sugar In 1904 was 82, 000,000,000 pounds and Americans used nearly one-fourth, of it. The tariff framers can find a sub ject for study In the sources from which thla country draws its sugar supply. Last year we bought 732, 600,009 pounda from Germany and other countries, . on which full duty was paid, and took only 25,200,000 pounds from the Philippines, or less than half the amount bought from those islands when owned by Spain. Philippine sugar is subjected to tax, while admitted free from Porto Rico and Hawaii, the American sugar growers professing to believe that giv ing Filipinos promised trade advan tages with this country would flood the nation with cheap sugar. On the face of the figures, this would seem to be a baseless fear. WBKN ALL, PCLL TOGETHER. That the marvelous progress made by Omaha in the past is only a prelude to the strides it can make in the im mediate future is Bhown constantly by the magnificent results crowning the various public enterprises in which all our people pull together. The most recent example of this kind is furnished by the Matlonal Corn show, which was pronounced a signal success by one and all alike. The un precedented exhibit made by Ak-Sar- Ben In its balance sheet for Its 1908 activities supplies still further cor roborating evidence. In a smaller way a dozen projects ot more or lesa vital importance to the growth or bet terment of the city have been put through by a strong pull and a long pull, and a pull all together, by those enlisted for the purpose. With these examples before us there Is no good reason why Omaha should hesitate to take up any public enter prise that promises real benefits com mensurate with the effort. The mere fact that the proposed enterprise re quires big backing and shrewd man agement can be no deterrent, the real question being - whether it would be desirable and reflect credit upon the city and its inhabitants. Omaha has proved its ability to do things when all pull together, and likewise has proved lta ability to get all to pull together. , . THE LAND LEGS OF SAILORS. The announcement from Washing ton that officers and men of the navy will be required to perform a walking stunt on land. . to prove their ability to walk seventy-five miles In three days, as s test of their fitness for their positions will ' strike the landlubber as carrying the athletic and endurance requirements to the extreme. The walking and riding tests for the army are doubtless of value, particularly to the officers In field duty, but lt is dif ficult to conjure up reasons why sailor- men should possess prowess in pedes- trlanlsm. None of the duties of a sailor re quire particular fleetness of foot nor ability to hoof lt over rough roads. Pedestrlanlem does not appear to be an essential to the execution of a cruise of the world by a fleet of battle ships, such as waa recently so mag nificently performed by "Fighting Bob" Evans, who probably could not walk seventy-five miles in a week to save his life. Even if a vessel were stranded seventy-five miles from shore, the walking ability of the sailor or officer would not help a little bit to effect a landing. The ability to or ganize, plan and fight sea battles with credit to themselves and their country la the aim and accomplishment of the officers of the navy and their sea legs have never been a handicap In their splendid service. According to Inside advices, the two warring traction companies at Lincoln, that have been fighting each other fiercely for the benefit ot the dear pub lic, are negotiating for a merger and have almost agreed upon terms which will doubtless be manifested In in creased capitalization . and watered stock Issues, for which the people will pay the freight. There would be nothing particularly unusual about such a combine in any other place, but that lt should develop in Lincoln, the center of purity in public life, and un der the shadow of Fairvlew, the home of that vigilant and valiant defender ot popular rights, almost passes com prehension. Judges of our supreme court will draw their pay at the increased rate of $4,500 a year, beginning with De cember 1. Uat. Inasmuch as the Judges are themselves the final arbi ters of what the recently adopted con stitutional amendment provides, and when lt goes into force and effect, their demand may be considered mod es rland moderate. They might if they wanted to have dated the amend ment back to election day, when it re ceived the requisite majority of votes to become s part of the constitution, which would have given them at least three weeks more on the new schedule. For small favors let us all be thankful With the compliments ot the sea son to the linotype operator and the proofreader, a contemporary list of new medical remedies includes these simple names: Bensoyl-amldo-phenyl-aeetle add. Ich- thyocreoaota lodmethylpyrasolon, lodochlo- roxyqulnolln, bexametbylentetramln lith ium bensoate, heiamethylentetramln clt- roallleate, hexamethylentatramln-broma- tblata. The Pennsylvania ratroad proposes to have all stations on its system designated by numbers instead, ot names. The Innovation will be pleas ing to patrons who' have heretofore had to depend upon the brakeman to call out the stations In some unintelli gible 'foreign language. Indiana reports Indicate tliat J. Worth Kern's senatorial boom has collapsed and the leaders are now looking for a "more available" man. Tom Taggart should cheer up. He Is liberally supplied with the. available and knows where he can get more. . Unfortunately, the Nebraska lobby law requires the registration only of those who are employed on the out side to Influence legislation. The law does not reach the legal retainer given to the lawyer lawmaker on the Inside before he takes his oath ot office. If anyone has doubts whether the anti-pass law is being enforced, re assurance may be found In the aban donment of the usual home-coming for the holidays by most of the con gressmen and senators. Mr. Bryan says he expects to be in politics twenty years longer. Inas much as politics is his business, he means that he hopes to be able to re tire from business in another twenty years. The statistics soon to be completed with the close ot the year, measuring the activity of the community in all directions, will prove whether or not the Prosperity Special passed us by. That . "prosperlty-not-ln-slght-yet" cartoon does not fit in very well with the boasts of its own unprecedented business on the same page of the same democratic sheet. Soma Thincs l anlao to Trlnt. Washington Herald. . We harbor a sneaking auaplcton, never theless, that Senator Piatt will omit many of the more interesting well, the im-portant-lf-true-ltems from that forthcom ing atory of his political life. Fig-area tkat Look Good. Chicago News. Mr. Carnegie before the house committee, which la considering tariff revision, said that he did not judge by flgutb, but by re sults. However, the figure of $360,000,000 or so, la a pretty good result In itself. Current C'onsreaalonallam. Washington Post. We don't know the most popular expres sion In history, but aa a rough guess we should say that the most popular words on Capitol Hill for a while will be "out of any money In tha treasury not otherwise appropriated." Pnaklaa; the Rural Uplift. Boston Herald. v Aa to uplifting" the farmer .there'a a powerful lot of sense In the testimony of the truck farmer; of Methuen who aaya the thing most needed In farm life today Is a willingness to work harder, That's an uplifting message by Itself. Refit the 'Water Wagon. I Ner Ytirk Tribune. '" That old water wagon la becoming more and moro an arlstocratlo conveyance. Now that the kaiser has climbed aboard and Joined company with Mr. Taft and Presi dent Eliot, it would seem advisable to en large the vehicle and fit It out with state rooms do luxe. Tke Government Hla Client. Chicago Tribune. Mr. Knox was a corporation lawyer In Pittsburg before he became attorney gen eral under McKlnley, but that did not pre vent his delivering the most effective blow yet given to railroad combinations In the United Statea. H took the government for hla client the minute he entered Us service, just as Bllhu Root did. In the same way in the next administration the secretary of Btate will be In complete har mony with the president on all matters of general policy, and with two such law yers at Taft and Knox sitting aide by side In the cabinet meetings tha country will be In pretty good hands. I'anama Conditions. - - Baltimore American. Mr. Taft will have the general approval of the nation In Ms determination to see Panama conditions for himself. The na tion is pledged to this work of tremendous effort and Immense cost, and Its honor Is, In a way. Involved. In showing the world It can finish the gigantic task lt confidently undertook. The forces both of nature and man appear to be obstructing Us success ful conclusion, but to the American spirit opposition sqts as a atlmulant, and it will not fall to do ao la ' thla caae, ' In which tha wonderful possibilities for the futurs of the whole world are concerned. To fail in the work from any standpoint would be an Irremediable national humiliation. . NBW HOVSB HULKS. Radical Revision of Preaent Syatena a Necasalty. New York Tribune. Tha momentary victory in tha house the other day of the "inaurgenta," com bined with the democrats, In one of their maneuvers toward a reform of the house rules forshadows .their success, at least when the next congress organizes with a membership elected partly with the issue before tha' public of stripping tha speak ership' of some of US powers. The "In surgents" in general ' favor the selection of the . house committees, Including the Important rules committee, by a commit tee to be chosen by the house, Instead of their appointment by the speaker, and the choice by " the1 ' committees thus se lected of their own chairman. These changea are In accordance with the dem ocratic principle, which logically forbids the concentration of so much legislative power In the hands of any one person as Is now ' practically possessed by the speaker. The net effect of such a revision of the rule would be not to reduce the speaker's authority, power and effectiveness as a presiding officer, but to give to the house itself control of legislation.' It would not Impair tha power of the speaker, which developed under Reed and his successors, to run the bouse In buslnaaallke fashion. so that, despite its numbers, lt shall bo not a mass meeting, but an efficient as aembly, but lt would take away the ex ceaalvs power over legislation which came about with tha perfectly legitimate and necessary Increase of the authority of the speaker aa a presiding officer. Tha house could not materially weaken tha power of the speaker while presiding over Us deliberations without Impairing lta efficiency. But presiding Is the business ot tha speaker, and legislation Is tha busi ness of tha house. A change iu tha rules whioh would give to tha mam bar a In gen aral tha selection of their own represen tatlvas be la harmony with tha preaent tendency to do away wan tna. arbitrary poUtlcal power of Individuals OTHER LANDS THAN OURS. The year how closing marks a distinct advance for liberty and legislative progress In the pld world. It has been more a year of development and growth than of start ling changes, a year of popular demand for lessening the "divine light" of kings and emperors, and Increasing participation of the people in the governmenta they sup. port. The transition ot Turkey from an ab solute monarchy to a constitutional gov ernment deserves first place In the record of tha year's record of progress. Rarely has such a revolution In government been effected so admirably, peacefully and thor oughly. From the moment the bloodless coup waa executed In June, through the following rout and exile, of tho sultana official tyrants. In the election of members of parliament, and In the Inauguration of that body last week, the liberal, or Toung Turks party, leaders -displayed a rare de gree of courage, self-control and deter mination. Possessing thorough knowledge of state affairs, they moved cautiously toward tho goal of constitutional govern ment, measuring each step taken, winning public confidence by orderly advance, and rigidly adhering to the terms of the pro claimed organlo law. The success of the movement to date Is a tribute to the pa triotism, statesmanship and courage of the men who challenged and successfully over turned odious despotism. To other people striking to shake off tha ahackles of ty rants the year's events In Turkey afford encouragement and hope. Of almost equal significance aa a world event ranks the controversy between the German ministry and tha Reichstag on the one hand and Emperor William on tho other. Under the constitution of the empire the emperor Is vested with absolute con trol of foreign affairs. In the exercise of that dangerous one-man power, tho em peror has not shown wise discretion so es sential In delicate International affairs. Ha talked too ' much. He dipped Into a number of controversies needlessly, and kept the chancelleries of neighboring na tion In a turmoil. The publication In the London Telegraph of an Interview with the emperor, In which he expressed his sentiments on the relations of Germany and Great Britain, aroused intense Indignation at home and provoked a torrent of un friendly criticism. National sentiment voiced In tha Reichstag by the members with practical unanmlty, and by Chancellor von Buelow In behalf ot the ministers, em phatically demanded a pledge of alienee from the emperor and ministerial co-operation in foreign relations. ' If tho emperor was unwise or Indiscreet with reporters, he showed no wise discretion In admitting the Justice of the pledge required by the Relchtag and the ministry, and ' readily promised to share responsibility with his ministers. Though the pledge does not alter the constitutional rights of the monarch, the causes which produced the conoesslon are likely to bring about constitutional changes creating a ministry responsible to the Reichstag or the Bundsrath, Instead of ministry responsible solely to the em peror. Four amendments to tha constitu tion designed to effect that result have been Introduced In the Reichstag and are scheduled for action early In the new year. Agitation for home rule has reached for midable proportions In India, and Its prog ress seriously disturbs the British estab lishment. The movement grows out of de cades of native dissatisfaction with a sys tem of government which exploits the country for the benefit of Great Britain. The British insist that their mission In India la a holy one, Inspired by 'a lofty desire to educate and fit these "uncouth people" for the responsibilities civilisation Imposes. Educated Hindus do not ap preciate tha British ideal, and resent the suggestion of a sacred mission. They In sist that they are no longer children, to be fashioned in an alien mold and Mocculated with the virus of dependence. They demand the natural ritfht of participating to a con trolling degree In the legislative branches of the government, and of administering the government for the- good of the gov erned. The present form of government, they contend is unsulted to the country's needs. "It grinds the poorand Ignorant. It crushes the rich and the educated." Of ficial statistics show that the Hindu earned 4 centa a day In 1S50, S cents a day In 1882, and, in 1900, after British rule had been given half a century In which to prove its inestimable value, the native received less than cents a day. As an Investment India hss profited the stranger enormously, sup piles a market for British goods, while local Industries lag, and supports a vast num ber ot Englishmen aa active administrators or as pensioners, while the natives must be satisfied with a few Insignificant crumbs. The process of taking the cream of every thing and leaving the residue to the hun gry millions, whose toll produced the milk, has embittered the struggling people, drawn the various classes together, and is steadily overcoming religious antagonisms. England meets the situation In a charac teristic manner. A meagre concession In the way of offloea Is accompanied with the sting of coercive measures. But the revo lutionary spirit, now confined within peace ful lines, so thoroughly ramifies the coun try that it cannot be atamped out by coercion or Us hunger appeased by a mess of pottage. Progress toward constitutional govern ment received a temporary check in Per sia. The suspension of the constitution proclaimed a year ago provoked an armed revolt which was quickly suppressed In Teheran, but remains active and controlling In Tabrls and other cities. The determination of the revolutionists, though few in number, serves as a rallying force from which the shah's supporters keep at a safe distance. Already tha shah ahows signs of recanting, and seems to be search ing for an excuse to restore the constitu tion without impairing Imperial dignity. The awakening of China continues unabated. What effect the death of tha emperor and and the dowager empress will have on the uplift la not apparent, but it la mora likely to be beneficial than otherwise. The old regime proclaimed a constitution to become effective nine years hence. The new regime Is likely to prove more respon sive to the progressive spirit of tha coun try and press forward with reforms des tined to electrify the sleeping giant of Asia and make world powers rub their eyes In astonishment. In Japan the spirit of democracy Is Infusing higher Ideals In all classes of people. A government of aristocracy la not wholly satisfactory, and a restricted franchise la becoming Intoler able. Success In war and peace, commer cial expansion and Industrial develop ment, and the Influence of contact , with the traders of the world, combined to pro duce a demand for a broader national fabric, a wider political horlson and a sys tem of government In which all classes of people will participate. From tha island empire of the east to the Bosphorus and tha Rhine, the year scores a reduction of the "divine rights" of kings, aa advance of constitutional government, and aa ex tension of human liberty. A . Korref al lalatatt, St. Loula Globe-Democrat. President Rooaevelt acknowledges hla In debtedneaa to McKlnley. Prealdent-elect Taft admits that McKlnley gave him his great opportunity In publlo Ufa. Tha In fluence of McKlnley wUl be a foree la the world (or nia&y years to corns h il Safety is the essential feature desired by tho averago depositor. If a bank has a large capital and surplus account; If it confines its loans largely to business houses handling large amounts of saleable merchandise; If its bond investment account includes only those of the very highest grade; If this bank always keeps on hand an amount of cash largely in excess of legal requirements; And in all thepr K.atters uses the cumulative judg ment of years of experience; this would seem to be o good bank for YOU. Investigate this bank along these lines. First National Bankof Omaha Thirteenth and Farn&m St. Entrance to Safety Deposit Taalts la on llth atreeU i n.ii- nii - ii IS Al'OCRATlOW BAY. Persistent Local Agitation for Change of Date. Washington Str. The senate has gone on record in ap proval of the plan to change the date of the Inauguration day,, but the house has never voted on it. From session to ses sion It has remained In committee, with an occasional revival of Interest on the part of Individual members. Yet it may be confidently asserted that a majority of the members approve of the proposi tion and would vote for it if It came be fore the house in form for final disposal. But the years pass without action. The Joint resolution remains one of the peren nial items of unfinished business because nobody in the house feels sufficiently con cerned to move actively and persistently ently to get It out ot committee. Nothing can be done by the states to ward a change of date until congress acts. That body alone can Initiate singte amendments ot the constitution, a two thirds vote being necessary to effect their submission to the legislatures. Tet there is a strong sentiment in favor ot the changa outside of Washington. Every person who has been nipped by the eager air of early March in this city at an in augurationand there are hundreds of thousands ' of them still living Is per suaded that tha date is a mistake. Wash Ingtonlans hoped a few years ago, when the governors of the states were formed Into a general committee to effect this change, that the national sentiment In be half of the amendment would have an effect on congress. But that body has continued to hesitate, because of tho fact that the date problem is more or less com plicated with other considerations, which no one at the capltol is plucky or enter prising enough to disentangle from the simple proposition to Inaugurate the presi dent at a season when there will be no possible menace to life. ' ( Though too late to affect the Inaugura tion of 1901, this congress might never theless Insura a clement date for that of 18U by adopting the Joint resolution. There could then be no further responsibility upon the national legislature. Acquiescence by three-fourths of the states would be virtually assured. Inaction means a post ponement to another congress, with Its own problems. Action means tha final disposal of a question that will remain a potential claim upon congressional consideration un til lt Is finally settled. Delay stands in evitably for the exposure of thousands o( people to the possibility of disease and death. Why wait longer to do that which is demanded by every consideration of hu manity and prudence? OLD OH DISH. CHANGING. Forward Trend of New Movement Unmistakable. I William Allen White In American Magazine. For ten years there has been a distinct movement among tho American people feobla and Imperceptible against the cur rent during the first few years of Its be ginning a movement which Indicates that In the soul of tha people there is a convic tion of their past unrighteousness. Dur ing the five years last past that movement has been unmistakable. It Is now one ot the big self-evident things In our national life. It la called variously reform, the moral awakening, the new idea, tha squaro deal, the uplift and by other local .cogno mens; but It Is one current In the thought of the people. . And the most hopeful sign ot the time lies In the fact that the current Is almost world-wide. The same striving to lift men to higher things, to a fuller' enjoyment of the fruits of our civilisation, to a wider participation In the blessings of modern society In short to a "mora abundant life" the same striving is felt through Europe and among the islands of the sea, that is tightening the muscles' of our soolal and commercial art political body. And It may be worth while to look about us and note the changes that are coming to us In the days when they are In the making, for The old order changeth, yielding place to new; And God fulfills himself In many ways, Lest one good custom should corrupt tho world. AMWEHKI) WITH A 8TOHY. Insjnlsltlve Prlead Gets Tip from rrraldeat-EUct. Brooklyn Eagle. There is a story going tha rounds that la good enough to be true: "Are you to be literally understood, when saying that your administration will be an exact duplicate of Mr. Roosevelt on the trusts?" asked a Washington friend of Mr. Taft. "I'll answer that question by telling you a story you once told me," said Mr. Taft. 'What was that story?" Inquired the friend. "It was this," said the president-elect "A French lady was asked by an Amur Hum woman, 'la or is It not a fact that the ladles of Paris are leas circumspect In their conduct than those of AmorlcaT 'Oh, they are quite as circumspect, but they are not so addicted to making a proclamation of their virtue.' " Ever since that dialogue the Washington friend of Mr. Taft has been convinced that the latter's administration will be virtuous without being viciously vociferous. Brill tho Hepatite. Baltimore American. The Hill system of railroads, which radi ates from tha Great Northern, has, accord ing to rumor, secured an outlet southward to the gulf. As the system Is building a northern outlet to Hudson bay. It will eventually be, If the latest report is true, a girdling scheme of transportation that will reach from tha Iceberg waters on the aorta to the troplo sea at the soutb and ot the continent w ssi - , - i - ii -i ,, 1 1 , n i .i PERSONAL NOTES. New York City owes ao much money thai the controller cannot figure within r,00o,0O0 the amount ot the municipal debt. A cable from Paris says the duchess Da Chaulnes, formerly Miss Theodora' Shonts, Is permitting the Infant duke to get hi meals In the old-fashioned way. Americana abroad, when they learn thai tha sugar bill of this country aggregates 11,000,000 for every d;vy 1n the year, will re alise tho meaning , of "Home, Bwect Home." The supreme court of New York has made an extremely Interesting ruling In declaring that an empty whisky flask dors not prove a man tipsy. There la needed the corroborative detail of the man's being full. Speaking of the engagement of Princess Maria su Tsenburg und Budtngen to Admor Robinson ot Baltimore, the Vienna Neue Presse says: "This la the first time that a real German princess goes as a brldo to tho Dollar Land." Tho king and queen of England havs congratulated the earl of Granard' on his prospect of marrying a New York bride whose father has to weigh his money. Sure enough, why shouldn't they? Times are dull in England. How slightly the distribution of corpora tion prjUs has been affected by a year of panic and business deprestton is shown by the tact that January 1 dividend and Interest disbursements at New York will approximate I180.2SO.OOO, according to a Journal of Commerce compilation, com pared with ,6&0,000 a year ago. Dr. Rosa U.arig of Marahalltown, la., holds six dlffeiant positions, including an office in tha Wiiwn'i Relief corps, one In the Eastern Star; ah Is officially appointed humane officer, is truant officer, county overseer of the pooi and secretary of a pri vate company. She vra onca at Washing ton, special agent of the bureau of com merce and labor. , .. Mrs. Cardline P. Nixon, who lit the first light In the Absecon lighthouse, now known to thousands of visitors inm all over the world, died at Atlantic Cl.y at tha ago of 76. Mrs. Nixon waa tha Widow of John T. Nixon, first keeper of tha Atlantic City lighthouse and In charge of irw Important beacon for sixteen years befoie hit death, twenty-three yuars ago. Harry Barnato, who died the oti.er day, was one of tha multl-mllllonalres of rVm. the general pubMo knew and saw very it tie. Borne years ago hla fortune was com puted at 12,002,000. His savings alona amounted to several hundreds of tuousanda of pounda a year, for, to a great extent ha lived frugally, his one luxury being good cigars, which he smoked iuoossantly. LI3E9 TO A SMILU. Court Officer (after adjournment) M, Bkllcs. will you see that the Jury la com fortably fixed. New Hullitt-Flxed. Mr. Jinx? Fixed? Great Bcott, who's going to put up the money? Chicago Tribune. "Why In the world don't you win one o( thosa big Nobel prists, John?" snappud Mrs. McBtlngle. "Because, my dear," ho meekly replied, "they don't give Nobel prises to domestio martyrs." Cleveland Leader. "Remembet," wrote the Instructor of tha corresiondence school of Journalism, "to write only on one side of tho paper. And by return mull came tho following Inquiry from the new pupil: "Which side shall I write n?'f Chicago News. "Odd, isn't it, how human ways are In uch direct contradiction to nature?" ' In what, for Instance?" "Did you ever find anything green about a grass widow?" Baltimore American. "You don't mean 'to say he's a crook," "Yfp that's sU-alght.''-rWah!nglau PosU O'Flanagan cami home one night, with a dei-p band of black crepe arounu his hat. "Why, Mike," exclaimed Ms wife, "what are you wearing that mournful tning for?'' "I am wearing It for your flrat huaband." replied Mike, firmly; "I'm Sorrv he's dead.' isllca Weekly. One night little Margaret, on kneeling by her mamma to say liur prayers, imioneu, "Now I lay mo," and .forgot. "Mamma," she auld, "you Just etaxt me and 1 can go a-whlxsing." Dullneauir. Society Leader (with a steely glitter in her eye) Are you the editor or this paper? The Mere Man Yes, ma'am. What can I lo for you? Burlety Leader In respons to a question by your soi iely editor yi-aterday I said that at the hard linua party we are going to have I would aipear In negligee costume. In your imixr thla morning, air, It was printed 'lu-gllgibls costume!' " Chicago Tribute. A BIHTIIOAV. John D. Wells In "Bwaay Folks anS Others." She's i today.' Blie climbed my knee and twined her aima about me, ao, And wliiapered to me. Joyously: "I bet you dud, that you don't know What day this Is!" 1 feigned to think. though well I knew what she would say. And shammed aurprlae when she ex- rlulined: "I'm growing up I'm 6 today!" Wlui i is t when tha years come on, that huliia a man and makes hla heart To soften toward a littla child and makes I ho tears so quick lu start? I had not noticed lt before! I did not think until today! . Her playroom's strangely silent now, her paM-r dollies 11(1 away! The little finger marks we loved are gone from off the window sill Bem-ath the blossomed apple 'tree tha swing made Is strangely still. And silence hovers 'ruund the house un broken by Iht childish glee She's today and growing up! No more a little bube to me! "i . . . Tou're 6 today! Come, klas your dud and hug him, t, you little elf, And romp with him, and . play with dim, nor ask him why he's not himself! Just follow him where'er he goes and let him take your ltttl hand - Don't aak him what has thinking of you wouldn't know or .uiidetstAnd. Let s go Wigvther down th Umtv a, -romping In your child-heaj-t way We oannot play Ilka thla for long! You're growing up you're I tedayl-