Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, December 26, 1908, Page 4, Image 4

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    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-