THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: MONDAY. JANUARY 4. 1000.
The Omaha Daily Bee
FOUNDED BT EDWARD RH8EWATER.
VICTOR ROiEWATEa, EDITOR.
Entered at. Omaha pjtofflc an aerond
rlass matter.
TERM? OP SUBSCRIPTION.
Dally Bee (without Sunday ). one year. .14.9
Dally Bt and Hunday. one y?nr St-0
DELIVERED BT CARRIER.
Dally Bee (ncludmg Sunday), per week. .IV:
Dally Bee (w.lh.ui Bunjayt. per wrek..l'R--Evening
Bee (without Sunday), per week t?.
Evening Hi-e (wlt.i Sunoay), per Week.. 10c
Hunday Be.-, one year IIM
Saturday Bee, one year l.W
Addresa all eompUlnia of Irregularities in
delivery to City circulation department.
OFFICES.
Omaha The Bte Building;.
Soutn Omaha-Twenty-f ourth and N.
Council Wufff 15 Bcott Street.
Lincoln 4,8 Little Building.
Chicago 1M8 Maiquett Building.
New York Room 1101-1102 No. 34 Well
Thirty-third Street.
Washington. 726 Fourteenth Street. N. W.
CORRESPONDENCE.
Communications relating to news and edi
torial mattur ahouid be addrei-seu: Omaha
Bee. Editorial Department.
REMITTANCES.
Remit by draft, express or postal order
payable to The Bee Pub.lshlng Company,
only I-cent atampa received in payment of
mall accounta. Personal checks, except on
Omaha, or eaatern exchanges, not accepted.
STATEMENT OF CIRCULATION,
filiate of Nebraaka, Dougla County. .:
George B. Taschuck, treasurer of The
Bee Publishing company, being duly sworn,
aava that th actual number of full and
complete coplea of The Dally, Morning,
Evening and Hunday Bee printed during the
monia of December. 18.S. waa aa follows:
I ....... 87.780 17 37.370
1 3T810 II 38,800
3 ...37,370 19 30,790
4 374MO 20 37,850
6 87,830 21 36,800
6 37,300 22 37,010
7 37,840 23 87,00
g... 37,040 14... 37.000
fl 88,810 25 38,480
10 38,780 2 36,830
1J 48,880 27 37.140
J2 36.080 23 SO.OJO
U 37,100 2 40,730
14 38,710 10 48,800
15 37,460 11 48,880
It 37,170
Total ..- W71.470
I,08 unsold and returned copies. . 8,843
Net total .x'lSa'5a?
Dally average 37,48
GEORGE B. TZSCHUCK,
Treaeurer.
Subscribed In my presence and sworn to
before me this list day of December, 1308.
ROBERT HUNTER,
Notary Public.
WHEN OVT OF TOWN.
Subscribers leaving the city tem
porarily should have The Bee
nailed to them. Address will be
changed as o-f ten aa vea.aceted.
Omaha's Poultry show baa taken
wing.
Castro must be chagrined to hear
how well Venezuela is getting along
without him.
Omaha broke bo many records In
190S that It will have to go some to do
better In 1909.
Even the astronomers at the Lowell
observatory report that their business
is looking up this year.
The goosebone prophet who foretold
a long and exceedingly cold winter may
now begin preparing his explanation.
Castro says he proposes to spend the
rest of his days in Berlin. There's no
objection, unless it comes from Berlin.
I .
The opening of the base ball sea
son will be the real New Year's day
for a large proportion of the popula
tion. . Mr. Roosevelt would like to capture
a white rhinoceros in Africa. Chances
are he would not look at a white ele
phant I !
"Should actresses marry?" asks a
French paper. How else could they get
the divorces they need for advertising
purposes?
If you have anything to say to the
Kaiser, you may now send him a let
ter for 2 cents, a saving of 3 cents
from the old rate.
Naval officers are now to be re
quired to ride horseback, as a test of
their fitness. That ought to be easy
for horse marines. -
No one will question but that State
Representative Stoecker wrote his pro
nunclamento as a candidate for
speaker all by himself.
r
"Millionaires smile rarely," Bays
Mr. Carnegie. Sam may be said of
those who get into business competi
tion. wlUx, .millionaires.
The accused Tennessee night riders
have failed to provo their alibis. The
next line of defense will probably be
an appeal to brainstorms.
"There are three parties to eyery
divorce case, the plaintiff, the defend
ant and the public," says the Brooklyn
Eagle. Add one for the co-respondent.
Paris has Just been visited by a ter
rific snowstorm. We felt something of
that kind would happen after Presi
dent Fallleres had his whiskers pulled.
I ...
Mayor Jim may yet have an oppo
nent for renomlnatlon within his own
party. So far, however, he is not los
ing any sleep over those mentioned to
date.
Tho army reports that there are
only 200,000 first class rifles in the
country and about 250.000 of tho ob
solete brand. - That's an argument for
peace.
Caj) it ba possible that those "rats.
dogs and other tamo animals" on top
of tho city hall have excited tho jeal
ousy of tho wild animals within the
city hall?
A detective who has been conduct
ing tho investigations says there are
but sjt honest men In the Pittsburg
city council, which has ninety-four
members. Tho number is larger than
most ojl8"&d been lei to bsllovo.
HR. TAFT LY TUB SOUTH.
The enthusiastic welcoming of Mr.
Taft to the south, from bis reception
at Augusta to his latest Interchange
with a delegation of representative
men at Birmingham, has unusual -Significance1,
in view of the fart thit" he
has stated one of his purposes to be to
Induce the south to break away from
Its hide-bound political traditions. The
south is welcoming Mr. Taft, not out
of curiosity, but apparently from a
disposition to get better acquainted
with him and to join htm, at least half
way, in any plan for its restoration to
a place in the councils of the nation.
There Is no doubt that the real feel
ing of the south Is voiced In the ad
drees Inviting Mr. Taft to visit Bir
mingham, in which General Rufus N.
Rhodes, as chairman of the commltee
said:
I am going to take advantage of this
opportunity to say to you that If you
knew the heart and the head of Ihe men
of the south and particularly of Birming
ham, you would know that they regard
the result of the last election as a bene
diction from God Almighty Himself to
the people of the south over their pro
test. I am a democrat. Most of these
gentlemen are democrats, but we have
come to love you for your human quali
ties, for we understand that your aym
pathlea are broad as the universe, but
because you have come here, sir, Indicat
ing to us that you want the south once
again to hold Its place In the councils of
tho nation.
General Rhodes Is the veteran edi
tor of one of the biggest and best of
the democratic newspapers of the
south and his expressions must be ac
cepted as reflecting the best sentiment
of the thoughtful men of his section.
Something of his attitude has been
forecasted by other leading democratic
newspapers of the south and Mr.
Taft's. visit will do much to give en
couragement to those who have been
long working In an effort to advance
from old landmarks and establish in
dependence of thought and political
action in the entire south.
Mr. Taft does not hesitate to spy
that he hopes good may come of his
visit by the political breaking up of
the south to correspond with the po-
tltical breaking up of the north mak
ing politics a subject of uncertainty,
a subject for discussion and independ
ent action throughout the country. No
greater service could be accomplished
for the benefit of the whole country
than the success of plans to that end.
All observers agree that the trend
toward republicanism is very marked
In the south. The five border states
were republican in their, aggregate
vote last November while in Virginia,
North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia
and Arkansas, the republican vote In
creased to the point where even the
democrats recognize that the party has
a standing and must be considered a
factor in future campaigns. South
Carolina, Louisiana and Mississippi
are the only southern states still com
pletely under democratic domination
and in which tho republican party
does not have a strong, effective,
fighting and growing organization.
The business Bouth is rapidly tiring of
bourbonism and coming to appreciate
the fact that its best interests lie with
progressive political policies. Mr.
Taft's appeal to this Interest to ally
itself with the side of best govern
ment Is bound to have beneficial ef
fect. ABV3ISO THE FRASKISO PRIVILEGE
Two congressmen have been notified
that the typewriters they attempted to
send to their homes under their con
gressional franks are being held at
the poBtofflce in Washington awaiting
the payment of $19 in postage on
each. The members have, of course,
protested to tho postmaster general
and a ruling has been asked on the
right of a mere postmaster to withhold
from the malls anything offered under
the frank of a congressman.
The Incident serves to call re
newed attention to the abuse of the
franking privilege that has grown to
be little short of a scandal. The pur
pose of the frank was to enable mem
bers of congress to Bend their official
letters and printed public documents
through the mails without the pay
ment of postage. Even that privilege
offered leeway for abuse by allowing
the campaign committees of both
parties to flood the country with ex
tracts from the Congressional Record,
and Inserted originally in the Record
for Just that purpose. The greater
abuse, however, has been in the use
of the frank to sending all sorts of
stuff through the mails free of cost.
It Is a matter of record and common
knowledge In Washington that mem
bers have used the frank to send their
personal belongings, even household
goods, through the mails. One thrifty
Kentucky congressman used to send
his laundry home every week under
a frank and an eminent statesman
from Illinois sent his household goods
and his library home under a frank,
the total filling two freight cars. So
greatly has the privilege been abused
that a postmaster general reported a
few years ago that the cost of carry
ing the franked matter of congressmen
was as large as the annual deficit of
the PoBtofflce' department.
CONSOLIDATE THE TAXES.
If the coming legislature wants to
make a hit with the taxpayers of
Omaha and at the same time relieve
the official tax gatherer of unnecessary
expenditure of time and money, it will
consolidate the taxes imposed hero on
real and personal property for the sup
port Of state, county, school and mu
nicipal governments. As It is now the
ordinary taxpayer in Omaha is con
fronted with this' confusing schedule:
County and state taxes due November 1,
each year.
County and state personal , taxes delin
quent December 1. same year.
County and state real eatata taxes delin
quent May 1, following year.
City taxes due May 1. eacli year,
City, lilts daUnqucut J uiy 1, saiu jrr.
Not only do we have county and
state taxes due and delinquent at dif
ferent times from city and Bchool
taxes, but also a difference between
the times when personal and real es
tate taxes become delinquent for
county and state. In other words,
every taxpayer who pays on both per
sonalty and realty and who takes ad
vantage of the time allowed must
make three trips to the treasurer's
office at three different times and the
treasurer must make three separate
tax collections and issue three separate
tax receipts.
That there Is no good reason for this
multiplicity of tax payments Is self-
evident. In no other city in the state
Is the same system employed. Every
where else but in Omaha a single tax
bill is rendered with distinct Items for
taxes due county, state, city and school
district and the payment is made in a
lump sum in exchange for a single re
ceipt.
The peculiar condition existing in
Omaha is an outgrowth of the consoli
dation of city and county treasuries
and may have been excusable for the
transition period, but its continuance
is no longer necessary.
THE FIQHT ON DR. irLEl".
With the demand that he be de
posed, some of the manufacturers of
the country have started an open wor
fare on Dr. H. W. Wiley, chief chemist
of the Department of Agriculture.
Secretary Wilson refuses to discuss
the matter other than to state that be
has no intention of removing Dr.
Wiley, but, on the other Bide, it Is
asserted that other members of the
board with Dr. Wiley have been pro
mulgating regulations In connection
with the pure food law, without con
sulting him and in defiance of his
orders. Dr. Wiley has been connected
with the government for twenty-five
years and had more to do with the
framing of the pure food law than any
other one individual. He has con
ducted many experiments touching the
effects of adulterants, coloring mat
ter and cold storage on food products
and has been vigorous in his efforts
to enforce the provisions of the pure
food law. His latest order prohibited
the use of benzoate of soda and
copper sulphate In preserving and
coloring canned goods. The manufac
turers have apealed from his decision
and have demanded his removal, as
serting that goods are not made pois
onous or Injured by the use of color
ing matter or the preservatives they
employ in the canning.
Whether Dr. Wiley is right or
wrong should be determined without
difficulty by experts. Meanwhile, Dr.
Wiley's associates on the Board of
Food and Drug inspection have issued
permits to the manufacturers to go
on using these colorings and preserva
tives, provided the fact is plainly
stated on the labels. But this does
not solve the question. If the chemi
cals in question are injurious to
health, their use should be prohibited.
If they are not injurious, their use
should be permitted without embar
rassing restrictions.
Great progress has already been
made in the protection of the consum
ers' by the adoption of pure food laws
In the nation and In the different
states, and the demand is for intelli
gent enforcement of these laws until
the evils the public has. complained of,
have entirely disappeared. The de
velopments at Washington indicate
that the fight on Dr. Wiley Is really a
fight on the whole pure food move
ment. The citizens of Bath, Me., the birth
place of Charles W. Morse, are peti
tioning the courts to release Mr. Morse
on ball, pending a new trial. Morse
has been sentenced to fifteen years'
imprisonment for huge financial
frauds in the banking business. The
loyalty of his fellow townsmen at
Bath must, of course, be pleasing to
him, but the efforts are in decidedly
bad taste, considering the charges
against Morse and the effect that his
release would have.
The appeal of the democratic organs
to the democratic legislators to fulfill
their platform pledges In order to hold
the confidence of the people who
elected them sounds very well. But
bow does it fH in with the appeals
made during the campaign by the same
democratic organs asking the people
to turn down the republican law
makers of the last session notwith
standing the fact that tbey had scrupu
lously redeemed all their promlsos?
While the fight is waxing fast and
furious as to who is to fill the speak
er's chair in Nebraska's coming demo
cratic legislature, the other law-making
branch may rest undisturbed in
the assurance that it will be under the
safe and sane guidance of a republican
presiding officer in the person of Lieu
tenant Governor Hopewell.
Lower rents in Omaha would be
highly desirable from every point of
view, and so would a more liberal pol
icy on the part of most landlords with
reference to repairs and ordinary ac
commodations to tenants. If the Real
Estate exchange will tell us how to get
one or both it will do the commnnity
an Inestimable favor.
Boston shipped 24,000,000 pairs of
shoes less in 1908 than in 1907. This
does not necessarily men that the peo
ple are wearing fewer shoes. It may
mean that they are buying them else
where than in Boston.
Mr. Bryan's Commoner is rounding
out its eighth year without having to
meet the troublesome question of re
moving its editorial rooms to Wash
ington or suspending publication.
That charga of extravagance lodged
against the outgoing republican state
administration by the democrats In the.
recent campaign Is what Is coming
back to plague its makers.
Chinese are not allowed to shave
their heads for 100 days after the
death of the emperor. The Chinese
barber will naturally wish long life
for the emperor.
As an autograph collection that reg
ister of legislative lobbyists to be kept
at Lincoln by the secretary of state ia
far from promising to be of either
value or interest.
Fresldent Ripley, of the Santa Fe,
declares that the building of the
Panama canal is a waste of money. Mr
Ripley is evidently a victim of en
vironment. Confldenced to the I.lmlt.
Chicago News.
Uncle Sam is trying to get back 0.000
acres of coal lands alleged to have been
taken fraudulently from him In Utah.
Uncle la getting- good and tired of being
an easy mark.
Inearlng for Their I.Ives.
Chicago Inter Ocean.
The testimony In the Reelfoot lake mur
der case reveals the fact that, though
otherwise Industrially blackward, the na
tives are no slouches When it comes to
the manufacture of alibis.
Lining; I p with the Bis Fellows.
Boston Herald.
The republic of Panama Is preparing for
a world's fair In 1915. No matter how small
and Inconsequential a nation may be. It is
never so far down the scale that It can't
indulge In one of those things somewhere
along the line. .
Business Before Bathos.
.Louisville Courier-Journal.
Victor Emmanuel's curt "don't talk non
sense" in reply to a toadying Italian's
statement that his majesty's presence in
the earthquake district would "console the
populace" throws a pleasing side light
upon the character of the Italian monarch.
Like King Humbert, he is, or seems to be,
a man who takes his responsibilities seri
ously and a king who does not take himself
too seriously.
Wr Crooks Smile.
Chicago Record-Herald.
Abe Ruef, tho San Francisco boss, "lias
been sentenced to fourteen years in the
penitentiary, but It is explained that it will
take at least three years to carry tTle case
up through the various courts that may
yet be appealed to. In view of this fact and
In view of the material that some of the
courts to be appealed to are composed of
It Is no wonder that Ruef smiled when the
verdict was pronounced.
Crusade Aaalajit Food Fakirs.
Boston Herald.
Dr. Wiley, chief chemist of the Depart
ment of Agriculture, and the protector
of food purity, will be better appreciated
because of the enemies he has made. The
protest of the National Molasses Refiners'
association against his "pernicious ac
tivity" is evidence that his crusade against
undesirable food preservatives is genuine
and effective. The protest of food manu
facturers against-his "Interference" with
their methods and practices will not dis
credit the service ho has rendered In the
detection and prohibition of unhealthy in
gredients in food products.
. No Cause (or Worry.
Philadelphia Record. .
According to the tsport of General Bell,
chief of staff of tlia army, the Infantry
Is too weak and the cavalry is superannu
ated. Such was the case with both the In
fantry and the cavalry before the war of
1S12 and the war with Mexico, and, above
all, the stupendous civil war. But thanks
to the volunteer militia the country wor
ried through these crises with compara
tively small aid from the regular army.
General Bell imparts the assurance now,
however, that the long marches and other
tests of endurance Inaugurated by the
president have done much to elevate the
physical condition and morale of officers
and men. Let us rest happy in the con
viction that the country is safe.
The Record Disaster.
Springfield (Mass.) Republican.
In the more remote parts of the world
many cases might doubtless be cited of
malar destruction of human life from
earthquake than Is now afforded. But
along the pathway of civilization few ex
periences have been met with so sweep
inirlv riearilv un the one now reDOrted from
the cities along the Messina strait. The
destruction of Lisbon by earthquake and
tidal wave In 1755. when a loss of life va
riously estimated from 30.000 to 60.000
persons, is to be thought of in this con
nection; and tradition has it that the shak
ing down of Antloch and villages round
ahnnt In the vear S26 destroyed over 200.-
000 lives. But within the range of au
thentic record this latest Calabrlan earth
quake la apparently to be written down as
the most destructive of all.
IOIIUEI) Of HISTORY.
Newspapers Indispensable la the
Final Wrltenp.
New York World.
At the meeting of the American His
torical association at Washington this week
one of the Interesting papers read was
that by William Nelson on "American
Newspapers of the Eighteenth Century as
Sources of History." Mr. Nelson took Is
sue with Bancroft's remark that "you can
not write fclstory from newspapers."
That might be true for the period of
American history with which Bancroft waa
most Interested, as the colonial press was
hampered by official censure, but in the
evolution of the press since Independence,
a historian, as Mr. Nelson remarked, who
ignores that field will miss "a great and
valuable mass of material." Even in a
study of the revolutionary era the news
papers, brief as they were, throw much
light on the life of the people, and with
out that our conception of events would
be fragmentary and the meaning incom
plete. In the absence of the telegraph,
telephone and news organisations, and
with editorial comment usually covered
by a paragraph or two. It is readily under
stood why Bancroft gained little material
from the newspapers In writing his earlier
volumes.
Letters, Journals, diaries and public docu
ments then as now were invaluable, but
In recent times their relative value as com
pared with that of the newspapers as
chroniclers of the events of the time has
greatly decreased. As James Ford Rhodes,
the historian. In speaking before the asso
ciation on the use of newspapers for his
tory In the period from 1850 to 177, re
marked, they are indispensable "to get
at all the facts, to go to the bottom of
things." Mr. Rhodes also acknowledged
the aid he derived in the period mentioned
from the editorial comment of such great
Journalists aa Greeley, Blgelow. Raymond.
Webb, Bowles, Thurlow Weed, Schouler
and Medlll.
No historian of any period since the
modern development of the newspaper
would dream of writing history without
consulting the newspaper of the day as,
to use Mr. Rhodes' language, "an ample
and contemporary, record of la iaV-
HM SEC. TAFT ltEM(iEn.
Aa Incident of the Campaign of 1P04
hnd the Oatcie.
George Orlswold Hill i Collier s.
That William Howard Taft, who Ims
been chosen by the American people as
the next president of the United States,
ence deliberately and formally resigned
from the cabinet of President Roosevelt
Is a fact known to but few people. Indeed,
It Is safe to say that aside from the presi
dent and his former secretary of war
there are not a half-doaen people In the
world who have ever heard of Mr. Taft's
reels-nation and Mr. Roosevelt's character
istlo declination thereof, but the private
letter-press of these distinguished men will
entirely substantiate the facts here given,
facts which constitute an Important It
brief chapter In the history of the nation
because of tho striking example they af
ford of the timber of twa of Its most
prominent statesmen.
Had the fact of Secretary Taft's resigna
tion been known to the gentral public dur
ing the exciting days of the campaign Just
ended there would have been fewer people
who feared that President Taft would be
too greatly under tho tnfluenen of ex
President Roosevelt, but apparently the
only person otherwise In a position to
relate tho incident In print was pledged to
confidence until after November 3. 1908.
It was during the campaign of 1904 that
Mr. Taft, with many expressed regrets,
formally resigned his position of secre
tary of war because his loyalty to the bast
Interests of the Filipinos forbade hie ceaa
Ing to advocate the reduction of tho duty
on Philippine augar and tobacco and his
loyalty to the president seemed to demand
the cessation of such advocacy by a mem
ber of the cabinet.
Secretary Taft waa requested by George
B. Cortelyou, then chairman of the re
publican national committee, to make sev
eral speeches in support of the republican
national ticket, and Mr. Cortelyou's requeat
was urgently seconded by President Roose
velt. Accordingly. Mr. Taft went up to
Connecticut, where his standing aa a Yal
alumnus has long made him exceptionally
popular, and delivered a forceful speech
In support of Roosevelt and Fairbanks. In
the course of his remarks, Mr. Ta.ft dwelt
upon the subject of Philippine progress and
the solemn duty of the American congress
materially to reduce the duty on Philip
pine sugar and tobacco. In his audience
were many Connecticut farmers, who. un
der the guidance of Secretary Wilson, had
Invested their all In the cultivation of
tobacco, and they had conceived the Idea
that any reduction of the tariff on Philip
pine tobacco would seriously Jeopardise
their profits. Reports of their disapproval
of the sentiments expressed by the secre
tary of war reached Chairman Cortelyou,
and he proceeded Immediately to Indite a
lengthy epistle to the president, In which.
In his most diplomatic manner. Jie sub
mitted the facts and suggested that, at
least until after election, it might be wiser
for the secretary of war in his public ad
dresses to refrain from dwelling with any
considerable emphasis on the plain duty
of the United States to the Philippines, and
especially In so far as the tariff was con
cerned. When President Roosevelt received Chair
man Cortelyou's letter he scribbled across
one corner: "Respectfully referred to the
secretary of war," and sent the communi
cation by special messenger to that offi
cial. As soon aa Secretary Taft read the letter
he gave instructions that he was not to be
Interrupted for any cause, and set to work
on the difficult task of composing a letter
of resignation which would adequately ex
press his feelings.. So delicate did he con
sider the undertaking that he employed no
stenographer, but laboriously penned first
a draft and then a final copy. He assured
tho president of the deep sorrow with which
he found himself confronted with the neces
sity of such action, of his absolute unwill
ingness by any act of omleslon or commis
sion to Jeopardise Mr. Roosevelt's political
welfare, but, on the other hand, of hla un
swerving loyalty to the people of the Fh Hp
pine Islands, his unshakable conviction that
It was the plain duty of the American con
gress to grant the tariff concessions he had
advocated, and of his own Inability to per
ceive a course whereby he might, without
sacrifice of loyalty to one or the other,
cease from urging a reduced tariff or avoid
Injury to Mr. Roosevelt's political fortunes.
Under these circumstances he felt com
pelled in deepest sorrow to sever his con
nection with the Roosevelt cabinet, hla
resignation to take effect aa soon a might
prove convenient to the president.
The composition and double Inscribing of
this long and delicate communication
proved no easy task, and It occupied the
greater part of Mr. Taft's day, so that It
was nearly nightfall when a special messen
ger carried the document to the White
House. 1
It required barely two minutes for Mr.
Roosevelt to compose and Inscribe his re
ply, and his answer may be recorded as
one of the most comprehensive and por
tentous epigrams In history. Across the
corner of Secretary Taft's carefully penned
communication the president wrote these
words:
"Dear Bill: Flddledeedee.-T. R."
That was all; but it was sufficient, and
William H. Taft understood that hla resig
nation of the portfolio of war had been
promptly and emphatically declined.
Mr. Taft has never ceased hla earnest
advocacy of the reduction of the tariff on
Philippine sugar and tobacco, and It Is a
safe prediction that unless the national
legislature shall already have granted the
Urged concession It will play an Important
pari In his first annual message to con
gress; but during the campaign of 1904
Chairman Cortelyou did not again assign
the uncompromising secretary of war to
speak In any section where the growing of
sugar and tobacco constituted one of the
Important Industries.
WHY TAFT WAS ELECTED.
Soathrra Democrat Snggesta aa Ex
traordinary Mission.
Charleston News and Courier (dem.).
Mr. Bryan says that Mr. Tift was
"elected through a combination of the
financial, commercial and Industrial In
terests of the country." and that ht
"would rather remain ' a private cltlsea
than be president and be subservient to
those Interests, as Mr. Taft must be. under
the conditions that elected him." It would
appear from what Mr. Bryan say that It
was very fortunate for the country that
he was not elected. What other Inter,
ests are there really that are to be "sub
served" but the financial, commercial and
Industrial Interests? That seems to take
In everything- that Is worth serving the
merchants, the bankers, the manufac
turers, the worklngmen, and the farmers.
Mr. Taft ought to be very much pleased
with Mr, Bryan's tribute. It la the best
thing that has ever been said about him.
Tet the great Nebraskan I picking his
flint again for another race for president
According to th dispatches the other
day he Is willing to respond as long and
a often as th democratic party call
for him. But there "won't be no demo
cratic party" In 1913 If he shall be nomi
nated again. Somebody ought to tell him
so Henry Watteraon, or Joarphua Dan
W is, or Urey Woodson, or Normaa B.
Mack; somebody ba will believe.
DISASTER" MIGHTY CR1.I..
Brighter Wide of Dark Pletare, with
Historical Reflections.
loulsvllle Courler-Journsl.
Wherever hunvin hearts beat with warmth
human hearts will feel for Italy and for
those who have suffered In the calamity
In Ihe south of that fair land. To shudder
and to lament that Is about all that ran
be done. If there I any sort of assistance
possible Americans will be glad to Join In
that, too.
,
Brotherhood of Man.
Chicago Inter-Ocean.
The appalling disaster that fell upon Mes
sina and Reggio. and the neighboring dis
tricts of Sicily and Calabria Just before the
dawn of December 28, has Its brighter side
to the thoughtful mind. This Is In the evi
dence It evokes of the human kindness and
decency of our civilization, with all Its
faults.
Practical Sympathy.
New York Tribune.
The only compensation Immediately dls
cemable In the case of such appalling ca
tastrophes Is the almost universal out pour
ing of sympathy In practical forms. The
collection of funds for the relief of the suf
fering began In this Instance at many points
before any appeal for help had been made,
and we hope that, however Inadequate to
replace what has been lost, they will be
large enough at least to save thouxRnda
from starvation.
Calamity Make Whole World Kin.
Chicago Tribune.
The lines which man has drawn across
the world and tho languages which he has
Inherited to mark the passing difference of
nationality all disappear when such a crush
ing blow descends on one part of the hu
man kind. Suffering which speaks no lan
guage and knows no boundary lines brings
home to the well housed Chk-agoan, as to
the Parisian, the Londoner, the man of
Berlin, of Vienna, of Tokln. and of Peking,
with equal force tho shock of a human
catastrophe.
Great Hlstorlo Region.
New York Evening Poet.
The country in which earthquake. Hood
and fire have spread ruin Is one of the
great historic region of the world. Scien
tists say that Slclly-Calabrla lies on a
seismic boundary formed hv th n,.tinr
two geologic formations. But Sicily and
uiaoria nave witnessed the clash of other
than geologlo forces. R.n hi .ik,i
as Rhegtum. was one of the cities of Magna
uraeoia, where Greek culture blossomed
almost at its highest, and where Pyrrhus
fought with Rome for supremacy In the
Mediterranean. With Rhegium. Rome
closed Its conquest of Italv. mil with i.
slna it began the conquest of its first prov-
" or me world. Europe and Africa
fought out their battle In Sicily during the
Punic wars, and Normans and Saracens
contended there a thousand years later
Now Messina and Reggio di Calabria are
aid in rulna by a titanic convulsion that
is reported to hsve cut a new course for
the strait of Messina, so that Ulysses
would find the task of sailing between
Scylla and Charybdls harder than ever.
Earthquake R a vases In Italy.
Springfield (Mass.) Republican.
No Inhabited part of the earth's surface
Is so subject to destructive quakes as the
region about the strait of Messina which
has agsln been visited by a vast calamity
from this cause. Every century within the
cope of recorded history has seen this
Calabrlan region of Italy afflicted-to a
greater cr less extent from arthquake
and there have been frequent periods of
time when It has been almost continuously
subjected to these disturbances. We must
go back, however, to 1783 to find anything
equal to the present experience In deetruc
tivenes. Like this one, that earthquake
shock shook down many of the villages
of Calabria and. passing under the strait of
Messina, leveled most of the city of Mes
sina and caused a tidal wave which com
pleted the destruction, as now. The esti
mated loss of life at that time was 100 000.
and It Is quite possible that this astound
ing figure of mortality will be reached In
the present case. It is a matter of record
that for seventy-five years, following 1783
this region of Italy lost 111.000 Inhabitants
from earthquakes more noteworthy for
their frequency than for their special de
structlveness. Scylla and Charybdls.
Washington Star.
In those old, old time when gods and
goddesses were so very like human beings
that they felt ueh primal passions aa love
and Jealousy it waa quite common for them
to vent their spleen upon unhappy mor
tal who offended them by transforming
the victims Into animals, birds, trees and
rocks. It was In this way that the con
venient channel of commerce flowing be
tween Sicily and Italy became beset by
iwo seriou peril. Circe hated a beauti
ful mortal woman named Scylla, because
a certain -fisherman preferred Scylla to
herself, and she changed the luckless
maiden Into a hideous monster and et
dog and wolve to bark around her
Scylla preferred death to uch a state, so
she flung herself Into the strait of Mes
sina, at their narrowest point, on the
Italian side, and became a great rock,
looming- In the very course of vessel. Just
to give the men who followed the sea
their full measure of trouble limit.. -
lected a woman named Charybdls, against
wnom ne bad a grievance, and changed
her Into a vlclou whirlpool, placing her In
thl guise on the other side of the atralt
from Scylla, where Messina harbor is lo
cated. After that the fishermen had all
they could attend to In navigating the
straits, and often In avoiding- Scylla they
feH Into the maw of Charybdls.
NEW RAILROADS BUILT.
Development Chiefly in the Western
State.
Philadelphia Press.
Fewer mile of new railroad track were
laid down In th United State In 108 than
In any preceding year since 1W7. More than
three-quarters of all the new trackage thl
year He west of th Mississippi.
Railroad construction In this country
reached its maximum In 1902, when 6.000
mile were built. Only 63 per cent of that
amount ha been laid thl year. It I un
necessary to go Into detail to show why
uch a large decrease should occur In 1908.
The reasons are patent to alt.
But even a severe trade depression could
not halt the keen competition that 1 evi
dent In the far west. More mile of new
road were built In Montana than any other
tate, and nearly all of it waa paid- for by
three big systems, which are under the
domination of two rival groups of men.
Competitive railroad building In th etat
ha not been seen on any very Important
scale, barring one exception for a long
time, but on the Paclflo slope the caae
Is Just the reverse. The Hill-Morgan faction
on the one aide and the Harriman-Rocke-feller
faction on the other, are reaching
with vigorous hand for new conquest.
The extraordinary ease with which a
company Ilk the St. Paul can finance a
transcontinental trunk line which, with sid
ings, aggregate 2.200 mile, compared with
the throes through which the Northern Pa
clflo had to pass, I an eloquent comment
ary on the vast expanalan of American
wealth since Jay Cooke' day. Now th
work 1 done without creating a ripple on
the financial sea. Then It laid th founda
tion of a panic that shook the world.
ORATORY SAVES Till PIECE.
by Natare' tenvnlslons.
Kansas City Time.
Scylla and Charybdls cannot le de
stroyed. The mere rnrft that was known
a Scylla may have been engulfed. Th 1
whirlpool that wss Charybdls mny be now
snd henceforth the calmest water of 1h
Mediterranean. Rut Beylla and Charybdlt
will endure as lung a oratory flow In
Kansas and Missouri.
"Mr. Chairman, What do we see? The
Scylla of corruption on the one side; the
Charybdls of oppression . on the other."
Or "Who shall guide the grand old ship
of stato between the Scylla of anarchy otl
the one hand, and the Charybdls of cor
porate greed upon the otherT" In such
Immortal words are these cherished fig
ures of the spellbinder fortified against
destruction by earthquake, volcano and
flood. Virgil may hove supposed that h
had given the repository for their fame.
Indeed. It may bo admitted that lis did
have something to do with It as a starter.
But the real shine Is here with the west
ern orators.
"Pellon" has been "piled on Ossa" mnnv
a time. "High Olympus" has been scaled
so quickly and so often ns to niaks a
Swiss Alpine climber envious. "The dogs
of war" have been held In leash over time.
The "Rubicon" ha been crossed almost
a frequently a Caesar' wrfe ha been
declared to be above suspicion. ' The
"Ides of March" haV done duty for No
vember a thousand times for each elec
tion. These have all don and will con
tinue to do "yeoman ervlc" for the
spellbinder. They have been almost as
effective a the warning tht "Caesar had
hi Brutus," or the reflection that "Ales
ander sighed for more worlds to con
quer." But of all the eternal band none other
Is comparable to Scylla and Charybdls.
They have been, facile prlnceps, the favor
ties, filling every requirement of sound
and antithesis. No period so effective as
they supply. No climax so sure to get
a hand and establish a reputation.
Scylla and Charybdls are not destroyed.
The awful calamity that lias swept over
southern Italy has at least spared the
western world that devastation. The sug
gestion that If the worst came to the worst
the pillars of Hercules might take their
place Is wholly Impertinent and needless.
Transplanted to Amrrlca Scylla and
Charybdls have became Institutions, secure )
as the Dieclaratlnn of Independence, and, '
like tho declaration, n;ir!ncd In the
hearts of the multitudes.
PERSONA!, XOTKS.
Dr. Edwards, of the Carnegie Institute
is now In Shanghai getting ready to make
the first magnetic survey of China.
"One must not forgot that the people
on whose authority the reports are sent are
all made with terror." And Ferrero knows
Italians.
Tho approaching centennial of hi birth
1 putting Into print many picture of the
Martyr Preldent Lincoln. None have yet
come to notice a beardless as the Omaha
high school statue. One photograph taken
the day before the assassination shows the
short beard with which he is usually rep
resented. One of the three nicniorl.il window
unveiled the other day at Plymouth church,
Brooklyn, showed a group of four dis-
tlngulshed American women Mrs. Harriet
Beechcr Stowe, Mary Lyon, Emma Wlllard
and Catherine Esther Rcechrr described
as the four great e.lurr.tors rf Amertcin
womanhood. '
If reports from the Orient mny be re
lied upon the Grand Vlz!?r's list of sen
ators to be submitted to . the sultan of
Turkey for approval will contain tlia,
names or two Jews David Kffendl Mollis,
first dragoman of the imperial divan, and
Behor Effendl Eskenazl, a member of tlia
state council.
A granddaughter of Philip Freneau. tho
revolutionary poet. Miss Mary Hammell
of Locust Grove. L. 1., Is under inmiiry
as to her sanity at the instance of neigh
bors, who found her sturvlng and freez
ing In the house where she has been Hv
Ing alone. She Is wealthy but persists In
denying herself food and warmth.
To the list of self-made men whose
business transactions embraced an extra
ordinary variety of Interest must bn
added Solomon Andrews of Cardiff, who
died at the ago of 73. leaving a fortune
of I4.8S0.0O0. Unable to rend or write,
he started business by hawking pies and ,
tarts that he had baked himself. RefnrA
long he embarked In ether enterprise
nd became wealthy.
LAI till 11V O REMARKS.
Fluffy Young . .-.-Id llk to prp,v
the express on , ac .ajr.
Express Co...p.. y. Ajjent-Whafs tho
value?
Fluffy Young Tiling N. thing, sir. It s a
bundle of letters, lm . eiu ng tiiem bacn
tu him. Chicago Tr.bune.
"That man Bays i.e njver fjreets u
favor."
"He speaks truly." answered Hi-naur
Sorghum. "He did me a favor fifteen yours
ago and has been talking nbuul It wer
since." Washington Star.
Mistress When I engaged y u. Luclnda.
you said you had no mule friend. Now,
almost every time I come into the kitchen
I find a man there.
Luclnda Lor' aakea, he sm no male fren'
oo mine.
Mistress Then who Is he?
Luclnda Ma husband! Puck.
"It docs seem strange," remarked the
party who seemed to ba thinking aloud.
"What seem strange?" queried the Inno
cent bystander.
"That after getting a man In hot water
a woman can't understand why he should
boll over," explained the no.sy thinker.
Chicago News.
Wiggles I hear BJenks has been very-111.
Is he out of danger yet?
Waggies Well, he' convalescent; but he
won't be out of danger until that pretty
nurse who has been taking car of Mai
ha gone away. Life.
"Was your a case of love at first a ght?"
"Hardly. Th fint time I saw my hue
ban lis had on motor goggle. 'St. Louis
Times.
"Don't mix In," said Uncle Eben. "Two
men dat fights kin shake haa a an' be
friend afterwards. Hut neither of 'em ever
ha much of a regyahd ioh da referee."
Washington Star.
St. Patrick was driving th makes out
of Ireland.
"If you take my advice, young men," h
aid to the reporters, "you won't write thl
up you'll get th reputation of being nature
fakers."
But the good man' admonition waa
wasted. They rushed th story Into print
Chicago Tribune.
THE MONTHS ISO THfcJ JEWELS
Harpsr Basar. t .
Garnet. January' gma, mean "Victory
and Power;"
February Amethyst rule swest "Affec
tion's" hour;
March with Jasper decorate thoej who
are "Wise and Bold;"
April' deep-blue Sapphire reign where
"Truth ' Is bravely told;
Chalcedonies belong to May; their message
Is "Oood Cheer;"
The Emerald of June dcclar "Immortal
Life" la clear;
July claim Diamond' "Purity" freedom
from spot or stain;
August's sky-blue Turquoises stanl for
"Worldly Gain."
September's Chrysolite proclaim: "Hops
Ever for the Best;"
The lteryls of OctotM-r. tell of "Hjiplness
and Rest."
Xovemlier' glowing Topag'S are' tyut-s of
"Faithful Friends."
December' blood-rl Ruble sing; "Clod's
Power Never n4a
1