THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 1909.
. fOi& Omaha Daily Beiv
rout; v Zr bt ecwaad rosbwatir.
VICTOR ROBKWATUR, EDITOR.
BnUred at Omaha poatoXflc a second
claM matter.
terms or bubscription.
Pally Bn (without Hunday). on yaf..$4.0
Dsily B and Borvday. on fu .
DELIVERED BT CARRIER.
Dally Be (Including Sunday), per wek..l5e
Illy Be (without Bunday). per wek..l0c
Evening Bm (without Sunday), per k o
Kventng Xn (with Sunday), per weak.. 10
Bunday Boa, on year $$S0
Batwrday Be, on year 1.S9
Address all eomplalat of Irregularities Ul
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OrFICEB.
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C0RRK0PONDKNCB.
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Bee, Editorial Department.
REMITTANCES.
Remit by Craft, eipree or poatal order
payable to The Be Publishing Compaoy.
Only l-cnt tmp received In payment of
mall accounts. Personal check, except on
Omaha or eaatern exchange, not accepted.
STATHSfENT or CTRCOtATlON.
St I of NaJbraaka, Douglas County, .:
Oeorg B. TMchuck. treasurer of The) Be
Puhliahlng company, being duly eworn, rs
that th actual number of fall and com
plat cople of Th Dally, Morning. Even
ing and Sunday Be printed during th
month ot December.
wa a follow:
i., st.tso
t 37,370
4..., I7.0M
I ST.S30
7,3B0
7 7J40
8 37,040
I.."- M.S10
10 38,TM
11 48,830
If . U,H
It 37,100
14 30,710
li T,0
IT 3T.3T0
li...." SS.SOO
19 8,7tO
SO 17,860
1 30,800
12 3710
21 3700
24 37,000
26 30,480
2 3O.0SO
2? 37,160
21 33,30
29 40,730
10 40,900
11 4300
1 .....37,170
ToUl t 1,171,470
Lea unsold and returned cople.. S,84
Net total Uioauas
Daily arerag 37,401
GEORGE B. TZSCHUCK.
Traurer.
Subscribed In my presence and sworn to
befor ma this Slat day of December. 1901.
. . .., ROBERT HUNTER.
Notay Public.
WHEN OCT Or TOWJT.
Sokserlkor Itailif th elty tem
porarily shoala hav Th Be
mailed to thasa. Address will
changed mm often as reo.t.
Well, what
about It?
aro we going to do
"Pity the tnonologlst," says the
Kansas City Journal. Better pity the
audience.
"Congress la getting . weary ot epi
thets." sayg Speaker Cannon. So say
we, all of us.
In the meantime the supreme court
of Nebraska Is ' doing business as
usual at the old stand.
"Mad as a hatter" has special' sig
nificance in certain New York head
gear factories Just now.
There does not seem to be much left
for John Worth Kern except to start
4t weekly political paper.
A Now York porter stolo $16,000
from his employers and Is now in bus
iness for himself as an ex-porter.
The lonqon Saturday Review refers
to Mr. Roosevelt as "the ex-presl
dent," but congress knows better.
"Why does a woman He?" asks Lil
llan Bell. Perhaps to keep from be
ing considered unique and loneBome.
The weather bureau should be told
that oven the Medicine Hat brand of
weather Is preferable to the London
variety.
A physician (ays that Mr. Rockefel
ler will live to be 100 years old. He
may yet see the final disposition of
that $2, 540,000 fine case.
Th Nebraska legislature boasts
three registered lobbyists, to say noth
ing of numerous lobbyists of the fifty'
seven unregistered varieties.
Speaking of names, Detroit has
elected these true patriots to the city
council: Hsrpffer, Glnnlnan, Glndle
sky, Shappland, Rotter and Tossy.
Jt is now proposed to raise the gun
decks of the American battleships.
Perhaps that Is proper, as everything
els has been going up for some time.
Remarkable, is It not, how these
professional crooks and outlawed des
peradoes never suffer "remorse" until
they are near the end of their rope?
Judg Laodls has been reversed In
a case h decided .in favor ot the
Standard Oil company. The oil peo
ple have caught Laodls coming and
going.
An Arkansas man has been fined
for throwing an egg at Senator "Jeff".
Davis and hitting another man. Poor
marksmanship is not tolerated In Ar
kansas. '
Nebraska's bed sheet statesman in
sists that every traveling man who
makes one-night stands on branch line
railroads Is with him in his demand
for nine-toot coverings. Any dissent?
"Pop" Anson has told th bank
ruptcy court in Chicago that he owns
nothiug but a base ball bat, a base
man's mitt and a few base balls. With
that equipment he may still retain his
popularity on the vacant lota.
The democrats la. congress propose
to prepare a tariff bill of their own
and offer it as a substitute for the re
publican measure. As soon as the
democrats get their bill ready the
country will know what It does not
want la th way of tariff legislation
TH rflCT Of TUB CONTROVERSY
The one net result of the long-drawn
controversy between President Roose
velt and congress is the certainty that
It baa now become practically Impos
sible to secure the passage of any sig
nificant or vital legislation recom
mended by the president at the current
session of congress. It Is becoming
more apparent that this condition was
hoped for by the reactionaries who
have been active lu fanning the fight,
their plan being to prevent action on
Important measures at this session,
with the belief that the extra session
will be entirely consumed by the work
of tariff revision and that other mat
ters now deferred will be sidetracked
to the regular session of the new con
gress a year off.
Bills affecting railways, labor,
mining, rivers and harbors, the Pan
ama canal, pure food, currency, immi
gration, postal savings banks and a
variety of subjects in which the public
Is Interested and concerned have been
discussed In a preliminary way, but in
dications are that no definite action
will be taken on any ot them. Even
the appropriation bills are in bad
shape, because the men in charge of
them have been wrangling over
Brownsville, the secret service or some
other difference between congress and
the president. With but about thirty
working days remaining of the present
session, congress will be able to do but
little more than get the money-carrying
bills out of the way.
The short session of congress prom
ises to be one of the most unsatisfac
tory and profitless on record.
THE VENEZUELAN CLAIMS.
President Oomez of Venezuela has
made a strong bid for popularity at
Washington by agreeing to a basis ot
settlement Of the claims ot the United
States against Venezuela, which have
been pending for five or six years and
which have been the cause of prac
tically all the diplomatic differences
between the two governments.
There are five of these claims,
chiefly those of Americans who have
had their property rights repudiated
by Castro. The claims were similar
to those of certain French and Ger
man syndicates which caused trouble
in Venezuela and which threatened
open rupture nan trie united states
not intervened and secured the refer
ence of the cases to The Hague. After
this had been done Venezuela openly
repudiated the American claims and
defied the government at Washington.
President Gomez is showing a disposi
tion to adJuBt all the troublesome
problems left by Castro and our gov
ernment will doubtless meet him halt
way in the settlement of disputes
which have Interfered for so long with
the diplomatic and commercial rela
tions between the two countries.
THE MAMSE CORPS' FVTVRE.
The house committee on naval af
fairs has rejected the recommendation
of President Roosevelt that the ma
rine corps be detached from duty on
battleships and assigned to coast de
fense. The committee recommends,
in the naval appropriation bill just
reported, that the marines be retained
as Units in the complements of fight
ing ships, thus making a square issue
against the president's recent order
relegating the marines to colonial and
shore duty.
Admirals Dewey and Evans, as well
as a majority of the navy officers in
active service, Insist that the efficiency
of the navy will be best advanced by
a withdrawal of the marines from the
warships. The trouble seems to be
that the marine Is neither a soldier
nor a sailor, but a good deal of both.
In Cuba, Manila and China the ma
rines have done splendid service, act
ing as landing parties and taking
charge of posts and fortifications. At
the same time, they have no part in
the fighting equipment of a battleship,
nor are tbey equipped particularly for
land service. It would evidently be
unfair, if 'not unwise, to attach the
marines to the army and apparently
the navy does not want them. ' The
best solution of the problem Is prob
ably that offered by the president
that the marines be retained as an in
tegral part of the navy, but assigned
to coast defense duty where they will
be available for service on warships
as emergencies may demand.
LOOT OF THEPVBLW DOMAIN.
Secretary Garfield of the Interior
department has furnished congress
with a striking illustration of the need
of a secret service to protect the pub
lic domain from the syndicates and
trusts that have been perpetrating
wholesale frauds In the last two years
la an effort to secure possession of
lands designed to go to homesteaders
and actual settlers. The secretary's re
port alleges that lands valued at about
$110,000,000 have been taken up
through fraudulent entries within the
last few years, much of which may
be recovered if prosecutions are
promptly made before the fraudulent
titles are perfected
The enormity of the proposed" steal
Is shown by the statistics of the Inte
rior department that 12,000 distinct
cases of alleged land frauds are now
pending and demanding further lnves
tigatlon. The number and dlstrlbu
tlon of such cases now awaiting Inves
tigation Is as follows:
Oregon I.4SB
California and Nevada 1.4oa
Washington and North Dakota 1 Si
Montana J i6
Colorado
Ariaona 4SS
Wyoming 21.156
Minnesota.
Michigan,
Wisconsin,
North and South Dakota
Missouri. Louisiana and Arkansas...
Utah
Oklahoma and Kansas
New Mexico
Florida, Alabama and Mississippi....
When It Is remembered that
,. 1.61
.. 1 4H2
.. 1.01
.. l.ZU
.. 1,M0
each
entry In question applies to from 160
co 640 acres of land, the amount o
the publio domain thus In danger ot
being fraudulently taken from the
people assumes alarming proportions.
For the further prosecution of these
cases the secretary asks for an appro
priation of $1,000,000, or one cent
on the dollar of the value of the prop
erty which, it Is. believed can be re
stored to the public. As a business
proposition it would seem to warrant
congress In providing the needed ap
propriation regardless of the fight
now waging over the uses and abuses
of the secret service branch of the
government service.
SPECIFIC A PPROPR IA I IONS.
It Is gratifying to know that the
State university regents have aban
doned the plan they were considering
to ask the legislature for an additional
percentage mill levy to run for a series
of years to take care of new construc
tion. Instead the legislature will be
asked to make specific appropriations
for the different buildings desired and
will thus be able to psbb on each of
them strictly on Its merits, and In re
lation to the urgency of the need.
This is In lln with what The Bee
has repeatedly advocated and it is to
be hoped it will mark the pace of
other branches of the state govern
ment that have been figuring on get
ting in on an Indefinite appropriation
by the percentage mill levy route.
Outside of the established university
fund levy the only other appropriation
of this kind Is that Imposed by the
Sheldon act designed to sink the state
debt, and this will have to be abol
ished within the biennlum, because its
purpose will soon have been accom
plished. The rule requiring specific appro
priations of public money is the salu
tary one offering, as it does, the only
way to keep strict check on expendi
tures. Whenever the indefinite ap
propriation Is favored it is favored in
the belief that the amount of money
thus secured for the particular object
will prove to be more than the law
makers who hold the purse strings
could have been Induced to give had
they known how much was really In
volved. What seems to commend the
percentage mill appropriation to those
who spend the money is Just what
condemns it to the taxpayers who sup
ply the money.
CONSERVATION QUESTIONS.
President' Roosevelt has broadened
enormously the scope of the movement
for 'the conservation of the national re
sources by Inviting Canada and Mexico
to participate in the conference to be
held in Washington next month to dis
cuss plans for making the movement
as wide as the continent and asking the
co-operation of our neighbors in the
work. The invitations have been sent
by private messenger and there is
every reason to assume that the Cana
dian and Mexican governments will ac
cept the invitations and send distin
guished representatives to participate
in the conference.
It is true that all three of the coun
tries have a selfish Interest in the de
velopment of their resources and their
conservation, but there is room for a
concert of action by which the mutual
interests of the three countries may be
promoted. Some commercial features,
however, may enter into the considera
tions with the effect of upsetting har
mony plans. The United States has
not maintained an attitude with ref
erence to trade with its closest neigh
bors that would encourage them to a
reciprocal action in the use of their
national resources.
The resources of Canada are very
similar to those of the United States
and the conservation of the timber,
mines and land resources in this coun
try will simply postpone the day when
our demand for supplies In those lines
will furnish Canada with a splendid
market for its abundant riches. We
have followed the policy of exhausting
our own and keeping Canada out of
our markets until Canada might feel
justified in asking some trade con
cessions before agreeing to help us
out of a dilemma of our own making.
With Mexico the matter is simpler
because that country has been devel
oped largely by United States capital
and has little in conflict with us In
the way of trade Interests. Mexico.
too, is deeply concerned in the con
servation ot the water supply, depend
lng, as it does, upon rivers that have
their source in this country for much
of its supply of water tor mining and
Irrigation purposes. Mexico will doubt
less enter into the conference with
disposition to meet this country half
way. Canada may not be so cheerful
about it, except as the Canadians recog
nlre that they have national interests
which overstep national boundary lines
and which may be better conserved and
served by co-operation than by single
effort.
Oklahoma proposes to give one of
its places in the national hall of fame
to an Indian who did great work for
his people. The other place should be
reserved for Haskell, Just to show the
difference between a good Indian and
a bad one.
The new governor of Indiana ob
jects to a legislative bill appropriating
$150,000 for an executive mansion
He is wise In estimating how much of
his salary he would be unable to save
by living In a $150,000 bouse.
The $800,000 voted by congress for
the relief of stricken Italy Is to be
used In buying building material. An
other case of asking for bread and get
ting stone, cement, structural steel
and plumbing supplies.
Dr. Wiley has many loyal friends
wbo have been supporting him in his
fight tor pure food laws, but he Is tak
lng chances of alienating them when
he declares his intention to put pink
lemonade, off watch.
A consolidated tax receipt for all
city, school, county and stato taxes
would be welcome to the taxpayers of
Omaha, who now wear out shoe
leather making repeated trips to the
treasurer's office.
Needless to warn the street-defining
department of the Dahlman adminis
tration to save some of the money for
pring political street cleaning Just be
fore the city primaries and election.
President Roosevelt may be able to
ride ninety-eight miles a day on horse
back, but could he equal Mr. Tatt's
record of "dancing all night 'til broad
daylight" with the Georgia belles?
Wanted A suggestion as to the
best way to let go of that attack on
the supreme court. Suitable reward.
Send answers to any demo-pop mem
ber of legislature at Lincoln.
The regret over the verdict in T.
Jenkins Halns' case will be keener
than ever, now that he announces his
ntentlon to write a novel on "The
Unwritten Law,"
Democrats are opposing any In
crease of the president's salary, chiefly
because the republicans favor it. The
democrats never change their brand
of logic.
Com Oat of It.
Pittsburg Dispatch.
It being fully and formally declared that
congress la mad at the president, why
not let It go at that and proceed to busi
ness? Sadden Change of Tuae.
Pittsburg Dispatch.
With the Texas anti-trust law and big
fin' sustained by the United States su
preme court the organs that acclaimed
Grosscup's decision will now discover that
the landmarks are overthrown and the
country headed straight to the everlasting
bow-wows.
Monopolies Under State Control,
Indianapolis New.
It might be worth while to call the at
tention of the legislature to the decision of
the supreme court that state legislatures
have tho right to forbid unlawful combina
tions to prevent competition and In re
straint of trade and to prohibit and punish
monopolies. And then again It might not.
Pointing; with. Pride.
Baltimore American.
When asked what financier he has sent
to prison President Roosevelfs friends can
point with pride to the Pennsylvania bank
wrecker, who, after a hard fight as ever
was mado by a rich criminal, Is In prison
stripes with' a long term ahead of him.
Such arguments nobody can successfully
controvert.
rine Old Man la Uncle Sam.
Boston Herald.
Lydta Kemekoha Lilluokalanl remarks
that there Is no nation under heaven that
lovea justice and practises it more regu
larly than the United States of America,
and she has no doubt that her claim for
her Hawaiian land will be recognised and
settled in due course. Which Is another
way of saying-ithat you can catch mora
files with molamea than with vinegar.
Pad Feast for Taft.
Baltimore American.
Since the south won over Taft with Its
succulent 'possum and "taters" dinner,
there threatens to be an epidemic of fad
feasts for the president-elect. Osktosh Is
tempting him with frog legs, Portland
offer craw-fish; Denver, beaver's tall;
Maine, fresh fish; New Orleans, crab
gumbo, and Omaha, corn in 901 varieties.
Maryland might get In line with terrapin.
Hard Won Victory of Justice.
Philadelphia Record.
The trial and conviction of J. B. F. Rine-
hart for the looting of the Farmer and
Drovers National bank of Waynesburg la
a notable triumph of justice. Through his
political pull Rlnehart had managed to
so delay his trial as to be almost able to
escape through pleading the statute of
limitations, after the precedent set by the
late Senator Quay. But appeal was made
to President Roosevelt and he In response
put life and motion Into the torpid admin
istration of justice. Rlnehart was tried
and convicted In the federal court. He
will be accompanied In the penitentiary
by a bevy of lesser accessories to his
crimes. The methods of political banking
In Philadelphia frtave been so audaciously
corrupt that if the law had Its due course
Rlnehart would not lack for company to
the end of his fifteen-year term.
AHMV PETITIONS.
Attempts to Influence Pending; I.egla
latlen Frowned Upon.
Washington Herald.
The secretary of war has taken a wise
step in the attitude which will discourage
army officers from submitting petitions
which are also protests, against pending
legislation originating at the War depart
ment. It has appeared to observers that
too much complaint has been manifested
among army officer concerning the
legislative plana of superior military author
lty. The encouragement of this has a ten
dency, ot course, to create insubordination
It must be assumed that th military
authorities in Washington know what they
are about when submitting drafts of
measure intended for the Increase of
military efficiency. If those measures are
not worthy, then the source of such sug
gestion to congress are sadly Incapable,
If not dangerous. Subordinate officers who
are away from Washington arxt who be
lieve that legislation is not to their indl
vldual benefit may materially interfere with
theae plans for military betterment by
being allowed to submit petitions and ap
peals. This is not saying that the army
must be ruled with an Iron hand or that
defects In pending legislation may not be
made known to the War department. Any
officer who-" recognize an Imperfection in
a bill submitted by th War department
will still have the light to Inform the au
thorltles of his discovery, with the sssur
anc that errors will be corrected and
omissions supplied, without the aid of
formidable and formal petitions.
It is recalled that when th pay In
crease proposition was pending at the last
session of congress some army officers
desired to have the provisions made mor
advantageous to themselves, and by their
interference. In th way of protests and ap
peal, they cama very near to defeating th
legislation. Th War department should
put Itself In the position of acquiring all
necessary information, and construct its
drafts of legislation upon what Is deemed
for the interest of th service, with a view
to the Increase of efficiency, and It may do
this without regard to individual Intereat.
For this reason the decision of the War
department to discourage petitions on th
subject is entirely in th Interests of th
government.
BITS OF WASHINGTON LIFE.
Some Aspeets of Congressional Ora
tory and Smooth Work,
lit attempting to defend himself and his
commute associate agninst President
Roosevelt' charge of purposely crippling
the erret service. Congressman Tawney
nrsde th assertion, according to Ms
published speech, that congress last year
appropriated $3,800,000 "to prevent frauds
In the depredations upon th several
branches of th public service, to project
public lands from fraudulent entry, and
to apprehend and punish other violator
of the law.' A Washington correspondent
of the New York Tribune, in looking up
the record to verify Mr. Tawney's asser
tion, develops the fact that the sum men
tioned covers tho entire cost of th In
ternal revenue service, the two ItemV ,
being "salaries and expense of Internal
revenue collectors, etc., $2,075,000," a rut
"salaries and expenses of revenue agents,
gaugers, etc., $2,400,0." this being as fixed
and regular an appropriation as that for
the collection of customs dutlea. But
the chairman of th appropriations com
mittee doe not fall to Include part of tha
cost of collecting customs duties, for he
cite an item of 1300,000 for "the detection
and prevention of ' frauds upon the cus
toms revenue.''
In order to make up this startling total
there ar included numerous expenditures
which cannot properly bo classed under
tho head cited by th chairman of the
appropriations committee, of which the
following are fair examples: For the pre
vention of obstructive and injurious de
posits in New York harbor, $85,000; for
steamboat Inspection and the contingent
expenses of the service, 1070,000; for tha
Incidental expenses of the army. Including
such Item as telegrams, postage, the erec
tion of barracks, the hire of veterinary
surgeons, shoeing of horses and mules,
etc., 13,200,000.
Mr. Tawney also put In his table prac
tically the entire cost of the forest serv
ice, Including such Items as the protection
of fish and game, necessary supplies, ap
paratus and office fixtures, electric light,
gas, Ice, washing towels and similar In
cidentals, $3,151,000. Another "police Item"
which swells the totul Is $200,000, which
covers the salaries of the Indian reserva
tion police, their rations and mounts, whilo
the entire contingent expense of the Indian
service, amounting to $36,000, is Included.
Another Item as distinct from the detec
tion and suppression of crime as- any
noted Is that for "unforeseen emergen
cies In the diplomatic and consular serv
ice, $90,000."
Of course, the entire cost of the meat In
spection, which Is not for the purpose of
suppressing crime, but of promoting health,
la included, the total being $3,000,000, as
Is also the $760,000 for the enforcement of
the pure food act. which covers every
part of the expense, including orfice rent,
gas, electric light and apparatus for mak
ing analyses. Many more items which
have as little place In the table presented
by Mr. Tawney as those cited might be
enumerated, but these are, perhaps,
among the most glaring errors.
Some smooth work Is being done by rail
road literary bureaus these days. A dis
patch to the Philadelphia North American
states that senator and members of the
house of representatives xre being flooded
with letters all wordd exactly alike, but
mailed in different towns and signed by
different persons, urging that no legisla
tion adverse to railroid interests be en
acted, because of tha damaging effect upon
wage eatnors trrouglitut the country.
rue letters say irt mere na Deen a
great lallinx oi'. in lh manufacture of
railroad t.tiulpinent and supplies, throwing
a great number ot-n ec out of employment.
The ptirchusing pt wi r ot these unemployed
Is destroyed, and tl.erelore all forms of
retell bu:ness arn sufftring depressing ef
fects. The nieinbeif of c ngrctn ar urged to
advoji'.u such an adjustment of railroad
rates as will cnab'o the railroads to do
busings? upon a lemunerative basis, and
thus rektorc the pisperity which Is
languishing in sj many communullle.
The k-Utrs sre obviously all prepared
by tho same persons and are being sent to
congressmen to ciei.to (he Impression that
there la u public demond for such increases
In freight tatcs its the railroads contem
plate. The titr.upa'i-r.cy of the scheme
will unquestionably deatroy its effect, and
cauu wonder that gie.. railroad corpora
tions i-hi'iild rehrrt to so flimsy a subter
fuge in ail effort to infix rce legislation.
Honorable William Howard Taft may not
be up on politics, ti't he has turned a
flank of the grand army of office hunt
ers, acc.M-JiiiB U a "Va'hlngton dispatch.
H-i has (cmted t way for future presidents-elect,
and all other statesmen-elect,
wheieby they tan play gclf and eat 'pos
sum with serei.e mirdh, while the pie
hungry patriots du the fretting. Until the
Taft discovery it li: a tern the statesman
elect's iob to do br.tt'a with Insomnia and
neiA'Oua rtotrtion. The awarmlng head
hunter killed eld William Henry Harrison.
They sggrsvatvj . the breakdown which
killed Jcl.n M. Psttison.
Judg) Taft adopted a very simple ax
ped f-rt. HI first appointment was Senator
Knox of Pernrylvanio foi secretary of
state. Then The president-elect, picking up
his golf sticks, tsrkcd a sign on th door
whloii said:
'See Kncx "
PREPOSTEROUS ASSUMPTION.
Th Real Issao Between th Presi
dent and the Hons.
The Outlook. New York.
If the Board of Aldermen of the city of
New York were to paa an ordinance for
bidding the employment of the detective
police In ferreting out gambling bouses, no
on would doubt that th effect would b
to give Immunity to gambling, and few
would doubt that the effect waa Intended.
If this ordinance wer passed after three
aldermen of a previous board had been
caught In a gambling house, the dtssgre-
able Impression would be strengthened.
This is what the house of representatives
has done. It has prohibited all use of the
secret service in ferreting out corruption
In or sgainst the government And It has
done this after three representatives and
two senators have subjected themselves
to criminal prosecution. The president 1
absolutely right In saying, "This amend
ment has been a benefit only and could be
a benefit only to th criminal classes."
Th action of th house will mak th de
tection and punishment of political cor
ruption more difficult, the practice of
political corruption more aafe. Tha house
can be defended from th suspicion ot In
tending that result only by th charitable
belief that its unreasonable paaston has
blinded it to th Inevitable effect of its
legislative action. Th president now calls
for th repeal of this prohibition. Ought
It to be repealed T Does It promote or does
It injure good government In the United
State? This Is the fundamental Issue be
tween the president and th hous of rep
resentatives. It Is th only lau of any Im
portance. On this Issue th country should
fasten its attention. From this Issue It
should not suffer Itself to be diverted by
the personal controversy. Yet rt may b
said with confidence that In th personal
controversy th attitude of th majority
of th hous Is preposterous. It Is pre
posterous to claim that th president, by
saying that th chief argument in favor of
th prohibition was that congressmen did
not themselves wish to be Investigated, ac
cuses the congressmen of being afraid of
Investigation. This Is practically the only
argument adduced In the debate by Mr.
Sherley against the secret service, but this
dve not In the least Indicate that Mr.
Sherley Is personally afraid nf being in
vestigated. It Is prrposterous to claim
that, since the only reference In the presi
dent's message to ctrriiptlon In the house
Is Ms statement that three members of the
house In th fast have subjected them
selves to criminal prcsecullon for corrup
tion, he therefor "by Implication states"
that h has no proof of corruption in the
present house. It Is preposterous to Insist,
In violation of the unwritten code of civil
lied society, that when a gentleman dis
owns the opprobrious meaning which has
been attributed to his words the words
must still be talfen by the aggrieved party
n the opprobrious sense, on the ground
that he knows better than the speaker
what the speaker meant And It Is pre
posterous to Imagine that the house, by
aytng the president's message on th
table, has done anything whatever to pre
vent him from getting a heating before
th country.
NEBRASKA FRKM COMMENT.
Aurora Republican: Governor Shallen-
bergor Is exactly right In his message
recommendation to clothe the railway com-
mlsaion with power to determine the physi
cal value of railroads and all other public
service corporation doing business in the
state. His recommendation In this rogard
Is just as wl?a a his recommendation to
divest the State Board of Equalisation of
some of Us present authority Is vicious.
His on-the-fence position on the county
option Issue Is absolutely consistent with
the method of his campaign. He Is against
county option. So is his party.
Plattsmouth Journal: It is quite a com
pliment to Secretary William Hay ward of
the republican national committee that be
should be chosen as the new head of the
committee. While people may doubt seri
ously the capacity of the young man for
tho Important position to which he Is to be
called, they cannot but congratulate him
upon the opportunity to mak good. It
must bo that his work has been satisfac
tory to the powers that be during his term
as manager of the western branch of tho
committee, and If this be the case it Is
all that Is required. It Is due to Colonel
Hayward that everyone In Nebraska at
least congratulate him upon his advance
ment and wish him every measure of
success In the new position.
Columbus Journal: The attempt on the
part of ex-Governor Sheldon to commit the
republican party to the plan of state-wide
prohibition Is not in harmony with his
record on the liquor question. Like all
politicians, Sheldon did not decline the
support- of the breweries when he was a
candidate the first time, and even up to
the opening of the polls last November he
remained on the fence, undecided which
way to jump, and for this reason he was
opposed by one faction of the liquor inter
ests and by tha Thomas faction of the
Antl-8aloon league, which resulted in the
election of Ghallenberger. The returns
prove that had Sheldon been supported by
such, strong anti-sal' on counties as York,
Polk and Boone, he would have defeated
the democratic nominee. Both Boone and
Polk counties returned majorities for Shai-
lenbcrger, who received hundreds of county
option votes. The combination that de
feated Sheldon waa made up of the two
extremes the Anti-Saloon league and the
representative of the brewery Interests,
assisted by the element that always claim
'taxes are too high," and for which, in
their Ignorance, they Insisted that Sheldon
wa responsible. If the republican party
follows the advice of the former governor
and declares for state-wide prohibition, it
will gtv the democrats of Nebraska th
opportunity that party took advantage ot
In Iowa when th question of prohibition
was submitted to the people. In every
northern stato where the republicans hav
fathered the prohibition movement In the
past It has resulted In the disorganization
and defeat of the party until the law was
repealed. That has been the history of the
prohibition movement In Kansas, Iowa and
South Dakota.
Ha II makers Brought to Time.
Philadelphia Record.
The public haa tiever been informed why
It waa that steel rails began about three
years ago to break frequently. The pre
vious discard from the end of the bloom
had been about 12 per cent. Why this sud
denly became Insufficient has not, we be
lieve, been explained. The late Mr. Cassatt
demanded a discard of 23 per cent. The
railmakers refused unless the prices were
advanced. From this point they have re
ceded, and under the new contract with
the Pennsylvania railroad there will be "a
sufficient discard to Insure a sound rail,"
and every rail will have the name of its
maker and the date of making rolled Into
it, so that responsibility for fragile rails
can be determined easily.
PUREST
RICHEST
BEST FLAVOR
ran em
Purity
Guaranteed
See that the label bears
the name of
Borden's Condensed Milk Cot
"Leaders of Quality
1Ub( frBUUvi W. T. JOalias, fcu f-llts lttk tH, Omaha.
rEIISO H, NOTES. .
Senator Tillman complains of mall thefts,
but nobody stoln the typewriter he franked
$ld wot Hi.
They have state-wide prohibition tn Ala
bama; but 117 person In Birmingham are
advirtlsed as having taken out retail
liquor license under the requirement of
the United State Internal revenue law.
An American woman and her daughter
rod 1.S0S miles on horseback, from Mexleo
to Arkansas because they were too poor
to pay railroad fares and wanted to get
where the daughter could have a good
education. White House and army test
riders, pleaso take notice.
"I want to say, gentleman, I have been
a kicker for twelve years," said John
Wesley Gain In a recent speech, "and If I
should stay In this congress until I
arrived at the age of 144 years, I would kick
against tho rules of this or any other houae
that auppresses free speech."
Thanks to tho new array pay table
adopted by congress at its last session.
Brigadier General Kotjert M. O'Reilly, sur
geon general, who Is noW on the retired 1!C
with the rank of major general, will draw
Just the same pay, $6,000 a year, for
doing nothing the rest of his life, that he
ha received In the last year for directing
the Important work of the medical corps.
Charles Taylor, the oldest trainer and
driver of trotting horses in the country,
died at hi homo, White River Junction,
Vt, on Saturday. He was born on Decem
ber 28, 1800, and waa therefore 102 years
old. During his lifetime he had seen tho
trotting record lowered from 2:6sS4 to 2.0Ui.
Taylor campaigned many fast horses, eno
of which waa th gray trotter. Factory
Boy, that gained a record of 2:20U. about
twenty years ago; "'
POINTED PIHASANTHIES.
"It was when Adam ate the arple that
the persistent troubles of thu human race
began."
"Yes. Adam was the first to discover
that tho fruit crop waa a failure."
Chicago ltecord-lleiald.
The exchange editor clipped a sparkling,
but unldenitfiod epigram from tho paper
that lay before him.
"It's a scream," he clturklpd. "I'll credit
It to the War Cry!" Chicago Tribune.
"Do you think it possible there's any
truth In the reonrt thut. Roosevelt Is get
ting jealous of Taft?"
"Might bo so. I understand the 'possum
has completely knocked out tliu Teddy
bear." Philadelphia Ixdger.
"One of those standard jokce about
chemical blondo hair Is like a compilation
of laws."
"Good gracious! How could a Joke on a
chemical head remind you .of a code of
laws?"
"Why. Isn't it a dye Jest?" Baltimore
American.
"I had an Interesting talk with Bunsnn
the other day. I find I haven't understood
his real character. Of course, you know ho
was a ullli'arlHii?"
"That' funny. He told m4 he didn't be
long to any denomination." Cleveland
Plain Dealer.
Rankin Do you think ' you could rldo
ninety-eight miles on horseback In seven
teen hours straight?
Kyle No. but I walked the floor nine
hours straight with a squalling ba.by last
night, and I'm willing to bet that no presi
dent of the United States can do that
Chicago Tribune.
Brown Did you ever have absent treat
ment? JonesOh, yes, and when I get home I'll
have present treatment for bring absent so
long. Brooklyn L.ife.
"Papa can swim like a fish, can't he,
mamma?" i
"No, dear; he swims like a sea lion or a
muskrat. He has to como to the surfaco
to breathe." Chicago Tribune.
"We alius seem to pick a time when our
congressman is powerful busy to come to
Washington." said 81 Hmlling.
"That ain't It" answered Farmer Corn
tORsel. "Our congressman alius turns In
an' gits busy whnn he es a-ny of us
comln'. " Washington Star.
THE FUTILE RETORT.
Washington Star.
When a man says "you're another" in a
fierce, vindictive key
To accusations which have been a-passln'
'round so free;
I sort o' give up hopes that we're about
to bo set right
On the merit of the question. I'm Jes'
lookin' for a fight
You see that sort o' talk was held to be
agin the rule
Among the talent that took part in our
dehatln' school.
It's a certain indication of a mind on
trouble bent;
It's highly luterestln', but It ain't no argu
ment It doesn't shed enlightenment, so far as
I kin see
On how we're goln' to run this land so
mighty an' so free;
An' raise the glorious standard whose stars
shall never pule
Without a-ralsin" taxes on a correspondin'
scale.
An' even If you're put for good old-fashioned
rhetoric.
The style Is sort o' jerky. It git to the
p'int too quick.
Of course, it's good as a relief for feelln's
that are pent.
An' it's bound to git applause. But pshaw 1
It ain't no argument I
m mmmmm
1L
