10 T1IH HEK: OMAHA. SATl'KDAV. FKRRUAKY IS, 1011. i i. -i i i Tim Omaha Daily Bee FOl'NDKD RT EDWARD ROSRWATfR. VICTOR ROfiEWATKR, EDITOR. Entered at Orrihi postofflee as unii elaea matter. funds v Re. on rear Saturday Ree. one year II Ml I'sllv Ree (without Fundavk. nnt year..4' Dally Bee anil Sunday, one year $.0Q pkuvkrkd rt rARium. Evenlne: Ree (without Silndsvl ner vrk O Kvettine: lies (with "linear), for wpok . . .KV? I'B.iy ie imnuninf punnny). per ivK.jjf Dal'y flee (without Siinrtsi . per wwli...(ic Address all complaints of Irregularities In delivery to City Circulation Department. , OFFICES. Omaha The Bee Ritlldlntf. "mith Omaha 7 N. Twnt v-fourth ft. Council Uhiffs-U fioott Ftreet. . Lincoln 2 Little Rulldlng. Chicago IMS Marquette RulMlng. Kansas City Reliance HulMlna. New York-24 West TMrty-thlrd Ptreet Washington 725 Fourteenth Htreet, N. V. CORREHTONI'ENCK. Communications relating to ri"ri and ed itorial matter should h addressed tmaha Pea. Editorial I lerertment. REMITTANCES. Remit by draft. express of portal order, payable to The Be Publishing Company. Only 5-cent itltnpi received In payment of malt account. Personal check except on Omaha and eastern exchange not accepted. JANUARY CIRCULATION'. 45,826 lata of Nebraska. County of Douglas. : Dwlght Williams, circulation manager of The Be Publishing eomnunv, b-lno duly worn, aava that the average, dally cir culation, leaa polled-, unused and returned ccp'ea, for the month of Jsm-ary. 1. wnt KJ. DWIOHT WILLIAMS. Circulation Manager. Rubsrrrhed In my presence and (worn to before m thla lat dav of Khruarv, 11,11. (S(al.) ROBERT HUNTEH. Notary Public. ftaaserlhere lalasr tb city tera jaorarllr aaoal4 t Tk Be aialleel ta them. Ad4ra will be rkaageal aa flea aa rrqieitfil. Jt looki m If it were up to Postmas ter Thomas. Open primary or closed primary tbat Is the question. Evidently the rain still falls on the Just and unjust alike. Eternal vigilance also seems to be the price of togas In several states. "Dr. Ceok Is to lecture in Des Moines. On the commission plan? Russia evidently thinks it Is a good time to kick China while she is down. A man of few opinions runs a bis; risk by becoming a good story teller. It is reasonable to assume that City Clerk "Dan" Butler has proved a sat isfactory alibi. Mr. ' Bryan's new lecture. "The Fruit of the Tree," must be real Juicy. 1 It seems superfluous to add, how ever, that Senator Bouane spoke with burning words. x Perhaps Russia is Just trying to tease Mr. Carnegie Into giving it a peace prize not to attack China. v , It is now believed that if "Billy" fheehaa'a eyes were brown instead of blue he might have done better. A Philadelphia woman advocates "clubs" for girls. Men at least could duck them better than they can hat pins. The mention of pork barrels in Kansas seems to make a lot of lips smack in that good old Sunflower state. Captain Peary might worry more, however, If it were some one else than "Macon of Arkansaw" who railed him a faktr. If tome of those Mexican officers could load their names Into the guns I and shoot them the Insurrection might J become ominous. The president of Vassar says "col lege girls are lovely." Huh, any or dinary man without a college educa tion could tell that Still, the former mayor of Seattle ran scarcely be expected to come out la favor Of woman's suffrage and the recall at the same time. Those young "statesmen" out in New Mexico seem to understand a lot about modern methods of politics in the way of making constitutions. Mobile people are trying to figure out why a rltlren of that town eloped with a young woman rsshier. Could it have been that he needs the rash? Omaha will entertain the State Fed eration of Nebraska Retailers next month. All who conn are assured of seeing a live exhibit of what a real market town is. Those boy scouls who met In Wash- j Ington might have done a welcome service by scooting around and finding out what the senate was going to do,u ehou,d utM eitend (Q nw on tne reciprocity p,u. , ,ne u wouUj Jugt about boU)e up th .., ,h. Mt,onrl!"cln(,countr'r 8nst Hill, except for I 111 Hew V ' t: m 1 'j ... " " - Pacific will have to live In St. Louis. We presume, however, he will be per mitted to seek relief once and a while by running up to Omaha on aa Inspec tion tour. Pelhi, Tex.. Is the place for Mary Garden. When the mayor objected to Salome on the stage he was tossed out of the theater by a group of cowboys, who could find no objection to Salome or any of her family. 8peaking of tue Initiative and refer- j tndum. of the thirty-two measures! eubmUud to popular vote in Oragon at last ) ear's election, eleven, or more than one-third, were projiosed amend ments to the constitution. Annexation and Reciprocity. Canadian reciprocity evidently hss encountered a new obstacle in Con gressman Bennett's resolution propos ing annexation of Canada by the United States. Congressman Bennett knows, as well as anyone else, that an nexation is a subject to which Canada would not even listen at this time. But there Is a possibility that agitation of a proposition repugnant to the na tional spirit of the Dominion might work fatal injury to the cause of reciprocity. Its effect would no doubt have been greater earlier In the nego tiations, before Canada had committed Itself to the Taft plan and before the bouse had endorsed It. It is surpris ing to find Champ Clark, after his avowal of friendship for Tarts plan, using the Bennett resolution as a means of attacking reciprocity by rid iculing It. It betrays an Insincerity on the part of the democratic leader. Those who favor Canadian reciproc ity are not likely, however, to let Canada be deceived as to the purpose of the move for annexation. And yet, in spite of all their reassurance to Canada that this country Is not ad vocating . reciprocity as an opening wedge to annexation, they may have a hard time satisfying the Canadian mind on that subject. Our neighbors to the north are a little suspicious of our aggression, anyway, and are so doggedly ambitious of their own na tional development that it is not sur prising if they become skeptical of our unselfish Intentions. ' Before Canada entertains any pro posal to become a part of the Amer ican republic she Is much more likely to undertake her own independence as a nation separate and distinct from Great Btltaln. At least that is the tendency of the national spirit so steadily growing at present. England Is, no doubt, disturbed about that far more than about the contingency of annexation by the United States. Russia's Notice to China. Russia says nothing about world peace In Its note to the nations regard ing the Chinese situation. It simply announces its Intention of making a military demonstration on the frontier of China, which Is tantamount to an act of war, If that nation does not come to time on the terms of the St. Petersburg treaty, which Russia charges It has openly violated. This Is aside from the main issue, except to remind us that we have not yet pro grossed very far on our way to the coveted goal of universal peace. Russia's notification may be re garded as : a semi-ultimatum, and China, it It Is wise, will see to It that the ultimatum does not come. It is not yet certain how far outside powers could consistently go toward requiring Russia to settle its dispute peacefully. It must first be determined how far China has gone in violating the treaty, to which the ciar refers. But in any event artussian war with China at this time would be de plorable. The empire Is not prepared for war at all. Ita arms are not ade quate and its finances are unsettled. Its internal affairs of state are In the process of change. And besides all this, it is Just now cursed by the most appalling famine of its history. This alone Is an affliction far too grave to warrant It in going to unnecessary war and It should by all means serve to re strain Russia's aggression and arouse a better spirit. Russia, of course. Is not Insensible to all these hardships and handicaps of China's and may have been prompted to take advantage of them. Fair play and humanitarian interests demand pea not war, be tween these nations. Meantime little Japan, which is quite as ambitious in the east as Russia, is yet to be heard from. Its recent close commercial affiliation with China might make pos- slble some sort of military alliance for defensive purposes if 11 believed itself the ultimate good of the Russian ad vance. I it a Hsrriman Victory t The overthrow of the Gould mas tery In Missouri Pacific by the Kuhn Loeb and Rockefeller forces looks like a victory after a long, hard struggle of the Harriman' allies. If it is it means additional strength to the Union and Southern Pacific In that fight for conquest along the Pacific coast and gives them a new advantage over Mr. Hill from the south. Here, however, enters Into consid eration a very potential factor. Only recently It was claimed that Hill had formed an alliance with Gould whereby the Minnesota magnate was to help along with the Western Pacific, the new Gould road to the roast. This would give Hill new resources of com petition with the Harriman lines. Now, It remains to be seen how near true this story may have been and. If rue, whether Harriman ascendency In the Missouri Pacific will carry con trol of the other Gould Interests. If the upper coast, and even there the Harriman people have already gained a foothold by projecting a line into Seattle. Another ' Interesting posslbll'ty ariaes In the denouement of this plan, and that la the election of Howard Klliott- as president of the Missouri Pacific to succeed George Gould, which nas Deen rumorea. iwr. r.mott is now ralroau, are exerting to protect president of Mr. Hill s Northern Pa- human life Is most eucouraglng and clflc. Of course, all the facta will not Lhould Inspire the closest co-operation come out until the election of the Mis- jon th. part of the traveling public, aourl Pacific this coming month. but It la now apparent that tbel According to the official Catholic dl- I displacement of Gould Is to work im - . .. v - , . 1. . . 1 . poriani tniujr. iu me railroad woria. That defeat has not been accomplished without Titanic effort. Wall street snilled at young Gould away bark tn 1882, when he succeeded his father, snd because it failed to find tn hlra the easy prey it thought he was It de cided on unfriendly methods. He has held his own in the grab-bag process that since has ensued, but evidently has lost at last. Everybody's Business: The adage that "what's everybody's Is nobody's business" is nowhere so strikingly exemplified as In local pub lic affairs. The Indifference of our business men, taxpayers and property owners to the vital problems con stantly arising In the city hall and court house Is notorious, and ques tions tbat Involve the expenditure of thousands, and even millions, of dol lars are passed by until the discovery Is made that the bills must be paid out of their own pockets. Our people had ample warning of the costly tangle in which the pur chase of the water works has become Involved, with a Judgment 6f over t6.000.000 staring us In the face and court orders Issued for special taxes to pay hundreds of thousands of dol lars of deferred hydrant rental, but It was a rase of everybody's business being nobody's business. It cannot be said for certain, but In dications bid frfir for a repetition on a small scale in the matter of the dis puted bills for gas street lighting If, rather than reach a settlement, the chances of the courts are invited. In the pending charter changes, too, we may see many important mat ters tbat are everybody's business and therefore nobody's business. 'As The Bee has pointed out, the increased limits of appropriations will open the way 'to Increasing the city's tax rate half again, with little promise of get ting more for the money. Yet the prospect Is treated with unconcern. although it Is morally certain that when the higher taxes are due a gen eral outcry of resentment and indig nation will be heard. Omaha Is, we believe, one of the few cities of Its size and pretensions with such indifferent public sentiment. In other cities business men's organ izations, civic societies, improvement clubs and similar bodies keep con stantly In touch with every phase of local affairs and are keenly alive to the demands of the public In all these matters. They make everybody's business somebody's business and ac complish something in time instead of merely complaining after the fact. Switching Again. , .: The current issue of the Commoner prints a message wired by Mr. Bryan In answer to a request for "his opinion as to the endorsement of Mr. Sheehan for senator by Chairman Norman E. Mack of the democratic national com mittee, as follows: Do not car to discuss any person' posi tion. Am a believer In the election of sena tors by' direct vote of the people, and re gret that the system la not now In opera tion. 'In Its sbsence I trust that the demo crats will, as nearly aa possible, reflect the wishes of th votera. Each state has the right to such representatives aa It desires, but In every state th representatives ahould voice the sentiment of the whole people, and not th sentiments of the special Interests which have too often suc ceeded In forcing their special agents upon the public through their ability to control legislatures. This Is an interesting sidelight on Mr. Bryan's change of position with reference to senatorial deadlocks. It was only a few years ago that he trav eled all the way to Kentucky to lec ture the democrats In the legislature there on their duty to accept the de cree of the caucus which had nomi nated former Governor Beckham for United States senator. In this in stance the democratic Insurgents In the legislature -refused to follow Mr. Bryan's auvice and Beckham was beaten by a coalition of republicans and democrats. It is to be noted now that Mr. Bryan is careful not to apply his admonition to the Kentucky demo crats to the democrats in the New York legislature, who In caucus have nominated, Mr. Sheehan, and that lie Is also careful not to say anything against Mr. Sheehan or encouraging to the democratic bolters. On the con- trary, he suggests that each state has a right to send such representatives to the senate as it desires, presuma bly seeing no objection to Mr. Shee han if be could only prove that Tam many Influence controls a majority of the Empire state democrats. Mr. Bryan plainly does not care again to go through In New York the humil iating experience he had In Kentucky. One member of the legislative In vestigating committee, which has been looking Into charges of election frauds In Omaha, declares that he is satisfied that there have been violations of the law, but is surprised that there are not more of them disclosed. The reason there are no more election frauds Is the vigilance of The Bee and other newspapers constantly alert to expose crookedness and throw the searchlight of publicity on suspicious places. Fear of newspaper exposure prevents more election fraud than any other one thing. Harriman lines carried 49,000,000 passengers last year with, it is recorded, Dot one fatality. If that Is a correct statement It Is high time to admit hat Intensive railroading has made a big advance In thla country. I A, a matter of fact that general effort rertory the number of Catholics In Ne : . 1. - 1 - . . 4 ... . wl l'in mKI.K j uiasaa is "i.ul.,cU .1 ...,,. m..u 1 would fx a trifle over 10 per cent of j the total population. Nothing vary menacing about that W only wish J that all of our Inhabitants made as good and desirable citizens as the Catholics, who are helping to build up Nebraska. According to his sworn statement of campaign expenses. It cost Senator elect Reed of Missouri $10,490 to cap ture the Job. The successful candi date for United States senator in Ne braska does not swear to spending anything like that amount, but tie could probably match Mr. Reed's figures If he were equally conscien tious. Mr. Bryan's unqualified and uncon ditional endorsement of the recently adopted Arizona constitution, with all its new-fangled attachments, should be conclusive on Vice Chairman Chris Gruenther and Attorney General For-A-LIttle-While Arthur F. Mullen., rat boa of lb Parting. St. I,otlls Republic. Goodby. George, and take keer of your self! Silence Promotes Safety. Chicago Record-Herald. Vot buying In two more counties of Cannon's district Is to be Investigated, t'p to the hour of going to press the suspected voters hadn't said a word about their In tention to stand pat. How 1)14 They Iln.ltf Washington Post. Declarations by railroad officials that passenger traffic Is conducted at a loss make It harder than ever to understand how th business managed to keep up when passes were Issued. Send Oat the Cake, Please. New Tork World. The Harriman lines carried more than 40.000,000 passengers In 11)10 without a single fatality among them. Railroad manage ment that accomplishes this Is deserving of public recognition and generous public praise. An Inspiring; Trip. Baltimore American. President Taft's weatern trip was really Inspiring. Here we have a president who Is not content merely to propose measures for the public welfare and to sit In his easy White House chair while congress rejects or passes them at Its pleasure: Instead, he Is mightily concerned that the reci procity treaty shall be made, and under- takea a fatiguing trip to convince the peo ple that th measure Is directly in their Interests. Aaotber Medical Triumph. Springfield (Mass.) Republican. The success of the antlmenlngttls serum discovered by the Rockefeller Institute can no longer be In the slightest doubt, now that the Institute announcea that the serum will "take Its place ' with vaccine and diphtheria antitoxin as an approved agency for th protection of the public health." .It Is an Immenae triumph that the mortality from cerebro-apinal menin gitis has been reduced to less than one third of what It was befor th serum was used. nd It may be added that triumphs of this character In the conservation of the public health go far to counterbalance the harsher . aspects of the vivisection methods In. use In sucb an Institution. RECIPROCITY MARCHING Off. r ..T. ........ .... . ., ' Philadelphia' 'Record: .The . heavy ma jority in the house of representatives In favor of. the Canadian reciprocity agree ment Is a' fair reflection of the sentiment of the country. -". , Indianapolis News: What difference, Mr. President, does It make whether the Cana dian reciprocity agreement la put Into ef fect by th votes of democrats or the vbtes of republicans? None whatever, sir, to the plain people, w can assure you. St. Louis Republic: Speaker Cannon dodged the vote on reciprocity, though Mr. Taft delayed his dinner tn him at the White House an hour and said he would have been glad to make it a breakfast ln- stead of a dinner to get the bill passed. Probably he would have been willing to make It lunch next day, provided Uncle Joe had been smoked out. Chicago Record-Herald: Cannon's In fluence In the republican bouse of repre sentatives seem to be Just about as strong aa It will be after the democrat have a working majority there. A few years ago It would have' been considered absurd to suppose that a meaaure of any kind could go through th house against the speaker's wish. Evidently "Uncle Joe'' has worn out his jxwer and popularity. New Tork Tribune:.; Although Senator Brlntow of Kansas la talking about the dubious value of the Canadian reciprocity agreement . and Representative Calderhead of the same state voted In the ways and means committee against reporting the MeCall bill favorably, sentiment In Kansas sterns to be agamst them and with th preaident. The lower branch of the Kan- as levislatllre ndnrttAjf m ..., !,,tl.. . 1 other day "instructing" the two aenaWs to vote to carry the agreement Into effect and "requesting" the representatives from th state to da llkewla. Political Drift, Arizona approved the new state eon-ttl-tution by a four-fifths vote. " Francis K. Pendleton. Just appointed to the bench In New York. Is. the son of George II.. Pendleton, known W the middle west aa "Gentleman Gcorpe." ' With one eye centered on Albany, the other on Oyster Bay, the New York Post exclaims, "The old guard does not f.le. and the' man surrenders who said he never would." The number of sspirania for navor of Chicago Jumps from seven to eleven four democrats, three republicans, two social ists and two without pure party labels. A great free-for-all scramble Is assurotl at the primaries. Baltimore plans a hustling but patmlng campaign to raise a fund of 100,U) and se cure the democratlo national convention next year. The Oenver prize purse Is no the democratic minimum, and the Monu ment city expects to reach if not raise M e limit. The legislature of Pennsylvania la giving favorable consideration to; a bill for a law Imposing a fine of not more H an t", Oon and Imprisonment not exceeding five year. i where a promoter la convicted of iiiisr-pi-'- sentailon. The measure alms at gt-rtcii-duick swindles. "P'ggy O'Biten'" Is moslng around the senaf rial deadlock in New Yolk, and the fact forecasta a change for the better. Piggy ta the girl who last fll campaigned through the coni aclonal district in whlih Uv'rr !; " if:t ' . ai l t u nt a re- publican majority Into a democratic sweep. I pear Impossible for these disappear e rending her husband. Martin W. Littleton, to take plaie; yet people vanish as com to" ccn;fe. Rven Rocs-velt. wh-n h j pletely though they never existed. All j v1p.fd ,h. republican upset :n vtr iiAy. lad to admit that Ptttr a political J peach. In Other Lands Id LlgM em Wis t Traas-rr"la.- a msaa- ta Hear aaS a-ar Vatlo f ta arta. Th unequivocal deliverance of the Brit ish prime minister regarding the purpose of the government to grant "full self-gov. ernment" to Ireland aa soon as the ob structive veto of th House of tords Is removed, carrlea an overflowing " measure of cheer and satisfaction to the legion of Trlsh home rulers at home and abroad. Similar high hopes were entertained .on many former occasions, only to be dashed ere the win of liberty touched the eager llpa. But the present situation more eloaely approachea a cinch than any previous bat tle for Irish self-government. Th cottn try hss simken decisively for a restricted veto of the lords. One that restriction becomes a hv, the sole obstscle to horn rule Is removed. Close observers of the situation In Iondnn are practically unani mous In asserting that the peers cannot save themselves from tb fale they In vited by resistance to progress, and must consent to reduced powers of legislation or be overwhelmed. Indeed, there would be little opposition to horn rule at the present moment if the torles peers and commoners could square the concession with their past Implacable opposition. Tbat they are preparing for the Inevitable out come of the sesssion Is evident In the moderated tone of party organs. One of the powerful Influences supporting the mandate of the electors Is the desire for closer relations with tb United States. Practical politician on both sides of th water realise that such an understanding Is Impossible while th unsettled Irish question keeps alive the enmity of Irish Americans. "There Is no Ideal tn politics." says the Manchester Guardian, (speaking of an unlimited treaty of arbitration be tween England and the United States), "comparable with It for nobility and gran deur, none with such splendid promise for the future of civilisation, and the first and most certain step to Its realisation would be the settlement of th Irish question." Immigration has become the most profit able Industry developed In Italy In th last decade. The lamentations heard In former years over the country's loss have turned to rejoicings, and Immigration agents are welcomed where formerly they were hooted out of the country. All this because golden sunshine has healed the wounds of broken home ties. Statistics of the Italian emltrratlon bureau shows that a stream of 1100.000.000 a year Is pouting back Into the country, part of th fruits of Italian Industry In North and South America. That sum Is definitely traced. Much more conies In ways other than through the postofflce and banks, swell ing the total, according to other authori ties, to $250,000,000 a year. A surprising fea ture of the report Is the statement that 70 per cent of the emigrants return home within a year! and the remainder, with few exceptions, within five years. This Is particularly true of the emigration to the Argentine Republic. The same authority I places the number of Italians In North America at 1,730.000, and In South and Cen tral America at 1.600.000. Th savings of the home-comers range from $200 to $2,000. According to this official showing, Italy has stumbled on a source of wealth far more profitable .than the tourist craft. ,. ' - a . a. :, . .;' ' Insurance can. be had in Greet Britain on almost any proposition, from a lordly back down' to "the weather on coroftatlon day. Th government believe, there is room' for more and has Included.' In Its legislative program two propositions sup plementing th nrarnt old age pension sys tem. On is Insurance against unemploy ment. The other la Mr. Lloyd-George's proposal of compulsory universal Insurance against invalidism for all wage earners whose income Is less than th Income tax minimum of tSOO a'year. This, w ar told, will apply to about 10.009,000 persons. It will cover all ages between It and 70, th old age pension system coming Into fores at the latter age. The minimum amount of Insurance, which will be fully guaran teed by the state, will be 12S a week. All risks will be accepted by the state on all Uvea, good and bad. Th contribution re quisite to provide th benefit will be com puted by government actuaries, and will be assessed one-half against th person In sured, one-fourth against the employer and one-fourth agatiuit the state. In this re' spect the system will radically differ from that of old age pensions, under which tli beneficiary makes no contribution. Discontent and criticism are the chief signs of welcome for the French work men's pension law which goes Into fore next July. Th stat and the workmen Jointly contribute ta th pension fund, and the contributions of the latter ar to le collected by the employers. Pensions be gin at the ag of . Both features ar tharply coademned. Owing to th strained relations existing between large employers and their workmen, the collection of the contribution by th former Is likely to In creae the friction, while the ag limit la considered too high for the multitude of employes engaged In hazardous occupation. Efforts are being made In th French chamber to reduce th age limit to H years, but the ministry la not disposed to consider changes until th law has been given a practical test. For some time to come the tomb of the famous Ananias, three days' Journey by donkey from Bagdad, cannot be reached by other than primitive conveyanrea. Th Turco-German railroad to Bagdad Is halted j n tne 1 distant Arabian desert, while th powers quscuhs wno is 10 control ine pro loet when it is completed. Germany and Turkey are financing the road. Rubs! fears that Turkey Is going a little too far to the east, while England la aald to have partially blocked th enterprise by obtaining control of the most available terminals on the Persian gulf. Another ele ment of fear la the probability of the main line, or (he proponed Kusaiaa Dranch, get ting too near the borders of India. With an oversupply of nath nightmares In India, England "views with alarm" the possibility of an Imported one, th result of which would be the diminution of sea power as the controlling factor in the east. It Is rea sonable certain, however, th diplomatic talkfest ends, that the road will be built to Bagdad In due time, pasalng th tomb of Ananias on th way. Th prospect af ford some comfort to members of th dis tinguished order who ar eager for a vleat of the shrine of th great dissembler. Where Mor Facilities Kail. Baltimore American. This seema to be the age of missing people so many of late have been ao re ported. With all th facilities of the day. the niarveloua extent to which the wizard power of electricity lights up and searches every corner of the globe, th qulcknea of news and transportation. It would up- human invention has yet been unable to ktp pave with th ingenuity of human ertane ar human self-latereat Malic3 the moct nutri tious food and tha moat dainty and delicious. r r NYi n r? r va r v x Absolutely Puro Th only Baking Powder made from Royal Grape Cream of Tartar No fussing or fretting over the biscuit-maldng. Royal is the aid to many a - cook'a success. Royal Cm &&100 Receipt Ft. Send JVm .? Aiinu. aovAL taxma aqwoita co., new yokk. The Bee's Letter Box Oomtrlaatione ea Timely Bubjeeta Wot BxoMdlnr Two mnadrd WoMU Are ZBTlted from On Headers. XVonld Liberate Rrdmaa. OMAHA; Neb., Feb. l.-To the Editor of The Bee: There are. dogs and dogs dogs with fancy silk ribbons and combed fur dogs neglected and distempered. The silk ribbon dpg Is the pet of all;, the dis tempered fellow no one cares a straw for him. . I cannot but think that we have an ex ample of this In the case now pending In our local courts of Frank Erdman. Frank Erdman, the 'unattractive dog so It would appear , from the "brutish" confinement which he Is now undergoing. Guilty or not guilty, he la another Victim of de ferred Justice right on our own doorstep. If a dog has an uncomely appearance Is that any reason 'why I should forget our relationship? If he Is a suspicious looking cur should that warrant his punishment? As to whether the man has don this crime the court will never know, and to take so long a time to measure up the evidence In the case Is to deal unjustly towards the man. And a Judg who (whether volun tarily Wif, force of court, procedure) so becomes an accessory to such "Injustice" can not tie ' termed ' a judge In - the- real aensa.. .but, .a lawyer, , ar, perhaps more correctly, an automaton. When a court cannot prove guilt within a reasonable length, of time It should fre Its prisoner;' whatever be the hidden facts, Justice Is not frustrated thereby.. I WILLIAM WEETMAN. laltlatlre and Refereadam. LINCOLN', Neb... Feb. 18. To th Editor of The Bee: I have received a personal let ter from Chris M. Ornenther, vice chairman of th democratic state central committee, in reference to the 6 per cent referendum petition and also note his public statement In the World-Herald and the editorial en dorsing Mr. Gruenther's position In the same paper. And I also nots his objection, not only to th per cent required for the referendum, but his further objection to th method of amending th constitution as proposed, t cannot help but believe that the attack on the per cent required for the referendum Is only preliminary and Inci dental to the main and serious attack on th method of amending th constitution, and I wish to reiterate with all the force at my command that It Is the corporations and vested Interests who are demanding that th bill be to amended as to make It practically Impossible for the people to amend the constitution.' First as to the per cent required for th referendum. If Mr. Gruenther has given any study to this proposition, h knows that 6 per cent for the referendum Is th per cent. In every state which has a prac tical Initiative and referendum law, and he must further know, If he has examined the question, that it Is agreed by all friends of direct legislation that nowhere has th referendum been abused by reason of the per cent contained In any of said states. Nevada alone requires IS per cent for the referendum, but doea not have the Initiative. Arkansas. Missouri. Montana, Oklahoma. Oregon. South Dakota and Colorado, each and all require 6 per cent only for th referendum, and the experience In those states do not Justify the fear of Mr. Gruenther in respect to the per cent re quired. Now In regard to the statement of Mr. Gruenther that "it Is amazing that any one ahould fall to see th necessity of dis tinguishing between the constitution and statute law," every state, with on ex ception, that has adopted the Initiative and referendum In full, has provided that the constitution may be amended by a mere majority of the votes cast on the proposi tion, and do not. require a majority of all the votes cast at the election. Furthermore thirty-four states In the union amend their constitution by a mere majority of the votes cast on the proposi tion, and only ten atates. Including Ne braska, require a majority of all the votes past at the election, and of these ten statea most of them have old constitutions, which the people In vain have been trying for years to amend without avail. Nebraska has tried about twenty-three times to amend lta constitution, but not until the fiction of counting straight votes was adopted, was It able to pass sn amendment, notwithstanding the fact -that many amend ments propnaed received an overm helming majority of the voles cast uiion the propo sition. The constitution of Xrbrsska pro vides that If an entirely new constitution Is proposed, then a majority of the vote cast upon the proposition la sufficient to adopt and yet the conservatives argue that If a specific amendment la to be made, the constitution tmcuuwi so sacred that we must have at least (1 per rent of the entire vote cast to SiIoijI the amendment. The objections raised to the proponed measures now before the Ifnls'aiure hate not ccme from the people generally, not th masses, but the clauses: nut from the pro aresilves. but from the standpattera. and I the men and the party who are throaing obstacle In th progr of dtiect legist tioa will, la ear Judgmaab have raaaaa t regret It In the near future. Th people of this state are capable of self-government, and know what they want, and they ar going to have It, and w will continue this fight to the last day of the session before w concede a single point to those who say they are for direct legislation, yet ar do ing everything In their power to Secure a law that will be unworkable and of llttl or no benefit to th people who are de manding direct legislation. C. M. SKILES. sumrr gems. "Nobody wants to play bridge trtth Mrs Bean. 8he talks all the time." "1 suppose sh's quiet when she's dummy?" "Quiet! Rhe talks twice as much!" Cleveland Plain Dealer. Surgeon I was very much cut up over the charges you mad against me about that operation. Patient Yoj weren't half as much cut up as I was, doctor. Baltimore American. The Joker There I an epidemic of small pox In the southern end of the city. Why not send some of your force down to In vestigate. Ietectlve (V.p'.aln But, man, that dis ease Is contagious. The Joker Won't hurt them. They couldn't catch anything. 8t. Louis Times. , "I think," said the astronomer, "that I have discovered a neiv canal on Mars." "la that so?" replied the New Orleans man, absentmlndedly. "I wonder what town's going to get the celebration?" Washington Star. ' "ftometimes a virtue con be exaggerated until It becomes a vice." aald the earnest adviser. "I see exactly what, you're comln' at." replied Tarantula Tim. "Whereas four are Is a blessln' an' greatly to be ad mired, five of 'em kin create untold dis-' senslon." Waahlngton Star. WHERE ARE YOUR PATCHES T He was facing a good, old farmer, And was asking for a Job; The farmer looked him over. And Ills head he wisely bobbed. "Turn around a mlnlt. sonny:" Then he slowly shook his heed: "I guess I ain't a goin' to need ye. your patches alnt In front," he said: "For the boy what haa his patches Down In front, on hla knees Then I know thet he's hard workin'. And thet he'a agoln' to please. But ther one what'a got the patches On behind well, he'a no good For he'll be aettln" on the wood pile. 'Stead of choppin' up the wood." Bo, my boy, when for employment You are asking, you must mlnd "Are your patches on In front Or are your patches on behind?" Crawford, Neb. ZULA ACKER. AJospeCo. Want 100 Pianos WE WANT YOUR OLD PIANO. WILL TRADE YOU A PLAYER PIANO You will get a good price for your instrument. We only require ft littk; price for the Player; viz: $375, $475, $550 This is the only way to put music in the home nnd haw music at any time and when ever you want it. for every one can play the Hospe Play er Piano. Free Muic, Free Trial, Siirf, Free Stool and very Easy Termi. Better Investigate Now. AJospeCo.