THE BEE: OMAHA, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1911. TIES OMAHA DAILY BEE FOUMDED BT EDWARD ROflK WATER VICTOR BOS EWATKR, EDITOR. Entered at Omaha postofflc a Seoond tliu matter. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. Punday Bt, one year IJ-J Saturday Uee, one year JJJJ t'aily Bee (without Sunday)., one year... 4 o Dally Bee and Hunday. one year Evening Bee (with Sunday), per month.. JSC uaiiy Bee (including- Bunoay), per ma.. uany nee (wunoui nunaaj;. ir Address all complaints of Irregularities I In delivery to City Circulation ueparun.ui. REMITTANCES. Remit bv draft, exorees or postal order payable to The Bee Publishing- oompan. Only 2-cent flampt received In payment oi trail accounts. Personal checks except on Omaha and eastern exchange not acceptea. OrriClES. Omaha The Bee Building. South Omaha 628 N. Twenty-fourth St Council bluffs 15 Scott St. Lincoln 26 Little Building. Chicago IMS Marquette Building. Kansas City Reliance Building. New York-34 West Thirty-third St. Washington 725 Fourteenth St., N. Vf. CORRESPONDENCE. Communications relating to news and rdltortal matter should be addressed Omaha Bee, Editorial Department. AUGUST CIRCULATION. 47,543 Dwlght Williams, circulation manager of The Bee Publishing company, being duly sworn, says that the average dally circu lation, less spoiled, unused and returned copies, for the month of August, 1911. was 17.643. DWIOHT WILLIAMS, Circulation Manager. Subscribed In my presence and sworn to before me this 4th day of September, 1911. (Seal.) ROBERT HUNTER Now, watch the coal man clamp the loe hold on you. lit PoEslbly Miss Mona Lisa has gone to Hunnewell, Kan. Germany is looking for soft backing n this Morocco case. A lot of people in Omaha will not believe it when It does rain. Righteous seal can run so high as :o destroy its own Influence. It seems like profanation to hold a wrestling match in a base ball park. federal Officers Back from North Platte." Headline. Find hunting food? If that threatened railroad strike urill only hold off long enough, per- Haps it will not come. Dr. Wiley does not seem to care "so much about the thing Itself as the tame the label gives it. Congress may not enjoy its short vacation as much as It would a longer! ne, but the people will. The lake front was still on f ire up to last accounts. May have to run the river into It to put ft out. "Toadstool Kills Woman." -Head- line. She ought to have known better than to sit down on so frail a chair, j It seems like hiding one's lisp inder a bushel for Abe Ruef to be s-orKing ior rerorm Behind prison lOOrS. If Mrs. Ootch went to the match! looking for ways of handling her bus- uuu u U... vuui away a,a-. iPPOinted. I Mr. Bryan may have called on Colo ael Roosevelt to Invite him to go hunt ing this winter down on the Mission, Texas, ranch. Governor Harmon goes to it Just as I !f he expected to be the democratic nominee despite his prominent posi tion on the blacklist. Champ Clark says he can see capital tnd labor forever at peace. All we have to say Is that Champ's eyesight Is something wonderful. Champ Clark seems utterly unable to conceive of the possibility of Horatio 3eymour, or any other man, declining l presidential nomination. A Frenchman says Americans do not know the A B C's In aviation. Perhaps oot, but their money looks mighty rood to our foreign friends. Virginia considered the Beattle crime s oiemisn on tne state, nut it aid tne best It could to efface, the stain In fpeedily convicting the murderer. Colonel Watterson is ready to shoul der a musket and "march to hell" for the democracy of his state. Remember what happened to the Six Hundred, rolonel. Senator La Follette will wait until December to decide whether be will run for the presidency or not. That Is a long time to keep Frank Harrison In suspense. . The example of a Boston man eat ing fifty-eight ears ot corn in two hours shows that those Bostonlans will eat something besides beans when they gst the chance. And will It come to this, that Ttr. Bryan will have to stick a feather in hi. hat and shout. "I am a democrat?" For Colonel Harvey wants to know. "Is Mr. Bryan still a democrat?" Mr. Bryan advises Arliona to ellm- Inate the recall of Judges from Us con- tltutlon and come Into the union, and then restore the provision at the first by the president, the matter of sub opportunity. If It Is that Important mlttlng a controversy to The Hague or to put tho recall of Judges Into the to an arbitral tribunal is left In every Arlsona constitution, why not also Into Instance to a special agreement ba the constitution of every other state? tween the nations concerned and this We have bad two successive demo- "special agreement In each case shall cratle legislatures In Nebraska, more or less under Mr. Bryan's Influence, but neither of them proposed any such institutional amendment. Hai Controller Bay Been Overdrawn T secretary risner brings back from Alaska tha report that Controller bay li neither the only nor the best harbor for the outlet of the Bering river coal fields. Can It be possible that some' body has erred In presenting the facts bout Controller bay's importance In this connection T It would be too bad to misrepresent a situation of this kind. The country bad been led to suppose that exactly the opposite of what Secretary Fisher states was tne fact. N . th t . , no,,,.-, lmreg. . A. . ' ' . , . lon the secretary of the Interior op p0Be8 n njB unofficial Statements. He pronounces the extent and character of the coal fields grossly exaggerated and announces that his policy will be the opening and developing of the fields, but not under restricted private owner ship, which should be reassuring to all. The people will begin to see after a while that they have been led into a good deal of unnecessary confusion and alarm as to what has been going on In Alaska, no doubt. President Taft's statement to congress on the Controller bay situation is being set forth, apparently, in even stronger light than It originally appeared. Undoubtedly a good many things have been done with respect to govern ment property and control In Alaska that should have been left undone, but the actual facta have been burled under an impenetrable cloud of animus and political prejudice. If now, this covering is to be lifted and the Inside facts laid bare, so much the better, for is time to define a working policy in Alaska, both as to the physical det- yelopment of the resources and the government. We Incline to the belief that the broad basis of protecting the rights of present settlers and Investors and the interests of the nation, hinted at by Secretary Fisher as his concep tion, Is the one on which the govern ment should proceed. The needs of the present, as well as future genera tions, have to be kept in mind. A Case of Speedy Justice. Assuming tnat the Jury made no error in reaching Its verdict, the con vlction of Beattle, the young Virginia wife murderer, stands as an example of speedy Justice worthy of emulation I in other states and communities. The crime was committed in July and in i. than two months the trial is over, thn m,n fnnnA e-uiltv and sentence pronounced. Of course, the gauntlet of appeal is yet to be run, but it must be run quickly, for the execution is set for November with a stay 'of only n,nety dayg it is not tne appainng iaci oi a young man going to his doom, even for the commission of a crime so heinous, that commends this case to favorable consideration, but rather the fact that simple Justice seems to nave been the only objective In the process of the arraignment and the trial, Technicality had to give way to It, un necessary delays and continuances were forgotten In the eager demand for a "speedy and Impartial trial," as the organic law vouchsafe to every , man accused of crime. Th. truth was had annus-h In this leaaa anil tha nurt and lawyers in h . Af th hrln( .Mm ta hftTe on the ,mport.nC8 of keeping t M BaUc,ou, featureS possible, h. .uu.tl.li and e-rrfnr QAVIUUIUQ yUa" UWUVOOVU wtaU uw ev 0 straight to the center of things. Even the defense1 seems to have done this with more than usual consistency, and undoubtedly It did not, In to doing, lessen Its effectiveness in behalf of the accu8e" Tho moral affect of this nroceedinK down in the primitive little court house in Virginia may be felt there and else where. It not only dignifies law to enforce It promptly and firmly, but it tends to discourage the commission of crime. At least, the loose admlnlstra tion ot Justice has marred many man's respect for law. Peace or Senatorial Dignity. The feeling that the senate is cap' tlous about Its treaty-making powers seems to be growing, In view of the objections raised In the senate to the proposed arbitration treaties with Eng hand and France. The Saturday Even- p0Bt puts It rather aptly in asking "Which Is the countrr most anxious to m.lntl,,n. OT Ben.torial dla- nity?" President Taft In his Hartford speech rather exposed some of the senators to the charge of hair-splitting in this utterance: In what different way Is the treaty making power Invoked when ask the senate to concur In a treaty which agrees I to submit all Justiciable differences to arbitration and when It is asked to agree to submit to arbitration the question whether a difference arising Is Justiciable or not under the treaty? I confess that I cannot see the distinction. And neither can some of the rest of us, not so well versed In the technical ity of such things. Certainly It will hardly do to say that the constitu tionalist in the White House would care to transgress the organic law by forcing out of the senate's hands any power that belonged In them, by this or "7 olner meaM- may ne seuiea, then- tDat 80 f" " the President 1 concerned he la as eager to preserve lo lne en"e eTer " n" ,n aolemn function of making treaties as is me senate iiseu. cut notnmg is to gamea oy neing captious or taoae rights. Under the treaty draft as proposed be made on the part ot the United States by and with the advice and con sent of the senate." The senate, there fore, is still In a position where it may defeat any such project. There was a clause In the proposed treaty which seemed to make it possible to "put something past" the senate, but it has been struck out and has left to the senate its cherished prerogative Intact. In view of this fact, one might get the Idea that opposition to the Taft treaties in the senate rented on some other ground. It is a pity, though, to block so great a movement In the direction of world peace for any but really essential reasons. In Old Virginia. The easy victory scored by Senator Martin of Virginia in his campaign for re-election, In which he had formed an alliance with his colleague, Senator Swanson, over the opposition demo cratic candidates, who had waged a rattling personal warfare, using, among other ammunition, the on slaughts of Mr. Bryan on Senator Mar tin, is of more than local significance. Senator Martin, as is well known, was chosen to be leader of .the senate democrats over Mr. Bryan's vigorous protest, and he represents, If anything. the extreme reactionary element of the democracy. In addition to this some damaging correspondence has been dug up and disclosed, showing Senator Martin in the light of a retained rail road lobbyist before the Virginia legls lature previous to his election to the senate, and this correspondence has been gleefully reprinted at length by Mr. Bryan In his paper. The decisive majorities, being in excess of 20,000, polled by Senators Martin and Swan son are at any rate not particularly creditable to the strength of Mr. Bryan's followers in Virginia. What Mr. Bryan may have to say on the Virginia outcome should be inter esting when he says it. Poor, Lonely Bailey. Tea, I have differed with nearly every body and everybody has been wrong when I differed with them, too." Senator Joseph Bailey. Poor, mad fools, let t'lem rush along In the dust of error. Mr. Bailey, all alone on the broad highway of Infallibility, passes serenely by. Now and then he may look tolerantly it may be sadly at the foolish throng, but he will pick a flower of thought, a blossom of knowledge, and sniffing It, wUl forget that the throng Is mad and he Is lonesome. Chicago Tribune. Bailey is only 4 8 years of age. He has spent twenty years in congress. ten in each house. No man in his day has come so near being Idolized by his constituents. Until the lime light began to burn, the people of Texas almost to a man, and a good many democrats outside of Texas, looked upon Bailey as, not. only a great man, but one to whom faithful public service was everything. Since the Waters-Pierce event, things have been different. It has been easier to reconcile' the thought of Bailey as faithful first to vested interests. The country was not surprised, therefore. when he voluntarily made himself the champion In the senate of Senator Lorlmer and Lorlmerlam. That is one place in which he and "nearly every body" hate differed and yet he is right, he says. Poor, lonely Bailey. Go thy way, and going, take thy way with thee Or perhaps you had better leave it yet a little while, that others may fol low you and Senator Paynter, the first two of the Lorlmer senators to go. A Chance to Follow Up. It Is given out that the state fire warden will soon be ' In Omaha to check up on the buildings condemned some time ago under the new Nebraska law requiring the removal of struc tures that constitute an undue fire risk for their neighbors. How to get rid of unsightly shacks and tumble-down flretrapa is a prob lem with which Omaha has been grap pling unsuccessfully for years, and when the stats fire warden offered to come to our relief the assistance was hailed with delight. Most of the build ings, however, that have been slated to go are still In ocular evidence, and it Is plain that a mere notification to demolish served upon owners or agents calls for some sort of a followup, which we trust will be forthcoming and will make the notice mean what it says. A European modiste says the reason hobble skirts are not pretty on Ameri can women Is that the women are too fat. We cannot Imagine a woman slender enough to give beauty to bobble skirt. Three successive mayors of Omaha preceding the present one have each found that the office qualified them for a second throw at matrimony. Who else wants to be mayor? Lincoln gets in ahead of Omaha with Its postal savings bank. But then, Lincoln's postmaster has not dls- unguisned Himself as a collector of campaign contributions. Those South Omaha police commis sioners probably now wish they hadn't lirlatr Saaarlty. Kansas City Star. . Senator Bailey's refusal to take chances on a campaign for re-election indicates that he has had a rush of political sagacity to the bead. WfM tk Teat Conies. Sioux City Journal. All that remains down In Omaha now la to select seven supermen for members of the commission. The choice Is expected to be somewhat complicated by the prevalence of superpolltlctana. Troubles Cnoagk at Home. Kansas City Times. The official Prussian crop report de scribes conditions In most gloomy terms. The drouth has burned up the crops. scorched the fodder and baked the earth so that plowing for winter sowing Is al most Impossible. Apparently Germany Is going to have enough trouble at home without locking for more next door. D3ooklnBackwanl IhbDav InOmalm e-' 1 COMPILED FROM SKIT. .11 1 I Thirty Years Ago The Omaha Musical union gave anotner concert In Brandt's garden in the after noon and again in the evening. Herr Llndeman In the role of "Ksrchen," created a great deal of merriment by his grotesque Imitation of a school boy"s first attempt at lovemaklng. Ftauleln Cross mann, as Louise, acted very charmingly Everything is ready for the state fair opening tomorrow. The grand feature of the fair as regards novelty, convenience and attractiveness will ba the electrto lights. Since the first auggestlon by Secretary Mcnrlde that Nebraska should be the first, not only among the western states, but the whole United States, to illuminate her annual state fair by electric rays there has been doubts expressed as to the feasibility of the plan. But so confident was the secretary that the Brush company could do what It advertised that he assumed personal responsibility of all risks, and made a contract for the com pany to light up the grounds. Tonight everything was In order and the engine set In motion. The experiment was very satisfactory. By reason of a slight Irregu larlty In the transmission of power from the shaft of the engine, the lights did not Illuminate as brilliantly as could be desired, 'but the defect Is easily remedied, and there will be no doubt abou the light during the week. It will be the biggest kind of an advertisement for Nebraska enterprise. Campbell Hardy, a well known young man of this city, has resigned his posi tion In the Union Faaltlc office and ac cepted the position of telegraph editor on the World. R. C. Jordon, won for some time past haa acted as bookkeeper for the water company, haa accepted a position with Irwin A Ellis. His former position Is filled by J. M. Flynn. The Revere house In Council Bluffs Is advertising Itself as "the best second class hotel In the west." II. M. Brown, corner Twelfth and Chi cago, Is ' ready to bore and deepen wells with satisfaction guaranteed." Twenty Years Ago Mayor Cushlng, Superintendent of Build ings Whltlock and Fire Chief Oalllgan made a tour of Inspection of the city to view the buildings recently declared un safe and fit for demolition. It was decided to force the water com pany Into court because it refused to lay mains on North Twentieth street. John Groves writes to The Bee to state that the person who accused him of going into the democratic caucus with a demo cratic combine and pledging himself to depose two assistants to secure himself the. place as city clerk was a wilful liar. Tom Hoctor left for a trip to the east. A. C. Wakeley went to Chicago to meet Mrs. Wakeley, who had been visiting In Baltimore. W. II. Holcomb of the Union Pacific left for Chicago with his family, where, they will make their home. W. J. Finch took out a permit for a 4,000 frame dwelling at 8918 Charles street. A body of women met in the Jacobs building on Fifteenth street to organise the Omaha Working Women's union. .These were elected officers: Mrs. T. E. Downs. president; Mrs. H. W.. Carroll, vice presi dent; Mrs. A. E. Hough, secretary and treasurer. Ten Years Ago Charles Booth and bride of Beemer were spending their honeymoon in Omaha. The gates of the Ak-Sar-Ben carnival were thrown open to 8,000 visitors. A geologist for years in the- employ' of the Standard Oil company reported the discovery .of rich' oil sources on Clinton H. Brlggs' farm. rat For,d, Jr., returned to Omaha after nearly four years' service in the navy to explain his disappearance. Joseph Hubs, employed by the street rail way company, fell down the elevator shaft at the Harney street barn, sustaining pain fui injuries. miss Florence Jordan entertained a few friends at cards, prises being won by Miss Fnell and Miss Dumont. Mrs. Luther Kountse returned from Chi cago, where she had spent a part of the week. jur. ana Air.. J. H. Mcintosh reached home, having been abroad for two months. Reunion of Bin aad Gray. Baltimore American. There will be a national blue and gray reunion at Memphis this month, and at the suggestion of members of the Grand Army of the Republic the flags once op posed In deadly conflict will wave together In fraternal unity. Bitterness may not en tlrely die out until the generation which saw that terrible strife of brother against brother has passed, but It Is practically over, and none are more ready to forgive and forget than the -ones who took active part in the battles. People Talked About The conscience fund of the Treasury do. partment has received a contribution of $500. If the sender really secured a clear conscience thereby It would hava been cheap at twice the money. Everybody will be pleased to know that the center of population in- tne united Mates has finally been .located for the present under a window In a furniture fac tory In the northwest part of the city of Bloomlngton, Ind. 'Alas I am an artist, and not a business man," says "society's man milliner," who has closed his shop because of delinquent debtors. He married a rich widow recently. but does that make him a mere business man or a first grade artist. Police Magistrate Aekerman of Streator 111., when elected to office In 1308. an nounced that he would marry free the first couple who came to him. He got his first lob In that line last week when Emll San tacroce and Mattle Hansen accepted the offer. Mrs. Anna M. Albrecht of New Tork City Is thought to be the only woman blacksmith in the United States. She acts as assistant to her husband, who conducts a shop In the Bronx borough. Mrs. Albrecht has aided her husband In hia work for the last two years, at first the entire day, but now that he la prospering she limits her work to a few hours a day. She Is a sturdy, well built woman, of medium height, S3 years old, and the mother of three chil dren. The late Senator Ftye, when a student at Bowdoin college, roomed at No. ( Bath street. Brunswick, and some time during his college course, cut his Initials W. P. F on a window pan with a diamond. He was graduated In I860, but the initials are still there. Writing to' Senator Fry to thank him for a package of seeds, E. T. Oetchell of Brunswick called his attention to .h memento of his student days at old Bow doln. In reply Senator Ftye expressed the hope that the window would be preserved, because he said, "It la the only memorial window (or me In the whole country." Around New York Hippies on the Current of Xlf as Bees In the Oreat American Metropolis from Bay to Day. , rtaalnesa Hoatlnar Homes. Business ruthlessly marches uptown. In different to the privacy of homes or the sanctity supposed to hedge the memory of bygone captains of Industry. Aristocratic Fifth avenue la rapidly becoming a busi ness highway. Shops are multiplying as far up as St. Patrick's cathedral. An en tire block facing the Yandernllt homes, between Fifty-second and Fifty-third streets, is being transmuted Into stores marking the end of th long fight of the millionaire residents against the Invasion of shoppers. Henry C. Frlck Is to erect a big residence a mile above the Vanderbllt houses, on the Lenox library site at Seven tieth street, and It will not be many years before trade will have caught up with him there. The big city Is being forever re built, and there can be nowhere any assur ance of permanency. The changes of the last twenty-five years have been amazing, and there la no reason for doubting that the reconstruction of the next quarter century will be even more striking and pervasive. Law Agalnut I'latol Toting;. Unless more honored in the breach than In tlio observe nee, the law which went Into effect In New York state September 1 regarding the ownership and carrying of revolvers and other deadly weapons should vastly minimize the amount of crime In that state. The provisions ot the law are very drastic, and its enforcement literally will be a difficult matter. Among other things the law provides: "Any person having in his possession a pistol, revolver or other firearms of a size that may be concealed upon the person without a license, shall be guilty of a mis demeanor. Any person wno snail have or tarry concealed upon his person any pistol, re volver or other firearms, without a license, shall be guilty of a felony. "Any person, not a citizen of the United States, who shall carry firearms or. any dangerous weapon in any public place, at any time, shall be guilty of a felony. Any person who attempts to use against another, or who carries or possesses any instrument or weapon of the kind known as blackjacks, slungshota, billies, etc.. or wno carries or possesses a dawar. dirk knife, Is guilty of a felony." A license to own and carry a pistol may oe ODtainea on payment of 10 a year. Ministerial Check Wrinkle. Ministers are supposed to be poor busi ness men, but one wearer of the cloth In New York haa a wrinkle for checks that beats the various precautionary devices. A recent check was numbered 8,28,10.11, rather a large number for a check but one that oia not attract much attention. At first glance it semed to be carelessly pointed orr, but the clergyman explained that the check showed that It was made out August a, was made for 110 and was the eleventh cnecu issued during the month. Few check raisers would regard , the number In their operations, but here was a safe guard against an Increase In the value of the paper. Gimlet Fiend In Hotels. . iiuuuuy causes more obstruction in a hotel room than th gimlet fiend," said hotel clerk, quoted by the Sun. . "If the. mea at the. desk should ever be empowered to turn an X-ray on new ar rivals l shall keep a sham lookout for gimlets.. It is people who doubt the ef ficiency of hotels to protect the guests from burglars who carry gimlets. Gimlets aurin a, pretty enecuve) means or pro tection. With gimlets screwed through the door and into the Jamb and through the sash of a window Into th frame it would take a burglar of strength and resource to effect an entrance. "Also gimlets are useful in constructing fire escapes. A fire broke out in this hotel one night about a year ago. The guest who escaped with. least trouble was a man who traveled with a set of gimlets. His door had been so securely glmleted that he could not open It when he saw flames and smelled smoke through the transom, but one of the windows was movable and he lust screwed two gimlets Into the sill, fastened a rope to them that he carried for such an emergency and let himself down to the roof ot the adjoining building. Gimlets are a source of comfort and confidence to the traveler, but to the proprietor who has to stop up the holes they are an expense and an exasperation." Showing; the Crowd. Usually when a shop window Is being dressed the blinds are drawn; not so In one big Harlem shop. On Saturday evening when the crowd In the street was thickest a man in overalls set up six lay figures of women, almost nude In their skeleton framework. Then six girls, each with an armful of lingerie, appeared and dressed the figures, taking time as each gar ment waa put In place to let th street throng not Its beauty and effect. Then six other girls, each bringing a gown, with great care and deliberation and much turning to the crowd in front, draped the figures. Girls with neckwear, furs, mil linery and gloves completed the Job. which had taken an hour and had held a crowd that blocked the street all the while. "The best part of our window show Is letting peopl se how we do it, and how the effects grew," said th boss window dresser. Commission Vote la Omaha. New York Evening Post. Adoption of a new form of municipal government by $,000 voters out of 23,000 does not look like majority rule. But that Is wnat has ocourred In Omaha. With 1.000 voters casting their ballots against It. and 17,000 not voting at all, th largest city in Nebraska haa decided to try commission government. Th striking featur of this lection Is th degree of Indifference which It reveals. Apathy Itself in varying amounts Is a familiar phenomenon ot our experiment with self-government. By It we have proved that we propose to exert no more of the vigilance that la th price of our political happiness than Is abso lutely necessary. Catering- to the Crowa. Brooklyn Eagle. Prize fighting la now legal on th stage, but beginning today (September 1). It la Illegal to portray on the stage any charac ter representing Christ. The new law la Section 2.704 of the penal statutes. The tide has turned. People do not visit New York as they used to for preaching; they do not seek the vague and spiritual. Good substantial knockouts are in demand, and It U good business to give the peopl what they want. If They Only Knew, Denver Republican. Those Canadians who are pretending to look upon reciprocity as nothing less than a step toward annexation evidently do not know how willing Uncle Sam would be to have somebody help mm let go or some of what his annexing baa brought him. CUMMIUS AND TAFT. New Tork World: Senator Cummins' way ot assuring Mr. Taft that he will have a warm welcome In the west Is as explicit as It Is pointed. Will Senator Cummins find It necesssry to absent him self when Mr. Taft reaches Iowa? New York Tribune: It would be wiser and safer for the Iowa senator to y simply that he Is against th president be ciiuse unfortunat factional associations have tied him tip with Mr. La Follrtte s candidacy. When h tries to give larger reasons of a public nature his argumenta tive machinery breaks down. Ietrolt Free Press: In a word th whole arraignment of the president lies In this: That he has not followed Cummins and th Insurgents, but has acted with the majority of his own party In an honeet endeavor to carry out the promises of the republican platform, which Is the usual course that honest presidents take. Denver Republican : Ot course the Iowa senator had a right to express his views. No one will dispute that. But when a man grants an Interview like the one given by Senator Cummins It Implies more or less distinctly that he thinks his opinions are a matter of some importance to the public. Bus With all due respect to Senator Cummins It Is of . little con sequence one way or the other what he thinks. Washington Post: Is this assault ot Cummins on Taft's record as a republican meant to be a reply to the president's criticism of La Follette'a record for party disloyalty? It has that aspect, at any rate, and, furthermore. It deserves all praixe as another token of Insurgent proficiency in the use ot "blacksmith tools." If Taft must qualify aa a near democrat In order to be eligible to nomi nation, La Follette has a walk-over. RAILROAD STATISTICS. Immensity ot the Capital, Tonnage, HrcrlpU and Earnings. Springfield Republican. Poor's manual of railroads for 19U Is more complete than ever If Incomplete ness can be affirmed of any previous Issue, and the field It covers haa become fairly staggering In Immensity. At the end of 1910 there were 242,107 miles of railroad In the country, and for the 239,991 miles of road figuring In the earnings and financial tables we have a fixed capital In vestment of M.3S0.S19.190 In stock. 19.600.. 634,906 In bonds and over $1,000,000,000 In other capital obligations. Their assets now reach the great flgur of almost 22.0i,000, 000. Especially to be noted In the matter ot capitalisation Is the great excess of bond over stock Issues. This Is not a fav orable tact for continuing solvency. For many years down to about 18S8 stock per mile of road exceeded th bonds.- Then bonds began to exceed th stock capitaliza tion until th panto of 1893 threw many roads Into bankruptcy, and under the closer financing resulting and the reorgan izations from receivership stock capital ization again exceeded the bond capital. But In recent years the dobt tendency has been mora pronounced than ever, and we now have, according to the Manuel, a bonded debt of 140,000 per mile against stock of only about 135,000. Our railroad owner ship Is thus shown to be enormously in debt. Other Interesting facts brought out In the preliminary pages and statistical comparisons of the Manual are that the average rate per ton per mile has fallen from 1.224 cents In 18S3 to 0.726 In 1899, the low of the period, and Is now 0.753; and that the average rat per passenger per mile has fallen In the same time from 2.422 cents .to 1.978. The following gives the gross and net earnings-per miles of road, and expense ratio tor 1883, 1199 and the last few years: Per cent. Expenses. 63.83 68.27 67.49 66.83 67.98 70.17 66.09 67.23 ' Gross. 7,405.. .... 7.161 .... 1.643 .... 10,631 Net. $2,670 2.272 3,186 3.R80 8,690 3,144 3,62 3,784 1M... 1899... 19"5. .'. 1906... 1907.. 11,666 1908 10.M3 1909 , 10.515 1910 11,648 The later years have seen some Increases In the proportion of gross revenue going to expenses. The average dividend rate 1 now 3.64 per cent, which la about, what it has been for some years, as compared with less than 2 per cent paid from 1S8Y to 1900. Curiously enough the average Interest rate still remains below 4 per cent, as against more than 4 per cent for the whole period hack of 1905, and yet this has been a time of advancing wages for capital. Notwithstanding the great spread of electric railways the steam roads have Increased the number of passengers car ried every year without exception back to 1S96. The number was 999,000,000 in 1910, against 615,000,000 In 1S98. Freight tonnage In the same time has doubled. ROMANCE OP FAMOUS PORTRAIT 'Mona Lisa's" lad Smll that of Mother Bereft. Baltimore Sun. Th "Mona Lisa" of Leonardo da Vinci, which has Just disappeared from Its place of honor In the Louvre In Paris, may not be th greatest painting In the world, but most critics, without doubt, hold It to be the greatest portrait. Not only Is It fa mous itself and security for the fame of the Florentine who painted It, but It has also made an epic figure of the woman It represents th Mona Lisa Oherardtnl, third wife of Francesco del Olooondo, merchant of Florenoe. Who was th Mona Lisa and why her cryptio smile? Sine th days of th good Vasarl answers without number have been forthcoming, and all have tended to make tha merchant's wlf a stupendous heroine of romance. We ar told that sh was Leonardo's lady-love and broke his heart. W ar told, further, that she was a breaker of all hearts, a vampire, "a diver In deep seas," "a being of exquisite passions," Implacable, murderous. Infinitely to be desired., Walter Pater's golden pros In "The Renaissance," gave her the last touch of heroic mystery. Ever since he added her to his memorable gallery, she has been of the sisterhood of Venus, the Lorelei, and Helen of Troy. But what of the facts? Alas, they have been dug from the mold of the past by Pr. Salomon Renach, an unsentimental French archaeologist and In the face of them th ancient mystery of Mona Lisa vanishes! Was she a heart breaker? Not at all! Was she Leonardo's love? By no means! What waa she then? Merely a some what commonplace young woman of Flor ence, who married the middle-aged wid ower, Francesco del Olocondo In th year 1496 or threabout, and bore him a daughter in 1499. Two years later on June 1, 1501. that daughter died and was buried In the church of Santa Maria Novella at Florence. Before the year waa ended Leonardo, a friend of Francesco, began to paint Lisa's portrait. The smile In that portrait the smile that has enchanted the critics and sent the poets into ecstasies Is not the bitter smile of a vampire, "a diver In deep seas," "a being of exquisite passions," but the sad smile of a young mother bereft. Thus Pr. Relnach has robbed the world's greatest portrait of its old mystery. Its old romance. But Its beauty re mains and a new charm shines from it th charm of a cleanly, homely, womanly emotion. The Mona Lisa, sorrowing for her little daughter, lacks tha devilish glamour of Cautler s and Pater's Llaa, but aha becomes thereby a nobler and more dignified woman and so th loss 1 for gotten in th gain. POLITICAL SNAPSHOTS. Cleveland leader: Somebody shour''".' crawl over the transom and find outnae j Is the matter with Mr. Bryan. Nothing ha. been heard from him for a few days. Minneapolis Journal: It Is understood that Tom Tsprt, Joe Pslley. llnskcll of Oklahoma and Murphy of New York will oppose tlovrrnor Wilson for the presiden tial nomination. What did you suppose they would do? Ri iiul. t'.rnnbllc! Mr. Brvan. It ap pears, approves of the things Mr. Undes. wood does, but not of the order In whle.2 he does them. In the Interest of peacel Mr 1'mlerwnnd mtrht trlearaph his SChede ule of acts and utterances to Lincoln week; by week and hnve It revised beforehand. Boston Trnnserlpt: Victor Berger, the sole socialist member of congress. Is epi grammatic If partisan. Here Is his descrip tion of an Insurgent: "An Insurgent Is M per cent of old disgruntled politician, SI per cent clenr hypocrisy. 9 per cent nothing and 1 per cent socialism. Put In a bottle and shake well before using and you wl',1 have a so-called 'progr? sslve.' " But what would you expect from a 'party leader who has onlv himself to lead and realizes that It Is Insurirrnts who keep some men from being socialists? coMniwTiox v. ro-orKB atiov Importance of neUcnte- Mmdln Mennlne; of Words. Ch'capto Tribune. "ComMnntlon" Is a word of sinister meanlnR, while "co-operation" breathrS pure beneficence. Pinners combine and saints co-opernle. When the manufacturers or steel wire or bath tubs have a meeting and agree on a uniform price for the present ana hither nrlce for the near future, that Is comhlnotion: that Is violation of the anti trust law. That It has been violated 1 clear as dny. Thnt the public may b protected there should be Indictments and convictions. When southern cotton planters meet and agree not to sell their cotton for less thsn 14 cents a round during September anl October, and then to raise the price to 15 ronta that Is co-operallon. and. tnererore. laudable and not In violation of the anti trust laws. j Great Is the savlnff grace of that sweeti word "co-operatton." Southern senators! and representatives, unwer.rled thunderersf against trusts, and who would fall tooth and nail on cotton manufacturers If they were to combine to repulate prices, urge the cotton growers to co-operate for the regulation of prices. And yet, while "combination" Is wicked and "co-operation" virtuous, they spell th am ihlnir for the ultimate consumer. If by co-operation the price of raw cotton 1 advanced artifically the manufacturer n tn charee more for his goods, and up goe thn post of the consumer's cotton shirt. Nevertheless, he must bow to the majesty and compelling force of words. He may denounce "combination," but "co-opera tlon" Is sacred. LAST OF NOTED GROUP. Men Who nnled th Democracy la Cleveland's Day. Pittsburgh Dispatch. Tho death df Hoger Quarles MlIlsVJ Texas takes over to the Great Majority the last of a group which, during the flrat term of President Cleveland, ruled with absolute sway the dempcratio majority ot the national house of representatives. Mills was chairman of the committee on ways and means which drafted the tariff bill which has always borne his name. The others were Carlisle of Kentucky, who defeated Randall of .Pennsylvania for tho speakership, and who was afterward In the senate and secretary of tho treasury; Crisp of Georgia, later speaker ot tha house; Morrison and-Hpringer of Illinois, and Holman of Indiana, all men of long service and distinguishing qualities. Ran dall was of the group, but radically at odds with it In tariff matter. rtnuhtlesH never attain will either party In the house have another such array of A. ! notable leaders, of a length of service V thai v them experience in all makra for familiarity with the Intrlca of legislation. .. Others there were of fin abilities, but only those mentioned could i.iuim thn country for an audience when they spoke, though Holman and Springer had less of popularity than the others. Morrluon and Carlisle died a few months ago. The death of Mills removes th last of them. Mills and Carlisle were th only ones who reached the senate. SMILING HEJ1AEKS. 'Do you think animals hav a ens oi humor?" , . -lTnitnuhtedlv. Do you know of any thing more watrglsh than a dog's tail? "- Baltimore American. ui. . th... mntorrvcllsts rldl th.ir machines." said Aunt Hepsy, "but I don t like tne music mey never play any tunes thut I can recog nize." Chicago Tribune. "The vermiform appendix is of no real value to a human being, Is It?" "Well," replied the physician, "It's a good deal of a financial help to the doc tor who takes it out." Washington Btar. ivhon I srot back from my vacation my husband had only one soiled dluh for mo to wash." "He wasnea tne otners, em -"It seems he only used one dlsh."- Louisville Courier-Journal. "Yvonne!" Vm. iiiidii'" Tiok fea the society Journals and where yoerr mother expects to spend next Sunday. If In this country, we will go visit her." Washington Herald. :. "It certainly la funny, but my. husband will not go near a looking glass when h Is tipsy." "I suppose h feels Instinctively that anything like a mirror which brings on face to oneself Is a matter ot sober re flection." Baltimore American. Ella That young farmer tried to klS me. saying that he had never kissed a girl before. Btella What did you tell him? F.lla That I was no agricultural experi ment station. New York Press. Mrs. Muggins Mrs. Subbubs Is a borrt diplomatist. Mrs. Huggins Yes. she can even engaga a cook from an employment agency with out feeling that she has lost her self-respect. Philadelphia Record. "You helped send that man to conerefS because you liked him, did you not?" "No," replied Farmer Corntosael; "he was gettln' so overbearin' an' egotlntlcal that I wanted to see him put somewhere that 'd probably put It up to him to apologize and explain sometimes." Wash. Ington Star. TRAGEDY OF THE TEN. Ben King's Verse. If I should die tonight And you should come to my cold corps and say, . Weeping and heartsick o'er my llfelsu clav If 1 thould die tonight. And you should come In deepest grief and woe And say: "Here's that ten dollars that I owe." I might arise In my large white cravat And say. "What's that?" If I should die tonlcht And you should come to my cold corrs and kneel. Clasping my bier to show tha grief yo feel, I sav. If I should die tonight And you should come to me, and thei and then Just even hint 'bout paying me that ten, I mlKht aria the while. But I'd drop dead again. I i i i i 3f I af.