i
THE BEE: OMAHA, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1916.
THE OMAHA DAILY BEE
FOUNDED BY EDWARD ROSEWATER.
VICTOR EOSEWATER, EDITOR.
THS BEG PUBLISHING COMPANY, PROPRIETOR.
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NOVEMBER CIRCULATION.
55,483 Daily Sunday 50,037.
I might Wllllama, circulation manager of The Bee
Publl.hlng company, being duly worn. aay. that the
averago circulation for the month of November. Ul. waa
S.43 dally, and 60,437 Sunday.
' 'bwitlHT WILLIAMS. Circulation """
dubacrlbed In my preeence and iworn to before ma
,h" " " D,C""b'Cr'w"cARl.SON, Notary PubHo.
Subacribar. luring ib city tamporarily
aKould" ban Th. B mmiM to th.m. Ad
dr.ai will b. chanted ai off n a raqulrad.
Not much left of the old year. Make the
most of it.
Incidentally peace stilt rages on the other side
of the Mexican border.
Push Omaha further forward I
form all of us can stand on.
That's a plat-
The strain on the mapmaking world pleads
fur the service of fatigue experts.
No 1917 program for Omaha will answer the
demand that does not include a concerted effort
for a new Union depot. '
That "Hight-Cost-of-Living" coon doesn't
em to want to come down any faster just be
cause congress is in session.
By nailing some new timber to his cabinet
King Charlet crowds the. political speed limit of
enemy nations.. Which is going some.
, Christianity no doubt would prove mighty
helpful in composing life in Mexico, but who will
provide safe conduct beyond the Rio Grande.
.! Of course, it is out of thoughtful considera
tion for the losers that Secretary of State Pool
selected a blue cover for his election returns
pamphlet.
Having discovered how H feels to sit in the
"House of Governors," Governor-Elect Neville
should be fully prepared to try out a seat in the
executive mansion.
. While speeding up the shippers to abate the
needles detention of cars, tha railroads could
also do something themselves in the tame direc
tion by speeding up the movement of the cars
over their tracks.
Food and fuel in Europe grow scarcer as the
laj l pass. Conditions are slightly different in
tin country. The problem here it to stretch the
money to the goods. Over there the trouble il
to connect the goods, with the money.
4 Congressman Adamson talks to tne railroad
losses and brotherhoods like an irritated dad
and threatens to apply the swatter. The gentle
man from Georgia doesn't look the part. He is
at hit best only when the White House presses
the button. .
Now that the British government is officially
in possession of the German peace note, it will
have to reach a decision as to what it is going
to do about it The only sure thing it that Uncle
Sam will bt permitted again to serve as the mes
senger boy for the answer.
The late Emperor Francis Joseph is reported
to have bequeathed out of hit private fortune
60,000,000 crowns, or $12,000,000, as a fund for the
iclief of wounded soldiers, invalids and relatives
of men killed in the war. The bequest has the
merit of making partial recompense for injuries
to the victim! of imperial folly.
Speculation in War Losses
' Broaalyn Eagl..
Both Sides Waking Up.
The railroads and the brotherhoods alike are
coming to realize the two-edged character of the
Adamson law. Crude and unworkable as it is, it
yet contains the germ of a law that will put the
big transportation companies and the labor unions
under the closer control of the federal govern
ment. This is one of the unconsidered possibili
ties of the measure so hastily driven through con
gress, the early effect of which was to produce
the political influence for which it was primarily
designed. Only one phase of the real situation
was then taken into account, but some of its
other aspects are now gaining attention. This
is a natural outcome of the prolonged and sense
less agitation that has disturbed the country for
months. The public deserves protection from
conditions that have prevailed for almost two
years in the railroad world. Continual bickerings
and threats of strike have menaced business un
til the situation is unbearable, and even though
the companies and the men do agree on some set
tlement of their present difficulty there is strong
likelihood of either the Newlands or the Adam
son law being'so amended as to obviate the dan
ger of a general strike on the railroads. The
remedy is drastic, perhaps, but the disease has
been acute. Each side to the dispute has blamed
the other, but that both are at fault is clear to
any who has followed the controversy.
Good Roads and Farm Hauling.
The Bee relies upon statements made by State
Engineer Johnson to support its contention that
good roads are to the benefit of the farmer more
than any other citizen of Nebraska. Here is
what the state engineer says on the matter of
hauling:
A team that can haul 3,000 pounds over an
ordinary road could haul 3,500 pounds over a
well-graded road, 4,000 pounds over a clay
and gravel road and 7,000 pounds over a brick
marl On loner hauls freighting is usually done
at I cent per mile per hundred, but for short
hauls, such as the farmer makes to and from
towns, it usually costs 25 cents per ton
mile over ordinary roads. By hauling the
amounts I have heretofore stated, on different
classes of roads, this would make a cost of haul
ling on well-graded roads 21.4 cents per ton
mile; over clay and gravel roads, 18 cents per
ton mile, and over brick surface roads, 10.7
cents per ton mile. This would make the cost
of hauling over brick surfaced roads 57 per
cent less than hauling over ordinary roads. .
If Mr, Johnson's figures are dependable and
applying them to the wheat crop of the current
year, we find some inkling of what poor roads
cost the farmers of the state. The wheat crop of
the state for 1916 is returned at 68,773,681 bush
els, or, in round numbers, 2,031,603 tons, to move
which one mile at the rate of 25 cents per ton
would cost $507,851. If one-half of this could be
saved by good roads, it would be $253,925 into
the farmers' pockets. Capitalize this at 5 per
cent and we have $5,078,510; if the average haul
for a ton of wheat on its way from the farm to
the shipping point is seven miles, the saving thus
effected would pay 5 per cent on $35,500,000, which
would under Mr, Johnson's estimate construct 250
miles of brick-surfaced. roads. And this is on the
wheat crop of the state alone and takes no ac
count of the millions of tons of other materials
hauled by the fanners.
Havs We Learned Our Lesson?
General Hugh Scott is again before the sen
ate committee on military affairs, presenting the
cause of the army of the United States as fac
tor in the problem of national defense. He ar
gues that events have shown the futility of de
pendence on volunteers. On one point all agree:
If we are to have a defense, it must be adequate,
and to be adequate the soldiers must be trained.
On the main point, however, o'pinions differ.
Many earnest people sincerely believe that we can
avoid war through the simple expedient of doing
away with army and navy. To propitiate these,
the perpetuation of the National Guard is held
out as an alternative to universal military train
ing.
No criticism of the National Guard contains
any reflection on the splendid young men who
make Up that organization. They have shown
their quality by their actions and have proven
their high devotion to their country by sacn
fices 'at sincere as men may be called upon to
make short of death. But their patriotic devo
tion does not compensate for their lack of train
ing. They are not to blame for this, but the mis
erable system that broke down last June when
the Guard was called into action it responsible
Not only did the world get an impressive illus
tration of how unready is the United States to
make proper defense of its territory, but our
own people had impressed upon them how feeble
the arm upon which they relied.
The great question now is, Have we learned
the lesson? Are we ready to squarely face our
situation and determine if we are to be ready to
meet any emergency, or will we proceed as we
have with no preparation, and trust to luck to
save us from our own folly?
Berlin recently sent out by wireless a state
ment by the Overseas News Agency, saying that
the Association for Research into the Social Con
sequences of the War, of Copenhagen, has given
15,100,000 men as the total losses of the entente
nations in the war to date. The statement is in
teresting and would be more so if we knew posi
tively that this association is identical with the
War Study Society of Copenhagen, which has
oiven out finures of losses from time to time.
The first product of the War Study society
was a bulletin issued on August 1, 1916, comput
ing the human losses in each belligerent country
during the first two years of the war. The total
for all countries for the first two years was given
as 15.876,800, with 3,373,700 invalids. Of this
grand total 7,371,800 were credited to Germany,
Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey, and
11,876,800 to the entente nations. Since August
1, appalling losses have been sustained by both
sides. On the Somme, where the Anglo-French
offensive started in July, and in Galicia, Buko-
wina, Translyvania, Roumania, Macedonia and
on the Italian-Austrian front, the losses have been
arcumulatinff at a fearful rate.
Judging from the nature of the fighting, the
total losses of the entente since August may
easilv reach the figure given above. On Novem
ber 15, if was estimated, on the basis of prev
ious figures compiled by the same source, that
the total losses were approximately 5,600,000
killed and 13,000,000 wounded. That was a month
aero. Since then most of the fighting has been in
the Balkans, and the Roumanians and Russians
have been the heaviest losers. But the Rouman
ians are credited by the recent statement with
having tost 200,000 men, which seemed a bit ex
cessive then, although , the total cost of the in
vasion will not be less. ; ,
There is no conclusion to be drawn from such
speculation, except that in the man-killing game
the question of available numbirs, counts for
most. If the entente has lost 15,100,000 men, the
central empires must have lost only some million
or so less. In all computations France and Ger
many are shown to have losses that are about
equal. This leaves the rest of the entente losses
to be balanced against tnose ot Austria-Hungary.
Bulgaria ana lurttc
2l
History's Method
' Minneapolis J
The ascendancy of Mr. Lloyd George in Eng
land marks the dawn of the new democracy in
the British Isles. Nor is this change confined
to one country. It is manliest in r-nssia even,
where the new prime minister, 1 reporr. ioia inc
Duma that for the first time the will of the
Russian narliament had forced the resignation
of a premier and the appointment of a successor
of another politics.
War is an awful price to pay for fundamental
changes in the order of things. But the history
of the human race proves that an awful price
is always exacted of humanity for each progress.
We of America realize the price paid for freeing
the slave. And what France paid a century ago
to be rid of monarchy and feudalism scarcely can
be exaggerated.
It might even be argued, as indeed it often
has been, that the overthrow of the whole ancient
Mrrllterranran civilization and the thousand years
of night that followed were required in order to
produce modern fcurope. Ail tne Diooa ami sin
tering of the Crusades was necessary to rouse
western Rtirnne? from the nit of ignorance, stag
nation, superstition and cruelty. The long religious
wars of the sixteen and seventeentn ceniurics
were required to establish tolerance. I he his
tory of mankind is very wonderful and glorious,
but it is also very bitter and terribly tragic.
Rationalists and pacifists are always asking,
usually after the event, why the difficulties could
not have been arranged by right, reason and
justice. They think it madness that tne union
did not buy out ot slavery the negroes in ine
south, since, however large the cost, it would
have been small compared to the prodigious ex
penditure of blood and treasure that the civil war
entailed. If reason ruled the affairs of men, if
it were easy to define and to declare justice, the
complaint of the philosophers and humanitarians
would be well grounded. Now in Europe, after
two years of havoc, reasonable persons are ask-
g why prevention was not securea Dy means ut
conferences, concessions, compromises, arbitra
tions.
In the first place, human nature preiers to
fight. In the second, were settlements to be sub
stituted for decisions by force, the greatest
progresses would be impossible. There was no
price that the south would have accepted for
the emancipation 6f her slaves. The south had
not only property to save, but also a social sys
tem to which her belief was committed. Eman
cipation spelled anarchy to her mind. She meant
to defend it witn ner Diooa as an arucic ui uuu
as well as a matter of wealth. Apply the same
principle to the situation in Europe before the
war, and the inevitability of the war demonstrates
itself.
But let us go farther. Civilization would not
be what it is without its great conflicts. Without
them we should today be feudalistic still.
Establish society on any basis, and every
force of bigotry, prudence and inertia is enlisted
to support that society as it is. The practical
men, so-called, the managers, the able men, the
ones trusted for ability and shrewdness, are those
particularly who resent radical change. They once
defended the feudalisms, the monarchies, the
oligarchies.
It is true that social systems have their gradual
evolutions. But the fundamental changes have
been brought about only by force. England has
been no exception; she merely dates her last great
settlement back to 1688, a century earlier than
the 1789 of France. Had Parliament settled with
King Charles I; had Parliament settled with King
James II; had the colonies of Virginia and
Massachusetts come to an agreement with Lord
North and King George III; had Mirabeau ef
fected a compromise between King Louis XVI
and the Assembly; had Napoleon and Pitt ad
hered to the Peace of Amiens; had Bismarck and
Louis Napoleon healed their differences perpetu
ation would have been- Secured in every case of
the status quo, of what was.
But the purpose of human development is
not to perpetuate any certain mold, but to run
civilization through a succession of molds, to
what finality we know not A mold is to be
broken only by the hammer of war, a new mold
is to be fashioned only on the anvil of war.
Humanity suffers, but the world is advanced.
Considering the price we pay, must not our
destiny be sublime?
A Drift of Our Times
-St. Louis Globi-Domocrat.-
Law That Needs Overhauling.
Strict application of any law may become in
humane at times. Oar immigration law and the
rules made under it afford many illustrations of
the suffering that may be caused by too rigid
observance of the letter and indifference to the
spirit. The latest incident reported is that of a
Spanish merchant, carried ashore from a steamer ,
at New York in a dying condition, while his son
was sent to the Ellis Island detention station be
cause he was under 16 and "unaccompanied by
parent or guardian," The inspector who ordered
the removal said he had no discretion, but surely
the safety of a nation like the United States does
not require the separation of a child from its
parent under such circumstances. Men of wealth
ant', influence undertook to secure the boy's re
lease, but without avail, and the inhuman applica
'.ion of the regulation in its strict letter went on.
This is not notable solely because of the promi
nence of the persons involved. Many poor people
have suffered similarly, and with no more of jus
tice. Omaha residents frequently have been called
to exert themselves in behalf of some deserving
person held up at Ellis Island because the govern
ment's machinery moves so inexorably. This law
should be readjusted, to the end that the nation
may protect itself against the visitation of the
unworthy without causing needless hardships and
sorrow to the innocent.
General Joffre passes from the front to the
repr of the Anglo-French army to the post of
commander-in-chief of all allied armies and mili
tary adviser to the French ministry. Title and
honors are unchanged, but active duties are re
duced. His retirement indicates a reversal of
the military policy of wearing down the enemy
in the west and more determined drives than
iiny hitherto undertaken.
Thought Nugget for the Day.
All who Joy would win must share
It happiness waa born a twin.
Byron.
One Year Ago Today In the War.
Bulgar army came to halt on border
of Greece.
British withdrew Anzac army, esti
mated at 100,000 men, from the Gal
llpoll. Washington sent another note to
Austria-Hunirary, baaed on admissions
made in regard to Ancona case.
Greek government, in reply to Oer
man note, declared It could not- stop
allies' fortification of Salonlca.
In Omaha Thirty Years Ago.
The women of the German-American
association in charge of the German-American
school, 1818 Harney,
have resolved to reduce the tuition to
$1 per month commencing January 1,
1887. The committee consists ot Men
dames G. Pomy, C. C. Schaefer, M.
Tlbke, O. Helmrod and F. Lange.
Mr. Mahoney, superintendent of the
poor farm, says he Is preparing a
Christmas dinner of turkey and oys
ters for the Inmates, which will bring
Joy to them.
For the last two Sundays all sa
loons have had their front doors closed
in respect to the wishes of the mayor.
To the uninitiated most of the saloons
had the appearance of being closed,
but those who "had the tip'' knew ex
actly how to find their way in.
Mr. Costers, special agent for the
Edison electric light, is conferring
with Messrs. J. J. Dickey and L. H.
Korty In regard to the Introduction of
a system of Incandescent lighting in
Omaha.
L. R. Bolles, city passenger agent
of the Chicago & Northwestern road,
has left for Chicago, where he will be
married to a young woman of that
city. After a short bridal tour Mr.
and Mrs. Bolles will return to this city
and take up their residence on west
Farnam.
This Day In History.
1807 England declared war against
JwUstiift
1813 Fort Niagara was surprised
and captured by the British.
1814 Macready, the famous actor,
made his first appearance as "Ro
meo." 1820 Mary A. Livermore, noted
author and advocate of woman's
rights, born In Boston. Died at Mel
rose, Mass., May 28, 1905.
1839 Baron Ferdinand de Roth
schild, one of the most prominent
members of the great family of finan
ciers, born in Paris. Died at his home
in England December 17, 1898.
1862 Many buildings in Guate
mala destroyed by an earthquake.
1881 Benjamin H. Brewster of
Pennsylvania appointed attorney gen
eral in the cabinet of President Ar
thur. 1891 Cardinal Gibbons ordained
the firfJt colored Roman Catholic
priest In America in the cathedral at
Baltimore.
1900 Memorial services for the
British soldiers who fell in South Af
rica held In St. Paul's cathedral.
1903 Emperor William congratu
lated the German legion "on having
saved the British army from destruc
tion at Waterloo."
In earlier years whea a youth was sent to
college it was thought to be settled in advance
that he was on the way to entering upon one of
the three learned professions, law, medicine,
theology, or an educational career. There were
predictions of success or failure, according to the
mood and disposition. But such as opined that
there might be danger of spoiling a good business
man in making a poor lawyer, doctor or preacher,
never dreamed it among the possibilities that a
college training could make a better business man
out of a boy with a talent for business than he
would be without such a training, or that the hoy
who could not or would not memorize and deliver
a thunderous declamation on Friday afternoons,
but had a penchant for calculating things m the
mass, or running straight and oblique lines, had
any need of college training. ,
And during generations there was much to
justify such strange opinions. Every matricula
tion showed serried ranks of youths anxious to
crowd into professions which began to be over
crowded quite a number of years ago. As late as
1904 there were, at Yale, 6,937 young men pre
paring themselves for the law, medicine, the min
istry and educational work, and but 4,095 am
bitious to make careers in manutactunng, finance,
mercantile lines and engineering. During the
present year the young men getting a training for
active business life have been crowding the pro
fessionals mucn more closely. During 1V16 the
number of Yale students equipping themselves for
the learned professions has been 8,574 and the
number getting ready for business pursuits 8,163.
Putting it in another way, the boys who are now
in training for manufacturing, mercantile, finan
cial and engineering work arc only 311 less in
number than those in the other group, while a
dozen years ago they were 2.800 less.
The most striking growth in the number of
matriculants in the business course has been in
the engineering department. In 1904 only 849
young men went to Yale for that sort of techni
cal training. This year 2,218 are there for that
purpose. The number taking courses in manu
facturing has more than doubled in the period,
in financial training it has nearly doubled, and
mercantile lines of study show about the same
increase. In all probability other great educa
tional institutions show the same drift, which is,
in tact, a drift ot our times.
- People and Events
The duke of Manchester, who married Miss
Helena Zimmerman of Cincinnati, was commit'
ted for trial by a London magistrate recently on a
charge of obtaining credit without disclosing that
he was an unaiscnargea oanicrupi.
Lieutenant Pollner, a young and well-known
Danish military aviator, is planning to make a rec
ord by crossing the Atlantic. He figures that
the distance from the faroe islands to Newfound
land can be covered in about thirty hours and the
whole trip to New York in torty-eight hours.
Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landts of the fed
eral court of Chicago continues dispensing justice
with the bark on. In a bankruptcy cast now under
way five witnesses who tried to deceive the court
as to the whereabouts of missing assets were
bound over to the grand jury for perjury under
bonds of $10,000 each. As a rule frame-up testi
mony doesn't go very far in that court without
getting tne iramcr miu iruuuic.
Tne Day We Celebrate.
Dr. Ernest Kelly Is 83 years old to
day. He Is one of Omaha's practic
ing physicians.
George M. Tunison of the law firm
of Jefferls & Tunison was born Decem
ber 20. 1882. at Parkersburg, la. He
graduated In law from the University
of Nebraska.
Brhardt C. Hoeer. manager Inter
state Lumber company, is Just 43
years old. He was born In Denmark,
coming to this country In 1899. He
waa emnloved first with the National
Lumber and Shingle company, going
to his present firm in 1907.
Dr. Solon R. Towne, practicing phy
sician, Is 70 years old today. Ho was
born in Stowe, Vt., and is a graduate
of Portmouth college. He practiced
first In New England and located In
Omaha in 1888.
Maria L. Sanford, for nearly thirty
years a member of the faculty of the
University of Minnesota, born at Old
Saybrook, Conn., eighty years ago to
day.
Henry c Frick, one or me noiea
leaders of American industries, born
at Overton, Pa., sixty-seven years ago
today.
Albert A. Mlchelson, Chicago univer
sity professor, Nobel prize winner and
member or the national rtesearcn
council, born In Gtermany sixty-four
years ago today.
Eleanor H. Porter, author or "rot
lvana" and other well-known stories,
born at Littleton, N. H forty-eight
years ago today.
Mrs. Minnie Maddern Fiske, cele
brated actress, born in New Orleans
fifty-one years ago today.
Colonel William C. Brown, who
commanded the Tenth cavalry In the
fight with the Mexicans at Aguas Cal
lentes last April, born in Minnesota
sixty-two years ago today.
Timely Jottings and Reminder.
The president and Mrs. Wilson are
to give s dinner at the White House
tonight in honor of the supreme court
Justices.
A special convocation of alumni Is
to be held at the university of Minne
sota today in honor of Marta Sanford.
professor emeritus of the institution.
on the occasion of her eightieth birth
day.
The Chinese minister to the United
States, Dr. V. K. Wellington Koo, is
to be the convocation orator at the
University of Chicago today. His ad
dress will be on the subject of "China
and the United States."
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Roosevelt is to give a hearing today
to committees representing the varl
ous classes of labor employed at the
naval proving grounds at Indian Head,
Md., in reference to the schedule of
wages for the calendar year 1917 rec
ommended by the regular navy wage
board and now awaiting final action
by the Navy department.
Storyeue ot the Day.
An Italian organ grinder possessed
a monkey which he "worked" through
the summer months. When the eool
days came his business fell off, and
he discontinued his walks and melo
dies. An Irishman of his acquaintance
offered him half a crown for the priv
ilege of keeping and feeding the little
beast. The bargain was made for
month.
Great curiosity filled the mind of
the Italian, and last he went osten
slbly to see his pet, but really to find
out what possible use Pat could make
of the monkey.
The Irishman was frank. "It's like
this," he said, "Oi put up a pole in me
back yard, with tne monkey on top
Tin or twllve trains of cars loaded
with coal go by every evenln' There'i
men on every car. Every man takes
a heave at the monk. Divil a wan has
hit him, but OI have sivin tons ot
coal." Chicago News.
Blowing on Peace.
Council Bluffs, la., Dec. 16. To the
K riit or of ThP Hfc: I do not airree
with your expression In your editorial I tnr n Th'e iiee
on "uur KiKnt to .Meaiaie, oui x w
agree with Senator Stone, also with
you in another editorial. "Hopeiui
Sijfna of Peace." I belteve that the
president has not only the right, out
Is virtually requested (by Germany's
BUKxestlon of peooe) to state the po
sition of the United States, for in
acting for the people of the t'nited
States he knows an overwhelming
majority of our citizens want peace.
So, as our representative, Mr. Wilson
has a perfect right to accompany his
transmission with an armistice rec
ommendation to all belligerent nations
for cool and sane deliberation on how
to stop this terrible war, and then
through their commissions deyise
some ways and means by which war
in the future may be entirely done
away with and all nations settle their
disputes by arbitration, international
as well as external, for every sane
person knows to ngit is a poor way
to settle any dispute. I hope that I
may live to see tha United States, the
greatest country country on earth, to
cad in this, as it has in otner re
forms, and make war in the future
m possible. J. G. BLKSSINO.
market. (Terminal markets have a
number of lines that compete and
! railroads furnish cars generally suf
I neient for all terminal markets.)
We ore not demanding a reauciion
of rates, but we will demand service
sufficient to move our crops.
JOHN MUHTEY.
!: hunt ion for Russia.
Lincoln. Neb.. Dec. 10. To the Edi-
Solvinp: the Car Shortage.
Alva, Neb., Dec. 16. To the Editor
of The Bee: The annual grain-car
shortage is upon us. We have good
times and more freight for our rail
roads. Wfc want good times to con
tinue. It' is possible to have good
times and plenty of cars to haul our
grain. It is the duty of our people
to .examine the causes and apply a
remedy.
Some years ago our railroads were
composed of trunk lines, the Burling
ton, Rock Island, Union Pacific and
others owned their trunk lines only,
and they ran almost in direct lines.
We had numerous short lines, and
small railroad companies did the
freight and passenger business In
their small territory. The long trunk
lines soon found that they could buy
up - the smaller corporations, add
them to the trunk lines as branches,
and make the trunk lines pay larger
dividends. The net results now are
that our trunk lines each have thou
sands of miles of branch lines extend
ing like the Hock Island line, from
St. Paul, Chicago, Oklahoma, Colo
rado to the gulf and some to the Pa
cific coast. This was the fulfillment
of a great railroad man's dreams. But
where is the man or set of men who
can handle such a colossal combina
tion successfully?
We now find no boxcars for grain
worth mentioning in Nebraska or
Kansas. They tell us they are at the
gulf ports, at the terminals in the
east, loaded. When we ask a rail
road man if they will be returned to
Nebraska or Kansas when emptied
we are told: No; it would be too ex
pensive to haul empty cars from the
gulf ports to Nebraska to haul back a
car of grain. They must wait until
they are loaded back this way. To
haul a train of empty cars from New
York or the gulf to Nebraska or the
far west would be an unheard of
proposition. But must the great
states of the west be laid prostrate
when we have good times, on account
of a scarcity of cars? Is there no
remedy? We know there is. Why
Is it we are seldom short of stock
cars, and yet we ship about half as
many cars of stock in Nebraska as
we do grain? It is because stock cars
are unloaded at Omaha and are sent
back for reloading. If we had a very
moderate number of boxcars for grain
in Nebraska, to load for Omaha our
present terminal market, and sent
back to be loaded again, we would
never know what car shortage was.
A large number of cars come into
the state from the east loaded with
merchandise, that perhaps would take
care of one-half of the grain in the
way of loading them back, and if we
had one-half the number of boxcars
kept in this state that we have of
stock cars, they would take care of
the shipment of all the grain we
raise.
Can our railroads be compelled to
keep a sufficient number of cars in
the state to do the business we offer
them and are willing to pay for? No
body will say they cannot be com
pelled to do so. The freight on a
car of wheat at present from central
Nebraska to Omaha is three times as
much as the freight on a car of stock.
If It pays the railroads to keep cars
for stock why won't it pay them to
keep cars in the state for grain?
i bought grain and stock on the
St Joseph & Grand Island railroad.
Their line runs from St. Joseph to
Grand Island and from Stromsburg to
Alma, Neb. During the ten years I
was there, including the enormous
crop of 1896, we never lacked for cars,
because they kept a sufficient number
of cars on their lines to carry the
grain to St Joseph, their terminal
The Russky Vyedo-
mosty. No. 246, October 2f tho. S.,
which is equivalent to our November
7, just received from Moscow, prints
the following:
"ThP minister of national education.
Count P. N. Ignatyev, has proposed
In the imperial duma a bill for intro
ducing into the empire a general and
later a compulsory education. Ac
cording to the bill, all children with
out distinction of sex, from the age of
8 to 11 are guaranteed the possibility
of a training In the elementary schools
of the department of education. The
bill relates to general compulsory edu
cation and is framed on the principle
of contributing from the treasury at
places of establishment. Independ
ently of contributing from the treas
ury of the localities, through co-operation
of the minister of education and
other departments it is planned to lay
down a high and heavy obligation to
secure for each child living in Russia,
of school age, a real possibility of get
ting an elementary education. We,
the explanatory memorandum says, do
not conceal from ourselves the whole
difficulty of that question. Believing
in the clear mind and resolute will
of the Russian nation the ministry
hopes to Join in this common and dif
ficult task all classes and denomina
tions, alt departments and institutions
for achieving that question, which in
its turn ought to serve as a basis for
further culture and growth of strength
and prosperity for the empire."
FELIX NEWTON.
TRIFLES LIGHT AS AIR.
Ktd Brother How oon are 70a and iris
goln' to be married?
Accepted Suitor She hasn't named the
day yet, Willie. I hope she doqan't belter
In Ions engagement.
Kid Brother She doesn't I know, 'came
all her engagements have been short Bos
ton Transcript.
Meeker Didn't I always give rra my sal
ary check the first of evVtry month?
Mrs. Meeker Tea, but you never told me
that you got paid on the first and fifteenth,
you embezzler. New York Globe.
TOOTESSOR SANS PE0PUE $Wt
WT MARW ft U3ME - ft me
HE.' lttt-rttRttN BKKBt
Teacher Now, children, what was the
cause of the decline of the Roman empire?
Bright Boy I know. It was due to too
much militarism on the part of outsiders.
Puck.
"It no longer takes three generations to
make a gentleman."
"Think so?"
"Yes. We are moving so much faster.
And It takes one generation to produce a
parasite." Life.
Bacon Tou know our preacher says that
the Bible Is man's beat friend.
Egbert Well, why does he pound bis best
friend so? Yookers Statesman.
"It Isn't the gift that count. It's the
spirit"
"I hope my gift will count"
"That's the wrong aplrlt."
"Not at all. I am going to give my
brother an adding machine." Louisville
Courier-Journal. '
"If I stand on my head, the blood all
rushes to my head, doesn't lt?H
No one ventured to contradict him.
"Now," he continued triumphantly, whr
I stand on my feet, why doesn't the Mood
all rush Into my feet?"
"Because," replied Hoetetter McOlnnis,
"your feet are not empty." Ram's Horn.
OLD FRIENDS ARE BEST.
Memphis Commercial- Appeal.
Old friends are best!
Old forms, old hearts, old faces
That haunt the memory of the passing
years.
And seem to dwell among deserted places.
Reproving us for all our nameless fears.
Old friends are best!
The roses softly blowing
Close by the door, they always seem to say
"Old friends are best," although we're
never knowing
Where they are faring at the close of day.
Old friends are best!
-Somehow, the memory clinging.
Brings back the faces . that we and to
know.
And in the whiter of the heart Is ringing
The songs we loved, so many years ago.
Old friends are best!
When autumn twilight falling
Brings respite from the dally toll and care,
I seem to hear their vibrant voices call
Ing. Although I know -I know they are not
there.
Monday and Every Day Until Xmas
We Place Our Card Stock on Sale
AT i PRICE ONE-HALF OFF
Open Evenings
Jwlj
The Christmas and
New Year's Greeting
that is most expressive of
yourself, most characteristic
i2S. of the holiday spirit,
Ta most quickly deliv-
7) f ered and most joy-
hilly received is a
Vm WESTERN
IF J5 UNION
?x Telegram
y Special holiday forms are
provided to add to the appreciation
of your good .wishes.
THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH CO.