Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, March 25, 1888, Page 4

b L THE DAILY BEE. PURLISHED EVERY MORNING. TRERMSE OF SURSCRIPTION. Rdition) including Sundny“n w e Monthi 'he Omaha Sunday BEe, mai dress, One Year. . 200 OMANA OFFIoE, NOSOIAND 918 FARNAM STRIRT. %W YORK OFFICE, ROOMS 14 AND 15 TRIRUNE UILDING. WASIINGTON OFFICE, NO. FOURTEENTH BTRREET. CORRESPONDENCE, Al communioations relating to news and edi. forial matter should be addressed to the EpIToR Ben. OF Tk BER. e Rss LETTERS, ATl business lotters and remittances should be addressed to THR BEE PUBLISHING COMPANY, OMAnA. Drafts, checks and postoffice orders to e made payable to the order of the company. The Bee Pablishing Company. Proprietors E. ROSEWATER, ‘Editor. THE DAILY BEE. Bworn Statement of Circulation. bty of bougiass, {88 nty of Goo 1, Trmchisek, kecretary of The Bee Pab- Hshis , does solemnly swear that the actual jon of the Daily Hee for the week “endin, ollows: esday, March 2). aineaday, Mareh 3 wrsday, March day, March 23 Bworn to and subscribed in m) 2ith day of March, A. D, 1883, Btate of Nebraska, County of Dongluse, Geo. I8, Tzschuck, being first duly gworn, de- % and says that he 18 secretary of The Beo Biiiahing company, that the actial ave: circulation of the Daily Bee for the mon of h, 1887, 14400 coples; for April, 1887, coples; for May, 887, 2 co) for June, 1887, 14,147 coples} for July, 18 (0 coplost for August 1887, " 14,161 coples; for September, 1887, 14,34 fes: for October, 1887, 14,8%3; for November, 1887, 16,228 coples; ' for Decemiber, 1887, 16,041 m‘;les for January, 1688, 15,208 ‘coples; for February, 1888, 15,952 copies’ GEO. B. TZSOHUCK. Eworn and subscribed to in’ my presence this 84 day of February, A, D, 188, N. P. FEIL, Notary Pubile, N presence this ) . P.FRIL, otary Public, 8.8, KiNG MILAN of Servia and President Cleveland have both had their lives in- sured. If they could have taken out policies insuring them against political defeat the premiums would have cost more than the amount of insurance. Re-elections in these cases are extra hazardous risks. THERE is a good deal of truth in Con- gressman Tillman’s words when he de- clared that whenever a labor bill was ‘brought into the house it stampeded the members as a hawk stamvedes the pig- eons in a dove-cote., Congressmen are a8 bold as lions championing the cause of the workmen on the eve of election, or when they come home to prop up po- Mtical fences. But the moment the ‘word labor is sounded in congress, they run pell-mell over each otherto get aunder cover. THE convention of the Union Labor party which met recently at Cincinnati adopted a platform and resolved to op- pose “‘making the public schools work- -shops by the inwroduction of technical and manual training.” Why a labor rty should begin a crusade against is branch of the public schools is un- explained. Labor has not yet been brought into unequal competition with a high school mechanic. And from the pature of the high school manual train- ing, it will be many a long day before its graduates can compete with any com- petent mechanic. It is hard to believe that the spirit of cruelty that was wont to crop out during slavery days should now find vent down south in brutality towards convicts. Prisoners are leased by the various states to railroad and mine companies principally, by whom the upfortunates are treated with a brutal- ity that surpasses even the horrors of the Siberian mines. Such a condition of affairs is not confined to any one state or locality, but is prevalent through- put the whole tier of southern states. Tt 15 true that Arkansas and Alabama have set to work investigating the charges of brutality, but public sympathy is so Jittld affocted by the disclosures that a reform in the treatment of convicts is doubtful. Poor Idaho is in a bad way of being out into two pieces and losing her ident- Ity altogether. Senator Stewart, of Ne- vada, has induced the committee on ter- yitories to amend the bill for the admis- eion of Washington terrvitory as a state by allowing the people in the pan-handle of Idaho the right to elect delegates to the Washington constitutional conven- tion. If then the northern part of Idaho becomes a part of the state of Washing- #on, the people of southern Idaho would :::sp«h' of making the territory a state r many years to come, Under such eircumstances it would be easy to get congress to annex it to Nevada. In that case Idaho wonld be wiped out of exist- ence, and Nevada would have new biood fnjected into her veins. That is why the senator from Nevada takes so much intovest in the attempt to slice Idaho. TuE international council of women, to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the first woman’s rights convention, will assemble in Washington to-day and continue n session until April 1, A comprehensive programme has been arranged, whioh will supply ample ma~ terial for the attention and discussion of the members of the council, A very large attendauce is assured, and there will be present & number of the friends of the cause from foreign lands, even as for away as India. The Woman's 1% buncgpublished at Beatrice, Neb., of which Mrs, Clara B. Colby is the edi- tross, will be printed in Washington during the session of the coun- “eil, and will give daily a full stenographio report of the proceedings. Those desiring complete information of the work of the gouncil can got the Zvibune for the ses- sion at thirty cents per copy by order- ing ten or more copies. Toregular sub- seribers, members of the National Woman’s Suffrage association, and persous contributing not less than one dollar to the expenses of the council, the Washington issue of the paper will be sent free. All the arvangements as fudicated in the programme are most methodical, and the deliberations of the eouncil will doubtless be highly iuter- esting. A Blessea Bilzzard. The damages by the late terrfic bliz- zard in the eastare computed as amount- ing to $20,000,000 in the two eities of of Philadelphia and New York alone. A large portion of this fell upon the telegraph and telephone companies, whose network of wires and forests of poles were twisted and torn into frag- ments and leveled to the ground, form- ing an additional obstruction to trade and travel, As a result. the eastorn public is now demanding more vigorously than ever that the wires shall be placed under ground. In congress resolutions were at once adopted calling for estimates for placing the fire department wires under the streets of Washington, and demand- ingof the district commissioners that the telegraph and telephone companies who had not already done so should follow suit. The natural incon- veniences of the storm were added to greatly everywhore in the east by the wreck and ruin of the wires and poles: in the cities. InPhiladelphia and New York streets were rendered impassable for two days by the tangle of the wires and the great masses of poles which had to be cleared and cut away by piecemeal before street cars could run or pedes- trians could pass. The same was true in Washington, and, doubtless, in a less degree, in every other town or city which felt the force of the tempest. The time has come when the question of putting the wires under ground in every city of metropolitan pretensions must come to the front. Entirely apart from such exceptional instances as the late blizzard, the daily danger resulting fromoverhead wiresisa constant menace to the lives and property of citizens. Every fire which takes place proves the unwisdom of allowing a wire barrier to obstruct the operations of the fire de- partment, and in many instances delay the escape of inmates of burning build- ings. The delay and inconveniences to the public as a result of broken wires, affected by every hail and sleet storm, is by no means inconsiderable. In ad- dition, the forests of poles and tracery of wires along our streets and thorough- fares destroy the architectural effect and materially detract from the appear- ance of the city. During the last five years the experi- ments of electrical engineers have dem- onstrated the feasibility of under- ground electric communication. In New York and in Washingron the electric sub-ways have been extensively laid and the results have proved in every way satisfactory. Dur- ing the late blizzard the only wires which were working in these cities were the ones which were protected from the in- clemency of the weather. If the re- cent down east blizzard shall hasten the burial of telegraph, telephone and electric light wires in all our large cities it will prove to be a blessing in disguise. Hewitt and the Flag. Perhaps in no other city of the coun- try except New York, and by no other mayor except Abram S. Hewitt, would the question of permitting a foreign flag to float over a public building on some such special occasion as the observance of an anniversary by citizens of foreign birth, have provoked so earnest and general a controversy as it has in New York: Ag it is the first time, so far as we are aware, that this que: been discussed, and as it really involves a principle and possesses.a general in- terest, a review of the matter will be timely. On the 14th inst. the board of aldermen of New York passed resolu- tions requesting the mayor to permit a flag to be placed at half mast on the city hall on the day of the German emperor’s funeral, and the national, state, municipal and Irish national flag to be placed at full mast on St. Patrick’s day. Com- pliance with this request was made to the extent of displaying the American flag on the occasions named in the reso- lutions, but the mayor would not per- mit the Irish flag to be flown above the city hall, At the last meeting of the board of aldermen Mayor Hewitt sent to that body a message giving his reasons for his action, and they are worthy of at- tion. He noted in the first place that there was discrimination in the resolu- tions, the German flag not being men- tioned, and he thought it to be his plain duty not to give any cause of offense to the German residents, who are as numerous as those of Irish birth. But this was not the chief or most import- ant reason for his action. He had previ- ously declared his unwillingness to per- mit the fag of any nationality ex- cept our own to float over the city hall, and had attested his -sincerity by declining to allow the Britash, German, French and Italian flags to be unfurled over that public building on occasions celebrated by these several nationali- ties. They would have had just ground of offense if discrimination had been made in favor of their Irish fellow eiti- zens. The refusal in all cases, however, was based upon a principle which in the opinion of Mayor Hewittis unassailable. That principle is that the flag is the symbol of sovereignty, and wherever that sovereignty peculinrly has its home, as in the public buildings where the functions of government are exer- cised, only ond jurisaiction can be rec- ognized and suffered to prevail. “‘Over them should float,” says Mayor Hewitt, “only the flag of the country to which they belong. Sosacred is this right, that the flag of the foreign minister or consul, floating over his domicile in a foreign land, converts it into the soil of the country which he represents. The display of a foreign flag over a pub- lic building is therefore in direct con- tradietion of the fundamental principle of ‘*home rule,” which every intelligent citizen advocates.” He defends his action, ulso, on grounds of public policy and true patriotism, both of whic insists, require that the flags of foreign nationalities shall not be placed on an equality with the ensign of our conmmon citizenship. *If it be vight,” says the mayor of New Yorky ‘‘that Ireland should be governed by Irishmen, as France is governed by Frenchmen, and Germany by Germaus, then it is equally true that America should be governod by Americans, and that so far as the flag is the symbol of home rule, it, and it alone, should float from the seat of sovereignty.” Im the term Americans, Mr. Hewitt embracesall citizens. Tmpetuons and thoughtless persons have roundly denounced the mayor of New York for his action in this matter, but there can be no question that he will have the approval of all intelligent men who will give his position and his reasons for it fair and candid con- sideration. Such will see that 1t is not a mere sentiment which demands that the national flag shall have distinet su- premacy, a separate and superior re- gard in no circumstances to be shared by any other, but a principle as vital to the foreign-born citizen who looks to it for protection as to the citizen of Ameri- can birth. It isthe common duty and the common interest of all to see that thissupremacy is in nowise impaired,and only those who cannot comprehend that the flag isin fact,and not simply 1in fancy,the symbol of national sovereignty, will fail to acquiesce in thisview. Every true citizen of the republic, of what- ever nationality, will most surely attest his undivided allegiance by the respect with which he. regards the flag of the republic, and the jealousy with which he is prepared to guard it against every association that might detract from it as the emblem of national au- thority and power. The assertion of American feeling in this matter which Mayor Hewitt has so plainly and forci- bly made will offend no foreign-born citizen who will give it intelligent and fair-minded consideration. S—————— Protection to Authors. Thesenate committee on patents hav- ing unanimously approved the Chase international copyright bill, which a few days ago was favorably reported to the senate, there is very fair promise that the measure will pass that body at an early day, and thus one valuable step be gained toward the abandonment of the piratical policy which has long been the shame of American publish- ers, a gross injustice to foreign authors, and an injury to our own writers. The labor of uniting American authors and publishers in an effort to secure an in- terr ational copyright was long and arduous, but it was finally successful. The American copyright league now embraces all the authors of any distinction in the United States and we believe every publisher cf consequence, mcluding even most of those who issue the cheapest form of publications, and whose support of the cause it was the most difficult to secure. The discussion of this question has been going on for years, both here and in England, and all that has been writ- ten upon it would make a formidable li- brary. English authors, great and small, have persistently denounced the course pursued by American publishers in pirating English books without giv- ing any fair compensation, and in many cases none atall, to their authors, while the assailed publishers have replied as best they could and until within the past year or two in- sisted upon holding on to their privi- lege. This influence has hitherto been sufficient to prevent any legislation in congress. The better class of American authors, however, satisfied that the ab- sence of international copyright was in- imical to their interests, united in an earnest endeavor to convince the pub- lishers that they also were being injured by the want of such an arrangement, and they havd haan working to this end for several years. Circumstances have favored their view,and thus the pub- lishers have become as ardent support- ersof international copyright as the authors. One of the largest of them, Mr. Henry Holt, makes a strong argument against the system of piracy as an injury to the public in the large amount of cheap and worthless stuff that is given it, dam- aging to publishers in encouraging a profitless competition, and especially inimical to American authors. As to the latter he says: “‘The overwhelming competition of foreign stolen goods which our laws encourage is not only a cruelty to our authors, but is embar- rassing their production by driving them into hack work, and isadeterrent, happily not always an effective one, to young persons of talent from entering that profession. When they do embrace it, their chances of attention are ma- teriully obstructed. Twelve yoars ago any author whom & standard publishing house would vouch for could bhe tested without any such risk as must now be incurred. Of late some good houses have even got into the habit of returning unopenecd all manuscripts by unknown authors.” The bill that has received the approv- al of the senate committee was framed according to the views and suggestions of the copyright league, and though perhaps not an ideal measure receg- nizes an essential principle and woutd bring about a substantial reform. There is no apparent reason why, if it pass the senate, it should meet with any serious opposition in the house, though perhaps that body may be a little slow in giving ivattention. Meanwhile the authors are not neglecting active, and doubtless useful, labor in behalf of the measure, A dozen or more of them nave been in Washington during the past week, including Howells, Eggles- ton, Stedman, Warner, Mark Twain and J. Whitcomb Riley, delighting con- gressinen and others with their unique and instructive entertainments, and necessarily making an excellent im- pression, —— Stranger Than Fiction, The relatives and friends of the miss- ing man Rea, whose strange disappear- ance some three weeks ago from this city has not yet been cleared up, may find a possible clue in the remarkable case of Sylvester S, Hall, of Minneapo- lis. In August, 1885, three weeks after his marriage, Mr, Hall left his home in the city of Minneapolis telling his wife he was expecting to take a contract for the building of a business block. From that time nothing was heard of him until the other day, when he returned from the Rochester insane asylum near St. Paul, where he haa been confined. The story of My, Hall almost surpasses belief,and isanother striking illustration of the loose methods by which innocent people are arvested, hurried off and cenfined in juils or lunatic asylums. It SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 1888 —~SIXTEEN PAGES. appears that after leaving his home, Mr. Hall went wostorn limit of St. Paul to 100k o location of the block he was to nd before return< ing to Minnea; t down to rost. While seated here a . St. Paul police- man, in search of Harry Jones, an es- caped lunatic, camd up and arrested him. In spite of his protestations, Mr. Hall was taken m{hql probate court at St. Paul, identifigd ad Jones by threo men and sent to the Rochester insane asylum. Here MNe remained until March 4, 1888, when ‘dxpert examiners pronounced him wpll .and he was dis- charged. That "an error of mis- taken identity was possible under the circumstances and at this age of civilizatioh, allows some ground for belief that perhapsa similar mystery surrounds the disap- pearance of Mr. Rea. If the man had been foully dealt with there certainly would have been some evidence to the crime, or if business or marital troubles caused him to disappear, those facts would be known. But where a man is literally swallowed up, with not a clue to trace him, the parallel case of Mr. Hall perhaps may afford the scent for following the search Tue United States may have sent some of our hog products to France that would not bear too close an investiga- tion. But that is no excuse for France to send us in the last fiscal year $1,- 500,000 worth of brandy and still wines made of German potatoes, spirits and a little cognac oil. The truth of the mat- ter is, that the adulterations of our ex- ports to France is but a fraction com- pared with the harmful mixtures sent to us under the labels marked cham- pagne, claret and cognac. If France is fastitidious about a little harmless cotton seed oil mixed with lard, congress should retaliate by clos- ing our ports to French wines on the ground well proven, that they are adul- terated and unwholesome. Such legis- lation would bring France to her senses. The true reason, however, why Ameri- can products are excluded, is not wholly on sanitary grounds, but poli- tical. The French hog-raiser wants protection against our pauper hogs, and the French legislators are obliged to pass prohibitory measures. — VOICE OF THE STATE PRESS. The Falls City Journal is inclined to think that “Judge Gresham is steadily growing in favor as a presidential candidate.” The Sherman County Transcript grapples a great problem by the back of the neck in saying: “Throw politics to the dogs in municipal matters, n school matters, - and work for the common. goad.” The Auburn Post, avhich sued J. S. Stull for 75, claimed by the Fost to be due from the defeated candidate for judge, recovercd judgment for $50. The case goes to the dis- trict court, and Judge Appelget, whose elec-- tion was made possible by Stull's bad record, will decide the case in p: Thus, harmony, happiness and judicial justness go thunder- ing down the ages. The Weeping Water Republican, presuma- \bly acquainted with thé postal service of the west, says: “The Clay €enter Gazette says a change in their mail #eryice has been made, and now the mail is jcarricd on the froight trains instead of the passenger trains. We fail to see where the improvement comes in, unless it be that the mail clerk on the freigt can read.” The editor of the Wood River Gazette, James Ewing, says the efforts of the Bur- lington to enjoin the engineers from striking came to naught. Judge Gresham’s ruling in tha Wabash case threw a large bucket full of cold water on the atteiupt. If there is any law in christendom compelling a man to Wo¥ic for a railway company against his will we have not heard of it. The Grand Island Independent looks at the result of the strike in this way: The B. & M. has officially announced that in conse- quence of recent heavy losses, on account of the rate war and the strike, no new lines will be built in Nebraska this year. Thus is the recent disturbance far reaching in its results, and thus entirely innocent parties have to suffer for the ill-weighed acts of others. The Schuyler Herald, a democratic paper thus speaks of one Spy Russell's schemes: “‘Our two republican contemporaries are hay- ing quite an exciting discussion over the alleged republican club that was recently organized at this place for the purpose of booming Russell for congress. The club is harmless and we see nc use in our republican friends quareling over the poor thing. The Butler County Press cries out against tariff and railroads in the following manner: *“Hard coal which costs $13 aton in Neoraska costs §2.50 at retail in Scranton, Pa. This is about the proportionate bulge which the east gets on the west in everything. The tarift and the railroads have so managed matters that about eighteen to twenty millions of Nebraska's havd-earned dollars are going to the eust eyery year to pay interest on mort- gages. The Nance County Journal observes: We are glad to be able to announce that Nance and Merrick counties had no hand in placing o railroad mau at the head of the republican state league. While we have all respect for Mr. Thurston, still at the present time the republican party should not have made the mistake of putting the paid attorney of one of our largest railroad corporations at the head of their representative body in this state. The Schuyler Quill reyiewing the political situation of Colfax county finds: *‘The re- publican party in this county is in bad shape, Who made it that way! The Russell-La- pache gang of managers. They aro respons- ible for the stateof affairs. The independent republican voters of this colnty (a couple hundred strong), whom the Sun calls mug- wumps, are growing in numbers and will do as they have done beforé—support real re- publicans, but not mosshack frauds. Being one among the' number of Nebraska newspapers receiving C., B. & Q. literature, the Plattsmouth Journal cheerfully says: ““This oftice has been favored with copies of publication issued by the passenger depart- ment of the C., B. & Q. entitled *“The C., B, & Q. Boycott,” sent us by the railroad mail route—to save postagé—and, we presume, out of distrust of the irregular mails over their road. Much obliged. We have read most of the articles before, and opine that they were all paid for in the regular way by the munificent line thatis too penurious to pay its enginemen current wages,” The Western News indulges in this philos- ophy: The republican clubs of Nebraska met in convention in Omaha last week and organized a state league with John M. Thurs- ton as president and Brad Slaughter secre- tary. Charley Green, the oil room manipu- lator, is another officer, and at the banquet, only men of that stripe were given a chance to express their patriotism. S0 says the Bex and that paper denounces the league asa combination in the interests of railroads. ‘Phe republican majority in the state is solid. This organization of - clubs in every county and mygunimim of these clubs iuto a league have looked to a casual observer like a useless waste of timo and treasure, * * It scems, however, that the old county and precinct organizations had mostly fallen into the hands of grangers and the politiclans had lost their grip. 8o the olub organization was resorted to that the reiiroad politicians might regain their former standing. Oarrying Whisky Into lowa. Chicago Herald. Tho decision of the supreme court of the United States in the case of Bow- man versus the Chicago & Northwestern railroad company is a disappointment to the Towa prohibtionists. They had passed a law that a railroad should not bring liquor into their state. The tri- bunal of last resort declares both the statute and the favorable decision of the federal circuit court at Chicago: to be of no force. The railroad can carry whisky into Towa. The state must con- tent itself with punishing the inhabi- tants who drink the dreaded fluid. No less than three of the justices, however, dissent from this opinion. The supreme court does not often seem to be dealing with matters where the truth can be seen of all men, The telephone decision was carried by a vote of 4 to 3, 8 not voting. The Towa liquor decision is made on a vote of 6 to 8." The court does not come together much better than the committee on ways and means, _ The law, at least on the supreme bench, is held to be the summit of human wisdom and reason. But will people lonfilbeucve it with roll-calls of 4 to 8, with 2 dodging? As for Towa, the state has been going at break-neck speed in the direction of sumptuary regulations. Several recent decisions from the court at the capital haye strengthened the hands of the radical cold-water forces. It will not hurt them now to come up against the nation, even in a little matter of whisky freights. If the Towans do not want the whisky, they need not use it, it Sty Forty Years on the Rail. “Forty Years on the Rail,” has been issued by R. R. wonnelly & Sons, pub- lishers, Chicago. The author is Charles B. George, a veteran conductor now a resident of Elgin, Ills. The book is an interesting description of the life and experience of a raitroad man and is re- plete with incidents humorous and seri- ous. Beginning with his boyhood home the author gives to the public the in- cidents of an experience of forty as a conductor and dedicates the volume to the conductors and other friends in the railroad services. The work is of especial interest to railroad men and may be read by people in all vocations with profit and pleasure to themselves. ol Republican State Conyention. The republican electors of the state of Nebraska are requested to send delegates from the several counties, to meet in con- vention, at the city of Omaha, Tuesday May 15, 1888, at 8 0'clock p. m., for the purpose of electing four delegates to the national repub- lican convention, which meets in Chicago June 19, 1858, THE APPORTIONMENT. The several counties are entitled to repre- sentation as follows, being based upon the vote cast for Hon. Samuel Maxwell, supreme judge, in 1887, giving one delegate-at-large to eachi county, and one for each 150 votes aud herco! 14 Jefferson Anteloj ) Johnson Blaine {11/ Nemaliy 11 Nuckoll Stanton. 1/Thayer. 4Thomas. .11 Valley . 110 Washington 8 Wayne. . 4 Webster. 6 Wheeler is recommen mitted to the convention, except such as are held by persons residing in the counties from the proxies are given. GEORGE D, MEIKLEIONN, ‘Warr M. SeELy, Chairman, Secretary. et ‘What Russia is Doing. London Telegraph: Europe is face to face with two distinet Russian move- ments, which are significant, is not serious. All over Poland the advance of troops toward the frontier continues; the Russian commissariat accumuls stores at Warsaw as if in preparation for a great campaign; and many officers on leave have been recalled to their regiments. The other side to Russian activivy is presented at Constantinople, where M. de Nelidoff has delivered to the porte a second and more pressing note, urging “'urkey to intimate to Prince Ferdinand that his presence in Bulgaria is illegal, It is impossible to avoid connecting the two proceedings— the diplomatic urgency,and the meas- ured march of armed men on the western frontier of the empire. Certainly it is not surprising that ‘“‘great anxiety” should be felt among business men in central Europe, and that the Russian rouble should steadily decline in value. The fear is that the czar, supported by Germany and France, will obtain from the porte a condemnation of Prince Ferdinand sufficient to encourage a domestic revolt, and that if anarchy supervenes Euvope will tolerate, if no sanction, a Russian occupation of the principality. e A Mean Man. Detroit Free Press: The meanest man on record jumped aboard a Wood- ward avenue car the other afternoon. Every seat was occupied; and what did the man do but look out the window and whisper something about & dog fight. Of course no man could keep his seat under such a provocation., \’V‘lun Brown had looked in vain for the dog fight he also looked in vain for his seat. 1t was completely hidden by that mean man, who was so deeply interested in his paper as to be wholly obl us of every- thing else. But Brown had his revenge. A lady soon entered, and before any one could offer her a seat, he punched up the mean man and said: “Will you please give this lady aseat, siry” Then they hung on the straps and glowered at each other uutil their brows ached WOMAN'S LIFE IN NEW YORK, She Has Little Ohance of Making a Living Without Help. SOME NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS. Thousands Have to Succeed in Sup- porting Themselves, But Few Earn Mofe Than a Bare Living. The problem of earning their own living is one which a great many thou- sand women in New York are brought face to face every year. It is a very ugly problem, seen from squarely in front, with destitution in the back- ground and hunger and cold snarlingin the middle distance, says the New York Sun, and, whatever rosy aspect it may assume, seen from a distance or through the glasses of the professional philan- thropist, as a cold, hard, and unget- aroundable fact in the life of a woman, it is something much easior to general- ize about beforehand or talk about af- terward than to experience in the im- mediate present. The idea of earning one'sown living and the belief in the independence and freedom which is supposed to go with it has a fascination for many women who know little about it and a comfortable satisfaction for men who know less, but as a matter of fact the bitterest dependence that a woman can know, the most galling tyranny a woman can suffer, the most cruel an- noyances that a woman has to endure are the lot. of nine-tenths of those women who are compelled by circumstances to depend upon their own resources for a livelihood. The case is different with women who have friends able and willing to give in- direct help, and the girl with a smat- tering of shorthand and a lawyer friend, a little knowledge of type-writing and a friend who needs an amanucnsis, or an editor friend and a little cleverness with the pen,can get astart which, with tie exercise of a fair amount of energy, will place her easily above want,if it does not result in her building up a profitable and easy business. There are many women in this city now managing typewriting and stenographic bus- inesses or getting along well in other lines who have begun their success with such h:lp of a friend or two in establish- ing a small business.. There are some others who have succeeded in business or professional life without any aid ex- copt that which was brought to them by their own energy and ability, or have even had to overcome materialfobstacles thrown in their way because of their be- ing women, but their number is few. Mme. Demorest is a striking instance of exceptional pluck and success in this way, She came to New York a poor girl, and by her own exortions started and built up the great business she at present controls and which has brought her such wealth that she and her hus- band now own, besides the business, most of the real estate in the vicinity of their building on Fourteenth street, and large blocks of it, itissaid, in other parts of this city Susan King, the female real estate speculator, is another woman who worked her way up from the financial ground floor io somewhere near the roof. She is understood to be out of active business now, but once she was one of the best known women down town. She was the first woman, it is said, that ever took a meal in any of the business men’s restaurants down town. She tells the story that one day she had been down town all the morning, and was very hungry and very tired, and there ~was no restaprant where women were accustomed to go. She hesitated a good while, and then hunger conquered scruples and she made the Plunge, The men and the waiters all stared, but she was trusted with the greatest respect, and after that never went hungry when there was a good restaurant near. Sheamassed her wealth in real estate, just as a man would have got it, and never permitted the fact that she was a woman to pre- vent her driving a sharp bargain or making a good purchase. Success in a different light has at- tended the efforts of Miss Benedict,now and for many years the agricultural editor of a New York paper, and recog- nized as one of the best in her line in the country. She had her own living to make many years and is said to have been a bright and interesting young woman, but without any }mrtiuulur ap- purent talent for = special line of work. Another girl, situnted about as Miss Beneaict was, but with steady employ- ment on a newspaper, insisted that Miss Benedict could get along by writing for the papers. Miss Benedict tried it and failed, it is said, distinctively in about every nssigument she got. Her friend persisted, and when once there were a ot of farmer’s club meeting at Cooper union to report, urged that Miss Bene- dict be given another chance. It was plain, straight work, she said, and Miss enedict couldn’t help but do it as well s was necessary. Miss Benedict was as- signed to the work, and did it after a fashion; was kept at it, took an interest in it, and found it developing in various divections. Energy and pluck did th rest, and in time did the whole agricu tural page of the weekly edition, for looking after which the proprietor of a lending agricultural paper had been paid a high salary, was entrusted to | Besides this, she now edits an agricul- tural page for one of the press associa- tions, and does a large amount of writ- ing for other papers and magazines. Another young woman who had tried almost everything from factory work to typewriting, and had gotalong at none, a shayt time ago developed a talent with the pen that attracted attention on one of the city papers, and now has regular employment and prospects of being a very successful newspaper woman., The head of the millinery department of Aiken & Miller's establishment in this city came to New York a girl, with pluck for her only capital, and worked her way up by her own exertions, She gets one of the lurgest salaries paid to any one in her line,and goes to Paris twice every year to I)ue’ for the firm. The hardware and house furnishing department of another store s in charge of a woman who is well known for shrewdress and business ability among all the wholesale houses in that line down town. She was a Scotch-Trish girl, thrown out of her house and home in childhood by an Irish eviction, her father dying from the exposure and hardship soon after the family reached New York. She was a cash girl first, a suleswoman afterward, and finally did the buying for the hardware depart- ment from the agents of the whole- salers who used to come to the store. It was not until after she had married unfortunately, and had included exper- ience as a scrub woman and other hard- ships in her lot, that, going back to the store to waork, the 1dea was finally en- tertained that she could go. out among the wholesalers ‘and do the buying direct. She was probably the first wo- man in that line. A French woman who made a runa- matck th France, and cnme bfilflol and New York in time, 1s now the heal of the suit and department of a large city houso, and does the firm's buying abroad, making two trips a year. Mme. Connelly, the Arossmaker, used to be seamstress from housa to houw’ and is now gaid to be worth half a mil lion, all made by business tact and ¢ne ergy. Miss M. G. Humphroys, whosa worlk in various ways for the advancement of working women, has made her well known, was asked by & Sun reportes what chonhce there was for a woman to make her own living in this city, ‘“Therc is less chance in New York, T really believe, than_in any other place in the country, and it is bad enough anywhere. No ome who has not searched the matter out for thomselves can know anything about the dreadful competition for work there is among women in Now York. In every occupation in which they can engage there are a dozen ap- plicanta for every opportunity for em- ployment. Of course this pushes the wages conlinually downward, until they get to tho lowest point at which a woman can live. They have to quit thers, or the woman would be working for nothing bofore long. ‘It doesn 't seem to make much diffor- ence what line of work a woman tries, how skillful she is, the wnqu Rgot down to about the same point in time, Of course this noplies literally only to the sorts of work open to those without any special training. Higher wages are paid for those whose education or train- ng fits them for employment of a differ- ent sort, but the final result is about the same, after all for the better employ=- ment necessitrtes more expensive live ing. A school teacher can’t live in a cheap tenement, you know, and an amanuensis or typewriter can’t wear a factory girl's clothes to her work, and in the end the women workers, no mat- ter in what rank, who earn more than enough to sustain themselves are tha exceptions. “Let me tell you about a woman \\'|~nvr—)l-10u‘<l recn‘iznize her name quick= Ly enough, if T told it, whose poems have given her considerable fame, and good fame, too, and who has employment, be- sides, on one of the big magazines. She can earn so little with her pen that she has to live in a $4-a-week boarding house, where four women occupy one room, to save expenses. ‘“Among the school teachers those in publi¢ schools are the best paid, but there is little chance w a place there, and the women are paid much [ess than men for the same wotk., Theré are in- equalities, too, in the salaries of the women themselves. Regular teachers of long experience may get $50 or $60 a month, while a special teacher of sewing, put on in the new manual train- ing department, gets $10a week for that alone, but a public school-teacher gets her pay by the year, and is sure of it. The greatest hardship on teachers of private pupils and of women in many other similar lines of work is thatv they never know what income they can de- pend upon. They get so_many pupils or 8o much other work, and make their car’s arrangement upon that basis. hen the patron suddenly concluder to spend some months abroad, or to go to Florida for the winter, or to do some- thing else that breaks up the poor woman'’s work and she loses just so much of her income, with little chance of soon finding the means of replacing ft. *‘Iancy work is worse than nothing for women nowadays. It is absolutely impossible to make a living atit, Of course in painting and similar art work there is always a chance that a woman may develop genius that will make her successful, but the earnings of all, if averaged, would be pitiful. A young girl, from Colorado, I think, has been struggling along here in New York a good while, believing that she would some time succeed as an artist. She stuck to it in spite of every discourage- ment, and a little while ago she painted a narrow strip of flowers three feet long. and aallad it ‘A Vard of Reses ! It got into an exhibition, struok Andrew Carnegie’s fancy, and he bought it, and at once gave the artist another order, Now, of course that girl is all right, but there are so many that can’t paint yards of roses or attract the attention of Carnegies! ‘“‘In the workers in trades and similar vocations organization will do much. The onl{ workingmen in New York to-day who are getting any approach to fair wages are those who are organized, such as the shirt makers and shoe fit- ters,and organszation is always followed by better wages and improved conditions of work. But those who most need help, the very poor women and the women who have seen better days, don’t get into - the organizations. Or- ganization shoots over the white slave of the tenement and under the woman whose education and training keeps her out of shop or factory work. * Now let me tell you somothing curi ous. Did you ever have any idea that the woman suffrage movement was ad- yancing most rapidly among the work- ing girls and women? It is true,though, and the reason is entirely a business one. The women don’t care anything about the suffrage for itself, and haven’t any longing for politics or the ballot; but they believe that their equality with man in the working world would gnized if they had the suffrage. v want the same {fay that men get the same work, and they believe that the suffrage would help them greatly to get it. They reason it all out, too, and talk about it intelligentl at their weetings. If the woman suf- frage movement ever gets practicall under way it will find its chief strength among the workingmen, and I'm not at all sure but it will be more intelligently and ably used by them than by classes of women from whom more might ba d. You see, these girls have a practical traimng that develops their insight into human nature wonderfully, and they are more independent and self-reliant than other women, too. It would take a pretty shrewn politician to humbug them much.” —— What the Press Says. New York Time A judge in Omaha declined to gran{ an injunction restraining engineers from quitting work. What he said upon the subject recalls the advice of the old judge to the young judge—always to give his decisions without giving his reasons, No doubt it would be both un- just and impracticable for the courts ta attempt to keep men at work who wished to quit work, but not for the reasons given in this case. *‘Such action would be inequitable,” he said, ‘*for the reason that another remedy exists—suits for breach of contract whenever the terms of a contract are not carried out.” As weo have often pointed out, this remed in labor troubles is entirely illusory, It the Union Pacific undertook to sue each of 1ts striking engineers severally for the damage sustained by their quitting work, or for his quota” of the dxum«ua, the damages it could recover, or at least the damages it could eollect, would not pay the cost of the litigation. ‘This is the weakness of all schemes of arbitration between a t»url«y that can and a party that canunot be forced to abide the decision of the' arbitrators. Telling a railroad company tosue its en- gineers for dnmngei and calling that proeess & ‘'remedy” is mores uitable to a western liumorist than for & western judge.