Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, December 9, 1894, Page 13

GIVE'EM MORE ROPE Grasping Failway Monopolists Diligently Hanging Themuelves, GOVERNMENT ~ OWNERSHIP INEVITABLE Irresistible Demand for Relief by the People of Great Britain, THE RAILWAYS FORCING THE ISSUE Publio Interests Ohained to the Chariots of Private Greed, COMMEFCE AND INDUSTRY STRANGLED The Froblem of Transportation Discussed by Farsighted Englishmen—Facts and Figu s Produced in Support of Government Ownership. LONDON, Nov. 30.—(Special Corre- spondecce of The Bee.)—I have quite unex- pectedly as it were been hurled headlong into the discussion of the railroad ques- tlon. Before I left home Mr. Rosewater of Omaha suggested that I should look into the problem of transportation and find out what the most capable and farsighted Eng- lishmen were thinking on that complicated subject. Naturally 1 have asked a good many questions whenever brought in con- tact with persons supposed to be keen on these matters. Dining, a couple of weeks ago, with a member of the present cabinet, I chanced to speak of the extension of electric rallroads in the United States and of their increasing value in connecting towns, as in New England, and for taking the workers in our large citles Into country districts to live, “The low cost of building and operating these T0ads and the reasonable rates for carry- ing passengers seemed a matter of surprise to my English friend, and at his request I wrote out what I knew about the subject. It 18 only fair to say that this was really very little, as such satisfactory progress has been made in this direction since the census year ended June 30, 1890. To make a long story short, this letter found its way into the London Daily Chronicle, and as a result I am suddenly and most unworthily looked upon as an expert in such matters, The whole kingdom is just now In a state of righteous indignation about its rallroad charges, which, so far as relate to freight, have been, so traders and agri- culturists contend, unnecessarily and most unfairly increased. Since the publication of the aforesaid letter I have recelved many letters, innumerable pamphlets, and several persons interested in the subject of light railroads have called to exchange views. } have been invited to deliver addresses upon the subject. Among the most curious re- quest of this kind, 1 opened one yesterday from ““The Balloon Society of Great Britaln,” which reads as follows: BALLOON SOCIETY OF GREAT BRIT- AIN St., Andrew Chambers, 26 Bridge Row, Cannon Street, London, E. C,, Nov. 28, 1894,— Robert P. Porter, Esq, Dear Sir: The Daily Chronicle has given expression to your views on “Cheap Transit.” Can you favor us With a paper before this society? I shall be happy to fix the date If you acquiesce, WILLIAM H. LEVEVE, C. E, Pres. CHEAP TRANSIT. All this, and much more which will be presented later on, goes to show that the light railroad question in England is occupy- ing to a large extent the public mind. Un- fortunately I have neither data nor experi- ence that will throw light upon the question. One gentleman wrote to know it my ‘‘sys- tem would work well in the Highlands of Scotland.” Alas! I have no system for cheap transit. If I had there would be no difficulty in bringing it to the attention of the British public. Viewed on all sides as a cheap railroad expert, invited to deliver ad- dresses, give opinions, consult with com- mittees, explain ‘‘my system,” etc., I fee! very much like a humbug when I am obliged to ‘confess my entire ammunition may be found in the one accidental shot fired intc the columns of the Daily Chronicle., The compensation for all this embarrass- ment has come in another way. 1t has brought to my attention much that is inter- _esting and worthy of attention in relation to the English raillway system and the tendency of British thought on this subject. As a result, it is safe to say that a majority of the people here have about made up their minds that the railroads would be much more economically managed and the public more satisfactorily served if the state instead of a handful of railway magnates admin- istered this enormous trust. In England sensible, far-seeing, conserva- tive statesmen are strongly advocating the absorption of the rallways by the state. This idea has long since pased out of the hands of the extremists and cranks and Is recelving the best thought of €hose most deeply Inter- © ested in internal commerce—the boards of trade and commerce and agricultural organ- izatios In short, the idea of mational rallways has crystallized and will probably become an accom- plished fact this generation. While this Pphase of the question has taken itself to the realm of constructive legislation and is awaiting a bold and able hand to shape it into accomplished fact, the cranks and fad- dists have gone a good step forward and are advocating not only state ownership of rail- % ways, but free railway travel. The last proposition will no doubt provoke ¢ & smile, but when ably presented and vigor- .. ously backed up by existing conditions in England it is novel and by no means unat- tractive. Talking with one of the prominent managers of Cassell's publishing house a few days ago, he said: “You certainly ought to #ee R. A. Cooper of Norwich before writing your article on the raillway question In Eng- land. He Is today on this question simply what Rowland Hill was half a century ago on the postal question. We shall live to see the nationalzation of .rallways in England, and that may be followed by free railway travel. Anyhow, Cooper has gone to the battom of his subject, and his views, far from being the ravings of what you in the states call a “crank,” are based upon an extraordi- nary amount of labor and no inconsiderable amount of thought. I regard him as a re- markable man." FREE RAILWAY TRAVEL. The advice of this gentleman was followed, and Mr. Cooper was found to be all his friend said of him. He Is a man with a purpose, and that purpose is free railway travel. Everything bearing on that sub- Ject has been caught in his net, and he has the subject so well in hand that when the first step has been taken, namely, the pur- chase of the rallways by the government, as it most assuredly will be, free railway travel becomes at once most attractive to the soclalism which is rapidly encompassing the United Kingdom. Tho foundation of the argument in favor of free rallway travel,is, of course, the gi gaatic waste of the present system. Elabor- ate calculations show that every traveler who - o b ticket for a seat in an English rail- way train really pays for nine seats. The competition which seems to compel rival companies to run half empty trains between the same points at precisely the same time 15 in fact a charge upon the public. So are the Innumerable boards of useless and enor- mously paid directors, so are the rival tions and other expens:s peculfar to the pres- ent eystem. It Is not contended that state control or free travel would absolutely remedy this waste, but the advocates of free travel do undeubtedly bring forward facts which in- dicate that the waste of seats under free travel would be but trifiing compared with the existing waste from ticket travel. In short, It is estimated that all the people who oould poss bly want to travel if the rallways of Great Britain were as free as the high- ways could be accommdated, under economi- instances even ferries, it England, has re duced the actual cost o the public to one- sixteenth, Of course the additional number taking advantage of this free communica- tion is Included, but assuming that railways like other highways are for pubilc good and not private profit, the deduction.is not un- | fair. The British public s peying over | $150,000,000 aonually for railway fares. | Probably five or six ilmes as many people | would have used the rail had the fares been within thelr means. For this sun free rallway travel for the kingdem it is claimed could be maintained. Mr. Cocper said: ‘The principle of free travel is not new, but od. We pay our highway rates, and have good highways for it. Who would wish to return to the old system of turnpike gates with a toll collector every few miles? But the ticket box s a railway turnpike gate to every traveler, and more deterrant than the old turnpike gates. It is much better to pay our rallway fares in rates and taxes, for in so doing we would get five or six times as much for our money. The expense having been paid, tho British pub- fic would have gained the inestimable ad- vantage and right of free railway travel over every rallway in Great Britain and Ireland. Every man, woman and child would be free to enter any train and go as far as they pleased, and back again for nothing, until the demand on the existing rolling stock exceeded its accommodation. So long as the existing rolling stock could supply seats for all, no additional expense need be incurred. Rates and taxes equal to the present fares would be more than suffi- clent to pay all expenses, while the fares fructifying in the people’s pockets, instead of in the coffers of the railway com- panies, would provide the money to pay the tax or rate.'” “How do you answer the objection that those who stay at home would be made to pay part of the expense of those who travel?" “Why should they not, if free travel be & public advantage? They gain as much as those who travel. Pickford's thousands of vans pay no tolls; they go over free roads, but who does not share the advantage that Pickfords derive from free roads? Those who now travel pay enough for the limited distance they go to convey themselves and the remainder of the population all over the railways of the country. All classes would gain. Those who now use the rail would cxchange the right they possess of traveling over distances st'ictly limited by the fares for an unlimited right at fess cost, to go when and where they please over all the railways the country. Those who now remain at home, nearly all by compulsion, for the difference between the total fares now paid and the share e tax to be paid by those who now travel will obtain the same unlimited right of free travel of which they are now deprived. I%ree travel will be maintained by the whole nation at small cost to each, and an immense gain to all.’” GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP. So much for the free railway travel theory. It is next proposed to take up the more practical question, namely, the causes which must in England, if not in the United States, ultimately lead to government ownership of railways. In doing this I must introduce another important person fn Brit ish railway discussion—James Hole, secre- tary of the Association of Chambers of Com- merce of the Uaited Kingdom. Mr. Hole has devoted his life to tne study of the ques. tion, and is the best informed man on the question from the traders’ point of view in Bngland. Occupying the position he does, the fact that he and the vast interests b represents favor the nationalization of rail- ways is to my mind most significant. Per- sonally, I found Mr. Hole a most agreeable man, ‘ard 1 spent a morning with him or Greati College street, Westminster, going over the facts and figures he has collected. Mr. Hole is just sending to the printer the manuscript of a supplement to a book which he published in 1893 on this subject, and he kindly permitted me to read this copy and make such notes as were necessary for this article. These data, to- gether with the verbal statements of Mr. Hole, present a fair review of the utter failure after half a century of British rail- way legislation to give the public a service that s fair and equitable. Indeed, if we take out the speculative feature of the American system the shippers and pas- sengers who use the rallways for legitimate purposes are as well, If not better, off in the United States than here. Cerfainly the rates both for freight and passenger trafic are more reasonable. In the manuscript of his new work Mr. Hole starts with the statement that with the United States rate for agricultural produce the farmers of England would have saved this year £12,000,000 ($60,000,000), surely a very large sum. For many years in England an agitation for lower rates has been kept up only to be met by the rallways in 1893 by an’ enormous advance In rates. This action on the part of the companies has naturally enraged the shippers of all classes and a war has begun which in its mildest form means the construction of cheap or light railways, and in its most formidable aspect the purchase of the entire railway system and its administration in the in- terests of the public by the state. The ground is taken that the profits of 400,000 shareholders of $5,000,000,000 of capital and the welfare of an equal number of employes are only one side of the account. The Interests of every trader and shipper and pas- senger in Great Britain, a_much larger con- sideration, is involved. ~ Two-thirds of the railways of the country are in the hands of six private companies. = These companies are practically managed by a dozen men. There are in Parliament and the House of Lords over 100 rallway directors, who thus far by their own direct votes and the votes of those they influence have been able to eircumvent the scattered traders and agriculturists, and after half a century of commissions and legislation, private interests absolutely con- trol the situation and public requirements have been sent to the wind in the true Vanderbilt way of the public be d—d. COMPETITION IS DEAD. “You may safely state,” sald Mr. Hole, “‘that today some score of persons linked together by a common interest control nearly one thousand millions sterling of capital and 20,000 miles of the most important communi- cation of the country. Mark this! The shibboleth of this age—‘competition'—is dying with the century that gave it birth; it is not found so full of blessing, nor so essen- tial to the excrcise of individual energy as it was once belleved to be. Educational prog- ress, where It was deemed indispensable, is fast discarding it, and this will extend to other flelds of social action. ~We must not be frightenzd by words. In any case, com- petition is Inapplicable to the raliway system, which is essentially a monopoly, and falls under the condition stated by Mr. Frederick Hill. He says that ‘the true line (of dis- tinction between things the state may not take up) Is between things which can be multiplied indefinitely, and in which, there- fore, there can be an effective competition, and those in which there is in the nature of things a monopoly.’ " “The results of your studies lead to the conclusion that state ownership is the only solution?" . “Most assuredly. The fair presumption is that railroads, liks all other roads, should be under public authority, and this is con- firmed by practical experlence. In other words, that to secure the full advantages of which the rallway system is capable, it should be in the ownership of the state, as the trustee of the public.” “Both for England and America?” “For all countries. The worst state sys- tem concelvable could not have made a more miserable failure in administrating such a trust than we witness today in your co At least we should know who to hang. is little better in England, where free compe- tition has been tempered with legislation. In the cne case epeculators have defrauded the public, in the other cass oligarchies con- trol transportation, and in their greed de- stroy industry and trade.” You must admit that in our case rates are nable enough on the gencral through in “I do, but you have not adequately re- warded those who have provided the capital to make the rallways. In a rational so- clety a Jay Gould should be impossible—ths controller of one-tenth of the railway mileage of the United States, one-tweaticth of the mileage of the world, and of 150,000 miles of telegraph wires—not for the publie welfare, but as instruments to extract boundless wealth to add to his hoards. Yet, in spite of this, I am by no means certain that you won't put your great highways on a satis- factory basis before this country, where privileges and ‘interests’ of all kinds so powerfully resist every reform. Your great eal management, with the present rolling #tock. Flgures are produced showing that th forowing open of all bridkes. and In sowmel country has already solved tough problem: and this one will bave its turn." SQUEEZING THE LEMON, MAIL ORDERS FILLED, very The very About Underwear Whenever a hard-up jobber comes our way with a little A fine warm Undershirt, a lot in which there are no drawers to match— ought to be soc, but it's. Elegant ribbed Undershirts or Drawers 1eas than Half priceevs coesiiios s Genuine woolen Undershirts or Draw- ers-——you'll see them in some win- dows to-day at 85c, here they are derwear—the jobbing price is gr, but we are buyers—our price..... jag of Underwear or in fact anything in our line that is good —we are the people who do the buying—but now that we've picked up just such a snap in Underwear you are the people to do the buying for we, while the goods are supcri'or in quality, we’'ve made a price equal to the occasion and quote | them many cents under value, desirable for winter wear at best fleece lined woolen Un- . The H. M. Cook Clothing Co., 18th and Farnam, Omaha. 25 30 o0 15 D O M O freight have been recently serlously increas:d by the English railway companies?” ““They have not only been increased, but in some cases outrageously increased. Here Is what has been done: them from 40 to 70uper cent. travels 500-.miles in England for haif the price it costs for thirty miles in Ireland. Average passenger fares ih England 8%d, Scotland 10%d, but in Fretand 18 3%d. ' Such A parcel - ++-uopeogy -sser pasodoad uf SID) AnTiCLE, CONPARTSON. | z sswasour ~-posivyd e1ex { temioe s posed “wod e 1 102 per cont Increase 2 70 por cent inerease 3 |67 her cont noroase 3 |117 per cont increase on and ) 70 per cent Increase ned meats . 2 it {ne Tea, B 3 nt ine Grain c 1: :nr\r :m PR nges) 2 cent increase Fotroloume... 3 70 per cent moroase Tallow . 1 83 per cent Increase 5 A 4 per centdecrease Tiner-. ol 52 bor cont incroase “And this is what has been given us after years of agitation for a lower rate.”” “I hear a great deal about the inequality of your railway rates. In fact one gentle- man said to me that the railways of England have brought about their inequality of rates, a oondition of affairs almost as bad as would follow one country putting on a tariff on the products of another country. Is this true?” “When we want to compete on the conti- nent we find ourselyes driven out of our old markets by lower foreign rates, Girders from Belgium were sent through Grimsby for a lower rate per ton, though there is loading and unloading twice over than from Sheffield to Grimsby with one loading and unloading. The Northumberland farmer says, ‘It will cost me more to send cattle to Liverpool than to send them from Clicago or New York.' It costs more to send grain from the east- ern counties to Birmingham that it does from Odessa. And it costs more to send cheese from Cheshire to London than to take it from New York right past the Cheshire stations to London.” “This is pretty hard cn the English pro- ducer?"” “For private individuals to be allowed to inaugurate such a system, affecting as it does to so large an extent the varied inter- ests of competitors and persons scattered over hundreds of miles of country, and to do all this at their own sweet will and pleasure is, to say the least of it, one of the most strik- ing, and at the same time pernicious, anoma- lies ever recorded in the annals of a com- mercial country.” MEAT FOR THE LAWYERS. And worse than all the new rates are said to be so Intricate that a writer in the London Times pathetically declares that the aid of a trained lawyer will be necessary to a_trader anxious to know 'Wwhether a rate from London to Swansea or Birmingham is legal or illegal. If illegal it must be remembered that the redress can only be obtained for the particu- lar item, thus requiring constant litigation. During my stay in England this time I have seen repeated complaints of apples and pears rotting on the ground in the country districts while California fruit was sold In the streets of London and the principal towns, And this because local freight rates prohibited trans- portation. It seems almost incredible that such should be the case in England. Bad as it ts in England, poor Ireland is even worse. Several years ago when studying the economic condition of Ireland I found that rallways had hindered rather than aided the develop- ment of its resourcus. It Is no better today, as will be seen from what Mr. Hole says: PLUCKING IRISH TRADE. “In the recent inquiry (1889-1890) one wit- ness after another gave evidence of the shortcomings of the Irish raflways. Through- out Ireland there was the strongest com- plaint of the inadequacy of station accom- modation, especially for cattle, which lay about in the road waiting for wagons. The high coal and mineral rates of the local lines check all enterprise and are prohibitive to the industry of the country. It was cheaper to send cattle by road than by rail, cheaper to take coal from Scotland to a seaport than to get it ten miles inland, cheaper to carry goods to Engiand and have them re- shipped to Ireland at through English rates than to pay the local rates. Goods are often shipped from the eastern seaboard for Sligo and Ballin via Glasgow. The rates be- tween Belfast and Drogheda are as high as between Belfast and English towns. The high charges have injured the woolen, the flax and the milling interests, yot the new #Do I understand you to say that rates for schedule proposed to give power to raise arc some of the ftems in the Irish railways. “Yet the total 2,500 miles of Irish rail- way have to look after them 303 directors, ninety-seven secretaries, engineers and man- agers, and about sixty auditors. and solicitors.” ABOLISHING THE CLASSES. “In your plan of state control I suppose you would abolish the classes?" “Why not? Today the third class pas- senger practically pays for the luxury of the first class. The working man here is supposed to be good enough to govern us, he might be thought good enough to ride with those he governs. Why should the English- man be worse treated than the American? Almost. your whole passenger traffic is first class and it costs only one-fifth of a penny more than the Englishman's third class. This should interest your people.” PERCENT OF PASSENGERS CARRIED. it the indictment of nd Third 2 Class. United Kingdom. 10 8 France 32 [ 13 b of1 %ot1 trains here are not used for workmen entirely, for John Burns told ma that one of his committees discovered the other day that young dudes, who drove up to the stations in dog carts, were using these trains. In all these mat- ters London is undoubtedly behind New York and our other large olties. CAUSE OF THE INCREASE. After hearing all these complaints, which naturally lead to the only solution—state control—it may be worth while to search for the reason for the increase of railway rates in England, while in méarly all the other countries In the world,nates have decreased. There se:ms to be two causes. First, the excessive cost of Enghsh riilways, and sec- ondly, the fact that the whareholders must receive at least b per gapl, for their invest- ments. The railway system of England and Wales has cost £95,000 per mile (3267.- 657.60). This, 1 suppose, #/more than double the cost of the roads of,any other country. To pay a dividend of 5 per cent on their capital stock the railWays of England and Wales must earn £2,750°($18,382.87) per mile. In the United States the same dividend can be earned with a gross, revenue of £569 ($2,769.03) per mile. ' T'' Germany with £1,005 ($4,870.83) per fuldy in Francs with £1,361 (36,623.30) per milgyand In Belgium with £1,325 ($6,448.11) per mile. In the worst of these cases thé riliways must draw only about one-half thie ifevenue in order to pay the same rate of_dividend. These figures were fijy e by Mr. J. 8. Jeans, secretary of tH Bfitiah Iron Trade awsoclation, who takes u 'most intelligent in- terest in the rallway question. His solution 1 believe would be the cheap light railway, which would penetrate into agricultural dis- tricts now untouched by railways. In a conversation the other ‘day on the subject, Mr. Jeans said: “The high cost of Eritish rallways alone is & sufficient explanation, although probably very far from being an adequate vindication of the higher range of transportation cnarges in Great Britain than in most other coun- tries. In other countries as trafic has in- creased and as new economics have been ef- fected in the construction and maintenance of rallways, the freight charges have been reducsd in a notable degree. | This has been equally characteristic of continental and American railwa, The movement has | probably witnessed its most striking mani- festations in the United States, where, on the elghteen principal lines of rallway, the average ton-mile rate was reduced between 1873 and 1893 from 1.985c to 0.79c, being a reduction of not less than 60 per cent. Dur- ing the same period the average all-rail rate charged for the transportation of a bushel of wheat from Chicago to New York was re- duced from 33c to 14.2c, being a reduction of considerably more than one-half. It has been the same with other descriptions of traffic, in a more or less conspicuous de- gree. In short, there is little-need to labor the now universally admitted fact that it has besn due to the low range of American transportation charges and of ocean freights that American wheat and grain have now for many years been landed in England at prices that have gone a long way to ruin English agriculture, and to cause an extent of business depression that has been both general and prolonged.” This is indeed a tribute to American rail- ways, as Mr. Jeans In several recent articles has severely criticised the United States for various real and Imagned shortcomings. As I have said, the English railway system is one of private ownership and management, tempered by state interference. The Russian government, I believe, has been defined as a despotism tempered by assassination. Judg- ing from all I hear one is about as successful as the other. AMERICAN SUGGESTIONS. I found Mr. Hole very enthusiastic over a recent book by George H. Lewls, published by Dodd, Mead & Co., 1393. “This book," said Mr. Hole, “is one of the ablest ever printed on the railway problem in the United States. If I had seen it before I wrote my own book I don't think I should have written it at all.” In his forthcoming work Mr. Hole makes the following summary from Mr. Lew! wi n an admirable book on the ‘National Consolidation of the Rallways of the United States,’ by George H. Lewls, M. A., the writer states his conclusions as follows: He says: “In_common with all who have given seri- ous thought and labor to the study of this great subject the writer has become most deeply and profoundly impressed with the magnitude and perplexity of the railway problem and with the vital necessity and inestimable value of its right solution. Some just and satisfactory settlement of the politi- cal and economlic questions involved in this problem is abzolutely essentlal to the preserva- tion of equal ‘rights for all the people and the conservation of commercial and political liberty. “The sphinx of olden times devoured those who could not rightly answer her riddles. “The railway system of this country Is a sphinx whose problems must be solved by the nation, or all true national life will be swallowed up.” Tho writer believes that the following con- clusions have been made clear: First—The plan of national consolidation is in accordance with law and the constitution of the United States. This has been shown by many decisions of the supreme court of the United States. Many more could be added if necessary. Second—It is entirely feasible and practi- cal. We have seen that Mr. C. P. Hunting ton, one of the most able and expeien railroad men in the country, advocates the formation of one corporation to own and control all railways. Third—It recognizes that consolidation in some form 1s certain and inevitable and seeks to turn this irresistible tendency into right channels. It shows how consolidation may create a great public corporation which shall bs a minister of good to all the people In- stead of a vast monopoly oppressing all Fourth—It is just to all interests, presery ing and maintaining all real rights of pri- vate investors as well as those of the public, which are just as real though not so well understood nor so readily conceded. Fifth—It will remove all the dangerous conflicts and all the elements of irritation and _enmity between the rallways and their mployes and the public, which now con- stitute a most portentous peril to our nat‘onal security and good order. Sixth—It will do away with the greatest sources of waste and loss under our present system and reduce the cost of transporta- tion to the lowest figure, thus satisfying the necessary and inevitable' demand for the re duction of rates. Seventh—It will remove the unjust in- equalities and the unrighteous discriminations now prevailing. Elghth—It will entirely and forever destroy all rate wars, with their waste and disturb- ance of valuei and of business, and will make rates steady, uniform and low. Ninth—It will do away with all strikes and dangerous riots on the rallroads, be- cause it will remove their underlying and in- citing causes, MORSE. 16th and Farnam. The grand opening of our immense toy de- partment Saturday was attended by thou- sands of enthusiastic admirers and eager buyers. We have scanned the markets of the world for toys-- and show iron, tin, wooden and combina- tion toys from France, Austria, Germany and America, from every place where they make toys. The won- {ders of Fairyland are |depicted in the grand display of Christmas goods. On account of the thousands of arti- cles shown in this line it is not possible to quote prices. We'll simply say that there are hundreds of arti- cles at Be and from that they climb to any point your purse can stand. Especial atten- tion is called to our 28c, 48Bc and 98¢ bar- gain tables, they are filled with the choicest of things, bunched to- gether for your cona venience. Our Dolls are already the talk of the town, all kinds im- aginable are shown, and the prices, they’ve never been so low be- fore. Come Monday and bring the children with you, buy what you want before the assortment is broken, and while you can get waited upon promptly. KID GLOVES. A woman without gloves is scarcely half dressed. Kid gloves are essential to the complexion of your toilet, We place two styles on sale Monday. 5-hook blacks, browns, tans, Suede, pair valued at $1.25, at Tic. 5-hcok Glace, black, tans and browns. $1.50 value at $1.00 per pair. The winning hand is yours if gloved by us, As a special thing to put more life in our glove department we’'ll sell a lot of ladies’ fancy finished black silk mittens at $1 per pair. Every SILKS. We name three val« ues for Monday, which are a sample of the prices that prevail in this popular depart= ment. Judge the rest from these: Black China silk, 27 inches wide, 6. White China silk, good quality, 39c. 2i-inch China silks, first quality, and in al colors, 69¢ For a few days we are making special prices on all evening silks, dress goods, laces and trimmings, BOOKS, The book depart- ment opened up in all its glory yesterday, Sales were more than we expected. Monday we’'ll be more busy than Saturday. You can’t help but buy when you see litera- ture so cheap. Cloth bound works of fiction by all pepular writers, valued at 3ic, go at 19¢. Fine cloth bound works by Dickens, Haw thy thorne, Bunyan, Eliot, Scott, krving, an¢ others, Commonly sold at &c. We ask you but he new Astor Library—fancy covers finely finished, by all the popular authors Other places get 75c for them. Buy ‘em her: for Children’s A B C Books, Picture Books Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and others by | the thousand at e, 10¢, 16c and upward. STAMPED GOODS. Table covers, scarfs, tidies, doylies, lunch |eloths and the like in a very large variety of |designs. Special prices foe the holidays. BLANKETS AND COMFORTS. We repeat the news of yesterday, because it’s good news for you, 10-4 white blankets, 43c pair. 10-4 gray blankets, 43c pair. 11-4 white blankets, 97c pair. 10-4 all wool blankets, $2.25 pair, grade comforts, 33 $2.00 grade comforts, $1 $3.00 grade comforts, $4.60 grade comforts, CHINA Here’s the place that attracts the ladies, Nothing so pretty, nothing more appro- priate for a gift than a choice piece of china, a vase or what you will, Here's a half acre show room resplend- ent with dazzling beauty and crystal ele- gance. No such stock in town, and as to prices ours are always the cheapest. Shop around town, get the lowe st prices, then come here and you’ll find them lower, MORSE DRY GOODS CO,, 16th and Farnam, 50, railway eystem. As the different localities of the country increase in power and wealth the forces tending to disrupt ahd break up the national organization will neces- sarily become more and more power- ful. The problem will be to find gome centripetal force to counteract this tendency without involving a pertlous in- crease of the political power of the federal government. A great railway _corporation uniting all the raillways of the land and owned and controlled by the people, as proposed under the plan of national consolidation, would constitute a force for cohes'on and union with almost inconcelvable power. Eleventh—It will furnish a vast and safe foundation for all the great banking and financial institutions of the country in the stock of the consolidated company, will pro- tect investors In railway securities by mak- ing their investments as solid and permanent as government bonds now are, and will make a perpetual end to gambling in railroad se- curities, with its unrighteous practices and evil results. Twelfth—It will take railways wholly out of politics and remove the corruption now s0_common and S0 dangerous. Thirteenth—It will dignify all railroad duties and elevate every class of employes to a higher plane of manhood as free, unfet- tered American citizens for the great advan ment of our soclal and economic condition. Whatever may be sald of the above views on our own side of the Atlantic I can see that the idea of state ownership of railways in England has made great progress during the last ten or fifteen years, and that its realization this generation is by no means improbable, ROBERT P. PORTER. LABOR NOTE: National anarchists is the latest anachron- fsm. Detroit machinists won a strike. Nashville is to have a co-operative store, Grand Rapids furniture drummers h organized. The use of iron In bullding is" displacing bricklayers. Providence hackmen and expressmen have a union, Molders have struck at Tacoma, and Cleveland. The cornice workers strike in Chicago has been compromised. The new metal workers federation figures on 150,000 members. Rhode Island Central Labor union adopted the American Federation of Labor platform. The Altrurian colony purchased 2,000 acres of land near Santa Rosa, Cal. Seattle Tenth—It will bind the different sections of the nations together by the strong tie of com- mon ownership and control of the united ‘The gravediggers are the latest trade to claim an eight hours day in Great Britain. Federation of Labor adopted the American platform. Molders claim to have suffered less from wage reductions during the panic than any other trade. Employes of the Parkersburg, Pa., Iron | company have accepted a wage reduction of | 10 per cent. The usion bricklaye went on strike for $3 p work. The Iron Molders union of Tacoma, Was has been sued for damages by an expelled member. New Zealand is going to extend the prin- ciple of co-operation in other public works bee sides road making. The Robinson woolen mills at South Wind- ham, Me., are in full operation, one-half ot the mills running night and day. The Philadelphia, Reading & New Eng- land raflroad will restore to its employes the 10 per cent cut from their wages some time ago. The Pacific Co-operative company has beea established by workingmen and reformers at Portland, Ore. It is proposed to cover the Pacific states, The weavers in Osborn Mill No. 2, In Fall River, struck against a reduction in wages and an attempt to compel them to run six or elght looms on wide and fine goods. The American Waltham Watch company in Waltham, Mass., has restored the former rate of wages to the employes of the setting- up department, about 106 in number. Thirty-four families left Pullman, IIl., for Hiawatha, Kan., to foin the new co-operative colony there. They include a number of mechanics, former employes in the Pullman shops, of Jacksonville, Fla r day for nine hours e A. B. Kilpatrick of Filimore, Cal., had the misfortune to have his leg caught between a cart and a stone and badly bruised. Ordi- narfly he would have been laid up for two or three weeks, but says: “After usi bottle of Chamberlain’s Paln Balm I teel better, and in three days was entirely well. The pscullar soothing qualities which Chamberlain's Pain Balm possesscs I havo never noticed in any other liniment, 1 take pleasure in recommending it This link ment is also of great value for rheumatism and lame back. e S Arth Town Toples: *“We are not allowed (o well whisky except for medicinal purposes or for use in the arts,” said the druggist, “I need half a piut for use in the arts,” replied the customer. “Are you an artist?” Inquired the druggist, as the bottle was handed-over. “Yes, In a way. I have taken & contraol The Trades assembly, Kansas City, Kan., to paint the town red."”