Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, January 4, 1902, Page 6

| | ! THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: SATURDAY, 'I‘m: OMAHA DAILY Bm ROBEWATER, EDITOR, PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. RMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. (without Bunday), One Year..$8.0 and Sunday, One Year. .. Ailustrated Bee, One Year . Bunday Bee, One Year.. aturday Bee, One Year.. wentieth Century Farmer, One Y. DELIVERED BY CARRIER. ally Bee (without Sunday), per cop ally Bee (without Bunday),per weel Ruily Bes (cluding Sunday), per weel unday Bee, per cop: 4 © be vening Bes (without sundaxx ger weelk: e Eyening Bee ~(Including Sunday), per week ... 15¢ Complaints of ‘frreguiarities in deiivery should be addressed to City Circulation De- partment. OFFIC] hl'! Omaha—The Bee Bulldin South Omaha— Hall Bullding, Twen- ty-fifth and M Strects. Councfl Blufts—10 Pear! Street. Chicago—-1640 Unity Building New York—Temple Court. Washington—51 Fourteenth Street. CORRESPONDENCE Communications relating to news and edi- torfal matter should be addressed: Omaha Bee, Editorial Department. BUSINESS LETTERS. letters and remittances should be The Bee Publishing Company, REMITTANCES, Remit by draft, express or postal order, Yflynbll' 10 The B Publishing Company. Inly 2-cent stamps a ted in payment of ull ccountw, Personal checks, ex Umlhh or e ern exchan h it accepted, THE BEE PUBLISHING COMPANY STATEMENT OF CIRCULATION. State of Nebraska, Douglas County, #s.: Georgo 1. Taachuck, secretary of The Bee Publishing Company, being duly sworn, #ays that the actual number of full and complete coples of The Daily, Morning, Evening and Sunflay Beo printed during {he month of December, 191, was as fol- ows Busines wddressed:; Omaha. 8 ..80,100 17 30,440 10,420 Total Less unsold and returned coples. Net total sales... ..B3,187 Net dally average. . #o,101 GEO, B ZBCHUCK, Subscribed in my before me this 3ist !lell ) [ resence and sworn t ay of December, A. 1 M. B. HUNGAT Notary Pubiie. A big eastern coal mining company has gone broke. Its officers can now appreciate better how many people feel who are compelled tb buy coal. The city advisory board has entered Into a contract for ice for the coming season at §8 per ton. This Is a decidedly cool proposition at this midwinter sea- son. Omaha needs a market house, but it must‘be commensurate to the demands of a city of its population and preten- sions. No chicken-coop box will fill the bilL The fight on the Northern Pacific and Burlington merger does not seem to pre- vent the Burlington from annexing other rallroads to fill the gaps in its trans- mississippl system. e — ‘What is the county treasurer going to do about the interest earned on depums of county money for the coming yonrl ‘Why should not the county get interest on its bank balances as well as the city? SEmemm——————y One of the prineipal issues of the pending campaign in the Choctaw coun; try is the many, varied and extensive fees paid to attorneys. Possibly they have been having some bank recelver- ships down there. — People who fall to see the fine distinc- | tion between the man who steals $5 and the man who steals $500,000 may not be expressing themselves very loudly upon the Bartley pardon, but they are doing & heap of thinking. Sii———— The president has called for the resig- nation of another prominent federal of- ficial for violation of the clvil service law. A few object demonstrations will be more effective than volumes of verbal declarations and public speeches. rEe— ‘There is no position within reach of an American citizen greater than that of president of the United St except that of president of an international ex- position. For the next year that exalted position will be held by the Hon. D. R. Krancis of Missourl, U. 8. A, — CUongressman Mercer and Mayor Kelly of South Omaha have been in close con- terence fixing up a defensive and offen- sive alliance. That ought to settle it. Mercer will generously give Kelly a sec- ond term as mayor it Kelly will give Mercer a sixth term In congress, Nebraska teachers In attendance upon the meeting of their state assoclation have remarked upon the absence of Su- perintendent Pearse thls year. They should know by this time that Mr, Pearse I8 too busy running the Commer- elal club and building auditoriums to de- vote his time and attention to educa- tional matters, o The Jacksonian club will hold its ban- quet on the Kansas City platform used by the late democratic national conven- tion. The platform will be hauled to Omaha in sections on flat cars expressly constructed and chartered for the occa- slon. Upon the toastmaster will devolve the arduous task of placing the banguet orators each upon his own appropriate plank. NEBRASKA AND DAKOTA PARDONS. On the first day of January Governor Savage iseued an unconditional pardon to the defaulting state treasurer of Ne- braska. On the following day the gov. ernor of South MDakota issued an un conditional pardon to a defaulting county auditor of South Dakota. The state treasurer of Nebraska was convicted of deliberately appropriating to his own use a state warrant amount- Ing to over $180,000, while his actual defaleation would exceed $750,000, with the interest computed to the end of last year. The defaulting auditor of South Dakota was convicted for mutilating public records to cover a shortage of less than $5,000. The Nebraska governor commuted the sentence of the state treasury wrecker from twenty years to three and one- half years. The South Dakota governor commuted the sentence of the defaulting county auditor from five years to two and one-fourth years. The exercise of executive clemency to the South Dakota defaulter was pre- ceded by the restitution by himself and his bondsmen of every dollar that he had embpezzled. The executive clemency extended to the Nebraska embezzler was exercised without the repayment of a single dollar by the embezzler himself, who is reputed to have in his possession thousands of dollars of the surplus from his lawless depredations, while the bondsmen who agreed to make good the loss Incurred by the state have shown no disposition to relmburse the state for its enormous loss. In the exercise of executive clemency the governor of Nebraska pretends to have acted upon - petition signed by the beneficiaries and side partners of the embezzler and a sympathetic class of people who sign petitions Indiscrim- inately, while the South Dakota gov- ernor acted upon the recommendation of the State Board of Pardons, The contrast between the Bouth Dakota pardon and the Nebraska par- don 18 so striking that it scarcely justi- fies further comment, STUEFER'S LATEST EXHIBIT. State Treasurer Stuefer has published a statement of recelpts and disburse- ments for the month of December, with an exhibit of the amounts in varlous Vepositories and the amount of unin- vested school funds, which figure in his balance sheet as cash on hand. The ex- hibit Is satisfactory except so far as it tends to create the false impression that the treasurer has scrupulously refrained from depositing school money In the banks. Mr. Stuefer is credited with good busi- ness qualifications. He Is responsible individuaily, and the sureties om his bond have guaranteed to protect the state against loss of public funds in his custody. Nobody Inside or outside of the state house would suspect Mr. Stue- fer of being so reckless as to have kept in the unguarded vault at the state house the $267,000 of balance in the school fund in September, or the $18,000 of uninvested school money in his cus- tody on the first of December, nor does anybody belleve that he would be will- Ing to run the risk of h-mlug $12,000 in cash in that vault during the month of January. In view of the disclosure made two months ago that Mr. Stuefer had drawn checks on Omaha banks for $80,000 of school money, these monthly statements of school money in the vaults of the [\ treasury appear like a mere subterfuge. Mr. Stuefer might as well own up that the school fund balances are on deposit in banks and nobody will blame him for telling the truth, providing the state is given the benefit of the interest paid by the bank: Sm——— OVER-CAPITALIZED TRUSTS. The fatal effects of over-capitalization have recelved striking Illustration by the fecent collapse of the Asphalt Paving trust and the financlal embarrassment of the Everett-Moore syndicate which owned and controlled a number of ur- ban and interurban electric rallways and an extensive system of local and long distance telephone lines in Ohio and Michigan. The Asphalt Paving trust, organized within the past elghteen months, by parties who had acquired a practical monopoly of asphalt paving In the principal cities of the country, was cap- italized on a fictitious valuation based on future profits, ‘and the securities Is- sued by the corporation were planted among credulous Investors who confl- dently looked forward to fabulous divi- dends for an endless succession of years. But when the Asphalt trust was confronted with the demand made upon its treasury to meet the Interest on out- standing bonds it discovered that the pramoters of the trust had overshot the mark and through their inordinate greed had forced the concern into liquidation. In this fatal termination of Its short lived existence the Asphalt trust only furnished a repetition of the disasters that had overtaken the first Whisky trust, the Cordage trust and scores of other over-capitalized corporations that had relled upon their absolute control of markets and prices and on the com- plete destruction of competition to ena- ble them to gather in enormous profits, The Everett-Moore syndicate, which is tottering on thé verge of bankruptey, has also been the victim of reckless over-capitalization. The aggregate cap- italizatlon of the various 'properties owned and controlled by this syndicate Almost, §9,000,000 was clipped from the blic debt during the past month, A couple of months at the most will bring it below the blllion dollar mark, and, with peace and continued good manage- ment, men now in public life can reason- Ably hope to see the bonded debt almost axtinguished. While congratulating yourself and the country over such a condition, please remember that every dollar of the debt has been pald either by pepublican administrations or under the operation of revenue laws enacted by republicans, 18 $180,000,000. It s exceedingly doubt- ful whether the cost of construction and equipment of these electric rallways and telephones exceeds $30,000,000. In other words, about $100,000,000 of water has been injected iuto the suburban electric rallway and telephone octopus and uvltullxed in the .hlpe of stocks and bonds. While these properties are reputed to have a large earning capacity and would doubtless pay from 10 to 20 per cent interest on the money actually in- vested, the net earuiugs have been lo- sufficient to meet the fixed charges created by Interest on fretitious capital- Ization. Had these properties been cap- italized at their actual value, say £30,000,000, a 10 per cent interest charge would require net earnings aggregating only $3,000,000 a year; but eapitalized at $130,000,000, a fixed charge of 5 per cent would require the properties to produce net earnings of $6,500,000 an- nually to pay the interest charge alone, At a capitalization of $30,000,000 the electric rond and telephone syndicate could have floated along comfortably and paid 10 or 15 per cent interest, but at a capitalization of four and one-half times that amount it has as a natural consequence been unable to meet its ob- ligations and 1s being driven to the wall, The most damaging result of such over-valuation Is the destruction of pop- ular gonfidence in corporate securities and investments and general destruction of credit. —_— REFORMS IN THE EMPIRE STATE. The annual message of Governor Odell embodies many recommendations -that must not only commend themselves to the people of the Empire staté, but will be emulated by the lawmakers of other states. The key note of Governor Odell's méssage 18 economy and revenue reform. His chief alm Is to bring about the abolition of direct taxation and the raising of the funds necessary to meet the expenses of state government and the maintenance of state institutions by a tax levied on all mortgages recorded in the state and a tax levy on all fran- chised corporations. It is estimated that a O6-mill tax on mortgages would alone yleld an income of $3,000,000 a year, The proposition to impose a tax upon mortgages will doubtless meet with vigorous opposition. It may be assumed that no matter how the tax is levied it will fall upon the borrower, since the lender will, In every instance, deduct from the amount of the loan the sum needed to pay the mortgage tax. That certainly would be the effect if such a tux were imposed in Nebraska, al- though, under our state constitution, no discrimination can be made In the as- sessment or taxation of any class of property, hence no spectal tax could be levied on mortgages. The remedy proposed by Governor Odell to meet the evasion of tax laws by corporations is that local assessors be given authority to compel corpora- tions to furnish lists of stock holdings, but a still more effective measure would be to compel publicity by corporations of their financlal operations for the year preceding the assessment. Another important suggestion in the messuge relates to the taxation of com- panies incorporated In other states, Under existing laws the shares in such corporations are not taxable in the hands of a citizen of New York, and in- asmuch as the great majority of cor- porations are Incorporated in Delaware, New Jersey and adjoining states for the sole purpose of evading taxation, the governor very properly recommends the enactment of laws that will compel them to pay for the protection that the state and municlpal governments of New York give them. The governor's recommendation iu this respect is that forelgn corporations doing business in New York shall be required to file a certificate of their incorporation and pay an annual tax of 1 mill per dollar as a franchise tax. Governor Odell also recommends that the divorce laws be amended so that the decree shall not be absolute untl six months after it Is granted. This Is the law in Nebraska. He also recom- mends that where relatives or friends of Insane persons are able to support those classed as harmless insane that they shall not be made a burden on the state. Whether the New York legislature will carry out these recommendations is problematic, but it may safely be pre- dicted that the Albany lobby will ex- mblt\nuu-uul activity during the legis- lative session. — Captain McCalla s devoting his share of the prize money secured in the Span: ish war to the erection of a sailors’ club house In San Francisco. The captaln's case 18 a good lllustration of the fact that it is In strenuous times that men come to really understand one another. From the enlisted man's point of view probably no otficer in the navy was so unpopular as Captain McCalla, but his conduct during the war, and subse- quently in China, has made him an idol of the seaman and this latest act will add to their admiration. The trial has demonstrated that under the gruff ex- terior 18 a soft spot and the man who once narrowly escaped belng cashlered from the service is really a credit té the service, e The new board of education will fid a very pertinent polnter in an editorial on the need of genulne reform in the management of public schools and the necessity of judiciously pruning the sys- tem, published by a Chicago . contem- porary, which declares: ‘The ‘school fads cost a large proportion of the money ralsed for schools. When the school authorities find that they have not income enough to pay for the expense of every fad and freak they adopt they cry out at once that schools in the lower grades must be discontinued, or the young pupils dismissed, or the schools be made less effi- clent in some other way in the lower grades. They never think of lopping off at the top, but they always plan to cut off some necessary roots from which the s tenance for the healthy growth of the en- tire school system is derived. emeg— The proposed erection of a fire engine house in the jobbing district is doubtless desirable, but it is a serlous question whether two engine houses are needed in the lower end of town. In view of the lwited levy for the-ire fund it would seem practical economy to vacate the Tenth street engine house and transfer the force to the new location as soon as the bullding is completed. It is an open question, however, whether better protection enn be assured by the build Ing of a new engine house rather than by the acquisition of additional modern fire equipment. The Interstate Commerce commission, which is about to hold a session in Kan sas City, proposes to create a sensation by making the grain elevator men and the grain dealers tell, why they get lower freight rates than the ordinary grain shippers. We apprehiend the prospects of a gregt sensation by such disclosures Is about as remoteé as the tremendous sensation Which was to have been created by the disclosures to the grand Jury in relation to those “well defined rumors.” Recent efforts * of men to project themselves into public eminent medical noticé by alleged discoveries of the elixir of life would indicate that the ethics that prohibit doctors from paying for thelr advertising were not estab. lished in vain. If these medicine men who have been getting so much free advertising had paid for it at regular space rates they would have been ta- booed as quacks. Several eastern railroads have issued notices that employes and officers of other lines will have the privilege of purchasing half rate tickets, but under no circumstance will any person con nected with another road, from presi- dent down to the office boy, be given free trausportation. This Is a hard blow to tle railroad presidents, who will be entitled to relief by a liberal increase in thelr salari Another financlal bubble has burst. The syndicate which attempted to con- solldate a large number of street rail- way companies on a capital composed chiefly of wind has been unable to meet its engagements long enough to unload on a gullible public. This Is more fortu- nate for the public than such collapses usually are, for the promoters generally get out and leave the lambs to be shorn alone. —_— The new postmaster general has,de- clared himself in favor of greatly ex- tending the rural free mail delivery sys- tem. While much has already been ac- complished in this direction, it 1s hardly & Dbeginning on the immense figld. While the citles are entitled to the best of service, the country must not be neglected. S Chancellor Andrews expresses the opinion that the free text book system is not needed 1n the public schools above the grammar grades. The chancellor's experience as school superintendent in Chicago ought to enable him to speak on such a subject with some measure of authority. In its Senile Days. Kansas City Journal. The democratic party in Cuba seems to be in as feeblo a condition as the demo- cratic party in the United States. It cut no figure In Tuesday's election. et behiin ity Great American Per: Washington Star. Among the circumstances that have tended to thin the ranks of populism is the fact that a large mumber of former advocates of the doctrine have since made money In oll or stocks. der, A Lonesome Prospect. New York World. There is one man who will find it dim- cult to ewear off on the first. This ls Gov- ernor Shaw, who is sald to be an ab- stalner from drink, tobacco, profanity and all the minor vices. It looks as if he were golng to fnd it mighty lonesome in wicked Washington. Fine Bunch of Leade: Washington Star. There was at one time a disposition to rapk lowa as a fitting theme for bucolic jest. But with two cablnet officers In Mr. Shaw and Mr. Wilson, an eminent and in- fluential member of the senate in Mr, Alli- son and the speaker of the house of rep- redentatives all hailing from within its borders, Iowa has more than ordinary right to be honestly proud. Go 'Way Back and Smoke. Philadelphia Press. Speaker Henderson deserves the thanks of the country for his courage in enforcimg the rule of the house which prohibits smoking while the house is in sesslon. It s been a great discredit to our national use of representatives that smoking has been carried on more or less while the house 1s In lon and when the galleries have been packed with visitors, a large proportion of whom were women. Speaker Henderson does well in stopping that dis- courtesy. Yankom ucceeds Anglomania, Indianapolls Journal, Anglomanja, or a disposition on the part of a few persons in eastern cities to turn up their trousers when it is reported to be raining in London, has, according to a writer in the January issue of the Forum, largely disappeared. Now, however, the conservative Briton is alarmed at what may be designated as Yankomania, or the adoption of American !deals and habits by tho English. “The American question,” meaning everything American, from the Spanish war to American trade expansion, 18 the tople discussed with never-ending in- terest. Large Men from Small Towns. New York Evening Post. We have great respect for the country banker who has carefully studied broad questions and worked out sound con clusions and who often understands Afar better than the city-bred man the feelings of the people and the best way of com- manding thelr approvi The nation is to be congratulated that a president may look to a small town like Dalton, In Massachu- setts, with only 3,014 inhabltants, or Deni- son, in lowa, with but 3,646, for a man worthy to succeed the Chicago banker who is about to retire from public service at Washington. A Chicago Chronicle, The New York Stock Exchange record for 1901 was more than 247,000,000 shares, as againat the “phenomenal” total in 1900 of 187,000,000, The bank clearings of the eighty-aix large cities of the United States amounted to $118,000,000,000, a gain of about 38 per cent over the preceding year. As stock transactions and bank clearings are both an unfalling chronometer of business conditions, the year that has just closed was the high water mark of natlonal pross ry. perity. The pages of 1902 are wide and marginal, however, and may contain e months hence & story of even PANAMA OR NICARAGUA? Baltimore American: There arc many othet advantages in favor of Panama which can be found recorded in the commission’s report—in fact, it has been asserted that the report in favor of Nicaragua was for the purpose of forcing the Panama company to sell at a reasonable price. If ever busi- ness considerations should prevail, it should be in a matter involving such a vast ex- penditure of money. Philadelphia North American: The Isth- mian Canal commission estimated definitely and specifically the cost of bullding a Nicaraguan canal at $189,000,000, but before the work Is even ordered to be begun we find genators and representatives regarding it as a job and figuring on an expenditure of anything from double the estimate to a round billion. Even a member of the com mission, an expert engineer, is quoted as saying that the cost of the canal may be unlimited. New York Sun: A saving of $1,300,000 in annual charges is 4 per cent on a capital of $32,500,000. Adding to this the item of 5, 0 In favor of Panama in the es- timated cost of completion, we actually find that the Panama route would be $38.- 130,000 cheaper than the Nicaragua route, providing the Panama property Is acquired by the United States for $40,000,000. This would not be conclusive as between the two routes; but it certainly would inspire further consideration on the basis of the new figures, Loulsville Courler-Journal: The engineer- Ing estimates have been drawn up after very careful investigation and may be re- lied upon. Incidental questions must arise as to cost, but it would seem that the cheaper maintenance of the Panama route entitles it to favorable consideration. Either ls practicable, but the Panama being only about a third of the length of the Nicaragua gives it an advantage that can- not be ignored. Besides, in the opinion of a great many engineers it Is the better of the two routes for engineering readdus. It follows, therefore, that the offer of the Panama stockholders ought to be carefully considered. Boston Transcript: This new opportunity comes at the eleventh hour, perhaps, but it comes before the other project has been definitely adopted. “If the campalgn of education can have time for development,” seys our Washington speclal, “with a #pecific Fronch proposal to work on, there Is still a fighting chance for the triumph 6f common sense.” The commercial bodies and political organizations of the country should insist that nothing be done hastily under present circumstances. The conse- quences of a mistake would be too mo- mentous to be lightly contemplated. The force of sentiment has hitherto, doubtless, been with the Nicaragua route. The pre- ponderance of expert testimony is all the other way. Attempts to jam through con- gress a definite canal bill, without knowing what we were doing or where we were going, have been wisely defeated, and rash haste now would be less justifiable than ever. POLITICAL DRIFT, Perry Belmont is making a warm cam- palgn in a New York district for a vacant seat in congress. The election takes place next Tuesday. A statisticlan figures the chances of an American boy in politics reaching the presi- dency to be one in 30,000,000. N Boys, look for another job. There will be no chance to throw a stock jobbing charge at the mayor of New York during his term. Before taking the oath of office Mr. Low disposed of all his hold- ings, amounting to $500,000. Among United States government receipts last year were $2,965,000 from the sale of public land, $76,000 from penalties collgcted for depredatigns on public lands and $232,- 000 collected from the tax on sealskins. There has been some controversy as to the identity of the youngest member of congress, but there i{s none as to the oldest in either branch. That distinction in the senate belongs to Pettus of Alabama, born in 1821, and in the house to Grow of Penn- sylvania, born in 1828, When the solons of Pennsylvania looked over the ruins of the burned capitol at Harrisburg a couple of years ago they concluded & $500,000 bullding would main- tain the dignity of the state. The latest plans submitted call for a $5,000,000 struc- ture, and it is lkely to rival New York's costly pile before it is finished. The state In which there are the least number of government pensioners is Ne- vada, in which they number only 275. There are 800 in Wyoming and 850 in Utah. Ohio and Pennsylvania together have 210,000— only 10,000 less than the total number of persons engaged In the federal service of the Unitcd States at home and abroad. “Connecticut is to consider amendments to the present antiquated constitution of the state and a convention will nieet in Janu- ary for the purpos Ot its 169 delegates, 121 are republicans and 44 democrats. There are two prohibitionists and two independent. There are 82 lawyers, 06 farmers, 25 manufacturers and 56 men of other callings, including two clergymen and four physicians. Secretary Hay was born in Tllinois, Sec- retary Gage in Franklin county, New York, Secretary Root in Onelda county, New York, Secretary Long in Maine, Secretary Knox in Pennsylvania, Secretary Hitchcock in Alabama and Secretary Wilson in Scot- land. The last is the only member of the president's cabinet who is not a native-born citizen of the United States. Postmaster General Smith was born in Connecticut. Mayor Low of New York belleves pub- licity tn municipal affairs is a good thing. On taking office last Wednesday he said to the newspaper men: ‘It is my desire that the newspapers be afforded every oppor- tunity to inform the public about the acts of my administration. I believe in publicity in regard to municipal affairs, and I want the representatives of the newspapers to feel free to come to the mayor's office to ask about any matters in which the people of the clty may be Interested.” PUBL TY FOR THE TRUSTS. Systematie Scrutiny Neceasary for General Good. 8t. Louls Republic. In the figures now presented by the New York Journal of Commerce, showing the total capitalization ef all industrial con- solldations in the Uniteq States to approxi- mate $6.500,000,000, there {8 found addl- tional resson for insisténce upon publicity of trust affairs for the protection of in- vestors and the general public. To sccure nbedience to equity and law, the vast businesses carried on with this gigantic capitallzation ehould be subject to sybtematic scrutiny. The consolidated cor- porations in question enjoy certaln privi- leges which legitimately subject them to supervision similar to that of the affairs of banks. They should be required to make sworn statements of thelr condition at regular intervals. The ovil of over-capitali- zation should be guarded against by ac- curate public knowledge of the value of the properties and business capitalized. The peril of the present system of trust capitalization is plain. The general public is in profound ignorance of trust conditions. Investors necessarily take undue chances when they buy trust securities. There should be at least a reasonable guarantee of safety to investors well as to consum- ers. This guarantee must be found in pub. licity, as one measure of regulation, OTHER The movement among representatives of capital apd labor In the United States to promote better relations between thuse in- dustrial forces by concillation and arbi- tration gives timely interest to Austra measures having like ends in view, U like the movement in this country, that In Australia has the force of law. In New Zealand arbitration has for some years been enforced by law and this law bas formed the basis of the Australlan measure. It recognizes industrial unions of both employers and employes, but provides that only the rogistered trade union can be reglstered as an Industrial union of em- ployes. The president of the court must be a judge of the supreme court. Every care has been taken to make the court an Independent and dignified tribunal, Its powers are very large and no appeal Hes from its decision, Every industrial dispute can be referred to the court by the union or the registrar, Orders of the court may be enforced, as in New Zealand, by injunction or by fines and penalties levied on the corporate funds of the unfon and on individual members, but they are aleo enforceable “upon the declaration of a common rule.”" This gives the court power. to declare that any practice, usage, condition of em- ployment or industrial dealiugs shall, with such limitations and exceptions as the court may declare, become a common rule for all persons employed in the industry under review. Provision has been made that the legal machinery of the court shall be as elastic as possible, so that it may be adapted tp the varying circumstances of each trade; and thus, the court will become in time the regulator of the main conditions of employment and will also watch that these mever fall below those which prevail | in the best-conducted establishments. The | court has also power to declare a stand- ard wage and to direct that other things | being equal an employer shall give a pref- erence to unfonists when two or more men are applying for employment at the same time. | . The German government has issued an edict dealing with the question of domestic slavery in South Africa. The object of the edict Is to pave the way for the aboll- tion of slavery, and, for that reason, its regulations are due to the fifteenth section of the code for the German protectorates. There are seven sections in the edict, which provides that neither by sale of a man's self, nor by sale effected by rela- tions, shall a relationship of slavery be henceforward established; that every do- mestic slave be empowered to terminate his state of slavery by payment of a sum of money for his redemption; (the amount of this sum shall be decided by the competent administrative authorities, who shall give him a certificate of emancipation); that every domestic slave shall be permitted to work for himself durlng two days in the week, or to use for his own purpose the corresponding proceeds of his labor; that the master of a domestic slave s under obligation to maintain him and provide for him in old age and sickn (this obliga- tion is not canceled by emancipation granted during the period of old age or sickness); that the transfer of the rights of ownership can be accomplished only with the consent of the slave; (before ac- cording assent, the authorities shall care- fully test the legality of the ownership, and take heed that members of the same family shall not be separated without their that the rights of ownership shall committing any grave breach of his duty toward his Section 7 reads S THAN OURS, IWlldo«k-Rnu ea way supported by a vote of more than 4 to 1. oo Mr. Gerald Balfour, prosident of the British Board of Trade, dellvered an &d- dress on England’s sbipping trade the other day, at a dinnes of the Livérpool Ship- brokers' Benevolent soclety. In the course of it he sald that the growth of the British shipping industry since the accession of Queen Victorla had been marvellous, even in an age of progress. The number of véssels on the register of the empire had increased from 26,000 In 1836 to 35,000 in 1900 and in steamship¥ from one in forty to one in three. There had also been an enormous Increase in the tonnage of steam- ships. With all this enormous advance thero had been, with the substitution of steam for sailing ships, a very great diminution in the loss of life at wea. Deal- ing with the question of forelgn competi- tion, he sald the transterence of British vessels to foreign flags had naturally occa- sloned a great deal of comment within the last fow years. During the past year there had heen %o transterred vessols of the gross tonnage of not lesa than 600,000, but it was to be remembered that during the same year there had been added to the British register 1,200,000 tons gross, the gignificant fact belng that 93 per cent of the latter was new tonnage, almost entirely con- structed in the United Kingdom. OtAhe ves- seols transferred 83 per cent wWere con structed before 1885, and no less thas 55 per cent were constructed before 1890. '¢h was a very material fact, he sald, in the true significance of this transference ot ships to foreign flags. He admitted that they could not regard with anything like Indifference efforts made by foreign go | ernments to secure a larger share of the carrying trade of the world. The British shipping trade occupled a unique position among the Industries of the country. More than any other, it was estentlal to, and fa- timately connected with, the lif £ the na- tlon. It the British lost thelr mercantile marine it would mean nothing iess than the destruction of the British empire. That empire was essentlally an empire of tho sea; It rested upon {wo great supports, tho navy in the first instance, and the mercan- tlle marine in the second. BREEZY CHAFF. Baltimore American: “‘But,” protested the Angry Creditor, “you said you guessed would pay me today.' know 1 did,” explained the Humble Debtor, “but, you see, I am such a poor guesser." Atlanta Constitution: An author wrote to his publisher: ‘“Can royalties from my book lhlnvyonfl' The publisher rerllrd you _can hope. ‘s nothing in the world to hinder you. New York Weukly want o man arrested been assaulted and I wa hope for any = H Exclmfl Citizen—1 right 1 I but. waiking, along the st n_a quibt rderly inoffensive = manner and whlnll Ing. stice—Um~er—what tune were you whistling? Cleveland Plain Dealer Would 1t be contrary to, the rules of humane warfare?: £ Vhe kaiser should e & Nmburger hell or two into the of those un- ehecting Venesucins Broo Bagle: “How far is it trom Ievmeton™ th Eiriageporis ingured e chauffeur of the racing automobile. “About forty-five miles as the fying ma- chine flies," responded the man, leaning against the (ence Baltimore American: ‘‘What does this inquired the Investigating Com- “Ygll '“;tl:‘l\o-l of -your shortage o int at,'” Explllnld the Cwllrlln Embezsler, ‘refers to my lutomobllc Philadelphia Prnll' Mrs. Gaussip—1 un- dei provisions of this edict lhl" be punished by a fine not exceeding 500 rupees or by imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months, except in those cases where & heavier penalty is incyrred by virtue of other law." oo The speech which the French prime min- ister, M. Waldeck-Rousseau, delivered in the French Chamber the other day in oppo- sitlon to the proposal to suppress the bud- ket of public worship, or, In other words, to stop the salaries of the clergy, was a note- worthy utterance. Such a course, he sald, might be one of the consequences of ep- aration of church and state, but would not alone suffice to bring that separation about, as some seemed to suppose. Urging the advisabllity of retalning the power exer- cised by the state over the clergy, he sald it was of vital importance that bishops should not be appointed by the vatican, and the priests by the bishops. If that were done, Ultramontanism would become not simply a doctrine, but & fact. Within the last ten years the pulpits in the parish churches had been, 80 to say, political plat- forms. Now, owing to the policy of the government, what had been the rule had be- come the exception.* This was proved by the result of the promulgation of the law on oclations. A great agitation had been predicted, but only sixteen bishops had referred to it otherwise than as a law to be obeyed. Every one knew that, to effect the separation of the church and state, some thing more than the striking out of a credit was required. Moreover, there was not a majority in favor of such a course. In the preceding legislature only 180 depu~ tles had voted for it, whereas, in the present chamber, the votes in favor of it had been 166, 169 and 179 votes, respec- tively. Where were the extra votes to come from? From the conservatives or Catholics? He begged the house not to undertake such a vast work as the fepara- tion of church and state, without being certaln of success, because the smallest check in such a matter might cause a retrograde movement in republican politics which it would be difficult to check. M. om Mrs, Jokey that your doetor een, wullty of ‘Sonduet URbecomIng & &en kiey—Oh, Mre. On i lg—ror .oodn-- sake! How? Meekley—Oh! constantly. My doctor 1s a lady. SAUSTIN STIRS THE PORTS. Laureate Austin in the Independent. Bhould flnvlu allens plan and plot nst one and now the other, 'l'heyk M:Il'l wuld learn how strong the 0o Binds brother unto brother. How nulckly they would ?lumxo thelr tack And sl the recreant feather, !hould !\n!‘ and Stripe and Unlon Jack 'Iut ‘noat mast-high together! And with our peaceful fll l llnlurlud * Be fair or foul the wea! Bhould heed arise, tace all the world And stand or fall together, Chicago Inter Ocean, Should envious aliens plan and plot And_fight one with the other, Your Um‘le Sam 'rgllld surely not his brother, W 've no ob’eclh‘m (o l, lflp f hands across t| Bul will not risk (hQ Ylnk‘. ship Tn seas of false emotion By vnrln{hlmm our course to right A For Jona! His bll(lel sin, ' Kansas CI‘Y Journal. As grow two flow'rets one on stem By self-same showers water 80 o ‘nre iooming Junt like. them; And though we sometimes tottered, Yot we have lived through every storm ‘And through all kinds of weather, And ever in true friendship warm, ‘We'll live and bloom ‘“Together. ‘We're standing proudly side by sid. Just like the twins of 8i The bondl of bloo closely tied cemented by ‘em. 1 nna nhourd try to get away, ‘Twould be a question whether The other would survive the We didn't stand ‘““Toget! In These Days of Sales and cut prices there are many things to consider, es- pecially the goods and WHO sells them. plenty of people who are There are caught with extravagant announcements of great reductions that are so sadly out of reason as to be ludicrous to those who will stop to think. Our broken lines of clothing, furnishings and hats have been reduced and you here. If you are looking aro others are offering take the fore you thoroughly decide u “No Clothing Fi orowning- can find some real bargains und the town at values that time and look over ours be- pon your purchase. ts . Like Ours K¢ 5@ Exclusive Clothiers and Furnishers, . 8. Wilcox, Manager. 3 7