Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, February 18, 1902, Page 6

‘THE, OMAHA DAILY BEE PR - it E. noflrwmrnt. EDITOR. PUuLlsH ED yvnv IORNXNO THRMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. Dally Beg (without Bunday), One’ Ypar. un, Daily ties and 8t ey, Une’ Yeur Lllustrated see, | Bunday Mee, Une Ye;r urday. bee, One Yed] Twentief Century Farme ut S 7). o oony Ut N iy Bee (ncluding -um-n. per. '"l e Bunaay Bee, per cup; Bvening Boe (wlmoul nnu.n. Evening bBee Hudi) Week . Comp r Ty #houia be addressed l.'uy Circulation De- partment, OFF I l Omaha~The Bee C‘ South Omu:‘l—.cny i uuudm:. Twel Un mpl Court. Fourteenth Street. CORRESFONDENCE. ' . ' Communications relatiig to news and edi- mlllclr lhnu'l'a nz“{dan-m OUmaha Bee, Editorial Department. BUSINESS LETTERS. nd remittances should be lee Publishing ¢ompany, o REMITTANCES. 2 emit by dract, express or postal order, yable to b«pruhmmu Company, Only 2-cent -um pied In payment of nmunu. ch.ckl on ted. p."nn!: BEE PUBL(I% colfir BTATEMENT OF CIRCULATION. Count .. vy of 'fhe Bee A GOVERNMENT OABLE. The close vote in committee on the bill providing for a government Pacific cable indicates that there ‘will be strong opposition to the measure in the house, though (it «is. doubtless safe to say that 1t iwill pass’ that body, - Of course the private’coripany which has made a pro- posal ‘to lay a cable will exert against the bill all the influence it can com- mand, but having falled to persuade a majority of the house committee on commerce that the compang’s proposal ought to be aceepted there is good rea- son to belleve that jt will be unable to convince a majority of the house that it would be well to accept the company’s offer. .. A-cable between the United States and our possessions in the Pacific should be owned and controlled by the govern- ment. The arguments for this pre- sented, in_ the report of Mr. Corliss are ample and conclusive: The proposed cable will' be used chiefly by the gov- ernment and for that reason it is most Important that it should be controlled and operated by the government. As Mt. Corliss says, the proposed cable will be a great public utility and as such should be .in the public contrel. From |whatever point of view the matter is regarded ' it' must be obvious that the construction and operation of a ecable line to our Pacific ‘possessions should be " the work of the government and that it Dlo Vening and Sunday Bee nonm ot January, was as. fol- BEERNRNEREEYS Total . Less unsold and returned OOPIOI Net total pales... Net dally ave lllbu:rfln?ntn my presence A BOHU S el Notary Pubile. At present rate the Omaha Ministerial association will soon have as many new names as old names on its roster. —— That Ohio man who has been con- wicted for the fourth time of murder has one consolation—he will only have to be hung once, Over $1,500,in Nebraska's eontribution to the McKinley memorial fund. This 18 a creditable showing, but It should yet be materially improved, —— A combination of firepréofing manu- facturers has been incorporated in New Jersey. The usual amount of water in the stock will be one of the ingredients. | E——————— We. refuse .to belleve the embezaler who insists his downfall is due to hav- ing learned to play poker. He cer- tainly failed to learn the game in all its intricacies. 4 — . Omaha has wanted a market house for | * # long time and still wants one, but when it comes it must be a creditable market house suitable to its needs, even if we have to wait for it a little longer, b Whent the other candidates for the headship of the Blks organization saw the antlers of the Omaha entry coming out for the start they all took to their heels and returned to the training stable. The plumbers in the Missourl Valley are reported to contemplate a concerted increase in prices for work. The new schedule will probably provide'a charge of 25 cents for looking into the lhop windows. EE— South Omaba democrats are about'to revise their call for city primaries, in arder to postpone nominations until mfter the republicans have first acted. This Is characteristic of democracy in these parts. e——— Rest your fears.a It.is not a crime to e poor any more than it is a crime to be rich. But dishonest poverty is just #8 criminal as dishonest wealth. It takés_no pulpit debate o demonstrate ghese truths. — An Antarctic explorer reports having reached within 800 miles of the south pole; the nearest any one has ever been to that goal. At that rate the goal of the southern frost king is not likely to e crossed for some time. e One Chilcago sclentist is trying to show the people of that city that it is cheaper to burn the coal smoke than to allow It to escape from the chimneys. If he can prove his case he will do more to abate the smoke nuisance than a book full of. city ordinances, See———— Chicago packers do not understand why.a South Dgketa company which in- tends to In the killing of live stock shipuld incorporate with $900,000,- 000 stock. Wind is plentiful in South bt apd its people bave as good a to m.lt-llla 4t as have those of New Jersey. i et Geueral Funston is to be initiated into the Elks as soon as he has entirely re- covered from his lllness. The Elks are all right, but It the general is really look- ing for something which will' remind bim of the strenuous times that are past he should come to Omaba and Joln the Km‘mlx, of Ak- qu»nen. [ - ETE— Captali Hobson, in . a recent speech, declated that the United States should be the:peace arbiter of the world. Like most other eountries, the United States will 46 reasonably well seelng that it ont ‘of trouble itself. The peace- er proverblally gets fnto the thick- est of the fght and gets out without n&: [ would be most unwise to place an enter- prise so essentially public in character in the hands of a private corporation. ‘We can very properly follow the ex- ample in this matfer of England and other countries whose governments have established telegraphic communica- tion with their ‘possessions. The fact that a ‘privdte company has made a contract’ to lay a cable to Hawall 1s not a matter which the government is called upon to consider. It is wholly an affair of the company and we can see no good reason why the government should have dny sort of dealing with that company. - The cor- poration, when it contracted for a cable line, was well aware of the proposition that the government should construet a Paclfic cable. The subject was before the last congress and was pretty freely discussed. In view of this the Com- mercial Pacific company, in contracting for a cable to Hawali, has no claim to any consideration on the part of -the government. Perhaps there can be no redsonable objection to the government purchasing the cable the company has ordered, if it can be bought as cheaply as the government can contract for, but there is no obligation to do this, nor in any respect to relleve this private cor- poration of what it has assumed in con- nection with the eonn'mcuon of a Pacific cable, Congress should not unnecessarily delay this' most important work, which is demanded alike for commercial, political. and military, eonsiderations. Thers 18 no doubt that direct telegraphic connection with our insular lons would have most valuabfe results com- mercially and politically: ‘I congress consults public sentiment in the matter it will promptly . provide for the con- struction of a government cable. SE——— SCHOOL BOOK TRUST METHODS. That the . peculiar methods of the school book trust, exposed from time to time in Omaha, are not confined to this city has begn brought out by recent dis- closures in Boston, where the trust has been pursuing its old tactics of reward- ing its friends and punishing its enemfes. The charges and counter-charges in the Hub have a strangely familiar sound to those conversant with school matters in Omaha. The chairman of the text book com- mittee, for example, publicly admits that be has written and contracted to write text books for the great publishing houses that are seeking orders for books [ for-the city schools. - Another member of ' the ‘same committee is likewise charged with having planted a daughter in a high salaried position with one of the publishing houses that draws thou- sands of dollars each year out of the municipal treasury., Under these cir- cumstances the Boston Post calls upon the members implicated in the scandal to hand in their resignations. * 'The situation in Boston strikingly re- calls the fact that an investigation into text book favoritism in Omaha not long ago found our present superinténd- ent of schools making the admission that he had been liberally subsidized by the school box trust, under pretense of enn.ln;hlmb'rlhlehwron Ne- braska for a téxt bonk on m‘nphy it was preparing to sell to our schools. OUR POREIGN FRIENDS, The president of -the great steel cor- poration found among-the people of Eu- rope with .whom he came in contact only friendship and admiration. for this country. ~Mr. Schwab met leading financiers and manufacturers who it ap- pears were very much lmpressed with the combination of which he is the head and which he is now more strongly con- vineed than before he went to Europe is a great thing for our iron and steel industries. That may prove to be the case it economy and reduction in cost, which Mr. Schwab says are the objects in view, shall be attained and the con- sumers of the products of steel are thereby benefited. As yet; however, the steel trust, while paying large dividends to stockholders, has shown no disposi- tion to consider the Interests of con- sumers and it may fairly be doubted if it will ever do so. 'As to the friendship of ‘foreign finan- clers and manufacturers, It is very ques- tionable if it exists to the extent indi- cated by the statement of the president of the steel corporation, whose observa- tion was doubtless confined to a Mmited cirele. There is quite as trustworthy authority for saying that many Euro- pean manufacturers, who have suffered from American competition, do not feel at all friendly toward this and would like to find & practicable to Ao KRR oy 8 s S THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1902. shut out or put-a check upon our com- petition. In view of the suggestions in this direction that have come from Euro- pean statesmen, who must be presumed to know the sentiment among their peo- ple engaged in the Industries, It is not posdible to belleve: that all European financlers and ‘manufacturers are friendly to the United States and admire us for having taken their trade. Perhaps the feeling of commercial hostility toward the United States In Europe has somewhat abated, but it is by no means entirely dissipated, and while the idea of a continental alliance to check American competition has prob- ably been abandoned as unattainable, there is no, assurance that European countries wil not discriminate against our products in thelr tariffs. S UNANIMOUS FOR TAX REDUCTION. The passage in the house of repre- sentatives of the bill repealing the war taxes by a unanimous vote was extraor- dinary. It was a sagacious move, from a political point of view, on the part of Mr. Richardson, the democratic leader, in asking unanimous consent that the bill be put upom its passage without debate, since it enabled the democrats to go on record in favor of tax reduction with as much prestige as the republicans. Had the usual course been pursued there would have been democratic objections to the measure, and while of course these would have been futile, they might have been made to do service against the party. As we remarked at the thme the ways and means committee recommended the repeal of the war taxes, one of the ef- fects will be the cessation of agitation for general tariff reVision, which, how- ever, had alrendy practically ceased. ‘What effect, it any, the action of the house will have upon the question of granting tariff concessions to Cuba, re- mains to be seen, but it 18 certalnly not favorable to any large eoncession. The house has doue its duty fn relleving the American people of taxation to the amount of $77,000,000 and If the senate concurs the government cannot afford to make any great sacrifice of ‘tarift revenue in the interest of the Cuban sugar and tobacco growers. The goy- ernment will continue to have ample revenue, after the repeal of the war taxes goes into ‘effect, for all legitimate expenses, but it cannot safely cut off much more revenue. It i1s possible that .the senate will make changes in the house bill and that & few of the taxes repealed by that measure will be retained. We think it safe to say, however, that in the main the bill will have the support of the sénate republicans and that it will pass that body without any material changes. Mhmdnumumthawbucup- proval of this legislation and the’ re- publicans of the senate are not likely to disregard the public will and also the plofl.notmelxmhrmurlyrweu of the war taxes. y: —— BY ALL MEANS SELL. The intimation has been glven ont that the auditorium directors have an' oppor- tunity to sell the auditorium site and get back not only the $60,000 which has been locked up there, but also an addi- tional §20,000 or $25,000, which would 80 to increuse the building fund., If this s a bona flde offer rather than an attempt to frighten people interested in the present location into coming to the front with more subscriptions, it should by all means be promptly accepted, The fundamental mistake committed by the auditorium promoters was the im- pounding of the greater part of their re- sgurces by a purchase of real estate forced under the influence of those who had property interests to subserve. By this hasty action money that was sub- scribed for the purpose of erecting an auditorium bullding was used for a real estate speculation, with a resulting de- pletion of the auditoriom fund, from which'it has not yet recovered. If the directors can get their money out of the site again and turn it back to the orig- inal purpose of construction they should not hesitate to do so. Should this be accomplished, there s 1o good reason why a site equally well located and suitable should not be se- cured without drawing materially upon the construction fund at the present time. This could be done in oné of two ‘ways—either by lease of the ground, sub- Ject to an annual rental, payable out of the income of the auditorium, or by re- quiring the owners of the property to take at least half of the purchase price in' auditorium stock, The advantage that would be gained by sucha course would far outweigh any loss occusiohed by & change of site. even if all of the subscriptions conditional upon the pres- ent location should be entirely with- drawn. Had this course been pursped from the first the auditorium would now have been well under way, ==’= 3 And now we are told that the Omaha attorneys who howled loudest for the re- establishment of the supreme court com- mission are decidedly dissatisfied with its operation. Of course, Omaba at- torheys have no reason to expect better tyeatment or more favorable notice of thelr superior legal attainments than at- torneys from other parts of the state, but the fact remains that they profess disappointment in thelr expectations. To .the lay observer, however, the su- préme court commisgion seems to be doing preeisely what was anticipated. The commission §s confessedly a. tem- porary makeshift, designed to bridge the period ‘until the supreme court can be enlarged by constitutional amendment. The trouble bas been that many attor- peys preferred to content themselves with the makeshift rather than work for the permanent addition of more judges on the supreme bench. That was one of the contributing causes of the defeat of the amendment When it was sub- mitted five years ago. If the attorneys arg flnally waking up to the realities of the situation there may. be some hope of carrying' the amendment when it is sub- mitted another time, The last large tract of white pine in the state of Wisconsin which had not previously passed into the hands of the lumbermen, has now been transferred to them. Of course there are many tracts which have not been denuded of timber, but at the present rate not many years will have elapsed before those magnificent forests will be a thing of the past. The lumberman Is leaving a serious problem for the coming genera- tions to solve In the restoration of what he is destroying. The Real Estate exchange must pos- sess its soul In patience until the su- preme court clears the way for the next move in the campaign for tax reform, but at the same time it can line up for another inning. And when its gets through with the city’ assessment it will have the pleasure of tackling the county assessment, which contains Inequalities Just as gross, Any Port in N Detroit Free Press. On account of diplomatic exigencies Great Britain has decided that the Japanese are to be considered ex-officio an Anglo-Saxon race. Will Bargains Pay? Kansas City Journal. The Danish islands have not cest much. Let us hope that they will not be like soi other islands-—cheap to buy, but expensive to keep. Pletorial Gold Bricks. Chicago Chronicle. The prevalent infatuation of American money for forelgn art is bringing its inevit- able result. The pictorial gold brick is ready for gullible investors. It requires as much astuteness to buy a good plcture at a fair price as to detect a salted mine. ek Sy Not as Small Painted. Chicago Record-Herald. Congressman Wheeler of Kentucky re- ferred to Prince Heéary as “the little Dutch- man.” ' The prince is six feet and helf an inch tall, weighs 182 pounds and always keeps in the piok of physical condition. What do they call & good-sized man in Kentucky, any ; # Throws Up the Sponge. Washington Post. Mr. Moreton Frewen has formally and un- reservedly admitted the fallure of the free silver cause. For the benefit of some of our younger readers we will state that free silver was a fetish advocated strenuously by the decomratic party in 1896 and dodged to beat the band in,1900. ‘Where Reform s Needed. Baltimore American. The protest of women travélers to the president concerning the customs regu- lations at the port of New York contains a serious charge in their complaints of insulting and _jmpertinent treatment. Civility to citizens should be the keynot of the entire public service, and if these complaifits are foynd to be well grounded such a state of affairs should be promptly remedied. —_— A Hint to the Trusts. Brooklyn Bagle. ‘Wisdom and prudence dictate that obvious and notable abuses gpringing from combina- tions should be cerrected mow while the combinations afe {n good odor rather than be left to pile up for a dire day of reckon- ing, which, if it ¢omes, will amount to an Industrial _Tevolution. The combinations should submit to discipline at the hands of their friends rather than wait for pumish- ment from their énemies. Knee Breeches and Pumps. Boston Herald. It appears to have been settled that our officlal representatives to the coronation must wear knee breeches after all. Thelr toggery will be an ordinary blick evening dress coat and waistcoat, with tight-fitting black cloth knee breeches, black silk stock- ings and pumps. The special and regular representatives ‘of the United States will be the only people at the coronation thus attired, since everybody else is required to e either In full uniform or in what' is known as court dress. They say that Am- bassador Choate has been appearing at all court balls, state concerts and dinners glven by the sovereign in these clothes, in which he looks well, being endowed with a particularly plump pair of calves, St NO PRINCESSES IN AMERICA. President Roosevelt's Daughter at the Coronation. Baltimore American (rep.) . The press dispatches tell us that Miss Alice Roosevelt s to go to the coronation of Edward VII, king of England, as a sort of adjunct to our,special embassy. From the éame source we glean the information that when the daughter of our president arrives at the court of St. James she is to be treated with the same marks of honor and distinetion as are accorded to prin- cesses. In other words, she is to figure as the child of the ruler of one of the great powers of the earth. This ls not pleasant reading for democratic America. Miss Roosevelt is g most cherming young girl—she is not.yet 18. She has recently bad some plctures’ taken. They show her to be a child of prepossessing face and form. o wears her gowns well and fis, withal, good, average specimen of sweet American girlhood. That she can outshine all the sprigs of royalty who will throng Westminster abbey we have no doubt. In the princesses’ section of the reserved seats she will be as a bright and shining star. Her face will be an attraction—it will be & relief from those of the other daughters of rulers, who, by Inf of royalty, have all come to look wlike. As an American girl she would shine there in & way to please all Americans. But this princess business cannot be swallowed. Every American girl s a queen; of psuedo-princesses we have mone. Nor will we. The father of Alice Roose- velt is not the ruler of this nation! Our presidents are not rulers. Here the people are sovereign. Presidents are the servants of the people, who make and unmake them; who may regulate their tenure of office, fix their salaries, and, if occasion demands it, impeach and drive them into oblivion. No presidest has ever ruled this country; mone ever will. The people rule, an President Roosevelt s, as.one ex-president has stated, coarsely perhaps, but aptly, their “hired man.” Should he consent that his daughter go to the coronation to rank as the daughter of the ruler of the United States the presi- dent will fiing down &« gauge which the American people will not fall to pick up. ‘We bave no real princesses; we will have mo counterfelt ones. Let Alice Roosevelt §0 to the ceromation as the sweet and at- tractive American girl she is an nation will follow her tylumphs over royaity with pride and interest. But let her go masquerading a8 & princess, daughter of & ruler who is only & servant, and we shall hear the storm which will break about the sresident’s head. Advertising Values Chicago Chronicle. 1t does not need much argument to con- vince the modern world of the value of advertising. There are still some among the professions, so-called, whose exponents look upon almost any direct means of tell- Ing the world what they profess to be able to do as more or less derogating from tho dignity of the profession. But even among such as these there are not wholly want- ing signs that they are beginning to sus- pect the mistaken policy of permitting the pretenders to take and keep the ear of the world. They give some indications of a willingness to take the common sense view of the shrewd preacher who admitted that it is bad policy to “let the devil have all the good times." The modern world has become a reading world. 1t does mot trust any more to the spoken fracsmission of news from man to man any more than to handing along the history of men's doings by oral tradition. Along with this almost universal practice ot reading bas come that of advertising in printed form or readable form of some kind that each, one of us pursues. Naturally the leading medium for thie recognized practice of advising our fellow men of what we can do gravitated to the newspaper, the medium through. which men learn what is know: the news of the world. Essentially the spreading of knowl- edge of where forms of business are trans- acted is news as truly as spreading knowl- edge of anything else. Ingenuity of self-interest—the desire to “make money”—led some men to invant other ways of adertising for which the inveators could get payment and their name is leglon. “Wall paper,” as it is called, of all kinds, billboards, programs of all the infinite variety of entertalnments, circulars, many forms of books which but for the fact that thelr cost is defrayed by the ad- vertisers who can be persuaded to use them, would never be printed, and count- less other schemes for promoting alleged publicity have grown up until many who have business to advertise give no small part of their time to listening to solicita- tions. Every “manager” of a doubtful con~ cert or recital seeks to thus lire the publie into paying the cost of his programs. The visitor to every theater must turn over many inky pages before he can find the bill of the play he has come to see. Every city street is disfigured with huge, ungainly blllboards. Through the country houses and barns and fences and rocks are made unsightly with painted placards of pills and potions. Many business men seem to think it cheaper to pay for most of these schiemes than to spend time in'trying to say no to solicitors Business men, however, -give evidence of beginning to discriminate between the kind of advertising that is of valueand’ the many kinds that are worthless. , Some time ago the Board of Trade of a large New England ecity appointed a committee made up of practical business men to investigate and report upon the whole question and the report recently made is detalled and exhaustive. It sets out a-great, variety of facts which were unearthed fn the course of the investigation, many of them very curlous and some very am , Touching the issue of books of ephemeral character, the report details one case where'a'large number of advertisements were secured on the representation that 10,000 copies of the book would be printed and distributed, while the, projectors collected from ad- vertisers several times the whole cost of the work done. In fact, no books were printed except enough to show to advertis- ers, who thought themselves shrewd in in- sisting on seelng a copy. The committee gave especial attention to the practice of advertising. in programs, theatrical and other, and, reached the con clusion that it is practically without valus One curlous and amusing instance of test- ing it s detalled wherein certaln trades- men, ‘quite & number of them apparently, advertised in_ certaln programs that for some plausible reason they would give away certain articles of trade usually in fair di mand. The programs appear to have been some of the great value of which as ad- vertising mediums great things wers prom- ised and some of. the advertisers rather trembled for the possible result. As ter of fact, no one of them ever much as one single call for the articles so advertised, though the ordinary sales con- tinued as usual. These are examples of the facts un- earthed and the unqualified, positive recom- mendation of the committee is the complete abandonment by business men of all these advertising devices and the concentration of all the money that all business men can devote to advertising in the columns of the legitimate mediums for such busi- ness, the newspapers. That this agitation runs along with a general movement against the unsightly billb:2.d indicates a fresh application of common semse to the gemeral comduct of business. ALLIES OF THE ORIENT. Philadelphia Record: The alllance of Great Britain and Japan is a pitting of the two greatest island empires against the greatest of the comtinental empires. Indlanapolis News: The probabllities are that Russia will merely be “‘checked” by the Anglo-Japanese alliance. It has been checked before, and in many parts of the world. But always its movement has been torward. Springfleld Republican: 8o far as Man- churia is concerned, however, this alliance doge mot promise to effect substanttal re- sufts, at this late day, unless the Jap- anese are now prepared, with British sup- port, to strike with all their military force against the advance of Russia in eastern Asla. New Yerk Work: Should war result be- tween Russia and Japan over Korea, as has been anticipated, the latter power would now have the support of England, whose naval operations are unaffected by the trouble in South Africa. Further moves on the Internatiomal chessboard in the east will be awaited with world-wide interest. New York Times: The publicatien of this treaty comes just after the publication of the protest against the signature of the treaty by which China was to make over Manchuria to R and that protest was subscribed by the United States, as well @8 by the contracting parties in this treaty. In effect, the British ‘proclamation of “Hands off!” is am American proclama- tion also. That fact will not fail te be noted in all the chancelleries. It is en- tirely safé to say that “the crime of 1895" will not be repeated. New York Tribune: There have been in- timations of late that Great Britain, Japan and the United States were working gether at Pekin to thwart Russian designs upon Manchuria. The three have a com- unity of interests in that part of the world, and are nafural and logical allies. The United States is not a party té this treaty. It does mot enter into such al ances. But it will welcome this treaty a guarantee of its own welfare, and will continue to give its cordlal sympathy and moral co-operation to the two great and triendly powers which have made it. Detroit Free Press: That Great Britain should have entered into such an app: ently jug-handled arrangement—that she should have turned her back on her tradi- tional policy of “magnificent isolation” in order to gain the support of a third-rate power like Japan is significant. An offen- Great Britain and aoy been & nine-days' sensation im Interna- tional politics; but when the nation is neither white mor Christian and Great Britain voluntarlly agrees to pay a usu- rious rate of interest om the investment, the wonder must be increased. PERSONAL NOTES. Prince Heury soon after returning from the United States will celebrate the quar- ter centenary of his service in the navy. Senator Hanna now bas in his possession the pen with which Speaker Thomas B. Reed signed the famous McKinley tarift act, Thetus W. Sims, & representative in con- gress from Tennesses, was working thirty years ago in a brick yard at §1 a day and later wandered over the Big Bend state with the pack of a peddier on Nis back. Hon, Martin I. Townsend, the oldest lv- ing graduate of Williams coll bas just celebrated his §2d birthday at Troy, N. Y. He is the oldest member of the New York State Board of Regents, having served since 873 General Russell A. Alger, in & recent speech on the reforesting of barren lands, urged that German. system of malntain- ing the Black forest should be carried out in the pine barrens of the United States and especially in Michigan. J. A. Howell brother of William Dean Howells, still s the paper, the Ashta- bula Sentinel, upon which the no worked when a boy. Mr. Howells ys: “I was born in the room next to the one in which my father worked om the St. OClairsville (0.) Gasette and I have never been much further from s printing ofice since.” Chekib Bey, diplomatic representattve of Turkey iu Washington, is oficially unknown to the Roosevelt administration, though he bas been in the national capital eix months. He reached Washington just before Presi- dent McKinley’s departure for Bu! and after the tragedy there his creden: had to be returned to Purkey for necessary changes as to the personnel of this. gov- ernment. The corrected papers baye not yet arrived and Chekib Bey h still & of- fictal retiremieat. ! ROUND ABOUT NEW YORK. Ripples on the Current of Life in the Metropolts. A strenuous gas meter tucked away in a corner of a home In the suburbs of ago, worked up a bill for $1.65 for gas which the owner claimed he did not contract for. He re- fused to pay and the cémpany turned off the gas. The owner happemed to be & ll'yer with time to burn, 80 he called the company into court, fought his claim tor dpmages tWrough the devious paths of litigation, and finally, in the supreme court, was awarded judgment for $4,300, The lawyer claimed that the gas was turned on before he took possession of the house, and sued the company for falling to pro- vide bim with a meter or to give him any light at all. The judgment was obtained at the rate of $5 a day, which was fixed as a penalty for the fallure of the com- pany to turn on the gas. For 195 days the lawyer burned kerosene lamps, and then sued for $985. The action was tried in four courts, the company refusing etfll to turn on the gas, and the plaintiff won every time. Now the corporation, for fighting over a bill of $1.65,"has to pay $5 for each of the 730 days, besides the costs of the suits. It was a pleasant day on Wall street, relates the New York Evening Post. Old Trinity faced the usual busy crowd of brokers, some sad, some gay. In a private office on the first floor of a great building a gray-haired man sat calmly at a desk. It was the sort of face that steadies one in a worldly atmosphere. The door opened, and & man entered whose bearing indicated the unscrupulous promoter. He began at once: “You see, we are in search of men like you to become directors of our company. There are great prospects and lots of money. If the thing goes through all right, there will be a handsome profit for those concerned, especially for persons on the inside; (Here there’was a curious little wink.) Big men are in the scheme, and we are in search of one or two more of your caliber. Will you go in?" “I bave no money to invest in such enter- ,"" sald the older man. just it. You meed mot put in a cent. Only I use your nhme, and we will do the “But I have not time to attend board meetings, and I certainly would not con- nect myself with any concern with whose aftalrs 1 was not famillar. I cannot join you. & “Let us get down to business,” said the promoter. “You have reputation; we have money. A fair exchange is no robbery. We will give. you $50,000 in cash for the use of your name. You will be in good company. Now will you join us?" “No; I will not.” ““What, not for $50,000 in cash “No, sir; not for $50,000 in cash.” “Well, you are a ‘queer sald the promoter, a8 he reached for his hat to go. This is & true story, and yet they say that every other man you meet on Wall tree worships the almighty dollar! The highest priced bit of land In New York,City. {8 & triangular plat 15x18 feet on Broadway, near Herald Square. What glves it extraordinary value is the fact that the rest of 'the" block s owned by a-department. store’ cbfupany. A writer in the Saturday Evening ‘Post says when the agents. of tho. department store people sought the owngh.b#) bad gone to Burope [They . wrote and- m to cable a proposition. . He replied that he would sell for .$125,000. Tbey lamghed at him and offered him something fess, He didn't even answer. Finally they offered him $125,000, and he told them that B8 price had risen and was now $150,000. Théy offered him $140,000 and he declined. Then they rose to $150,000, and he told them that his price was $175,000.. Before they could close he had jumped 1t to $190,000, then to $210,- 000," to $226,000," and finally $375,000. This for a bit of ground that hae in it 216 square feet, or at the rate of nearly $2,000 for every square foot! The department store people indignantly declined to buy. When they woke up they found that a little mer- chant with a speculative mind and con- siderable backing had snapped up the parcel at the owner's.figure. All this occurred inside of three months. The proprietors of the department store mow find them- #gelves in this predicament: They have & huge plot of ground contalning about four acres, for which they have pald emormous prices and on which they are proceeding with the construction of & bullding to cost several million dollape, while the vital cor- mer, & mere speck of ground, is demied them, except at a price that makes even New York stare. An Irishman, bent on showing his recently arrived friend the eights of New /York, took him to the bridge at Fifty-Afth street, over the railroad tracks, near the entrance to the Fourth avenue tunnel. While they were ad- miring the view, the hridge apd the tunnel the Fimpire state express passed under them with & roar and a rush that almest took thelr breath away and disappeared in the tunnel. “What d'ye thing of, that, Pat?" sald Mike to his dazed companion. “Well, Mike,” rejolned Pat, as he gazed at the gaping orifice that had just swallowed the rushing train, ““’tls o mighty small hole and a mighty big train. If them cars iver miss it there's going to be a horfible smash some day. LINES TO A SMILE. Washington Star: ‘“Some wen,” 'sald Uncle Eben, “‘treats delr lwuu befter dan dey does delr wive o SePaan"adie men’'s hosses treal ‘wives does." Cleveland Plain Dealer: '\ Yes, I saw your tather and it's afl right. “Splendid! How did you accomiplish such a delightful resuit?” “I got the janitor to crack on all the heat he could and concentrats ft in your father's office.” ‘Well, 1t thawed him out.” Chicago Tribune: “When people learn how mich alum. there 18 in 16" rersarked the doctor, “it will be good-by baking powder." “And’ that,” retorted the prafessor, ing his lul "Ltk ba the cream of tasta. Philadelphia Recor he was a mll"onnlm" She—No: a milline He—Well, “that shotld be the sume thing if hie coliccts his bills regularly. Judge: Miss Kitty—Don't you want to teach me to skate, Mr. Stmpson?. Mr. Simpson—I'd be chatmed, Miss Kitty, but I don't skate. Miss Kitty—Is that ur Well, then, Boston Transcript: Carrie—What hatetul ml"r they will say about people! Tha! Mrs. Tattler declares you nocapted the first man who proposed te Bertha—Well, she fsn't far oft. I did Accept the first man whom I perml!\ed to propose to me; Pml-aelnhu Pren Cusey—Did you say ranni had q Sl asaldy —Ave! He tote his place lasht Cmy—shure‘ he told me he had a loife job. Caseldy—So he aid. he wurk'd, he knowed THE SPECTACLE OF SPECTACLES, He-—))ld. you say 0 Simpson? et me teach v "Pwas i a (a0’ the. blast. wint oft Petoor J. J. Montague In Portland Oregonian. Fiercely roars the raging five, engines dash from all around, Flames shoot out ffom every window, with a snapping, cracking sound Yet no crowd, in wild exeitement 'round the bullding rocks and sways, Breathing groans and moans of horror at {he ulghts that meet thelr gase. Not one lone spectator- shudders at ‘the havoe of the heat, For the people all aré gathered at the dog fight up the' street. Far away our gallant soldiers fall ke ten- e Fi[“llng i the nn ‘shall pefllh o’ the ‘enemy sh, leld. On *the “board. upou the corner dreadful bulleting are spread, 'x‘emn: of the nwrul detutls, setttng forth lists of Yet no eager mronx Jalts’ breathless to peruse each' later sheet For the crowd, of course, u sathored st the dog fight up the stree In the {heaters the abtors play to rows of emp Vacant 1s each office building, for the in- mates are downstal Empty ‘every store'and warehouse, Hefess every market In nomy and shop, and gin mill, 18 no sign of human face. Not a single, stolid. copper Japatrolling on at, is ‘sathered at :the Buary. ane. perfobos; dog fight up the street.. There's no_spectacle %6 thriling in m. world of wild alarms Thal a crowd will not desert it for a dfll t's subgtle charms, nenlf. and war, and .hunlneu failure, mar- riage, love 6r All are sid: tracked #mdmpu ‘hall ais- cover which, dog “g' Nothing else can wisld a power so en- o Lireliing and complete. found and sou wm(,.;nn. as a dog B Rt the sweet Sunrise or Sunset? Which shall your mirror-say? If the %rmd, then your hair is rich and dark, long.and.. heavy; if the latter, if is short and falling, thin and gray. The choice is yours,—for Ayer’s Hair- Vigor always restores color to: gray hur, Stops. ‘falling of the hair, and makes the" hair W long and heavy. “ Your Hair Vigor has surned ful for what it has done for me, SL0A. Al dragpiets.