Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, June 21, 1902, Page 6

| i | THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 190 THE ©OMAHA DAILY BEE E. ROSBEWATER, EDITOR, PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. oot e TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION: Rny Bee (without Sunday), One Year lly Bee and Sunday, Urie Year... $4.00 6.00 unday Bee, One Year Ellus!mu-u Bee, One L1 | r, ( D BY CARRIER. afly Bee (without Sunday), per cop | lly Bee (without Sunday), per week..l2c | ally Bee (ncluding Sunday), per week 17 unday Bee OPY.evis . o | regularitie y ery Jouid be addressed to City Circulation partment OFFICES. Building. Hall Bullding, Twen- Omaha—The F South Omaha— -filth and M streets. Councli Bluffs—1v Pearl icago—1tdy Unity Building. rk—Temple Court hington—wl Fourteenth Btreet. CORRESPONDENCE. Communications relating to news and ditorial matter should be addressed: maha Bee, Lditorial Department BUSINESS LETTERS. Business letters and romittances should ¢ addressed: The Bee Publishing Com- pany, Omaha. REMITTANCES, Remlt by draft, express or postal order, ayable to The Bee Publishing Company, nly 2-cent stamps ucwrml in payment of all accounts. Personal checks, except on maha or castern exchange, not accepted. THE BEE PUBLISHING' COMPANY, BTATEMENT OF CIRCULATION. Bate of glehnuskn. Douglas County, es.: George B, "Tzschick, secretary of The Bee Publishing’ Company, belng duly sworn, ays that the actual number of full and ompiete copies of The Daily, Morning, veling and Sunday Bee printed during e month of May, 18, was as ollow Street. PELEERRRPEEREEES Net total sales Net dally average, HUCK, sworn to A. D. 1901 NGATE, Notary Pubile. e David B. Hill evidently still labels himself as a democrat. — To anxious Inquirer: No, the corona- tlon bas nothing to do with Carrlenation. —————— With the house pulling for Nicaragua and the senate for Panama, an arbi- tration committee will have to come to the rescue, Subscribed tn my presence betore me this 3ist day of My (Seal.) . B, H Douglas county democrats fight it out n thelr primaries, but they never know who they are for until the convention starts working. E— Coming down to hard pan, the only feally tall timber before the republican $tate convention was planted in the lieutenant governor's place, - What would our Herald do to fill up its editorfal columns if it did not have Rosewater as a peren- hial subject for discussion? esteemed World- S—————— When the New Jersey silk mills re- Bume, after agreement between men and pwners, the word will come that every- thing 1s again “finer than silk.” — An Omaha man suddenly dropped dead after voting at a democratic pri- mary. Moral—Vote the republican ticket that you may live long and prosper, e France's historic king will have to take off his hat to the Omaha school Mrd when it comes to marching up the hill and then marching down again, Bryan's advantage as an editor will now come into play. He can take his pen in hand and tell just what he thinks of the oratory served up at the Tilden club feast. Colonel —_— We presume the democratic system in Yogue here with a day Intervening be- tween primary and convention s de- signed especlally for the benefit of those Wwho operate on the political live stock exchange, ——— Congress is expected to adjourn Avithin another two weeks, but the leave- to-print privilege will not be withdrawn until all members have ample oppor- tunity to get thelr campaign speeches in type at government expense, SE——— Not content with casting advance ‘oroscopes for the convention, the po- Utical astrologers insist on making mind readings to explain the results. And thelr post-prandial dissertations are about as wide of the mark as their pre- wvious dlagunosis. The north half of the Loulsyille rail- road bridge was assessed In Indiana for $1,000,000 for 1901. The west half of the Union Paclfic Omaba bridge is as- sessed for $1,568 in Nebraska. The rallroad tax burcau can explain this discrepancy by pointing to the fact that ‘The Bee building was assessed for only $165,000 in 1901 ——— The attempt to name a street adjoin- ing the federal building in Baltimore \after Our Dave falled because it was misplaced. It should have been directed toward giving his name to the street ad- Joining the house that Mercer builds, RATLROAD TAXATION IN KENTUCKY. By a decision of the court of appeals the raflroad corporations of Kentucky will be compelled to pay each year large sums to the various towns and cities. Only re- cently the assessmenlz of the railways of the state have been increased from 30 io 100 per cent by the State Board of Valua- tion and Assessment, and under the decision handed down today the same basis will be employed by the citles and counties, taue greatly Increasing the fixed charges of tle various raflways, and particularly the Loulsville & Nashville, which suffered an Increase of 100 per cent, its franchise being valued at $60,000,000, as against $30,000,000 heretofore. The decision was in the case of the Southern Rallway agalnst Auditor Coulter and other members of the State Board of Assessment and Valuation 1t upheld the judgment of the lower court.— Frankfort (Ky.) special to Chicago Tribune. This righteous decision of the Ken tucky supreme court establishes a prec dent which sooner or later will be fol- lowed in every state of the union in spite of raflroad attorneys and tax bu- reaus. The railroads have always ex- erted a powerful political influence in Kentucky, but in spite of all of the pressure they could bring the assess ments have been increased by the State Board of Assessment this from 30 to 100 per cent. It will be noted that the assessment of the franchises of the Louisville & Nashville alone has been raised from $30,000,000 to $60,000,000. If the fran- chise of the Louisville & Nashville rail- road is worth $60,000,000 in Kentucky, how much Is the franchise of the Unlon Pacific worth in Nebraska? How much is the franchise of the Burlington worth, and how much those of the other roads’ Up to this time these franchises, which year are worth not less than $200,000,000, have escaped taxation altogether, but that is not all. The tangible property of the railroads has practically been ex- empt from taxation for municipal pur- poses. Under the decision of the Kentucky Supreme court the property and fran- chises of railronds will pay just the same taxes in cities as all other classes of property. That principle will in due time prevail in Nebraska. Nowhere is the discrimination more flagrant than in the assessment at Omaha. Under the assessment made by the state board this year the west half of the Unlon Pacific railrond bridge, assessed for when it should pay 000. The Fremont & Elkhorn road for all its property, in- cluding right-of-way, depot grounds, depots, terminals and property of every description, is assessed at $12,000, and will pay $387 In city taxes, when it should by rights pay at least $4,000 to $6,000. The Burlington passenger and freight depots, depot grounds, terminal facilities, sidetracks and equipment will pay only $522 in taxes for city purposes in 1902, when they ought to pay at least from $9,000 to $10,000. ‘When all the railroads and other cor- porations enjoying valuable speclal privileges pay their share toward the cost of state and city government, the tax rate will be reduced proportionately and property values will increase. In the end the consumer pays the frelght. The rallroads levy the taxes on the products of the state and their own taxes are included and collected before they pay their assessments, E— TRE SPUONER SUBSTITUTE. The passage by the senate of the Spooner substitute for the Nlcaragua canal bill that passed the house will be satisfactory to everybody except the ex- treme advocates of the Nicaragua route, who are unmoved by argument or facts. The substitute is, of course, a com- promise. It does not determine the route to be selected, placing thls re- sponsibility upon the president under certain clearly specified conditions. If the president finds that the Panama Canal company can convey to the United States a satisfactory title and there can be secured from the govern- ment of Colombla by treaty control of the necessary territory as specified in the bill, then the president shall select the Panama route. Should it be found that these requirements cannot be met the president is authorized to proceed with the construction of a canal by the Nicaragua route, having first secured by treaty with Nicaragua and Costa Rica the necessary territory and other con- cessions. It 18 the opinion of some of the ablest lawyers in the senate that there will be no difficulty in securing a clear and satisfactory title to the property of the Panama Canal company. As to the concesslons that will be required from Colowbla, it is also belleved that there will be little difficulty in obtalning them. The government of that republic has shown a most earnest desire that the United States shall complete the canal and has recently signified its willing- ness to grant the most liberal conces- slons to this government. There are certainly no greater difficulties, as shown by negotiations thus far, In the way of securiug necessary councesslons from Colombia than from Nicaragua and Costa Rica. All these countries are anxious, there is no doubt, to make the best bargain they can, but they will finally accept such terms as the United States deems to be fair and reasonable. The two routes have received the most thorough investigation and considera tion and the welght of expert and sclen- tHi¢” opinion is unquestionably on the side of Panama. Both are practicable, but the Panama is the safer route, as has been abundantly demonstrated by recent conditions. The highest scien- An that case, however, we will probably iye to look for Mercer street neither in Baltimore nor \n Omaha, but in Min- \Deapolis. SEET— Ex President Cleveland’s references to a democracy for the future “uncor- rupted by offers of strange alliances” were doubtless designed for .the benefit -of democrats iu the western states stuck to the fusion fly paper by molasses of patronage and spolls. But Mr. Cleve- land’s adwmonition will only make the Nebraska flies more greedy for the fu- | diction can be made. slon aduesive plaster, tific opinion s unfavorablé to Nicaragua and although the extreme partisans of that route have persistently endeavored to discredit this opinion it s undoubt- edly accepted by a large majority of the public. A canal on the Panama route would cost for construction consider- ably less than by the Nicaragua route and as the cost of either will be great the financial consideration is important. Whether or not the house will adopt the Spooner substitute for its bill is a question about which no confident pre- What is known as the Hepburn bill was passed by the house with practical unanimity, only three votes béing recorded against it. Undoubtedly there has since been a very considerable change of opinion among house members, but perhaps not suffi clent to pass the substitute. The proba- bility is that the house will adhere to the Nicaragua bill and in that there will be no canal legislation at this sesslon. case PARTY ORG. A question has arisen whether the re- publican state convention just held placed the authority to appoint the sec- retary and other officers of the state committee with the state chairman or with the candidates on the state ticket. The precedent was set by the state con- vention of 1001 to vest the chairman with the power to name the secretary. We think this precedent is all wrong be- cause it proceeds on the mistaken theory that the secretary is a clerk to the chair- man instead of an officer of the com- mittee who should derive his authority from and be responsible to the same body as the chairman, The convention itself, of course, is the embodiment of the party and after its adjournment the party organization is represented by the state committee, whose members tire directly accountable to their constituencies in their respective districts, The officers of the committee should be chosen by the convention or by the state committee. The secretary in particular should be a man of ca- pacity and experience, in touch with political conditions and able to perform his duties without waiting on the chair- man for minute directions, Under present circumstances, it may make no difference in the character of the officers no matter by whom they are named, but the principle of direct re- spousibility to the rank and file of the party through its convention or state committee should be applied to all the officers of the party in its organized capacity. 1ZATIO, — DEMOCRATIC REHABILITATION, over Cleveland and David B. Hill have told the democrats of the country what they deem to be necessary to/ the rehabilitation of the party, Both rec- ognize the fact that the partly is badly disorganized, that it has wandered away from its traditional principles and that the only hope for it is to get back upon the old lines. Both plead for harmony and both profess faith that the democ- racy will somehow or other escape from its present unhappy condition and be restored to popular confidence, Mr. Cleveland deprecated the calling of harsh names and inaugurating a sys- tem of arbitrary proscription and ban- {shment, as has been done by the Bryan- ites. He also administered a slap to that political element when he said that the democratic party never thrives “by an Insincere play upon unreason- ing prejudice and selfish anticipa- tion.” He must have had in mind when he made this declaration the class appeals and the invocations to prejudice of the democratic leader in the last two national campalgns. In the opinion of Mr. Cleveland the democracy has al- ready in store the doctrines for which it fights fits successful battles and, of course, he regards the tariff as chief in importance. He did not ove “huge industrial aggregation when president he did nothing to re- press, but he was chiefly concerned about tbe system of tariff taxation “Whose robbing exactions are far be- yond the needs of economical and legl- timate goverment expenditure,” and he wondered that this had been subordi- nated by democrats, apparently forget- ting the bitter experience of the country as the result of his tariff policy. David B. Hill discussed the democratic situation as a politiclan who is not averse to playlng the part of dema- gogue. He assailed the foreign policy of the administration, denounced President Roosevelt for what he said in his Dec- oration day address, charged that free speech had been suppressed, talked about the failure to do something for the Boers and abused General Wood. What this has to do with rhabilitating the democratic party is not apparent, but this and much more of the same character, constituted the greater part of the speech made by Mr. Hill at the opening of the Tilden club quarters in New York. He further disclosed his character as a demagogue by lauding Clevland and extolling Bryan—which must have been anything but pleasing to the former, who is not a demagogue or a hypocrite. There 1s nothing in the speech of Mr. Hill that is likely to be helpful to the democracy. * The democratic party was never in a more hopless condition than now. The course of its representatives in congress has increased the party demoralization, and the efforts of some of the leaders, or would-be leaders, to reorganize the party, have only had the effect of ag- gravating its unhappy condition and still further weakening it in popular confidence, by more fully exposiug its lack of statesmanship, patriotism and progressive ideas. It is evidently not so much what Rose- water did in the convention that wor- ries the local popocratic organ but what he did wot do. 1t was hoping the con- vention would renominate Savage and Stuefer and suppress the demand for the taxation of corporate franchises and that Rosewater would dreate a scene on the floor. Because the convention put up new candidates for governor and treasurer, gave Douglas county the lleu- tenant governorship, and inserted a strong tax reform plank in the platform, the popocrats are dismally and dread- tully disappointed and, as usual, want to lay the blame for all their woes on Rosewater. —— The rallroads of Nebraska must have money to burn but not to pay taxes, Thelr tax bureau has made a contract with an Omaha agency for placing cuts of 812 inches of their Bulletin Number 11, advertising Rosewater and The Bee as tax shirkers, with the fol- lowing imstructions: “Please send copy of your paper to each of the railroad offices in Omaha, the B. & M., Union Pacific, the Elkhorn and to me for checking purposes each week. If this work is dene In good shape we expect to continue beyond the 812 inches.” If this work keeps up the railroad mana- gers will wake up some morning to find the state all ablaze and no escape in sight even In a cyclone cellar, Whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad. A trip through Nebraska at this sea- son of the year, when corn shoots are leaping out of the ground, affords the best object lesson on what constitutes the basis of Nebraska's greatness and prosperity. As a corn state, Nebraska brooks no eompetition. Mutual Rellef. Baltimore American. From the eagerness with which Boers and British are falling on each other's necks it is evident that each is grateful for the help given to let the other go. A Common Impulse. Chicago Post. Hats off to Rear Admiral Clark! Here is at least one officer of the rank who has kept his uniform free from dust and has done nothing to cause any brother officer to use a clothes brush. A Foregone Conclusion. Baltimore American. A letter was lately recelved at the pen- slon office asking that the writer's pension be reduced, as he thought it was too large. When the first shock was over an investi- gation was made. The writer was found to be insane. A bit of practical comment on patriotic human nature is to be found in the fact that this result gurprised no one. Is it Money Well Spent? Philadelphia Ledger. It Secretary Root can Sustain his aeser- tion that the alleged bribe of $25,000 paid to Gomez was not only a legitimate ex- pense, but actually averted such a war with Cuba as we have had with the Philippines it was one of the best payments this coun- try ever made. Such a service would have been cheap at a thousand times the price. REAR ADMIRAL CLARK, Bestowal of Honors Conspleuously Well Deserved. New York Tribune. The promotion of Captain Charles E. Clark to be a rear admiral of the United States navy is conspicuously well deserved and will be applauded by the people of the United States with rare unanimity. There can be no invidiousness in saying that he was among those who did the nation best service in the Spanish war and concern- ing the value of whose services there was, and is, least ground for doubt or dispute. We have only to recall the simple facts of record. When the Maine was destroyed and war was seen to be Inevitable the eyes of the nation turned to Captain Clark and his ship. The hope of the nation was placed In his bringing the Oregon around to join our fleet in Caribbean waters and thus making the latter strong enough to cope with any fleet Spain might send against it. All through that long and arduous voyage the Oregon was followed by the American peo- ple with an anxlety seldom known in our history. When at last her safe arrival on the Florida coast was announced, ready for instant combat, there were universal rellef, exultation and confldence—sentiments amply vindicated a little later when the Oregon played so indispensable a part in the great sea drama off Santiago. We have only to remember these things to realize the hation’s debt of gratitude to Rear Admiral Clark. The man who, at little more than a moment's notice, could set out with his ship on a voyage such as no other battleship in the world had ever under- taken; who could take her through two oceans and three zones and all around a continent at racing speed with never a mishap or an hour's delay; who could rush her into the goal after such a voyage ahead of schedule time in perfect trim for imme- diate actlon; who could make her give so superb an account of herself in the ensuing battle, and who through it all could be so modest and void of mere self-seeking—such & man is made of the right stuff for high command in the service which has known a Decatur and a Farragut. We may not revive within us in these qulet days the thrill and the enthusiasm which the very name of the Oregon aroused only four years ago; but unless we would repudiate those former sentiments as spurious we shall do well to recognize with fullest earnestness the fitness of honoring the man who was responsible for and who is to be credited with the unparalleled achieve- ments of the Oregon in 1898, SWELLING PENSION ROLL. How the Roll of Honor the Years. Chicago Record-Herald (rep.). It 1s reported from the office of the com- missioner of pensions that the number of pensfoners April 30 was 998,303, and that there were 355,250 claims pending, of which 33,611 are due to the war with Spain. The correspondent of the Record-Herald who sends the figures suggests that some surprise will be felt at their magnitude. Surprise is certainly a mild feeling under the circumstances. It is now thirty-seven years since the close of the civil war, yet the number of pensioners is the largest in our history. There has been a steady in- crease, with but a slight setback in 1899 1900 since 1878, when the total was 223,998, This increase went on with accelerated speed toward the close of the decade 1880- 1800 and was given a new Impulse by the disability pension act of the year last named. During 1591 and 1892 it was at the rate of 200,000 a year, and in 1893 the total stood at 966,012. By that time the force of the new legislation was fully developed, but additions to the rolls have continued as indicated by the totals for the years named in the following table: Grows with In coneidering these flgures it must be remembered that ihere is a large number of deaths gvery year among the older peo- sioners and among those claiming from them. This accounts for the slight increase at the present time, and not any lack of applications. The last report of the com- missioner of pénsions showed that the orig- inal application on account of the civil war for the fiscal year ending June 31, 1901, amounted to about 30,000, and that the applications on account of the Spanish war for the same period numbered nearly 20,000, The pending Spanish claims of 33,611 rep- resents a very large percentage of the troops who saw actual service, and un- doubtedly many of them should and will be disallowed. It is simply impossible that an army of young men such as was called to- gether could present that number of just claims. Another noticeable feature of the applications in connection with the Spanish war is the large number of “remarried widows"” who are claimants under the act of March 3, 1901, O¥er 3,000 of them had appeared before June 30 of that year to seek restoration during a second widow- hood or divorces. And the possibilitities trom this viclous legislation are only dimly realized as yol Through Populist Glasses How Republican Convention Looked from Behind Them Nebraska Independent (pop.) The republican state convention Wednes- day renominated all the present state of- ficers except governor and treasurer. This will be regarded by Mr. Rosewater as a victory for himself, he having driven Gov- ernor Savage and Treasurer Stuefer out of the race. Right from the etart it was noticeable that the Elkhorn-Unien Pacific combination back of Roberston and the Burlington forces behind Dinsmore were in for a sham pro- tracted struggle. Early in the day it was sald that Thompson and Rosewater had combined to make Speaker Sears the nom- inee, but after the third ballot that gentle- man was practically out of the running. The night before the convention senti- ment seemed to point to Dinsmore of Clay as the man whom the Burlington was push- ing to the front, although the expression was frequently heard: *“Well, I don't know; you see, Mickey is neutral ground and it may go to* him.” “Neutral ground” had reference simply to the rallroads. Mickey is regarded as a Union Pacific man, located in what is really Burlington territory. He is the man who was mentioned a week or 80 ago by a prominent raliroad man at the Lindell hotel as the one “we have picked out.” John H. Mickey is a resident of Osceola, Polk county. He is described by the State Journal as a ‘“farmer, banker, old soldier and pfoneer.” By a curlous coincidence he is president of the same bank that Gov- ernor Nance was president of when he was nominated for governor; but Mr. Mickey was nominated on the thirteenth ballot— and that undoubtedly means that the par- allel will go no further. Rosey had his way in a great part. He had previously driven Governor Savage from the fleld because of the Bartley par- don—yet Governor Savage stands for an in- crease in raflroad assessments, something The Bee pretends to champlon. Just prior to the convention Treasurer Stuefer with- drew, “in the interests of harmony,” but really because of The Bee's onslaught. Treasurer Stuefer stands exactly on the same ground as does Auditor Weston on the rallrond assessment—yet Rosewater made fish of one and flesh of the other. Norris Biown ‘“sounded the keynote” In his speech as temporary chairman. As a keynote it was rather squeaky. 80 often that some really belleve it, that the present administration has conducted the state institutions a year and have a “eurplus” left of $87,231.61. Any one at all conversant with the matter knows that these figures are based on calling eloven months' expenditures the expenditures for " 1t is also well known that Mr Brown's figures do not include the expendi- tures at the penitentiary, where the re- publican warden used up the $35,000 main- tenance appropriation in ten months and will have about $49,000 deficlen@y by the time the next legislature acts; that they do not include the Kearney industrial echool, where Secretary Mallalieu used about $60,- 000 in one year of a $97,000 appropriation intended for two years. Brown makes an excellent speech of the “joshing” kind, but his statementa of fact cannot be relled upon. The platform is exactly what one could expect from a ' republican convention dominated by the rallroads. After all of Rosewater's howling, the taxation plank is slmply a lot of glittering generalities quite acceptable to George W. Holdrege and his coadjutors. The convention indoreed Roosevelt's attitude on the Cuban reci- procity matter and thereby threw the har- poon Into Senators Millard and Dietrich. H. C. Lindsay was agaln made chalrman of the state committee. OTHER LANDS THAN OURS, Bismarck’s idea of Germanizing the Polish provinces of Prussia has been readopted by the Landtag and a credit of 100,000,000 marks is to be voted to further the scheme. The money is to be employed to purchase Polish estates upon which German fam- illes are to be settled and the expectation is that the Polish gentry will “blow in" the price at the gaming table. What hap- pened before is likely to happen again. No less than 400,000 acres were purchased from Poles out of the fund created at Blsmarck's instance in 1886 and the land was resold on easy terms to 5,000 German families which were Anstalled on the same. But the Poles id not go to Monte Carlo. What they did was to encourage the peasantry and small tradesmen of their nationallty to make life unendurable for the newcomers by the methods familarly known in Ireland as boycotting. Sooner or later the Germans were glad to sell out at any price and the thrifty Poles became repossessed of their acres for a song. e Drouth has always been the curse of a great part of Australla and has been more than usually persistent for six years and more. Conditions have been growing ste: ily worse and worse, and now seem to have reached something like a climax. A corre- spondent of a London journal writing from Sydney gives a doleful acrount of the cons quences of the seventh year 9% dryness. The only districts which have escaped, he says, are the northern rivers of New South Wales and parts of Riverina. The losses of sheep have been enormous and even ,}h' rabbits are starving. The rabbit is a pest in Australia,- but its destruction is only a very small compensation under the circum- stances. In parts of western Queensland cattle are suffering and the outlook is & serious one, for when agriculture suffers in Australla financial interests are largely involved. The question of water storage and irrigation is one of the most serious prob- lems to be solved by Australian statesme The 6tate governments of New South Waler Victoria and South Australia have been cons ferring together recently and have ap- pointed a committee of engineers to Inve tigate and report. The recent election of deputies In Bel- glum was of uncommon interest, because Some considerable effect of the Soclalist strikes was anticipated. It should be noted, however, that violent political changes are unlikely under a aystém by which only one-half of the members of the House of Commons are chosen at each blennial election. But eeventy-six of the ]gl Seats were balloted for iz the May elections, and under these circumstanc the galn of four seats by the Soclallsts wi all that could have been expected. It ®eems likely, indeed, that the rank and file of the Soclaligts felt that the recent strikes had been pr itated without due consid- eratlon or provision, and accordingly gave to thelr leaders only a languld support. That the Soclalist agitation is nmot wholly fruitless appe: from the announcement that the Clericals, with their clear ma- Jority of twenty-four, will abolish the triple vote. This at preeent is granted to those ‘who hold certain diplomas of higher study—a class which naturally includes many priest: It would be a substantial concession on the part of the Clericals, though still far from the one-man-one-vote system which the Radicals and Socialists desire; so it appears that the Soclalist agi- tation even while {li-timed and badly di- rected, was not, as most observers held, a wanton dieplay of brute force. If it were merely that, the ruling party could not afford to consider its demands. .. A Turkish garrison in Macedonla has mutinied because the paymaster has not been seen or heard of for months. It may be perplexing to some people that the hardy and patieat Mussulmans who serve the Sultan in uniform should rebel because thelr pockets are empty. But it is prob- able there are hollow volds in thein stom- achs also. It 1s a well known articre of faith among the followers of Mahomet that the plous warrlor who dies in battle goes stralght to his longed-for heaven. But the Koran has nothing to say concerning the future happiness of soldiers who are on the edge of starvation in peaceful times, and even the muezzin's call to prayer as It sounds from the slender minaret may fail to appease the gnawings of appetites made ravenous by days and nights of enforced fasting outside the month of Ramadan. To draw the walstbelt tighter, to say “kis- met,” and try to be stolcal, may keep the rebellious spirit in check for a brief season; but If the Sublime Porte does not increase its supplies of food in some of its garrisons, and does not dole out a pittance of long overdue wages now and then, the throne of the Callphate may totter. For many @ year it has been propped up by bayonets. Were any large part of the army to be disaffected to the extent of an out- break, that support might be so weakened that the map of Eastern Europe and West- ern Asla would need r ing. o Significant of the increasing number df tourists in the Alps is an order recently fs- sued by the prefect of Savoy to the effect that all persons collecting flowers or pluck- {ng plants in the French Alps will be prose- cuted. The new regulations apply to the mountainous regions, where the edelwelss, Alpine rose and other species of Alpine plants grow, and the reason for it is that these flowers are rapidly disappearing and without some such regulation would scon become extinct. In many parts of Savoy, particularly in the Chamounix dlstrict, tho edelwelss has completely disappeared. No such law exists in Switzerland, but unless elmilar measures are taken there that coun- try will lose one of its greatest attractions. Only a few years ago edelweiss could be round at a height of from 1,000 to 2,000 feet, but now it is necessary to go to at least 8,000 feet levels in order to get it. —— POLITICAL DRIFT. In the Cleveland, Hilt and harmony ban- quet the peerless leader was conspicuously among the “and other absentees.’ Minneapolis promises to rival St. Louls In the number of “eminent citizens’ who are dodging indictments for municipal gratting. = A former pugilist named McMichael has been elected to the semate of Georgla. It is hardly necessary to add that the senator is a fluent speaker. Bourke Cptkran is booked to succeed to the leadership of Tammany and is likely to be sent to congress. No wonder Croker is. weary of politics. Expert accguntants who examined the books find that the democratic financlers of Missouri milked the state for $11,000,000 in thirty years. Taxpayers got off cheap. Senator Quay proposes to inaugurate an era of reform in the politics of Penneyl- vania that will make all former reform movements look like thirty cents. What Quay says goes in Pennsylvania. A clever remark is this by Senator Black- burn: “The position of the senate commit- tee.on privileges and eleotions in regard to the bill for the election of senators by dai- réct vote of the people reminds me of the man in Kentucky who got mired while driving an empty wagon down a hill. He couldn’t unload and he couldn't back up.” Robert Burke, the Croker of Chicago de- moceracy, I8 aptly nicknamed. Last winter, when the Cook county grand jury became oftensively active, the western Croker pald $30,000 into the city treasury by check, claiming to have mixed that much public mgfiey with his own. When the storm blew over the check was recalled and payment suspended. Burke still runs the democratic machine, Mayor Harrieon of Chicago and former Mayor Hopkins of the same city mussed each other’s hair at the Illinols democratic convention. Both were out for scalps and Hopkins won out. Now he proposes to fol- low the scalped mayor to his tepee and knock the lid off several things hitherto kept out of sight. The sanitary depart- ment of the party is likely to have a hot, all-summer job. Mayor Collins of Boston announces that in the future he will refuse to see office- seekers, who are now referred to the heads of departments in which they desire to serve. Mr. Collins says that ever since his election in January he has been working night and day trying to see everybody and he thinks it {s time to stop, all the 13,000 positions in the city service being flled. He declares that since taking his seat as mayor he hds seen about 15,000 callers who wished to secure places for fhemselves or triends. Rhode Island, although a small state, enjoys the distinction of having twice voted on the proposition to pass a prohibition law—once for and once agalnst. This year, in November, the voters of Rhode Island will pass upon a constitutional amend- ment providing that 5,000 voters may pro- pose specific amendments to the constitu- tion, such proposed amendments to be sub- mitted to the people at the polls. If ap- proved by a majority of the electors voting at town meetings the amendments will be- He aldn't | hesitate to repeat the republican lfe, told COAL CONSUMERS SQUREZAED, wonable P New York World. About 200,000,000 tons of coal of both kinds are being taken every year from the United States mines. This total output was valued at the mines last year at $300,000 | 000—which is $1.50 a ton. These are rouna figures, but quite close enough to give clear | view of the basic conditions underlying the strike. | The coal flelds of the country over 1,000 billion tons of coal—equal to a 000 years' supply at the present rate of consumption. In view of the assured dis- covery of new methods of heating—by ofl gas, electricity, ete.—thls s practically an inexhaustible store of coal. Yet, with the labor cost of mining coal only 60 cents per ton, and its total value at the mine's mouth only $1.50 per ton, ‘()I" American people are paying on an | average about $6 a ton for their coal, tak- ing hard and soft together, and cannot tell from day to day when $1 or $2 per ton will be added to that price, nor whether they will be able to get it at any price. No candid student of these figures, and thelr plain disclosure of the fact that the price of coal to the eonsumer is ten times the labor cost and four times the total cost of productjon, can doudt that at least $1.50 a ton on an average, or $300,000,000 per year, Is the fine levied on the people, I excess of reasonable prices, by the pri- vate monopoly that controls thefr coal mines, free from any effective regulation in the public interest. lnuu.n- Exacted in Excess of Ren- | | | | | | contain PASS ¥ ASANTRIES, dllnl‘vln;v-re World tried to teach my 0K to Jump over my leg. 3 id Ao caten onp? '8 ~Yes, ‘twice. I've just got out of the Pasteur institute. * - o . Chicago Post: “Let’ o ¥ ug- il Let's makoe up,” he sug “But we haven't que e she pro tesBl aven't quarrelled, he pr er mind. Let's make up anyway New York 8un: Nelghbor—Your husband 18 etting to be aulte a Iitcr on, rs. Borus—Lion? Yes, that's the right name for him. Come upstairs and let me show you his den Philadelphia Pres ‘Haven't you reaa that lovely ‘new novel? asked "the first summer girl “No,"" replied the other, “the only edi- tlon of it I've seen has 'a horrid yellow cover that doesn't accord with any of my gowns, 8 Chicago Tribune: “I tell you," safd the landlord of the summer resort near th top of the mountain, A man can't ge 00 much of this pure afr.” e L gasped the tenderfoot, who was 0 the elevation, ‘I can’t get halt enough of it! Boston Transcript: Briggs—Weav s WD . gEs—Weaver has pood deal’ of poetry” lately 0w did you hear of 1t? Why, Weaver told me himself ou don't mean ft! Why, the fellow Is absolutely without shame, fen't Papa.” sald the sweet V't my commencement I had the other girls & whoope, skinned alive “And this is the girl," “‘whose graduating es; for Higher Standards pression!’ C hl(‘“‘ls'flfi( H was 8o anxioi when the strike point?’ “'1 don't know his name, but T understand he's a professional base ball umpire. " sald papa, sadly ¥, Was ‘An ' Appeai f Thought and Ex- “Who was that fellow w to drive a meat wagn was at the most dang JYashington Star; “So, my brave boy." said veteran, “you are going into the am." ahswered the high-browed yout motto shall be ‘Excelsiort © > o Don t adopt, any such motto as that.” ell, then, ‘Conquer or dle!’ * No. “What would you suggest?* ** "Think before you speak SIDE TALKS WITH 1, TTLE BOYS, J. J. Montague In Portland Oregonian. Come hither, little children, who would o Wealth accumulate Without the stern necessity of working while you wait, First, get a high ichool history of fifty . years ago, ! ‘Whose author for his copy used the things he didn’t know. Then get some stock expressions like “‘the wild, alarming drum,” nough, o Unhand me, sir!" and “By my halidom,” Mix all together in a haf and take them out by chance And weave them firmly in a strong hic- torical romance. You'll need a King or two, make them base and bad Knight be full vallant, dashing lad; A gentle Princess. shrinking from a wed- ding with a King, You'll have to have to give the tale the true romantic ring; Then fut a witty jester in who's handy with a rhyme, And in a minstrél show you'll find the Jjests of his own time. Give all these persons all uncles and of aunts, And call them characters in your historfesl romance. perhaps, and Your must panoplied, a they need of But think not, little children, though the tale you' thus have made, Be strong enough to put both Scott and Dickens in the shade, The labor vou have started on so bravely now 1s done, Without the mogt important thing it s not half begun, For you will neea not you story book, But you yourself, tell what you do, and wear, and how you look— It you are of the common folk, and call your trousers pants, These things must all be known ere men will purchase your romance. to advertise—no, Send photoy ma gzl p Get half tones of your Sunday clothes, and of your soup tureen, And have them published every week in papers far and wid Write stories of vour awful Pat, your bulidog, died And in ‘the publications that the women only read, Write essays on “My First Great Book," on “How One May Bucceed,’ And then you'll find that people all will ladly ‘take a chance phs of your pet cat to every grief when come part of the law of the state. Good All [ And give up thelr one-1ifty for your popular romance. Summer The Rain Coat is good all summer, not only for bad weather, but for the sea shore or the country. In fact it is indispensable, it takes the place of the top coat on water or on cool evenings. $12.50 to $25.00 If you want the most stylish thing in Fancy Flannel Buits we have them from $7.50 to $15.00. AND SERGES IF YOU PREFER. No Clothing Fits Like Ours. King-5@ Exclusive Clothiers and Furnishers, R. 8. Wilcox, Manager.