Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, July 16, 1902, Page 6

THE OMAHA DALY, .BEE. B lusnwu'mn. EDITOR. PUBLASHED EVERY uoRNlNG TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION, D-ny Bee (without Eanday), One Ye! Daily Bee and Sundag, One Ye: {ustratediBes, Ope Year unday Bee, One Baturday Hee, O Twentieth Century hrmer One Year.. DELIVERED BY CARRIER. Dally Beg (without Bunday), per cop Daily Hes (without Sunday), per wee Iy {including Bunaay), per weel unday Bee, per copy.. vening Bee (without S , 10e ce punaay), per. 00 w 0 0 1.50 1.00 2% 2¢ ie [ (ncluding (,ompunu of irregularities in delivery should be addressed to vity Circulation Department. OFFlCdE! Omanh: ee Bulldi loum.o_:::‘;.zc ity Hiail Bullding, Twen- it gud M Strects. Councll Elufts—10 Pearl Street. Chicago—iew Unity Building. ‘ork—Temple Court. ashinglon—01 Fourteenth Street. CORRESPONDENCE. N ‘ommunications relating to news a ctorm“ matter should be addressed: a Bee, iditorial Department. BUSINESS LETTERS. i ters and remitiances gho S addressed: Tre ses Pubahing Com- pany, Umaha. © REMITTANCES. ik e mit draft, ex rall or pos order, Syebls 13 The Bee Lubjisning COMpAnY. m 2-cent stamp: ozvh‘l in payment of accounta, Fersonal checks, except on D-Ahl eastern g8, not acce] ta«. THi Bl PUBLAHIAG COMPA, U Company, o “th}o .m;.yl numml'o ll complete coples of A ring, Evening uuf Sunday Bee ted during $he month of June, 1902, was as follows: Kess unsold and returned coples. Net total sales.... Net dally average. UCK. resence and sworn to of .hlne A. D, 1902 5B dnugh Pxvotary Pubile. S ——————ay As the corn shoots up the corn specu- lation falls down. ———— Another cause for thanks: The effort o trace Tracy to Nebraska has falled. Defore e chie 3eh da Beal) EEEE————— It's all a mistake about Nebraska hav- ing suffered materlally from too much rainfall. —— Lord Kitchener is again In England, but no change has been noted in the earth’s center of gravity, It Convict Tracy were only versed in the intricacles of the wireless telegraph what fun he could have, if aét already haying fun er ough. Sp—— ‘With all these tempting rallroad ex- scursion rates in force people should soon ‘be ‘convinced that it 1s cheaper to travel tlun to stay at home. X “'Missourl republicans are sdld-to be hopetul of carrying that state in. the wcoming election, but people outside of Missour! will insist on belng shown. i Every conflict between labor and cap- ital 1s a fight for principles, but in most cases the settlement turns on the con- cession of a few dollars or a few cents, 5 e That young woman who landed safely after belng blown off a railroad train golng at forty miles an hour ought-to make a good passenger for the airship navigators. e———— It's an off year in Towa so far as state politics go, but Iowa republicans will voll wp the usual big majority just to keep in practice and furnish object les- sons for other states. — King Ak-Sar-Ben is golng right ahead on the theory that he will have Presi- dent Roosevelt as his guest of honor for the fall festivities. With this strenuous showing the president cannot well reafst, ST ‘When democracy gets ready to buckle down to the hermony business our old friend Richard Croker may be expected to find it necessary to take an ocean voyage back to America just for his health, m Omabha is in the midst of its periodical agitation for street signs. The street in- tersections have been marked with the street names time and again, but no sat- fstactory system. bhas yet been lutro’| duced. Unless something more substan- tial can be devised than what we have already had we might as well save our money. = The arguments of the counsel in the rallroad tax case, which The Bee is printing, review in a concise form the Jaw and the facts brought out by this important ltigation. Every taxpayer who 18 interested in the correct solution of the intricate problems raised by the campalgn for tax reform should read the arguments of both sides therein pre- sented. eESE————— ‘The ratiroad tax bureau bunco steerers are still engaged in the laudable enter- question is, How after this showing will they be able to satisfy their superiors that the tax bureau Is not the most costly luxwry the rallroads have been Emp— - County 'Attorney Shields devoted the and epergy toward prose- nnhhn against whom evl- been in his hands that he ipto the prosecution of the The Bee on trumped-up Ilthn of the corrupt prac- not have to apply for us_agalnst.the police and SBouth Omaha to incompetency and veg- P PTITTITIITIN i Fiiet 3 A SAMPLE BRICK OF UNIFORMITY. According to the ratlroad lawyers and raflroad tax commissioners the basic principle of raflroad assessment in this state Is uniformity. A sample brick of railroad taxation uniformity is furnished in the municipal asséssment of the Capl- tal city. The grand total of taxable property in the city of Lincoln for the year 1902 aggregates $21,289,681, sub- divided as follows Real estat Personal property. Ralircads and telegraphs “a In other words, the real and personal property in the city of Lincoln, exclusive of rallroads, is assessed at $21,188,634, while the rallroad property, including trackage, terminal facilities, right of way, depot grounds and depots, and the property of telegraph companies in that city, are assessed for the munificent sum of $101,147. If this assessment stands the raflroads will pay less than one- half of 1 per cent of the taxes for main- taining municipal government in the city of Lincoln. A most conservative estimate of the value of all the railroad property within the limits of the city of Lincoln will not fall short of $2,000,000. This means that while the property of Lincoln taxpayers is assessed for its full cash value the rallroad property Is assessed for about onetwentleth of its cash value. Assume that the proportion of the assessment for telegraph property is §1,147; the rail- roads in round figures are paying taxes on $100,000, and with & 9-mill levy the five raliroads that converge at Lincoln, namely, the Burlington, the Elkhorn, Union Pacific, Missouri Pacific and Rock Island, will altogether pay $000 toward malntalning musicipal government In the city of Lincoln, while the other tax- payers will be compelled to pay $106, 968. And they call this “uniformity” at railroad headquarters. Assessed at their true value the rall- roads should, by rights, pay into the eity treasury at Lincoln not less than $18,000 taxpayers of $17,100, or reduce their rate Dby nehrly 1 mill. Surely that would not be too miuch in view of the'privileges and protection the railroads enjoy at the bands of the municipal government of Lincoln. S—— ENDOKSING THE PRESIDONT, Senator Foraker Is of the opinion that | the next Ohlo state convention will put itselt formally on record in favor of the nomination of President Roosevelt. If it should do so there would be pe- cullar significance in' the action, since it would be the most conclusive assur- ance that Ohio has no aspirant for the republican presidential nomination In 1904. Senator Platt of New York was recently reported to have sald that the republican convention of that state un- doubtedly would declare in favor of Mr. Roosevelt as the republican stand- ard bearer two years hence and it s said that Governor Odell and other leaders are in favor of this. The re- publicans of Minnesota have already endorsed the president for nomination and their action has Iomul general ap- proval from republicans.; " Tbmhmdoummttbeuhww practical unanimity among republicans throughout the country in favor of mak- ing President Roosevelt the candidate in 1904, The attempt to make 1t ap- pear that some of the republican lead- ers were unfriendly to him utterly fafled. No republican of prominence and influence with the party has shown bostllity to Mr. Roosevelt and the at- titude toward him of such leaders as Foraker and Platt, who earnestly urge that he should be nominated, amply at- tests the good standing of the presi- dent. That he has the respect and con- fidence of the rank and file of the party is unquestionable. The republican masses see In Mr. Roosevelt ap able, honest and courageous executive, who knows his duty and his responsibilities and does not hesitate to tike ‘the course which'hé belleves to be wise and right. S 4 QUESTIUN OF SOVERBIGNTY. - What appears to be the most trouble- some point in the negotlations between the United States and Colombia‘relates to the of sovereignty over the territory to be ceded for the canal. The act of congress requires that the United States shall be conceded perpetual con- trol of a strip of land through which to construct a canal, such control to in- clude jurisdiction over sald strip and the ports at the ends thereof. There is understood to be a decided repugnance in’ Colombla to granting sovereignty over any portion of Colombian territory and to meet this popular feeling it was provided in the draft of a canal treaty that “the rights and privileges granted to the United States by the terms of this convention shall not affect the sovereiguty of the republic of Colombia over the territory within whose boun- daries such rights and privileges are to be exercised.” It is further declaréd that the {United States freely acknowl- edges and recognizes this sovereignty and disavows any intention to impair it in any way whatever. Thus there is considerable difference between the requirement of the act of congress, which clearly contemplates the exercise of soverelgnty by the United States over the canal territory, and the language of the protocol signed before there was actlon by congress. The task, therefore, before the parties to the conventlon is to define with clear- ness the limit and extent of the control to be exercised over the strip of terri- tory to be ceded for canal purposes, so that the treaty will be acceptable to the Colombian congress and people. It is obviously not a slmple task, if on our part there shall be strict adherence to the requirement In the act of congress, which it is to be presumed will be done, While the government and people of Co- lombia are most anxious that the United States shall construct the Panama ca- nal, they want to retain complete sov- erelguty over the canal territory and it would seem to be pretty safe to as- sume that they will not accept the terms of the act of congress. Can the United States safely accept THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 1902. anything less than is provided for ln' the act of congress, that s, “exclusive and perpetunal control of a stelp of land in the territory of the republie of Colom- bia, with jurisdiction over sald strip and the ports at the ends thereof and the right to make guch police and sanl- tary rules and regulations as shall be necessary tp preserve order and pre- serve the public health thereon, and to establish such judiclal tribunals thereon as may be necessary to enforce such rules and regulations?’ When the draft of a treaty was made several months ago it was evidently the opinion of the secretary of state that there was no objection to Colombia retaining full sov- ereignty over the territory to be ac- quired and it was declared that this soverelgnty should not be affected by the rights and privileges granted to the United States. This vital matter of soverelghty, manifestly a question of great delicacy, Is the only one that pre- sents any serlous difficulty and what its final determination will be cannot now be predicted with any degree of certainty. TESTING FUOD PRESERVATIVES. The Department of Agriculture is about to undertake an Investigation of a unique character, the object of which will be to determine whether or not certaln preservatives that are employed in American meats, vegetables and other foods are injurious to human be- ings. The inquiry will be thoroughly practical and boys and young men will Dbe utilized as subjects for the tests, so that there will be no doubt as fo the results. The work will be under the charge of the chief chemist for the de- partment, who has made a speclalty of food analysis, and will be carried on un- der authority of a recent act of con- gress which directs the Department of Agriculture not only to furnish data re- garding the effects on the human sys- tem of eating food treated with various kinds of preservatives, but also to gather information regarding the same subject In foreign countries. A Washington dispatch says. this movement is for the purpose of secur- ing facts which will form a basis for retaliatory measures on the part of our |, government against foreign countries that bave adopted legislation hostile to American food products. In a few months the German government will put into effect a law which will exclude from that country all American meats that havé been treated with borax. We fmport articles from Germany in which preservatives are used and If these are found to be injurious to health' steps will be taken to exclude them. It is certainly desirable that a thorough in- vestigation of food preservatives shall be made. Upon the question whether they are injurious to health sclentists disagree and the tests which the chief chemist of the Department of Agrieul- ture will make should go far to settle the question. E—— Complaint is made that paving opera- tions in Omaha are again belng deferred because the preliminary steps reqmred before contracts are let have not been executed. . The trouble is that the city leaves the initiative either to the prop- erty owners concerned or to the paving contractors who hope to get the contract, in both cases with unsatisfactdry re- sults. Where the interest of the prop- erty owner is not sufficlently aroused the petition lags, and the same Is true when the contractors’ ardor is dampened for any personal motive. This defect might be remedied it the council should take it upon itself to declare the neces- sity of a pew pavement on any street where the need of street improvement Is flagrant and instruct the Board of Pub- lic Works to procure the petitions with- out the intervention of either the prop- erty owners or the paving contractors. 1f this were done the streets which most need pavements would soon have them. At the same time the opportunities for irregularities on which the validity of the special taxes could be attacked later in the courts would be greatly reduced. ——— In answer to court proceedings brought to prevent the execution of its proposed $200,000,000 bond conversion plan on the ground that the mew bond issue would be in excess of its property val- ues, the Steel trust, through its presi- dent, insists that the assets of that great corporation are fully equivalent to all the bonds and stocks, preferred and common, which aggregate $1,400,000,- 000, and that therefore no fraud can be committed on the holders of outstand- ing securities by issulng new ones. If this test were to be applied to the rail- roads whose attorneys insist that their franchises constitute no part of their property, how would they go about verl- fying the value of the stocks and bounds they have marketed? What would they do if they were not allowed to Issue an- other security until they had ghown as- sets to balance all outstanding securi- tles? Would they not have to draw the water out of the stock or show up the property &nd what would be harder yet pay taxes on the property they would thus be foreed to schedule? s —— Promoters of the Louislana Purchase exposition are fully realizing now how foolish they would have been had they tried to prepare for their show for next year instead of postponing it till 1904, They find that they have no time to waste even now to get ready for busi- ness on schedule time. ] - Amnouncement s made of ‘the death ot a4 woman once pronounced by Wil llam Makepeace Thackeray to be “the prettiest woman in America.” It-wasa long time ago, however, that Thackeray passed this handsome compliment. ———— A Change for the Better. Brooklyn Eaj Our Indians are beginning snother sun dance. It 18 better to let them dance to the sun than to have them dancing for bullets. % Bxaggerated Triumph. Chicago Chronicle. The spectacular reception accorded to & genoral why, With 260,000 Lrgops, was able N ‘ to forco some 15,000 untrained farmers to retire from the fleld shows that the Latin races are hot alone in emotional #xaggera- tion of matfonal trfumphs. Solld Hasis of Prosperity. Indianapolis Journal. It might be expécted that the fallures in business would Increase even in the years of prosperity, but the figures for the firet quarter of 1902 show a striking decrease when compared with the first quarter of 1901. This declite in business casualties proves the solid basis of the country's prosperity. Prevention of Strikes. Chicago Chrontcle. Public opinion has taken very pronounced shape In the matter of strikes. The next few years undoubtedly will see the matter regulated by some system akin to the New Zealand method. It may be called com- pulsory arbitration or it may be ecalled something else, but the effect will be the same—to stop the disastrous and wasteful wars betweon capital and labor which im- pair public prosperity and imperil public safety. Industrial America. Chicago Inter-Ocean. ‘While America’s population has increased about fivefold during the last century, the productive power of that population has n- creased forty-fold. Man for man, indus- trially considered, the American is twenty- five years ahead of the Englishman, who in turn s far ahead of his Huropean neigh- bor. At this rate in 1920 there will be 110,- 000,000 Americans, with & working power equal to all the 850,000,000 people which Europe will then probably contaln. Remedy for Combines. (Bpringfield (Mass.) Republican. The president is ' right in supposing that thé people are very much disturbed over the rise and spread of the industrial com- binations and decidedly In favor of effect- ive restraining legislation. And this is true of business circles as well as of the people at large. The trustees of the New York leaf tobacco beard of trade, for ex- ample, bave adopted resolutions which speak of that trade as being in.the grip of a trust, mention some evil feature of the combinations in general, and finally declare in favor of placing “all corpora- tions whose securities are offered to the public” under government supervision “similar to that now exercised in the case of national banki Peace in the Philippines. Martla (P. L) Justice. ‘There was never a betteér outlook for th Philippine islands than at the present time. Peace has been restored in Samar, Laguna and Batangas provinces. Military posts all over the fslands are being abandoned nearly every day ‘and the country being turned over to the constabulary and the local clvil authorities. The people are be coming convinced that the United States means to treat them falrly, and they are settling down with a great degree of confl- dence and contentment. The military ia not only ledrning but’ taking its proper place In a d of pet The ladrone ele- ment is being run to earth in every part of the islands where it exists. Many people who have never been amenable to any law are now being made to answer not only for recent crimes, hut for those committed ih years gonk ‘by.'\ The' judiclary is no Tonger an nperlmu but a ‘marked suc- cess, em——— GIVE THE NAME, PLEASE, Which of the Yellow Sheets Cabled for, Tubs of Goret? Cincinnati Commereial-Tribune. Archbishop Ire , addressing the Na- tional Educational gassociation, sald ten words of and copeerning newspapers and nowspaper work where he said five with referencg to the profession of teaching. And there was nothing out of plage in the address,, No one knows better than Arch- bishop Ireland that the press is today. the greatest educator of them all and that its currfculum s free to all—teachers and prelates included, But, while there was nothing out of place in the subject matter of the address, there was an omission which it is incumbent on Archbishop Ire- land to supply. “Among other pointed things he sald that an American newspa- per prior to the Spanish war Instructed its European correspondents to “wire all that makes for war, nothing that tends to pre- vent or delay it.” Archbishop Ireland surely owes it to the pre of the United tes to make public the name of the journal which so prostituted its high mission. His address teemed with words of praise for the press of the United States as fair, intelligent, honorable, enterprising and deserving of the highest meed of commendation—and he said it truly, knowing the facts. But he knows also that “a dead fly make! ointment of the apothecary to stink’ that it impreguates the body of the drug to the injury of the patient. He ought, therefore, to disclose to the American pub- lic the name of the American newspaper which eabled to its European correspond- that tends to prevent or délay it.” SALVE FOR BRITISH PRIDE, — Proportion of Boers to in the + Philadelphia North American. Authentic figures supplied by the Boers serve to show how absurdly inaccurate was the {nformation relating to the strength of the enemy obtalped by the British forces during the war. The British invariably un- derestimated the number of Boers on com- mando and were continually runnlig against unexpected bodles of the enemy where the country was supposed to have been cleared by the weekly “bags” reported to Kitchener. It was belleved by the Brit- ish that the total number of Boers in the fleld did not exceed 35,000, but it now ap- pears that-not less than 75,000 men were on commando from first to last. The Boer losses in action were 3,700 killed and fatally wounded and 32,000 were made prisoners of war. The British losses exceeded the entire number of Boers en- gaged in the war, belng in round mumbers 90,000 killed, wounded, died of disease and invalided. itish Troops rful effectiveness of Boer meth- ods of fighting is shown by the fact that the British loss in killed was 21,000, or nearly six to one compared with the Boer loss. The greatest disproportion of casual- ties doubtless was in the first few months of the war, before the British realized the folly of moving troops In masses against intrenched sharpshooters who never fired without seeing a man through their rifie elghts. After a few . thousand stupldly brave officers had been shot the British made some attempts to substitute brains for bayonets and military sense for social superiority on the firlng line. Tommy At- kins was taught to take some care of him- self and hunit cover, and the disparity in casualties became less marked. ‘While the disclosure of the Boer records shows the intelligence department of the British army to have been incompetent, it supplies salve of a sort for brulsed British concelt, The military prestige of the em- ing the enemy tem to one, as had been sup- four of the “finest agalost ome Dutch ~ posed; there were troops in the world’ farmer 1o the feld BITS OF WASHINGTON LIFE . Minor Scenes a: moldents Sketched on the Spot. The dull season in Washington is likely to continue unbroken until the reunion of the Grand Army, October 6, 7 and 8, for which extensive preparations are mow under why. Ten years ago the veterans of the great war were the city’s guests and marched on Pennsylvania avenue, the historic thoroughfare, where the grand review of victorious troops was held in 1865. Once more the thinned ranks will be seen on the avenue and hington people propose to make the occasion a memorable one. The whole city will be bandsomely dressed.’ A consplcuous fea- ture of this decoration will be that it con- sists almost exclusively of American flags Lung at an angle from al! buildings along the line of the veterans’ march and from most houses within reach of the business section of the city. All the advices r¢ celved In Washington—either by members of congress whose constituents are inter- ested in the encampment or by those who have charge of the encampment prepara- tions—indicate that this gathering in the capital of the nation forty years after the period of service at the front s exciting extraordinary Interest throughout _the country. The expert testimony of the pas- senger agents whose roads reach Washing- tom, directly or indirectly, is that the crowd will surpass even, that of 1892. The officers of the local Grand Army posts speak confidently of a larger post attend- ance than at any other encampment In the history of the society. General Tor- rance refers to the encampment as Ifkely to prove the most interesting, the most significant and the most memorable re- union of veterans in his knowledge of the order and that knowledge began almost with the foundation of the Grand Army of the Republic. Mike was an underling in the Treasury department, but one whose duties were 8o multifarious and = complicated that his superiors found it difficult to dispense with his services. Once in six weeks, with the regularity of a well-seasoned periodical toper, he would disappear for three days and then come meekly back by way of the police court. In spite of vigorous prom- ises, which, by the way, the use of years had woven th.eadbare, he invariably met with peremptory discharge. Then things ‘would begin to go wrong in his bureau and rather than take a hand themselves or the trouble to break in a new man his chiefs would confer thus: 11, we had better send for Mike.” , he’s the only man who can straighten us out.” 8o Mike would return to his post with & white ribbon in his coat and all the joys of reinstatement. This went on for many years and then Secretary Shaw struck town, Coming at the end of a rather protracted period of hard work and ‘sobriety, Mike ylelded to the stress of Fourth of July. The usual routine followed up to the time Mr. Shaw was consulted. “Mr. Secretary,” sald ofie of the delin- quent's immediate erfors, “‘things are in & bad way down stairs. I think we had better send for Mike to set things right again.” “Mike! Mike!” sald Secretary Shaw, “I thought we had discharged Mike.” ““Yes, I know, but it has always been our custom to take him back.” “What would yoh do it Mike were dead?" “Oh, I suppose we would straighten things out ourselves.”” ““Well, 8o far as this department is con- cerned, Mike is dead. So get to work and straighten things out.” Mrs. Semple, President John Tyler's dnughter, is boping that the improvements at the White House will spare the old chandeliers and candelabra. selected by President Monroe, was minister to France before he elected president and both he and his wife had excellent taste, as all of the furnish- ings which they selected show. The chan- dellers I speak of have been made to sult ofl lamps, candles, gas and electricity, In my tather's time candles were used and it took twenty-four boxes of spermaceti can- dles to light the house for one evening only. It was the most becoming illumina- tion in the world and the whole expense of it, which was considerable, as you may imagine, came out of the president’s sal- | led us to belleve. ary, which was only halt at that perlod of what it is today.” Replylng to complaints about the poor quality of glue on postage stamps, an offi- clal of the Postoffice department says: “The quality of the glue on all of the issues of our postage stamps is the result of many years' eareful study and experiment at the bureau of printing and engraving. When the government first began the manufacture of its postage stamps at the bureau the qual- ity of glue used had not been brought up to the present satistactory standard, and I recall conslderable gemeral complaint re- garding its nonadhesiveness. But the com~ plaints were general. Now they are very rare and isolated and prove to our minds that the cause is produced by some local reason. You see, our postage Atamps are s0ld to postmasters in sheets, It the glue were of popr quality the complaints would eral from the communitidg where th poorly gummed sheets were sold and the stamps distributed. The fact that none are received support the reason I advance. Be- fore each of the tens of thousands of sheets the bureau it is critleally inspected xperts, whose business it is to find flaws from imperfect coloring to the qual- ity of the layers of gum on the back, the inspection being along lines similar to that given to each sheet of treasury notes after it leaves the plate printer's hands, and be- fore it goes to the treasury for the af- of the government's final s to the other complatnt the insuiclent size of the newspaper wrappers when uti- lized for the wrapping of magazinies and the Sunday editions of newspapers, steps have been taken to meet public demand for a larger wrapper. These will shortly be ls- sued n the 2 and 4-cent denominations and will no doubt prove a convenience, as the present wrappers are perhaps trifie short for this extraordinary purposs, but of smple size for a single newspaper of the usual daily edition.” *“The owning of & cat in our elty 1s going to be a pretty expensive luxury unless tabby is under exoellent discipline,” marked Mr. W. O. Potter of Omaha to & Washington Post reporter. “The Omaha city council Tately enacted & law to fine every citizen $25 should he allow any e belonging to him to run at large. I suppose there are no more cats WATOHING THE CORN CROP. Public Interest in the Welfare af the King of Cereals. Baltimore American. The eye of the business world is now turned toward the problem of crops. It has been a long time since so much depended on that problem. It just so happe the future of the ensulng year's trade re- sults depende very largely upon the sea- son's erop yleld. The failure of the corn crop last year erippled general business conditions. Had it not been for the enor- mous reserve resources of the country the Injury would have made {tself far more apparent. Fortunately, the nation's fate does not depend upon any one year's crops. Our wealth is sufficlent to support the march of progress despite just ome sea- son’s ill-luck on the farm. That has been proved by the record of the past twelve months. The distressing 1t was, it checked the speed of what was then a rapidly accelerating march of pros- perity. But It was not powerful emough to reverse the movement by changing progress into retrogression. The mo- mentum of our advance was too strong for that. General trade conditions had before then recelved a forward impetus which no single year's crop fallure could completely halt. Everybody concedes, however, that two consecutive years of crop fallure would present a rather grave situation. It could not be otherwise. Since the farni is the prineipal source from which springs our prosperity, any suecession’ of mistortunes would be certain to work & calamity. In this country it is almost fmpossible to es- timate the Importance of wheat, corn and cotton. They are the true soverelgns .of our nation. The value of everything depends largely upoh them, because they are the leading agencles in regulating the purchasing capadity of our people. Large crops on the farm and plantagion, with an average of good prices, beget general mc- tivity, becauso the yield of these products form the basis of the country’s powers of consumption. It this, the underlying stratum of the country’s wealth, is strong it is’ certain to make the whole business status kolld. Big erops not only provide the farming class with abundant purchas- ing power, but they also mean much for the rallroads, for exporters and for our general balance In . intersaticnal com- merce. Tn Tact, the influence of good or bad crope extends itself into the remotest ramifications of all lines of business. That fs why the farm holds so impor- tant a place in the public eye just at this juhcture. The Wwheat crop; though not & | tailure, is less than original estimates had Very true, storm dam- dge has eurtafled the aggregate some- what: Cotton is very promising. The. next question 1s: What about corn? Until the answer 'to that is definitely known the business circle will remain perched high on the anxious bemch. PR PERSONAL NOTES. The sheriffs of the extreme northwest “rogret to report” that Outlaw Tracy re- mains uncaught. Willlam Clark, the well-known thread manufacturer, who recently died in Eng- land, will be buried in Newark, N. J. General Methuen received no welcome on his return to England. He has tucked him- f awdy in a quiet place, glad to be alone and ‘unnoticed. Harriet Beecher Stowe's 90th birthday was celebrated recently by negro residents of San Francisco in the old church on Stockham street. epldent Roosevelt has appointed a_ man o look after the remnant of buffaldes now remaining in this country and to prevemt that animal from becoming extinet. Since public announcement was made that John Masterson Burke of New York had glven $4,000,000 to charity he has been pes- tered by cranks and begging letter people to such an extent that he has taken flight and gone to the country. Before he left it became necessary to post a police guard near his residence, Colonel John 8. Mosby's men of the con- federate army are to hold their next annual reunion at, Leesburg, Va., on Wednesday, July 30, and they will invite all former confederates . in the state of Virginia to join with them in making a glad holiday. Colonel J. H. Alexander of Leesburg is their present commander. John W, Greeley, a cousin of the founder of the New York Tribune, died in London- derry, N. H., July 8. in the 84th year .of his age. He and Horace Greeley were born in the same house in Amburet, N. H. He was a member of a family of thirteen chil- dren. He 1s survived by his widow, to whom he had been married fifty-eight years. James Hamilton Lewis of BSeattle, who formerly represented Washington in con- gress, was hurt in Chicago last week, in attempting to rescue a teamster from & position of peril under & wrecked wagon. Mr. Lewis quite recently won & $300,000 lawsuit for John Healy, formerly of Fort Benton, and now of Alaska, and the latter presented ‘Mr. Lewis with $100,000 of the amount. _ W. A. Peffer, formerly & senmator from Kansas, has been {n the background for sev- eral years, but is not letting his faculties rest. In his quiet Washington home he is writing a series of reviews of certain per- lods of American history and for some time bas bad in mind writing & work dealing with the question of labor and capital. He has thirty large scrapbooks filled with ple- torial and other caricatures of himself and bis ideas. LET THE PRESIDENT ALONE, Cranks and Bores Disturh Life at Oyster Bay. Philadeiphia Press. It fs time that even the fools and the cranks learned that the president has some rights which they are bound to re- spect. On Friday an indivual who is deseribed a8 secretary of the Cane Growers' asso- clation of Loulsiana went from New York to Oyster Bay to see the presideat. He wanted to take an hour or two of the pres- fdent's time to talk about sugar. He had no appointment. He had no credentials. H d not sought in advance to arrange an interview to suit the president’s com- venlence. He simply bolted over to the gate at his own pleasure and expected the president to stop all other business sel leave everybody else in order to lsten %o his tale about sugar. Now, sugar is all very well in its time and piace. It has consumed a great deal of discussion in the last fow months and will doubtless consume & great deal more in the months to come. But the president does nol meed sugar just mow to sweeten his vacation and the fool from Louisiana very naturally and properly told that his bumptious way of coming unaanounced and unarranged was not the way to im- pose an hour's dose of sugar on the presi- dent. He thereupon went off mad, aired his ridiculous grievance, which in the mid- immer dull gets on the wires, and all the newspapers—even the best of us— print the silly and trivial stuff. No harm, indeed, is done because every semsible per- son sees what a fool he was and perhaps his fate will warn away others. Why can’t these intrusive and Nllr - dividuals learn that the president ought to have a little time to himself? At the .| best he must spend many hours with pub- He and official repregentatives on essential matters. He must devote other hours te the correspondence and business which comes before. He fe a rapld and prodi- glous worker. Nothing drags. He takes his toll as he takes his play, very seri- ously and strenuously. Let him have all the time he can find for rest and recrea- tion. The American peopls will follow him in his outing. Not intrusively and annoyingly, but with their best wishes and with & friendly interest in his vigorous 1ite. —— HOT WEATHER SMILES, aomervflle Journal: Watkyns—I have e up my mind to kee) n dog. What hlnd would you recommen Wilkyns—A rubber one. ‘‘Your hafr seems to falling f. arked the barver, hl‘l.h.l?! wielding the shears. “I think I can “AN n.m. llld (Iu cuuhmeh “Saye 1 1t you want' mbu 't no use for it. Yonkers Etllnlmun Patience—She says she just loves lhe - Patrice—Well, her lwlllow some of It yesterday ‘Mlu bathing, and lrom the face she made you'd never believe it. Clevelund Plain Dealer: “I dare you to gome out in the open,” cried the summer ower. beo | lhrlnk from notorfety,” sald the cheap serge suit. Phllldel hia Pross: *Yes, he's' ver: one of his worst faults, -u ‘That Td hate to have & man 2 itke that owe me a h! but then he u other fault. He never pays what he ow: Clneinnat! Tribun an oath?’ asked llle Judge. ‘“Wance nnlyl}'ud honor " replled the witness. oike Shwore at me from the top av a sivin-shtory bulldin’, an’ I couldn’t I'ave me team t' git at him—so I had t' lAhkc 1w Jud, Bnmbl-—n cannot be denied that Chi dfeln lence has done a great deal of 'flmrfl ou think s Bramble—I know it X! h cured num. bers of people of their Taith in patent medicines. Detroit Free Press: Clara—Do you suffer from insomnia? Yes; it's awfully mean to be kept awake haif the nignt £, snother girl hav- ing beaux on the porch next door. W hington Star: “Don't tell yoh trou- id Uncle Eben, ‘“Yows li'ble to nve somebody de idea dat you's unlucky, an’ tempt 'Im to staht in an' do you somé vin- Did you ever take Cleveland Plain Dealer: *“Well, say! Out a_they've got an ordinance finin older §25 If he lets his cat or ¢at hat do you think of that run a 5 ““Why, I think that the back fence pro- menade and the ridgepole cake walk will be deader 'n smelts when that ordinance goes into effec THE DYING WEST. ell, oly west, farewell e ound e Tast sad r&ngnl knell; 'l?.nse(hi hills 'h!eh“ once t] rl.n. Vanished '.hfl bear, the II d V::nllllh.fl the clllnbrelr buflnle. a?nmu of the long ago, 3 Seho Tols m’f‘.":.':.:.“n'?z‘ ’.’i“u, Ila'm o;:lho‘nuflu Ilhn o Ana ’;. mw‘: wugh loud at lh‘ Ppeaceful the dying west. 6 bad man steals to his den and dles; ’PL wild fowl comes AD‘ lwly fil-. n rattler scurries to s_h e rush of the wind lptodl lho 'l‘hc =mu ‘whines in a mallrnlul 'l A dismal to the dyl “! A sad bolum 3 ihe wors-out Y play, Farewell, wild, vwl ‘west, farewell, Let History's page l‘?nl!ory tell Of reckleas past, of glories gone: Awake to meet dawn. Farewell, '“fl m Tnllll Well, “we are doing it.” Boys’ and children’s suits, n our town than in any other city of its size, but for some reason they have become unpopular and hence this plece of restric- tive legislation. Lawyers of eminence say the statute is at variance with the con- stitution and that the owners, if fined, could fight the ence successfully in the higher courts. That may be true, but no- body wants to take the chauces by making the fight. and cats will be efther disposed of or very securely fastened up in Omaba for the present. Treason, ‘Washington Post. Mr. John Plerpont Morgan's conunuun that poker is not a typical America: is based upon excellent logic. Blufing lml decelt are the main accomplishments of a poker player, and there is no place in the game for elther sclence or skill, off Men’s straw hats, 33 1-3 'WE CLOSE SATURDAY ALTERATION SALE. We told you in last SBunday’s paper what we were to do to the store, and what we were going to do to broken lines—slow selling ones—and straw hats. NO CLOTHING FITS LIKE OURS. Exclusive Clothiers and I’urnhhm. R. 8. Wilcox, Manager. ININGS ATS P. M. DURING JULY AND AUGUST. There are some great values for those who appreciate a real bargain, 25 per cent and B0 per cent Boys' and children’s straw hats, 50 per cent off. Men'’s suits, 33 1-3 per cent off per cent off. f P e ————