Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, January 19, 1903, Page 4

T A T = T 4 THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: MONDAY, ANUARY 19, 1903 BEE. EDITOR. THE OMAHA DAILY E. ROBEWATER, PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TERME OF SUBSCRIPTION Datly Bee (without Sunday), One Daily Bee and Sunday, One Year. Tilustrated Bee, One Year Bunday Bee, Ohe Year Baturday One Year . Twentieth Century Farmer, One Year.. DELIVERED BY CARRIER. D-(gy Bee (without Sunday), per copy... 2¢ Daily Bee (without Sunday), per week..12c Daily Bee (Including Sunday), per, week.lic Bunday Bee, per copy... c Evening Bee (without Sunday), per week bc Evening Heo (ncluding Sunday), per Complainis of " irreguiarities in delivery should be addressed to City Circulation De- partment. OFFICE! Omaha—The Hee Bullding outh ¢ Tty Hull Building, Twen- reots. South Omaha— v Pearl Street. Chicago~1640 Unity Bullding New York—22 Fark Row Building. Washington—i01 Fourteenth Street. CORRESPONDENC Communications relating to' news and ed- ftoria} matter should be addressed: Omaha Bee, Editorial Department. BTATEMBNT OF CIRCULATION. Btate of Nebraska, Douglas County, George B. Tzschuck, secretary of Publishing company, being duly sworm, ¢ that the actual number of full and com- plete coples of The Dally Morning, Even- ng and Sunday Bee printed during the ot December, 190k, was as foliows: HESENERRRERSCSES Total . veee Less unsold and returned coples. Net total sales Net average sales .. o 3 GEORGE B, TZSCHUCK. Bubscribed in my presence and sworn to before me this dist day of December, A D- 1902 B. HUNGATE, (Seal) Notary Publl Unless the icemen cut some more ice this winter, they will cut some ice next a summer. The Omaha atmosphere does not seem to agree with Union Paclfic strike breakers. South Carolina is evidently another state that made a serlous mistake in its cholce of a man for licutenant governor. Ex-Boss Croker should have gone into the chicken business sooner. He might have had roosters crowing for him oft- ener. The senate has passed one bill to cre- ate.a department of commarce and the house another. A legislative merger of the two propositions will be the next step. 1s there nobody In Nebraska competent to instruct the legislature in Its duties? Are our lawmakers obliged to look to Jowa for a guide, philosopher gnd friend? ' ————— The fuel shortage is just now the most serlous disturbing element to trade and industry.. It takes coal to make the wheels go round and dearth of motive power is the same as putting on brakes from other directions. CE——— John N. Baldwin lives in Iowa. If he lived in Nebraska and was compelled to pay taxes on his own property for the benefit of the railroads he would not be 50 positive about the railroads pay- ing all the taxes they ought to pay. C—— The decision in the Northern Securi- ties case is being eagerly awaited by several trust propagators, either to in- form them theme are no legal obstacles in the way, of their merger schemes or to point the way to get around them. E——— ‘Why can't the legislature provide a suitable mansion for John N. Baldwin at the state capital where he can dis- pense the lavish raflroad hospitality and run. a legislative kindergarten for the edification and instruction of juvenile lawmakers? —— The French sclentlst who thinks he has discovered the volcano germ should proceed at once to get a corner on his find, A complete assortment of voleano germs always in supply would come in handy and command big prices for vari- ous strenuous occasions. Omaha's growing !mportance as a shoe market is gratifying. When we are able to tan the hides taken cif the animals slaughtered by our packing housgs and convert the leather into fin- THE PRISON LABOR PROBLEM. Among the problems with which the Nebraska legislature is expected to grap- ple is the question of making the peni tentiary sdif-sustaining without creating rulnous competition to Pree labor. In the effort to solve this problem the Ne braska legislature is by 0o ‘means an exception. Other western legislatures, notably those of Wisconsin and Illinols, are confronted by the same question., A bill introduced in the Illinois legisla- ture provides that the penitentiary con victs shall be set at work at’ the manu- facture of articles needed at the state institutions, whose officers are to be for- bidden to buy in the open market when they can be supplied from the prison. The bill also provides that county Insti- tutions will be allowed apd expectel to buy prison-made goods. The theory of the bill is that little machinery or mo- tive power shall be used in the prison industries, but that hand and foot power may be used to the utmost. Under such conditions the output will be curtailed and limited to articles which state in- stitutions are most in need of. Governor Lafollette of Wiscdnsin de- clares in his message that while it Is essentinl for the welfare of convicts that they shall be employed, it is equally finpertant that they shall be employed in some line of industry which will en- able the) to earn a livelihood in that lina of industry when discharged from the prison. In other words, peniten- tiaries are not presumed merely to be penal Institutions, but also reformatories and compulsory mechanical training schools wherein criminal and vicious classes are taught how to earn a live- 1ihood hy honest toil. Here Is where the line is drawn be- tween contract convict labor and state convict Inbor. Under the contract sys- tem the aim and object is to get the largest amount of labor out of the man regardless of its effect upon his physical or moral condition. The contract abor taskmaster becomes in reality the slave driver. When convicts ‘are employed frectly by the state the products of conviet labor will cost more, but the convicts will be dcalt with more lenl- ently aud with a view to their future reclamatien as law abiding and useful menibers of soclety. The experiment to supply the state in- stitutions with clothing, boots and shoes, and household articles of necessity is worth trying, but its success will depend largely, if not whelly, upon the capacity and strict \ integrity of the officers charged with the rupervision of penal reformatories.~ We apprehend, however, hat the Nebraska penitentiary will never become self-sustaining until con- viets are classified and the dangerous criminals are eeparated from those coun- victed for winor crimes, whose careers give promise of reform. For the latter class a reformatory de- voted to farming and cattle raising would lold out the surest. promise of self-support. Such farm reformatories are about to be established n several of the gouthern states. A penal farm would erable convicts not énly to feed and clithe themselves, but also to raise a swmplus of grain, wheat and live stock to pay the cost of supervision, guarding and housing. Graln and cattle raised on the penal farm would, moreover, not come In competition with free labor, since the price of these commodities is estoblished in the world’s markets and the surplus raised on penal farms would be an infinitesimal part of the world’s supplies of food products. ——— THE JENKINS RESOLUTION. ‘Washington advices indicate that the resolution Introduced by Representative Jenkins, directing the judiclary commit- tee of the house, of which he is chair- man, to investigate and report regarding the power of congress to take possession of coal mines and coal transporting rail- roads, 1s not likely to be acted upon. Its author, however, 1s very serious in the matter. He bas said that he firmly be- Yleves conditfons warrart just such ac- tion as the resolution contemplates and also that the power of congress is am- ple provided conditions are strong enough to warrant action. “This resolution, if acted upon,” said Mr. Jenkins, “will develop the power of congress and It will enable us to know once and for all, what can be done when a monopoly undertakes to with- hold from the people what they must have to save life. The time is rapidly approaching when the people will want to know whether this government is to be run by them or by the monopolies.” The radical nature of the resolution i§ generally recognized and surprise \has ished product right here, Omaha will take front rank in the shoe market tables. \ — The Minnesota legislature is consid- ering a resolution calling for an inves- tigation Into the extent and result of {dhe use of free railway passes in that state by public officials and private eiti- zens. An investigation along similar lines in this state might confirm some suspicions generally entertained by the public. The solicitude of the railroad lobby- Uists for the interests of the far western counties in the pretended distribution of terminal values for taxation along the whole mileage is really pathetic. Put it down that the rallroads would not care a gap where their property was taxed if it wade no difference to their own pocketbooks. —— The Nebraska Independent salutes the Uniteéd States senate as “the most in- famous gang of scoundrels that ever got together as a legislative body any- where on this earth,” and it makes no excention in favor of any of the demo- crats or so-called silver republicans put there by populist votes. It would be in- teresting to see what the Independent would do if one of the fusion reformers should be selected to head the demo-pop presidential ticket of the next year. been expressed that it should have been futroduced by a man who has been re- garded as particnlarly conservative re- gpecting the power of congress to deal with monopoly. But there is nothing asserted In the resolution. It proposes simply that the judiclary committee of the house shell make an investigation with a view to determining whether or not congress has certain power. That s a question in which the American peo- ple are very greatly Interested. There are many who believe that the antl- trust law _of 1800 exhausted the power of gongress in regard to the trusts and that nothing more can be done without an amendment to the conmstitution. Oth- ers, among them the attorney general of the United States, hold that the power of congress to deal with monopolistic combinations has not been exhausted by existing statutes. The purpose of the Jenkins resolution is nothing more than that of obtaining an opinion as to whether or not congress has the power, under such conditions as now exist, to step In for the relief and protection of the people against monopoly. We can concelve of ne valid reason why such an Investigation should not be made, while there are strong reasons in favor of making it. The people of this country would like to have the opinion of the able lawyers of the house judic- lary committee In this matter and op- portunity should be given to obtain that In]vlnllyn, formed after careful Investiga tion and deliberation. If it be decided that congress has not the power to pro- tect the people even against monopoly in the necessaries of life, then the peo ple can Intelligently consider the ques tion of conferring the necessary power through constitutional amendment. SITUATION SHOULD IMPROVE While the remhoval of the duty on coal may not very materlally increase its im- portation, it is reasonably expected that this action of congress will have the effect to improve the situation. This is looked for especially in New England, owing to ximity to the Nova Scotia coalbeds, ugh the supply to be ob- tained from that source at present may not be as large as anticipated. Indeed, it is said that Nova Scotla is now send- ing all the coal it can spare to this country. However, to whatever extent New England may be relleved from this source will relieve the strain on the American coalbeds from which in ordi- nary tlmes it draws its supply and thus there will be left more of a margin of_supply for other sections of the coun- try. A great deal more ~oal is exported from the Uhnited States than is imported. The chairman of the ways and means committee of the house of representa- tives stated that the imports of coal into the United States during the past two years were 2,000,000 tons per year, a large portion of which came from the British North American possessions, while we have been exporting into Can- adn and Into the other British posses- sions some 6,000,000 tons a year. He also stated that they are feeling the scarcity of eoal in the possessions north of us,gthat similar conditions, though not to a degree of famine obtain there, 80 that no very large supply of coal is to be looked for from that source. The bulk of importations will probably be from the United Kingdom, but it is not possible to say how much can be speed- {ly secured from that source. During last year there was imported from the United Kingdom about 1,000,000 tons of coal and there is now a considerable tonnage afloat or under orders for early shipment. It is assumed that the re- moval of the duty will stimulate the ex- ports of British coal to this country and such will possibly be the case, though it is easy to overestimate the effect of the free coal legislation on British ex- ports. At all events, there appears to be good reason for belleving that the country has hAd its severest experlence from coal famine and that conditions will steadily improve unless, indeed, some fresh trouble should arise between op- erators and miners. This is not appre- hended, though the bituminous miners, who hold a convention this week, are talking of making a demaud for a con- siderable advance in wages, which if done may cause a fresh disturbance in the Industry. Moreover, the anthracite trouble is not fully settled and there is no telling what may yet happen before a final adjustment is effected. However, taking all eircumstances into considera- tion, it seems that the coal situation must change for the better, though it will be some time before normal condi- tions are restored. —_— A bill for compulsory contributions to defray the expense of an annual cab- bage and pumpkin show in Douglas county has been introduced by request. The bill requires the county commission- ers to levy a special tax equal to 3 cents per capita for every man, woman and child in the county, to be disbursed by the close corporation whose managers are the chief beneficiaries of this fund. In other words, the taxpayers of the city of Omaha are to contribute & frac- tion over $3,000, the taxpayers of South Omaha about $760 and the tax- payers in the country precincts $840 toward defraying the expenses of hold- ing an annual poultry and vegetable show which has long since outlived its usefulness. . The most significant feature of the senatorial contest in Illinols was the adoption by the lower house of a resolu- tion to exact from Congressman Hop- kins, the républican caucus candidate for. United States senator, the pledge tha* he will support in the United States senate any constitutional amendment providing for election of United States senators by direct vote of the péople. Whether the new senator will keep that pledge time alone will tell. In politics as It medicine there is a great Jdifference between before taking and after taking. —_—— Passengers on board the unlucky ocean liner St. Louls relieved their dis- gust over the delay in their transit by adopting resolutions of censure on the negligent owners for allowing the ves- sel to sall in unseaworthy condition. If they will let it go at that, without in- stituting suits for damages, the respon- sible owners will be glad to call it square. ——— The question is whether if the num- ber of supreme court commissioners be left to the judges of the supreme court, the judges would ever have the heart to cit any of them off. Tha public officer who voluntarily reduces the number of his own assistants is a rarity. The democratic Chicago Chrouicle has declared Mr. Roosevelt an ignominious failure as a president. It does not put the question to a vote, however, for the popular verdiet would be overwhelming for keeping him in the president’s chair over any democrgt that might be named. ¥ S——— Haylng secured the polite assurance of all the leading coal dealers of Omaha that they are not in gny combine to taise prices, the local popocratic organ has called its trust-smashing campalgn off. e Th> information that half the old mas- ters purchased in Europe by American art collectors are spurious is nothing new. Barnum's saying that the people like to be humbugged was never better exemplified than by the eagerness of rich Amerleans pretending to be art connoissenrs to be taken in for fabulous sums with all sorts of canvas-backed fakes, Give Imagination a Rest. Detroit Free Press. London has plenty of coal, but there fs no American city in which the unemployed are marching by the thousand in proces- sions. Our troubles are mot so serious as we think. An Adjustable Assamption. 8t. Louls Globe-Democrat. Followers of the pretender are whipping the imperial forces of the sultan of Mo- rocco. This will,at least establish the di- vine right to pretend. Loyal to Home Industry. Buffalo Expres: Governor Murphy insists that there are no trusts organized under the laws of New Jersey. The trusts are shameless corpo- rations that pay their franchise fee into the treasury of some other state. Trend of Sentiment. Chicago News. When an eminent democratic leader fa- vors public ownership projects and a re- publican congressional leader wants mines and railways seized what is the politician who aspires to figure as a radical going to do mext year? Sizing Up the Bunch. Loutsville Courler-Journal The members of the Missour! legislature are-to have 220 clerks at $3.50. Why not try the expetiment of discharging the leg- tslators and turning the business over to the clerks? For $3.50 a day it ought to be possible to get a better body of men than the average legislature. Boodlers Outdone. 8t. Louls Republic. Castro ehould Gome to the United States. He would make a good “legislative agent. ‘When Minister Bowen was broke the danc- ing president summoned several rich mer- chants and commanded them to produce $5,000 to send Bowen to Washington. St. Louis boodlers wouldn't fare well in Venez- uele. They would be “held up.” Silly Claims of Democrats. St. Louls Globe-Democrat. In President Roosevelt’s last meseage, read In congress December 2, {s the follow- ing passage: “In my judgment, the tariff on anthracite coal should be removed add anthracite put actually, where it now is nominally, on the free list. This would have no effect at all save in crises, but in crises it might be of service to the people.” And yet there are silly democrats celebrat- ing the suspension of the duty on coal, to meet an emergency, as a party triumph over protection. AMERICAN CORN ABROAD. The King of Cereals a Popular Mon- arch Across the Pond. Chicago Tribune. In the December report of the Treasury department bureau of statistics covering exports of domestic breadstuffs and provi- sions for the month of December, a show- ing 1s made which is well calculated to fllustrate one of the principal directions in which the 2,500,000,000-bushel corn crop of 1902 moved. Exports for that month aggrogate 8,600,000 bushels, as compared with & movement of 1,216,000 bushels the corresponding momth in 1901. The value of this enormouk guantity of corn exported increased from §$48,000 in 1901 to $4,796,600 in 1902. One significant fact is that during the month of December only sl'ghtly over 35,000 barrels of cornmeal were exported, as compared with 29,800 barrels a year ago. Thesa figures fllustrate an enormous for- elgn consumptlon of American corn and to a certain extent may be construed as mak- ing good the claims made for many years in behalf of the cereal as a foodstuff. While there are no figures at hand to show the countries in which this corn was consumed after it reached the other side, it is con- sldered altogether likely that large quanti- ties were used in countries where maize s already the principal agricultural product. The argument is that the merits of Amer- fean corn, as propagated by “Corn Mur- phy,” are becoming appreciated in foreign countries. Exports ever since the begin- ning of the present year have been on most an unprecedented scale. For the last two months nearly 2,000,000 bushels have been exported weekly.* Exports of wheat, on the other hand, were only 7,641,000 bushels during Decem- Dber, 1902, whereas in the same month last year considerably over 10,000,000 bus! went to Bufope. Evidently a desirable and inexpensive breadstuff is finding its way into foreign comsumption. Corn is the one grain of which the United States has an abundant supply, and the American growers | will doubtless be pleased that it should find tavor with Europeans. The movement is in every way to the advantage of the man who grows the corn. e AFRICANS IN THE COAL PILE. Minpeapolis Journal: At Bolton, a suburb of Chicago, 2,600 cars of coal were standing on the track when the present in- vestigation in the coal situation began. Since then that coal has been fading away at the rate of 500 cars a day. The mag- nates still have a little fear of the govern- ment. Cincinnat! Enquirer: Strange, isn't it, that the: coal-carrylng roads, which are now claiming that they have neither loco- motives, cars nor other equipments ade- quate to move coal from the mines to even nearby points, where suffering hu- manity \is on the razor-edge of freezing, set forth in detall bow ample they werc in thelr last annual report? And stranger still, they have failed to publish anything about their wholesale destruction during the past five or six months. Minneapolls Times: In Toledo, O., steal- ing coal has been made a venial sin, and the workhouse superintendent has been ordered by his superiors not to confine, or recelve, amy criminals adjudged as such through having been proved gullty of stealing coal. Of course this is a terrible state of affairs, because coal is property and the theft thereof should be punishable in a civilized community. The matter is mentfoned to accent the crucial situation in regard to the legislators, in whom they placed trust, prefer to take measures for relfef into thelr own hands when the fuel supply, and the tendency of the public to months of mouthing to days of doing. Cleveland Plain Dealer: The analogy be- tween this state of affairs in the coal busi- ness and & familiar condition in the sale of thecter tickets in New York has struck a good many people, and they are won- whether the explanation can thus be found. When there is & great demand for tickets expected the house s “sold out" before the office opens, except & fow un- desirable seats. The intending purchaser turns away disappointed, but finds tickets are to be had from speculators outside at an advance of a dollar or two. When all the seats have been sold in this way at a stiff premium the speculators and the box office divide the premium and each makes a good thing. Will the independent op. erators and the rallroad operstors “divide on the stalrs” after the game is over? BITS OF WASHINGTON LIFE. Minor Scenes and Ine! on the Spot, There is much illness, as well as weari- ness and vexation of spirit, among mem- bers of congress this winter. One day last week while Senator Nelson of Minnesota was expounding his views on the emnibus statehood bill one of the two senators who remained in the chamber dropped into a pitiful sleep and occasionally punctuated the senator's remarks with wierd snorts One of the exclamations awakened the sleeper. “Excuse me,” said Senator Nelson, “for disturbing your rest.” Among the ab- sentees on account of sicknes fs Senator Money of Mississippi, who is reported seri- ously 1ll. Senator Carmack of Tennessee has a bad eye, which has kept him at home and prevented him from reading for two or three months. Senator Pritchard of North Carolina has been in the hospital several weeks after a severe surgical op- eration. Senmator Hawley has been ill in his apartments in Washington for months. All of these, except Senator Hawley, are young men. The veterans of the senate, comprising a score of old men well around: 70, were never In better health, more frisky or better able to take up the arduous work which most of them have in a short session of the senate. nts Sketched Senator George C. Perkins of California has some unusual ideas regarding the elec- tion of United States senators and on ac- count of these he refused to listen to the appeals of his friends to go to California during the recent senatorial fight there. “I regard the members of the legisla- ture,” eaid he, “as the jury of the people, 8o far as the election of senators is con- cerned. Before the election of the legisla- ture I made a vampalgn which extended the length anfl breadth of my state. I told the people that I was a candidate for re-elec- tion and I made my promises to them. They elected a republican leglslature and by so doing made that legislature their Jjury. When opposition appeared to my re-elec- tion my friends urged me to leave Wash- ington and personally conduct my case be- fore the legislature, but I do not think it is right for senators to try to influence the actlon of legislatures, so I remained in Washington. In other words, I refused to tamper with the jury.” “There are times,” said Representative Melville R. Bull as he paused in the dicta- tion of letters and looked around for some one to talk to, “when I wonder if Job had more trials than does a member of con- gres Mr. Bull then read from a letter written him by a constituent. The writer said he understood that the government is paying a bounty of $1,000 to every man who is the father of ten or more children. As ho was the parent of an even dozen he wanted Mr. Bull to hurry the wheels of the govern- ment machine and rush his money to him. “That letter may appear very, funny -to some,” sald Mr. Bull, “but it cdntains no humor 8o far as T am concerned. Of course 1 shall have to write to this man and tell him that there 18 no such law and then| sweeten matters little by congratulating him on, his success in rearing such a large family. But that letter won't satisfy him and so 1 shall have a political enemy as long a3 I am in public life. That 1s why sometimes I liken a consclentious congress. man to patfent old Job." The consclence of some one living at Bealeton, Va., has been troubling him to the extent of 12 cents, with the result that the division of public moneys of the Treas- ury department has credited that amount to the consclence fund of the treasury. An envelope postmarked Bealeton, Va., and addressed to “The Treasury," turned up in Secretary Shaw's mall & few days ago. When opened it was found to contain six 2-cent stamps and a sheet of paper, upon which - was written: “Money re- turned for misused stamps by One Who Will Never Do It Again.” No statement is made as to how the stamps were misused, but often such con- tributions turn up with the confession that the contributor has taken stamps off en- velopes recelved and used them again. It sometimes occurs that the canceling ma- chines does not strike the stamp, and it goes through the mails as good as If un- used. It was with quiet chuckles that mem- bers of the house greeted thelr colleagues in the upper chamber one day last week, relates the New York Tribune, and an ex- pression of unutterable sadness overshad- owed the countenance of every senator. The benignity which usually characterizes the face of the genial senator from Massa- chusetts has given place to deepest gloom, and the temperature of the senate commit- tee on judiciary is not far from zero. By mutual agreement the senate laid the statehood bill over and took up the eal- ndar. In the course of the afternoon nate bill 4,068, an act to redivide the District of Alaska into three recording and judiclal divisions,” wae called up, was passed over and later taken up again at the request of Semator Hoar. The senator then moved to amend the enacting clause 80 as to make the measure operative be- ginning with June 13, 1902, and the bill was passed. It was discovered that this bill was passed by both house and senate at the last session of congress and ald take effect on June 13, 1902, since which date it has ben a statute of the United States. The friends of Senator Hoar ascribe the error to the fact that he is worn out with the fatigue of drafting his anti-trust meas- ure and.say the mistake was only natural under the clrcumstances. Merters of the bouse, however, recall the fact that Mr. Hoar once introduced a bill appropriating $100,000 for the purpose of surveylng a rallroad from Wrangel io Sitka, between which points there lie 200 miles of the Pa- oific ocean, and suggest that the yenerable senator was merely trylng to satisty the importunate Alaskans, who are besieging congress for legislation by re-enacting pre- vious laws. Parliamentary errors are some- times made in the house and are referred to by the senators as “natural in the lower thought of drawing or using a weapon. As & matter of fact, the handshake scems to have bad quite another origin. In feudal Burope the kneeling serf placed his jolne hands betwosn those of his overlord as a sign of submission. Among many primi. tive tribes, African and Chinese, the hands are extended In token of a willingness to have them bound. The most ingenlous ex. planation to the handshake is that of Herbert Spencer, who notes that among polite Arabs custom dictated that when two men met each should affect a desire feriority, the alternate pulling and withe drawing of the clasped hands finally lead- ing to the regular and rhythmical “‘shake.” The ceremonial between the people and the president Is a curious survival of primitive man. As a matter of fact, does miscel- lanieous handshaking on this ecale have any meaning? TIPS FOR THE LE! Times-Tribune: To the In case of doubt, don't pass ATURE, Beaver OCity legislature: the bill Wood River Interests: Now that the peoplo have honored the republicans with the legislative franchise and given them a good working majority, it behooves the representatives of that party to see to it that good sense and honesty guide the de- liberations of that body and that all monkey business be cut out. It Is rne thing to have the esteem of the public and another thing to keep it. Fremont Tribune: Representative Rob- erts has introduced a measure in the house glving to municipalities jurisdiction over public highways within a given radius of the city limits. This is one backed by the Nebraska Association of County Super- visors. would prove of great benefit to thousands of people, giving them better roals over which to market their produce. Hildrege Citizen: The normal school question Is bound to occupy consideratle at- tention from the legislature. The people in the southeastern part of the state are putting up such a fight to retain the Normal at Peru that it very likely will be retained there. It looks quite doubtful, in view of the conditions of the state finances at present, if a legislature can be induced to establish new normal schools. Still it is certain that a mormal school is greatly needed in this part of the state. Wahoo Wasp: In a briet interview with Governor Mickey this week the Wasp editor is pleased to state that a decidedly good opinion was formed of Nebraska's newly installed governor. He is honest and frank, with a single desire to do what i best for the people of Nebraska. Governor Mickey 18 a painstaking, careful man, and we do | not believe he will make any serious mis- takes, and we certalnly hope he will not. The people of Nebjaska can look for a good; clean administration for the next two years, Hastings Tribune: Nebraska can get out of her present financial muddle most quickly and easily by reforming that por- tion of her revenue laws referring to a sessment of property. There is no good reason for keeping the valuation so very low and the rate extremely high. There are just so much taxes to pay and the people may as well pay them at a fair valuation as on the present plan of assessment. The low valuation now prevailing is an indica- tion that everybody is suspicious of every- body else and wants his assessment made as small as possible for fear somebody else 11 have a lighter assessment. Let the ate get down to business, make all prop- erty pay its share and stop this monkey work. Madison Chronicle: It is now up to the legislature of this state to do something tangible in the way of correcting abuses in the revenue laws. Governor Mickey has called attent!sn to the deplorable condi- tions existing in the assessment and col- lecting of taxes. Indeed, matters are In such shape that to ignore them would be worse than criminal. The Omaha Bee has effectually exposed the evils that have long existed in railroad assessments and to fail to provide a remedy is to lend color to the charge that the railroads dominate our law making body. However, as plainly pointed out in the message, there is room for im- provement in many respects, and the rail- roads are not the only ones who should feel the welght of reform legislation. They should be made to bear their share of the burden, but justice demands the same rigld rule should apply to all others. Friend Telegraph: The fusion members of the legislature have already prepared to place the solid republican majority on record on many points. While republicans do not shirk thelr plain duty in any par- ticulars, yet the voters of the state will hold them and the republican party to a strict account for every unwholesome law, for every case of jobbery, for every surplus officer that succeeds In running the legis- lative gauntlet this winter. There possibly never has been a time in the history of the state when extreme vigilance was so Decessary as it is this winter. Already the state is burdened with superfluous officers, while in the lobby of both the house and senate place hunters jostle one anoiher in their anxiety. for positions which carry swag of some kind with them. The idea has in some manner gotten out that the state of Nebraska is a fat goose, to be plucked every two years and every day that inter- venes. The necessity for a complete vigil- ance on the part of every member is, if possible, greater than it has ever been. The republican party s in complete power in both branches of our legislative halls at Lincoln and if we would retain hat power we must demonstrate to the people that we are not only competent but honest enough to hold down the job. chamber,” but that the dignified senate should commit such a blunder s past com- prehension. THE PRESIDENTIAL HANDSHAKE, 014 Relinble Way of Keeping in Touch with the People. Chitago News Considering all that ha been said against the unreasonablencss of the custom of hold- ing bandshaking levpes, the White House receptions offer a truly remarkadle evidence of the vitality of ceriain very primitive customs. The people of this country lke the idea that their president should remain literally in touch with them, that he should be democratic and accessible. For many of them the handshake remains an outward and visible sign that the president is really one of them—a citizen temporarily clothed by his fellow citizens With the power to act as their political chief. As hendshaking is the common custom among friends and equals, therefore shaking the president’s hand ranks him as a friend and equal. Yet this same custom, which is universally re- garded as democratic, had its origin in the observance which was primarily just the reverse. The original handshake was prob- ably elther & sign of surrender and sub- Jection or of abasement. Ope theory holds that the extending of the hand, psim open, was originally meant to convey an assur- ance that the owner of the hand haé no Boys don’t care. who must watch and worry. Just a single dose, when the sufficient. | to Kkiss the other's hand as a token of in- | ! rsox | Ohio s always setting the pace. its courts has just de coal Is not a crime Hon. David B. Hil has put himself on record as being opposed to lending his face r. adacnment, of cigar advertisements, ete and forty legislatures working on the trust problem, it is proba- ble that we will soon know who is running the country |, Semator Jones of Arkansas is pushing a [ bill to prohibit duessing contests, Semator Jones has never hit the bull's eye once, and he is tired of trying. Captain Francls hell, the fa- ! mous scout and plainsman, has just died. He took the first wagon train to Calitornia in the gold excitement of 1840, Alfred A. Howlett, a milllonaire banker of Syracuse, N. Y., has planned a unique party for his elghty-second birthday, Feb- ruary 17. The goiests are to be 125 widows. Not a man nor an old mafd will be invited. The musicians will be women and he will be the only man in the whole place John Whittier, a Lowell weaver, is a con- sistent advocate of physical culture. Ho walks twenty-four miles each day between the factory and his home In Littloton. Be- tween the daily journeys on foot Whittier spends ten hours before a loom in a Lowell suspender factory. He s a small ' man, about 40 years old, and is all muscle and grit. Jerry Simpson, for years representative in the national legislature of a Kansas dis- trict, Is in Kaneas City in attendance at the stockmen's convention. Jerry has nothing of & sockless appearance about him nowadays. On the comtrary, Le is about the best dressed man at the convention One of ided that stealing With congress Marion 8. It is & measure of much merit and | In fact, he might almost be set down as a ladies’ man. He s prospering in his New Mexico home and is a strong advocate of statehood for that territory. People who are perpiexed as to whereabouts of all the coal mined I mer can obtain eye-opemers by looking around. Ten thousand tons of hard coal and a small mountain of soft coal were found in Milwaukee. Over 2,000 cars of coal are stored in one railroad yard in Chicago Half that number are held for a rise at Peoria, IIl. At Terre Haute, Ind., 240 cars of coal are sidetracked, whilo people in surrounding towns are shivering for fuel, and in Jersey City 280 loaded cars awalt the highest bidder. A Washington newspaper man has—or bad—a habit of dropping a roll of bills at the feet of a person with whom he Is talk- ing and then pretending to find"the money. He tried it on Congressman Taylor tho other day and the Ohio man promptly claimed the roll, saying he had just lost about that amount. The reporter pleaded that it was a joke, but Taylor would not have it that way until on accldentally put- ting his hand in an outside overcoat pocket he found his money. The newspaper man has given up practical jokes, the t sum o1 got @ cold supper when I went home tonight and you bet I kicked about it."” “Did that do any good?" “Well, my wife made it warm for me."— Chicago Tribune. or other, Somehow. a man with long whiskers skipplng around on skates always looks like an anomaly.—Somerville Jaurnal. Tom—Do you notice any difference ‘In your sister Kate &ince her engagement? Dick—Oh, yes. She seldom wears a glove on her left hand now, and her back hair always wants attention from that hand.— Boston Transcript. He—You wdmen are forever discussing the bad points of your neighbors. If you were to gossip about their good points it would be more edifying. She—Perhaps 80, but who would listen to us?—Philadelphia Press. Do you know why all the world loves a a conundrum?" It is. ‘Well, what's the answer? “Because he makes such a blooming f of himself and the world likes to laugh.”— Brooklyn Eagle. “Does your husband suffer much from his neuralgla?” “Yes; but not half as much as the rest of us do."—Detroit Free Press. “I sce Sbenson is assessed twice as much on his personal property as he was last year."” ““Yes; the assessor found out he was the only man living in the block that paid any- thing for having the street sprinkled last summer, and he socked it to him,"~Chicago Tribune! “One result of my researches,” sald the archaeologist, “is a sense of surprise that Pompeli should not havo forseen its fate.'" don’t know,” remarked the trifling idiot, “you couldn't 'expect Pompeli to look ahead consldering where both its ‘I's’ were. —Philadelphla Press. Dusty—How did yer come ter git in jail fer six months? Rusty—I was very, very {ll, and de doctor gave me up.—Detroit Free Press. BLOW, BLOW, THOU WINTER WIND, Shakespeare, Blow, blow, thou winter wind; Thou art not 3o unkind As man's Ingrdtitud Thy tooth Is not so keen, Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath be rude. Helgh ho! hnl{!‘ Most friendship is felgning, most loving mere foll; ‘Then helgh ho, the holly! This life is most jolly. ing heigh ho! unto the green Freese, freeze, thou bitter sky, That does not bite o nigh As benefits forgot; Though thou the waters warp, Thy sting is not so sharp As friends remembered not. Helgh ho! Sing heigh ho! unto the green olly; Most fricadship is felgning, most loving mere folly. - Then heigh ho, the holly! This life is most jolly. They only think of today, It’s the parents They know what exposure to the wet and cold means —tender throats, That’s why so many homes keep on hand Ayer’s Cnerry Pectoral ore lungs, hard coughs. cold first comes on, is often 1 Your own doctor will explain why this medicine is so good for coughs of all kinds, for bronchitis, and even for | consumption, Three sizes : 25c., 50c., $1.00. 3. C. AVER CO., Lowell, Mass. I the winter, when the children take cold so easily. I always keep Ayer's Cherry Péctoral on band. 1tisa wonderful for throat and lung froubes. s, BoFMia KxieTen, Brooklyn, N, ¥.