Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, February 28, 1903, Page 6

THE ©OMAHA DAnY BEE E. ROSKWATER, EDITOR. PUBLISHED EVERY IOF;NING. g oN. _ Yeu "0 TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTI Dally Bee (without Bunday), One Daily Bee and Sunday, One Year Tllustray . One Year . e DELIVERED BY CARRIER. Daily Bee (without Bunday), per copy.... 2¢ Dally Bee }vmwm Sun , per weel lr Daily Bee (In¢iuding Sunduy), per ‘week. 176 ;un ay Bee, per copy [ vening Eee (without i Ivtni:l Bee (Including Tomp “omplal Ih:‘ul be l’d!e sed t partm OFFICES. @man, Bee Bullding, Somth Omane City Han "Bullding, Twen- -Afth Streets. ST Fan Lhic ni g e B orl a ‘ashington—401 Fourteenth Street. CORRESPONDENCE. = Communications relating to news a: - ftorial matter should be addressed: Omaha Bee, Editorial Department. R aREm"ANCP.:' postal order, lemit b iraft, express d Bayasle T The Bee Publishing Company. nly I-cent stamps accepted in peyment of mail accounts Fersanal checks, except, on m! stern exchange, o THE BEE PUBLISHING COMPANY. STATEMENT OF CIRCULATION. Btats of Nebraska, Douglas County, Georgs B Faschueh, pocratary of e Bee Publishing corpany, bein that the actual number of goples o Dally, Mornh Bunday Beo printed dusing January, 1908, was as follows: 1 BREREENES Total o, iess unsold and returned cop! Net total sales.. Net average sales. GEORGE B. TZSCHUCK. Bubscribed my betore me ti st ml Jan M. l." (Beal.) If there are any more charter amend- ments up the sleeve, it is high time they should be shaken out. b a—— It is plain that the corporation lobby down at Lincoln has also been getting in its work on the fusion side of the fence. u L ] It 1s an easy thing to ralse salarles of state house employes, but once rajsed nobody living in this generation will see them lowered. \ Semm—ppEp—— It the legislature of Nebraska is In an Impeaching mood, it can find plenty of niaterlal to work on besides the stute pharmacy board. . It looks as If Délaware would con- tinue to be unreppesented in the United States senate, But that is no new ex- perience for Delaware. e raaed The jnventor of the Gatling gun is dead. Paradoxically, the deadly weapon he introduced by making war more ef- fective served to promota peace. Se——— The Northwestern road may absorb the Elkhorn for purposes of operation, but the merger wili not reduce the size of the lobby it is maintaining at Lin- coln, St Hobson's plea for a larger navy must have reached Washington just in time. At any rate, congress responded promptly by voting the necessary ap- propriations. i Emm— Colonel Henry Watterson has been remiss in not telling the public just what he thinks of Colonel Bryan's re- wcent call to arms. If there Is to be a council of war Colonel Watterson should have the head of the table. Esm—ip——— And now the seat of war Is to be transferred from South America to Central America. Uncle Sam will have his hands full if he assumes the task of keeping all the unruly boys on the con- tinent from pummeling one another. 30 only wonder ls that our over- and underpald city comptroller s not asking for back salary as well to relmburse him for the valuable serv- jces donated by him to the city over and above what he has been paid for. E— Unless all signs fall there will soon be an opening for & state veterinary dentist, who will see to it that aged and infirm horses and mules are provided re-election of Mrs. Falrbanks as president of the Daugh- teck of the American Revolution is sald to have headed off an Incipient revolu- tion ip that organization. The daugh- ters have the revolutionary spirit as well as the name. S—————— The democrats in the house are ac- cusing the republicans of using high- handed methods to unseat Congressman Butler of Missourl, whose election was shown to be accomplished by rank frauds in 8t. Louls. The democrats in- duiged their high-handed methods at the polls. ¢ S If the loss incurred In the fire at Cin- clnnati really foots up $4,000,000, or anywhere near that estimate, we will soon see the Insurance companies using it as a pretext for stiffening up rates " all over the country. The underwriters are not accustomed to letting a chance like this go by. E—— It is amusing to see the legislature of Pennsylvania, which is represented in the United States senate by Quay and LEGISLATIVE APPORTIONMENT. Bection 2, article 1l of the constitu- tion of Nebraska makes the following specifie provision relative to the appor tionment of legislative representation: | At fts first regular session after each ate) enumeration and also after each ade by the authority of the United States, but at no other time, the legislature shall apportion the senators and representatives according to the num- ber of inhabitants, excluding the Indlans not taxed and soldiers and officers of the United States army and navy. The last apportionment in conformity with this provision was made by the legislature of 1887 on the basis of the state census of 1885. The national cen- sus of 1800 furnished a proper basis for a legislative apportionment and the leg- Islature of 1891 was in duty bound to avall ftself of the United States census- figures, but the legislature of 1801 falled to discharge this duty, did also the legislature of 1901, which had at its disposal the returns of the census taken by the United States in 1900. It will be noted that the constitution expressly declares that legislative ap- portionment shall be made by the legis- lature following the taking of a na- tional or state census, “but at no other time.” It may be contended that it will be an infraction of this constitutional provision for the legislature of 1008 to make an apportionment of legislative represeéntation, that should have been made by the last legislature. But it is & serious question whether the refusal of the legislature to carry out the man- date of the constitution would be per- mitted to disfranchise the people of dis- tricts justly entitled to increased legis- lative representation, whatever their motives might be. The trend of popu- lation in Nebraska durlng the past twenty years has been westward, and that section .of the state has suffered most by the fallure of succeeding legls- latures to enpct laws that would give thes region that has grown most in pop- ulation its just proportion of representa- tion in the legislature. While we can see no harm'in the en- actment of an apportionment bill dur- ing the present sesslon, it would be well to supplement such legislation by the submission of a constitutional amend- ment fixing the representation on the basis of the census’ of 1900. Such an amendment luhmltt‘._d by the present legislature for ratification in 1904 would, If adopted, ingure equitabl rep-’ resentation fo the legislature of‘fflfl1. 8hould the reapportifnment enacted by the present I8gislature be held valid by the supreme court before the election of 1904, no harm would come from the submission of a constitutional amend- ment. estmpessess— SCOPE OF TH& DECISION. court of the United States In the lot- tery cases. It is not remarkable that this should be the ease in view of the fact that the chief justice and three of the assoclate justices, very generally re- garded as the ablest men of the tri-|been withholding fees which bunal, should have expressed a minority opinion. It must be admitted that this minority view is very strong and that there is much in it which cannot fall to command commendation. Its position is that there is a limitation upon the | power of congress in respect to the control of Interstate ‘commerce; that there 1s an autl belonging to the states, under the amendment to the constitution, that congress ‘pannot invade or impair. Theé minority of the court does mnot. deny to congress the right to regulate commerce bétween the states, but it holds that I the ex- ercise of its authority congress must not and cannot destroy or nullity the power which under the constitution the states enjoy. The majority opinion leaves very lit- tle to the states. Its practical mean- ing 1s that the power of congress over interstate commerce 18 sypreme and un- qQuestionable. Whateveé* congress may determine in regard to that commerce, in accordance with this decision, 1s final and conclusive, not even the courts having any right to question it. For example, should congress decide that anything entéring Into Interstate commerce was Infmical to the pub- lic interest it would have authority to prohibit the transportation of that article or commodity from state to state or to foreign countries. Thus any cor- poration authorized by a state to carry on a business could be prevented by congressional enactment from carrying on that business in another state. It is obvious that by this decision congress Is given absolute and unre- stricted control over Interstate com- merce and can put a stop to any busi- ness among the several states which it shall deem desirable to suppress. It is true that the majority opinlon says that congress may not arbitrarily inter- fere with interstate commerce to the extent of excluding from it articles that are proper in such commerce, but mani- festly this puts ne real Nmitation upon congressional power under the constitu- tional provision relating to the regula- tion of commerce among the states and with forelgn nations. There s one conclusion from this de- clsion that ms to be absolutely sound and indisputable. That is, that the power of congress to control and regulate corporations engaged in inter- state and forelgn commerce 1s clear and unrestricted. The decision sustains un- qualifiedly the anti-trust law of 1890 and is in effect a notice to all combina- tlons that that law must be respected and complied with. e Marching orders will soon be issued to 2,200 infantry, cavalry and artillery- men, stationed at various posts in the Department of the Missourl, to proceed by rail to 8t. Louls to assist in the ded!- cation of the world's fair and inel- dentally to become part of the pageant be enlivened by five brass bands and sundry original packages. Whether the expenses of this military demon- stration are to be takem out of the army chest of the treasury or the treasury of the falr assoclation has not transpired. Inasmuch the world's fair will not open for a year after its dedication, the blare of trumpets, the pounding of the timbrels and the marshaling of troops will be a rather expensive luxury, chlefly en- Joyable by the various transportation lines that converge at the world's fair city. FIGHTING AMERICAN COMPETITION. The disposition in Europe to fight American competition continues un- abated and from time to time assumes new forms of aggressiveness. The folly of it never seems to oceur to Euro- pean statesmen—that Is to some of them who are most farly removed from what is really the competition com- merclally of this country. For ex- ample, the dispatches a few days ago sald that the finance minister of Aus- tria-Hungary had suggested a commer- cial unlon between the states of Europe In antagonism to American competi- tion and had seriously urged that this was necessary in order to protect those countries against the invasion commer- clally of this country. It would be difficult to concelve of a proposition more ridiculous than this and yet its suggestion by an officlal high in the councils of one of the lead- ing pewers of continental Rurope gives it an authority which entitles it to con- slderation. It suggests simply this, that there is In the first states of Europe a feeling that the time has come when some very positive and pronounced ac- tion should be taken to meet or offset the commereial competition of this country in the European markets. How this shall be done Is the problem that is at this moment worrying every Euro- pean country and threatens to trouble them for some time to come. It is not simply a matter of tariffs, for that 1s comparatively easy. Any of those countries is at liberty to make its tarift to suit itself and nelther the United States nor any other country has any right to object. It is simply when dis- criminations are made that the right of objection can be urged and it s on this score alone that the United States has ever made any objection. That position we shall undoubtedly ‘continue to assert. Whatever foreign governments shall do with reference to the protection of their industries we cannot properly find fault with, so long as their policy does not involve a dis- crimination against our products. But whenever, as in the case of Germany and Russia and France, tariffs are be objection made and persistence in that policy will certainly bring retal- iation. If the State Board of Pharmaey has should have been paid Into the state treasury it 1s proper for the legislature to get after them and see that the money fs turned back. The fees which may have been thus diverted, however, are as nothing compared with the money which should be recovered to the treas- ury to make good the amounts held out by Bartley, by Meserve and by the mid- diemen in the Stuefer bond deals. No Investigation should be confined to the fees of the pharmacy board when these other impositions on the taxpayers, to use a mild term, are walting to be probed. The supreme court of Nebraska, in its decision on the taxation of the Omaha street rallway, water works, gas and electric lighting companies, declared in 80 many words that the market price of the stocks and bonds of a corporation represent its true value for taxation purposes. This principle was enunci- ated on several occasions by the su- preme court of the United States and, therefore, rests on a very substantial basis. If the principle is sound with re- gard to the assessment of franchised publie utllity corporations it is equally sound when applied to the assessment of rallroad corporations, The lower house of the legislature has turned down its committee on roads and bridges, which had allowed itself to bé hypnotized by the bridge con- tractors’ lobby. This action on the part of the lower house is highly com- mendable. The manipulation of county boards by bridge contractors has be- come a notorfous scandal, — Getting Up in the World, Louisville Courler-Journal, The island of Guam has risen six inches since it became the property of the United States and the Guammites took to wearing trousers. It is belleved, however, that a recent earthquake was the direct cause of Guam’s rise {n the world. An Opening for Gemlus. Washington Post. Our diplomatic representative at Vienna s said to be very much embarrassed be- cause we have no embassy there equal to the social functions he desires to give. We might send over the chaps who re- modeled the White House and put up some sort of a shack for the gentleman. Marvelous Era of Peace, Chicago Post. With the Irish coming to the rescue of the comservatives, the kaiser returning the Restaurador, the sultan accepting the re- form program, Senator Quay agreeing to the statehood compromise, Mr. Tillman ex- pressing sorrow for the civil war and Mr. Gompers settling the tatlors' dispute, an era of pi would seem to have settled upon the face of the earth. Small, but Thoreuxhly Trained. Philadeiphla Record. President Roosevelt both by his acts and his speech favors a small but thoroughly disciplined regular army. Wuch the same argument may be applied to the navy. In existing conditions it is much easier to set afloat enormous sea monsters than it is to obtain the necessary quota of diseiplined for the naval service. When in- and spirited American youths see THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1003, that there is no prospect of promotion in the navy save for A select few they prefer the merchant marine, in which there is no bar to thelr advanmcement. Stah for the Goldem Mean. New York Tribune It Australia and the United States could average temperatures just now both coun- tries would be more comfortable. In the biggest island on the globe a destructive heat wave has boen doing almost incalcul- | able damage. In this country the Feb- ruary freeze has been working mischief and has been the cause of widespread dis- comfort. How welobme would be the golden mean all over the world! R ——— The Manufacturing West. New York Independent A transtormation in the development of the west little realized by the mation at large, yet of important bearing, ie taking place. The agricultural ared, which suce ceeded that of the .ranch and hunting ground, s giving way to a period In which manufacturing plays a noteworthy part. The prosperity of the last halt decade has brought about an attempt to rival the older states in the processes iof craftsman- ship. The westerner has traveled “back e and has seen {n mearly every littlo town a factory; he has seen the surplus labor employed in making things—and he has gone home and sought to establish an industry of some sort in his own town. He has succeeded better than is commonly sup- posed. The recent census shows that in what may be called “western!’ states there are 225,287 manufacturing establishments, with an hggrogate capital of $3,447,587,249, and .an annual product of $5,252,311,020. In New England, the home of the manu- facturing industry, there were only about one-fourth as many establishments as in the west, less than half the capital invested, and an annual product of only two-fifths that of the west. Speeches That Read Well, Sepator Hoar in Success. 1t is often sald that if a speech reads well it {s not a good speech. There may be some truth in it. The reader cannot, of course, get the impression which the speaker conveys by look and tone and ges- ture. He lacks that marvelous influence by which, in a great assembly, the emotion of every individual soul is multiplied by the emotion of every other. The reader can pause and dwell upon the thought. If there be a fallacy, he is not hurried away to something else before he can detect it. 80, also, his more careful and deliberate criticism will discover offenses of style and taste which pass unheeded in a speech when uttered. But still the great oratoric triumphs of literature and history stand the test of reading in the closet, as well as of hearlng in the assembly. Would not Marc Antony’s speech over the dead body of Caesar, had it been uttered, have moved the Roman populace as it moves the spec- tator when the play is acted, or the soli- tary reader in his closet? Does not Lord Chatham’s “I rejoice that America has re- sted” read well? Do mot Sheridan’s and Burke's great perorations in the impeach- ment of Warren Hastings read well? Does not “Liberty and Union, Now and For- ever,” read well? Does not “Give me Lib- erty or Give Mé Des read well? Do not Everett's finest passages read. well? P ity AN UNDESIRABLE INNOVATION. Shall American Garb Give Way to the Gaudy Tinsel of Europe? Baltimore American. The question of diplomatic uniforms is again under discussion:” It seems that the predecessor of the'present ambassador to Russian invented & ‘4niform—a black coat trimmed with gold@“lace. The present am- bassador has déefded to adopt it. The rule of the State department on the ‘subject s that a minister dr ambassadpr can wear what he pleasest This fs, perhaps, as good as any other rule,"n view of the fact that & number of our representatives abroad have felt humiliated whed appearing in the ordinary full dress of an American citizen. One of them complained that when appear- ing in that way he was not allowed to en- ter the palace, and had to be identified by his servant. Something similar happened to a distinguished’ American officer at an official function at Westminster Abbey. He had on a dress coat and was mistaken for a servant until his comparion, who was a bishop, explained who he Wi It will be a source of regret to many if the frills and gold lace of the European courts is to be generally substituted by our representatives abroad for she simple dress of the American citizen. The latter is dis- tinctive of the country and people. The masses in America dress well, but they dress on state occasions in the very stylo which seems so obnoxlous to some of the American diplomats. Some of ‘the greatest of American diplo- matists have not considered it beneath their dignity, nor entailing insult and humili- atfon, to go into the presence of a Buropean sovereign and his court in the dress waich all Americans wear upon occasions of state. Any affront offered to an ambassador un- der such circumstances ought not to offend or humiliate him. It is easier to command respect for Americans in American garb than by imitating the gaudy tinsel of Europe. COMMON SENSE IN —— Progressive and Remarkable View of Newspaper Responsibility. Chicago Post. The New York press Is to be congratu- lated on a verdict recently rendered in a libel sult against one of its leading mem- bers. While the judgment establishes no precedent, and any other jury is entitled to disregard it in a similar case, the sense and fairness of the verdict will make an impression on the community. The defendant newspaper was undoubt- edly gullty of libel. Technically it had no defense, and its attorney was astute enough to set up none of the ordinary kind. It was admitted that under the law the plaintiff whs entitled to damages, but it was alleged and conclusively shown thar there had been no malicious Intent or pur- pose in the Wbelous publication. The item upon which the suit was based charged the plaintiff with the commission of a very serious crime, and the charge was abso- lutely unfounded. But the paper had printed the item in the regular course of its busi- nel news gatherer, having received It from a generally trustworthy source. In other words, the defense, as original before a jury as it is sound and rational and forceful, was that’' npewspapers are printed and circulated because the public demands them, and that in meeting this universal demand for the promptest pub- lication of the greatest possible variety of interesting matters, the newspapers have to depend on press agencles, reporters and correspondents, and cannot stop to verify every item. Owing to the haste, pressure and rush, inaccuracies and false statements inevitably creep in, and for such occasional error it is unjust to hold the publishers ana editors financlally responsible. Honest ef- fort to serve the public and the absolute absence of malice or intent to injure should be taken into account in applying the law of libel. The jury accepted this progressive and reasonsble view. and awarded the plain- tff 6 cents damages, instead of the §50,000 EL SUITS, nical lisbility of the defendant, while in- dorsing the plea of confession and avold- ance. The werdict is intelligent and just. It may be commended to lawyers and jurors in other centers of newspaperdoy | sleep of centuries. OTHER LANDS THAN OURS. The plan of administrative reform for the Turkish provinces proposed by Austria and Russia and accepted by the sultan would go far to remove the Macedonian grievances 1t It were honestly carried out. | Such programs, however, have been pro- posed and agreed to before, and the abuses of Turkish administration bave continued | to grow worse. Two features of impor- tance are the establishment of & native gendarmerie under foreign officers, to take the place of the Turkish military police, and the provision that the taxes are not to be farmed out, but collected In the vilayets and held in the local banks, the local ex- | penses to be a first charge upon them, and only the balance sent to Constantinople. This is tuch a sweeping change in the Turkish system of draining the resourc of the country and giving nothing in re- turn that something more than a paper promise will be needed to carry it™lnto effect. The powers probably are not san- guine. Only they hope to keep the Mace- donians quiet for awhile. Ll A French parllamentary report on the estimates for the varlous protectorates, written by M. Flandrin, fllustrates the jealousy with which the European powers watch any possible encroachment upon their spheres of interest in northern Africa. M. Flandrin alludes to the constant flow of emigrants from Sicily into Tripoll. He says that there are 75,000 Italians in that province, already, outnumbering the French in the proportion of three to one. The pos- POLITIOAL DRIFT. The municipal election in Chicago occurs this year on April 7. The first Industry the Department of Commerce goes against is the industry of office seeking. Any old thing goes in Kansas, especially it there is a state salary attached. The latest Is a state hen ranch to accommodate & bunch of political roosters. A majority of the lower house of the Illi- nois legislature are trying to crack the state treasury for an extra $500 each “‘for clerk hfre.” They need the mibney. New York City has sevenfhen members of the pext house of represghtatives, Chi- cago elphia six, St: Louls three. Bost. Cincinnatl two, New Orleans two, San Francisco two, Baltimore two and Wetroft one. . r Thirty-four men have begn distranchised for ten years in Martin county, Indana, for selling their votes at the November elec- tion in 1902. Many of them pleaded gullty. Others in the county are to bo tried on the same charge. The convicted ones also are condemned to pay the costs. In such es $100 goes to the prosecuting witness. Belng somewhat sore on the mayor of Topeka, the lower house of the Kansas leg- islature instructed its chaplain to omit his name from the list of official prayers for the reason that “ho is past redemption. Since this pronouncement the mayor h received enthuslastic commendation from all kinds of sinners and seems to bé doing quite well. sibility of having to deal with Italians on the frontier of Tunis, he proceeds to say, 18 a hypothesis which has not been taken into consideration. However much they might wish to tighten the bonds connmect- ing them with a friendly nation, they could not overlook the fact that if Italy were in possession of Tripoll it would control the approaches to the interior of the con- tinent and be a great menace to the proa- perity of Tumis. It would never do, he to allow an active European mili- tary power to establish itself to the east- ward of Algeria for the sake of securing |a lttle more freedom of action to the | westward; that is to say, Morocco. Such a policy would be peculiarly indiscreet, it the military power concerne happened to be & member of the triple alllance. oo The possibility—nay, probabllity—of a greater Germany, one which will extend from the North and Baltic seas to the Adriatic when Franz Josef dles, is coming more and more to occupy the attention of French political writers. In the Figaro Baron Plerre de Coubertin, the eminent publicist, recently argued that the ab- sorption of Germsu Austria by the German empire should not be a cause for an armed interference by France. He argues that in case of war Bohemia would be swallowed at the first gulp. Then the calef attention of Germany would be given to France, for | even should Russia join with its ally in an armed protest, Germany's attitude toward its northern neighbor would be one of de- fense. Nor is it altogether certaln that England would preserve & neutral attitude. England would not care to see the aggran- dizement of Germany, but the overwhelm- ing influence of a victorious France and Russia would be still worse for it. One word from England and France's oversea possessions would be gonme. Baron de Coubertin argues that France's future greatness does not lie along the Rhine, but on the Niger and Mekong. His argu- ment {8 that it would be to France's ad- vantage to see a larger Germany. With Germany stretching across the central part of Europe, the task of watching it would be given to England, Russia end Italy, and France would be left to pursue its own ends in Africa gnd Asia. He concludes that France has no direct and vital interest for Interfering in the settlement of the ustrian problem, in which it would have ©0 pay a heavy price for the honor of pro- moting the ends of oth Its colonial policy constitutes for France a fountain of youth, while a continental policy would be for it a half-open grave. o It looks as if the Dutch had finally gotten the better of the Achinese, the warlike peo- ple ot Sumatra, with whom they have been fighting continually since they took pot sion of the island. The titular sultan has offered his suhmission and this act is | said to be spontaneous and unconditional. Ever since he attained his majority in 1884 the sultan has been the soal of the Achi- nese war party, which fact makes his sub. misslon all the more notable. It is possi- ble that the war party may proclalm an- other sultan and continue the contest, but it is unlikely, and even if it does the guer- illa warfare will be much lightened, #s tie present sultan has a very large personal following. The history of the war this once powerful nation has waged agalnst tho Dutch is one of the most interesting that the far east has given us. The conquest of Sumatra has cost Holland millions in money and thousands of men. It is a story of blunders and of misconception of condi- tions, but the results once attained were' more than worth the expense in time, lives and monhey. The bill for the protection of children which 1s now before the German Reichstag provides that children under 13 years of age must not be ecmployed in bullding operations, brick kilns, quarries and mines; that children under 12 must not be em- ployed in workshops, theatrical representa- tions or restaurants; and that children under 10 must mot be employed to dis- tribute goods. In the case of workshops and theaters, restrictions are placed upon the employment of children over 12 years of age who have met completed thelr ele- mentary education. In some cases parents are permitted to employ thelr own chil- dren while still under these age llmits. The social democrats propose to extend the provisions of the bill to children em- ployed In agricultural and domestic service. In the ,course of debate it w declared that, owlng to the dearth of farm laborers, children were largely employed to look after cattle, .. 1s slowly awakening from her When that strange and mysterious country of immense natural re- sources enters fully into the spirit of mod- ern progress she may accomplish amazing things. The first state rallroad in Bolivia, | from a port on Lake Titicaca, far above the level of the sea, to La Paz, is under | construction and going forward at a reason- | able rate of speed. It is not an extremely | ambitious trunk line of vast proportions, and its length will be less than sixty miles. But the thought of any rail is almost as startling as the idea of auto- mobiles in Patagonk Bolivia Sooner or later the Sick Man of Europe must scuttle to Asia, and even there he | may find a lot of trouble in trylng to keep himself alive. The conquest of the Byzan- tine empire and the capture of Constanti- nople in 1453 by the Turks were retrograde steps in the history of humanity. More than four centuries have passed since that stupendous catastrophe. Long before the fifth is ended Ottoman rule will go down in the disaster which it so fully deserves. It is & decadent dominion. A Pitiful Sttuation. The last democratic state convention in Texas definitely fixed for the democratic voters of that state, who are in an over- whelming majority of the electorate, the second Saturday of July in each year as the day of the democratic primary. The demo- cratio majority in Texas is so large that for practical purposes a democratic nomina- tion 1s equivalent to an election, Mrs. Coulter, the only woman member.of the Utah legislature, has introduced a bill to limit alection expenses of candidates for office. It provides that it.shall be unlaw- ful for any candidate to glve away or treat to cigars, drinks or other refreshments, or to turnish voters carriages or pther tran: portation to the polls. The penalty is fine, imprisonment or loss of office to which the offending candidate has been elected. Senator Pettus of Alabama the other day disproved the prevalling theory that all seats in the United States senate are ex- pensive and that that body is altogether a millionaires’ club. He sont to the secre- tary of state of Alabama the sum of $1 in a postal note to cover the entire expen for his recent unanimous electfon. This sum represents the fee of the secretary of state for his services. So far as known this s a record in the minimum price for seats in the senat —— IN THE INTEREST OF BREVITY, mchusetts Works the Blue Pencil on State Reports. New York Times. The Massachusetts legislature passed a law last year creating a board of editors, whose duty it is to reduce the size of the state departmental reports to reasonable limits. These publi- cations are growing more and more bulky, and Massachusetts has taken the initia- tive in correcting an abuse which prevalis to a greater or less extent in all the stat The tendenoy to prolixity n I government reports is marked. A board of experts in condensation, that would perform its labors with judicial se- verity and Impartiality, would materially reduce the cost of:printing, the reports and hasten their publigatidn, - - The messages of the ‘governors are in many instandes open fo the oriticlsm which applies to state'réparts. They, 100, need merciless revision for the sake of brevity and force. Aceording to the Chicago Record-Herald, the recent annual message of Governor White of West Virginia is the most formidable document of the kind pro- duced In recent years. “It Is claimed by the people of West Virginia that Governor White's message 1s the longest on record.” A few excerpts from this state paper wan- dered over nineteen columns of an ordi- nary newspaper. The Record-Herald es- timates that the message, printed in non- pareil type, would reach “from Red Bank, N. J., to What Cheer, Ia. In polnt of mileage Governor White's exhaustive ef- fort is probably unrivaled. The Record- Herald advises Governor La Foilette, who produced a message of 45,000 words, to be- &in his next message at once if he wishes to enter the lists with Governor White with any hope of success. One of the secrets of the late Speaker Reed’s ouccess as a statesman was his briet and incisive speech. He rarely made long addresses. Occasionally a governor's message is a model of brevity. Such efforts are likely to be read and to command public attention. Some years ago the British House of Commons adopted a reso- lution declaring that the duration of Par- lamentary speeches was increasing and should be abated. The resolution passed by a. majority of sixty. The evil is not modern, however. Gladstone on a certain occasion recalled that Palmerston spoke on an important bill “from the dusk of one day to the dawn of another.” Gladstone, always forceful, occupied five hours in speeches on the budget. It is sald, how- ever, that Disraell and Gladstone rarely spoke over an hour on the most serious themes. The mover of the House of Com- mouns resolution referred to declared that & parliamentarian should be able to pre- sent his argument on any subject In an hour, The American congress has not been out- done by the British Parliament in the out- put of lengthy speeches. In this headlong #ge a tense and concise state paper or pub- lie address has a decided advant #uch an amazing effort that of Governor White of West Virginia. The Pall Mall Gazette, commenting some years ago upon the old-time speeches In Parllament, that our British ‘orefathers had an insticu- tion known as the “full dress debate, which they used with unsparing coplousness.” Governor White's formidable ~outgivings belong to that slow era and are out of place Absolutely’ Pure THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE DEFENDING THE GOVERNMENT, Pe ng Sults to Overtarn Postofce Rew {L TN Philadelphia Press. The senate committee on postoffices In- serted in the postoffice appropriation bill an item the emactment of which cught not tp be a matter of coubt. This ftem 1o the appropriation of $25,000 for the em ployment of special couneel, to be appdinted by the attorney gemeral, to prosecute and defend on behalf of the Postoffice depart- ment all suits now pending in court, or which may hereafter arise, affecting the second class mail privilege. This provision is important to the great reform in which the department is en- gaged. There are some twenty-five ruits now pending in which restraining orders have been issued or appeals taken, and more may come. The publishers who are conducting thelr periodicals practieally at the expense of the government, and whose subsidy is threatened, are making a vigor- ous fight te save the gigantic abuse. /They have ample and -able counsel. They can afford to pay heavy fees to arrest the arm of the department. They can afford to pay heavily evem to secure temporary injumc- tions and stave off final action as long as possible, thus securing @ respite for monthe. Against this combination of pub- lishers and their array of counsel the de. partmént has been compelled to fight with a single assistal sttorney. The issue involves ns of dollars and it would be the highgst-economy for the gov- ernment to “$25,000 for the ample and adequate prosecution of these suits The senate committee rightly took this view of the case and the senate cught to sustain the proyision. It Sertainly will do 80 1t it gorrectly understands the matter. It s not.at all uniikely that the combina- tion of publishers will undertake to crippie the department by securing the elimination of this provision. It can only be done under some falsg pretense, and the senate should not sufferjtself to be misled. The depart- ment is giighing A vital reform under great difcultidl ‘and it ought to have the help which it fieeks. | No, littie th in the electric, rapid transit age. ——— LINES TO A LAUGH, . ‘“Yes, slf, you'd be 'a rema; man, ir-'" "h what?" alcates e $ : et ool M g s o ghts. S Cl Plain Cuts out giri and eleg ler. AU " ho sald, “why do crowd.”—Chieago Record-Herald. s “Our son seems to Le goin' right in for culture,” sald Mrs. Corntossel. “"Yes." anewered her hagband in a_tone of slight disappointment; ‘every kind ex- cept agriculture."~Washington Star. “It has Interested me rguch Soriptural Literalist, #'to speculate on how Noah arranged all those miscellaneous ani- mals in the ark. Z “Well,” teplied the Cheérful Idiot, “he probably arran h¥ crocodiles In tears and the jungle Baltimore American, “I don't see anything in Jones',”” said the assist “Of course, you don't,” in-chief, *'because I oj & $ bili out.” " —Atia '8 In lairs, this new poem of T, tor, lied the editor- d it first and took ‘onstitution. know T pught to of_lushing d Oldboy, Weabping another wet towel around his he but when a fellow gots to be about so faf along in life, you know, hig habits become sort of fixed." “All that alls you,” observed the friend who had dropped In to eons iim, “is that your habits have become sort of loose."—Chicago Tribune.. —_— LITTLE THINGS OF LIFE. —_— Somerville Journalt We should not.underestimate The little things of life. Thelr influence pnus is great— s The little things of it ¥ They make us Yes, everyone, serf to cua They have the power to make or mae The little things of life. 4 For instance, homeopathic pllls— (The little things of life.) The doctors say they'll cure ous M= (The Iittle things of life.) Mosquiin<, on the other hand: Torment ts in the summer, and With ail our screens lhe¥ can't be banned— (The little things of Gfe.) e, » ‘hat we are, v Then bables, how they tyrannize— (The little things of 1if They give us amgple exerdmse— (The little thinks of life.) We walk the floor with them at night, They wake us up, aj right, all right, And howl and yell, Yaat out of spite— (The little things of lite.) Then little bills, we have them; too~ (The little things of life.) How quickly they lll|ov"rduo— 1 i f e (The litdle gl ot Ig) L Their power oust be recognized, Although their blessim a (The little things of life.) I A WET DAY Suits some people. It has its oharms, and suits us, if we can sall you a “Cravenet’’ “Mackintosh” or “Storm Coat.” If it's protection you want whethér it's from high prices or storms of the season w¢ can protect you, and we can give equal under the storm coats. protection o the garment NO CLOTHING FITS LIKE QURS. Philadelphia Record. Now that Quay bas deserted them the democrats of the United States senate find themselves without a leader. It is & pititul situation. 4