Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, March 7, 1903, Page 6

THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: SATURDAY. MARCH 7, THE OMAHA DAILY BEE. BE. ROSEWATER, EDITOR. PUBLISHED (EVERY TERMS OF SUBBCRIPTION, Dally Bee (without Bunday), One Year. Dally Bee and Surday, One Year Illustrated Bee, One Year > Sunday Bee, One Year. Satnrdny Bee, One Yen v ¢ Twentieth Century Farmer, One Year.. DELIVERED BY CARRIER. Dally Bee (without Sunday), per copy.. Daily Bes (without Bunday). per week Daily Bee (Includiug 8. per week per copy Gueesise (Without Bunday), per week 6 ee (including Sunday), per MORNING. .00 2 12¢ Noe lainta of ‘irreguiarities 1n " deiivery should be addressed to City Ctreulation De- partment. OFFICES. Omaha~The Bee Bulldin; South Omaha—City Hall ty-Aifth and M Streets. Council Bluffs—10 Pear] Street. Chicago—164) Unity I(ulld(ur. New York—2328 Park Row Buallding. Washington—1 Fourteenth Btreet. CORRESPONDENCE. Communications relating to news and ed- \torial matter should be addressed Omaha Bee, Editorial Department. REMITTANCES. 5 o Remit by draft, express or postal order, l'}: The Bt epl‘uhllnhln. Company, 2-cent stamps accepted in payment of Personal r,h«‘.ll.‘ !-‘l:;.n(luodn Omaha or eastern exchange, 10 3 THE BEE PUBLIBHlfid EOHI’AI\“Y. STATEMENT OF CIRCULATION. Btate of Nebraska, Douglas County, 8s. George B, Taschick, secretary of The Bee le-{m. ‘Company, being duly sworn, says that the actual number of full and complete coples of The Daily, Morning, Evening and Sunday Bee printed during the month of Feb ry, I was as follows FBuiraing, Twen- BRRRREN Total........... Less mnsold and returned foplel. Net total sales.. Net average sale 30, GEORGE B. TZECHUCK. b!{nbccl‘lbedmln“ma' '-mx’lcl:_ ::‘ld ll‘o;n l‘)o efore me this 28t lay of ‘ebruar . D. 1008, g 3 % SUNG X, (Seal,) Notary Public. e———————————————— Isn't it g trifle early for the sifting rommittee to set up shop at Lincoln? Those seneitive senators prefer to hgve the house Cannon poiuted some sther way. f The Wabash strike situation rein- forces the doctrine that the corporation which eontrols the courts need not bother about the lawmakers. e Deprived of the perennial pastime of balloting for United States senator, it is no wonder the Delaware legislature has to have other novelties fo keep up the excitement. The proposed new Nebraska revenue bill makes a pamphlet of -elghty-six pages. It is not so much what it con- tajns as what it does not contain’ that demands attention. FAILURE OF CURRENCY LEGISLATION. The faflure of congress to enact any cutrency legisiation is a matter of such general. Interest that the entire com- munity, produelng and consuming, Is interested in it. We have seen recently, in financial ‘operations, the difficulties growing out of the fact that the money. market is to a very large extent depend- ent upon the national treasury. ¥his nas been thé case from year to year and under the existing conditions must continue to be the case. All that is ab sorbed in the treasury outside of the customs receipts is held there and this means that many aillions are apnually kept out of the hands of the people and locked up in the vaults of the treas- ury where there is #o advantage to the imoney market and very little to the government. The effect of this is not good. The business of the country should mot be deprived of any of the money pald into the national treasury that is mot abso- lutely necessary to meet the require- ments of the government. The policy of piling up a great surplus in the na- tional treasury is mot approved by any party. The most that should be done is to maintaln such a surplus as will place the government in absolutely good condition under all circumstances. Senator Aldrich, in deploring the failure of his bill to enable the government to Increase deposits with' the national banks and to otherwise increase the currency supply, for which the demo- crats of the senate were chlefly respon- sible, said that the result of the failure of that measure would be injury to the business interests of the country. He declared that it would Impair confidence and would have the effect of curtailing business and injuring trade. We have a great deal of confidence in the opinion of Senator. Aldrich, but in this partfcu- [lar matter we, are compelled to, think that he is mistaken. We do not doubt that it would be expedient to allow a more liberal deposit of government funds with national banks than is now permissible, but it is a question whether the -conditions provided for under the Aldrich bl ‘'would have the re- sults to be desired. In fact, the protest of the OChicago and, other western bankers appears to show con- clusively that the effect of that pro- posed legislation would be of no benefit whatever, The simple fact is that the legitimate business of the country is not suffering in the least for currency and there is no danger that it is lkely to do so in the near future. There {8 no doubt it would be wise to allow the national treasury to keep its surplus among the people, but this should not be done at any sacrifice to the public, THE RAILRUAD RATE QUESTION. In regard to the movement for a gen- eral advance in raflroad freight rates, the New York Journal of Commerce observes that some of the arguments In behalf of the movement are pot al- s Nebragka's | senators at Washington | together sownd. Tt'{s” pointed out that want it distinctly understood that the¥'| he grgument that n'.el:o may fairly be are stil In deadlock on district attor- ey nnd( that President Roosevelt alone bolds the key that will open it. ——— From later developments it seems that the expert in French lingulstics who recently gave performances in Omaha must have invaded territory which ‘dne’ of our speclalists In pulpit gymnastics thought was exclusively his owa, ————— ‘While the sugar bounty claims are being swmoothly . logrolled through the legislature, it should not be forgotten that the claims of the farmers who raised sugar beets on the strength ,of the bounty sheuld mot be entirely over- looked, E——— Notice has been formally served in the United States senate that the mem- bers reserve to themselves the exclusive - right of calling each other names and will brook no interference with their prerogative by members of the lower branch of the national legislature. ———————————— It will be, yery. gratifying news to South Omaha's postmaster thet ex-Con- gressman Mercer is no longer urging his removal, but will be content to leave the choice of his successor to the president. It would seem as If sour grapes grow even In the meridianal climate of Washington. ————e—— The British military authority de- clares that the United States will enjoy tremendous advantages in & campalgn agalnst Canada because of strategical superiority. That is consoling informa- tion, but there is no htention; op the part of the United States to make use borheod quarrel s out of the question. Em— The bill changing the mempd of letting county comtracts for supplies should when enacted into law effect a material savifig for the tdkpayers of county. As-the’ largest county ton, and 1ts gnormous ln? coudlty are much larger than in othep| CPTI%- - Therelase such circumstances our 'representatives in the leglslature ought to be among the active supporters stationery and - 'printing Dougl in the state in point off busineds, the. supply bills of counties. Under of thie Burgess bill. adyanced because the demand fot trans- portation facilities 18 in excess of the supply, in order to check the demand and establish &n equilibrium, ignores the fact that rallroad transportation’is a public business which is bound to meet the demand without checking it, to provide for,all that exists, and that this business Is not subject to free com- petition. under which facilities can readily expand to meet an increased demand. Another consideration that is Jgnored is that the Increase and Im- provement of transportation facilities during the past ten years, especially the increase in the power of locomo- tives and the capacity of cars, has re- sulted in a substantial reduction in the cost per ton inile. As to the cost of extensions and jmprovements, this has | for the most part been paild out of the proceeds of increased eapitalization and the purpose of the outlays has been not only to increase the volume of busi. ness but to lessen the cost of opera- tion in proportion to.the volume. The simple truth is that there is very little that is substantial in the argu- ments of the rallroads for advancing rates. They have taken advantage of the prosperity of the cdhntry te exact all they dared to and undoubtedly thiy policy will be maintained as long as the business of the country can stand it. It is one of the things, however, that will operate most strongly to produce & reaction In domestic business and may even affect our competition with other countries In the trade of the S e————— THE NATIONAL PUWER. The United States is not only the first n the .worldl in respect of na- This 1s a fact which 18 not ‘commonly understood by our people. ’.l:he average man thinks of our country, a¥ simply.eme that is able to defend itself agalnst any foreign foe, but as a matter of fact.that is only.a small part of the nation's power. The truth 1s that the great source of the nutl'olul sttength, of , the United States §& in its'm tive papacity and 1 activity and en- wery few of Gur people who understand how vast this fs, or who have any comprehension of the. greatness and the webderful resources of the country of which they are a part. In the eourse of a. speech at the late E——— The claims committee of the house is sesslon of congress & member presented expected to recommend the payment of In detail what ‘hdd been sccomplished wore than $40,000 for bounties on wolf | ©ommercially. and ' industrially by the scalps. Whether the crop of wolves was ralsed in Wyowming and Colorado or | Y&rs. whether they sprouted out of the earth in the prairie dog villages of the semi-| ™% but there is nothing arid region of Nebraska ls not disclosed. There is a well-founded' suspieion, how- ever, that wolf scalplng has become a profifable "industry and bounty claim United States in the'last twenty-five We 'will ‘ot undertake' to re- view, even ‘briefly that a: ishing rec- equal it in any other period of the world's history. In the fucredasd of population, in the growth of wealth, in the progress of in- vention and in the ddvancement of cfvil- agents have donned sheep's clothing to | [¥atiol" #nd all which, that implies,. the cover up the eoyotes.that are rald the Weasury, % United States has been the f t ‘amdiig the fations of the medern § A German professor recently asked what this country has done in the In- terest of civilization. A man who could ask that question must confess himself ignorant of the progress of the last half 4 century, or Indifferent to the influence which ‘Américan institutions have been exerting upon the world for nearly an hundred years. It would seem a waste of time to undertake to convince such a mind as that of the Berlin professor of the fact that American example and | American influence have been the most powerful factors in the last centurv in moulding the opinions of maukind and the policles of governments. No one who Is at nll famillar with the history of the past half a century can doubt for a moment that this republic has ex- erted a greater power and influence upon the affairs of civilized mankind than any other nation and there is ev- ery reason to belleve that this will be more potent in the future than in the past. In a word the power of the United States is steadily growing and it is in the Interest of progress in every direc- tion, LAWLESS SUPPLY PURCHASES, The controversy in the lower house of the legislature over the heavy bills presented for payment for furniture, carpets, stationery, blue books and in- cidentals purchased for the use of the legislature without specific authority foreibly calls the attention of the law- makers to the bad precedents estab- lished years ago under pretext of fore- stalling the wants of the legislature. Ten years ago a great scandal was uncovered by the Investigation of the claims for furniture and supplies pur- chased by former Secretary of State Allen for the' use of the legislature. That generous guardian of the state seals had bought his furniture from a drug house at retail druggist's prices and his disinterested enthusiasm prompted him to Invest in solid silver ink stands for the speaker and clerk of the house and double-action rockers at double prices for meémbers of both houses. One of the articles of impeachment against “Champagne Johnny Allen” was based on his over-zealous anxiety to please the Incoming legislature and put money in the pockets of contractors willing to take the risk of collecting their extravagant claims. But such things seem to be very easily forgotten as well as forgiven in Nebraska and legislature after. legislature has been compelled to wrestle with claims for un- authorized purchases made on the as- sumption that the legislature will not repudiate a debt, for materials or mer- chandise furnished by order of a state officer. Is it not about time for one legisla- ture, at least, to plant its foot firmly against these abuses? While the state ecannot afford to repudiate just obliga- tions legally or even illegally incurred, notice should be served on all present and future state officers that they are expécted to respect the specific pro- vision of the constitution that prohibits the state from incurring ilabilities be- fore an appropriation is voted by a leg- islature unless indeed it is in an ex- traordinary emergency caused by some unforeseen calamity. The practice of investing in new furniture, new carpets and new wall paper for every succeed- ing legislature and forestalling the wants and wishes of members regard- ing the legislative manuals is not only wasteful but perniclous. When the state buys merchandise on credit before an appropriation is made it {8 but nat- ural for the merchant who takes the risk to pad' his bills out of all propor- tion, It is the manifest duty of the legis- lature to call & halt on this mode of doing business by joint resolution that will be equivalent to law, serving notice upon all whom it may concern that hereafter the state will not hold itself responsible for debts incurred without specific appropriations for commodities supplied for any department or institu- tion. A delegation of the so-called Interna- tional Steel and Copper Plate Printers' assoclation, which occupies in organized labor the position of the three tailors of Tooley street who claimed to speak for the whole population of London, has spontaneously afisen as one man to recommend David H. Mercer to the post of director of the United Stafes census. It will be remembered that the same order of international plate engravers ventured to inject itself into the con- gressional campaign of this district last fall as volicing the sentiment of organ- ized labor, while every trades union in Omaba was solidly arrayed in opposi- tion to Mercer. Why the international copper plate scratchers should Interest themselves so much in = man who is not known to have held any relation to the copper plate engraving business in or out of congress 18 a mystery that no fellow can find out. The only Inference to be drawn from the incident is that the three copper plate tailors at some period or other were favored with an order. for one of Dave's magnificent por- traits in metal at the expense of Uncle Sam, E—— Judge Grosscup expresses the opinion that the decision rendered by him in the beef trust case will be allowed to stand without appeal to higher courts. The new legislation enacted by congress covers many of the points involved in the beef trust case, especially those re- lating to raillway rebates, so that the meat packers would have nothing to galn by appeal even it they should ulti- mately win out, and unless there is something in it for them they have no incentive to pursue the litigation fur- ther. In the meanwhile the meat pack- ers’ merger must remain a mere matter of speculation. el Rallroad passenger agents bhave con- stantly lamented the fact that condi- tions of competition compelled them to use free transportation as a bait to se. cure freight shipments. Their intense desire to find a way to put a stop to this practice has, however, suddenly abated now that the new anti-rebate law brings thé means ready at hand. This is apparently anotber case of wanting what was not to be had and then not wanting it after it has come within reach. —_— The selection of Senator rman as chairman of the democratic senatorial caucus may be expected to call forth another protesting outery from Qolonel Bryan. If Gorman's leadership is fol- lowed, the Kansas City platform will cut less figure in-determining the policy of the minority im congress than the constitution of the late confederacy. SE——p—— It is up to the State Banking board to answer the arraignment made against it by the Johnson county grand jury. If the state board can be so easily imposed upon as seems to have been the case with reference to the bank under in- vestigation, it should adopt new methods that will prevent repetition. All-Star Voealist. Washington Post. There are a great many excellent judges firmly committed to the notion that the singing of congress was as bad as ite legis- lation. - Giving Destiny a Boost. Baltimore American. An original representative wants Prosi- dent Roosevelt to annex Canada. There is nothing so picturesque In this nation as the easy, offhand way in which congress every now and then hands around destiny on a platter. Street's 111 WHIL St. Loufs Republic, Wall street fa said to be fighting, Prest« dent Roosevelt with all the power at its command. If the ‘strenuous . president's friends can only bring the American people to belleve this story he wilk become more formidable n ever as)f candidate for the republican presidential nomination next year. The president’s friends are not bad prese agents. Just to Keep Awake, Philadelphia Press. Some of our democratic contemporaries are fussing around a great deal about their party’s mext presidential nomination just as If it were a question of some human in- terest. As long as Bryanism lingers in the pmind of the country. the demoeracy won't make any trouble, and by the time that is forgotten the party can be relled upon to hit itself a whack with something else. It is Very Clear Now. Baltimore American. From the revelations now being made of the state of affairs in the British army and some of the demoralizing influences pervad- Ing it, it is elight wonder that the small army of the Boers kept up successful re- sistance so Jong 'apdl ‘that British prestige suffered so severely, in the struggle with the little republics, The savagery revealed in the most aristooratic regiment is a spirit which accounts for much formerly incom- prehensible. S ——— rty Lines in the Senate, Springfield Republican, The seating of two ' republican eenators trom Delaware carries the number of repub- licans ‘u the upper chamber p to 57, leaving them a majority of 24 in the next congress. Of the 83 democrats, 26 will be frdm the southern states, leaving only seven to represent directly the rank and file of the democratic party in the north and west. Yet the democrats of the north and west are by far the larger part of the democratic electorate, according to the votes cast at every presidential election. Taxation, of Sleeping Cars Valid, Philadelphia Press. The United Statés supreme court yester- day upheld the constitutionality of an act ‘ot the Mississippi. legislature imposing a state tax on sleeping cars. The Pullman company resisted the payment of the tax and carried the matter to the supreme court, alleging that it was an interfererice with interstate commerce. The company will now pay the tax or stop runnfng its cars through Mississippl. But in taking the question to the supreme court the Pullman company will probably lead other states to follow the course of Mississippl in this matter, which will add materially to the Pullman compény's tax bill. ey p—p——— Extensive Plans for Irrigation. Minneapolis Journal. The. far-reaching plans for irrigation of the arid west through.tbe assistance ot the powerful pational government are slowly turning into facts. Yesterday a contract was let for a dam across the Snake river in Idaho that, with two large main ditches, will reclalm 340,000 acres of fertile land. It is well known that a forty-acre irrigated farm ie equal in pro ductivity to a 160-acre nonirrigated farm. On that basis the-Snake river reclamation will provide 8500 farms, or, probably, homes for about 50,000 people, and villages and citles will have from 10 50,000 more. And all this will come from the watering of only 340,000 acres! And before Uncle Sam. is through with his big job he will turn water onto 100,000,000 acres. NO SHOW EARTH. Advised to Back and Sit Down, New York World. The attempt to revive the talk of David B. Hill as a candidate for president is meeting with very little success. And the reason is obvious. Mr. Hill forfelted the confidence even of those who belleved in his cunning, if in nothing else, by his stu- pendous folly and short-sightedness in the management of last year's campaign. There was a golden opportunity for the democrats to earry New York. ‘All that was neces- sary was to nominate Judge Parker for gov- ernor upon a soifnd democratic plattorm. Mr. Hill was In absolute and unquestioned control of the situation. Instead of nom- inating Judge Parker he put forward Coler —for the reason, obvious even to political kindergartners, that Mr. Coler, it elected, would not stand 1n.the way of his ambition to be president. As if this were not enough, Mr. Hill, without. announcement or any dis- ‘ussion, thrust into the state platform the boldest and most startling plece of socialism and centralization ever suggested in & conventlon that called itself demo- cratic—a demand for the federal ownership and management of the anthracite coal mines. It was Mnpossible that this should have been meant seriously—for Mr. Hill is an able lgwyer and has proclaimed himself a democrat. It was too palpably meant to catch votes” out of the distress caused by the coal famine. Is a leader who showed himeelt capable of such a stupid blunder and such unprincipled shiftiness as Mr. Hill was guilty of at Saratoga likely to have any standing as a presidential candi- date? Of & politiclan who has the confi- dence of meither wing of his party, nor of the independent voters, is it too much to say that he is “impossible?™ David Benmett Hill Aw Go Again the Hon. Dick Croker declares he does not intend to come home. His last haul must have made him comfortable. John F. Fray, postmaster at Marlboro, Mass, has just been reappointed post master, a position he has held since April 26, 1865, under eight different presidents. The wiseacres fn the territorial legisla- ture of Oklahoma are considering improve- ments in the game of “seven up,” with a view to incorporating the reforms in a statute. The governor of Indiana recently signed without proper examination a bill providing for the disposal of unclaimed bodies. Next morning he discovered the law contained a joker which annuls pending prosecutions of persons indicted for grave robbing. The Pennsylvania house of representa- tives has passed a bill increasing the sala- ries of the judges of the several courts of the state by $207,000 a year. By the law the chiet justice of the supreme court will receive a salary of $10,600 a year, an ine crease of $2,000, and six assoclate justices of that court $10,000 each. The constitution of Tennessee provides that whereas ministers of the gospel are by their profession dedicated to God, aud the care of souls, and ought not to be diverted from the great duties of their functions, therefore no %minister of the gospel, or priest of any denomination whatever, shall be eligible to a seat in elther house of the legislature. Tom Harris, a colored man of Larchmont, N. Y., was a candidate for collector of taxes before the republican convention of the town hall last week and, although the negro population of the town is large, he was de- feated by a vote of 34 to 90. He says he had a great deal of fun out of the canvass and scared the republicans out of a Fear's growth. The two Joneses in the senate—John P. of Nevada and lames K. of Arkansas—went out on March 4 and left that body without a representative bearing the honored name of Jones for the first time since 1872. There is no Smith in the senate now, but this is made up by the surplus of Clarks. There are three in the senate—one from Mon« tana, one from Wyoming and one from Ar- Xkans The people of New Hampshire are to vote on Tuesday, March 10, upon nine proposed amendments to the constitution of their state which were prepared by the late con- stitutional convention. One will confer the right of suffrage upon women. Another, which excited much interest in the conven- tion, relates to the regulation of trusts. A majority of the votes cast will legalize an amendment. Some moons ago the police department of St. Louls notified Circult Attorney Folk, prosecutor of boodlers, that communica- tions between the department and the at- torney would be in writing.: “As you please,” responded the attorney. “The next communication you will receive from this office will be in the form of indictments.” Mr. Folk kept his word. Last week the police were handed a bunch. A Peunsylvanian tells of one of the methods by which Senator Quay holds con- trol of the Keystone state. “One time 1 wrote him,” says this man, “asking a favor, which he granted at once, appar- ently glad to do 0. About two years later I received by mail my own letter, across the back of which was written: ‘Dear Jim: Wil you do so and so for me? It was signed by Mr. Quay, and you bet I lost no time in doing as he asked. He's a wonder, 1s Matthew Stanley Qua: “OLD SOLDIERS ARE SUREST." Years an Unfair Test of Physical and i) Menmtal Capacity, Army and Navy Journal. No law could be too drastic which per- mitted the retirement of an officer who was for any cause unfitted for the serious re- sponsibilities of command; that is, always provided that such a law could be enforced with absolute impartiality, and not to be used to promote the ambition of some offi- cer, or to punish an eficient officer because he might chance to have “‘winning ways to make folks hate him,” especlally those in power. Age s mot positive, but relative. One wan may be'older physically at 54 than another at 64. It is only necessary to at- tend one of the Loyal Legion dinners, for example, to sec what sturdy trencher men, and how full of all the indications of prac- tically undiminished physical and mental capacity, men past the retiring age may be. And it we look abroad into the world of diplemacy, of husiness, of finance, of law, or turn to others of the great industries, we find men over 62 or 64 bearing with ease burdens that would sit very heavily upon younger shoulders. Plerpont Morgan, who is carrying a heavier load of great enter- prises than almost any other man, would, were he in the navy or in the army, be re- duced to innocuous desuetude by his age. Similar examples might be mulfiplied in- definitely. Activity in an army or navy officer is a most essential factor in war. As a rule, taking the whole history of war, It has un- doubtedly been the young men who have accomplished great results in the fleld, though the ‘old fellows have done some pretty tall sprinting, and made our enemies wish that they had to deal with men of les: experience and less sobriety and coolness of judgment, as witness Dewey and Sampson in the navy; Miles, Young and Chaffee in the army; and It Is only In war that ca- pacity for physical action tells. A type- writing machine can furnish suficient ac- tivity for an officer in high command under the ordinary conditions of peace, provided it is directed by brains and experience. The old soldier and sailor element is to be val- ued at all times, and especially fu an army in process of reconstruction, as our army is now. As John Webster says: “Is not old wine wholesomest, old pippins toothsomest, old wood burn brightest, old linen wash whitest? Old soldiers, sweetheart, are sur- est, and old lovers are soundest.” A LITTLE THE RANKEST EVER. Sample of Outraged Home Rule In Corporation-Ridden Rhode Island. Boston Globe. Some recent revelations regarding Rhode Island bring that state out as a close com- petitor of Pennsylvania for the worst goy- ernment’ in the country—worst in refusdl to administer public affairs in the Interests of the whole people. The state is corpora- tion-ridden, and the legislature carries out the popular will only when no Interest of consequence is invelved. This s the charge. A flagrant instance of legislative indiffer- ence to any possible consequence likely to follow from ignoring a verdict of the voters is found in the experience of the people of Block Island, part of Rhode Island, but several miles out at sea. It is thus pe- culiarly fitted to enjoy its local legislation without interference even from the influ- ence of the nearest township or county. Last November the vbters of Block island refused to license saloons, either for the ensuing year or from June to October, cov- ering the resort season when the island Is visited by thousands. The state senator from the district in- cluding the island entered into a deal by which the legislature, for the bemefit of a hotel on the island, owned by the same of- ficial, enacted & special law annulling the no-license vote and commanding the town council to appeint commissioners to grant licenses frem Junme to October. All this was done, and nmow the people of Block tsland wonder why they voted OTHER LANDS THAN OUR One need only compare the condition of the Bulgarians with that of their brethren in race who live just beyond the southern boundary of the independont primeipality to see how blighting s the rule of the Turks, The politiclans who carry on the government of Bulgaria are not much to boast of, but the Bulgarian peasants (and that class makes up practically the whole population) are 200 years ahead of their neighbors to the south in all the amenities of life. Their houses are none of the cleanest and their roads are fathomless mires, but they are not slaves to the soil, like the Russians; they are lightly taxed, have fair edueationhl facilities for thelr children, enjoy practically democratic freq- dom in politics and constitute an absolute democracy, soclally speaking. While not rolling in wealth, they know nothing of poverty and want, and the establishment early in the independent history of the principality of an excellent syste:n of ag- ricultural loan banks has preserved them from the village usurer, who s tho curse of the Russlan moujlk and the Indian ryot. .. Official statistics, founded upon the cen- sus of 1900, reveal some interesting and significant facts concerning the increase of the Polish element in Prussia. ago Count von Buelow said that the Polish problem was the most important question in Prussian home politics. On December 1, 1900, 3,305,749 persons of Polish or kin- dred stock were enumerated, as agalnst 2,922,476 on December 1, 1890. The Polish population, therefore, increased by 338,274 in ten years. The number of persons who spoke Polish as their mother tongue was 3,003,400, as against 2,765,101 in 1900. The proportion of Poles to the total popula« tion decreased from 9.23 per cent in 1890 to 8.89 per cent in 1900. On the other hand, the number of persons who spoke the Ger- man and Polish increased from 103,112 in the former census to 164,221 in the latter. Only the agricultural provinces of east and west Prussia show a decrease of the Polish in proportion to the total popula- tion, while in Silesia, one of the seats of the mining industry, the proportion has risen from 24.05 to 25.22 and in the indus- trial province of Westphalla from 1 per cent to 3.16 per cent. The old division of the Poles into three classes of nobles, priests and country ¢olk is gradually dis- appearing, and the Polish jnfluence has been greatly strengthened by the rise of a flourishing commercial class in the towns. The agricultural laborer of Polish na- tionality hes in many cases become a miner or an industrial workman. As a Pole s generally a Roman Catholic, there has been in some places an accession to the clerical center, but this s counterbal- anced by the rise of a national Polish party of radical tendencles in upper Silesia. 3 Although great care was taken not to of- fend native susceptibilities on the occasiun of the recent great Delhi coronation Dur- bar, it appears that at least one bad blun- der was made by the officials in charge of the arrangements. Mohammedan feeling has been much excited by the fact that a party of the Viceregal guests took luncheon in the Jumma Musjld—one of the holiest of Mohammedan holy places. One correspond- ent speaks of the affalr s a “picnic,” but other accounts say that visitors were ac- commodated with seats op the mosque in order to view the state entry into the town, and thet the luncheon which gave offense took place on this occasion, wken Moham- medans were specially outraged by the consumption of ham sandwiches upon the premises. It 1s said that the feellng was 80 strong that the visitors were the ob- jects of & hostile demonstration as they left, and that stones were thrown. A military correspondent declares that the Mohammedans gave out that they would not allow Huropeans to use the mosque ‘n order to see the fireworks; and that in consequence of this troops were sent down to keep the streets, and twenty rounds of ball cartridge were served out to each man. If there be any truth in this story it is plain that the Mohammedan emotio; must have been stirred very deeply. One London journal asks what would have been thought it any of the guests at King hd- ward’'s coronation had begulled the tedium of the long wait in Westminster abbey with liquor and tobacco? o Certain French papers have lately been devoting much space in the effort to pro that Gibraltar is no longer the key to the Mediterranean and that modern steam- driyen ships have destroyed its usefulness to England as a fortress. On this account they are warning Europe to watch closely the designs of perfide Albion on the op- posite Moroccan coast. In reply to this English papers are pointing out that Gibral. tar has aever been the key to the Mediter- ranean save in the sense. of a point d'appul for the British navy and particu- larly the Mediterranean fleet. While it is truo that modern guns might carry across the strait the chances of hitting a warsh:» in motion are all but nothing. It 18 no longer regarded as anything more than a supply station for the navy, but as such it is as important as ever. 'England could not hope to command the stralt, ren it It had fortresses on the ot e, without the help of its navy. There are thirteen miles of water at the narrowest point aad no land guns could prevent a fleet from passing through. An assoclation has been formed by some of the most prominent men in England to force Parliament to authorize the forma- tion of a royal commission which shall in- vestigate the question of feeding England in time of war. In a recent manifesto it is pointed out that more than half of the 41,000,000 who make the population of the country have an income which averages less than 50 shillings & week. Seven mil- lion do not average 23 shillings. In ocase of war, even the fear of shortage would immediately bring food to famine prices and it would be but a short time before the conditions became intolerable. The idea of this new association fs the ultl- mate establishment of great granaries which would hold a reserve supply of food. A curlous feature of (he break-up of the protracted and devastating drought {n Aus. tralia was the number of miniature vol- canic explosions in. various parts of the Not long | Fif' y Years the Standard Awarded Highest Honors World's Falr Highest tests U.S. Gov't Chemisty PRIOE BAKING POWDER 0O. OMICAGO commonwealth. The groind had become so parched and dry that it cracked, and the fissures thus formed became the re- ceptacles of heated air. When the long- prayed-for downpour of rain came at last the water met the hot air in these fissures, and little geysers and volcanoes were man- ufactured in a moment. Many farmers, hearing the explosions and seeing columns of steamy stuff arising from the earth, won- dered what new plague had come to afflict them, and whother they were out of the | frying pan into the fire. LAUGHING GAS, Mrs. Muggins—How did you break your husband of swearing Mrs. Buggins—| gave the ala clock away and had the telephone taken out Philadelphta Record “Prof. Loeb say cure diseased nerves. “Is that s0? 1 eupposed calclum better for the lights."—Cleveland Dealer. calelum salts will was Plain “And you permitted that strange young man to kiss you?' "No, mamma. He dldn't glve me time,"— Cleveland Plaindeal “I wouldn't marry last man on earth!’ “Oh, yes, you would, for I should ask you just the same. '—Chicago Tribune u it you were the “Yes, he left the old roof and the dear old_domestic hearth.” “Too bad. Why did ho do 17" “Well, the roof leaked, and the chimney smoked, and there never was muoch senti- ment about him."—Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I should ltke to know why,” sald the Grubber, ‘“money’ is called " simpered the Cheerful Idiot, “everybody kneads it." “T don’t bélleve that anybody in his life,” sa friend. “And yet,” sald Senator Sorghum, want me to give him employment.' ¥ don’t suppose I have time to teach him the rudiments of the business, do you?"'--Wash- ington Star. “Who's de ole guy w'at just went by?" asked the telegraph Wnessenger. ¥ “De ple guy wid de dinky whiskers?” replied the office boy; “aw, he's de owner of de paper.” % ‘An’ who's de guy wid 'tm? on't git gay. He ain't no guy: dat's dé_ sportin’ editor.'—Philadelphia Catholic Standard. A Wish, A chap who had once lived in Mich., Remarked, “I will ‘make but one wich., With a good hook and line, Yor naught else 1'd pine. 1t in Mich., I could just fiech!" —Cincinnati Commercial Tribune. A LENTEN SOLILOQUY. man_ever decelved id the cuthuslastio ‘W. D. Nesbit in Chicago Tribune. Ah, no. 1 shall not eat The tempting things Of kings— The watermelon sweet; Nor yet the cantaloupe; Nor early peas; r these Are quite beyond my scope. Strawberries in their box? L'l have them not. Great Scott! It 18 the price that shocks! No tempting meats I'll buy— No cut that bakes; Nor steaks. The prices are too high. One time my fancy wa: . For eggs. But, No. Are 36 per doz. good, - "Tis not that T am Nor yet am bad. I'm sad. I could not it I would. Tt 4 fast 1 keep, 1 see n‘uld g A dread Thing, waking or asleep. "Tis,not th "Bt "t Must buy New bonnets in the spring! stints that sting, at I “TIE NAME IS EVERYTHING.” i Esterbroo THE ESTERBROOK STEEL PEN CO Camden, N.J. 26 John Stret, N.Y. and strong in service. On sale today at 50c & pair. five styles and colors of & new Lisle wuspender of manufacture, that are gut of the ordinary; light in weight, but heavy Means & pair of uspenders £or each pair of trousers. That's what every man man ought fo have. It it's one peir or five palr, we have what you want, 1s ‘we have the “Crowan 5 different colors in 5 different windows. Notice them on 15th street side. NO CLOTHING FITS LIKE OURS. Hrowning, Ring e Go B 8. Wies, Manager.,