Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, March 18, 1903, Page 6

" THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: WEDNESDAY MARCH 18, 1903. THE OMAHA DALY BEE. ROSEWAT IR, EDITOR PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. TERME OF SUBSBCRIPTION Daily Bee (without Sunday), One Year.$40) Dally Bee and nday, « Year [} Illustrated Mee, One Year . Bunday Bee, Une Year Baturday Bee, One Year Twentleth Century m DELIVERED BY r, One CARRIER, afly Bee (without Sunday), per copy Jally Bee (without Sunday). per week...12c aily Bee (Incluaing Sunday), per week..1ic unday Bee, per copy Svening Bed (without Sunday), per week 6c Evening Mee (ncluding Sunday), per week 4 100 Complainis of irreguiarities in delvery should be addressed to City Clrculation De- partment OFFIC Bee City Bulld! Omaha—The & ) outh Hall Bullding, Twen- South Omaha ty-ifth and M 8 Councll Bluffs—i» Pear] Street, Chicago—1640 Unity Bullding. New York—22 Park Row Hullding. Washington—s01 Fourteenth Street. CORRESPONDENCE “ommunications relating to news and edl- ASTUa atter. £he addressed: Omaha Zee, Editorial Dey REMITT. Remit by draft, express or postal order, payable to The Bee Publishing Company. Only 2-cent stamps acespted v payment of | mail accounts. Personal checka, except on Omaha _or eastern exchanges, not accepted. THE BEE PUBLISHING' COMPANY STATEMENT OF CIRCULATIC Btate of Nel Douglas County, George B, k, secretary of T blishing any, being duly sworn, s that the actual number of full and complete coples of The Dally, Morning, Evening and Sunday Bee printed during the month of February, 1903, was as follow: 1. 16 1,660 .81,620 81,600 GEOR ZSCHUCK. Subscribed In_my presence and sworn to betore me this 28th asy of February, A. D. 1903, M. B, HUNGATE, (Seal.) Notary Public. ——— Our Dave will now set about to have aimself “prominently mentioned” for some other job. ——— It is prétty safe to infer that Willlam J. Bryan as a juror means Willlam J. Bryan os the whole jury. What could be more fitting than to launch Shamrock IIT on St. Patriek’s day as an auspieious owen for its quest of Amerlca’s cup. - i A speclal order should be placed forth- with with the weather man for some of est brand for the day of the presi- visit to Omaha. P Dave Mercer was the only applicant for the position of director of the census, out President Roosevelt felt himself free to let the place seek the man rather than the man seek the place. County Treasurer Elsasser has made wmother monthly statement telling in what banks the county money s depos- ted but there is not a word telling where the interest earned on this county money Is planted. The Board of Education will retain the rule against i%e employment of married women as teachers in its revised code, but the rules will be promptly sus- pended as usual whenever a case arises backed by a strofg enough pull. The task of City Electriclan Schurig to locate fifty electric street lamps at 200 different street intersections must bo very much like that of the newspaper editor who has twenty-five columns of reading matter and only ten columns of space. [ E——— Congressman De Armond extends an Invitation to erring democrats to come back, but feils to say whether the in- vitation reaches any further than the rear seats, which Bryan said the peni- tents must occupy for a probationary period before moving up front. One of the addresses at the Jackson day banquet of the Iriquais club at Chi- cago was intended to give the demo- crats a look into 1904. The trouble is that wost of the shrewd democrats are already filled with apprehension that they will have nothing but a look In 1004, Bx-Speaker Henderson has been too long identified with the west to sep- arate himself entirely from western in- terests, no matter how far east he may 80 in the pursuit of professional dutie Colonel Henderson s a western man through and through and will never feel perfectly at home except in the west. — The conviction of women for capital or other serions crimes almost simal- taneously in many parts of the country indicates either that the sex is becom- ing less Lrw abiding or that the sympa- thy usually excited by wowen prisoners is being dulled. This might be a good subject for the club women to discuss, It is sald that when two soothsayers ,used to meet on the streets of anclent Rome they could not help laughing in each other's fac The same condi tion arises whenever two members of the railroad lobby at Lincoln mention to one another the subject of distribu tlon of railroad terminal values as a reminder of its handy use as a pretense to fool the people. —_——— The people bf Denver are preparing to act under the new voustitutional amend- ment, which permits them to frame thelr own rter and to enjoy the full measure of wunicival home rule. The Denver chartér ought to be up to date, and at any rate will conform to the wishes of the people wiw are (o he governed under it. Denver and Kaunsas City lead Omaha In the matter of local self-government and Omaha must soon follow to keep up with the procession. | be assessed at only 4 POINT OVERLOOKED. Before the revenue bill is agreed to in a form that provides for the assess- ment of property at 20 per cent of the full cash value our legislators should con sider the serfons consequences that will follow such a departure. When the bill was in joint committee the first point eald to have been decided upon was that assessments in the future should be on the 100 per cent basis. Every argument presented was in favor of full value assessments and not a single substan- tial reason w advanced to support as- | sessments upon a fractional basis. Sxperlence throughout this state as well as in other states has invariably been that fractional assessments pro- wote inequality and injustice, which cannot be covered up under the full value assessment plan. It was to rem- edy abuses that had grown up under the old form of nssessment that the.sep- arate tax commissioper scheme was adopted for Omaha, South Omaha and Lincoln, and in each a wonderful reform has been worked by the inauguration of full value assessments. By ralsing the total valuation of taxable property to something like its real worth the tax rate has been steadily reduced until it has In each of these citles reached nor- mal proportions. The lawmakers at Lincoln evidently do not realize what the legalizing of the fractional assessment plan means. For Omaha it means that whereas this year nroperty has been assessed at 100 per cent for elty taxatlon next year it will ) per cent. It means that where the grand total of as- sessed valuation for 1003 is more than $100,000,000 next vear it will appear to be only about $20,000,000. It means that while the city tax levy in Omaha this year is less than 9 mills next year it will be upwards of 50 mills. The position in which Omaha will be placed by such an advertisement can be readily appreciated. Tt will be her- alded everywhere that Omaha’s taxable wealth has shrunk to one-fifth of what it was before and that the tax fate has been multiplied five or six times. The damage done to Omaha by its inflated census +* 1800, followed by the drop in the figures for 1900, will be incompar- able to the damage wrought with in- vestors and possible incomers by such a showing of decreased property values and skyrocket taxes. What s true in this respect of Omaha will be true also of South Omaha® and of Lincoln, each of which will suffer frreparable injury by the proposed change In the basis of assessment.. On the other hand, If the legislature re- traces its steps and goes back to the full value basis it will bring the assessment roll of the state as well as of its cities up to within an approximation of its actual worth and the advertisement thus given to the world will be worth to our people hundreds of thousands of dollars in new investments and tens of thousands of increased population. It is to be hoped the legislature will récog- nize its mistake and make this correc- tion before it 18 too lafe. WESTERN AGRICULTURE. The past few vears of western agri- culture have been of a very satisfactory nature and the promise for the coming year is to the highest degree satisfac- tory. Looking to the past the agricul- tural producers of the west have the amplest reasons for thankfulness. The years have been filled with the most abundant harvests and the best prices have prevalled for all the crops. There has never been a time in the history of the country when the average of farm products commanded better prices than during the last three or four years, or when they have had a better market or better prices than they are recelving today. This is one of the considerations that needs to be thought of in esti- mating the general value of the home market. The common notion is to re- gard the value of our home products aceording to the exports, but this s a mistake. The real value of these pro- ducts is to be determined by the do- mestic commerce in them, which is many times more than the foreign trade. The great bulk of the agricultural trade of the west is not in foreign lands, but in our own country. While the pro- ducers of the west send many millions of thelr products abroad, they sell of those products at home hundreds of millions more than are shipped out of the country and at better prices than they recelve for foreign shipments. It Is thus a matter of the utmost import- ance to our producers that they should preserve the home market for them- sel Western agriculture is today the sub- Without it nothing else can be of en- | durance. prosperity. Fortunately the outlook for it Is most satisfactory. WHAT IS THE DEMOCRATIC (DEA? The Amerlcan people seem to be pretty well satisfied with what is the repub lican idea of public policies. They ap- proved those policles In the last two national campaigns by overwhelming wajorities and there bas been nothing since to cause them to regret that action. On the contrary the increasing pros- growing development industrially and commercially have convinced the great majority of the intelligent people of this country that they were exactly right in putting the republican party in control of the government In 1806. It s per- fectly safe to say that nobody has suf- fered In. his ‘materia) interests because the republican party has been in control of the government during the last six years. On the contrary it is an indis- putable fact that the prevalence of re- perity of the country and the steadily | | what should be dome? There was & banquet in Chicago Monday night at which prominent democrats expressed their opinion as to what should be done. There was not absolute agreement be- tween them. On the contrary some of the speakers were wide apart as to some of the most important issues that are now engaging public attention. One of the speakers on that occasion, a man who occupies a prominent position in democratic councils, declared that “the democratic party will never attack the freedom of those who have lawfully made fortunes to make them larger.” Another speaker took the position that it is the duty of the democratic party to take a course which would mean the destruction of every corporation that is in the nature of a trust, regardless of the consequences upon the general in dustry of the countr We get in these carefully formulated Ideas of democrats from different sec- tions a view of the party ideas. The eastern democrat recognizes the expedi- ency of not committing the party to an unqualified revision of the tariff, while the western democrat s ready to slaughter the principle of protection. That the latter represents the very gen- eral democratic idea there can be no doubt, but it is an idea that cannot succeed. The American people have had experience with it and they do not want a repetition of it. Still it is the prominent if not the only democratic idea of today and promises to be the leading issue of that party in the next national campaign. THE AMERICA'S CUP, The launching of another sloop—if that be the proper title—to contest for the America’s cup, which has just taken place in Scotland, is a mattenof interest that fs not confined to sporting circles. The fact that the famous cup has been held by this country for more than half a century has given the contests for it a very great interest and the promise is that this interest will be quite as acute next year as at any time in the past. The British determination to win back the cup is as strong as ever and Ameri- cans heartily applaud this spirit. It contributes to a sport which is abso- lutely without objection and which is really beneficial to the yachtsmanship of the two countries. It is said that the new yacht which Sir Thomas Lipton will bring over for the next contest will be a wonder and there is no doubt that we shall be able to produce a yacht that will also surpass all predecessors. The railroads have been so successful in pulling down their taxes in Omaha, Lincoln and South Omaha by the sep- arate tax commissioner system, which raises the assessments of all private property while requiring the acceptance of the mileage figures without change fixed by the state board, that they are willing to extend the system to the city of Beatrice. This generosity on the part of, John N. Baldwin and his associates is certainly striking. The legislature might as well pass a law exempting the railroads from city taxes altogether. The German Reichstag has made an appropriation for participation in the St. Louis exposition, notwithstanding the fact that the celebration of the Louisiana purchase brings France to the fore as the original owner of the terri- tory. But if the facts could be ascer- tained they would doubtless show that the number of former subjects of Ger- many now settled in states carved out of the Loulsiana acquisition exceeds by many fold the number who can trace a French lineage. —_— Although it has its hands full with the fight for the equal taxation of railroads and other property the Real Estate ox- change cannot afford to overlook the county assessment which will soon be under way. What has already been gained in the direction of more equitable valuations for real and personal taxes must be safeguarded against backsliders and still further progress recorded. American missionaries in China are getting uneasy again for fear of Boxer outbreaks against the forelgners. While no one will justify or excuse 1l usage of Americans in China, we must admit that our treatment of Chinamen in Amerlea has not at all times been cal- culated to establish special friendliness for us among the Chinese. Salvador and Guatemala have settled by erbitration differences which under other circumstances would certainly have served as a pretext for war, Un- | less this arbitration virus can be wiped out the natives of South and Central stantlal fact in the national prosperity. | America will be threatened with com- | plete It is the mainstay of national | recreati deprivation of thelr customary The Department of the Missourl will be without a resident commander at its headquarters here in Omaha from April 1 to July 1, when the new general in command is expected to take charge. Since the outbreak of the Spanish American war this department has been sort of a step-child in the military fac:ily. Fad of the Thoughtless, Philadelphia Press. Grover Cleveland says he didn't know any one thought of silver these days. Cer- tainly not; it's & matter for the thought- less. Excuses Overworked. Washington Post. The New York customs officlals are so ungallant as to report that the female in- spectors are fallures. The womea have hard times in trying to get into the po- sitions the politicians covet. ty of the lowa Idea, Minneapolis Times. publican policies has given the country the greatest progress and power that it has ever known in all its history. Yet in the face of this, absolutely ap- parent to all men of intelligence, what do we Lear as the dewocratic idea of The “lowa idea” is not an unpopular one in the west. It appeals to the farmer who must pay arbitrary trust prices for his implements, his bullding material, his wire fencing—for the many manufactured ar- ticles he us while he himself receives Bo benefit from the tariff. The republican leaders will have to brave the trusts and their threats—defy them and listen to the demands of the people in this matter—or there will be serious losses in republican states next year. Coming Home for a Chicago News. Consul-General Bittinger, who aroused the ire of the people of Montreal, where he was stationed, by declaring that he could not get a ‘“decent meal in all Canada,” need suffer no longer. The government, acting on the complaint of the Canadians, has furnished him with unlimited oppor- tunities to take all his future meals in the United States. S Buffalo Express. Naturalist John Burroughs is after Er- nest Thompson Seton with a charge of trylng to mislead the public on the sub- ject of the intelligence of the lower ani- mals. For Instance, because Mr. Seton says a fox lures the hounds upon a trestle just in time to be killed by a train, Mr. Bur- roughs observes caustically that no fox ever bad a watch or a time table. Tut, tut, John; the public has money enough to buy books from both of you! Why try to ruin a brother's business? Mollifyink Influence of the Pass. Chicago Tribune. It would be ecasy to get rid of the pass system 1f the railroads did not belleve they \were the galners by the bestowal of free transportation on members of legislatures, Judges and other public officlals. The rafl- roads belleve free passes have a soothing and mollifying influence. The influence may benefit the railroads, but it certainly does not benefit the general public. The ordinary citizen who has to pay when he travels is much in favor of the abolition of the free pass system, but he seldom can persuade the legislature of his state to enact a law against it Germany's Trade with Venezuela. New York Tribune. Among the interesting statistical facts contained in a late volume of the Consular Reports {s a tabular statement of the val- ue of Germany's trade with Venezuela. The imports into Germany from Venezuela from 1897 to 1901, inclusive, amounted to $11,- 685,800, about 2 per cent of Germany's total importation. These imports seem to have fallen off since 1897, when the highest fig- ure was reached. On the other hand, the exports from Germany to Venezuela have increased, the highest figures having been reached in 1901, when they amounted to $1,666,000. While the figures indicate that Germany 1s increasing its business with Venezuela they show also that the trade is small, and an inconspicuous figure in the commercial records of Germany. SONOROUS CLAIMS OF REFORM. Raflrond Observation on the Pro. visions of the Elkins Law. Pittsburg Dispatch, It is interesting and somewhat amusing to find it published in the railroad col- umns, as coming from rallroad sources that & new regime is to be inaugurated by the going into effect of the Elkins bill forbid- ding railroad rebates. It is heard that this is ‘“‘one of the most far-reaching pleces of legislation;"” that it “will not affect th business methods of the larger system but it will injure the smaller roads denying to them theé privileg ing rebates to secure busines: The fact of the matter is that the Elkins Ml enacts nothing new whatever, except as to methods of enforcement. The Inter- state Commerce commission has forbidden rebates, drawbacks or any departure from published rates for siktéen years. When it went into effect thefe were the same “‘copferences” of railjoad officials concern- Ing its observance, with the ultimate result of concluding to disabey it. Whether the Elkins bill in re-enacting the,prohibition will enjoy any more permanent obedience remains to be seen. As to the assertion that it will work no change on the larger fystems, the only com- ment is that if that is so and the larger systems obey the law they have been woe- fully misrepresenting themselves. They have time and time again, in urging the legalization of pooling, declared that they were not obeying the law, and Attorney General Knox recently afforded cogent corroboration of the self-accusation. allegation as to the smaller curious darkening of the subject. The smaller, like the greater, lines are for- bidden by the new law—as they have been for sixteen years by the old one—tc secure business by granting secret rebates to their favorites. But neither large nor small lines are forbidden to attract business by an open reduction of puplished rates, equal to all shippers, without favoritism. VAST RAILROAD SYSTEMS, by of grant- lines is a Efght Groups of Lines Embrace Over Half the Country's Mileag: Wall Street Journal. The total mileage of the lines which will be operated either directly under control of the Rock Island company after the pur- chase of the St. Louls & San Francisco if the proposed deal through, or in very close connection with the lines so operated will aggregate aboat 16,000 miles of read. The total mileage. 1§ made up as follows: Rock lIsland (operated) o5 Rock Island (under construction). H&TC,B &W.T, etc.... Total 8t. L. & San Francisco (last report)... 3,414 Projected and under eonstruction (est.) ) Arkaneas & Chootaw . Loulsiana & Arkansas Eastern Tllinols St. L. M. & 8. E... Pere Marquette (traff, Total Grand total .. s It cannot be stated that the system as outlined by these figures is by any means complete, nor does, the outline take any account of connactions east and west to the Atlantic and Pacific seaboard. Pere Marquette is includrd because, although ostensibly it is held merely by trafic al- lance. the personnel of its directorate and many other sizns indicate that the trafic | alliance I8 very close to actual control. This grand total does not make the Rock Island system by any means the most ex- tensive system in the United States. For the purpose of comparison the following table of systems, comprising the great railroad groups of the country, is use: In compiling it the annual reports of the companies ware not closely followed. For fustance, it would he obviously unjust to compare the mileage of Rock Island and Pennsylvania without giving the latter credit for its practical control of Baltimore & Ohio and Norfolk & Western and its semi-control of Reading & Chesapeake. For this reason the total mileage of the two former, and half the mileage of the two latter, are included in the total milease of the Pennsylvania system, and half the mileage of the Reading & Chesapeake is also included In the Vanderbilt system Similar liberty is taken with the Gould | roads, all Uines controlled ty the Gould in- terests being grouped under the caption of Gould system. Illinois Central {s some- what arbitrarily included in the Harriman system. The comparison follows: Name of System. Mileage. Harriman system (Union Pacific, etc.).21,346 Northern Securiti 18°377 Pennsylvania 16,851 Rock 1sland 15,522 Gould system ... 14,755 Vanderbilt ........ 12,572 Canad'an_Pacifie 9,332 Alantic Coast Line system.... These eight systems embrace miles. or more than AIf (e total of the country. The | monopolies huve littie or no “water” in thelr stocks. The absence of monopoly | makes competition possible. Competition makes dishonest profits impossible CONSERVATISM IN THE WEST, Effect of Prosperity in Banishing Radicalism, New York Evening Post Today the west not only has the ability to care for Itself, in a great degree, but is | reaching out for places in which to invest | some of its savings. Recently the state of | Nebraska, which forty years ago was an | open plain trampled by buffalo, and ten | years ago was affirming with vehemence the vagaries of the Ocala platform, invested | $300,000 of its permanent school fund in | bonds of the stald old commonwealth of | Massachusetts. It took them at 3% per| cent, a rate lower than could be afforded | by the eastern banks at the time. The | state bank commissioner of Kansas esti- | mates that 68 per cent of the $80,00,000 in the banks of that state is owned by farm- ers, or those who depend on agriculture directly for a livelihood. It is little wonder that the legislators chosen by a constitu- ency where new conditions and new ideas prevail, are inclined to caution. This growth in conservatism in western communities is, after all, only a repetition of the history of other sections and other lands. With posscssion comes responsibil- ity. Responsibility steadies a state as it does an individual, It has broadened and liberalized the west, not alone in its gen- eral laws, but in its more local applica- tions of the fu.tions of government. The new outlook has convinced the possessors of the plains that the old ways are the sure ways, and that human nature is much the same east and west when It comes to the care of one's own. East and west are to- day more closely linked in business inter- ests than ever before. The problems of each appeal to the other; the prosperity of one Is reflected in the other's brightened skies. While the good crops have had their part in furnishing a basis for the west's prosperity, the latter is likewise due in some degree to the better management, the more conservative plans, the saner views, which have prevailed. There is promise for the future in the fact that this attitude has now become a fixed one in the west; for it means a preparation for any period of depression that may come, and a per- manency in development which makes states reach the highest plane of Influence and power. “WATER” AND 0D WILL, Chicago Professor Thinks the Fluid is & Good Thing in Franchise Stock. Chicago Journal. One of the able instructors at the Uni- versity of Chicago has created a stir by defending the practice of “watering’ se- curities on the ground that this practice | 1s but “capitalizing good will. But good .will and “water” seldom go together. One s opposed to the other. Good will, undeniably an important asset | in business, is the result of giving value | received to the public. This policy, whether followed by dry goods store or traction company, gives margin for no considerable percentage of “water.”” There are excep- tions, of course, to all rules, but as a gen- eral proposition, it can be said that “watered securities” are hased not on good will, but on some sort of a monopoly—a monopoly through tranchises, patent rights, or control of natural resources. Take the local traction stocks, for in- stance. Can the *‘water” be explained on the score of good will? Were Chicagoans ever accused of cherishing good will for the traction companies? No; the “water” ands for the franchise rights which gave a monopoly to the existing companies. Again, the watered securities of the Stand- ard Ofl company, the corporation which made the University of Chicago what it is today, represent monopoly—not good will. Where there is monopoly seldom is there good will. The more a company ‘“‘waters" its securities the less popular, as a rule, does that company become with the public, because the added securities are made pos- sible only by a monopoly which enables the corporation to exact more than legiti- mate profits. “Water” starts at the Jine where honest earnings cease. Go through the whole list of corpora- tions and you will find that those com- panies which are not intrenched back of “Water" Is possible only through exorbl- | tant profits. PERSONAL NOTES, John Wesley Bon, who was a of Mark Twaln's “Innocents Abroad’ has just died at the age of 79, Bluffs, Ark. Charles M. Schwab is returning to tho | home shore and is sald to be the pleture of health. This will entitle him to a place in the patent medicine gallery. General A. W. Greely, chief signal of- ficer of the United States army, has signed a contract with a cable company of New York for the construction of a submarine cable to connect Seattle, Wash., with Sitka, | Alaska. Alfred Belt, the richest man in the world, is recovering from his recent serious and supposedly fatal illness and has gone to | Hamburg for recuperation. Most of his vast wealth was accumulated in the dla- mond flelds of South Africa. Rev, Dr. Newell Dwight Hillis thinks authors should be taken into a room and | shot, so great is the output of books. Dr. | Hillis has recently written a book or two himself, but, of course, it would be rude to suggest that the shooting should begin with him. James H, Hyde of New York, first vice president ‘of a life assurance soclety, is credited with having broken all southern raliroad records the other day, when he traveled on a special train between Jack- sonville and Savannah, 172 miles, In 152 minutes, with a stretch of seven miles in four minutes. It cost him $1,000 to do it Police Commissioner Greene was ques- tioning a detective about a certain case. Tell me what there is In It said he Well,” responded the sleuth, “I belleve that 1s, it 1s my opinion—my theory is that it the clues we are now looking for—" *'s here,” interrupted the commissioner, “how long did you serve on the Buffalo police | torce?" : | Dr. Ames of Minneapolls also fastens | the blame upon the newspapers. Appar ently there never was an honest man yet who had somehow acquired the reputation of belng a crook but he was the victim of journalistic malignity. The only remedy, it seems to us, is for the honest men alias crooks, to have & newspaper organ of their own. Herreshoff, the yacht builder, was walk- ing near bis shops in Bristol, R. L., one | day last week when a camera fiend (one of his pet aversions) took a shot at him. | Herreshoft started after the offender and ember party, | at Pine soon caught him. The man resorted to | diplomatic talk, but the yacht buflder | would not listen. Wresting the camera from the owner's grasp, he extracted the offending plate and ground it to bits with | his heel. BROWN’S Nothing excels this simple remedy. | those that operate their own plants. | afternoon. | chatelaine. | minutes, ROUND ABOUT NEW YORK. Ripples on the Current of Life in the Metropolis, A definite move toward a municipal elec- trie light plant has been taken by the city authorities. A statement by the commis- sioner of the lighting department urging the establishment of such a plant has recelved the approval of; Mayor Low and the Board of Estimate, and a bill will be introduced in the state legislature at an early day authorizing the city to bufld and operate a lighting plant. A club would thus be held over the heads of the com- panies, and, unless they make it to the city's interest to deal with them, & city plant will be bullt, That the city author- itles are in earnest is further evidenced that the preparation of plans and an esti- mate of the cost of a municipal lighting plant have been ordered. The commis- sioner’s report gives the comparative cost of lighting paid by 175 cities, including His the figures &how that New York pays highest price in proportion to its popula- tion and that the charges here are wholly out of proportion to the cost of produc- tion A forceful argument for municipal ownership is supplied by the showing that ix citfes that operate their own plants, burning 2,000-candle power lamps, pay an average price of $66.45 per lamp per yea:, while New York has paid $146 per lamp for the same service. When a voung man named Edward Barton was arraigned on a charge of in- toxication in the Gates avenue police court, Brooklyn, reports the Times, a woman el- bowed her way up to the bench, “Your honor,” she sald, “this man came to my house on New Lots avenue last night and, representing himself as a de- tective, got in to a fight with my hus- band What is your mame, Maglistrate Furlong. Spellit,” she replied. “Why, how can I spell it it I don't khow what It 187" sald the magistrate, astonished. “Can’t you spell your own name?"* “Of course, judge,” returned the woman with a puzzled air. “It's S-p-e-l- “Oh, T see; that's your name, said the magistrate. prigoner: “What have you to say to this?" “It {s not true that I went to the house of this Mrs. Writeit,” declared Barton. “Spellit,” corrected the magistrate. The court was beginning to get into & bad tangle over the name when the magis- trate cut things short by directing that a charge of impersonating a policeman be made against Barton, and he was held. madam?” asked Spellit,” To the music of a brass band Mayor Low | drove the first spike for the firet rail in the tracks of the subway last Saturday There was much speechmaking and congratulation that this great fm- provement for which New York has waited 8o long is now within touching distance of accomplishment. . As soon as the mayor laid aside the brand-new cteel hammer with which he drove the spike into its bed a hundred tracklayers began laying rails along the already prepared cedar ties, and the bril- liantly lighted tunnel rang with the rapid blows. The ceremony took place at the Fifty- ninth street circle station, near the site of the Virginia hotel. There were present, in addition to the mayor, President Forbes | Comptroller | of the Board of Aldermen, Grout, the borough rresidents, a large number of aldermen; John B. McDonald, the subway contractor; August Belmont, president of the subway company, and many invited guests. As the invitation was not sent out until late, the public was hardly aware that the formal beginning of the tracklaying was about to take place. Had it been generally known, there would have been such a demand for invitations that it would have been impossible to grant half the de- mands, owing to the limited space in the station, The officials of the subway company are now certain that the trains will be running by next fall. The car was bound uptown, relates the Evening Post. In the Sixties, two hand- somely gowned women, evidently bent upon an afternoon of “five o'clocking,” took seats. At once the’palr engaged in an absorbing and not too gently modulated conversation, in which the relative merits of “ettamine’’ and “voile” were discussed with all the precision of experts. Sud- denly one of the women looked out of the window upon the Central Park landscape, and gave a little squeak. “We're almost there, and T look a per- fect fright, I know,” she exclaimed. “You do look warm,” returned her com- panion frankly. “You'd better.” She held out a little silver box, which had been dangling with other silver things, at her The 114 of the box was open. It disclosed a tiny puff and powder. “I guess T will,” said the woman of the first part, and without more ado, and ut- terly oblivious of the concentrated gaze of the other passengers, she daintily tapped her nose, chin and cheeks with the puff. Then, drawing down her vell again, she handed the puft back to its owner, who closed the 1id of the little box with a snap, and let it dangle at her belt. The con- versation had gome on untroubled by the faclal operation. “Lord, no, I'm used to it," sald the con- duetor. “I used to think it was funny when I first saw them do it. A woman is lable to put a dab of powder on anywhere. Only not all of them carry such nice little boxes. One woman passenger we have gets on regular at Seventy-second street and carrles loose powder in her satchel. She dips in her ‘handkerchief and brings out a cloud like an upset flour barrel. And the strange part of it Is, they never seem to mind how many people watch ‘em do it. Once the old party I was speaking about produces her powder shower right next to & fussy old chap, who {s pretty well made up for a man himself, toupee and dyed beard, and all that. He stood it for a few dusting his coat as the powder fell. Finally he turned to her and said “‘Madame, don't you know that you're Then turning to the | ! bad Fif'y Years the Standard By BAKING POWDER Awarde Highest Honors World’s Falr Highest tests U.S. Gov't Chemists PRIOE BAKING POWDER 0O, oHicAGO violating a rule of the War department?’ “The old lady stops flirting her hand- kerchief, and eyes him. ‘What have 1 got to do with the War department? she says. * “They use smokeless powder nowadays,’ he says, and then gives me the wink to stop the car In & hurry. And it's a bless- fng he did, too.” POINTED REFLECTIONS. When the doctors want to Impress the laity they go to work and think up a new name for an old disease.—Somervilie Journal ‘Shall I brain him?" oried a hazer, and the_victim's courage fell “You can't; it is a freshman. Just hit him on the head."—Puck “The first thing to be done, sald the committeeman in an important tone, “is to organize. Therefore—" “1 beg your pardon,” sald an older mem. ber. “We have not been photographed yet."—Judge. I'm told,” sald the prison visitor, “'that before you got here you were one of the leading men in your profesion. ‘Well," replied the convict, “I certainly was in the van just before 1 arrived here ' Chicago Tribune. Laura—You have met the two Johnsons. What do you think of them? Maude—Well, the one is terribly simple gnd the other is simply terrible.—Brooklyn Ate. 'What qualifications have t rallway conductor?” “I worked three vears in a sardine pack- ing establishment.”"—Filegende Blatter. “Some people, I belleve, still that ofl and water won't’ mix." Well, that's true.' ‘Nonsense! ~Rockefeller Is a_member of the Baptist church.”—Philadeiphla Press. you as a st maintain Romeo—But how did you induce your father to give his consent? You know, you told me he was deadly opposed to actore. Jullet—I know, but when I told him 1t was you he said perhaps it might not be 8o that_you weren't much of an actor, anyway.—Boston Transcript. “You set too high a value on money," sald the friend “Maybe 1 do," answered Senator Sorg- hum, “but so far as I have been abie to learn, money is regarded as the most valu- able 'thing yet discovered.”—Washington Star. INFORMATION WANTED, Chicago News. A fond desire for knowledge Is within my bosom burning. I mrmv:ly ache and yearn for any sort of earning. In youthful days T did not, and, as might ave been expected, My early education was most shamefully neglected. But npw the case is altered. realizing ‘The fact that what I do not know is more or lees surprising. That fact I've just discovered, to my great- est_consternation, And that explains my present warm desiro for information, 1 am ever I make no false pretensons, for my igno- rance is shocking, The very simplest subjects are my feeble powers mocking. I'm short on metaphysics and on specula- tive logic, I do not know a thing about the sclence pedagogic. I'm destitute of Hebrew and of Sanskrit and of Persian, And cannot tell the merits of the old or newer version. chemistry I'm weak. much about vibration, I am_absolutely lacking when it comes to information. In 1 don’t know 1 used to think I knew a thing or two, but I'm confessing A little brief experience has lately got me guessing. The only thing I know s that my strong points are not mental, 8o I've abandoned all idéas of ideals trans- cendental T've lost my old-time confidence and now am meek and humble, But when I think it over I cause to grumble. have little My wife taught school tfll married, but her resent occupation Is fmparting to her husband all her stoek of information. Jilcail; Don’t Walit Until the eyes give out and you are compelled to stop work. If your eyes feel strained, get the proper glasses at once Bring your eye troubles to us. J. C. HUTESON & CO,, 213 8. 16th St, Paxton Block. “Cravenette” Rain Coats The owner of one of our rain or cravenette coats is always master of the weather. ly useful in either sunshine or rain— $12 to $28 NO CLOTHING FITS LIKE OURS. $rowning Ring Go 1R 8 Wikss Manager.