The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 3, 1896, Page 6

THE SAN FRAN ISCO CALL, TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 1896 CHARLES M. SHORTRIDGE, Editor and Proprietor. SU;SCRIPTION RATES—Postage Free: Paily and Sundsy CALL, one week, by carrler..$0.15 Daily and S one year, by mall.... 6.00 Daily and ¢ x months, by mail.. .60 Dasly snd Sunday ree months by mail 1.50 Daily and Sunday CaL £unday CaLL, one ye WERKLY CaALL, one 1.0 BUSIN 710 California. San Francisco, 5 Main—-1868 Feiephone.... ROOMS: Stre EDITORIAL 5 e Felepbone...... : ...Main—1874 BRANCH OFFICES: 620 Montgomery sireet, corner Clar; open until ; open until 9:30 o’clock. open until er Sixteenth and Mission streets; open entil 9 v'clock. 2518 Mission street: open untll 8 o'clock. 116 Ninth street; open until 9 0'clock. OAKLAND OFFICE : 808 Broadway. EASTERN OFFIC! Rooms 51 and 32, ———————————————— ree Cuba is something of a crisis itself. All roads that lead to good roads are good. March has come in like a lion with his tail twisted. The good roads convention has the town and the State is with it. The cold wave fluttered the orchards, but it will boom fruit prices. Spain may not be strong enough to fight us, but she is mad enough to try. The Venezuelan affair was only a flurry, but this thing begins to look serious. Breaking the weather record in these days seems about as easy as breaking a bi- cycle record. It is pleasing to remember at this time that in all war talk there is always more talk than war. The Queen Regent may not send us an ultimatum, but 1t is a safe bet she will have the last word. It may be as well to notify the East at once that our cold wave was only a slight frost and no blizzard. Now that another crisis has arisen we may expect to hear that Cleveland has re- wurned to his shooting. Presidential politics are in agitation all round the horizon, but the center is still as calm as a summer’s noon. The next thing we know Mr. Hunting- ton will rise up to declare that his testi- mony was intended for irony. ‘We must now talk of snowy mountains as well as flowery fields if we wish to get in all the poetry of the situation. It begins to look as if it would be better to hold our festivals in midwinter and save the spring days for the family fireside. The proposal to change the name of Cor- bett avenue to Western boulevard is street improvement in name only, but it will do. As a candidate for the Democratic Presi- dential nomination Mr. Olney seems to be in the position where all the lightning strikes. Come war or come peace the country will support the President, but all the same it will wish the President were some other fellow. We shall have to insist that Truckee turn her ioboggan slide the other way and quit spilling her snowstorms over this side of the State. In extending to Spain those “‘friendly offices” the Senate talked of, Mr. Olney will have to put a good deal of emphasis on the friendly phrase. Before we begin any fight for'the inde- pendence of Cuba we had better fix up our tariff and make ourselves independent of foreign money-lenders. Isn’t it about time for somebody to name & paper The Cathode Ray ? Or possibly The X Ray would be more exact and at the same time more startling. Congress may as well understand that 80 long as it leaves the work of tanff re- vision undone the people will consider that nothing has been done. The investigation of the funding bill in the committee-room has disclosed plenty of good ammunition for use when the big fight comes off in the House. Itis now announced that General Wey- ler is a German, and so all the eloquentde- nunciations of the innate cruelty of Span- iards is lost in the illimitable inane. The Spanish mob that dragged the stars and stripes through the mud of the streets of Madrid has done more for free Cuba than all the eloquence of the Senate. Ever since the close of the last elections the Republican Congressional committees have been lost in the shuffle, and now, lo and behold! they turn up as trumps. I we should be forced into a war with Spain under this administration, Mr. Lin- coln’s remark about not swapping horses while crossing a stream will have an ex- ception. From the suddenness with which the cold wave struck us it would seem that Nansen has not only discovered the north pole, but is bringing it home by way of the Pacific Coast. The near approach of the Presidential campaign is made evident by the fact that . some Eastern papers are disputing which candidate when standing on the platform would show the most pplchritudinous legs. Ballington Booth will startan army in opposition to his father, and by the time he gets it well under way some enterpris- ing general will branch off from it to start another, and in that way the army wiil multiply itself. The Trinity Journal has published a list of the lands the railroad is attempting to patent in that county and says the total amount comprises over 41,000 acres and is rich in mineral. By the publication of the list the people are given notice of the rail- road scheme and the Journal urges ail who have locations on the ground to file pro- tests at onte. OVERSENSITIVE SPAIN. There is something significant in the extreme sensitiveness with which Spain resents American interference in its struggle with Cuba. The resolution passed by the Benate was most friendly and dig- nified. Nothing in the nature of a threat or.an ultimatum was hinted -at in its phraseology. It provided merely that the Presidént exercise his friendly offices in conferring with Spain over the situation, with a view to the establishment of Cuban independence and the recognition of Cuban belligerency. That so grievous offense has been taken may be regarded as evidence that Spa conscience has been pricked in a sore place. There was absolutely no excuse for the violent demonstrations of hostility toward the United- States repre- sentatives at Madrid and Barcelona. Spain by those acts has given far greater offense to the United States than the Senate resolution could have given to Spain. So far as the acts of the Cuban insurgents are concerned, they have not shown any departure from the methods of civilized warfare. The Cubans have destroyed property, but only that of the enemy, and for the purpose of crippling his fighting efficiency. On the other hand, the Spanish authorities on the island stand chafged with the commission of atrocities that have roused the indignation of the world. Gen- eral Campos was removed for the sole reason that he was pursuing civilized methods, and General Weyler was placed in command for the sole reason and with the avowed intention of instituting a mer- ciless campaign of blood and iron. He has begun well o that line, and it was not until his acts of savagery were flaunted that the Senate of the United States saw fit to interfere with a suggestion of media- tion. The Spaniards are a fighting race—there isno doubt about that. History furnishes nothing more wonderfui than their throw- ing off of the Moorish yoke after they had worn it for half a thousand years. Spain lost no time in recognizing the belliger- ency of the Confederate States after our civil war had begun. We kept our hands off entirelv during the ten years’ war for Cuban independence, and have waited a vear in the present war before even mak- ing a suggestion. Spain is putting herself in the wrong. This factis important, for it wiil likely exert an influence with those European nations which otherwise might be inclined to sympathize with her against us. Sunday’s outbreak would rot have been worthy of great notice had it not been followed with a passionate demand from the Prime Minister that the Presi- dent of the United States compel the Sen- ate to eat its words. There is need for all the more patience on our part in dealing with a people so passionate and combative, but that does not imply any necessity for neglecting our duty as a civilized nation and our regard for National dignity. AN INTERESTING RUMOR. It will be some time vet before the news of Nansen’s alleged discovery of the north pole can be confirmed, and meanwhile we are treated to an interesting speculation on the probabilities of the discovery hav- ing been made not by Nansen, but by John M. Verhoeff, an American lad born at Louisviile of Dutch parents and for a loa: time a resident of San Francisco. Ver- hoeff had a mania for Arctic exploration, and by reason of his liberal financial as- sistance to the Peary expedition of 1891 he was made a member of the Peary party and given the position of mineralogist. So much for the preliminaries. Now comes the story proper: Verhoeff had a good scientific education, an iron constitution and an insatiable thirst for Arctic knowiedge. On the Peary expedition he systematically inured him- self to the hardships of the far northern climate, hobnobbed on all possible occa- sions with the Esquimaux, learned to eat their repulsive food and exhibited a veiled disinclination to return with Peary. In August, 1892, a week before Peary was to starton the return trip, Verhoeff asked and was granted permission to make a further study of the geology of a region in the vicini! Singularly enouzh he took an unnecessary quantity of clothing and food and all his instruments, and when he failed to return on time a search party was hastily organized to find him. Tkey fol- lowed a trail which they took to be his, and it led them up a glazier to enormous crevices. Thinking that he had fallen into one and lost bis life they returned and the report was sent out that the young man was dead. His relatives, after a study of the evi- dence, arrived at the firm conclusion that the voung man had deserted, deliberately leaving presumptive evidence of his death, and that he had struck out on his own ac- count, assisted py the natives, to discover the pole. They assume that he has sue- ceeded and is working his way back, and that the news of the discovery comes from him and not from Nansen. The case cer- tainly is full of interest and presents no element of the incredible. It is even pos- sible that Verhoeff may have fallen in with Nansen either before or after the dis- covery of the pole, that he or Nansen sepa- rately or together made the discovery, and that they are returning together. Time will solve all these questions. As Verhoeff was an educated man and a member of a party of polar discovery it is rational to assume that he had sufficient knowledge to determine the pole if he should find it. The news with regard to the “instruments’” which he is said to have taken is too vague to be instructive, but as the needful instruments in such miner- alogical work as he likely did might have been very few, and as he might have done without any at all for that purpose, he may be assumed to have taken astronom- ical instruments instead. The whole sub- ject isof great interest by reason of the credit attaching to the discovery, if it has been made. TYPIOAL - PROSPERITY. The rapid progress which Grass Valley has been making lately is fairly indicative of the condition prevailing in all the quartz-mining sections of California, and it represents the good results issuing from renewed activity in the mining industry. This has been brought about partly by the discovery that the value of the old mines had never been fully aporeciated and partly by the introduction of electricity as a motive power. Naturally satisfactory results in working the old mines has led to developing new properties, and s0 a whole- some stimulation is proceeding all along the line. Grass Valley has an ideal situation. As its name indicates it is a valley covered with grass, and this in turn means abund- ant water and excellent iruit lands. Its population of 8000 souls would fail to furnish material for stories of the Bret Harte order, as prosperity, wealth and re- finement characterize the people. The source of all this comfert is the gold of the mines, and as that is butin the beginning of its development the tuture of the valley is exceedingly bright. It is proper to call atten tion to these refining accompaniments of a’ great in- dustry for the reason that they indicate a condition of affairs that does not apper- tain to gold-mining districts in other parts . of the world. With such an adjustraent to the higher conditions of civilization one may expect to find an absence of those penls which attach to a mew district. Where mining is conducted as an earnest, legitimate industry, as it is in California, prospective investors run no risk of being waylaid by sharpers and swindled ount of their money. The industry here is as stable, dignified and clean as that of agri- cuiture. Investors in mines have not only the protection of efficient laws, but well- established settlements of refined and law- abiding persons, cherishing a profound re- spect for the rights of versons and prop- erty. Apart from all this is a certain knowl- edge of undeveloped resources and abund- ant facilities already installed for prose- cuting the business on the most scientific and economical lines. Itis this last-named phase of mining in California that is par- ticularly valuable. The unlimited supply of water in the Sierras is convertible into all kinds of uses favorable to the industry of mining and to the health and ocomfort of those engaged in the business. It has been oaly recently that the great utility of this water supply has begun to be prop- erly employed, its best use being in the generation of electricity for mining pur- poses. The stranger has only to visit Grass Valley to see the superior conditions obtaining in mining fer gold in California. THE STANFORD DECISION. The Supreme Court has acted with un- usual promptness in the Stanford case and by a decision affirming the judgment of the lower courts has decided that the estate of Leland Stanford is ot liable for any portion of the debi due to the Gov- ernment by the Central Pacific Railroad Company. This decision closes the case and the Government has no further re- course or appeal. As the result of the decision will be to relieve the great university founded by Leland Stanford and Mrs. Stanford from any danger of losing so large a portion of its revenues as was sued for by the Gov- ernment, the news of the decision will be received with complaisance by the great majority of Californians. The university was founded and endowed for the benefit of California and has already proven its great usefulness in the cause of education. The decision is virtually a decree in favor of the people although in express terms it declares against them, and there is good reason for a general sympathy with the rejoicing that prevails at Palo Alto. The Stanford estate has long since ceased to be private property in anything more than name. Under the management of ihe noble woman who now directs it all its revenues pass to the service of the uni- versity and through the influence of that institution to the State at large. The ad- vancement at Palo Alto, which has been somewhat checked by the suit brought by the Government, will now go forward without further hindrance. That the uni- versity is destined to become in the near future one of the greatest seats of learning in the world none can question, and in contemplating the magnilicent plan upon which the foundations were luid, the broad system of education designed to be carried out and the potent influence it is certain to exert in the upbuilding of the true grandeur of the State, there will surely come to all a sense of gratification with the knowledge that the estate is not to be shorn of any part of its great proportions, but will remain for all time as an endow- ment to carry out the will of the munifi- cent founder. CORIPPLE CREEK AFFAIRS. The whole truth with regard to the Crip- ple Creek mining boom is now coming to light, and it will be found very instructive when compared with the gold-mining in- dustry of California. A very important circumstance has been recently developed— the newcomers at Cripple Creek are dying of pneumonia at the average rate of one a day. This might have been expected in a place having an elevation above the sea equal! to that of Bodie. Geological considerations are equally important. All the mines from which ore is being taken are as yet shallow, the deep- est being only 900 feet. Kxperience has shown thus far that the deeper the work- ing the poorer the ore. The opposite con- dition prevails in California. Within the last few years numerous mines in the mother lode which had been abandoned as worked out have been reopened and the shafts sunk deeper, with the result that far richer ores than were ever taken from them before are encountered. Many of the Cripple Creek mines which yielded rich ore on the surface and were floated at fabulous prices are rapidly retrograding with deeper sinking. The trouble seems to be, not that the gold area is small, for in factit is about eleven miles loug and’ six wide, but that there is a remarkable diffusion of the metal. Even the plutonic rocks, mostly granite, carry gold running from a trace to $5 a ton; but of course this cannot be shipped out and profitably worked. in California,on the other hand, one of the ordinary expectations of the miner is to encounter at any moment an excessively rich body of ore. Most of the work in Cripple Creek is be- ing done by “rustlers”—men whose busi- ness is to boom mines and float the stock. That this is so may be inferred from these facts: The actual ontput in 1895 was only $8,750,000, and the expectation for the cur- rent year is merely double that amount. The production per capita in the district is less than $200 a year. About 250 claims are shivping ore of centent less than $25, and 100 less than $15—‘“shipping at a loss,” it is declared by the New York Tribune, “in order to bear the reputation of being producers.” The average depth of shipping mines is less than 250 feet. About twelve mines are paying 30 per cent profit and four are paying 400 percent. It is carefully estimated that, even rated as “gambles,” considering location, patented area, management, capitalization and present location, probably one-third of all mines are not worth the prices being paid. The whole situation in California is en- tirely different. The boomer and manipu- lator are unknown. There is no excite- ment whatever and hundreds of mines can be bought for a fraction of their value from owners who have not the capital to develop them. Better than all that, we have but recently learnea that the gold store is practically inexhaustible, by rea- son of the fact that the deeper the work- ings are pushed the richer the ore. ‘Where Perkins Stands. San Jose Mercury. Senator Perkins indulges in no quibbles as to his attitude toward the funding bill. not see,” he says, “how any member of the California delegation can support the bill. The a%le of the State are solid against it, and it s the duty of every Senator and Representa- tive to vote against it.” - May the Good Work Go On, Shasta Courier. Last week another great ten-inch rifie can- non was added to the force of steel sentinels whose black muzzles guard’the Golden Gate of the metropolis of the West. May this good work go on in spite of the opposition of cranks, politicians and reformers who infest thegrut land which thef argue 1s not worth defending. Self-protection is the first law ot natureand of nations, and it has been too long neglected by the Unijed Siates. | ~I do | pe AROUND THE CORRIDORS. Pak Youg Kim, s young nobleman of Kores, is at the Occidenta]l Hotel. He was the com- missioner from Korea to the- Chicago Exposi- tion, and afterward was appointed secretary of the Korean legation at Washington. The whirligig of time has brought about changes in Korean affuirs. A few weeks ago Pom K. Soh, who hsd for ten years been in ex- ile, was, after having previously been called home and mede Minister o Justice, appointed Minister to the United States. He went on to Washingtor, and now Prince Pak is going home. He doesn’t know whether he will ever come back to the United Statesornot. Itall depends, it would appear, on whether his party gets back into power, Talking about Korean affairs, and the dis- patch which said the King was at the Russian legation for protection during the stormy hairs, hardly ten inches loug, that when plaited together are no thicker than a lead- encil. Yang spends most of his time in his unk, often not lea: it for montbs at & time. He has plenty of money and has told his friends that he intends to return to China very soon. LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE. SaN FraNCISCO, March 2, 1896. To the Editor of the Call—SIr: As THE CALL has warmly championed the cause of struggling Cuba from the first rising against Spanish op- pression, I hope you will allow me space to say & few words in favor of that cause at this criti- cal juncture when the manly stand which the United States Senate and all its leading mem- bers have taken for freedom and humanity on this continent will soon find & ready response in the legislative bodies of all other independ- ent American peoples. It has, I believe, been Prince Pak Yong Kim, formerly Commissioner From Korea to the World’s Fair, and Recently Secretary of the Korean Legation. |Sketched from life by a “Call” artist.) times in Seoul, the Prince said he knew noth- ing more than had been published in the papers. “Up to the time I left Washington a week ago,” said he, ‘‘the embassy had received no messages from Seoul, and we were in the dark | asto what might have occurred save such in- formation as was sent to the papers. “I do not know what will be the end of the trouble in Korea. As for the attitude of Rus- sia, I scarcely know what to think of it. I am inclined to believe, though, thatit won't bother Korea. “In regard to the internal difficulties of Ko- rea [ think it is better thatshe have them. They will tend to unite the people in the Even if the country is torn by coaflicti tions for a time, it will finally result in good. The people will be educated and they will | emerge from their difficulties with higher and better purposes, and the people will estabiish a firmer government.” The Prince, though only in America since 1893, speaks English with much ease. He will sail for home on the Doric on ‘the 5th inst. It | will take a month of steady traveling to get there, for the Korean capital is far aronnd on the shoulder of the globe. “I dread the trip,” he said, “forit is so long.” THE BICYCLE GIRL. 8he glides like a dream from my vision In the morning all dewy and &ray; A nymph from the gardens Elysian She dashes and flashes awi Past meadows and groves, where the singing Of birds all meloaious swells, My heart hears the silvery rinzing Of the beautitul bicycle bellst ig fac- | Her cheeks with the crimson is glowing— With all that the rose could impart; The breeze—the mad wanton !—is blowing A Kkiss and a curl 10 my heart! Past meadows, where wild birds are winging Their way. over vel She glides with a ravishing ringing Of the sllvery bicycle bells! She's a bicycie, bicyele girl, ‘With hair of the loveliest curl; She’s fresher than clover, My hear: she rides over— Slie’s a bicycle, bicycle girl —Philadelphia Times., AN AGED CELESTIAL. A few days ago a most unusual sight was wit- nessed in Chinatown. It wasthator two young Chinese helping a very old one to walk along the street. Even the residents of that part of the City stopped to look, and many went up and spoke to the oid man. What was said was said in Chinese, and inquiry developed the fact that they were offering their congratula- tions. Those who were engaged in helping the old man could not be induced to say more than that hisname was ““Yang.” Bystanders, how- “Yang,” Said to Be the Oldest Chinese in California. [Sketched from life by @ * Call” artist] ever, stated that he was the oldest Chinese in California and that was the reason he was be- ing offered assistance. According 'to -custom the oldest man in every Chinese community is enttl:’led to the greetesi favors it iz possible to stow. Yang resides in the rear of a. cigarshop on Dupont street, near Broadway. He is in a yery feeble condition, and although he has lived in this country about twenty-five years cannot speak & word of English. éh age is & matter of conjecture as he has lost track of it except to know that he was born about the time certain important events were m!nipllce in China. None of those acquainted with Yang, however, could locate them exactly, but said it must be over 100 years ago. The general appearance of Yang's face does not indicate great age, but & closer exami- nation revesls a wrinkled, leathery skin and a scattered growth of gray beard.. His eyebrows | made of. have almost disappeared and his eyes are set deep in his head. The growth -of hair has entirely gone from the top of his skull and it iS as smooth as a billiard ball. Nothing is left of the queue but e few gray too much the fashion among Americans of Anglo-Saxon stock to decry the patriotism and statesmauship among the Latino-Americans. But let them read the complaints made by the illustrious Washington of the Inkewarmness and want of seli-denial on the part of his countrymen when he himself was struggling &nd fighting for independence from domina- tion by a European King and Parliament, and then compare the history of the United States revolutionary war with the heroic deeds of decades of desperate combats against Spanish ranny in Mexico, Colombia, the Argentina, hile, Peru and Cuba. 1 think, mutatis mu- tandis, the Ladinos need not be ashamed of their Hidalgos, Bolivars, San Marins, etc. After all, great political questions are not solely decided by ca'culation. Large hearts will comprehend the necessity of action at the | right moment by their own feelings as much as by argument. Itis to be hoped that the ecutive of the United States Government will understand the expression of its own and, as it is to be expected, of all other American nee tions’ sentiment. 'The commission which the President is to receive may leave him the de- tail of execution, but we may be sure that the main object and ‘purpose caimot be misunder- stood. This is the time to show America and the world what stuff the United States are Frederick the.Great wrote: “Repub- lics fulfill more promptly the design of their institution and hold out better, for good Kings die, but wise laws are immortal. There 1s unity in the end which republics propose and in the means which they employ, u;ul they therefore almost never miss their aim.” That stern old King refused to the Ger- man troops hired by the English for use against their colonies in rebellion the march through his territory, and though a neutral sent to Washington’s head-quarters General Steuben as drillmaster of the colonials.’” Nations as well as individuals ought to have the courage of their convictions. Senator Sherman bas frankly confessed that he would rather sce an independent Cuba federated (o Mexico than to the United States. Isympa- e with him, though I believe the trend of events is more the other way. Anyhow, the sublime question of Cuba’s freedom is not one of dollars, but of ideas, as Baucroft in his history of the United States contends it was so in thé revolutionary war. Spain may take a lesson from this which would do her more good than a sanguinary reconquest of the Pearl of the Antilles. Respectiully, H.S. THE CONCENTRATION OF WEALTH. FACTS AND FIGURES WHICH MAY ACCOUNT FOR THE PREVAILING DEPRESSION, To the Editor of the San Francisco Call—Str: A young giri once saved a railroad train filled with people from plunging to swiit destruc- tion, where a bridge had been swept away in & storm, by rushing down to the track and wav- ing a danger signal to the engineer. Her brave deed has been justly honored in verse and by fit reward. Why should we cherish quite another feeling for those who raise a danger signal when the general welfare is menaced? Why should we blame them forso much as intimating that there is danger? The theme of the present letter is not chosen because it is likely to please the greatest num- ber of readers, but because there is dangerous ignorance on the subject. In fact, how many intelligent readers in & thousand really know anything definite as to the concentration of weulth in the United States from 1560 to 18907 The census tells us, and thus states it: Total Producers’ Capitalists’ wealth. percent. per cent. 16,000,000,000 4314 561 80,000,000,000 82%g 671 58,000,000,000 24 76 61.000,000,000 17 83 In 1890 the total wealth of the Nation was nearly four times greater than in 1860 while the producers got only 17 per centof itin place of 4314 thirty years before, and the capi- talists got 83 per cent instead of 5614 per cent in 1860. In 1860 the producers got well on to hait the wealth they created and in 1890 they got less than one-fifth. The in- creased use of machinery, which is always owned by the capitalists, gave them the greater part of the advantage by greatly reducing the number of persons employed. But this does not tell half the story. In trade circles the change has been even peril- ous. By the formation of great corporations in the form of trusts and combines, such as the Standard Oil trust, the meat trust, the our trust, the leather trust, the lumber trustand the coal trustand a hundred other powerful trusts, including the great department stores, small dealers have been crushed and vast for- tunes of many :nillions have been concen- trated in the vaults of these corporations. As these trusts all comprise prime articles of daily consumption by the plain people, and the people are helpless and wholiy in the power of the trusts, they simply have to pay whatever tribute these trust barons see fit to evy. Tiul, for example, the Standard Oil trust recently raised the price of oil 5 cents per gal- lon, und it bas to be paid by the 60,000, eople who use it for light and fuel, the other 0,&0.000 well-to-do and rich people using gas and electric llgh‘. These 60,000,000 plain people represent 12,000,000 families ave Togi ve members each, who each use about gallon can of oil a month, making the con- sumption of oil 12,000, cans a month. The increase of 5 cents a gallon is 25 cents on a five-gallon can, and on 12,000,000 cans used in a month the increased inceme of the Stand- ard Oil Trust is $3,000,000 a month or $36,- o year. The inte]ligent reader can ensily figure out the tribute paid by the ple to the other trust barons, a tribute which no one can refuse to pay until the people unite and set up & system of doing business which will eliminate the trustand render such cor- {mra‘e combinations of capital absolutely utile. 1f we now add to the trust corporations just considered, the banking, telegraph, telephone, railroad, street-car, electric power and kindred cor?on',xons, with their enormous wealth and their unhimited power to levy and col- lect tribute from the people, we can_begin to realize how it is possible for George K. Holmes, Special Census Agent, to show from census tables that we had in 1890 4000 millionaire families who “owned’’ $1,200,000,000, or one- fifth cf the entire wealth of the country; that there were 1,230,000 rich families who ey et e e had $36,600,000,000, or more than half of the entire wealth of t these two classes “owned’’ 71 total wealth, which left 11,500,000 tamilies with only 29 per cent of the total wealth. But that is not all. He found that there were 6,600,000 poor iamilies, over half the total popn(nlon, ‘who owned but 5 per cent of the wealth, that is to say, only $454 to each family, in contrast with thé 4000 millionaire families ‘who each had $3,000,000. Compared in other ways, one family out of everv 300 ‘“‘owned” ,000,000, and over half the families had but. 5454 10 each family. In view of these facts—facts which we cannot call unreliable—it is not hard to understand why times are bad and growing worse. It is certain that more than half the people, with an average of only $454 to & family, must be engaged in a haud-to-hand fight for existence, and can lay up nothing, not a dollar ayear. In the meanwhile the increase in the weéalth of the rich families goes on continually, day and night; and, as we have already seen, this increase in the manufacturing industry during thirty years has more than doubled in the amount gained by capitalists, while tie amount paid to producers, owing to a greater use of machinery, has fallen to less than lmlld' that numerous” great trusts have arisen an amassed great fortnnes; that great corpora- tions are enthroned, ruling the people and ac- cumaulating untold miilions, and we know that strikes are numerous and murmurs are heard everywhere, and that thoughtful men are troubled. Is it not clear that there must be a change, and that it must come soon ? Blindly post- poning the evil day cannot be wise. It is cer- tain that the present order of production and distribution is creating a horde of outlaws, un- able to employ themselves and forbidden ac- cess to the land on such terms as will afford them a living, as all the land has passed into private ownership except such inaccessible and poor land as these impoverished people cannot cultivate. Let us all honestly try to find the way out of present conditions. The })eorfile must have & chance. Great public utilities must be made to serve the people instead of bemf monopo- lized by corporations to creaie millionaires. Land monopoly must cease, for itisa crime against society unless we have made & mistake in tninking that the plain people who work for a living should be free. Money lords must allow the Government to control the supply of money and place it within the reach of the people practically without interest. Work must be found for those who are forced into idleness. Good roads and needed public works must be constructed at public expense, and without the issue of interest-bearing bonds. JOSEPH ASBURY JOHNSON. 11 Essex street, S8an Francisco. PERSONAL. Mayor H. M. Baggs of Stockton is at the Lick. Louis D. Williams of Montana is at the Russ. Frank J. Wilson, an attorney of Nevada City, is in town. Jemes Shields of Montana is among recent arrivals here. » Dr. P. J. Conran of Volcano, Amador County, is at the Cosmopolitan. Dr. Z. T. Magill of Healdsburg is in the City* accompanied by Mrs. Magill. Charles Atwood and family of Yuma are registered at the Cosmopolitan. Hon. John Emery, a railroad man of Par- sons, Kans., is at the Cosmopolitan. D. C. Lane of Pomona, who has been mining for some time in Death Velley, isin the City. Miss Mollie Barre and Miss Nellie Douglas, of Pacific Grove, who are en route East, are guests at the Cosmopolitan. J. C. Tugner, general superintendent of the Joggiug camps of the Sierra Lumber Company, Red Bluff, is in town, Alexander Dey of England was among the arrivals on the steamer Colon from Panama yesterday, and is at the Occidental. E. C. Smith, the banker of Pacific Grove, ar- rived here yesterday, sccompanied by Miss Smith, whom he was seeing off on a visit to the East. Controller E. C. Colgen of Sacramento is at the Lick. He has just come from Paso Robles, where bis family has been residing for some months past. Colonel C. Crocker will take the Baron and Baroness von Hengelmuller and a party of friends in a special train to Del Monte to- day. They will leave Fourth and Towusend streets at 10 o’clock. They will remain till the last of the week. Wager Bradford, accompanied by his bride, left San Francisco for Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday night, where he will develop some rich ctaims which he has purchased. He ex- pects to be absent about five years! ' The newly married couple went from here to New Or- Jeans, and thence will proceed on their jour- ney via New York and Liverpool to Cape Town. ssl' cent of the YORK, March 2 mong recent ar- rivals are: H. Dernnam, Murray Hill; B. F. Lymonsville, Holland; J. E. Hanson, Sinclair; W. L. Hugbson, 8t. Denis: W. Laird, Metropole; J. F. Mackay, New Amsterdam; L. Robinson, Westminster; C. T. Wendall, St. James; R. Williams, Sturtevant; J. Greaves, Imperial. HUMOR OF THE DAY. The north pole's discovery is doubtless of great importance to humanity, but humanity doesn’t fully realize the great work that will have been mccomplished when the pole is safely securea and lodged in the Vatican or the Smithsonian Institution or the British Museum.—Des Moines Leader. He—I think its outrageous to pamper upa dox like that. It makes me sick to look at it. Haven’t you anything better to do? His Maiden Sister (savagely)—Well, I haven’t a husband, and I must have a brute of some sort to look after.—Spare Moments. Mrs, Brown—How would you define “tact’’? Mrs. Jones—I should say tact is the ability to make your husband believe that he is having his own way.—Puck. “For my part,”” said Mrs. Pilkington, decis- ively, “I can’t see why people are so anxious to make silver free; I should much rather have free gold myseli.” And she resumed work on her emproidery with an air of having said something that even Mr. Pilkington couldn’t controvert.—Brooklyn Life. gerimpitt—Doctor, this bill of yours is pre- posterous—ridiculous! Dr. Chargem (blandly)—Well, I don’t mind saying that it is absurdly low myself!'—Har- per’s Bazar. “‘Cassandra! That’s a fine name for a bull pup, now, isn’t it?” I call him that;” explained the high-browed young man, “because he is always looking for trouble.”—Indianapolis Journal. “If you love me,” he said impressively, “you will never chew gum underany circumstances. Iam satisfied that it is injurious.” «But, Alfred,” she protested, “you know, I haven’t any caramels.” It was only then that he realized what a mis. take he had made.—Chicago Post. A man who has plenty of money and won't turn it loose and enjoy it is like & jackass that packs bullion and feeds on sagebrush.—Bodie Index. VIEWS OF WESTERN EDITORS. ‘Would Sweep the Field. San Jose Mercury, An American Salvation Army would sweep the field. < The Office-Holder’s Song. Watsonville Rustier. The song of the county officials is, “It May Be Four Years.” The Cornerstone. Benicia News, The cornerstone of good government is laid at the primaries, Huntington’s Difficulty. Sonora Democrat. If there is any one thing that bothers the Southern Pacific magnates more than another it s to tell the truth under oath. Taxing the Farmer. Los Angeles Herald. Under existing laws the farmer is taxea, either d\rectg or indirectly, on everything he produces and on nearly everything he con- sumes. Neglecting the Practical Side. Gilroy Gazette. Education in our public schools runs too much to the higher branches, and in doing so possibly neglects somewhat the practical and useful side. To Protect the Orange-Grower. Riverside Press. country; in a word, that | made to secure from the next National admin- istration an increase of the duty on oranges as a means of protecting the orchardist from the demoralization of the markets through heavy foreign importations. Even If It Means War. Visalia Delta. Both houses of Congress have practically de- cided to show in some manner the sympathy of this country with Cuba in its gallant strug- gle for deserving independence and have de- cided on this course after heving fully consid- ered the matter in all its bearings and with a full understanding of the prooable outcome of their proposed action. ANSWERS TO COI Law—L. S, Haywards, Cal. A civil action is one instituted to entorce a right or punigh or redress a wrong; & eriminal action is one insti- tuted in a Stete in the name of the people for the punishment of a crime. CRIBEAGE—G. W. §., Jamestown, Tuolumno Coanty, Cal. Hoyle lays down the rule in cribbage that if & player does not count his hand in full there is no penalty. In other words there is no penalty for scoring too few points. DURRANT—J. H., Elmira, Selano County, Cal. Friday, February 21, was the time fixed by Judge Murphy for the execution of Theodore H. Durrant for the murder of Blanche Lamont. "l;he taking of an appeal has stayed the execu- on. RESPONDENTS. Mrik InspEcTOR—F. E. R., City. The Milk Inspector is empowered to seize any milk that is not up to the standard, even if it “has been shipped through the Southern Pecific Railroad Company and is in charge of the colapany at the time of the seizure.” ScHooL TRUsTEE — W. C., Livermore, Cal. There is no 1aw of this State that will prevent a man from holding the office of School Trus- tee because he is not able to read or write his name. There is no eaucational qualification attached to elective offices, BOOK-DEALER — J. D., Lincoln, Placer County, Cal. As this departmont does not stand sponsor for any firm orindividual 1t can- not advertise ‘“the name of some responsible ‘book-dealer in San Francisco.” There are a great many responsible book-dealers in this City. BRANCH POSTOFFICE—S., y. There was a branch Postoffice at the southwest corner of Market and Seventh streets, on the site now oceupied by the Odd Fellows’ building. It was station B, eéstablished in 1877, and continued there until 1882, when it was removed to Mis-. sion and Eighth streets. NEWSPAPER DIRECTORY- M.S., City. There isa paper published in New York City called the “Druggists’ Circular and Chemical Ge- zette.” 'There are a number of newspaper directories. Several are devoted to the publi- cationsof the United States and some to the ublications of the world. These may be seen n the office of newspaper agencies in this City, several of which are in the Merchants’ Ex- change. SmoN Prre—E. E. Livermore, Cal.. “Si- mon Pure,” as meaning genuine or authentic, is colloquial. It is derived from a comedy, “A Bold Stroke for a Wife,” written by Mrs. Susanca Centlivre, an English writer, in 1717. Simon Pure, a young Quaker from Penn: vania, pays & visit to Obadiah Prim, a Bristol Quakér and one of the guardians of Anne Lovely, an heiress. Colonel Feignwell per- sonated Simon Pure and obtained Prim’s consent 0 marry his ward. At this time the veritable Quaker appears and Colonel Feignwe!l denounces him as an imposter, which necessitates the identifica- tion of the real Simon Pure. After the colonel had obtained Prim’s signature he confessed the trick and deciared that the veritable Quaker was Simon Pure, and from that origi- nated the saying that when a person is what he represents himself to be or that article is what it is represented to be it Is simon pure. A MISSES’ COAT BASQUE. The coat basque is much in evidence in the new spring gowns, ana is used for misses as well as ladies. The one shown here isa very stylish model and was seen made of a mixed cheviot in which brown, leaf green and white formed a delightfully pretty combination. Tha cuffs, coliars and revers were of green silk, the blouge of embroidered linen over green silk. A mohair of blue, somewhat lighter than navy, had a blouse of bright plaid silk. This waist makes up chnrmmgly in the heavier cotton goods, such as duck and chey: iots. Onme of blue and white in the latter fab- ric had cuifs, collars and revers in white iquet with blouse of white embroidered atiste. Brown Hollands make a most useful dress, appropriate for traveling, general wear, and with the proper accessories, such as gay rib- bon collar and dainty blouse fronts, it is quite dressy. One seen had white linen cuffs, ete., with a white chiffon blouse, turquoise blue satin ribbon and belt. PARAGRAPHS ABOUT PEOPLE. The famous painter, Franz von Lenbach, says that Bismarck always treats him as one of the family when he is at the chateau painting the ex-Chancellor's portraits. “He always em- braces me when I arrive or depart, and treats me as a Bismarck,” says Von Lenbach. George Meredith, the novelist, affects a somewhat extraordinary costume. Ordinarily he wears a cream-colored flannel shirt with flapping collar, loose scarf of black and white, & loose-fitting corduroy coat of light mole color and of uncertain age, rough knickerbockers, and plain, substantial boots. Mrs. Josephine Shaw Lowell, the philanthro- pist, has been a widow since her husband, Charles Lowell, was killed in battle near the close of the war. She keeps his sword hanging always upon her bedroom wall, and is still par sionately devoted to his memory. He wasa nephew of James Russell Lowell. Greek papers say that the German Emperor will attend the Olympic games this year. His Majesty will go to Athens from the island of Corfu. The news surprises some members of the court circle at Berlin, as it was known that the Emperor for a long time had not mani- fested great favor toward his relatives at the Greek court. Queen. Taitou of Abyssinia is & handsome woman, the expression of whose eyes is benev- olent or fiendish, as the mood moves her. Even King Menelek himself is afraid of her. She knows all the King’s secrets and is inclined to domineer 1n state sffairs. She is fond of Euro- pean liquors, especially of champagne. It is said that the Queen frequently drinks more ‘wine than a good Queen should. OLD-FASHIONED “Boston Mints” at Townsend's.* ———————— EPECIAL information daily to manufacty business houses and public men by the Pr. Clipping Bureau (Allen’s), 510 Monfgomery. ——————— Professor—To what did Xenophon owe his reputation? Student—Principally to the fact that his name commenced with X, and came in so handy for headlines in alphabetical copy- books.—Pebrson’s Weekly. “IHaD several pimples on my face and a large boil on one hand. I began taking Hood's Sarsapa- rilla and after using three bottles I was cured.” I W. Johnson, 3 South Broderick st., San Francisco. —————— “BROWN'S BRONCHIAL TROCHES” are the gim- plest, quickest and most effectual remedy for Bronchitis, Asthma and Throat Diseases. ————— Dr. SIEGERT'S Angostura Bitters, the cel 5 el appetizer and invigorator of the digestive 3?" und- It will be strange if a strong effort be not Lts now used all over the world.