Newspaper Page Text
4 THE flglLY GiOfiE IS PUBLISHED EVERY DAY AT SEWSPAPBR ROW, OOR. FOIRTH AND MINNESOTA STS. OFFICIAL PAPER OF ST. PAIL. Address all letters and telegrams to THE GLOBE. St. Paul, Minn. EASTERN ADVERTISING OFFICE. ROOM 401. TEMPLE COURT BUILDING. NEW YORK. WASHINGTON BUREAU. 140T, F ST. N. W. Complete flies of tlie Globe always kept I on hand for reference. SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Payable In Advance. Daily and Sunday, per Montk .50 Dully and Suiiduy, Six Months - $2.75 Daily and Sunday. One Year - *>0.00 Daily Only, per Monilt -- - - -*0 Daily Only, Six Months _ $2.25 Daily Only, One Year $4.00 j Sunday Only, One Year _ - - - *BI. SO "Weekly, One Year - - - - g-1.00 TODAY'S YVEATHEH. WASHINGTON. Dec. 23.— Forecast for Thursday: Minnesota— Generally fair; warm er in northern portion ; variable winds. Wisconsin— Generally fair, but probably light snows at lake stations; light fresh northerly winds. The Dakotas— Partly cloudy; slowly rising temperature; winds shifting to southerly. Montana — Generally fair and warmer; southerly winds. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. Untied States Department of Agriculture, Weather Bureau. Washington, Dec. 23, 6:48 p. m. Local Time, 8 p. m. 7~>th Meridian Time. — Observations taken at the same mo ment of time at all stations. TEMPERATURES. Place. Tem.|Qu'Appelle 20 St. Paul 22 Place. Tern. Duluth 12 Minnedosa —2 Huron 14 Winnipeg — 2 Bismarck 20, Williston 20 Buffalo 12-14 Havre 28 Boston 20-22 Helena 28 Cheyenne 32-48 Edmonton 28 Chicago 22-30 Battletord 10 Cincinnati 26-32 Prince Albert 18 Montreal 0-04 Calgary 26 New Orleans 66-70 Medicine Hat 24 New York 16-24 Swift Current 22 Pittsburg 20-28 — Below zero. Barometer. 30.57; thermometer, 19; relative humidity, 88; wind, northwest; weather, clear; maximum thermometer, 27; minimum ihermometer, 11; daily range, 6; amount of melted snow in last twenty-four hours, trace. Note— Barometer corrected for temperature and elevation. —P. F. Lyons, Observer. » THE FUTILITY OF TRUSTS. Any cursory review of the rise and fall, in recent years, of these various combinations of men in trade, formed to avoid the competition that forces prices down to their normal level, re veals the inherent' weakness of even the strongest and most advantage ously circumstanced of them, and should have a sobering effect upon those who would, in spite of the lessons taught in the school for fools, rush into ventures where no permanent suc cess has been achieved and where the wrecks vastly outnumber those whose battered hulls and tattered sails be token their hazardous voyages.. Earli est in the field were the railway pools, combinations, "gentlemen's agree ments," and other devices by w r hich the competition that threatened rates and dividends might be paralyzed. No field for such efforts was more promising. The enormous capital required to con struct competitive lines, the practical monopoly each road had within its ter ritory, the facility for arrangements for mutual benefit, seemed to afford an armor that would be competition proof. And yet all such combinations have been as ephermeral as the midges of a summer evening. Where some such natural opportu nity as the fields of anthracite coal or those of petroleum gave, in their lim itations, chance for monopolization that would throttle competition, the possi ble has not been attained or attaina ble. The Standard Oil trust early learned that there were limits that it must respect, and the coal barons of* Pennsylvania are learning this winter, as they have been taught in the past, j that their product is not an indispensa ble necessity like air or water. Substi tutes for either have come forward to relieve oppression and to teach the would-be oppressors that the law of competition is a thing they must have due respect for. Following these, incited by their example and unde- ! terred by their experience," came the j •whole covey of those birds of ill omen j called or miscalled the "Industrials." j One after another, during the past i twenty years of speculative and legis lative business saturnalia we have seen them blown and swell and glitter with their rainbow hues, and collapse, bringing ruin to thousands who, al- ! lured by their gorgeousnes3, sought to grasp them as a short cut to wealth. Steel pools have succeeded each other, ' each successor gathering the fragments j of its predecessors for material for re- j building. Iron masters have blown ; their bubbles. Cordage flourished for ! awhile only to find that its stoutest J rope was made with strands of sand. ! Steel rails and steel billets have not had tensile strength enough to with stand the pull and push of competitive forces, and recent Indications are that glass is quite as brittle, in trade as in use. The nail, trust has not yet found nails sufficiently strong with which to fasten a combination so that compe tition cannot draw them and let the structure fall to pieces. One runs the eye over the diagrams whereon price lines run across the page through the transverse lines indi cating the successive years, and finds there proof how futile are the efforts of all these trusts to attain the sole object of their formation, Increase or steadiness of price. Here and there are sharp rises where a fresh grip has been obtained through, usually, some use of government's taxing power, only to be followed by as sharp a descent to a still lower line, while through no two suc cessive years has a steadiness of price been maintained. As "the stars in their courses fought against Sisera," so the forces of nature, working through tho ordinary and universal motives of men fight for the freeing of competition _ — . , from the thralls men. would impose upon iL _ i UNASSAILABLE. The annual fight that- is made upon reform when the time comes around for making an appropriation to carry out the civil service law serves only to dis close how much more firmly that bene ficent act Is entrenched each year in the public approval. There was a time when the assaults of the spoilsmen, who come from constituencies where the idea that public office is public plunder still prevails, could muster quite a following. There was a time when they got up regularly and made their little speeches about the absurdity of civil service examinations, and got off their old chestnuts about re quiring a clerk in a department to give the location of Timbuctoo. That has all passed. It no longer interests and no longer even amuses the public. The civil service system finds plenty of ready and earnest defenders whenever an attack upon it is made. These are not confined now to the "theoretical" reformers, but include shrewd and practical working politicians. Those gentlemen have discovered by experience what it is most singular that they could not perceive^ years ago, that to be relieved of the business of par celing out the offices is the greatest i political good fortune that could hap pen to them. They* thus escape the heartburning and enmity which, sooner or later, pull down every politician who uses the spoils of office to promote his private interests, and who learns, to his sorrow, that there are so many more office-seekers than offices that the disappointed are able to vote him out of power. The friend of good govern ment does not view with more terror the prospect of a return of incompetent political hacks to the public service than the competent congressman does the possibility of having once more saddled upon him the impossible task of pleas ing everybody by giving all applicants from his constituency a seat at the public table. It Is the practical aspect of civil ser vice reform that makes it unassaila ble. Great as its benefits are to the public service, they might not be able to protect it against a combined attack in congress if the spoils system were really, as it was once thought to be, a strong tower of defense for the poli tician. He has learned that it, is the weakest point in his armor. He, in self-defense, is now ranged with the friends of good government on the side of civil service reform. » THE REAL MOTIVE. It begins to appear, from the debates in the senate and the dispatches from Washington, that the real motive of the senate In making such a bluster over the foolish Cuban resolution of Senator Cameron is less, perhaps, to exploit its own jingo tendencies than to raise the old question of supremacy between the senate and the president. That question is always reappearing in one form or another. The power of the executive is great. It has been exer cised in many cases unsparingly. The ambition of the senate is boundless. Again and again It has attempted to use the power of confirming public appointments by coercing the execu tive. It has always met with failure. The president, who has secured his seat for four years to come, and is not par ticularly anxious about a re-election, can worry the life out of a senator by making appointments in his state with out consulting him, or even against his interests. It is this which has made Mr. Cleveland so many bitter enemies among his own party. The vindictive ness of Morgan and Vest and Till man Is not primarily the expression of their disagreement with Mr. Cleveland on the financial question, it is an out burst of their wrath because they have not been permitted to dictate federal appointments at home. The senate is therefore in fitting disposition to wreak its vengeance upon President Cleveland in particular, and at the same time to j attempt in general the subjugation of the executive to the upper house of congress. So we begin to see that the senate committee was less concerned by the situation in Cuba or the part that this government should play than it was about putting forward the claim j that congress is superior to the presi | dent in the matter of acknowledging j independence or belligerency. Of course, this debate must prove en i tirely fruitless. The control of diplo i matic relations has always rested with the executive up to the point where a treaty must be approved by the senate, or a declaration of war issued by the two houses of congress. It always will ; remain there. No joint resolution can be carried into effect unless the presi ! dent chooses to-»d*>so. The sole remedy, I which is impe33BjJ»!eiit ) would never be j spplreG ; on such^g-rounds. The senate ' rages in vain against the limitations i which the constitution imposes upon j a body whose long tenure of of j fiee and whose manner of selection pre | disposes its members to extend their power and prerogative and to usurp, if possible, that which belongs to other branches of the government, as well as that which lies in the debatable ground between them. With this explanation of the inspiration behind It, we may ex pect Cuban debate to be long and ar dent, and to afford a pretext for not at tending to the real business of the country. We can also see that it must be as ineffective in results as the reso lution from which it arises Is futile on Its face. OUR FOREIGN TRADE. Mr. Ford accompanies his monthly summary of trade and finance for No vember with one of hia valuable dia grams showing the extent of our for eign exchanges in each year from 1821 to 1896. One gets a grasp of the growth of our trade when thus displayed that figures utterly fail to give. The col umn in green, representing our ex ports, and the one in red and black, representing our imports — the dutiable in red,^and the free in black— fill the -pace allotted each year. The eye follow? Ure varying but steadily in- THK SAINT PAUI, GLOBE: THURSDAY, DECEMBER Jf, lß^t creasing height of these columns from their beginning In 1821, when they rep resent but $26,0*0,000 of imports and $18,000,000 of exports, until their tower ing forms climb to the hundreds of millions in the decades since the war, and gets a sense of the marvelous de velopment. Up to 1860 It Is quite apparent that the people of this country were mainly occupied in providing themselves with what they needed, their exports and imports rarely passing the fifty million mark. This was the era of protective policies and the conditions of trade should have cheered the hearts of the advocates of that policy. The upward reach of the columns began with the era inaugurated in 1846, retreating dur ing the years occupied with the civil war, but springing forward again as soon as the energies of the people were turned again into industrial and pro ductive pursuits. The marked differ ence that strikes the eye between these two periods is the discrepancy between the columns showing our exports and imports. From 1847 to 1860 the one rarely overtops the other, showing that trade is exchanging, and, when freest, sales equal buying. Another feature that distinguishes the eras when tariffs were laid for revenue simply or for fostering infants Is the length of the black portion of the Import column indicating the proportion of imports free of duty. This lengthens as the protective policy expands, and shrinks until almost imperceptible when tar iffs are laid for revenue only. It indi cates the transfer to the free list of non-competitive products in order that rates may be made higher on those that would compete with the domestic. From showing the amount of our for eign buying and selling Mr. Ford gives , us another diagram, illustrating with what nations we trade and what per centage of the whole the trade with each is. For comparison, two discs give our im ports and exports to the United King dom in 1850 and 1895. In the former year we sent there products valued at $65,733,730, against imports valued at $75,159,424, while in the latter year we exported products to the value of $381, --132,^70, and imported $159,083,243 worth. We increased our exports 500 per cent and our Imports barely 100. The Unit ed Kingdom is our best customer, tak ing, in 1895. 61.87 per cent of all our exports, while we reciprocated by tak ing from her 41.47 per cent of all our imports. Germany came next as a buyer of our products, taking 14.59 per cent, with France following with 7.09 per cent. The Netherlands absorbed 4.87 per cent; Belgium, 4 percent; Italy, 2.64 per cent; and Austra-Hungary, 1.7 per cent. An inspection of this dia gram is commended to all those who agiee with that congressman who wanted to know* "what do we care for abroad?" FREE WOOITnDORSED. The editorial in the Chicago Tribune, on which we made recent comment, has the significance that it'eontains al most every argument for'. free wool ever made by free tradaW Coming from that source on the flgeis of cam paigns in which the Tribune has bel lowed as loudly for protection as the most frantic of its kind, its statements should have some weight w*ith those Republicans over whose eyes the wool has not been pulled and copper-fasten ed. Let us make a few excerpts. "Whatever is done (with the wool schedule) must be with due regard to the interests of the consumers and to 'the greatest good for the greatest num ber.* " "There are 70,000,000 consumers of woolen goods in the form of cloth ing, carpets, blankets, hats, etc. A duty on wool of a prohibitory nature * * * would be an unbearable tax on the wearers of woolens. * * * The wool and woolens schedule of the act of 1890 increased the percentage of shoddy used in this country and decreased that of wool. A heavy duty on the latter now would increase the consumption of refuse material— of the old clothes and rags of Europe and America— and woolen goods would be of inferior qual ity, but would cost more, if anything. * * * The flock owners in the semi arid regions would be benefited; those of other states would not get enough extra to pay the extra clothing bills of their families. The millions who own no sheep would have nothing to offset their losses." That all has a familiar sound to free traders. But there is more. West of the Missouri, it says, are more than a quarter „of all the sheep, and wool is the sole object. East the production is as much for mutton as wool. A high duty will increase the number of West ern sheep, more mutton will be forced on the market and the prices will be depressed. "The mutton raisers east of the Missouri would not get enough more for their pelts to make good their losses on the meat." The Tribune does not go to the length of its logic and urge retention of wool on the free list, but halts at a mod erate and reasonable protection. Very shame obliges it to do this, though it makes it throw its logic to the dogs. It might have supplemented its facts, had it followed its nose to the end, by demonstrating the futility of protec tion to raise the price of wool. It might have shown that the protectionist theo ry was falsified by the failure of wool prices to fall proportionately when the tariff on imports was removed, the later decrease being merely sympa thetic with the decrease that took place all over the world. Wool should have dropped 10 cents a pound after January, 1895, when the woolen goods schedule became operative. Ohio me dium.that was 24 cents in January, 1894, was 20 cents a year later, and 21 cents in September, this year. Medium wool, that was worth 37 cents In 1889, before McKinley undertook raising its price, was 35 in 1891, 33 in 1892, and 24 in 1893. The decrease in the two years of free wool is less than one-fourth what the decrease was during the McKinleyism of wool. The argument of facts is in favor of free wool even when confined to the selfish consideration of prices. AT THE THEATERS. ' The Christmas attraction at the Metropol itan opera house will be the successful com edy, "Dr. Bill," which begins an engage ment of four nights and Christmas matinee tonight. "Dr. Blft; in ono of the best com edies on the ro**, and has achieved re markable success during the present sea son. Tho company presenting the play Is composed of artlstji. The play Itself is full of interest, and a more pleasing performance than that given by this company, it is said, has not been seen-here in many days. While fun is the object c Alm)6d at, there 1b a well defined plot to the comedy, which is a de cided novelty in this class of amasement. The company numbers amongst the artists who compose the cast Miss Celie Ellis, a very popular actress, whose magnificent voice is heard to advantage in this comedy. Prince Lloyd appears In the title role, and the remainder of the cast is composed of such artists as Robert Fisk. Franklyn Hurleigh, Miss Louise Blanchett. Miss Amy Stone, Miss Gertrude Stanwood and Miss Georgia Baker. . «. * * No drama treating of Russian life presents the facts so thoroughly and illustrates the conditions so forcibly as "Siberia," the Grand's attraction for the present week. Tomorrow at 2:30 will occur the special Christmas matinee for which a large advance sale is reported. • • • "The Prisoner of Zenda," a dramatization of Anthony Hope's book, will be presented at the Metropolitan opera house New Year's week by Daniel Frohman's talented Lyceum company. The book has had a large sale both in this country and Europe. It was the forerunner of the return to romance, and was probably the most successful of subse quent efforts. The company that appears here has been through the country for sev eral months, and is highly spoken of. Daniel Frohman is responsible for the organization, and claims it to be the best attraction ho has sent out in years. M-KIXLEY AT HOME. The Prexldent-Elect In Once More at Canton. CANTON, 0., Dec. 23.—President elect and Mrs. McKinley, accompanied by Miss Duncan, of Cleveland, Maj. McKinley's niece, and others composing the Chicago party, reached Canton this afternoon. They left Chicago at 11:30 Tuesday night, taking the slow train in order that Mrs. McKinley might b disturbed as Httle as possible. The president-elect and Mrs. McKinley oc cupied the private ear of Vice Presi dent J. Twing ►Brooke, in which the major left Canton a week ago. The trip seems to have benefited both greatly, ami they are enjoying better health. The president-elect, Mrs. Mc- Kinley and her maid were driven di rectly to the McKinley residence. Miss Duncan went to the home of Mother McKinley. where she will be guest over Christmas. A number of people wer<-> at the depot to meet the president elect and his wife as they alighted. At the McKinley home the major and his wife were heartily greeted by th^ household. In the absence of the master and mistress the home had been thoroughly, renovated and bright ened in readiness for the home-coming Lunch was had shortly after the ar rival. Awaiting the arrival of Maj. McKinley were several distinguished men from the JjV'e^t, including Secre tary of State MoFarland, of lowa, and C. A. Atkinson, of Lincoln. The for mer said that he was here in no sense in a personal Interest. Speaking of the sentiment in his state in reference to having Senator Allison a member of the McKinley cabinet, Mr. McFarland 'said that the people are of one mind in that respect, but he personally does not believe Senator Allison would ac cept any portfolio but secretary of state, If indeed he would take that. Mr. Atkinson had been on a visit to relatives in Jackson county, Ohio, he said, and had come here to see Maj. McKinley on no professional matters^ but because he had the opportunity. Another mam who Was in the city awaiting an opportunity to call on Maj. McKin-ley was Bradford Prince a prominent Republican of New Mex ico. John A. Logan, of Youngstown, called soon after the McKinleys reached their home. IMMIGRANTS DETAILED. Two Hundred Italians Held Vp at Ellis Island. NEW YORK, Dec. 23.— 0f the 511 passengers that the French steamship Patria brought to this port today from Marseilles and Naples 200 are detained on Ellis island by order of the immi gration authorities. When the pas sengers of the Patria were landed on the island, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Wike and Supt Stumpf were present. Neither seemed to be pre possessed in favor of the new arrivals. Dr. Senner and others s-aid they were the worst lot of immigrants th-ait have reached these shores in a long time. Most of the detained immigrants are Italians who boarded the ship at Na ples Dec. 5. t-^ii AVITH INTENT TO AMI SE. "What do you intend to get your husband for a Christmas gift?" "I can't make up my mind whether to give him lace curtains, a dinner Pet, new portieres or a drawing-room clock."— Chicago Inter Ocean. "Uncle George, what is a dyspeptic?" "A dyspeptic Is a delicate person who has to have special dishes prepared for him, and then whirls in and eats some of everything else on the table."— Exchange. Evidence of Prosperity: Jaspar— Jones must be getting along better and making money now. Jumpuppe — Why? Jaspar— He owes me money, and he dodges out of ray way now, instead of meeting me brazenly as he used to.— Truth. New Roomer— ls this all the soap there is in the room? Landlady (decidedly)— Yes, sir; all I will allow you. New Roomer— Well. I'll take two more rooms. I've got to wash my face in the morn ing.—Baltimore Sun. She — What fine broad shoulders you have. He— They're necessary for a halfback. She— My! How broad fullbacks must be.— Judge. "A woman has no happiness In life after she Is forty-five," said the sour cynic. "Then all women are happy," said the hor rid old bachelor. "How so?" asked the cynic with a rising inflection. "Because," said the old bachelor, with a wicked smile, "no woman ever gets to be over forty-five."— Twinkles. Her Father— Did I understand you to say >you were a sculptor? I don't recall any of your work— what have you done? Her Lover — I've cut out seventeen fellows to get her, my dear sir.— Exchange. "I am really delighted At the Interest my boy. Tommy, is taking iin his writing," said Mrs. Hickleby. "He spends two hours a day at It." "Really? How strange! How did you get him to do It?" "Oh, as for that. i l t&ld him to write me out a list of everythtng tie wanted for Christ mas, and he's still at it."— Harper's Bazar. A short time ago an olfl lady went on board Nelson's flagship, thte victory. The different objects of interests ?wers» duly shown to her and, on reaching the spot where the great naval hero was woupxied (which is marked by a raised brass plate), the officer remarked to her: \- ■ }<• "Here Nelson felii" a "And no wonder!B exclaimed the old lady. "I nearly fell there myself."— London An swers. By the Acre: AjUst— I expect to get $500 for my landscape. - Customer— Nonsense, man! You haven't a thing but marsh in there, and marsh is worth next to nothing.— Detroit Tribune. "Why do you worry so about calamities that after all may never happen?" "That's the trick; if T. worry about them they are sure never to happen."— Exchange. "I asked him for a new cloak today," said the young wife, "but he tried to get out of it by paying me a compliment on my com plexion." "What did he say?" asked her mother. "He said: 'Well! you've got a cheek that Is a peach?' "— Cincinnati Enquirer. CITY PICKS UP $2,000 BY RKADVEtRTISENG FOR, SEW BIDS FOR ITS GABOXJNE LIGHTING. FOUR FIRMS SUBMIT FIGURES. AMERICAN D-BVEiLOFMEXT COM PANY FINALLY GETS THE CON TRACT. ITS FIRST BID WAS REJECTED. Council Agrees to Advertise for Bids for a Garbage Con tract. As a result of rejecting the single bid for gasoline lighting submitted to the common council over three weeks ago, and readvertising for bids, the city has saved about $2,000 on the gasoline light ing contract for the year 1897. The same concern— the American Develop ment company— which put in the soli tary bid on the former occasion, secur ed the contract last night, but its bid was 98*4 cents per lamp per month, instead of $1.0434, which means a reduc tion of $2,400 in the contract for light ing. The bid is higher in respect to certain other items, such as painting and replacing posts and lamps, so that the total saving will amount to about $2,000. The assembly and the board of al dermen met in turn last night to con sider the bids, for there was more than one bid this time. In accordance with the advertisement, no bids could -be re ceived at the city clerk's office after 5 p. m. yesterday. They all came in dur ing the last ten minutes preceding the hour. There appeared to be six In all, but appearances are sometimes decep tive, as was demonstrated when the bids were opened in the evening. The assembly convened first. After the roll call the clerk proceeded to open the bids. Tearing open the first envelope in the bundle, the clerk drew forth a piece of paper which proved to be a blank bid, containing no name, no figures and no certified check. This fact was announced, whereupon the next envelope was opened. Like its predecessor it, too, contained nothing but a blank bid. Everybody smiled and a good many began to think that all the bids save one would prove blank. But the next four envelopes yielded results in the shape of the fol lowing bids, the figures constituting the two top rows indicating the prices per lamp per monthbld by each: h I Si : 6 Q» „ BE 5i ? : I Contractor to fur-l nish light and burners | $1 35|$1 01%|$0 98"4 $1 02% City to furnish! | burners | 1 50| 101 j1 25 100 Contractor to selli burners, each...| 10 00| 150 i 150 80 Contractor to rent| burners to city, | lamp, per month. | 1 OOi 08 | 10 02% Contractor to sell' lamps, per lamp.! 325 275 250 310 Contractor to sell! posts, per post. . . I 100 70 65 65 Contractor to paint| posts, each j 40 22 26 ». ! Contractor to re- no \ move posts, each. 125 ch'ge| 25 » Contractor to fur nish street SigAs, each 35 15 15 13 Tanks, each 35 15 25 15 Lamp sockets, each 35 17 25 20 The Sun Vapor Street Light com pany bid through its manager, J. A. Warm; the American Development company through C. A. Pettingill, though Robert A. Seeger is the general manager, while the bid of the North Star Lighting company was signed by Jacob Helbron as manager of the com pany. George N. "Warren was also In terested In this bid. As soon as the clerk finished reading the bids, on motion of Mr. Kirke, the assembly resolved itself into a com mitte of the whole, electing Mr. Daly chairman. The committee of the whole referred the bids to the committee on, gas to tabulate, and a recess was taken while the latter committee retired to consider the bids. The first thing the comittee on gas did was to throw out the bid of th<-» Sun Vapor Street Light company as being too high. After some further discussion the committee decided that the city did not wish to either furnish, rent or buy any burners, and accord ingly the bids on these three proposi tions, as shown in the foregoing table, were stricken out and not considered. Then the committee proceeded to com pare the bids or such items in them as remained. It was at once evident that the bid of the American Development company was the lowest, and that of Nicholas Feyen was next on the first proposi tion, namely, to furnish the gasoline, the light and the burners. Estimating the number of gasoline lamps to be lighted at 3,200, the lowest bid— 9B^ cents per lamp per month — would amount to $37,824 for the entire year, while that of Nicholas Feyen — $I.IQy 2 per lamp per month — footed up to a sum $1,152 in excess of the American Development company's bid. Feyen's bid was lower for the painting and the removal of the posts and lamps and likewise for furnishing tanks and lamp sockets, but after estimating the amount of work to be done under these items the bid of the American Develop ment company was found to be at least a thousand dollars less than Mr. Feyen's. Comparing the bid of the American Development company with that of $1.04% per lamp per month as submit ted by the same company and rejected two weeks ago, it was found to be $2,400 lower on the first item— that is for furnishing the gasoline light and the burners. It was noticed, however, that the second bid exceeded the first in the Item covering the painting of the posts and lamps to the extent of 10 cents per post. As all of the 3,200 or more posts are to be painted the differ ence between the two bids is thereby reduced over $300. The bid for selling posts Is also raised, and there are such other Increases as render the actu*il difference between the rejected bid and the second one about $1,900, or perhaps $2,000. It was also noted that the new bid of 98 % cents per lamp per month is only half a cent per month, or 6 cents per lamp per year higher than the ex isting contract price of $37,632. On motion of Mr. Craig the commit tee on gas decided to recommend to the committee of the whole that the con tract for gasoline lighting for the year 1897 be awarded to the American De velopment company. The committee of the whole at once reassembled and in dorsed the recommendation of the committee on gas. The assembly thereupon reconvened, and, acting on the report of the committee of the whole, adopted a resolution awarding the contract to the American Develop ment company, and instructing the clerk to return to the unsuccessful bid ders the certified checks of $2,500 de posited by each. The assembly then adjourned. The board of aldermen met without delay and concurred In the action of the assembly without discussion. The board also concurred with the assembly in approving the soeoiflca- tions for the collection of garbage during the year 1897, and adopted the •resolution Instructing the clerk to ad vertise for bids. The board adjourned to meet next Tuesday night, when the assembly will also hold a special meeting, and tht two bodies will then approve the con tract between the city and the Amer ican Development company, which the corporation attorney Is to prepare m the meantime, CLOSED WITH EXERCISES. Various Schools Have Began tbe Christmas Holidays. Nearly all of the public schools had some exercises yesterday, suggestive of the holiday season Which the pupils begin to enjoy today, the first of the vacation. One of the most unique celebrations was held at the Hendricks, When the pupils of the fourth grade banqueted their little neighbors in the second. The children took cakes and other delicacies from home, and these were spread on the desks of the second grade youngsters under the supervis ion of the teachers, Misses Kauffmann and O'Neill. The fourth and fifth grades had "Motfher Goose and Father Christmas," and the high grades en joyed a play, an original composition of the boys in the school, based on the Cuban war. The students of the Cleveland high school enjoyed their Christmas exer cises in the assembly hall of the school where a suitable programme of music and recitations was given by the young people, those taking part being Amy Lyons, Signla Olson. Albert Hos mer, Ollie Palmqulst, Ada Lewis and Esther Peterson. The pupils of the John Ericsson school also gave a Christmas pro gramme yesterday afternoon in the school. HELD TO THE GRAXD JURY. Joseph Kelly and John Galvln Ac cused of Burglary. Joseph Kelly and John Galvln were arraigned In the police court yesterday on the charge of having burglarized the residence of P. E. Murphy on the night of Dec. 13. On the night in ques tion Mr. Murphy was awakened by a noise In his bedroom and discovered two burglars Inspecting his posses sions. The men escaped with a quan tity of clothing, which was subse quently found where the thieves had dropped it in their flight. Mr. Murphy obtained a good description of the men, and upon his report to the police Gal vln and Kelly were arrested. Only a preliminary examination was accorded the men yesterday, and both were held to the grand jury In the sum of ?I,GOO each. MRS. GILBERT G. THORAE DEAD. Wan the Daughter of Hon. John P. Xorrlsh. Mrs. Alice B. Thome, wife of Gilbert G. Thorne, of St. Paul, formerly United States bank examiner, occurred in Minneapolis yes terday. Mrs. Thorne was a daughter of Hon. John F. Norrish, of Hastings, and the re mains will be taken there for interment this afternoon. Didn't Desire to Prosecute. Several weeks ago August Ott became en gaged in a fight in a University avenue bar ber shop, during the course of which he lost an eye by a blow from a billiard cue. Archie Peters, Anthony Young, Thomas Hef ferman, Robert Trotter, Harry Thompson, Jack McArthur, Henry Ott «nd John Nice were arrested at the time, on the charge of disorderly conduct, as having in some man ner each being concerned in the row. Their oases were continued until yesterday, when Ott informed the court that he did not de sire to prosecute the men, and they were discharged. STILLWATER NEWS. Gov. Clough a Visitor At the State' Penitentiary. Andrew Swanson, who was acquitted on a charge of assault in the first degree, was committed to the insane asylum at Roches ter yesterday by order of Judge Wllliston, who objected to turning the man loose upon this community. The jury found he was insane when tho crime was committed and .there is reason to believe his mental condition is no better at present. The board of education met Tuesday evening and decided to open a free night school in the Lincoln building after January 4. This is done in order to accommodate a large num ber of young men In this city, who have no opportunities for securing needed education. The board fixed a tuition of |1 per month for all over 21 years of age. Gov. ("lough visited the prison yesterday. He was accompanied by Mrs. Hartley and son and Mrs. Rogers. A part of the day was spent by the governor in seeing prisoners and in the afternoon the party made a thorough tour of the institution. The governor ex» pressed himself well pleased with the man ner in which the Institution is conducted and complimented Warden Wolfer and other "officials. They returned to Minneapolis on the evening train. James Fay has been received at the prison from Sibley county to serve ten years for manslaughter. The accounts of the Stillwater street rail way, bills against the concern and other mat ters connected with the receivership, were gone over by Judge "Williston yesterday pre paratory to discharging Receiver Hewitt, who recently tendered his resignation. Allen Law and Hannah R. "Wagner were married Monday evening at the residence of Rev. A. D. Stowe, rector of Ascension Church. The King's Daughters will distribute pro visions to the poor of this city today. A large number of families will be helped with a Christmas basket. The funeral of Jacob A. Deragisch occurred yesterday from St. Michael's Church. The services were conducted by Rev. Charles Corcoran. CORN* FOR IXDIA. Methodist Board "Will Send Out a Shipload. NEW YORK, Dec. 23.— At a meeting of the board of managers of the mis sionary society of the Methodist church a proposition was presented from Rev. R. C. Hobbs, of Jacksonville, 111., sug gesting that a shipload of corn could be readily raised in that state for the relief of starving people in India, and desired! the board of managers to tako measures for carrying out the plan. The board of managers approved thu project and authorized the secretaries to take measures tc secure the corn and the means by special contributions from the general public for its trans portation to India. Insurance Men Want Clark. The local insurance men Joined in a re quest for the return of Clark, the former compact manager here, and Commission No. 3 will, it is expected, comply with the request if Mr. Clark can be persuaded to accept the position. CONSULATE ATTACKED. Outraa-e on an American Committed in Slam. NEW YORK, Dec. 23.— A special to the Herald from Bangkok says: A number of Siamese soldiers attacked and wounded Mr. Kellett, United States consul general here. They de manded the release of a consular clerk, who, they allege, had been unjustly arl rested. Mr. Barrett, the United States minister, protested. The Siamese gov ernment, pursuing dilatory tactics, promises to make an inquiry into the incident. POWER OF COERCION To Be Tried if the Sultan Proves Obdurate. CONSTNTTNOPLE, Dec. 23.— A1l the ambassadors have now reoelved in structions to concert proposals with the view of improving the situation in the Ottoman empire. The proposals before being submitted to the. sultan would be referred to their respective govern ments. All the powers, including Rus sia, as repatedly announced during the past few months, have agreed In principle to the expediency of employ ing coercion should the sultan be recal citrant. But the form of coercion to be employed will not be determined upon until an emergency arises. ASK TWO JMiMOfIS COST OF MAINTAINING THE STATE! INSTITDTBONS FOR THE BI ENNIAL TERM. STATE BOARD'S ESTIMATE SHOWS A HEAVY LN CREASE IX TllfcJ AMOUNTS NEEDED FOR CI R RENT EXPENSES. ANOKA HOSPITAL ONE II K>l « hi.- 1. Will Make Quite a Dlffereno in the Maintenance of the State's Wards. It will take $1,000,000 per year for the state to take care of its insane, infirm and criminal population hereafter ac cording to the estimates for the 'next two years completed yesterday after- I \°°* n t!. the executl ve session of tha state board of corrections and chart- ' ties. The appropriations are shown in the following table, the first column showing the amount appropriated for the current year: Por current expenses: - -. ! -' - Asked Asked Appropriated. 1896-97 '97-98 "98-99 St. Peter hospital ... .$176,000 $176,000 |176,tW0 Rochester hospital 186,400 186,400 186,000 Fergus Falls hospital. .176,000 179,000 179 000 Anoka hospital 45,000 Sn',6oo a ,T ota . 1 ( ,nsan e> • .-.5538,400 $386,400 ?630,C00 Soldiers' home 20.000 32.500 32.500 1 School for Deaf 52,500 47,700 49 400 School for Blind 21,300 20,000 21 300 hchool for Feeble Mind •■ ••••••■• •• 105,000 105,000 105,000 School for Dependent Children 34.000 36,000 36,000 Reform School 55,000 57,000 38,tX* Reformatory 46,900 45,000 50,0t» State Prison 68,000 40,000 40,009 Tot al $941,100 $969,60051,022,20» ' SPECIAL APPROPRIATIONS. The trustees of the state institutions ask for special appropriations for buildings etc. as follows: * St. Peter state hospital $103 000 Rochester state hospital 58 000 Fergus Falls state hospital '...'.'.'. 151009 Anoka stato hospital !'. 313,000! Total for insane $$28 000 Soldiers home, nothing asked School for the deaf 125 100 School for the Blind >'mi School for Feeble Minded ....'.'. 88000 School for Dependent Children ! 37' 300 State Training School 69000 "State Reformatory ' ngooo State Prison, nothing asked. Total $963 *'00 The state board adds the" foiiowlng esti mate for extraordinary repairs and improve i 1?^ 18 fOT the f<>r esolng institutions: I?SS ' »30.400 181 - a 32,400 Grand t0ta1.... $1,026,000 — — s> — SOME SHORT STORIES. St. Paul, St. Petersburg and Montreal have no monopoly on Ice carnivals al though these three cities rank in ' the order named In the enthusiasm of their winter sports— when the first named has any winter in which to sport in It is a matter of history, however, that In 1648, the inhabitants of London were astounded one morning to wake up and find the Thames frozen over, and it kept getting thicker until it reached the almost unprecedented depth of a foot, whereupon the citizens determined to celebrate the unusual occurrence. Booths were built on the ice, and a fair was had. Tally-hos ran where lighters usually puffed up and down stream, and for weeks the people of the me tropolis held high carnival. The selection of the Parthenon has gotten one young St. Paul newspaper man into trouble. Young is not strict ly true here, although the incident re veals signs of sufficient callowness to warrant the expletive. The writer In Question rather prides himself on be ing a compendium of useful informa tion, and when, a few days ago a young woman of his acquaintance gazed earnestly at him and asked who this Parthenla was for whom the Parthenon was to be built, with the accent purposely put on the second syllable, the glance he returned could be dissected Into the component ex pressions of superior wisdom, pity, and, perhaps, a trace of scorn. Con descension, however, Is his best fall ing, probably, so he regaled her forth with with a dissertation on Grecian af fairs that was astonishing. "Parthenia," he said, "was the god dess of manly sports in Greece, and the Parthenon was erected on the Acro polis right next to the amphitheater where the gladiators fought. If I had a map of Athens, I could show you just where the two buildings stood. You know some times the gladiators used to kill each other, so before they went into the arena to battle, they would go up into the temple to get Parthenia's blessing." The maiden gave him a furtive glance of gratitude from her fawn eyes, and with the blandest humility, inquir ed: "Why, Mr. — , how do you know all these things?" "Oh, I worked nine years translating those Grecian myths into German, and I never got my money. The firm fail ed." Then the young woman, fearing that fickle memory might have been playing pranks, looked in the dictionary and found that that book still insisted that the Parthenon was built in honor of Minerva whose hobby was wisdom, rather than manly sports. It requires a great deal of self con trol to sit down real hard and undlgnl fiedly on a slippery sidewalk and get up without embellishing the atmos phere with exclamation points of more or less staccato rendition and slack morality. A young man, who is one of the most promising candidates for reading clerk of the house of repre sentatives, however, takes the palm in this respect. He was electioneering a few days ago when he slipped on an icy step and dropped on the flag like a load of — well, brick. Convulsed with laughter, two or three by-standers picked him up. There was reproach in his look, but none in his manner, as with the courtliness of a dancing mas ter, he rejoined: "Gentlemen, the pleasure is all mine." The treating habit has unique limita tions, as has been remarked many times, in and out of print. No one ex pects you to join him when he buys his wife a yard of ribbon, or the baby a box of blocks, or himself a pair of sus- Eenders. Neither does one expect when c goes into a hardware store and buys a stove, the salesman will invite him to have a pipe or two "on the house." But here is a new one. Breakfasting in a Minneapolis restaurant a few days ago, a Globe man was surprised toward the close of his repast to have the wait er come up and say: "I want you to have a piece of minoe pie, 'on the house.* We've got a new pastry cook, and she's a peach, see? Men can't or won't bake pies." And not only that, but he set up the pie, "on the house." Kyle Expects Re-election. SIOUX FALLS, S. D., Dec. 23.-Seuator Kyle has returned for his Christmas holi days, and to look after Ida fences. "I want to be at Pierre when the legislature meets." said he. "It will be my first week off in six years, and I think I am entitled to the vacation, especially as my re-election is at stake. Since the legislature was elected I have at no time had reason to be discouraged. It is the general policy in all parties to reward' a public servant by re-election If he has been faithful, and, as my record Is acceptable gen erally to the Populists and Democrats. I think they will accord me the second term."