Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume], December 06, 1906, Image 11

About Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916

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jiad been killed at.sea and over 300,000
loung seals had died of starvation as
ie result. The revoltihg barbarity of
ich a practice, as well as the waste
ul destruction which it involves,
aeeds no demonstration and is its own
ondemnation. The Bering sea tribu
nal, which sat in Ea^s in 1893 and
ivhich decided against the claims of
jha United States tQ exclusive juris
diction in the waters of Bering sea
:ind to a property right in the fur seals
when outside of the three mile limit,
letermined also upon certain regula
tions which the tribunal considered
lufficlent for the proper protection and
preservation of the fur seal in or
abitually resorting to the Bering sea.
-he tribunal by its regulations estab
lished a close season, from the 1st of
May to the 31st of July, and excluded
all killing in the waters within sixty
'miles around the Pribilof islands.
They also provided that the regula
iions wlpch they had determined upon,
tvith a view to the protection and pres
srvatlon of the seals, should be sub
mitted every five years to new exami
nation, so as to enable both interested
governments to- consider whether in
he light of past experience there was
occasion for any modification thereof.
The regulations have proved plainly
Inadequate to accomplish the object of
protection and preservation of the fur
seals, and for a long time this govern
ment has been trying in vain to secure
from Great Britain such revision and
modification of the regulations as were
mtemplated and provided for by the
"•ard of the tribunal of Paris.
The process of destruction has been
accelerated during recent years by the
appearance of a number of Japanese
vessels engaged in pelagic sealing. As
these vessels have not been bound
Bven by the inadequate limitations pre
scribed by the tribunal of Paris, they
have paid no attention either to the
close season or to the sixty mile limit
fnppsed upon Canadians and have
prosecuted their work, up to the very
islands themselves. On July 16 and 17
the crews from several Japanese ves
sels made raids upon the island of St.
Paul, and before they were beaten off
by the very meager and insufficiently
armed guard they succeeded in killing
Beveral hundred seals and carrying off
the skins of most of them. Nearly all
the seals killed were^emales, and the
work was done witir fFightful barbar
ity. Many of the'seals" appear to have
been skinned alive, and' many* w4ie
found half skinned and still alive. The
raids were repelled only by the use of
firearms, and five of the raiders were
killed, two were wounded and twelve
captured, including the two wounded.
Those captured have since been tried
and sentenced to imprisonment. An
ttack of this kind had been wholly
nnlooked for, but suchprovision of
*is, arms and ammunition will
ow be made that its repetition will'
not be found profitable
Promise by Japan. -t
Suitable representations regarding
the incident have been made to the
overnment of Japan, and we are as
sured that all practicable measures
will be taken by that country to pre
vent any recurrence of the outrage.
On our part, the guard on the island
will be increased and better equipped
and organized, and a better revenue
cutter p&trol service about the islands
will be established. Next season a
CJnited States war vessel will also be
gent there.
We have not relaxed our efforts to
3ecure an agreement with Great Brit
ain for adequate protection of the seal
herd, and negotiations with Japan for
the same purpose are in progress.
The laws for the protection of the
seals within the jurisdiction of the
United States need revision and amend
ment. Only the islands of St. Paul
and St. George are now in terms in
cluded in the government reservation,
nd the other islands ate also, to be
included. The landing of aliens as well
as citizens upon the islands, without a
permit from the department of com
merce and labor for any purpose exr
cept in case of stress of weather or for
Svater should be prohibited under ade
ate penalties. The approach of ves
sels for the excepted purposes should
be regulated. The authority of the gov
ernment agents on the islands should
be enlarged, and the chief agent should
ave powers of a committing magis
trate. The entrance of a vessel into
territorial waters surrounding the
Islands with intent to take seals should
be made a criminal-offense and cause
of forfeiture. Authority for seizures in
such cases should be given, and the
resence on any such vessel of seals or
sealskins or the paraphernalia for talc
ing them should be made prima facie
evidence-of such intent. I recommend
what legislation' is needed to accom
plish these ends, and I commend to
your attention the report of Mr. Sims
of the department of commerce and
labor on this subject.
An case we are compelled to aban
don the hope of making arrangements
with other governments to put an end
to the hideous cruelty now incident to
pelagic sealing it will be a question for
pour serious consideration how far we
'lould continue to protect and main
tilin the seal herd on land with the
rbsult' of continuing such a practice
and whether it is not better to end
the practice by exterminating the herd
mirselves in the most humane way pos
sible.
Second Hague Conference, A
In my last message I advised* ybu
that the emperor of Russia had taken
the initiative in bringing about a sec
ond peace conference at The Hague.
Under the guidance of Russia the ar
rangement of the preliminaries for
such a conference has been progress
in^during the past year. Progress
liif^iecessarily been slow owing to the
great number of countries to be con
WiHo/l iirton nnooflAn fhof ho*
arisen. It is a matter, of satisfaction
that all of the American republics have
now, for the first time, been invited to
join in the proposed conference.
The close connection between the
subjects to be taken up by the Red
Cross conference held at Geneva last
summer and the subjects which natu
rally would come "before The Hague
conference made it apparent that it
was deisirable to have the work of the
Red Cross conference completed and
considered by the different powers be
fore the meeting at The Hague. The
Red Cross conference ended its labors
on the Gth of July, and the revised
and amended convention, which was
signed by the American delegates, will
be promptly laid before the senate.
By the special and highly appreciat
ed courtesy of the governments of Rus
sia and the Netherlands a proposal to
call The Hague conference together at
a time which would conflict with the
conference of the American republics
at Rio de Janeiro in August was laid
aside. No. other date has yet been sug
gested. A tentative programme for
the conference has been proposed by
the government of Russia, and tlie
subjects which it enumerates are un
dergoing careful examination and con
sideration in preparation for the con
ference.
Peace and Righteousness.
It must ever be kept in mind that
war is not merely justifiable but im
perative upon honorable men, upon an
honorable nation, where peace can only
be obtained by the sacrifice of con
scientious conviction or of national
welfare. Peace is normally a great
good, and normally it coincides with
righteousness, but it is righteousness,
and not peace, which should bind the
conscience of a nation as it should
bind the conscience of an individual,
and neither a nation nor an individual
can surrender conscience to another's
keeping. Neither can a nation which is
an entity and which does not die as
Individuals die refrain from taking
thought for the interest of the genera
tions that are to come no less than for
the interest of the generation of today,
and no public men have a right, wheth
er from shortsightedness, from selfish
indifference or from sentimentality, to
sacrifice national interests which are
vital in character. A just war is in
the long run far better for. a nation's
soul than the most prosperous peace
obtained by acquiescence in wrong or
injustice. Moreover, though it is crim-.
inal for a nation not to prepare for war
so that it may escape the dreadful con
sequences of being defeated in war,
yet it must always be remembered that
even to be defeated in war may be far
better than not to have fought at all.
As has been well and finely said, a
beaten nation is not necessarily a dis
graced nation, but the nation or man
is disgraced if the obligation to defend
right is shijfkecL
We should as ,a nation do everything
in our power for the cause of honora
ble peace. It is morally as indefensible
for a nation to commit a wrong upon
another nation, strong or weak, as for
an individual thus to wrong his fel
lows. We should do all in our power
to hasten the day when there shall be
peace among the nations—a peace based
upon justice and not upon cowardly
submission to wrong. We can accom
plish a good deal in this direction, but
we cannot accomplish everything, and
the penalty of attempting to do too
much would almost inevitably be to do
worse than nothing, for it must be re
•membered that fantastic extremists
are not in reality leaders of the causes
which they espouse, but are ordinarily
those who do most to hamper the real
leaders of the cause and to damage the
cause itself. As yet there is no likeli
hood of establishing any kind of inter
national power, of whatever sort,
which can effectively check wrongdo
ing, and in these circumstances it
would be both a foolish and an evil
thing for a great and free nation to
deprive itself of the power to protect
its own rights and even in exceptional
cases to stand up for the right's of oth
ers. Nothing would more promote in
iquity, nothing would further defer the
reign upon earth of peace and right
eousness, than for the free and enlight
ened peoples, who, though with much
stumbling and many shortcomings,
nevertheless strive toward justice, de
liberately to render themselves power
less while leaving every despotisni and
barbarism armed and able to work
their wicked will. The chance for the
settlement of disputes peacefully by
arbitration now depends mainly upon
the possession by the nations that
mean to do right of sufficient armed
strength to make their purpose effec
tive.
The Navy and Army.
The United States navy is the surest
guarantor of peace which this country
possesses. It is earnestly to be wished
that we would profit by the teachings
of history in this matter. A strong
and wise people will study its own fail
ures no less tliftn its triumphs, for
there is wisdom"to be learned from the
study of both, of the mistake as well
as of the success. For this purpose
nothing could be more instructive than
a rational study of the war of 1812 as
it is told, for instance, by Captain
Malian. There was oniy one way in
which that war could have been avoid
ed. If during the preceding twelve
years a navy relatively as strong as
that which this country now has had
been built up and an army provided
relatively as good as that which the
country now has, there never would
have been the slightest necessity of
fighting the war, and if the necessity
had.arisen the war would under such
circumstances have ended with our
speedy and overwhelming triumph.
But our people during those twelve
years reftmed to make any prepara
tions whatever regarding either tlie
army or the navy. They saved a mil
lion or two of dollars by so doing and
»«i marA mnnav noM a fo]r] fni*
"i"
mmmm.
each million they thus saved during
the three years of war which followed
—a war which brought untold suffering
upon our people, which at one time
threatened the gravest national disas
ter and which, in, spite of the necessity
of waging it, resulted merely in what
was in effect a drawn battle, while tlie
balance of defeat and triumph was al:
most even.
I do not ask that we continue to in
crease our navy. I ask merely that
it be maintained at its present
strength, and this can be done only if
we replace the obsolete and outworn
ships by new and good ones, the
equals of any afloat in any navy. To
stop buildings ships for one year
means that for that year the navy
goes back instead of forward. The old
battleship Texas, for instance, would
now be of little service in a standup
fight with a powerful adversary. The
old double turret monitors have out
worn their usefulness, while it was a
waste of money to build tlie modern
single turret monitors. All these ships
should be replaced by others, and this
can be done by a well settled pro
gramme of providing for the building
each year of at least one first class
battleship equal in size and speed to
any that any nation is at the same
time building, the armament presum
ably to consist of as large a number
as possible of very heavy guns of one
caliber, together with smaller guns to
repel torpedo attack, while there
should be heavy armor, turbine en
gines and, in short, every modern de
vice. Of course from time to time
cruisers, colliers, torpedo boat destroy
ers or torpedo boats will have to be
built also. All this, be it remembered,
would not increase our navy, but
would merely keep it at its present
strength. Equally, of course, the ships
will be absolutely useless if the men
aboard them are not so trained that
they can get the best possible service
out of the formidable but delicate and
complicated mechanisms intrusted to
their care. The marksmanship of our
men has so improved during the last
five years that I deem it within bounds
to say that the navy is more than
twice as efficient, ship for ship, as half
a decade ago. The navy can only at
tain proper efficiency if enough officers
and men are provided and if these
officers and men are given the chance
(and required to take advantage of it)
to stay continually at sea and to exer
cise the fleets Singly and above all in
squadron, the exercise to be of every
kind and to include unceasing practice
at the guns conducted under condi
tions that will test marksmanship in
time of war.
Maintain High Standard.
In both the army and the navy there
is urgent need that everything possible
should be done to maintain the highest
standard for the personnel alike as re
gards the offices and thd eiilistfed nieii.
I do not believe that in any service
there is a finer body of enlisted men
and of junior officers than we have in
both the army and the navy, including
the marine corps. All possible encour
agement to the enlisted men should be
given in pay and otherwise and every
thing practicable done to render the
service attractive to men of the right
type. They should be held to the
strictest discharge of their duty, and in
them a spirit should be encouraged
which demands not the mere perform
ance" of duty, but the performance of
far more than duty if it conduces to
the honor and the interest of the Amer
ican nation, and in return the amplest
consideration should be theirs.
West Point and Annapolis already
turn out excellent officers. We do not
need to have these schools made more
scholastic. On the contrary, we should
never lose sight of the fact that the
aim of each school is to turn out a
man who shall be above everything
else a fighting man. In the army in
particular it is not necessary that either
the cavalry or infantry officer should
have special mathematical ability.
Probably in both schools the best part
of the education is the high standard
of character and of professional morale
which it confers.
But in both services there is urgent
need for the establishment of a prin
ciple of selection which will eliminate
men after a certain age if they cannot
be promoted from the subordinate
ranks and which will bring into the
higher ranks fewer men and these at
an earlier age. This principle of se
lection will be c^jected to by good men
of mediocre capacity who are fitted to
do well while young in the lower po
sitions, but who are not fitted to do
well when at an advanced age they
come into positions of command and
of great responsibility. But tlie de
sire of these men to be promoted to
positions which they are not competent
to fill should not weigh against the in
terests of the navy and the country.
At present our men, especially in the
navy, are kept far too long in the
junior grades and then, at much too ad
vanced an age, are put, quickly through
the senior grades, often not attaining
those senior grades until they are too
old to be of real use to them and, if they
are of real use, being put through them
so quickly that little benefit to the
navy comes from theirhavlng been in
them at all.
The navy has one great advantage
over the army in the fact that the of
ficers of high rank are actually trained
in the continual performance of their
duties—that is, in the management of
the battleships and armored cruisers
gathered into fleets. This is not true of
the army officers, who rarely have cor:
responding chances Jo exercise com
mand over troops under service condi
tions. The conduct of the Spanish war
showed the lamentable loss of life, the
useless extravagance and the ineffi
ciency certain to result if during peace
the high officials of the war and navy
departments are praised and rewarded
only if they save money, at no matter
whof ivrt
tiia
Afli/tittUOir iliA OAl*v-
iH
Ice, and if the higher officers are given
no chance whatever to exercise and
practice command. For years prior to
the Spanish war the secretaries of war
were praised chiefly if they practiced
economy, which economy, especially in
connection with the quartermaster,
commissary and, medical departments,
was directly responsible for most of
the mismanagement that occurred in
the war itself. And parenthetically be
it observed that the very people who
clamored for the misdirected economy
in the first place were foremost to de
nounce the mismanagement, loss and
suffering which were primarily due to
this same misdirected economy and to
the lack of preparation it involved.
Coast Defense Needs. "i
There should soon be an increase In
the number of men for our coast de
fenses. These men should be of the
right type and properly trained, and
there should therefore be an increase
of pay for certain skilled grades, es
pecially in the coast artillery. Money
should be appropriated to permit
troops to be massed in body and exer
cised in maneuvers, particularly in
marching. Such exercise during the
summer just past has been of incal
culable benefit to the army and should
under no circumstances be discontin
ued. If on these practice marches and
in these maneuvers elderly officers
prove unable to bear the strain they
should be retired at once, for the fact
is conclusive as to their unfitness for
war—that is, for the only purpose be
cause of which they should be allowed
to stay in the service. It is a real mis
fortune to have scores of small com
pany or regimental posts scattered
throughout the country. The army
should be gathered in a few brigade or
division posts, and tlie generals should
be practiced In handling the men in
masses. Neglect to provide for all of
this means to incur the risk of future
disaster and disgrace.
The readiness and efficiency of both
the army and navy in dealing with the
recent sudden crisis in Cuba illustrate
afresh their value to the nation. Thi£
readiness and efficiency would have
been very much less had It not been
for the existence of the general staff
in the army and the general board in
the navy. Both are essential to the
proper development and use of our mil
itary forces, afloat and -ashore. -.The
troops that were sent to Cuba were
handled flawlessly. It was the swift
est mobilization and dispatch of troops
over sea ever accomplished by our gov
ernment. The expedition landed com
pletely equipped and ready for imme
diate service, several of its organiza
tions hardly remaining in Havana over
night before splitting up into detach
ments and going to their several posts.
It was a fine- demonstration of the
value and efficiency of thegeneral staff.
Similarly it was' "owing in lfirge part
to the general board that the navy
was able at the outset to meet tlie Cu
ban crisis with such instant efficiency,
ship after ship appearing on the short
est notice at any threatened point,
while tlie marine corps in particular
performed indispensable service. The
army and navy Avar colleges are of in
calculable value to the two services,
and they co-operate with constantly in
creasing efficiency and importance.
Shooting Galleries Needed.
The congress has most wisely pro
vided for a national board for the pro
motion of rifle practice. Excellent re
sults have already come from this law,
but it does not go far enough. Our
regular army is so small that in any
great war we should have to trust
mainly to volunteers, and in such
event these volunteers should already
know how to shoot, for if a soldier has
the fighting edge and ability to take
care of himself in the open his effi
ciency on the line of battle is almost
directly proportionate to excellence in
marksmanship. We should establish
shooting galleries in all the large pub
lic and military 'schools, should main
tain national target ranges in different
parts of the country and. should in
cry way encourage the formation of
rifle clubs throughout all parts of the
land. The little republic of Switzer
land offers us an excellent example in
all matters connected with building up
an efficient citizen soldiery.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The White House, Dec. 3, 1900.
APPENDIX.
Addrexn by the Secretary of State of
the United States of America aa
Honorary PreHldent of the Third
Conference of American Republic*
at llio de Janeiro, July 31, lOOO.
Mr. President and Gentlemen of the
Third Conference of American Repub
lics—I beg you to believe that I highly
appreciate and thank you for the honor
you do me.
I bring from my country a special
greeting to her elder sisters in the civ
ilization of America.
Unlike as we are in many respects,
we are alike in this—that we are all
engaged under new conditions and free
from the traditional forms and limita
tions of the old world in working out
the same problem of popular self gov
ernment.
It is a difficult and laborious task for
each of us. Not in one generation or
in one century can the effective con
trol of a superior sovereign, so long
deemed necessary to government, be
rejected and effective self control by
the governed be perfected in Its place.
The first fruits of democracy are, many
of them, crude and unlovely. Its mis
takes are many, its partial failures
many, Its sins not few. Capacity for
self government does not come to man
by nature. It is an art to be learned,
and It la also an exiu'essiou of char­
acter to be developed among all the
thousands of men who exercise popular
sovereignty.
To reach the goal toward which we
are pressing forward the governing
multitude must first acquire knowledge
that comes from universal education,
wisdom that follows practical experi
ence, personal Independence and self
respect befitting men who acknowledge
no superior, self control to replace that
external control which a democracy re
jects, respect for law, obedience to the
lawful expressions of the public will,
consideration for the opinions and in
terests of others equally entitled to a
voice in the state, loyalty to that ab
stract conception—one's country—as In
spiring as that loyalty to personal sov
ereigns which has so illumined the
pages of history, subordination of per
sonal interests to the public good, love
of justice and mercy, of liberty and
order. All these we must seek by
slow and patient effort, and of how
many shortcomings in his own land
and among his own people each one of
us is conscious.
Yet no student of our times can fall
to see that-not America alone, but the
whole civilized world, is swinging
away from its old governmental moor
ings and intrusting the fate of its civ
ilization to the capacity of the popular
mass to govern. By this pathway
mankind is to travel whithersoever It
leads. Upon the success of this our
great undertaking the hope of human
ity depends.
Nor can we fail to see that tlie world
makes substantial progress toward
more perfect popular self government.
I believe it to be true that, viewed
against tlie background of conditions a
century, a generation, a decade ago,
government in my own country has ad
vanced, in the intelligent participation
of the great mass of the people, in the
fidelity and honesty with which they
are represented, in respect for law, In
obedience to the dictates of a sound
morality and in effectiveness and pu
rity of administration.
Nowhere in the world has this prog
ress been more marked than in Latin
America. Out of the wrack of Indian
fighting and race conflicts and' civil
wars strong and stable governments
have arisen. Peaceful succession in
accord with the people's will has re
placed the forcible seizure, of power
permitted by the people's indifference.
Loyalty to country, its peace, its dig
nity, its honor, has risen above parti
sanship for individual leaders. The
rule of law supersedes the rule of man.
Property is protected, and the fruits of
enterprise are secure. Individual lib
erty is respected. Continuous public
policies are followed. National faith is
held sacred. -Progress has not been
equal everywhere, but there has been
progress everywhere. The movement
.in tlie right direction is general. The
•right tendency is-not exceptional It is
continental.' The pres&lt affords just
cause for satisfaction the future Is
bright with hope.
It is not by national isolation that
these results have been accomplished
or that this progress can be continued.
No nation can live unto itself alone
and continue to live. Each nation's
growth is a part of the development
of the race. There may be leaders,
and there may be laggards, but no na
tion can long continue very far in ad
vance of the general progress of man
kind, and no nation that is not doomed
to extinction can remain very far be
hind. It is with nations as it Is with
individual men. Intercourse, associa
tion, correction of egotism by the In
fluence of others' judgment, broadening
of views by the experience and thought
of ecfiials, acceptance of the moral
standards of a community the desire
for whose good opinion lends a sanc
tion to the rules of right conduct—
these are the conditions of growth In
civilization. A people whose minds
are not open to the lessons of the
world's progress, whose spirits are not
stirred by the aspirations and the
achievements of humanity struggling
the world over for liberty and justice,
must be left behind by civilization in
its steady and beneficent advance.
To promote this mutual interchange
and assistance between the American
republics, engaged in the sagie great
tasks, inspired by the same purpose
and professing the same principles, I
understand to be the function of the
American conference now in session.
There is not one of all our countries
that cannot benefit the others. There
is not one that cannot receive benefit
from the others. There is not one that
will not gain by the prosperity, the
peace, the happiness of all.
According to your programme, no
great and Impressive single thing is to
be done by you, no political questions
are to be discussed, no controversies
are to be settled* no judgment is to be
passed upon the conduct of any state,
but many subjects are to be consider
ed which afford the possibility of re
moving barriers to intercourse, of as
certaining for .the common benefit
what advances have been made by
each nation in knowledge, in experi
ence, in enterprise, in the solution of
difficult questions of government and
in ethical standards, of perfecting our
knowledge of each other and of doing
away with the misconceptions, tlie
misunderstandings and the resultant
prejudices that are such fruitful
sources of controversy.
And there are some subjects in the
programme which invite discussion
that may lead the American republics
toward an agreement upon principles,
the general practical application of
which can come only In the future
through long and patient effort. Some
advance at least may be made here
toward the complete rule of justice
and peace among nations In lieu of
force-and war.
The association of so many eminent
men from all the republics, leaders of
opinion In. their own homes the friend
shins that will arise among you. the
habit of temperate and kindly discus
sion of matters of common Interest, the
ascertainment of common sympathies
and aims, the dissipation of misunder
standings, the exhibition to all the
American peoples of this peaceful hnd
considerate method of conferring upon
international questions this alone,
quite irrespective of the resolutions
you may adopt and the conventions
you may sign, will mark a substantial
advance in the direction of international
good understanding.
These beneficent results the govern
ment and the people of the United
States of America greatly desire. We
wish for no victories but those of
peace, for no territory except our own,
for no sovereignty except the sover
eignty over ourselves. We deem the
Independence and equal rights of tlie
smallest and weakest member of the
family of nations entitled to as much
respect as those of the greatest empire,
and we deem the observance of that
respect the chief guaranty of tlie weak
agaiust the oppression of the strong.
We neither claim nor desire nny rights
or privileges or powers that we do not
freely concede to every American re
public. We wish to increase our pros
perity, to expand our trade, to grow
in wealth, in wisdom and in spirit, but
our conception of the true way to ac
complish this is not to pull down oth
ers and profit by their ruin, but to help
all friends to a common prosperity and
a common growth that we may all be
come greater and stronger together.
Within a few months, for the first
time, the recognized possessors of every
foot of soil upon the American conti
nents can be and I hope will be repre
sented with the acknowledged rights
of equal sovereign states In the great
world congress at The Hague. This
will be the world's formal and final
acceptance of the declaration that
Not in a' single conference or by' a
single effort can very much be done.
You labor more for the future than for
the present, but If the right Impulse
be given, if the right tendency be es
tablished, the work you do here will
go on among all the millions of people
in the American continents long after
your final adjournment, long after
your lives, with incalculable benefit to
all our beloved countries, which may It
please God to continue free and .inde
pendent and happy for ages to come.
The Influence of the Farm.
The farm is the best security we
have for our social well being, and
whatever promotes interest there,
whatever raises it in intelligence and
scientific spirit, is one of the most
comforting influences of our civiliza
tion. And so to have our young men
imbued with the true agricultural spir
it, to turn away from the adventures
of the commercial life and the allure
ments of mere money making to the
simple, productive, independent life on
the farm, is one of the richest promises
in our educational system. For there
is where it belongs—to the expanding
mind force of the nation. The finest
triumphs of the next fifty years, re
sults that will go further than ali
other enterprise in blessing men, will
be won on the farm. There-Is a science
of soil culture, and the art that is to
be based upon it will open wide the
door to men of thought and refinement.
The answer of the old artist that he
mixed his paint with brains is akin to
the experience in the farming of the
future, which will mix brains with the
soil.—Columbus (O.) Journal,
Tree SinngKlinn
Smuggling of trees seems a peculiar
action, but several women have en
gaged In it—not as a business, of
course, but on their return from Euro
pean trips, says a correspondent of
the New York Press. The trees are
those attractive little Dutch cedars for
Christmas. In American cities their
price is high, whereas over in Rotter
dam fine, fat little trees in the most
fehowy of majolica pots may be bought
cheap. A thrifty matron from the
Quaker City who was abroad recog
nized the possibility of such importa
tions, and she bought a round dozen
before she left Holland. When she
disembarked on this side with her little
forest she suavely explained that she
was passionately fond of green things
and sympathizing friends had present
ed the plants to aid her in passing the
time on the ocean. The customs in
spector did not have the courage to
suggest tlie lumber duty applied to
such trifles, so in they came. Friends
are following Mrs. Penn's example.
Where Hla Went.
Bacon—They say a man's first $100
is the hardest to get. Egbert—Well, I
don't know about that. I know a fel
low got mine easy enough.—Yonkers
Statesman.
The more yiolent the storm the soon
er it is over.—Seneca.
A'
110
part of the American continents Is to
be deemed subject to colonization. Let
us pledge ourselves to aid each other
in the full performance of the duty to
humanity which that accepted declara
tion implies, so that in time the weak
est and most unfortunate of our re
publics may come to march with equal
step by the side of the strongest and
more fortunate. Let us help each oth
er to show that for all the races of
men the liberty for which we have
fought and labored is the twin sister
of justice and peace. Let us unite in
creating and maintaining and making
effective an all American public opin
ion whose power shall influence inter
national conduct nnd prevent interna
tional wrong and narrow the causes of
war and forever preserve our free
lands from the burden of such arma
ments as are massed behind the fron
tiers of Europe and bring us ever near
er to the perfection of ordered liberty.
So shall come security and prosperity,
production and trade, wealth, learn
ing, the arts and happiness for ds all.
THE GREAT RICHES, OF ALASKA
Wm
THE REMARKABLE INCREASE IN
HER OUTPUT OF GOLD.
I'rodnctlon Will Rench f2B,000,00«
Against 915,000,000 In 1005—Hn
treaanrei Only* Skimmed, Believe*
"Judge J. C. Kellnm.
V-'t
"Alaska will produce $26,000,000
worth of gold this year as compared
with $15,000,000 wortli last year," says
a Chicago special dispatch to the New
York I-Ierald. "Three banks In the
Fairbanks district have accumulated
more than $3,000,000 in deposits in two
years. Alaska will be represented at
tlie Seattle exposition with a solid gold
statue worth $1,000,000. One of tha
banks of Fairbanks exhibited in its
show window last summer, just as a
curiosity and object lesson, $1,500,000
worth of gold bricks—the real thing,
composed of tlie pure yellow metal." ..
This is tlie message brought from
Alaska by Judge ,T. C. Kelluin, who
was assistant district\attorney of Ari
zona in tlie last Cloveland administra
tion. Judge Kellum has been in Alas
ka ten years. It is his opinion thai
Alaska has hardly been skimmed of
its treasures. He believes the present
rather crude way of extracting the pre
cious metal from the earth could bfl
profitably followed with ever Increas
ing results for a dozen years. With
the use of huge dredges, which are now
being introduced, he expects the out
put of gold will be greatly augmented
and at a reduced cost.
"There are only a few dredges In op
eration in Alaska," Judge Kellum said,
"but these have been used with such
success that the demand now Is great
er than the supply. They are practica
ble for work only on a large scale, as
they cost something like $150,000 each.
One of these machines will handle
5,000 cubic ynrds of dirt in twenty
four hours. An expert man has all he
can do to get away with ten cubic
yaAs, and the average for a man la
about eight yards, there being varia
tions according to the geological for
mations encountered.
"In tlie Fairbanks district It Is poor
dirt that does not yield from $1 to ^2
a cubic yard -!.hence the dredges turn
out from $5,000 to $10,000 worth oj
metal every day.. With them it Will bq
possible to work dirt-which is not con-)
sidered profitable when cared for by
hand. The average pay of a miner is
$1 an hour, or $8 to $10 a day. One of
the dredges can be operated at a dally,
expense of $150.
"There is no money problem in Alas
ka. Coin or its equivalent is more
plentiful than anything else as a mat
ter of fact.
1
"Although we pd„v housemaids $100 a
month, no one is lying awake nights
worrying over the servant problem like
you* in the States. A good stenogra
pher draws tlie nice monthly allowance
of $250. Common labor is worth 51
an hour, and skilled labor commands
$2 to $2.50 an hour.
"It is a pretty poor steak that does
not make a five dollar bill vanish. For
porterhouse steak the average price is
$1 to $1.50 a pound, while ordinary
steaks are quoted at 75 cents a pound.
Turkey and chicken—well, what do you
think of paying $15 to $20 for a Christ
mas fowl? If you want oysters to go
with the turkey one little can will
cost you $5. Flour costs $7.50 a sack
sugar, 15 cents a pound coffee, 75
cents green tomatoes, 75 cents a
pound, and cucumbers, 75 cents each.
"Oddly enough, many articles of ta
ble food cost more in the summer than
in the winter. This is explained by the
fact that freighting in the summer
costs 18 cents a pofand, and in the
winter, when the ice is on the ground
and streams, it costs only 5 cents a
pound. We raise in the Fairbanks dis
trict nearly all kinds of garden truck
that are raised in a state like Illinois
tomatoes, potatoes, onions and the like.
The production of course is limited, the
main dependence necessarily being up
on shipments from outside.
"The statue of pure gold which Alas
ka will send to the exposition at Seat
tle will be the most Interesting and
expressive exhibit there of the wealth
and characteristics of the territory. A
ton of gold, I am told, is worth $466,
000. The statue, therefore, will weigh
more than two tons. It will be four
feet high, and the other dimensions
will be in that proportion. The model
has not been selected. Some Alaskans
desired a statue full size with the hu
man form and not pure gold. Leading
bankers and business men, however,
insisted there should be no alloy in
Alaska's exhibit, and this notion finally
prevailed. ..
"It will be interesting to know what
will be the largest nugget of gold on
display at the exposition. At the Port
land exposition was displayed an Alas
kan nugget worth nearly $4,000."
Skirt* POP Men*
Bell "skirted overcoats are tlie latest
novelty in the tailoring world, says the
"London Mirror. They have been in
troduced by tailors of High Ilolborn
in London, and already there is quite
a boom in tlie article. The effect ol
the new overcoat is graceful If some
wHat feminine. The cloth is taken in
at the waist, then allowed to hang
loose, falling in natural folds, like a
lady's skirt. "Quiet colors arc heal
for such a novel style," said one ol
the sartorial artists the other day.
"Green checks jr stripes, which can
be worn with Impunity for a less at
tractive style of coat, would look ri
diculous."
Wm
Miss Passe—I have had many chances
to marry. Only a short time ago a
man told me of his love. Miss Pert—
Did he also tell you the name of till
lady?—Meggendorfer Blatter.