Kansas City journal. [volume], December 08, 1898, Page 4, Image 4

About Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928

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THE KANSAS CITY JOURNAL, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1898.
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She jbfnnsaj? dittr Jfonmal.
ESTABLISHED 1S51.
TIIK JUIIIML COMl'lM'. I'alillnlicr.
NINTH AND GRAND AVE.
njixcrlptlnn ItntrKt By carriers, per
week, 10 tents, per month, II cents Bv
mall, dally and Sunday, one month, 40
ctrls; three months. 5100. six montn.
$2 00; oi.e e.ir. $100. Daily only, six
month":. 51.30, 0nc year, $3,00. Sunday only,
six rron'hs. 50 cents., one year, $100. Tri
V. eckly Journal (Tuesday. Thursday, Sat
vird.ty). eI months."- certs; one year, SI 50
l-rtinliiK: I'or advertising rate-,
write to the home ofilr-c or to the J. E. Van
Dorm Special Agency, offices '-03-90S Boyce
buil.'ir, Chicago, and 31-32 Tribune build
ing New York, agent for foreign advertls
inc Entered at the postofPce at Kansas City,
JIiFOLrl for ti in-mlf-sion through the
mails, as second class matter.
"We-illier Forecast fur 1hnrdn.
VI SHJm;to. Dec T I or Oklahoma and Indian
Tcrritor? Fair var'alie winds.
K-tr Misrou-1 Tareatenlns weather, variable
winds
lor Kansas LIgit fro variable winds
l'or Nebraska: Thtutrnln; weather, with light
snow in fouthcrn ncrtlon variable wind.
For Colorado Threatening weather, with light
tnoir la extreme eastern portion, variable winds.
nEcotniUMiVTio'vs roit hwvaii.
As a result of the Investigations and ob
servations of the members of the Hawaiian
commission, whose report has been sub
mitted to congress by the president, the
people or the United States are Informed
that conditions in the Islands arc such that
there -houId be no considerable delay In
formulating and making effective the new
form of government In the annexed terri
tory. The report on this point is especially
gratifying, and jet It is not surprising.
The people of Hawaii have maintained a
progressive and equitable government for
some Ulrne and the strongest Indorsement
that accompanied their application for an
nexation was of an exemplar' character.
The government proposed Is quite similar
to -the. territorial form of government al
ready In ue under United'' States author
ity. The legislative body and the govcrnoi
will be selected according to practices al
ready tried, and approved by results. The
right of franchise, however. Is withheld
from certain classes of adult resident",
and for obvious reasons. Citizenship is
in.ule possible to all white persons, includ
ing Portuguese, and persons of African
descent, and all persons descending from
tho Hawaiian race, who were citizens of
JIawall immediately prior to the transfer
"of sovereignty.
The educational qualification is embodied
In the recommendations on the subject of
elections. Voters must be able understand
lngly to speak and write 'the English or
Hawaiian language.
The commission furnishes a great deal of
Information concerning the people, the in
stitutions, the business, climate and pros
pects of the Islands, -which will be of high
value to congress and to the officials whose
duty It -will be to promote commercial. In
dustrial and educational progress in the
new possessions.
The personnel of the commission gives
the best possible assurance that the recom
mendations are wise and that there will be
no unnecessary delay In securing their
adoption.
AS TO VALUED POLICY LAWS.
We have beforeHus a-report sent out
by the insurance commissioner of the state
of Texas, who Is making war upon tho
class of legislation known as "valued pol
lcj" laws, in the belief that .these laws
are In the nature of a premium on In
cendiarism and an Incentive to perjury
as well as arson. To prove his case the
ccmmlssiorer declares that for a period of
eight j cars following the passage of such
a law In Wisconsin the loss ratio Increased
13 per cent; In Ohio for a period of ten
j ears It Increased 19 per cent, and In
Nebraska for a period of five j ear3 it in
creased IS per cent. The commissioner
does not give us the statistics of Mis
souri or Kansas, and of the first state
we have no reliable information at hand,
but In Kansas the enforcement or a -valued
policy law, commerced In 1S9S bv
Commissioner Anthony, has resulted al
ready in a visible Increase In the per
cent rate of losses paid. The trouble with
the statistics given by the Texas com
missioner Is that Ihej are, valueless as
bearing upon the question of whether or
not -valued policy laws have increased the
crimes of arson and perjury, for they do
not show that there were .more fires with
greater losses, but only that the com
panies were compelled to pay a largpr per
cent of their contract obligations, it m$y
not have occurred To our Texas friend
that this was one of the Important ob
jects to bo attained and that the showing
ccnstltutes an uncommonly fine compli
ment to the workings of the law.
AVe have always believed that the fire
Insurance companies intended to deal hon
estly with their patrons. The trouble hn3
been with the manner of taking insurance.
While It Is asserted that the valued pol
icy law Is one which Induces a man to
take over-Insurance, with the purpose of
committing a crime, tho real fact is that
without a valued policy law the Insurance
agents themselves have always engaged
In Inducing men to take over-Insurance,
and the law is very careful In stop
ping this practice. As a rule Insurance
agents ate paid a commission. Their per
gonal profits depend upon the amount of
business they maj do. If the law does not
make their companies responsible for the
payment of the face value of the policies
they have no compunctions of conscience
when Insuring a $2,000 house Tor $3 000; thus
( welling their own commissions and in
creasing Hie premiums which must be paid.
There can be no doubt that every year
thousand-, of policies are written when
the agent knows thoroughly tint in case
of loss the face of these policies will he
-resisted. 'Thifs the 'insurance companies
arc placed in the attitude of taking a
man's money In sums out of proportion to
the amounts they feel obligated to return
to him, and this Is plain, common dishon
esty. The leading Insurance companies frankly
admit the existence of this evil. They
have sought in many wajs to remedy it.
Their officials have held conventions and
discussed it up and down, but none of
them seemed able to devise a bet
ter yvsteni. Tinally the legislatures
of many states stepped In and
adopted the valued policy law, and
tills has forced the Insurance companies
to a fcclf-rerormatlon which was sorelv
needed. Tills law says, in effect, that
the Insurance comptnies must make it their
own business to see that the practice of
ovcr-lnsuranic Is brought to a halt. It
forces the companies to employ none but
licnciit and competent agents, who must
assume the responsibility of saving what
the property is worth, and it establishes
the correct theory that In the absence of
fraud or crime the companies must pay
In full the sums for which they are will
ing to collect premiums.
Until we have seen better statistics than
these furnished by the Texas commissioner
we must refuse to believe that any valued
policy 1 iw has increased the crime of ar
son. On the contrary, the elements are
present in such a law to reduce the crime
of arson, for when insurance agents cea.e
to over-Insure property there will be no
incentive to commit the crime. Under the
old sjstem, when agents-were willing to
tak any amount of insurance 0 aimost
any kind of property, trusting to the courts
to protect the comp mles from fraud, there
was ever present an open bid for cupid
ity, and we need not wonder if 't is a
matter of record that nearly 50 per cent
of the (Ire losses, have come from avoid
able causes, in dlcussing this matter
in one of his annual reports, Commissioner
Anthony, of Kansas, spoke sharply to the
point as follows;
"Let It be recognized, then, that if it be
a ciime to insure property at a rate and
for the purpose of profit by burning It,
that the Insurance agent who mikes such
crime possible is an accessory to it, and
guilty with the criminal. In faet, tne
possibility of arson for Insurance gain can
only exist through the culpiblc gi"ed of
agents and companies. The enactment of
a law making over-Insurance a misde
meanor punishable by fine and imprison
ment, or, better still, providing that, in
all cases where loss claims are success
fully resisted on (he ground that the In
surance wis for a greater sum than the
actual value of the property, the licence
of the agent who procured the risk be
immediately canceled, and the guilty party
deprived of the right to engage in the
insurance business thereafter."
A XEW "WAY TO FIGHT INGHRSOLL.
Samuel Colcord, a New York Congrega
tional minister, has announced his inten
tion to tour the country one week behind
Colonel Ingersoll in order to counteract
the influences of the famous agnostic. This
method Is at least direct and systematic.
Mr. Colcord declares that Ingersoll Is
sweeping the young men and young wom
en oft their feet, not by logic, but by oth
er methods." and that he will overcome his
Influence by "similar methods " Unfortun
ately for those who would really like to
know, these methods are left unexplained
Unhappily for Mr. Colcord's plan, he w ill
be unable to address the same audiences
that assemble to hear the noted orator. In
gersoll has become famous because he is
a man of great eloquence and has espoused
a daring doctrine. People go to hear him
as they go to see and hear other famous
personages. There Is more attraction in
how he says a thing than in the thing he
says. Tho only "method' that ban -cope
with Ingersoll on the direct rebuttal plan
is to employ the same eloquence and work
that eloquence by all the arts known to
the "show business." Otherwise the audi
ences that listen to Ingersoll one night
will be dividing their attention among the
best plays and the newest books when Mr.
Colcord makes his later appearance. In
gersoll has done much to spread agnosti
cism, it must be admitted, but It must
also be admitted that agnosticism has done
much to make Ingersoll. It Is not the In
dividual, but the doctrine., that the church
must fight. Ingersoll could hardlv have a.
better advertisement than the operation of
the plan proposed by Mr. Colcord..
SENATOR 1KSTS LDD FOH ISOLI
TIOV Viewed from the standpoint of state pol
itics, there Is something quite amusing in
the baste with which Senator Vest put
himself on record as opposed to the policy
or expansion. Having once been stam
peded by ex-Governor Stone Into a position
that was contrary to his convictions, he
fights shy of Stone's liberal colonial doc
trine so conspicuously exploited at the last
state Democratic convention It will be
remembered that when the silver cry was
just boglnnirg to assume the form of a
Democratic slogan it was Impossible for
the silver advocates to get a response, fn
vorablo or unfavorable! from the little
senator. Hut when Stone delivered his
Washington park speech on that subject
a speech that practically paved the way
for what happened at Chicago Vest imme
diately fell Into line. The present connec
tion of the two men is all the more in
teresting when one considers Vest's posi
tion and Stone's ambition.
rrom a political point of view, Mr. Vest's
resolution is not of great importance, tor
it Is simply an indication that the fight
of the anti-expansionists, at least in the
initiative, will be made upon constitutional
grounds. Thi3 line of procedure has been
anticipated by the expansionists all along
and creates no alarm.
THE WAR TAES.
In all probability an effort will be made
by tho Democrats In congress to repeal
what is known as "the war taxes" Suf
ficient expressions have been made by
Democratic leaders to Indicate that some
political capital will be made along this
lino If possible. The argument is that tho
war is over and that war taxes should not
be collected in time of pence. On the sur
face this may seem like a logical position.
but a little Investigation will show that It
Is neither logical nor plausible.
It is shown from official sources that the
Income derived from fie war tax is about
59,000,000 a month, or Ies than $110,000,000 a
year. This is somewhat surprising, as it
was expected this tax would yield at least
$150,000,000 a year. The revenue from the
war tax may be said to have reached the
maximum, no larger sum can be expected
from It. and the amount realized would
rave been wholly Inadequate had the war
continued. Even as it is. tho public debt
Increased more than $1G,000,000 during list
month Tint being true, it Is clearly non
sensical to talk of repealing the law at this
time, or at any time prior to a timo when
the government's gross annual Income will
1 e easllv greater than Its gross annual ex
penditures. The country" doesn't want any more def
icits. The war tax Is not seriously burden
some and It Is plainly the part of wise
statesmanship to continue It until the ex
traordinary conditions which necessitated
Its creation are-passed over and the coun
try resumes Its normal state.
Sntlxfactorlly Accounted Far.
l"rotn the St. Louia Ite-iubllc.
There's nothing at all strange in the
fact that Jerry Simpson is again wearing
.socks. Cold feet are epidemic among Pop
ulists just now.
Revealed Hie "Gencrnl'n" Trnrka.
From the Washington Tost.
The operations of Cattle King Glllett
demonstrated quite clearly that confidence
and prosperity have both returned to
Kansas.
50TS .UD AOTJOAS.
Professor L. H. Bailey, of Cornell, If we
mistake not. is supposed to be an authority
on our native fruits, and has recently pub
lished a volume entitled "A Sketch of the
Evolution of Our Native Fruits." The vol
ume is highly commended by horticulturists
as settling some tangled questions of kin
ship of the blackberry-dewberry family
and giving useful suggestions on the Im
provement of wild fruits We have not
seen the book, but from the reviews we
have read we are forced to conclude that
Professor Bailey has ignored the pawpaw,
the persimmon and the sand plum. If this
Is the case he need never hope for favor
In tho Missouri alley and the fertile
Southwest. We of the West have great
faith in the future of these fruits, and be
lieve that ail they need Is a little varnisii
of culture to make them the peers of the
apple and the peach A e look to such men
as Professor Bailey to help along the good
work of civilization.
Everyone knows that Mrs Rorer is one
of the best cooks in the country. Good
cook ng is one of the first steps to godliness.
And yet we think that Mrs Rorei overdoes
the matter in her latest Invention. "Chest
nut cutlets " Chestnuts are a good thing
by themselves, and cutlets are also good.
But when a perverse appetite and idle
faculties persist in going through six col
anders and nn hour of processes to trans
form the one into a poor imitation of the
other, we cry a halt. When the men cf a
household get to calling for that sort of
thing It is time for them to get down the
old shotgun, till up their pockets with shells
and doughnuts, call in old Bozo and go
out after squirrels and rabbits After a
day's tramp thev will come home thankful
to get hot cornpone, and not ask for "chest
nut cutlets "
Printers' Ink, speaking of the supposed
prejudice against advertising among tho
members of the medical piofcsslon, re
marks very acutely that the doctor Is con
stantly advertising hlm-elf by his medicino
case, his holsters and his gig, yes, still fur
ther by punctiliously insisting op having
his business mentioned everv time his name
is used in public or in private Come to think
of it, how odd and out of place it would
seem if all other occupations should adopt
this custom! Imagine our local columns al
ways speaking of Haberdasher Jones, Un
dertaker Henry . Butcher Robinson, Printer
Mack, Plumber SmaCk, and Tinner Tink.
But is there not as much propriety in these
cases as in the other?
The Scientific American Is only one of
several journals that have kindled fires un
der Mr. Tesla because of that gentleman's
resort to the most sensational kind of an
nouncements of the great discoveiies he
Intends to make with wireless telegranhy.
Electricitv has been the medium for a
great deal of this self-inflation bv sanguine
scientists who, think that two birds. I c.
a transient notoriety. In the bush are much
better than none in the hand But Tcl i
has reallv- done some valuible work, and It
Is therefore more surprising to find him
exploiting his great discoveries before they
are made. If there Is one mark more sure
than another of the true scholar and
scientist It is his desire to complete and
be perfectlv sure of his results before go
Ip5 before the public with them. Legiti
mate advertising then nray-not be un
professional. But advertisement of things
never really accomplished, or accomplished
by others, Is a marl: of the charlatan.
Whether there really are distinct national
traits of character is at least an open
question. Mark Twain remarks on the sub
ject "I have studied the ways of my
people all my life. The only peculiarity 1
have observed in them Is that they drink
iced water." While Zola believes that there
Is a 'Trench mind." Rene Doumic says:
"What renlly differs in one people or an
other Is the costume; and we. Impressed
by these external and superficial differ
ences, no longer recognize our ideas and
passions, merely because they wear for
eign tinsel." It is a familiar observation
that foreigners always seem less strange
when we become acquainted iwlth them,
The Apostle Paul had an opinion on the
subject, which he expressed In the belief
that "God hath made of one blood all the
nations of the earth "
Mr. Augustine BIrrell usually says such
good things and says them so well that
the judicious reader will not let an article
of his pass untnsted. In a recent number
of Literature he declares his opinion that
acquaintance with authors dulls the edge
of literary criticism. "You cannot Impale a
friend upon your hook as if you loved him:
wriggle the silly fellow will until the mild
est mannered critic finds himself using the
language of the fishwife, famous In story,
who was overheard cursing tho eel she was
skinning alive for not IVing still." And
yet a peisonal knowledge of the author
and his circumstances often enables the
critic to judge more justly and to ap
preciate more deeplv the author's work.
Mr. Birrell's objection seems based on the
assumption tiiat the critic's opinion Is most
likely to be unfavorable
Mr. BIrrell has another not very com
forting notion for criticism, which is that
"no good book, or good thing of any sort,
shows its best face at first, nay, that the
commonest qualltv in a true work of art,
if Its excellence have any depth and com
pass). iS that at first, sight it occasions a
certain disappointment." It would appear
that these two notions put together might
afford a sure defense for the critic who
severely judges his friend's book If the
critic shows disappointment over his
friend's work, he need only oend him a
slip with this principle printed large in
ordet to make things ail right. If. on the
other hand, he is overwhelmingly enthus
iastic about the book, let him open his
heart and unharness his pdn, and earefully
suppress this second notion
Andrew Lang chats delightfully in Long
man's about New Testament Novels, to
this effect: "There is always a Briton, en
slaved and irtuous. There Is always a
nice good Christian girl, with a Roman
district.' There is always a wicked old
Roman "a-winking at her with his wicked
old eye.' There is always a Christian 'pere
noble' who gees to the Uon" with dignity.
There is alwavs a gladiatorial set-to: and
Nero with his emerald eyeglass; and the
Catacombs The noble Briton, after per
forming prodigies of valor, is usually- con
verted and marries the pleasing Early
Christian girl." Mr. Lang finds that the.
Early Christian novel supplies the office
once filled by the mvstcries and the pas
sion pliys, of bringing those earlier ages
nearer home to the public, to whom "to
know what kind of clothes Pontius Pilate
wore is a separate ecstasy."
The editor of Current Literature has writ
ten a piece explaining why Tennyson was
not an artht. He doesn't even give the poor
deceased laureate, or his assigns, opportun
ity to plead "not guilty" and make a de
fense, but takes the sentence of the public
for granted and then proceeds toShow how
It happened. And the explanation is as
funny as the sentence. It cumulates in the
alleged confession of the poet himself, in
the lines of "In Memoriam ':
1 cannot see the features right
When on the gloom I strie to paint
The fate I know . the hues arc faint.
And mix ulth hollo shapes of night.
Now- there Is keen Interpretation for you.
If ever there was plain language of a
painter confessing his inability, it Is there.
But it took a genius to suspect that the
language was meant for such a confession.
A common scrub would have thought that
the poet was lamenting his inability to re
call vividly the features of his dead friend.
KVNS TOPICS.
Attorney General Boyle say-, the news
papers are mist iken in announcing that
he will remove to Missouri to practice law.
A bill has been prepared by a Shawnee
county- member which reduces the profits
or state printing more than 20 per cent.
It is estimated bv a lawyer concerned in
one of the McNall cases that McNall s
"examiners." bled tho insuiancc companies
for S3S 910.
Speaking of examiners, there is a desire
on tho part of the people that the system
should be continued, at least to tho extent
of finding out what became of all this
money.
The Eureka Union enjoys a unique dis
tinction. It is the one paper in Kansas
which says mean things about Chancellor
Snow.
Treasurer Prank Glimes Is very busy
just now getting signers to his $1,000,000
bond. He found signers for $60,000 in his
home town, which Isn't much bigger than
a silver dollar.
a
Mi. John Ford has purchased tho Alton
Empire and is making It a readable paper.
Mr. Ford is In the midst of perhaps the
most esthetic community- on earth. The
people changed tho name of their town
from "Bull City" in fear the world might
not know it was named after a man.
The re-election of District Judge Lee
Monroe is in the nature of a calamity to
the professional ambitions of Mrs. Lee
Monroe Sho is a lawyer and of course
is prohibited from practice in her hus
band's court.
Mr. and Mrs. W. C. B. Davis celebrated
their golden wedding at Columbus the
ether day. Though there were a number
of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren,
there has been but one death in
the Davis family for fifty years.
The Methddlsts of Empbrla gave a negro
minstrel performance in their chuich th
other night, which is described by a local
paper as being the real thing, except that
no burnt cork was used. While the ab
sence of burnt cork may have been suffi
cient to preserve the delicate balance of
church dignity, such a show- must have
been as void and tasteless as a ballet with
out kicking
A doctor died and was burled at Milton
villa the other day. In the funeral pro
cession the doctors team was led just be
hind the hearse and propped on the buggy
seat was the doctor's medicine case. And
yet some people reject the belief that
heredity has" brought down to us the cus
toms of 6,000 yiiara ago. The earliest ac
count of -mail tells us that the ''warrior was
buried with his (weapons.
There was a football game at Dodge
City the other day, and in copying the fol
lowing account of It from tho local paper
we feel constrained to reorganize the be
lief that Western Kansas has given over
her deeds of blood, and violence: "Burt
Shafer is laid up with an injured leg, and
careful attention may- bring him out in a
few weeks Rev. Westwood, the coach, was
considerably bruised, but he succeeded in
maintaining his position, showing his ath
letic qualities, during the game. Waldo
Tarbox, Jr., has' a slightly- disfigured face,
and the facial marks are evidences that
he came out of the game with a baro
scratch. Dick Evans' discolored proboscis
and enlarged lip were ample proof that
the quarterback has no show when the
left tackle Is on top of his prostrate form.
Fred Stracter was knocked senseless, and
for five minutes his limp body and Inan
imate form was as flat as a mackerel in a
salt vat. Hammy Bell had a 'chunk as big
as a silver dollar' taken out of his arm in
proof that the right tackle had firmly
rooted his left guard. How many other
members of the football teams suffered
bruises and Injury we are not advised, not
having polled the entire team."
It was in Topeka and! some of the men
at the club were discussing the bigotry
which led a lot of Kansas preachers to ob
ject to the publication of Gene Ware's
"Washerwoman's Song" In a school book.
Lawyer Downey, who Is an Irishman by
birth and education, listened for a time and
then he told the following story:
"Speaking of bigotry, gentlemen, I think
the most bigoted man I ever knew was
a little old Irish Preby terian by the name
of Michael Tear, who used to live in my
parts in Ireland. We had a countv ordi
nance there which required every man to
pdnt his name on the shafts of all the
carts or other implements he might own,
the purpose being to fix their ownership
for taxation. Tear had a number of carts,
but ho obstinately refused to obey the
ordinance, and In due time he was hauled
before the county magistrate. The mag
istrate was a lenient old fellow who had no
desire to punish his neighbors, so he said
in a fatherly manner to the culprit:
" 'Now, Micky Tear. I want you to go
home and paint your name in plain Roman
letters on all of your carts. The law is no
reflection on your honesty, and you should
not look at it in hat way. It is a. good law,
a necessary- law, and every man ought to
obey It, and If you do hot obey it in a.
reasonable time I shall be compelled to
fine you.'
"Micky backed awav to the court house
door and then he shouted: 'Fine, an' bo
d d to yez' I'll not paint me name on tho
ca-arts in Roman letters! To hell wld tho
pope.' "
In perusing the following Item from the
Amerlcus Greeting, the reader is request
ed to remember that the state In ques
tion is Kansas and that the man de
scribed Is a member of that restless,
shifting, traveling brotherhood collectively
known as the Jawhawker: "One of the
sturdy- men In our community is J. C.
F. Wright. He has been a continuous
resident of Amerlcus township for forty
two years. He has never moved but once,
and that was when he was married and
left the parental roof. During the forty -two
years he has lived here he has never
been out of the state. He has been within
five miles of the state line, but would
not. cross the line, not wishing to break
tfiat record. He neither smokes, chewe.,
drinks whisky nor swears, and pays his
debts promptly. He has only been mar
ried once, and never divorced. He Is not
a candidate for office, neither is this his
obituary notice, but the plain, unvarnished
truth. Trot out your man that can beat
this record "
Tho Hutchinson News reports a cast
which serves splendidly to illustrtte the
bounteous rewards poured by Kansas upon
her worthy citizens. Twenty -six years
ago Mr. James Gagnebin went to Reno
county a poor man. He got a small farm
and went to work. In the course of a
quarter of a century he has accumul ttcd
large bod'es of lands, much live stock and
other personal property, and a family of
thirteen children, all of whom are living.
Recently two or the children tame cr
age, and to e ich the father gave 1C) acre's
of land. Every dollar he has was made on
the farm. He Is a Frenchman, who came
to this country with no other pospssion
than a stout heart and habits of injustry.
Vary ing opinions of the fair sex found in
tiie Philippines have been expressed by tho
Kansas boys at Manila. Some sp"ak of
the Islanders as being almost intolerably
homely, others declare that they are pas
sable, but not captivating, and still
others describe them in terms of rh ip
sody. As a fair average, we quote below
a letter written bv Sergeant Will Shaffer
to his chum In Abilene. "Sty. Grant, you
ought to be here and see these Philippine
girls. I tell you they- are beautlos. and
that is not the best of It, either; they
know how to dress to show off their
beauty, too It takes one and a halt yards
for their Sunday clothes, and for their
week-day- ones it takes just an even one
and five-sixteenths yards less than that.
It is hardly probable that any of us boys
will escape their charms, and it is extremely-
likely that wo will all have been
married before we return home."
Arc llaelielorfi Happy?
From the New York Sun
There was a debate at tho Y. M. C. A. of
Detroit the other day- on the following
proposition. "That a married man Is hap
pier than a single man." and, strange to
say, bachelors won. After the subject had
been discussed in all its bearings for sev
eral hours, tho secretary- called for the af
firmative vote. Onlv a few hands were
rai-ed. In an account of the proceedings
we read how one meek-looking man
glanced timidly- toward the door. He
started to raise his ham but his environ
ment gave him courage to resist. When the
call came for the negative vote his hand
shot up above his head for an instant, and
then came quickly- down. The negative had
a large majority- of the votes. It is to be
noted that there were no women present
as observers Those who participated were
free to speak and act according to their
convictions, none daring to make them
afraid. It Is a pity that no Indications are
given as to what proportion of the married
men in the organiz ition showed by their
votes that they were happy. On the other
hand, we have no details as to the number
of bachelors who voted that the life of a
bachelor is not a happy one.
In one respect the bachelor, looked at
from a theoretical point of view, is a
happy man he can llvo In the anticipa
tion of a happy state of marriage at a
future time. In this way he mav be said
to enjov both the present and the future.
Certainly- no bachelor would willingly ad
mit that he intended to remain in the state
of single blessedness all his life. There are
few. Indeed, who take the view of Shake
speard's character. "When I said that I
would die a bachelor. I did not think that
I should live "till I were married.'' Some
times and! somehow the bachelor believes
that he will yield to his fate with the
greatest good grace In the world.
"I am a bachelor from choice," said a
bachelor once. "Whoso choice?' was the
triumphant and unanswerable retort. This
element must not be overlooked. There
aro many men who are accused of pelfish
ness by their friends who would have
taken the plunge long ago were It not be
cause of some circumstance over which
thev havo no control. There is nothing
essentially engaging about the solitary life
of ho average bachelor. Nobody- knows
this better than he does himself. But ho
cannot afford to wear his heart upon his
sleeve. He must encourage his companions
in misery. So he pretend" to be wedded to
his ideas of personal lilertv and all that.
He Is greatly" encouraged In this artful pre
tense by the expressed opinions of some
married men. As for the really Inveterate
bachelors It can onjy be said of them that
no man is sure of escaping matrimony un
til he is dead. And cv en then an unexpect
ed w Idow may- arise to claim his goods and
chattels
A Voice From Missouri.
rrom the Ncta ork Tress
To the Editor. When the "greenbacks"
were issued by Mr. Chase it was done for
the needs of the government. The Issue
of redeemable bills of credit bv the gov
ernment for the needs of individuals Is as
different an exercise of power from that
as it is different from any- other power del
egated by the constitution. The first was
borrowing money on the credit of tho
United States for carrying on a war. for
raising and maintaining an army and navy.
No citizen can object to an issue of cer
tificates of indebtedness in some form,
though I do not believe that fitting them
for circulation as monev is a power to be
found in the constitution. That is, the
makers of the constitution did not In
tend it.
For a stronger reason can tho power to
use the public credit primarily to supply
individuals with a medium of exchange not
be found in the constitution. Thoss wno
ask for the use of the public credit to sup
ply their want of money might just as
well ask that a government ambulance,
driver and mules, be sent to take them to
church eveiy Sundav- on the ground that
there is no livery stable in town and thcy
have no private carriage.
But does one of those who wish to use
the public credit know the principles of
the science of money? I have never met
anyone or heard of anyone who knew
them.
There w s a congress of financiers- called
in Omaha. last fall, and of those who took
part not one person knew the principles of
the science of money ' Suppose at a med
ical congress not one doctor knew the prin
ciples of physiology, could any useful re
sults ccme of the congress?
GEORGE WILSON.
President Lafay ette County Bank. Lexing
ton, Mo , Dec. 3.
Our correspondent is rather sweeping as
to the ignorance of others, but Ills own
knowledge Is entertained w ith unusual ex
actness and expressed with exceptional
force. Ed. Press.
The. Bad Money Democratic Record.
From the Chicago Tribune.
The New York World makes the follow
ing remarks
"The Chicago Tribune erroneously savs
that the New York World gives a history
of 'cheap money,' from which It appears
that ever since the civil war the Democrat
ic party has been uniformly the champion
of the 'cheap' article." The World did not
mention the political support which any
form of the cl eap monev craze commanded.
As a matter of history the most mischiev
ous of all the assaults upon sound money
the Sherman silver purchase and treasury
note inflation act was passed exclusively
by- Republican xotes and signed by a Re
publican president."
It is true, as stated by the World, that
the silver purchase act of ISM was passed
exclusively by Republican -votes, the Dem
ocrats in the house and senate voting
against it. because most of them wanted a
free coinage law, which would have
brought tho country- to tho sfier standard
at once. FOrtbermore, the act of ISM was
a bad law-, though, as a rule, the men who
voted for It did not think so. They believed
that it would do no harm, on account of
the insertion of the declaration that it was
the policy of the government to maintain
the gold and silver money upon a parlty
wlth each other.
But the fact that In 10 Republicans vot
ed for a. bad law Instead of the worse law
the Democrats wished to see enacted docs
not make the proposition of tho Tribune
that ever since the civil war the Democrat
ic party has been unlformily the champion
of rotten money any- the less true. During
the war the copperheads did what thy
could to depfeciate the greenbacks. The
Hro- in the rear kept up by two millions of
them, who wuntcd to seo the South win.
and the Union dissolved, did much to less
en the purchasing power of the legal ten
der notes.
After denouncing the greenbacks the
Democrats changed front and demanded
that more of th( m should be Issued thus
depreciating their value still more and
making their future gold redemption im
lKssible for the purpose of paying off al
the holders of government obligations. The
Democrats wanted an Inflated, irredeem
able, shinpl later currency, ard were much
distressed because they could not(get It.
Naturally the Democratic party went in
for free coin ige when It saw how much
the currency would be debased by the open
ing of the mints to silver at the ratio of
Ifi to 1. It would have preferred irredeem
able sciip Failing to get that It strove to
get cheap silver dollars. It wantd a frtQ
coinage act in 1STS instead of a silver pur
chase act. Eight years ago twenty -seven
Democratic senators voted for free coin
age and three against it. In the house 13
Democrats, voted for It and twenty-two
against it. Tho bad money record of tho
Democrat'e party Ins been uniformly bad
for more than thirty- years.
Spain) Silver Lining.
Fron the ( hicago News
Now that accounts havo been definitely
closed up and Spain is able to take an In
ventory, a large strain of optimism appears
In her view of the situation so far as that
view- can bo judged from the individual ex
pressions that have been heard.
Tho Immediate result of the war will, of
course, be to relievo the strain on Spain's
finances. For three years, Cuba had been a
frightful drain now stopped, thanks to the
Intervention of this country. Her paste
board navy will no longer figure In the
budgets. Moreover, she h.is the advantage
of bedrock conditions on which to base nsr
estimates and the $20,000 0"0 from Uncle Sam
will till up a big sized gap.
The kingdom's position at this time 13
actuallv- better than it was In April last
before the beginning of hostilities with the
United States. At that time It had the
Cuban insurrection on Its hands, which was
rapidly spelling bankruptcy. It had beei
abundantly proved that Spain was without
tho power to restore peace in the island.
The utmost that she could do- was to main
tain a status quo which was eating tho
heart out of her treasury. That in tho
country's then crippled financial condition
it still found the money- with which to
prosecute the war shows that it is by no
means without resources.
The kingdom is fairly productive. With
peace at home and wise management two
rather debatable "ifs" its finances can te
strengthened ard put In order and a better
day- may dawn from the signing of the
peace treaty.
Iowa, in the Van.
From the Chicago Times Herald.
"The standard of value In the United
States Is hereby declared to be. and i.
the standard gold dollar of 23 S grains of
standard gold, 503 fine."
These words occur in the very first bill
that was introduced at the opening of the
pressent session of congress. Never did a
session begin with a better omen, and its
significance is increased by the fact that
the sponsor for the measure is a represen
tative of the West Cousins, of Iowa.
Nothing could be more hopeful for the
cause, of sound money, 'nothing more dis
couraging for the advocates of the 1C to 1
heresy. The promptness with which the
bill was brought forward was both an
inspiration and a rebuke. It gives an im
mediate rallying cry to aggressive hon
esty and confuses the calculations of nerve
less trimmers.
And that is a business in which Iowa has
been much engaged of late. Standing on
the confines of the great agricultural and
mining region, which Mr. Bryan mistak
enly claims for his very- own. she has given
the He to all that gentleman's predictions.
She has plied up majorities ngainst silver
In sheer delight and held joyous wakes over
the remains. Now she does not wait upon
the East, but takes the Initiative in sum
moning the country to action. Let it honor
Itself by following her lead.
Value and Price.
From the New Xork Sun
The confusion of "value" with "price"
which prevails in so many minds, leads
a correspondent to ask: "If all the na
tions should close their mints to gold, as
tbey have to silver, and gold was not a
legal tender, would gold still be worth $20 67
per ounce? ' If gold ceased to be coined,
its value would, of course, cease to be reck
oned In dollars and cents. People would
give and take It by tho ounce, but each
ounce would have the same purchasing
power that it had before. Its ceasing to
be a legal tender for debts would not af
fect Its value in the least, though debtors
might bo Inconvenienced in settling with
their creditors for want of the coin they
agreed to deliver.
A Soliller-Stntennian'd l'ralae.
Fron the Chinco Tribune.
"Fighting Joe" Wheeler pronounces Pres
ident McKinJey's message "a clear and
comprehensive resume of events which
transpired during an eventful period of our
country's history." and predicts "It will bo
referred to as one of the noted state pa
pers." nis opinion is worth more than that
of all the McMllIIns. the Blands and the
Joneses In both branches of congress put
together.
Xo Sxnpnt1iy for tlie I nfiirtannte
Fro-n the New York Sun
Our misguided Missouri contemporary,
the Lexington News, 'without saying
aught against the Hon. W. J. Bryan, but
to express its indivlduil preference. Is for
that little eighty -pound fellow. General Joe
Wheeler; for president In 1-j0." This Is a
line way to treat a case of lockjaw.
DoIriK Iluslnemi at the Old Stand.
From the St Louis Globe Democrat.
Only eighteen Democrats out of 104 mem
bers of congrcs were elected in Illinois,
Ohio, Indian l, Iowa. Michigan, Minnesota,
Wisconsin and Kansas. Tho steady Re
publicanism of the Central states Is as no
table as ever.
I'oasllillltl-s of the Open Door.
Fron the Philadelphia rres3
Tho Philippines may- be an "open door"
in more ways than one. They may be the
"opn door" throagh which the Nicaragua
canal scheme will enter to a realization or
tho hope for a shorter route to the far
East.
A Pnlr of DlstlHKiililied Loss AVinncrs.
From the New York Tress
That recently defeated pugilist and Col
onel Bryan ought to form an all-star
combination. They both figure the same
way come out of every losing contest wear
ing the smile of victory.
Rut the Old Lady Will Cntch It.
From th Chicago News
A Missouri man was lined $.7) for beat
ing his mule and $2 for beating his wife.
That man will now know better than beat
a mule In Missouri.
Irlnlily SpenUlng.
From the Indianapolis Journal
"She Is rather wan-fared, think you not?"
"Bedad, she is two-faced."
BLESSED ARE THEY TH VT M0UB5.
O ,m not that earth's crownlnE hliaa
fa found in joy alone.
For sorror. bitter though It he.
Hath blcMinra all its own.
From lips dlilne. like healing balm
Tu bearcs ocpreaea- aai torn.
The hraTenlj- consolation feit
Slnwd are ther that mourn.
Who neter mourn'it hath nvcr knows
What treasures grief reveals.
Ti ajmpathiet that humanize.
The tendernesi that heals.
The power to look withla th veil.
Ant learn the heavenly fore,
Th key wont to life's mysteries.
So ear to as before.
Supernal wisfiom. fote Jltice.
n-eathed thro' the lips which said.
" CI blessed arc the souls that mourn.
They shall be comforted "
William Henry Burleigh.
MY LIY.
My Lad's cheek Is soft and red.
Jty Lady hold her gra-eful heal
On high.
And why
S!-- knows not yet of care rr woe.
lw only lives to bud an I blow
Vfy foolish La Jjr Jacqueminot,
My Lady's cheek's less soft and red.
lly Lady's bowed her weary head
And why
She's nlKb.
A heart that once was Hgrt as now.
Hut hearts and Cowers die you know.
When broken. La ly Jacqueminot.
In lerendent-
DUnniBER.
Dull sky above, dead leaves below.
And hungrr wlads that whining go.
Like faithful hound upon the track
Of one beloved that comes not back.
John D. Tabb.
OF CI RRET rTKREST.
The latest thing in the way of materiat
for the up-to-date umbrella Is not fragile
silk that wets through readily, but a new
kind of cloth that Is able to withstand tho
onslaught of a deluge, and Is not liable to
rip and tear at the first gust or wind. The
ribs. too. or the ultra fashionable raln
shedder are distinctly new in form. In
stead of the old-fashioned kind that branch
out straight from the pole the new ribs
are curved and braced with exquisite taste
and skill, and add wonderfully to the
strength of the umbrella. But the point
about the new- article is the readiness with
which it can be doed. When one Is walk
ing along a crowded street and comes to
an opening too small to permit comfortably
of the passage of the umbrella, as Is often
the case, a slight touch of a tiny knob
releases a spring, and the affair Is closed
instantly, while still being held upright."
Experiments to reproduce dead men's
features from their skulls are being made
In Germany. The method pursued Is that
proposed by the late Professor His of Leip
zig to reconstruct the face of John Sebas
tian Bach. At the University of Graz tho
skulls of criminals who have been executed
aro used. Casts of these wdl be taken In
plaster and given to different persons to
treat according to the rules laid down.
The results will then be compared with
one another and with photographs of the
original owners of the skulls, taken either
before or after death. Should they prove
at all successful In obtaining a resemblance
there is likely to be a painful rummaging
among the bones of the great men of the
past.
The fire department of New York has
just tested with successful results the use
of rubber tires for the heaviest flre en
gines. Hose carts have for a considerable
timo been using this new convenience, but
the proposal to equip the large engines
with It was looked upon with grave doubt.
A five-ton "steamer" was at last experi
mented with, and at the first alarm there
after it glided to the scene of the firs as
smoothly as a bicycle. The officials of the
department are highly pleased with the
results of the test, and a general equipment
of rubber tires will probably result In a
brief time.
A school has- been adjudged to be a nui
sance by Mr. Justice Romer, of the English,
chancery court. A schoolmaster took a
house at Tunbrldge Wells on the assurance
that there was nothing to prevent Its being
used as a school. He afterward discovered
in his lease a covenant that no trade or
business should be carried on in the house
which would cause any noise Injurious or
disturbing to the neighbors, and asked to
be released. Justice Romer rejected the re
scinding of the lease, as there was no doubt
that an action against the school as a
nuisance would succeed.
At tho swell dog show In New York re
cently, the fashionable owners stationed
themselves all day beside their pets. In
which way they not only showed the ani
mals off to the xery best advantage, but
were able to draw extra notice to them.
It became the habit to'call upon the dogs.
Small card receivers were as much the reg
ulation appointments of the benches as
the drinking dish, each visitor, as soon as
she came up, depositing two cards, one
for the doe and one for its mistress. AH
agreed that the new fashion was a howl
ing success.
Aluminum bronze, which Is likely to come
more and more Into use. Is an alloy com
posed In Germany of SO to 93 per cent of
aluminum and 3 to 10 per cent of copper,
of golden color, which keeps well In the
air. without soon becoming dull and chang
ing the color. It can be cast excellently,
can be filed well and turned, possesses an
extraordinary hardness and firmness, at
tains a high degree of polish, and U malle
able and forgeablc.
"Cyrano de Bergerac." at the Iliith per
formance at the Porte Saint-Martin thea
ter, broke all records for Paris theater re
ceipts, having brought in 2,000,000 francs.
For the same length of time "Michael
StrogoiT" In 1SS0-S1 drew- 1,0IS,0G6 francs to
the Chatalet. while "Round the World in
Eighty- Days" at the Porte Saint-Martin
in 1J74-73 brought in 1,626,300 francs.
Japan with a population of 43,000.000 has
220 towns that have more than lOO.OOO In
habitants. In 1SS6 the number of sucr
towns was 117. Osaka has increased from
S.t" to ElO.OiO inhabitants In ten years.
Yokohama rrom S9.000 to 1SO.0OO. Kobe from
W.OOO to 1S3.O0O. Toklo has now a populi
tion of 1,300.000.
Hero Is a seasonable song which was
hummed by- an Atlanta darky the other
day:
1 shake en shiver.
Kaze I got no klver;
But 1 pray de Lawd be good.
I don't want coal
Fer my frcezln soul,
rut 111 compermlse on wood!
Commodore "Jack" Philip, who was cap
tain of tho battleship Texas during the
war with Spain, has ben elected a. member
or the Young Men's Christian Association
International committee and chairman of
the sub-committee in chargo of tho asso
ciation's work in the navy.
Joseph Jefferson does not like to be con
sidered an invalid. To a resident of Old
Point Comrort. who Said to him: ".Oh.
and did you come here to get well?" he re
plied, tho other day. "I threw up my
theatrical engagements, madam, merely
for the pleasure of seeing you."
Senator Gallinger calculates that the
inctnn4 nn iirpnunt of the latest war will
.amount to between $13.0f.0CiO and $20,000.-
IajO in tno very near tuiurt-. naiiinger if
at the head or tne pensions cumnuuec. unu
Is an expert on the subject.
The Literary- World has this old para
graph: "It has ceased to be fashionable
for poets to wear long hair." But Frank
Stanton takes a different view of It, thus:
"No; that isn't it. Some of them now
make enough to have It cut."
The last two years have served to turn
-very gray the hair of Hugh J. Grant, cx
mayor of New York. "It Is the result or
leaving politics," he says.
J
m