Indianapolis Journal, Volume 52, Number 336, Indianapolis, Marion County, 2 December 1902 — Page 4

TIIE INDIANAPOLIS JOURNAL, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1DÖ2.

THE DAILY JOURNAL TUESDAY. DECEMBER 2, 1902.

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Persons sending the Journal throuKh the malls In the United State hould put on an eUht-pare or a tw-lve-paee paper a l-cent stamp: on a sixteen, twenty or twenty-four-page papr. a 2-cent tamp. Foreign postage Is usually double these f 3 1 f?" All communications Intended for publication In this paper must. In order to receive attention be accompanied by the name and address of the writer. M , Rejected manuscripts will not be returned unless jstage is Inclosed for that purpose. Entered as econd-class matter at Indianapolis, Ind., postotflce. THE' INDIANAPOLIS JOURNAL. Can be found at the following places: NEW YORK Astor House. CHICAGO-ralmer House-, P. O. News Co.. 217 Dearborn street; Auditorium Annex Hotel, Dearborn Station Newa Stand. CINCINNATI-J. IL Hawrey & Co., Arcade. LOUISVILLE C. T. Deerlne, northwest corner of Third and JeCerson streets: Louisville Rook Co.. 14 Fourth avenue, and Elaufeld Eros.. 4i2 West Market street. ST. LOUIS Union News Company, Union Depot, "WASHINGTON. T. C ItlprKS House, Ebbett House, Fairfax Hotel. Willard Hotel. DENVER. COL. Louthain & Jackson. Fifteenth and Lawrence streets. DAYTON, O.-J. treet. V. Wllkle, S3 Fouth Jefferson COLUMUUS, O. Viaduct News Stand, 34 High street. The Lincoln Assassination. The Journal of Sunday, Dec. 7, will contain the first installment of a hitherto unprinted narrative of the. cor.sriracy that culminated In the assaralnatton of President Abraham Lincoln by J. Wilkes Booth. 8amuel Bland Arnold, one of the convicted conspirators, died recently In Maryland, leaving this history of the plot to kidnap Mr. Lincoln, which culminated In his death. It deals with the formation of the plot, the arrest of the conspirators, the execution of some and the Imprisonment of others at the Dry Tortugas, with statements of alleged cruelties to which they were there subjected. The narrative will begin in the Sunday Journal and will be continued from day to day until completed, which will be Dec. 20. If any class of men shielded by the civilservice rules are endowed with a particle of saving sense, they will not organize to defeat the re-election of members of Congress. The expression of leading Republican senators in Washington is unanimous in favor of some legislation to strengthen the anti-trust la-s to regulate commerce, not to destroy It. A Republican plurality of 42,000 in a total vote of 287,000 in Kansasjshows what prosperity can do for Republicanism, while the straight Topullst vote of 6X proves the downfall of the calamity howlers. Several weeks since the Chicago RecordHerald declared editorially that wages have not advanced in the same ratio as the prices of the necessaries of life. Since that time Its reporters have been gathering facts, and It was found that In Chicago, "with the added cost of living, wages on a general average have more than kept pace," and further, now that all the members of a family have employment, "the earnings which come into the family exchequer compensate many times for the enhanced cost of steaks or breadstuffs in the family larder." Thus do the facts of the reporter disprove the assumptions of the free-trade editorial writer. After more than seven years' service, first as warden of the Jeffersonville State prison and then as general superintendent of tho State Reformatory in that city, Mr. A. T. Ilert has retired by resignation. When Mr. Ilert became warden In 1S05 the State prison at Jeffersonville was a dilapidated institution and In a bad way financially because of the lack of system. Contractors were In arrears and the maintenance appropriation was nearly exhausted with four months of the fiscal year to be provided for. To-day the Reformatory is one of the best in the country. The State furnished the money, but Mr. Ilert's executive capacity Is to be credited for the direction of the great reform which has been accomplished. x For years Great Britain has been enjoying the cheapest sugar of any large consumer In the world because its people had the advantage of the bounty-sugars of Germany, France and Relgium. By pur chasing such sugars, however. Great Britain has ruined the cane-sugar Industries of her colonies In the West Indies, which can produce only 240,00) tons. The constant appeal cf the West Indies for protection against the bounty-sugars of Europe has Induced the British government to insist that bounties be dropped, adding the threat of putting an Import duty on bounty sugars equivalent to the bounty. Thus, for the rake of protecting a limited colonist Interest, Great Britain would deliberately increase the price of millions of tons of sugar which the British people consume. In other words. Great Britain would Increase the price of sugar to every British consumer to protect the interests of a few thousand people in the West Indies. There could not be u more perfect example of taxing millions of people in the interest of a few thousand. When the officers of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company appealed to the New York Aldermen for a franchise to connect the city and the railroad by a deep tunnel at immense cost they declared they would not pay a dollar to obtain iL This was virtual notice that the vote of no, alderman would be bought. The result was that, in spite of the demand of the people and the press that the franchise be granted, the Tammany members of the Board of Aldermen refused to vote to grant the franchise the Pennsylvania Company ask. It Is believed that finally public sentiment will compel the Tammany aldermen to vote the. franchise and lose the "consideration" which they are supposed to geL In thl3 matter the company acted wisely. It made Its f.ght on the merits of Its case, which It knew would stand public scrutiny. If It had purchased the Tammany alder -

men the transaction would lead the public

to believe that there is something wrong about It When a corporation has a measure that will bear daylight Investigation it is llKtly to be passed by the Legislature of which it Is asked, but the moment It Is noised about that a lobby has money with which to get votes the public assumes, and rightly, that the measure is indefensible. Such traffic in vofes always becomes known. 'summon condition of America WORK31EN. Tho representatives of British labor unions who have been Investigating American Industrial conditions have ended their Joint tour and will devote the next ten days to individual investigations of particular trades. They express themselves as being much Impressed by the completeness of all they have seen. As to the comparative condition of American and English wageearners one of them said at New York: Counting the extra outlay In rent and clothes for food and all else are cheaper the American workman Is 25 per cent, better off than the workman In England. On the whole he is far better cared for In respect of good sanitation, general comfort and better equipment than we are, and on the whole he lives as long or longer in harness thUn the English workman. This "too old at fifty" principle does not prevail among the workmen wherever It may be found. We speak from observation. Here pauperism or penury In old age Is almost unknown. The records of the English workhouses speak for themselves. This touches on an Interesting point and one that has been much discussed. The advocates of protection have always contended that as one result of the high wages it insured American workingmen are much better off than those of any other country. On the other hand, the advocates of free trade have maintained that the increased cost of living In this country caused by protection more than counterbalanced the higher wages, and that notwithstanding the lower wages of British workmen they were really better off than those of this country. The British workman above quoted does not think so. He says that everything is cheaper In this country than In England except rent and clothes, and even counting the extra outlay for these the American workman Is 25 per cent, better off than the workman in England. He did not make any comparison between the dress and the homes of American and English workmen, but It is well known that the families of American workmen dress much better and live in better houses than those of English workmen do. One reason why the American workman spends more for clothes and rent than the English workman does Is because his family wears better clothes and lives In a better house than the English workman's family does. Yet, notwithstanding the American Increased expenditure on these items, our British visitor says he is 23 per cent, better off than the English workman. The other part of his statement is equally Interesting. He says that in respect of good sanitation and general comfort the American workman "Is far better cared for than we are," that he holds out as long if not longer and is better off In his old age. "Here pauperism in old age is almost unknown," he says, while "the records of the English workhouses speak for themselves." What those records are we do not know, but the speaker implied that they would show a great deal of pauperIsm among aged English workmen There is something of that in this country, bu U is generally due to dissipation or thrlftlessness. Instances are rare that a steady, sober. Industrious American workman does not save enough during his years of active work to support him In old age. Many of them become contractors, manufacturers or employers of labor on their own account. As to arrangements for the health and comfort of workmen which are made by many American employers, such as lunchrooms, clubrooms, gymnasiums, bathrooms, etc., nothing of the kind is done in England. In this connection our British visitor might have mentioned the fact, if he had known it, that some of the largest railroad systems in the United States pension their employes at the age of seventy years If they have been ten years in the com pany's service, and within a few days it has been announced that the Union Pacific Railroad Company Is about to adopt this rule. There has been no better witness to the superior condition of American workmen than this representative of a British trades union. ' CHANGE IX PUBLIC OPINION. The World's Work, In its monthly article entitled "The March of Events," calls attention to "the noteworthy changes of public thought" In regard to trusts, from which the following extract is taken: But there has been an enormous gain during the year from the popular discussion of trusts and trade. Public opinion has asserted Its growing determination to protect the public interest, but it has asserted this determination less In a wish to make indiscriminate attacks on trusts than to deal with them in a Just and conservative way. The trust-smasher is less In evidence, and the trust-regulator is more. The literature of the subject that has most commended itself is such treatises as the President's more conservative speeches, the attorney general's address at Pittsburg. Irof. James B. Clark's little book on the regulation of. trusts, and other such arguments and appeals for the strengthening of conservative laws against monopoly and in the encouragement of publicity and for permitting the common law to work its restraining and regulating intluence according to the great principles that it embodies. The foregoing is not quoted because It Is an original discovery of the writer, but because it expresses the conclusion at which the public generally has arrived. Sensible people are no longer frightened at the word trust. They have discovered that large combinations of manufacturing industries can do no harm unless they undertake to create a monopoly, in which event they Invoke their own destruction by Inciting a sharp competition. Two years ago the steel trust was a bugaboo used by demagogues, and considerable anxiety was created. It has been discovered that the steel trust has not attempted to create a monopoly, but. so far from that, It has used its influence at times to keep down prices, while Its liberality to employes has been most remarkable. Trusts which have attempted to create monopolies have gone to pieces for the most rart. The overshadow ing combinations like the beef trust and the Standard Oil Company have been nurtured by railroad rebates, which are now practically abolished. During the last campaign the orators who denounced all trusts as robbers of the people spoke to small audiences, while the tens of thousands of campaign tracts depicting the evils of the trust were not read, or, if they were, produced no effect. The cartoonist has contributed his mite to create a hostility to all combinations by making it appear that all things above, on and In the earth are controlled by trusts, but in vain. Practical people have come to the conclusion that

no trust, -unless It attempts monopoly, Is harmful. As Rev. Washington Gladden pointed out three years ago, the alarming feature regarding trusts is their attempt to create wealth by issuing millions of dollars' worth of stock which represents no value except the cost of printing and issuing the certificates; but in this direction the greed of promoters in Issuing so much watered stock has mitigated the evil of overcapitalization. To-day the practical Judgment of the country is that publicity by the publication of reports which will show the amount of watered stock and the business that all corporations are doing Is the most effective remedy, unless it Is possible to strengthen the Sherman anti-trust law. Indiana's charities will doubtless be provided for by the Legislature In the spirit of intelligent conservatism. The purpose of the rigid investigation which has been instituted by the Governor and the committee of the Legislature is not to ascertain where the process of pinching can be applied, but to learn the actual needs of all the Institutions and to make as full provision to meet those needs as is possible. Fortunately, those officials who are making the investigation are practical business

men with progressive ideas. At the same time they are not enthusiasts, and" will not be carried away by that class. They will not act upon the declaration of one of the speakers at the Charity Organization meetIng, Sunday night, that "the question of money is absolutely not to be considered," and that "the tax rate should not be taken Into consideration." If this advice should be taken by the Legislature the appropriations to carry out the projects of those who are the champions of new institutions and the broadening of those now existing would exceed $2,000,000. Those who make such statements are not acquainted with the semi-annual calls of county treasurers as are the tens of thousands of farmers and householders In cities. While it is probable that the Legislature will be Intelligently liberal, it will take the tax rate Into consideration. Furthermore, when an appropriation is made for one purpose, the ambitious superintendent will not be allowed to convert it to some fad of his own conception entirely foreign to that for which the Legislature voted the money. Officials who arrogate to themselves the functions of the Legislature and borrow money to carry out extravagant plans cf their own will find many difficulties. The question of money will be considered by the Legislature and the expenditure of the money voted will be confined to the strict reading of the act of appropriation. v natever eise the I'resiaent a message may contain, it will doubtless carry an in dorsement or secretary Moody s recom mendation for an increase in the number of officers of the navy. It Is seldom that a public official makes so urgent a recommendatlon regarding a matter of public policy. The secretary says: The most Imperative need of the navy today is of additional officers. I cannot overstate this need. It invites the Instant atten tion of Congress. The administration of the department Is embarrassed almost dally by the lack of officers below command rank. This condition has been approaching for some years, and It was clearly apprehended and stated by my predecessor In office. It Is acute to-day, and, when the ships al ready authorized are completed, it will be desperate unless there is early action. The report containing this strong lan guage was addressed to the President, who is himself thoroughly conversant with the needs of the navy, and who will doubtless add his own urgent recommendation to that of the secretary. It needs no argument to convince the country that to make an efficient navy a full complement of trained officers is as necessary as ships. The efficient naval officer of to-day must know a great deal more than the one of half a century ago, and the knowledge is of a kind that can only be acquired by a regular course of study. Tie secretary estimates that, including the deficiency of officers on old ships and those needed for new ships and to fill vacancies, there Is rresslng need for one thousand additional officers. He therefore recommends that .the number of midshipmen at Annapolis be Increased sufficiently to meet present and prospective needs of the service. As the President will undoubtedly approve the recommendation, there is little doubt but Congress will act upon IL Fishers for Seat. lnree woricmen ran oreatniess to eaten a street earTo catch a street car as the sun went down. Each thought of the woman who waited afar And the beef-trust steak that was cook ing brown. For men must eat and women must cook. And there's little to balance the grocery book. Though the motor-car be moaning. Three women got In at a downtown, street. At a downtown street when the car was ajam; They had bundles and boxes and wanted a seat And the workmen together said: "My seat, ma'am!" For men must stand and women must sit. Though the labor be hard and the body unfit. And the motor-car be moaning. THE HUMORISTS. Curious Creature. Town Topics. Khe Daisy Cuttysark Is exceedingly proud of her feet and ankles. He Is there any reason for her stopping there? Still Worse. Philadelphia Tress. "I was shocked to remark your husband out gunninc on the Sabbath," said the Rev. Mr. Stratelace. "You would haws been still more shocked," re plied the offender's wife, "if you had heard his remarks about his luck." The Jay lllrd. New York Fun. The Sparrow had Just admitted having killed Cock Robin with his bow and arrow. "What a fool!" exclaimed the other birds. "Why didn't he engage a criminal lawyer and set up an alitl-insanity-sulclde plea?" Jeering his stupidity, they unanimously agreed he was a jay. Woman and Time. She stood before the mirror, And touched up here and there; He waited In the parlor, She didn't seem to care; Yet In her heart she loved him. Although she did him wrongTo woman time 1 nothing. Hut art Is very long. S. E. Kl5er. A Sure Sign. Washington Star. "So you regard Shakspeare as a sure evidence of prosperity?" . "Certainly," answered the popular society star.

"If I war to put on ßhakspeare it would be a

sure sign that my manager had a lank roll." So Like a Bargain. Brooklyn Life. "I thought khe refused him some time aso be cause he was so fat?" "Well, she did; but since then he has been re duced from 200 to 1SS." .Not to He Salted. Cleveland Fliln Dealer. "Isn't that bread as good as your mother made, George?" "As good? Well. I should say not." "But It was made from your mother's recipe." "The recipe? That's a small part of It. It's all In the mixing." "Well, your mother mixed it, too." Eh!" "That's right. She sent me half a dozen loaves by express, and this Is one of them." "That's it. That's the trouble. Mother's bread Is no good unless you eat it right out of the oven." CARNEGIE'S PECULIARITIES. One of Them Is an Unusually Intense Horror of Death. New York American. "Few men would accept Andrew Carnegie's horror of death with all his millions." In these words James II. Bridge, formerly secretary to Mr. Carnegie, describes what he asserts is one of the famous millionaire's most striking characteristics in his declining years. 'Mr. Carnegie's horror of death," says Mr. Bridge, "is literally unspeakable, for he never allows It mentioned by any of his own circle. If others speak of it he quickly moves out of earshoL Just before his moth er died he called a friend to his own sickbed and said: 'When mother goes I don't want to be. told about it. You attend to everything.' And to this day he does not know how or when she died, although he was within a dozen feet of her at the time. "It was the same a few days before, when his brother Tom died. To break the news gently I told him that Tom was ill with pneumonia. 'Then he'll never get over it,' he replied, and turned his face to the wan. There was no need to tell him anything more, and he never asked." Many other Idiosyncrasies of the steel king are revealed by Mr. Bridge, who was with him for many years. But pernaps me most striking of these is his vanity. Mr. Carnegie's vanity," says Mr. Bridge, "is his greatest weakness. It has been carefully nurtured and cultivated until it has grown into the most impressive thing about him. The love of himself, the ronaness ior his own name, the desire to see it In five thousand cities on five thousand imposing facades and to think of It as thus conspicuous throughout all succeeding ages this Is the underlying motive of the Carnegie generosity. "And it is barely possible that Carnegie himself would so admit it. At any rate he never made a gift without provision for such public and perpetual recognition of his benevolence." Mr. Bridge expresses the belief that many of Mr. Carnegie's views are directly trace able to his small stature. In height he is only live feet four Inches. Thi3 slight physique, by debarring him from rough sports of youth, has given a peculiar twist to many of his ideals. He dreads pain and turns, pale at the sight of a drop of blood. The manly at tributes, especially glorified by the Scotch race, lie holds in contempt. With him muscular strength Is brutal, physical courage a relic of barbarism and masculine beauty a sign of intellectual debility. According to Mr. Bridge, the aged Pitts burg millionaire Is truly harassed by the responsibility attending the proper disposi tion or a fortune which Is Increasing at the rate of over 50 cents a second. $33 a minute. J1.SO0 an hour, $43.200 a day, $302,400 a week and $1.296,000 a month. His sole motive in life, according to Mr. Bridge, now appears to be the exaltation of his name and a postponement of the hour when death shall separate him from the millions which accumulate faster than he can distribute them among the charities tnat he affects. "But he may live a good many years yet," Mr. Bridge adds. "Although he is now nearly seventy years old his mother used to give his birth year as 1535, not 1837, as he himself does his regular life and careful haKta have kept him young, and ne is sun run or vigor. The common belief in the hvelenie effect of association with young people, especially wun a young wire, has been verified in his case. TO MOVE A TOWN. Denton Will He Floated Three Miles Down a River. Kansas City Star. The village of Benton, Neb., has decided to move. This does not mean the inhabitants alone. The buildings, houses and stores, besides all the personal effects, will float down the Tlatte river for three miles to a location which the village prefers to its present one. Nothing will be left behind except the natural scenery which was there when the village was built. "If the railroad will not come to me, then I will got to the railroad." Such is the paraphrase of the story of Mohammed and the mountain as given by the village of Benton. Benton has waited long for the mountain to come to it, and now it is forced to go to the mountain. The decision to move came with the announcement of the Union Pacific railroad that a new town, Darr, would be established at the point where the line crossed the liatte river. This is three miles down stream from the present group of houses called Benton. The railroad added to its announcement that the construction of a large elevator and mill would be Immediately started at Darr. When an agent of the Union Pacific pre sented the matter in the right light, the citizens of Benton saw that they were liv ing in the wrong place, and they decided to move and be in on the ground floor of the new town. According to the residents of the place. It will be cheaper to move the town than to buy lumber and build new houses. The houses, which are all frame and well built, will be raised from their foundations and wheekd down to the river, where they will be placed on a large natboat, which has served for years as a ferry. This under taking will be postponed until a spring freshet makes the stream as deep as pos sible. Benton was built on its present site many years ago, with the expectation that when the railroad came that way it would pass through the town, finally, when the rail road did come, it was found impracticable to go nearer than three miles of Benton. As a compensation, the officials of the Union Pacific road offered inducements to the people of Benton to move to the town. This proposition was accepted. The new town is in the center or a ncn agricultural country, wmcn win draw on territory for miles around, lhe Platte valley at that point is nine miles wide to the north and stiven miles wiae to ine soum. The citizens of Benton are expressing a desire that a compromise be made on the name of the new town, and suggest that It be called Darben. About a dozen houses will be moved down the river by means of the raft. A Good Law. New York Evening Post. By an excellent provision in the laws of Indiana a sheriff who allows a prisoner placed In his custody to be lynched forfeits his office. Governor Durbin has acted promptly in the case of Sheriff Dudley, of Sullivan county, who permitted, if he did not connive at, the lynching of a negro last Thursday, and has notified him that he must turn nis office over to the county coroner. The sheriff may, however, be reinstated if he proves that he was really powerless to prevent the outrage. Meanwhile his friends claim that the delay In sending troops was the real cause of the disgrace. The Indianapolis Journal in commenting on the affair says that It had "all the features of a flagrant violation of the law," and adds that there "was no doubt of the prisoner's speedy trial, conviction and punUhment." By the Indiana law of 1901 assisting at a lynching is murder and merely looking- on is a crime punishable by not less than two or more than twentyone years' imprisonment. The power and duty to prosecute were taken out of the hands of the local law officers and placed in those of the State's attorney general. The latter Is expected to act at once In this case, which Is the first under the new law. If Indiana can make examples of a dozen of these murderers it will perform a great service for the entire Union and its course in the matter will attract national attention.

THE ARMY CANTEEN.

A Question of Paramount Importance to the Army's "Welfare. Pittsburg Chronicle-Telegraph. The army canteen question has resolved itself into this: Whether it is better to allow the sale of beer within government reservations, under careful restrictions, or to forbid Its sale therein and permit the soldiers to go outside and drink all sorts of liquors sold by unscrupulous and Irresponsible persons and to fall Into other temptations. The canteenless system has been tried, in response to the request of persons whose good intentions cannot be doubted. The new law received the approbation of General Miles himself In hi? annual report a year ago. This year he does not mention it Other officers, however, are not silent. The operation of the system has been under careful scrutiny and the reports of supervising officials give much attention to the effect. Without any intention of influencing pub lic opinion upon the subject, but with the sole object of ascertaining the facts, statistics have been collected and commented upon. Since the closing of the post exchange canteens., from 2X) to 300 saloons have been opened in the vicinity of army posts. A majority of the posts show an increase in drunkenness and of courts-martial? therefor. Desertions have increased in number. Discipline, morality and health of troops have deteriorated. In no single case has a post commander expressed an opinion that the effect of the abolition of the sale of beer In the army has resulted In Improved conditions. The inspector general of the Philippine islands speaks of the pernicious effect of native liquors and expresses the belief that it Is hardly probable In view of the information available that Congress will continue the prohibition of the canteen. whn It Is evident that the sale bf beer would be a precaution against the fatal and disastrous results of which he speaks. It is quite clear that the canteenless army post is not the glittering success that its advocates hoped it would be. Its tendency is to increase intemperance instead of to promote sobriety. PEOPLE DRINK LESS NOW. Rural Free Delivery System Uns Effected un Unexpected Reform. Minneapolis Journal. James L. Spink, one of the best-known traveling men of the Northwest, has just returned from a long trip through the country districts of Minnesota and reports the success of rural froe delivery along a line that can hardly have been anticipated by those instrumental In establishing the system. In one of the tewns where Mr. Spink sold goods he overheard a saloon keeper discussing rural delivery and advancing arguments why the plan should be done away with. The main point he made was mat it ruineo' business. "Why," said Mr. Saloon Keeper, "when men came into town every day for their man tn?y were sure to dron into my place while' they waited; everybody drank, every - oouy treated everybody else and It made trade lively. Now the farmers come into town but two or three times a week and more often but once, and the worst of it is they don't happen to come in together, for they only come In for groceries or some other supplies and no two men's supplies are apt to give out at exactly the same time, ints, you see, does away with the matter of treating and reduces trade tre mendously. It s ruining business, I tell you. Mr. Spink is an observing man. and the saloon keeper's point of view interested him. He took pains to inquire of the business men he traded with as to the correctness of the saloon keeper's judgment, finding to his surprise that it was generally conceded that rural free delivery has ma terially affected the liquor traffic in the small towns and gives promise of being a most effective means of Increasing tem perance among the farmers. "Lncle Sam s method of work and its effect, although they were not primarily intended, must give the temperance workers "pause when contrasted with those of the Carrie Nation ilk and the canteen howlers," waa the observation of the leading merchant of one of the largest of the towns visited. Genesis of the Tuber. Springfield Republican. A paragraph In a New York newspaper the other day began thus: "To how many that consume the unlovely potato every day does it occur that It had Its birth In Bogota, the storm center of many a South American revolution? Ye that Is what Capt. Thomas Candler, a cosmopolite, asserted at the Westminster yesterday." One might ask. why "the unlovely potato," seeing that it is really one of the best loved and most popular of all vegetables one might as well say the unlovely turnip or peanut. As to its origin, the encyclopedias tell us that It Is well known. They say that It was first brought Into Spain from Quito, which Is south of Colombia, but that the wild plant exists In a good many other places. They do not say that It was native to North as well' as South America, but that is the fact, and the Indians of the Atlantic coast cultivated it. A river in Nova Scotia, the Shubenacadle, preserves its memory, for the name is a corruption of the Algonquin word segeeben, the wild potato, and the word for "place." which is also corrupted to "quoddy," as in Passamnquoddy, and has suffered other changes, and gave itself to "Acadie," the Acadia of "Evangeline" and history. It is also native in the mountains of Colorado, whence came the Colorado beetle, the "potato bug," which finds the cultivated potato bo much to Its taste. These wild tuberous plants are all of the Solanum family and are regarded by many botanists as perhaps all varieties of the Solanum tuberosa. Where Cancellation Stamps Are Made Washington Chat. Perhaps few persons know that all of Uncle Sam's postoffice date stamps are made in a little shop at Lodge, Northum berland county, Virginia. Hon. Benjamin Chambers, an export machinist, has for a number of years had a contract with the government for this work. While the shop Ia small. It has almost every known appliance for the handling and cutting of metal and affords employment to a number of skilled workmen. Lists of the new stamps wanted are furnisncd by the government, and the work is sent to Washington complete, even to the polished wooden handles. As each stamp is a separate piece of work, all the type cutting Is done by hand. The base Is sent from the main shop to the cutter with a circular path of solid metal around the outer rim. In this rim the cutter deftly chisels out the name of the postoffice and State. This done, the stamps are put through a hardening process, that the type may stand the vigorous pounding of postoffice workers. The date letters and figures are cut on separate bars, and sets of dates sufficient to last many years are furnished with each stamp. Many of the city postofficcs require special stamps. These are made by the best cutters. Some of the most skillful type cutters in the country learned their trade in the Chambers shop. 3Irs. G mat's Memoirs. New York Times. The widow of General Grant Is said to have been writing her memoirs for fifty years, and there is an intimation that her book when published is expected to "open a controversy." A seemingly authoritative statement has been promulgated that the publication of the book will be deferred for that reason until after the writer's death. Such statements, of course, may only be shrewd devices to excite a public interest In the book. It is not easy to see how a controversy of any heat could be caused by tho publication of any memoirs Mrs. Grant may have written. Suerly the most grateful of republics could not have awarded greater honors to one of Its sons than were given to the hero of Appomattox In his lifetime, and after his death, while the mishaps of his life, political and otherwise, seem very unimportant now In comparison with the issues of the present hour. The memoirs of Mrs. Grant will doubtless be read, but nobody is likely to get excited about them. Her view of all her husband's career, as a good wife's should be, will of course be entirely favorable to him. But who can possibly object to that? Some Gigantic Ilets. London Tattler. There have been some tremendous wagers in connection with the SL Leger, but' probably one made by Mr. R. H. Fry, the leviathan bookmaker, is without parallel in

Its peculiar circumstances. Mr. Fry, by the by, neither drinks nor smokes. A few weeks before the St. Leger won by Common a gentlemanly stranger approached the genial pencller at one of the near London meetings and inquired the price of Common for the big Doncaster race. "I'll take 6 to 5." the bookmaker replied. "Right you are." the querist said, and. noticing Fry's look of curiosity, he continued: "I'll lay you 6.000 to 5.(-0, but as you don't know me. and I. on the other hand, know you well, I'll post the money." Suiting the action to the word, he handed him six Bank of England notes for 1.m each, and smilingly walked away. The famous bookmaker never saw his mysterious customer again until Common had passed the winning post, when he sauntered up to him in the ring with a nod, saying. "111 trouble you for 11,000." It may be mentioned thit enormous cash transactions like the one referred to are exceedingly rare on the turf, and are only to be mrt with In novels and stage plays written by authors who have no knowledge of the Internal workings of the sport of kings. JURY DUTY OBLIGATION.

A Massachusetts Judge Enforces It In an Unusual Way. Minneapolis Tribune. A Judge down in Massachusetts Judge De Courcy, of the Superior Court recent ly summoned before him an employer who had discharged an employe because the latter had been drawn on the Jury and thus compelled to absent himself from his work. After delivering a very Instructive lecture. in which he pointed out the fact that the security of life and property, and the successful prosecution of all business depends upon the feartess administration of the laws, the Judge plainly told the employer that his action was virtually an attempt to Intimidate the court, of which the man drawn on the jury was a part, and that any repetition of the offense would subject him to punishment for contempt. The employer was so impressed with the judge's talk that he Immediately gave the man his Job back and promised to be more circumspect in the future. The power of a Judge to punish for contempt of court is a very elastic and farreaching one. Probably not many have stopped to think that It might be applied to an employer who should discharge a workman under the circumstances above noted. But on reflection this would seem to be a reasonable exercise of the judicial function. One of the perils of the Jury system comes from the professional juror the man who Is out of a job and hangs around the court for a chance to be taken on the panel. Other things being equal, any honest litigant would prefer to have a jury made up of men not seeking such service. The theory is that juries shall be drawn from the whole body of citizens, and not exclusively from the loafers or leisure class. Busy men are expected to submit to some Inconvenience to perform this duty. Now if a man dependent upon his labor for support must risk the loss of his job because he is compelled to do jury duty, he will resort to every shift and device and "pull" within his power to escape It. The employer owes a duty to the community in the matter. He must be content to submit to some inconvenience in temporarily losing the services of a valued employe, as he would to lose his own time If he were drawn himself. The Injustice of punishing a man by discharge for something he cannot help is obvious. THRIFT AMONG ARMY OFFICERS. Secretary Root to Recommend a Plan for Its Encouragement. Washington Letter in New York Post A subject which will receive no little at tention at the hands of Secretary Root in his forthconlng report is the encourage ment of thrift among officers of the army. To this end the secretary will recommend the extension to officers of the same privilege now enjoyed by enlisted men, of keeping a deposit account with the paymaster. The enlisted men, under the provisions of the act of 1S72 authorizing the acceptance of deposits of $5 and upward, and allowing 4 per cent, interest on semi-annual bal ances of not less than $50, have laid away some $1,000,000. Terhaps such an amount could not be scraped together among the officers, but it is considered that an of ficer receiving $100 or so in excess of his immediate needs ought to have a chance to invest it, and, as there are no savings banks or other investment openings for such small sums in most parts of the world where we have permanent military stations, a paymaster's deposit system would be a godsend. Secretary Root will also give a brief re view of the history of military uniforms, showing the development of the Idea from groreeousness towards inconsplcuousness. and the causes for the changes made from time to time. The Store Needful Thing:. Atlanta Constitution. As desirable as Is cheaper postage to the public In general and to the commercial world in particular, undoubtedly the coun try at large would much prefer to pay 2 cents for sealed letter transportation Indefinitely if In doing so free rural delivery could be adequately extended and properly conducted. As between the two Improvements of the postal service rural delivery Is Infinitely to be preferred and of Infinitely greater importance. If one or the other must wait by all means let It be one-cent letter postage. We are aware that a strong, if not numerous, clement is inclined to deprecate the free delivery system in the country, desiring to relegate It to vague future consideration, ostensibly that penny postage have the right of way in postal appropriations. The people, however, are behind the movement for Improved mail facilities in the rural districts, and reason and justlee as well. Rural free delivery is practical and an easily demonstrable suc cess from every standpoint. All it asks is a fair test. Saving the National Domain. Minneapolis Tribune. One point brought out prominently in Secretary Hitchcock's report will earn him the gratitude of Western settlers and intending settlers. This Is his protest against the fencing In of the public lands by big cattle combines, and against what are called "hobo" filings that is to say, the filing upon lands by persons who do not intend to settle permanently on them, but presently to turn them over to some cap italist or company that has "crub-staked" them and paid them for their time. There is a law pending in Congress to do away with all this, and the secretary earnestly recommends its passag-e. That is right. Let the public domain be preserved, so far as possible for the home-builder. An Hncouriiglng Utterance. Philadelphia Record (Dem.) Mr. Jryan observes In the latest Issue of his Commoner that "the Democratic party does not need leaders so much as it needs voters." This is an encouraging utterance. The fact that this truth has finally forced itself upon the apprehension of Mr. Bryan win be of obvious advantage to his part v. Not once only, but many times In the course of its history, by thrusting aside would-be leaders and calling to the front a "dark horse" fresh from the ranks the Democratic party has pulled victory out of the Jaws of defeat. The Democrats do not care to be led. Instead of hanging fast to some favorite's coat-tails they prefer to follow the flag and the Constitution and take the consequences. A Fool and Ills Folly. Nebraska State Journal. A fool mayor has wrought navoc In Havana. He thought It smart to sympathize with the labor union strikers, and so everybody working for wages In the city stmck except the street-railway men and then the mayor forbade the police to meddle with the strikers. Then they had a merry time. The strikers proceeded to do up the street-railway cars and the conductors and motormen who refused to strike. Before President Palma could get In with his good interference several lives had been lost and scores of men bruised and wounded. In Their Greater Wisdom. Milwaukee Sentinel. Army officers are reported to be a unit in favor of the restoration of the canteen, but there are numbers of good people who know nothing about the army except that the canteen is a curse who will enter a strong protesL

ISLE OF MAN.

Manifold Duties of the Unique TokItlon of Governor. London News. By way of pendant to the description In our leading article yesterday of the constitutional independence of the Isle of Man It Is Interesting to note what those functions are to which Lord Raglan, as Governor of the island. Is called. II? has a unique position and responsibilities. He Is the successor of the klng3 and lords of Man, who till the sixteenth century ruled It as an absolute monarchy, and as their successor he has succeeded to nearly all their prerogatives, and to others which the Legislature has continually thrust upon him. He prorogues and dissolves the House of Keys, which cannot meet without his precept. He is presldtnt of the legislative council for upper house) and the Tynwald court (both branches of the legislature sitting as one), which cannot meet without his presence or adjourn but on his motion, and he not only Interferes in their debates, but can vote in their proceedings and in the legislative council has the casting vote. This is better than the war office, but it is not all. by any means. II can Initiate both legislation and taxation, and without his consent no law and no tax can either be made or repealed. He has likewise a direct veto on all expenditure. Is chancellor of the exchequer and president of the local government board. Nor Is this all. He Is lord chief Justice of appeal in civil cases and president of the court of general Jail delivery the highest criminal court In the island. He is captain general of the Manx mili tary forces (here Lord Raglan's herldltary and acquired talents will come In) and chief commissioner of the police and prison. All civil appointments are made on his recommendation. He examines and admits members of the bar and thirteen out of the seventeen church livings in the island are In his gift. To crown all. he exercises the sovereign's right to pardon and Is the leader of Manx social life. In fact, we can only call to mind two Important sides of Manx life with which) Lord Raglan as Governor will not be connected as over lord and supreme arbiter. One is the writing- of novels, of which it is well known Hall Caine possesses a monopoly in the Island. The other is the breed ing and export or Manx cats. But outside these spheres of activity Lord Raglan seems to be everything, from prime minister to policeman, that an ambitious man could desire. We hope he will get on well with the Manx people, among whom, as we have good reason to know, many stanch Liberals are to. be round. CUBA'S GRAND OLD MAN. Maximo Gomes Plays an Important Role In Public Affairs. Minneapolis Tribune. General Gomez seems to be a kind of un crowned king of Cuba. He can accomplish results there possible to no one else. He has Just brought a menacing labor strike to an end, when the city and Island gov ernment seemed alike powerless and tho city was In the hands of a riotous mob. General Gomez met the leaders of the unions and declared curtly that their movement was a revolution and not a strike, and that he stood ready to call out the veterans of the revolutionary war to take up arms to support the government and maintain order. There may be something a little theatrical about this; but the cold fact Is that the rioting stopped and tho strike was called off. This resembles the service rendered by General Gomez to the military government at the beginning of the occupation, when the Cuban army was restless and discontented, and it was uncertain If our rule would be accepted peaceably until an independent government could be organized. Almost by his sole Influence. he Induced the revolutionary army to disband and the people in sym pathy with the insurrection to submit to our government while helping to organize their own. AH through the occupation, he was the most powerful popular support of the military government, as he is now the most powerful popular support of President Palma's government. This man holds a remarkable position. He was not an officer under the military government though very many Cubans were appointed to office. He Is not an officer of President Palma's government, though It is probable that he might have had any place, either elective or ap pointive. He is not even a native Cuban. be it remembered. He is only the surviving head of the army that fought for the liber ty or the island. Ills status there Is something like that of Bolivar in South America, who was able to subdue faction and srousa national spirit with a word In almost any of the northern republics, so long as ho lived. The romantic hero worship of the Latin races is not without practical value. It la probable that General Gomez has not ren dered his last service to the cause of order in the island for which he foughL The Man from Pittsburg;. Harper's Magazine. We pride ourselves In our town on being awake. 'When fortune knocks at our municipal door we swing wide the portal. The stranger arrived at our leading hoteL He had a business-like air and there was also a touch of the scholar about him. After some commonplace conversation with th landlord he asked, casually, if we had a n public library. The landlord replied In tha negative and glanced at the register. He saw that the man was from Pittsburg. Thla was enough. Handing out one of his best cigars, the host begged the stranger to sit down and enjoy it. Then he hurried out. , a In ten minutes he was back, followed by our mayor and two other leading citizens. With a fine flourish the landlord Introduced them to his guest. The man bowed and smiled, but seemed a bit bewildered; however, he showed himself composed and willing to await developments. The callers were cordial but dignified, and after a few minutes the mayor suggested a drive about our beautiful town. The stranger acquiesced, though with an Inquiring manner. They drove him about for a couple of hours, and showed him many fine sites for public buildings. Then they mentioned luncheon, and again the stranger was not averse. After this was over the mayor thought it was time to come to the point. So he begged to know, in a deferential tone, what report the stranger purposed making to Mr. Carnegie on the subject of presenting; our beautiful and deserving town with a library building, since, of course, we had all known Just what he had come to our beautiful and appreciative town for. The fellow, had the effrontery to say that he didn't represent Mr. Carnegie and had never set eyes on ulm. "Then I should thank you. sir," said the mayor, his virtuous indignation rising, "to tell us why you came here from Pittsburg and asked if we had a public library. Explain yourself, sir!" "I am selling the Ne Plus Ultra newspaper file," he replied. "Allow me to show you a sample," and he drew out a contrivance three feet long from an Inside pocket which must have reached to the hem of his coat skirt. "Its the greatest thing on earth lor filing newspaiers and' But they rose from the table with righteous wrath and left him. While a posse of the best citizens were gone for a rail the scoundrel sneaked out of town. A Domestic Drama. Kansas City Journal. All remember Frank Stockton's story, "The Lady or the Tiger." In December Harper's Merk Twain has a similar story, entitled "Heaven or Hell. Which?" But Kansas has a greater puzzle in sentimental phenomena than that propounded by cither of them. A railroader at Fort Scott went to South America and was reported dead. His wife coücted his life insurance from the Wrodmen order, amounting to $2.0.0. She mourned for more than a year and then was wooed and won by another man. The wedulng had been fixed for Thanksglv-. ing day. Last Monday the missing hus-band-and he had been a good husband walked Into the house and stood before hin wife. Sorrow or gladness, which? Slow but Sure Progress. Minneapolis Journal. The impatience of the people for the actual construction of Irrigation reservoir and canals by the government to Ugln at once causes Secretary Hitchcock to say a few wise words about making slow but ure progress In the great enterprise. As the secretary says, It is far more imiortant that water should be running over wellconstructed works for an indefinite period than through the ruins of a single failure.