The Atlanta constitution. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, November 22, 1897, Image 6

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The Atlanta constitution., November 22, 1897, Page 6, Image 6

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Newspaper Page Text6 ’teeMsmnal CEA It K HOW HI.I. Editor W. A. II EM I'lll 1.1. Ihisim-s- Haimaer Entered at the Atlanta postoffice as secoud-cliiss aiailinatter November 11,1573 The Weekly Constitution SI.OO Per Annum. Clubs of five, SI.OO each; dubs cf ten SI. TO each and * copy to getter-up of club •V E W ANT VO! . s : me Caxsi itvtiox wants an agent n» every postofflce In America. Agent’s outfit free and good terms. If you are not in u club we want you to act as agent at your office. Write us. ClinitiO* of A<!<ires“. When ordering address of your paper changed always give the old as well as the new address. Always give postoffiee, county and state. If your paper Is not received regularly, notify us. If you send us an order for new subscribers please allow ns a week to get (lie names mi tile list and paper started before you write a complaint, as we are very much crowded now. Im not forget io make your renewals in time. Watch vour direction tag and see when your subscription expires. The next six months will !>•• full of interest, and you should not missa single copy of The Con stitiition. Hand your orders at least a week in ad vance to make sure. 11 may m t take a week in every Instance; w ill get them on as soon as possible. Historic Scene in Joint Session. There was an inter esting test of strength A TEST In t he proceedings O1 STRENGTH. liH-ii preceded the ie- .option of the senate • by the lioiiseof r- ]>r<■ -<-iittiiive.s Wednes day. When, on the day before,, tiie house had before it the request of .I he. trustees of the state unit. rsityto be given a hear ing in joint session, since the message they bad to deliver was intended for the • mire y. neral assembly, Mr. Blalock and a number of ),i.s partisans made an effort to have the petition sidetracked by grant ing an hour in the evening for the pur pose stated, in the proceedings which followed, as indicated yesterday, it be came plain that the house of representa tives would not consent to such side tracking of an important occasion, and that ilie temper of the members was to give the trustee.-, the hearing which they desired. Receding then from their ex treme position, the opponents of the uni versity moved that tin hearing lie in committee of tile whole, thus confining •to . h< ■ ■■ . and «not in joint session. The specious plea, was made that, if Hie trustees should come before the house, they should come in commit tee of the whole so that they might lie questioned. T here was a great deal of mystery about imno'iant. questions which might lie asked. The friends ot the university, desiring no wrangle and satisfied of tiie justice of their cause, consented to this motion, and the order was made for the reception of the trustees by the house in committee of the whole at 11 o’clock on the day fol lowing. In the meantime tiie senate, which had been equally notified by the governor of tiie desire of the trustees to meet the general assembly in joint session, promptly granted it, and fixed the hour of 10:30 o’clock for the hearing. When this action of the senate was conveyed to the house an hour or two before the appointed time, the adherents of Mr. Blalock again rallied and made an at tempt, first, to amend the senate’s joint resolution by making it a night session instead of during the morning hour. The many pleas which were put. up for avoid ing the joint meeting were amusing. But finally, when called to a vote, the friends of the university rallied, and by a vote of almost 3 to 1 they decided to concur witli fho senate, and to give the trustees that, fining reception about, which there should have !>• ■-i at no time any ques tion upon the part of anybody. When, t ■■. fore, the .- ocretary of ;1 • -. nate announced to the speaker that that body was at. the door, and when a few mo ments I- ’or lie 1-. ard of trustees, bead ed by Governor Atkinson and Former Governor Mcl aniel. entered the hall, it was old Georgia again the Georgia which had pride in its past and ambition in it.-- future, and a spirit too broad for any petty policy, and indicative of the great future ahead. 11. was a test ot strength it meant that there would 1<• I io ]'■ iiation in the onward march of I Georgia; it meant that her sons would j l o true to hop interest, and that no one I need have any fear for Georgia as long i as such sentinels are upon the watch tower. Tim appearance of IT in N. ,1. lisminond. CH . . in his character as CF HOW. N. J. rhajl . man „ ■ t]l( , HAMMOND. Voa] , fl ()f trn , t(?esof the state university, before tiie joint session, was remarkable in many respects. Immediately facing him sat the present governor and one ot the most respected of our former gover nors. Ranged in a cir. !e vre (he dis tinguished members of the board ot trustees of the university —prominent among whom was the trembling but stal wart form of Hon. William JI. I’elto;;. i T in senate was p-< sent in full strength- a bod.v of forceful men whose faces gave plain indication that by no action of theirs .should the standard of Georgia be lowered in any particular. Then the scats of ihe house were filled. Scattered all over it. were to be seen men famous in the history of Georgia, as well as those upon whose young shoulders the future rests. They were assembled to listen to the discussion of one of Ihe most important qu< ions which can <-v<-r Sgitate a people. A significant incident had jus: preceded their assembling. One of the distinguished members of the house, in his anxiety to bring i he convict question forward, insisted that it had tiie right of way under the rules. No mat ter how the decision was reached that he was in error, the fact remains that such a decision was reached that tiie ques tion of the child should displace that of tiie criminal; that the building up of our people was more important than that which treated cf their falling do an. Mr. Hammond never spoke in better voice or to more effective purpose. He traced clearly the duties wiiich de'olvcd upon tiie two committees whose work is now tiie subject of discussion in the two branches of the general assembly. He wont on io say that the first committee, popularly known as the Brown commit tee, was a joint committee organized in 1896 for the purpose of investigating ful ly’ and specifically Hie status of the university’ as regards education, with Hie express injunction that nothing they should do should impair the usefulness of the institutions of the state. Thon several months later another committee was organized a house committee and not joint-—whose sole authority to exist was to audit the books and accounts ot Hie different institutions, and to whom was not committed any question of poli cy attaching to any of the departments. Having Huis made clear the duty which rested upon the two committees, -Mr. Hammond went into Hie main question and traced the early history of the uni versity, how it was the outcome of tiie ardent, desire of early Georgians for edu cation, how faithfully it had performed its work through all the years until the present time. From that lie took up the charge that the university was in some way inimical to the denomination al colleges, and went on to show that the taxation complained of by the de nominational colleges was in the natural trend of legislation throughout, the Unit ed States; that for all legislation of that character presented in congress the I Georgia members had voted; that in tiie | convention of 1877, where were present I Baptists and Methodists, graduates of : Mercer and of Emory, without a dissent- I ing voice they’ agreed to those very’ sec i lions which some of their adherents at ; tliis day claimed lo have been placed I there as an act of antagonism. Mr. ! Hammond successfully disproved any cf- I fort to make it appear an act of antag onism, and showed that it. was the trend -of modern legislation. Turning back I from this point, tiie speaker took up i tiie land scrip fund, traced its purposes i and quoted the eloquent appeal of the I lamented Ben Hill, in which he stated I lint, the great and overwhelming need of Georgia. was education education where her brain, mind and heart might bo developed lo iheir fullest capacity. From that to the disposition of the land scrip fund, which was participated in by’ Bishop Pierce, by Robert Toombs, by Benjamin Hill and by other men illus trious in Georgia, against whose patriot ism no charge could be brought- these were the men who accepted this money, and these were the men who have out lined the manner in which the money should bo earned by the university. To I attack their work would lie to attack ! themselves, and consequently the read ing of their names was the most com plete answer which could be made to that phase of the question. But the claim was SUBJECT that ’ he <' olk - e lacked in its practical TO THE application of agricul- i LEGISLATURE, ture. it was at tin’s j point that Mr. 1 lam- i monel made a. telling stroke when he re minded the legislature that the trustees I of tiie university’ were but. tiie creatures of the law; that, they had acted up to the present time in full obedience to Hie law and within its limits; that it was no part of their duty, nor was it permiiteii to them to spend one cent, in buying ground upon wiiich to carry out a prac tical farm. The very act under wiiich this money was donated by tiie United States, and under which it was accepted by the state, provided Hint, jo per cent of the money could be devoted to the pur chase of such a farm. Thai was an act. which devolved upon the legislature, and not upon the trustees. During all the years since Georgia has had possession of this money she has had in her treas ury’ continuously $24,300 wiiich her leg islature could have devoted io that pur pose. but which it has persistently’ failed to do. Who should lie blamed therefor - the legislature which had the money and failed to appropriate it, or tiie trustees who bad not the money and wlio remained within the limit, of their legal powers? The speech of Mr. Hammond was able, logical and convincing. He went, into the very meat of the argument, and he so laid bare Hie purposes and objects of the law. the work of the university trustees and the duty of legislatures, that there was no possible answer which could lie made to him. When at the conclusion of his speech. it was an nounced that, those mooted questions which had been whispered about might be asked, there was no! one who had tiie temerity to rise in iris place and begin tin- work of catechising. It was a splen did tribute to the ability of the distin guished chairman of the board of trustees, whose unanswerable defense ot Georgia's great institution of learning forbade the asking of tiie questions wiiich were so ominously threatened. One of the most, not- HON. WILLIAM able scclies which has over been witnessed H. FELTON’S in tho (!cOt . gia legislll . SPEECH. live assembly was the last, appearance, prob ably, in public of the venerable and dis tinguished Dr. William 11. Felton. it was witli trembling step and un steady' gait, calling for the support of those who walked by him. that this dis tinguished Georgian took his place in tiie charmed circle wiiich surrounded the speaker's desk in the house of rep re entatives. It was with one acclaim that members of the house and senate called upon him to go to tiie stand that they might once more hear his sonorous voice and witness that famous “halle lujah lick” for wiiich he has been so dis tinguished. Responding to their call, the doctor was helped to the speaker’s stand, where he sal, not. having the abil ity to keep upon his feet. A death-like stillness prevailed, but the strong, clear voice of the speaker, so striking in enn trast to his feeble appearance, could have I Token tumult and commanded peace even in tiie camp of his enemies. He spoke as a farmer to farmers; he , spoke as a. Georgian to Georgians; ho spoke as a university’ alumnus to men THE WEEKEY CONSTITUTION: ATLANTA, GA., MONDAY. NOVEMBER 22, 1897. • who were anxious to place Georgia high i in the rank of educational progress. His feeling references to the commencement exorcises of the years between 1841) and 1850 - years which gave to Georgia such distinguished men —were heard with sympathetic, interest. While his speech in behalf of the uni versity was on an entirely different line from that which had been followed by Mr. Hammond, it was far-reaching in its effect upon liis auditors. It did not take the speaker long to place himself in the hearts or his hearers and to appeal to the manhood of Georgia for future gen erations. He made one of the strongest arguments which has ever been heard, in one respect, when lie brought out the point, that the university was the prop erty' of the state. If a business man owned a piece of property and found that it was not being managed accord ing to his ideas, would he dismantle and destroy’ it, would lie abandon it and seek a new place or would lie proceed to rem edy’ the evil existing? In other words, if a man owned a bouse and found it was leaking, would be move out and leave the building to the bats or would In? send for a man and have the repairs made? Tiie university is Georgia’s ed ucational property. The legislature has the right, unquestioned, to displace the entire board of trustees and io elect a new board, if by doing that, compliance I with the legislative will can be had. The | legislature has the right, unquestioned. I to fix the course of study from tiie firs: i year to Hie last. It has the right to i make important or unimportant, as it i chooses, any department in the course of I study. if the agricultural department I is not being managed as it should be, the ■ duty of the legislature is plain—it is to command the trii.sieos to make such changes as may lie necessary, and these trustees, as tiie servants of the legisla ture, will not ’be slow in rendering obe dience. The fact that the members felt that I this was the last lime the doctor might I ever address them gave a melancholy : tinge but increased the interest with i which they heard his words and the im- I pression which his parting advice might | make upon them. The day was a grand triumph for the uni ' SUMMED versity. Face to face with the whole sub ject, with tiie history which the university has made, witli the trustees who now con- I trol it, with all of the argument:; present ed, opposition and criticism melted away as darkness before the rising sun. Ihe occasion was a masterful resurrection of the true Georgia spirit, which has bouyed up the state in the past, and which will <arry her to a glorious fu ture. j New England's Cotton Mill Troubles, i In referrng to the cotton mill crisis ! in New England The Com • Itntion has j made no comment on the very’ i cool proposition of Hie Massaehu.->■: s' I manufacturers to secure federal leaisia tion which they imagine will enable them to compete witli their rivals in other states. The. audacity’ of the prop osition leaps so far beyond the probable or the possilde that it. becomes ridicu lous. The Springfield Republican says the “suggestion is almost startling in its import.’’ It would, indeed, be startling if it did no!, fall hc.idlong in the lap of folly. The suggestion is to the effect that the repre sentatives of the people in congress shall agree to promote a measure having for its purpose (lie regulation of factory’ labor in all the states to the that the factories in Massachusetts may be able to compete with their rivals in Rhede Island. North and South Carolina, Geor gia, and. in fact, in all the states. This, instead of being a startling sug gestion, is simply a wild piece of folly that could lie invented only by’ men who have trained themselves in a course, of blindness absolutely- without parallel in the hi Tory of businf : s of any kind wbat sc< ver. They are so blind that they don’t know what is hurting them .so blind that, even if they really believe that the SS-liour law of Massachusetts is hurling them, (hoy have not judgment enough loft to know that the plain course of action is to appeal lo the leg islature of their own state to modify its labor hour laws and so place them on a footing with their rivals. Instead of pursuing this course, they say that congress must enact the Massachusetts law for all the states. It would bo idle to discuss the bear ings or the policy of such an absurd proposition. The folly of it is inherent as well as protuberant, and it would not survive five minutes of candid and seri ous discussion. The thing to discuss (al ways with wonder) is tiie condition of mind which enables men who are sup posed io bo sanely equipped for business to place themselves behind so transpar ent a piece of folly. That is the thing to dist ils.-', but we do not propose to con sider i! here and now. The Springfield Republican points out that, the cotton mill'-, of Rhode Island and New Hampshire, which are not handicapped by the SS-hour law, are hav ing as much trouble to keep afloat as those of Massachusetts. The facts of the situation lie right nt the doors of the Massachusetts mill mon. and yet they’ overlook them. There is trouble in Lancashire, too; but, then, the Lan cashire mon know what is hurting them; and, besides that, they employ mon and women trained to lives of penury’ and wrftii ami have boon enabled by’ lock outs carefully’ managed, to r< <li'ee wages to the < <>oly level. To that level, too, must come the wages of American workingmen in all linos of production if the gold standard is to be maintained. The Springfield Republican, if we may’ judge from hints and intimations in its columns, knows very well what the real trouble is, but it is perhaps not in a position whore an attempt, to euro the blindness of the mill mon would work 1o its profit. There soomn to lie considerable com plaint in Now England in regard to the wages paid by the southern mills. 11 seems queer that one simple fact has never occurred to the Now England ex perts and others—namely, that wages, in the southern mills, like wages every where, are what the conditions of living and flie qualifications of Hie wage-earn ers call for. The whole business of liv ing is carried on more cheaply in the 'south tiian in the north. The climate is more comfortable. The summers are longer, but not so hot and enervating as those of New England; the winters are far more endurable. In short, there is less fuel to buy, and people can keep comfortable at far less expense. The character of the labor, so far as expertness is concerned, will change, and wages will be measurably higher, but the. result, will be better work, finer products and larger results. How will this help the New England mills? If any of the experts know, will they’ please inform ns? The theory’ of The Springfield Re publican is that, tiie domestic production is largely in excess of the domestic mar ket, with the additional difficulty ot “the general tariff policy of the country : wiiich prevents Hie industry from secur ing ample markets outside.” Anything and everything except the right tiling! There are thousands and thousands of men, women and children in this coun try who lack shirts, frocks and other garments. There are thousands of men wearing one shirt a week who used to wear two, three and four shirts. There, are thousands of men, women and chil dren in this land of the free who have hardly enough clothes to cover their nakedness. One of the best known men in tiie country, a popular author and a close observer, recently fold the writer of this that lie knew of scores of wives and daughters of farmers in the west who had not been to town in three years for lack of clothes to wear. AX’hat is the trouble? Lack of money. TVhat has practically destroyed the do mestic market for cotton goods? Lack of money. What! lack of money in ; this land of milk and Hanna, when there j are millions in sight in New T’ork, Bos l ton, Chicago and Philadelphia? How <an that be? The simplest thing in 1 the world low prices. Have the treas i urers of the New England mills as much l money at. their command a.s they had I four years ago? If not, why not? Low I prices. What caused low prices? Go to! Let the mill men work it out . for themselves. If they are blind, let I them pay’ tiie penalty’ of it. for it is will j ful blindness. They can get along some how; but how about fhe* poor opera tives, whose wages are to bo reduced once more? Do they propose to remain tied to tiie fly-wheel of the money pow er? If so, lot them pay the penalty ot their ignorance. In New England a r>o-cont. dollar is a “dishonest” dollar. Therefore I 1-2-cent. print cloths, 6-cent sheeting, P* 1-2-cent ' cotton would bo evidences of “dishon est'" dollars! Down with prices, down with the mil's, that New England mill mon may have “honest” dollars! The Dingloy law doesn’t seem to he creating a revolution in tiie conditions of business. « The Silver Discussion. Tn another column we print a. brie, but very interesting letter from Mr. Moro-on I'row.m lie well-known Eng lish bimetallist, in wiiich lie brings out the significant fact that the ground on which Hie Indian government refused to open the mints is a complete admis sion of tiie truth of tiie contention by those who favor the free coinage of sil ver. The Indian government declares that the rise in the price of silver which would follow the r ipening-of the Indian minis, in connection with those of Prance ami the i'nited States, would, for a time at least, put an end to the export trade of India. Now here is an official statement that gives the whole ca away, so tar a.s the, arguments of Aim Mean bimetallists ar<: concerned. in what does the extiort trade of India com . t ? Mainly in wheat, raw cotton and cotton goods. Tiie In dian government annoum'es, therefore, that Hie restoration of stiver would prac tically take away from that country the wheat ami cotton market of the world. It could not compete with the I nited States. What is true of India would be true of Argentina. The wheat-growing countries would not be able to compete with the American farmers. The result would be, as bimetallists have ail along contended, that wheat (ami cotton) ■ would rise in price as silver increased j in value, and in the same proportion. This Is the kernel of tbe whole question so far as the silver-using countries are concerned. The moment is timely to call attention to the real effects of the recent cifrrency legislation in Japan. Our readers will remember the claim of the gold men that tiie action of Japan was another a<lverlLenient that silver must go. and that Japan’s legislation meant the ad p tion of the gold standard. As a matter of fact, Japan adopted as her measure of value the commercial ratio between silver and gold, and by i using her gold yen in two perpetuated that ratio. ('omnicrciai iy, it was as slWewd :i move as any nation ever made. A fur ther fall in the price of silver will have no effect on the currency of Japan, and if it double in price that country- will still save its 50-c< nt gold dollars a.s the basis of its currency. .In ,-hort, no mat ter what action is taken by tiny other country or till other countries with re spect to silver, .Japan’s export trade can not be hurt. She will .still have a bonus of fifty cents on the dollar on all exports whether silver rises or falls in price. Such action as that amounts to positive statesmanship of ilie very highest order. There is no doubt that the restoration of the legal ratio between gold and sil ver would destroy the competition of the silver-using countries with tiie United States. They could no longer afford to sell their wiieat. at any price that onr farmers could not profitably meet, ami their cotton crops would not have a dis turbing influence on the American* cion. Their bonus would be gone. The ad vantage they now have would disappear like the mists of morning. We do not expect: the gold editors in this country to undersland the necessi ty’ that, led the gold men who govern India to admit that tiie restoration ot the legal ratio would destroy the export trade of that country, or to admit fur ther that open mints in the United States. France and India would restore the legal ratio. Indeed, we do no! ex peel tiie gold editors to understand why India's export trade would lie paralyzed in common with that of other silver using nations. But wo think the peo ple have a pretty fair understanding of the subject, and their appreciation of the arguments of the bimetallists will grow ami strengthen, being fed by’ the evil results which the gold standard is responsible for. These events will grow and develop and weave about Mr. McKinley’ and h:» party a net from which they will not be able to escape. Thus far, and for twen ty years, every prediction made by bi metallists has been fulfilled. There is not one, exception. Baling of Cotton. An interesting controversy is now go ing on between leading cotton experts in both sections of the country over what, is known as the cylindrical pro cess of baling. Every one is free to admit that the process of baling now in vogue among our farmers, is woefully defective, but. whether or not the cylin drical process is calculated to improve matters is the question upon which the present, controversy hinges. Colonel .lames L. Orr, president, of the Piedmont Cotton Manufact.o ing Company, of Piedmont. S. takes the position that the proposed cylindrical process of baling cotton is to the in terest neither of the manufaci U' r nor producer. He argues that if the Amer ican Cotton Company i« allowed to put up its own gins and presses in order to accomplish the change at wiiich the cyl indrical process aims, it will cost pro ducers who own gins already n this section not less than $50,000,000, as there are now 40,000 gins in tiie south, valued at. $1,250 each. Still another loss to tiie producer which Colonel Orr points out. is that involved in the change of covering for the bale. The covering for the square bale costs the producer at the present time only’ 75 cents; and. when I cotton sells for 7 cents per pound, it j enables him to realize a clear profit of | 79 cents on each bale. To cover a. round I bale of cotton under the cylindrical nro- I cess the producer, instead of making I his 79 cents profit, would actually lose I 48 cents, making a total loss as c.oin ! pared with the round bale covering of $1.27 on each bale. Such a. loss as this ’ applied to a crop of 9,000,000 bales would in it ?elf alone aggregate $11,430,000. Colonel Orr admits that the round I hale would be of immense advantage to I insurance and railway companies, but j fails to see how it can possibly enure to ’ the advantage of other parties concern- I ed. As to its effect upon the manufact uring industry. Im declares that instead ' of being a help it is actually a hin : drance. “The object in manufacturing cotton,” ;aj h< South Carolina manu i facturer. “is to lay the fiber smooth and ■ even. If allowed to remain in a round j bale for any length of time it retains : the curve into which it. is forced am! becomes extremely difficult to handle.” Colonel Orr further declares that Hie cylindrical process of baling cotton ad mits of the perpetration of greater frauds upon buyers than the one which is nor. in vogue, as under the cylindrical process the bale is < ffeetually’ covered and the buyer is compelled to rely upon dm ached samples. Os course, there are numerous oth' - specific objec.’on.: made by Colonel Orr to the cylindrical pro cess, but them suffice to indicate the general character of bis .argument. Equally’ a.s warm in defending the cyl indrical p'oee'-'i as Colonel O-r is in op posing it ; Colonel \. B. Sheppei'.-on, the well-known cotton exp' rt of Now A r ork. Colonel Shoppe;.ton argues that Colonel Orr’s objection to Ibe process is ba ed upon his oxuorionce with im perfect bales and is not, therefo'o, to be accepted as a fair test. Ho states thal •'.hen cylindrical halos were first put up the laps of cotton wore wound tigh’ly atop ul an iron red running through the • •on; T and that (’olotml Orr'.' experience with the cylindrical proec must have boe-i limited to bales of this primitive d< cription. Colonel Sh’mpor-on gives the following summary of the process up to date; The present style of cylindrical hale Is ramie by • >n .t. -. ;;.g :’>•.■ lint Ir-tween Iron rollers n it conies from the gin, which pro.-. s.s f.irr.i.-' lb" cotton into a continuous lap or roll • such thlekn. ■ rui.l •!• nsity as rn iy b desired. Tin compression by the rollers forces nearly all of the air from tiie<-otiou, wh’e'i is immediately, by appro priate machinery, wound mid. r a pressure <>f about l.fiilO pounds per .square in<'h around ri Ir in red or < ountil rhe proper j size is r< .. 'led, when th. 1 ,d. is released : and the iron core withdrawn. With the air ! pr ' 'tieally :dl j r.. svl out of it, tin ten dency to exp'll .-ion does we exist, is in the old-style .- iju re bale, i.i w'c. 1 : the air is simply comps . - d within the bale a.nd kept from its natural tendency to • xp.md by the Iron b a.ds or tb which encircle it. With the sop:.un b.de.; th.;'' is a constant strug gb lor i xp.iu.: '»n by ti;. !m;>risoned nd <‘omprcss. d air, with tin- result that the lion "tie.,'’ are cmiiimally being- fore, d off. When ,i "tie" (or band) gets off then the bale n.ttiiraliy bul-a-s out by expansion, tied this involves < xpe,i : ,s for mending and th. b.d' to occupy tht r--:after mote ,spa<-e, as It cnnnvt be r< st u. d to its form <shop without, being put in th- press ag'rn. The cylindrit nI '■ i!<■ ba.s no iron bands or tb s to hold it tin r. Tire iron ties add to tie Weight of tie square bales and thus : <;cas I tr.inspor;.: lion . : . and fit ont t ime;- oecur from friction of tiie meial bands with those of other bales. As tn the argument that according to the present process, the producer real izes a net profit of 79 'ex’s on the cov er ~g of each bale of cotton. Colonel Shoppcrson states that what the pro ducer appears to make in this way Is really deducted from the price which he would otherwise receive for the cot ton and that in the cud lie loses by' the pro: c-ss. The New York cotton expert, further argues that any’ method of bal ing cotton which can save the expense of compressing it. again is undoubtedly a positive improvement ami is bound to result, in materially’ increasing the profits of the producer. As to tiie cost which the cylindrical process would en tail upon our farmers in rendering ob solete the machinery which is now used In Hie sciith. Colonel Shepnm'.-rm ar gues that thijS objection should not stand in the way of progrt wive enter prise and that even if toni;mrary loss should le occasion al thweby to cc.tton piodtieers, it would simply open the way for la"ger profits later on. In consid eration of the greater security' from dam:-"’ , whether by T fire. less of weight or otherwise, which the cylindrical bale offers. Colonel Shopperson believes that in time it will entirely supersede the present, cumbersome method of baling. The controversy is full of interest to our southern farmers and supplies them with almmlant food for serious thought. A Postal Banking System. At tiie approaching so-sion of congress the merits of wha! is known as the post pi banking system will engage tiie at tention of our law-makers. The postmaster general is wedded to the idea of .seeing this system thorough ly incorporated into the structure of the ; government, and since formally entering > upon th** duties of his portfolio some eight months ago, h is strenuously bent his official energies in this direction. , ITequeni interviews lublished in the leading newspapers of the country have served to familiarize the public in some measure with the details of the system advocated by Postmaster General Gary, but in order to give tiie full weight of his indorsement to the measure which will shortly come up before congress, the postmaster general has formally embod ied his views on the subject in his first annual report; and this report is now in the hands of President. McKinley. In support of the prosposed system, Postmaster General Gary argues that postal banks are today in successful op eration all over Europe, and that mil lions of dollars which would otherwise bo squandered are saved to European toilers by moans of these beneficent, in stitutions. According to the figures cited by tiie postmaster general there are not less than 7,000,000 depositors in the postal savings banks of Great Britain, while the total savings of these depositors ag gregate the enormous sum of $;>50,000,- 000. Instead of conflicting with other banking institutions these postal estab lishments tend rather to promote their interests, as they servo to encourage habits of frugality and thrift and to ameliorate the condition of the poor. Under our present banking system there in little or no inducement held out to humble depositors, except by private corporations here and there, and the re sult is that large sums of money’ which might be saved to the poorer classes of our people are .squandered from year to year. The advantages of having the government take the matter in hand are various. In the first place uniform reg ulations would lie secured, and in the second place absolute security could lie I guaranteed to depositors, enabling them ] to fee! that the. strong arm of the gov | ernment was behind the vaults which I contained their hard-earned savings. ■ Again, the government could operate these banks with the greatest ease in j connection with the various postoffiee i establishments scattered about over the country, and the people would find it perfectly convenient to lay by’ their earn ings in depositories so dose at hand. Besides encouraging the poorer classes to habits of thrift, the effect of such a system would be to give to its depositors f. stronger and more tangible interest in the government. Such is briefly the ar gument which Postmaster General Gary’ makes in support of the system and so clear Ms tiie apparent good to be rived from it that the wonder is. as the postmaster general expresses it himself, that the system has not long ago been adopted. . AVithin the next few weeks congress ■ will pass upon the feasibility of the pro i posed measure and in all likelihood | favorable action will be taken in regard • to it. Do the gold men still insist that the doubling of prices is "intmoral,” being in the nature of “repudiation?” Romans and lictors, let us hear from yon at your earliest convenience. It seems that the business man in polities has his off years. There’s Han na, now. This year he couldn't elect a favorable legislative delegation in hi.s own comity. A lady with fourteen dead birds on her i seven liars writes us to say something against the slaughter of the innocent creatures. All right. We’ll fix up some thing real hot before long. If Mr. Foraker is really afraid of be ! ing sent to jail, he should get the boys in line for Foraker. —. The Baltimore Sun is proud of the re publican victory in Maryland. We are glad The San is proud. «, No doubt Kurtz and Foraker want to I see Hanna, beaten in order to keep out : of jail. Mr. Bryan and Sir James Westland on : Cheap Silver. Editor Constitution—A y< ir aero the Am< rican "Cron silver" p iety made its fiulit on these views, elaboi-ated, p'-rh.ipa over elaborated, by Air. Dryatlt 1. That the I’nited S ati c mnot maintain such a balance of trade as will keep gold at honie, if all the export trades of silver using Asia are lo be sustained by the pre;- enl low rate of exchange. _. Tihirefore, the I'nited States should adopt I :'e. coinage in order to raise the rates ot < x han: between India and I’.u rope, between China and Europe, b 'Wirn Japan and the Malay Peninsula and l-iii rop<. Such xx.as, and sin h is today, the silver issue. The I>w gold (trice of silver or to employ the mote scientific terminology, tile present low rate of lb: I'.ip'.i a exchange with silver usmg-countries, is subsidizing the exports of silver-using eounir.es ard is, thereby, making it increasingly difficult for Hie I'nited States I may add, and equlally difficult for all debtor nations, Australia and Canada and Ireland, also to maintain a favorbb- balance of trade. This was Mr. Bryan's currency erc-ed. We have now to guide us. and to pro nounce judgment upon Air. Bryan’s belief, the reply of the government of India, to the proposal that the l ulled States, Er.ince and India should adopt "free silw I'.” And this is what the gov, rnment of India <|e clares would be the result of such a "triple I union" on the export trades of India. "The first result of the sugges.ed meas ure would bi' an immense disturbance of Indian trade and Industry, by the sudden rise in the rale of exchange, wiiich. if the ratio adopted were J.a'2 to 1, would be a rise from about IS pence to ibout ;!.! pence the rupee. Such a rise is enough to kill our export trade for the time at. least." So that Mr. Bryan's view, that America could stimulate her exports, thus securing an inflow of gold, by raising 'he rates of silver »xebange with 500.000.000 el' active conwetitors, and thus killing neir ex po'ts this is the w ry keystone of the ob jection the government of India, advances to the proposal that the mints of India should reopen to silver. And farmers will niiii note, that in the opinion of the government of India. 1 iinet tallism would “kill our (India's) export trade" in wheat and in other agricultural produce. Tim Indian government has thus put itself on record, that the yellow man with the white money, owing to the cheapness of silver, is killing the industry of the white man with the yellow mom y. Will our parliament perpetuate that legis lation, which by supplying their money to Asiatics at half price, affords those myriads a bounty of 50 per cent on all produce which Asia, exports to Isotope? Kightly unders'ood, the silver issue is the greatest r ice issue with which the western nations have ever been confronted, a rise in silver is enough to kill India’s export trades. Such is the verdict of the gov ernment of India. Yours faithfully, MORETI )N i-’ lil •: WEN. 25 Chesham Place, S. W., London. “Songs of the Soil” By FRANK L. STANTON. A Leading 1 Question. They’re talkin’ ’bout Alaska, where the gold is on the gleam, An’ several months in every year the sun beams cease to beam; An’ 1 reckon everything is true I’ve ever 1:< arn 'em say. But—what’s a feller goin’ to do who jest can’t git away? Tiny say that out In Klondike the leave* the few trees hold, At cv«-i’y season of the year have all the Autumn's gold; An’ I say, that .statement's temptin' to a feller, day by day. • But—what's a feller goin’ to do who jest can’t git away? They say, that in that fur country—al though it's purty cold, Jt raly Is a. livin’ truth that till the clouds rain gold! ' That It tinkbs an' it twinkles in all the snows of gray, : But—what's a feller goin’ to do who jest can't git away? ■ If you started on the journey—with, m::;.'b<, one square meal, I No doubt they’d quarantine you if you tried to pass Afob.'le; : An’ N«'W Orleans would scoop yer m« .ib- - Montgomery would stay; ! So—what’s :i fell, r g.iili' lo do who j. t 1 can’t, git away? : Os course, I ain’t acquainted with therou'., that leads to gold; I JI mightn't take you 'long the way whert» quarantine would hold, i But there’s so mill'll talk o' shotguns this yellow fever day, t Af. lh maylx orik< a port, couldn't git away! So, I reckon them that want m km pack tbelr traps an’ roam. : But, till they lift th'- qmuaiitim 1 11 1.. f arotin’ at home! ' 1 know that 1 >read an’ mea t is hit taxes shore as day. Hut v.luifs a "11. r goin' to do who j . can't git away? A Homely Sermon. Elie old world, ,ny broth'rin’l Tty to b>- content Even when W' can’t find out The way that |. .ads to rent! J’ine old world, m.v brotherm'l Try to b • content. Fine old world, my brotherin’, Spit, o’ all its night! If \on s o tin- mornin’ k'os, Thank God for the light! Fine old world, my brotherin’. Spite o’ all its night. Talk about 'ls sorrows— All Its hop, s an’ fears— I J.ois o' things about it yet All too s'A. ■ I. f'.r tears! I Sweet for all its sorrows, All its cares an' fears. Lookin' for the sunshine To stream across the hills; 1.1 'rilin’ for the mu c In the ripple o’ the r Ils. An’ hopin’ taat. the love o’ God Jvach day with ble: in' tills' Kept Perfectly Cool. An original r.vlval hymn, us sung b;/ the colored bretbren ala recent campme ■ ing in Georgia, runs as follows: “Lijah took ter heaven lu d. fiery <h< < ryoot -oh! De ride ho got wuz blazin’ hot. But he keep ez cool ez snow! "De holler t< r de bosses: ‘Go fas’ <z fas' kin be! I (loan p. r.spirv fer no sich fire— Hit same ez. frost ter me!’ "Do devil see him goin’. En den de devil 'low: ■I doan k. < r 1 f I Jose d.t man tle wouldn't burn nohow!’ ” Sour Grapes. A goldbug isn't lucky When they laiil him in Kentucky— Eor hr's certain to bo walloped in the row! An’ tl:.al’s why tiny are sayin', While the silver bands are playin': "We never liked the him grass anyhow!" By the Wayside. A little way, my <!• arie, In the world's gloom or gleam; A few tli.i t years of smiles and tint's. And then—tho last, swt < t. dream. A I'utl ■ way. my dear'c— God know ■'•! from slmro to .shore. And the ships sight each other On the dim seas no more! A little way. my dearie— Away of lov. and trust; Then trust and love to heights above. But, on this .aia.li, to dust! A little way, my dearie. With flower, and ti. Id, and stream will the la art b. so w ry ’Twill ti.-'k an endli ss dr. am? To Winter. Lot not thy sleet begin— Snow not a little b t I'util my coal is in And 1 have paid for It! L't not a blizzard note Sound from the land or sea Until mine overcoat Conies home again to me! O, \\ inter! b v not ripe Eor icy deeds—alas!— Think of the plumber’s bill for pipe— Think of the bills for gas! J.et not thy sleet begin— Let not thy snowtlakes fall Until the cash is in To settle up for all! On an Aged. Editor. Ho's passed from earthly pains and strifes; On wings of light they siw him rise; And now an angel reads his life’s Rare editorial 111 the skies! Stopped, on the Way. He said: “From heaven I canno And thou Death's shadow screened han I bit ere he'd made his Hight half wav Tile devil quarantined him! Made Short Work of Him. Another world he sought to win, I bough fond of life and laughter; He took the doctor’s medicine And died ten minutes after. This Was a Veteran. Wo trust, upon the heavenly way, At last Im never blundered; “ I he g'"”l die young," the proverbs say, i'Ut this chap lived a hundred! * On a Departed Husband. Ibis stone records a husband's worth— A crown is on his brow; He had but little peace on earth: Me hope ho has n now. Out cf Sight. Here l es our boy—our Hosoms’ pride, Who unto us was given; The first old mule ho tried to ride Kicked him clean to heaven! On the Old Colonel. He shot at least a dozen men And lynched some more to boot; He dad at three score years and ten When ho couldn't see to shoot! Danger Lines. Tn proverbs dangers often lurk— Their meaning rather hazy; “ I he happy man sings at his work," But—drives the others crazy!