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6 CLARK IHHVELL Editor W. A, HEMPHILL HiisinesH .llnnuser Entered at the Atlanta postofflce as second-class mail matter November 11, 1873 The Weekly Constitution SI.OO Per Annum. Clubs of five, SI.OO each; clubs often SI.OO each and a copy to getter-up of club. . ....... U E WANT YOU. The Constitution wants an agent a> every postofflce In America. Agent’s outfit free and good terms. If you are not in ti club wo want you to act as agent nt your office. Write us. Chntige of Address. When ordering address of your paper changed a. vay« gfve xne o'ra ns wen ns the new address. Always give postofflce, county and state. If your paper Is not received regularly, notify us. If you send us an order for n<*w subscribers pleas© allow us a week to got the names on the list and paper started before you write a complaint, as we are very much crowded now. Bo not forget to make your renewals in time. V, ateh your direction tug and see when your subscription expires. The next six months will b 3 full of interest, and you should not miss a single copy of The (’in stitution. Send your orders at least a week in ad vance to make sure. It may not take a week in every . Instance; will get them on as soon as possible. t ■ ■ A Long Step Forward. Tho result of the southern bankers’ convention, which has been in session In Atlanta, is chiefly significant in the encouragement it gives to those who have demanded currency reform on the line of principles enunciated in the demo cratic platform; not that the bankers convention has indorsed the demands of that platform as regards the currency, but because this representative meeting of southern bankers has joined in em phatic action in the contention that the present federal currency system 'is rotten to the core, and in the demand that it must be changed. As to the demand for state bank is isr.AS, The Constitution’s position on this question is so well known that it is needless to emphasize ottr approval of the declarations of the convention on this point. The democrats of the south have heartily advocated state banks, while indorsing the time-honored demo cratic principle of bimetallism, as de clared for in the national platform of the party, and in the well established rec ord of tho party as made through its rep resentatives in congress, and the demand for which is more urgent today than it has ever been. The action of the bankers’ convention indicates that a change of sentiment i has taken place among prominent bank ers and business men, and it is simply ] a question of time when the iniquities of ! tho present currency system will force the business sentiment of the country to tho acceptance of the democratic plan as the only hope of relief from the pres sure of existing conditions. Tho work of the bankers’ convention was a long step forward, and when the fact is taken into consideration that this convention is but a little more than I a year removed from th<> last prc-ido'i- I tial campaign, when “agitation” w is de- j dared to be a menace to prosperity, the ■ significance of the resolutions mh pteu ; is apparent. Those who will carefully read these resolutions ami compare them with the attitude of the ’banks two years, or even one year, ago will find that in some of the declarations material advance is made. Ami it is a step in the right direction, and therefore gratifying. It i is especially gratifying to The Consti tution, which has for years argued for I some of the reforms embodied in the | resolutions indorsed by the convention. It is hardly necessary to s.t\ that wc > do not believe in tho retirement of the greenbacks. But we do not propose to discuss th s mattci here and now. We ' desire simply to congratulate the south ern bank* rs on the unanimity with ! which they decided to take their long step forward in the direction of real banking reform. Mr. Dodsworth, of The | New York Journal of Commerce, boldly : alluded to the movement of the southern ) bankers as “this great money agitation.’ ' He and al] the bankers have discovered ‘ that a restoration of confidence as the I result of no agitation has had no influ- ■ ence whatever on th< situation. Every-| body now seems to have confidence ' that somet ng sh ild ■ done, am ■ the only way to do it is by means of at<- I tation —the very form of agitation which ■ some of our business men and bank- rs I were deploring a year ago. As a matter of fact, t... necessary re- 1 form in this country <an be effected i except by means of agit::.! >n- that form I of agitation which appeals i-» tho in-i terests, reason and common sense of! the people. The 1.•• that the bankers! have committed themselves to this form ! of agitation is most gratifying, for it is! an evidence that the course of events I during the last y.-.-tr has convinced them that there is something; radically wrong in our banking laws so radical- ' ly wrong that they are willing to agi- ■ tate in behalf of reform. It. is fatuous : blindness,” Air. Dodsworth declared, “to imagine that the withholding of a legit- i imatc function of banking from ineor-i porated state banks can be much longer i perpetuated.” Then he announced in favor of “the equal right of all proper- i ly qualified banks to issue circulating notes.” Well, what is this but an elaboration ! of The Constitution’s constant demand for a dozen years that the right of the! state banks to issue credit notes should : be restored? And what is Air. Dods- i worth’s demand for the abolition of the ! bond guaranty but a repetition of sug-j gestions made in The Constitution over ; and over again? But this bom] guaran ty has been declared by eastern finan ciers to be the very essence of security find safety—a sacred thing and not to bo disturbed. But the working of this guaranty ah- I solutely weakens any southern commit-! """ that takes advantage of it. For! Instance, let its suppose that Griffin, or i Albany, or even Atlanta, desires to have | another national bank with $109,000 cap- I Ital. As the bond market is to the i north of us, $115,000 in cash must be ■ taken out of the community to buy the j bonds, and of that amount only $90,000 . I can be issued in notes. This sort, of | ! thing has passed for "banking” for so i i long that a great many well-meaning | men havo come to believe that it is banking. In a quiat and courteous way Air. Dodsworth gave the absurd law a most tremendous dressing down, ami the bankers applauded him! Surely there is promise of better things when such events take place in broad daylight, and in public. When an idol is jeered at, its destruction is only a question of time. ’l’he speech of Air. Dodsworth wm. a long stop forward, but. the convention went further. It not only adopted Air DeSaussure’s resolutions (on the prac tical features of which we have already commented at. length), bitt, adopted a resolution in behalf of a banking and financial system tinder which banks with a capital of $25,000 and over may issue notes to circulate as money on com mercial assets! 'Think of that com mercial assets. AA hy, when The. Constitution talked about commercial assets as the basis of bank notes (including the property lia bility of individual stockholders), a na : tional banker wrote us a note inquiring i why we didn’t come out lor the sub treasury plan of the alliance, which ho averred was “something better.” But now, behold! The Constitution was only a few years in advance, and the proces sion has not only caught up, but is trying to pass us in the road! It, is but tho evolution of the inevit able, and the long step forward taken by the southern bankers convinces us that, In good time, and in their own interests, they will be willing to accept the dem ocratic plan of currency reform, which will not only take the government out of the banking business, but will take the banks out of the government busi ness and enable, them to their credit notes on the sound and enduring basis of coin redemption. This is a part of the gratification The Constitution gets out of the interesting convention of southern bankers. Fake Prosperity. The. New York World makes this re mark: Tho 10 per cent reduction of the Fall River cotton spinners )>a- been followed by the .itmounc-mctil of a reduction in wage. 4 by tiie Royal Weaving Company, of Cen tral Falls, It. 1. No explanation of th!, retrograde prosperity need be expected be fore the congressional eb-etiosi next year. That is probably time, ami when the campaign comes on, no republican news -1 paper will be more active than The j World in informing its readers that the ! country is enjoying the blessings of a ! tidal wave of prosperity. When Alc- I Kinley was elected The World devoted pages of its valuable space to telegrams, statements and declarations to the effect that prosperity had returned. Nobody has ever been able to discover what the McKinl y "democrats” were up to when they announced that repub- I lican success had restored prosperity. Nobody has ever ben able to d : scovor j their motives for putting the fake in- I formation in circulation. It did nc ! good, and certainly deceived a. great mai y ] m< n into making pur-' I chases and investments by means of i which they have lost money. There was not tli'-P, and there has not been since, otic single substantial sign ; of general prosperity. Consequently there has been no “retrograde prosper- i itv” among the cotton spinners of tho • east. They are not at the beginning i of their troubles and they have not seen , i the end. We should have more sympa- | i thy for them if they knew what is hurt- | I ing them. Either they do not know, or j th< y ar< afraid to . peak of it in public. ; Tii< y thought the tariff 'would h<’lp . them, and now they .--■m: to think that. I the true remedy for their ills is to be found in a reduction of wages, and a. | national labor law that will place them j “on an equality with the mills in other 1 1 states.” It is none of our business now far . ! they go in their pursuit after follv, for , I we know that, in the end, the pinch will j ’ come when they will have to U' it'iowl-i , edge tho truth or so out of the business! lof spinning cotton. They want high-! I er prices for their good.-; in order to i make :t profit. Well, the reduction of j wages will i it giv< them higher prices, ; not will labor laws. They can. only g< t ; high prices as a result, of the public de-, 1 mand for their goods, and the reason . : that demand has non cut off is because' otl r produce!s are working at a 1< . and have no money with which to buy By making the scarcest ami most val-| i uable of the money metals our sole | standard of taino, wo have depreciated] ! evi'rvthing else, especially the products . of 1 i’.man labor. Wo havo “sound” | I money, but prices are not "sound,” and i profits are nowhere. If tho New England spinners prefer 1 “sound” money to good prices, it is i their privilege to shout for it; but we do not perceivo that e "sound mom ji - ! doing them any good. In tact, it will ' finally destroy the'r enterprises. This i is not a now, but it is an unusual, nieth i od of performing hari-kari, and wo com ! mend it to all who tire in favor of de stroying their own productive indus- l tries. Next year, if they manage to eke out tin existence for so long, the New Eng ! land spinners will urge their employees | to vote lor “sound ’ money men lor ! congress if they want “prosperity” —it ; they don’t want, their wages reduced i stiil farther and probably (though we 1 have our doubts, for there is an end even to the gullibility of mill operatives) the ; employees will vote for "sound” money < . i A I all <h< AlcKinlc) I “democrats” will join in the cry for “sound” money congressor •!. More 1 ’ over, we shall have another era of fake ! | .prospiTity. .Mills that, have .dint down ! to give their employees an object les son, will ‘ open” again. But we don’t see what tho McKinley ! "democrats” are complaining about. I q’luy got what, they wanted. If ‘sound” i money is not a remedy for all political evils and troubles tho people were mightily deceived last. year. There is almost as much prosperity under Mc- Kinley as there was under Cleveland almost, but not quite. The eastern cot ton m'ills. perhaps, are in a worse fix ■ than they were under Cleveland, butt ! wi.nt difference does that make, so long! ! as wc have “sound” money and such I i redoubtable • Immpions of the gold stand- ; : ard as Eckels and Bill Bynum? What is the reason the country can't : get. along without real prosperity so long ! as we have “sound” money? If there 1 is ever any real need of prosperity uu j der our present system ail that is neces ; sary is io get word to the McKinley THE WEEKLY CONSTTTTTTTON: ATLANTA, GA., MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1897 “democrats,” and they can fake it up in four and twenty hours. What is the use of keeping the real article on hand when we can get. the fake variety so cheaply and with so little labor? We are more than surprised—we are disappointed—to see The New York World talking about, “retrograde pros perity.” Is its able corps of writers dead or disabled? Can’t they make things as prosperous now as they did when McKinley was elected? We think so indeed! o 'The Eastern Spinners. To-those who will look for it, there is a good deal of entertainment to be found in the economic discussions that some times take place in the eastern newspa pers. 'l’he crisis among the Fall River cotton mills, for instance, has brought to the surface so much unconscious hu mor that it is difficult to read what the New England editors say about it with a straight face. Not all of them believe ns Congress man Dingley does, but all of them give reasons quite as silly. Air. Dingley, the author of the famous tariff law, believes that the mill troubles in New England are due to the big cotton crop. If any end-man at a. minstrel show ever got off a. bigger joke th tin that, it has never been reported. The mills are about to go to ruin because cotton is cheap—be cause they can buy the raw material for less than they ever paid for it; this is the point of the Dingley joke. The reasons given by the editors are almost, as funny as Air. Dingley’s joke. We have referred to some of these ex planations in former articles, ami it is not necessary to reproduce them here. AVhat is most curious, however, is the suggestion to be found in more than one New England paper to the effect that in four years competition in the south has grown to the extent of pushing the l-'all River mills to the wall. It. is cu rious bei-ause no farther back than the fall of last year the Fall River mills were declaring 8 and 12 per cent divi dends. AVas this done to deceive the people into believing that .McKinley had restored prosperity, or was it brought about, by honest earnings? The Boston Transcript hints that one cause of the trouble is that “ox-slave cheap labor” is abundant. Whether the editor is joking or mil, wo tire unable to say, but. the remark is funny. Ne gro labor is comparatively ( heap and abundant, but its cheapness ami abun dance are not utilized in the southern mills. Mill labor at Hie south is cheap er than mill labor in New England for reasons obvious to all. But. by tho time the eastern mills get through their reductions, wages there will lie less than w'agos in the south, all things considered- It is queer that the mill managers and the editors do not. perceive that the reduction of wages will not help mat ters. If the trouble is southern com petition, there is but one way to meet. It, and that is to transfer their plants Io this section and secure the advantages to bo found here, which are by no means confined to cheap wages. Bit! the main trouble with the eastern mills is that they are unable to market their goods. It is said of Fall River that her product is such that it <an be produced everywhere, but this is only another way of saying that the output of the Fall River mills belongs to the class of goods m< s* in favor with < on . . , Ther whet there is no demand for time goods, it is about time for the mill managers to inquire serious ly why consume: s do not enter tho mar ket, If they will ask themselves that question and proceed to consider it in tho light of common sense and reason, being determined to follow the inquiry to its logical end, thej r will find the way illuminated. There is this fact to be considered that, taking into account the shut-downs and tho short hours of the past four years, the production of all tho cotton mills of the country, counting the new spindles, lias not been materially larger titan firn production of tho four years be tween IM1!) and IST?- certainly not ma terially larger in proportion to the ’ n ' crease of population, and the necessities of tho people. No doubt the records of production have been kept, both north and south, ami it should not boa very difficult matter to got approximately cor rect figures. It will lie found whenever tho com parison is made, that while the produc tion of tho last four years was not ma terially larger than the preceding four, consitmiion Ims loon rcdtieod more than one-half. It is safe to assume that tlm quantity of cotton good- lying tn tho warehouses, jobbing rooms rum retail ston Id is three times larger than it was in December, 1592. Now, there must be some serious reason why people do not buy these gm'ds. Their necessities are just as great. When peo ple really need anything and fail to buy it. in spite of tho fact that, the price is abnormally low, there can bo but one reason for their failure. They either have no money to buy the goods, or they cannot spare for that purpose the little they havo. And then there must lie some reason why people who bad a fair supply ot money four years ago have none now. This reason also lies on tho surface, •Tim products of their labor commaim only about, one-third the amount of money that they would fetch four years age. AVheat. is the exception, but wheat is made more valuable than money by the extraordinary demand from abroad, and by the efforts of speculators to (orner the market. The higher price of wheat is enabling many farmers to pay their debts, but it is not giving them enough to buy all they need at the stores. The only way that people can get money is to exchange for it the products of their labor. When prices are low the purchasing power of the people in the markets is reduced, and general bus iness must suffer in consequence. That is why the easiern mill men find it difficult or impossible to market their goods. And there must be some fundamental reason why p ices are low. '1 here should be no difficulty on tho part of tho east ern mill men in finding out why the dollar will purchase twice or three times the quantity of goods that it would command even four years ago. Some thing has happened, and it would be to the interest of the cotton spinners of New England to lose no time in finding out. just what it is. Southern Beet Sugar. As the result of successful experi ments to manufacture beet sugar in Vir ginia, it is given out from Richmond that a stock company with $1,000,000 capital has recently been organized in that city for the purjtose of developing the beet, sugar industry. This is a new departure not only for Virginia, but also for the south. Vp to this time capital has lacked the neces sary courage to espouse the beet sugar industry, and tho Richmond enterprise is the first venture of its kind which the south has undertaken; but since the soil and climate of this section ate thor oughly adapted to the growth of sugar beets, there is no reason why other southern states should not emulate Vir ginia’s example. Os course there are several states in this section engaged in the manufacture of sugar from cane; but if the resources of our soil admit, of the manufacture of sugar from beets also, why restrict the industry to cane alone? So far as the demand for sugar is concerned, it is well known that this country is obliged to make large imports of foreign sugar yearly, and that millions of dollars go out of the. country in this way which might otherwise be diverted into the •soutli. As it is now, the south sit pt .-lies only a small fractional part of the coun try’s demand for sugar; but with the re sources for making sugar which nature has bestowed upon this section in such lavish measure, there ought to be at least double the activity which is now going on in the sugar industry in the south. Since Virginia has led off so nobly in the matter of developing the beet sugar industry, it is more than like ly that, other states in this section will <lo likewise in the. near future. Arranging for the Reunion. Atlanta is fully alive to the. magni tude of the approaching Confederate Veterans’reunion to be held in this city next summer, and is moving along In the matter with characteristic push and enthusiasm. AVith the establishment of permanent headquarters ard the appointment of special committees to take charge of the details of arranging for the great re union, most of the preliminary work has already been outlined and divider up anti nothing remains but for each committee to carry out the particular part assigned to it. That each commit tee will do its full duty is evident from the sturdy character of the men to whom the work of arranging for the reunion has been entrusted. Six months in advance of the time set for tho reunion M none too early for beginning the la’: irious campaign of getting ready for our gue;-ts; as only those who have had experience in mat ters of this kind can appreciate the amount of labor and enterprise in volved. Adopting the most conserva tive estimates as to Hie size of the mul titude which the a;.preaching reunion will bring to Atlanta, it is safe to pre dict. tiiat not les than 100,000 visitors will pour into our gates at that time, making Atlanta’s population during the reunion aggregate 200,000 souls. Such be ing the outlook, onr people sli iuld bestir themselves and 1< :vc no stone unturned in their efforts to mak■■ the forthcoming assemblage historic in its character. With the prcliniina y step il ( uly tak en, much of tiie labor of preparing fir the summer is mad • easy, and nothing is likely to inter.' <’ the smooth and sat isfactory ■ ■ o" the work which the variom on>mi:t - have tak en upon themsel'. ’s. Seldom has ?.il. ■ : < ai-d into any thing with more than into tlio prep arations which she is now making for tlie confederate reunion. Although typ ical in many resi.eets of the young and enterprising south, it is also true that no city during the late war passea through such a tt' ing ordeal of fire and bloodshed as Atlanta. On account ot her strategic p x i'.ion she was looked upon by military commanders on both sides of the struggle as the key to the situation, ami tills fid General Sherman in IMI to project his celcbra'ed march to the sea. As the result of the bat tle of the 22d of July fought in this im mediate vicinity, Atlanta fell into the hands of General Sherman only to be fir-d by the re, to;.-•< les.- torch and con vet ted into smoking ruins. In the years which have followed the war Atlanta has become a flourishing metropolis. But. In tender retrospect siie still breeds over t eh- roism her brave defenders, some of whom sleep today in the embrace of the sod; cihers of whom with silvered brows and bended forms arc hastening to join their comrades. Bound to the past by such grateful and tender associations, it is not surprising that Atlanta should take keen interest in preparing for the confederate re union or that commerce itself should gracefully yield ] lace to the demands or patriotism and valor. Six months in advance of tho forth coming reunion Atlanta extend.- most affectionate grec ings to every old sol dier who donned the gray, and bids him make ready to enjoy her hospitality. The American Alliance. The iullttemcs which bring together the rival races of earth often have their origin in unfore.-aen and unpremeditated incidents. The ether day when a distinguished American citizen was invited upon the floor of the Mexican congress, and was permitted to address the members, if presented a scene watch will yet take it 3 plat e in history a. one of the . - most importance. In the enthusiasm which greeted the presence of Mr. Bryan till the bitterness which grew out. of the conflicts between General Scott .“nd Santa Anna departed. 'l’he bloody line, as the Rio Grande might well be described, was for the moment wiped out. and the two great American peoples who inhabit the north ern continent had come together to form a union fully as important as that which ever existed b' tween the allied nations of Europe. That a man who was esteemed wor th” of the votes of ovr (‘>,000,000 Ameri can freemen, and who is, therefore, more thoroughly representative ot th*; nation than any accredited ambassador, should havo been invited by the defeat ed nation to speak words of peace and fraternity upon the floor of its congress, is an omen of future alliance which has its mainspring from tho peoples of the two republics, who feel that their occu pancy of a common continent is for the common benefit, and who are ready to stand together in declaring to the whole world the inviolability of American ter ritory and the invincibility of American statesmanship. The fact, that, Mr. Bryan will undoubt edly be the candidate of his party in the next presidential election, and the certainty that that party will be success ful, will place him in a position where his words of 1897 spoken in the Aztec capital, will become the declaration of a more expanded American policy, which will have all the effect of law. Industries Migrating Southward. In commenting upon the migration of industries The New York Commercial- Advertiser dwells at some length upon the tendency to move southward which the iron and cotton industries of this country have exhibited in recent years. With respect to the iron industry the New York paper observed that its field has shifted from tho Atlantic coast to the vicinity of the great lakes and the southern mountains, where coal amt iron ore lie in close touch with each other. While this observant, paper docs not go so far as to say that the iron in dustry in the south is still in its infancy, and that infinite possibilities wait upon it. in the near future, such is neverthe less the case; for with the development of the marvelous re atrees of this sec tion, the iron industry is bound to in crease in its proportions. In regard to the southward migration of the cotton industry. The New York Commercial- Advertiser says: The enormous Increase of cotton mills In the south from (><17,000 : f.lndtos in ISSO to 4,100,000 now baa been attracting attention for tho last decade, but It is only within n. year or two that its effect upon tho New England industry has be..un to bo antici pated, and it is only now that practical demonstration of that effect Is given. Tho cut of wages in the New England mills, In tho midst of Increasing industrial prosper ity, with demand for product in-'tcasing and raw material lower than for years, Is a flag of distress, a sign of migration of the Industry to a more favorable .-cat. where labor and power arc cheaper, trades unionism Is le.-s arrogant and •.■•■»•>! aml i ■ w material are close at hand. The cotton manufacture ot the country is about io move to the south, as th” ion industry moved to the west. The result will be cheaper production, low< r pr'ees and a more ext, nd<d market. Tito larpjst effect of migration of tho iron imli'.-try was production so che.i;> and prleo so low that it not only conqU' red the li< ni > market, but disdained’tariff prot-?c’ion and Invaded tl.at of the wo.ld. Th' ■■am- ■ suit may be expected in time with < etton. Tho exiiccted strikes in New England ent ton mills will announce cheap r cotton goods and tlo- ••omplcttor of th- riip.ration of the imitt.'try to tho south will t remise the long-look' d-for export of our great south rn product in cloth in.-'toad of bales. What, is trim of Die iron and cotton industries will also in time become trite of other i trit in t ■ ■ ;try, for Tialii o hmj lavishly endowed the soil of this section and m; de it the store house of unlimited possibilities. The Cotton Seed Industry. Tho extraordinary growth of the cot ton seed industry in the south during the past decade constitutes one of the most striking features of our industrial progress since the war. Ten years :■’’<> the cotton seed was looked upon wit!': coniompt tts something which could not be titiliz l ’’! ex.ept for planting or fertilizing purposes, end on account of the vast quantity of cot ton •■■c , t produced, m )st of the > rop found it.: way hack in o th? soil. Today the cotton seed is looked upon with ad m'riiig homaeo. On account of 'its incK :>-<>d value the farmer cannot aff< ra to fertilize his soil with it as in Jmes pa: i, but prefers to haul it into mar ket, where it becomes tributary to the cotton seed industry. Since the bir:h of the cotton seed in dustry !' ibis section each year has : iilar.: ■ d Hs growing area and increased the scope of its possibilitic.;. At. the present time the fim.-t. quality of salad oils, compound lard, butterine and other nroducts a r, ‘ made from cotton seed: while the w.iste material resulting is used to fall on cows and hogs for mar ket. If such results ha . e been accom plished during the brief period of only ten years, can anyone limit, tho possi bilities which the future holds in store for the cotton seed? As to tho present size and importance of firn industry it is estimated that the toi l w-'~:ht of cotton sc M products man' factured in the south is fully ei|i: il to half the weight of the cotton crop. This 14 something enormous, as the weight of this year’s cotton crop, on the basis of 10 11 ’,OOO bales, can hardly fall short of 5,000,000,900 pounds, making tl ■ total weight of cotton seed products menu fact tired not loss than 2,500,000,090 pounds. But there is still room for much greater expansion. On the au thority of agricultural experts, it is s’, ted that the total amount of cotton seed produce.l yearly is double the amount of cotton baled; and applying this ratio to the present crop, it makes tho an.rrnt of cotton seed aggregate at least 10,000,000.000 pounds. As the products manufactured from cotton seed ■->c>.-’te in weight only one-fourth tff this amount, it is. ' vident that the indus try as yet consumes only a small per centage of the cotton seed available. Although t- '.rioted exclusively to this section, tho cotton seed industry has made itself felt in northern and eastern market.-, ami is destined in time to stamp its impress upon international commerce. Star Route Postal Reform. Congressman Tate’s measure, which prev <'c for certain tadica.l changes in the preseti.t. system of awarding star route postal contracts, is. fraught with j beneficent and practical results. In tho first, place It seeks to break up the stat route syndica;which are rapidly coining money at the expense of the gov ernment; and in the second place, it seeks to confer better mailing facilities upon the rural districts. With tills two-fold object in view it should meet with the hearty support of our national law-makers. What are known as star routes in the postal regulations of the government extend mainly throughout the rural dis tricts, embracing territory which is not traversed by railways. I’nder the sys tem of awarding contracts which is now . observed, parlies other than residents of the various districts covered by these routes are permitted to make bids; and consequently the star route syndicates which arc now feeding upon the gov ernment with such voracious appetites, owe their exisience to slatutory causes. These syud'entes contract with the gov ernin’nt to deliver its mail along the various star routes for certain stipulated sums, ami then in turn they enter into contracts with third parties, agreeing to pay them s«> much less for each route. Wit bout doing the least particle of work the ; vi’dicatos are enabled in this way to put thousands of dollars annually into their (Offers. Obviously the system which tolerates such abuses should not be allowed to exist. If morej- is to be made from the award of star route contracts, beyond namable compensa tion for tho work, why should not this money be made by the government’ With only half of the revenue which the star route syndicates derive annually from the sub-letting of its contracts the government, could easily afford not only to give its carriers bettor wages, but also grant improved mailing facilities to the rural districts. The measure proposed by Congress man Tate aims to cure the defects of the present: system of awarding contracts and to save the government the enor mous sums of money which are now tributary to the coffers of the star route syndicates, '(’he measure provides that star route contracts shall be awarded to parties residing in the districts through which the routes extend and consequently makes it impossible for syndicate abuses to spring up under the contract system as a.mended. Congress man Tate bails from a portion of the state in which the evils of the present system are strongly felt, on account ot the number of star routes in the district. As I ho measure is general in its scope and character, applying to every state and territory in the union, it. should en list the zealous support of our national law-makers. __® The Coming Industry. Within the last few years the putting up of canned goods has become one of the most, important industries of the United States. Scattered throughout this country at the present time there are not less than 2,000 canneries, repre senting the enormous capital of $75,- 000,000. 'The industry is divided into four main branches. First, comes the canning of food preparations, such as meats, cereals, soups and the like, in which branch some 5.000 persons are employed and capital amounting to $7,000,000 is represented. Next comes the canning of fruits and vegetables. In this important branch of the industry not less than 00,000 per sons are employed, while the capita) represented amounts to $30,000,000. This branch of the industry is carried on mainly in Maryland and New York. Slili another important branch is concerned with the canning of preserves and pickles. In this branch ot the in dustry several thousand persons are em ployed. As to the eaj tai repr< sent* <l. it. closely approximates $25,000,000. Last comes the canning of (tystors, salmon and other kinds of ti-h. which employs some 15,000 persons, and repre sents a capital of $13,000,000. The htud ships occasiom d by r be- tween the states greatly stimulated the canring industry in this country, but without the least interruption since that time the industry has steadily grown Into its present, extraordinary propor tions. To what extent the south has shared in thi industrial ( th d<>es not appear, hut there has, nevertheless, la -a marked activity in tho canning industry throughout, this section. The Pension Scant’al. if tho people of this country are ever to escape the spoliation involved in the increase of the pension list, there mt:.-: be tin emphatic protest, against it, and that protest must come from the north. The so ’ill is somewhat haadteapD’d in ■he matter. \ protest h re, or f nn sou!it< in loaders in \\ ash in.a,ton, wc'ilu W( the government should reward every soldier who worihily served it. and who is now physically or final dally unable to take care of himself. So feeling, the southern representative.', in (ongre.’- > have n >t only fay ored ] in dons to soi die s who really fought for the union, but have refrained frem protesting against, the raids which the pension Sharks have been making in the public treasury during tho past ten or fifteen s There are already signs that public sentiment at the north is beginning to make itself felt in opposition to the wholesale spolkiticn that has been go ing on under < >vcr of the pension bills. Senator Gallinger, of New Hampshire, who has. been very m .ive in the pension business, and who knows all its feat ures, growled forth a protest the oilier dayi’and General If. A'. Boynton, a vet eran of the war and a republican, has written an article filled wit it unsparing denunciation of the pension abuses. We trust that these protests arc fore runners of an impending storm ot pub lic indignation which is to arise in the north. Whether this storm comes as the result of the fact that the republi cans are now responsible for the deficit, or as a protest, against flirt her spolia tion. will make no difference, so long as a reform is accomplished. Out of a to tal of $392,000,000 for all government ex penses for the etirreu' fiscal year, the on 1 11 is sl-11,000 000! And ; $150,000,000 is in sight for next year. General Boynton says that, if nothing is dont be $170,000,000 in tit roe yours! Curious to relate, .Mr. Dingloy declares that the increase in the pension bills is due "io more rapid administration of the pres ent laws.” But General Boynton, who Is more familiar with the facts tht-i Mr Dingley, says that it is due to abuses. He declares that “if tho pension lists I could lie printed, every community in j the land would be disgusted with •■s ) revelations.” Ho says that wealthy men 'ii largo numbers would bo found upon it. and the names of b.ottmnds would bo revealed whose (fisal-llit ;os worn only I’he truth seems to be that we are on the verge of an exposure from the in- I side that will show the pension swin- ; dies to be in the nature of a groat na-i tional scandal. Brier Rose. Tt seemed tt lieovenly fragrance gtiido.l me O’er many a v ; ■■ " ■ ■ i . I wand’ t’ <1 on, led i'V some unknown A fairy sp< 11. yet woven for no harm. I ri tched it lissst w'.” sime>l a magic hedge Just on a p.i'.-i’-'o garden s very > dge— A thlek' t stoc- of tliorns to bir my w -,v Which only D ■ ' could pass. Th t ■ h tp py day I pierced the hedge; then on all sides were Rich, roy.-’l velvet draperies of 'oven, A r.n’.i<l' ii’s e i iniber front all eyes to screen. The Snell sti'.l led mo to this hidden bow. r - I paus'd. I entered, and found my llow t. Ash ep she lay; ■' soft green coverl-d Half veil'<l her beauty; and but partly hid The pink and white of her fair face peeped out. Bright 'neath tit" '•erdant •'■.-.ipei-ies about— Sweet maiden face with crown of golden hair, Fri sh Ups haJf-(parted waiting for my ■ kiss Soft rounded chick, rich tinged witli color rare. To nt ke h r dream r> ility of bli.-ts. 1 pressi d my lips upon her pink white i cheek. And 10. my princess woke, yet did no t speak, But smiled upon lite prince; and I—site know.--. How 1 tile e.is' le robbed of Brier Rose. —ABBIE TAKWEDL BHOWN. “Songs of the Soil” By FRANK L. STANTON. The Palace of My King. I. Tn a lonely land and far, ’Neat!) a sky without a star, Eo.' l. t v.-.'indereil, where no way Led from darkness into day; Lost. Where wrathful thorns and red ’Round my feet their crimson shed; Praying lor the light to bring To tiie pulace of my King. 11. Then, beneath the hopeless skies, Sleep kissed down my weeping eyes; And in dream- the dreary night Biossoined to a star of light! Sweet from lilddcn hills and dells Came a breath, with songs of bells. “Thesu are they,” I said, “that ring In tiie palace of my King.” m. At my side. In raiment white As a lily kissed of light, Stood an angel, starred and bright As with glory from Hod's sight; Saying: “Goest thou the way Where the manger-keepers slay?” “Nav.” I said, “wimre sweet bells ring in tiie palace of my King.” IV. Then I stood, with myrrh and gem, At tiie gales of Bethlehem,- Costly gifts from far, fair lands: Fa n to kiss tiie King's dear hands; Deeming all my travail sweet For one kneeling at His feet. Yet I heard no sweet bells ring— Saw no palace for my King! V. Tn a manger He was laid,— Yea. of straw His bed was made! And a lowly roof and dim All tiie shelter over Him! “Suri',” I s id, “no 1- ng is thio For my prayer and for my kiss! \‘, t j h.-ard sw.'vl voi(. - sing! “Lo! tin- palace of tny King!” VI. Then, far over hills and dells pealed tile guidon Bethlehem bells, While immortal symphonies ('.me in chorus from the skies. 'fill I fell and worshiped tliere— Crying in the song-thrill.-d air: “All my love -my life, I. bring To tin. pal.:- e-of my King!” VII. There is never hand to less Sweeter !•;-in my King's hand Is; Never palace shone as lair As His lowly d-.ve.llng there. And whim dark the way appears— tVit h its tearfc Maj I re t, whilo glad bells ring, In tiie palace of my King! In Christmas Land. la :! " beams and gleams came the Chris.- mas dreams To tile little children there. Ami hand In hand, to th" Christmas land o fair, They went away in a magic sleigh That tinkled with silver bells, e whit ow, one night, hri tmas dwel s. Tin y -aw him marshal his soldiers small. In b.'.i atil'u:, bright brigades; At the tap »' the drum they saw them come With yens and glittering blades. The littli soldiers wre made of tin, With painted coats of red, And they llrllled away, with their banner By a cute little captain led. But a’. is! for the King o’ the Christmas land And the march that his soldiers made! For the < sed in their very <> th. dolls were on dress parallel And they i-niili d so sweet al the sold.ers brave— Each beautiful, fairy doll, Thej- dropped their guna for the smile they An’ ran away with them all! But—sueb Is the wonder of Chrlstmts land— Whim :n the morning light The children woke Irom the Christm is dreams. There stood the soldiers bright; And the dolls v. ere smiling their sweet' t smiles. An.l they .- lid: 'T'r .ii our land so true The soldiers brought us a thousand miles To the horn .- and the lie; rts of you!” The Christmas Children. The little folks at our house—they talk like anything 'Bout Santa Claus’ c<. n:n', an’ what he's gain' to bring; Au' it. .tlier never has to scold, or tell 'em ’bout the noise— They’r,- just tl >■ sw> etest little girls—the best o’ little boys! ’Cause why? They know that Santa Claus knows < \ er'thir.g they do, An’ while he's loadin' up his sleigh he's v.'.itehin' of 'em, too! An’ th ; m that minds their mother, they gets the most o' toys— Thiy’r.- just tl." sweetest little girls—the best o' little Loys! They've just been wiltin’ letters to Santa t'latts each day, An’ t' lliii' him just what they want, an’ showin' him the way To where our house is, so's he’ll know just where to leave the toys For just the sweetest little girls—the best o’ little boys! They're longin’, longin’, longin’ fer tne days an' nights to go. An' till o' them are happy, an’ they make their mother so! She never has to scold 'cm, or tell 'em 'bout the noise— ’Cause they’re, the sweetest little girls—tl.® best o' little boys! The Christinas Waifs. Fer little brother her<, an’ me 11 ain’t no ha tpy day: Wo don't havo any Christmas tree Since our folks went away. Fer Santa Claus don’t come no inure To little children that's so poor. He likes the ones that wear good elozc— Jes’ loves 'em anyhow! 1 wonder if our mother knows How bad ho treats us now? He don’t love folks with cloz.e so thin, An' roofs where rain conies boatin' in! Yet little brother says to me: 1 mustn’t talk like that: It mly b God'll look an’ seo The pin.- we're I vin' at; An' if wo love Him night an’ <1 iv He’ll show His Santa Claus the way Tiie Sweeter Music. In tho Christmas time Sweeter tho bells in the steeples chime; Or is it the voices of children tint m. <s Tho fhusic in hearts which their silence would break? O sweeter In cities and shadowy dolls The- voices of children than music ot b-Us! In the Christmas time The bells swing their sweetest in chime and in rhyme; Or Is it the voice of children tli.it ring Our hearts to the roses that reddened youth’s spring? O swietcr o'er all of earth’s sorrows and wrongs Tho voices <>f children than sora-uhim »">’ ,sa l