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Nelvs and Vie ins From All Around
THE HAGUE CONFERENCE.
(The Nashville Banner.)
It seems now certain that the next
Hague conference will be held in June
of this year, and the matter is engag
ing the attention of the several pow
ers. There has been only one meeting
of the conference. That was held in
1898, at which time a permanent In
ternational Court of Arbitration was
created, which has, from time to time,
settled some international questions.
This court of arbitration, however, can
consider and settle only such specified
controversies as are submitted to it,
and has not the power to formulate
principles and incorporate them in
international law.
An effort was made in 1904 to se
cure another holding of a conference
by the representatives of the powers.
This was urged by thhe interparlia
mentary union, composed of legislators
of fifteen different nations, held in
St. Louis that year, and the United
States government took the initiative
in suggesting such a conference, with
the approval of the signatory powers,
except Russia, a nation that was then
engaged in the war with Japan, but as
soon as that war was ended, Russia,
through her ambassador at Washing
ton, proposed that the time had come
for a second conference at The Hague.
President Roosevelt at once accepted
the suggestion, but as he had previous
ly taken the leadership in the matter of
urging a conference, he transferred the
initiative to the Czar, giving the move
ment, however, his thorough approval.
THE PEOPLE SELECT SENATORS.
(Sanilac Farmer.)
For the present, direct election of
United States senators in Michigan
is held up by politicians who are
postponing the reform for as long a
time as the people permit. But it
is on the way, and perhaps in the
course of two or three years it will
have been permanently established
in this state.
Sixteen states now elect their sen
ators by direct vote of the people.
These states are Oregon, Wisconsin,
Illinois, North Dakota, Missouri, Vir
ginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Flor
ida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Ar
kansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and
Oklahoma. All the other states are
considering the subject, with a well
defined movement in Pennsylvania,
Michigan, Minnesota, lowa, Kansas
and Maryland.
The house of representatives of
Pennsylvania by a vote of 146 to 15
passed the bill legalizing the popular
vote on United States senators, and
the senate is expected to pass the bill.
If it does, 17 states will have adopted
the needed reform.
“BEN HUR’S” LONG RUN.
(The New York World.)
The two thousand five hundredth
performance of “Ben Hur,” original
ly produced at Broadway theatre, was
given recently at the Academy of
Music. In honor of the occasion Illus
trated copies of Gen. "Lew” Wallace’s
novel were presented to women pat
rons. The house was packed and the
audience applauded again and again
the famous chariot race scene. Ev
en in these days of long runs the
record of "Ben Hur” Is remarkable,
and the fact that the attendance is as
large now as in the first season is
more wonderful still. A supper was
served the company en the stage af
ter the performance.
* WATSON'S WErffIIRHISIfeONIAN.
WAS PIERCE’S SECRETARY.
(The Washington Herald.)
Sidney Webster, the recipient of E.
H. Harriman’s two-year-old letter, pub
lication of which last week created
such a hullabaloo, was the private
secretary of President Franklin Pierce
’way back in the ’so’s. Mr. Webster
had studied law under the great New
Hampshire Democrat, and when Gen.
Pierce was called to the presidency
he brought the young lawyer along
to Washington as his private secreta
ry. Stuyvesant Fish’s father, Ham
ilton Fish, afterward Grant’s secre
tary of state, was then a senator from
New York, and a few years after,
when Mr. Webster had opened a law
office in New York, where he has ever
since resided, he married Hamilton
Fish’s eldest daughter. Curiously
enough, he was the mentor for both
his brother-in-law, Stuyvesant Fish,
and E. H. Harriman, and was directly
instrumental in making them mem
bers of the board of directors of the
Illinois Central Railroad, from the
presidency of which Mr. Harriman re
cently ousted Mr. Fish. Although still
a stanch Democrat of the old school,
Mr. Webster has taken no active part
in politics for many years. He is de
scended directly from the stock that
produced the great Daniel.
THE CONGRESS OF PEACE.
(New York American.)
In some ways the congress of peace
in New York city may be even more
significant than the conference to be
held at The Hague in June. On
Thursday of this week Baron Rosen,
the Russian ambassador, delivered to
Secretary Root a circular announc
ing that a number of the nations had
reserved the right to withdraw from
any discussion at The Hague which
might commit them to a policy not in
keeping with their military programs.
The New York gathering, which will
have delegates from many countries,
will not be restricted in its discussions.
The conference may more clearly re
flect international sentiment on this
movement to minimize the possibility
of war than the more conventional
peace parliament at The Hague.
ITALY’S DWINDLING PEOPLE.
(London Globe.)
Some strikingly curious population
statistics are now being published in
Rome. Some years ago the Italian
population was one of the most prolific
in Europe, and in one period of twenty
years increased from 28,000,000 to 33,-
000,000. Now the tendency is strongly
in the opposite direction, while, at the
same time, emigration, which now
reaches a million souls a year, is leav
ing whole rural districts depopulated.
The annual increase has declined from
7.38 per 1,000 in 1901 to 6.1 in 1906.
In the flourishing industrial districts
there is some progressive increase,
but in the rural provinces, like La
buan, Apulia, Sicily and the Campagna
it dwindles down as low as 1.1 per
I,
LIVING AT THE CAPITAL.
(The El Paso Herald.)
Senators and members of congress
are rebelling against the cost of living
in Washington. Elaborate entertain
ing was inaugurated during the Cleve
land administration, and the power of
millions was felt and set the pace.
Thirty thousand dollars a year is
considered a very modest outlay for
the maintenance of a family of high
flyers ia the national capital.
FREEDOM FOR TAR HEELS.
(Wilmington Messenger.)
“What shall be the composition of
the next state Democratic convention,
has already become a question of great
interest to the people. The question
is being discussed by the press in all
parts of the state. There is an in
creasing demand that it shall be one
representative of the Democracy of the
state, not composed of the followers of
any particular faction or clique; that
it shall be as broad as are the prin
ciples of the party. The people are
tired of being ruled and whipped into
line by a few men who claim to be
the party managers. They are tired
of waiting for that emancipation from
bossism in the party which they were
promised by the stump speakers in
the constitutional amendment cam
paign in 1900, and if they are not vol
untarily given the freedom promised
then they will take it —by force if
necessary—freedom within party lines
to think and act for themselves and
not be held in submission by a few
self-constituted bosses. The freedom
of thought and action within the par
ty Is what was held out to them if
that constitutional amendment was
adopted. To free themselves from boss
rule they voted for the amendment and
hardly before the counting of the bal
lots was completed the old bosses
began to crack the whips over their
heads and with the old-time cry of
negro domination (to get rid of which
they supported the amendment) to
frighten them back into abject submis
sion to their domination. This fac
tional rule, instead of being abandoned
as was expected, has become more
and more despotic till it has become
merely a question as to how much
longer the people will submit to it.
There is a remedy for the evil and
its application lies with the people
themselves and the time has come, we
believe, when they will apply that rem
edy. It can be done within the party
and there is where it should be and
will be done. It is for the people to
take charge of their own political af
fairs and to manage their party for
themselves.”
RESULT OF TWO-CENT FARES.
(The Philadelphia Press.)
The shares of every railroad affect
ed by the 2-cent-a-mile passenger fare
law rose Saturday, the day after the
act was signed.
It is pretty clear that those who
buy and sell these shares and those
who own them do not believe that 2
cents a mile will be either ruinous or
without profit. The rate has come
here and is coming over the country
without causing apprehension or arous
ing alarm in the stock market.
Whether the reduction stands or not
is for the courts to decide, but the
public of shareholders accepts it, thus
far, without anxiety.
GEN. WOOD’S BIG LEAP.
(Florida Times-Union.)
Gen. Leonard Wood now succeeds
Grant, at New York, and takes the
place most coveted in the army. Soon
he will take the final step and become
the premier soldier of a great instance
—an instance, never equaled before
save by the favorite of a despot, of
the meteoric rise of a soldier without
a war. For, even in Cuba, Col. Wood
stood aside to let Roosevelt shine at
the head of his regiment, and it may
be said Wood never had experience ia
war save as a physioian!
STUDY OF THE NEGRO.
An important investigation of the
negro in slavery and freedom is now
being made by the department of eco
nomics and sociology of the Carne
gie Institution of Washington, which
was founded by Andrew Carnegie.
This investigation will be of great im
portance of the negro as well as the
white race, as it will show what the
negro has done and what he is capable
of doing. The work is being con
ducted by Alfred Holt Stone, an edu
cated business man from Mississippi,
who is a thorough, impartial and can
did student of the economic develop
ment growing out of negro slavery
and the work of the negro under con
ditions of freedom.
Mr. Stone has outlined a treatment,
which is reasonably exhaustive, relat
ing to the economic life of the Ameri
can negro, without trespassing on.
either the political or social aspects of
the topics. He recognizes the diffi
culty of treating the one as separated
from the other two topics, but the de
sirability of such a method is believed
to more than outweigh the difficulties
involved in its execution.
Mr. Stone will treat of the condition
of laboring classes during the Ameri
can colonial period—the introduction
of negro slavery into America as an
economic factor. He will also investi
gate the efforts to utilize slave labor
in manufacturing and other industrial
enterprises. His work will constitute
an exceedingly important and novel
feature in American economic history.
He will also treat of the negro as a
free man, the result and development
of negro industrial schools, their
effect with reference to local economic
conditions, the negro land owner and
all such topics as will bring out clearly
and fully the whole industrial relation
of the negro to economic conditions.
This investigation will be compre
hensive in its scope, and it will be at
least a year before such progress has
been made as will justify a report on
this Important subject.
GREAT RAILWAY PROFITS.
(New York American.)
A preliminary report of the income
account of railways in the United
States, issued by the interstate com
merce commission, reveals that the
statements of the big companies are
not based upon facts.
This government report shows that
in the history of American railways
no earnings in any previous year com
pare with the record of 1906.
The operating expenses in 1906 left
a net earning for the combined com
panies of >787,596,877. The average
profit per mile to the companies was
$3,580. These are the carriers now
protesting against carrying American
passengers for two cents a mile.
EASIER THAN FILIBUSTERING.
(The New York Herald.)
The Platt amendment gives the
United States a right which all intelli
gent Cubans recognize—of interven
tion and of supervision for the guar
antee of stable government and finan
cial credit. The only hope for Cuba
lies in our exercising this right by
the establishment of a protectorate.
OLDER THAN THE OLD COUNTRY.
(The Salt Lake Tribune.)
If American millionaires continue to
bring ancient collections over here,
this country will soon be elder than
the eld country.