Omaha daily bee., 1896-04-25
OTHER LANDS THAN Guns.

| " F'bpVVbVVV iiVhA NHB billiSil oVuln africa
company indicates a great deal more than
appears on the surface. 1t Is true IL means.
first, that President Kruger feels very Sc
cure in his position He has legal right to
make this claim because Jamesons raid has
been shown to have been in the interest and
under the auspices Of the company, while
| the British government has repudated all
| connection with 1t, and virtually left the COM
pany to get out Of the scrape as II got into
| II. Nevertheless, IL would not be prudent
| Tor him to push any such demand unless he
had some reliance beyond his own strength
| 1t is not TO be expected that the company
| VIII pay such bill on demand, nor could
| 1t be collected without fight, in which
| Englishmen would be killed and which
| would bring British troops to the aid of
| the company, so that the ultimate result
would be war which the Transvaa has
every reason for wishing to avoid More
| over, the demand is in strong contrast to
| kruger's usual prudent, conservative course.
| The story probably is not true, but IL 1t is
| true 1t can only mean that Germany has in
! stigated the Boer president to make fresh
| move against Great Britain, either as a
counterpoise to the British movement against
Matabeleand or with the deliberate purpose
| to drive them out Of the Transvaal. II the
| report is true, we shall hear more about the
| matter very soon.
quennial census taken throughout the Ger
man empire on December 2 last show the
| increase of population during the last five
| years to have been greater than during any
preceding five years, The total population of
| the empire is shown to amount to 81, ,244, ,50S,
which, compared with the preceding census,
! marks an increase Of LA per cent per an
| mum. The German newspapers point out
pf ax-
ceeds that of France by Ia 900 000 and that
as the quinquennial increase in Germany was
nearly 100000 against barely 10000 in
France, Germany's numerical superiority Is
likely to go on increasing proportionately,
circumstance which must tell In favor of
European peace. In spite OF agrarian lamen-
tations, there Is hardly any trace to be found
in the census returns of the desolaton which
is supposed to be overtaking tho rural prov
inces Of Germany. The slight decline of
population which was noted some time ago
in Pomerania East Prussia, Mecklenburg,
has been arrested and in several cases has
been followed by notable increases during
the period from 1890 to 1895. The chief in
crease. however, is still to be found in the
industrial regions, and especially in West
phalia, the Rhneland and Saxony and the
census returns corroborate the evidence fur
nished by other statistics that Germany is
rapidly becoming an industrial state of the
first rank.
1t being now definitely settled that there
shall be a worlds fair in Paris in the year
1900, the first thought Of the government Is
to put the city into presentable shape for
the occasion. Before preparing the grounds
or beginning the buildings for the exhibition
a sum of 1000 900 francs is to be spent in
beautifying the parks and open spaces and in
creating new breathing places in various
parts of the city. The Bois de Boulogne and
the Bois de Vincennes will be put in order;
additional rows of trees will be planted in
the Avenue des Champs Elysees, from the
Arc de Triomphe to the Rond Point, so as to
make the avenue look like a continuation to
the Bois de Boulogne brought to the Place !
de la Concorde and the entrance to the ex- (,
hibition grounds: the Trocadero gardens and |
fountains will be restored to the condition |
in which they were before the last exhibit |
ton; all over Paris in Belleville, Montmartre, |
the Fauborg Saint Antoine, the Gobeins, |
green spots will be created in the public |
squares and in new squares to be made. |
Paris ia to be made attractive to the visitor |
wherever he may go, and is to remain at |
tractive for the Parisans when the visitors |
have gone. There has been much opposition |
to holding the exhibition, even on the part of
the Parsians. 1t is noticeable that the arSu- |
ment which seems to have been used with |
most weight against 1t was the danger threat |
ened to the park system Of the city, and |
this argument has been seriously considered |
by the government which has modified the |
original plans 90 as to do as little harm as
possible to the existing plantations, and has
pledged itself not to leave any permanent
buildings to spoil the promenades and play
grounds.
A royal decree has been signed in Rome
instituting a new form of government in
Sicily for the term Of one year. royal COM
missioner civilian, is appointed for all the
provinces of Sicily, who will live at Palermo,
with the powers Of local governor. The
commissioner Is invested with the admins
tratye and political powers appertaining or
dinarily to ministers of the interior, finance,
public works, education and agriculture. In
all matters relating more particularly to
public safety and the administration OF
municipalities the projects in Sicily will cor
respond with this commissioner, and also
concerning all affairs coming within the com
petence of the central government. The com
missioner will undertake an extraordinary
revision of the provincial and communal
budgets, with a view of apportioning expen-
diture to the local taXpaying capacity. The
government also intends 10 lay before the
legislature bills relating to the export duties
on sulphur and the creation of a body repre-
sentng mineral interests, with special refer
ence to the condition of the mining popua-
tion. Tho new commissioner in whom this
great authority is vested is Count Codronchi.
member of the senate, and he Will rank as
minister without portfolio. The decree now
awaits parliamentary approval.
The wholesale emigration of peasants from
Galicia, which during the last few years has
constantly occupied the attention of the
press and governing circles in Austria, shows
no signs of abatement Lately the provincial
authorities have again received explicit IN
structons from Vienna to check by every
available means the eyer-increasing exodus
Notwithstanding the publicity given to ac-
counts of the hardships and privations await
ing the emigrant in foreign countries, the
movement is gaining ground, and Is now no.
tlceable in districts where 1t was formerly al
most unknown. The clergy also has under
taken to ass st the authorities and during the
Easter holidays has denounced the move
ment from the pulpit 1t seems that the dis
content of the Gaician peasantry Is due to
entirely natural causes, including the fall in
the price of grain, the indebtedness Of the
peasantry, the inadequate and unsystematic
methods of granting credit or pecuniary re-
lief. scanty haryests and untoward agrarlan
conditions in general,
The Hay state and Hen Butler.
Globe-DemOcrat.