The herald., 1898-05-12

read and lightly passed, as indicating
only the turbulent state Of society ir
that kingdom.
The suspension of the import duties or
breadstuffs by France. Italy and Spair
fails to attract the particular attention
OF the American reader, who is disposed
to look upon the incident as simply q
movement Of spectators.
A furry on the Chicago board of trade
resulting in the advance of wheat tc
$1.70, the closing price on Monday, with
the conceded power left in the hands OF
single person to drive it to 81 at will
-or to almost any other figure, for that
matter, since he has cornered the greater
part Of the visible supply-provokes lit.
tie more than curiosity to know how
many millions Of dollars the master OF
the situation was enabled to rake into his
Golfers in single day. We hardly stop
to consider methods known only to the
wheat pit, one of which, in this instance
happened to be the necessity OF. those who
two months ago, sold May wheat to
Letter, to buy of him at Mondays enor
nous advance to fill his own orders.
The information that few thoughtful
statesmen at Washington are endeavor-
ing to devise scheme by which war tax
may be levied upon futures" is little
understood by the masses, ard its connec-
ton with the war, with the bread riots
in Italy and Spain, and with Letters jug
glery with the staff of life of millions
of human beings all over the world, is
not readily seen.
There may be some profit in briefly
traverslng these several items of news
of the day. subordinated to the supposed
greater Importance OF the capture of a
wooden merchantman by a powerful pro-
tected cruiser of our navy.
Chief among the advisers of the presi-
dent of the United States are Senator's
Hanna and Elkins-does any reasoning
man in America doubt)for moment thai
both these men bought the seats they
occupy?-and these are the men who are
believed to be at the head Of the syndicate
owning large blocks of Spanish Cuban
bonds, THE SECURITY FOR WHICH
WILL BE UTTERLY WIPED OUT
SHOULD SPANISH SOVEREIGNTY
YIELD TO A TRULY FREE AND IN
DEPENDENT GOVERNMENT IN
CUBA. 1t is oftentimes exceedingly diff
cult to prove propositions of the truth OF
which one is perfectly convinced. Read
what General Gomez has to say, in an
dangers Of the situation:
This blockading seaports is all right
as far as it goes. but it does not go far
enough. l do not believe that it will
ever make Spain let go her grip on
Cuba-at least not for long time. The
navy will go on blockading for the next
six months. Nothing will have been
accomplished. The Americans will
be tired and disgusted. and then Spain
will ask for an armistice. The United
States will grant it. and that will put
an end 10 the war.
Upon apprehensions such as these are
founded the hopes of Hanna and
Elkins and the,bond contingent of Wall
street.
The wheat crop of Europe last year was
more than two hundred millions of bush
els short of the necessities of the people
There was a partial failure in India
Australia, Argentine and other countries
usually depended upon to supply deficien-
cies in Europe. The harvest in the
United States was unprecedentedly
large, and farmers began to realize their
dream Of dollar wheat. But long before
the staple reached that figure the pro-
ducers had, as rule, parted with their
holdings, and the profits that have sine
accrued by the rise in value-a rise
partially due to natural and partially
to artificial causes-have gone into the
pockets of the Letters and Armours and
others of their class, TO WHOSE
MANIPULATIONS OF THE PRICE
OF THE STAFF OF LIFE IS DUE,
THE BREAD RIOTS NOW IN PROG
RESS IN SEVERAL EUROPEAN
STATES, and the continuance of which
threatens the existence Of the very
foundations of society itself! The poor
Of Italy, Spain and France cannot buy
bread made of two dollar wheat. When
the price began to advance, they sue
cessfully appealed to their governments
for suspension of the import duties, but
this has been Of little advantage to them
since it was speedily followed by a bull
movement on the American exchanges
which again places bread beyond their
reach.
The men at WashA{AA2 shhA{A{aafw {{gaa fwho are en-.
deavoring to discover some constitutional
means for putting a stop to abnorma
and illegitimate speculation in the ne
cessities of life, by placing a heavy tax
upon futures" are being branded by a
partisan press as unpatriotic,, for delay
ing and obstructing the passage of a war
revenue measure, by the introduction O.
amendments calculated to place some
of the burdens of the war upon the
Letters and the Armours and others OF
their class, or compel them, as an alterna-
tive, to cease operations which only en-
rich them, and which are driving the i'm
nOveriShod peOn1e of the earth to hre L