The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-11-27
CURRENT TOPICS.

Senator Martin said the other day that
both parties in Congress now realize that
the best interests of the country must be
considered. as the people are now oecom-
ing independent of party and following
their own nciinations on all public cues
tons. In commenting. on this the LOUIS
Vile, Courier Journal says:
Whether the Republicans shall exercise
the discretion with which Senator Martin
credits them. and whether ootn parties
realize that the best interests OF the coun-
try must be considered. there can be no
question among intelligent observers that
the oeonle are Incoming Independent o.
party and following their own lnclinatlons
on public questions This is a fact winch
must be taken into account by any party
which would win to-day a national eiec-
ton Neither the election OF this year nor
that o. 1895 was won By the Republican
party Neither could have been won with
out the aid of that great and CROWNS
class OF voters who, while they may nave
either Democratic or Republican leanlnSa
in utilization or tendencies, give thick and
thin allegiance to no party. but decide al
every election, according TO the facts then
before them, which party they will vote
with.
~
these voters. and the party which goes
into the next campaign making the
strongest appeal to their support will go
into it with the best chance OF victory.
This is greatly to the interest of the
country. There must be two great poIltl-
cal parties in a government like ours and
party organizations must be maintained.
But it is equally necessary that there shall
be a, considerable number OF men who Wi!
not be led by the nose by either party. The
independent voter should have we'll defined
political principles and should have party
utilization, but when CHS party departs
from those principles and pursues poh>y
which he believes to be wrong. he should
and he will bolt.
1.-The interests of the travelling public
says Leslie's Weekly. "as well as the in
conserved by the wise and generous plan
of the New York Central Railroad Com
pany in Offering substantial rewards to
the members of its track department who
did the best work in the year ending Octo-
Der 18th The supervisor who did the best
work in each Of the divisions received an
increase in pay Of ten dollars per month.
The supervisor doing the best work on the
entire system received an increase OF nj
teen dollars per month. The New YORK
Central has twenty-seVen SUBDIVISIONS,
and the best foreman on each OF THESE
subdivisions received an increase Of three
dollars per month. To the best foreman
on each of the divisions an increase III pay
of five dollars per month was given. AS q
practical method of improving the rela-
tions between capital and labor there could
Zoe nothing better than this
The merit system is getting to be more
and more popular in the operation OF
railroads and other great corporations of
the country. The man who gives the best
service is the man who will receive the
best pay and who viii be promoted from
time to time, and this stands for more
than inside pull and influence.
New York with its population Of 1885,
C1e would rank well among the countries
of the world, =, remarks the Chicago Times
Herald ;, ..It has more people THAN Nor
way and Sweden combined, than Belgium.
the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland,
Greece or Denmark. In the United King
dom the only country that exceeds it is
England, in the German Empire Prussia.
in the Austro-Hungarian Empire Hungary.
Asia Minor is larger by two millions, but
none OF the other Turkish dependencies is
50 large, nor is the governing State, Tur-
key in Europe.
..The independent African States. nforoc-
CO and Aayssinia, are smaller. and the
! Immense area of the Congo Is supposed
to contain only about eight millions Of
its black Inhabitants in Its 100000 square
miles The French African dependencies,
Algeria and the others, have smaller
population than New York; SO have the
German the Portuguese, the Italian and
the Spanish. OF the British dependencies
| only Egypt has more people.
AFTERNIATH.