The independent., 1903-03-19
with as much joy as the women.

| away UH III the OOulu dCluC OCCdn
four or five degrees almost directly
south of the Hawaiian islands, lies a
low archipelago called Tuamotu ISL
| ands. Recently awful storms have
prevailed there, the whole group was
submerged by tidal waves and 95 pei
cent of the inhabitants have per-
ished. A few escaped by climbing
cocoanut trees. Many tried that
means of escape and failed because
the trees were torn away by the force
of the storm and the waves. Two
families of Americans on the islands
escaped, one having found a place
above the waves in a cocoanut tree
that did not blow down and the other
on high stump of a booran tree.
These islands are occupied for the
purpose of pearl fishing.
The following dispatch from the
City of Mexico appeared last Tuesday:
'"The failure of six big importing
firms in the City of Mexico Saturday
is said to be the forerunner of a gen.
eral financial crash in Mexico. 1t is
claimed it is the beginning of none
tary panic that will involve the entire
republic, and is the result of the eff
fort being made to place Mexico on
gold basis" If there is an effort
to establish the gold standard in
Mexico these failures are only the
beginning of her disasters. 1t is said
that a big American trust company
has been organized at the capital, and
the effort to change the standard OF
money in that republic is the result
of its work.
The judges have taken new twist
on the labor unions. Down in Con-
necticut one of them issued an at
tachment against all the funds tnat
the labor unions have in bank on
suit for damages because the en-
ployes of the Connecticut Railway
and Lighting company quit work.
However the suit ends, that ties up
the funds on which the unions ex-
pected to make their fight. AS long
as the people insist on having repub-
lican judges such and still worse
things may be expected. A more
sweeping Injunction than ever before
issued is a feature of the case. 1t
covers every labor union in the state.
Government by Injunction will soon
be the only sort left in these United
States, and it will not be long either
until that condition is reached at the
present growth.
The charge of extortion made by
the farmers against the elevators
seem to be proved by the annual re-
port of the Otis Elevator company for
the year ending December 81, 1902.
1t shows a surplus added to the work.
ing capital of 100000 after the pay
ment of SAIL 1896 in dividends and
marking off $266,575 for depreciation.
The farmers have been saying for a
long time that the elevator trust was
gathering millions.
Nothing vi1er ever occurred ON this
continent than thing that was seen
in this churchly, republican-ruled
city during the week. A murderer
was executed at the penitentiary a
mile or two away and his body was
brought to this city and put on exhi-
bition in an undertaker's shop. Step
by step, under the rule of plutocracy
and the worship of Mammon this ma
ton goes lower and lower.
The Panama treaty was ratified in
the senate by vote of 73 to S. Every
was voted down and the
treaty stands just as it was prepared
by Secretary Hay and the Colombia
minister. In connection with this it
is we'll to remember that there is no
absolute certainty that the canal will
be built, but there is certainty that
the national banks will get s200, ,00O,-
600 more bonds and be able to in
crease their circulation that much.
Just at present that is of more i'm
portance in the eyes of the bankers
and Wall street than that any canal
should ever be built.