Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-03-19
rAE VALUE or NEWSPAPERS.

From the Bangor (Me-) mmercid
The newspapers are telling q good
thing which is attributed to Congress
man Littlefield of this state, and
which we do not doubt. MT. Little
field is an independent and original
man. and the remark attributed to
him sounds very much as though he
might have said it. 1t is this; IF it
were not for the newspapers, the jobs
which would go through congress are
terrible to contemplate. If there
were no newspapers at all don't be-
lieve / would be willing to trust my
self alone in the House OF Representa-
tive for Is minutes"
This is just about the truth. Ir
low many instances do the news
papers act as a check and restraining
influence upon men who might posi-
bly, go wrong did they not know n
fear the newspaper, knowing 1t would
| nnoun their wrong doing to the
| world Immediately it became a legit-
innate subject for news The neWspa-
| per IS a wholesome, restraining lnfiu-
| ence; it helps the deserving and ex-
poses the undeserving; it educates
and uplifts and refines; it is mayor.
| sheriff, detective and teacher
preacher, all in one, n 1t rarely
| costs but two or three, rarely more
| than five cents, to purchase a copy.
The people of today are certainly
blessed by the press of the nation, but
great numbers are too ignorant OF
too prejudiced to know 1T.
Yet now many people there are VINO
do not appreciate or value the news
paper. 1t is much like 81 many other
things in the world-what we possess
at little cost we do not prize, not
w~ithstanding it may be En object OF
worth. In most cities and towns manJ
Intelligent business men could get
along better without their meals than
without their newspapers, put ne na-
iority of people, after all, do not APP
nrciate it or value 1t as they Woulu
ii it were difficult to OBTAIN Many
glance at it and throw 1t down, anu
can no more tell you what 1T contains
than the man in the moon. II they pus
an advertisement in they consiuer
they have done the publisher or pro-
nrietor a favor. They v stop To
think O. the amount of labor required
, to get out a paper, they reckon not OF
the expense entailed, they know noun
ing of the daily and nightly strain on
the mental powers OF those VINO ge'
it out, but if they don't receive theii
COPY on time, or ii 1T contains a SIN
gle slight error, or IT a word Is print
ed wrong they make Rome now
with their supposed injury.
s. And yet of all the educatlonala sen'
cies in the world, the newspaper i
the greatest. The 2Oth century news
naner is the result of many, nan
weary years Of labor and thought; the
! hest minds Of the best men AVE bsen
worn gu in the effort to bring IT tS
it's present state of perfection, ant
as it stands today it is an epitome o.
the doings and happenings or b un,
: verse. Science, religion, philosophy
/ everything that cOnserves the happl
ness and welfare of humanity ar
taught in it's columns, and fully reat
= il will prove an education for the read
err. and is as good as a nigh schoo
course of education in a family o
children.
THE. LARGEST STATE lEG'slA
TURE.
One distinction possessed by NeS
IHampshire is that it has h larges
legislature of any state. This may b
l voted away, if the proposed amen
ment to the constitution to reduce tn
legislative membership hereafter wa
: ratified at Tuesdays election.
: There are at present twenty-1ou
? members of the New Hampshire sci
. ate and 1893 members of the house 9
= representatives, a total of All. Ma:
!; sachusetts has on joint ballot 70
members of the legislature. Main
$50 Connecticut 297, Rhode Islam
10. Vermont 275, New York 200, Ne
Jersey 81. Pennsylvania 254 n Obi
143. By comparison with hose state
Z the total of AIT for New Hampshire
G disproportionately large, u the Ne
England states are tenacious OF thel
It political custome and the propose
reduction of membership would,
IS adopted. leave only 30S legislators fc
I Concord.
| If New Mexico had as big a legisl'
s ture as New Hampshire, tneI
k wouldn't be enough OF the terrltor
d b srpape ur-cdu ueaz1.t otc
y The 1000 Greatest Men and Wome'
: From the New York World.
ri Napoleon is the most famous ma
who has eve lived, says Prof. J. M
Keen Cattell of Columbia %universit
Professor Cattell has taken the 81
t. principal encyclopedias in the world
q American, English, French and &c
2 man-and made out a list of h LOO
= famous men and women who al
given the most space.
ii AS a result Of his long labors,
d has found hat Napoleon heads tt
u list, Shakespeare comes second, M
homet third and Voltaire fourth.
George Washington, the first Anne
lean in the list, is number nineteel
n The other Americans on the roll
e fame are mentioned in the followin
II order:
a Penn, Lincoln, Franklin, Jefferso
e Grant Longfellow, Prescott, Cha
t ming. Sherman, Emerson, Madison
y ]. @. Adams, Cooper, Thomas, Pain
: Patrick Henry, Fulton, Sumner ar
Monroe.
= The appropriation bill is out OF II
: way and in some items it is fearful
:. and wonderfully made up, but the
g it is about the best that could be e
4 ~oc+cI o~orcidor;nO tho fOrcpc helm