The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1903-11-05
NEWS OF THE WEEK



Those heavenly twins, the Chicago
Chronicle and Chicago Tribune, the
first gold democrat and the other a
republican daily, have joined forces
in an attack on Hull House, the great
College Settlement institution, be-
cause the managers OF Hull House
tolerate free speech. 1t is congenial
work for those plutocratic publica-
lions and they are getting great deal
OF enjoyment out OF 1t.
w. r. Curtis goes to considerable
pains In his European letters to show
how much cheaper railroad fare Is in
this country under private ownership
than 1t Is in France under government
ownership. But he does not tell his
readers that the fare on the road
from Paris to the great watering place
of Biarritz Is little scheme devised
by the French government to make
the foreigner pay the tax" The travel
from Paris to this watering place con-
sists mostly of foreigners and runs up
to million or so every year. The
rates on the road are made to, and do,
produce an enormous revenue for the
government That is the object OF
that schedule and most of it comes
out Of the foreigner. The ordinary
trains upon which the common people
of France ride between those two
points have lower rates than in this
country. Bill Curtis took train that
was arranged for the purpose of max
ing the foreigner contribute quite
largely to the support of the govern
ment.
The Independent wishes to say to
the socialists who still continue to
talk about labor crystals, that that
term is neither metaphor, smile nor
hyperbole Labor Is exertion, bodily
or mental. The primary meaning Of
the word crystal Is a regular solid
bounded by regular faces meeting each
other at definite angles. How "exer-
ton" can be transformed into thing
like that is something that no one
but socialist can comprehend.
: The banks are in such fix that
they must stand or fall together
Enough of them have failed to weak
en- confidence. Let a few more go and
the whole crowd, except few that
have been run on populist principles,
will go down in one ruinous heap The
run on the st. Louis banks caused two
millions Of gold to be sent from New
York to that city. Readers of The
Iudanondanf vuf11 ram hnr %bof AR
Van Vorhis in his articles has been
calling attention for some months to
the fact that the st. Louis banks were
running with their reserves far below
the legal limit.
The untimely death of Mrs. Booth
Tucker in wreck on the Santa Fe
railroad in Missouri removes one of
the strongest and gentlest figures in
the world from the ranks Of the Saliva
ton Army. Her gentle pleadings were
benediction to the outcast and ray
OF hope for the fallen. To the in
mates of prisons everywhere her fire.
quent visits brought messages of hope
and cheer. They hailed her as a good
angel, and listened attcntively to her
simple and earnest plea for "the bet
ter way She leaves a grief-stricken
husband and seven children.
Fasting feats continue to grow in
length. DR.. Tanner began the bust
ness with fast OF 30 days. Frank
Picket of Boston, has tasted for As
days. taking nothing. during all that
time but distilled water. He UNDER
took the feat TO cure himself of dys-
pepsia. The doctor attending him
says that he Is not at all emaeiated.
q There Is a car famine In Kansas and
the farmers cannot ship their wheat.
During the last ten days the roads
have discharged over 100000 hands
and reduced the number of trains. so
the papers say. IL Is the same old
game played over agaln--the wheat
spectators working IN collision with
the railroads.
The German engineers have been
running electric cars on the new sys-
tenn. where the car hangs from the
rails instead Of running upon them,
at the rate az 1870 miles an hour. Two
such systema are In operation I'm Gers
many. whether they will prove
commercial AucceNa or NOT haa NOT vet