Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1903-06-11
REPUBLICAN NOMINEES.
CURRENT EVENTS.

The weather has lately been affecting
the stock markets. The long. continued
drouth in the East damaged the hay
and vegetable crops, while in the West
and South, the floods and cyclones dam
aged the wheat, corn and cotton crops,
all of which are listed in the stock ex-
changes, and all of which reached low
level last week
In the iron and steel trade the do
mestic output now supplies the demand,
and Importation has stopped, though
railway construction keeps up the price
of steel rails.
The railway earnings continue to be
phenomenal. the movement of merchan-
disc is heavy, money is easy, and the
Nation is prosperous
Fifty years ago the President of the
United States or a candidate for the
Presidency Swung around the circle"
east of the Mississippi; now the circle
skirts the Pacific coast, and in fifty
years more it will probably include
the North pole and the Panama canal.
"The World do move.' President
Roosevelt landed in Washington last
Friday evening after an excursion, or
swing around the circle" during which
he travelled fourteen thousand miles by
rail and several hundred more by coach
and horse-a trip that is an education
in itself, and during which he has
probably acquired information that will
be of use to the Nation, for in all pro-
liability he will succeed himself as
President.
The investigation into the postoffice
scandals are being vigorously pursued.
One of the bureaucrats has already
been indicted and two others are under
arrest. Mr.. Machen is accused of pay
ing several prices for materials, and re-
ceiving "rake-off" of forty percent
The frauds discovered have been in the
Rural Free Delivery department, which
is no good reason for condemning the
system, but if the assertion that it is
now costing the Nation twenty cents to
deliver two-cent letter by the r. F.
D. is true. that is cogent impeach-
ment The Nation, in the interest of
better communication, Will not balk at
paying all or little more than the
postage for rural delivery. But when
it comes to cost of 10 times the postage
even an allowance for the extravaganza
Of the system does not give such a Route
a reasonable excuse for existence.
Forty millions Of dollars will have
been expended on the grounds and
buildings of the st. Louis exposition
before the gates are opened, next year.
That is very large sum-two and
half times as much as we paid Napoleon
for the French title to the whole stretch
of country, from Louisiana to Oregon
but the results will be to the glory and
profit of the whole nation.
We see it stated in Philadelphia pa
per. that visitors to the Centennial Chi
cago and Buffalo Fairs from foreign
countries were as much impressed with
the evidences of the mental and moral
development of this nation as they
were with the mechanical development,
though the latter evoked their highest
praise, and that an effort will be made
to exhibit the civic as well as the manu-
factured results of this state at st.
Louis.
That is a good idea. We had it at
Buffalo, to some extent, in little two
cent building, around the corner which
nobody could find and were ashamed of
when they did find it, though it cost the
state S35. 900. and for st. Louis we sug-
gest an enlarged reproduction of Inde-
pendence hall. containing number of
large glass cases, in one of which will be !
wax figures of some of our state officials,
holding out to the view of an astonished
World, gilt-edged copy of the Salus-
Grady libel law.
This case should be marked Exhibit
e., for it would be the most discredit-
able on the grounds.
THE objection to the libel law recent
ly passed by the Pennsylvania Legisla-
ture is not so much on account of the
unreasonableness of its provisions as
the unwholesomness of the principle
involved. In dealing with the great
problems of human liberty we must