The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-03
The YEAR 1902

i
| It was a year OF peace-making and pros
perity for the world generally. and for
/ the United States particularly Possibly
the figures of American industry, trade
| and commerce will show larger totals for
1898, but those for 1872 are the highest
yet Moreover the passing year has Wit
messed many national events OF distinct
ton Among them were the visit OF
! Prince Henry of Prussia in February,
marked as it was by an exchange of cour-
tesies with Germany that had happy
/ influence on the relations of the two
countries; the withdrawal of our army
from Cuba and the orderly birth of the
| Cuban republic. in honorable fulfillnenr
of our pledges.
| The New England speaking tour OF
President Roosevelt. in which ne mar
rowly escaped death in the collision Of
, trolley car with his carriage. and the
subsequent abandonment midway or his
western tour, are among its fortunate
recollections- The second Venezuelan dis
quite. in which Great Britain and Ger
many have accepted arbitration at the
instance of our government. has even
more emphaticaliy than the first strength
ened the Monroe doctrine, by giving II
the practical recognition of those great
European powers. So that as 1872 closes
undoubtedly the prestige of this country
stands very high in European capitals
1t has been a war-ending year The
Anglo Boer conflict was closed with a
peace treaty signed on May 81, and Joseph
Chamberlain is now in South Africa earn
estly endeavoring TO expand that peace
into a real reconciliation between the En-
gl.sh and Dutch races. In the Philippines
peace may be said TO prevail. though not
as absolutely and on as permanent a
basis as could be wished.
The notable local disasters of the clos
Ife--.@ s~,f
York Central tunnel, killing seventeen
persons. and the dynamite explosion in
the rapid-transit subway, both in Janu-
airy; the destructive fire in Paterson, y.
j.. making loco families homeless. and
the Park Avenue hotel fire, involving the
less of seventeen lives, both in Febru-
airy. It's most terrible world calamities
were the eruptions in May of Mont Pelee.
Martinique. and of Mont la Soufriere, st
Vincent, destroying about 81, 600 people
In American politics the year has not
been productive of any marked changes
The new national house of representa-
tives, elected last month. will be. like
the present one a Republican body. As
elected it shows POS Republican and Us
Democratic members The national SEN
ate of the next congress will also be
s onal elections showed q decided popular
movement toward the revision of the
tariff and the regulation and restraint
o. trusts and monopolies- Congress. in
its long session. ending July ]. was only
remarkable for what IL omitted to Go.
1t shelved Cuban reciprocity. army re-
OF ganiZation. anti-anarchy and ship-sub-
s:dy legislation; also the fourteen reel
procity treaties. the immigration bill. and
all the tariff revision and antitrust bills
II passed the Chinese exclusion act, an
act permanently organizing the rural free
delivery mail service, an act providing
for the digging of the Panama canal. a
Philippine civil government act-and moth
ing more worth recalling.
Mr.. Roosevelt's cabinet has been recon-
structed. Mr.. Shaw has taken Mr.. Cages
place as secretary of the treasury. Mr.
Payne is postmaster-general instead of
Mr.. Smith, and Mr.. Moody is the ruler
o. 1.-The navee' in place of Mr.. Long.
And Speaker Henderson, having declined
to- stand on Iowa's Republican tariff-re-
fern platform. will not call the next
house to order.
Death has aimed his darts at not a few
shining marks during 1892. Cecil Rhodes
d:ed March 26; Rear Admiral Sampson
May 6; Lord Paunefote. May q; King AL
bert of Saxony, June 10: Zola. the nov
elist, Sept %; Krupp. the cannon-maker.
Nov. %; Thomas 3. Reed, Dec. Z.
In Europe the larger public events of
the year nave Deen the quiet coronation
of Edward VII. after the painful post
ponement of a much grander ceremony.
on August 8; the coronation of King AL
fcnso of Spain on May II; the resignation
of Premier Waldeck- Rousseau In France
and his succession by NJ. Combes, the
present premier; the resignation of Lord
Salisbury British prime minister and
his succession by Mr.. Balfour.
The distinctively progressive events of
1902 embrace the first actual navigation
of the air by Santos-Dumont: the sue
cessful transmission of wireless mes
sages across the Atlantic by Marconi;
the completion of the Canadian-Austra-
Ian cable from Vancouver, 3. c., to Fan
ming Island 3.455 miles; the opening of
the great Assouan dam on the Nile,
which promises TO create a new Egypt.
Such is the story. in skeleton form, OF
1!02-leaving the one large shadow that
has fallen across IL to be mentioned last.
The great coal strike is. so far as this
country is concerned. its only industrial
event of far-reaching misfortune. II be-
gan May u, lasted till October q. and
would have lasted much longer. possibly
urtil now, but for President Roosevelt's
successful exertion of his influence to send
the dispute to a commission TO investI-
gate and report mining in the meantime
being resumed.-New York World.