Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-07-27

The International Mercantile Marine company's annual report showed a gross surplus of $1, 1,797, ,797. which was q pleasant surprise to the financial World.-Penny Press.
 Russian editors who fail to denounce Count Tolstoi's anti-war article with sufficient vigor may as well prepare to start for this country while the cut rates are on.--Morning Telegram and Union.
 While sympathizing with the Kan sas farmers who have sustained heavy losses by the food, we own up to a feeling of satisfaction that the old slo gan, "Wheat's burning up,'' will not be sounded this season. n.-Springfield Union.
 The word "Iroquois" has been chis- eled off the Chicago theater building i'll which three hundred lives were lost last winter. It is not wholly because of nautical superstition that there will never be another General Slocum.- Springfield Union.
 Inasmuch as the president has wired Senator Fairbanks to come to Oyster Bay as soon as possible it is to be in- ferred that he has heard of his nomin- ation by the Chicago convention, al- though the notification committee hasn't shown up yet.-Daily Globe. The American Sheet and Tin Plate Co has reduced the wages of its em- ployes IS per cent. Sucn a step on the eve of d presidential election shows the fngratitude of the company toward a party which certainly has been kind to it in the matter of protection-Ex change.
 They have Dreyfus case in Italy l now, an officer of the army having | been arrested for treason in selling ] plans of army matters. There is not however any race issue involved in the Italian case and the scandal is not like ly to spread widely. Bridgeport
 Standard.
 There is neither civilization nor hon. esty in a great many visitors to the I fair, if it is true that magnificent in- laid table in the Japanese exhibit has 1 been nearly ruined by visitors. who have picked out most of the precious metal and gems with pocket-knives and carried them away as souvenirs. .- Hartford Times.
 l The stories from the summer camps where the young fellows are congre- gated gives the adult pang of sorrow at the thought that he is out of the joys Of such outings. There probably never was healthy boy who didn't thor oughly enjoy an outing under ''reaT' tent and chance to think he was just as good real army man or Indian or anybody. -Brockton Enterprise. A Boston paper tells of an unusual sight witnessed on a thoroughfare there recently, when stern, spec | tacled Boston matron appeared lead ing a small boy by chain. The | youngster was lively, as youngsters
 are likely to be. pulling first this way
 and then that, but little jerk from
 the other end of the chain was gener- ally all that was needed to make him
 trot along The idea immediately ap- pears so eminently sensible and prac- ticable that the wonder is it has never been adopted before. Tn Boston. it is
 said, many women have already an- nounced their intention of thus chain ing the nurses and their young charges
 before starting them out for their daily
 airing. Meriden Journal.
 Secretary Taft has introduced re. form at West Point which he claims
 may be of benefit to the service b11t
 which will stir up some feeling among
 army officers and especially among the cadets. Tn future the latter are not to
 be allowed to choose which branch of
 the service they will enter, but will be
 assigned to their places by board The custom has been to allow the first
 few high standing cadets ill the gradu-
 ating class to go into the engineers, the
 next group to the cavalry, and those
 who remain to the infantry. This gave the cadets an added incentive to take high rank so that they could have some
 choice as to their future But the sec
 retary states that this system often threw men into branch for which q detriment to the army.-New Haven Journal and Courier.