The progressive farmer and the cotton plant., 1905-08-22
CURRENT EVENTS: THE TREND OF THINGS
AS WE SEE IT.

world "AAOoO A~|O
seven days in watching the movements OF four
men meeting together daily in the navy yard at
Portsmouth, N. H.-bigbodied, big-brained
Baron de Witte, with Baron de Rosen at his side;
and two smaller, foreign-looking men, with faces
cast in rougher molds-Messrs. Komura and
Takahira, representatives of victorious aJpan.
The Peace Prospects.
Whether It is to be peace or war; nobody can
now saw with certainty All the lesser points have
been settled but the envovs are face to face
with the two main issues which Russia de-
clared there could be no compromise-the cesslon
to japan of Saghalien Cor SakhalIn) Island. and
the payment of Japan's expenses. Perhaps
Russia might Weld of these points, but her
envoys give out the impression that to require
her to yield both would be the death knel OF
peace On the other hand, the Japanese declare
that the terms of peace originally proposed are
final. owe are not buffers says Mr.. Sato, sig
nifcantly.
Of course it is big bill which Russia has
been called upon to pay. She could have prevent
ed war by evacuating Manchuria two years ago;
now the Manchurian evacuation IS only one OF
dozen big things she must do in order to save
(what is left of herself from further attack by
the japanese The little bill for billion dollars
which the Japanese courteously ask her to pay,
is equivalent to about half the money now In cir
culation in the United States and to one-sixth OF
all the gold that has been mined since Columbus
discovered America. Says the New York World ::
"The sum that the Japs will get if they do,
will be equal to So head for every white lnhabl-
tant of the earth. 1t is little short of the total
coinage of the United States mints since they be-
gan to turn out money. 1t is three times the
worlds annual production of gold 1t will amount
to about $75 for every member of the yellow race
on earth. The population of North America is es-
timated at 1OOOO0OO0. If we had to pay it, we'd
be assessed $40 a head"
And yet this amount is just what Germany OBJ
tained from France as indemnity after the six
months Franco-Prussian War of the 70s. War
is an expensive game, and the victor must have
his spoils Should the peace conference fail, 1t is
said that the dogs of war will be Immediately un-
chained and Oyama and Linevitch will again face
each other in one Of the most desperate and bloody
conflicts of the war
The Yellow Fever Situation.
There have been to date more than one thou
sand cases of yellow fever in New Orleans, anC
about 200 deaths. One-sixth of the persons in
fected have died Meanwhile, the campaign
against the mosquito goes on, and citizens whc
fail to screen their cisterns adopt other re
quired precautionary measures, find themselve
face to face with work-house sentences. Their
have been only a very few among the ne
groes.
Every day newspapers give two or thre
columns each to news of this epidemic and al
this. of course. is well enough. The only poin
we have to make that in North Carolina alon
many times as many people die every year iron
preventable cases of typhoid fever and consump
tion, and if We should wage a crusade agains