Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1905-10-12

Officials of the State Department
| are looking at the Cuban situation
Gith feelings akin to dread. NOtWlth-
standing the belief, so hard to uproot
| tile administration would be glad of Il
valid excuse to pave the way to bring
Cuba under the flag. it is fear rather
than hope that beSetS the officials Of
state. Cuba until the last election pc
riOl was moving onward in an order
ly, prosperous course. and there was
genuine satisfaction in American cd
miniStratiOn circles over the apparent
SOundneSS Of the fruit OF the tree of
independence. The passions Of the
GeOplc, so easily aroused in other
Latin-Amcrican republics, seemed III
Cuba to be checked by an unexpected
conservatism and Il sincere desire -
have the world know that the mixed
races occupying the island We're worthy
IF the Sift of freedom. Recent events,
however. have shown that the old
ieaycn of unrest and turmoil is still
present. The election riots at Glen
fucgos have deep significance, it is
feared. They were not ordinary rows
to pass and leave no after effects when
the day Of the voting was done. Di-
rect charges Of undue and illegal gov
eminent acts for the purpose Of up
holding its will are made, and the OPP
position party is strong enough, if it
takes the revolutionary bit in its teeth,
TO throw the island back into the
scenes Of Civil War which antedated
tie Spanish-American conflict.
BraZilianS are like other people in
preferring to buy what is fashionable.
\ special agent of the Department of
Commerce and Labor who has been
making an inquiry into the cause Of the
comparatively small trade of the Unit
ed States with Brazil reports that most
Of the population, except the very few
who have Travelled in the United
States, have exalted ideas as to the
greatness of England, France and Ger
many, and the 'fashiOnableneSS' OF u.s.
ing commodities produced in those
countries" They do not yet know in
South America that England, France
and Germany buy many things from
the United States, and that American
shoes. for instance, are becoming so
popular on the other side that the Euro
70
lean styles. When they learn this,
through the enterprise of the Ameri-
can manufacturer, the people of Bra
I'll will begin to regard American
goods with as much favor as they re-
gard those which are made in Europe.
The annual report Of the UNTIL
States Commissioner of Education has
a chapter bearing upon the libraries
of the country in 1903. Only those
containing one thousand or more vol
umes are mentioned. The North At
lantic States contain nearly One-half
the libraries enumerated. New York
stands first, with 92i; Massachusetts
next, with GA. and Pennsylvania fol
lows with 491. Thirty per cent of the
libraries and 40 per cent of the num-
Der of volumes computed for the ma
ton at large are contained in these
States. Taking the country as whole
there is one library. containing at least
one thousand volumes. for every eleven
thousand six hundred and thirty-tw
The growth of the rural free deliv-
cry system continues undated. On
July 1 there were 32,0JS routes in
operation. or 1892 more than at a
period last year. To en-
able better handling of the mail the
postoffice department is arrangin" for
The numbering Of all rural letter boxes
entitled to service, and authorizing
to deliver mail matter address
ed to boxes by number alone, the
same as is now permitted in the case
Of postOffice boxes. The boxes will be
numbered in order, beginning with the
first box reached by the carrier after
leaving the postoffice. and new boxes
erected afterward will be assigned the
text number in use OH the particular
route.
1t is expected that the POStoffice Dc
Dartment will take action to exclude
many of the post cards from the mails
III account Of their improper charac-
Ter. Some of them that come from
'oreign countries are decidedly and
:learly immoral. The souvenir post
ard fad has reached astonishing di-
nensions and the mails are flooded
with them. For the most part they
ire attractive and artistic. The United
States Postotfice Department has ruled
hat any card with writing on the ad-
lress side must have a two cent
stamp. J
Nearly every pen manufacturer in |
america and Europe sent pens to |
PORTSMOUTH. with the request that |
hey be used in signing the Russo !