The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-06-15

trusts will be SO devised as to help the people as
little possible and do the corporations no SER
ious damage.
remarkable example of the economic i'm
portance of wild animal is afforded by close
study Of the habits of the coyote of the western
prairies. the results of which have just been pub
lished by the department of agriculture. The
activities Of the coyote, who will eat anything
really regulate the price of mutton in the cities
OF the eastern seaboard. Kansas alone paid
bOunties last year on 1854 coyotes, and yet the
coyote continues to enjoy life on the outer edge
of civilization To the credit of the coyote must
be placed his rabbits, prairie dogs, rats,
squirrels, woodchlcks, moes gophers and mice.
On the other hand coyotes sometimes capture
wild animals that assist man in his warfare
against insects and rodent pests. Birds that
roost and nest on the ground frequently fall VIC
tins to the coyote, which also attacks in packs
of two or more, deer and antelope. The coyote
Is great destroyer too, of domestic animals
The destruction of the larger game by may
partly account for this change to farm animals
as diet. The usual method pursued by the
coyote in capturing hens, ducks, geese and tur-
keys is to Turk behind weeds or bushes, until the
fowls come in sight. The coyotes are especially
notorious enemies of the sheep, and that in
dustry has greatly languished as result of their
States is now decreasing. Montana, with an area
of $4,000 square miles, leads the states in the
number of sheep kept, which is 5,63S,957, while
England has about five times as many as Mon
tana The reason generally given for the failure
Of the sheep industry is the abundance of coyotes
In the east and south.
The Massachusetts Referendum league is the
name of an organization just formed at Boston
Tor tie purpose of tempering representative gov
ernment with a little of the corrective power
OF pure democracy or the admission of the whole
electorate to a final voice legislative meas
ures. as occasion may give rise to such demand.
The objects Of the league stated to be- To
Organize and make effective the popular senti.
ment in favor of referendum measures; that u.s.
Of majority rule To pledge legislative candidates
Tor referendum measures To give publicity to
pledges of candidates and acts of representatives
To support pledged candidates and to defeat un.
pledged candidates and unfaithfu representatives
Il is the intention to carry on an active pro-
paganda to the end of securing from the next
legislature enactments looking toward the appli-
cation in this state of the referendum principle
Many persons of professional, business and labor
prominence in Boston and vicinity have enlisted
In the work, will be seen from the compost
ton of the executive committees Robert Treat
aine, Jr., chairman; Prof. Frank Parsons, treas
urer Charles A. Dean, secretary; George Fred
Williams, Charles M. Cox, Henry Sterling Har-
vey n. Shepard Rabbi Charles Fleischer Henry
B. Blackwell, Meyer Bloomfield, Frank X. Foster,
Mrs. Martha P. Hadley, Miss Anna Wilmington,
John Tobin. Erving Winsow, B. o. Flower, George
r. McNeill Prof. Amas R. Wells, Prof Lewis j.
johnson and William N Osgood. Additional to