Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-01-13
OTHER LANDS THAN ouRs.

TO the Balkan peninsula, and has been tol-
lowed by the Orient Express and other inn
portant services from Ulm TO Belgrade. NJ.
Loiseau points out that the completion Of
the simplon tunnel and the piercing OF the
Faucille pass in the Jura between Ions lie
Saunier and Geneva, would open up a
shorter and more advantageous route to
Belgrade by way of Milan and Venice. 1t
would, he contends, be in no way inferior to
that of the Orient Express, either from
a technical point OF view or the importance
OF the commercial centers which 1t would
tap. The proposed line. after passing along
the coast from Venice to Trieste and
crossing the Karst region and Carniola,
would meet with no difficulty from Stein
bruck to Belgrade, and would be about
100 kilometres shorter than that Of the
Orient Express through Germany and the
valley of the Danube. A further advan-
tage In his eyes lies in the fact that 1t
would enable France, England, and Italy
to communicate directly with the near east
Independently of Germany, and help to
cement their growing friendship. Moreover.
he thinks the scheme would be regarded
very favorably by Hungary. as Offering
it an alternate means of communicating
with western Europe.
That the Japanese are a far-seeing race
is shown by the way they build Cor the
future. Consul Sharp of Kobe sent a clip
ping from the Chronicle, a Japanese paper
printed in English, which deals with the
determination of the Japanese to have a
large harbor that will rival Shanghai.
Hongkong or even large western cities.
Mr. Takugaro, leading citizen OF Osaka,
thinks it is time for japan to move for
o-1 liz 81.
of Europeans and Americans In building
up trade on the Atlantic, and contends the
same thing is possible on the Pacific.
America, China, Japan, India ana Australia
are the lands visibly interested in the era
opening in the orient and on the Pacific
The country or countries favorably sit
uated for trade, he says, are sure TO be
benefited by every movement forward.
Japan is already doing business with the
principal countries on the Pacific, and is
eagerly looking forward TO the time when
it will be able to extend it's trade into all
parts of the world. To do this 1t will
need facilities for handling. forwarding,
receiving and transporting goods. Panama.
Mr.. Nakahashi thinks, is to be the leading
port on the Pacific. followed in Importance
by San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver and
Portland. No important port is possible
on the South American coast, for geo.
graphical conditions will not permit IL. In
Asia, Hongkong Shanghai, Osaka, Manila
and Dalny are to be the ports, and inn
portant in the order indicated All of these
are capable of being improved and doubt
less will be as trade increases.
use
There is some speculation in European
political circles to the precise motive
which induced the Prince of Montenegro to
present his subjects with constitution. af
ter maintaining a paternal government for
forty-five years. His friends say that 1t is
| only reasonable that he should seek to rid
himself Of the burden of responsibility
which he has shouldered for so long. On
the other hand. his opponents declare that
| he is only anxious to establish an appar-
, emily liberal form of government, in har-
mony with those free institutions which he
is convinced will soon replace autocracy in
Russia, q country from which he has re-
celved no much In the past and expects 30
much in the future. The possibility. too,
/ of a fall of the Karageorgevitch dynasty
| in Servia Is regarded as another incentive
| He feels that his chance of securing the
throne of that little kingdom either for
himself or for one of his sons would be
| but slender II he or his successor were an
autocrat. Another suggestion is that the
prince, is aware how his ministers have
abused their authority by selling conces-
sions and otherwise enriching themselves
at the expense Of the people. At the same
| time, he is unwilling to make enemies of
! them by dismissing them. Instead of doing
this. he will simply leave them to the
tender mercies of the new legislators who
are said to be anxious to exercise their
! 10,
subservient to the wishes Of the prince
himself remains to be seen.
The French socialist leader, NJ. Jaures.
evidently believes that the german emper-
ors recent attitude towards Morocco is due
chiefly to his anxiety over the political
situation at home. He discusses, In the
Humanite, the plan Of the socialist democ-
racy in Prussia to begin on January q an
agitation in favor of universal suffrage for
the Diet. In the course of his remarks he
says: at is a great crisis which Is now
beginning. II France prudently avoids CIV
ing the kaiser a diversion by incidents OF
foreign policy, William H. will find himself
face to face with serious domestic DIM
culties. The German social system Is a
solid piece of masonry; but when three
millions of men begin to agitate, even il
that agitation be as yet slow and somewhat
inert the whole ediice is shaken. The
contrast is too violent between the power
of the socialist democracy and the oligarchi-
cal regime which in Prussia, as in Saxony,
completely excludes the people from the
Landtag. The fortresses of privilege will
fall, and when universal suffrage has been
proclaimed i'm each one of the German
states, when in several OF them a socialist
majority has legally attained once, when
the Prussian squirearchy the nursery and
support of militarism, is no longer pro-
tected by a political regime of caste the
whole of Germany will be transformed"
The craze for statistics showing what
people read and who their favorite authors
are has extended TO France. Among the
peasantry interest in literature seems to be
increasing The peasants in very remote
places read chiefly the local newspapers
and the almanac" which In both France
and Switzerland is kind OF popular mag
} azine. In less isolated spots a great deal
has been done for the people by the school
masters who have organized literary clubs
} where books are read and discussed and
often borrowed. People of the humber
classes have begun 10 read works OF his
: tory and iiction. 1t appears that Victor
; Hugo is by all odds the most popular au