Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-19
orHER LANDS THAN ouRs.

~ THAN OURS
The recent outbursts Of religious intoler-
ance in London. which forced the Catholic
Eucharistic congress to abandon in part
its professional program, sharply empha-
sizes the absurdity OF the British legisla-
tive custom Of rarely repealing an innocu-
GUS law. The law invoked by a group OF
religious fanatics is a survival Of the in
famous penal code of Ireland. which es-
capped repeal at the passage Of the Cath
Ollie emancipation act OF 1929 and forbade
outdoor religious ceremonials by Roman
Catholics. Failure to repeal the obnox-
ious statute enabled a group OF fanatics
to force the government into a position
humillating to the nation and insulting to
a representative element Of the population,
As usual, the hostility aroused damaged
the cause it represented and awakened
sympathetic interest for the Catholic en-
gress. In all lands blue laws serve the
purposes Of petty tyrants and should b.
relegated to the museums of the witch
craft and fagot.
Every Austrian with a pull worthy Of the
name has received jubilee decorations in
honor Of the birthday anniversary OF EN-
peror Francis Joseph. Altogether the re-
cipients of jubilee crosses, orders and pro-
motions cannot fall far short OF 1000,
yet very few are satisfied. There Is an
normous amount Of intriguing going on
to set the highest order possible, The
most remarkable feature, however, is the
preference the officials display for some
decoration or title to promotion into a
higher class in the government service. al
though the latter means no increase In
| nav Official salaries ara p1igarahly small
in all the lower classes; nevertheless scores
Of minor officials prefer some hish-sound-
ing title to receiving higher pay.
So accurate have been engineering cal
culations on tunnel projects constructed in
recent years that the bores approaching
from opposite directions connect with vari-
ations of less than an inch. Imagine the
establishment and dismay Of the German
engineers who directed the construction OF
a tunnel through the Black Forest noun
tains on discovering a variation OF TWEEN
ty-siX feet at the junction point of the two
bores, But 1t was not the fault OF the en-
gineers. The displacement of a surveying
pin caused the trouble and put the state
of Baden TO an expense OF $l,OOO,O 900 to rec
tify the mistake. An investigation showed
that the pin was Intentionally misplaced
by a spiteful workma who had been dis
charged during the progress of the work
and who g~ratified his revenge in this way.
Every mother heart, and father heart as
well, will throb with sympathy for the
sorrowing Queen Wilhelmina of Holland,
to whom the happiness of an heir has been
denied for the third time. All Holland
looked forward with great pleasure TO the
- - -
and national disappointment is as keen as
the heartache of the bereft queen mother.
A joyous, impulsive girl, born to the pur-
pie, and the idol of her people, her life is
again Swallowed with that grief which
stricken mothers only can appreciate. Pal
ace walls nor high estate afford no Sc
hearts in the households of rich and poor,
royalty and peasant.
The special correspondent Of the London
Times at Sofia intimates that some Of the
diplomatic agents of foreign powers were
not averse to profiting by the general cor
ruption among the governing class in 1ur-
key. He says: Many disclosures of an
unsavory character may still be expected
with regard to the means by which menu
bers Of the Yildiz camarilla and their pro-
teges, both native and foreign, have en-
riched themselves or secured valuable con-
cession for clients at the expense of the
Turkish treasury. In the former competi-
ton for concessions, lucrative orders and
other favors, some of the embassies found
1t advisable, and even necessary, to main
tain close relations with the palace clique
through whom alone their speculative en-
terprises could be brought to a successful
issue. The existence of these relations In
the past cannot but diminish the influence
of certain diplomatic representatives with
the new government, and may even tend
to weaken the prestige of their respective
countries and the authority of the Euro
peaD concert. In these circumstance It
seems not unlikely that several diplomatic
changes may be announced before long"
Under the treaty just ratified, by which
Belgium takes over the Congo state as a
colonial possession, the nation binds itself
to respect the rights OF the holders of the
normous concessions which were granted
by the sovereign just before he negotiated
this treaty. TO pay large life subsidies to
Prince Albert and Princess Clementlna and
some minor ones, and in the course Of fif-
teen years the sum of So Oc, COO to the king
or his successors, to spend S9,1C0,OOO on
public works in Belgium, and to assume
responsibility for the liabilities of the
Congo, excepting interest on the Congo debt
of $22, 10000. for which for the present It
disclaims accountability. Apparently, there
viii be, as a result OF this treaty, a con-
tributiop to the Belgian budget Of about
81, $4,000 q year, and a charge against It
OF s6,5O0,oOO a year, besides the interest on
the Congo debt, for which no provision Is
as yet made.
There appears to be some difference Of
opinion i'm England respecting the operation
of the new law compelling the owners of
patented articles to manufacture them Inv
the British isles in order to secure the
protection OF the laws. The London Stan
! dard virtually asserts that II will accom-
plish nothing, 1t says! Instead, there
fore, Of the act providing for the exclusive
manufacture Of patented articles in Great
Britain, It definitely secures the foreigner
against anything of the sort for a cor
siderable number OF years, after which he
will have no difficulty in evading It," The
effect Of the law In bringing IN new fac
tories has been exaggerated. American
Consul General Wynne has heard of only
one American concern, the Gillette razor
company, which is arranging to supply its
English customers from an English fac
torv On the other hand no has hear