The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-15

Who rouse US to .wrestie with wrong.
And her e to 'f the sin lie Of his
dennis A. Mccarthy, in the New York
Sun.
A flood of Copper.
| Excepting for the owners of mines,
there is nothing unwholesome about
the Unprecedented surplus of unsold
copper. The big output resulted dur
ing the past week in a reduction in the
price of the metal. but even that will
cause no loss of sleep on the part of
the millions of users of copper.
The only trouble with copper is this:
The United States can now produce
more of this valuable metal than the
discoveries of vast ore bodies have so
greatly enlarged this countrys capacity
| of production that it has entirely out
stripped the demands of buyers.
| But it is surely no sign Of distress
when land contains SO rich a mineral
as copper and in such tremendous
quantities that it can put upon the
worlds market more than the world
wants. That American miners have
| brought to the surface an average of
| this year than could be sold could only
result in what has already happened
to the price of 1t, which is to say a
reduction.
If the owners of iron and coal were
| to work their mines to the utmost
| they would also gorge the markets
with their product and depress the
price. But they do not follow that
policy, and copper owners, if they wish
to prevent q further drop in the value
! OF their metal, will have to save their
resources and lessen their activity.
AS for the consumer. he can sit down
comfortably in the calm satisfaction
that this country is lined with the red
AL s-I- xx-iII CO f1 A ,er
out national assets copper ranks far to
the front and it is one of the things
which helps make this land utterly in
vulnerable.
Copper cannot be made artificially,
nor will that be destroyed which re-
mains in the ground. In no sense can
the cheapening Of the price now be re-
garded as symptom of a decreased
business activity.-Philadelph Press.
Panama to Rival Jamaica.
To most Americans Panama means
only the Canal Zone plus a restricted
country of wilderness and swamp. with
a republican form of government auto
matte to the policy of. the United
States by the treaty of 1903. We believe
that most Americans would be sur
prised to hear that Panama is greater
in area than South Carolina and al
most as large as Maine. While the
canal strip is only about five miles
wide. the Influence of the United
confine and recess of the republic as
long as the American flag flies over
the zone. 1t follows that serious
breaches of the peace will not be toll
Grated any more than arbitrary inter-
ference with legitimate investments.
If the resources of Panama would re-
pay an attempt to develop them we
may be sure that it will be made.
In a recent issue of the Kingston
Cleaner we find the expression of a
lively fear that Panama may some
day profit handsomely at the expense
of Jamaica. eff we lag behind in the
matter of development" it says, that
country may use our own bone and
compete with the Jamaica products in
the markets of the United States"
Jamaica has already lost thousands OF
her negro laborers to Panama. and If
it is made worth while they will re-
main on the isthmus. Some of them
have become peasant proprietors and
are prospecting. Their example is like
| ly to be followed by many of the
islanders when the Pacific slope OF
Panama is opened to settlement by
is not excessive the climate is salu-
brious, and the Pacific slope of the re-
public is attractively suited to agricul-
ture.-New York Sun
Easily Managed.
The contract for keeping the church
and town hall clocks in order was
given to new man. Unfortunately,
from the start he experienced diff
ficulty in getting the clocks to strike
at the same time. At last the district
council requested an interview with
the matchmaker.
you are not so successful with the
clocks as your predecessor" he was
told cit is very misleading to have
one clock striking three or four min
utes after the other. Before you to.,k
them in hand we could hardly tell the
two were striking. Surely. you are as
competent"
Every workman has his own meth
DDS, gentlemen replied the watch
maker. land mine amt the same as
HIS were.''
"Tm decidedly of opinion that 1t
would be for the general good If they
WERE" remarked one of the councillors.
|. every well. sir: in future they shall
be- came the reply. 81 happened to
write to him last week about the trou-
BILE I had With the clocks, and-but,
perhaps he added, as he produced
letter and handed it to the chairman,
you'd like to see what he said"
Dear Sir" ran the letter, about
them clocks. When you get to know
what a cantankerous lot of busybodies
the council consists of you'll do the
same as I did for fifteen years-forget
to wind UP the striker of the town hall