Omaha daily bee., 1910-11-05

Far Nations Of the Earth.
A fairly accurate measure Of the forces
dominant In the infant republic Of Portu-
gal Is furnished " the arrest of the former
premier. Franco. on the charge Of having
disbursed public money without warrant
Of law. Franco was prime minister at the
time OF the assassination OF King Carlos
and his son, and his action, Jointly with
the king. in suspending parliamentary
government in order to checkmate the
greed Of controlling party leaders, is gen
orally believed to have caused the cowardly
double murder The prosecution of Franco
is heralded as evidence Of lofty republican
reform yet ia, perpetrators Of the double
murder not only have not been proceeded
against, but one Of tire principal causes Of
the revolt against King Manuel was the
latter refusal to syn a decree OF amnesty
for the assassins OF his father and brother
which Premier Texeira demanded. Nor
is there mention Of the republicans pro-
cecding against the benefic aries of the
Credito Predial. a financial concern man
aged by politicians, which recentr robbed
the public by the issue Of fraudulent bonds
and gigantic defalcauons. "A Central
been established here in Europe" writes
Francis Mccullough, reputable CORE
spondent Of the New York Evening Post,
from Lisbon. There is a censorship Of
worse kind than any that ever existed
under royalty. II you are willing to wire
that the Jesuits are running like rats
through all the old sewers and drains Of
the town, (these old sewers are dignified
with the name Of underground passages).
with bombs and internal machines for the
purpose of blowing us all up then your
telegram will pass. II you cast the faint
est doubt on that story you Immediately
get into difficulty. A week ago the coun-
try was ruled by gang Of politicians and
nominauy by a weak young king, who. in
course of time, might have been able to
exercise restraining influence upon
politics. Today the country is ruled by
another gang Of politicians and the king is
gone. TIE 100000 OF ignorant and in
dustrious peasants will be no better off
under the new regime than thCp were
under the old. Educauon7 Enlightenment?
Nonsensei These things cost money, and
the politicians are too busy feathering
their nests. getting Jobs for themselves
and their friends, placing investments
abroad so as to be prepared for the rainy
day which will certainly come"
The island Of st. Helena, immortalized
by Napoleon's exile, seems fated to aban-
donment as a human habitation. It's stra-
tegic value to England has steadily declined
since the opening Of the Suez canal Dur
ing the South African war about 400 Boer
prisoners, including General Cronje, were
i ~. r.apN
of call for ships, and only a few small
vessels which bring supplies annually APP
! pear in waters formerly crowded with
shipping Population of the island has been
gradually dwindling, the British garrison
diminished to a few guards, and isolation
and loneliness are finishing the task Sen
| timental associations cause the British gov
| eminent to hesitate on the question OF
abandonment, but unless the island is for
titled and a garrison maintained, 1t is
doomed to become a barren waste In a
few years.
without the assistance of any OF the
repressive measures familiar to the people
Of the United states, sobriety in Great
| Britain is advancing at a notably cheering
pace A consular report shows a decrease
OF one-tenth in the cow. ctions for drunKen-
ness in England and Wales during 1893, a
decrease OF 8 per cent In Ireland and 81 per
cent in Scotland. Since 1904 the average
falling off in licenses Issued has been 1855
and the total licenses in force on the first
Of this year in the United Kingdom was
81, 575. Increased tax on intoxcants is one
of the factors in the decreased oonsump-
ton this year, but the movement toward
sobriety noted In previous years has a
stronger basis, and evidently a more en-
during one, springIng from the expanding
influences OF moderation and common
sense.
Misfortune seems to have picked upon