THE EDITOR'S DRAWER 



THE people of Illinois are proud of Dr. 

 Clarke Gapen, the superintendent, and 

 Messrs. Sill, Orr, Radeke and Granger, 

 the Board of Trustees of the Illinois East- 

 ern Asylum at Kankakee. In proving 

 what irrigation will do for a farm in a 

 State like Illinois those officials have ben- 

 efited the agriculturists of the country 

 generally. 



THE third annual convention of the 

 Nebraska State Irrigation Association was 

 held at Sidney. It was very largely at- 

 tended and there was immense enthusiasm. 

 The recent decision of the State Supreme 

 Court gave every encouragement. Great 

 progress will be made in irrigation pro- 

 jects during 1896. Speakers were present 

 from all over the country and the benefits 

 of general irrigation were clearly shown. 



PLATFORM for 1896: 1 Federation of 

 all agricultural organizations. 2 Smaller 

 farms. 3 Irrigation. 4 Diversified 

 crops. 5 Improved public highways. 

 6 Uniform, cheap railroad rates. 7 

 Free rural mail delivery. 8 Let your 

 legislators and Congressmen know what 

 yon want. 



FREE SILVER was declared for by the 

 Trans-Mississippi Commercial Congress. 

 A great exposition of the products of 

 States west of the Mississippi river was 

 advocated, and resolutions adopted asking 

 the National Congress to make an appro- 

 priation in aid of it. 



CONFERENCE of the Bi-Metallic Leagues 

 of Great Britain, France and Germany, 

 now going on in Paris, has for its object 

 the drafting of an agreement regarding 

 bi-metallism which will be submitted to the 

 parliaments of the three countries. 



IN the National Grange the resolution 

 was stripped of the export bounty clause, 

 and, as adopted, favors protection to farm- 

 ing, and requests Congress to investigate 

 the merits of Lubin's plan. 



WITH her mineral and Mining Board, 

 and also a Mining Exchange, Chicago will 



(50 



be the central point for investors. New 

 York also has a mining exchange. 



THE Wisconsin State Grange adopted a 

 series of resolutions urging that " the 

 government should monopolize the issu- 

 ing of money, and make the volume of 

 legal-tender large enough to supply the 

 wants of the people." 



SENATOR CHANDLER'S BILL for the un- 

 limited coinage of gold and silver provides 

 that the law shall take effect when similar 

 laws have been adopted by England, 

 France and Germany. A majority of the 

 Senate favor free silver. 



A DECISION as to the constitutionality of 

 the Wright law in California is about due 

 from the United States Supreme Court. 

 This decision will have a direct bearing on 

 the irrigation laws in all the Western 

 States. 



IN order to prevent the necessity of fur- 

 ther bond issues, revenue for government 

 expenses must be raised by restoring the 

 duties on some commodities, and two of 

 these are wool and woolen goods. 



RAILROADS are the great developers, and 

 a big boom in railroad building actual 

 building is announced from all the far 

 Western States and Territories. 



IF there should be war, wouldn't prices 

 of breadstuffs, meats and horses go boom- 

 ing! A great many people are afraid 

 Great Britain may back out. 



ILLINOIS, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indi- 

 ana and Ohio have members of the 

 National Irrigation Congress. At the 

 next session every State in the Union will 

 send delegates. 



THE Harvey county (Kansas) colony 

 who went to Louisiana three years ago 

 have just arrived back on foot. 



THE American Bi-Metallic League will 

 attend the silver conference at Washing- 

 ton, D. C., the 22d of this month. 



WHAT about our own boundary line dis- 

 pute with Great Britain that Alaska 

 line? 



