300 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



Spanish prisoners have received at the 

 hands of the victors should be such a rev- 

 elation to them of American character as 

 would make them give up the prejudices 

 they have held against us. And, lastly, 

 we have proved to the powers of Europe 

 that the eagle can, if necessity arises, leave 

 his perch and join in a free fight with the 

 other animals. The nations who have 

 heretofore regarded Uncle Sam as a money- 

 making boaster have learned that the old 

 gentleman can do most anything that he 

 turns his hand to even to getting up a 

 navy on short notice, and they have a 

 wholsome respect for him in conse- 

 quence. 



The Day of A school friend once wrote 

 Things. a few verses beginning ' 'Little 



things they count, yes, you bet they do." 

 While the grammatical construction of 

 this might be improved, and while the 

 poetry is conspicuous by its absence, the 

 truth of it none can gainsay. Truth 

 crushed to earth, even under such poetry, 

 rises again. The greatness of little things 

 is also brought to notice in that familiar 

 piece concerning the horse-shoe nail.. 

 The Hawaiian annexation brings to light 

 another example of the weight of little 

 things. Five years ago the treaty provid- 

 ing for the annexation of Hawaii was 

 agitated, but not until the war brought 

 home to us the necessity of having the 

 island, was the treaty ratified. And what 

 was one of the chief "little things" that 

 stood in the way all these years? Nothing 

 more nor less than a sugar-beet, probably 

 not more than four or five inches in length! 

 By experiment it had been proved that 

 the sugar beet could be profitably raised 



in this country and farmers began turning 

 their attention to the raising of this vege- 

 table when they were alarmed by the ru- 

 mor of Hawaiian annexation. It was the 

 death-knell of the sugar-beet industry, 

 they supposed, so they fought against 

 the bill, tooth and nail, on the plea that 

 if Hawaii were annexed her sugar would 

 bs too formidable a rival against beet su- 

 gar for the latter to withstand and thus 

 the American farmers would be the suf- 

 ferers. So the little 'sugar-beet arose in 

 the land and gave voice, through various 

 agricultural publications, to its woes and 

 the annexation was deferred. The Dingley 

 tariff, it is claimed, has a sugar schedule 

 so favorable to s the beet sugar industry, 

 that Hawaiian sugar will not be the rival 

 that it was feared. 

 The Fifty- The session of the fifty-fifth 



fifth Con- . ... 



gress. congress which adjourned July 



8, was a most remarkable one. In addition 

 to the legislation necessitated by the war 

 the appropriation of the fifty million 

 dollar fund, the appropriation for naval 

 construction, and the reorganization of the 

 army upon new lines there was passed 

 this session a law prohibiting American 

 citizens from killing fur seal in the North 

 Pacific and granting Great Britain the in- 

 demnity asked for the detention of Canadian 

 sealing vessels; the Hawaiian annexation 

 bill was passed, and after long years of dis- 

 cussion,' a national bankruptcy law was 

 enacted as one of the closing acts of 

 congress. This law is intended to benefit 

 business men who became deeply involved 

 during the recent panic and who now de- 

 sire to take a fresh start in business life, 

 unfettered by past indebtedness. 



REVISED VERSION. 



The Spanish cavaliers have met with de- 

 feat 

 At the hands of the brave boys in blue, 



sir. 

 The guns of our fleet seemed oft times to 



repeat, 



"Remember the Maine and her crew," 

 sir. 



L. WING. 



