Show THE EDITORS COMMENTS STAFF OF LIFE the summer and the fishing season are upon us all at once the transition in the case of the former from temperate with wintry tendencies to a tropical if not a torrid temperature was accomplished in a very short time and was not altogether welcomed by the Walto hereabout it is at a source of real comfort to the agricultural distri districts cis however and what gratifies them now must eventually be gratifying to all of us the soil has been thoroughly moistened and so kept until by its stimulating effects all kinds of grain have been fairly shooting upward and gaining vitality at a rate rarely equaled in this part baxt 0 of f the world if anywhere the crops of all kinds were never more promising indeed never quite so much so and without some wholly unlooked unlocked for visitation this seasons yield in all the things that go to sustain life will be a more bounteous one by far than that of any of its predecessors A gentleman who lives in rexburg Rex burg idaho was here on business a few days ago and he reports a similar condition of things only on a greatly enlarged scale in his neighborhood he stated that he raised last year ten thousand bushels of wheat and e ex X peeled to exceed that considerably this year perhaps double it this seems stupendous but is strictly within the limits of probability idaho to is the greatest wheat and potato raising district in the world so far as known this relating not only to quantity but to quality as well at the last territorial rit fair held in this city premont fremont county idaho in which rexburg to is ed took the first prize in nearly very every sample of wheat it is 18 known una that one season a few years ago the phenomenal and previously unheard of yield of bushels of wheat from a single lia acre took place at rexburg Rex burg and the whole crop averaged over sixty bushels utah cannot do so well as an that nor can idaho in all its parts but we qan can and do raise large crops under reasonably favorable conditions and there is a ready market for it at good food prices in any part of the world some of our farmers fannen it is stated have already sold their crops at eighty cents a bushel getting half of it down the teat rest on delivery this Is a kind of dealing in futures which is largely retorted to in the stock exchanges but is not common among the agricultural it to is not necessarily gambling by any means although the risk which each party runs does to some extent set one against again st the other with the expectation if not the hope appe on th part of each that he will win out on the turn and the other party to the transaction thereby necessarily be a loser lO at least not receive as much as he would have done but for the venture in the cases cited and gauging gaugin 9 the situation by present appearances and 24 indications tt it looks decidedly as if the had the better of the deal wheat has already taken a decided tumble in the chicago pits and those who bought on a plan similar to that cokeh of 0 otherwise known as shorts ire confronted with wath a great shrinkage to in the wee price of that article while they must pay the price at which they took up p au the visible supply I 1 that to is expecting tomake to make a squeeze whereby consumers of wheat meaning everybody of course except those with a fowl supply on hand would have to advanced prices the difference going into the pockets oi of the speculators that this is nearer gambling than the other case spoken of bf if not no t the simon pure article itself is not denied even by those who engage in it properly considered wheat is the most valuable thing that comes to us from the generous hand of providence without anything else to eat the human family could subsist and even do well upon it gold is a very desirable thing to have but with it alone starvation and a tormenting death would be our portion bhea is too legitimate an article io to be the means ot of effecting hocus transactions in the great trade centers but it is brought to even such base uses once in a while it turns upon its defamers def amers as in the case cited and at such times its resentment is a thing long to be remembered OUR BOYS ARE AKE GONE the utah battery boys are now well out upon the broad breast of the pacific ocean before the sea blushed red in yesterdays sunset they had passed out of sight of their native land for how long no more the merry makings with friends no more the genial visitations of sympathetic men and women bearing the comforts and adornments of this existence no more for a long time at least the letters from the loved ones allt t home the newspapers with tidings from scenes rendered dear to every heart by long alq and happy associations the soldiers life has begun in earnest now for the rigid routine the inflexible discipline the continual dis comforts the sickness induced by changes of temperature and the homesickness home sickness which must prevail more or less in any temperature then the camp the labors and watches the attention the indifferent food and perhaps sooner or later the combat my may they each and all pass through every detail with safety and return to us flushed with the manly pride of victory won without disfigurement and with a grateful nations never ending benisons beni sons upon them THE WAR WAB IN CUBA advices advises from cuba indicate that the warfare to be waged there at least to commence with will be of the guerilla order the spaniards it is said slink through the tropical undergrowth as noiselessly as shadows some almost nude and concealed behind palm leaves they will hide behind brush and when discovered will rush from their positions to some other sheltered place such were their tactics on june 14 when attacked and routed by the marines at guantanamo and similar tactics will undoubtedly be pursued whenever encountered outside the fortified cities spaniards are known to take naturally to this kind of semi barbarosa warfare the rebellion was chiefly fought from ambush on both sides and as a result it was protracted beyond all reasonable limits the wax war in cuba is another instance there halo not been a single battle worthy or of the name the spaniards have laid in wait and planned assassinations and the cubans have dynamited railroads and assailed inferior squads of the enemy and thereafter taken to the woods had either of the belligerent parties compelled the other to an open battle the war would probably have b ave been ended long longano lon gago ago the report says the american ma rines behaved with commendable bravery in the encounter with the invisible foe which kept up an incessant fusi lade guerilla warfare is always trying to a regular army but fortunately most of the american officers are familiar with the tactics of the indians they know exactly what to do and with the discipline our men have and their superior marksmanship mark manship they cannot fall fail to drive the enemy from bust to bush and either into the open field or the fortified cities from which there will be no escape but surrender more men will probably be needed though if the war is to be ended within a reasonable period of time the announcement that the cuban insurgents have joined the american marines and also occupied one of the suburbs of santiago causes much gratification in engagements of the kind anticipated they should be particularly ticul arly valuable when properly equipped dipped and under efficient they should be able to do some effective fighting A dispassionate REVIEW the war is still in a somewhat quiescent situation broken a very little at times limes by reports of sampsons Samp sons fitful pounding of masonry and earthworks earthworms earth works in the neighborhood of santiago bari harbor also at times by rehashes of desultory fighting accounts which have al redy appeared a few times all the while the expense does not dwindle an iota on the contrary it steadily increases and by this time must reach if it does not exceed the enormous sum of a week this is to the ordinary mind an incalculable sum the expenditure of which is not mitigated by events accomplished or perhaps there might be less complaint regarding it As those who make such complaints are largely those who have paid are paying or expecting to pay the money which to is being poured out in such startling volume there can be no valid objection to these having a hearing on their own terms it is as well however to take some things into consideration when the first napoleon was asked what were the three chief requisites for carrying on a great war he replied the first Is money I 1 the second is money and the third is money we of the united states even those who have not passed the meridian of life have been presented with an object lesson much nearer home than the war now on hand showing the correctness ness of the great corsicans corsicana Corsi cans conclusions clu the rebellion lasted nearly four years and the country came out nearly in debt in addition to the steady and heavy expenditures which were made of the governments largely increased revenues so far the present war has not reached such a vastness of expenditure but it if it should be continued as long as six months the rate above given will doubtless be largely increased because of the im lepse area being covered by our military operations the contest almost semi the globe from its extreme eastern to its farthest western wester limit and threatening to extend stil atall I 1 further by crossing the atlantic and ana taking in spain to maintain armies temporary governments and mett meet I 1 in proper manner the various ex expensive contingencies always arising at such distances from home is considerably more costly than would be the same scale of operations conducted ii near earby by and the money must be ready when it to la required As the government apor operates no mines rall railways ways factories fac torlea or other moneymaking money making institutions institution of that class and ba hs no inc income ome but what in one way or a another ag other it draws drawn from the people tit it is their duty to respond as promptly and look as an pleasantly as possible so much for paying for the war now for a consideration of the grounds for the grumbling thereat in the prosecution of a strife of arms and strategy one in which so ao much of the earths surface Is the board on which the game is played and the details of which are so ponderous and yet so infinite in number and scope great results except in isolated cases where there are exceptional opportunities are for a while impossible armies composed chiefly of raw and unseasoned recruits must be brought together and at least a semblance of discipline inculcated before they are fit for serice this cannot be done in a day nor a week nor in any other measurement of time less than several weeks Week sAll all these men must be provided for in the way of shelter clothing food and equipment generally which proceedings cannot begin to keep pace with vath the rate at which the men are rendezvoused and this adds something to the delay even after the army is a numerical reality ships must be secured placed in readiness and arrangements for departing embarking disembarking dis and all manner of preparations relating thereto be looked after in no other nation under the sun where there is practically no standing a army arx ky could men have been raised equipped dipped drilled a great number of them ee sent nt on their way and ample arrangements range ments made mad e for many more in so ao short a time in no ther other 0 country with or without a standing army could so much in a general way have been accomplished within the same period for the simple reason for one thing that no other nation has the internal resources nor the spontaneous elastic characteristics cha which bring people together gether r and make them act with such intelligent t and intuitive concert when pro properly perly looked at the work that has been accomplished by the T united states since war was declared upon spain to is one of the natural and scientific wonders of the world it is true that naval operations have been slow and fearfully expensive with practically no foreign territory yet in our possession but it is coming the slowness in the matter of occupying cuba when the story to is finally told will be e shown to have deliberation on the ahe safe side the spaniards claim W that they have soldiers on the island making due allowance tor for the 4 conspicuous spanish weakness of exaggeration it is safe to reduce that figure one half and concede them effective men they are op on their own ground have had all the time needed to make great preparations for invading forces and cannot be dislodged by a greatly inferior number those that already added to the cuban have hav gone egone forces are yet not enough but the work is going steadily along the enemy earmy is already beginning to feel the constricting folds tighten about him and know knowing ing what this means will fight the fight of desperation it is great work and like other proceedings eding of vast magnitude is endangered as much by momentum as by cau causeless less dela lif the war is going on let us wait awhile and see MAKE IT POPULAR the news hopes the popular subscription for a sword to be pres presented entea to ensign pearson re presenta tive in the battle off manila will be popular indeed the suggestion was out first made by the congressional delk frabon au on of utah in a letter to governor alls mr pearson not only is representative in one of the most remarkable naval engagements on record teford but he is in relieved bell eVed to be the first bdate utahn who ever had an I 1 I 1 ta w take part in the defense of Y wintry against a foreign foe the to present him with a sword adorned with utah precious metals and carrying an appropriate inscription Is one which undoubtedly will meet with general approval before this war is over there ambe will toe others too who will have claim upon their fellow citizens for recognition utah has sent to the front quite a few who need only the right opportunity and when it comes they will distinguish themselves as heroes hernds none should be forgotten FALL FAIA for several months past young joseph letter has been the object of envy in the financial world on account of his easily made millions while political economists of a certain school have philosophized over the conditions prevailing vai ling which they say make it possible for a single individual to control the price of an important article of food thereby causing hardships upon millions now the news has been cabled throughout the world that the young napoleon of finance the man with the invincible chin has closed his wheat operations surrendered to his creditors and sustained a loss estimated at his transactions commenced in april 1897 for about four months he conducted his operations without anybody being aware that he was in the market since last september he was known as a grain merchant buying for cash and selling for cash his holdings at the final disaster are estimated at sixteen million bushels As to the causes that led to his defeat the fact that the wheat producing countries of the world have good prospects of an abundant crop was the chief one the war scare could no longer be depended upon to keep the price up financial institutions became alarmed and refused to advance the necessary cash the deal had to be closed with the result recorded the experience of loiter letter and some others who have failed to obtain absolute control over the bread market proves that the opportunities for kings of finance to assume prerogatives for any length of time in a tree free market are very limited fluctuations may occur and prices may be forced up occasionally but natural conditions sooner or later prevail this is true especially in a country like this where there is such a variety |