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Show H A Brief Review Of The Year's History THE past year has been a peculiar one in many ways. There have been no great wars, but j there have been a succession of excitements H that have stirred, at different periods, almost every H nation of the earth. . i Great Britain had a furious political excitement HJ in the first months of the year over the power of H the House of Lords. The death of the King and i the succession of his son to the throne stayed or H! diverted it for a while; it has been renewed with- H in the last month by the elections which decided H nothing, but left a promise of more trouble in the K coming year. i There was a sharp clash between the executive BR and legislative branches of the government in the BS early summer in France; the executive won out. j but there is a strong prospect of a sharp rener m of It in the near future. A great flood submerged m Paris and a great strike of railroad employes for B a time threatened to utterly disrupt business and H cause fearful suffering to thousands. A foolish speech by the Emperor of Germany raised intense commotion throughout Germany, which was carried into the Reischtag, but it seems to have about spent its force. Russia, the mysterious, has been developing her empire in Europe, and is busy making her position strong in eastern Asia. We think by the signs that Russia and England have come to "an understanding how to eventually take charge of Persia. Portugal has dethroned and practically banished ban-ished her king and is working upon a toy republic. Spain has been seriously threatened by revolutions revo-lutions which could easily have gone on to a civil war, but the government has maintained itself. Early in the year Spain had a sharp war in Morocco, but conquered a peace. The new government seems to be maintaining itself in Turkey, though there are mutterings in Greece and Crete which would precipitate a war except for the InterpositU n of the stronger powers. There are projects maturing for extending railroads rail-roads into and through the Holy Land, and for bringing vast quantities of land in western Asia under irrigation canals which are filled with promises prom-ises of restoration of that country and a reawak-ing reawak-ing of the whole world's interest in it. There have been mutterings of revolution in In-dia In-dia every month in the past year, but England has maintained her rule. China is fast being modernized. She has a parliament now and thr- ancient despotism has been changed to a constitutional monarchy. She is also erecting steel and woolen mills and exporting export-ing iron, coal and steel billets to our country. She is also exporting great quantities of tea, silk and merchandise to the United States and can sell at a GO per cent discount her goods to us and make more than she could at the old prices of twenty-five twenty-five years ago, while, by our legislation our exports ex-ports to China tave been killed. Japan has annexed Corea and is fast absorbing Manchuria. She is pressing the building of a great navy and extending her lines of merchant steamers, and is with the same zeal building factories fac-tories and mills. Canada has been advancing rapidly during the year past. Her new railroads are extending into vast regions of cheap lands and the lure of cheap lands is drawing to her tens of thousands of emigrants. emi-grants. Many thousands, indeed have gone and are going from our own country. Mexico is strug-giing with the most formidable revolution that has been awakened in the country coun-try since Diaz became president. Honduras is also playing with a revolution. Ths revolution that was on in Nicaragua at the opening of the year finally triumphed; but another an-other will be due there in the near future. In South America Brazil has been vexed by mutinies in her navy and by insurrections in different dif-ferent parts of the vast country, but the government govern-ment seems to be holding its own. Argentine seems to be altogether prosperous, as does Chile beyond the Andes. The International Interna-tional railroad connecting the two countries is completed, and ought to add greatly to the trade of both countries and has created a great new route for tourists. Our country withdrew its protectorate from Cuba early in the year and the island is once more an independent state. Our own country has been blessed by the most wonderful harvest ever recorded; Its mines have yielded superbly; manufactures have produced the average yield, and while there has been much depression de-pression in business in many states; there has been no reason for it save a financial system which enables the gold combines in the east, principally in New York City, to hold the people as subjects, and to the legislation and want of legislation which keeps the people paying all the surplus from field, factory aiujfcmlne upon the interest account here and abroad. A stormy political campaign filled the summer sum-mer months for the election in many states, of governors, gov-ernors, legislatures and representatives in ' congress. con-gress. Ex-President Roosevelt came from his African hunting trip early In the spring. He stopped in Egypt long enough to make a speech or two which set thai country by the ears. He fa came to Europe and had an ovation in Italy, France, Germany and the Scandenavian states; then crossed to England, and though the king had just died, a world of honors were extended to him. He crossed to his native country -and the reception he received in New York seemed to swell his head to bursting. He butted into the political campaign and in his own state of New York dominated his party, dictating the nominations. By that time the campaign everywhere seemed to center about him and his policies. The result was a mighty Demo- ' cratic victory, caused in most states by Republicans Republic-ans remaining away from the polls. ' The House of Representatives will be strongly "3L . Democratic after March 4th, the Republican Senate Sen-ate will have but a bare majority, while Massachusetts, Massachu-setts, New York, New Jersey,- Ohio and other naturally nat-urally Republican states elected Democratic governors. gov-ernors. No program so foolish as that of the ex-President ex-President was ever seen in the United States be-' fore. The roll of the great dead of the past year has been a long one and has extended all around the world. It has too, been a year of tremendous storms on sea and land; the earthquakes have been renewed re-newed in southern Italy and Sicily and Costa Rica was rent by a series of awful earthquakes continuing contin-uing for weeks. In our country more fearful crimes have been committed than in any former year, but the New Year will open joyously tomorrow and let us hope that it will be filled with joy to the close. |