een given a serious setback by the very costly and unsuccessful
experiment this city undertook in operating its own electric and water
plants during the past year. It appears that city officials are just as
susceptible to the charm of money as private corporations, and just as
willing, by corrupt methods, to fleece the public in order to obtain it.
It is evident that as long as there is money in use there will always be
boodlers."

"Baltimore, Md.: The pure food inspectors of this city after having made
an inspection of the different canned goods, have come to the conclusion
that at least ninety per cent. of the same is adulterated and that the
public is being slowly poisoned to death. The greed of the various
concerns which produce these things for bigger profits, causes them to
use cheap chemicals in their adulterative methods in place of higher
priced and genuine substances. These inspectors make the astonishing
statement that they believe all foods and drinks are more or less
adulterated and that in the general rush for money profits, the
inhabitants of the world are actually poisoning each other by slow
degrees."

"St. Louis, Mo.: An epidemic of diphtheria is raging in this city and
hundreds of children are dying daily from the effects of its ravages.
The deaths in most cases are children of the poorer classes who cannot
afford to pay the exorbitant prices lately put upon antitoxin by the
Medicine Trust. This trust, which controls the supply of antitoxin, has
increased the price nearly two hundred per cent, during the past year at
different intervals, until it has now become absolutely prohibitive to
all except the wealthy. Unless there is something done immediately to
alleviate this condition of affairs, the lives of thousands of young
children will be blotted out, which might otherwise have been saved."

"Kokomo, Ind.: An awful tragedy took place in this town yesterday when
Peter Doles, apparently driven insane from poverty and want of
employment, killed his wife and five children by splitting their heads
open with an axe, and afterward thrust a knife into his own heart. Doles
was at one time a wealthy citizen of this place, but speculation was the
cause of his downfall."

"Philadelphia, Pa.: A terrible state of affairs has been brought to
light here by the police who have discovered that a regular system of
child murder has been in practice for some time by a syndicate of fiends
who murder children for the i