rT - " 'WfW spv yjf-nx 'WtTZ&jWgvef'ipif-- " 'TS?''"V '-'" ' " " k-jf' ! jrl . ff jW't v THE MORNING OEEGONIAN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1902. its' xz$omaxx. Entered at the Tostomce at Portland, Oregon, as second-class matter. nnvisnD subscription hates. By Mail (postage prepaid). In Advance Dally, with Sunday, per month $ 83 Daily, Sunday excepted, per year 1 50 Dally, with Sunday, per year 9 O0 Sunday, per jcar - Tlie Weekly, per year 1 GO Tho Weekly. 3 months - & To City Subscribers Dali, pr week. delivered. Sundays excepted.l5a Daily, per week, delivered. Sundays lncluded.20c POSTAGE RATES. United States. Canada and Mexico: 30 to H-page paper .....lc H to 28-pace paper -o Foreign rates double. News or dlrcurelon Intended for publication in The Oregonlan rhould be addressed Invaria bly "Editor The Oregonlan," not to the namo of ar.y individual. Letters relating to adver tising subscriptions or to any business matter chould bi addressed simply "The Oresonian." The Oregonlan does not buy poems or stories from Individuals, and cannot undertake to re turn any manuscripts sent to It without solici tation No stamps should 'be Inclosed for this ru-poso. Eastern Business Offlce. 43. 44. 45. 47. 45. 49 Tribune bulldlnjr. New York City: 4C0 "The Booker." Chicago: the S. C. Beckwlth special ag-ncy. Eastern representative. Tor sale In San Francisco by L. E. Lee. P' ne Hotel news stand: Goldsmith Bros.. 230 Suitor street: F. IV. Pitts. 100S Market street: J. IC. Cooper Co.. 740 Market street, near the Palace Hotel: Faster & Orear. Ferry news stand. For sale In Los Angeles by B. F. Gardner. 2M So. Spring street, and Oliver & Haines. 100 So Spring street. For sale In Sacramento by Sacramento News Co.. 429 K street, Sacramento. Cal. For sale In Chicago by the P. O. News Co., 217 Dearborn street. For sale in Omaha by Barkalow Bros.. 1C12 Farnam street. For sale In Salt Lake by the Salt Lake News Co . 77 W. Second South street. For sain in Ogden by IV. C. Kind. 204 Twen-ty-flfth sfeet. and C. H. Myers. On file at Charleston. S. C. In the Oregon ex hibit at the exposition. For sale In Washington. D. C, by the Ebbett House news stand. Tor sale In Denver. Colo., by Hamilton & Kendrlck. OOC-912 Seventeenth street; Louthan & Jackson Book & Stationery Co., 15th and Lawienec streets. TODAY'S WEATHER Occasional rain, with brisk to high southwest winds. YESTERDAY'S WEATHER Maximum tem peratur. 44; minimum temperature, 32; pre cipitation, 0.S2 Inch. l'OHTI,An, WEDNESDAY. FED. MAYOR LOWS CHIEF I'ltOIILEM. Mayor Low has ho reason to be sur prised at the attitude of his late parti pans who make no secret of Impatience of his tardiness in "purifying" the cor ruptions of New York City, and who, by implication at least, are charging him with cowardice and bad faith. lie has no reason to be surprised because with his experience of men and affairs he ought to know that men like Dr. Parkhurst, who set up as professional reformers, are never willing to go about the work of making things better by the only course by which things can be made better. Reformers, though often men of great moral earnestness, are rarely controlled by considerations of common sense and of practical expedi ency. Oftener than otherwise they are so wanting in practical judgment as to prefer no bread to half a loaf; and such commonly Is their vanity that they would rather fall entirely than to win through other than radical courses. They make a merit of ignoring the au thority which tile past exerts upon the present and the future, and they have no respect for the moral law which lim its the movement of reforms by the conditions which precede them. Mayor Low is one of those rare men who,- while an earnest supporter of po litical ideals, is willing to do the thing he must, provided he cannot do the thing he would. Because he can not wholly "purify" the social and political conditions of New York City he does not despair or sulk. He does the best he -can with condi tions as he finds them, believing it bet ter to make some progress than none at all; and he sees no merit in the bumptiousness which declines any ad vantage because it cannot proceed on radical and revolutionary lines. The political idealist, for all his moral earnestness, is not uncommonly an ob structionist, in the practical work of political reform. His insistence upon extreme and ruinous measures is one of the first difficulties which a well disposed official always has to meet; and if his counsels be not accepted and followed, he is more than likely to open fire in the rear, where he is more useful to the enemies of reform than if he stood nominally with them. Dr. Park hurst and his followers are today, in their attitude toward the Low admin istration, doing more for the future suc cess of Tammany Hall than any thou sand men in the Tammany member ship. The progress of political reform in New York or elsewhere cannot in the nature of things proceed wholesomely or permanently beyond the point where it finds support in the general public judgment Mayor Low understands this principle, and he is directing his cuur.se in practical recognition of it. He is not seeking by the power of a little brief authority to make a sensa tional revolution. He is far too wise and practical a man for such folly. He is, on the other hand, seeking to make better conditions upon a plan calculated to command public approval, and in so doing to elevate the general stand ard of civic morality. He has the pa tience to go about this large under taking in deliberate and reasonable spirit. The Parkhurst coterie has no such insight into the conditions of the problem under the Mayor's hand and no such self-control. THE LEADER OP MODERN EXPAN SION. The impending annexation of the Danish West Indies reminds us that the political foresight of General Grant is at last justified by events. In Novem ber, 3S69, President Grant, the great pioneer In our modern policy of expan sion, negotiated a treaty for the annex ation of Santo Domingo, with an alter nate proposition of a lease of the Penin sma and Bay of Samana to the United States as a naval station. The treaty and the lease were defeated by the Sen ate, through the opposition of Sumner, Edmunds, Morrill of Vermont, Anthony, Carpenter ald Schurz. Grant was sup ported by Senators Conkling, Morton, Cameron, Zack Chandler, Stewart and Nye of Nevada, Fenton, Hannibal Ham lin and Henry Wilson. John Sherman did not vote, although he was expected to vote for the treaty. Grant was greatly disappointed, but quietly re marked to General Horace Porter, his secretary: m I think these gentlemen will see their mis take. It was unfortunate Seward failed to se cure the Danish Islands. The commercial In terests of the United States and tho course of Spain demand a lookout in tho West Indies. We may be ahead of time. But It must come. A strong strategic position down there will avert a war somo day. President Grant, la December, 1S70, In his message to Congress, strongly urged the acquisition of Santo Domingo as a National necessity, and Senator Sum ner renewed his opposition in a speech of extraordinary personal bitterness, denouncing Grant as a Caesar. But what was contemptuously described as one of Grant's military dreams has come true, and we are carrying forward what Grant called "the manifest des tiny of our country." In the world of petty politics General Grant made mistakes, but in any mat ter worthy of his very capacious mili tary brain he was a statesman. "He gave good advice concerning the secur ing of a naval station in the West In dies; he was among the first to urge the construction of the Nicaragua Ca nal; he was sagacious in urging us to maintain friendly relations with China for the sake of the immense market she would some day present for the trade of the world. The men who defeated Grant's purchase of the Bay of Samana for a naval station in 1S70 were all anti expanslonists In the matter of Porto Rico and the Philippines. Schurz, Ed munds and Mqrrill were In 1S9S just where they were in 1S70, and the ghost of the dead Sumner squeaked and gib bered at the Capitol by the lips of George F. Hoar. The saving common sense and prac tical foresight of Grant Is likely to be justified today by our tardy annexation of the Danish West Indies. THE REORGANIZATION OF THE MILITIA. The bill for the reorganization of the militia recently Introduced in the House by Representative Dick, of Ohio, is of deep interest to the National Guard of Oregon and of all other states, because it seeks to enact Secretary Root's desire to make the National Guard more effi cient by providing that its arms, disci pline, tactics and general equipment shall be identical with those of the regular Army. The Oregonlan during the Spanish War pointed out the com parative 'worthlessness of the National Guard as an efficient adjunct to the reg ular Army. Its arms were the obsolete "black powder" Springfield rifled mus ket a good weapon in its day, but im potent against troops armed with the smokeless powder Mausers. Further more, the regimental organization of the National Guard was not identical with that of the regular Army. The National Guard in some states went into camp without arms or uniforms, or mil itary knowledge, and was generally commanded, even In old states like New York and Massachusetts, by officers to whom service in the National Guard meant nothing but cockades, gold lace, military fuss and feathers, and an an nual military picnic officially described as an annual muster and encampment. The Government in all our wars has found the so-called militia of little value, and largely because the status of the militia was never clearly de fined. The bill of Representative Dick has a provision defining the status of the mi litia as a first and temporary reserve and fixing a definite period of time dur ing which it may be called out by the President. In the war with Great Brit ain in 1S12-14 Governor Martin Chitten den, of Vermont, refused to respond to the President's call for militia, and while a considerable number of Ver monters fought in the battle of Platts burg in 1S14, th'ey were volunteers who crossed the lake in defiance and con tempt of the action of the Governor and the State Legislature. Governor Caleb Strong, of Massachusetts, also refusad to honor the President's call for militia. The state troops of New York declined to cross into Canada at the battle of Queenstown, on the ground that the President under the Constitution had no right to order them Into foreign ter ritory. Dick's bill defines the status of the militia as a first reserve, to serve when called out by the President for a period not exceeding nine months, and implied ly restricts the service of the militia to the limits of the United States. Sec retary Root holds that the regular Army of 100,000 men should be able to hold the defensive successfully until armies of volunteers can be assembled. Under this bill the militia is placed definitely in its proper place. Its time of service is not long; its duty does not imply exile from the country, and it can re sume its place as a state guard without any serious disorganization, for it is not likely that the provision of the bill for taking over of trooops compa nies and regiments of the organized mi litia into the regular service as might volunteer after the expiration of their militia service will be found desirablo in practice. The armament, organiza tion and discipline of the National Guard are to be the same as those of the regular Army, the arms to be paid for by the National Government. Joint maneuvers of militia and regulars are provided for at the expense of the Gov ernment. The bill provides for estab lishing a list of persons qualified to hold commissions in any volunteer Army, and permits the Instruction of militia officers at the Army post-graduate schools and colleges, like that at For tress Monroe and Fort Leavenworth. The bill provides also for the enroll ment of a reserve to the regular Army of 100,000 men who have served in the regular Army, the volunteers or the National Guard, and who shall receive the sum of $10 for reporting once a year to some officer of the War Department during the enrollment period of five years, during which they will be sub ject to the call of the Federal Govern ment. The enactment of this bill wiH be a long step toward putting the country in a decent state of military defense In event of a great war. It is true that there is no danger today that the Gov ernors of states will refuse to honor the President's call for militia, as all the Governors of New England refused In 1S12-14, for the Supreme Court, through Justice Marshall, has authoritatively decided that the power to call out the militia of the states for National ser vices resides with the President. Dur ing the Civil War, although Governor Seymour, of New York, was as hostile to the war policy of Lincoln as the Governors of New England were to the war policy of Madison, nevertheless Governor Seymour promptly stripped his state of her best militia regiments at Lincoln's call, during the Gettysburg campaign. The states are sure to honor the call of the President for their mi litia, but this bill seeks to make the National Guard a valuable adjunct by giving it the same arms, organization, equipment, discipline, and, as far as possible, instruction, as is enjoyed by the regular Army. This will make the National Guard a body worthy of ser vice by soldierly men. It will make It a body desirable to belong to by a man of solid military tastes and aptitude, because the arms, the discipline, the organization, is up to date with .that of the regular Army and every opportunity and encouragement is given the sol dierly men of the National Guard to master the military profession. With the enactment of this bill the old militia hulks who have been rotting at the military wharf for years will be cut loose and set adrift; young, soldierly men will officer the National Guard; young, vigorous, Intelligent men will swell Its ranks because It Is possible under this bill to make it a fine body of citizen soldiery. The nine months' volunteers who did such splendid ser vice at Gettysburg were composed of the superior class of men who will nat urally form the National Guard, if this bill is enacted. The nine months men of 1S63 would not have enlisted for the war, but they were willing to serve nine months, and they made splendid soldiers, who were as steady under fire as veterans. A PATHETIC AVORD-PICTURE. A singularly pathetic story, and one that appeals all the more strongly to enlightened sympathy because of the strange, weird truth that it depicts in the name of civilization, is told In the current number of McClure's Magazine under the title" "A Paternal Govern ment." As a side light upon the educa tional policy pursued by the Govern ment toward the Indians of the reser vations, and as a subtle arraignment of the Indifference to his trust of the aver age Indian agent, the story is one of strength and power, while the hideous effects of the irresponsibility and degra dation of the "squaw man" Is strongly portrayed. The story Is one of a white man who, seeking to escape the consequences of a gambling episode, found refuge among the Indians upon a Dakota reservation. With an eye to the possible 500 acres that would be her dower from the Gov ernment when the reservation should be thrown open to settlement, he be came the husband of Weuto, an Indian woman neither young nor handsome; that is to say, he took up his abode in her tepee and ate of the rations pro vided by the Government, intending to go out Into the world again when "the thing had blown over," as he expressed it. "What," asks the author, "is the nameless influence which the Indians exert over the white man who lives among them? He may dream of re turning to his own again, but he never will. The slothful life, the absence of responsibility, the squalid surroundings, benumb his energies." A significant question interwoven with our Indian problem is asked and answered in the above quotation. More briefly It may be said the white man thus situated loses his self-respect, and without this he degenerates Into a creature lower than the savages. However, when this man was called upon to welcome to the smoke-stained tepee that he called home a tiny red papoose, he realized dimly that his own was not the only life he had ruined, and a little later his Indian wife found his body out on the prairie, an empty revolver in his hand a coward to the last, leaving his misdeeds to bear their full fruitage in the blasted life of the little daughter "nearly white, who was his exact image." Here the Government policy came In. Little Emily was taken to the Government school, trained in neatness and delicate ways and tastes and given a literary education. Her mother, grown more repulsive with the passing years, had taken another hus band one of her own race this time to her tepee, and the grimy, malodorous dwelling swarmed with juvenile life and reeked with filth, though Government rations still kept hunger at bay and coaxed the savages within to boundless content. Gaunt wolf-hounds shared the shelter with the human animals, and, unnoticed by the Government "farmer," the Implements of agriculture provided as adjuncts to the Indian's training in ways of civilized life rusted outside the tepee. Such was the "home" to which the girl, Emily, -was returned after fourt-cn years spent at the Government school, the theory being that she could and would transform It Into a civilized home. Her appeal to the resident In dian agent to save her from this loath some fate by finding her employment among white people was vain. Imbued with the idea that "to be half Indian is to be all Indian and wholly without sensibility," this representative of pa ternalism In a free Government said: "Go back to your people, of course; that's what we've educated you for. Teach the confounded red devils to clean up once In a while." After an interval of respite through unpaid service In the agent's family, in which a white man figured briefly as a lover, only to cast her off because of a sneer at her origin, the delicate, sensi tive girl developed symptoms of con sumption, and, fearing contagion for the agent's children, who were her es pecial charge, she was hurried with her few belongings back to the wretched tepee In which she had been born eighteen years before The horror of this homecoming is depicted. Its pathos affects the reader painfully, and Its ten sion is relieved enly when the "loath some food and the unspeakable sur roundings" had done their work and the "long-drawn, mournful wall" with which the Indian announces from afar a death in his family arose from the tepee and Emily heard it not. Cruel beyond all conception Is this phase of our Indian policy. The off spring of a theoretical philanthropy, its victims are among the most hopeless of all human creatures. The task set for them no human being can accomplish that of turning Into civilized homes the tepees of their squalid, contented, lazy, filthy progenitors the "blanket Indians" who have stood still while the Government has advanced a few of their children in ways of neatness, or der, thrift and learning, and who dog gedly prefer the old life to the new and persistently adhere to its customs., In the very nature of things the battle is a short one. and mercifully so. The seeds of consumption sown in the con fined air of the new surroundings at school quickly germinate and are brought to full fruition in a short time after the hopeless, heartbreaking return to the parental tepee, or, if physical conditions are strong enough to resist this blight of civilization, the young Indian woman, educated to reform her people, is speedily overcome by her old new environment and lapses again Into the ways of her people. The annual tale of suffering comes from Oklahoma, matching In some re spects the story of wind-swept desola tion and hardship that is told year after year concerning the fisher folk of Labrador. Settlers in the newer sec tions of this territory, especially those In moving wagons, of whom, accord ing to a late 'dispatch from Guthrie, there are hundreds, are suffering the sharp pinch of homeless wretchedness In a merciless midwinter climate. Utterly lacking in judgment, lacking. In deed, in ordinary common sense, are people who so gauge their migration period as to be caught at this season of the year unhoused. Much has been said of the desirability of Oklahoma for homes. The fruitfulness of Us soli, the charm of its scenery, the purity of its air, have been justly extolled. But no one has ventured to speak of Its climate as mild in Winter, or of its sharp east winds as balmy breezes. The rigors of its climate are, on the contrary, well known, and why any man responsible for the comfort and even the lives of his family should allow himself to be caught out in it with only the canvas cover of his wagons for protection from Its bitter blasts posses the comprehen sion of the prudent, even as the suffer ing induced by this condition enlists the pity of the pitiful. Sturdy, purpose ful, energetic citizenship is not made of such material as this. It simply repre sents the human flotsam and jetsam found everywhere upon the sea of life the overflow, so to speak, of civilization that drifts hither and thither aimlessly, seeking anchorage but never casting anchor for long. Such people are many degrees removed from the criminal class; their sins are mainly those of omission, and they are directed chiefly against themselves and their families. ITALY'S METHOD. The Italian Government has taken a decided stand preventive instead of remedial In regard to the threatened railway strike upen all the great roads of the kingdom. The Cabinet announces that It cannot consider a railway strike, affecting, as It does, great public inter ests. In the same category with a strike of ordinary workers, but will class such action as a strike of public servants, punishable under the penal code. While, however, determined not to allow a rail way strike, it recognizes the right of the working classes to improve their own condition, and therefore the Gov ernment has approached the railway companies with a view of obtaining de sired and reasonable concessions, which it is confident it can do. This can be done, probably. In Italy, but what a popular fury would arise should the Gpvernment of the United States at tempt by similar methods to preventa railroad strike! To be sure, after such a strike is on. and with insane fury increasing by what it feeds upon in the way of clamor and resentment, ties up traffic, prostrates business, applies the torch to railroad property and stones men who attempt to move trains, the people welcome Government interfer ence with joy. We have only to recall the great railway strike during Presi dent Cleveland's administration to prove this and to laud the courage of the man who, in the face of the insane clamor of demagogues of the state's rights school, took disorder bj the throat and quelled it with the power of the United States Government. If pre vention Is better than cure, is not the Italian plan better than the American? Since, in a strike of this kind, the Gov ernment must eventually interfere to save the business interests of the coun try from stagnation, which in this age means ruin, would it not be the part of wisdom to Interpose peacefully before the damage Is done? Tolerant people may ask this question, but the force called "public opinion" will shout it down in the namo of liberty, even though it is practically certain that when lawlessness reaches an acute stage the Government will have to step in and compel order. Mr. James Neill Is a deservedly popu lar actor, but his resentment over the so-called "personal Indignity and low, coarse buffoonery" to which he was sub jected during the opening, scene of his attempted initiation into the order of "Elks" at Spokane will only make the public laugh and wonder what Mr. Neill expected at the hands of the "Elks." Did he expect a ritual and ceremonial like that of the Rechabites from a society of quick comedians of all sorts and shapes? Mr. Neill says he received "an insulting blow " from a stuffed club." Such a blow was no more to be taken seriously than If he had received a blow from a sword of lath on the stage. The initiation ceremony, of course, might naturally be expected to include some stage horseplay, such as we see often presented by an Ethio pian minstrel show. Mr. Neill lacks good sense and good humor. He lacks good sense in expecting any other treatment than he received at the hands of an order that is nothing when it is not a broad Joker and a humorist; and he lacks good humor In talking about his offended dignity after he had assumed to lay it aside by agreeing to join an order that was sure to play a roaring farce rather than high tragedy. A man can't part with his dignity and keep it, too. What is Portland going to do for fuel? Cordwood and slabwood men are In combination more or less close, and prices grow stiffer and stift'er, while quality does not Improve. Coal is brought from afar. Still it is plain that an abundance of good coal may be mined within 100 miles of Portland. .Why is nothing done to get this coal on the eager market, or why is progress so slow? President Roosevelt will do well to study the histoiy of Presidential efforts to affect the policy of Congress by ex hibitions of an irritated mind. Another President a good man, too, weighing something more than 300 pounds ence attempted this sort of thing and in con sequence soon found a "Congress on his hands." Governor McBrlde's call-down of the State Capitol contractor at Olympia yesterday in connection with his dis missal of the Columbia River Pilot Commissioners the previous day, is likely to set things a-moving over in Washington. The new Governor Is evi dently a believer In the strenuous life. Possibly there would be more general willingness to pay assessments for street work if there were better assur ance that the work would be done in a way to be permanent. Nobody cares to yield up his good money for the im provement of some street contractor's bank account. Tillman Is right for once. It was somebody's business long ago to kick "Judge" Noyes out of the Government service and to wipe his name from the payroll. And it stilt remains somebody's business. Do you Intend to have anything to do with a primary or with an election this year? You will not have anything to do with either unless you register. KEEPING THE INDIAN DOWN. Butte Miner. It Is not an uncommon thing to hear people declare that the Indians of the West cannot be civilized. . This distinc tion between the red men of the East and West is probably made for the reason that many of the descendants of the tribes who In early days roamed the forests aiong tho Atlantic shore and further in land are now prosperous farmers in that region. There Is no doubt that there is a vast difference in Indians, and some trlbos have proved themselves more Intelligent than others. Take, for instnnce, the Six Nations that the early colonists in this country had so much trouble with. His tory teaches that In comparison with many of the red men r.ow in the West, they were a very superior race. They were, as a rule, endowed with great personal cour age, and experience has taught that those aboriginal tribes distinguished for their bravery have usually been noted for their morality. That is to say, morality along sexual lines. The Indians who have been lax in this particular have either died out or are rapidly disappearing as tribes. It is probably true, however, that the majority of people in the far West believe that the attempts to civilize these Indians that are left In this region has proved more of a failure than a success. Stories are told of Indians who have been sent to the schools provided for their race by the Government In the East, returning to their tribes fairly well educated, only to Imme diately adopt the old nomadic life and to don the blanket In preference to the cloth ing of civilization. That statement has been so often published and repeated that no doubt most people believe It to be true of all Indians living upon reservations to day. Like most broad, sweeping state ments, this one Is open to question. It is a libel on the Indian to say that he is impervious to all the iniluences of civilization. He has readily adopted the drinks of enlightenment. There Is evi dence to show that, as a rule, the Indian Is willing to admit that the whisky the white man makes Is superior to anything in the drinking line that the Indian has ever produced. That is a concession to civilization of itself, and indicates that the most Ignorant savage feels that a civ ilization that can produce alcoholic drinks is superior, in that particular, at least, to his own. Every once in a while the world Is startled to learn that the Indians have taken up some additional custom of their Christian neighbors. The Indian Is in a large degree Imitative, although not to the same extent that the Japanese have this faculty developed. Still, according to their. light, some of the red men are mak ing a noble effort to swing onto the coat tail of civilization. For Instance, the Miner yesterday morning published a dis patch from Guthrie, O. T., telling how a number of Shawnee Indians attempted to punish a member of their tribe along the lines of their Christian white neighbors. The culprit, it is said, had outraged three squaws, and his red brothers tied the wretch to a stake and had started in tor turing him, and were about to burn him when a United States Marshal happened along and rescued the alleged brute. It must be discouraging to the Shawnee Indians to have an officer of the law step in and prevent the-m from punishing a member of their tribe along the lines adopted by their civilized and Christian white brothers. Such action on the part of the official is enough to make the In dians feel like resuming their old barbaric state and' customs. It would seem that when they try to reach the standard of the white man. the law steps in. and thrusts them back Into the unenlightened atmosphere of their past. Mr. Mason Has nn Oran. Chicago Inter Ocean. The bitter, persistent, and sometimes unscrupulous enemies of the Hon. Will iam E. Mason, junior United States Sen ator from Illinois, have been foiled in their attempt to deprive him of an or gan, as may be inferred from the follow ing circular, which hns been sent through the malls to thousands of voters down the state: Dear Sir: We have the honor and pleasure to Inform you that the Hon. William E. Ma son. United States Senateor for Illinois. ha3 Instructed u to mall you Boyce's Monthly for one year, for which he has paid us In advance for the same. Hoping you may find our pub lication Interesting and that Its receipt each month will call to mind our Senator, we are respectfully. BOYCE'S MONTHLY. It Is no reflection upon the character or influence of the publication named to presume that If the junior Senator could have found in Illinois a daily, a triweekly, a semi-weekly, a weekly, or a fortnlghtiy publication willing to espouse his cause, he would not have chosen a monthly. But it Is nevertheless fortunate for him that his enemies overlooked the monthlies in their desperate efforts to deny him a hearing, otherwise he might have been compelled to carry on his campaign for re-election through the medium of an an nual, perhaps an almanac. Indeed, he ought to thank his stars that Mr. Boyce .had the foresight some yeans ago to found a monthly periodical devoted to agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, the domestic virtues, social economics, the sciences, fine arts, and current fiction. If there were no Boyce's Monthly now thero would be absolutely nothing of a printed nature in this great state which might be transmitted through the malls for the purpose of reminding the rural voter that the Hon. William E. Mason was still on earth. Tnxes In European Cities. Letter In Chicago Record-Herald. People In the United States who are grumbling about high taxes should find much consolation In the knowledge that their property is not situated In any of the European capitals. In Berlin, for ex ample, the great American life insurance companies are required to invest a cer tain portion of their assets in city prop erty, and their taxes, which are no high er than those of other real estate owners, amount annually to more than one-third of their receipts from rentals. In Vienna taxes are even higher. The man who owns the building In which the Ameri can Legation is located divides the rent with the government In equal shares. The same rates prevail in other large Enronean cities. In addition to this. the building regulations are rigid, and mako construction very expensive, and every structure must be fireproof, with stone staircases to the top floor, double walls, floors and roofs of steel, and terra cotta. The front must correspond with the adjoining buildings in height and architectural treatment. A poor man cannot build a home In any of the Euro pean cities. He must go into the sub urbs. Hence most of the ground owned by individuals Is leased to building com panies and capitalists. c Wlint to Rend, and "Why. Boston Globe. In a recent sermon Rev. Dr. MInot J. Savage, talking on "What to Read, and Why," asserts that every man ought to read some newspaper every day. "Hero," he says, "is the making of history go ing on, the making of our contemporary humanity, the great questions of war and peace, of government, of sociology, of Industry; of matters of importance on every hand, and you need to keep In touch with them; you need to know what is going on." Some people seem to imagine that his tory Is a sort of spontaneous growth that Is only harvested in books. They, there fore, think to consume it only after it is "baled up" and put on the book market. The cream of history is caught "on the fly.' It Is gathered in the dally news paper, which most undeniably teaches the reader to have a "mind of his own." Books are great conformists. They gen erally tell the same stcry, and we are apt to swallow all they say whole. The newspaper gets the best news available and leaves come margin for the sense of the reader. It Is, therefore, a better mental disciplinarian than the average book. POINT HARRIMAX MISSED. 1 Chicago Record-Herald. During the long and searching examina tion of E. H. Harrlman by the Interstate Commerce Commission, Commissioner Prouty touched upon the question of con solidation and rates, and asked: "How about rates on cotton to Japan? If the Southern Pacific and the Northern Pacific were owned by Mr. Hill do you think the cotton rates to Japan would be the same as now?" To this Mr. Harrlman replied: "I believe that If all the railroads In the country were owned by Mr. Hill or any one man the shipper would get cheaper rates than now, because the railroads could then take full advantage of existing conditions such as the distribution and handling of empties." It is evident that when he made this answer the purpose of. the witness was to emphasize the great value of the centrali zation of power as a means both of econ omy and effectiveness, and within the limits of this single Idea he was probably sincere. It Is admitted generally that combination does tend toward economy and effectiveness in all lines of business. But there are other aspects of the case which Indicate another tendency, and one that our astute jugglers with millions seem to overlook. Could any one man be trusted with such power as is imagined for Mr. Hill? Mr. Harrlman says that Mr. Hill would reduce rates. Perhaps so, but should It be left to the option of any one man to decide such a question for eighty millions of people? The best of fallible mortals is not equal to such a position of irresponsible trust, and Mr. Harrlman's testimony shows that the juggling game Is hardly the school In which to train the best. Look, for example, at the story of the fight over the Northern Pacific. The Oregon Short Line, capitalized at J2S.000.COO. borrowed JTS.OOO.OOO for the Union Pacific that is. Mr. Harrlman. representing the con trolling Interest In both roads, carried through this astonishing deal. The seventy-eight pillllons were used In purchas ing Northern Pacific stock. Why? Not to prevent competition, but just to make sure that a friendly Interest would be in control of Northern Pacific. With this assurance the stock was sold again, and the upshot of the whole matter was that Mr. Harrlman had learned of Mr. Hill's friendliness .and had developed the fact that Union Pacific was strong enough to protect its own Interests. Moreover, as a memento of the friendly moves and coun ter moves which must have wrecked many a small player at the great game of stock speculation, there Is a fine new lot of paper on the market for future manipulation. There is a waste as well as a gain In such operations, and they do not inspire confidence In the design of the promoters, who will hardly stand the waste them selves and give the gain to the public. But the object lesson in the possibilities of centralization remains with the Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Burlington, Union Pacific. Oregon Short Line and Southern Pacific coming close to a mon opoly of the passes Into the Pacific Coast states, and the public may wonder why It should not have the power to maktS Wholly public what Is quasi public and de pendent upon public grants for Its exist ence. In that case there would be no fur ther mystery about stocks or rates, and though the notion seems like a dream, it Is unquestionably a common dream which these combinations are everywhere in voking. Step Toward Pacification. Chicago Record-Herald. Governor Taft's Chicago interviews give a pretty accurate Idea of the policies that he will urge upon Congress. He approves not only of a reduction In the tariff on Philippines goods coming to this coun try, but of a greater reduction than the one proposed by the Senate committee. He would mako the rates 30 per cent In stead of 73 per cent of the Dlngley rates. This Is a specific recommendation which reflects the general spirit of his mission. "I have found," he said, "that the Fili pino Is much like any other nan in one respect fair treatment will have Its ef fect upon him, and we are seeking to show him that the only qualification required of him in order that he may receive the most liberal usage is loyalty and good citizen ship." Proceeding along the lines of liberal usage', another duty of Congress is to pass a Philippines government bill which shall do away with invidious distinctions. Porto Rico, another of the acquisitions from Spain, now has a government which Is an approximation toward our territorial governments. But reliable" testimony seems to show that the Filipino Is not In ferior to the Porto Rlcan and that he Is quite as much entitled to the experiment of a local legislature. Our liberality will bo gauged by our own precedents, which determine In a measure what fair treat ment Is. The one excuse for the delays of the Government In forming a constructive pol icy is the existence of the rebellion, and that has now reached such a pass that further delays are neither just nor ex pedient. A majority of the inhabitants are at peace, and the hostile minority may be dealt with effectively under the moro liberal regime. That would not compel the withdrawal of troops or the abandon ment of military' operations. And while it could develop no new danqers. it would be a sign of good faith that would seal the friendship of the well-disposed and make friends among the insurgents. If the Governor can persuade Congress to his way of thinking, a long step will have been taken toward the complete pacification of the islands. Two Views Rcffnrillngr Cuba. Kansas City Star. In his letter on the Cuban situation Mr. Cleveland elevates the whole discussion above the purely materialistic plane. The subject, he says, involves considerations of morality and conscience. The United States has practically pledged Itself to the world to restore prosperity to the isl and. When war was declared Congress justified its course to Europe by asserting its purpose to redeem Cuba from condi tions that had become intolerable. The pledge will not be fulfilled If this Gov ernment allows the island to be ruined by shutting Its ports to Cuban products. This letter of Mr. Cleveland's affords an Interesting contrast to the statement of Mr. Oxnard. representative of the beet sugar interests. Of one of the measures of relief proposed he said: "Wo have as sented to nothing. We claim thero Is no necessity for action. We stand where we have stood from the beginning." In other words, the protected interests have the upper hand, and they propose to keep it. They will be moved by no considerations of National honor or sentiment. The Cu bans may go hang for all Mr. Oxnard cares. Financial considerations are all he sees. He considers himself dictator. The appeals of the President, the Secretary of War, of the Governor-General of Cuba, have no weight with Oxnard. Thcsa two leading figures in the contro versy may well be put side by side. On the one hand Is Mr. Cleveland, declaring that every consideration of morality and Natioi al honor demands action. On the other is Oxnard, the dictator, asserting that he will not allow the Government to reduce the tribute It pays him, no matter what the consequences to Cuba or to Na tional honor. One of Hepburn's Balls. Kansas City Journal. Congressman Hepburn, of Iowa, has de veloped an unfortunate but laughable fac ulty of making bulls, which, of course, never apear In the Congressional Record. While drafting the Nicaragua Canal bill he spoke of "wafting the sailing vesse!s that desired to cross the continent." A roar of laughter greeted the remark, to be renewed when some one suggested that "the gentleman from Iowa had prairie schooners in mind." NOTE AND COMMENT. One pussy willow does not make it safa to stop ordering coal. There Is quiet in South America. Tha wires must be down. Actor Neill showed his teeth before n& had the right to wear them. The fiyless airship is not one of the things science Is striving after just now. Still, there will be consolation for the Indian in the' prevailing neckscarf pat terns. The Japanese are studying the art of brewing. Is it their intention to brew more trouble for China? ' Mr. Schwab's lecture on success does not include any reference to his little experience at Monte Carlo. Perhaps the Kaiser sent Prince Henry over here to see if the Hohenzollern style of strenuous life is the real thing. Hon. Wu Ting Fang has succeeded In arousing the antipathy of organized labor. rHe is not as smooth a politician as he thought he was. Every once In a while a man learns that he cannot successfully thaw dynamite in a stove. But the s.tir.e man never needs to learn it twice. The ground hog was still loafing around the office when we went to press. We shall withhold our favor, however, until he dashes off that poem. Grover Cleveland talks about the "af flictive visitations" to the Democratic party. Of course, he doesn't mean that any of them, came from the direction of Lincoln, Neb. Edouard de Rcszke is telling a story which is partly at the expense of himself and brother, Jean, and partly at the ex pense of an American, who. m a Paris hotel, poundedn the partition wall with shovel and tongs to make them stop sing ing, and finally entered a complaint. When he learned the names of "those bellowing fellows" he was deeply chagrined. "And to think," he said, "that I've paid almost any price over in America just to hear those fellows sing." An impecunious representative from a Western State met five friends on tho street, relates a Washington correspond ent. "Come in and have a drink," ho said. They went into the newest and most elaborate cafe in the city. Each o the five friends took a Scotch highball of the kind that co&t 23 cents each. Tho impecunious Representative took a glass of beer. "What's that you're drinking, Jim?" asked one of the friends. "That," said the Representative, as he nervously fingered the check calling for Jt 35 and held up the glass of beer so all could see it, "Is a lesson in deportment." Attorney-General Knox, while practic ing in Pittsburg, was one of the busiest lawyers in America. A few years ago ho was much put out because he had to ac cept a fee of $50,0CO. A friend met him as he was leaving the office. Knox was swearing mad. "What's It all about this time?" asked the friend. "I have been knocked out of a trip to Egypt. My folks wanted me to make an argument in a case, and I told them I could not be here. They told me to fix my price, and I said $50,000; thinking that would put them out of the notion. It did not. They took me up, and my plans are all upset." A tablet to the memory of Anneke Jans, "wife of Rev. Everardus Bogardus, and the most famous woman in New Amster dam, 1C39," has been sunk into the wall of No. 23 Whitehall street, New York City, a tremendous red brick building, which occupies the site of her humble home and its surrounding gardens." This Is the pious work of Knickerbocker Chap ter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. As for Anneke, her later fame comes from the fact that heirs of her body have been turning up ever slnco the 19th century was young to get a slice of the property of Trinity Church. An Englishman and the Idaho Girls. San Francisco Argonaut. When coon songs were all the rage in London, Leslie Stuart, the composer of tho music of "Florodora," decided to try his talent in composing ragtime music for the London music halls. "I soon mastered the now time to ray own satisfaction." said Mr. Stuart, tho other day, "but I was all at sea on titles and subjects for my first song. I secured a map of the United States and found that Idaho was by far the best rhyming state, so In a few dayd 'My Girl From Idaho" was ready to be sung. I sent it to a popular singer in the music halls, and the audience that heard It first seemed to like It. "The next day the following message was sent to tho theater and later turned over to me. It was signed 'An Idaho American and read: 'You blasted Eng lishman, don't you know there ibn't a coon in all the State of Idaho? But thero are girls in Idaho. They can't shuffle their feet; they can't all sing. But they can shoot, and, gracious, how they'd like to have you for a target V " PLEASANTRIES OF r.UtAGRArilEUS Tom Don't you consider Hiss Kaync rather dull? Dick Well, after the way bhe cut me I can't say that I do. San Francisco Chronicle. "Speaking of the tool trust." remarked tho observer of events and things. "Croker thinks ho can trust Nixon while he's away." Yonk ers Statesman. At Larchmont. Amy How did Ada like tho ynchtlng trip? Blanche She was quit 111, but she boro up wonderfully. She knows what everybody wore. Judge. Entitled to Praise. "Flirting." said tho mother, severely, "is dangerous." "In that case." replied the daughter, "I should think you would be proud of my courage." Chicago Evening Post. Idle, but Proud. "My friend, you don't seem to be doing anything. Would you like the job of cleaning the snow off these sidewalks'" "I? Clean snow? Sacr-r-re! I am a chaffeur!" Chicago Tribune. Shattered Hope. "Maude's new automobilo coat Is an awful disappointment to her." "What's the matter with It?" "Why. it doesn't mako people stare at her a bit!" Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. Sincerity. Clerk I would like to get oft ear ly, sir. as my wife wants mo to do some odd Jobs around the house while It is li?ht enough. Manager Can't possible do It. Clerk Thank you. sir. You are very klml. Puck. On the Train. Budklns Where are'you living now? BUger Living! I'm dodging, falling into holes, being run ov;r. twisting and turn ing, falling off and hanging on, being steamed and banced and tossed in the air. "In New York, eh?" Life. Progressing. "How are you getting on with your new house. Maude?" "Oh! just splendid. Harry Is letting me relcct all the colors for tho parlor, drawing-room, dining-room and bed rooms, and after he gets some money he's going to see somebody about building It!" Baltimore Xews. A Xews Average. Hurtling Editor How many murders did that man commit? As sistantOne reporter says three, another ray3 Ave. and another says nine. Hustling Editor Three, five. nln eh? Oh. well. we"ll have to strike an average. Make It 330. Xew York Weekly. Commercialism "I suppose you have to bo very diplomatic in approaching members of your Legislature with offers of money." "Yes. indeed." said Senator Sorghum. "If you don't look sharp, they'll charge you three or four times as much as they are worth." Washing ton Star. )