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YESTERDAY'S WEATHER Maximum tem
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PORTLAND, MONDAY, DECEMBER 8.
"The lady doth protest too much." In
this pregnant sentence does William
Shakespeare, that greatest of human
minds, uncover one' of the profoundest
bits of his unapproachable philosophy of
human nature. Nobody had accused
the player Queen of crime, actual or
contemplated, yet she falls to in' a most
vehement denunciation of the sin upon
which the plot of "Hamlet" hangs. Is
It thus, in a mild and comparatively
harmless de.ree, with certain members
of our Oregon delegation In Congress?
It was said that the manipulation of
Oregon public lands could hardly have
gone on without the knowledge of them
and of their land office appointees. . No
body charged them with fraud. All
that was Intimated was negligence. Tet
now we behold men. tearing hair and
cracking heels together because of sus-;
pected "fraud" and "corruption." On
ary other subject and with any other
persons concerned the Inference would
be that some knoweldge other than that
imparted In the original criticism must
prompt these agitated demands that the
guilty be punished. and the Innocent
freed from suspicion. What possible
Infamy is thus hinted at, which has
never before seen the light of day?
Can it be an arrangement under which
information of contemplated reserva
tions was sent out here, so that by the
time- reserves were created, whole car
loads of people had filed on sections cor
responding miraculously to the bound.
aries of the withdrawals? Can it be
that the links in this chain are known
at Washington, and something, at least,
of the beneficiaries of its profits? Have
the fortunes that have been made in
the Oregon State Land Office been dupli
cated by an arrangement that involved
members of Congress, clerks In the Land
Office at Washington, Surveyors-Gen
eral, Registers and Receivers, In active
or passive participation? The Orego
nian desires here and now to acquit our
Congressional delegation, Surveyor-Gen
eral, Land Office officials, general and
local, of any direct malfeasance in these
and kindred matters. What we do say
Is that their agitation over a! mild accu
sation of indifference prompts a feeling
that they may know of improprieties
that have been committed by others;
and that if they do, they can render the
Government and the public Itself no
greater service thari to tell what they
know. The escape of the Innocent
should be their concern no more than
the exposure of the guilty, and for that
purpose our columns are open.
The Army transport business has been
afflicted with a taint of jobbery since its
inception, and to this fact probably more
than to any other Is due the desire
on the part of the Quartermaster's De
partment to get the active management
off Its hands. To be sure, reforms have
taken place since the work was started
The Barneson pull in San Francisco
and the Waterhouse pull In Seattle are
no longer in direct evidence, and ancient
scrap heaps which would not sail for
525,000 in the open market are no longer
palmed off on the Government for trans
ports for $400,000 and $500,000 each. But
Is it not possible to work reform with
out turning the entire business over to
a monopoly, which might and might not
do the work as well as it could be done
if it were left in a measure in charge
of the Government? "Why cannot the
Government work be handled on busi
ness principles which rule in other
transactions? By giving any one port
on the Pacific Coast a monopoly of the
business of dispatching transports, the
Government will frequently be placed
at a disadvantage so costly that it will
nullify all the possible gains in other
directions. It will be poor economy for
the Government to save 25 cents per ton
on the freight on a cargo of forage from
Seattle or San Francisco, when' it Is
compelled to pay ?2' per ton more fo,r
the cargo than it would cost in Port
land. The" Government can always
charter ships or space oh ships, as cheap
as it can be secured by private indi
viduals, and there is accordingly no ne
cessity for turning all of its business
over to any single firm of shipowners or
to any one port on the Coast. The fact
that money has been lost and scandals
created .by the slipshod methods pre
viously employed in handling this busi
ness does not prove that it cannot be
handled In an economical, business-like
manner if proper 'supervision is given
the chartering and operation of ships
and the purchasing of stores, etc.
That warm friend oY the Columbia
River and earnest advocate of appro
priations for Its improvement, the Se
attle Post-IntellIgencer,-has just thrown
another of its periodical fits over the
detention of a fleet of vessels below As
toria. The efforts of that viclssltudl
rious paper in behalf of the thousands
of Tyashlngtonlans who are dependent
solely on the Columbia River route as
a highway to the sea for their products
will in time become thoroughly Under
stood. Spasmodically in the past It has
demanded In no uncertain language that
the Columbia River be opened for navi
gation for . the benefit of the wheat
growers of Eastern "Washington and
Idaho. Unfortunately for the aforesaid
wheatgrower, his disinterested ally on
Elliott Bay placed limitations on. the
area of the river that was to be opened.
In one issue it demanded that every
obstruction between Portland and the
Inland Empire be removed forthwith.
In the next it berated Portland for
spending her own money in opening a
channel to the sea, and by innuendo as
well as direct 'charge sought to create
the Impression that the channel below
Portland could never be placed in good
condition. The Post-Intelligencer would
like -to see a forty-foot channel from
Portland to Lewlston, but it will fight
to the end any effort that is made to
Improve the channel at the mouth of
the river 'so that ships may come and.
go without delays. It will also take ad
Vantage of every opportunity like the
present to enlarge on the difficulties now
confronted by vessels entering the river.
The Senatorial prospects of the 'owner of
the Post-Intelligencer will not be Im
proved In Eastern Washington by these
persistent attacks on the Columbia
River, which drains a greater area of
territory in "Washington than In Oregon.
A river "open" In the middle and not
at the mouth will benefit neither Ore
gon nor "Washington.
It Is of no use now to call for an In
vestigation of that Northern Pacific lieu
land job, as a correspondent does in an
other column of today's paper. That
belongs to history. The law under
which that injustice was perpetrated
has been amended so as to prevent fur
ther evil. There can be no doubt that
the Northern Pacific Railroad Company
assisted the bill through Concress
in such form as would contribute
most to the prosperity of the com
pany, and it Is probable that an
investigation could bring tfiat fact into
light; but what of it? Statesmen who
thrive on such practices would tell the
virtuous voters that they were acting In
the Interest of the dear people, and
never once supposed that any octopus
corporation would be so 111-mani-nered
as to take all the advantages.
And the virtuous voters would admit:
"Sure enough; the Honorable Great-
head and the Honorable Sllmnocket
were sitting up nights making opport
unities for us, and we never seen it!'1
Thus would confidence In the unerring
wisdom and impeccable uprightness of
the public servants be re-established
stronger than ever. That Northern Pa
cific deal, crying shame though it was.
has been consummated and 'the objec
tionable privilege to take unsurveyed
lieu land has been withdrawn. The
moral conviction that it was achieved
by crooked methods could not be
strengthened by any investigation,
There is nothing to be recovered. More
is to be gained to the public by scrutiny
of present practices and elucidation of
the methods by which so large a part
of the money involved in handling pub
lic land falls into private purses, and so
small a part Into the public treasury
Here Is a field that Is hardly touched
as yet, and Us exploration may result
In practical benefit
RAILROAD POSSIBILITIES IN SOUTH
EASTERN OREGON.
Let the business community and the
property-owners of Portland take notice
that surveyors are in the field locating
a line of railroad from Nyssa, on the
Oregon Short Line, to Vale-, In the Mai
heur Valley. Let them consult the
maps and note the facts of geography
and topography; and then let them con
sider the significance of this movement
Nyssa is the point Jn Oregon first
touched by the Oregon Short Line; Vale
lies in the valley of the Malheur, on the
line of the most direct route connecting
the Short Line with the Malheur, Har
ney, Goose Lake and Klamath regions.
From Vale It is an easy stage to Burns
and Harney County; from Bums it is
another easy stage to Paisley or Lake
view, In Lake County; and one more
stage reaches the heart of Klamath.
The route Is an easy and natural one;
and it passes everywhere through pro
ductive or potential country; and a
railroad operating through It would
"command absolutely the whole traffic
and resource of that fourth of Oregon
which lies to the southeast. And it
would command it, not for Oregon and
for Portland, but for Salt Lake City and
the East Thus hooke'd up to the Union
Pacific Railway system, and, with no di
rect connection with home markets at
Portland, our southeastern district
would, for all commercial purposes, be
lost to us and lost for keeps. Its cattle,
Its wool, its wealth of timber, .would in
the nature of things go 'East and Its
commercial patronage as well for with
its outlet opening to the East It would
be as effectively shut off from Portland
as if it lay on the other side of the
Rocky Mountains.
From the standpoint of the Union' Pa
cific Railroad people, the movement is a
very natural one. The country lies
within the belt contiguous to their
through line, and Its traffic, already
large, Is bound very soon to be greater.
By the time a railroad line of 300 or 400
miles in length could be built say, In
two or three years the country will eas
ily afford a highly profitable business.
And from the standpoint of the south
eastern counties this connection Is In
every way to be desired and encour
aged. They have been appealing for
twenty years past for a railroad con
nectionto Portland, to San Francisco,
to the East. They have tendered an
empire as the prize of the first comer,
and have grpwn weary and sick with
disappointment because nobody has
thought it worth while to heed them.
They will welcome the Eastern connec
tion just as they would welcome any
other connection promising to break the
fetters of their Isolation.
And "yet there will be on the part of
the old-time settlers of the southeastern
region a distinct regret If their future
commerclal life is to be apart from their
natural connections. -They appreciate
the advantages resulting from the co
ordination of political and business
forces, and they have the natural sen
timent of a patriotic people to live in
close rela'tlofiphip with the general life
and Interests of their own state. Other
things being equal, they would rather
have a home than, a foreign connection;
they would rather trade with Portland
than with Salt Lake or Omaha. But at
the same time they have the sound busi
ness. instinct to do the best they can
for themselves, and if their fortunes lie
In the foreign connection they will make
the most of it and turn their back upon
the, home state.
Let the business community and property-owners
of Portland consider this
situation well. The southeastern branch
of the Short Line, while plainly In pros
pect, Is not yet built The projected line
from'Nyssa to Vale Is but a first step.
The succeeding.. stepa.':are. inevitable if,
when time and convenience serve,, the
opportunity shall be what It Is today.
But they are not likely to be taken if
the country shall' bo' entered by a Tall-
road from another -route. There is still
the clance for Portland to forestall all
foreign movements, to make the south
eastern territory her own. A. prompt
movement from Shaniko through the
Upper Deschutes country, and with
Winches to Klamath Falls and Burns,
in like manner with the movement now
making. In the Klickitat Valley by a
Portland company, would hold the
southeast for Portland.- It would give
her a territory far better in its trade
possibilities than Alaska, upon which
the recent fortunes of Seattle have
been built this in addition to a great
paying investment
There are, we know, difficulties in the
way of extending the Columbia South
ern line on to the south. But these
difficulties are not of a sort to stand
very long before a resolute and well-
backed purpose. Let it be made plain
that if a way cannot be found' for ex
tension of the Columbia Southern, Its
lino will be paralleled by the route of
the Deschutes with its northern termi
nus below mark, below The Dalles-
Celllo obstructions, and the difficulties
which now appear so serious will
quickly fade into thin air. To put it in
plain words, the O. R. & N. Co. would
rather permit the extension of the Co
lumbia Southern from Shaniko south
ward than have another line built on
the east side of the Cascade Mountains,
with its terminus at a point on the Co
lumbia River below the obstructions to
navigation, -and therefore in a situation
thanks to the open river at the Cas
cades to, reach Portland independently
of the O. R. & N. Co.'s rails.
THOMAS B. REED.
The death of Thomas B. Reed is a Na
tional calamity. Not since the unex
pected death of Roscoe Conkllng In 18SS
has the country lost so large, so Intel
lectually Impressive, so patriotic and so
siainiess a statesman. Mr. Keed was
born of poor parents, was of pure Maine
Yankee stock for six generations.
Through his humble early life and as
sociations he escaped some of the su
perficial mannerisms which made Mr.
Conkllng at times repellant He had
touched the life of the common peo
ple more closely than had Mr. Conk
llng, and was less fastidious, more in
tensely human. He did not love his
friends more ardently nor stand by them
more loyally than did Conkllng, but he
was more of a humorist than Conkllng,
who had a brilliant, sarcastic wit, but
not much broad humor. Mr. Reed liked
a good many different kinds of men,
and therefore had many friends, while
Conkling was of the sort described, by
Shakespeare as
Lofty and sour to those who love them not.
But to those who seek them sweet as Bummer.
Nevertheless, while Mr. Conkling and
Mr. Reed were In many, ways very dif
ferent men. they had more great public
virtues in common than any otheV two
men of their political day and genera
tion. They were alike at least in this
Important respect they never cajoled,
never nattered, never begged; they sim
ply tried to beat down all opposition by
the' weight of a battle-ax which none
dui tney couiq wieici. Mrv K.eep was
an eminent lawyer, but not so .great a
lawyer as conkllng; for Mr..Reed, like
Vebster, was constitutionally 'Indolent
and fond of social relaxation.- He was
capable of enormous industry when
spurred to It, as was Webster, but other
things being equal, the man who wastes
the least time in social relaxation
makes the greatest lawyer. Mr. Reed
wasted some of his time, while Conk
ling was-generally with his books. Mr.
Reed had the rare gift of making the
"scorching lightning of sarcastic wit
play along the iron links oY argument."
He was frank, iruthful, a steadfast
friend", a relentless but honorable fpe,
j.n the union ' of great legal ability to
great gifts of forensic leadership Mr.
Reed was for more than twenty years
the most striking and commanding fig
ure in American political life. Above
all his peers he won- all his honors by
the sheer force orhls remarkable abili
ties and the tenacity of his intellectual
grip, for he had serious defects of tem
per that would have ruined, with i
lesser man, all chance of success.
Disdaining all concealment of his pur
poses or his opinions, and all compro
mises with his foes, Mr. Reed always en
tered the fray trusting solely to the
keenness of his swdrd and the strength
of his arm. In law or political debate
he was at once a bold and skillful boxer.
Aggressive In his temperament, his hos
tile speech was saturated with sarcasm
that stung like hot sand, finding its way
tnrougn every crevice of his enemy s
armor, and 'his beaten antagonist was
sure to cherish a long and bitter, mem
ory of the method of his defeat This
.uncompromising spirit, f this pugnacity
of temper which shoots scorching words
right and left like a flight of arrows
Inevitably sows the seed of many resent
ments, sighing to be satisfied in a crop
or revenges ana retaliations. it was
wonderful that Reed escaped political
destruction from the hostile elements.
which 'he defied as Napoleon defied Win
ter in war. The ex-Speaker not only
treated blatherskite Democratic leaders
like Springer and Dick Townshend with
undisguised contempt, but he quarreled
with Blaine; quarreled with President
Harrison oo bitterly that he consented
to make up with Blaine, and spoke of
McKinley with unjustifiable contempt
He never .conciliated; he never sought
by the exercise of social magnetism or
worldly tact to compel love and. melt
hate. He was as reckless In'hls abound
ing wit as was Robert G. Ingersoll. He
stigmatized the United States Senate in
conversation as a close communion of
old grannies and tabby cats; he said
that, of course. Senator Proctor, of Ver
mont, iavorea intervention ana war
with Spain, because war would increase
the demand for the number of marble
headstones for soldiers graves, which
Proctor would furnish from his marble
plant; he said that while "Bill" Springer
was the "broader minded jackass of the
two, Dick. Townshend was altogether the
more intense." When Springer said
that, "like Henry, Clay he had rather
be right than be President Reed an
swered with a snarl: "Don't worry
you'll never be either."
These methods and characteristics are
not agreeable, but Mr. Reed had a very
.noble side in this that while he was
sometimes guilty of domineering rude
ness In debate, there was no taint of
the dirty, trading, treacherous, syco-
nhantic politician in his imperious and
arrogant composition. Nobody ever had
cause to blush for "2"om" Reed by hear
ing- that he was open to .any sort of
bribe, whether of place or power or pelf,
or ever stooped to any kind or degree of
political jobbery or trickery. His as
cendency was won by hard knocks in
the open field; he was never .found in
ambush; he never tried to corrupt the
garrison or. betray the camp; he was
an ambitious soldier in, the Republican
ranks, "but he was always a bold, dar
ing, Telentlesg soldier, who scorned to
play brigand, pirate, pickpocket or
pawnbroker In politics. He had a
prompt, aggressive, energetic, fearlesr
and altogether honest intellect; he was
a born partisan, but would never stoop
in order to conquer; he would not accept
a crown if hn hda to kneel and grope in
the dust for it. To all his friends and
they were legion Jn both parties he was
open, kind, cordial, hospitable, generous
and- true; but he was not affable to the
crowd of hostlles in public or private.
He never concealed his strong likes and
dislikes: he was pugnacious and a hard
hitter; but he never fired from ambush
or used the weapons of uncivilized war-
farepand In spite of his superficial In
firmities of temper and merciless speech
he deserves to be long remembered as a
brave, able, patriotic and "accomplished
party leader and statesman, who leaves
behind a great record In all the great
thlnsrs that mako ud a nubile man a
stainless name.
- Mr. Reed stood for intellectual Imperi-
ousness in politics. Men naturany
called him the Czar, and he was termed'
a Napoleon In debate. Such men are of
vast service to their day and generation,
but in ordinary times they never win
the Presidency, even when they desire
it McKinley stood for the able oppor
tunist in politics; he won his way as
Thomas Jeff-rson did by his charming
temper, his line intelligence and his affa
bility to all kinds of men who sought
to be his friends. He was placable, ac
cessible;1 neither resentful nor revenge
ful, discreet In his speech and circum
spect with his pen. When a great war
throws a strong rnan to the surface, men
like Washington, Jackson and Grant
win the Presidency. But otherwise
your political opportunist Is apt to dis
tance your Intellectual despot, who al
ways insists that the mountain shall
come to Mahomet Instead of Mahomet
going to the mountain. If Mr. Reed
really ever cared to be his party's can
didate for the Presidency, he adopted
just the methods to defeat his ambition.
He was an absolutist in his political
manners; he was .as reckless with his
wit In debate as John Randolph; he ex
pected the apple would fall Into his lap,
no matter who shook the tree; he did
not miss the prize, if he really wanted
It, because he was too big a man for
the place, but because he despised men
of great ability as political opportunists,
men rarely gifted,- but of far different
gifts from his own. He underrated, if
he did not despise, the ability of his
rivals, and because of this he suffered a
severe defeat.
HALF A MILLION FROM THE STATE.
With the adoption of the plan for Na
tional and state co-operation recom
mended by Hon. William D. Fenton, the
most important feature of the work of
the lVwIs and Clark Centennial Expo
sition Company has passed to the charge
of the. committee on legislation. The
first step naturally was the financing of
the great Fair by our local people. This
done, we are" now preparing to ask the
State of Oregon for' $500000 , and Con
gress for $2,000,000. All the states In the
Union will -tfa Invited to participate. A
particularly-strong appeal will be made
to the states west of the Mississippi
River,' for they are the ones chiefly con
cerned In the commercial expansion
across the Pacijic Ocean. When we are
established ln Asia as we ought to be
established, .and when Asia begins buy
ing from us even one-quarter of the
goods she takes from the world, the
region between the Mississippi and the
Pacific will be drained of its surplus
products to meet the new demanjd. The
states east of the Mississippi will sup
ply the machinery and some other ar
ticles In the manufacture of which the
West does not compete.
The 1905 Fair must be bullded upon
its foundation this Winter, or not at all.
The business in hand may be likened to
a game of chess. It Is Oregon's first
move, anji the kind of play we
make will set the pace. If we play
pawns, Congress and the states that we
shall Invite to participate will play
pawns. If we play rooks, then rooks It
will be. If we pause at $500,000 because
It Is a "whole lot of money," Congress
will pause at $2,000,00, because It too, is
a whole lot of money. Five "hundred
thousand dollars is indeed a heap of
money. .So is $2,000,000. So, too, was the
$2500 which Jefferson wheedled out of
Congress nearly a century ago to send
Lewis and Clark on the scientific expe
dition that added Oregon to the sover
eignty of the United States. Many a
front foot of city property on the Pacific
Coast is worth more today than the
total cost of the Lewis and Clark ex
pedition. It Is the duty of the Legislature of
Oregon to appropriate $500,000, and to
do It quickly. This does not admit of
argument from any -point of view. It
Is the veriest sophistry for any one to
throw up his hands in horror at the
amount asked and say It means $1 21
per capita on the basis of the popula
tion of the state in 1S00. The per cap
ita cost would have been all right for
two and a half years ago, but the in-,
crease of population has put it out of
the calculation. Oregon has 500,000 peo
ple today. Next year will witness the
largest Immigration, numerically, in our
history', and the most consequential"
since the pioneers wended their 'way
across the plains In 1S43 to reinforce
the little American government that
had been set up at Champoeg. Unlesa
the sighs fall we shall add 100,000 to our
numbers In 1903. Before the end of 1S05
we shall have 500,000 people In Oregon,
200,000 of whom will be Hying hi the
City of Portland. As the first half of
the appropriation will not be collected
until 1904, nor the second half until
1905, the newcomers will pay a large
proportion of the cost, possibly half,
and the ptr capita charge will not be
$1 21, but about 62 cents.
Sentiment In Portland Is unanimous
for holding the Fair and for making It
something that the Pacific West may
well be proud of. What the stockhold
ers of the Exposition company think Is
shown in the fact that 93 per cent of
the first assessment has been voluntar
ily paid In, al a cost, represented by
postage and stationery, or about of 1
per cent Nothing that has been under
taken here has so united our people and
caused them, to get a "move on" as this
Fair project. One never hears any one
running down the town now or saying
how much better town it would be If It
only had the get up of some other place.
There are now no "knockers" in Port
land, for their calling is gone. The
hammer brought into play today would
recoil upon Its user's, head. Portland is
determined, to fca-ve the Fair for the
jsood that it will do ,the Pacific Coast-
I for the good that it will do Oregon, and
for the good that it will do Portland, n
will put $500,000 Into the Exposition
company without expecting to receive a
direct return- of a single dent, and it
will pay $156;150 of the state appropria
tion of $500,000. It asks the remainder
of the state for $843,850, and Congress"
for $2,000,000, and It is entitled to receive
these amounts and the help that the ap
propriation of 'them means,
After all the light that has been beat
ing so fiercely upon Carey irrigation in
the' Deschutes Valley, the State Land
Board, goes ahead and enters into con
tract for another reclamation project In
that part of the state. This covers 27,724
acres, which will be watered from the
Tumello branch of the Deschutes. A
lien a trifle under $10 an acre Is allowed
for this contract, with annual mainten
ance charge of $1 an acre. This district
lies between the Deschutes and the Cas
cade Range, where it is comparatively
difficult to Introduce irrigation because
of the steepness of the slope down from
the mountain crest. It is not probable
that this contract would have been ob
tained at this time If there had been no
merit in it, for public attention has been
sharply called to reclamation projects
recently with the result that a much
better understanding of the subject has
been gained by Oregonlans. It Is to be
observed, however, that this, Tumello
reclamation contract cannot Interfere
with any plan for Irrigation of the main
valley of the Deschutes, for It is off at
one side and will not take water from
the main river. It show's a gratifying
tendency to occupy, that section of the
state lor productive enterprise.
Mr. Reed had his limitations. As late
as 1896 he advocated in the North Amer
ican Review the Bcheme of international
blmetallsm, and proposed that Con
gress, with threat of hostile tariff enact
ments, coerce England Into consent to
this currency scheme. Mr. Reed had
never studied the money question from
the bottom at that time. -He was not as
well grounded as was the Democratic
statesman Bayard of Delaware, who In
the first great debate over the silver
question Jn February, 1878, took the
position for the gold standard we oc
cupy today, and gave his reasons for
It Mr. Reed knew as much for that
day as Lodge, Morrill, Hoar and John
Sherman, but he d.id not know as much
as Bayard knew in 1878. Finance was
not his forte.
It is a pleasure to observe with what
uniform favor each and every part of
the Presidential message meets from
our Republican, exchanges, and with
what equally uniform disapproval its
every part is greeted by our Democratic
exchanges. It 'Is pleasant, because any
dislocation of the traditional . partisan
slavery would be disconcerting, If not
positively alarming.-
Another wretched gamblers' quarrel,
this time at Marshfield, Coos County,
comes to disturb the peace of the com
munity and burden the taxpayers. The
presence of "both those characters may
well be spared from among decent men.
The only regret Is that their departure
is In such manner as to draw undue at
tention. . In view of the appearance- of Venezue
la's yellow, book, It may be remarked
that her prqspect of owning the Island
of Patos Is rather blue. Had she treated
Britain white by recognizing the rights
of British subjects In the republic, af
fairs In that quarter of the world would
be more rosy.
Persons doing business In Portland
now have more than $400,000 on the
Lewis and Clark subscription list.
Where elsewhere has a city of this size
done so much for such an enterprise?
THE COLORED REPUBLICANS.
The Policy of the President Toward
Then Ik Right.
Indianapolis Journal.
Republicans who give consideration to
the declared purpose' of the President not
to ignore culored R-publlcans In the South
must come to the conclusion that his posi
tion Is tho only defensible one.
The movement to disfranchise negroes
In the South la a Democratic movement
For the President to Indorse a few men
who have declared themselves Lily white
Republicans because they have accepted
the policy of disfranchisement would be
equivalent to a tacit Indorsement of the
scheme by which hundreds of thousands
of voters have been robbed of the right
of suffrage. The President and Republi
cans generally cannot do this because it
Is not right, and also because It would be
consenting to the annulment of Constitu
tional amendments adopted by the influ
ence of the Republican party.
It Is said that the Lllywhltes have de
clared war on the President and will
make an effort to send to the next Na
tional convention delegations opposed to
him. That Is, alleged white Republicans,
Who poll no- votes, maintain no organiza
tion of any value to a party, propose to
go to the National Republican Conven
tion In 1901 and attempt to defeat the
nomination . of President Roosevelt be
cause he will not Indorse the wholesale
disfranchisement of colored voters. This
Impertinence revives the sentiment In
favor of curtailing the representation In
Republican conventions of Southern
States which maintain an organization to
tget the offices without polling any votes.
The entire South did not poll half as
many votes In the late election as did the
Republicans of Indiana, yet they have 120
votes In Republican National conventions,
while Indiana will have but 30.
Now that tho evils of this injustice art
evrdent, tho proposition made by Post
master General Payne Beveral years ago
to baoe representation in conventions" on
the vote, polled rather than upon the num
ber of Senators and Representatives by
which states are represented in Congress
should be ac.ated so as to be adopted by
the next convention.
A New Way With a Feud.
New York World.
In pursuit of his determination to "have
lt out" with his old partner and present
enemy, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay
Frlck proposes to give Pittsburg a uni
versity with a princely endowment. In
the words of a friend of Frlck, the coming
Institution will make Mr. Carnegie's much-talked-of
Polytechnic School "look like 20
cents."
There Is a lingering tradition that works
of great public bcriefllcende should be
founded In good will. Af least If a selfish
Idea enters into the foundation It should
be nothing worse than a man's deeiro to
perpetuate his own name In a worthy
fashion. Spite work In philanthropy on the
stupendous scale saia to be contemplated
by Mr. Frlck is certainly a new and amaz
ing conception.
Tet there Is a suggestion behind the
Pittsburg depatfurc which might well bo
fruitful. It would hot be well for all
quarreling rich men to go to building
schools and colleges; But there are in
numerable other ventures in which oppos
ing capitalists might strive to surpass
each other greatly to tha public benefit
Surely it Is better to outdo a rival in good.
works than, in' wrecking a railroad or In
robbing the public, ,
SPIRIT. Of THE NORTHWEST PRESS'
Yen, bmt Betk AreNpw WaBfeiHSta
CeHBtlea.
Woodburn Independent
We do not think there is a county or
postoffice In the State of Oregon, named
for Lewis or Clark.
13lJiapp6lBtlnL on tke Tariff.
CotLage Grove Leader.
President Roosevelt's message to Con
press Is generally characteristic of the
man. though the expected atrenuousnes3
of the document, especially on the trust
question and tariff reform. Is disappoint
ing. Partisan. Prejudgment.
Oregon Democrat.
Neither the tariff will b; revised nor
anything done to injure the trusts; What
ever trust bill is passed, if any Is, it will
be of such a soft nature that It will fall
far short of the mark, as will be in-,
tended.
But Where Doea th Trust Get Oft?
Eugene Guard.
The trusts have put prices to the point
that exports decreased during the past
fiscal year over $100,000,000, while there wa3
an increase of $S0,GO0.CO0 In Imports. We
can buy of the foreigner, with tariff add
d, cheaper than at home. This vast bal
ance of trade against us i3 not a pleasant
incident in the commercial exploitation of
the "captains of Industry."
May Help the Democrats.
v Spokane Chronicle.
As to the tariff, the President yields to
the clamor against revision and time may
tell whether such yielding Is or Is not n
sorlous blunder. His suggestion that "One
way in which the "readjustment sought
can b reached Is by reciprocity treaties"
Is likely to prove an extremely unsatis
fictory solution of the problem. So long
as he can continue to declare that "no
country has .ever occupied a higher plane
of material well being than ours at the
present moment" the opposition may not
trouble the Administration greatly; but
should the tide turntwo years from now
the Republican party's refusa.1 to give
any attention to tariff revision may give
the "Democracy some excellent fighting
ground:.
Isn't Tills Treason!
Salem Statesman.
The authorities at Washington are get
ting entirely too meddlesome as regards
the private affairs of Government em
ployes, and the first thing some of them
know they will get their hair pulled out
and their faces frescoed with feminine
finger nails. Recently the Postmaster
General Issued an order dismissing all fe
male clerks In the postoffice who marry
on or after December 1. Now tho Gen
oral Superintendent of the rural free de
livery system has Issued an order requir
ing each woman clerk to send him a writ
ten statoment -setting forth the name of
her husband, if she has ono, and his oc
cupation, If not in the Government serv
ice. It Is Interpreted as a move prelimi
nary to the dismissal of either husband or
wife where it Is found that both are in
the Government service.
In. Defense of Football.
Albany Democrat.
A review of current thought would
hardly be in place these days without a
reference to the game of football, which
for a few weeks has been absorbing the
entire- country, not only drawing Im
mense crowds, more than any other game,
but filling the newspapers with long arti
cles anticipatory and of the fact. There Is
a striking difference of opinion as to how
much of this is justifiable, no game be
fore the American pe-ople exciting such
general comment All there is about It
has Its merits and its demerits. It is the
greatest game of generalship ever Invent
ed. Not merely strength, endurance and
speed count, but in an emphatic manner
the generalship of the contest. That Is
the manner In which the game Is run
counts. The right play at the" right time.
Just when It Is needed, takes a good head
and a prompt Judgment There are some
good lessons In It from several stand
point?, while agalnnt it stands almost
alone Its very rough character, certainly
enough to cause comment. '
A Sign ot Better CitiEcnshtp.
Newberg Graphic.
One fact stands out prominently in the
town elections which are being held all
over Oregon and Washington, and that
is that tho main question at Issue Is the
temperance, or prohibition, question. In
the majority of cases this has been more
or less an issue, and In agreatvmany It
has been recognized as the only ls3ue.
This Is greatly encouraging to advocates
of gocd government and decent towns.
Not that tne temperance people have
gained the greatest number of victories,
for in many places they have been badly
defeated. The significant fact Is that pub
lic sentiment has grown until the Issue
has been forced all over the state. A
few years ago such a thing would not
have been possible. People are waking
up to tho fact that there are other things
as Important to their towns as saloons,
and which thej cannot have while tho
saloon stays. The sign boards of the re
cent elections point unmistakably toward
better citizenship.
Delay Works Its Hardships.
Forest Grove Times.
There seems to be a disposition on the
part of Portland Councllmen and officials
to hold up our electric railway. After
dilly-dallying along for neary a year the
pressure of public opinion was so strong
that they were forced to paas an ordi
nance granting a franchise, but they now
think, after the railway people have gone
ahead and got things In shape for actual
work, that they have discovered a defect
In the ordinance granting the charter that
will nullify It, and they talk, or at least
some of them do, as if they were going
to perpetrate another hold-up. It may be
well for them to consider the situation a
little. Washington County Is greatly in
terested&n this matter. The people want
the electric railway, and they .will not
submit tamely to have It held up by
grafters in the Portland City Council.
Portland wants a new charfer from the
Legislature. It also wants a big appro
priation for the Fair. Washington County
"has four members In the Legislature. If
Portland teaches them the hold-up 'game
they will have a good opportunity to try
It on the teacher. Their treatment of our
electric railway should be decent, If they
want like treatment for their favorite
bills. Let them take warning.
Oregon's Timber Resource's.
St Hslrns Mist
Day after day and night after night
great rafts of loss -pass St. Helens on
their way to the big sawmills In Port
land. Never before In the history of Ore
gon has there' been such a demand on the,
fir forests of the Lower Columbia. And the
big mills at Portland are not cutting all
the lumber, for the saws In numerous
ralllc in Columbia County, Clatsop Coun
ty and across the river In Washington
are making lumber as fast as they can se
cure the logs. The demand far exceeds
the oupply. Logging railways are being
steadily extended Into the Interior, and
more are projected. It will not be long
until the grcnt timber forests of the Ne
halem will be drawn upon to supply the
demand, end the logging railways will be
carrying the lumber- products of that sec
tion to the water front to be loaded. on
the ships. At the present rate ot supply
and demand it will not be many jje'ars
until the good timber along the Lower
Columbia will be i scarcity. Almost every
towboat that carries a raft of logs stops
at tho- St. Helens yard to wood, and the
shrill whistles of the continual string of
landing steamers are heard every hour
during the day and night This is a strik
ing ocular demonstration of the Immen
sity o the logging business on the Co
lumbca Riyer,
KGTE AND COMMENT: "
Experience teaches wisdom and wisdom'
needs it sometimes. '
Good-morning! Are you ready for an
other week's .weather?.-. ; ' .'.
The man that lives on his reputation
will eventually starve to death:
The man who monkeys with the land
laws Is likely to come away with a soiled
reputation. ,
' . ' , t
The boy of 16 cherishes a . hair ribbon,
the boy of IS a glove, the boy, of 21 his
liberty, and the man of 41 his memories. -
Ex-MInlster Cambon-says the Americana
are generous. Does he refer to the gra
cious Count Castellane as a shining ex
ample of our generosity?
Another poor devil of an author has
killed himself in New- York- because oC
the nonsuccers of his novel. It was the
only atonement he could make.
The wily book agent Is again in evi
dence, and people are kicking because his
contracts arc not binding. This looks Hko
the complaint of a rank outsider.
Men say things to their wives that they
never, no. never, would dare say to a
man. When the woman takes exception
then it Is what is called an unhappy mar
riage. A little girl In this city who was calling
on .some grown-up friends who live In a
flat explained to her mother that a flat
was a house with the down-stairs just
back of the sitting-room.
Now that a telephone has been invented
where the message Is plainly audible to a
person standing 10 yards away from the
receiver, we may expect a tremendous
falling off in "line busy" owing to gentle
conversations between two.
Mark Twain has a story In this month's
Harper's, in which he makes the telling of
a He the keynote to some lovable characr
ters. According to Mark Twain's view,
even George Washington must have told
lies, and It Is with a sigh of satisfaction
that we read the vindication of some ot
our modern statesmen.
. "The last edition of love," said th
newspaper poet, dreamily, is and ha
sighed rcmlnlscently.
"What, dear?" she whispered, and cama
closer.
"Going to press," he answered, and,
through force of habit stretched . out hia
arms.
Hero is an Item from the Big Bend
Chief: Sam Fader wishes the good people
to know-that he is not a Missourlan. and
that the necktie he has been sporting
lately Is not a bandana, but the very
latest in neckwear that can be obtained
on the West Coast It seems an Injustice
has been done Mr. Fader, and the Chief
gladly hastens to put the matter right.
This courtesy is almost Senatorial.
The following things are now due: Pro
gramme liable to change without notice.
First One big fire. Second One hair
raising suicide. Third One scandal In
high life. Fourth Repair of one street
(this will bo a tableau). Fifth Double
murder with accessories; special scenic
effects. Sixth A day of sunshine. (Owing
to the delicacy and fragile character of
the materials used, patience Is requested.)
Seventh A snapshot of an ordinance on
its way through the Common CouncIl.(A
most difficult piece of work. This picture
represents over a thousand .failures.)
The good dio young, says the ancient
adage. It is to be hoped that the young
who die are good,, but the statement that
the virtuous cannot remain long In this
sphere of mundane activity seems quesr
tlonable. Else how are w,e to account for
the noble men who have given their Uvea,
their wealth and their health for the cause
of tariff? What to say about the aged
reformers who struggle manfully, If fee
bly, against the Inroads of a foreign pol
icy? The proverb is an excuse of those
whom life has proved Inefficient, whose,
slender abilities have been exhausted in
the effort for'daily bread and butter with
al. Let us posit .the contrary. The good
do not die young. Hum-mm-m. Well, It's
a kittle question, and needs further
thought.
Ever so often somebody arises and tells
the blind people of this generation that
they should live as though Fate had de
creed death for the morrow. And this
doctrine has its followers. Witness the
ways of those who pull a long face and
throw a fit when it is suggested that a
certain movement will result in Portland's
prosperity 20 years hence. If a man Is
alive (on good authority, of course,) why
in the world doesn't ho act and work as
If he expected to live a little longer?
Away with these croakers who desire to
die In then- beds decently1 and with4,' 'flow
ers. There's plenty of life ahead, and even.
If death does intervene in the midst of
aspiration there's at least a start made.
If men thought less of forg4V'eness for
past omissions and more of future
achievement there would 1 fewer unre
gretted funerals.
Life at Oxford.
Church Quarterly Review.
The bump suppers and boating wines at
Oxford are much less beastly than they
were. The men have in many colleges got
leave to dance after them; or in some
other way Invented something better to
do than to get drunk. Teetotallsm has
diminished in the university, and so has
drunkenness. But for all that there- Is
enough drunkenness to be seen In Oxford
absolutely to prevent the conversion of
any Mohammedan who comes.
PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGRAPHERS
Half the world doesn't care how their better
halvs live. Life. '
"Dclllngham's religion is like his property,"
paid Trlvvet to Dicer. "How's th&C?" ."It's
all in his wife's name." Judge.
"Is he rich beyond the dreams of avarice?"
"Gad, yes! Why say! That chap's rich beyond
the dreams of an Infant industry!" Puck.
"What do you think of Charlie's proposing:
to me when he hasn't known me a week.?" "I
think that's the reason." Baltimore American.
Kind Lady I suppose you have seen better
day3? Tramp Yes'm. One day last week I
got three dinners and 10 beers. Detroit Free
Pres3.
"Is 3he ashamed to look a person squarely la
the face?" "Oh. no; It's pride." "Pride?"
"Yes. she's proud of her profile." Philadelphia
Bvenlnx Uullotln.
"Colonel, would you mind telling me how
you made your first ?1000?" "Not at all. I
made it by attending strictly to business my
own business, you know. ' Chicago Trlbuncj
Kltt 6o you really think Esther and Charley
are to make a match of It? Bertha I'm cer
tain of It. Didn't you hear Esther last night
speak of Charley as a "horrid old thing"?
Boston Transcript.
Magistrate Drunk again. Uncle Rastus?
Aren't you ashamed to be seen here so often?
Uncle Ilaetus Deed Ah ain't, yo Honah. Dis
am respocterble 'lontf side o some o de places
whar Ah Is seen. Chicago Dally News.
. Jack (to lady, como out to lunch) Are you
earning with the guns this afternoon. Miss
Maud? Miss Maud I would, but I don't think
I should Ilka to e a lot of poor birds shot!
Jack G 11. it yeu go with Fred, your feellnss
will We entirely spared I-'-Punch,
t