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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 1902)
THE MORNING QBEGOfflAN, THURSDAY, . DECEMBER 11, 1902. He rsgmxtcm Catered at the Fostoffiee at Portland. "Oreroa. as eecond-clas matter. REVISED SUBSCRIPTION RATES. By Mall (postage prepaid. In advance) a!y' wlth Sunday, per month Dally. Sunday excepted, per year J Dally, with Sunday, per year Sunday, per year..... ' 2 09 The Weekly, per year n Wceky S months T? City Subscribers 5;'. Pr week, delivered. Sunday ercepted-JJe Dally, per week, delivered. Sunday lneluded.20o POSTAGE RATES'. ftU.n,t.e? State. Canada and Mexico: i? ! ll'pa paper.... lo to 28-page paper Forelrn rates double. News or discussion Intended for publication in The Oregonlan should be addressed invaria bly "Editor The Oregonlan." not to the name or any Individual. letters relating to adver tising, subscriptions or to any business matter should be addressed simply "The Oregonlan." Eastern Business Ofllee. 48. 44. 45. 4T. 48. 49 Tribune building. New York City: 010-11-12 Tilbune building. Chicago; the S. C. Beckwlth Special Agency. Eastern representative. For sale In San Francl- " I. B. Iee. Pal ace Hotel news stand: Goldsmith Bros.. 238 Sutter street: P. W. Pitts. 100S Market street: J. K. Cooper Co.. 746 Market street, near the Pulace Hotel: Foster & Orear. Ferry news 'tand: Frank Scott. 80 Ellis street, and N. Wheatley. 813 Mission street. For sale In Los Angeles by. B. F. Gardner, 59 South Spring street, and Oliver & Haines. 05 South Spring street For sale in Kansas City. Mo., by r'rsecker Cigar Co.. Ninth and Walnut street. For sale In Chicago by the P. O. News Co.. 217 Dearborn street and Charles MacDonald. 3 Washington street For sale In Omaha by Barkalow Bros.. 1612 Farnam street: Megeath Stationery Co.. 1303 Farnam street For sale In Salt "Lake by the Rait Lake News Co.. 77 West Second South street For sale In Minneapolis by R. G. Hearsey & Co.. 24 Third street South. For sale In Washington. D. C, by the Ebbett House news stand. For sale In Denver. Colo., by Hamilton & Kendrlck. 906-912 Seventeenth street; Louthan & Jackson Book & Stationery Co.. Fifteenth and Lawrence street: A. Series. Sixteenth and Curtis street. TODAY'S WEATHER Showers; brisk and possibly high southerly winds. YESTERDAY'S WEATHER Maximum tem perature, 45; minimum temperature, 39; pre cipitation, none. POK.TT.AXD, THURSDAY, DEC. 11, While Portland Is trying to get access to the great productive country of -Central Oregon, what Is the Columbia Southern Railroad doing In the matter? It I plain that the extension of that line would gain the end for which both Portland and the interior country are striving. But it must be admitted that the Columbia Southern does not mani fest the activity, that we have a right to expect of It. Does it think Portland capital and energy will spring forward and do its work the technical work of an enterprising railroad? Portland should, andvdoubtless will, do Its share to encourage and support the Columbia Southern, or any other line holding promise of adequate transportation be tween this market and the rich field of Central Oregon! but it cannot be expect ed to do all the work of providing such transportation when It is so certain to result in profit to the carrier. The Co lumbia Southern should bestir itself. If it cannot get what it would like from its Harriman affiliations, it must take what it can get, or make other alliances that will enable it to advance in accord ance with the country's demands. The one thing that Is not to be tolerated 19 inertness. The Columbia Southern can not remain at its present stage and con tinue to be profitable. ' It must grow, or others will take the field. Its present position is one of material advantage, and if It makes what it ought to of Its opportunity it will be a power in the development of Oregon and an instltu-, tion very profitable to its owners. It must do something. The British Parliamentary committee on shipping subsidies has made Its re port. It is distinctly opposed to the granting of subsidies. It says they are "merely minor factors In trade"; that they "restrict free competition," "facili tate the establishment of federations and shipping rings," and that the gen eral system is "costly and inexpedient." All of this Is true, and its truth was plain to every close student of the ship ping business at the time Griscom and his millionaire associates were trying to force a shipping subsidy bill on the American people. The amount of plun der in sight, however, was so great that the promoters did not hesitate for a mo ment to endanger the Republican party with their efforts to get the bill through. We do not necessarily have to follow the example of Great Britain in this matter, but the fact that the greatest -maritime power that the world ever saw has declared against this artificial sys tem of promoting business on the high eeas is entitled to due consideration. The United States, with its vast re sources and Internal development, could perhaps worry along on the road to prosperity without a merchant marine. "With Great Britain the case Is different Her trade on the high seas means life or death with her, and if the experience of centuries In the business had dls-' closed any advantages in the subsidy system the Parliamentary report printed In part In yesterday's dispatches would have contained different recommenda tions from those which it set forth. Meanwhile, America's merchant marine Is growing faster than ever without any subsidies. Mr. Griscom should have di vided his lobby and sent a portion of it over to London, for his pet graft re ceived a very sharp thrust in that Par Jamentary report. The Rev. C. M. Sheldon, the sensa tional preacher of Kansas, is organizing a life Insurance company to write poli cies only on the Uvea of Christians and total abstainers, and the churches throughout the country are to be asked to assist him. Rates will be from 10 to 20 per cent under those of the old-line rompanles, which insure, on the basis of physical rather than moral health. In other words, Mr. Sheldon, we assume, will Insure an applicant on the church records rather than on the judgment of an examining physician. There are a great many true Christians, like the late Bishop Phillips Brooke, who were not total abstainers, and there are a great many arch villains who are total ab stainers, simply because it is their tem peramental idiosyncrasy. There are a great many men who are total abstain ers from alcohol who ruin their stom achs and shorten their lives by gross feeding or iy the use of narcotics; and there are a good many genuine saints who have no bodies. Mr. Sheldon is probably a clerical charlatan; for as a matter of business common sense a sound risk must be determined by the scientific bodily examination of an ex amining physician rather than by the church records. The doctor can tell whether the applicant is a person of tem perate and healthful habit of life In all thin 3. He may be this, as were the deists Franklin and Jefferson, who lived to upwards of SO years, or he may be as feeble in body as was that pure-minded Christian, Henry Kirk White. Of course a drunkard would be a poor risk whether he was a deist or believed in the trinity, and a total abstainer, other things being, equal, would be a good risk; but if, as is often the case, other things were not equal, a man who was both a Christian and a .total abstainer might be -a very- poor ' risk. William Wilberforce, the only total abstainer of his time among public men and a de vout Christian, did not live to nearly as great an age as Lord Brougham, a hard drinking, loose-living old bachelor, who was almost 90 when he died. " Brother Sheldon, we far, would miss a good many excellent risks by turning down all the sinners, and would make a good many losses by accepting all the saints. Another wheat crop has to come down the Columbia "Valley without the benefit of water transportation between Celllo and The Dalles. The outlook for ulti mate remedy is probably brighter than It has ever been, but relief seems to be far from speedy In Its promise. The Paul Mohr portage enterprise 19 believed to be In hands available to Northern Pacific purpo(ses, and Its completion, therefore, doubtless waits upon that railroad's construction down the Colum bia into Portland, which so far is only a threat.- The adverse possession of this project further operates as an effectual bar to any temporary makeshifts in the way of a portage railroad around the obstructions, for the Celilo portion of such a road would have to proceed on the Washington shore, owing tp difficul ties of high water and O. R. & N. prior occupation of the narrow strip on the south side. The State of Oregon, of course) would be estopped from operat ing on the Washington side, In any event On the other hand, the Federal Government Is at length definitely pledged to the Harts plan of canals, and its completion can now be regarded as only a question of time. The recent ses sion of an advisory board was for the purpose of gaining information for use In determination .of details, and as soon as the conclusions of this session are formulated the Engineer" Corps Is au thorized to begin the actual, work, funds for the purpose being available. Proba bly the best thing that can happen tq the dalles undertaking is for It to be let alone. Possibly it Is4ucky on the whole that the proposal for a state portage road there In the Legislature of 1895 was defeated, as it might have scared Congress off, either by affording it the excuse that the state was already doing the work or else by demonstrating that the portage itself did little business. The report on the Harts canal will probably be made In two or three months. In the Introduction to his "Complete Poetical Works," Just published, Joaquin Miller confesses that while all he has written "is not here" nevertheless that "all that I wish to answer for Is here. The author must be sole judge as to what belongs to the public and what to the flames." This Is true, and perhaps It Is' a pity It Is true, for a good many famous authors have 'been very poor judges of their beet works. 'Dickens was always Irritated when compliment ed upon "Pickwick Papers," by which he first became known to the public, be cause it was a youthful effort thrown off hastily In serial form from week 'to week, without much regard to plot, but "Pickwick Papers" has stood the test of time because it Includes the most original characters Dickens ever drew. Nobody reads "Oliver Twist" or "The Old Curiosity Shop" today, .but "Pick wick Papers" has more readers than any of Dickens books, unless it be "Da vid Copperfield." Byron thought so lightly of the first two cantos of "Chllde Harold," compared with his early satiri cal verses, that he was with difficulty persuaded to publish them, and was as tonished at their vast popularity. With the exception of the first half of "Don Juan," his "Ghllde Harod" contains his best work. Nobody reads anything of Gray but the famous "Elegy," but It Is said he esteemed It far less than some of his other work that Is now seldom read. Lowell did not think as highly of his dialect poems as the public did, but they include his best work of original quality. Fenimore Cooper did not think his "Leather Stocking Tales" his best fiction, but they are all that obtained permanent popularity. Walter Scott was not half so' proud of his Immortal characters of humble Scottish life, as he was of his heroic pictures of knights and lords and ladles. As a rule, an au thor Is not the best judge of excel lence of his work. His "pets" are not often public favorites. It Is said that even Kipling does not value his Immor tal "Soldiers Three" as highly as some of his longer and more ambitious at tempts at story-telling. REED ON THE TARIFF. We ought to let the tariff alone; we ought to defend It against all comers for the good of the Nation. We are doing more than well, and need not hunt for disaster. That wltf come in duo time. Meanwhile, let us see what people are try ing to do. Nobody dares to attack the tariff directly. Every effort against It Is a flank at tack. The tariff Is to ho changed, not because It has not produced prosperity, but because It has produced large corporations. We so hate and fear large corporations that we will de stroy prosperity rather than not destroy them. To argue such a proposition would be a dis credit to the American people. From ex Speaker Reed's article In the North American Review for December. No more luminous statement of the high-tariff positjon could be framed, and the more luminous It Is the worse It ap pears. The Idea Is that the tariff has produced .prosperity. Nothing could be more untrue or mor& childish. The causes' of American prosperity He In our great natural resources, our enterprising capital, our efficient labor, our cheap lands and our basis of enormousdomes tic consumption, fostered by free trade between the states. The tariff is a means of raising revenue, which is dif ferently applied but utilized in "some or other form by every civilized power on the globe. It is atax on Industry, and every dollar It donates to producers It takes from consumers. Our consum ers have been able to stand It, because of our superior conditions of production; but it has not created prosperity any more than an Inheritance tax creates the great fortunes it is levied on. It is Inexplicable whence Mr. Reed de rives his view of the demand for tariff reform. Where has he lived these last five years that he heard nothing of the inequalities and monstrosities of the Dlngley rates, and of the attacks that have been made directly upon them, and not, as he ays, for the avowed purpose of destroying prosperity? He would find it difficult to'polnt to any reputable body of public opinion that objects to protected corporations merely because, they are great, without regard to the special privileges theyunnecessarlly en Joy under an unjust law. This is very loose kind of talk, suitable for a great man to use to monologue among his un questioning admirers, but it will not for a moment pass muster as reason or ar gument with thinking men who know what the tariff Is and why it needs amendment. Little short of crass misrepresentation hi the assertion that "we so hate and fear large corporations that we will de stroy prosperity 'rather than not de stroy them." Nobody proposes to de stroy prosperity, either as an end or an Incident. Do the shoe and leather men seek to destroy prosperity in asking for free hides, or the woolen men in asking for free wool, or the tea mep chants in asking for free tea? Is pros perity to be enhanced by a tariff on an thracite coal, which only enables the op- erators to produce such conditions as are now being depicted at the Scranton in quiry? Does prosperity consist simply in the amassing of great fortunes by a few, or does it Involve some considera tion for the burden laid upon the masses by high prices on salt, paper, iron and steel? And at Its best, and with its every claim conceded, the prosperity argu ment Is sordid. What is .Injustice, say you, so we or some of us are making money? What Is robbery, so we all re ceive a share of the swag? What is fair dealing between man and man, between producer and consumer, between Gov ernment and taxpayer, provided the balance of trade Is big and bank clear ings show a per cent of gain? Posterity cannot live by bread alone. Society cannot with impunity sacrifice Its con science to its belly and its bank account. The election of 1892 stands as a perpet ual reminder that "let well enough alone" cannot prevail when "convictions of unfairness are aroused, and the elec tion of 1896 shows us how lightly the profit of a dishonest dollar sits In the scale of American public opinion, com pared with the National honor. What shortsighted philosophy Is this that finds expression in the words "we need not hunt for disaster"? Can the tariff devotees be so blind as not to know that in the hour of prosperity Is the time to prepare for adversity? The time to furl the swollen sail is when the wind begins to blow too fresh, and" not after the craft Is breaking on the rocks. Mr. Reed and men like him refused to "hunt for disaster" under the Bland-Allison and Sherman silver regimes; but that did not prevent the panic of 1893 from swooping down to the paralysis of business and the annihilation of their theories. It will be so with the tariff. It can be reformed and saved now by its friends, or it will be turned over to disruption and discredit by Its enemies. He Is a faithless pilot who counsels gay ety and inaction till the storm has struck. Mr. Reed is dead, but the cause of tariff reform lives on. He has gone to his grave amid the sorrow and the ven eration of an admiring people. But he has. left behind him as a monument a declaration which future generations will regard as unwise and mischievous as his strenuous labors for "blmetalism" at a time wheh every stout heart was needed in the battle for the gold stand ard. The demand for abolition of spe cial privileges under the tariff and for strict accountability from the corpora tions he so faithfully and ably served, which he sedulously but vainly sought to allay will never cease until it has been satisfied. The differences between the McKlnley law and the Dlngley law demonstrated the need for changes lrl the tariff. Every modification of' the McKlnley schedules embodied In the tariff law which Mr. Reed helped ito frame " and by which he " steadfastly stood only proves the necessity for modification of the Dlngley schedules In their turn, when they are made Inade quate by the rapid movements of com merce and production in these strenuous times. The tariff schedules of 1895 are. no more final for the needs of 1902 than assessment rolls or census returns or the membership of that great popular body where the late ex-Speaker presided with such pre-eminent fairness, ability and power. N TROUBLE WITH THE CHINESE. The opposition to the Burton amend ment to the immigration bill In the Sen ate shows how strong is the anti-Chinese feeling in Congress. This amend ment provided that where the number of laborers Is insufficient for the devel opment of a territory, Chinese laborers may be admitted. Hawaii is badly In need of labor, and so is Luzon. Great Britain has been obliged to accept Chi nese labor in her East Indian posses sions, and our'mllltary authorities in the Philippines admit that Chinese labor is invaluable, because the native Filipino, like the Hindoo, will not do hard work. All the stevedores In. Singapore and other great seaports of the East Indies are stalwart Chinese. Yet, in spite of the industrial value of Chinese labor, it is excluded In Australia, and in the United States, and the people of British Columbia are exceedingly hostile to it The explanation of this hostility Is found by European travelers who have visited the interior provinces of China to He largely in the fact that wherever the Chinese go they refuse to be de nationalized. Francis H. Nichols, author of "Through Hidden Shensl," says that the intense dislike of the Chinese for Chris tianity Is because a Chinaman cannot become a Christian without becoming denationalized. The Confucian does not feel any hate for Mohammedanism, or for Buddhism, or for the Taolst faith, but he has an intense hate for Chris tianity. Mr. Nichols says that while China needs Christianity so badly that without it she never can hope to take the place among the nations of the earth, to which her vast population, the age and clvlllzatlon'of her people entitle her, nevertheless Christianity Is repulsive be cause as It Is expounded to China It means the denationalization of the peo ple. The chart of Confucius relates more to material things and worldly du ties; to the known, not tojihe unknown. It makes no provision for a change of conditions either in the state or the indi vldual; It recognizes no soul, no ideals, and as a result Chinese civilization has never changed. China does not lack ability to construct railroads 'and well appointed hotels, to acquire knowledge of geography, to build ' postofftces and factories; but China does not appreciate the need of them. The chart of Confu cius does not refer to them; China has grown very old without them; therefore they are useless. The Chinese do not build railways be cause they do not want them. They do not want anything that would necessi tate a change in their methods or cus toms, and for this reason they do not want Christianity, whose spiritual ele ment is just what their matter-of-fact religion needs and so entirely lacks. Even the enlightened statesmen of China, llke'Tuan Fang, the former Gov ernor of Shensl, who saved the lives of all the missionaries in his province, do not like Christianity, for he recently said: "I am glad I did- not permit mur der, but I am convinced that the lese heed we pay to the teachings of the missionaries the better it will be for us: Confucius Is better for .us than Christ." It -is no more a discredit for a man to be a Mohammedan In China than it would be for a British subject to be a dissenter from the Church of England. Mohammedans have schools and mosques, engage In business with Con fucians, and their lives and property are always secure, but Christianity is dread ed and disliked because a Chinaman to become a Christian must not only ex perience a change of heart but he can no longer worship his ancestors. He must believe that they are damned foe not having espoused a gospel that was never preached to them. He must un dergo acompfete revolution of opinions and sentiments; in order to become a Christian a Chinaman must be de nationalized and in sentiment become a foreigner. Mr. Nichols thinks that there is no hope for Christianity in China so long as the missionary Is regarded as the man who turns Chinese Into Ameri cans and Englishmen and Induces them to despise their country. This description of the unchanging andj seeemingly changeless quality of Chinese civilization explains why Chi nese are excluded from our shores when as a purely Industrial force they are quite as Intelligent and far less turbu lent than the horde of filthy, unskilled, lllterate labor from Southern Europe that today forme eight-tenths of our Im migration froii the Old World. There are noisome slums and liquor saloons In all our great cities that are never seen outside the foreign concessions In China. Love of children for parents and respect for old age are universal In China. There are very bright spots In China and there are some very .dark spots In America, and it is certain that the con tempt expressed for the civilization of China Is not more deep and sincere than that felt and expressed by the ablest and most enlightened statesmen of China for the so-called Christian civil ization of Europe and America; For this reason the Chinaman Is suret to be a man that dwells apart wherever he goes. He will not cut off his queue; he will not adopt the drees, the diet nor the religion of the West, and he pays the penalty of his refusal to become de nationalized in matters social and re ligious. This unchanging and apparently changless characteristic of China was in antiquity probably a source of strength, but Is today its radical weakness. Prob ably nothing will ever change the social and political philosophy of China ex cept an aroused sense of self-preservation. The non-progresslveness of China made her an easy prey to Japan, made the path to Pekin free from serious ob stacles to the small army of the allies. The perception that China-must change or die of dry rot may revolutionize her ancient policy. If not, she Is doomed to see her children excluded from every great Industrial country in the world, except when no other labor Is obtain able on any terms. The future pi Rus sia Is the despair of all thoughtful men in Europe, and the future of China 1b the puzzle If not altogether the despair of all enlightened Asiatics. The current number of the North American Review includes an article on "President Rooseveltfs'First Year" by 'a writer who Is described by the editor of the magazine as "the ablest Jeff ersonlan Democrat in the country." The conclu sion of this Jeffersonlan Democrat is that President Roosevelt's treatment of the Cuban reciprocity question, his for bearance toward China, his firm adher ence to the Monroe Doctrine and his coronal attitude toward Great Britain will be applauded. His desire to revise the tariff will be commended. His wish to curb the trusts through exercise of powers conferred by the Constitution rather than through .a constitutional amendment will also' be regarded with approval. On the other hand, "his ap pointment of the Anthracite Commission Is a first step In the perilous pathway that leads to the assertion of autocratic authority, an act that seems destined to give the Roosevelt Administration a bad eminence in American history." This Jeffersonian Democrat denounces ex Governor Hill, of New York, for attrib uting to the Federal Government "an alleged right of eminent domain which was expressly withheld by, the fra.mers of the Federal Constitution of 1787." It Is quite possible that this "Jeffersonian Democrat," described as a man of great erudition and wide political knowledge, is ex-Mayor Hewitt, of New York City. The Chicago wheat market this week experienced one of Its periodical upheav als, a 5-cent advance in the December option In three days coming to an un .ttmely pause yesterday. After soaring to 77 cents, the close for the day was 75 cents. All of this manipulation of the bulla and the bears, however, does not increase the supply of wheat on which the world Is now making heavy inroads. Consequently the trend of the wheat market has been steadily upward, and the reactions which, follow the ad vances have for several weeks failed to put the price down to where it started. The swollen figures of the Agricultural Department are of great benefit to the bear operators in the Chicago wheat pit, but the miller who is out for wheat to, grind and the exporter whtf needs It to ship find the stocks gradually shrinking, and an attendant hardening of price seems certain. Now comes Mr. Kogoro Takahira and asserts that our John Barrett is not suf ficiently dignified to represent the United States in the land of the geisha girls. Kogoro's kick may deprive Mr. Barrett of a very attractive billet, but it can hardly be just. A man who can sit for four years near the throne of the father of Chowfa Maha Vajiravudh and emerge without dignity covering him like a mantle would be1 a freak, and Mr. Barrett Is not so considered. The father of Chowfa, etc., however, may be less dignified than his saddle-colored scion who recently passed through Port land. The Japs might cut just as wide a swath In modern civilization If they traded .off some of their dignity for the business standards of the commercial nationa Maxim Gogan, who recently" died at the age of 108 years and 7 months, was a very rich citizen, of Cocagne, N. B. He was a man of enormous physical strenglh, and until he was SO years of age could lift a larger load than any man .he had ever met. He owned a number of farms and factories, and spent most ofhis time in the open air. His physical endurance Is Illustrated by the fact that for more than sixty years he drank a quart of brandy and a pint of extra dry champagne every day. SPIRIT OF THE NORTHWEST PRESS Too Bis to Be President Albany Democrat. In the death of Thomas, B. Reed the country loses a- man, who, Uke Webster, Clay and Blaine, was too big to be Presi dent. , . - . CoHld Have Found No Better Man. Eugene Register. The President will ' appoint John Bar rett Minister to Japan to succeed Minister Buck, deceased. Thus Oregon .is' again honored, and a better man could not have been found for the place. Well-Merited Tribute to .Efflclency. Seattle Times. The retirement of Warden Catron from the management of the State Penitentiary is another Instance of tiio old doctrlno of "to the victors belong the spoils." To this doctrine all parties are committed, and Mr. Catron Is one of its victims. During his management of the institu tion the penitentiary affairs have been conducted along purely "business lines" and with credit alike to Mr. Catron and to the administration. Bnt What's His Name! Baker City Democrat The Democratic' members of the Legis lature are pledged to support Mr. Wood for the Senate. They will do so, but it will bo almost impossible to elect him. This fact Is patent, when the complexion of the present Legislature Is considered. But there Is a remedy. If. Eastern Ore gon will for once drop politics altogether and unite, Portland can be forced to' as sist In the election of a Senator from this part of the state, east of. the Cascade Range. Of course; he will be a Republl-i can, but there will be no web3 between his toes. DIaovrn Their Children. Dalles Tlmes-Mpuntalneer. So the blame (if there Is any blame) must lie at the door of McBrlde and Moody, or perhaps Ellis, who was In Congress about the time some of the present incumbents were appointed. How ever, the statement of Mitchell and Si mon, especially the former, will be taken with a grain of salt, especially by "those who have been students of Oregon poli tics the past 10 or 15 years, for it .would be difficult indeed for any 'one to pick out half aNjoeen Republicans who have been appointed 'to Federal positions in the state who have not been sanctioned by Mitchell. We regret that the two Senators have dfsowned their own children. We do not accept the statement as true that there has been collusion between the land of fice officials and the land-grabbers. And we would certainly have- more respect for the Senators, especially Mitchell, If he would stand tip boldly for the men under fire, and proclaim their Innocence, and at the same time say he was respon sible for their appointment. It Makes a. Difference. Tacoma News. Seattle does nbt want San Francisco to succeed at the game Seattle herself tried to play less than two years ago. There was then a competition for warehouse and wharf facilities at Tacoma or Seattle, and Tacoma offered the best facilities for the least money. Whereupon Seattle made a desperate effort to secure, secret ly and by underhand means, an amend ment to the best Seattle bid, and a com mittee of Seattle citizens had the nerve to ask President Mellen to withdraw the Tacoma bid. But Seattle failed to carry her point. The Government secured fa cilities at Tacoma for handling supplies for the Army In the Philippines and Alas ka which were and are superior to any thing Seattle had or has .to offer. If San Francisco falls In her efforts to secure the retention of the transport service, and the contract Is awarded to the Boston Steamship Company, it may be regarded as a foregone conclusion that Tacoma not Seattle will handle the principal share of the traffic. Biit Seattle Is get ting the benefit? of the advertising in this connection, and Tacoma is scarcely men tioned In the press dispatches on the sub ject. Crafty Seattle! Tacoma can afford to "lay low and say nothing." , Hotc the Centennial Will Help. St. Helens Mist. The Lewis and Clark Exposition will prove of especial benefit to Columbia County, inasmuch as It Is closely con nected with Portland by both rail and water transportation, and the further fact that the metropolis of Oregon is the mar ket place of this, the most fertile section of the state. While Columbia County is situated almost under the eaves of Port land's skyscrapers, Its growth and agri cultural and industrial development have only just begun. Already's Portland's harbor line Is push ing down the river toward St. Helens, and It Is no pipe-dream 'prophecy to predict that within a few years the picturesque bluffs along the Lower Columbia, on the Columbia County line, will be adorned with residences of many of Portland's wealthy citizens. It will be the Hudson of the West; faster steamers for the pas senger traffic will ply between down fiver points and Portland, and the resi dent on the grandest river in the world, 30 miles from Portland, will be fairly in the city. In the early future Portland will consume twice the products from Colum bia County as In the past. In fact, there Is no limit to the demand for the superior farm products of this county. The ad vantages of Columbia" county have not been properly presented to the attention of the Immigrant. As a result, Columbia County, one of the first settled sections of the West, Is comparatively a new country In many respects, with all the attendant advantages. Standing Pat on All Subjects. New York Journal of Commerce. Evidences multiply that the short ses sion of Congress, just opening, Is to be a do-nothing session.. We have long been familiar with arguments advanced to prove that the tariff, at least, should not bo touched In times of prosperity. It now 'appears that the same argument is equally potent when the subject which it Is proposed to discuss or to legislate upon is Cuban reciprocity, or the trusts; Sen ator Hanna's advice to "stand pat" ap plies to these subjects as well as others. Of course, the plea that business be not disturbed is as valid at the'openlng of a long session as of a short one, and Is even more worthy of attention when busi ness Is already truggllng against adverse conditions than when It is in a reasonably satisfactory state; but each day brings its own duty, and that which seems most imperative now to a small but Influential section of Congress is to allay, by any argument possible, the rising tide of dis satisfaction within Its own ranks and among Its constituents. Unless the people themselves evince a decided preference foi' Immediate action, the proposition to "stand pat" Is certain to be adopted. The Old Square Piano- Chicago Record-Herald. The old square piano there It stands; Age has yellowed the once whlto keys; In .craves, no doubt, there are pulseless hands That once lured from It sweet melodies. The pedals are rusted where dainty feet "Were pressed In the dead old long ago How the cushion Is worn on the once soft seat. Ah, shame on the years to have treated it sol The old piano, thick-legged and square, What tales It might tell If it had a tongue; How many a man who Is gray leaned there On Its heavy old aide when he was young. "What secrets were told to the dear old thing By maidens who long since ceased to trill;. Romanbe still clings to Its every string And love seems to hover around It still. Ah, what of the old sweet songs, the airs That long years ago filled hearts with Joy As the maiden's father crept down thbse stairs To drive away some lingering boy? The old square piano; there It stands. Age has yellowed Its once white keys Harkt One who played It Is using her hands Oa a bellowing boy bent over her knees. CHEEK OF THE SHIPPING COMBINE Chicago Tribune. The Republican majority in the House of Representatives will hardly venture to pass the bill to subsidize the International Mercantile Marine Company. We. should much lileo to know whether any consider able number of Republicans In the House have the nerve, the audacity, th sublime check.- to pass a bill whgse object Is to take out of the treasury of the United States l.ittte sums of money annually for the benefit of the promoters of a gigantic trust. The subsidy bill Is so framed that about seven-eighths of the money to be expended under it will go to the Atlantic shipping! combine. The bill Is to put money in the pockets of J. Pierpont Morgan, Clement A. Griscom, and their associates. It Is a colossal, audacious, unscruoulous scheme to deuletp the oublic revenues for the benefit of private individuals. The bill is "conceived in sin and born in Iniquity." The only marvel is that anybody should have the effrontery to propose a measure which seems to have no rpal merit be hind It and which has no other excuse for its existence than the cupidity of the persons who have framed and pushed it. The subsldv bill passed the Senate ho fore the shipping combine was launched or formed. The acts of Its Senatorial friends at the time of its passage show that they had a clear idea of what the future was' to bring forth. They voted down Senator McComas' amendment that the antitrust law should apply specifically to contracts made under, the subsidy bill. They adopted the amendment providing that nothing in that act or any other act should be construed to prevent any Amer ican citizen or corporation irom acquir ing an Interest in 3teamshlp lines engaged In foreign commerce. In order not to di minish the double compensation to be re ceived by the ocean greyhounds which carry little freight, they voted down Senat6r Allison's amendment that no vessel shall be entitled to full compensa tion on account of freight carried, unless the cargo occupies 50 per cent of the freight carrying capacity. The measure against which Senators Allison. Dolllver, Spooner. Quarles, Proc tor and Dillingham recorded their votes is hanging up in the House. Its passage is urged for the benefit of the trust. There have been trusts in the country before now which havo found people to justify them to contend that a private trust is a public blessing but never heretofore has It been asked seriously that a trust should be subsidized out of the National treasury with, money of the people. Almost all the money which wljl be paid out under the subsidy bill IfJU shall paes will go to the Atlantic ferry. That will serve ro encourage and stimulate the floating of bonds and stock which have been Issued In large quantifies by the pro-, moters of the scheme. It Is not contend ed by anybody that the facilities for ship ping freight across the Atlantic are In adequate, or that more freight will be carried between American and European ports if vessels sailing under the American flag shall receive subsidies. As near as anybody can find out the only effect of the payment of subsidies will be to put large sums of money In the pockets of the men chiefly Interested In the new trust. They will be paid extra high rates for carrying the malls and will bp paid bonusea'on ac count of cargoes they do not carry. The people of the United States will not gain to the extent of a single farthing , from the subsidy scheme so far as trade with Europe Is concerned. The promoters will be the only gainers, and their close friends may be found not far from Influ ential members of both Houses of Con gress. If this bold measure should be pressed through the lower House of Congress at this time It ought to be vetoed by the President. If It Is not vetoed It will as suredly bring about the defeat of tho Re publican party In the Presidential election. It will be a stench In the nostrils of the people. It will stir up as much public wrath as the famous salary grab ,or any other scandalous measure that has been put through Congress in the last 40 years. House members who have been re-elected and hope to have a future In politics will think twice before they vote for an odious scheme designed to foster private Interests under the pretense of promoting the public good. Care of Trees in Kansas City. Park and Cemetery. Kansas City Is now setting an up to date example for our Western cities in the care of Its trees. It has secured the services of a properly qualified city forester, and has passed ordinances regulating the planting, trimming and care of its trees In such terms and under such provisions that Its citizens will realize their Importance and the necessity of conforming to them In a wise and co-operative spirit. The press Is aiding In the work to a very ap preciable degree, and the result will be that In a few years those who once knew the energetic city In Its practically treeless condition will marvel at the change so wise and beneficial a programme has brought about. It Is always well said that when the people are educated to the de gree of recognizing the Importance of rules and regulations of practical necessity they are at once loyal to them. But to reach this point the requisite knowledge must be conveyed In a comprehensible and at tractive manner, which comparably few public officials are capable of doing. The press communications of tho Kansas City tree official, and the advice and directions emanating from his office, however, vin dicate him In this respect, and afford examples of lessons to the public which remind us of works of Professor Collins, of the Brooklyn Tree Planting Society. w,hich has extended so promising an in fluence in the East. Arabs Immune From Typhoid. Medical Talk. Some Frenchman or other read a paper before the Paris Society of Biology re cently which makes the statement that Arabs are practically Immune from ty phoid fever that is to say, an Arab can bear any kind of exposure to typhoid fever without taking it. They account for this peculiar bodily condition of the Arab from the fact that ever since his early Infancy ho has been reared on im pure drinking water, which, in the coun tries where the Arabs abound, Is notably bad. It is saturated with all sorts of con tamination. This has had the effect of weeding out the weaker ones and leaving only those to live who can stand typhoid fevar germs. The grown Arab, thexefore, !s able to bear exposure that wo'i',1 give a Karopean typhoid fever at once. This, however, 1e not Intended as any argu ment for the use of Impure drinking water, it only shows that the human system Is capable of adjusting Itself to unfavorable conditions. Only "Comparative." New York Times. Professor William G. Sumner, of Tale, Instructor In sociology, devoted a recent lecture to woman's place In society from the earliest periods to the present day. "The numerous occupations that are open to women nowadays In the business and Industrial worlds," said Professor Sumner, "has created on her part a com parative indifference to matrimony." As the class made a note of this the Professor added, wagging a warning fin--ger: "Mind you, gentlemen, I said compara tive, because I never knew of one yet that couldn't be Induced to change her mind if the right man tried." No Longer Mourn. William Shakespeare. No longer mourn for me when I am dead Than you shall hear the surly, sullen bell Give warning to the world that I am fled From this vile earth, with vilest. worms to dwell: ; Nay, If you read this, line, remember not The hand that writ it; for I love you so. That I In your sweet thoughts would be forgot If thinking on me then should make you woe. O, If, I say, you look upon this verso When I perhaps compounded am with clay, Do not so much "as my poor name rehearse. But let your love even with my life decay; Lest the wise world should look Into your moan And mock you with mo after I am gone. , . NOTE AND COMMENT! v ' ' Nino tailors make a man. One tall makes a. monkey. Feeding one's vanity usually results In starvation other ways. Mascagnl's creditors seem unwilling to take his notes at par. Men have, been known to steal their brides, but there Is no record of a man trying to steal a mother-in-law. When one sees a man apparently in deep trouble, it is best not to disturb him. He is trying to think of something to give his wife for Christmas. Woman may be, as the cynic says, only an excuse; but she is better than any ex cuse a man was ever able to make. Also she Is a good judge thereof. President Castro Is doing a whole lot of talking, and from reports has done something beside. No South American ruler ever had a bigger crowd at his depo sition than seems like to be present in Caracas. Scn.atIon-Iovers may enjoy dreaming of going "to hell In a Pullman,", but it 13 a matter of cold fact that many an Ore gon Immigrant has found that he came to heaven in a tourist. I Tho society reporter of the Wallowa Chieftain has the following idyl about a dance: A soiree was given by Mr. and Mrs. Lon Shevlln at their home Thanks giving. The -email hours came all too soon for those present, so they tramped upon them with flying feet In the mad whirl of the dance. People who read the story of the strik ing of a whale by the steamer Sierra will remember the accident to tho old Alliance years ago. So few were willing to believe the story of her crew that much ill-feeling was engendered, and there will still be scoffers who contend that two lies do not make one truth. The Myrtle Point Enterprise has the following burst of editorial confidence: The Enterprise force works 32 weeks per year; that's labor. Now and then some one pays for the paper; that's capital. And once In awhile some son-of-a-gun of a deadbeat runs up a big bill and refuses to pay It; that's anarchy. But later on Justice will overtake the last-named creature, for there Is a place where he will get his Just deserts; that's hell. It sure does sound nice to hear a prop osition to pay all the city expenses out of licensed gambling. And of course the promoters can easily afford to send tho young fellows (who don't amount to much politically, anyhow) to the dogs. The more one looks at this the more feasible It seems. Let the young fellows -pay tho city for their fun. General Miles says that the most reck less display of Individual bravery he ever saw was during the Civil War, when a regiment was marching into battle? led by its young Colonel. Shells began to fall and four or five men would drop at a time. They were comparatively raw troops, and as the Are became more and more deadly they showed just a symptom of hesita tion. Suddenly their youthfuL leader rode out in front, waved his sword in the air and yelled: "Move up, 'move up. Do you want to live forever?" General Miles char acterizes this as "a specimen of utterly abandoned courage." 'Twas a warm October night, relates the Princeton Tiger, and the silvery mooii cast glimmering shadowr. about the woody glen, through which the rippling brook tumbled on toward tho Raritan Canal. He was but a freshman, and she fair one was the buxom daughter of a tlUer of the soil. They had met at a harvest home. "Chauncey," she lisped, with the sweet est of Jersey accents, "why do they call that the Milky Way?" And she turned her light green eyes toward the heavens. "Lizzie," he cried In ardent tones, as he clasped her to his boyish breast, "it la because the stars are condensed there." Just then the moon went behind a cloud. A late archbishop of Dublin, who, say3 the New York Tribune, was highly gifted and widely known as an author, was not In very robust health, and had been for many years apprehensive of paralysis. At a dinner in Dublin, given by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, his grace sat on the right of his hostess, the Duchess of A. In the midst of the dinner the com pany was startled by seeing the arch bishop rise from his seat, and still mora startled to hear him exclaim in a dismal and sepulchral tone: "It has come! It has come!" "What has come, your grace?" eagerly cried half a dozen voices from different parts of the table. "What I have been expecting for 20 years," solemnly answered the archbishop, "a stroke of paralysis. I have been pinch ing myself for the last 20 minutes, and find myself entirely without sensation." "Pardon me, my archbishop," said the Duchess, looking up at him with a some what quizzical smile: "pardon me for con tradicting you, but it Is I that you have been pinching." PLEASANTRIES OF rARAGBAPHERS. Miss Sentty Mental-The man I marry must be brave as a lion: one whom nothing could swerve from his course. Her Sultor-les, but I can't afford an auto.-Chlcago Dally News. "Has our client a good case?" asked one member of tho law firm. "I think so. So- far as wo are concerned It ought to bo good for several thousand dollars." Washington Star. The Widow I want a man to do odd Jobs about the house, run on errands, one that never answers back, and Iff always ready to do my bidding. Applicant Tou're looking for a hus band, ma'am. Life. Justlce-And why should I mako your sen tence 31 instead of 30 days? Uncle Mose-As a humane favor. Jedge. De expiration ob a 30-day sentence would Jlst bar mo out ob da Jail Thanksglvln' turkey dlnnab. saht-Puck. Barnes-Charley appeared to be willing to ac knowledge that he was in the wrong. Ha said he was quite aware of his shortcomings. Shedd-Isn't that Just like Charley? Always bragging about what he knows !-Boston Transcript. "I see where a Missouri man requested on his deathbed that no flowers be used at his funeral, save the artificial ones from his wife's hat " "He knew they couldn't get anything more expensive, I guess." Cincinnati Com mercial Tribune. HHler Who are those chaps with the night gowns parading the streets? Downes Oh. they are Initiates of a college secret society. HHler Should think they'd want to keep se cret after making suqh "fools of themselves. Boston Transcript. Merchant Tes, I've lost my entire fortune. Our most trusted employo robbed us of enough to force my company Into bankruptcy. Friend But you surely saved something from tho wreck. Merchant No. We found the receiver as bad aa the thief. Philadelphia Press. The Groom What are you thinking of, dear eat? The Bride I was thinking if your father and mother had never met, or mine had never mat r,T TL'A Vin1 TlAVpr VlAfTI Vinrn ' -t uaun b lov ful Life ro, saia tne nouseiseepcr, aqgrlly, "j don't want any more of your vegetables. They're just about as worthless as .I've come to believe you to be." "Oh, don't say that about 'cm, ma'am," protested the huckster. "Don't say that about 'em." Philadelphia Presa.