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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1903)
6 THE MORNING ORE G OKI AN, TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1903, Entered at the rostofflce at Portland. Oregon as second-class matter. REVISED SUBSCRIPTION P.ATES. By Mall (postage prepaid. In advance) Sally, with Sunday, per month ? 85 Daliy. Sunday excepted, per year 7 50 Daily, v.th Sunday, per year. 0 00 Sunday, per year 2 00 The Weekly, per year ... ISO The Weekly. 3 months GO To City Subscribers Dally, per -week, delivered. Sunday excepted.ISc Dally, per week, delivered. Sunday included.20c POSTAGE RATES. United States. Canada and Mexico: 10 to 14 -page paper.......... .......lc 14 to 28-page paper....... .......2c Foreign rates double. News or discussion Intended for publication Jn The Oregonlan should be addressed invaria bly "Editor The Oregonlan." not to the name of ary Individual. Letters rolatlng to adver tising, subscription or to any business matter should be addressed simply "The Oregonlan." The Oregonlan does not buy poems or stories from Individuals, and cannot undertake to re turn any manuscripts sent to It without solici tation. No stamps should be inclosed for this purpose. Eastern Business Office. 43. 44. 47i. 47, 48. 49 Tribune building. New Tork City: 510-11-12 Tribune building. Chicago: the S. C. Beckwitn Special Agency, Eastern representative. For sale In San Francisco by L. E. Lee, Pal fce Hotel news stand; Goldsmith Bros.. 23C Sutter street: F. W. Pitts. 100S Market street; J. K. Cooper Co., 740 Market street, near the Palace Hotel: Foster & Orear. Ferry news Btand; Frank Scott. 80 Ellis street, and N. Wheatley. S13 Mission street. For sale in Los Angeles by B. F. Gardner. 259 South Spring street, and Oliver & Haines, SOS South Spring street. For rale In Kansas City. Mo., by RIcksecker Cigar Co., Ninth and "Walnut streets. For sale in Chicago by the PO. News Co.. 217 Dearborn street, and Charles MacDonaM, C3 "Washington street. For sale In Omaha by Barkalow Bros., JC12 Farnam street; Megeath Stationery Co.. 130S Farnam street. For sale in Salt Lake by the Salt Lake News Co., 77 West Second South street. For sale in Washington, D. C. by the Ebbett House news stand. For sale In Denver. Colo., by Hamilton & Kendrick. 900-912 Seventeenth street; Louthan & Jackson Book and Stationery Co.. Fifteenth end Lawrence streets; A. Series. Sixteenth and Curtis streets. TODAY'S WEATHER Occasional rain, with southwesterly winds. YESTERDAY S WEATHER Maximum tem perature, -J5; minimum temperature, 40; pre cipitation, none. PORTLAND, TUESDAY, JAX. 0, 100.1. CHARITY CAXXOT COXDOKE IXJUS TICE. It would have been far better for labor, for the steel trust, and eventually for Its officials themselves, if the $135,000 which President Schwab Is spending for a charity hospital-ship had gone in in creased wages to the workingmen In the steel mills. What use is made of inor dinate wealth makes little difference to the popular view of colossal fortunes. Labor Is only hurt and angered by these displays of wealth, whether wanton or philanthropic Labor wants its rights, but not charity. The pardonable aim of such benefi cence as Schwab's, Carnegie's and Rockefeller's is the cultivation of favor able sentiment toward capital in two directions the workingmen themselves and society In general. But in both di rections the donations are powerless to accomplish their object. When an em ployer has so much money he doesn't know what to do with it, and yet com plains, that his business will not justify higher wages, the workingman feels that his intelligence is insulted as well as his material advancement sacrificed. The bearing of this fact is ail the more pertinent today, in view of the in creasing respectability, influence and dignity of our working classes. Ma chinery and the gold standard have col laborated on an Improved order of American mechanic. Despite the low ering agencies of the importations of cheap labor from Europe, made as a rule by the very corporations that now complain of the ignorance and vlcious nesa inhering in these same Importa tions, the level of our labor has notably risen in a generation. Where we once met the guzzler and loafer, now we en counter self-respecting men of families, owning their homes, their wives tastily dressed, their children In school. Ap plied to a body of men like this, the old slurs about more wages and shorter hours simply meaning more drunken ness lose their point. The more such men can earn, the more they read, the more their children can attend school the better for society now and forever after. Money is better In their hands than spent in Rockefeller universities,. Carnegie libraries and Schwab hospital ships. Equally futile is the appeal of inordi nate wealth to public sentiment. Say what we will about the decline of the old morals and manners, our public life today Is saved by a noteworthy percent age of consecrated brains. Our young men are in good hands with Hadley at Tale, Hyde at Bowdoln, Wilson at Princeton, Wheeler at Berkeley. One can almost count on the fingers of one hand the men of real power who con done the principles and practices of the trusts, while censure of them is almost universal among reputable thinkers.' The capacity of philanthropic gifts to blind the eyes of the discerning to the iniquity of special privileges and the bane of ill-gotten wealth is very lim ited. Here is an Illuminative recent ut terance of Dr. John Bascom, once presi dent of the University of Wisconsin: No money that is obtained at the expense of the people can ever be used for the good of the people. There are no trusts In the in tellectual world, and no "corners'" in the kingdom of heaven. I doubt the power of any university to turn money that has been made at the expense of the community Into the wel fare of the community. The taint of a bad temper will cling to It like a flavor In an unclean Infusion. This is unmistakably the profound be lief of the men of America who are sound morally as well as mentally, and only such, let us have faith to believe, can exert any lasting impress upon American thinking and living. Mere money cannot form character. Mere conventional utilitarian philosophy does not form character. What does form character Is the Influence of men with strong convictions, and that influence, now as always In the ascendant In American life, is against the methods by which the' trusts have amassed their wealth and gained their power. It is against their special privileges In do mestic and foreign trade. It is to be neither deceived nor cajoled by displays of charity In atonement for Injustice. Happily, the floods In the Puget Sound district are not attended by loss of life, but the loss of property is very great not only In what has literally been swept out of existence, but In break-up of a season's working plans. The flood hazard, It Is to be feared, is to be a permanent one In the low-lying valleys or river bottoms on the eastern side of Puget Sound. The watershed is very great, and the channels by. which the storm waters are carried down to Puget Sound are not large enough for times of emergency. But much can be done by' keeping the streams clear of obstructions and by building up their banks at points where the wash-over is great. The lands exposed are phenom enally rich, and, of course very valu able, and they can afford a pretty heavy assessment for protection, whether for keeping the rivers clear or for dikes, or lor both. IMPERIALISM AXD IMMIGRATION. Dr. Max Nordau, fearless and brll liant. If eccentric, says that "imperial ism" in the United States Is discourag ing immigration. "By the admission of the spirit of militarism, which was for merly rigorously excluded," he says. America is raising obstacles to the en trance of emigrants whose only capital is their strong working arms." Dr. Nordau's conclusion Is just as sound as his facts, which are not sup ported by the record. Europe, for ex ample, has sent us since 1S9S, the year of Manila Bay: 1S03. IfifW. moo. 1901. Immigrants ...217.000 297.000 424.000 4C9.000 And If "Imperialism" has any effect upon the quality of the new arrivals, its tendency is to give us more and more of those "whose only capital is in their strong working arms," and less and less of those thriftier ones from the North of Europe whose capital Includes also savings and ordinary education. Our immigration Is falling off from the constitutional government of auriucm iurope, ana increasing iroin those where the autocracy of kingly power is most untrammeled. If Dr. Xordau had simply said that German Immigration to the United States is clearly declining, he would have told the truth; but it would be exceedingly difficult for him to connect this tendency with American "impe rialism" in the relation of effect and cause. Migration of working people is determined chiefly by desire and oppor tunity to better material conditions of wages and comfort, and very little by sentimental considerations. It will cer tainly not be contended that the Ger man stay-at-homes have been detained by any relaxation of imperialistic rigor. The assertion of the rights of man that has come In with the constitutional developments of the last 250 years, and especially the last 125 years, has com pletely transformed the relations of ruler and subject. Government now ex erts Itself to promote the economic wel fare of Its people rather than to despoil them to the limit; and this is as true in the lands of Peter the Great and Bis marck as It is in those of George IV and Napoleon I. A strong government today is quite as likely to mean first class protection to its citizens at home and abroad as it is to mean hateful op pression. Germany, with all its exactions of military service and minute police ad ministration, is beloved by Its children, young and old, at home and abroad, with a fidelity noteworthy among Vater landa This is largely due to the im perial power of which Dr. Xordau com plains. The German respects ,his gov ernment for its dignity and power, and he loves It because he knows that It has the strength and the will to protect him in his rights to the ends of the earth. Uncle Sam is by way of the same as sertiveness. Dewejs energetic address to Diederlch at Manila has made life a little more worth living to every Ameri can citizen. ENGLAND XEEDS MEX. It would not be far out of the way to characterize Lord Charles Beresford as an Englishman 'with an American tem perament. He Is one of the very few Englishmen of high position in whom the conceit of a long-maintained na tional prestige and the bias of personal rank have not dulled the point of judg ment in matters wherein England Is concerned as a competitor with the other nations of the world. He sees things with an honest eye, and like the late Tom Reed, whom he resembles in many ways, he speaks with no diplo macy of reserve, and is much more likely In his public utterances to touch the sore points of British sensibility than to avoid them. The weak point of British Industry and business in Lord Beresford's opin ion Is at the point of administration. Too many deadheads of title and repu tation are put into the managing boards of English companies; there is too much diversion of the national talent to nonproductive lines to politics, to the army to the navy, etc. He points out that in the United States business affairs are managed by straight busi ness men, and that the best talent of the country is engaged in the practical and productive rather than the merely incidental and ornamental callings. With these prepossessions Lord Beres ford Is now on his way to the United States for the declared purpose of studying American methods, in order that he may carry home upon his re turn knowledge that it will be good for British Industry to have. He hopes to inspire his people with something of the American spirit; and he makes no secret of the further purpose of bringing Eng lish and American interests, both In politics and business, into what he most suggestively calls "profit-sharing" rela tions. In one respect Lord Beresford's in sight is lacking, and that Is with re spect to the quality of the British and the American workman. It Is not true that for its points of superiority Ameri can industry is Wholly indebted to su perior "administration." Our workmen are of a better sort not more skillful In many ways, but of better spirit and of sounder moral fiber. Their attitude toward their work Is far more self-respecting than is that of British work men; and they may be relied upon In emergencies In which British workmen are notoriously undependable. Ameri can manufacturers do not hesitate to make time contracts, secure in the knowledge that their men will "see them through"; whereas British manu facturers would by the same policy bring down strikes upon themselves, since their men would almost certainly take advantage of such engagements to enforce special demands. The superior administration which distinguishes American industry is largely a product of the moral and men tal spirit of what In England would be called the "working class." With the fewest exceptions, the captains of our industry have risen from the ranks. It is not a case of talent diverted to Indus try, but of talent developed from and upon the basis of Industry; and the American Idea is that there is no other way of getting such talent. Our col leges, admirable as they are In many re spects, have not, given us our. industrial leaders. The great need of England today Is betterment In the mental and moral quality of her working element. Given a race of workingmen of the right spirit and suitably conditioned, and there will be no difficulty about administration. England's real problem is to find the means of relnvlgorating and reinsplr ing her mechanical population to re create that "bold peasantry" upon whose brawn and spirit the earlier foun dations -of British greatness were laid. PUBLIC OFFICE AXD PARTISANSHIP Those who have fancied that the re tention of the chairmanship of a party's state committee is Incompatible with the tenure of a minor Federal position like the United States Marshalship seem to have missed a very potent dis tinction in politics. The perversion of public office to partisan ends is one thing; and the ordinary participation which every citizen exercises in public affairs is another. When a man goes into a postoffice or upon the Federal bench, he does not thereby abdicate his function as a man of affairs and of politics. We have had recent Illustra tions of this truth in political speeches by United States Supreme Judges, by Judge Grosscup of Chicago, by Judge Gray of Delaware, by Collector Clark son of the port of Xew York. If any one thinks to abolish bossism utterly from party politics, a little ob servation, in default of experience, should serve to undeceive him. As long as we have parties we shall have party machines, and as long as we have party machines there will be ambitious and resourceful persons at the crank. The most we can hope for Is to discipline the bosses into measurable compliance with the popular will. The men of light and leading are few who will be bothered with the petty details of party organiza tion and the conduct of primaries and conventions. Those who do these things are not statesmen as a rule, but usual ly they have brains enough to see that the larger purposes of high politics are cared for by their organizations. When they fail to do this they are promptly set aside for others whose sole qualifi cation for leadership may be a capacity to comprehend the necessity of acting In obedience to the popular demand on great questions. The great political leaders of the Na tion, like Piatt, Quay and Gorman, as suredly care little about the economic truth of questions like the tariff or the money standard; but they can be trust ed to carry out the desires of the busi ness world, which can wreck them If It will, and which does wreck them upon occasion. We have had Illustrations of this truth here at home within very re cent years; for the great political power and acumen of John H. Mitchell were not sufficient to save him from the ruin he courted in disregarding the necessity for the gold standard. Xor was his temporary overthrow any more com plete than that of Joseph Simon, who essayed to defy the popular will In an other respect the appropriation of a gold-standard victory to his own per sonal gain. It is doubtful if either of these men would have the hardihood to make a similar mistake again. From the election of Senator McBrlde In 1895 to the election of Senator Simon in 1S9S was practically four years Mitchell was supreme. From the elec tion of Mr. Simon In the Autumn of 180S to the election of his successor in 1903 is four years Simon was supreme. Such are the possibilities of a single election, as in 1898 and 1902. The party Is now In other hands. The victory includes both Senators, both members of Congress, practically the entire state government except the Governor, who would have been of the same faction if the Demo cratic nominee had not been elected. In a word, the machine of which Mr. Matthews, by virtue of his chairman ship of the State Central Committee, Is at the nominal head, has been entrusted with a tremendous grant of power. Its ascendancy, however. Is as precarious as any that has gone before, and depends absolutely on Us attitude toward the larger questions of public concern. The public at large has little interest in the bestowal of official spoils, but It will assert Itself vigorously on matters of great National or state moment. NoT body thinks of dethroning a boss just because he Is a boss; but he must be amenable to public opinion on vital questions or he will be traded off for another at the first opportunity. XOT IXTERXATIOXAL IjAW. Several of the leading journals of Ger many, In their references to the attitude of the United States to the Venezuela difficulty, do not seem to be very Intel ligent, but they are quite as well In formed as those American newspapers that howl periodically about the Mon roe Doctrine without ever having read It. The German newspapers are tech nically right in their declaration that the Monroe Doctrine has never been recognized by the great powers of Eu rope as international law. In 1895, Lord Salisbury, in the Venezuela boundary arbitration dispute, denied that the doc trine had been "Inscribed by any ade quate authority In the code of interna tional law.'' President Cleveland, In his special message to Congress of Decem ber 17, 1895, conceded that it had not been inscribed "In so many words," but he insisted that it had been in sub stance, or at any rate should be In scribed therein, because right and valid in principle and in international wis dom. So far as Great Britain i3 con cerned, when she yielded to Mr. Cleve land's contention that the Venezuela boundary dispute be sent to arbitration, she yielded to the claim that the doc trine should be the law of nations; but, of course, her action was only a valu able historical precedent in her diplo macy. Under pressure from our Government, France evacuated Mexico In 1S6G, but this evacuation was not obtained under the original narrow lines of the Mon roe Doctrine of 1823. It was through the exercise of the American right of self-preservation, under which we may forbid a foreign nation to do anything upon American soil that threatens our National welfare, near or remote. Of course, this American doctrine of self preservation we exercise In common with all other nations; It is our birth right, even as the right of self-defense Is a man's birthright, which he exercises without resorting to the statute-book for authority of action. This American right of self-protection has nothing to do with the Monroe' Doctrine as origi nally uttered in 1S23, for the American doctrine of self-protection always exist ed as an attribute of sovereignty, while the Monroe Doctrine proper was a spe cific assertion of what we believed to be sound National policy. The Monroe Doctrine proper, as uttered In 1823, as a National policy, Is not properly the subject of international law, for It is a policy which this country has decided to maintain, trusting to time to convince Europe, as we have already convinced Great Britain, of its reasonableness and practical usefulness to the peace of the world. The trouble in 1895 was a boundary dispute, involving territory, but the present trouble is over a matter of mere debt-collecting. This debt-collecting is none of our business, so far as the Mon roe Doctrine is concerned. The present trouble, however, has served to disillu sionize the minds of some of the South American republics, and to show them that they cannot find shelter be hind the Monroe Doctrine to evade their obligations to European creditors, or ex cuse them from granting their rights to European citizena It Is not true that the treaty establishing The Hague tri bunal recognized the Monroe Doctrine as not to be assailed by that court. The Monroe Doctrine was not made a part of the arbitration treaty of The Hague, nor did any one of the European powers signatory agree that the court should be bound by It. The representatives of the United States signed, and by the unani mous consent of the conference spread upon its minutes the following declara tion: . Nothing contained in this convention shall be so construed as to require the United States of America to depart from Its tra ditional policy of not entering upon, inter fering with, or entangling Itself in the po litical Questions or internal administration of any foreign state, nor shall anything con tained In the said convention be so construed as to require the relinquishment, by the United States of America, of Its traditional attitude toward purely American questions. This provision is in no sense part of the treaty; it Is nothing but a qualifica tion or modification of our own accept ance of the terms of the treaty. It simply declares the Intentions of Amer ica; the other powers simply allow us to record our intentions, but without accepting It for themselves. The Mon roe Doctrine is so far recognized in Great Britain that one of the leading Manchester dallies bids Americans "re member that England invented the doc trine that Monroe adopted, and is pieagea to defend it against all com ers." This Is. true, and the most astute act of all Lord Salisbury's career was his yielding to President Cleveland's de mand for arbitration in the matter of the Venezuela boundary. Salisbury saw that we were committed to stand off all European Invasion and appro priation of South American territory for the future, and for this assurance Great Britain could well afford to submit her Venezuela boundary dispute to arbitra tion. Salisbury has a long head, and hq saw further than we did In 1SD5, for If France and Brazil should have a terri torial dispute, and Brazil should appeal to the United States, we might have to drift into a great and costly war. The suggestion of Captain John Ma cauley Palmer in the North American Review, that the United States might profitably go into railroad-building and operation in the Philippines, Is suggest ive, whatever opinion might be held as to Its soundness as a matter of public policy. Captain Palmer points out that 1000 miles of railway would bring every Important point In Luzon within a day's journey of Manila. The cost of con struction of a narrow-gauge railroad, as estimated by the Philippine Commis sion, would be $35,000 a mile, which at 3 per cent would mean an Interest charge of $1050 a mile. An annual charge of $3000 a mile, or $3,000,000 in all, would, It Is estimated, cover inter est, maintenance and operation. It Is believed that this amount could very shortly be earned regularly; but even if there were a considerable deficit on the face of the accounts. Captain Pal mer argues that the road would pay for Itself In a very short time in the saving it would effect In military expenses. The more efficient transportation of troops would permit a reduction In the number of soldiers; there would be large saving in the transportation 6f supplies to outlying garrisons; and the ability to start an insurrection would be practical ly destroyed. When the fact that an extensive system of railroads would help to promote commercial development Is taken into account, the argument for the need of such a system Is Irrefutable; but whether It should be built by the Government depends very largely on how soon private capital Is to provide an adequate system. If private capital Is not likely to take hold of the enter prise promptly, the St Paul Pioneer Press pertinently suggests that a satis factory solution, and one less objection able than one involving public owner ship and operation, would be the con struction of the road by the Govern ment and its operation by a private company under lease. A test of the Massachusetts direct nomination law at the recent city elec tions was fairly satisfactory. Criticism of its operation comes almost wholly from the political managers, whose ac tivity and control the law was designed to lessen; and this criticism Is rather comforting than otherwise to the advo cates of the system. Thus, as the New York Evening Post points out, the com plaint that no opportunity is afforded to balance different Interest's" on the ticket means to the champions of di rect nomination that their primary plan Is a check to the manipulation of the wlrepullera The finesse of a coterie of clever politicians In fitting the ticket to wards and classes, to nationalities and religions, may be of much Importance in carrying the election, and the "boss" would never make the disastrous blun der of the Cambridge Republican vot ers, who named an Aldermanic ticket without a single Roman Catholic on it But the proper test of the system Is the quality of Its official output, and that, In Massachusetts, remains to be deter mined. In that state, as In Minnesota, the principle of the plan appeals strong ly to the voters generally, and even the political committees only venture to suggest the remedying of Its defects by amendment. Senator Teller Is coming, apparently, to the end which commonly befalls the statesman who for some whimsical or temporary motive abandons the friends and associations of a lifetime. It Is pos sible that In the confusions of the pres ent fight he may scheme his way to a re-election, but this is questionable; and In any event his usefulness Is gone. He Is neither a Republican nor a Democrat. He has no party, no associate, no polit ical friend. His potency as a Senator is lost; Colorado may re-elect him, but she will gain nothing by it. And even those at home, who for old times' sake stand by him, no doubt wish he were out of the way. It comes exceedingly awkward for the newspapers that clamored for Roosevelt to accept the Venezuelan arbitration, now that he has declined, to congratu late him on a fortunate escape from an awkward dilemma; The moral ls,-It Is better to be sure you are right before you go ahead. The o'ermastering pas sion to tell how everything Is going to turn out ana tell everybody what he should do, Is comfortable for the mo ment, but exceedingly dangerous. VIEWS OF HERMANN Chicago Record-Herald. WASHINGTON, Dec. 29. BInger Her mann, Commissioner of the General Land Office, has been forced out of the Gov ernment service through the medium of a resignation which was requested by his superiors, including, of course, the Sec retary of the Interior arid the President himself. The resignation Is to take ef fect February 1, and, although Mr. Her mann will not talk about the matter," It is quite well understood he was forced out because of friction with the Secretary of the Interior. Mr. Hermann has been repcatedly charged with laxness In the administra tion of his office. It is particularly alleged that there has been such a lack of disci pline among the special agents under his control thai they have failed to make proper Investigation of many extensive land frauds. A report was also made to the President to the effect that the Land Commissioner had constantly shielded and had finally appointed to a place in the Land Department a man who had just been discharged for stealing and selling Government publications from the office of the Geological Survey. The friction between the Commissioner of the General Land Office and the Sec retary of the Interior began more than a year ago. An arrangement was made with President McKInley that Mr. Hermann should present his resignation and then be apDolnted to some other good place, not under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior. Mr. Hermann recuested that the change be not made until after the Oregon elections in 1902, because he In tended to be a candidate for the Senate, and was afraid that his removal from the Land Office would have a bad effect upon the members of the Legislature. After the Oregon election In June last there was still no sign of the resignation, although the com plaints against the methods of the Land Commissioner grew loud er and louder- Finally, came the trouble over the public land in Nebraska, so that the Secretary of the Interior insisted upon a resignation at once and presented the matter at the White House In such a light that the President directed Mr. Hermann to resign or be removed. As soon as he leaves his present office Mr. Hermann will go back to Oregon and become an open candidate for the United States Senate. If he fails to be elected there he Intends to return to Washington as a land claim agent Steel Trust Bnd nit Any. New York Journal of Commerce. In spite of all the encomiums that have been lavished on the Intelligent and busi nesslike management of the United States Steel Corporation, Its methods are found to be pretty much the same as those of any other combination formed to create a virtual monopoly In production and to maintain a purely artificial standard of price. It was but the other day that the purchasers, of steel blooms were subjected to a turn of the trust screw, and now it Is the independent sheet and tin plate manu facturers who are complaining that their profits have been wiped out and that they are face to face with impending ruin be cause of the tactics of the tniEt in re ducing the prices of finished sheets and plates while holding up the prices on the sheets and bars before coating. AVhen the creation of the tin plate industry here was claimed as a great triumph for the protective system, it was pointed out that it owed Its existence absolutely to tho ability of our rolling mills to turn out steel plates at a lower price than their European competitors, and that the tin ning of these plates was a mere incident in the process of manufacture altogether unworthy of the jubilation with which the ability to accomplish it had been hailed. The steel trust is engaged in demonstrat ing that the tin plate Industry, in so far as It Is divorced from the manufacture of steel plates, is a thoroughly artificial product The trust has it In Its power, by cutting prices again on finished sheets and tin plate, to compel every sheet and tin plate mill In the country, outside of Its own, to shut down. This eventually is sufficiently Imminent to compel the in dependent manufacturers to discuss the question of forming a new company to put up blast furnaces and steel works of their own, and a fund of from 51.000.000 to $1,500,000 is named as the amount which should be subscribed by the concerns who are at present at the mercy of a cor poration fully committed to the policy of industrial rule or ruin. Criminnlly Maudlin. Baltimore American. The play In which that human blot and outlaw, Harry Tracy, Is posed as a hero should be suppressed. From the stand point of dramatic art it cannot be other wise than In an advanced state of putre faction, and from the moral standpoint it is even a more serious affair. The ordi nary popular-price play, In which the hero is a man whose Intentions are good, but who does not know any better than to be hoodwinked Into mortgaging his estate every few minutes at the suggestion of the black-mustached villain, is bad enough. Such heroes put a premium on semi-Imbecility, which Is already far too common among that portion of the masses which thinks iteelf wisest. But when an outlaw, the enemy of man, tho professed hater of his fellow-men, tho brute to whom murder was a cheerful postlme, who took pride In proving him self devoid of all the human Instincts that are above the brute creation when such a creature becomes the hero who gets the applause of the boy-filled gal lery. It Is time. In the Interests of so ciety, to call a halt. The parade of hu man depravity Is morally unhealthful, and rouses In the breasts of the excitable, hero-worshiping boy a set of emotions that ought to be turned In an entirely different direction. A really heroic hero is just as admirable, from the standpoint of enthusiastic youth, and there should be enough of the plays In which decency and chivalry are at a premium to render the T,racy sort unnecessary from every point of view. Sonic of the Good Growers. New York Sun. The Hon. William Harrison Smith, of Pleasant Cave, Tenn., has gone to Mis souri to grow up with the country. Ho Is one of our best-known growers. He "has never ceased to grow, although he is now in his 42d year." He is 6 feet 9 in his stocking feet In the pride of hto inches he has determined to issue a chal lenge, "offering to measure length with the tallest man In the State of Mis souri." As a growing man, he has the advantage of most other human sky scrapers, but ho is merely a 'sawed-off" by the side of various far-reaching fel lows. Six feet 9 inches. Is he? The Hon. Cy Sulloway, of New Hampshire, who gave up growing years ago at the ap peal of his fellow-citizens, who feared he would lessen the attractions of the White Mountains, is 9 feet C In his bare feet. The Hon. Cyclone Davis, of Texas, never sits up In Summer time, as the lightning would be sure to pick him. Still, we have no wish to discourage Hon. William Harrison Smith, who may grow Into something worth looking at Missouri's Overlooked Bet. New York Sun. Missouri had a prophet and honored him not The Hon. Winston Churchill, former ly of St. Louis, has found In New Hamp shire the political and military distinction denied to him by Missouri, careless of her literary glories. Ho is a member of the New Hampshire Legislature. He Is to be a Colonel on the staff of Governor Bachelder. Nothing in the state is too good for him. Compare Massachusetts with New Hamp shire,' the latter a state which respects literature, but doesn't prate about It all the time. See all the multitudinous pomps, frogs and buttons and ocehns of gold lace of the Colonels of the staff of the Gover nor of Massachusetts. And not one literary Colonel In the whole batch. THE SUCCESSOR OF TAMERLANE Minneapolis Tribune. It is not easy to think of the fat and elderly King Edward VII, hero of di vorce courts and baccarat scandals, as the successor of Timour the Tartar, scourge of Asia five centuries ago. Yet that is the precise meaning of the scene of barbaric splendor now being enacted at Delhi, with an American girl in the highest place. The so-called durbar is a feudal assemblage of the native Princes to declare fealty to Edward on his proc lamation as Emperor of India. There was a similar durbar at Delhi In 1877. when Victoria was proclaimed Empress, the first titular sovereign for 20 years, and the first actual sovereign for 120. Tamerlane, who overran India with the rest of Asia, dotting the whole with his pyramids of human heads, made no per manent conquest there; but the Moguls, who established themselves 200 years later, near the end of the 16th century, were his descendants, and their actual power lasted 150 years. The family re mained on the throne of Delhi, under English protection. 100 years longer, till the mutiny of 1S57, which rallied around the degenerate descendant of the house of Timour. He was then extinguished, after the murder of his sons, in one of the outbreaks of British vengeance, and the empire had no sovereign till the Ori ental imagination of Disraeli made Vic toria' Empress. So Edward is the successor of the great est conqueror of Asia, and the acknowl edgement of his sovereignty is received at Delhi, in the midst of Oriental mag nificence not matched for centuries, by his Viceroy, Lord Curzon, whose Vice reine was Miss Leiter, the daughter of a Chicago dealer in dry good3. It Is a naive picture of contrasts, on the Amer ican side as well as the English. Yencznelnnfi Xot Patriots). Chicago Tribune. If Venezuela were in Asia. Africa or Eu rope. Americans would view with great Indifference whatever mishaps befell the Venezuelans. The seizure of their puny fleet, the bombardment of their feeble fortresses would not cause much com ment. Nothing but the fact that Vene zuela Is in this hemisphere leads' Amer icans to take an Interest In the affairs of a people who are not acting In a way cal culated to evoke sympathy. Ordinarily the presence of an enemy puts an end to internal strife. Men aban don their domestic quarrels for the time being to show a united front to a com mon foe. According to the dispatches sent from Caracas a few weeks ago. when the ultimatums of the British and German governments were presented, there was a fine outburst of patriotic fer vor in Venezuela. President Castro let his enemies out of prison, and they and the revolutionists who were still at lib erty swore they would join hands with Castro to drive back the Insolent in vader. The spasm of patriotism was soon over. The revolutionists are again active. The blockade does not fill them with indigna tion. They believe It will weaken Presi dent Castro and make it easier for them to depose him. The settlement of the questions at issue with the European powers, which should be the first thought of every Venezuelan, does not Interest the revolutionists. They have but one thought to, drive one dictator, called President, out of the country and put an other In his place. The sole ambition of the ruling class In Venezuela appears to be to acquire power, by whatever means. In order to get the wealth which power brings with It For many years Venezuela has been in great need of an "enlightened despot" who would use his authority for the good of his country, giving It peace and order. If not liberty. It is said that the occasion brings the man with It but it has not done so in Venezuela. Vcncznela's DlMhone.it Government. Now York Journal of Commerce. The Venezuelan difficulty will not be without Its compensations if it serves to direct attention to the utterly reckless" character of the financial administration of those South American republics of which Venezuela is a fair type. As shown in a Washington dispatch In these col umns yesterday, the sum annually col lected by the custom-houses of Venezuela Is more than double that required to meet the legitimate obligations of the govern ment. There can, therefore, be as little question of Venezuela's ability to pay her creditors as there can be that the oppor tunity to plunder the treasury is the im pelling cause of her chronic revolutions. Our Washington correspondent Intimated that there are some persons who think that no matter how the present diplo matic tangle may be straightened out we may be called upon to assist in arranging the finances of Venezuela, perhaps by sending an administrator to collect the customs revenues until affairs are re stored to a stable basis.. It is hardly like ly that anything short of the necessity of heading off foreign administration in Venezuela would Induce our Government to take any such step, but there must evi dently be a radical reform In the concep tions of financial responsibility current in government circles in Venezuela and else where to make this eventuality at all Im probable. The determination of the pow ers to have an authoritative reckoning may be taken for granted, so that a process of International education in the government of South American republics may be said to have fairly begun, with the possibility of leading to results of very grave importance to the United States. Cleveland Well nnil Vigorous. Chicago Chronicle. Those who Imagine that Grover Cleve land's present retirement from public af fairs is in any sense due to advancing years are much mistaken. When seen yesterday at his home in Princeton, N. J.. Mr. Cleveland looked the embodiment of health and mature vigor. His step was as firm and his eye as bright as in the cam paign of 1S92. In fact, the rejuvenating rest of the last six years has erased a number of wrinkles that had accumulated during the stress and strain of two pres idential terrn3. The ex-President only liv ing ex-President since the death of Benja min Harrison is somewhat less corpulent than formerly, with the ruddy, bronzed complexion of a chauffeur. The settled ex pression of his face was one of good humored complacency, sobered every now and then with a look of serious conviction as he discussed the political and interna tional problems of the day. By means of his frequent outdoor, recreation, fishing and duck-hunting, Mr. Cleveland has en abled himself to carry his 65 years lightly. This, with the fortunate temperament of a man who keeps his friends and forgets his enemies, places him physically in the same class with Bismarck, who was Chan cellor of Germany at 75, and Gladstone, who was Prime Minister of Great Bri tain at S5. Mr. Cleveland's memory of names and dates seems not to be in the slightest degree impaired. One of the MyxterleM of Numbers. The following table was worked out by a Harvard Professor. It la Interestng to look at, but one is thankful that It is not included among the multiplication 1 time 9 plus 2 equals 11. 12 timc3 9 plus 3 equals 111. 123 times 9 plu3 4 equals 1111. 1234 times 9 plus 5 equals 11111. 1215 times 9 plus 6 equals 111111. 123456 times 9 plus 7 equals 1111111. 1234567 times 9 plus 8 equals 11111111. 12345678 times 9 plus 9 equals 111111111. 1 time 8 plus 1 equals 9. 12 times S plus 2 equals 9S. 123 times S plus 3 equals 9S7. 1231 times S plus 4 equals 9S76. 12345 times S plus 5 equals 93765. 123456 times S plus 6 equals 9S7654. 1234567 times S plus 7 equals 9S76543. 1234567S times 8 plus S equals 9S765432. 1234567)tinies 8 plus 9 equals 9S765432L NOTE AND COMMENT. A knocker does not always have a door attached. The large crop of New Year's resolutions has about gone to seed. The next appearance of the Crown Princess of Saxony will probably be on the stage. Nothing is more remarkable than the ease with which some people do other men's work. "Jones," said Smith, "Is a grand, square, upright fellow." "Piano man?" asked Brown. People of means in Portland will now be able to have 10-word chats every day with their friends in Hawaii at $5 40 per chat. Portland has two baseball clubs, two fountains, -two sides to the river, too much rain and now, by Jimmy Cripps, two hunt clubs. Anybody who has ever ridden an ele phant will appreciate the rare delight of those folks at the Indian Durbar who are paying $250 a day for the privilege. A typographical error leads the Sacra mento Bee to refer to "a beat sugar Sen ator" as conspicuous In Congress at the present time. Clever proofreader, that" A boodle alderman In Camden, N. J., ha3 just been convicted. This is getting near enough to Philadelphia to warrant the be lief that there may be a general awaken ing. The police are hereby notified that there are two bad cowboys at large who. have been frightening ladylike gentlemen. It is hoped that these will be hunted down and severely punished. Washington, Jan. 5. (Special.) I hereby decline to act as arbitrator in case be tween Creagh and Hunt Club, owing to more pressing business. TEDDY R -T. Mark Twain says that he Is going to re form the New York police force before ho dies. The whole world will rejoice at the announcement, for it means that we won't lose Mark for a very long time. President Castro, of Venezuela, up a tree and with all the European powers working about the bottom of It, reverses the usual order of things by saying: "Go ahead and shoot; I was just coming down anyway." Putnam Bradlee Strong Is to become an officer In the Chinese army. We can see where the long-expected change In the military affairs of the far East will be brought about If Strong Introduces his own tactics. The old-fashioned notion that oil and water won't mix is exploded by the of ficial reports of the committee of the Texas Legislature which has been investi gating the character of the Beaumont stock comnanies. Perhaps the troubled Sultan of Morocco Is not much of a warrior, but no man can doubt that he is a diplomat In his ef forts to bring about peace in his country, he has started out by making friends with his wives' relatives. The Portland weather prophet holds the record for accurate predictions. During the past three weeks he'mis'saldonce a day "cloudy, with occasional' rain," and the result ha3 led his fellows throughout the country to regard him with envy. A New York attorney .named Shadd has been defending a gambler named Fish who, it Is claimed, has won a half-million dollars from his patrons during the past five years. There is no doubt as to what piscatorial species those patrons belong. "Gentlemen, can you tell us any news?" said David J- Hill, First Assistant Secre tary of State, to a group of correspond ents who called for new light on the Venezuelan situation. "We have come to you for news," wa? tho only answer. "The press and the department Is with out news and in a waiting attitude. Tho situation reminds me of the predicament of an old sea captain of my acquaintance who found himself hundreds of miles at sea without a chart Further taking ac count of stock developed a missing sex tant, baromenter and chronometer out of gear and a broken compass. " 'Cap,' said the mate, 'we shall have to take the weather as it cornea' " The Breakfast They Didn't Eat. New York World. Secretary Root Invited two men who know much about tho Philippines to breakfast with him at the Arlington a day or two ago. so they might have a talk about the archipelago. The Secretary was absent-minded when he came down stairs, and he went to the dining-room and breakfasted alone. Then he came out Into the lobby and found his two friends waiting. "Why, good morning," said the Secre tary. "Come right along to . the office, and we can talk matters over." Tho two men thought this meant that the Secretary wanted to have a short talk with them before breakfast and they went along without protest When they reached the office they sat down and talked until 2 o'clock. Then the Secre tary thanked them and bade them good bye. Five minutes later two hungry men dashed madly into the nearest restaurant and ordered nearly everything In sight Next day Secretary Root remembered and spent half the forenoon hunting up his friends and apologizing profusely. PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGRAPHERS - "The "way of the transgressor Is to engage a good lawyer." Puck. Maud So Jack Is engaged, is he? And is Lucy the bride-to-be? Irene No; she's the tried-to-be. Chicago Tribune. She Why don't you go out occasionally, dearest, and enjoy yourself, say at the club? He But I don't want to get into the habit of having a good time Life. BJ inks What did Wlsekus do to deserve this monument, old man? Tklnks He In vented asbestos whiskers for amateur Santa Clauses. Chicago Dally News. "That Is a very cute little purse," said Mrs. Ncwcd. "but Isn't it rather small for your husband?" "No," replied Mrs. Experienced, "he won't use it till after Christmas, you see Cincinnati Commercial-Tribune. "How does he rank as a playwright?" "Well, you can't say that he has really ac quired fame yet." "But he's on the road to it?" "Oh. yes. He'll reach a point where ho can afford to plagiarize shortly." Chicago Evening Post. Judge If you want to make yourself solid with Ethel's mother, don't fall to eat some of the biscuits she makes. Fudge I've eaten some, and from their weight and hardness I'm sure I've made myself solid all right. Baltimore Herald. "Whose voice - did he like best, yours or mine?" asked Miss Kreech. "I'm not quit sure," replied Miss Bird. "His remarks wera a bit ambiguous." "Why, what did he say?" "Ke said he liked my voice, but that yours was better still." Philadelphia Press. "Did you hear about that member of the legislature who wants to pass a law requir ing a physician's certificate- before- people can kiss?" said Maud. "Yes," answered Mamie; "I think It's time they made a man produce proof that he is sane before they let him Into the legislature." Washington Star.