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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 1903)
r - THE MORNING OREGONIA, sai'IEMY, 31, 1D03. Entered at the Postofflce At Portland. Oregon as second-class matter. REVISED SUBSCRIPTION RATES. By Mall (postage prepaid, la advance) "Dtlly, with Sunday, per month 3 Dally, Sucday excepted, per year " 50 Da;iy. vAh Sunday, per year 0 00 Sunday, per year 2 00 The Weekly, per year....- 1 60 The Weekly, 3 months...- 60 To City Subscribers Dally, per week, delivered. Sunday excepted.l5o Dally, per -week, delivered. Sunday lncludeo.20o POSTAGE RATES. United States'. Canada and Mexico: 10 to 14-page paper ........... ....... -1 14 to 2S-page paper... .-.............--2c Foreign" rates double. News or discussion Intended for publication la The Ortgoatan should be addressed lavarla bly ""Editor The Oregonlan." not to the name of ary individual. Letters relating to adver tising, cubscrlptlon or to any business matter should be addressed tfmply "The Oregonlan." The Oregonlan does not buy poems or stories from ladlviduals. and cannot undertake to re turn any manuscripts sent to It -without -solicitation. No stamps should be laclosed for this purpose. Eastern Business Office. 43. 44. 45. 47. 48. 49 Tribune building. New Tork City; 510-11-12 Tribune building. Chicago: the S. C. Beckwlth Special Agency. Eastern representative. For sale la San Francisco by L. E. Lee, Pal rce Hotel news stand; Goldsmith Bros.. 236 Sutter street: F. W. Pitta. 100S Market street; J. K. Cooper Co.. 740 Market street, near the Palace Hotel: Foster & Orear. Ferry news etand: Frank Scott. SO Ellis street, and N. Wheatley. 813 Mission street. For eale in Los Angeles by B. F. Gardner. 259 South Spring ntreet, and Oliver & Haines, 305 South Spring street. For sale in Kansas City. Mo., by Rlcksecker Cigar Co.. Ninth and Walnut streets. For sale In Chicago by the P. O. News Co., 217 Dearborn street, and Charles MacDcaald. C3 Washington street. For sale in Omaha by Barkalow Bros., 1C12 Farnam street; Megeath Statloaery Co.. 1303 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 eale in Denver. Colo.. By Hamilton & Kendrlck. OOC-012 Seventeenth street; Louthan & Jack?on Book and Stationery Co.. Fifteenth and Lawrence streets; A. Series, Sixteenth aad Curtis streets. TODAY'S WEATHER Occasional rain, pos sibly part snow; southerly winds. YESTERDAY'S WEATHER Maximum tem perature, 42; minimum temperature, 30; pre cipitation, 0.22 inch. rORTLAXD, SATURDAY, JAVUARY 31. CRY FROM SILVER. 3IACEDOMAS. It Is to be presumed that China and Mexico understand thein own situation; and when they expatiate with such earnestness and detail upon the evils of a debased currency and fluctuating standard, there Is nothing more to be said than to take them at their word. Their experience Is as old as history, and has always been known of all per sons with comprehension enough to read history understands gly. They have been deceived, however, by the unaccountable sophistries of "bimetal Ism," and now they are paying the pen alty of their errors. It has been the contention of the sil ver maniacs that the silver-standard na tion profits in trade at the expense of the gold-standard nations with which it trades, because it ells its output for gold and produces It at silver cost Manufacturers and planters avail them selves of the debased and fluctuating currency to pay their help, but sell in the markets of the world at solid and unvarying gold prices. The sinister as pect of this theory should have been sufficient to arouse suspicion in any mind broad enough to apprehend the disastrous end that inevitably awaits the dishonest trader. But cupidity, whether Oriental, Latin-American or colonial British in India or Hong Kong, is never profound or far-sighted. Sharp practice is not the best policy. But what happens to the trade of a silver-standard country with a gold standard country? China says it Is "de stroyed." The variation in values, in stead of contributing to the advantage of the silver-standard country, harms it most seriously. Thus, "the serious results which are threatened by the re cent fluctuations in the value of silver bullion to the commerce both of gold and silver-standard countries have in duced the Chinese imperial government, acting in concert with the Mexican government, to ask the co-operation of the United States in seeking a remedy of these conditions for the mutual bene fit of all concerned." The funeral, observe, Is China's and Mexico's. No gold-standard country has been complaining of the effects of the silver standard in China and Mexico. The hardship Imposed on the silver na tions is theirs, and they are the com plainants. It was this way with India, Her men had the hardest kind of task. and long it took them, to prevail against Birmingham and Manchester "blmetallsm" and get the gold standard for India as their only escape from the evils of debased currency. It has been the same with the Philippines. Loud and unremitting has been their call for the gold standard, and reluctant the sil ver theorists and mineowners in the United States Senate. So at the last it is in the case of China and Mexico, For a change in the at length intoler able financial situation the cry of dis tress Is theirs. It is an instructive com mentary on the legend that the gold standard was thrust upon us by Down ins street for our humiliation, and it may serve to remind us that our own silver maniacs of 189G and 1900 are abroad in the land today asking to be accepted as original thlpkers on such things as trusts, tariffs and "empire." THE JTEHALEM "BEESWAX." Perhaps no solution of the question whether the substance which the curi ous have been collecting during many years at a locality on the coast of Ore gron near the mouth of the Nehalem River is beeswax, or the material known as ozokerite, will ever be possible. One would think it should be-possible; yet high authorities still differ about it Dr. A. C. Kinney, of Astoria, recurring to the subject, says he is sure it Is ozo kerite, since he has had several analyses made, all leading to this result But Professor Dilier, of the United States Geological Survey, who made examina tlon of the locality and the "wax" some years ago, was by no means sure what it was; yet his conclusion was that, wheth er it was beeswax or ozokerite, it was not a product of the locality, but had been transported from some other place. Careful examination of the marks upon such pieces as he could find or was per. mitted to examine failed to convince him that any reliance could be placed on the assumption that they were trade marks. This conclusion would be strong point against the beeswax the ory. Ozokerite Is a mixture of paraf fins existing in bituminous sandstones. It is therefore a mineral product. Noth ing, at first thought, Would appear eas ier than to distinguish beeswax .from mineral wax; yet it is not always easy and Professor Dilier says that if well selected ozokerite be placed before bees they will use it for their honeycombs. This, however, might prove nothing, for the bees, in the absence of other mate rial, might use this natural paraffln, or anything they could get that would an swer their purpose. What is mainly curious or strange about this deposit is the apparent Im possibility of reaching a sure conclusion whether the material ie beeswax or ozo kerite. The consistency and melting point of the two substances are about the same. The odor, which is very weak, if not wholly absent, gives no sure indication. While Dr. Kinney Is so positive it is ozokerite. Professor Stokes, of the United States Geological Survey, after careful tests, reached the conclu sion that it Is beeswax. Here Is his statement: "The substance is sharply distinguished from ozokerite and other paraffins by its easy decomposition by warm, strong sulphuric acid and by being saponified by boiling' with alco holic potash, giving soaps which dis solve In hot water, and from which acids throw down Insoluble fatty acida In view of this behavior, the material is evidently wax, and not ozokerite." Who shall decide, when doctors so wide ly disagree? But there Is another enigma about it. There are two coal fields in the Nehalem country, but Professor Dilier assures us that nothing whatever occurs In con nection with the coal in either field that resembles this wax, so It could not have been derived from the coal measures of that locality; and, moreover, the de posit is so placed as to make it very cer tain that it was not derived from the adjacent land, but was transported in a body by the sea and dumped in its pres ent position. So that, even if it be ozo kerite, the conclusion Is that it was brought from elsewhere. The subject Is an interesting one from the mysteries It involves. WHY TAXES ARE HIGH. Taxes In Multnomah County are 3G mills this year. Likely they will be 40 mills next year. The millage Is unnec essarily high, owing to low valuations and to the scramble of Assessors for years to keep down each county's share of the state's expenses. But this Is not the true or complete explanation of the difficulty. Under the operation of the arbitrary percentage allotted to the sev eral counties under the law of 1901, the slow mule race on valuation has ceased and the removal of the pressure Is al ready bearing fruit In rising valuationa The ordinary Influences of self-interest in those who are assessed too high will constantly operate to increase, through the authorities, the assessment of those that are assessed too low. The change will not come all at once, but no change of so revolutionary a nature can. We are on the road to Juster valuations and lower millage. Taxes are high for two reasons one creditable and necessary, the other foolish and reprehensible. The first Is the march of Improvement. We are at the threshold of a new epoch. The pio neer day Is passing, the new day is at hand. Greatness stands within the grasp of state and city, and it must be reached out for. The structure of In dustrial and commercial eminence. great population, activity and wealth must be built on a broad and sure foun dation, and that foundation costs money. The Lewis and Clark Centen nial, the drydock, the fireboat, the river channels, new bridges, roadways and streets, adequate Are and police protec tion these are equipment for our twen tieth-century struggles and triumphs. We must get them, costly though they be, or else stagnate and go down. The other reason the discreditable one is that we are paying for a lot of dead horses. The county lost $300,000 some years ago through Insufficient se curity for public funds. The city also lost a large amount. An almost equal sum has been Incurred through the In terest we have had- to pay by. reason of the deficit. For ten years we have shirked our accruing obligations In every way. Bridges and roadways have deteriorated, streets have fallen to pieces, drydock and fireboat have been neglected. Meanwhile debts have ac cumulated. The county finances typify our habit perfectly. We have levied an Insufficient amount insufficient largely because administered In laxness and fa voritism and obligations have piled up. It is the firm and commendable purpose of County Judge Webster to make the county pay as It goes, and also pay each year some specific proportion of the ac cumulated debt. Grievous as some of these burdens are. they must be borne. There Is no way in honor to evade present undertakings or to repudiate past obligations. We howled for free bridges till It was al most as much as a man's life was worth to oppose them. Now we must maintain them. We all loosened up at the sound of the hornpipe. Now the fiddler must be paid. Fortunately, also, we are in the way of collecting Indirect taxes to some extent from corporation and other sources that have hitherto been com paratively unproductive. Fortunately also, the indications are for prosperous years ahead. People can pay high taxes if they are making money In their busl ness. The danger lies in the fearful discontent that rises In time of financial straits. The peril of high taxes under such circumstances has been so often set out in these columns that reiteration is needless. Taxes are high, but they must be paid; and he is not a patriotic citizen who growls when It is time to shout "Forward," who sulks when It is time to pull. DEPARTMENT FOR THE FEEBLE MINDED. The bill to provide for the establish ment of a department In one of the state Institutions at Salem for the care, instruction and treatment of feeble minded children and youth should pasa It is evident to the most superficial ob server that the insane asylum proper is no place for this class of unfortunates, while the most ordinary) student of po lltical economy must concede making a cold-blooded proposition out of the matter that it is to the state's interest to "make such children and youth as nearly self-sustaining as possible. This can, of course, only be done by means of special training. This class Is with us, fortunately, not a large one. A de partment in any one of several institu tions now under state control and sup port will answer at once the demand of humanity and utility for these unfortu nates. The tendency of philanthropic effort is to multiply charitable Institutions. It should rather be toward a concentration of resources and endeavor to the end that the maximum of efficiency may be secured at the minimum outlay in money, time and individual effort. We have, for example, in this city two institutions for the care and pro tec&on of homeless, deserted or orph aned children. It is believed that the work in hand and a most gracious work it Is could be performed with less expense, less strain upon the Individual, less frequent or at least less compli catedappeal to the public, and with al quite as efficiently, if the Baby Home was simply conducted as a department of the Children's Home. The rivalry of these two institutions for Thanksgiving and holiday favors Is a matter of com mon knowledge, and under the circum stances is natural. It may not be prac ticable to consolidate the two now, owing to property interests and restric tions, but they should have been from the first under one management, with such facilities for the segregation of the children, according to age, as was necessary for the convenience of the caretakers and the best interests of the wards. The assertion that we .have too many charitable institutions is a familiar one. In it there Is no plaint of parsimony. Nor does It proceed from a spirit that gives grudgingly to worthy objects of charity. It is suggestive rather of a loose system of charitable endeavor, the tendency of which is to diffuse effort and increase expense in caring for the unfortunate, which appeals to practical people as useless and extravagant. CHIEF HUXT AND JUDGE HOCiUE. The Oregonlan has been and still Is disposed to sympathize with Judge Hogue in his stand for impartial en forcement of gambling laws, and to iew with some misgiving the relntro- ductlon of the regime maintained in Portland under Chief Hunt's former In cumbency; but In the present issue be tween these two officials the Chief Is manifestly entitled to support. It will be time enough to question his motives when evidence of error is produced. It was the good quality of Chief Hunt and the corresponding lack has been the bad quality of some of our other Chiefs that he aimed to keep the crim inal and vicious classes in constant ter ror of the Police Department. There Is no more Important thing in police ad ministration. A Chief's usefulness Is utterly destroyed the moment that by corruption or mere indiscretion he makes an arrangement by which these elements acquire a semblance of vested rights and lift up their heads as hon orable citizens and strut about under the noses of honest Industry and re spectability as If they owned the town. This is where Judge Hogue erra It Is fatal to declare "a policy." It Is fatal to teach lawbreakers of any sort tha"t they have earned or acquired a stand ing which entitles them to considera tion. Mr. Hunt understands these things perfectly. Abundant experience has taught them to him, and his shrewd Yankee mind is quick to act upon the knowledge. Therefore It Is that now. as before, he swoops down upon offend ers without warning and drags them about in a style bordering on brutality. At the same time, it does not augur well for an effective police administra tion that the Chief has made himself so little understood to the Municipal Judge that the two officers should have an un dignified discussion in open court as to the department's "policy." We owe something to dignity, and these things are better discussed in offices than be fore a gaping audience of male and fe male vagrants. We should say that If the Chief is anxious to make an un qualified success of his administration, he would do well not to neglect so im portant an element In it as the friendly understanding and co-operation of the Police Judge. We have had enough miscarriages of justice through cross purposes of warring officlala FOR THE HONOR OF THE ARMY. The antls In Congress are much put out at the insinuations on their patriot- Ism. And well they may be; for they have doubtless ascertained by this time that the flag and its upholders are dear to the hearts of a virile people. They profess, therefore, that their attacks on individual officers are prompted by love for the Army and desire to perfect it They repudiate as "dirty lies'' the charge that they are unfriendly to the soldiers of the United States. Will a man who Is friendly to the United States Armyi Invariably mag nify Its faults and condone the faults of its opponents? Will he view with "com plaisance and without a word of protest the massacre of American troops in time of peace by natives who had ac cepted American sovereignty and pledged assistance to our arms? Will he condone or utterly ignore the torture of American soldiers by Philippine sav ages, and the betrayal of American sol dlers to death by treacherous guides? Will he grudge every dollar that Is sought to be appropriated for the sup port and comfort of American troops? Will he render every moral and tech nicai aid to the forces In array against the American arms? Will he have vol umes to say In censure of American sol diers, and not a word In censure of their inhuman captors, torturers and assas sins? There Is but one answer to these ques tions, and by that answer the antls are condemned. They are not necessarily traitors or enemies of the Army; but they have suffered themselves to yield to the supposed necessities of partisan ship and carried partisan loyalty to the point of setting aside the higher loyalty to their country's cause, the ascendency of their country's flag, the honor and comfort of their country's arms. What ever aid they rendered the Army would embarrass their contention that the war in the Philippines was a failure. It would cast discredit upon the Kansas City platform. It would stultify their assertions that the Administration was waging an unholy war and that the lust of conquest had put cruelty Into our methods and heartlessness into our whole programme. Hence they mag nified the rare instances of unsoldlerlike conduct among our men in the Philip pines and sought to suppress every mltl gating circumstance and every savage provocation for severe treatment. All of which is very dangerous busl ness, as the antls have found out and as their rage at their present predica ment showa No manly people Is going to reward or be patient with a move ment which has for Its object the ob struction, humiliation or discomfort of its arms abroad or at home. It is not by such hostility and recrimination that National purposes can be carried for ward or National honor and dignity maintained. The enemy of the Amerl can soldier on a foreign field is the enemy of the American patriot at home. It is an old and simple lesson, which folly only would offer to defy. When a nation gives Its army over to its antis to hamper and defame, its sun is fast sinking to the west The late Abram S. Hewitt did not like Samuel J. Tilden's conduct during the famous disputed Presidential election of .1876-77, and he did not at the last like President Cleveland. In 1884 Mr. Hew itt declared at the Palmer House, Chi cago, that Mr. Cleveland was conspicu ously the man of destiny of his genera tion, but he changed his mind after an experience he had with Mr. Cleveland soon after he entered the White House. The relations between Cleveland and Hewitt absolutely ceased, and Mr. Hew itt regarded the idealization by the American people of Cleveland as one of the strangest psychological phenomena In the history of the Nation. Neverthe less, ex-President Cleveland was an nounced to be one of the speakers at the Hewitt memorial meeting. There is nothing remarkable in the fact that Hewitt and Cleveland could not agree. Mr. Hewitt was a man of extraordinary nervous irritability of temper, and Mr. Cleveland was by comparison phleg matic. Such extremes of temperament seldom agree. Hewitt probably thought Cleveland was dull, and Cleveland thought Hewitt altogether too Intense upon occasions. John C. Davey, Recorder of Deeds of the District of Columbia, and his wife and daughter, and Judson Lyons, Regis ter of the Treasury, were present with members of their families at the White House reception In honor of Congress and the Judiciary on the 22d Inst., to the deep Indignation of several Southern members of Congress. The negroes re ferred to are Federal office-holders in Washington, and they were invited ac cording to custom. The families of negro officials of the Government in Washington are always Invited to the state receptiona The President is right. He cannot afford at state receptions to enforce a rule of exclusion against a Federal official because of race or color. It would be not only bad politics, but it would be a repudiation of his policy of equal public recognition of all de cent, reputable Federal officlala with out regard to color. If Crum Is fit to be Collector of Charleston, despite his color, then surely the President cannot exclude from state receptions at the White House a negro resident Govern ment official on the score of race and color. Some one gave that great foe of trusts, guardian of .the people's rights and champion of an unfettered press a bill with a joker in it, and he offered it to the State Senate at Salem with the solemn assurance that it was mere minor correction of a defect In present laws. So the bill passed. Then it was found that the measure created a nice, fat job for some one at a remunerative salary. Senator. Pierce had, he said, for gotten the name of the person who per suaded him (o father the sneaking little enterprise. There are times when It Is better to forget, and there are things that would better be forgotten. There are things also that It were better for Senator Pierce not to forget, and one of them is that the twenty-nine other Sen ators are not fools. Sir Wilfrid Laurler Is willing that Brlflsh Columbia should shut out the Chinese, but warns that province that exclusion of the Japanese would be dis approved by the federal authorities for "Imperial reasons." The imperial rea sons are that Great Brtain and Japan Save become military and naval allies ror oirensive ana defensive purposes against Russian aggression toward Corea, and, of course, the home govern ment is hostile to a Japanese exclusion policy In a Canadian province, since it would be resented by Japan. British Columbia will find out on trial that it will not pay to exclude the Chinese only to have their places taken by the Jap anese, for as a valuable industrial force the Chinese are- better than the Japs. Negligence may be a common' human Infirmity, as Chairman Gray, of the An thracite Commission, avers; but this need not impede such measures as seem designed for its measurable discourage ment The man responsible for the Tucson holocaust, for example, would experience a powerful stimulus to mem ory from a term In the penitentiary. The extensive vogue of forgetfulness must not interfere with approved means for its eradication. If the state Is to ornament and make profitable the vocation of those teachers who summer at Newport, should it not similarly edify and instruct those who prefer seaside or Bandon, or even Bingham Springs? And why should the benign work be limited to lectures, any how? Can't we have an appropriation for grand opera for those who prefer it, and a state kindergarten for the rus ticating infants? It is fitting that Professor F. G. Young, of the University of Oregon, should head the Lewis and Clark Com mission appointed by the Governor. The historical aspect of the celebration could have no more worthy exponent He will serve the state with intelligence, dignity and usefulness. The Tucson operator's wits are quick enough now. He has made his escape while the rival Justices quarrel over jurisdiction. Arizona justice seems un accountably to resemble that of the Massachusetts town where President Roosevelt's guard was killed by an elec tric car. The Tucson catastrophe may also re mind us that the extensive use of oil as fuel contributes a new peril to com merce. The necessity that railroads should find adequate means to cope with this new and horrible danger is obvious. The appeal of Mexico for the gold standard is a pertinent, If unfeeling, footnote to Bryan's recent visit there. "The enemy's country" seems to be get ting pretty extensive. Minister Wu complains that the Chi nese fare lucklessly here. Well, who compels them to come? What China and Mexico ask for Is the gold standard; for the only "stable standard" Is gold. Oh, no; fuel oil won't burn. It didn't at Tucson. Cnmpnlsrn Promises Recalled. St Paul Globe. The existing National Republican Ad ministration Is now being brought face to face with the need of living up to its spe cious promises during the campaign to revise and readjust the tariff according to the commercial needs of the country. The promise was good enough for political uses, without the slightest concern as to Its possible fulfillment It Is not alone the local situation which Is thus bringing home to the popular understanding the falsity of the attitude of the party , In power. From all directions come remind ers of the false position which the Indus trial Interests of the country are forced to occupy for the safeguarding of the Belfish ends of Eastern manufacturers. SUmash the senate ring. 1 Kansas City Star. The successful combination made by Senator Quay in promoting the Interests of the- statehood bill has demonstrated the fact that all that Is needed to bring the Senate ring to account is good gen eralship and political courage. Aside from the legislation that Is likely to re sult from , this organization between a minority of the Republicans and a num ber of the Democrats In the Senate, Its effect toward breaking up a coterie that has controlled legislation for some years ought to be far-reaching. No one familiar with the power exer cised by certain leaders In the Senate can belittle the achievement of Senator Quay In bringing the obstructing Senators to terms. At the same time It has seemed strange that these men, In defiance of public sentiment, of party instruction and of administrative appeals, have been per mitted, year after year, to control legis lation. A particularly flagrant case of ob struction may be recalled from the his tory of the last session of Congress. Pres ident McKlnley promised that the Cubans should have trade concessions. When President Roosevelt took the Executive post he made a special point of reducing the Cuban' tariffs. A bill making a reduc tion passed the House, after the Senate coterie had done all it could to obstruct action. The passage In the House was made possible by the support of some of the Democratic members, when the mat ter came up in the Senate it was rele gated to the rear by Senator Aldrich, on the simple plea that, as It could not be passed as a strictly party measure, it-, should not bo passed at all. Of course. that was not the reason. Everybody In Washington knew the reason, and how personal it was as far ns Aldrich was concerned; but the Senator from Rhode Island was, by common consent, the dic tator on measures of that class in the Senate, and his word prevailed with the coterie, and the coterie easily controlled the situation in general. There is no reason to doubt that this ring has been preparing to defeat the statehood bill, to prevent a reasonable re duction in the Cuban tariff, and to per mit only the mildest sort of anti-trust legislation. In this policy it has defied public sentiment, party policy and ad. minlstratlve recommendations. Senator Quay has at least shown one Way It can be opposed. When a few men get too big for the party It represents, then It is time to make combinations against them. If the statehood bill is passed by the Senate as a result of the Quay organi zation, then some one should organize a movement to make a reduction of at least 50 per cent in the Cuban tariffs and to enact anti-trust legislation that will mean something, and the help of the Democrats should be Invoked, If the sup port of the Senate ring Is denied. This course would add to the strength of the Republican party in spite of the personal and factional feeling that would be aroused for a time. The party would, at least, stand before the country as an organization capable of doing something and not above permitting the Democrats to participate in the credit. The power of the Senate ring is confined to the Sen ate. It does not control the National politics of the party. Indeed, the fac tion now opposed to It represents the states that mako Presidential nomina tions and elect Presidents, and, what Is more, this faction will grow In strength as It shows its ability to cope with the old combination. IMPROVING THE ERIE CANAL. Chicago Tribune. . The question of enlarging the Erie Canal Is again before the New York Legislature. It Is conceded that something will have to be done speedily or the canal may as well be abandoned. Undoubtedly the rail roads with which It has competed would be pleased with this solution of the prob lem. It would not be acceptable to the commercial Interests of New York City or to Western producers, who believe the canal has served to keep down freight rates and secure them better prices. The proposition that the canal be so improved that 1000-ton barges may use It from Buffalo to New York City will meet with approval In the West. That is the plea which is most favored by New Yorkers who desire the preservation of the canal. The cost is the great obstacle. A bill has been introduced authorizing the ex penditure of $51,000,000 on the canal. This Is not so much perhaps as a 1000-ton barge plan will cost before It Is completed, but It Is enough to alarm the taxpayers, es pecially in the rural districts. But while a state hesitates to spend ten millions of dollars on a single public work, a rail road corporation betrays no such hesi tation. The Pennsylvania Company is about to spend 550,000.000 to get into the city of New York. The railroad com pany will profit by the expenditure. The State of New York will profit by the Im provement of the canal. The state Is timid and the corporation Is courageous. Conditions have changed wonderfully Blnce the canal was built Then states alone could venture upon such undertak ings.. There was little capital in the country at the command of private Indi viduals. The states had credit and could borrow abroad. It was because the states could get money while private Individ uals or corporations could not that Illi nois and other states went into the con- I struction of railroads and other public works which would be iert now to pri vate enterprise. The states were not in fluenced by "municipal ownersnip tne- ories to embark in undertakings wnicn were generally unprofitable as In Illi nois. . , . The credit of New York Is such that it can get all the money needed to make the Erie Canal of great value to tne suite and to the West If the state will not do the work, nobody else wiiu rfew xorK ought to have the courage to appropriate at least 5SO.000.000 to modernize the Erie Canal. Small appropriations for trivial Improvements will be money tnrov.n away. Scuttle Post-IntelllKenccr Please Copy. Springfield Republican. James J. Hill, the western ranroau magnate, comes out strongly In favor of free trade with Canada In coal, lumber and wheat Speaking Saturday at a meet ing held in St Paul he said: Now, I sani not a free-trader by any means, but we can modify our conditions. Possibly somebody could tell me why we should collect a duty on Canadian coal, when all the coal Canada has. that is in tho populated and older settled portions of tho country, la way down in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. The only result that this tariff works is to mako the people of the Atlantic Coast pay more for their coal. That is just tho effect of tho customs duty on coal; and yet the most that our New England Senators at Washington aro willing to do, even In such as pinch as now obtains. Is to propose the removal of the coal duties for only 90 days. Let the Nerp Alone. Washington Post. Why Is It that politicians, white and black, cannot leave the negro alone? Why must somebody be forever experimenting with this quiet, contented toiler, who makes his own livelihood with his hands or his brains, as the case may be, and neither appeals nor needs to appeal to doctrinaires or agitators for anything he really wants? Why must the negro be exploited, discussed, treated as an awful example here, poktd and prodded and In spected as a problem there? Why not merge him with the general mass of the population, label him as a plain Ameri can citizen and leave him to work out his own destiny In his own way? No Place for Idle Heroes. Sioux City Tribune. There isn't much In being a hero when the Navy Department Is one's boss. Hob son has been notified that he must go to work or get out of the Navy. The de cision would be easier if he were Just cer tain about the Congressional situation, in his home district THE B00TIESSNESS OF WEALTH Indianapolis News. The administrator of the Fair estate says that at Paris a $30 imitation sable cloak was substituted for the real thing one of the most valuable cloaks In the world among Mrs. Fair's effects; also, that Mr. Fair was In his lifetime, to use a slang phrase, "just puddin' " for Parisian Jewelers, who sold him what was sup posed to be valuable strings of pearls, but which turned out to be imitations. It seems that it takes experts to tell the difference. At which the average com ment would be "what's the odds?" Aesop has a fable of a miser who got all his store in the shape of gold which he buried In his garden. He was wont to visit It and gloat over It. At one visit finally he found the hole empty, and he "troubled deaf heaven with his bootless cries." A friend, hearing him, inquired the cause, and then gave this piece of sound advice: "Just put a stone there and think that It is your gold and It will do you just as much good." So. in the present case, what Is the difference be tween sham sables and real ones? The one will keep the wearer just as warm as the other, and be, so to say, just as sightly. And the same thing is to be- said for the imitation pearls. Neither of them comes under the head of produc tive capital. Aside from the question of covering as clothes, which does not come In here, both belong to the barbaric cate gory of ornamentation, In which the last development of humankind seems to touch the first The luxury of Rome fin ally reached the level ethically and artis tically of the display of barbaric tribes. A necklace of diamonds finally approxi mates the worth of a necklace of bear's claws or scalps unless, ind'eed, the lat ter represents valor in the .acquisition where the former represents nothing but the brute force of superabundant credit on the world's productive fund. The shower of gold and jewels called out by the birth of a Vanderbilt baby re cently suggested to the London Spectator a discussion of the bootlessness of riches It recounted the solid gold table services known to be in New York and the jewels to the value of millions. They arc too valuable for use. They are kept locked away In safety deposit vaults. The own ers wear paste jewels for the most part made In cunning imitation of their real ornaments, and except on "historical occa sions, so to speak, leave their gold plate under bar and bolt and dine off silver or china. And what if they did not? How long would it take for one to become as surfeited with a pure gold dinner service as any other It will not stimulate an ap petite any better than "iron stone china. Burslem, England." The Apocalypse rep resents gold as so common in heaven that the streets are made of it and It is probably poor paving material at that So .why should not the legatees of the Fair estate take Aesop's advice to the miser and be just as happy with their sham sables and Imitation pearls? A Co-operative Failure. Providence Journal. The announcement from Pittsburg that the American Window Glass Company has withdrawn its project of dividing 5000 shares of stock among its employes can hardly be called a failure of a stock-sharing plan. The scheme was promulgated In 1901, and the company made no secret that It was part of a bargain to secure certain promises from the Window Glass Workers Association, through Its presi dent Simon Burns. In return for the offer Burns was to furnish sufficient skilled labor to keep the works running during the Summer months, and thus lay up a surplus which would help the com pany control the market for window glass. The men wanted to work as they pleased and the dissatisfied one3 withdrew to form another association. Burns was made director of the company, but was unable to carry out his agreement While the plan fell through six months ago, official announcement was not made of the fact until last week. The stock was quoted at 5S when the nlan was abandoned, but Burns insisted that the men had an op portunity to make something and threw it away. Help for the McrRer Man. -i St. Louis Post-Dispatch. J. P. Morgan says that he gathered In the Louisville & Nashville Railroad be cause he wanted to prevent John Gates from making it an instrument of his evil purposes. His only thought was to serve tho public. This is a touching example of the merger man's sheer love of his kind. But isn't it curious? In the course of his touching transactions he touched the stockholders for $2,100,000 for the house of Morgan. Curious, yes, but the coinci dence is manifest In all these mergers. They are all conceived in the purest spirit of benevolence, achieved in the noblest motive of "otherdom" and consummated with huge profit to the merger man. What was unselfishly Intended for the good of all falls unaccountably Into the possession of a- few. Good Riddance In Most Cases. Indianapolis News. Dr. Felix Adler Is scared about tho fu ture of this country because so many of Its heiresses are marrying foreign titles, but the doctor needn't be alarmed. There is no clas3 of citizens we can spare bet ter. It is the girl who would rather stay here that is the best kind to keep. Ore-nnlred Labor and Saloons. Indianapolis Journal. One of the statements in President Mitchell's address "Monday night which will attract wide attention Is that saloons are Itss numerous in localities where la bor Is well organized than those where there ore no labor organizations. The Little Country Paper. Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. It's no sixteen-page edition that expresses bis men's views. And It's not filled up with pictures, nor with telegraphic news; It isn't printed daily, with an "extra" every hour. And the editor's not bragging of his Influence and power. It may have faults and errors, but all these I will forgive. For it's printed in the -.country, 'way back where I used to live. It is only issued weekly, and It's not made up for style, - But when It arrives I gladly put the dally by awhile. I don't read In its pases what tho wise and great men say. But I see that "Silas Jiggers brought some wood to town today"; And that "Grandma Parks Is better," or that "Old Bill Jones 13 dead." And it tells just what the parson In his Sunday sermon said. I see again the faces of the friends I used to know In the dim and distant fancies of the happy Long Ago; And I read up in one corner that the Fall winds howl and blow. And that "Uncle Nathan Smith predicts an early fall of snow"; Or that "our debating club will give a sociable next week. At which our fellow-townsman, Abner Brother ton, will speak." There are never learned essays on the questions of the day. But it says that "folks are looking for another rise in hay"; I can see no glaring headlines of the last elec tion fight. But It says that "Tom Shaw marries Ella Edg- erton tonight"; And my thoughts somehow grow fonder when the old folks' names I see, Telling that "Reverend Tompkins was invited there to tea." It may be crude and homely that same little country sheet. And the make-up of its pages may be rather obsolete; It Is damp when I unfold It, and the print is sometimes blurred; Yet It's always more than welcome, and I read Its every word. And no reading to a city man a greater Joy can give- Than the little country weekly, printed "where ho .used to live.."- NOTE AND COMMENT. -Now get braced to meet the tax col-' lectori Wu Ting Fang seems to have broken out In a new place. Perhaps, before it is over, all of us will get a complimentary vote. Mr. Quay is still permitting the Senate chaplain to say his prayers. It isn't a still Hunt that our new Chief of Police 13 making, anyway. The Chinese New Year becomes a trifle aged before trie celebration of Its birth Is complete. Because of sheer jealousy for this col umn the weather man Is now trying to freeze us out The announcement that Adellna Pattl intends to make another farewell tour of the United States has led the news paper paragraphers to paw over the files. Adjutant-General C. U. Gantenbeln, since he printed that list of missing vol unteers, who had "medals and money com ing to them, knows what the other end of a charge of the Second Oregon Is like. LaFollett's bill for a hop inspector was re ported favorably today by the committee on agriculture. Paulsen of Clackamas, chairman. Salem news dispatch. If the members of Oregon Legislature keep on jumping from one candidate to another the new inspector will have his hands full right at home. The assistant hangman In a Spanish town, coveting higher office, cave, a con demned man a pistol and persuaded him to shoot the chief executioner on the scaf fold. Thereupon the new official cele brated his promotion by solemnly hang ing the murderer. The government has put him In "jail. It doesn't want such a man hanging around. Somebody Is circulating a libel on Seat tle, and It ought to be headed off befora It goes any further. It concerns the story of a Seattle man who died and went to the hereafter. "I don't see," he remarked, after a casual survey of his new quarters, "that Heaven Is so much better than Seattle." "But this isn't Heaven," explained a bystander. Anti-land tax journalists held a meeting on the 15th Inst., In the Kairaku yen and passed, the following resolution: "Whereas, The pres ent Cabinet has disregarded Its public promise, as well as its responsibility, and has jeopard ized constitutional government, be It resolved. That we should mako efforts to insure a change of the Ministry." The following agreement was also arrived at: "Wo should specially watch the Cabinet's action, and in case any impro priety is discovered, should not scruple to se verely attack it. We should make efforts to open a grand meeting of Journalists In Japan at a favorable opportunity." Japan Dally Adver tiser. Isn't it a little injudicious of these war like journalists to advertise so freely what they intend to do? General Snowden Andrews, who died in Baltimore the other day, enjoyed the dis tinction of being the only man in the world who possessed a metal abdomen. Being punched below the belt he rattled like a tin pan. His entire bay window was shot off In the war and his bowels were spread upon the ground. "Here's another dead one," said the surgeons, gathering up the Intestines along with a few hand fuls of sand and piling them back in the body. The wounded soldier showed signs of life, and they sewed him up with a piece of tarred string. Later on- he got a metal front, which he wore to the day of his death. Peter Newell, tho artist, was camping out In Colorado at one time, living in a tent News came of a nocturnal murder In the neighborhood and considerable un easiness was manifested by some mem bers of the family. Mr. Newell thereupon cut out some silhouettes representing men of tho roughest Western type, all with pistols In their belts and In the attitude of men intensely Interested In a game of poker. These silhouettes Mr. Newell fas tened to the Inner canvas of'" the tent At night the family, stepping outside into the darkness to view the result, were en tranced with Its success. The shadows thrown from the silhouettes in the lighted interior Indicated a tent filled with poker-playing, pistol-shooting despera does. Thenceforth the Newell family slept In pastoral peace. The poet Walt Whitman, was, as is well known, dependent during most of his llfo upon the kindness of friends and admirera for support, making llttlo or nothing on his writings. A few years before his death one of these friends called upon him In his little house in Camden, a suburb town of Philadelphia. "Well, Walt." he said, "how goes it this winter? Any subscription need ed for Christmas?" "No," said Whitman. "No, I'm at work now. I'm in the em ploy of George Childs. He pays me $50 a month." "You at work! May I ask your occupation?" "Why, I rido In the street cars. I fall into talk with the drivers and conductors, and find out which of them have no overcoats and guess at their size and notify Childs, and then he send3 the overcoats. It's not hard work." said the poet "And then, you know, it helps Childs .along." PLEASANTRIES OP PARAGRAPHERS Sirs. Kewrocks I'm determined that Cyn thia's debut shall pass off with great eclat Mr. Newrocks What's eclat, Maria expense? Puck. Mrs. Upjohn What beautiful floors! How do you keep them so nicely polished? Mra. Gas well (giving her the Icy glare) I don't I leave that to the housemaid. Chicago Tribune. . "I seo by the papers that Beaumont oil spec ulators have gone under after selling a lot of worthless stock to Virginia preachers." "H'ml That's one way of going Into the ministry." Baltimore News. Sunday School Teacher Tommy, I'm glad to hear that you don't read dime novels. Wby Is It, though? TommyCos 1 knows a placo whero I kin get 'em threofcr a dime. St. Paul Pioneer Press. "What becomes of your defeated political candidates. Colonel? -Do you relegate them to the rear?" "No, sir; they all take the lecture platform and get rich telling how It happened." Atlanta Constitution. Smith I thear Short, tho coal man. has come into a large fortune. Jones Well, he's entitled to It. Smith Oh, he Is. eh? Jones Yes. He's been lying in weight for It a good many years. Chicago Daily News. Olden You're cultivating rather extravagant tastes.' Youngman Oh, well, when I get a start in the world I expect to have all tha money I want. Olden Well, at that rate, you'll want all .the money yoa expect to have. Philadelphia Press. Anxious Patient Do you weally think, doc tah, that I shall havo a gween old age? Gruff Doctor Unless you die young or acquire a llttlo common gumption, you havo before you a pros pect of the greenest old age possible to human ity. Baltimore American. First South American Faugh 1 Think of that man pretending to be a statesman! Why, he knows absolutely nothing of political economy. Second South American I should say he didn't. Why, he couldn't tell a revolution from a North American college yell. Judge. Mr. Gotham So you are going to settle In the United States? New Arrival (from Soutb America) Yes, sir; they've got to drawing things a little too fine In South America to suit me. Why, sir. It's got so now that a man can't even get a job at overthrowing a govern ment unless he belongs to a Revolutionists'' Union and has paid his fees regularly fornix months. Ne.w York "VVeekJy , A