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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (March 9, 1907)
THE MORNING OREGONIAX, SATURDAY, MAKCH !, XVUf. STBSCBIPTION RATES. KT INVARIABLY IN' ADVANCE. "S3 ,. By Mall.) rillr. Sunday included, on yar... 82? Dally. Sunday Included, six months 4-25 -lally. Sunday Included. tnre months. .-2.-5 Dai.';-, Sunday Included, one monll 5 Daily, without Sunday.' one year 8.00 bally, without Sunday, six month Daily, without Sunday, three montha.. l.5 IJally, without Sunday, one month 0 Sunday, one year "j;0 Weekly, one year (Issued Thursday)..- 10 Euoday. and Weekly, on year 30 BY CARRIES. Dally, Sunday Included, . one year 8-ft0 Dally. Sunday Included, one month T5 HOW TO REMIT Send poetofflca money order, express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency ara at the sender's risk. Give postofflca ad dress in tull. Including county and atata. POSTAGE RATES. Entered at Portland, Oregon. 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I'OHTI.ANI), StATl'KDAY. MARCH 8. 1901 THE RACE ill t. AIMIO. There is a group of Southerners, oth erwise Intelligent enough, who have lost their wits entirely over the negroes. Thomas Nelson Page is one of them. Ill an ortlele of less than eight pages in the March MoClure's, on what he calls "The Great American Question," this distinguished s,uthor uses the words "race" and "racial" 112 times by actual count. There are two columns ench of which contains the words four teen times. In one sentence they occur four times and in another five. All this goes to show that Mr. Page has "got race on the brain," to borrow an Inele gant phrase-. He has become obsessed with the greatness of the Southern whites and the delinquencies of the ne groes. The race question has become t fixed idea with him. He can think of nothing else, apparently, and even upon this one paramount theme he cannot think rationally. At times Mr. Page's language becomes incoherent; through out It is.extravagant. boastful and wild Most of the article is a vague sort of rhapsody, somewhat in the manner of Kipling, over the "great white race.' Occasionally the author condescends to . definite statement of fact, and then he Is for the most part wrong. B"or one thing he resolutely Implies from Wart to flni.vh that all negroes Who are .lynched in the South have committed assaults upon white women. It Is well known that this is not so. More than two-thirds of the lynchings are for crimes like theft and murder. From this incorrect premise he argues that the white men who do the lynchings are "In the skirmish line" that protects the whole white race from the peril of miscegenation. Mr. Page condemns them with feeble formality, but in real ny ne thinks rney are doing a great service to civilization, since by burning and torturing negroes they protect the race purity of the whites. The fart that most of the lynchings have noth ing to do with the "social equality' problem docs not disturb .Mr. Page in the lca-st. Having invented his prcm ises. he stickles jiot to abide bv his conclusion. In Jamaica, where negroes tire more numerous in proportion to the whites than almost anywhere in the South, there is no outcry about social equality, no mob rule, no torture. Also. one m nappy to aaa. there are no Thomas Dixons and no Tillmans or Vardanians. The Knglish rulers of the island have learned how to treat the negroes with simple and exact justice, anil justice solves all the problems that arise. What it does in Jamaica it would also do in the South. u he peril of miscegenation, which seems to be the essence of Mr. Page's "Ureal American Question," is for the most part imaginary, for what real ity there is in It the whites, not the ne groes, are to blame. The "negroid" pop ulation of the country Is not born from the union of negro men with white "women, but from that of white men with negro women. The mulattoes are not a section of the white race graded downward, but ol -the negroes graded upward. If a mingling of white blood uplifts them. The whole subject of misvegent-tion is absolutely in the con trol or me wnites. n tney wish to pre vent it they have only to cease their nssoclaiion with colored women. The question presents no difficulty whatever except that of controlling the irregular passions of the "great white race." The aristocratic Southerners who make the wildest outcry about the "inherent and fundamental inferiority" of the negroes and who. like Mr. Page, are terribly shocked to think of "negroes in power in the Legislature, on the supreme bench, at the bar, in the medical fac ulty. In all hotels." have not the least reluctance to mingle their "pure Cau casian blood" with that of a colored wench and increase ihe very mixture of rates which they rave against in public. The typical experience of a leather in a colored girls' school in a Southern city is on record to the pur port that as fast as hr puplis came to maturity they were taken away by white "geotUvmen." to the ruinous de pletion of her graduating classes, Everybody knows what the facts about "miscegenation" really are, and it would -show a great deal more sense and a great deal less hypocrisy in the whites it they would cease either to shriek over-it or to promote it by their vices. As long as they continue to do both they cannot avoid appearing a trifle ludicrous as well as insincere. Like other writers of his class, Mr. Page assumes, without explicitly stat ing it. that we are on the. eve of a war between the white and black races to prevent miscegenation. When that warhreaks out, he informs the negroes. they will find all the whites united against them by the -sacred ties of race." The notion, that such a war is possible could, of course, arise nowhere else than in the imagination of a South erner infla'med with anger at the thought of his former slaves assuming the status of human beings. It. is ut terly maniacal. But if a struggle be tween the Southern whites and blacks ever should arise, it .is to be hoped that he people of the .north,- insread- of tak- ng sides with eithef party, would in terfere promptly and effectually to put stop to it. If the Southerners could only ninke up their minds to let the negroes a'one. and think of something else for a while, the; greater part of their troubles would vanish into thin air. ' - THIS rl.ATFOKM PlrK. The smoker on the streetcar is a pub lic nuisance. His complete abatement would be a general boon. On the front platform he is bad enough, but not in tolerable, .since the tloor is usually closed and the stench of his fuming weed is somewhat fended from the pas sengers. But on the rear platform he is iiisufftrabl". The rear door always stands open, and the motion of the car makes a suc tion with draws the smoke within and distributes it impartially among the women and children. Everybody has seen a." woman's fa,ce turn pale with nausefl as the hideous reek of the con tributory pipes and cigarettes struck her in full force. It is all a strong man can bear without qualms. The smoker on the streetcar selects viler tobacco than anybody else, and he burns it in a nastier pipe. , If he smokes cigarettes they are. fouler than those one has to endure elsewhere. The rear platform of a streetcar is a place of torment for one. who is not saturated with nicotine in soul and body. There you shall behold young boys blowing the unspeakable reek of pipes and cigarettes through their noses; there stands the robust offender of adult years pouring a filthy current from his mouth. If a woman climbs the steps to enter the car she is smitten in the face with a nauseous stench which turns her stomach and defiles her garments. She has to run a dis gusting gauntlet to make her way within the car. and- when she has en tered she is almost as much exposed to the nuisance as on the platform it self. The woes of riding on a-streetcar are sufficiently -harrowing jn - thmselves without intensifying, and multiplying them by the stench of nasty tobacco. The pleasure which the inconsiderate smokers derive from their weeds may be very great, but thoy can postpone it without much . suffering until they reach .some secluded spot where they will not offend others. The rule of law an-d courtesy is for each person to re frain from those enjoyments which in jure his neighbors. Smoking on street cars injures everybody but the smoker himself, and perhaps he is not exempt in the long run."-As a coirjman nuisance it should be abated. REASONS FOR RAILROAD PESSIMISM. There is more than a modicum of truth in the statement ' that "no ropue e'er, felt" the halter draw with good opinion- of the law." Perhaps it ; is something of this nature that, gives some of the railroad men such a poor opinion of the railroad laws which necessity has forced the HeoplG to enact. Naturally as these laws were passed and- enforcement is attempted for the purpose, of bringing to book some of thse offenders, they may be expected: to do what they ca.n to bring discredit on the laws. "We hear a great deal these days about the antagonism towards the railroads being so serious as to excite alarm among the capitalists on whom the railroads have in the past depended for funds. It bas been hinted, with more than a suspicion of truth in the rumor, that the rail roads have purposely stirred- -up some of this uneasiness In financial circles, with a view to discrediting the new laws that are being invoked in the at tempted correction of the abuses under which the people have been chafing for so long. At first glance such a charge would, seem too ridiculous to be considered, as it naturally follows that, unless the railroads can secure the .money needed for extensions and) 'betterments, they will be in no position to handle their rapidly increasing business. But. when it is remembered that the business of the country has so far outgrown the facilities of the railroads for handling it that it will take years for them to catch up. it -will be seen that they are in a position to do a iittle sulking and stir up a little financial trouble without assuming any great risk of loss them selves. The great railroad corporations have been in the saddle for so long that they regard any attempt at regu lating their business as an attack on vested rights, and their outbursts of in dignation over the anti-railroad legis lation of course have some' effect on the financial situation. In this exploitation of their griev ances the railroads are hardly acting fairly. Thes continually set forth that this corrective legislation Is invoked for the purpose of impairing the earning capacity of the railroads, when, as a matter of fact, the question of rates has been the least important feature of the great subject, except in one or two states where local commissions have sought to reduce rates. The -principal, charges against the railroads are that they are guilty of combinations in re straint of trade, or secret rebating, granting discriminatory rates to u few, watering stock, "rigging" the market and indulging in other reprehensible practices which should have no place in the business of a common carrier. The railroads themselves, being guilty of these offenses, must bear the blame for the protests that are now appearing in the form of laws. The public has submitted to these abuses for many years, and the attempt to correct them is long overdue. It is not at all clear, however, in spite of the efforts of the railroads to -make it appear so. that the alleged gigantic difficulty in raising money is due to the hostility of the people towards the roads. Tbe Penn sylvania. Railroad has borrowed; $riO, OftO.OOO since the aJgitafkm began, the New York. New Jda-nen & Hartford nearly $30,000,000, and for terminals alone at Kansas City the roads have just secured J30.0OO.O00. The wholesale exprjision in all lines of industry has quite naturally stiffened money rates and increased the cost of construction. There is also the.-restraining belief that "this prosperity'' cannot last forever," and to these causes is due. the lack of desire on the part of capital to force its money on' the railroad men at this time. These facts are well known to the railroad- men, but they seem to prefer that the public .should believe that railroad work is being held up for the alleged cause that drastic anti-railroad legisla tion is scaring capital into hiding. "EXPLAINING" NORMAL POLITICS. Normal schools have haunted numer ous members of the Oregon Legislature after adjournment of that body, and: the members frequently have been put to it to "explain" their record on this g-a't. , As usual, members of the present Legislature are explaining. Senator Coshow, who fastened- thf Drain appro priation as a rider in the Senate on Representative Vawter's bill for one normal board of regents for all the schools, only to lose the rider in the House through failure of that 'body to concur, writes as follows to The Orego nian, under date of March 4, protest ing against the charge that he is re sponsible for Drain's being saddled on the Monmouth bill subsequently in ,the House: In an editorial in your Issue -of yesterday, entitled "Polities in Normal Schools," you use tills language: '-Nor can the Governor successfully disclaim responsibility for the tie up of Drain with Monmouth In a subse quent bill. The Drain school was saddled on the Monmouth bill b- Democratic a soeiates of the Governor, tr would not have been done at all, had the Governor allowed the first bill to beeome- a law." I have no disposition at all to enter Into any discus sion of the normal question. I had more of this controversy during the late session of the legislature than I wanted. I am sure yoti did not intend to misrepresent, but the statement contained In the above paragraph is Incorrect. The Drain normal was not saddled on the Monmouth hill by Democratic associates of the tiovernor. This was done in the House upon the motion of Republicans not very friendly to the Governor. I am quite confident tiiat the author of the Mon mouth bill will support me In this state ment. hope you will make this correc tion. I have no controversy at all with your conclusions. Nor has The Oregonian any contro versy with Senator Coshow in this mat ter. There are -facts and. records, how ever, which will be cited here again, since the subject has been .brought up by Senator Coshoiv. While- it is true that Representative Jackson, a Republican, succeeded in saddling Drain on Monmouth in the House, this was done after Senator Coshow failed to fasten the rider on Representative Vawter's bill in the Senate. Senator Cos-how was the first to propose the Drain rider in the Legis lature, and after he failed in the Senate the Republican Representatives from his county in the House took it up. In view of these facts. Senator Coshow cannot deny responsibility for the Drain rider. On March- 1, two days be fore publication of the articles from which Senator ' Coshow ' quotes in his lietter. The Oregonian said-: Now, the fact is that the man who flrt effected a "trade" for this combination fMonmouth and Drain) was one of the Gov ernor's Intimates and political compatriots. Senator. Coshow, of Douglas, who put Drain, a a rider in the Senate, on a bill of Rep resentative Vawter's, creating one norma! Board of- Regents. The- House refused to concur In this rider. Thereupon, the Drain rider was put on in the House, near the last hours of the aession. to Senator L.augh ary's bill, for Monmouth. This was done at the instance of Representative Jackson, of Douglaa, a Republican, aided by the inllu ence of Senator Coshow. The point is that one of the Governor's close political asso ciates engineered the Drain trade. AH the normal trading came after the Governor vetoed Senator J. N. Smith's bill (Marion), giving to a state board power to abolish two normals and requiring it to maintain the two survivors. In the passage of this Smith bill the usual normal trades had been absent. The measure offered a reason able solution of the normal trouble, and would have Temoved normal polities from the lawmaking body. But it would have -given to the Governor and his two appointees on the board the control of its work and made tnem re sponsible for its - selection of the sur viving schools. For this reason, it is natural to' infer, the Governor vetoed the bill. If the Governor desired to re open normal politics in the Legislature and thus put that bodyi "in a hole." that might have been an a-dditional rea son for his veto. Trading then bean, and all four schools were provided for. The separ ate bills for Ashlarrdl and "Weston be came laws. The one bill for Monmouth and Drain was vetoed. But Monmouth an-d Drain will not close their doors and will ask the Legislature two years hence to pay their debts. ; The normals are a sorry mess. The men responsible for it are the Governor and the members of the Legislature. The people pay the bill for this inter play of polities. . NOT A PIT SUBJECT FOR SYMPATHY. A pathetic story is told of a man who left his family, consisting of his wife and four children, on a. ranch in North Dakota, fifteen miles from the nearest neighbor, and. returned after an absence of several weeks to find that the entire family had frozen to death, after hav ing, burned every article of furniture in their house in the hope that they might thus survive the blizzard. Practical common sense will waste little sympathy on this bereajr'ed hus band and father. It will ask instead wiy this man left home in the middle of a Dakota Winter when there was no fuel in reach of his family, in am isola tion in which, their cries for succor -could only be answered by the "shriek ing of the mindless wind"? He cer tainlyi knew that the coal bin and the wood box were empty and that there was no chance In those snowy, wind swept solitudes to replenish them. Most likely it was this knowledge that drove him to thenearest place where he could find a warm corner in which to huddle, with a hard-luck story, until the blizzard had spent its force. A man who In this day and age of the world will take a helpless family and stake them out on a great prairie fif teen miles from the nearest neighbor is not a hero of pioneer romance, but a creature without practical common sense. Having committed this primal folly, he is. if 'he abandons them there in the depth of "Winter, upon any pre text whatever, a creature without a conscience, a criminal of the most ex asperating because of the most unpun ishable type- 'He is not indictable in law, for murder, but he is, in fact, a murderer of the most coldblooded kind. Here's hoping, since this Dakota rancher is impervious alike to the flagellations of conscience and the pen alty of law, that the next blizzard that sweeps the Weak prairie upon which he abandoned his wife and chtl . dren will fiinJ him stranded thereaab.e left them, without fuel. Thoturh evi dently a. candidate for sympathy, this "poor rancher" is not a fit subject tor it. ' District Attorney Jerome grows sar castic over "brain storms." He is not alone In the opinion that if there is nothing between society and any one who wishes tj attack it but a "brain storm" which In the last analysis sci ence stands ready to excuse and law to defend we would better go 'back to the days of the frontier and let every man take out a pistol permit. The "brain storm" of today was the ungov erned rage of former years, and when it threw wide the door of human ac countability and let a man's good judg ment out and murderous folly in, its subject was duly punished after his temper had cooled. There are few per sons who amount to anything in life that have not safely weathered more than one "brain storm" by taking ref uge in the haven of self-control. It is baldest of sophistry to assert that any- human being who Is fit to be at large among his fellow-men cannot so direct his course in life as to be able to make this haven of refuge when sorely beset. Tennessee is seriously considering the establishment of fire insurance by the state. A special legislative committee iff now at work on the general question of insurance reform. It addressed an inquiry to Insurance Commissioner Folk a to whether a state system of fire insurance is practicable. He re plied that he so considers it, and points out Australia and New Zealand as countries where it hae worked success fully. The committee has asked legal opinion as to the powers of the Legis lature to confer upon the insurance de partment the authority to carry the risks of citizri.e. It is thought the committee . will favor the new project and it is more than likely that Tennes see will be the first state in thf Union to sell fire insurance on public account. Portland's bank clearances for the week make a more satisfactory show ing than any other important city in the United States. The increase over the same week a year ago is 63.4 per cent, and the total is above 58.100.000. The clearances for Tacoma and Spo kane show a gain of 23 and 39 per cent, respectively, while Seattle has a de crease of 12 -per cent. It is fair to Se attle to remark, however, that its loss is more apparent than real, for its bal ances are now paid iu cash, while last year they were paid -by check and were therefore grossly 'stuffed. " Portland may not get up steam so quickly as some of Us neighboring -cities, but when it strikes a rapid gait it is likely to keep it up quite as long, or perhaps a little, longer. The shadow that lowers alike over cottage and mansion the dark shadow of the wing of Azrael hovers over the White House. All matters of public weal and private animosity'are forgot ten for the moment, while a sorrow that thousands - share because they have walked with it in their own households impends over the President's home. There is not greater or less in parental grief when the promise of a young life is menax-ed or rudely cut off." Here is the level upon which the kinship of humanity is established. There is a pretty big barony in the United States this land of the free, which a little more than a century ago banished the old-style titles and pow ers of nobility. That was before rail roads existod. " Mr. Harrirnan' wears "a coronet of the new day and- generation. The Job of engineer of the Panama Oana has been used thus far-by its incumbents to boost themselves into another job paying two or threetlmes bigger salary. Major G. W. Goethals, now in charge, being an Army engineer, will probably not thus chase lucre. Numerous patriots in Oregon would lend encouragement to Judge Hebbard in his gun quest for Heney in San Francisco, but, though several of them may even have threatened to do the same thing, it is not likely they would appear on the fighting line. In order that the people may be sure to know what laws and jobs and jokers the lawmakers at Salem put up on them, how would it do to amend the constitution so that knaves may not har representatives of the press from the -people's Legislature? Since the corporations maintained at Salem a highly-paid lobby) to . kill the people's bills, the next move in order would seem to be for the people to maintain a lobby, too that is, if it could be kept out of the hands of the corporations. Chicago Republicans have nominated the city's postmaster for Mayor. Some men are eminently qualified to run for office; 'but we surmise that Postmaster Busse will not let go of one till he gets the other. Now comes a Chicago "professor" who wouldj teach the "art of courtship." Would that these ubiquitous intermed dlers in human affairs would leave something to Nature. It would be better to hold Abe Ruef under an impossible ibond', make him a "trusty" and let him skip. Time, money and. patience would be saved. H.illsboro is the first to announce a Fourth of July celebration. That would) be one on Mr. Daniel McAllen -if the 17th of March were not at hand: Will lumber prices go up again to make good to the strikers and the mill men what they are now taking out of each other? Members of the Legislature, when in Salem, did not realize the many things their . constituents would ask them to explain,- It's: too had those Oregon hem? were so stubborn, two months ago.- When eggs are cheap they grow industrious. Oregon has had peace nearly two weeks. Washington State should limit its legislative sessions to forty days. Nearly every section of Oregon is fig uring on a new schoolhouse or addition to the old one. Oregon is growing. Congress adjourned amid scenes of great joy. The joy was felt all over the country. Boss Ruef beats fugitive Tracy even before breaking out of the penitentiary. Possibly Mr. Ruef also doesn't know where, he as at. ACT - OX FOREIGX PROBLEMS Koosevelt Will Probably Bar Japan-. ese by' Proclamation. WASHINGTON. March 8. Within the comintr two weeks. President Roosevelt expects to give executive attention to the German tariff question and to the Japan ese situation. Already he has had several talks with Secretary Root and Mr. North, who was at the head of the American del egation, which went to Germany last Winter to conduct negotiations with that government on the German tariff ques tion. The details of the conferences have been laid before the President, and some announcement as to what. If anything, is to be done by this Government, is expect ed soon. Just what the procedure on the Jap anese question will be has not been announced. It may be, however, that it will take the form of an executive order putting 'nto effect that feature of the immigration law enacted by the last Congress, which gives the Presi dent authority, "whenever he is satis fied that passports issued by any for eign government to its citizens to go to any country other than the 1'nited States or any insurlar possession of the I'niled States or Canal Zone are used to enable the holders to come to the continental territory of the I'nited States to the detriment of labor con ditions, to refuse to permit such citi zens of the country issuing such pass ports to enter the continental territory of the United States." Although the Japanese are not men tioned specifically in this provision of the law, the legislation was enacted in accordance with the President's agree ment, with the San Francisco school au thorities. DOES NOT APPLY TO HAWAII Attorney-General Relieves Anxiety About Immigration Decision. HONOLULU. March S. The Terri torial Board of Immigration has cabled to Commissioner Sargent asking if the Spanish im'migrants now en route to Iawraii on the steamer Tteliopolis will bo excepted from Attorney-General Bonaparte's ruling against states' aid to immigration. WASHINGTON, March 8. Tt was au thoritatively stated today that the re cent opinion of the Attorney-General, In which he held that it Is unlawful, under the recently enacted immigra tion law, for a state to pay the passage of Intending Im-nigrants or to assist immigration except by adver tisement, will not apply to the Island of Hawaii. In that country the deci sion has already caused considerable agitation, as under the auspices of the Territorial Immigration Society immi grants are being brought to the Island from Europe and the Azores to take the place of Japanese laborers upon the sugar plantations. This has been sanctioned by the United States Gov ernment, and a shipload of immigrants recently brought from the Azores has proved very satisfactory. A conference was held today at the De partment of Commerce and Labor on the opinion recently submitted to the President by Attorney-General Bonaparte on the South Carolina immigration case. It appears clear that the Attorney-General sustains the opinion of the depart ment that immigrants landed at Charles ton. S. C, last November, are legally in this country. It is not so clear, however, that other immigrants whose passage to this country is paid by either states or individuals acting for . states may be landed in America before July 1 next, when the new immigration law goes into effect. Those who participated in the conference today are Secretary Straus, Solicitor Earle and Mr. Parker and Mr. I-arned of the Department of Commerce and Labor, and Assistant-Attorney-General Cooley. of the Department of Justice. It was not until today that the full text of Mr. Bonaparte's opinion was available. The Department of Commerce and Labor desires to obtain a definite interpretation of the law, because several Southern States have delegated to agents the work of securing Immigrants who will locate within their borders. It appears proble matical whether the states have the right to induce immigration, except by adver tising:. It Is quite certain that after July 1 they will not have this right. MADRID, ' March-!. The agitation against emigration is active here. About 700 families sailed recently from Malaga for the Hawaiian Islands. WANT NATIVE FOR SECRETARY Porto Ricans Petition Roosevelt About Post's Successor. SAN JUAN, Porto Rico. March 8. The Porto Kicans are desirous of hav ing a native of the island appointed Secretary of Porto Rico to succeed Mr, Post, who has been appointed Governor in succession to Mr. Winthrop. The House of Delegates today sent the following message to President Roosevelt: . "The House of Delegates unanimous ly request you to appoint a Secretary of Porto Rico from among the natives of Porto Rico, thus giving us an op portunity to demonstrate our ability in self-government. Such an act of jus tice will be gratefully received by the whole country." , WASHINGTON. "March 8. Mr. Lar rinaga. Commissioner from Porto Rico in Congress, has asked the President to appoint a native Porto Rican to the Secretaryship of the island to succeed Secretary post, who has been appoint ed Governor. The Secretary, by virtue of his office, is a member of the Execu tive Council. The Foraker amend ment provides that the Executive Coun cil shall consist of 11 members, at least five of whom shall be native Porto Ricans. He says that for seven years there have been but five native Porto Elcana in the Council. Kaiser Visits Tower Family. BERLIN, March 8. Emperor William carried a bouquet of roses and lilacs to the American Kmbassy last night and presented it to Mrs. Tower, wife of the American Ambassador. HiB Majesty also asked to see Mr. and Mrs. Tower's two little daughters, gave them a lot of toys and talked with them for some time about their dogs and games. Increase of Rural Delivery. WASHINGTON, March 8. The report upon the operations of the rural delivery service up to March 1, 1907, shows that the total number of petitions received up .to that date was 39,920. upon which 15,501 adverse reports have been - made, and there are now in operation 37,323 routes, on which 37,174 regular rural letter-carriers " are employed. New Oregon Forest Officials. WASHINGTON, .March 8. J. Milton Sellers, of Prairie City, and H. M. Guth rie, of Detroit, have been appointed rangers, and William A. Cargwille, of Waeco County, supervisor o forest ser vice. Victory for German Colonies. BERLIN, March 8. The governmen won its first victory in the new Reich stag today when that body, by a large majority, passed the second reading of the supplementary appropriation bill for German Southwest Africa, and also the application for beginning the work of the railroad from ivudud to Jveetmanshoop. The Center party, Poles and Socialists, votes against the measure. FREE TIMBER TO SETTLERS Iirge Quantity From Forest Re serves ' Taken' Without Waste. WASHINGTON.' March 8. The Gov ernment during the last year has fur nished 75,000 worth of timber to set tlers and ranchers in or near the re serves, without charge. One of the regulations of the Forest Service pro vides that legitimate applicants- may secure what timber they need by what Is conveniently called the "free use" privilege. Fifteen thousand permittees in this way obtained timber to supply their' wants. From these figures it may readily be. seen that the settlers are securing very material assistance without cost from the forest reserves. At the same time, the free-use business has been so handled that the material taken out has improved the condition of the for est. Dead timber which would other wise have rotted or helped to spread forest fires has been removed first of all. Where it was necessary for the settlers to have green wood, the rang- , era. so far as possible, marked trees j which were suppressed, diseased, or ! from some other cause no longer in a j condition for further growth. In this way the ranchers secured material which they desired, and at the same time the forest was left stocked with the thriftiest trees, whose chance to develop will be unhindered. The greatest amount of free use was on those reserves which lie in the semi-arid parts of the West, where there is least timber. . On a. number of reserves the value of the material for which permits were Issued exceeded J.1000. and on the Wenaha Reserve in Washington and Oregon, .the Bear River Reserve in Utah and Idaho, and the Weiser and Henrys .Lake reserves in Idaho it exceeded $4000. If there had been no restriction on the settlers in securing this material, great waste would have resulted, because the set tlers would have paid no attention to the future good of the forest or its value as a protective covering. Anoth er distinct advantage of the system is that a settler, when he has secured his permit, is sure of being able to get the material from the locality assigned to him without interference from other people. . Very little change in the handling of the free-use business is contemplated for the next year. The experience of the past year has shown, however, that methods can be systematized so as to give yet better service to the people and be more economical to the Forest Service. This branch of' the work of the For est Service gives good evidence of the fact that the aim in the administration of the forest reserves is to aid in tho permanent development of the country and place only such restrictions on the cutting of timber as are necessary for the maintenance of a permanent timber supply and the conservation of water needed for irrigation, for cities, and for the generation of power; The free-use privilege has been granted freely to ranchers who are building up homes, and enough timber will be reserved to supply their wants even if this will considerably reduce the amount of timber that can be sold. BODY IS AWAITING FATHER American Artist Suicide Cannot Be Cremated in France. PARIS, March 8. The body of Mrs. Natalie Dole Latham, who shot herself yesterday, was removed today from her apartment to the vault of the American Church, pending the arrival from New York of her father. George Lockwood, who is sailing tomorrow. Mrs. Latham's request that her body be cremated can not be complied with, as the French law prohibits crerrration except in the case of natural death. The friends - of the de ceased portrait painter ascribe her deed to melancholia. Baron Rapher, Mme. Grun and a Mar quis, who is an officer in the French army and was the caller on Mrs. Latham, who heard the fatal shot as he was descending in the elevator, are the friends mentioned in one of the letters left by the suicide. They all extol her character. One letter left by the deceased tried to make it appear that the shoot ing was accidental, while in another the request was made that her wedding-ring be not removed and neither her dress, a ball gown, nor her hair, which was es pecially beautiful, should be disturbed. Mrs. Latham's last letter from her father was dated February 12. In it the writer did not mention money, but asked appealingly if his daughter was not ready to return home. it has been learned that the French officer who . heard the fatal shot was the Marattis de Bernis. Mrs. Latham talked of committing suicide a fortnight ago with Mme. Gruen. She said her funds were ex hausted and that she could not bear the idea of returning to New Tork . Bill to Expand Peace Compact. THE HAGUE. - March 8. The lower house of Parliament today passed a bill authorizing the government to conclude conventions providing for adhesion to the Hague peace conference of 1S99 with any nonsignatory powers desiring to par ticipate in the second conference- Kingston Is Still Quaking. KINGSTON, Jamaica, March 8. Since Monday several sharp short earth quakes have been felt here. They were accompanied by a loud roaring noise. THE A 1 ;Ji 4T t Ml S S - W. W BBS. IN THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN TOMORROW I Far-alilille of Front Page of . MaiERftlne Section, Printed in . JOAQUIN MIM.F.R. Among the new features for tomorrow Is the first of a series of articles by Joaquin Miller, "The Poet of the Sierras," giv ing the recollections of his early life. As his youth and early man hood Were passed in this state, his contributions have special interest for Oregonians. EIJPH' HEWMTT. This is the name of a new funny man created by Ellis Parker Butler. He makes his introductory bow tomorrow. Hewlitt is a typical book. agent, but was once a missionary to Africa. In his new vocation he practices diplomacy with signal success. .' 31 R. DOOI.KV. Womnn suffrage is his topic, but let no one think he con fines his rich satire to the fair sex. Every man who stepped into a booth to mark his ballot will see himself as Dooley sees him, and he will feel small. SHIPI1I ll.BKIIS AT WORK. Striking full-pege picture, in colors, by Oregonian artists, of men engaged in hullding a ves sel of Oregon fir in a Portland shipyard. DKXTKR MARSH A 1. 1., Who has -an Intimate ac quaintance with national men and affairs, tells of noted, suc cessful Americans who fought their way to the front rank' without the aid of colleges, FRANK J. CARI'KNTER Is particularly interesting to morrow. He gives details of an Interview with the noto riously cruel King of Dahomey, who was on his death bed when . Mr. Carpenter conversed - with him. . -. THE ROOSEVELT BEARS. They fere in London town now. Everywhere tiiey go they are treated like Princes. :but. just the same, they don't for get that they are fun-loving, healthy young Americans. FOR BOYS AND GIRLS. Four-page rlaper. 'two pages illustrated in colors. Dolly Drake and Bobby Blake have an adventure with white mice. The stories for boys and girls are by the best writers for youth. AA'. W. JACOBS, Author of sea yarns which all landsmen enjoy, presents "Twin Spirits," an oddity, and, as usual, a complete surprise. MARY STEWART CUTTme. To her "Little Stories of Hap py Life," this sympathetic writer contributes "The Little Room." Every mother will ap preciate it. 0B PAGE CLASSICS. Lord Lytton's best novel, that thrilling narrative, "The Last Days of Pompeii." FOX -From the New Tork World. V . - - . .