WEST SHORE.
195
The New York Herald publishes an expxure of the mismanagement ol
the funds contributed by a sympathetic and generous psopla to relieve the
necessities of the victims of the Johnstown flood, in which it charges that
one-third of the money was squandered or stolen. It la needless to bring up
this subject again, for long ago the people became convinced of the criminal
mismanagement of their largess. Yet such is the Innate generosity and
sympathetic nature of our people that the next great calamity that shall
occur will find them as ready to poor out their offerings for the roll if of suf
fering and distress as they were when destruction and ruin visited the
peaceful valley of the Conemaugh.
A few ol the oldw residents ol Spokane Falls are violently opposed to
the proposition to drop the word " Falls " from the official title of that city.
Whether this be done officially or not, it certainly will be done practically.
Even now it Is omitted by a majority of people in speaking of that bustling
city, and in a few years It will be known everywhere as simply " Spokane."
There is no use fighting the Inevitable. The American people have no time
to waste in speaking useless names. Condensation Is the spirit of the age.
If those who object to the significance of the Indian word " Spokane," will
consider the worse meaning of the word " Chicago," they will find that the
aboriginal definition of a word has little to do with the prosperity of a city
upon which chance has bestowed it for a name.
The American mind fails to grasp that order of Central and South
American patriotism that leads one to purchase arms abroad and invade
bis native country simply because a rival aspirant for political honors has
gained the ascendency in the government, or which renders the unsuccessful
competitor an exile from his country to escape death at the hands of his
more fortunate rival. Until their statesmen cease to consider their personal
ambition paramount to the good of their native land, and are less eager to
shed the blood of their fellow citisens to attain political ends, those coun
tries never can become republics In the sense of that word as we understand
It, nor their people possess more than the merest shadow of the true patriot ism
that warms the breast of him who bows to the stars and stripes as the sym
bol of liberty.
Roger Kills handles the question of admitting ignorant foreigners to
the full rights of American citiisnBhip in Forum in a masterly manner. It
would seem that nothing but a crisis threatening eternal extinction of Amer
ican principles will suffice to arouse the nation to the danger that threat
ens it from this suicidal policy of making voters ont of men having no con
ception of the value of the franchise bestowed upon them, and utterly Ignor
ant of the theory of our government, the principle ol American liberty and
the history of the nation. Nothing but disaster can be expected. Gradu
ally the ignorant and corrupt mass becomes greater. Everywhere the
purity of American principles la being defiled. Here and there opposition
to the public school crops out so strongly as to amaie and startle the
thoughtless. Great cities are ruled by the corrupt bosses of a mass of Ignor
ant and venal voters, whose numbers are being constantly swelled through
the operation of the naturalisation laws, which, lax as they are, the bosses ,
In their contempt for them and their administration, evade and override.
There is a steady letting down of the high principles of our fathers. There
is a noticeable failing of respect for the sac redness of the ballot. There Is a
deplorable indication of the substitution of dollars (or arguments in securing
votes. All tills Is the direct result of the reckless admission to American
citiienship of foreigners, many of whom are openly hostile to our form of
government, and a majority of whom ara not In sympathy with some of the
principles that lie at the very foundation of true republicanism. It Is time
this policy of national suicide be discarded. The naturaliiatlon doors should
be reduced to a needle's eye, through which no man should enter until he
could, upon open examination, demonstrate his capability of becoming a
genuine American citiien.
The disposition to chase the shadow and Ignore the substance Is charac
teristic of a class of reformers who Ignore the well-known fact that theory
and practice seldom go hand In hand. The theory of the usury law is that
it will prevent the money lender from charging the borrower more than a
certain amount (or the use of money. The practice, in one of its most exas
perating features, Is plainly pictured In the cartoon on the last page. There
can be no possible legislation that can secure for the borrower the use of
money (or anything less than the rate fixed by the law of supply and de
mand, while every restriction thrown around its free use, every effort to limit
and restrain It, haa the Inevitable result of increasing Its cost to the bor
rower. The fundamental error of tills class of reformers is in treating money
as distinct from other forms of property. Bo long as a man's wealth is rep
resented by lands, cattle, grain, etc., he Is free to do with It as be chooses,
but when he changes It into another form, one that is by common consent
a medium of exchange between all the others, then these theorist pounce
upon it and try to limit ita nse. This effort finds expression in Uie usury
law and similar legislative attempts to interfere between the borrower and
lender. The result is that the direct action of the law Is evaded, and as the
evasion complicates the transaction, the borrower Is compelled to pay more
for his money than he otherwise would. This, and other restrictive laws,
keep capital from seeking the state (or Investment, since, while there is an
open field (or it elsewhere, It will not come here to bs compelled to resort to
the practices local capital pursues and finds so profitable. With all restric
tions removed from the use of money, the flow of outside capital will ere
long be so great that the supply will more nearly correspond with the de
mand, and the universal law of trade will become a practical usury law of
Itself, that will give borrowers money at lower rates than have ever been
known in the history of Oregon.
The disposition to foolishly and uselessly raise the sectional question In
Oregon Is well Illustrated by the following :
Visitors at ths PoiUand eipoeitioa declare that Wmoo oounti'l fruit uhlblt-par-ticauulj
the Hood River applee-wer the best there, and ret we do not eeelirut pmUee of
them In the Portland paper. How Is this brethren ot the Writ Short and Ortvm'na,
ara the Oaerade mountains the outern limits of Orefon In four qui- It'cuco 0)nl Sua.
In Its review of the fair, which could touch upon each feature but brief
ly, Wiht Shore said; " Wasco county fruit Is, on the whole, the most
tempting and satisfactory displsy ol all. For grapes, apples, etc, Wasco
stands In the front rank of the state, and the (ruit industry is becoming most
important there." This constant looking lor slights where there are none ;
this eternal knocking of Invisible chips from shoulders that never have
them on ; this ceaseless effort to arraign one section against another, la the
greatest stumbling block In Oregon's pathway. Let the people of the state,
and especially those who wield the great power of the press, stand together
in mutual pride and helpfulness, and Oregon will push to the front at a
rapid rate. There la something for us to do besides stirring up strife and
jealousies.
Bight hero Is a good place to say a word or two about the ugly " dog In
the manger " conduct of a few papers on the world's fair question. Instead
of taking hold of the matter and trying to do something, they lie back and
oppose the efforts of others, simply because the movement originated In
Portland. They are like the Irishman who exclaimed when he first placed
his foot on American soil, "Have yes agovernmlnt? If yet have, I'm fernlnst
It." They (eel bound to oppose everything that comes (rom Portland with
out without reference to Its merits. From the beginning the Portland press,
in urging the people of the state to do something, have asserted that it Is
not a Portland matter, but one that Interest! the whole state. For this rea
son they have refrained from doing more than urge the subject upon the at
tention of the people. For this reason the Portland Chamber of Commerce
has declined to take up the matter officially. Had it been simply a matter
that Interested the city only, It would have been attended to long ago. Fin
ally, the president of the Oregon Board of Commerce appointed a committee
representing the entire state, and the president ol the Oregon Press Asso
ciation did the same. Upon these committees Portland haa but a small
representation, and yet these professional malcontents raise their voice In
objection. For years the press ol Portland has endeavored to allay tills
spirit of sectionalism. Not a word can be found In the file ot the metro
politan press calculated to stir up strife between the city and country, and
the continued existence of estrangement, with all the evils to both that fol
low In Ita train, Is directly chargeable to the thoughtless and even repre
hensible utterances of certain of the outside press. Happily, the paper
pursuing this foolish policy are decreasing In numbers, and the time la not
far distant when, with united hands and patriotic hearts, the entire press of
the state will work together for the good of alt.
SONNET.
To love to madly love, and then to know
That she she whom yon have oil times held (ast
Against your beating breast, that she at last
Has struck you to the heart with one quick blow
Alas! why are we forced to suffeer so?
Can It be true that there la not a way
In all the restless world by which we may
Love on and fail to (eel till weight ol woe?
I muse alone; upon the dewy ground
Beneath these spreading oaks the wheeling moon
Lays pale, cold bands, and hark I I bear a tune
A song and now a burst of silver sound
Ah, yes, Increase my pain with your delight,
Once more let laughter ripple through the night I
llxaiiiKT IlAHiiroRi).