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THE ILLUSTRATED WEST SHORE.
THE WEST SHORE,
ILLUSTRATED,
PVM.IMIKD KVEKY SATUKUAV, AT THE CoKNEK OP COLUMBIA AND WATER STUEETS,
PORTLAND, OKKUON.
New Yok Oppice, No, 48 Tkibune Building.
Subscription Price, Four Dollars per Year. Single Copy, Ten Cents.
AOOMM AU OOMMUftCATIOMt MO MM! AU AlttlTTMCf PAVAOU TO
THE WEST SHORE PUBLISHING COMPANY
PORTLAND, OkKGON.
MTIMO AT Tnfl MOT OfflM AT POOTLANO. OMOOM. PON TPANOUIMNM THNOUOM THt MAILS AT MOOMO CLAM RATIO.
SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 1891.
A THREATEX1XG EVIL
The Lutherans and Roman Catholics do not constitute congenial yoke
fellows under ordinary circumstances, and it is usually enough to condemn a
cause in the eyes of either to know that the other espouses it s but the two
sects have joined hands politically in Wisconsin and are working together to
destroy in that state the very foundation of American institutions. Hoth sects
have more or less foreign affiliations, either by reason of their membership
being largely of foreigners or of allegiance to a foreign head, and it was not
to be exwcted that they would take kindly to any measure tending to limit
their clannishness or to break down the barriers with which they had hedged
themselves about in order to preserve their distinctive qualities. So when the
Dennett law said that all healthy children should receive English instruction
in certain branches for several weeks in the year, these two sects, maintaining
private schools in which all instruction was given in German, considered it a
direct thrust at their personal rights. A great howl went up immediately and
the two churches united at the polls to defeat this great step towards popular
intelligence.
The Bennett law has been unconditionally repealed, but the sectarian
icalots, who have liecome drunken with success, are not satisfied with this.
They now want a portion of the public funds to support their nurseries of op
position to the spirit of our government, and it will not be surprising if the dem
ocrats clinch the advantage already gained in Wisconsin by surrendering a
patriotic principle to the clamoring horde of hungry and crafty priests and
licentiates. Such action will, of course, weld the supiorters of foreign paro
chial schools to the democratic party. Wisconsin, having a large proportion
of foreigners in its population, will probably remain under democratic sway
some time unless the excessive real of the foreign forces create a speedy re
action, in which case the Dodger state will again become an American com
monwealth, and there will be 1 distinct loss in the church power there.
There is a remedy for such ills as this and it is one that must sooner or
later receive practical recognition. So long as the right of suffrage is given
those who are not American citizens and whose every instinct is foreign, Amer
ican states will be troubled by these foreign invasions from within. This is a
large country and when the clannishness of sects or nationalities is permitted
to crystalire into laws that are contrary to the genius of American institutions
the republic is weakened, and, if the evil go unchecked, it must crumble and
decay. To preserve a united and proserous country those having a voice in
governmental affairs should be imbued with national spirit, and it is absurd to
supKise that any foreigner is qualified for the functions and responsibilities of
citizenship when he has been in a new world long enough to declare, through
an interpreter, his intention to become a citizen. Full citizenship first and
then an English educational qualification for all who would cast a ballot would
cure the most malignant of the political ills that alllict the country, and the
sooner action is taken towaid this end the easier it will be to regain lost ground
in nationality. Americans must preserve their nationality.
THE XORIIIWEST HCSIXESS SIIVATOX.
While the lin.111ci.il stringency that lias prevailed throughout the country
hat been very noticeable in the Pacific northwest during the past fifteen
months it was not entirely unexected and its results have not been bad.
Shrewd business men recogniie the fact that in a country developing with such
remarkable rapidity readjustments of values are not only inevitable but on
the whole desirable. (Juick growth stimulates simulation and speculation,
when at all general, compels readjustment of property values and business
conditionv These readjustments, when long deferred, assume the magnitude
of " panici " and the several instances in the financial history of this country
when panics have been widespread and disastrous are abundant illustrations :
of the tendency to periodically restore the relations of the elements of trade, j
Of course legislation affecting tariff, silver, railways, etc., the condition of bus- ;
iness in other countries and many other things have an influence on the sta- ,
bility of domestic commerce but it is usually unnecessary to go beyond the
bounds of our own country to reach the more immediate causes of these
periods of financial depression.
There is no use dodging the fact that one of the elements in the consti
pated condition of the money market in the. northwest a condition which,
happily, seems to have reached its worst and recovery from which has already
begun was the overstraining in real estate business. Washington suffered
most from this cause because it offered the most attractive field and presented
opportunities for undue inflation. It may be accounted fortunate that both
domestic and foreign business conditions brought about a general stringency
which forced the small readjustments of values in many parts of the north-,
west before they brought the necessity upon themselves and suffered the
heavy penalty that would then have ensued. So business is now picking up
encouragingly after a season of dullness, confidence is returning and the
whole business situation holds assurances of restored and continued pros
perity. This exierience has not cost the northwest much and it should be of
great value. It has not paralyzed trade nor wrought commercial ruin, but it
has served the important purpose of wakening people to the tendency accom
panying rapid development, and the provident will not ignore the modest lesson.
The northwest country is firmly on its feet and in a better condition for sub
stantial progress than ever before.
The project of opening the Columbia river to navigation so as to bring
it into active service as a transportation route, is one of the most important
that has engaged the serious attention of the business men of Oregon and
Eastern Washington for years. It has been fully demonstrated that congress
will not act to afford the necessary relief so the present generation will experi
ence any of its benefits. The enterprise involves gigantic engineering diffi
culties, but those difficulties must be overcome, and the sooner the actual
work is begun the sooner there will be practical results. Portland, having pre
viously raised $:,ooo,ooo to aid the Hunt railway in building to the city, with
the idea of reaping a benefit similar to that which will be brought by the river
improvement, now proposes to put $1,500,000 into the latter enterprise, leav
ing a balance of $500,000 to be raised by the whole inland empire, which will
be the correlative beneficiary of the improvement. Portland is the great cen
ter of trade and capital, and the inland country is the great source of wealth
that needs connection with the best markets to develop it fully. Portland
shows commendable liberality in shouldering three-fourths of the cost of this
work, and there is no doubt of the willingness of people interested in busi
ness along the Columbia and in the tributary country to make up the compar
atively small balance to insure the success of the scheme. It should be
pushed.
The current year marks an important epoch in the history of northwest
ern cities. The consolidation of Portland, East Portland and Albina into
one great metropolis will be the most important achievement. Seattle has or
ganized a municipal government on a large and expensive scale, and one that
will be likely to meet its needs when it has more than a hundred thousand
people. Tacoma has also made sundry improvements. Spokane is the lat
est to act in the way of increasing its municipal powers and assuming metro
politan dimensions. It dropped "Falls" Irom its name. The new govern
ment is about to issue $1,000,000 of bonds and inaugurate important im
provements. Altogether the cities of the northwest are squaring themselves
for advancement and will make a very pretty race.
Chicago presents the spectacle of fighting a municipal campaign on na
tional issues. Senator-elect Palmer took off his coat and entered the canvas
on the ground that Chicago's influence in this election would largely deter
mine which party would be successful in the next national campaign. His
logic was rather strained, but it doubtless satisfied himself and his party.
The result will probably not utterly dishearten the defeated party so far as the
national contest goes.
C.ennany can't esc.-qw American pork. It is true that it is not quite
clear whether all the credit for breaking down the barriers the Teuton had
erected against his American hogship is due to Secretary Blaine or to Minis
ter Phelps, but the achievement is gratifying to the producers of pork.