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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 1895)
THE MOBimrG- OBEGOOTAi MOSHDAl JANUARY 7, 1895 Catered at the PoetofSce at Portland. Oregon, second-clart matter. I1EVISED SUBSCRIPTION' RATES. 3jr Mail postage prepaid) In Advance. DaJlr. with Sunday, per month.. ....$ 1 00 Daily, Sunday excepted, per year...- 10 00 3ally, rith Sunday, per year 1- 00 Bunday, per year... - - The Weekly, per year -- 1 50 53ie "Weekly, three months 5 TO C1TT .SUBSCRIBERS. ally. per week, delivered. Sunday exeepted.3c Dally, per week, delii-ereJ. Sunday lnclnded..S0c DAILY METEOROLOGICAL REPORT PORTLAND, Jan. C. S P. II. Maximum tem ytrature, 30; minimum temperature, 34; height of rirer at 11 A. M.. 1LS; change In past 24 fcrnrs, 1.0; total precipitation today, 0.1: total precipitation from September 1. 1SU4 (wet sea fern), to date. 15.03; average. 21.KI; deSelency, C.S8. number of hours sunshine Saturday, 0:17; possible number. $:Z-. AVEATHBU SYNOPSIS. A change favorable for fair weather oc trred during the past 12 hours. There appears to he an area of high pressure -prevailing over Uritish CeiumWa. 1'roni this area the barom eter rote today east of the Cascades. There was telso a decided Increase of the pressure over the Western portions of "Washington and Oregon. Occasional light rain fell In the country west tit the Cascades. East of the Cascades the tem jperature hecame cooler; -nest of them slight changes occurred. WEATHER FORECAST?. TorecasU made at Portland for the 24 hours Vnding at midnight. January 7, 1SS5: For "Western "Waahlngton and "Western Oregon - Light showers in the morning, followed by. jSa.lT weather and cooler, with light t-outherly Hinds, becoming northerly. For Kastern Washington, Eastern Oregon and Idaho Fair weather and cooler, with light to Iresli variable winds. For Portland Occasional light showers in the morning, followed by fair weather and cooler, V th light northerly winds. B. S. PAGUE. Local Forecast Official. PORTLAND, MONDAY. JANUARY 7. DEPLORABLE SELF-ABASEMENT. It Is notorious that the truth and teincerlty of utterances in party plat forms are, in general, open to suspicion. It is only when they conform to known and settled principles that party plat forms can be received withoul doubt is to their integrity. Very often they sire studies in casuistical expression tind verbal equivocation. The republican convention of the fctate of Washington, in 1S94, adopted ,a free-silver platform. That platform tioes not express the sense of the repub lican party. Nobody supposes that the republican party of the "United States "will declare for the silver standard of tmoney. It never has done so; and now, since silver has fallen so low in the estimation, or markets, of the world, it is further from it than ever. Eut the republican convention of the state of "Washington, yielding to the clamor of ignorance, and of imaginary Interest, and fearing defeat if it should pro claim the truth as it knew the truth, declared for free coinage of silver. A senator now is to be elected, and men like Mr. John L. Wilson, of Spokane.and Sir. Levi Ankeny, of "Walla "Walla, who, like Mr. Charles "W. Fulton and Mr. Thomas IL Tongue, of Oregon, know "better, and hitherto have made a record for the right which they know must prevail, are now on their knees before the Ignorance and fanaticism of the sllverites, promising for a seat in the senate to contend for the lie that sil ver, purchasable any where on earth 3Yr less, than CO cents an ounce, shall be worth 51 20 an ounce in the United States. There is no parallel for it, but that presented in the history of Jack Cade, who promised that under his reforms seven half-penny loaves should be sold for a penny, that the three liooped pot should have ten hoops, that till the realm should be in common, and that his palfrey should go to grass in Cheapslde. Some days ago The Oregonlan con tained a somewhat severe animadver sion upon Mr. Ankeny for his manifest "willingness to yield his assent, and even to express his approval, of what he j;new to be false, in order to get a seat in the United States senate. This Sias moved the Seattle Post-Intelligencer to a defense of Mr. Ankeny, who, evi dently, is its candidate for the senat. It says that Mr. Ankeny is acting rn lionorable part, since every man who peeks office at the hands of a politi cal party agrees to carry out the will of that party, so far as that will is tiearly expressed. Let this be ad smltted, and then it remains to be said JLhat no man ought so to abase and de Ibase himself as to accept in a party platform, for the sake of official posi tion, what he knows is false In fact, Twrong in principle, bears a lie on its jFace, Is economically absurd and prac tically Impossible, and worse than alf, a, falsehood loaded with the most dead ly mischief to the country. It is by Sio means so important for any man to go to the senate as It is that he should retain his reputation for truth, intelligence, and honesty, and his own celf-respectmg character. Should Mr. Ankeny go to the Senate, W course he would not be a free-silver jnan if.that folly were in any danger of adoption. He could not be. As a man of knowledge, of property, of bus iness, of affairs, he would be held back ly forces he could not overcome, and would not want to overcome. If the Etate of Washington wants a free-silver tnan upon whom it can depend, we ad vise it to take some blatant fool, with out responsibility or character. The first executive appointment of Mayor Strong, of New York, must have given a powerful shock to the whole tribe of ward politicians, and caused SKod citizens, who never saw municipn.1 aiTairs fitly fitted, except in their dreams, to wonder whether they were rtwake or asleep. One of the most lucrative Tammany jobs has been the department of street-cleaning, which has achieved for New York the repu'.a tlon of the filthiest city in the United States. Of course, the commissioner J-as been a ward politician, who kn-w Jiothing of sanitary science, who bought Ills place and enriched himself with corrupt contracts, which never were performed. The new mayor 1ms ap pointed as commisioner of street-cleaning George E. "Waring, jr., a high au thority on sanitary engineering, au thor of several scientific works and a practical engineer of large experience. He was agricultural and drainage en gineer of the Central Park at the time of its construction, served throughout the war with distinction, and-since that time has been in active practice as an engineer of drainage, acting in that capacity for various towns and cities. Colonel Waring never has been in pub lic, but has had experience in the man agement of large forces of men; is a lorn organizer and leader, ard ha: no other conception f public office than to conduct It in the best possible man ner. This is the way municipal offices are filled by a inaj or of absolute power and full responsibility, elected by a community aroused to a full sense of public duty. A BOARD OP PUBLIC "WORKS. in the matter of organization of a board of public works for the city of Portland, there ought to be no serious difference between practical and en lightened members of the Committee of One Hundred and intelligent and patriotic members of the legislature. They are pursuing the same end, and ought to be able to come to an agree ment as to means. Much of the public discussion of the mode of organizing the board of pub lic works concerns itself with unim portant details. It matters little whether superintendence of public works is lodged with one commissioner or a board, so - that tle board serve without pay, and be not too large. It should not have more than three mem bers, or responsibility may be shuffled about and obscured in numbers. One commissioner, however, might do quite as well as a board of three. But the commissioner must be limited to the administrative functions to be performed by the board, and must per form all of them. He must levy assess ments, make contracts, decide questions of business and finance, control expen ditures of money for the department, and in general conduct all its affairs. None of these things can be left to die council, or the service will suffer, as it has suffered for years. These are com plicated, serious, onerous duties, and they are usually performed by a board, but there is no reason why thc-y should not be done by one commissioner, if a man of adequate capacity and respon sibility can be found. But a commissioner cannot add to this burden of duties the executive superintendence of the department. If the labor were not too great, still the union of functions would be impracti cable, since one requires a man of bus iness and the other a scientific civil engineer. No one can be found capable of filling both positions well. The de partment of public works, whether pre sided over by a board or a single com missioner, must have a practical super intendent, as the police and fire boards have executive chiefs, to work out en gineering problems and look after me chanical and labor details. This man must combine the qualifications of city surveyor and street superintendent, bridge engineer and building architect, landscape gardener for parks and su perintendent of all contract work. He must be a competent person, and will have to be well paid. It is wholly im practicable to combine this service with that of commissioner. Those persons in the Committee of One Hundred who seem to desire to do this should be over ruled. Yet, we think those members of the committee who contend that, whether there is to be a single commissioner cr a board of commissioners, the mayor should be empowered to appoint, 're right; for this seems the best way to fix the responsibility. The question is, whether this whole power should be lodged in the hands of one man, or In the hands of a board. It presents a complicated problem, upon which it is not easy to make a decision. THE LEGAL-TENDER FICTION. A well-known citizen of Washington county writes to The Oregonian to ash: "Of what earthly use is it for the government to recall its currency in exchange for interest-bearing bonds, when the currency is a debt-paying money, and allow banks to issue their currency, which will not be a legal tender on debts? And what earthly use will the great masses have for any kind of money that will not pay a debt except as wheat, oats, hay, meat, chick ens and eggs, do?" . It is almost hopeless to try to deal with such dense ignorance of the funda mental principles of money, with such stubbornly false conception of the real nature and function of credit currency. This man does not dream that the legal tender power, which he thinks makes the greenback "a debt-paying money," Is a mere fiction, adding nothing to its purchasing power. This is a funda mental principle which he who would understand the laws of money must learn to grasp. The greenback has purchasing power, not because it is legal tender, but be cause the government stands ready to redeem it in gold. If the govern ment lost power to redeem it in gold, it would lose its purchasing power, as it did during the war, when it took two or three greenback dollars to buy a dol lar's worth of goods. It is the gold which the greenback represents that gives it purchasing power, not the fic tion of legal tender. The national banknote has precisely the same purchasing power as the greenback, though it is not legal len der; that is, it has the power of the gold it represents. It will buy as much goods, will pay as much debt, as the greenback, so long as its redemption is certain. .Neither has any other value than the assurance of redemption gives it. The advantage of the national bank note over the greenback is that the actual banking capital of the countrj is pledged for its redemption. The only pledge for redemption of the greenback is a treasury reserve of gold, which may be drained out by loss of revenue cr dissipated by reckless legislation. The fact is not overlooked that our correspondent distinguishes between purchasing power and debt-paying power. The distinction is good as to existing debts. If we went to the sil ver, or even the paper basis, men could paying existing debts with half-value money, or with currency of no value at all. This would be rank swindling, but it could be done. But it would come to an end as soon as existing debts were paid. No new debts could be made, ex cept under a specific contract law. No goods could be bought on credit, except at prices adjusted to the real value of the morey which could be tendered in payment for them. So that, in the long run, the debt-paying power of credit currency is the same as its purchasing power, and both depend upon the value behind it, just as debts are paid with wheat, pork, or eggs. The legal-tender fiction never can change this funda mental fact. There can be no "double, standard." The advocate of free coinage of silver is an advocate of the single silver standard. Bimetalism now exists, through restriction of silver, but if the restriction be removed there will be no more bimetalism, for, of course, gold will disappear; and then, instead of the imaginary double standard that some still talk about, and the practical bi metalism that we actually have, there will be sliver monomet&lism, the value of the dollar reduced to the level of the silver market. They who do not know this are beyond the reach of any appeal to Teason. They are indoctrin ated with the fiat idea of money, and believe that an act of congress can make 25.8 grains of standard gold 412 grains of standard silver, and a piece of paper stamped "one dollar" all of equal value, without any arrange ment for redemption or maintenance of parity. They who get their heads stuffed with this notion can seldom be reclaimed to reason by any argumen tative demonstration. "With them, eter nally, "once one is two." A MISTAKEN" METHOD. The secretary of the treasury is en deavoring to drive his currency scheme through congress as a partisan meas ure. It is a great mistake to deal with such a subject in such a way. A prob lem In monetary science confronts the countrj". It is purely absurd to deal with it as a party question, or as a question merely affecting the welfare of a party. Bourke Cockran of New York, an able man, and always im pressive in speech, in the house on Sat urday, uttered truths that ought to sink into the public mind. "There are, in my opinion," said he, "questions on which legislators could divide with ad vantage on party lines, but this is not one of them. We can no more affect economic laws by our legislation than we can by the same means affect the laws governing the nations of the world. The laws controlling these eco nomic questions are Immutable; to obey them is to bring blessings; to ignore them, the reverse." From Cockran's speech it is clear that there are dem ocrats who cannot be driven by caucus to support the Carlisle bill. "It would not," he said, "promote the ends of trade, but would obstruct the very thing It was hoped it would accom plish. Free coinage of silver," lie added, would "give us silver as a na tional or local standard of money, but throughout the world everything is measured by gold, and even if we had a national or local standard, the prod ucts of th; farmer and other produc ers must ultimately, after all, be meas ured by the universal standard." As for "double standard," he remarked, "ancient astrology was not more ab surd." There is solid truth in these expres sions, and the mind of the country needs Just such truth. Secretary Carlisle has not acted with the judgment that his reputation gave the country a right to expect He is endeavoring to make a currency system to suit the provincial ideas of our Southern states, rather than the large wants of a. great nation. Primarily, he is actuated by a desire to revive state banks and to supersede the national bank system. This wish Is stronger in the South than elsewhere. It seems to have no support among Eastern democrats, while republicans from every quarter seem to be unitedly against it. . The most powerful of the democratic journals in Eastern financial centers begin to express in strong terms their distrust of Secretary Carlisle, and even to demand his retirement from the treas ury. The New York Times intimates that "it would not be imprudent for the president, in view of Mr. Carlisle's course during the past few weeks and his obvious inability to inspire con fidence in his capacity as a financier to meet the present critical situa tion, to consider in what way the sec retary is of value to the administration, and further, whether it would not be feasible to replace him with one who has more clearly the necessary quali fications." This is diplomatic circum locution, but its meaning is not doubt ful. The Chicago Herald asserts that the secretary's methods have been so injurious to the public credit that it would not now be possible to sell an other block of bonds on nearly as fa vorable terms as these of the last sale; and that "if the administration would quietly drop the Carlisle scheme and substitute for it a measure for fund ing the greenbacks into bonds to be used as the basis of national bank cir culation, it would restore confidence, stop the drain of gold from the treas ury, and make it possible once more to borrow, if neoessary, to meet current expenditures on the most favorable terms." It may be doubled whether the pres ident is taking part in the effort to force this bill as a caucus and party measure; for, by this time, he must have learned that it cannot become a law. and that it would not bring relief if it should. Indeed, should it pass both houses, it would very probably create so profound a disturbance in the finances that the president would be compelled to veto it. The currency must be reformed for the public good, on lines approved by financial experi ence. It cannot be reformed on a theory of radical innovation, to meet the demands of the less intelligent por tion of a political party, who have always hated the national bank system and want now at their first opportunity to make it give way to their long cherished state-bank wildcat schemes. There are said to be surface indica tions of another anarchistic revival in Chicago. The apostles of destruction are vigorously engaged in making con verts, and the doctrines of the sect are being spread more industriously than ever. The conditions under which the germs of anarchy are nurtured and mul tiplied undoubtedly exist in almost per fect degree in Chicago. The city abounds in men who have drifted thither from foreign ports and stranded; men without employment, present or prospective with no stake in the maintenance of law and order and with no shield, ex cept the dole of benevolence, against actual starvation. Of course, it is ar gued, somebody or something is to blame for this condition, and equally, of course, the men take no blame to themselves. The something that is to blame is, in their estimation, the law which protects men in the enjoyment of the fruits of their endeavor; the somebody to blame is the rich man, who lives in luxury. These ideas are fos tered by the apostles of anarchy, disap pointment and envy in which they take rootandgrow. Constant -vigilance is the price of immunity from the machina tions of these arch-conspirators against law and order, and the prompt execu tion of penalty against those who transgress the law the only safeguard of society. There is going to be great buzzing n the ears of congress when all the cattle and hog-growers, packers and meat dealers in America realize that the Havemeyer tariff law has shut their en tire export product out of every port on the continent of Europe. Men who know that free coinage of silver will not prevail, cannot prevail, who do not want it to prevail nor ex pect it to prevail, yet pander to the pop- 1 ular Ignorance and public folly that de- mand it, and who agree to contend for it, in order to get office one who at tempts to characterize such, must re gret meagexness of his vocabulary. A board of public works will have to condemn property, lay out streets, fix grades, levy assessments, make con tracts for grading, paving and side walks, order and construct sewers, erect and care for public buildings and bridges, care for city parks, and clean streets. It will handle a great deal of money and enter closely into the affairs of every taxpayer and citizen. Such a body ought to be in intimate relation with the general scheme of city govern ment through direct and complete ac countability to the mayor. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer thinks Mr. Dolph ought not to be re-elected, because he "has been instrumental in wasting millions of dollars of public money upon the most visionary schemes of public improvements designed to benefit Portland and the state of Ore gon." Mr. Dolph will not be a candi date before the legislature of Wash ington. There are plenty of rich fools and drones, but poverty is no particular sign of ability and merit, especially in a country where a man has lived till he is 40 years of age. There has been some lying about Armenian outrages, probably, but if all the stories were lies, the sultan would be more ready to pennit inquiry and report. IX THE STATE OF "WASHINGTON. Prostration of Intelllsreuee and Hon or Before the Despotism of Pop ular Ignorance. In the state of Washington, there are newspapers which have a clear perception of the silver policy rampant in that state, and which do not besltate to express their opinions, when men like Mr. Levi Ankney abjure experience and knowledge and prostrate their intelligence before popular ignorance, in order to get votes for seats in congress. The Whatcom Reveille has this article, which is pregnant with truth and rammed with common sense in every expression, to wit.:. As the session of the legislature ap proaches the newspapers and politicians get more pronounced on the senatorial election, and many wise and foolish and, occasionally, amusing, tilings are chroni cled of the various candidates. Messrs. Ankeny and Wilson seem to be the favor ites with the leading papers of Seattle and Tacoma, Seattle preferring Mr. Ank eny and Tacoma Mr. Wilson, and these candidates enjoy the most notoriety. Both are open and avowed aspirants, and each seems to regard the other as his most formidable opponent. Mr. Ankeny has had a certain strength, outside of his personal popularity and wealth, with republicans because of the assumption that his experience in banking had taught him the folly of a flood of dis honest silver dollars, but he has deliber ately destroyed this argument in his favor by insisting that the Spokane silver plank must be his guide, which places him upon the same financial plane of Allen, Turner and Jones, without the prestige of these gentlemen as statesmen and politicians. Before the distinguished gentlemen's con science should have compelled him to rec ognize the bedraggled populist tall to the republican kite, flown at Spokane, his reason might have raught him that the Spokane plank was substituted for the original plank for congressional, rather than senatorial purposes, and for the con venience of Messrs. JDoolittle and Hyde who could not accept nominations on the original platform. "We are well aware that the gentleman's personal convictions are contrary to the Spokane idea, and that he would prefer the coinage of silver upon a reasonable ratio, or upon a ratio determined by an international confer ence, or a limited coinage of silver for the purposes of small transactions, and that one cannot go further and be in harmony with the national republican party of the future; but the gentlemen climbs into the silver band-wagon, as if It was the only conveyance leading to the senate chamber. It is claimed (after the tactics of the sllverites at Spokane) that the legislature will be saturated with free silver sentiment; and, as at Spokane, the sound-money men are Inclined to accede this, and we believe, mistakenly, as at Spokane. If this be true, It may ha-e had an effect on the senatorial candi dates. Possibly Mr. Ankeny has, like Paul, been stricken while riding along the highway, or like Mr. Wilson, when running around the mountains, when his eyes were opened to the evil of his first vote on the silver currency question. Now, as a matter of fact, the delegates to the Spokane convention had nothing to do with the nomination or election of the legislators, and it is doubtful if they will look to Spokane for their guidance any more than to Indianapolis, or Idaho. If they desire to keep in the middle of the road of republicanism, they might better go to the national convention for their silver policy than to our state con vention, which declared against free sli ver by a good majority, and, after re freshments, returned and gave a major ity directly to the contrary. -itun In any event, whether the legTsiaSure be for or against the Spokane plank, our free-silverites will prefer a senator who Is free-silver from conviction rather than policy, for such they can count on under all exigencies. There are plenty of peo ple who have no sympathy with the twiddling policy of political hypocrisy. PERSONS "WORTH KNOWING ABOUT. Mme. Caslmlr-Perler, according to pri vate letters from Paris, manifests a dis position to be very gracious toward some social stars of the American colony there. Sergius Stepnlak, the Russian radical, does not believe the new czar will em bark on a great war unless he loses his mind. He thinks the poverty of the em pire will keep her at peace. Ex-Mayor Richard Vaux, of Philadel phia, is 78 years old. He is still hale and hearty, and the same picturesque figure that has attracted the attention of his fellow citizens for years past. Professor Neumann, of the University of Koenigsberg, is 96 years of age, and for 45 years has been lecturing continuously on physics and mineralogy. He is the old est professor In active work in Germany. Mr. Maxim recently gave a public ex hibition of his new flying machine at Bex ley for the benefit of a local charity. No attempt was made to fly, but the" machine was run up and down the rails, propelled solely by its aerial screws at the rate of 30 miles an hour. Captain Hornfrey, a retired officer of the Eleventh hussars, who, after stirring experiences In the British army, fought in the war of the rebellion and under Garibaldi, being wounded in battle six times, met an inglorious death In London the other day, being run over by a butch er's cart and killed. Colonel J. B. Batchelder. the historian and guide of Gettysburg battlefield, has died at his home in Hyde Park, Boston, of pneumonia, having entered upon his 70th year. He was born at Gllmanton, X. H., in September. 1825. He was not a soldier In the civil war, and derived his title of colonel from militia service before the outbreak of the rebellion. Franz Rummel, he American pianist, is in London, accompanied by his wife, who was fascinating Ml3S Morse, daugh ter of Professor "Morse, of telegraphic fame. She had more offers of marriage from titled personages, perhaps, than any 1 youn: American lady of her day anu the match with Mr. Rummel was so unwel come that her mother refused to attend the wedding. The Hon. Edward Lyulph Stanley, the leader of the progressive party on the London school board. Is thesoa of the second BarOn Stanley, of Alderly. Mr. Stanley, who is 5 years of age, sat in the house of commons for a short time as member for Oldham. Harry Westcott, of Bridgeton, N. J., who has been for two or three seasons a member of the life-saving stations of Cape May and Atlantic City, has saved -13 lives. He has received a large number of valu able presents and gold medals in recogni tion of his heroism, and now a gentleman! whose life he saved from drowning has secured for him a good position on the Northern Pacific railway, in the state of Washington. He is only 21 years of age. o MR. FULTON'S VIEWS. Free Colnagre of Silver His Platform as iv Candidate. Several inquiries have been addressed to The Oregonian as to the position of Hon. C. W. Fulton on silver. We had supposed it sufficiently known that he was an advocate of free and unlimited coinage, and consequently of the silver standard and silver monometallsm though he mis takenly supposes this would not be the result. A month or more ago there ap peared in print an interview with him self which he had evidently given out for publication, and which appeared almost simultaneously in many of the local news papers of the state. This interview has never been disclaimed by him; so we as sume it to be genuine. We reproduce here for such as may not have seen it its prin cipal parts: "I am of the same opinion now that I have been since I have given the subject special thought and attention, that it is useless to hope for international agree ment providing for the coinage of silver, or its adoption as money metal, and the sooner independent action is taken by this government In the matter, and Its mints opened to the free and unlimited coinage of sliver and gold at no greater ratio than 16 to 1, giving to both full debt-paying power, the better it will be for our industries and the sooner will prosperity again attend us. "The restriction of. silver as money has been one of the causes of the present bus iness depression, though not the sole cause. The threatened abandonment of the protective system was also largely a cause of the present financial and indus trial stagnation, but I am confident that the free coinage of silver and a just and equitable system of protection to Amer ican products and industries is a certain road to the greatest possible agricultural, commercial and manufacturing prosper ity. If we consult England's wishes we will abandon protection and prohibit the use of silver as money, but, to the minds of many, the fact that England opposes both is, at least, no reason why we should refrain from either, if indeed it be not an argument to the contrary. "I believe the United States can safely act Independently and maintain silver at a parity with gold. It is argued by some persons that if we can add a value to silver by admitting it to free coinage, we can just as well maintain at par an unlimited amount of irredeemable paper currency. The argument is at rauit lor many reasons that are manifest. It is suf ficient, however, to consider the fact that the supply of silver is and ever must be limited, and that it is of great value aside from Its value as a money metal. Admitting it to free coinage opens for It an unlimited market, increases the de mand for it does not create, but en hances its value by the increased demand. "By free coinage I mean unlimited and unrestricted coinage, I do not think we could maintain silver coin at a parity with gold if the coinage were restricted to the American product. We must sus tain the value the world over in order to sustain it here. "The sentiment in favor of free coinage is growing rapidly, and its adoption as the policy of this government is a ques tion of a short time only, in my judg ment." WHO ARE "GOLDBUGS?" An Inquiry Into Sundry and. Divers Possessions. PORTLAND, Jan. 6. (To the Editor.) W. H. Vanderbiit was probably worth property which, if realized upon, would have procured him COO tons of solid gold! If all his male ancestors in a direct line from the time of Adam had been paid sal aries of $30,000 per year, and every cent of it had been saved, it all would not have amounted to the wealth of W. H. "Van derbiit. His property converted into gold dollars could not have been counted in 10 years, Sundays included, at the rate of $1 per second, or $80 per minute, and this means counting night and day. Now, although Vanderbiit possessed all this property, yet he saw very little of it in the form of gold. People paid him about $6,000,000 yearly for the use of his property, and Vanderbiit himself saw lit tle of this Interest. In fact, 99 cents out of every dollar he possessed was in the hands of others in some property form, and this property (not gold dollars) was constantly being used for the good of the "people at large, and yet adding to his great wealth rapidly, because of its immense amount. Now, was this man Vanderbiit a "gold bug?" The Oregonian has worked along during many years and slowly has accu mulated a reputation as a newspaper which is worth much gold if it were to be converted into coin. Now, is The Ore gonian a "goldbug?" Our present gov ernor has worried along and now I am in formed has considerable property in the form of sawmills, dwellings, etc Now, is the great "prison purifier" a "goldbug?" We all remember the industrial institu tion which perambulates the streets dec orated with the American flag. The pro prietor has accumulated this property and something beside, by grinding knives, etc. Now, is he "to this extent a "goldbug?" S. O. H. KOCH. ANOTHER MAX'S VIEW. The True Americanism, as to Church Taxation. VANCOUVER, Wash., Jan. 6. (To the Editor.) I wish to express my gratifica tion that The Oregonian Is too clear vis loned arid too American to advocate the sweeping and universal taxation of all church property. The state has regard to its self preservation and well-being, in exempting from taxation property used for public worship. The Oregonian and Dr. Brown have commented strongly and sufficiently perhaps, as to that. Dr. Brown seems at first. In his letter today, to take an illogical position in saying, in sub stance, the public school is exempt from tax, for the sake of the public welfare, and therefore the churches should be. However, he makes his position invulner able by admitting that the school is a state institution, and so has that special ground for exemption that the state does not tax public property, but the moral teaching of the churches is as vital to the public welfare as the public school. But please allow me to protest against the position of your correspondent, said to be a lawyer, who urges that exemp tion of churches from taxation "13 con trary to the old American principle of the separation of church and state." If this be so, the time has come to revise American history, and American public law, and to Inaugurate in the name of this new Americanism a great many changes In national and state govern ments. If the impartial exemption of church property to an amount necessary for public worship and moral teaching Is an un-American combination of church and state, by all means let It be under stood what is involved in trying to get church and state separated to the satis faction of our reforming friends, to the extent demanded. Does the prayer of a chaplain in the state legislature, or the oath administered in courts of justice, or the proclamation of thanksgiving to God by a governor or president, combine church and state? If they do, our govern ment will have to be remodeled, and our Declaration of Independence rewritten. If they do not, then It is true American ism to exempt from taxation these churches that inculcate that moral order which underlies our whole civil structure, that reverence without which the free state cannot permanently exist. Let patriots correct abuses. But In do ing so, destroy not fundamental prin ciples. Give us arguments we can re spect, even If we disagree. Aim not al together at the foundations of the state in trying to improve its laws. A. A. HURD. THE NEW YEAR'S OREGONIAN. The Linotype Clear Print. Ashland Tidings. The Oregonian's New Year edition, which was published Tuesday, consisted of 40 pages, and, as usual, is replete with information of the whole state. South ern Oregon receives extended mention and a column is devoted to each of the principal towns. The edition Is filled, too, with live illustrations, and typo graphically, of course, the paper Is next to perfect. The Oregonian, as a news paper, has excelled Itself the past year, and people who don't agree with its edi torial course always cannot but acknowl edge that when it comes to furnishing the news it Is unrivaled. Nobody In the World Barred. Union Republican. The New Year's Oregonian is a pro duction that would do credit to the largest establishment in the world. It contains 40 pages, every one of which is filled with interesting and instructive reading, de scriptive of all parts of our great state. The articles are exhaustive and profuse ly illustrated. Union is given a good write-up of nearly two columns. The number outdoes all previous newspaper productions of the Pacific Northwest. Nothing: Better -to Send Enst. Heppner Gazette. The New Year's number of The Oregon ian, issued last Tuesday, was the most comprehensive special edition ever pub lished by any daily paper in the North west. Profusely illustrated and full of valuable Information relative to the In terests of all Oregon. Nothing better can be sent to the Eastern home-seeker thnn a copy of this very creditable edi tion of The Oregonian. They Know Tlielr Business. Pendleton East-Oregonlan. Pendleton gets a fairly good "write-up" in the New Year's edition of the Portland Oregonian, which, by the way, is a very fine issue of this great newspaper, con taining matter pertaining to the re sources, institutions and enterprises of Oregon. The publishers of The Oregon ian know how to publish a newspaper, in cluding a "New Year's number." Should Be AVIrfely Circulated. Silverton Appeal. We have received the New Year's edi tion of The Oregonian. The Oregonian comes out this year with 40 pages ail filled with valuable information concern ing Oregon. It should be widely circu lated in the East and will be productive of much good in promulgating the great resources of a grand state. Interesting and Instructive. La Center Tribune. The New Year's edition of The Oregon ian is a mammoth sheet. Its pages are filled with Interesting and instructive reading in regard to the advancement and growth of the Northwest. It is a paper everyone should have, and Is, as was intended, a souvenir, which should be prized by all who have it. Would Be a. Creilit to New York. Eugene Guard. The. New Year's Oregonian is a. monster affair and would cost a fortune for one person to reproduce It. It contains 40 pages of matter, descriptive of every por tion of the state. Every true Oregonian should be proud of this issue of her lead ing paper. It would be a credit to Chi cago or even New York. No City in the World. Waitsburg Times. The Portland Oregonian got out a mag nificent New Year's edition of 40 pages. It contains an encyclopedia of useful in formation pertaining to the Northwest. No city In the world, population con sidered, can boast as fine a paper as Is the Portland Oregonian, take it year in and year out. The Editorials Arc All Right. Olympia Capital. The Oregonian was made a compendium of the resources of Oregon and carefully written descriptions of cities and locali ties with illustrations were given. The Oregonian is a pride to the people of that state, outside of its editorial columns, which people understand are not law or gospel. Old, but Ever Neiv. Walla Walla Statesman. The old Oregonian still keeps in the lead as the best newspaper in the North west, and on New Year's day issued an immense 40-page edition, replete with everything pertaining to Oregon. It Is il lustrated, and will be productive of much good to Oregon and Incidentally to Wash ington. Covered the Whole State. Dalles Times-Mountaineer. The New Year's edition of The Ore gonian consists of 40 pages, and was a very full description of the resources of different portions of the state. It was well illustrated throughout, and was a good advertisement of the enterprise of the leading paper in the Northwest. Considering: the Hard Times. Montesano Vidette. The mammoth New Year's edition of The Oregonian, consisting of 40 pages, handsomely illustrated, was a mark of great enterprise by that paper, consider ing the present times. It will prove a splendid advertisement for the city of Portland and the state of Oregon. The Chronicle of Its Time. Dallas Observer. The Oregonian puts out another of its annual creditable editions for New Year's. Truly, The Oregonian is a great paper, and is the greatest advertising medium in the state. Its New Year's was immense. The Oregonian is Oregon's history, and everybody recognizes that fact. A Dandy, bnt No Dnde. Pendleton Tribune. The Oregonian, the monarch of the Pacific Northwest, published a New Year's edition containing 40 pages, replete with facts and figures, concerning the growth and development of Oregon and prosperous Portland. In the language of Shakespeare, "It's a dandy." Tells the Story Well. Colfax Commoner. The Portland Oregonian Issued a mag nificent illustrated 40-page New Year3 edition. In all respects the paper is a credit to the management, to Portland and the Webfoot state. It.tells the story of Oregon's prosperity, and tells it well. Yes, AVashinprton Was Included. Olympia Standard. The holiday number of The Oregonian was a superb edition of 40 pages, embrac ing historical, descriptive and statistical matter relating to Oregon and Washing ton. It was, likewise, profusely illus trated. A Newspaper. Sure Enough. Elgin Recorder. The Oregonian's New Year's edition was a mammoth newspaper, containing 40 pages replete with useful knowledge re garding the city of Portland and the state J of Oregon. NEWS OK THE NORTHWEST. - ." v. "- . "- OrtKoiu ' ' -' Little Elgin is making up a carload of provisions for the Nebraska sufferers. The Virtue mine's December output has arrived In Baker-City. It is a big -ball of gold and weighed out about 517.000. A young blood of Condon tore up $60 in bills and threw them In the stove the other day, just to show he didn't care for money. Baker City is to vote January 16 upon the question of levying a tax to keep school up the rest of the year. It will cost $4000. and unless the tax is voted, school must close. The latest sensation at Astoria Jls a. sliding mountain, which appears tb be traveling towards the bay. Four or five houses have been moved a distance of from two to five feet, and in one instance a dwelling was toppled over so that tha slightest jar will send it tumbling down. The Heppner Record has retired from business, printing its last paper last week. It makes no complaint, but turns up it3 little toes cheerfully, and manfully. It says that "Onward and Upward" was the motto, and that it has gone onward ever since it started, and now it goes "up ward." The Lakeview Examiner gives an ac count of rlbbit drives in that section, which resulted In the slaughter of 2500 jack rabbits. The rodents had become so troublesome in destroying crops and gardens, that they formed a combination to surround a large extent of country and drive them into a corral, where they were killed. General E. L. Applegate, who resides at Merlin, Jackson county, and Is known by nearly every old pioneer in Oregon, is suffering from a cancer in the right hand, which has become a serious affliction. It is now considered probable that the arm. or at least the hand, must be amputated to save the general's life. His many friends all over the state will earnestly sympathize with him. Stock Inspector Miller, of Lone Rock, informs the Condon Globe that the num ber of sheep in Gilliam county Is 1S3.1S3; number of bands, 6S. There is less dis ease among sheep in the county than for years, there being only one band affected with scab, and the sheep of this have been carefully dipped and are almost cured. Mr. Miller says sheepmen gener ally are In better spirits this year than last. Another of those unloaded guns was discharged last Monday upon the Uma tilla reservation about two miles from Adams, wounding Narcisse Lacouse, a half-breed. The weapon was an old dis used gun, the trigger of which was pulled several times with no response. Finally the gun went off hitting Lacouse and causing a flesh wound. The bullet was removed, and the accident was found to occasion no serious results. The Pendleton Tribune says that con struction work on the irrigating ditch projected by Rothchild and others, and to take its supply from the waters of the Umatilla river near Foster will probably be commenced in a couple of weeks. Mell Kolb will go down in a few days to go over the line surveyed and make note of the stakes, preliminary to taking charge of the subsequent opera tions. The ditch will be four or five miles in length and will reclaim to a high state of cultivation a body of land 400 or 500 acres in extent. The work will Involve a comparatively small expenditure, esti mates placing the amount at $3000, but will afford employment for several weeks to a dozen or more men and teams. AYashington. Kelso is organizing a lodge of Wood men. Forty-eight steers were dehorned at Montesano Thursday. Around Toledo a good many fruit tree3 have been broken down by the weight of the heavy snowfall. F. Ross Smith and T. H- Adams, graduates- of the Forest GrC'ye university have taken hold of the Kalama. Bulletin. In the superior court, at Spokane, W. H. Doollttle was removed from the re ceivership of the Commercial Savings 7-ank, and Arthur J. Shaw was appointed in his stead. Petitions are being circulated around Gray's Harbor asking the legislature to pas3 a law forbidding the catching of fish on the harbor and tributary streams by means of traps. At Elberton a contract for 50,000 tama rack railroad ties has been signed by the head officials of the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company with C. E. Averill. It is also reported that large amounts of lumber and bridge materials will be re quired. Seattle's little girl thief and Port land's infant boy burglar are matched by 9-year-old Lizzie Harrow, of Walla Walla. Under instructions from her father, she has carried on quite extensive pilfering operations. The man Is to be tried Wednesday. An attempt was made at Walla Walla Friday night to burn the residence of R. Bogle. Dr. Keylor was passing at the time and called out to the firebugs. They responded by firing two shots at him. The fire was promptly extinguished, but the incendiaries escaped. The regents of the agricultural college, at Pullman, accepted the new college building, with the exception of part of the plumbing and pipe-fitting, which has not been completed. The building, which i3 95x157 feet in size, and four stories high, cost the state about $43,000. It appears that the administration has not been altogether impervious to the taunts directed at it in connection with the use of British Columbia coal, as the following, from the Whatcom Reveille, would show: "The Monterey will be here shortly to make a test of Blue Canyon coal. Secretary Herbert has made a somewhat peculiar order, in response to the kicking of the Seattle and Tacoma people, Incident to the neglect of the de partment to use their coal. He has called the bluffs of all the coal mines on the Sound, and said to them: 'Furnish us 73 tons of your product and we will give it a thorough test.' The competition will not be active, for enough tests have been made to narrow it down to two or three mines, and few of them wish to throv. away $300! The Blue Canyon people will furnish the 75 tons immediately the Monterey arrives." o PARAGRAPHERS PLEASANTRIES. We find so much In papers now. From every pugilist. That we are forced to think the pen Is mightier than the fist. Washington Star. Carrie I thought he was going to pro pose to me at one time last night. May What made you think so? Carrie Both of us felt so embarrassed and silly. Puck. She You said before marriage that you had never loved any one but me. He You are the first woman I ever came across who believed a campaign lie. Puck. Mr. Delawanna Are you a regular plumber? McCarthy Well, I guess t can fill the bill. boss. Mr. Delawanna Humph! You're not much of a one If you can't. Brooklyn Life. "I hear that Miss Roseleaf is going to leave the church. Do you know why?" "Yes. She helped trim the chancel Christ mas eve, and while she was laboriously tacking up 'Good Will to Men, Miss Lily White got the minister to propose. Rose leaf thought it was too underhand a, per formance and so she's left the church." New York World. Should work both ways: His wife George, you are becoming a confirmed smoker. Suburbanite My dear, I am compelled to ride in the smoking car so much that in self-defense I often have to light a cigar. Same suburbanite (a few hours later) Amanda, you smell fright fully' of raw onions. His wife My dear, Bridget frequently eats raw onions, and I've been eating one in self-defense.. Chl- i cago Tribune,