THE MOJSmSTG- OBEGOOTAST, THUESBAT", F33BRT7AB 28, 1895
)X&UX&tl
Entered at the Postofflce at Portland, Oregon,
as seconS-class jsatter.
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rabscripUona or to any business matter should
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The Oregonian does not buy poems or stories
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turn any manuscripts sent to it -o-Stnout solicita
tion. Ho stamps should be Inclosed for this pur
pose. DAILY METEOROLOGICAL REPORT.
PORTLAND. Feb. 27. 8 P. M. Maximum
temperature, 53. minimum temperature, 40;
height of river at 11 A- M-, 4.9; change In the
past 24 hours. 0.1; precipitation today, 0.07;
precipitation from September 1. 1604 (wet sea
son), to date. 0.65; average. 31.27; deficiency,
13 02; number hours of sunshine Tuesday, 6:28;
possible number, 11:00.
"WEATHER SYNOPSIS.
An area of high barometric pressure moved
from the northwest southward over Washington,
causing showers to occur over Northwestern
Oregon and Western Washington. Owing to the
existence of this area of high pressure, fair
weather may be expected for the follow lug 24
or 30 hours. Fair -Rcather continues In Call
fsrnia and In portions east of the Cascades.
Slight changes occurred in the temperature.
WEATHER FORECASTS.
rorecaste made at Portland for the 24 hours
ending at midnight February 28:
For Oregon, Washington and Idaho Fair
weather and octtter. witty light northerly winds.
For Portland Fair -weather and cooler, with
light northerly winds.
B. S. PAGUE. Local Forecast Offielal.
PORTLAND. THURSDAY. FEB. 28.
THERE WILL YET RE REFORM.
It may be supposed there is still some
honesty left among- the people of Ore
gon. That honesty is indeed slow to
assert itself in public matters; but it
exists, though latent or dormant, and
one day it will be aroused. The longer
official greed runs riot, the more certain
it is that an honest public indignation
will one day explode in a storm of gen
eral and terrible wrath. That storm
may be due at the next general elec
tion In Oregon; for abuses, long-continued
and cumulative, which the recent
legislature not only refused to correct,
but aggravated in many ways, cannot
stand through a period of universal
public distress. All experience shows
that such conditions, whpn all things
so conjointly meet, are favorable to
revolutions.
Two factors were present which oper
ated together during the recent session
to confound all the purposes the people
had in view when the members of the
legislature were elected. The factious
spirit of opposition to Mr. Dolph, that
soon grew into a furious craze to de
feat him, welcomed the assistance of
the great gang of officials that fought
to preserve their privilege of preying
on the public; and these officials as
eagerly accepted the help of the parti
san faction, and their dlfferont schemes
were moulded into one joint enterprise.
The officials opposing the reductions
that the people had demanded and all
parties had pledged, threw "In. -a large
amount -of money', that maintained a
lobby at the capital. It is believed, that
no lesa a sum than $20,000, every dollar
drawn from the people by the excesses
of officialism, was used as a corruption
fund fqj: perpotuatipn of these abuses.
It must be that there are yet citizens
of Oregon who do not approve this
sort of business. Brokers, loaded up
with this money, swarmed about the
capltol, offering members for sale,
singly or in bunches; men were heard to
boast that they received $50, $100, $500,
for controlling one or more votes on
the various bills to reduce salaries,
emoluments and fees. Beyond all ques
tion, this was the way in which the
bills wore defeated. But it could not
have been done without the co-operation
of the partisan faction that be
came willing to sacrifice all the inter
ests of the state in its fury against
a candidate for the senate, though that
candidate was the choice of the major
ity of his party, and through the cau
cus became its regular nominee.
Though the senatorial contest Is set
tled, this other contest is not. Super
fluous and unnecessary officials, exces
sive emoluments, prodigal appropria
tions, permit no relief from the pres
sure of taxation, though these are times
of industrial depression, stagnation
of business and general distress. The
patience of the people was exhausted
long ago. It was only under solemn
promises of radical reforms that any
body could be elected last June. Can
any one imagine that after payment of
this year's taxes, through borrowing
and pinching and personal privations
of every kind, and finding- next year's
taxes due under even severer condi
tions, the people of Oregon in general,
and of the city of Portland in particu
lar, will prepare for a rush to the polls
to support with enthusiasm the au
thors of this taxation, who now have
advanced to the point of claiming the
profits of office as "vested rights,"
which the state or city is under "moral
obligation" not to disturb? For those
who bank on this Imagination, disen
chantment is in store. There will yet
be retrenchment arid reform.
The usual "contract marriage" which
is unearthed upon the doath of a
wealthy C&lifornlan was found by the
j .1 bile administrator among the private
l'apers of Dr. C A. James, of San Fran
cisco, recently deceased. By virtue of
this finding "Miss" Laura Milen has en
tered suit for the estate of Dr. James,
which is valued at $75,000. Between the
young woman who sues a wealthy old
man for breach of promise and one who
springs a marriage contract upon the
relatives of an old man or the public
after his death there Is but slight dis
tinction, when it comes to an arraign
ment for unwomanliness, while the dif
ference between the men in the two
cases is that between a living fool and
one who is dead. The first babbles in
court, in his own defense, in the futile
attempt to heap further opprobrium
upon the woman in the case, while the
latter, through a decree of kind nature,
maintains a deoorous sllenoe and lets
his "ooatract" speak for what It is
worth of his moral turpitude. The
courts of California would lose a dis
tinctive characteristic were the dock
ets clear for a time of contract mar
riage suits, brought by women who
have no reputation to lose, for the
money left by defunct roues, who defied
In their private lives the social laws
that underlie community decency and
honorable inheritance.
HOPE FOR INTERNATIONAL BI3IET
AL1S3I. There Is a gleam of hope for interna
tional bimetallsm In the passage by
the British house of commons of a reso
lution giving indirect encouragement to
the German project of a new interna
tional conference. The British ministry
undoubtedly accepted the non-committal
resolution of Mr. Everett because It
feared parliamentary defeat upon a
side issue which would oblige It to re
sign office. Undoubtedly many conserv
atives would have voted for this reso
lution upon a division, who would not
support bimetallsm if they were In
power, simply to embarrass the .govern
ment. It would not be wise to infer
from this vote that a majority of the
house of commqns favors bimetallsm.
Nevertheless, the moral effect of this
vote will be great. Probably it will de
cide the holding of an international con
ference. It is certain that adhesion of Great
Britain to an International agreement
for common use of both silver and gold
at a fixed ratio would give the effort
to make that ratio stable, and to hold
the metals at permanent parity, large
hope of success. This effort and this
hope do not involve expectation of real
izing the absurdity of a double stand
ard, nor acceptance of the degradation
of the silver standard, as the London
papers seem to assume. International
bimetallsm, in the minds of honest and
intelligent persons, does-not mean aban
donment of the gold standard, but the
bringing and holding of silver money
up to that standard.
This may be done in two ways by
limited coinage of subsidiary silver at
an arbitrary ratio, or by free coinage
at a ratio so carefully chosen and so
steadily and universally maintained
that the parity will be maintained au
tomatically. The first method is that
now in use by France, the United
States, Germany, by all nations having
a bimetallic currency with the gold
standard. It is perfectly practicable
for separate nations, so long as coin
age or legal-tender quality is limited
and adequate gold reserves maintained.
Undoubtedly the leading commercial
nations could carry a larger amount
of subsidiary silver In this way than
they carry separately, as their union
Would protect the gold reserve of each
from needless invasion by the others.
But this limited coinage would not
satisfy the advocates of silver. They
want free coinage and full legal-tender
power for silver. For any one country
or for any group of countries, not in
cluding Great Britain, this would mean
the silver basis, pure and simple; un
less, indeed, silver were so valued in
coinage that there would be no profit
In exchanging It for gold. If the ratio
were less than 32 to 1, at the present
price of silver, any country establish
ing free coinage of silver would lose its
gold or have to pay a premium to
hold it- This has been demonstrated
by the experience of all times and all
nations.
But what no nation can do alone, per
haps al nations can dq together. His
tory throws no light on this subject,
for the experiment has not been tried.
If all nations were to agree to open
their mints to gold and silver alike, at
the ratio of 25 to 1, or even 20 to 1, it
is by no means impossible that the en
larged demand for silver, due to Its in
creased use as money, aided by the in
creased supply of gold from mines now
worked so energetically all over the
world, would bring Its commercial
price up to the coinage ratio. The ex
periment Is worth trying, anyway, es
pecially since, if all nations join in it,
no one could suffer loss of gold to
others by failure.
Even If the bullion price of silver
do not rise at once to its coinage value,
there would be no great peril of finan
cial disorders in universal free coinage
of both metals at a fixed ratio, consider
ably higher than the present When
one nation undervalues gold in Its
coinage, its gold Is drained away by
foreigners. But if all nations were to
put the same value on gold measured
in silver, there would be no such drain.
"When all nations put the same value
on silver measured in gold, silver will
have the same universal currency
as gold, and international balances can
be settled in it. Of course this rule
will apply only to new silver coined
at the new ratio. All existing silver
money, until recoined at the new ratio,
will remain token or part-credit cur
rency, to be sustained upon full-value
money. But as the supporting basis
will be enlarged by all the new coined
silver, it will be easy to maintain local
parity for the old coins.
REVEVOE THE GREAT XEED.
It is all nonsense to pay a bbunty on
sugar. What the country needs Is a
duty on sugar, and a good stiff one, for
revenue purposes. The duty on sugar
and the tax on beer ought to be
doubled. That would bring about $50,
000,000 more annual revenue into the
treasury and put an end to these de
pressing deficits.
The crying need of the country is an
adequate revenue. The nation is rich
enough, and it bears necessary taxa
tion patiently. There was rfo complaint
of the taxes that yielded $1OO,O0O,GOO
surplus revenue until a lot of states
men out of a job went around bawling
that the people were oppressed by over
taxation. Oppressed or not, the people
were prosperous and happy. Capital
yielded ample return, industry throve,
agriculture prospered and labor was
employed. But the democrats clam
ored that the country was in distress
because there was a surplus In the
treasury, and a majority of the people
believed them in 1S92.
The democratic statesmen were given
the job of governing the country and
the surplus disappeared. Large part
of the necessary revenues disappeared
with It. The treasury deficiency in the
first full fiscal year of the Cleveland
administration was $76,009,803. Nobody
knows what it will be this year. Car
lisle figures out a surplus, but so he
did last year. No one trusts his fig
ures. The income tax will yield some
thing and the increased whisky tax a
little, but these will not more than
make up the losses by reduction of tar
iff duties, and the losses due to general
depression of business will remain.
The revenues probably will not equal
the expenditures till new taxes shall be
laid. The most available objects of
taxation are imported sugar and domes
tic beer.
Nothing will be done in this concress.
The next house of representatives,
which will be republican, should take
up this question of revenue legislation
seriously. By that time the adminis
tration will be convinced that the coun
try cannot run on forever on borrowed
money, and that revenues never can
equal expenditures under the Have
meyer tariff law. The president will
be ready to consent to legislation which
will, bring money into the treasury.
Indeed, he may have to call congress
together to enact such legislation be
fore the regular session next winter.
IRRIGATION IX OREGON.
In view of Oregon's experience in the
past In undertaking enterprises at the
state's expense, and of the limited in
formation possessed at the present time
of the conditions of practical effort to
take advantage of the Carey desert land
and irrigation act, the refusal of the
legislature to pass a bill committing the
state to the expenditure of money for
this purpose was intelligible. Two
years hence legislation may be had on
that subject with a better understand
ing of what is practical, and of regu
lations necessary to defeat selfish and
fraudulent schemes. The experience
of other states will then be available
as a guide for action.
Oregon officially has paid little at
tention to irrigation, though possessing
millions of acres of arable land that
will remain unproductive until arti
ficially supplied with the water they
now lack. Other Pacific coast states
have legislated upon this subject and
have experimented with irrigation and
through years of litigation and law
making have settled the principle of
water rights a it should be applied In
a region where the diversion of water
from its natural course is necessary
for lndus'.Tial purposes. What they
have accomplished by years of effort is
available for Oregon as a guide to her
own action, and it is well to take ad
vantage first of what has been demon
strated to be practicable in the direc
tion of associated local effort. This was
done by the passage of Senator King's
irrigation bill, which is based upon the
Wright law now in successful opera
tion in California, objectionable fea
tures having been eliminated.
The King bill provides for the or
ganization of irrigation districts by
property-owners living within them.
These districts are made to conform
to local conditions as to size and
boundaries, the practicability of irriga
tion from a single or combined source
of supply being the determining factor.
The district having been legally organ
ized, a vote may be had upon the ques
tion of levying- a tax or issuing bonds
to raise a fund for building or acquir
ing a system of ditches, reservoirs, etc.
All the land in the district is made sub
ject to taxation for the payment of
bonds, interest, cost of maintenance,
etc, but improvements are exempt, on
the theory that to tax them would dis
courage the making of them. This lat
ter provision is the introduction of a
new principle into our taxation system.
It remains to be seen whether it will
notdefeattheobjectof thelawby placing
the total of assessment forirrigation tax
below the amount necessary to keep
the Irrigation system in order and pay
fixed charges, without so large a per
centage tax levy as would cause property-owners
to rebel. It may well be
imagined that in some districts the
value of the land only would not be
sufficient lo maintain-an extensive ir
rigation system.
Eastern Oregon has tried for several
sessions to secure legislative action on
irrigation, but this is the first time that
it has presented a practicable plan by
which the burden is to be borne by the
land benefited. The results should be
good injthose sections where large areas
can be supplied with water at compara
tively small expense. California has
given a warning example of excessive
bonding, both in drainage and irriga
tion districts, and it should be heeded
by the farmers of Oregon.
The theory of the labor-arbitration
bill pending in congress Is absurd, and
never can be realized practically. If it
could, it would establish the most
grinding tyranny over workingmen ever
known since the days of serfdom. It
is contemplated by the house bill that
only union workmen shall be recog
nized by the law, and that absolute
subjection of the workman to his
union shall be enforced. The protection
of the law is to be given to workmen
through the unions, and, of course, a
workman outside of the union will have
no protection. On the other hand, the
unions are to be employed to coerce
Individual laborers. It is through them
that the decisions of the courts of ar
bitration are to be enforced. If a man
refuses to abide by the decision of the
arbitrators, he Is to be expelled from
his union. It does not appear how this
provision is to be carried out, or what
penalties are to lie against unions
which do not expel recalcitrant work
men. Probably the rule of expulsion
cannot be enforced at all. If it could,
the workman would lose his personal
liberty as completely as a medieval
serf. He would have no power to quit
his employment after an arbitration
court had decided against him, except
by sacrifice of a connection without
which he could obtain no other employ
ment. This endeavor to meet the ob
jection that the decrees of the courts
could be enforced against the employer,
but not against the employe, could succeed
only by depriving the latter of liberty to
work or not, as he chooses, which is
the very essence of personal freedom.
The debate In the house of represen
tatives at Washington on the bill to
regulate dealings between railroads
and their employes shows how Impos
sible it will be to settle questions be
tween the railroads and their work
men by compulsory arbitration through
the courts. The reason is that, while
a decree can be enforced against a
railroad company. It cannot be enforced
upon the men. The men cannot be
compelled to work If the decree goes
against them, and there can be no pen
alty for their refusal, for the act forbids
their punishment as for contempt of
court. In all the relations of men there
are corresponding rights and mutual
obligations, but this act attempts to
put all the rights on one side and all
the obligations on the other. It cer
tainly will be wholly Impracticable,
and therefore it may be quite harmless.
There are eight counts In the pro
vision for the indictment of physicians
by the new medical board for "unpro
fessional or dishonorable conduct," for
which the license to practice medicine
may be revoked. The last of these is
"habitual intemperance," and if one
may be said to be of greater importance
than any or all of the others, this
should take such precedence. The sick
room Is of all Dlaces the last to which
a man whose moral sense Is stupefied
or perverted by drink should be admit
ted. Holding the balance between life
and death in his hand, a balance often
adjusted with such nicety that the
slightest movement will influence it
one way or the other, the physician who
drinks habitually dishonors his profes
sion, and more or less frequently places
human life in jeopardy. Hence this
cause for refusing or revoking a physi
cian's license cannot be too rigidly en
forced for the protection of humanity
in Its hour of distress or peril.
The hue and cry raised in Savannah
against Slattery, an alleged ex-priest pf
the Roman Catholic church, by enraged
Catholics is big with unreason and
noisy with the hot breath of intoler
ance. The man himself is of some no
toriety, but of little repute. As a fire
brand from an ecclesiastical camp he
is capable of mischief only when fool
ish religionists expose the nflaipmable
material of their prejudices to his reck
less fu3ilade. When a sensationalist,
working in the interest of political in
tolerance on the one hand, is met by
the ignorant exponents of religious in
tolerance upon the other, a rellgio-polltl-cal
riot is the natural sequence- The
more intelligent element, which excite
ment betrayed Into affiliation with the
Savannah mob, was quelled by Vicar
General Cafferty with the words:
"This man Slattery can do your church
np harm." The unreasoning portion
could only understand the Ipgic of the
militia's bayonets, called Into requisi
tion for the protection of the ex-priest
and the ex-nun, his wife. Comment
upon the incident may be summed up
in the words: "Behold how great a
matter a little fire klndleth.!'
The enormous emoluments of the of
fice of sheriff In Multnomah county
have been cut off, aqd they never will
be restored. It is not worth while for
th,e present sheriff to go roarlqg about
the streets. and pulling his revolver pn
members of the legislature. If Sheriff
Sears would like to know whether the
people of Multnomah want these emolu
ments restored, how would It do for him
to become the candidate next year of a
party pledged to restore them, and to
continue the fees of the district attor
ney, and also the superfluous city of
fices, with no reduction of salaries?
That would be a plain, straight issue.
Shall we have it?
Perhaps those who are asserting that
Oregon's new senator is a free-silver
man might take a hint that it would be
wel to let him speak fqr himself on
the subject Mr. McBride has said
nothing more than that he stands on
the national platform of the republican
party, which calls for maintenance of
parity by "restriction" of coinage. This,
was the policy the republican party
pursued while in power, and it is con
tinued under the present democratic
administration.
The Cuban revolution has broken out
in Fiorida and San Francisco, as" well
as In New York, and probably will
reach New Orleans. Cuban revolutions
generally are most active at a safe dis
tance from Cuba.
THE COMMISSIONS.
Hotv the State Press Enjoys th,ei Leg
islatives FltLke.
CoryaJHs1 Times.
One 'of the most remarkable acts of this
remarkable legislature was its remark
able adjournment -Without electing the of
ficers and members of commissions creat
ed by statute. This is said to have been
a neat trick scored by President Simon.
There were so many candidates for rail
road commissioner that all of them were,
probably promised an election in return
for support in the senatorial fight. To
have elected three out of the scores of ap
plicants would have enraged the balance
and made senatorial bolters. Besides the
old commission could not be elected, and
it was the board the powers desired. Thus
the whole thing was made easy by the
simple trick of allowing the whole busi
ness to go by default The expenditure
of thousands of days of hard work and
barrels of perspiration by candidates for
these offices, swarming in the lobby and
pushing their campaigns, were thus made
barren of result by the wringing in of a
cold deck.
Salem Statesman.
The railroad commission was not abol
ished because some of the senators had
relatives who were candidates for places
in that useless body. There is some sat
isfaction to the overburdened taxpayers
to know the relatives of these state sen
ators were cut off from their chances by
the adjournment without election. The
members of the old commission can draw
their salaries with as good grace as any
man in Oregon, and they can earn them
as completely as could be wished for, by
doing nothing. We wish to congratulate
them and the people, therefore, upon the
fortunate adjournment. We believe the
warrants for their salaries should be
drawn in lump sums now, so as to save
them the trouble of coming to Salem every
quarter to perform the onerous labor of
signing their vouchers and drawing their
money. They should at least have all that
Is available now, $10,000.
Eugene Guard.
This legislature was not without at
least one supremely ridiculous feature.
Imagine about 150 aspirants for members
of commissions, and clerkships pertaining
thereto, on hand from the beginning of
the session lobbying for positions, en
deavoring to make trades and combina
tions, and using their combined influence
to prevent the abolishment of the com
missions or reduction of the compensa
tion; then, after- 41 days of travail, all
their conniving comes to naught, the leg
islature failing to elect A Portland ring
thought It had a dead sure thing on game
warden, but the compensation was not
enough to satisfy them. By extraordi
nary effort they had it increased, but not
for their benefit The present Incumbent
will enjoy the fruits of their labor. It is
enough to make one of the street-car
mules laugh.
Jacksonville Times.
As the Times has often predicted, the
legislature failed to abolish the railroad
or any one of the many other commis
sions; and as It adjourned without elect
ing the successors to their present in
cumbents, those officials elected two years
ago by the legislature will hold over un
tlS the next session ousts them.
THE LEGISLATURE.
More Comment Upon Its Deeds and
Omissions.
Salem Post
It is said that when the grasshoppers
took flight from Nebraska in 1S74, after
having devoured every green thing, and
for a few moments darkened the sun as
they arose in the heavens, the joy of the
people was unbounded, so they took off
their hats and gave them three cheers.
Ne.'er, we think, did a body leave the
field of its labor amid such universal ac
claim as did your body on Sunday morn
ing last With the exception of the lady
clerks, who have enjoyed a magnificent
vacation from the drudgery of labor, and
who were seldom called upon to lay off
their sacks and bonnets and grapple
with an unwieldly penholder, and a few.
favored gentlemen of the old war-horse
variety, who. drew pay for lobbying for
certain candidates-, and others whose chief
business appeared to be to support the
pillars of the capltol, your exit will be
hailed with delight equaled qnly by the
musical cadences of the melodious words
"Sine die."
The Dalles Chronicle.
The populists were not in It Sunday.
The sun shone down from a cloudless
sky upon the glad spring day, which re
publicans and democrats can claim as
their own. The legislature had adjourned,
and the pledges of economy and reform,
of lopped-off raljroad and other commis
sions, had not been kept In consequence
there was a disgruntled feeling in the re
publican camp, which awakened the ten
derest sympathies of the democrats, who
know haw it is themselves, aqd who in
turn await the adjourning of the national
legislature that they elected, and that was
"full of pror se." Members of the two
old parties In Oregon have at last a com
mon ground upon which they can meet
and minglo their tears. Violated pledges
and broken promises are becoming prop
erty in common.
Roseburg Review.
Reay no important laws of general
application werp enacted. The bill fath
ered by the sheriffs lobby passed, and
these officials will now receive mileage
in addition to being furnished deputies,
and good plump salaries besides. This
law is of some interest to the sheriffs
and the people but never mind the peo
ple, they were not in it this session at
all. The mortgage tax law and indebted
ness exemption clause were not re-enacted
and not a single useless commission was
abolished. The general appropriation bill
was larger than that of last year and
had more private grabs in It- That's all.
Albany Herald.
The Oregon legislature will have many
sins to answer for hereafter. The mem
bers went to Salem pledged to reform and
economy. They adopted a report traduc
ing and maligning the trustees of the
Soldiers' Home over an imaginary over
charge of a few hundred dollars, but
they neglected to cut off expenditures run
ning Into thousands of dollavs.
East Oregonian.
Republican legislators have not lived up
to republican principles. No republican
paper, believing in republican principles,
can, for a minute, countenance extrava
gance on the part of republican legislators
or officials. True republicanism never
was and never will be supported by plun
dering the taxpayers.
Albany Democrat
Of all men In the world those in the
last legislature should be the last to com
plain of anything that was said about
them. They ought to be thankful no more
is said about them, fqr of all rocky legis
latures, this was about the worst, and
no one should ever boast cf having been
a member of it
ABOUT THE SENATOR.
Opinions Tbnt Are Wise and Some
Otherwise.
Heppner Gazette.
The election of Mr. McBride was not, as
many claim, a piece of spitework any
thing to defeat Dolph. While the people's
representatives were working hard to de
feat Dolph and "ring rule," they were
also working hard to elect a good man
who would represent our interests. This
we blieve they have done. The only ob
jection anyone can raise to McBride Is
that he Is not a strong man physically.
1 This we consider is decidedly in his fa
vor. What we want in our lawmakers
is brains, and a desire to benefit the peo
ple, and Mr. McBride possesses these qual
ifications. In the election of Mr. Mc
Bride tp the senate the people have
clearly demonstrated that they are tired
of being run by the money power. Mr.
McBride is a friend to the poor man as
well as the rich, and will stop and shake
hands with a man in overalls as quick
as one in broadcloth.
Astorjan.
There is a unanimjty of sentiment
among all classes of republicans in Clatsop
county that the election of George W. Mc
Bride as United States senator was the
best possible selection the legislature
could have made under the circumstances.
He is a stalwart republican, unidentified
with any faction, was a Dolph man and
n outspoken caucus supporter. The office
went to him without any solicitation
Whatever, and he is not under special
obligation or pledgp tq any individual or
element It would be hard to conceive of
an election more likely to harmonize and
unify the discordant factions of the party
in Astoria and elsewhere in the state.
There is every reason to be thankful fqr
such an ending to the bitter and un
seemly fight at Salem.
Roseburg Review.
Mr. McBride is not a public speaker
and it is difficult to say just what quali
fications he possesses that fit a man for
United States senator. As the result of
an accident several years ago, he is a
confirmed invalid, and during his second
term as secretary of state, left most of
his official work to his clerks owing to
his protracted illness. Personally, Mr.
McBride is an affable gentleman, who
has a large number of friends through
out the state.
Albany Herald.
The election of Hon. George W. Mc
Bride, Oregon's mqst efficient and re
spected ex-secretary of state, to the high
office of United States senator, is a mat
ter of congratulation to the state at large,
and gives to the United States senate a
most acceptable and worthy member who
will command a complete and full in
fluence in every department with which he
may be brought In contact, and who will
actively and successfully guard Oregon's
interests.
Pendleton Tribune.
It is doubtful if the election of any
other man in this state would be better
calculated to unite the opposing forces and
to add strength to the republican party
in Oregon. No man knows better the
wants of the people of this state. Mr. Mc
Bride is no orator, but is conceded by all
to be capable of sustaining in debate the
measures he will advocate with skill and
good judgment
Eugene Register.
It is indeed strange how everybody
should be so slow to think of little things
that have a great influence on great men.
Why couldn't somebody-think to take a
box of oranges and scatter them through
the legislative halls early in the session?
It seems that was all that was necessary
to break the deadlock and elect a senator.
Ashland Tidings.
The news of the election of George W.
McBride as United States senator was
received with no little satisfaction in Ash
land, particularly by republicans, who
recognize in the result a happy compro
mise that will tend greatly to party har
mony. "Senator McBride is all right," is
the almost universal expression heard.
SOCIALISTIC CONUNDRUMS
PORTLAND, Feb. 27. (To the Editor.)
By what authority did the legislature pass
a bill to submit the question of putting
tolls on bridges to the "taxpayers" of this
city? By wnat constitutional authority
are so many people thus disfranchised?
There are some of us still old-fashioned
enough to believe in a government of
the people, by the people and for the peo
ple; and to look with distrust upon a gov
ernment of the people by a class and for a
class. If the question of tolls on bridges
may be lawfully submitted to a limited
number of electors, why not other public
questions?
The cost pf maintaining our free bridges
Is small compared with the cost of our
police and fire departments, and if the
regulation of one is to be subject to the
control of a select number of voters, why
not the others?
Moreover, the real taxpayers of this city
are the consumers, not the mjddlemen, who
collect from fho const mers to hand over
the public treasurer. The so-called tax-
payers
eis are Dy no means the only tar
ers, and in the sense in which they re-
pay
gard
, uiuaoavua as taxpayers iney are
taxDavers at nil.
not
Consumers urothp onlv taxrjavers worth
speaking of, and since we are all con
sumers, we are all taxpayers, and as such
strictly entitled to all the rights and priv
ileges belonging to taxpayers.
The man who buys shoes to wear, pays
from first to last all taxes, direct and indi-
rect
tnat nave ever been paid on these
shoes
or tne materials of which they are
The tax naid tav the manufanturpp
made.
of
of
shoes is charged up and made a part
the COSt of maklnir shops, and the
jobber has to pay It: the tax collected
from
the iobbftr Is charred nt In th( nnvt
of
the shoes, and thf r.-tnJ1pr hn' tn nair
It
; the tax on the retailer's stock of shoes
is
cnargea up in like manner and collected
from
a tne consumer tne man who buys
shoes to wear.
the
And SO It is vlth nil tnvM ta-rnAnt rait
nopoly taxes); the consumer in the end
foots the whole bill, and is, therefore, the
real taxpayer. " s. B. RIGGEN.
Voters having the qualification under
the statutes to vote in school districts
that is, any citizen who is 21 years of age
and has property in the district upop
which he or she pays a tax are author
ized by this act to vote on the question of
tolls on bridges. But the vote to be
taken as to tolls can hardly be called an
"electioq" in any proper sense of the term.
The legislature leaves it to a particular
tribunal the taxpayers to determine
whether there shall be tolls or not, and
to another tribunal the county court to
fix the tolls within certain limit3. With
the arguments presented in Mr. Riggen's
socialistic essay, we shall not trouble our
selves atpressnt
THE BRIDGE QUESTION.
A Stntenient to the Public Front
Mr. II. W. Coruett.
PORTLAND, Feb. 27. (To the Editor.)
I herewith inclose the following extract
from the Sun, to which my attention
has been called:
The bill to unload the Morrison-street bridge
for about three times its value. In the interest
of Mr. Corbett, passed the legislature; but It
there is any law to make It a free bridge by aq
qulrlng it for what It is worth. It should be In
voked, even If Mr. Corbett is thus deprHed of
making: a large sum of money. He. perhaps,
can live If he does-not make this little "pile;"
and the taxpayer? generally should not be palled
upon. In these tight times, to pay three or four
prices for a bridge, een if It Is needed.
I hardly believe that the writer thinks
me capable of peculation out of the pub
lic or any else. In justice to myself,
however, I may as well state my connec
tion, as fully as may be, with this bridge
matter:
Some two months before the legislature
met, a meeting was called on the East Side
to consider the question of the purchase
of the Morrison-street bridge. Being a
large holder of property, with others, lo
cated in the central portion of the city, I
was invited to be present at that meeting,
which I attended, and gave my views as
to the practicability of obtaining the
Morrison-street bridge by lease, for the
free passage of pedestrians, and fixing a
toll for vehicles. At that meeting my
views were voted down and resolutions
werp adopted (after I left) recommending
the issue of 1250,000 in bonds for the pur
chase of that bridge. A bill was intro
duced into the legislature providing for
the issue of $230,000 for that purpose. This
bill I opposed on the ground of exces
sive issue. A bill was prepared, and after
wards introduced by Senator Denny,
authorizing the issue of $150,000 in bonds,
and providing for submitting the question
to the taxpayers as to the issue of the
bonds; and, also, the question as to
the tolls on vehicles. This bill was pre
pared at my suggestion to prevent the
passage of the bill for the $250,000 Issue of
bonds. I was waited upon by a number
of the central property-holders, who in
sisted that if the bond question was left
to the vote of the. taxpayers the peopje
tributary to the Madison-street bridge
and those tributary to the Burnside
Street bridge would unite and defeat the
proposition, and they would be left in
the same positipn with the toll bridge In
the central portion, by reason of the self
ish interests of those having the advan
tage of the two free bridges in their respec
tive localities. Reccgnizipg the force of
this argument, I consented to amend the
bill in reference to the vote upon the
bond issue by striking cut the same, but
insisted that the question of tolls should
be submitted to the taxpayers at the
next school election. It seems that in
terested parties, without consultation with
me, had inserted the provision for the
purchase of the Stark-street ferry, and the
leasing of the upper portion of the steel
bridge. The bill was also amended, as it
appears, by turning over the management
of the bridges and the ferries, after their
acquisition, to the county commissioners,
thereby saving to the taxpayers the pay
of the present comm'ssioners, amounting
to about $2700 a year. This latter pro
vision was not suggested by me, but was
enacted, I presume, in the interests of
economy. The savings that will accrue
by reason of tolls upon bridges and fer
ries, if voted for, will save to the tax
payers probably not less than $60,000 per
year. I estimate that the interest on the
bonds Issued will amount to $8000 to $9000
a year, as the premium on bonds to be
Issued will amount to probably 8 to 10
per cent. It will not probably be neces
sary to issue the entire amount of bonds
authorized. If, therefore, by paying this
amount of interest on bonds, we have the
reasonable probability of getting $60,000
in return for tolls, 1, as a taxpayer, re
gard it as a pood proposition; and. with
that view, and that only, I have favored
this measure. The taxpayer? in the cen
tral portion of the city insisted that they
should be placed on the same basis as
other portions of the city, having free
bridge accommodations, and then they
would vote on the question of tolls on
vehicles, whih they believed could be
carried. Naturally, the people who have
been receiving the advantages of free
bridges at the expense of the property
holders tributary to Morrison street will
do all they can to defeat (as they have
done) this measure. The present bridge
commission may feel somewhat hurt that
these matters are turned over to the
county commissioners, but if it is a sav
ing to the taxpayers, I presume the mem
bers of the legislature thought it wise
to make the saving. H. W. CORBETT.
PERSONS WORTH KNOWING ABOIIT.
M. Andre, an aeronaut of Stockholm,
has a plan to go to the North Pale in a
balloon.
The widow of Herr Reis, who Germans
say was the inventor of the telephone,
died in Friedrichsdorf, near Homburg, the
other day. She drew a pension from the
government, owing to the services of her
husband.
General van Vliet Js not the oldest liv
ing officer of the regular army. Lieuten
ant Michael Moore (retired) entered the
service- as music boy in April, 1812, before
Van Vliet was born. The lieutenant is a
Brooklyn man.
The Indiana legislature has appropriat
ed $10,000 to place statues of William-
Henry Harrison and Oliver P. Morton in
the statuary hall of the capltol at Wash
ington. In the same legislature a bill has
been introduced to place a statue of Gov
ernor Whitcomb in Monument Place.
M. Louis Jules Trochu, of the French
army (retired). Is seriously ill at Paris.
He was born at Bretagne, March 12, 1815,
and received his education in the military
academy of St Cyr. In the crisis which
followed the battle of Sedan, he was made
governor of Paris, and commander-in-chief
of all the forces there.
At the Academy of Visitation, Balti
more, yesterday, there was a grand cele
bration in honor of the golden jubilee Qf
Sister Mary Xavier Queen. Right Rev.
P. J. Donohoe, bishop of Wheeling, cele
brated pontiflc!al high mass. In the
course of the mass the venerable sister
i renewed her vows to Cardinal Gibbons.
NEWS OF THE XQRTKWKST,
Oregon.
The school census m Corvallls shows 352
females and 31? majes; total 68S.
It Is proposed to hold an encampment of
G. A. R. veterans of Eastern Oregon at
Elgin. July 23 and 2i,
There are 12,000 sacks of grain in the
Monkland district of Sherman county yet
In the fanners' hands.
The Heppner board of trade has appoint
ed a committee to see what can be done to:
open a road between that city and Parria
creek.
A public wool warehouse and. market
will be established at Baker Cily. It will
be 60x100 feet, of porrugated iron, on stone
foundation.
R. S. Owen was examined for insanity
at Eugene Tuesday, and was discharged.
It wag fqund that a yialegt temper wYs
his distemper.
Ladies of West Salem are raising a sub?
scription fund to erect a hall, to be used
for church and literary purposes. Q. W.
Johnson has donated a lot
Company A, O. N. G.. of Ashland, will
hold an election to fill the vacancy caused
by the promotion of Captain Graham to
be major of the Second regiment
It is proposed at Eugene to use the dona
tions made for the Nebraska sufferers, not
yet forwarded because the roads now
charge for freight, for the relief of local
cases of distress.
The diphtheria cases at Medford and
Phoenix are being treated by the antl-tox-ine
method, a bottle of the serum having
been procured ip Portland, and the result
is highly gratifying.
The annual meeting of the Eastern Qrfc
gon Fruitgrowers' Union will be held
March 8. Many of the members of this or
ganization favor co-operation with tho
Oregon Fruit Union during the coming sea
son, in the handling of the fruit and berfy
crop.
Parties In Eugene have about closed tb,o,
purchase of the subscription list and good
will of the Oregon State School Jjurnal,
which has been published for some time
at Drain by the Byrd Publishing Company.
The intention is to continue the nublica
tion of tre Journal in Eugene. It is a
monthly publication.
Sunday morning, before daylight, Mrs.
Elizabeth Strong, 70 years of age, boarded
the train at Myrtle Creek to go to Eugene.
In the darkness, she crossed the platform,
of the car and fell off the opposite side,
bruising herself considerably and dislocat
ing her left shoulder. She was lifted upon
the train and taken to Eugene, where, un
der surgical care, she Is doing nicely.
James Cook and W. F. Hobart unearth
ed the skeleton of a man near' the bridge
across Nell creek, at the old tannery, on
the Homes pjace, south of Ashlami, Satur
day, while repairing the dam lif tiej creek.
It was buried only little more than a foot
underground, and on the bank above 'the
spring by the side of the creek, which spot
has always made a desirable camping
place for travelers by team. The skull rest
ed on a flat stone, and the teeth were la
good state of preservation. Just how long
since the man was juried there is of
course not known, but it was done more
than likely in early times, somp emigrant
party losing one of its members, who was
given his "six feet of earth" at the first
convenient pj.ace. "
"Waslilnsrton.
It is proposed to locate a creamery oa
Cow creek, near Ritzvitye.
The city council of Seattle has donated
$200 to the Salvation Army, to be used in
Its labor relief work.
Four regulars and eight specials are to
be dropped from the Spokane police force
in the interest of economy.
The telephone system from Spokane to
'Coeur d'Alene is to be extended to Helena:
and other Montana points, 25 miles of wire
being put under ground In crossing the
Coeur d'Alenes.
Next Monday a train pf 10 cars of stall
ifed beef cattle will be shipped from. Wallai
Walla to Chicago, where. It Is expected to
realize 5& cents a pound oh" the hoof. " The
Steers average 1500 pounds. Thi3 Is IKe
first shipment of "the' season from that lo
cality. The Tacoma committee in charge of tho
army-post matter, has decided to report Ins
favor of a half-dozen sites, as follows:
East Side of American lake, west side of
American lake, Spanaway lake, Stellacoonx
site, near Albert Whyte's place, Edison
site, near Edison, and Point Defiance.
G. W Evans, aged 87 years, a Walla
Walla pioneer of 1861, died in that city
Sunday, Several of his sons and daughters
are residents of that pity, and are promi
nent in business and social circles. Among
them are Councilman Milton Evans, An
drew Evans, George A. Evans, Noah Ev
ans and Mrs. Green Riffle.
J. L. Blalock, of Walla Walla, has filed
with the Whitman county auditor a notice
of an appropriation of water right, claim
ing water from Rock lake to the extent of
4000 feet per second. The notice statesthat
the water will be stored in Rock lake,
which Is to be used as a reservoir, and the
water is to be conveyed in ditches and
natural channels in a southwesterly direc
tion, where it is to be used for the purpose
of irrigating lands in Adams and Frank
lin counties.
PARAGRAFHERS' PLEASANTRIES.
The snake is graceful enough; what he
lacks is moral responsibility, like so many
gDod-looking men. New York Recorder.
"Thank the Lord," said the farmer,
"cotton's going up at last!" ''You don't
say!" "Yes; yonder goes ten bales in a
cyclone." Atlanta Constitution.
Miss Twenty-Eight Isn't it. strange
how the custom of sending valentines has
fallen into disuse. Miss Eighteen (de
murply) I hadn't noticed it SomervUle
Journal.
First Chicago Boy How did you like
New York? Second Chicago Bqy First
rate. "Didn't you get homesick?" "Not
a bit You see, my uncle lives in Brook
lyn, and I was there during the trolley
strjke. It seeded just like home." Street
& Smith's Good News.
"What is this I hear about your making
a good deal of money at the racetrack
lately? I never would have believed it"
"It is so. though," replied Jonah H.
Hoodoo. "There are a half-dpzen fellows
paying me every day not tp bet on their
horses." Indianapolis Journal.
When you write a merry jest,
Cut it short:
It will be too long at best
Cut it short:
Life is brief and full of care;
Editors don't like to swear;
Treat yqup poem like your hair
Cut it short. Truth.
Little Brother You told Mr. Nicefello
you sang only for your own amusement,
didn't you? Big Sister I presume so. I
tell everybody that- But why? Little
Brother Oh, nothing, only I said to him
that you was hard to amuse, and he said
he thought it took very little 'to amuse
you. Street & Smith's Good News.
Sallie Well, I really think you are the
most conceited girl I ever camp across,
You've been exactly one hour by the
clock admiring your hair. Laura That
just shows your ignorance, then. I'm not
admiring my hair. But Harold asked ma
for a lock of it, and I can't decide where
to cut it from. Truth.
Some people talk an' talk o art;
An' it's a big pertater;
But one thing plays a bigger part,
An' that is human natural
Fer art is copied so they say;
A kind o" gloss on tin;
An' human natur stan's today
As 'riginal as sin!
Atlanta Constitution.
Had More Sense Than Hl8 Master.
Heppner Gazette.
Yesterday near Matlock's corner, Mr.
Henry Heppner might have had a serious
runaway. He left his horse atanding un
hltcned and entered the saloon, and while
there the horse started down the street
As we stated above, the horse might
have run away; but he didn't; he walked
a few steps down the street and stopped.
r
c