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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 1900)
v j-y - SAT"-. B-fS3tlScjes?r' "r ,r evt THE MORNING OEEGONIAN, WEDNESDAY, -TiiNTJARY 1 1900. -Iff v" gontmu Watered at the l'-oetofflce at Portland, Oregon, as second-class matter. TELEPHONES. -Editorial Soams..lG8 I Business Office. .an REVISED SUBSCRIPTION HATES. By Matt pottage prepaid), In Advance Batty, with Sunday, per month.. t ....?0 S5 Daily, Suadaj excepted, per year...,.-.,.. "JO Daily, -with Sunday, per year.............. & 00 Sunday, per year .......... ....,......... 2 00 Ifae Weekly, -par year..- ...... 1 60 Te "Weekly. 3 months..... ... 60 To City Subscribers gaily, per week. delivered, Sundays excepteaUBc "Daily, per week, deUvered. Sundays fccludc&20e News or discussion Intended for publication In The Oregonian should, be addressed Invariably "SdUof The Oregonian.' not to the name of eny Individual. Letters relating to advertising. ibscrJpuops or to any business- matter fihouia be addressed simply "Tie Oregonian." The Oregonian doe? not bay poems or starles .from Individuals, and cannot undertake to re turn any manuscripts seat to It without solicita tion. No stamps should be inclosed Jar this pur pose. Puget Sound Bureau Captain A. Thompson, Sice at 1111 Padflc avenue. Tacoma. I2or 5CS. Taocma postoffice. -Eastern. Business Office The Tribune building. JJew York dry; "The Bookers';" Chicago: the S. C. Beckwlth special agency, New York. For sale la San Francisco by J, Ki Cooper. 740 Slarket street, near the Palace hotel, and at Goldsmith Bros,, SJ6 Sutter street. cr sale in Chicago by the P. O. News Co., 217 Dearborn street, TODAY'S "WEATHER. Pccas&sal tain, with plearlng speft in afternoon'; south to west winds. POaTXATfDv "WEDXESDAY, JAX. IT A5SBSSMEKTS AXTJ VALUES. The -Salem Statesman thinks it knows something about property yaiues In Multnomah county. It therefore un xnuzzles its wisdom In this paragraph": It is sj b&se falsehood and a damaging stan fier on tie aam of Portland to claim, that the property valba of Hultnomath county has de creased 2S per cent from last year; or, la fact. tbet it has decreased at all. "Portland, paesed i through in 1S80 the best ;yar eoea there since 1$92 the beet Sr building, the best for returns "rod. property, for commercial activity, for re AlvaJ of industries and for every condition, that jroes -to taake a. city prosperous and wealthy. The ebowtag made by The Oregonian la its Sv&w Year's edition, proves that clearly, and sow to send out the returns of the assessor V&m ttee heete of sack a exhibit wiU utterly iJoBtroy the grandeur of the figures and dis credit them abroad. The amount saved to the taxpayers at the expense of other -portions of fcfefi esate, and at the sacrifice ofbhesty, will 5e lost many times oer to Portland In several ways The Oregonian suspects that they who possess property in Portland know something more about its value than a paper published at a place whose only thought is to live off the state; and it suspects, moreover, that the owners of Portland have deeper interest in the cood name and- welfare tf the city than outside grafters. It Is true that prop erty values in Portland have not de creased 28 per cent from last year; but the assessments of last year and of for mer years for a long period, were much too high. It has been an error in all "Western cities, and Portland has been among the slowest and latest of them fo acknowledge it. Take Omaha. In 1890 it had a popu lation of 140,412, and now has 200,000. Its assessed valuation last year was 33,048,503. Take Kansas City. It has a population of fully 200,000, and a busi ness, as its statistics show, four times that of Portland; while Xansas City, Kansas, with a population of over 50, 000, adjoins It and adds to its import ance. The assessment of Kansas City Jast aear was $67,809,555. Take Denver. Its population is twice that of Port land, and its assessment last year was $61,443,801. In comparison with these cities and the list for comparison might be greatly extended Portland's present assessment is high enough. As io "discredit of Portland abroad," it is only to be said that no intelligent person can be deceived by unwarranted valuations. "We got into the habit here w hen our people supposed or wanted to believe they were two or three times as rich as they actually were. It is greatly to their credit, at home and abroad, to get on a reasonable basis. TJMEIA'" WARXIXG. Mr. GWlsplth .for, once was astray on. his figures, but he is sound as to .principles, and the appearance of his letter in yesterday's Oregonian on the same page with the special school tax levy of nearly 5 mills is a suggest ive coincidence. The demands of the tax-eaters year after year, regardless of conditions and circumstances, re main the same. They are made to meet the requirements of crafty -and importunate officialism, and taxpayers afior impotent grumbling or indignant protest meet them often by means of scrimpings and savings which their, masters would scorn to practice upon themselves and families. The enor mous tax-devouring capacities of our official system would be serious enough were Its results limited to existing con ditions. But when, as pointed out by Mr. Goldsmith, they hamper our com mercial and industrial growth by mak ing capital wary of investment, they become doubly so. The distinction of being one of the nlghest-taxed cities in the TJnion is in deed an unenviable one, and the vigor with which Portland maintains its po--sitiQH as the chief commercial city of the Pacific Northwest, in spite of this handicap, speaks volumes for its posi tion and the tremendous resources of prosperity of which it is the great dis tributing point. "Without this handicap; with an official system carefully su pervised and administered on a reason ably economical basis, the growth of the city within the next few years would be rapid and substantial beyond the hopes of even its most loyal and sagacious citizens Backed by a fer tile farming area that is each year be coming more productive through the agencies of diversified agriculture; by a vast mining area that Is forging rap Idly ahead In development; by a fish ing industry that, carefully conserved, witt prove exha-ustless; by timber re sources that are practically unmeas ured, aafl by stock and wool Interests of great magnitude; possessed of an ample harbor which communicates through an tmvexed channel with the sea, and railway communication that places It in close touch with the coun try's great centers of commerce and trade trrfly nature has paved the way for Portland's commercial supremacy, and enterprise has taken the initiatory steps toward its realization. Xt nrw remains for economical rules to be applied to our official system to complete the assurance of this suprem acy an the basis of continued growth and. permanency. The entire system needs to be revised in the interests of the taxpajing public not parsimoni- I tusly, but intelligently and justly. Of ficialism is strongly Intrenched, and will not easily be dislodged. But it qan be done, and it may be added that the time Is now ripe for the maugura-1 tion of the effort that -will accomplish this end. Bet -us not be distanced in the race for commercial and industrial supremacy by "suffering the consum ers of our taxes to finally consume our properties." Let not the future pros perity of our fair city he strangled by the hand of official greed. The warning is timely. ASSAUI.TXXG; lATPREXCHED lilXES. Lieutenant-General John M. Schofield, of the retired list of the regular army, is the- only survivor of the great- cap tains af the Union army of the civil war. A soldier who, as late as the last year of the war, was called from the army of the West and given the hide pendent command of a veteran army of 50;000 men by General Grant, deserves to rank as a great captain in the same class with Sherman Sheridan, Hancock and Thomas. General Schofield not only was a very able practical soldier In campaign, but he was always a. fine military scholar. He was graduated No. 7 in a class of fifty-two members, In 1S53, a class that included Generals McPherson, Sheridan and Hood. He was professor of physics in Washing ton university, St. Louis, at the out break of the civil war. He was with General Nathaniel Lyon when that fine soldier fell at Wilson's Creek; he was I with Sherman during- his Atlanta cam paign; he defeated Hood so terribly at Franklin, TennM November 30, 1S64, that General Sherman said the "battle of Nashville was fought at Franklin." "General Schofield is not only our ablest American soldier, measured by the number of men he successfully com-J manded on the battle-fields of the civil i war, but he is our most accomplished military student and scholar. His judg ment regarding the utter folly of as saulting intrenched lines, except as a grim necessity to hold an enemy in po sition in front white a flanking move ment Is in progress, is set forth in his "Forty-Six Years in the Army," which was not published until 1897F when General Schofield was 6 years of age. Discussing the folly of General Sher man's fruitless, costly and unjustifiable assault on Kenesaw Jlountain hi the Atlanta campaign of 1SS4, General Schofield says that "the general feel ing of the army, including not only pri vates, but officers of. nearly all grades, was opposed- to such attacks, because they believed there was no necessity of fighting the enemy on unequal terms. When attacked, either with or without cover, th.e troops would fight with the most determined valor." So when at tacking the enemy cm open ground there was no lack of energy or pluck, "but General Schofield says that the Vet eran troops of the Union army were veryloathto make an. attack when they believed they had no chance of success. This feeling Is not due to a lack of high soldierly qualities, but to the Intelli gence and good sense of the veteran American soldier, who wants to see a fair prospect that It "is going to pay." General Schofield says that the loyalty, the discipline and pluck of the Amer ican veteran will not, allow him under any circumstances io retreat without orders, much less to run away; but if he encounters' a resistance which he thinks he cannot overcome, or which he thinks will cost too much to over come, he will lie down, cover himself with a little parapet, and hold his ground against any effort ta drive him back. General Schofield holds that a general who, with such an. army, seeks, the full measure of success due to su perior numbers, must maneuver so as L to compel the enemy to fight on ap proximately equal terms, instead of as saulting fortifications where, against modern weapons, numbers are of little or no account. General Schofield says: To mses troops against the line of a coiered line Is eimply to devote them to destruction. The greater the mass, the greater the Iosst- i that Is alL A large mass has no more chance ci success tnan a sman one. 'mat tnis io abso lutely true since iit& Introduction of breech loaders Is probably not doubled by any one, and It -was -very nearly true with the muzzle loadins rifles used during our late war, as was abundantly demonstrated on many occasions. This is the mature opinion of a scien tific, educated American soldier of forty-six years of service, whose experi ence included the greatest war'of this century since Napoleon's final fall at Waterloo, It was expressed in 1S97, and yet the English educated soldiers rush their troops against intrench ments, defended by sturdy white men armed with the best modern magazine rifles and rapid-firing field guns, just as recklessly as they would against an army of Afghan tribesmen. Somebody among the London authorities ought to be punished for the insular Ignorance, arrogance or obstinacy that treated the mature opinions of an educated Ameri can soldier like General Schofield with contempt. Is it necessary always to convert an Englishman with a club? DIRECT TRADE II? HEMP. Prospects for a big wheat yield In the Pacific Northwest were never brighter at a corresponding date than at the present time. Climatic condi tions have been almost perfect and the acreage is reported to be nearly if not fully the largest on record. Unless the present movement is accelerated very materially in the remaining five months of the season, the carry-over stock will be enormous, and consequently we shall enter the cereal year of 1S00-1Q1 with a larger surplus of wheat for mar ket than ever before. To handle this surplus as well as other grains, pota toes, etc., we shall require fully 25,000, 000 jute bags. To meet this demand one lone ship with a capacity of about 4.GOO.O0O bags is under engagement for loading at Calcutta. The penitentiary at Walla Walla will add a few million bags to the available supply, and the remainder that are needed must be drawn from California by steamer or from the East, as they were last year. The jute from which the Eastern bags sold to the farmers east of the moun tains last season were manufactured was shipped from Manila, Calcutta and other far- Eastern points by way of the Suez canal to Atlantic coast ports, and thence Inland to the factories which supplied it to the Oregon and Washing- I ton iarmer. By this rounaahout way of doing business the raw material or finished product was. carried about 10, 000 miles farther than was necessary before it reached the consumer, the lat ter, as usual, "paying the freight." The Eastern bag business last year was of comparatively small proportions, while that with California was heavy; but there is no valid, reason why Oregon should not deal direct with first hands in tho bag business, as she does In dis posing of her wheat. The jute industry is" one of the greatest wealth-producers J in the Philippines, and it would seem a very wise move on the part of those interested in working up a trade with our new possessions to secure means for diverting this 'business, into easipr channels, than those through which It is now flowing. With the present heavy volume of outward freight from Portland to the Orient, return freights from Manila should be so low that no raw or manu factured product from the far East could ever find its way into the Ore gon consumers' hands by way of the Suez canal and Atlantic ports. Not qniy should all of Oregon, Washing ton and.Jdaho he supplied with bags manufactured at a port of entry in the Pacific Northwest, but there -is a vast agricultural country west of the Mis sissippi river which should naturally draw its supplies from the most avail able port of entry on the coast. Con sidering the character of the return cargoes which Portland could supply ships bringing jute from Manila, this city is the best port for a factory which; would convert the raw material into grain bags, wool bags, hop cloth, etc. Cheap freights from the far East would mean lower prices for grain bags, and cheap freights to the far East would mean better-prices for flour and wheat, so that the farmer will be doubly benefited by the establishment of a factory in the Northwest, even though It were of sufficient capacity only for the needs of Oregon and Washington. There is reported to be a large amount of hemp accumulated at various ports in Manila, which is being held up on account of military opera- tions which do not admit of the ports being opened. As grain bags are very high In this country, and with a big crop of wheat coming on, are in a fair way to be much higher, it would seem a good move on the part of the gov ernment to open these ports for the shipment of this hemp, and, if neces sary, have ft released under naval pro tection, as it Will be badly needed in this country within the next six months. Its shipment at the present time can add nothing to the resources of the insurgents, as all of it has passed out of the hands of the growers into those, of the merchants, with whom It would seem good policy on our part to establish the best of trade relations. In the early years of the wheat in dustrsr in this state, every bushel that was exported went foreign by way of San Francisco, instead of from Port land direct. The folly of this indirect manner of doing business gradually became too apparent, and wheat ships were loaded at Portland direct for Eu rope. There is no more reason for im porting our grain bags and jute by way of San Francisco and the East than there was for shipping our wheat for eign by way of San Francisco, and the discontinuance of this practice of per mitting rival cities to levy toll on Port land would materially add to the gen eral prosperity of the city and state. A BRILLIANT DEaiAGOGTJE. The speech of Senator Wolcott in reply to Senator Pettigrew Illustrated forcibly the strength and weakness of the brilliant senator from Coloiado. Senator Wolcott belongs to that school of American politicians of which Matt Carpenter, of Wisconsin, and Benjamin, F. Butler, of Massachusetts, were the ablest representatives. Carpenter and Butler were both very able, learned and acute lawyers. Butler was always powerful and formidable In debate; while Carpenter was not only a power ful but not seldom a -Very" eloquent rea soner." Butler had a savage, brutal temper, which made him at times boor ish in language and manners in debate, while Matt Carpenter was a genial man of generous impulses and kindly spirit. But both of these able men were always distrusted in politics, be cause they had no convictions beyond real or supposed self-interest; that is, you never could tell in a great debate in congress whether Matt Carpenter and Butler were arguing and voting for their own opinions or whether they had received a retaining fee and were earn ing it by their voice and vote. Matt Carpenter, with all his lovable quali ties, had no serious political conVictions on any public question, near or far, that would prevent him from being practically "retained" against his party. It was this conviction that Matt Car penter not only would not "stand with out hitching," but sometimes would not stand even when he had been strongly hitched, that inspired a popular distrust of the man that interfered with his rise to the highest level of public es teem. He was conceded to be a great lawyer, an eloquent orator and a. very genial, charming man, and yet Matt Carpenter was not trusted, any more than an equally able lawyer and far more accomplished man, Caleb Cush lng, was trusted in politics by those who knew his capacity for being every thing easily by turns and nothing long. Benjamin F. Butler, unlike Matt Car penter, was not a man of eloquent speech or lovable personality, like Matt Carpenter, !but he was equally without serious political convictions. Of course, a man of Butler's brain power, capa city for studious search of any ques tion, legal or political, he cared sincere ly to master, could never have seri ously believed in the repudiation he ad vocated in 1868, when he favored the payment of our bonds in depreciated greenbacks. He could never have con scientiously believed in the "gfeenbaok ism" he advocated In 1874-76, In 1888, and In the fiat money generally that he defended to the day of his political death. Butler and Carpenter were al ways "criminal lawyers" in politics; they were either arguing a case for somebody who had given them a re tainer, or they were trying with all the arts of a jury lawyer to force a verdict fdr themselves Senator Wolcott belongs to the same school of brilliant demagogues In poli tics. He is a more eloquent orator than Butler, but not so able or learned a lawyer; and as a lawyer an orator, or as a genial, lovable man, he is entirely inferior to Matt Carpenter, and yet Wolcott belongs to the same school of able men who are so utterly unprinci pled in politics, so entirely without seri ous convictions, that they cannot be trusted. Senator Wblcotys speech in cludes a severe and so bitterly personal attack upon Senator Pettigrew that it exceeds the bounds of parliamentary decorum and decency. The worst feat ure of Senator Wolcotf s speech is his vicious effort to sit down on Beveridge, the young senator from Indiana, charg ing him first with having made "a base and sordid argument." and then in the next breath with having made a sentimental plea, and finally conclud ed by making a peroration far more sentimental and ventose than anything that the brilliant young senator from Indiana had said. This man Wolcott took his seat In the United States sen ate as free silverite, March 4, 1889; he was so persistent an advocate of froe.aYfirt.lieialna a SSiRiSSr.a tion In 1895; but in 1896, while nominally clinging to his free-silver opinions, he labored and worked with the republi can party. President MeKinley sent him to Europe as a member of the "international bimetallic commission," on which errand Wolcott found that England "ruled the roast" In finance in Europe; that "international bimetal tsm" was deemed by English states men a delusion and a snare, an Irides cent dream.. Nevertheless, Wolcott came home and made a stupid plea for a dead delusion, and expects to be re elected probably In 1901, but by that time Colorado will have no use for Wolcott. If the free-silver men are in power, they will reject him because he tried to carry water on both shoulders" in 1896, and if the sound-money men are in control they will reject him for the same reason, The resolution presented by Mr, J. N. Teal and adopted by the taxpayers at the annual school meeting, in regard to non-resident pupils who receive the benefit of the schools of this district, touches an abuse which should be cor rected by the school board. Accord ing to the report of Chairman Strow bridge, there are ISO pupils of this class now in attendance upon the schools. It is a good thing to be hospitable and well enough ta be generous, but not with privileges for which other people pay. Non-resident pupils, the children of persons who establish a temporary residence in this district for the whi ter months for school purposes, should be required to pay tuition. Indeed, where resident pupils are crowded or crowded out, as is .frequently the case, non-resident pupils should not be' admitted, even for pay. There are ex cellent private schools in this city that would be glad to receive them. This is a matter of simple justice to the tax payers of the district, and i3 of more or less consequence, according to the seating accommodations of the school rooms upon which these non-resident pupils encroach, to the resident pupils of the district. The number of: bene ficiaries of the district would, if segre gated from the main body of pupils, constitute quite a school, requiring the services of, three or four teachers to conduct it properly. The injustioe of this encroachment upon, the taxpayers' bounty is manifest. The new proviso just made by Mr. Cook granting girls the same privileges as boys by the terms of his gift toward a technical school, seems to meet the unqualified approval of the community. Both men and women commend it. It is pleasant in connection with this new act of liberality ta note the complete absence of that hostility between the sexes which certain, sensation-mongers of the stamp- of J. J. Ingalls would have us believe Is rife in the world. It has never existed. It never will exist. Even the Frankenstein of competitive labor cannot call It into life. There has never been a stronger current of Christian courtesy and simple human helpfulness between men and wom,en. than now. Under army orders dated Washing ton, January 10, Lieutenant-Colonel Peter J. A. Cleary, deputy surgeon general, has been ordered from Fort McPherson, Ga to Vancouver bar racks, as chief surgeon in the depart ment of the Columbia. Surgeon Cleary served in the volunteer medical service from October 4, 1862, until August, 1865. He was appointed assistant surgeon in, the regular army October 9, 1867; be came surgeon with the rank of major in June, 1882, and lieutenant-colonel and deputy surgeon-general in Novem- ber 1897. The highest tribute to the New Tear's issue of The Oregonian is the fact that its perusal in the East Im presses readers principally with the re sources and prosperity of this region. It is not so much the publication itself as the subject-matter it contains. This is the object of the annual number. It is of no. consequence what Eastern readers think of The Oregonian. The prime desideratum is to get them in terested in Oregon, Oregon City needs the public building that its leading citizens through Bep resentatlve Tongue have asked con gress to give them. It will probably get it in due time, which the appro priation committee Is likely to think is not this year. However, a good begin ning has been made, and, on the Hy pothesis that "well begun ia half done," our suburban neighbors of the city by the falls may well feel encouraged at the prospect. Another evidence that boys need parental policing is furnished in the statement that a school for cigarette smoking Is nightly in session in an old barn on the East Side in a quiet resi dence locality. The parental constab ulary must go to bed early and sleep sound on that beat. General Longstreet was not General Lee's "Bad Old Man." That sobriquet belongs to General Jubal A. Early, who T-as famous for his Irreverent, profane speech. General Longstreet is author ity for the statement that General Lee thus stigmatized General Early. SENATOR HOAR'S MISTAKE. It Lies In His Qverejattiuate o tlte FSHplnoH. Boston Herald. Nobody can doubt that Senator Hoar loves liberty, or that "his heart beats warmly for his native land," His mistake, it seems to us, is In his estimate of tho capacity of what he calls the Philippine "people." According to the best authori ties, those people consist of from 40 to Sfll different tribes, the number varying with the closeness of- classification. Two of these tribes have a veneering of civiliza tion, such as it Is. Those are the "Vlsayans and the Tagalogrs. Tho others range aJJ the way down the political scale to the lowest barbarism. The Tagalogs alone are m the war against us, and of these only a small number have any conception what they are fighting for. They have bad no political experience, and In politics are the same as children. Admiral Dewey, who had feeen very few 6f them, is eredited with the expression of an opinion that they were better fitted for self-government than the Cubans. That is probably too favor able a view perhaps more favorable than, the gallant sailor now holds but if it were true, it would not be saying much. Though we are bound to leave Cuba to It self when It shall have established a stable government, we have no faith in Ita ability to meet that condition for many years to come. Who can doubt that a Philippine native government today would be a cruel despotism, even worse than that exercised In the afichipelago by Spain? Senator Hoar makes some comparisons, to only one of which we will refer. He says the Filipinos ate as capable of self-government as the Japanese were at the time 'thisiF'jJorts were, opened, irjiig Jg a very grave error of judgment. The Japanese had had a settled government, with one dynasty, for 10QO years, and a civilization which, though unlike ours-, was of a high order. A comparatively small proportion of the people were illiterate. They had great scholars and artists, and exception ally skillful artleans and agriculturists-. Their chief virtue, celebrated In all their literature, was loyalty. They have had the wisdom and address to reform their gov ernment, and have shown themselves apt for social and political progress. Even a slight knowledge of Japan would have saved our senator from a mistake so grievous. A REASONABLE RECiWEST. Let Alt Information About the fchll ilipine Islands Be Given. New York Times It Is to be hoped that the president will so,e hl3 way clear to send to the senate all the Information called for by Senator Hoar's resolution concerning the Philip pines. It would be fortunate if he-felt free to send In a good deal more than the resolution calls. for. In that way he would not only furnish a complete answer to the senate's Inquiry, but he would en lighten many minds that are now a prey to darkness and error. The delusions of anti-Imperialism, are In many cases incurable, no doubt. Some of the Boston cases, for Instance are quite hopeless. But the very great majority of the men who still believe that we should scuttle out of. the Philippines, regardless of our obligations and the safety of the ordinary people of the islands, are. victims Of misinfoisraatloa or of the lack of In formation, The administration cannot tell the paople too much about the work it has undertaken In the archipelago. The misconceptions upon which the con tentions of anti-Imperialism aro based and the fog of error and prejudice with which tho subject has been enveloped will be swept away by a frank exhibition of the nature of the administration's under taking in the Philippines and of the mo tives of its policy. Nothing? would disgust the leading antl- lmperlalist agitator so much, and nothing- would do their deluded followers so much good, as a full compliance with their de mands for light. It would be a mistake to keep anything from them that can bo printed without prejudice to the public interest. Beally, there must be very little that the people cannot be permitted to know, hardly anything that need be kept back. In particular, the president would do well to olear up the Agulnaldo myth. An attempt has been made to create the belief that by the acts of Dewey or Mer ritt or some dther commander or by the negotiations of some consul of the United States we are bound to the rebel chtef tain by the tie9 of alliance. The falsehood has been often enough exposed, but an authoritative denial from the 'executive department would dispose of it forever. Senator Hoar appears to have some curi osity on that subject. Why not gratify It to the full? The more voluminous and comprehens ive the president makes his answer to the Massachusetts senator's resolution the less trouble he will have with the anti imperialists In future. o fc - ' WTia the Qaer Artillerists Are. Memphis dispatch in St. Loute Globe, Herman Muller has received a letter from hla brother, Peter Muller, who at the time it was written stated, that he was in command of a. Long Tom" in front of Ladysmlth. The writer states that the gun he has charge of Is 40 feet long, and throws a 10-Inch shell. Muller was" a gunner en the United States cruiser Olympla, and tqok part in the fighting In Manila bay. He came to America on the Olympla and after the arrival of that cruiser in New Tcfrk he visited his. brother here, and left imme diately for South Af r!ca He saw 12 years service in the. United States, navy. Muller modestly-tells, a very interesting stqry. He saya that the, Boers" artillery forces are made up Qf perman, Irish French and "American recruits, "In my own company," he writes, "the captain Is a Frenchman, the lieutenant is an Irishman, and the others are Ger man, French and Americans. The native Dutchmen devote themselves to mounted infantry woxk and sharpshootlng," Muller states that the American artil lerymen are mostly ex-members of the United States nyy. and have managed so far to outpoint the other gunners., He also states that the Boers around Lady smith have rations enough to last man and beast six months. It Is evident from the tone of Muller'fl letter that the Boers have a superb artil lery equipment. He. states that he lost a. thumb a few weeks ago from a bullet fired by an English irtfantryman, but got even within a Week by planting a shell squarely In front of a company that was making a sortie from the beleaguered city. in 8i The Contest in Kentucky. Frankfort. Governor Taylor makes this statement; "There Is. not a vestige or truth In any one of the charges upon which Goobel bases bis contest. He was In absblute control of every polling place and election booth in the state. At every point I wag helpless as a new-born babe. Go&bel controlled not only the vote-cast-. Ins and vote-counting at the polls, but iis men made up every revisory tribuna? frem the polls to the state canvassing board, inclusive. Of course, Goebel's elec tion officers did not count a single vote for me that I was not entitled to; equally of course they counted every vote to which Goebel was entitled. It also is true that there was not a booth in the state where some valid hallot for me was not sacrificed. I was elected by not a vote less than 50.C00. It was a tidal wave that overwhelmed them. They felt certain they had me counted out, but when Goe bel's own election ""officers certified the returns to the county boards it was found that my majority was 23S3. Goebel went before tho county boards and tried to get them to wipe out my majority. Some did his bidding; others refused, and the vote came on to Frankfort. But Goebel did not abandon the fight. He appealed to the state canvassing board, made up also or democrats of his- own selection, and asked them to go behind his own returns. They declined, and now Goebel Is before this legislative tribunal, of which body he him self is a member, demanding that the will of tho people be overturned. It seems to me that any sensible man, with the undis puted and indisputable facts I hare men tioned in his mind, must see and know that a black crime is threatened against popular sovereignty In Kentucky." e-f Against Repented Precedents,. Sprinfleld Republican. Ex-Senator Edmunds, as counsel for the memorialists against the seating of Boss Quay, has been accused of maintaining constitutional doctrine which he opposed when a member of the senate. His action in the Bell and Blair cases has been cited by the Quay counsel, but to this he has 1 now made the following reply: 1. That the vacancy must happen begin la the recess of the lesJslatin-s. This was the fact In the Bell and Blair cases. It was not the fact in thl? case. 2. That when, a legislature had sat after a vacancy began th? gftvewior could not lawfully appoint. S That the senate ought ta be kept full by constitutional weans; and so, as the letter of the constitution named, as I thought, any va cancy beginning In a recess when no legislature could fill it. thfi governor bad th right to ap point. And I also said that the senate, for Ita own honor, ought ta stand by its previous sol emn and dellborate decisions. And the previous solemn and deliberate decisions of the senate, as bearing on the issue involved in the Quay cases, are that the governor has no right to appoint when the legislature has confronted a vacancy in the senate and failed to fill it. To seat Quay, the senate must go back on its own repeated decision THE OREGONIAN'S ANNUAL. Oregon's Future Seems Bright. Albany (N. Y.) Press. Qn January 1 The Morning Oregonian. of Portland, Or., issued an annual num ber, which gives a splendid Idea of the growth and future prospects of one of the most progressive of the -far "Western states. In its Issue The Oregonian announces that the population of the state, including that Of the present state af Washington, was only 13,221 in the year 1850; or .05 par square mile. At the present time the number per square mile Is 4.24. based upon a population of 40T.2S3 and an area of 95,030 square miles. The school population has jumped from 36,610: in, 1S73 to 132,401 in 1859. In 1HS0, the wheat yield was 211,943 bushels. Last year the yield waa 22,643,334 bushels. Oregon has millions In the banks; Its foreign commerce Is large, and since the year 1S84 it has imported and exported merchandise valued at $125,9S2.623, of which 5107.531,123 in credited to Portland, and th balance to Astoria and Coos bay. The Oregonian publishes an illustrated oupplement wWch Is a decidedly valuable souvenir- It contains ECQ illustrations in half tone, all printed on enameled book paper. There are noted scenic views em braced in the supplement and illustrations of every important industry of the. Pacific Northwest are Included. The issue of this anniversary number by an esteemed con temporary is a signal example of "West ern newspaper enterprise. Oregon's future seems bright; and its growth and prosper ity will be aided by such wideawake news papers as- The Oregonian. Even Antl-Iropexlallam Is Touched,. Springfield Republican. Tho New Tear's number of The Portland Oregonian is well worthy the attention of outsiders. Ita voluminous pages afford an Impressive exposition of Oregon's progress during- 199 and to the product of It3 own press The Oregonian adds an illus trated supplement containing some 00 pic tures of the Pacific Northwest. As for the future this important newspaper of Its region is full of confidence: Our people begin tn new year prosperous and contented; with well-ailed purses and prac tically no debt: with confl6noe In tb& future of the state and its lnirtltutlona; with conservatism born of th experlersce of the depression;: witb modern methods In the management of their at falro: and with the varw of rgy wide open. They are spurred to new and greater endeavor by the- opportunjtlea which these, progressive tlino, the resources of th state and the Invest ment of outside capital oC?er to intelligent ef fort. yes, the "United States of America, in all Its parts, is a big thing. Thera is. plenty of work to be done at home, to be sure. Dimensions of an Empire, Philadelphia Star. The Mosning Oregonian, of Portland, published a 3&-page paper on New Year's day with a beautiful photogravure supple ment of 24 pages, Illustrative of the Im mense resources, commercial, agricultural and otherwise, of the state of Oregon, which has grown to the 'dimensions of an empire within a generation. In closing an editorial on the state's material prosperity during 1S33 this enterprising journal says; Our people begin thq new year prcancroua and contented; with well-filled porseo and prac tically no debt; with confidence in the future of the state and Ita Institutions; with conservatism bom of the experience cf depression; with mod ern methods in the m-anagement cf their af fairs; and with tlte- valves of energy wjd? open. They are spurred to new and greater endeavor by the. opportunities whlcft the&e prcgreseivo times, the resources of th state and the Invest ment of outside capital offer ta Intelligent ef fort. The entire 6tat breathes the spirit of progress. Groat oawa the development of 1E1K. that of 1000 will be greater. Nctt England Xameiakc Surpassed. Haverhill (Mass.) Gazette. The New Tear's issue of The Portland (Or.) Oregonian Is a most creditable num ber, containing 36 pages of reading mat ter dealing with the enterprise and growth of that great city of the Northwest, its vicinity apd bordering states, and there are also many articles, on subjects of gen eral interest. The illustrated supplement wh'ch accompanies It Is a work of art. It contains over 500 illustrations, and these views embrace all the noted scenlq attrac tions of Oregon and vlc'nity, and every Important industry of the Pacific North west. Cuts of many prominent men in public and business life in Portland are also given, and the entire edition is an ex cellent production of the bra'ns and me chanical devices of that great city, which has so far surpassed Its New England namesake in growth. Another From Mlchlgrnn. Saginaw News. The News is In receipt of a copy of tha apnual number ot Thq Morning Oregonian, published in Portland. Or. The paper is a clean, well-ordered sheet of goodly pro portions, evidently the product of enter prise and good judgment. It has the ap pearance of a high-grade, metropolitan paper, and the tone of its news Is sub stantial and wholesome. It has the merit of representing the state aa well as the city In which it is published. A supple ment made up of well-printed half-tones on enameled paper is an attractive f eatnre i of this issue, as it pictures the wonders- of the great state of Oregon Us scenic at tractions and Its business activity, with glimpses of its natural resources. The journal is as a whole a handsome one, and a product of which to be proud. "The Hno" Hears Ahont It. Boston Globe, The annual number of The Morning Ore gonian, of Portland, Or., Is one of the best that enterprising paper ha3 Issued. It comprises 60 pages, 24 of which are de voted to a comprehensive and timely re view of "This Oregon of Ours," as the article Is headed, in addition there Is an art supplement of 2i pages filled with ex cellent half-tone illustrations of Oregon's business achievements a.nd opportunities and her natural attractions. Joke on the Other Fellow. Boston Trnscript. His- Mother (to wife going through the pockets of her husband's clothing) I wouldn't do that, Irene, Come, now, do you think it Is right?" Wife That depends upon the motive. My objeet is not mercenary. I only want to play a practical joke upon any pickpocket who may happen to operate upon dear George. Tie Butter She Wonted. Chicago News. New Wife I wish to get some butter, please. Dealer Roll butter, ma'am? New. Wife No! We wish to oat it on blgcuit3. A 0 Evidence. Philadelphia Record. Sunday School Teacher (in Chicago) Why did the wise men come from the East? Scholar Because they were wise men. a Sadly Realised. Kansas C(ty Independent The Maid Oi'va klm In to give 7es war'rnln'. The Mistress (a'ghlng) .ToU should have given it bgftra yon cam, Rriaseu J NOTE AND COMMENT. How can musicians consistently Join a labor union when they do nothing but play? There are two sides to tha Kentucky controversy, and Taylor Is at present on the Inside. Goebel's argument is that hla support ers were bo Intimidated by the militia that they dared vote only once. Naval officers "are urging the construc tion of a Pacific cable and yet they would be the first to cut It if they went to action on tha other side. Hats have gone up In Connecticut. If it were any place else than New England we might be led to believe that the flag had just been carried by. Agulnaldo better tako up a residence ia Massachusetts before it is too late for him to become a candidate for something" or other at the next eleotion. A Philadelphia woman looked Into a mir ror and noticed that her hat was on fire. It Is cratifylrtjr to- know that fires ot this kind can never remain long; undiscovered. Now that Conan Ioyle Is with the Brit ish army In the Transvaal., he probably regrets that he killed his friend Sherlock Holmes. Holmes would have caught Jou bert in about three days. Few persons probably have any idea ot the quantity of popcorn, used in this sec tion. One dealer imported 10 tons for the holiday season, and disposed of It all. and he is preparing to have 16 acres planted in popcorn next season. Just think of the bulk of a ton of popcorn after It la popped, and how many cornpoppers would be kept busy popping iti There Is probability that certain ques tions regarding- the registration law will be submitted to the state circuit court for determination. These do not interfere with registration except In a few Instances. The court can readily decide the matters, and, as registration does not close untlt May 13, every person wilt be ahle to set his name recorded before the books aro closed. TJje taxpayers league doe3 not seem to be all taxpayers. Ono of these, while a prominent member of a recent grand jury. Is said to have been appointed on a com mittee to investigate and report why all of the taxes on personal property are not collected. The committee, so the story goes, began the inspection of old tax- rolls, and one of the first names encountered was that of the prominent member and whose name appeared to run all the way down the page. His associates, so It Is alleged smiled broadly and hinted that perhaps It wouldn't do any good to look Into 3uch things anyhow, and the p. m. acquiesced, and the final report of the body was silent upon this subject. The population of Portland Is increasing rapidly and the volume of business in every department of trade shows a corre sponding increase. The number of dogs harbored by citizens keeps pace with tha goneral Increase and is now larger than ever. The council license committee or dered 2000 license tags and receipts for dog licenses at the beginning of the dog Ucense fiscal year. September 3, which It was supposed wQuld be sufficient fer tho year. Tags and licenses- are notk ex hauated and a new supply will have to be ordered. If all goes well and the dosr license Is not raised, the dogs will be fore long outnumber the citizens, and the revenue from dog licenses will soon bo equal to that from saloon licenses. 0 0 Chlcaeonn Perplexities. Chicaso Record. "It Is rude for a guest to look at his watch." "Yes?" "And ruder for a host to leok at tha clock." "Of course." "Well, how do polite people ever get away from each other?" c ' DWn't Uonht Hixa. "Washington Star. "Ha says he would gladly lay the world at my feet," said the- sentimental young woman. "That's what hell do," said Mlso Clay enne. "After you're married he'll lay the world at your feet and compel you to walk on It because you can't afford a cab." Jnst One JBsperlence. Philadelphia North American. "This beautiful p'pe was given me for Christmas." said the grave-looklm? man to the department store clerk. "I believe It was purchased here. May I exchange it for a badly needed pair of shoes?" o Dispraised. Columbus (O.) State Journal. Wiggins Whose umbrella ia this? It looks like the one I lost. Hlgglns I don't see how It an, for I scraped the handle and altered it gener ally. i C ii A Genenlojrfcal Homily, Bismarck Tribune. You may believe 'tis true that your couralnff blood la blue. But eolence stern assures ua that all neeJUiy blood Is red. And the longest pedigree that grows on a fam ib tree Isn't half as beneficial as a good, lenff head. You may refer with pride to your ancestors btelde Whose fame your light Is dim. for letters, art, or pelf. But I trust you will believe It la nobler to achlave Enough that you may be on time an ances tor yourself. The watchdog well who serves and who care fully observes The strangen who approach and waJe tii family with his barlt. Tho' he has no pedigree. Is a better dog- for me Than the dog- that sleeps, e'en tho hla aa eestors were la the Arlc It Is right that you admire, and, admlrlns, yon aspire To trace a nohle pathway In your genealogy But permit ma to assure that no person, rich orpocr. Ever plucked a plum, of greataaca off ttio grandest family tree. The man who Is a King, Tnike or Lord, or any thing That's noble, tho his ancestors were cobblers at the last. Has a much more honored way In this Httla world today Than the cobbler whose ancestors governed kingdom In die pas:. And full many a man today, to whom honor we might pay. Has been overcome In living- up to a proud ancestry. And full many a man been laid, fcx an ever latlng ohade By the branches of a towering, spreading, an cient family tree. So don't take it much, to heart when a man takes your part And tolls you ha was bwd 'mid arlstocracy'a environs, Tho hl3 anceltors came o'er in the Mayflower to this ahor. The logbook, still, may show that; every ow ca;msoex in. Iroca.