THE MORNING OREGONIAN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 1900.
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FORTLAA"D, WEDNESDAY, JA2V. 34.
THE XSTHSOA CAXAliS.
It Is said that the 21caragua canal
bill, reported both to the house and
senate, -will certainly pass each house
by a heavy vote; and since the presi
dent is known to be among those who
favor immediate action, he doubtless
will approve this bill.
That there is haste In this bill must
be admitted, in view of the fact that
the commission created by the last con
gress to Investigate and report on the
feasibility of this great project has not
yet had time to complete Its work, or
even to make a preliminary report.
Again, the bill proposes to appropriate
?140,000,000, outright, for execution of
(the work, but makes no provision for
raising" the money. It Is clear that the
current revenues cannot be drawn on
for sch a sum, and money will have to
be raised on bonds for the work But
since it is an undertaking even more
I for posterity than for ourselves, a share
I of the cost may well be relegated to
posterity.
It is suggested that this measure may
hurry up the report of the Nicaragua
I commission, and may smoke out the
new Panama Canal Company, so it
may be known whether formation of
Ithat company Is an undertaking In
Jgacd faith, or only a cover to other
js' hemes. But the Nicaragua canal
J6t u.d be constructed without refer
;ence to the canal at Panama. Should
both canals be opened, there would soon
be business for both. One canal can-
not ptssibly pass through all the ships
ithat 1U be seekinjr nassaere across
ithe isthmus of America twenty years
icuce. For the capacity of canals that
art ka-e so many lift locks is not
infinite, as some might suppose. Only
30 many vessels can go through a
ra.T-e jf locks each day.
W rk is in progress on the Panama
rajia , but not with so much vigor as
lb. ret fore, for funds are running low,
.ted are practically again exhausted.
fhe rente of this canal has been
:h.r.red In several places from the old
L-nc of De Lessens day. The canal is
.jo diiided Into six reaches; a mari
ne channel lis to be formed on either
cjast, and these channels are to be
ic f f d by four intermediate pools of
injur lengths. The bottom of the
sunrnrit leel on the present plan will
Ex rtarly 100 feet above the sea level:
ut ihe canal can be brought down to
t-ca lc el whenever the conditions war-
bant the expense. It will be remem-
rcd that it was the De Lesseps' plan
p cut it to the sea level, and his work
fas undertaken with this purpose in
i.tv. The distance here across the
Isthmus is 42 miles as the crow flies.
ft.n.d 4C" miles, measured on the line of
fte canal. But the United States
Ihciiid push the Nicaragua canal, and
geaie the Panama canal to those who
:ave undertaken it.
It has been reported that the
JriLsh government has notified our
department of state that the
tonditlons of the Clayton-Bulwer
greaty -nlll now be waived by Great
Jr.tain. Inquiry by authority of the
lenate will determine whether this Is
ie. "We should be willing to make an
Lgrecmtnt to keep the waterway open
the commerce of all nations on the
irinciple applied by Great Britain to
le Suez canal. But. as Great Britain
ulil close the Suez canal to other na
ns, in case her interests in war re-
ulrd it, we should do the same with
:e Nicaragua canal, in like circum-
pmccs. We must control the territory
irough which the canal passes; and
Great Britain is willing, as reported,
waive her claim to joint control,
lere can be no further obstacle from
lat quarter. It is assumed that we
:aJ be able to secure control of terri-
:ry for the canal from the Central
Lmcrican states; but the bill provides
hat unless or until we do get such con-
rol, to further action shall be taken.""
THE arAY-CIiAUK aixiaxce.
iC-cy, the Pennsylvania boss, has so
savaged it that he lacks but one vote
haing a majority of the senate's
i-tr-.ttee on elections in favor of seat-
fcTi in defiance of the numerous
ret acnts Thich the senate has made.
lurr s of Michigan is the only re-
. run senator on the committee who
j .ned in the report against him.
T!.s indicates that the vote in the
tr.ae may be close. Possibly the sen
W afUr all. in defiance of its own
teelcrts, may. seat Quay, The Influ-
;ce f the administration is said to be
p rs side.
gThtre is a very interesting statement
Washington on the Quay case, and
the Clark (Montana) case, which
retained wide notoriety. It is a
IP rt to the effect that Messrs. Quay
Ld Clark have united for mutual sup-
rrt This, it is supposed, would make
peculiarly strong ..combination. One
tci .a; part or tne capital would be fur-
isLel by one of these gentlemen; an
Iber special part by the other. It is
ry to see what this combination
ight be. In its possibilities and poten-
'tiis
;tween such men as Quay and
lark, moreover, there are natural af-
iIUcs "which are very powerful. For
o you will find Quay senators vot-
for Clark, and Clark senators vot-fo-r
Quay. Party lines will cross,
an extraordinary manner; and it is
not Improbable that Quay will be seat
ed and Clark "protected." Xet "Wash
ington correspondents suggest that so
much publicity has been given to the
possibility of the (thlng that it may be
difficult to carry it out.
TO MAXELA "VTA DUTCH HAKBOB.
There is no evidence that the north
ern or Alaskan route for the Pacific
cable is favorably viewed in official
"Washington. San Franfcisco is -against
it, and in many minds San Francisco
and the Pacific coast are interchange
able terms. If this northern route can
get a fair hearing, however, and Sena
tor Foster's committee positions afford
a means to that end, the facts in its
favor will make a stubborn fight for
recognition. A pamphlet by Mr. Har
rington Emerson, of Philadelphia, an
engineer of some note, is devoted to ex
position of these advantages, which
are not lightly to be set aside.
The ordinary map gives a distorted
Idea of the Pacific ocean. The casual
observer would not be inclined to admit
at first thought that It Is nearer to the
Philippines by way of Dutch Harbor
than by way of Hawaii. Yet such is
the fact. To Japan by way of Alaska
will take 4053 miles of cable. To Japan
by way of Honolulu and Guam will
take S17S miles of cable. To the Phil
ippines the northern route involves 4963
miles, and the southern Involves 8137
miles.
Distance is not the only considera
tion. In fact, if there is any possible
aspect of cable construction in which
the southern route excels the northern,
Mr. Emerson has failed to discover It.
As to cost; he figures that the north
ern route is about one-third as costly
as the southern, and that if, in addition
to the northern cable, a cable is laid
from San Francisco to Honolulu, the
two projects will cost less than half
as much as the long cable by way of
Honolulu. Mr. Emerson's idea is to lay
the cable from Gray's Harbor, in order
to avoid the rocky formation and
stormy conditions of Cape Flattery,
making stations at Sitka, Kadiak
Island, Dutch Harbor, Attu (the last
of the Aleutian islands), the Japan
Russian border, Formosa and the Phil
ippines. This gives a total length of
5550 miles between Cape Flattery and
Manila. The corresponding lengths on
the southern route would be: San
Francisco to Honolulu, 2403; Honolulu
to Midway island, 1311; Midway island
to Guam, 2639; Guam to Tokohama,
1805; Guam to Manila, 1784; total, 9942.
The elements of cost are not deter
mined solely by distance. The shallow
route to the north will require only one
type of deep-sea cable, and a single ca
ble steamer at Dutch Harbor, midway
of the line, -for repair purposes. The
Hawaiian line would require four dif
ferent types of cable and two repair
ships, one at each end of the route.
The long reaches and abysmal depths
of the southern route are impressive.
The cable might prove imperfect under
the tremendous pressure, or might be
damaged. Its inaccessibility would
then ruin it. The first Atlantic cable.
In which a weak point was developed,
lies abandoned at the bottom of the
ocean. A French cable was repaired,
but at a cost of $460,000. The second
and third Atlantic cables had to be
abandoned. It is cheaper to make new
ones than to recover them. A total loss
of the largest link on the northern line
means less than 5500,000. The loss of
the longest link on the southern line
means nearly $4,000,000.
As to revenue and business, Mr. Em
erson's comparisons are equally impres
sive. "We should bind Alaska to us.
Sitka and Kadiak island are centers
of business of great extent, within easy
connection with Juneau and Skagway.
Dutch Harbor is already a busy port
of entry; and on the Asiatic side we
come speedily into connection with
Russian and Japanese wires. This line
will not only be the shortest between
our Pacific coast and Asia's Pacific
coast, but actually shorter as a means
of communication from Europe itself to
Asia. It is shorter from London to To
kohama by this proposed route, 2400
nautical miles shorter, than from Don
don to Tokohama by the present route
through India. "The Alaskan route,"
says Mr. Emerson, "with a world's
business o'f its own in and out of the
Alaskan gold fields, deriving a sure
support from this source of revenue
alone, can compel the European-Asiatic
traffic to come its way, because it can
reduce through rates beyond the abil
ity of its European rivals to compete."
Mr. Emersdn's pamphlet gives us to
understand that responsible promoters
of the proposed northern cable stand
ready to make a contract to lay it with
out a government subsidy, whereas a
part of the southern plan Is a govern
ment subsidy of large proportions. If
his assertions can be sustained, the
northern route should be seriously con
sidered by congress before anything Is
done towards committing the govern
ment in the Pacific cable project.
THERE ARE OTHERS.
The chief purpose of The Oregonian
in its article upon Major "Watrous, U.
S. A, In Its Sunday issue, was to quote
him as an object-lesson in Illustration
of the way in which desirable staff
places In the regular army are handed
over, through political influence, not to
worthy officers of the regular army,
who twenty-five years or more ago en
dured the hardships of Indian warfare
after graduating from the civil war,
but to men from civil life who have a
"political pull." Major Watrous, In his
reply, does not charge The Oregonian
with any false statement, but disposes
of its criticism that his appointment
in June, 1898, was due purely to politi
cal "pull," and his reply to this is,
'There are "others."
Of course there are others, and that
is the curse of the whole business, that
"there are others." The regular army
is made a bombproof and an asylum
for aged and decayed politicians, by
their patrons. To illustrate: Major
Watrous says that he has been an edi
tor -for more than thirty years, which
would bring, him nearly up to the date
of his appointment in June, 1898, as
paymaster, with the rank of major
assuming that he began to be an editor
on his muster out, in 1865. At the end
of thirty years' editorship he asks for
and obtains a major's rank in the regu
lar army, thus securing an easy berth
that legitimately belonged to an officer
of the regular army who had rendered
thirty years of severe service, from
1865 to 1S98; was getting old, and was
entitled to an easy place, compared
with a man who had been a free and
easy editor -for thirty years, and was
still In such command of his faculties
that he could reel off 'two columns
from memory" that were hitherto un
known to history.
Now, to speak frankly, Major Wat
rous for more than thirty years, by his
own statement, had his free whack at
civil life, to make or break himself, and
yet at 60 years of age he obtains a
major's place in -the-regular army
through a political pull, which belongs
of right to some sterling veteran officer
of the regular army, who is not old
enough to retire, who Is not stalwart
enough to go to the Philippines, and
endure the climate and hardship of
active military life.
, "There are others," indeed; and it is
a pity It Is true. General Eagan was
one of those "others" who imposed him
self upon the army for life; and that Is
the plea of every superannuated mili
tary scribbler who has a life "sit"
"there are others." In this incident
The Oregonian has unmasked an abuse
that cries aloud for reform. Political
favoritism has no 'proper place in the
army.
HOW THE SUBSIDY WORKS.
The latest illustration of the beauties
of the shipping bounty act as it is ap
plied in France is shown In the con
struction in British yards of what may
be termed "knocked down" vessels, the
parts of which are shipped to France
and put together in French yards in
order to earn the bounty. The subsidy
offered by the French government
proves so alluring that it was Impossi
ble for the French yards to turn out
vessels as fast as orders were received
from capitalists seeking a "sure-thing"
investment. In order to get as much
as possible out of the French treasury,
British yards were drawn on, at first
for only parts of vessels on which
much time was required in construc
tion. Gradually, as the French capital
ists learned that a merchant marine
was a "proposition" that could not lose,
the demand for parts of vessels in
creased, until now Great Britain Is not
only building all parts of sailing ves
sels for the Frenchmen but Is also
making machinery for the steamers.
This paternal policy of the French
government is, of course, highly bene
ficial to the workers in the British ship
yards, but what of the taxpayers who
are footing the bills? Are the masses,
who will never receive a penny's worth
of benefit, either direct or indirect, from
this bounty, satisfied with this distribu
tion of the money wrung from them
in the shape of taxes with which to
pay this bounty? The French shipping
bounty has made that nation the laugh
ing stock of the commercial world. The
proposed American shipping bounty is
even more Iniquitous, as the attempt to
saddle it on the American people Is
made at a time when every ship flying
the American flag is making large
profits for her owners, and every ship
yard in the, country is crowded with
orders for vessels which do not need a
subsidy to enable them to make hand
some profits for their owners.
AN URGENT NEED.
The increase in population and rapid
development which is going on in Alas
ka call for the early construction of a
telegraph line to bring that country
into closer touch with the outside
world. This Is an enterprise which will
be of value to both the United States
and British Columbia. The maritime
interests of these two countries in the
vast empire lying to the north have al
ready reached large proportions, there
being more steamers and men employed
on the Alaska route than oh any other
single route on the Pacific coast.
The government has already taken a
step toward recognizing the importance
of this new country by arranging for
an extension of the lighthouse service
to cover the worst portions of the
Alaska coast line and inland passages.
This will afford quite a measure of pro
tection to shipping, but it should be
supplemented with telegraphic commu
nication.. Great loss of life has ensued
In the past through accidents to
steamers on this route, and much of it
might have been averted, had there
been means for apprising stations from
which help could be dispatched.
The steamer City of Seattle, carrying
a large number of passengers, was a
week overdue yesterday, when the first
news was received that she was at
Juneau with damaged machinery. For
tunately, neither life nor property was
in serious danger, through this delay,
but with the recollection of the tragedy
of the Sierra Nevada still fresh In their
minds, the gravest apprehension was
felt by all who had friends aboard.
With troops on land, a revenue cutter
service skirting the shores, and a light
house service along the marine high
ways, the government certainly has in
terests with which it should be In closer
touch.
The mineral fields or mountains of
Baker county bid fair to astonish the
world. Though not the popular tyrx of
gold mines, 1 e., the so-called "poor
man's diggings," in which any man
with a pick, shovel and rocker can
make his fortune, they will, through
their extent and richness, add enor
mously to the world's gold product In
the next Ave years. Men conversant
with the situation confidently expect to
see another Denver rise upon the site
of Baker City, instead of the town of
mushroom growth which flourishes for
a time around placer mines, and then
the call for its existence having ceased
disappears. There certainly is at this
time abundant cause to believe that
this expectation will be realized. That
there will be a large influx of popula
tion and heavy Investment of capital
in the Baker county mines this season
is already an assured fact. In the
meantime, those who want to wash
gold from the sands will set their faces
toward Cape Nome, as soon as naviga
tion opens, while prudent, sagacious
farmer folk of the agricultural districts
of the Northwest will plow and sow and
gather into barns' with renewed dili
gence, well knowing that miners must
be fed. The opportunity to realize
upon industry is not here, or there, but
all along the line.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, under
the Piper brothers, was a high-minded
paper. But since it became a Northern
Pacific organ and passed into control
of men who are willing to accept base
servitie for hire, it has become a mere
jayhawker. What right has that paper
to say that "The Oregonian hates and
loathes President McKinley because he
does not allow Its editor to be political
boss of Oregon"? No right whatever.
Last of all things that the editor of
The Oregonian wants is to be a "polit
ical boss." He has not sought nor de
sired anything whatever of the McKin
ley administration, either for himself
or others. Besides, if he wanted to be
political boss of Oregon, he 'wouldn't
consult Mr. McKinley, -who hasn't
power to make anybody political boss
of Oregon. 3ut these remarks no doubt
are lost on the Seattle paper, which has
fallen from its former estate and be
come a mere property; hence its most
familiar idea is included in the word
"boss." Of course, it is but natural
that the Seattle paper, under the mer
cenary servitude into which it has
fallen, should imagine mercenary mo
tives in all others.
The most hopeful recent development
in pension matters is the combined ap
pearance of democrats in congr.ess as
the champions of a wide-open policy
and the foes of pension reform. This is
well. It will tend to give the republi
cans more heart for honest laws and
their righteous enforcement, and It will
emphasize the consistency of the demo
cratic party in dropping a good theory
as soon as it becomes practicable. -It
fought for tariff reform till lower duties
were really needed, then it dropped the
issue. It stood for honest money until
debasement became pressing for decis
ion, then it Btood up for the silver
standard. It is getting ready to treat
pensions as it treated the greenbacks
against them when they were needed,
and red hot for them when they be
came the source of abuses. All these
dispensations of Providence have their
uses. The conquest of the democracy
by the sliver propaganda drove the
republican party unwillingly to the gold
standard. Democratic labors for cor
rupt pension rings may drive the re
publicans to pension reform.
A boy of' 17 years is in jail in Eugene
awaiting the investigation by the
grand jury of a charge of theft from
his employer. While his case Is one
that, on account of his youth and pre
vious good character, has enlisted much
sympathy, his guilt Is generally con
ceded. This means that, in all proba
bility, the early -years of his manhood
will be spent in prison. Temptation
came to him in the form of gambling,
and, while the probabilities are that he
was more sinned against than sinning,
he will be compelled to pay the penalty
of his transgression in wasted years
and a clouded life. There was a song
the refrain of which was, "Have cour
age, my boy, to say no," quite popular
at open temperance meetings and coun
try and village singing schools some
years ago, which it might be well to re
vive. There is proof all along the line
that the lesson that it conveys was
never needed more than now.
It is stated that Matt Hilstrom, the
Clatsop county rancher, who, laboring
under the hallucination that his life
was sought by his neighbors, shot and
instantly killed a logger who went to
his house with peaceful intent, is a vic
tim of hereditary insanity, his mother
having been violently insane at his
birth, and one brother having died in
the insane asylum. The question, "Who
hath sinned, this man or his parents?"
Is one that, in the light of medical
science, and, indeed, of ordinary com
mon sense, is easily answered In this
case. Of Hilstrom's father nothing is
said. This is perhaps well, since he
could only be spoken of in this connec
tion with the utmost reprobation as a
man who thoughtlessly or recklessly
called human beings into existence, un
mindful of the certainty that their ex
istence would be a ourse to themselves
and to others.
Intelligent, sober-minded people do
not get frightened when smallpox is
introduced into the community. They
simply go and get vaccinated, see torlt
that their children are vaccinated,
keep away from the vicinity of hobo
lodging-houses, and the pesthouse, and
leave the rest to the city physician and
the board of health. Nobody wants to
take any chances of contracting this
loathsome disease, and these simple
precautions will reduce all such chances
to the minimum. A "smallpox scare"
In the sense formerly known Is, in the
light of medical and sanitary science,
a fool's epidemic.
There does not seem to be any reason
why church buildings should not.be se
cured or securable from burglars by
means of locks and bolts. The preda
tory night prowlers who enter these
buildings and abstract therefrom the
electric light globes are believed to be
boys or youth whom parental vigi
lance should restrain. Certainly It
ought . not to be impossible to secure
the doors and windows of these build
ings against amateur housebreakers.
The attempt would at least be worth
while.
Measures should at once be taken to
enforce the rule of the school board of
this district that requires pupils at
tending the public schools to be vacci
nated. A condlton may at any time
confront our people that a theory will
not satisfy. This is one of the tolls
exacted for being Jn touch with the
world's markets and industries, and
wise people pay it without demur or
hesitation, conscious of value received.
A letter written from Utah, marked
"personal to the president," was ban
died about the departments, read by
nobody upon whom It made any im
presBion, stowed away somewhere and
forgotten. If its fate had been differ
ent, some polygamists might not have
been appointed to office; but a fine object-lesson
as to the vanity of earthly
ambitions would have been. lost to letter-writers.
The fire yesterday at the Standard
Oil storage depot on the East Side is a
warning. Regulations should be pro
vided at once to forbid the storage of
any considerable quantity of oil within
the city limits. Testerday's fire shows
that the danger is extreme. The com
mon council cannot too quickly provide
against the recurrence of such a danger
to the city.
The Armored Train and Motor Car.
Collier's Weekly.
The constant references to the recon
noitering of the enemy's position by the
British armored trains have created con
siderable discussion among military en
gineers and officers as to the actual value
of these new engines of war. The first
test of the armored train was made by the
British in 1832. In the attack on Alexan
dria, a British naval officer, Captain (now
Admiral) Fisher, covered an engine ana
alao a'traln of cars with boiler plates. These
were loaded with sharpshooters and heavy
field and Maxim guns. When everything
was ready the armored train steamed out
of the British camp and plunged down
upon the Egyptians, who, unused to such
engines of war, were completely routed.
Sinoe then, regular armored trains have
been built by the engineers of the British
army, and they have rendered some con
spicuous service in South Africa. The de
struction " of ' one of these trains by the
Boer artillery early in the war displays
some of the weak points of the, otherwise
dangerous invention. The Boers tore up
a few sections of the "rail in the rear of
the train, and it was then put completely 1
at their mercy when the artillery was
brought up.
Several armored motor-cars have also
been sent to South Africa for experimen
tal work. These Ironclad motor-car3 are
proof against the bullets of the enemy, and
as they can constantly change their posi
tion it would be impossible to get the range
on them with artillery. They are not de
pendent upon railroad tracks for a retreat.
But at least fair roads are considered es
sential to their successful travel over the
country, and among the mountains they
would be of no use whatever. Op the veldt
they may settle the disputed points as to
the relative merits of army bicycles, mo
tors and similar inventions, the names of
which are legion.
DON'T LIKE M'KINX.EY.
But Can Bryan toy Any Possibility Be
Elected?
Baltimore Sun.
The canvass which Mr. William Jen
nings Bryan has been making since his
nomination and subsequent defeat for the
presidency In 1S9S has been -without prece
dent or parallel in the political history of
this country. There have been men be
fore, prominent in public life, who have
been persistent candidates for the presi
dency and who have enjoyed the support
and confidence of great numbers of their
fellow-countrymen, and yet have failed In
the end to attaid the object of their am
bition. Such notably were Henry Clay
and James G. Blaine. There have been
men raised to the presidency, who, ftfrom
the day of their election and inauguration
have seemed to have but one thought and
one object In view, and that has been to
secure their own renomination and re
election. Such, conspicuously, Is the In
cumbent of that high ofllce, who has not
scrupled, apparently, to subordinate to
the gratification of his own personal am
bition every consideration of the public
good, even to the sacrifice of thousands
of human lives and the expenditure of
untold millions of money in the prosecu
tion of an unjust and unholy war.
Bryan Is undoubtedly the most promi
nent candidate indeed, the only promi
nent candidate-for the democratic nomi
nation. But after the nomination comes
the question of election. That is a ques
tion which neither of the prospective can
didates, nor their friends, nof those who
have at heart the success of the great
parties which the candidates must Inevit
ably lead, the one to victory, the other
to defeat, can afford to Ignore. Is the re
sult in 1900 to be simply a repetition of
that in 1896, or its reversal? That is a
question for Mr. Bryan, and for the whole
party which followed him to defeat four
years ago, carefully to consider. It is
not to be supposed that Mr. Bryan him
self willingly or consciously courts defeat
again, or that he desires to bring disaster
either upon the party which has already
so highly honored him, or upon the princi
ples which he professes, and, we--do not
doubt, with entire sincerity.
What states which Mr. McKinley car
ried in 1896 can Mr. Bryan, with any de
gree of confidence, hope to carry in 1900?
It is upon the electoral, and not upon the
popular, vote, that the result will depend.
It matters not how many votes Mr. Bry
an may gain in the Southern and West
ern states which voted for him in 1896. No
increase in his popular majority in those
states can help him to one additional
electoral vote. He must win votes In the
states which voted against him before,
and enough of them to turn the scale In
his favor. How many of those states
can be considered doubtful in a contest
where the candidates are the same and
the issues the same as in 1S96?
Mr. Bryan we assume to be an honest
and a patriotic man, as well as a very
able one. We cannot imagine, therefore,
his preferring the gratification of his own
vanity If, indeed, vanity can be supposed
to be gratified by a second nomination
and a second defeat for the presidency at
the expense of his party and to the great
no man can say how great Injury of
his country. Mr. Bryan comes East,
happily, in time to see and to hear this
side of the question presented. He is to
day, no doubt, the most popular man in
the democratic party. He is probably the
personal choice of a large majority of the
party for the presidency. But that does
not lessen it ought rather to Increase
the sense of his own personal responsi
bility for the position which the party
shall occupy In the coming contest and for
Its chances of victory or defeat. It is a
situation which calls for the exercise of
his best and coolest judgment and makes
the strongest possible appeal to his un
doubted patriotism and public spirit.
A Crisis In the Empire.
Sir Georee Clarke in the Nineteenth Century.
Today we are face to face with another
national crisis, in some aspects distinctly
more serious than those of 1854 and 1857.
The war in South Africa Tesembles that of
the Crimea, in that It was strenuously ad
vocated by the press, and that all the mili
tary conditions were completely misunder
stood. On the other hand, the severe con
test, which a few months ago was con
templated without any misgiving, like the
great struggle of 1857, must be carried
through to success, or the empire will be
dismembered. When precipitating the -issue,
President Kruger and his advisers
doubtless failed to perceive that imperial
considerations rendered military success
vital to Great Britain, or to realize what
this supreme necessity implied. The war,
whatever course the operations may take,
whatever the victories and the reverses,
will teach many great lessons, but the
greatest of all is already clear as the sun
at noonday. We have received a plain
warning which we dare not disregard. The
responsibilities of the empire have been
allowed to outrun its military strength.
The needs of imperial defense have not
been accurately estimated. Those who
have maintained that our military system
did not accord with the national require
ments have been Justified.
o
Senator Hoar's Self-Deluslon.
New York Tribune.
Senator Hoar cheats himself. A very
slmplo test will show his strange aelf
deception. Not once doe3 he venture to
state the fact that the small fraction of
Philippine inhabitants who supported the
insurrection were trying to usurp the pow
er of tyrants for themselves, had never
the slightest show of authority from the
great majority of the Inhabitants to rep
resent them, were able to impose a sort
of submission upon that majority only by
force used with barbarous cruelty, and
have never, from the outbreak to this
day, paid the slightest regard to the wishes
of other races in the islands. To these
would-be usurpers all the inhabitants out
side the secret society of Tagals were
merely slaves to be lashed or sheep to
bo shorn, and their tyranny and corrup
tion wherever they set up local authority
had turned against them a great number
of the Tagals themselves, competent ob
servers believe a majority, before the
American troops began to penetrate the
interior.
not
The Warning for the Senate.
Philadelphia Press, rep.
If the (Montana bribery) case already
made is not demolished by counter evi
dence, the country will look on the case as
proved, and If the senate still votes to
seat the man against whom these charges
are made and this evidence is brought, the
senate and its present mode of election will
be on trial at the bar of public opinion.
The election of senators by popular vote in
each state Is growing in public support.
If the impression is once created the brib
ery in a state legislature during a sena
torial election cannot or will not be dealt
with by the senate, the demand for direct
election by the people will become too
strong to be resisted. This looks unlikely
today. Reforms more unlikely have swgpt
all before them In the past 30 years when
the public once saw then necessity.
' THE OREGONIAN'S ANNUAL.
"Wonderful Advance In Journalism.
Iynn (Mass.) Item.
Wo acknowledge with pleasure the re
ceipt of a New Tear number of The
Morning Oregonian, of January 1, 1S00,
comprising 60 pages, which contains more
than 500 beautiful half-tone illustrations,
handsomely printed on the finest enam
eled paper. These views, which embrace
all of the noted scenic attractions of Ore
gon, and cover every Important Industry
of the great Pacific Northwest, are fully
and graphically described In the text of
tho several accompanying sections.
A handsome and extended view of Port
land, obtained from The Oregonian's lofty
tower. Is given; another picture show3
the city from the East Side district;
another, the harbor, looking north, from
the steel railroad bridge, and river steam
ers are seen at the wharves, one built
for the Upper Willamette being able. It
is claimed, to run In. two feet o water.
The docks and shipping are well drawn.
The salmon industry, with its labor of
much magnitude, Is handsomely pictured,
also, logging camps and logging; the
wheat fields are shown, with combined
header and thresher in operation, and at
one shipping point, ColUmbus, near The
Dalles, on the Columbia river, are no
ticed 80,000 sacks or 175,000 bushels or
wheat In one pile, awaiting shipment by
rail to Portland. Government bulldlng3
and forts, the palatial hotel, "the Port
land," the numerous cnurches and at
tractive residences of the city also are
finely presented. Twelve miles from Port
land are the Willamette falls and locks,
also the plant of the Portland Electric
Company, which controls the power ob
tained from the falls and furnishes It for
lighting and business purposes to the me
tropolis; it is said that this was the first
long-distance electric plant completed in
the world, and that Willamette falls, next
to Niagara, furnishes the largest availa
ble water power In the United State3.
Add to this brief mention of some of the
illustrations those of the grandly mag
nificent mountain scenery, which every
where delights the eye, and the half will
not have been told of the advantages and
beauties of this progressive country.
But In nothing has Portland advanced
more wonderfully than in journalism.
The Oregonian's notehead gives a picture
of its first office, built in 1853, which is a
one-story affair, about the size of some
of our old-time shoemaker shops. Now,
it is stated that TJhe Oregonian Publish
ing Company has the "tallest edifice in
Portland, absolutely fire-proof and mod
ern in all Its appointments," and the Im
posing structure, it may be added, is
"one of the finest." Of tho journal In
186S-'69, the writer, the senior proprietor
of the Item, can speak, as upon The
Oregonian, at that time, he performed
his first labor in a dally newspaper of
fice, going on the work as a "sub"; next,
possibly under the force of circumstances,
as second foreman, and later as foreman.
The office was on Morrison street, sec
ond floor of the building, a small room
walled In on the sides and ends with
brick, light and air being admitted only
through overhead skylights. There were
but seven frames in use by the comps;
price of composition, 60 cents per thousand
ems, in gold, greenbacks then at 75 cents.
The press was a single cylinder Hoe, and
there was one mailer In the outfit. Ker
osene lamps and kerosene did the light
ing, one of the foreman's duties then be
ing to keep the five-gallon oilcan full,
but fortunately not to fill the ofHee
lamps. Until 1S6S The Oregonian was the
only daily newspaper in Portland, the
Herald (democratic) being established that
year in the same building. Single copies
sold at one bit two for 25 cents. Tho
original proprietor, H. D. Plttock, and the
editor, H. W. Scott, still remain in their
respective and responsible positions In
The Oregonian Publishing Company.
The many residents of Lynn and vicin
ity who have friends at or near Portland
can receive a copy of this valuable sou
venir, postpaid, by addressing "Oregon
ian Publishing Company, Portland, Ore
gon," and remitting 14 cents.
From New Brunswick.
St. John (N. B.) Globe.
In many respects, perhaps in all re
spects, the past year was the most sat
isfactory that ever greeted the state of
Oregon. Tho volume of general business,
the product of wheat, of lumber and of
other articles natural to the state were,
taken all together, larger than in any
other year. The growth of Oregon is
demonstrated by the steady increase of
population. In 1SG0 there were 313,767 per
sons in the state; in 1S99 the number had
increased to 407,283. The quantity of
wheat produced was 23,649,330 bushels.
The Morning Oregonian, of Portland, cel
ebrated the great progress which tho
state is making by issuing on January 1
a treat paper of -60 pages, in which the
leading facts connected with all tho state
industries are clearly set forth, and an
idea is given of the extent and variety
of these products. The pap Is, of Itself,
a wonderful product of patient and skill
ful preparation. It contains 24 pages of
fine Illustrations. Among the things one
learns with surprise is that Canadian
capital is finding investment in some
parts of the state. The Oregonian is to
be congratulated on its enterprise, and
Oregon can be congratulated on having
such a valuable journal.
A Work of Art. '
Detroit (Mich.) Tribune.
The annual number of The Portland
Oregonian has been received. It is a
creditable Issue. The supplement Is a
work of art, and very valuable to those
Interested in that section of the country
and the Industries of the Pacific coast.
The illustrations are both handsome and
instructive.
a t i
Fighting: That Wins.
Harper's Weekly.
Mr. Dooley's philosophy, as set forth
In the Weekly, Is of the soundest. Ho
says, among other profundities: "Ye'Il find,
Hinnissy, that 'tis on'y armies fights in
th' open. Nations fights behind threes an'
rocks." The truth of this observation ha3
been pushed In upon the English mind
many times, both in this country and in
Africa. This nation did much of its fight
ing against England behind trees and
rocks. The mahdi did his fighting in the
same way, and destroyed Hicks' army.
Tho Boers fought thus at Majuba hill,
and have been working on the same lines
against Lord Methuen, General Buller and
General Gatacre.
f o i
An Incredible Rumor.
Boston Herald.
There has never been much occasion to
take stock In the reported alliance of
Senator Clark, of Montana, with ex-Senator
Quay, to secure places for both of
them. This would be a" combination which
would bring with it weakness. It would
combine the objections to each of them on
the shoulders of both, which, It strikes us,
would be inane policy. An obvious feature
about it is the Insult It offers to the sen
ate. It assumes that this body Is pre
pared to condone bribery in the one case,
and to disregard legality in the other, if
the two can be brought together. We are
not prepared to believe anything as bad
as this of the United States senate.
NOTE AND COMMENT.
Quay3 sln3 have found him out of ' thi
senate.
Let us hope that Kipling will take th
Soldiers Three to South Africa with him..
Clark will make the third ouC and II
will bo time for congress to have a ne-n
Inning.
If Nicholas wonts to do a little good1 loii
him go to Pretoria and open a peac
conference.
No duty Is ever so pressing or sacredi
that a man will not leave It to go to a
good fire.
A keg of nails 'costs more now that a
barrel of flour. Still, flour will rise, as an3
housewife knows.
There are enough revolutions In Souti
Africa to go round, but most of them fall
to revolve, just the same.
Two new brigadier-generals have been
appointed. This will necessitate the en
listment of another private.
Polygamy is shockingly immoral, ast lv
proven by the fact that a man who praon
tlces it can't get into congress
He who fights and stands hla ground
May leave the battle safe and sound.
But he who flght3 and turns to trelc
Will surely get It In the neck.
The Prince of Wales Is tho colonel of
eight regiments. He probably didn't lead
any of them to the Transvaal, for feai
the others would be Jealous.
Hoar says that it 13 ridiculous to think
that Agulnaldo was influenced by his
speech. The senator, however, has a high
er opinion of Aggy's intelligence than most
people.
"Bread for Song" Is the title of a new
poem. It has been known that poets are
born for song, but it ha3 hitherto been
generally understood that they couldn't bo
bred for It.
In allowing General Miles to have any
thing to do with the ordnance bureau or
any other department of the service Sec
retary Root shows a surprising disregard
of precedent.
v
Only a fragment of news of war,
"Whose mission 13 but to tell
How, flffhting- a3 often he'd tought before,
A British soldier fell.
His name will be printed amonsr the dead.
But 'twill comfort one heart to know
That the fight was won In the charge he led
When a. bullet brought hrm low.
Only a fragment of new of war
For the eyes of a stricken loss;
A missive of comfort, though nothing more;
Pray, censor, let it pars!
The Columbia River Packers' Associa
tion, or the salmon combine, as it Is usu
ally called, bids fair to become as big a
bugaboo as Pennoyer'a terrible gold
standard. One day the combine Is charged
with designs on the fish wheels at tha
cascades. The next, an Astoria paper
charges the combine with having driven
four or five good men and 51.000.000 out of
Astoria to Puget sound within a year,
and further states that Seaborg. Cook.
George Sz. Barker and Hanfhorn are aorry
they went Into the combine, since they
have discovered that Elmore and Ham
mond are "It." A Puget eound cannery
man Inushs at the Idea of four or five
Astoria cannerymen going to the Sound to
do business, and says it is too lata In
the da for anything of that klndv, as there
Is no room there for them, and. as far as
they are concerned, the combine might
as well have driven them out over the
bar as to the Sound. There always has
been lots of fun in the salmon business,
and the combine seems Inclined to in
crease It.
It was stated a day or two ago that a
number of persons had ordered suppHcs
of salmon roe and proposed to go fishing'
for trout. As this Is no time for fishing
for brook trout. It was supposed that theso
persons Intended to go down river to
streams entering the Columbia to fish In
tide water for sea trout, or fall or salmon
trout, as they are called. Gamo Warden
Quimby, however, says that he has re
ceived a number of letters from persons
In various parts of the state, asking if
they will be allowed to procure salmon roo
and go trout-fishing, meaning, of course,
to go fishing for brook or mountain trout.
They should know, as he has informed
them, that the close season for brook:
trout, or, as the card' of the Oregon Fish
and Game Assoc'ation puts It, "trout of all
species," extends from November to
March, both months Included. Brook
trout are not fit to eat at this time of
year, and no sportsman would think of
catching them before April 1. Fishing for
salmon trout with hook and line In tidal
waters has heretofore been allowed at al
most any time, but it is alleged that now
fishing for any kind of trout during tha
close season is illegal. It I3 not known
that any one has caught any such trout
of late, and the probability is that If It Is
found that any one catches any trout
before April 1 he will be arrested.
t 0
Protecting the Railroad.
Chicago Tribune.
Since tho beginning of the war the Brit
ish authorities have employed an army
of men In watching the railroad from
Capo Town to Port Elizabeth. The road
Is S40 miles in length and at every quar
ter of a mile along the whole length, a
Kaffir is stationed with two flags. Alto
gether a total of 10,060 men 13 employed
In this service.
4-a a
God Xiovcs the Man That ainkea Fa
Lacsh.
TJenver Evening Foot.
The morbid man who wears a. face
Long as a mule's his beastly brother
Who lets one chilling frown give place
But only to present another;
"Who always la content to grope-
Along the path of care and bother
And discontent, can never hope
To win the gcod will of the Father.
God has no use for solemn chaff.
But loves the man that malce3 us laugh.
The sunshine of a merry smile.
The music born of rippling laughter.
Are sent by heaven to beguile
The tedious march, to the hereafter.
Their rays will pierce the darkest clouds
And light them with a silver lining, '
Dtepel the gloom that oft enshrouds
The dreary lives of the repining.
Fun's golden cup Is sweet to quail
God loves the man that makes ue laugh.
We were not placed upon tne earth
To grovel In the dust of sorrow;
Today should always ring with mirth
Without a thought of the tomorrow.
And heaven has sent us cheery men
To start and lead the merry chorus.
To pierce with voice and pointed pen
The earthly clouds that gather o'er us;
To stab the gloom with humor's gaff
God love3 the man that makes us laugh.
We stronger grow upon our feet
"When foes of clinging care engage va
It in our dally walk we meet
A man with smile that Is contagious.
His face lights up the darkened soul,
As sun-rajo pierce the veil of sadness,.
Adds sweetness to the bitter bowl ,
And makes the heartstrings thrill with gladr
ness; Shows us the grain hid in the chaff
God loves the maa that makes us lauaa.