THE MOKNINq OREQONIAff, SATURDAY, FEBRTJAKY 3, 1900.
Entered at the BooioMea at Portland, Oregon,
aa eecoad-cMsc matter.
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THE KHXTUCICY TRAGEDIES.
The Roeeburg Review tells those who
read it that "The Oregonian justifies
the murder of Governor Goebel. of Ken
lucky." Some iersoas have the habit
of lying:, and perhaps can't help it.
The Oregonian has oalied the attempt
to assassinate Goebei an atrocious
crime, as assassination ever must be,
whatever the character of the victim.
Besides, it has called attention once
us ore to the fact that political assas
sination, besides being a crime, Is al
ways a blunder, because it never
changes the course of events in favor of
the cause it is meant, mistakenly, to
serve, but usually has the opposite ef
fect But The Oregonian has not forgotten
to state another part of the truth; and
this is -what annoys the Roseburg Re
View. It has set forth the fact that
Goebel has fallen by the same bloody
code of private vengeance which he did
not hesitate to invoke a few years ago
"wh.n he shot a political enemy to death
In the streets, and that his action on
that occasion was so detestable that
Senator Blackburn publicly denounced
rum as a murderer. In an impassioned
eulogy on his dead friend, whom Goebel
had slain, Blackburn said, in substance,
that he would his words could have
power to preserve the perishable in
famy of the name of his slayer, and
make it immortal. Again, In these re
'f rt affairs, Goebel has appeared in his
character of an assassin, not of a per
sonal enemy, but of a state. He has
dm en -with high hand and with relent
less purpose his plan of usurpation, un
der the forms of law created by himself
for the special purpose of overriding
the electoral rights of the people of
Kentucky. He has undertaken to set
aside an election, under authority of a
law he had caused to be made for the
purpose, and though, as The Oregonian
has said, Goebel's legislature Is cor
rectly described as having exercised a
power given it by law, in deciding to
unseat Governor Taylor, nevertheless it
has acted unjustly, and Goebel's title or
claim rests on conversion of the right
of election by the people into a farce.
Yet, as the proceedings have followed
legal forms. The Oregonian has seen
no way to arrest them, and has said
that submission would be" wiser than
lulent resistance. On the 18th of Jan
uary it said: "Though this law was
framed for an iniquitous purpose by
those who now take advantage of it,
jet, as we view it, Governor Taylor
would better retire, when the legisla
ture shall declare against him; for
there still is a remedy in future appeals
to the people, since the result of elec
tions cannot always be set aside." And
jtsterday, February 2, it said again:
' It w ould have been far wiser to sub
mit peacefully to Goebel's 'constitu
tional' act of usurpation than to have
resorted to assassination, for the mur
der of Goebel "will not restore Governor
Taj lor to his rights, and is nothing but
an act of passionate political vlndic
tUeness. But such a condition of af
fairs is but the natural outcome of po
litical crimes among a hot-blooded peo
ple, who in many sections of the state
are habitually lawless."
let atrocious and horrible as assas
sination is, the fact is that Goebel is
the Mctlm of his own truculent char
ai tor. He has shown that he has no.
regard for the personal or public rights
of others. He can assassinate a per
sonal opponent or throttle a state, in
the same mild, easy and "constitu
tional ' manner. Is it strange that he
has taught some ignorant, unknown
ard less polished aseassu. ..nan himself
that " 'Us the sport to see the engineer
hoist with his own petard"?
THB VNRETURA'IXG DUAVE.
There Is something pathetic in the
fact that the bodies of a number of
men who marched proudly away in
Maj 1898, as soldiers of the Second
orogon, await at the Presidio the ac
tion of the state la bringing them home
for interment. Remembering the joy
ous welcome planned for the returning
rrae. who, having fought the good
fight in the Philippines, returned to
their native land, to home and to
honor, the contrast with the homecom
ing f these who not only fought the
g i d light, but fell in the contest, is
s r iking and painful. Insensate bodies
p.or handfuls of dust, all that remains
f the silent contingent of the Second
Oregon awaits in coffined gloom dis
posal at the tardy hands of those who
pent them forth with prolonged cheers
U military duty in a foreign field.
"v hile apparently indifferent, as sug
gested by slow action la the premises,
tre olee of Oregon will be heard in the
oice of her governor asking the state
to take action looking to the speedy re
turn and proper sepulture of the bodies
of such of those soldiers of the Second
Oregon as are unclaimed by friends.
Tr plea is for the -voiceless; it is
dictated by patriotism and urged In
tht spirit of tenderness that fitly waits
H the bier of even the lowliest of the
nation s defenders. For the returning
lrae welcoming snouts and generous
treatment; for the pale host represent
ed on their homeward voyage by tiers
of boxes in the snip's hold, and later in
grim rows at the military station
where they have been stored awaiting
orders tender reception, burial with
honors and a nownit that wlH at-
test to future generations the pride of
the people of Oregon in her soldier
sons who perished in the country's
service.
LEASES OP GOVERX3IEXT LANDS.
It is evident that a distinction must
be drawn between the forestry project
of leasing reserves to stockmen, and
the apparently similar but radically
different proposal contemplated in Sen
ator Foster's bill providing for lease of
"the vacant public lands west of the
99th meridian of longitude, west from
Greenwich, as in the judgment of the
secretary of agriculture are more val
uable for grazing than for other pur
poses." There is also great need, ap
parently, to reassure an excited public
that one of the last things to be reason
ably expected of the government Is
that It will deliberately turn over to
stockmen all the rights of ownership
in the public domain, Including prohi
bition of necessary transit across it,
and permanent bulwarks against fu
ture settlement.
If Senator Foster has been led into
any such trap, he can be relied upon
to set himself right at the earliest op
portunity. His bill is, on the surface, a
scheme to turn over to the stockmen
the country between the Pacific ocean
and a line running north and south
through Lincoln, Neb. A sop is thrown
to the states in the proposal to divide
with them the receipts from the leases,
"to be used for irrigation and other
agricultural development." No part of
this revenue can be devoted to the
range lands, for they will be Inclosed
by their owners and given over to stock.
Lands not requiring irrigation will not
need government aid for their develop
ment While the bill provides that
leases shall be for the "smallest area
compatible with the best utilization of
the land for grazing purposes," author
ity is given the secretary of agriculture
to "consolidate areas of grazing lands
for leasing." Practically, the bill places
no limit on the areas which stockmen
may lease. No such unrestricted au
thority should be given, nor, it goes
without saying, will it be given.
Unnecessary alarm seems to be In
dulged, also, concerning the "doom of
the homeseeker." No permanent occu
pation, inimical to agricultural settle
ment, could be tolerated; but it is not
necessary or even truthful to picture
the entire grazing area of the West
as besieged by an army of intending
farmers, only restrained by the Foster,
bill from transforming the unoccupied
lands into a Dutch garden. A consid
erable portion of Eastern Oregon, for
example, is now passing from the pas
toral to the Industrial stage. This
tendency must not be checked. East
ern Oregon Is now making its first for
ward step. The admirable missionary
work of the Oregon Railroad & Navi
gation Company and other agencies has
directed the attention of Eastern people
to the productive area east of the Cas
cades, and many settlers are making
homes in the country. Stock, once the
dominant industry, is yielding the lead
to diversified farming. Thousands of
acres are being brought under cultiva
tion by Irrigation. So great has been
the development within a few years
that the principal divisions of Eastern
Oregon now without railroads will soon
have ample transportation facilities.
Recent experiments in agriculture in
the so-called desert in Central Oregon
lead to the belief that there Is hardly
an acre of land in Oregon that cannot
be brought under cultivation.
This is not to say that some equita
ble leasing arrangement which will
conserve stock Interests and permit
free growth of farming cannot be en
tered into. The present protest of
small stockmen, in which Portland's
commercial bodies may very well join,
will serve a useful purpose in directing
attention to the dangers of the pro
posed law. Experience abundantly
proves that members of congress and
cabinet officers are keenly susceptible
to representations of this kind.
A 9IAIM3 PRECEDENT.
The attempt of the fusion democracy
of Maine to steal the legislature and
the governorship In January, 1880, pro
duced a scene of public turmoil and
Irresponsible armed Interference not
unlike the present situation in Ken
tucky. The vote for governor In the
Maine September state election was as
follows: Republican, 68,766; Garcelon,
democrat, 21,688; Smith, national, 47,590.
The final press returns for members of
the legislature after the election made
the senate consist of 19 republicans and
12 democrats, and the house of 89 re
publicans and 61 democrats, with one
republican vacancy by death. "Under
these press returns the republicans had
a majority of 7 In the senate and 28 In
the house, or 29 with the vacancy filled.
The state constitution made It the duty
of the governor and council ministeri
ally to examine the officially attested
and sealed election returns for repre
sentatives and senators, and twenty
days before January 1, 18S0, to issue a
summons to such persons as should ap
pear to be elected by a plurality of
votes returned to attend and take their
seats. All such officially attested re
turns under the law were to be laid be
fore the house on the first Wednesday
of January, 1880, who "shall finally de
termine who have been elected."
The governor, Garcelon, and his coun
cil formed a conspiracy to count out
the republican majority in the legisla
ture and count in a fusion majority of
democrats and nationalists. The gov
ernor issued certificates of election to 78
democrats and nationalists in the
house; that body assembled and organ
ized under the assistant clerk. Gov
ernor Garcelon administered the oath to
76 members; only two republicans qual
ified, and 76 votes made a quorum In
the house. The republicans claimed no
quorum voting, as the speaker was
elected by 72 votes and the clerk by 74.
The senate was called to order by the
secretary; the republicans did not vote,
and fuslonists were elected president
and secretary. The term of office of
Governor Garcelon expired at midnight
January 7, and the president of the sen
ate became ex-offlclo governor until his
successor should be elected by the leg
islature. On January 12, Governor
Garcelon appointed General Chamber
lain, president of Bowdoin college, and
a distinguished Union veteran, to com
mand of the militia, "to proteot public
property and Institutions of the state
until my successor Is qualified.'
By this time public feeling had be
come fearfully excited, and Irresponsi
ble bodies of armed men of both parties
thronged Augusta, just as they are now
doing in Frankfort On the 12th of
January the republican members-elect
took possession of the legislative cham
bers; the senate organized with 18 re
publicans; the house organized with S5
members. General Chamberlain prompt
ly removed all irresponsible men armed
with muskets from the statehouse.
There were now two legislatures. The
republican organization promptly ap
pealed to the state supreme court to
decide whether they or the "Garcelon"
organization was a legal body. Gen
eral Chamberlain, as commander of the
militia, declined to acknowledge the
president of the "Garcelon" senate as
governor unless supported by a decision
of the supreme court The state su
preme court decided that the action of
the republicans was legal, and Davis
was chosen governor.
The republican state convention,
June 23, 1880, in its resolutions, charged
the fusion party of the state with "rob
bing the state treasury and then trying
to steal the .state government by most
outrageous frauds and forgeries upon
the election returns; with placing an
armed mcb In the statehouse and bring
ing us to the brink of civil war; with
counting in men not elected and count
ing out men that were elected; with
conspiracy to set aside the election and
create a fraudulent government" This
happened in Maine twenty years ago,
and but for the action of General
Chamberlain the controversy would
probably have ended in bloodshed.
HOMICIDAL INSANITY.
Dr. Walter Channlng, In a letter to
the Boston Herald, suggests to city
boards of health and town authorities
one more duty toward the public in the
way of protection against disease. He
would have cases of Insanity reported,
and those suffering from It sent to an
Institution unless they can be properly
controlled at home. The Immediate
cause of his letter is th muniBr vw tho
-baseball player, Bergen, of his family
ana nimseif. it was commonly known
In the town where he lived that Ber
gen was "out of his head" at times,
having delusions, and what he called
"nervous spells. In which he was seized
with an uncontrollable Impulse to do
something, and could not npssibly han
dle himself when In that condition."
The case cited by Dr. Channlng was
recently paralleled in Oregon, but the
practical difficulty for a doctor Is how
to determine between a temporary
vagary, an eccentric caprice, a strange
prejudice, a passing delusion, and a
case of dangerous, homicidal Insanity.
There have been cases, like that of Ber
gen, where the victim was of so much
higher Intelligence and information
than he that the friends of the afflicted
man took charge of h!m on his own ap
plication and apprehension that he
might kill somebody unless he was
carefully watched and placed under re
straint There have been authentic
cases of able medical men, who, de
tecting the growth of homicidal im
pulses, have deliberately committed
suicide, fearing that the only alterna
tive was hopeless insanity rudely an
nouncing itself by a murder among the
innocents. The public danger lies in
the fact that the occurrence of symp
toms of disordered working of the mind
is not as easily seen by the friends of the
person suffering from them as by those
who see him at longer Intervals of time
and note the difference of mood, looks
and manner. Able lawyers and able
doctors have held that, in justice to the
largest protection of the greatest num
ber, no homicidal lunatic should ever be
released from the restraint of an asy
lum. A very large majority of homi
cidal lunatics who have been released
on the application of their friends and
returned to the outside world as cured
or as "no longer daneerous" have soon
repeated their acts of homicidal insan- I
n.y m a. most rrignum manner. There
is the historical case of the sister of
Charles Lamb, who In a fit of periodical
Insanity killed her mother, and proba
bly would have continued periodically
to kill other people, had not her brother
devoted himself to the work of caring
for her and leading her personally to
an asylum just before the periodic
attack of homicidal violence was
due. But everybody who is a homi
cidal lunatic has not at hand such
tender, devoted, affectionate guardians
as Charles Lamb, and few homicidal
lunatics have a periodical mania that
can be watched and restrained. As a
matter of sentiment and natural reluc
tance to admit the possible existence of
insanity in the family, the nearest
friends of the afflicted are the last to
consent to any measures of private or
public precaution Or restraint, and for
this reason are generally the homicidal
lunatic's first victims, in their own in
terest and In the Interest of the public,
the family ought to dismiss all delicacy
In such matters, just as they would in a
case of smallpox or diphtheria.
The consensus of able legal and med
ical opinion, that a person once guilty
of an act of homicidal Insanity ought
to forfeit his liberty the rest of his life,
seems sound and humane. In a more
barbarous age such lunatics would
probably have been promptly put to
death, but In our times the most we
can expect is the restraint of an asy
lum. The fact that the homicidal lu
natie may cease to exhibit his lunacy in
the asylum is no argument for his re
lease, for he is there secluded from
peculiar exciting causes. Guiteau had
been a homicidal lunatic by reputation
among his family for nearly twenty
years before he shot Garfield. Had he
been promptly placed In confinement in
1866, Garfield would not have been as
sassinated In 1881. A right-minded
man, who had ever been guilty of an
act of homicidal lunacy, and had ever
had a subsequent lucid interval, would
wish to be destroyed lest he murder
some innocent person.
England was growing effeminate.
Enervated by luxury, she was just
about losing her vital sap, for want of
something to move her to strenuous en
deavor. The South African war fur
nishes it. So now, to use Milton's mag
nificent phrase, "you see her rising a
mighty nation, shaking her puissant
looks." No effort she ever made before
was so great as the present one, though
in fact many former efforts were
greater in proportion to former re
sources. Lord Roberts wants 90,000
more men, and he Is to have them, and
within three months there will be 250,
000 to 300,000 British soldiers In South
Africa. Such a force is deemed neces
sary for counterpoise to the advantages
which the Boers have In Inner lines and
rapid mobilization. The British army
is to be strong enough to meet the
whole Boer force at any point of collis
ion. The endeavor which this campaign
calls for is just the thing necessary to
put new life into the old nation. We
have read something in a mighty good
author about the cankers of a calm
world and a long peace. Johnny Bull
now finds he must put himself in fight
ing trim. He is doing It. He stood
much in need of this "scrap." It will
reintegrate his spirit He was fast be
coming "unfit for the ring." A nation
not in fighting trim Is no nation. Eng
land has become very rich, but wealth
isn't all. Croesus was rich, and showed
his mighty heaps of gold to Solon, who
said: "That's big money, but some
man will come along with stronger Iron
than yours and make himself master of
all this gold." England finds she must
sharpen up her Iron.
The execution of Magers at Dallas
yesterday ended a very painful experi
ence for Governor Geer, gave, In a
sense, respite from anguish of the
mother and other family relatives of
the condemned murderer, and vindi
cated the majesty of the law. The con
dition of alternating hope and fear In
which the condemned man and his
family have dwelt for some weeks, su
perinduced by the strenuous efforts of
counsel and friends to secure commuta
tion of the death penalty, has been
most trying. Not the les3 so, though on
different lines, has been the situation of
the governor, who, in the conscientious
discharge of his duty, has been forced
to deny the impassioned appeal of the
heartbroken mother of the criminal and
witness the pathetic misery of others
of his blood, when finally convinced
that there was no hope of executive
Intervention. While the young man
went to his doom protesting his inno
cence, his guilt had been clearly estab
lished to the minds of two juries that
had patiently heard and impartially
weighed the evidence of the killing.
The crime was a deliberate one, com
mitted from mercenary motives. There
was no break in the chain of evidence
upon which Magers was convicted, and
no reasonable doubt of his guilt Un
der the circumstances, the governor
could not be true to his obligation to
the commonwealth and turn aside the
penalty In this case. The mother Is en
titled to the consideration of the pitiful
In the sore strait into which she has
been brought, the first impulse of which
Is thankfulness that the ordeal is over.
A letter printed today exposes a
scheme to find a way for extorting from
Multnomah county the money paid in
by the classes of taxpayers who, in fbr
mer years, sought "grace" in the mat
ter of payment, and gladly paid 2 per
cent to get It. It Is proposed now to
sue the county to recover the 2 per
cent costs. The letter referred to deals
plainly with the subject. It Is not an
honest pioceedlng now on the part of
those who availed themselves of a
favor offered by the county, to try to
repudiate it. They had the benefit,
upon their own solicitation; the county
is a loser already through the favor It
granted them, since It has had to pay
out interest, on account of their delin
quency, in larger amount than the sum
of the added costs it collected. This
proposal now to sue the county is an
audacious one; and It Is difficult to see
how it can be abetted by any man of
standing or character.
The exhibit of the scope and re
sources of the Baker county mines Is
rich not only in facts that have already
been demonstrated, but in the possibil
ities of development that lie very near
the surface of events. Every industry
in touch with a vast section stockrais
ing, wheatgrowing, lumbering all of
the Interests of a diversified agricul
ture, will profit by the development of
the wealth of this wonderful mineral
region. If the people of Oregon and of
Portland, as the grand distributing cen
ter of the state's wealth, arise as they
should to meet the opportunities pre
sented by the development of these and
other mines of the Pacific Northwest,
the measure of their prosperity will be
great and constantly increasing. The
demand Is certain. It is certain, also,
that supply will meet it It is for our
people in industrial and trade lines to
say whence the supply shall come.
Colonel Edwin M. Coates, Seventh
United States Infantry, was retired for
age on the 29th ult Colonel Coates en
tered the Union army as first lieutenant
of the Eleventh New York volunteers
(Ellsworth's Fire Zouaves), May 7, 1861;
entered the regular army August 5,
1S61; became captain in the Twelfth
infantry in 1865; major of the Nine
teenth infantry in July, 1890; lieutenant-colonel
of the Sixteenth Infantry in
November, 1S93, and colonel of the Sev
enth Infantry in 1898. Colonel Coates
was stationed in the Sixteenth infantry
for several years at Fort Sherman and
at Boise barracks, Idaho. Colonel
Coates was breveted for gallant serv
ices at the battle of the Wilderness
and in the campaign before Petersburg
in the civil .war.
The bill of Senator Simon providing
for the enlargement of the Portland
postoffice represents a special and pal
pable need. The cramped quarters In
Which the hampered employes of the
postal department are compelled to do
their work in this city Is discreditable
to the government and very trying to
the men. The relief asked for will, no
doubt, in due time (which in such cases
means some time) be granted, since
there is no question as to Its neces
sity. A New York paper headed an account
of Bryan's recent visit to that city with
the line, "Bryan Here; He Talks' .The
superfluity of the last two words is ap
parent. It can only be supposed that
they were added to meet arbitrary
"head- line" rules of the composing
room. As well say of a man, "He is
alive; he breathes."
Boers are said to be fond of holding
prayer meetings in their camps. Their
dependence upon powder is, however,
made known whenever there is an op
portunity to deliver a few shots at the
soldiers clad in khaki.
PRECEDENTS OF A CENTURY.
Against These Quay Offers the Grave
Claim ot Being a Good Fellow.
Chicago Tribune.
The constitution says:
If 'vacancies happen (In the senate) by resig
nation or otherwise, during the recess of the
legislature of any state, the executive thereof
may make temporary appointments until the
nrit meeting of the legislature, which shall
then fill such vacancies.
The expiration of the senatorial term
of Matthew S Quay, March 4. 1899. no
successor having been elected, created a
vacancy. The Pennsylvania legislature,
which, convened in January, remained In
session until April 20. It failed to elect a
senator, and the day after It adjourned
the governor of Pennsylvania appointed
Mr. Quay to fill a vacancy which it la evi
dent did not occur "during- the recess of
the legislature." It occurred while that
body was In session.
Nevertheless Mr. Quay claims a seat
under that appointment and a number of
senators, some of them constitutional law
yers, say he is entitled to it They argue
that it is the intent of the constitution to
provide, as far as possible, that every
state shall have two senators, and that
the clause quoted above should be con
strued as meaning that whenever there
is a vacancy the governor shall have the
power to fill It even though It happened
while the legislature was In session and
that body deliberately refused to elect a
senator. They strain the language to
make It agree with the asumed "Intent"
The precedents of a century are against
this contention. Never yet has the senate
recognized the right of a state executive
to make a temporary appointment where
the vacancy happened or occurred during
a session of the legislature. The first
case to come before the senate was In 1794.
A Delaware senator resigned In 'Decem
ber. The legislature was to meet in Jan
uary, and the governor made no appoint
ment It met in January and adjourned
in February without electing a senator.
Then the governor made an appointment
The senate decided the appointee had no
right to a seat, a session of the legislature
having Intervened between the resignation
of his predecessor and his appointment.
Of the members of the senate who voted
on this case five had been members of
the federal convention. Four of them
voted that the governor had no power to
appoint So the rule has been from that
day to this.
Against an unbroken array of prece
dents the friends of Quay set up an in
terpretation of the constitution which four
of its framers repudiated, and the potent
fact that Quay is a "good fellow" pre
vails with some of them over other con
siderations. That Is an argument which
never was advanced before in support of
a claim to a seat in the senate. It may
have force enough in Quay's case to in
duce the senate to reverse all previous decisions.
SUBSIDIES INEFFECTIVE.
Claims on Their Behalf "Will Not
Bear Investigation.
New York Journal of Commerce.
The Journal of Commerce would be glad
to see American steamers traversing
every sea and carrying the greater part
of our own commerce and a good part ot
the commerce of other nations; It would
be glad to see this upon one proviso, and
that is that it should be profitable; that
the business should earn more than Its
cost If It should earn less than Its cost
the country would lose thQ difference,
whether the loss fell upon the shipowners
or whether the rest of the population were
taxed to reimburse them; the loss would
be there, no matter who paid for it.
This paper does not believe that it Is
sound public policy to take out of the
treasury funds raised by taxation and i
hand them over to persons engaged in a j
private business to cover their losses. The ,
argument that the subsidy is a logical
part of the protective system Is sseclous.
Evidently the country does not believe in
It, for while it has maintained the protec
tive system for many years, it has only
occasionally, and for brief periods, pre
paid subsidies. The tariff law Is a law
for providing the government with a rev
enue; the subsidy law Is a law for depriv
ing the government of Its revenue; they
are not analogous.
There Is another distinction; the carry
ing trade Is In the very nature of the
case exposed to world-wide competition;
therefore It presents an entirely different
aspect from a domestic manufacture. The
advocates of subsidies talk about meeting
British competition, but England is com
plaining of Norwegian competition. The
mercantile marine of Norway Is growing
faster than that of any. other country.
The commissioner of navigation has pub
lished comparative statistics to show the
cost of operating ships under different
flags. The cost under the British flag Is
lees than under the American, but It la
still less under the German, and least of
all 'inder the Norwegian flag. From the j
dawn of history seafaring has been the
main pursuit of peoples that had little
chance to invest their labor and capital
on land. We have been on the sea; we
have left it for more profitable pursuits,
and now if we are to go back to it, with
the help of taxation, are we going to meet
only BTltlsh competition, or are we going
to face the competition Of Norway and
offset the wages of lascars? How far are
we prepared to go in this dangerous di
rection? There are two reasons why we do not
compete with foreign merchantmen. Our
ships cost more to build and they co3t
more to operate. But that Is largely due
to the fact that labor Is better paid and
capital more productive here than abroad.
Therefore, there Is les3 necessity hero
than abroad for taxing people to sup
port this Industry; Americans have
dropped It for occupations that pay better.
But a country that Js exporting locomo
tives to every quarter of the globe will not
be long In building steamers as cheaply
as any other nation, and a country that
has demonstrated in most forms of pro
duction that high wages are consistent
with a low cost of labor will not be per
manently kept off th'e sea by the fact that
seamen's wages are higher here than
abroad. As we are now competing wih
Europe In most lines of production jve are
by a natural and wholesome course of
economic development approaching the
time when we shall be able to compete
upon the sea with the rest of the world.
Subsidies are wholly Ineffective. We
have tried them and abandoned them. Not
over 4 per cent of the British or German
steam tonnage receives money from the
government, and In both cases the ships
probably earn all they get by speed and
frequency of sailings. France, which has
adopted the universal bounty system now
pressed upon our government. Is complaln
L ' of Its absolute futility and Is propos
ing the second increase of rates of bounty
In 20 years because the French mercantile
marine is not even holding its own. No
person who can read our economic history,
or who can reason, supposes that our
merchant vessels can be supported by the
government for SO years and then be In a
condition to meet foreign competition.
They will have to have a constantly in
creasing amount of assistance until the
system gets too heavy to be borne and
breaks down.
Because the carrying trade Is wholly un
like a domestic manufacture we have In
sisted that the protective system Is Inap
plicable. We have proposed that the Amer
ican line and other American corporations
that now own and operate foreign steam
ships should be permitted to put their own
flag over their own property. This would
not serve the interests of the shipbuilders,
but the latter have an absolute monopoly
of the coastwise trade, and the foreign
trade Is Inherently a competitive business.
Americans are not now prevented from
buying foreign ships; If they desire Amer
ican registry we see no reason why they
should not have it. It would probably in
crease the Investment of American cap
ital in the carrying trade. If It did not it
would be quite time enough then to In
quire what should be done next.
But there is one fundamental fact that
can never be gotten away from; if it be
unprofitable for Americans to engage ia
the carrying trade now It will be unprofit
able after they have been reimbursed fot
their losses; nothing will be changed ex
cept the losers. International carrying
has got to be internationally competitive,
and we suggest, for the present at least,
that Americans who desire to engage ia
that trade be permitted to procure the
Instruments for it as cheaply as their vl
vals do. The fact Is that they can and do
practice this now, but under foreign flags;
if they prefer their own flag we can Im
agine no reason for denying it to them.
The shipbuilders can learn to meet foreign
competition just as well as the makers of
steel rails or locomotives or agricultural
machinery and of. a hundred other articles
have already learned to meet it
H '
New Leaves.
Brooklyn Life.
Teacher Johnny, what time of the year
is it when the leaves begin to turn?
Johnny Update New Year'3.
c
The Inevitable Reminder.
Atchison Globe.
An Atchison man who givea little chil
dren nickels says that their mothers nev
er fall to say, "Now what do you say for
ur
THE OREGONIAN'S ANNUAL.
Prosperous Oregon.
Newburgh (N. Y.) News.
The Portland Oregonian, a journal that
would be a credit to any state la this
Union, celebrated the close of the meat
prosperous year Oregon has yet known
by publishing a special edition (60 pages)
with one of the largest and finest illus
trated supplements ever issued from an
American newspaper office.
It is our contemporary's belief that Ore
gon now has a population of about 425,009.
She did not receive many immigrants last
year, but those who came to her were
just to her mind native-born Americans
from the Middle West, and a sprinkling ef
Yankees, homemakers with plenty ef
money In their pockets. All her towns are
growing steadily and healthily, and alt ef
them are practicing a strict economy in
their civic affairs.
The people outside the towns were never
better off than now. if as well. Last year's
yield of the Oregon farms, ranges, or
chards and dairies is given as $45,350,737.
The lumber cut mounted up to 966,560,860
feet; value, $S,22S,S0. The state's output
of manufactured products, all kinds. Is
estimated at over $55,100,000. The yield of
gold was $3,235,000, of silver $193,149, of
coal $264,153. The fisheries did businesa
last year to the extent of $2,443,155. The
Oregonian remarks:
"Demand for stock never was better. The
only check to larger trading In this indus
try is the Inability of stoexmen to meet the
demands of buyers. Horticulture Is pass
ing from the control of the careless and
the negligent and into the hands of man
who will give scientific management to
orchards. Mining is out of the experimen
tal stage In every section of Oregon where
mineral Is found, and the era of large pro
duction has dawned. The only unsatisfac
tory condition Is the slow growth of man
ufacturing. So long as our people con
tinue to ship hogs, wool and high-grade
lumber to the East and buy them back,
with transcontinental freights added, as
bacon, clothing and furniture, just so long
will Industrial development drag."
Portland had Its share of the general
prosperity. It will eopn have 100,000 inhab
itants at the rate it is growing. Its com
merce In 12 months was $9,130,808. Its job
bing trade reached $100,000,000 a gain of
25 per cent from the year before. Its bank
clearings were $91,652,230. December 2 its
ravings banks had individual deposits ag
gregating $7,842,873. The new buildings put
up last year represent an expenditure of
$643,930, and the sales of real estate amount
ed to $3,605,555.
We hope that 1900 will treat Oregon and
Oregon's big city and Oregon's big news
paper even better than 1880 did.
Wide Variety of Interests.
St Paul (Minn.) Globe.
The special edition of The Portland Ore
gonian, bearing date of January 1, 1800,
In Its 60 printed pages, offers a compre
henslve exposition, past, present and fu
ture, of the Industries and resources of
the state of Oregon and of the coun
try outside tributary to the city of Port
land. A half-tone supplement, covering a
wide variety of interests, Is a notable fea
ture of a most meritorious publication.
The Pacific Northwest, in this annual
review, receives treatment entirely ade
quate to so Important and progressive a
section of the country.
Has Done Yeoman Work.
Kingston (Ontario) Whig.
The Portland Oregonian Id one of the
most enterprising of Western journals, a
dally paper that has done yeoman work in
bullfllng up the great and glorious West
The annual number la to hand, and It is of
special Interest. It contains over 500 Illus
trations, printed on the finest of toned
paper. These views embrace all the noted
scenic attractions of Oregon and cover
every Important Industry cf the Pacific
Northwest. In addition, there Is a wealth
of Information and statistics showing the
growth and development of the West
Fevr and Far Between.
Lowell (Mass.) Courier.
It has been a long time since we have
seen a finer annual than that Issued by The
Morning Oregonian, of Portland, Or. It
contains over 500 Illustrations, printed on
the finest quality of enameled paper, and
the views embrace all of the noted scenic
attractions of Oregon, and cover every
Important Industry of the Pacific North
west. 9
Sousb's Idea of an Ideal Band.
Chicago Tribune.
John Philip Sousa, the band leader, who
will take his band with him to the Paris
exposition upon the Invitation of Commissioner-General
Peck for service every day
of the fair and for special service at the
unveiling of the Lafayette statue on July
4 and the French national fete on July
14, contributes to the current number of
the Independent his idea as to what an
ideal band should be, though he Is certain
it does not exist and most likely never
will. "To attain the ideal in the band
and orchestra," he says, "we must have
perfection of leadership, perfection of
players and perfection of instruments."
These are unquestionably essential factors
of the Ideal band, but Mr. Sousa over
looks another Important factor. Granted
the perfect leader, perfect players and
perfect instruments, how about the per
fect music?. If Mr. Sousa had this trinity
of perfection at his bands, would he con
tinue to perform that monotonous suc
cession of two-steps, rag-times, cake
walks and pot-pourris of popular hymn
tunes which now constitute the staple of
his repertory? If so It would hardly be
worth while for Mr. Sousa to have an
Ideally perfect band.
m
Scows That Pass in tlie Night.
Detroit Free Press.'
Jacques leaned over the gunwale of the
flatboat as she floated lazily down the De
troit river. He smoked his pipe.
Pierre hung over the rail of the scow
that was upward bound. He also was en
veloped In a hazy smoke.
In the moonlight the two boatmen recog
nized each other.
"H'llo Pierre! How you geet along?"
"Oh, I been geet along. How you geet
along 7"
"Oh, I been get along, too."
"How you seek fatalr geet along,
Jacques?"
"My fatalr? Oh, she geet along. She
been died last week."
Pedigree.
Philadelphia Pres3.
"One of my ancestors." said the haughty
MIse May Flowerstock, "was driven set
of England for religious reasons."
"Huh!" retorted the unassuming Miss
Jones, "two of mine were driven out of
the Garden of Eden for the same reason."
a
The Hitless Hunters.
Chicago News.
City Sportsman Any game around here?
Fanner Yes; the woods are full of It
City Sportsman I supposed it bad been
pretty well killed off by now.
Farmer Oh, no. No one ever hunts
around here but you city fellows.
Presto!
Louisville Courier-Journal.
Why should Kaiser Bill worry so much
about getting bis legislature to increase
his navy? A kaiser, who, by his simple
word, can make 99 years a century, can
surely, by the same method, make his
navy just as big as he chooses.
NOTE AJfD COMMENT.
After a stem etwee Great Britain has
caught a Tartar.
If bo news is gee ncrcas, London ought
to be celebrating tetey.
Wkafever happens, mMmt sMe 1b Kea-
tacky can rtoooemMy fee terete! d to tali
water.
If the eeM smp ia CMtagw freeeeg the
erataage wumI k wiK be S. Levis' eay
to celebrate.
St Aid, after a Me aenoneo fcsaa the
city, has raturaxi, and wHl speaM the ra
mahtder e the wiater heee.
-!-
We sever vataa uwauWeu
UMtt tfee Jai samca :
Per If It staved aM year hw eouM.
Wo sates It vkM Ka gonet
Oom Paut Is swprMagtir aegieetSai of
etiquette. Be has failed te aekaewieckge
hie thanks for file atorm ef syatpaehy that
was wafted Ms way by the pre-Beer saeet
lag the ether aJgbt
v
It fe perhaps all for the beet that the
eil tasks are to remain an the Beet 9tde.
Their content wttl be htvahtaMa te pear
ea the tioubled waters when eae of these
terrible storms threatens te wreek the
shipping In their vicinity.
The German bark 8trene, ef Hamburg,
which is beaded for Portland and Paget
sound, Is la command ef Captain Saaer
mlleh. This navigator's aaeee woald prob
ably have been two syllables eaerter bad
he not bees, out la so saaay thunder
storms.
Although the war department has $968,
S60 available for the eetebMehmeat ef a
powder magazine within four raMes of
New York, and bind in that viemtty setts
as low as $MMM an aers, a sMe eannot
be secured, ae saeh a eeeabasUbte m
stitutleB keeps the adjoining htad awako
nights, thas incurring heavy escpeaee Joe
opiates.
It has come te the point where sol
diers' teeth most be hardened or the
hardtack softened. General Otis reports
that the teeth ef nearly every soldier ha
the Philippines are la & bad stage of de
cay, and that a year on hardtack in the
tropics has almost completely rained the
teeth of 5fl per cent of the settlers there.
It is now proposed to oommteswB, on
dental surgeon, with the rank e major,
to every IMi men in the army.
A peanut vender who bad been all the
morning roasting peannts and getting his
portable stand ready lor the day's busi
ness, was selling up Third street about
noon yesterday, steam roaring from his
'scape pipe, charcoal fumes peering from,
the funnel, and the aroma ef freshly-roasted
peanuts perfuming the air en bis trail.
Being late, he was in a hurry to get to
hta stand In front of the Chamber of
Commerce, and so was traveling feet A
coal front bis engine fell on a gunny
aaek suspended beneath hie cart and the
breeze soon fanned it into a name. When
he discovered the conflagration, be new
around like a whole paid fire engine com
pany, and before a erowd eeuM gather
he had the burning sack extinguished, at
the expense of begrimed hands and burned
fingers. His remarks were made in Italian,
and so the force of them was hwt to hfet
admiring aatnenee.
A correspondent nwpjtreB: "What la gin
seng; and how te it empwyed by the Chi
nese?" Ginseng is a perennial herb once
very plentiful In a portion of the United
States, having Its habitat m the moun
tainous dtetrlcts of Virginia, West Vir
ginia. Kentucky, Tennessee and North
Carolina, from which it spread west to
Missouri and parts of the South. It has a
root fear to nine Inches long, which
throws ap a stem about a foot high, having
ineonenicuoue greenish towers, succeeded
by small, berry-like, red fruits. The root
of the plant is of interest, or value, chiefly
as an article of export to China, where It
has long been supposed to possess re
markable value in the treatment of nearly
all diseases. A species of ginseng used
to be plentiful in China, Corea and neigh
boring countries, but the great demand
for It eaused It to be nearly exterminated,
and it became so scarce that before the In
troduction of the American root it brought
its weight in gold at Peking, and very fine
specimens sometimes brought much more.
It is not considered la this country to
possess any valuable medicinal properties,
but Is sometimes chewed as a deraaloent
The fact that the Chinese consider it pos
sessed of valuable mediemal properties
amounts to nothing, as the Chinese are
very fanciful in such matters, aa eaa. be
seen by the articles they Import here as
medicine, such as dried snakes and Hzardsr,
the galls of skunks and many other things
the smell or looks of which should be
sufficient to make a well man stok, and to
put a sick man out of his misery.
in
A HIstorle Cradle.
Philadelphia Record.
All the Hohenaollern prmees horn s4vq
1722 have slept In a curious old cradle of
carved oak. On the four sides te carved
the text: "He has given his angels
charge over thee, to keep thee in all his
ways." The emperor regards this old
heirloom somewhat in the light of a "mas
cot" of the Honenaoilern race, and aH bis
children have one after the ether bees
cradled in It.
a '
Would Have It Sheltered.,
Phttadetpbla Record.
Native Yes, that's where the big light
house steed; but the big storm, last UM
SW6stt It ct9WH.
Lady Vtettor I don't wonder. It was
foolish of them to build fc m. sue aa
exposed place.
- - . '
Bleycle Cenfldeaees.
Detroit Free Press.
First Bike I saw something today thai
makes me tired.
Second Bike-What's thai:?
First Btke Rubbet. '
e
Bavirenraeat.
Bnwbetb Oeltup Perkins nt Besten Spaaseria&
X Mly grew in a garde far
From the stoat of the etty street
It ha4 dream wet (be usvoioa
Beld auffht leas pere & uweec
Then its virgin self, so efeaate wea it
Se perfect He retreat.
When aigbt eame down the Mr Iteked
la we nee of the stats and nmWodi;
Then went t nleoe to the sfeey ef deat&
Aa the seel ef a nttfe ftM
6eea fcaefc to the oUms of Am Father-soei,
Patau ahod aad undented.
A Mb bUtmad on tbe btgaway tJtee
Te the treed of the nwespiag tbctngj
It here tbe g ef a baajkt eyes
Where bwraed the esse eC watagc;
And eae eame by who Htm Ma beejet
Witt a rottriese band aed strong-.
K eaagat no glimpse ef & garaen fair.
It knew no other anms
For a worki that seed and. braised it so
Than & wwW ef ate aad stjame;
And hoootaEfc. trashed. Its spirit paased
Ait tbe events-? sbaeows tarns.
And who eaa say bat 'the showered tee
A sauted newer had seen
Bad Me home keen set oh the Mg-bw7 eleat
Te the yath ef shame and sin?
And tbe ether forever aecet-wMte
Bad K blfgmntit sale wKhtaT