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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 1900)
THE MORNING OBEGONIAN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1900. Entered at the PostofBce at Portias. Oregon. as eeooad-claas matter. , TKtPHOXE. Editorial 1(mui....lOTITTitr'- Office.... AST WHttSKD SDBaIPT10K RATBS. B WMteee prepaid), m AeVaaee- Xailr. wtthaanday. per month I ally Saaeay excited. pr year- 7 "'i with Sanaa), per year w fcn4ey. per rear .- Wajr. pecyr 1 J -- Weakj,. mootb. M " tSty Babecrlbers fauj. per week, delivered. Sundays eePted.l6e -- i . per weak, delivered. Sundays tactaded.3e ew or ttmiMatoM Intended for paoMeailen Jn - Oagoates should be addressed invariably - oitor The Oregonlea,'' net to the Berne at c y Individual. Letters relating to advertiotng. t jscrlpUMifl o,. ,, an. business matter wW -: aJuraase simply "The Oregonien." - uget gonad Bureau Captain A. Thompson. -T,et lili PacWc avenue. Taoonuu Box 853. ma paetomee -astern Business Office-The Trtbene bOM ' t New York etty. "The Booker." Chicago; L C Becfcwlth apeetcl agency. New Terk. r sale In Baa Francieco by J. K. Cooper. ' Market street, near the Palace hotel. aad c ldsouth Brae.. SM Sutter street. - eaie hi Chicago h the P. O. Kews Co.. - -arbom street. 'I 'AT S WRAXHER-Snow. colder, easterly t da, PORTLAJfD, THIKSDAY, FSB. 15. MIRKHAX'S HOKMAX, AGAIX. Ilr Edwin Markham is still work ing the vein he opened in his "Man 1. the Hoe." In the current num 1 - uf the Independent (New York) he Z- an article which contains these t 'finents: i i w the mH sense of hotnlanmcoo that t -. upon the heart In that moitotowoue erudg- at leade nowhere, that hoe no light urge and to pass through congress, without delay, an act to remove pro tective tariff from all trust-made goods. If it fall to do this, it -will wear a heavy handicap through the presiden tial campaign. should some be ground and broken? should bo man go down under the 'vtfaeel Torld to hopeless ruin ae tor ae human an see hueman te the symbol of betrayed hu- the toller ground down through ages i resoion, through agee of social mjuetice. -, the man poshed back and shrunken up He special privileges conferred upon the Tins is largely absurd, and wholly r hievous. The powers of all persons l- nt equal. It is impossible for all ' c'taiu to highest things; and yet ' areers of men whose lives make T. h- history of this country prove t t T other capital is necessary than , tnergy and hope. The hoeman 2 - f, pursuing; his cailinc; with In- t t nee and energy, may be com f a if and content. Are there to be r men? The Markham philosophy c " 9 there should not be, and that i y man who must live by the labor ' is hands is oppressed by the man V i li es through trade, through a I' ' sslon, or upon an inheritance. J" 1 3ft It is from the ranks of labor, " manual labor, that most of our men i i arhieve highest success, spring, f ' l generation to generation. T2 e M&rkham philosophy is mawkish z. 1 querulous absurdity. Not only l 9 it not help the man with whom it I r es to sympathise, but it does I i i infinite injury by filling Mm full c ' us less complaint and fruitless dls c rtnt, and It paralyses' rational e f T t I j teaching him to look for re- a"' s w hers no resources ever will be ' nd It teaches him to look to soci- and government for support; when L 'at t all his resources lie in himself, r i bom here else. It teaches him to that the man who has somewhat r it wealth than the lowest average, ) has any ktnd of house above a 2 t t live In, who is better fed and .. 1 and lodged than MmseK, is hie n 5 and opprsasor, enjoying what 1 lm pilled and plundered from 1 This false philosophy is nt only 1 . ite envy, to raise delusive hopes, t i ropagate meoontent, to foster idie r to make anarchists. In what v is the family that lives on a dirt f - injured by th fact of possession, 1 n 'ther family, of a carpet on its Where Is the ''special priilege" I "" Property cannot be equal. It is . - . t j nature to be unequal. Talents " t U equal, either among men in n ass or even among members of t 'iine family. Some can do things ' t i hers cannot, and the highest re i ' s naturally oome to those who t greatest capacity. Such persons c w . and their competition is with r ' other, not with the general mass. I t inferior or mediocre talents never . ummand, certainly cannot hold, I s in the van, "where honor travels I- a Mrait so narrow that few can r il it ast." Yet under our democratic r -; t n1 none who possesses exceptional :. Hies need be pushed from the path. 1 ut if he turn aside, or relax his ef- rt the tide will rush by and leave 1 mi with the hindmost. This is a moenry condition of pro rt fi e human society. It is the very -iis of civilisation. Yet in all the his- t i of the human race, it is out of the liutr blest families that the great lead f " ha e pprung. In our own country it 1 specially so. Talent runs little in ? - families. In aristocratic or pluto--'tu lines. It bs a mysterious gift of v rAT-working Heaven, and. appears tisud.ll j where least expected. All can t i. wise or rich or great; and the Varkham philosophy, therefore, is non c nsf and nonsense of a pernicious kind because It teaches men to whine, i mi ain and repine; to lament their f "tune, while It takes away the dis positii n to improve It; to harbor dis- nient and yet to reject the only ra- nal and possible way of removing re tuuse of it. The end of life is ut and In duty contentment and lappiress have their foundation. The Man ith the Hoe has in the hng run v bat r, 8 him and what he is fitted for. B- quns the hoe If he finds some other n ilement he can wield better; If not, rr keers to the hoe, as he should. Or, If he makes the mistake of pitying hlm pi f as a result of dwelling in the Markham pseudodoxes, and quits the hoe w hen he ought to keep it because it la ihe Implement which he oan turn to est account for keeping himself, he v. make a failure and wreck of his f itenoe Neither the hoeman nor any her worker is "the symbol of be aed mmaJUty.' The worst be 4 -a at of htunanity is instilment of -'y notion ta the worker that Ms posi- n is one of hopeless drudgery ana . gradation. There Is "light ahead" ever) person, who has anything in n His flame can never tack oil. In vse Unas firom OonwiB' we have h. words of a real poet, which may REST, BEST, PERTURBED SPrRIT. The mental manifestations of the As torlan are always interesting from a psychological standpoint, and its view of the Hanna-Payne subsidy attack on the treasury should not, perhaps, be ig nored. It has proved susceptible, it seems, to influence from Mr. James Hill's counter-blast against subsidies, and the result of that impression on it is this: Mr. HUl Is preparing te engage ia Oriental ooBwaeree from the terminals of hie Puget sound roads oa- a greatly increu&ed scale. He Is In a position, la fact, to become as much the mo nopolist of trans-Paelfle commerce as he is the monopolist of Northwestern transcontinental commerce. The point of the argument lies in the assumption that Mr. Hill is "the mo nopolist of Northwestern transconti nental commerce." But Is he? Ask the Northern Pacific people if they think Mr. Hill has such a monopoly. Ask the Union Pacific. Ask the Cana dian Pacific All of these roads do business with the North Pacific coast. Some of them doubtless do more than the Great Northern does. And so with the trans-Pacific business Mr. Hill is to monopolize. One thing is as Impos sible as the other. "What Mr. Hill can do others can do. What the Great Northern can do the Union Pacific can do. Mr. Hill- cannot monopolize the steamship business of the Pacific ocean. It is open, equally, to all. Yet the Astorian says Hill monopo lizes the railroad business, and will monopolize the steamship business. It says this in order to vitiate his argu ment against subsidies. There is no truth in the explanation offered; con sequently his argument stands. Yet this is just as real and pertinent an objection as any urged against Mr. Hill's argument that subsidies are un necessary for shipowners, and power less to aid producers. Not all the ad vocates of subsidies are afflicted with the same gift of conjuring up phan tasms. Some of them are sane, and all that are sane are after the dollars In the treasury or else are deluded by necromancy of the Astoria type or scheming shipyards that are out for plunder. The subsidy bill is dead. It will never again muster the strength it has mus tered in this congress. It may be re garded, therefore, as a closed incident. The only occasion for recurring to the late lamented will be its temporary resurrection by the Witch of Astoria or the Tacoma Ledgerdemain. unprecedented demand for coal at Hon olulu, and scores of vessels have been diverted from the trade between Aus tralia and San Francisco, and the Bay city has been,. as the Ledger asserts, suffering from a coal famine. The Ledger will not need to turn back over four years In its files before it will find where the Norwegian steamship Flor ida was carrying coal between British Columbia ports and San Francisco at 51 10 per Jon, and a big fleet of vessels of all kinds were lying idle all over the coast. There has been no "such radical change in conditions as would preclude the possibility t)f the rate again drop ping to ?1 10 per ton when the present rush is over, and the subsidizing of a vessel to compete with these rates is in effect taxing people all over the United States in order that San Fran cisco may have cheap coal. Viewed from a national standpoint, the Hanna Payne subsidy graft does not bear close scrutiny. Heduce the area of its op erations, and analyze the effects of its operation in our immediate locality, and. it becomes even less attractive. MAKERS OF OUR DESTINY. A "student" writes us from Clacka mas, inquiring whether it is historic ally true that "John Quincy Adams was a greater factor in shaping the LOCAIj ASPECTS OF SCHEMES. SUBSIDY put in contrast with Markham's w drums: Abo haa a McM In tata own door breast v live la the timer and enjoy might day; hf who hMoa a. dark eoul and font thoughts - rhted llvon nador )f m Mo mm dungeon The Tacoma Ledger bewails the fact that there Is a scarcity of shipping on the Pacific coast, and that rates are high accordingly. It states that "char ters could be made for a number of vessels If they were available"; that "Hawaii wants our coal, lime, lumber, hay and feed and other products, which she is unable to get because of lack of shipping"; that "San Francisco has been suffering from a coal famine from the same cause," and that "the com merce of the coast generally Is ham pered by this shortage of tonnage." As a panacea for all these evils, the Ledger Is very anxious that the Payne Hsjwia subsidy bill should become a law. The shortage in ships at the present time is confined largely to grain ves sels. As the grain business produces a much greater amount of wealth than any other industry In the Northwest, and the resultant profits or losses are largely affected by ocean freights, it would seem eminently proper that the demand for legislation which is sup posed to improve their condition should come from the wheatgrowers, instead of from a few newspapers and politi cians, who simply echo the sentiments of a band of wealthy shipbuilders and owners. The house and senate commit tees have recently been hearing from the farmers on the subject of paying bounties or subsidies to millionaires w ho are already rich enough1 to own big steamship lines. Among the documents presented to the house committee was a protest from an Illinois Grange which contained the following interest ing view of the subsidy from a grain grower's standpoint: As graln-gnwing farmers of the Central West -vie hae to compete in the free and open mar kets of the "world and must be content with any margin of profit afforded our products by the ruling prices of those markets. This we do without governmental aid by subsidy to in crease our profits and with the belief that con gress cannot Justly enact special legislation to favor one industry at the expense of other clanses of people. The gist of this protest is that, inas much as the farmer is compelled to meet the competition of the world in growing and marketing his grain with out any aid from the government, the shipowner should build and sail his ves sels on the same business-like princi ples. In citing a local situation on the coast to prove the merits of a question of national importance, the Ledger, either through ignorance or a desire to misrepresent the situation, argues from a wrong standpoint. It is not a scarc ity of ships, but a plethora of wheat, which is making high freights at the present time, in proof of which it Is but necessary to refer to the tonnage fig ures today as compared, with those of one year ago. At that time there was but 46.0W tons of grain shipping en route for Portland, and 30,000 tons en route to Puget sound. At the present time there is over 77,000 tons en route for Portland and 36,000 tons en route for Puget sound. Last year there was 1&,00 tons en route for, and 36,000 tons in port at, San Francisco. This year there is 162,000 tons en route and 68,000 tons in port at San Francisco". When crops are poof, and there is nothing to ship, the shipowner loses money, and is unable to find work for his ships at rates that wiH pay for their operation. The experience of the past twenty years will show that the periods of low freights and a surplus of shlpu have occurred with the same frequency as have those of high freights and a scarcity of ships. Less than three years have elapsed since wheat was carried from Portland to Europe, a dis tance of 17,000 miles, at a cost of 54 36 per ton of 2240 pounds. Unless the government took actual charge of a ship and paid all of her expenses, no vessel could successfully compete with such a rate, but the inexorable law of supply and demand wiH again give the wheatgrower similar low rates, regard less of subsidies, as some owners will destiny of our nation than any other man since Washington," which state-ment-waa included in an address de livered before the Teachers' Associa tion of Clackamas county on the 27th ult. The Oregonian would hardly agree with this conclusion, although Mr. Ad ams was a very able and accomplished statesman. It is true that Mr. Adams, with the. independence characteristic of his family, supported Mr. Jefferson In- regard to the Louisiana purchase, despite the fact that he was a federal ist. It Is true that Mr. Adams, with Henry Clay and Gallatin, negotiated the treaty of Ghent; it is true that, so far as the Monroe doctrine had any authentic American parentage, Mr. Ad ams was its author in the sense that he doubtless persuaded President Mon roe to act on the suggestion or invita tion of George Canning, the British minister of foreign affairs, who was really responsible for the original coin age of the Monroe doctrine; that is, George Canning "tipped us the wink" and we took the hint, and President Monroe answered with his message, in the construction of which doubtless Mr. Adams had a leading part. It is true that to Mr. Adams' diplomatic intelli gence the purchase of Florida from Spain was due; it is true that Mr. Ad ams ably defended the right of pe tition on the floor of congress. All these things are true, and are highly creditable to the statesmanship of Mr. Adams; but none of them nor all of them justify the conclusion that "Mr. Adams was a greater factor in shaping the destiny of our nation than any other man since Washington." It Is, perhaps, not easy to say who of our statesmen since Washington has exer cised the largest influence "in shaping the destiny of our nation," but it is entirely safe to say that It was not John Quincy Adams. Since Washing ton the roll of our statesmen has in cluded Hamilton, Marshall, Jefferson, Jackson, Clay, Webster, Calhoun and Lincoln. It Is entirely safe to say that any one of these men had more to do with "shaping the destiny of our na tion" than had John Quincy Adams. This Is no impeachment of Mr. Adams' intellectual parts, which were excel lent, but he did not have the very great ability of some of these men, nor the exceptional opportunity of others. It was Mr. Jefferson's opportunity to buy Louisiana, and he had the states manlike courage to rise to the level of the opportunity and buy it, even when he had serious doubts of the constitutionality of his action. Prob ably few things have "shaped the des tiny of our nation" with more far reaching effect than this act of Jeffer son. The effect of the genius of Ham ilton applied both to the rehabilitation of our flnancial credit and to enforcing the constitutional theory of our inde structible nationality exercised a more permanent effect upon the destiny of our country than anything wrought by Mr. Adams. The action of Jackson in bidding defiance to nullification doubt less saved us from civil war in 1832. The influence of Henry Clay saved us from civil war in securing the accept ance of the compromise measures of 1S50. The eloquence of Calhoun doubt less warmed into life and organized into an incendiary political creed the Jeffersonian constitutional theory of state supremacy and the right of nulli fication. But for Mr. Calhoun's fell po litical genius, there would have been no party of disunion after the New England federalist secessionists of 1814 were politically wrecked and covered with infamy after the negotiation of a victorious peace. Without John Mar shall's thirty-four years' service on the supreme bench of the United States, and without Webster s eloquence to impassion and popularize the logic of Marshall; without Abraham Lincoln rising to the level of that vast politi cal courage which proclaimed emanci pation as a military necessity, the des tiny of our country would have taken a very different shape. It was not the fault of Mr. Adams' ability that he did not do anything that decisively shaped the destiny of this country, hut, as a matter of fact, for lack of opportunity Mr. Adams did nothing of the sort. It is just to say of him that he was always equal to his opportunity, but the fortune of a great critical opportunity to make his country or break it never came to him. He could not have defeated the ratifi cation of Jefferson's purchase of Lou isiana; President Monroe would have accepted George Canning's coinage of "the Monroe doctrine," no matter who had been his secretary of state. In deed, Mr. Adams, when he became president, never pretended to push "the Monroe doctrine" to the extreme that was reached by President Cleveland in his Venezuela message. John Quincy Adams belongs to the top of the sec ond rank of American statesmen, which includes men like Van Buren, men of great and versatile public ability, but whose fate was not distinctly to shape the destiny of the country by anything they did or left undone. insane asylum, failing in which, he has turned him out into the world, is not his son or in any way bound to him by ties of blood. The property obliga tion is, of course, not lessened by this fact, but the treatment of the older by the younger man, does not appear quite so base as if the beneficiary were also a child, bound in duty, without prop erty considerations, to shelter and care for the infirm parent. The just pro cedure in; this case would seem to be to place the feeble old man in a home upon terms that would insure his phys ical comfort, and charge the cost of maintenance against the man who, in consideration of such care, is in posses sion of the property. The care of the Infirm is not a pleasant task.'and when unrelieved by a sense of cfuty and light ened by a spirit of kindness and. pity, it Is not likely to be performed faithfully. The person who does not perform, this task willingly will not perform it more humanely under the mandate of the court. Hence the cruelty of abandon ing the helpless to the mercy of a guardian in whom all sense of justice Is obscured by selfishness. The lesson in this case, as in a multitude of others, is to men and women grown old, or -who are growing old. Its simplest form of statement is, "Retain in your own name the title deeds to your prop erty, particularly your home, while you live." Such a course will not in the least abate the care of a dutiful child, and it will, in a degree, compel the respect and attention of the selfish and undutlful, whether child or other pro posed heir. time they have "been buried. There would not be many of them, as parents claim a majority of the soldier dead for family plots. The purpose would be to bury in this- public place only those who died or were killed on the islands. Of course, to have thla done an ordinance for the pur pose would have to be passed by the coun cil. How this proposition would be re ceived by the councllmen. the people at large, or friends of the soldiers, is not known, as it has not been discussed much. It is merely a suggestion made by some of the more ardent admirers of soldiers, who would like to see their monument in a public spot, and know that the heroes it commemorated slept beneath it. Blanche Bates, the actress, who plays the part of a hosiery model in "Naughty Anthony," and has Instituted proceedings in the supreme court of New York city to enjoin a Broadway firm from "produc ing, exposing or displaying any models or articles purporting to be copies or rep resentations of her person or limbs," is met with a denial that the models shown by the firm are intended to represent her legs or are advertised as such. They de clare that the models of the limb3 which they represent "are models of the limbs of several well-known artists' models In this city celebrated for their shapeliness, and particularly for the correctness of the dimensions of the different portions of the limbs from the ankle to the thigh, which artists' models defendants will produce upon tho trial of the suit." Regarding the contention of the actress that she never appeared in. tights, the answer al leges that Miss Bates took the part of Rosalind In "As You Like It," last sum mer in San Francisco, in which her shape ly limbs were exposed. In that char acter she was photographed, showing her legs from the knee to the thigh. B Bennett H. Young, Goebel's chief legal adviser, announced recently that "when Goebel died, Senator Blackburn, Colonel Phil Thompson and myself ad vised Beckham, who had contested the seat for lieutenant-governor, and who, on Goebel's death, had qualified as gov ernor, to come to Louisville. If Tay lor's militia comes to Louisville, there will be a collision and bloodshed." This Colonel Bennett H. Young was the organizer and leader of the brigand raid upon St. Albans, Vt, in the fall of 1864, from the neutral territory of Canada, This Colonel Bennett H. Young, from the vantage ground of neutral territory, made an armed raid upon a peaceful country town of 5000 people, robbedi the banks and shot to death an unarmed, peaceful citizen. This is the kind of scoundrel that turns up as "Goebel's legal adviser." This man Young was a brigand in war, and he is an anarchist in peace. An other of Goebel's intimate associates was tried for murder, and Joe Black burn, his eulogist, was the author of the speech for civil war at the Hayes Tilden contest. Goebel had killed his man; they were all tarred with the same pitchy HOW TO PROTECT THE CAKAIi. Is A large number of people in the rural districts of Lane county have, it is said, had the smallpox without knowing it. The type of the disease is a mild or "discreet" one, ami no care has been taken to prevent contagion. The condi tions, fortunate so far, are likely to become serious, and it is full time for the physicians of Lane county to wake up and the people to bestir themselves in the matter of controlling the epi demic, whatever it is. Prudent people do not permit even chicken-pox or itch to run riot through their families and neighborhoods unchecked or unchallenged. Julian Balph, like the trained ob server he is, fastens upon the one im pressive feature of this war the awful, withering, insupportable fire of defend ers with modern repeating arms and smokeless powder. This is the one ele ment no strategy can eliminate. The Boers must be conquered; but deci mated British columns must be filled up over and over again. At last there is some indication of rational warmaking on the part of the British forces in South Africa, It is still a question whether they can hold the advance they have made. ""he way for the republican party to -' to the country that it is not the a i is & supporter of the trusts, is to The story of George Root, a feeble, helpless old men of Clackamas county a pauper through having made a deed to his farm to a much younger man for the consideration of care dur ing his lifetime is, unfortunately for the credit of humanity, not an unfa miliar one. The redeeming feature of the tale. If a tale of base Ingratitude and recreancy to a sacred trust can be keep their ships moving at a loss in said to have a redeeming feature, is preference to having them idle. that Root's beneficiary, who has twice The Philippine war has caused an I tried to have the old man sent to the KOTE AND COMMENT. Luckily, no man is living who can out Pettlgrew Pettigrew. A senatorial candidate, it seems, can do much toward his election by his mere presents. The cruiser Philadelphia, fortunately, has a better record for speed than her namesake. Mr. Frick seems anxious to get some of the money that Carnegie is blowing in on free libraries. It is hard to convince a man of the beauty of the snow when he is obliged to shovel it off his walk. Mythology does not cut much of a figure in war, perhaps, but Buller has depended considerably of late on his good ferry. It is reported that normal conditions are about to be restored in Kentucky. Let us hope, however, that it is not as bad as that. It is hard to realize that the revision of Herbert Spencer's "Principles of Biology," just Issued by the Appletons, comes from the pen of an invalid 80 years of age. Mr. Spencer is an excellent illustration of the saying that hard work and chronic in validism, given a good constitution, are one of the finest forms of life insurance. All the street railway companies are catering to the demands of the public by running care late, and one may now find a car for almost any point at mid night. None of the other companies has, however, carried this accommodation so far as the Portland Traction Company, which starts a car from the union depot at 12:30 A. M. every day and runs it right through to Portland Heights. This is like ly to cause a large immigration to tho Heights, as persons living there can stay out half an hour longer and Imbibe sev eral more soft toddles than the residents of other sections. Early In March three Kipling rarities are to be sold in London, all of them be ing the property of the writer's mother, Mrs. Alice Kipling. We clip the follow ing description from the Athenaeum: v The rarest of all is the copy of "Schoolboy Lyrics," 18S1, in the original wrapper, which is decorated with two pen-and-ink, drawings of flowers, etc. The second 'lot is a copy of th "Echoes by Two "Writers," 18S1, in the original wrapper, with the autograph of Mrs. Kipling; at the beginning and end of eome of the pieces there are inscriptions In pencil. The third lot Is a copy of the rare first edition of the "De partmental Ditties," ISSfi. In the same day's cale, but another property, there is a second copy of the "Schoolboy Lyrics," which seems to be uncommonly plentiful for a "probably unique" book, as the copy that first came up for eale was described. Several citizens interested In honoring to the fullest extent the dead Oregon sol diers being returned from the Philippines, have suggested to General Summers that they be interred In some of the public plazas or parks of the city, where the monument contemplated might be erected over them and yet be in a conspicuous locality. It If argued that the remains are harmless now, eo far as the bad effects of a cemetery go, owing to the length of Tho Only Practicable Way Through It Neutralization. New York Journal of Commerce. Adverse comments made In Washington on the Hay-Pauncefote treaty show how extremely provincial some of our states men are. We suspect that there are men In congress, as there certainly are in pri vate life, who have only learned within a day or two that the Suez canal Is neutral; who supposed until the publication of the Hay-Pauncefote treaty that Great Britain could close that canal to an enemy's war ships. It would bo of undoubted advan tage to her if she could do so, but she agreed a dozen years ago not to, and it is not to be supposed that she waived the privilege of closing the toll-gate on the road to India of her own volition. She could not stand out against the maritime nations of the world, and neither can we, with England herself, far the largest maritime power, peaceful or belligerent, In the world at their head. This paper has never supposed for a moment that the United States could go Into a foreign country, cut a canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean arid give Its merchant steamers special privileges therein In peace and Its naval vessels ex clusive rights in war. There is a good deal of the world outside of the United States, and on such an issue as this it would bo a unit against this country, and we should make more enemies than we could afford to have at once if we at tempted such a policy. But In consenting to the neutralization of Ihe canal this country surrenders less practically than appears upon the surface. Had the canal been In existence two years ago it would not have been difficult for Spain to ob struct the canal by sinking a merchant steamer in it It might have been a French steamer obtained for the purpose between the time that war became a cer tainty and its commencement. Had a steamer loaded with explosives been blown up while passing through, the ca nal might have been disabled for a long time. A canal is so easily disabled or obstructed that its complete neutraliza tion is the only way of protecting it from damage at the first indications of ap proaching war. While Egypt wa3 really as well as nominally a part of the Turk ish empire the neutralization of the canal was a matter of indifference, but when England occupied Egypt it became im portant for the rest of Europe to maKn sure that the canal should he a world's highway and not an English private road. ' A great many Americans, Jn congress and out of it, have seriously supposed that if we built the Nicaragua canal we could treat it as a man treats his house. But up to two years ago we had come in contact so little with world politics that wo naturally thought exclusively of our selves, and heartily answer "Nothing" to Stanley Matthew's famous question: "What do we care for abroad?" But this idea of an interoceanic canal In foreign territory under our exclusive control was never anything but a dream. The Hay Pauncefote treaty changes no facts; it simply awakes the dreamers and dispels provincialism. Mr. Nimmo's protest against the ratification of the treaty is due to his antagonism to any canal at all. The duty of the senate is to ratify the treaty at once. The canal cannot be a de fensive measure for the United States; It must be a universal commercial highway, and for all peaceful purposes the canal will be the better for an international guarantee of neutrality. The chief beneficiary of tho canal at first will probably be Great Britain; to the disgust of France she immediately be came the chief beneficiary of the Suez canal. But from most Pacific points to Great Britain the short road lies through Suez, and the Nicaragua canal will chiefly shorten distances between our At lantic and Gulf ports and the far East. Our use of the canal, therefore, promises in the future to be greater than Eng land's. c PUERTO RICAN TARIFF. or-toml mior nil th nowlv aeniilrad nae- I sessions of the United States, then a law for the admission of Pirtrto Rlenn prod ucts duty free of mere surplusage.1 But if it rests In the discretion of congress to treat Puerto Rico and the Philippines, not as parts of the United States, but as property belonging to ins United States, which under the constitution it has full power to govern, tnen congress, adapting its legislation to the special needs of each case, is not obliged to enact for the Phil ippines the same tariff laws It does for Puerto Rtco. Tho real reason for this unwillingness to let in Puerto Riean products duty free is the insane fear or some American pro ducers that they will be harmed thereby. The tobacco-growers, for instance, think the free admission of Puerto Rlcan to bacco may be followed by that of Philip pine tobacco. But that will not follow if congress have plenary power over the Insular possessions. If it has not, then, the tobacco-raisers and beet-sugar manu facturers win have to submit to compe tition from that quarter, whether they like it or not. i o I MRS. IiAWTON AND SOME OTHERS. No General Jm.y for Pension to Families of Regular Army Ofllccrs. Chicago Inter-Ocean. The American people have given nearly 5100,000 to Mrs. Henry W. Lawton as a token of their appreciation of her hus band's great services to his country, and in so doing have done well. But there are some other widows and children who deserve to be remembered. For instance, there is the widow of Colonel Egbert, who made a gallant rec ord in the civil war, was dangerously wounded at Santiago, and was killed at the head of hla regiment in Luzon. Mrs. Egbert Is entirely without means, and Is supporting herself and five children by keeping a boarding-house In Manila. Cap tain Grldley, whom Dewey told to "Are when ready" on that glorious May day in Manila bay, left his wife and mother dependent on the generosity of his coun trymen. Commander Wood, who com manded the Petrel in the same action, left a family without support. Colonel John D. Mlley, who was Shat ter's chief-of-staff at Santiago, and work ed himself to death straightening out the chaos of Spanish corruption in the Man la custom-house, left a widow and three chil dren nearly destitute. Colonel Stotsen burg, who made the First Nebraska one of the most efficient regiments that ever marched under our flag, and fell at its head, left a large family In poverty. The two Caprons, one of whom fell at San tiago, and the other died of d'sease in curred in that campaign, left widows and children dependent on a relative who is himself a poor man. The widow of Colonel Guy Howard, killed in Luzon. has three children and is penniless. And several other cases of widows and chil dren of officers of lower rank, but no less devoted to their duty, might be men tioned. Contrary to the current public impres sion, there is no general law for the pen sioning of. widows and minor children of officers of the regular army. All such pensions are by special act of congress, which rarely grants more than( J30 a month. It Is evident that such a sum will not go far toward the support and edu cation of children. The private soldier's term of enlistment Is short, and If he makes a profession of the military service he is at least sure of a comfortable home In hla oid age. But the officer, to he of value to his country, must stay, In the service, and then death cuts off the means of supporting his family. 8 Hay's Statesmanship Merits Support. New York Evening Post. A modification of the treaty necessarily meant a friendly attempt to agree with Great Britain, Instead of berating her. If there was to" be any diplomatic progress at all, Mr. Hay clearly saw that the shirt-sleeves and shotgun meth ods of the art of managing foreign relations must give way to civilized usages. More than that, beirwr a man with a mental horizon not bounded by the valley of the Ohio, In- touch with international Ideas, familiar with the con ception of a world's commerce and a world's peace, and their needs, the sec retary of state has risen to Ms great opportunity of preparing tho way for an Interoceanic canal that shall be a means of international unity and amity, as well as a highway of international commerce. Tho true control of the canal In time of war is at sea. The power able to beat an enemy's fleet before it gets in sight of the canal is the power that will be able to prevent a foe from utilizing it in war. That was true under the Clayton-Bulwer treaty; It will remain true under its pro posed modification. But wo suspect the opposition to Secre tary Hay's beneficent diplomacy has other and baser motives. The men act uated by them can work against Secre tary Hay only in darkness and secrecy. What he has done is so plainly in the interests not only of this country, but of all the world; is so undeniably In the line of progress and humanity, that the friends of civilization and peace should see to it that his statesmanlike achieve ment be not crippled or defeated. e An Estimate of Senator Turner. Toronto Telegram. Senator Turner was practically snatched from the jaws of the poorhouso by the. wealth of a mine In Canadian territory. He of all men ought to have been ashamed to rise In the United States sen ate and proclaim his sympathy with the Boers and his hopes for the defeat of the nation whose flag sheltered his successful pursuit of wealth. GOSSIP OF THE NATIONAL CATITAL UTASHraGTOX. JW. U A feeling of Insecurity Is prevalent among repubacan leaders, and they are mng now to avoid legislation upon a.l inoatlons which will enlarg th defensive campaign that must be made. It to mattaed that "he gold standard tnll will loaa some wavering silver men. bat tear to exawaaaed that it will not bold all the gold democrats, who may seek to return to thw old party on other issues. There to also groat fear expressed on account oC th edtect the South African war. Men who nave traveled about the country a Brent duuf And considerable dissatisfaction aming the Irtoh and German voetB on amoun at apparent friendliness of tha ndnrtKtote tJon with the British xovernaMnt. but one of the greatest causes of alarm Is Ian continued and persistent declnrnttowa C the opposition that the repubneax party is the ally and supporter of the UatieH. Upon this subject it Is felt that float must be a defensive campaign tNaf tin time It opens. Every act of tha aotooMi trattoa must stand the teat and avaty campaign orator must be ready ta an swer every charge. One of the leading republicans set to day that the attempts to re-elect an ad ministration from tha tune of Lincoln and made it apparent that it was not gatd policy, although he had nothing at fair words for McKlnley'g course, wMah hi commended. It is safe te say taut: to. the legislation which hi to com ap here after care will be taken to connaa Ik to what to necessary and not to mjeet any more Issues into th campaign which wm require defense. The bright spot in the outlook to the pop ular position of th republican edndwto tratton on the Philippine question. The democrats have made what might have been a serious situation somewhat ease by going wrong at a most Inopportune time upon a most Important isau and one which is most popular among th ptnle. There seems a feeling also thai will not be allowed to be the mam but that a general attacK upon acts and policies with the hope of win ning enough votes m doubtful states to carry the electoral college, will be me plan of th democratic campaign, 'vigor ous party work by the repabneaaa has also been decided upon. Te Get Rid of BryaalsB. Gorman of Maryland and Craaar of New York are credited with a destoe to have Bryan nominated and defeated so as to remove Bryanism forever from ta party. With this end in view they are said to be urging the gold democrats to give a quasi support to th Nearaeha man. Immediately after Bryan to de feated, a Gorman movement is to a started, Croker guaranteeing New York and other Eastern states, while the old Gorman guard throughout the eountry Is to be rallied for the Meryland man. Canal Treaty and Bill May Go Over. The friends of the Nicaragua canal are in a very serious predicament. Taey fear that if they defeat the treaty, watch ta J not satisfactory to them, they win en danger the building of the canal. Tato view is taken by the Oregon and Wash ington senators, especially. would pre fer to have th canal absolutely under the control of the United States, but who are anxious, on account of Its com mercial Importance to the Pacta coast, to have it built, even if the treaty Is not wholly satisfactory. Tata to the en thing which will ratify the treaty. The desire to have th canal built tor com mercial purposes will outweigh the eaao sltion to the treaty, even if some sacri fice to made by the neutrality agreement. Senator Davis, chairman of the commit tee on foreign relations, is quoted as say ing that be thinks the treaty win go through without amendment. There to a very strong undercurrent of opinion that the treaty, as well as the eaaal boVwiU go over for another session. Chandler's Felltleal SateJde. The republican leaders, and. In foot, the democratic leaders as well, are at a less to understand the peculiar position that Chandler has taken on the nnaneial toll. All of the New Bnaiand men say that it dooms him to certain defeat as a can didate for the senate, and that he to nei ther helping haa party nor MmeeJf. Insane Fear of American Producers Discredited. Chicago Tribune. Tho republican members of the senate committee on Puerto Rico have decided that they will not give their sanction to a bill leveling all tariff barriers between the United States and that island. Their plan is to let those products of the island which are not already on the free list en tor tho United States on the payment of 25 per cent of the present tariff duties. This will be a great relief for the Puerto Ricans, though not so great a relief as the complete free trade with the United- States which the president urged so strongly in his message. He gives twice who gives quickly, and the Puerto RIcans will be better pleased with an immediate 75 per cent reduction of tariff duties than with a long-deferred 100 per cent reduc tion. The reason assigned for this failure to come up to the full measure of the presi dent's wishes Is that the course It Is pro posed to pursue will bring the whole ques tion of insular government into the United States courts, so that a decision may be had defining the exact status of the newly acquired islands. It is assumed that soma Importer who is required to pay the 25 per cent tariff will object that all the provisions of the constitution extend over Puerto Rico, and that no duty of any kind can be levied on the products of that Island. But that question has been raised already. A case Is now on Its way to the supreme court, and will be determined there before any case originating under the bill it Is proposed to pass can reach that tribunal.' So the alleged reason 13 not a good one. Another reason which has been assigned for not extending the tariff and other laws of the United States to Puerto Rico Is that it would form a precedent which would have to be followed as regards the Philippines. That Is to say, if congress saw fit to extend the DIngley tariff to Puerto Rico it would have to extend it to the Philippines also, and there would be an end of the "open door" of those islands. All nations are on commercial equality there now with the United States. They would not be If the DIngley tariff governed there. This reason is not a good one. If. as is contended by some, the provisions of the constitution, unaided by act of congress. Itwas a gold mine, too; and yet he professes a desire to degrade gold and to exalt sliver. He Is merely a pervert, look at him how you will. e t ' Educate the Senate. New York Times. Wo think there is the gravest reason to fear the failure of the present treaty. We are confident that it would not fall, but would be promptly ratified, and would have the cordial approval of the American peo ple, if both the senate and the people had a clear understanding of the principles Involved, and of our true relations in peace and war to the canal. It is for the ad mlnstratlon to undertake the campaign of educatfbn in the senate. i e It Can Be Communicated. New York Post. Is the sufferer from malaria a source of danger to healthy neighbors? The ques tion came before the last meeting of the HnMntn. Piemontese d'Igiene. and was answered In tfae affirmative by Dr. Pio Foa, professor of pathological anatomy in the university of Turin. On the strength of recent discoveries, checked by still lat- er experiments, nuioi . .-...-tained that malaria could be indirectly communicated. . T ' Stevenson of the letters. B Paul Newman in the Leaden Seeetater. Long, hatehet face, black hair, and haaatiag gaze. That follows ae you move about the room. Ah, this te he who trod the darkening way. And. plucked the flowers upon the edge of dooa The bright, sweet-scented flowers that star the road To Death's dim awelllug. Others heed them not, "With sad eyes fixed upon that drear abode, "Weeping, aad walling their unhappy lot. But he went laughing down the shadowed way. The boy's heart leaping otlH wlthla hla breast. "Weaving bte garlands whea. Ala mood was gay. Mocking his sorrows with a solemn jest. The high Gods gave him wine to drink; a cop Of strong dartre, of knowledge aad of pah. He set it to hte lips and drank it up. Then, smiling', turned unto hla flowers again. These are the flowers of t&at immortal strain "Which, when the hand that plucked them drops and dies. Still keep their radiant beauty free from stain. And breathe their fragrance through the centuries. Too Many CemmlHileHt. A great many people In congress are becoming tired of commisskms. The nu merous commissions that have been ap pointed during the term of the president have caused a great deal of talk, and every time a new commission Is selected, eatte a little stir to created among tho men who are really anxious for republican success, but who think that In this par ticular line the president to overdoing the matter. Every commission te more or toss expensive, and there seems to be na end to them. Every scheme of government proposed for the new possessions prom isee that there shall be a commtosien se lected. The United States got along all right without a commission in Alaska, and a great many people think It will be very well without one m Puerto Blco. There are those who think it ta very much better to have a military government rather than to have conunteetons. , These commissions are fostered by congress, of course, because every time one ta created it means considerable patronage to be be stowed, and every man has some one look ing for a place. Of course, many of the commissions selected have been of good men and prominent In public life, but generally there is too much favoritism, and the result is that little good to accom plished by them. It is understood that the president favors those eommtsskms be cause it relieves him of a great deal of responsibility. The SHBinariiie Seat. It has not yet been demonstrated wheth er submarine boats will be available la naval warfare. The craft known as the Holland submarine boat has receive: a trial out In the ocean, and was brought around to Washington for the purpose of having a trial made in sight of tho mem bers of the naval committees of both sen ate and house. Th trial has not taken place. It has been decided that the steam engines of the Holland must be reptaoed by gas engines, in order to make It suc cessful. There are several other features of the Holland that are yet In an em bryo state. It will be necessary to have the ship balance exaefcy, or It win not work. It Is almost sure that th launch ing of a torpedo, which ta th work the Holland ta intended to do, would disturb ite equilibrium very largely, and possibly cause it to shoot in the air and be a target at the mercy of the enemy's guaa. or it might be so arranged that It would dive down so far in the water that it could not be righted, and com near enough to th surface, as It to Intended. There is a great deal yet to be done te make it anywhere near a peneet nam ing machine. Secretary Rest as a Lawmaker. Somebody asked Secretary Jtoat how he was getting along with the war depart ment, and he replied that to a lawyer tha method of governing th acqutottiong ced ed by Spain was decidedly interesting. "Why." he said, "I Had that I can make and unmake laws and statutes by a mere stroke of the pen. To a man who has been used to seeing mils carefully consid ered, before they are enacted Into laws, and those laws carefully construed by the courts before they are accepted, it seems decidedly odd to sit down and -writ a few lines and say that this shall be the law. But that to the way we are doing it, and tho way we will continue to do It until congress legislates otherwise. In fact, there ta no other way of managing these islands while they are under mill tary control.' These laws that Secretary Root speaks of making govern Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines, and prob ably 'the secretary of war has created more law for Cuba than for any of tbe other Spanish islands. Here ho has found it necessary to postpone the payment oi debts, suspend foreclosures of mortgages and otherwise to prescribe statutes tut the islands.