THE MORNING OREGONIAN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1900. I hs resomcat Entered at the TestoOee at Portland. Oregon. as seeend-etaM matter. TKLXPHONB6. Editorial ltooma....ieglBateeRa Offlce....e67 RSTCUKD 80BSCRIPTION KATES. Br Matt (postage prepaid). Advance Dallr. with Sander, per moat W S3 Italljr. hen my excepted, per year ........ 7 SO Dallj. with mamay. per year 9 09 Sunday, per year 2 00 Tbe Weekly, per year... ....... .......- 1 56 The Weekly X month ... 50 To Ctty sueecrtfeerc Dally, per week, delivered. Sundays excepted.lSe Dall). per week, delivered. saedara teetwded.36e The Oregouien. does aot bar poems r atorjes from lndvfdvetc, and cannot anderake to re turn an) manuscripts sent fib It wHheet .saHclta tioo. No atamoc efaouM fee lactose for this purpose. Neva or atocateton Intended for pobHeaUon In The Oresonfan should he addressed Invariably "Editor The Oreroaiaa." aot to the name ot any Individual Letters relating to advertising. aubscrlptloM or to any pMatooap sutler should be ad ureases' simplr "The Oregontan' , Puset Sound Bureau Captain A. Thompson, office at till Pacific avenee. Taooma. Sor 853. Taooma soetofllce. Kaeter Business Ofltee The Tribaae baud tog. New Tork city; "The Keekery," Chicago; the S C Beckwith apedcl agency. New Tork. Je In San Frandeoo hy J. X. Cooper. T6 Market street, near the Palace hotel, and ai Goldsmith Bros . 2 Sutler street. For sale hi Chicago by the P. O. Jfewa Co.. SIT Dearborn street. TODAY'S WEATHER. Occasional ln, prob ably fair In afternoon, south to west winds. PORTLAND THtmSDAY, FEB. 22, 1000 IMPBRIAX4SM ICILIS EXPANSION. Newlands of Nevada, speaking In the house of representatives against the Puerto Bico bill, said such an act "would create a congressional des potism precisely similar to that claimed by Great Britain at the time of the Revolutionary war," and that "every person who votes for this bill an nounce himself a follower of George III" This is not merely the language of oratorical fervor. It Is gravely true. What is the difference between the measures of the British, legislature against the colonies during the ten Sars preceding our Revolution, and the discrimination now proposed in congress against Puerto Rico and the Philippine islands? No difference -whatever in principle. The difference Is merely in the details of the discrim ination. Is there talk of "imperial ism' ? Here you have the real thing! The purpose behind all this effort Is oppression of our new possessions by commercial monopoly. It was the same spirit that actuated the British minis try under direction of Lord Bute, Charles Townshend, George Grenville and Lord North. The project, started by Townshend, eagerly adopted by a stupid and stubborn king, and contin ued under successive administrations till the colonies were lost, was not more or less enlightened than the policy urged in congress now. The British ministry resolved on measures of taxa tion against the colonies, in violation of long custom and their own charters, and our wiseacres In congress are fol lowing the example. But, they say, It is a small matter; we only tax the products of the islands one-fourth as much as the products of foreign coun tries. But It is the principle, quite as much as the amount of the tax, that will make the discontent. It was not so much the amount of the taxation that ctr ancestors resented as it was the arbitrary power asserted in it and the manifest injustice of the method of It Human nature has indeed under gone very radical change, if our pew possessions are not soon filled with discontent, with the spirit of resist ance, and even with positive rebellion, from treatment so simitar to that against which our ancestors rebelled that it may be called practically the same Liberty, the world over, and in all apes, has been held to consist chiefly in the rightful enjoyment by a people of thf fruits of their own labor. A peo ple is seldom mo ed to rebellion by ab stract maxims or dissertations on the theoretical rights of man. But let them see that taxation, imposed by a force beyond their control, is unequal, arbitrary, unusual and unfair, and you Jind at once an awakening of the spirit of resistance, a quick accumulation of the materials of discontent and revo lution. Under these conditions it vi ill take armies to hold these dependencies do n Tftr any people, joined with the T'nited States, will naturally feel that thf flag ought to stand in their land f wr the samf right of person and prop erty . of industry' and commerce, that it stands for in the country from which it tame. The worst of "imperialism" is asser tion of this doctrine of commercial monopoly against the new lands under our flag. All the babble of theorists against "Imperialism" is nothing in weight or consequence, compared with this ugly fact. It is the negation and destruction of the principle of legiti mate national expansion under the flag of the United States. AVAR IS BUSINESS. Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener make a strong military team. Lord Roberto entered the service as an ar tillery officer and Kitchener as an en gineer officer. Lord Roberts subse quently had large experience in the quartermaster's department of the English army in India, and obtained a kind of knowledge that he turned to valuable account when he fought the Afghans fJt Oabttl and Candahar; that Is. he became familiar with the op eration of the supply department of the army. Lord Kitchener is described as a man of iron internally and' ice-clad externally, which, by the way, is an excellent description of Napoleon in his most splendid years of victory. Kitchener, like Napoleon, studies maps, obtains figures, applies cold mathematical brains and calculation to all the details of preparation for war, and then, when he has exhausted all sources of information, has made all preparation possible to obtain victory and prevent defeat, he puts his offi cers and men Into action as pitilessly as a chess-player who. having re solved on his gambit, pushes his pawns and his superior dignitaries of the game into the line of struggle and sacrifice. From the line of common sense, why Is not this Napoleonic type of iron souled and Ice-clad soldier the highest and bent type e great commander? Sherman did not say that "war is hell," but be said that "war is cruelty," and that Is true, and so. for that matter, to the aye of the sentimental thinker, legal Justice is cruelty, hut it te, never theless, a grim, inexorable necessity o organised dvflfated society as distin ruished from aaaxemy or ajasotnte des potism 2sapoteon.'s battles were bloody, but they were decisive, and victory "was leg destructively purchased than de feat and death in the hospitals of dis ease, that always follows a wretched, lingering war in the trenches. So Grant and Sherman and Sheridan, who, after patient and scientific preparation, pushed their men into the firing line, .lost fairer men relatively tjetween May; 1S64, to November, 1864, then McClellaa. who "was the architect of nothing but defeat and retreat, lost fruitlessly seeking to dig an army out of Rich mond he dared not fight in the open. "War is not chivalry; war is business, and the man who exhausts his brains in conscientious preparation for victory and against defeat, as did Napoleon and as does this "lrpn-souled and ice- clad Kitchener," and then puts in his men pitilessly, is really the most hu mane soldier, as he is sure to be the most successful general. THE UITI3H.TE SPOILS OF VICTORY. Whether Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener soon capture Bloemfontein or not, they have achieved a very great victory at small cost. The Boers, for the first time, have been outgeneraled; for the ultimate spoils of victory to Lord Roberts, even if General Cronje shall retire in good order and makes a junction with General Joubert, with drawing from Natal, are very great The relief of Kimberley and the res toration of railway connection with Cap? Town is of the highest import ance, not because of the 2500 soldiers who formed Kimberley's garrison, but because Kimberley's relief will proba bly assure the relief of Mafeking, and from Mafeking, when necessary, a most formidable co-operative movement of mounted men could be made on Johan nesburg and Pretoria, as Lord Roberts' main column of Invasion moves via Bloemfontein along the railway line to Kroonetad. There is a railway leading from Pretoria via Johannesburg to Klerksdorp, in the Transvaal, and there Is a branch railway leading from Kroonstad, on the Bloemfontein rail way, to "Vierfontein, in the Orange Free State, about twenty miles dis tant from Klerksdorp. It is about 125 miles from Kimberley to Klerksdorp, and It loolcs, at this distance, as if a flying column, like that of General French, could start at the proper time from Mafeking and make a raid1 across the Transvaal and along the railway from Klerksdorp to Johannesburg, just as Lord Roberts' main column pushed up the line of the railway through the Orange Free State on Johannesburg. The British, with their superiority of J numbers, could rebuild the railway be. hind them from Bloemfontein, and hold it, and with a mounted force like that of French they could soon wreck the Boer railway communications in the Transvaal. With mounted men of the quality commanded and skillfully led by General French, the British com mander ought to make a "crazy quilt" of the Beer railway communications within the next thirty days. But whether Lord Roberts forces the enemy to a decisive battle or not, he has dealt a stroke that has robbed them of all the initiative they obtained by their sudden declaration of war last October, which enabled them success fully to invade Natal, defeat the Brit ish army, coop it up in Ladysmith, in vade Cape Colony and capture all the railway crossings of the Orange river, save that at Hopetown, from which General Methuen advanced In his fruit less attempt to relieve Kimberley. The ultimatum of forty-eight hours to an enemy 6000 miles distant gave the Boers the initiative in Natal and on the line of the Orange river. By a sin gle stroke Lord Roberts has changed the situation. Kimberley is relieved; Ladysmith Is sure to be relieved, and Natal sure to be evacuated. The line of the Orange river is sure to be sur rendered. The forces of Methuen and Gatacre are sure to be united in a few days with Lord Roberts' main column of invasion; the impending relief of Ladysmith will release at least 15,000 men for the reinforcement of Lord Roberts' army. The "best way to defend Natal is to rebuild the railway bridge at Colenso and defend It by proper works and sufficient garrison, defend the railway line to Durban, and scout the country thoroughly with mounted men. The defense of the line of the Tugela and the railway to Durban ought to "be ac complished with 15,000 men of all arms, a situation that would enable General Buller to release at least 25,000 men for the reinforcement of Lord Roberts' army; for the release of the Ladysmith garrison would make Buller's army at least 40,000 strong. OUR CONSULAR SERVICE. A strong and what should prove a valuable lesson in support of the con tention that our consular service should be supplied by men trained in its du ties, has been presented in the antics of Consul Macrum, the bumptious, un qualified youth to whom was intrusted our interests in Pretoria. The humil fatlon put upon the government by his acts would not have been possible had a man of ability, supplemented by spe cial training, been In his place. It is the purpose of those who have charge of the bill creating the new department of commerce to transfer to this divis ion our entire consular service. This will include the control of our consul-generals, consuls, commercial agents, their deputies and clerks, and. In fact, all that relates to this branch of the governmental service. The state department will be relieved of a duty unsuited to Its functions, and the con sular service will cease to be diplo matic and become commercial in its character. This Is a perfectly logical evolution. Originally appointed to care for minor diplomatic matters and to look after the welfare of American citizens abroad, our consuls have grown into expert observers and commentators on foreign markets, and our large export trade Is largely due to their opportuni ties and effectiveness for advising the home manufacturer. The main trouble has been that every change in admin istration at Washington has been fol lowed by a change in the personnel of the consulate, thus throwing raw re cruits in where experienced men are required. The plans now being formu lated look to a permanent and stable service. Their success will open a dis tinct Mne of ambition for the very best element among our young men, and will offer rewards at least equal to those of an ordinarily successful busi ness career, that will make it worth while for them to devote their lives to the work. The ambitious youth of the country could prepare himself for his work from his entrance Into school or college, and a fine line of material would thus be provided from which the j government could draw as occasion re- quired. The object is to elevate the consular service and make It stable and dependable where It is now vacillating and uncertain. corn as against wheat. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer views wffch misgivings the government's plan for a 'torn kitchen" at the Paris expo sition. The fear is expressed that the chjbfs who will serve up com cakes, etc., for the visitors at the exposition will perform their work so well that all Europe will develop a taste for corn, and in so doing abandon wheat prod ucts. These fears are hardly justified by the records of the past or the pros pects for the future. There have un doubtedly been some pretty good cooks scattered through the corn belt of the Middle West for the past half-century, and, as they have not succeeded in converting all of the residents of that thickly populated section from a wheat diet to that of the johnny cake, it is hardly probable that their arts will win any considerable number of wheat eaters in Europe. It is true, as the Post-Intelligencer says, that corn can' be produced much cheaper than wheat, but this is no ar gument against the expansion of the market for the coarser grain. The states of Kansas and Nebraska, two of the greatest corn states In the Union, in 1898 produced over 100,000,000 bushels of wheat, and Ohio, which pro duced 105,000,000 bushels of corn In 1898, also produced more wheat than was grown in Oregon and Washington. Except in rare intervals, the big corn crop of the Middle West is readily ab sorbed without prices falling below the cost of production, and it has never yet interfered with the market for wheat. Admitting that the efforts of the gov ernment will be rewarded by an in creased demand for corn, the wheat market would still be unharmed, for Kansas and Nebraska would at once abandon wheat-growing and take up corn Instead. Remove from- the world's supply the 100,000,000 bushels of wheat produced by the two states mentioned, and prices would advance. The Pacific coast vheatgrower, for whose interests the Post-Intelligencer is so solicitous, would derive a posi tive benefit from an increased demand for corn that would result In convert ing the wheat farms of the Middle West into corn fields. The farmer in the corn belt can raise corn with greater profit than he can raise wheat, when the price is normal, and if the government can drum up additional demand' for his product, he will leave the business of wheatgrowing to the growers of the Pacific coast, or other portions of the country where corn will not thrive. The world is daily gaining in population, and more breadstuffs must be supplied. The American cook can serye up rice in very dainty and appetizing forms, but it will never take the place of wheat as an article for steady diet. On the contrary, the most rapidly growing demand which the Pa cific coast now has for wheaten bread stuffs is from the Orient, where rice is produced so cheaply that it would be Impossible to compete with it were it not for the fact that certain classes of people in the Orient, as well as in other parts of the world, will always insist on having wheat bread. Liver pool Milling recently printed some fig ures showing that there was a steady increase in the number of wheat-eating people of the world, the gain being at a more rapid rate now than ever before. The estimates made by this journal show that in 1871 the number of wheat eaters was about 370,000,000. Ten years later it had increased to 416,000,000, and at the present time Milling estimates the number to be in excess of 500,000, 000. In some parts of Europe, the con sumptive demand has increased 100 per cent in the past twenty-five years, Nor way and Sweden being credited with that percentage of gain, while Austria and Hungary show an increase of 80 per cent. The percentage of the Oregon and Washington wheat crop which goes to the Orient in the form of flour Is show ing heavy Increase every year, and in time it is not improbable that all of the crop will find a market across the Pacific. This will leave us beyond the reach of the competition of the wheat which must seek a market by way of the Atlantic and Gulf ports. Even if it shbuld not do so, It is difficult to see where the substitution of corn for wheat throughout that vast section known as the corn belt of the Middle West would prove other than benefi cial to Pacific coast wheatgrowers. The demands of an increasing population all over the world call for the production of more vegetables, fruit, stock and other commodities, which must to a certain extent curtail the amount of land available for wheat, for the rea son that they will prove more profitable than the cereal to the farmers. If the government can increase the demand for corn, so as to curtail the wheat acreage In the corn belt, the Pacific coast wheatgrower will be a gainer by the operation. The proposed railway line from Klamathon, Cal., a point some thirty miles south of Ashland, to Klamath Falls, Or., will tap a relatively Isolated region of Southeastern Oregon, rich in agricultural, timber and grazing re sources, and withal as picturesque and beautiful a region as ever invited home-builders to come in and possess themselves of its advantages. Its Iso lation, like that of Tillamook county, has been complete at certain seasons. of the year, and it is at all times diffi cult of access, as any locality Is in this day and age of the world that must depend upon freighting by teams and travel by stage-coach. Notwithstand ing this, a fairly populous and quite prosperous community has grown up in this section of the state. The people, though loyal to their homes and dili gent in business, find Isolation irksome and chafe at the inconveniences and hardship that it entails. Plainly stat ed, they want a railroad, and the indi cations are that the desire will be re alized in due time. Two boys, brothers, of the respective ages of 12 and 15 years, were lately committed to the reform school from Jackson county as "Incorrigible." The father, whose name is mentioned in connection with the commitment, finds in the Incident opportunity to advertise himself as an Irresponsible creature, who, through the function of father hood, has brought discredit upon him self, misery UDon his offspring and ex pense upon the state. Rudolph High, of Ashland, is not, of course, alone on his "bad eminence"; but the fact that "there are others" in no wise lessens his reprehenslbillty before the public. One does not have to seek far for an l answer to the question in such a case, "Who has sinned, these children or their parents?" since the echo of the last two words furnishes it. The sin may be one of omission rather than commission, but it Is not the less griev ous on- that account Its baleful effects, as witnessed in boys of tender years, scheduled as incorrigible and turned over to' the state for discipline and training, being the same In either case. The failure of Multnomah and two or three other Willamette counties to levy a tax for the scalp-bounty fund brings biting criticism from some of the Eastern Oregon papers,, and we have the Prineville Review expressing "the hope that the day will come when the Cascades will become the dividing line between two states." If the law shall be held constitutional, Multnomah will promptly obey It; if it be declared a nullity, counties on both sides of the "dividing line" will have to make shift to respect the supreme court's decision. Meantime, let us suggest that mutton anxl wool now command such a price that sheepmen will not be impover ished by paying for protection of their flocks. It is waste of time and money to In vestigate the conditions in Idaho prior to the action of' Governor Steunenberg In declaring a state of Insurrection in the Coeur d'Alenes and calling for fed eral troops. The country knows the situation there, and that the democratic governor of Idaho acted promptly and discreetly. The congressional Investi gation is an attempt on the part of Lentz of Ohio and similar agitators to manufacture campaign thunder. It is not probable that their standing be fore the people will be improved by recital oT the anarchy which prevailed in Shoshone county, the re-establishment of law and order, and the punish ment of some of ihe criminals. Secretary Hay's answer to the re quest of the house of representatives, touching the matters brought forward by Consul Macrum, is adequate and ample. Consul Macrum is a very cheap fellow. If his mall was opened, he never made complaint to the depart ment about it. As to secret alliance with Great Britain, the insinuation was not only false, but preposterous. Consul Macrum's vanity, his desire of notoriety, and his partisanship for ope of the belligerents in South Africa, have led him to make a great fool of himself. Those few persons who at times have censured The Oregonian because it has spoken plainly about pension abuses may read with profit the following, from the speech recently delivered by Pension Commissioner Evans before the Middlesex Glub, of Boston; The constant and persistent effort of the many who make their living1 off of the generous senti ment of the nation toward its defenders, by stirring up the animosity of the soldiers against the government through misrepresentations, li to be expected from that source, because it creates business and It brings returns in the shape of money and fees. Admiral Dewey's flagship, the Olym pia, was built in 1893. The vessel is now to undergo an overhauling, at a cost of $500,006. Half a million dollars may strike the ordinary reader as an enormous sum to lay out for "repairs," on a cruiser built only seven years ago. But here is the example of Portland's schoolhouses. No sooner do we get a costly one built than enormous expend iture becomes necessary for changes of pjiumblng, heating, and' the like. It Is mighty hard to get anything done right. District Attorney Sewall's opinion on questions involved in registration of voters seems well considered and fair. The officer of registration, by follow ing the suggestions offered by the dis trict attorney, will make few mistakes as to those entitled to register and vote. "Legal proof" of qualification is what the law requires, and the suggestions niade as to the method of obtaining it in doubtful or disputed cases appear to follow the general rules of the law. It was not Consul Macrum, but his vice-consul, who was bom in Holland and had become a citizen of the South African Republic. This corrects a statement Inadvertently made yester day. But Consul Macrum has shown that his feelings were very strongly with the Boers and against the Eng lish, and that he was trying to serve the former as against the latter. This made him an unfit representative of a neutral country. The Kentucky democrats, in partial legislative session assembled, have "ratified" their declaration that the men who received a minority of votes were elected governor and lieutenant governor of the state. Henry Watter son's prophecy is thus made good that the election was "not to be left to chance." The conspiracy against ma jority rule in Kentucky is not to be abandoned. Sheepowners in the Looney hills, Marion county, realizing that it is to their interest to protect spring lambs against coyotes, have clubbed together and1 agreed to pay a good price for the scalps of these predatory hill-prowlers during February. There Is no help like self-help, for the simple and sufficient reasons that it is based upon self-interest and is always at hand. If "Women Voted. New York Times. We foar that our friends the suffra gists do not quite understand the range and the nature of the opportunities and tendencies the suffrage will create for women in the direction of corruption. If there were a "body of men in this coun try so lost to all sense of civic honor as to wish deliberately to extend the possi bilities of corrupt administration in our large cities, we have little doubt that they would "be found among the advocates of indiscriminate woman suffrage. In this city alone, for Instance, the Tammany vote would be doubled, and the new voters would be more subject to the pe culiar influences of that organization than the old ones. In extending that influence the classes of women of whom the woman suffragists think little and know less would be not merely acted on, but active. An entirely new type of politician would spring up, with all' the energy and cun ning of her most depraved brother, and with resources that it is necessary only not to suggest. s The Pensions. New York Times. It is mischievous nonsense to talk about the Ingratitude of the republic to Its sol diers. Commissioner Evans points out that since July 1, 1861, there have been allowed 1.606,189 claims for pensions. Since July 1, 1885, there has been paid for pensions tht enormous sum of $2,359,910,975. This is practically a payment equivalent to $1000 for every soldier in active service on the Union side, and is considerably more than that for every soldier who remained In the service for as long as three years. It Is estimated by the commissioner that there are now about 1,000,000 survivors of the Union army, and of this number near ly three-fourths, or 746,000, are actually pensioned. It Is shown that we have paid in pensions a sum equal to five-sixths of the national debt at the close of the war, and arts now paying every year in pensions a sum equal to 5 per cent on the national debt at its, highest figure. a a C03IPARISON OF EXPORTS. Proportions of Trade Between Eng- land and America. The publication of the returns of Brit ish foreign trade for the calendar year 1S99 renders It possible to compare them with thoso of the United States for the same period. Competing as we do with Great Britain In most of the great mar kets of the world, It Is Interesting to note the relative proportions of the chief ele ments of the export trade of the two countries. The value of the domes-tic ex ports of Great Britain, for last year, does not greatly differ from our own. Calcu lated on the basis of the value of the sov ereign in the gold coin of the .United States, the British total is 1190,220,665; that of the United States Is $1,252,906,937. But while only J3S0.7S7.891, or 30.4 per cent, of all our exports were these of the more or less finished products of manu facture. Great Britain sold abroad of the products of her mills, factories and ma chine shops to the value of 51,136,733,629, being 89.5 per cent of all her exports. This latter includes the sales In foreign markets of new ships valued at $45,000,000. Of the sum of the exports of British man ufactures $575,000,000, or about 50 per cent, come under the two heads of cotton man ufactures and Iron and steel and their products; of our own exports of manu factured articles, which include copper in gots and mineral oil, $125,000,000, or 33" per cent, are of cotton cloth and iron and steel products. In other textiles than those of cotton we are not yet prepared to compete with Great Britain. In ,tho man ufactures of silk and wool our exports are Insignificant; in linen and jute fabrics they are non-existent, while the aggregate British exports of these textiles is over $135,000,000. It Is Interesting to note that, while our exports of cotton manufactures are less than 7 per cent of those of Great Britain, there are some markets in which we are pressing1 the British manufacturer pretty close. For example, the British export of gray cotton piece goods to China last year was $11,387,580, while that of the United States was $10,273,487. The returns of the Chinese customs for the year, which are just to hand, further Illustrate the nature of the inroads which American cottons are making on their competitors in that market. The imports of cotton drills, jeans and sheeting which are recorded by the Chinese maritime customs for the last two years show the following rela tive proportions: 1899. Pieces. 73,497 27,820 122.0CO , Jeans Pieces, English and Indian 123,420 Dutch : "30,280 American 95,201 Drills English and Indian 162,620 169,705 Dutch 10,320 29,4iJO American 1,190,631 1,581,895 Sheetings English 606,239 844.253 Indian 16,520 38,727 American 2,315,795 3,825,202 There remains, however, an extensive range of cotton fabrics used In the Chi nese and other Asiatic markets which our exporters and manufacturers have not touched. These include gray shirtings, T-cloths and white shirtings all lighter and finer goods than any yet made in the United States for the foreign market. Of bleached cottons, which we do not export at all. Great Britain sold in China last year about $7,000,000 worth, and of printed and dyed goods, in which we are equally out of the 'competitipn, another $6,000,000 worth. Including cotton piece goods of all kinds, the British exports to China last year of these fabrics were valued at $23,500,000, being a little over 10 per cent of her total export of cotton piece goods,. which is valued at $249,000,000. The total exports of the United States of similar goods were valued at $19,69S,000. It should be noted that British India and the Straits Settlements bought some $88,000,000 of cot ton piece goods from Great Britain last year against $300,000 from the United States. Obviously, our manufacturers have but touched the fringe of this vast Asiatic market. In the comparative table which follows It will be perceived that under the head of Iron and steel products there are some Items In which our exports compare favor ably with those of Great Britain. In agricultural machinery we nave long had an assured pre-eminence, and we are gradually overtaking Great Britain In the exports of hardware, as well as of loco motive engines. Our exports of steel rails are also rapidly approaching those of the United Kingdom. The British leather exports are a stationary quantltyt, while those of the United States show a rapid rate of increase. They were $19,226,668 In 1$97; $21,96,822 in 1898, and $26,809,833 in 1899. Last year the United Kingdom itself bought from us $10,802,144 of leather and $710,134 of boots and shoes, not to mention the Australian purchases of about $1,CQ0, 000. Making allowance for the difficulty of separating articles which appear under different classifications in the two re turris, the following table presents a fair comparison of the relative proportions of the chief manufactured articles exported by Great Britain and the United States: U. S. U. K. Beer and ale 2,145,000 $ 8,300,000 Biscuit and bread 894,000 3.000.0C0 Spirits, distilled 2,188,000 10,400,000 Sugar and candy 3,615,000 1.9SO.O0O Cotton yarn and twist o&iSS Cotton mfrs 19.69S.000 200,000,000 Hardware 8,943,000 10,000,000 Iron and steel, and their products 105,689,000 245,000,000 Steel rails 6,122,000 li.OOO.OOO Locomotives 4,767,000 7.000,000 Agricultural mach'y.. 13,594.000 3,500,Ov.O Steam engines 494,000 19,000,000 Machinery, total 19,721,000 98,000,000 Leather, and mfrs, of 26,809,000 7.000,000 Railroad cars 5,036,000 5,000,000 Bicycles 4,8a),000 3,000,000 Sewing machines 4,103,000 5,900,000 Glassware 1,716,000 4,500,000 Paper, and mfrs. of. 5,6.1,000 4,000,000 Wool. mfrs. ot... 1,229,000 72,500,000 a JANUARY'S FOREIIGX TRADE. Not Known Which Articles Embraced an Increase ot Imports. New York Tribune. In January the merchandise exports again exceeded imports, and by $41,793,955 quite enough to increase materially the Indebtedness of other countries to the United States, even after all possible al lowances are made for contrary Items, in terest, undervaluations and the like. As was shown by current weekly reports, the outward movement of the great staples was comparatively small, and It proved $10,400,170 smaller than in January of last year. But this loss was more than com pensated by the Increase in other domes tic exports, chiefly of manufactured goods, which were In value $11,862,771, or 30.3 per cent more than in January of last year. It Is an odd coincidence that ths quite unusual gain corresponds closely with the increase of 30.2 per cent in Im ports for tho same mopth. The volume of domestic exports not of the great staples was $50,9S8,905, against $39,126,127 last year, $33,541,766 in 1S9S and $29,378 304 in 1897. Four years ago the minor exports were only 57.2 per cent of the value of im ports in January, but this year they have "been about 66 per cent. It is a mystery which cannot yet be wholly solved in what articles the great Increase of Imports occurred. The official reports show that only $6,600,000 of the In crease was In free goods, and this may be readily explained because during the last week of the month the Increase at New York alone was $518,000 In coffee, and larger in some materials. But there re mains the much greater Increase of $11, 000,000 in dultablo goods, for which no ade quate explanation appears. There was, ln- J deedj a considerable Increase in Imports of drygoods, but at N-aw Yerk that lsczease was la amount only $t,56,W9, lnetudtBg $614,000 for warehouse, aot to be ptaaed upon the nmrkat at present. It will be remembered that the isports at New York are usually about two-thirite & the total imports, so that the increase in this class does not appear to correspond at all with the great Increase la dutiable goods. The Increase was curiously distributed, for in mtecelteneous drygoods no gain, what ever appeared, but a decrease of $41,103 compared with last year, aad in woolen goods the increase was insignificant, only $39,000 during tho month, while in. flax aad hemp goods ft was $167,(100, in silks $9n,000. and in cottons $836,608, these gains being in all quite largely for consumption. As these branches of manufacture are now crowded wKh orders for domestic goods also, and the production of such goods in this country probably nuch ex ceeds $100,000,000 a month, against $3,me imported at New York, and perhaps J 0O0.OCO in all. the increase In imports cannot he regarded as a serious menace. In fact. It is probably due In the main to increased importations of goods of such cheraetsr and cost that they may be fairly classed as luxuries. There still remains, however, the In crease of about $6,100,000 in imports for which no explanation can be given uatK the detailed official statement has been published. It appears that in several weeks there has been a large increase m Imports of hides, which are now classed with dutiable articles, though bearing a very low rate, and there were noticed not long ago heavy Imports of hides from Calcutta, with the explanation that, ow ing to the famine and the plague in In dia, great quantities of hides at remark ably low cost were likely to be sent to this country. But even with this Item In cluded the Increase in imports remaining unexplained is unusually large and sug gests the possibility that on the Pacific coast there may be more Important trans actions than have been reported In cur rent dispatches. Meanwhile, the month's account of the precious metals shows net exports of gold amounting to $3.7S.StS. and also net exports of silver amounting to $2,468,864. ti TO GIVE AWAY HIS FORTUNE. Dr. Pearsons Will Soon Have Noth ings bnt nn Annuity. Chicago rribune. Dr. D. K. Pearsons, who in the last M years has given to colleges and charitable institutions gifts amounting to $2,500,000, Is about to deed away the remainder of his fortune, $1,500,000 in all, hi similar be quests. For the maintenance of himself and his wife for the remainder of their lives Dr. Pearsons wMl stipulate only that an annuity of 2 per cent be paid by those who receive his gifts hereafter. On the $1,500,000 which it is his Intention to be stow this will mean a. yearly income for the doctor and his wife of $30,060, which will cease when both he and his wife are dead. Plans for the disposal of the remainder of hte fortune to colleges and other Insti tutions have long been matured by Dr. Pearsons, but it will be some time, he thinks, before the last of his great prop erty, all accunmulated In Chicago or close by, will have passed to other hands. Who the beneficiaries will be end how much they will receive are sttll unsettled. "I have schemed for years to be ray own ex ecutor," Dr. Pearsons said, "and to see 'with my own eyes whatever good my gifts are doing. Of what use would it be to allow some one else to distribute my fortune for me after my death? It would mean less money fpr the te stltutiona I hope to benefit, for the executors would have to receive a share. Now I shall be my own executor, and la addition I shall have the pleasure of seeing and knowing that my gifts are rightly- placed. All I shall ask is an annuity. The property will pass from, my hands." Dr. Pearsons will be 80 years old In a few weeks. o ' A HARMWESS TREATY. Would Give Clear Title to Do What Is Now Doubtful. New York World. It may be that upon investigation the United States will find It expedient them selves to build an Isthmian canal. There fore It would be wise to pass the Hay treaty, which leaves us free beyond ques tion to build if we wish. It certainly can not be an infringement of the Monroe doctrine or any other doctrine to obtain a clear legal title to perfom an act which is of doubtful legality so long as the Clayton-Bulwer treaty stands upon the law books of the republic. No matter how the canal Is built, no matter whether It is fortified or not, who would intrust a warship to it in time of war, when a stick of dynamite that could be carried In the pocket and thrown from the hand would wreck both ship and canal? As the secretary of the navy, Mr. Long, put it In the World yesterday, "We would have liked nothing better than to have had Cervera enter just sueh a place.". Why squander money in fortifying when to fortify would be worse than useless? Why Irritate Europe to the purpose? Why excite the suspicions of our uentrai ana South American neighbors with silly and costly displays of useless guns? So long as the question of public or private construction is open, the Hay treaty Is not very Important. If public construction should be determined upon the Hay treaty would at least clear up a doubtful question of International law. Therefore it will do no harm to pass It. And ks provision for a neutral canal has the merits of common sense and cour tesy. ' . Greater Napoleons. Washington Star. "I don't see why so many people envy a character like Napoleon." "It's due to the native egotism of the human race. Every man Imagines that If ho bed been In Napoleon's place he would have been considerably smarter and managed to keep away from St. Helena." Treading: the Popular Way. Syracuse Herald. Snarley How did he become so popu lar? Yow He'll repeat the story you told him yesterday to you today and say that It was the funniest yarn he ever heard. To Destroy All Fear. Indianapolis Press. "Somehow' said the highly respectable gentleman, "I can't ever get over my boy hood fear of a pouceman. "Why don't you try running a saloon?" asked hte friend. t 9 "With Reasonable Anticipations. Detroit Free Press. "Wife, Where are those new handker chiefs I bought?" "Why, Edgar, you already have so many that I put them away to give you on your birthday." t a ' A Man. Stephen Phillips la' London Chreniele. O f or a living' man te lead! That will not babble when we Meed; O for the sUent doer of the deed! One that is happy in hte height; , And one that, in a nation's night. Hath solitary certitude of light! j Sirs, not with battle III begun We charge you, net with flelds uawon,' Xor heacHoag- deaths against the darkened gun; But with a lightness worse than dread; That you but laughed, who should have led. And tripped like dancers amid all oar dead. You for no failure we impeach, Xor for those bodies hi the breach. But for a deeper shaHowness of speech. When every cheek was hot with shame. When we demanded words of 8ae, O ye were busy but to shift the blame 1 No man of us but eleaehed his hand. No brow but burned as with a brand. You! you alone were slew to aaderataedt O for a living man to lead! i That will not babble whea we bleed: I 0 for the silent deer of the deed? ' koto Ae wmm It is setmlismli leiay say- "By George!" There is vscy mtt sesMnestnfout fcx hug- They say jen)rfihteballoon stasia every sbjfc. It's hXwsn when the Heat begins to hunt you Oom PawL The English oMcer who tsehlsiK laagers nonaged' to escape the hap. It is said to be hanottte in take a leaser unless yon take- a star wtth you. Kentucky democrats shew gseat respect for the law. alter they haw ikad It to suit thepselvea. Think of the harts say nnowstai Wash ington wowht have ochoa tedar If he were alive. "Over the skver," saM tha Xeess te Bul ler. as be eaeeeai the Twgefe. lor the 'steeata thne. The report lha JOpNac Is writing a poem entitlea, The Absent-Xfaaad Burgh er is probably a canard. Higher education has its disadvantages. They have now discovered that whisky is not an antidote for snakebite. Washington never mads railway jour neys through the South rounding up 'dele gates to the nominating convention. Candidate Bryan beneves in "foraging en the enemy." He Is making trips In the private ears ot railroad presidents. When Count Bout de Casmilane sailed for home. ex-Conml Xacmna arrived to 8M the vaeirani. Thas natave always evens things up. If Washington were altve today he would probably eolobrate his birthday oy exter minating the baribarhm who is masquer ading under his name. The persistency with which Colonel Bry an 1s making speeches around the Mexican gulf coast, would Indicate that he has some doubt of the "solid aonth." Clark of Montana finds, mwch to his dis gust, that "money talks." "Say," wouldn't anybody have thought that he was a niaa who couM make better investments? The populists at Lincoln deckled that Mr. Files coahi not break into the con vention. "Jimmy" Weaver effected an en trance withont dtftculty, and the mlddle- of-the-roadess mad oat. Sharp practice was suspected. It appears that Qween Vieiocia yester day heard that Ladysflmth had been re lieved, or was just about to be relurved, co she threw on her sunboanet and ran out of Windsor cesMe to tell everybody the news. When the report ctosed sha was talking over the back ferice about it, with one of the ladies of the (neighbor hood, in high glee. Oregon populists will meet in Portland today to set the machinery in motion for carrying the next presidential election. la the declaration of grievances they will probably refer to the general advance in wages, all over the country, and the con sequent teadeney of the hub owing class toward better elothes and mere comfort able dwellings. Three men whs have been newspaper reporters at Albany, jX. Y., have become members of the cabinet. The late Daniel Manning, Dan S. Lament and Charles I Emory Smith sat side by side reporting the proceeomgs pi tne JNew iora legisla ture less than 36 years ago. It must net be argued from this that all newspaper reporters go wrong and get into politics. It is said that Speaker Henderson nearly always walks wtth a polished hickory can 3 made from a tree on the battle-field of Corinth, where be lost his leg. On the silver top is engraved "J. X. A. to D. L. H." The eane te the gitt of Congressman "Long John" Allen, of Mississippi, who fought on the opposite side during tho civil war and who Is now a prominent democratic leader. 1. If George Washington had lived in these days he might have preferred to lbs a railroad president. 2. Wonder if the expression, "Thank your stars," originated wtth the father of onr country. It certainly has a patriot ic flavor to H. 3. At least there is one thing George Washington escaped. Bis name has never been used to advertise cough medicine. The South African war has brought out a lot of things in military science hitherto unknown. As nearly as can be ascer tained, one kop is worth two kloofs, and one kloof has a value of two kopjes. Therefore, when one Beer is on a kop he is equal to two Britons on a kloof, and one Briton on a kloof is equal to two Boera on a kopjs. Hence the advice of our strategy board is to take aU the kops in sight and eome out on top. This strategy preposition is easy. Professor E. K. Morris takes up, la the English Historical Review, the famous an ecdote about Wolfe and Gray's "Elegy." Stanhope's narrative of the morning when Wolfe went down the St Lawrence to meet victory and death, declares: Net a word ww spoken, not a pound was heard beyond the rippllnr of the stream. Wolfe aleae mas tradition has told us-repeate n a low voice to the ether offlceis in hte boat these beautiful atansas -with which a country church yard msplred the muae ot ray. One neblejtoe. The paths of glory lead wt to the sv8. KMtet have saeaaed at audi a. moment fraught with mournful meantog- At the close of me recitation Wolfe added. "Jtow, gentlemen, 1 weeki rathrr be the author ot that poem thaa take Qeeeee." But the story as told is almost Incred ible. Wolfe, after giving strict orders for absolute silence, would not be the man to break hte own commandment and risk the failure of hte enterprise by the recital. even m a low voice, of nearly the whole of a poem of 128 lines. Professor Morris has had the happy thought of verifying the facts by reference to the original au thoRiiy. That the incident occurred te evident from the clear testimony of Pro fessor John Rohteon, but It is also clear that it happened not on the morning on which Quebec was taken, but on the pre vious evening. Thus m ths true form of the anecdote. WoMe Is sot guilty of a mili tary blunder in 'Tla Celd. Laura Garlaad Carr la Boston Transcript. The afr te len and coM m sharpened steef. It seeks through etoth aad nam for bene and heart: T to anrehmtlag- as to death's ewa dart. It has nemeaey. It heeds no appeal. TJwOagb. every eaaelc aad crevtce It wUl steai- PaeMag. peeatstent, to the Inner part. It reaenes tar o'er country towa and martl AM Mm. an saaetaace most tta pteetace f eeL. shows ae pi ami usee for yeath or as. Per high or low. for gentleeoaa or wnl. On aK It meete tta energtaa ragssw- JMhtogr too grand or mean -. taat Its ekiK. It feds ae hutted aad it shews ae n&- Just nrm aad grim it sratebee-aad te sMB.