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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 1900)
THE MORNING OREGONTAN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1900. hs flomcm Ettre: at the Postofltea at Fortlaad, Oregon. as eeeoae-cteei nwtter. TSXSPII0K86. Editorial ooaM....lleaa oace....66T SZVtBBD aUPOCRITTIOK RATBS. Br Mail Cjwstose prepaM). to Advance rai'y wUhatonoar. per mootfe ?6 SB i--i Sunday eaoepted. r year...-.... T W .... i with Soadajr. per year. 00 Sundar pec y1 ............-- 2 60 T WmMt, pec year ... 1 50 T Weekly t BOBtlw.... 8 To it Baeeertfeers im, j per weak, delivered. Bsndarfesepte&.15e 1. ) per week, delivered. Boodays teoteded.20a The Oregonies dees not boy poems or stories r- j Individuals, and eaooot ooaertake to re turn any mamucripts seat to It without aatteltft uor No stoma boohM fee teetesed for thU 1 ur, ote News or dtaoMBton tateoded for pebHoatlon tn ""I Oregonian should be addressed Invariably Wor The Oresootoo." ot te the same of tnr indlvldeal Letters retattag te adverttsteig. eu jsrlptions or to ar bosmess natter should 1st 0 ureaeed annplr "The Oregeataa. P iret Sottas? Boreas Captain A. Thompson. m at 1111 Pacific avoawe. Taeoma. Btx9S3. ria pjttoaVe. Fsstern Brntmeaa Omee The Tribune tralH it s New Toric dtr; The Rooherj." CMeago; t t - f Beekwlth apecict ageeer. New Torlc T ' sale la Ban Fraactooo by J. K. Cooper, " M rket street, near tae Pateee bote!, and i demtth Bros.. 3M Batter street. V aale ta CMeage br the P. O. News Cx. I "orborn street. a S WEATHER. Oooae4oml rain, with i- igt winds. IORTLAXD, WBDNKSDAY, FSB. 28 IT IS A NAVAL PROBLEM. ' ' Interest Se a controlling factor ' li the majority of hitman beings. t ' hat is right, but what te expedl- '" m tbe material point, influences f part of mankind. In this spirit f -.!ness" the American people look i 'hr prospect of an isthmian ca- t 1 stnee the negotiation of the I aunoefoie treaty are endeavor- v i fully to weigh the advantages -advantages, together frith the -'-I. t- Jaagers. Residents of the Pa- pe have Ions dwelt upon the d to follow the construction of a a! Now that there Is approach to 2atlon of a long-deferred hope, ie pause, with meditation and ln- - portion. Many find th&t.whlle they tit the canal, and want it very much, desire It not so greatly as to favor strictly internationalized waterway, war an teed to be open even to the i j s of a power with which the United n s might not be at peace. T!i- Pacific Ooast is now safe from useful attack, in case of war. It is TotCticabte for any nation except at Britain to operate against our t era seaboard. Distance, time and k of coaling stations forbid. A f-e of operations on the Asian coast uld necessarily be from TO&6 to 10, i liles away, with coal unobtainable 1 1 by British vessels to the north. a k of the Pacific Coast from the ..'tic is equally Impracticable. Not i v arsMps could duplicate the Ore- ' s f teaming feat, and if vessels were tqual it, by rounding Cape Horn to Pacific Coast, the lack of coal at 1 nd of the voyage would be fatal Uective work. It 'thus becomes un that the Isthmus of Central v ric a Is a great defensive earthwork the Pacific Coast. It is, in fact, a iinic dam which closes out the war ;b of other nations as well as our i Expensive and tedious as it ukeg the carriage of our wheat to i;e, it affords some compensation r tking our coast secure from naval i k and invasion. Its mere exist t ir creases enormously our distance t the great powers of Europe. And e ally is the security of the Pacific '-i certain, stnoe our acquisition of Hawaiian Islands and the conse- Inability of any European power . quire a naval base nearer than i hma coast always excepting the 1 station at BsquimalL But the ) gr of the great earthwork between n and South America, by opening iral with guaranteed neutrality and 'tenses, is viewed with a degree of i fhtnsion by many citizens of the Hi' Coast, who think that the Hay- "i efote treaty makes a concession ' it than should be asked in reason, ho assert that the stipulations v t ruing the Sues canal are not prop- i applicable at Nicaragua, because v idely different conditions. ' is true that the neutrality of the "- z canal may come to nothing when- . i Great Britain so desires, without ach of the guaranty, for reasons dt will be plain to any one who ex- ines a map of the region.! The Med- i t anean sea te an "English lake," hn h may be closed by Great Britain i- unt an antagonist, because she " mands the entrance at Gibraltar. uhln this "lakeM the islands of Malta c r-prus guard the approach to the em entrance of Suez, while Crete t mands the Dardanelles. At the - rn entrance of Suez te a like situ- n w here tl.e British island of Perim in the narrow path of shipping 'igh the Red sea. The port of n 'with a great fortress, 1s only 186 distant, while the southern coast "!.- Gulf of Aden is under a British ct orate, and Berbera, across the Tinel, is to all purposes a British t The canal itself te through Egyp- territory, whose relation to the h Empire te well known. Clearly the British guaranty of the rality of the Suez canal will be- a farce to any power at war with it Britain. The canal ma' be neu- Uut under the British system of i cations and naval stations at i r distances no power will likely iilc to reach the neutral waters 'n a marine league of either end of c trial. these cfe-cumstances. It te plain the Suez canal does not furnish ' lose analogy tor the Nicaragua a The desirable thing for the " ' Stats, of course, te the right to t Mruct the canal and guarantee its t rality to all nations with which the tnJ States te at peace. But it seems not to secure abrogation of the h ton-Bulwer treaty except by a ranty of the canal's neutrality to ; u ers. The question; then, te as to irTect upon our national standing, i in a narrower sense, upon the ln- sts of the Pacific Coast. The com- n ial value of the canal te known to peoplo of this coast, and It te well ierstood that it would greatly in- -e the effectiveness of our navy by ing to its mobility. But we natur- w ant to know whether the ad van - vs to aocrue are of transcendent lm- r.ance, and whether we desire the il so much as to guarantee safe "age ft r veooeic of a nation with h v r ay be at war. In short, . d r t the caw ill teerease our daa- -v TY t- t ' loaUy, yes, to some ex- t, p Tticailr, aot at a2t. t Uu 1 1 ncd States shall be at war with a European, po.wer, the conflict must be upon the seas. "We must be ready to fight, and to fight on either ocean, or In the Gulf of Mexico. It would avail nothing to race away from battle and slip through the canal, shut ting it against the warships of the en emy. That would but leave one coast or the other at the enemy's mercy. Besides, If we are too weak to face the enemy, there are many harbors to run into. If we cannot fight successfully, a closed canal will be of small benefit, and the riches of seaboard cities would become the spoil of our foe. "We must close the canal to the enemy, not by wrecking its gates or sinking a vessel In it but by beating the foe and keep ing Its warships away from the en trances, as England is prepared to do at Suez. This will present more diffi culties, perhaps, than Suez presents to England; but the situation will also present vastly more difficulties to the enemy. Already our navy is strong- how strong we do not know. It Is easy to compare tonnage and size of guns, but we have learned that fighting qual ity is of chief Importance. "We are al ready vastly stronger on the water, in all probability, than any of the Euro pean powers but two or three. Our Government now has over sixty war vessels, of all types, under construc tion, including a number of first-class battle-ships and cruisers. It is proba ble that vithin ten years the United States navy; to fighting quality, will equal or surpass any navy of the world, with the possible exception of Great Britain's. With that nation we shall probably remain at peace. She is our best customer for agricultural staples, and we afford her a sure source of food supply. In case of war with another power, England would likely be neutral at the worst, and might become our ally. All these circumstances point to the conclusion that we must be able to maintain a neutral canal, and yet keep an enemy's ships from using it. "We shall be compelled to do so. "We cannot have a valuable thing without paying the price. If we reap the commercial advantages of the canal, we must be a world power in fact, with ability to command our seacoasts without erect ing great forts at either end of the canal. "We could not win in a war by keeping our vessels away from the enemy. Furthermore, naval command ers do not like to take their vessels into waters of the foe. Our citizens would operate and patrol the canal, and the vessel which entered it could be defi nitely located, and would have to take the chances of accidents such as hap pen when blood is at war fever. We should not deem It safe to have our ships In a "neutral canal" that was In the hands of a foe, and slth the mem ory of the Maine in our minds would fear disaster. An enemy would have a similar dread of the canal, even though guaranteed safe conduct, and would re gard it as a most undesirable place, where at best the United States would have it under critical observation. With the aid of secret agents, tele graphs and couriers, we should learn much that the enemy would not want us to know. Apparently, It would be bald and unspeakable impudence to ask that an enemy's war vessels be guaranteed safe passage through the Nicaragua canal. Of course, we should not do it. War suspends all conventions. We should occupy the canal with a sufficient num ber of our own warships and hold it. Again, no enemy of the United States would expect safe passage for his war ships, through the canal, and would not risk them there; nor for coal ships, or other ships of supply. Besides, we must make the conditions such as exist beyond the entrances to Suez. By proper treatment of Cuba we can se cure to ourselves that key to the Gulf; and, moreover, we must be prepared to defeat the enemy beyond the marine league limit, off the canal. Our fleets as Admiral Dewey says, must be our sufficient guaranty of the safety of the canal in time of war as well as in peace. We could not use the canal for passage of our vessels, In any event, unless we could do that; for our ves sels would be Intercepted and never would reach the canal. It is a naval problem chiefly, or altogether. still burn with anger and destructive I try prove this result is not necessary, wrath, and feel that nothing short of I Farmers as a class very properly resent war will satisfy our honor, we may de clare war and send peace to sleep with Turks and infidels till we get our re venge. For, In spite of the accursed gold standard, we still retain our right as a nation to be our own judge of our cause or provocation of war! as an Impertinence the effusive pity that talks to them of "empty pockets" and other matters of private business, as they feel abundantly able to take care of themselves. A HISTORICAL QUESTION. The origin of the Monroe Doctrine is a subject on which a correspondent calls in question a statement hereto fore made by The Oregonian; and he requests further and more specific In formation from The Oregonian, in sup port of its former statement, if this journal is prepared to give it. Writers admit that there may be some ground for the contention that the so-called Monroe Doctrine had grown into a sort of national tradition before It was formulated by the Presi dent whose name It bears. But the suggestions drawn from statements made by Washington, Jefferson and Madison are little to the purpose! for those statements were uncertain. In definite, and even nebulous. The late Charles Francis Adams claimed the policy for his father, John Qulncy Ad ams, who records that at a cabinet meeting held May 13, 1818, It was dis cussed "whether the ministers of the United States in Europe shall be in structed that the United States will not join in any project of interposition be tween Spain and the South Americans which should not be to promote the complete Independence of those prov inces." This was communicated to the British government, in the following July. John Qulncy Adams was Monroe's Secretary of State. Spain was rapidly losing her American colonies through revolution, and the rulers of Conti nental Europe, under the inspiration of the Holy Alliance, were considering whether they should not help Spain to recover and hold them. Great Brit ain declined to follow or assist the Continental powers in this undertak ing, and George Canning, then at the head of the British ministry, recalling the communication made by our gov ernment in 1818, proposed (September 19, 1823) to our ambassador at London that the United States should co-operate with England in preventing Euro pean interference with the revolted American colonies of Spain. This was communicated to our government at Washington. Following this (Decem ber 2, 1823), Monroe embodied in his message to Congress the statement since known as the "Monroe Doctrine." While the doctrine Is claimed by Charles Francis Adams for his father, John Qulncy Adams, Charles Sumner Insists that Canning Is entitled to the credit; and Canning himself, In speak ing of it afterwards, proudly declared: "I called the New World Into existence to redress the balance of the Old." The fantastical method of trying to find history in Sibylline leaves and Delphic oracles is not a favorite one with The Oregonian, especially in cases where it finds plain, natural and unimpeachable narrative. The health authorities of Astoria urge the citizens df that place to en gage in a general rat-killing as a pre cautionary measure against the intro duction of the plague Into that port. The Idea Is a good one, but it may be feared that general response to the command, "Poison the rats," without more specific directions for procedure than are embodied in these words, will not prove altogether satisfactory. Pol son, as every one knows, should be put out for vermin with the greatest cau tion, and "vvith a proper degree of in telligence. The well-known proneness of rats that have partaken of poisoned food to die in the most Inaccessible places under the floors, between par titions, behind cellar walls any place where in their wretchedness they can crawl away and hlde is conceded, and if this order is generally obeyed, the nose will soon become a sentinel conspicuously in evidence throughout the city, warning the people of danger from polluted air that may carry fe vers and other disorders into their homes. It Is all right to kill the rats, but unless terriers, cats or clubs are used, specific directions as to the man ner of procedure should be given. Raising Angora goats will, without doubt, soon become an Important In dustry in sections of Oregon wherein the clearing of land must precede ag ricultural operations. Cheapness is a prime requisite in making lands that are in a state of nature ready for the plow, or for seeding to pasture grasses. Experiment has proved that a flock of goats cdmbine for land clearing pur poses cheapness and thoroughness, and furthermore, that they pay their way and more during the process. Accord ing to estimates presented at the indus trial convention held at Dallas last week, the practically waste lands of Western Oregon are capable of sup porting 1,000,000 Angoras without In fringing upon any other Industry, whereas there are at present not more than 35,000 of these animals in all this wide range. The creatures increase rapidly, are sturdy and healthy, pro duce a profitable fleece and, require a minimum of care. Certainly these qualities should commend the Angoras to the favorable consideration of land owners who have suitable ranges for them. MlACRtm AXD HIS IETTERS. There has appeared In various news papers a facsimile of an envelope on which was printed "State Department, U. S. A," mailed, as it appears, through the American Consulate at Cape Town, which was opened by the British censor at Durban, and then forwarded to Con sul Macrum, at Pretoria. This facsim ile is published in order to prove that the British censor did actually open an American Consul's letters, destined to a country with which the British are at war. It has not been doubted that such letters had been opened; but Sec retary Hay says that Macrum did not notify the State Department about it, and has not yet done so. He did, how ever, give out the statement to the newspapers, keeping the envelopes In his own hands, evidently to serve a9 a basis of sensational attack on the de partment. But he made no official re port on the facts, and the department never heard of his complaint till he had given it to the newspapers. Then the department made inquiries about the matter, and a correspondent now learns that the British govern ment had no knowledge of any interfer ence with Macrum's mall, and more over that such Interference was con trary to Instructions. We shall look In a little time for a disavowal by the British government of the act of its of ficial, and an apology for It. If this should not be sufficient If we are de termined not to be appeased we can take the counsel of our bellicose fellow citizens and declare war. The British censor was probably a superservlceable fool, of the type of Macrum himself. The latter was known to be an ardent sympathizer with a people with whom the British are at war; and the former seems to have thought, in the excess of his loy alty, that he ought to Intercept letters addressed to him. What Macrum wanted was to come home, tell about the outrage that had been perpetrated on himself as a rep resentative of the United States, advise the Government what course it ought to pursue In reference to the South African war, achieve notoriety and re turn to Pretoria In triumph all at the public expense with a reputation of commanding importance in two hemis pheres. Hence his importunity to be ordered home. At last he was told he oould come; and his name was then dropped from the Consular list. Our country probably will be satisfied with an apology from Great Britain: and no doubt such apology will be made. But If we refuse to be mollified, British citizens have a right to be jubilant over the capture of General Cronje and his command on the anni versary of Majuba Hill; but let them bear in mind that It does not end the conflict in South Africa. Less than a week ago an Englishman at Cape Town sent out a warning against the belief that one or two British successes would close the war. He declares the Boers "a foe most dangerously subtle and powerful In methods" an estimate to which British Generals will agree and expresses his belief that a satisfactory settlement of the war can be brought about only by vigorous and unflagging prosecution of the campaign from all directions. Undoubtedly he Is right. Relaxation of activity, temporizing with the enemy, or stoppage of rein forcements, vvill only prolong the struggle. Tn Boers are of fighting stock, contending for a system of civ ilization and government that is in nat ural antagonism to the British system. They are in deadliest earnest, and the more vigorously the British make war the quicker and more surely will there come peace to South Africa. Cronje's defeat Is not decisive of the struggle, and in all probability bloody battles are yet to be fought before equality of rights for Boer and Briton is established. It is not necessary to discriminate against Puerto Rico In taxation in or der that a precedent may be fixed against conditions that some seem to fear would compel us to erect States in our new insular possessions. We can govern the islands as Territories; and over our Territories Congress has always had plenary powers. Justice to these islands in the matter of taxation and commercial intercourse will not carry with it Spanish or Malay state hood. The people of the United States will at all times have this matter in their own hands. The objection, then, is an unfounded and foolish fear. Never mind the abstract constitutional question as to the right of Congress to legislate for the new territory. The real question Is one of policy and jus tice. There may be a constitutional right of discrimination which it is bad policy to assert. made a. passage for a hostile fleet In time of war, the way to guard against the danger would be, not by fortifications on land, but by a fleet In the adjacent wat ers. The experience of the world In the case of the Suez Canal, and our ex perience nearer at home in the case of the Great Lakes, which, by treaty with Great Britain, are left without fleets and with out fortifications. Illustrate the ad vantage of the policy involved in the Hay-Pauncefote treaty. That is a worldd-policy; that of the Hep burn committee is, In contrast, provincial. It is true that we build the canal; but whether wo do this by private or public enterprise, the builders will be paid for the Investment by those who use It. And th freer the canal is, the larger will be the returns on the Investment. e CURIOSITIES OF CRITICISM. Amusing Condemnations of Many Masterpieces Approved by Time. London Times. In a lecture by Mr. jr. Churton Collins he remarked that some of the most amus ing curiosities of criticism were to be found in the writings of 18th-century crit ics, especially when they condescended to deal with what they called the lucubra tions of their rude predecessors, such as Bacon, Shakespeare and Hooker. What are now recognized as Shakespeare's mas terpieces were treated with great con tempt by even cultivated men of the age. One of these, Thomas Rymer, In some severe criticism of Julius Caesar, spoke of the author's head being full of violence and unnatural Images, while his tory alone furnished him with good names. Not less extraordinary seemed the Judgment of Voltaire on "Hamlet," which he pronounced as the work of a drunken savage, and it was sad to find our own Goldsmith writing of Hamlet's soliloquy, "To be or not to be," as a heap of absurdities. But if Shakespeare fared thus at the hands of 18th-century critics, Chaucer and Spenser fared worse. Very strange had been the judgment of contemporaries on the work of contem poraries. Waller, one of the most accom plished men who ever lived, wrote of 'Paradise Lost": "A blind old school master has written an epic poem on the fall of man, in which there Is nothing re markable, unless it be its length." In the Edinburgh Review for October, 1807, Wordsworth's beautiful "Ode to a Daisy" was described as flat and feeble, and as reminding the critic of the theme of an unpractlccd schoolboy, while the mag nificent ode on "Intimations of Immor tality," since pronounced to be the high water mark of modern poetry, was spoken of as beyond all doubt the most illegible and unintelligible part of the publication in which it appeared. Before the whole of Dickens' "Pickwick" had been pub lished an anonymous critic wrote in the Quarterly Review that Indications were not wanting that the particular vein of humor which had hitherto yielded so much metal was worked out. In con clusion, the lecturer made a plea on be half of honest qrltlclsm, and remarked that critics had a great responsibility, In asmuch as by virtue of a tacit contract between themselves and the public they had undertaken to judge fairly and Im partially all work submitted to them. o i BRYAN'S OWN RESPONSIBILITY The fact as developed by recent in vestigation at the Agricultural College at Corvallis, that chickens may and do have consumption is another Incentive to vigilance on the part of those who have charge of consumptive patients in rural districts. The destruction by burning of the sputum of persons suf fering from this disease Is the only safeguard against Infection. This pro cess is not difficult, but It requires con stant care, both on the part of the patient and his or her attendants, and should be insisted upon by the attend ing physician as of vital moment, not only as a means whereby direct Infec tion may be surely prevented, but of secondary danger through the Infection of animals the flesh of which is in com mon use as food. In the case brought to the attention of the public, Professor Pernot, bacteriologist of the experi mental station at Corvallis, and Dr. Wlthycombe, vice-director, are of the opinion that the chicken examined had contracted the disease from a consump tive patient, through the only possible means, a statement that sounds a warning which prudent, cleanly per sons having a person afflicted with this disease in charge can scarcely fall to heed. The view of Continental military critics that a single-track railway, such as are found In the Orange Free State, Cape Colony and the Transaval, dannot supply an army like that of General Roberts, say 70,000 men, and that a double track Is necessary to supply even 40,000, may be a mistake. We proved the contrary continually during our Civil War, and the English author of "War and Weapons" says that one train a day, even on a narrow-gauge road, may supply an army of 50,000 men. But of course the grade of the road is an all-important matter. Very heavy grades may diminish the efficiency of the South African railways. A correspondent notes an error In a statement in The Oregonian about the number of Catholics in Germany. The Oregonian said that the Catholics num ber more than one-half the population. What it should have said was that there are In Germany more than one half as many Catholics as Protestants The rapidity which the work on a dally newspaper requires Is frequently the source of errors of expression or statement. The Farm Journal lately asked a series of questions, which are summed up as follows: "Why have a mortgage on the farm, an empty pocket, and a skeleton in the house?" There might be a good reason for putting a mort gage on the farm. Many a sagacious man borrows money with a specific purpose, the results of which justify his action. But with good health and will ing hands there is no reason why the mortgage should not be paid off. There is too much of a tendency to regard the holder of a mortgage as an op pressor, anxious to swoop down upon and take the farm, whereas it is prob able that the accommodation was eagerly sought and that the lender would be very glad to receive his money Instead of the land when the term of the mortgage expires, the interest, of course, having been paid according to agreement. To be sure, things may be managed so that the mortgage will be come a skeleton In the house that will orowd the Inmates out; but, as the rec ords show, thousands of mortgages can celed within the past few years in every agricultural section, of th6 coun- The Hartford Times puts the propo sition as to Puerto Rico, which Is to serve as a precedent for the Philip pines, in this way: Reduced to Its lowest terms, It is a proposi tion that the people of the "old United States" ehall seek to gain -valuable advantage from, the possession of foreign colonics without fully sharing the advantages they already possess with the people of the lslancs It Is a doctrine utterly opposed to all that Is signified by the terms democracy or republicanism. The New York Mall and Express has this socio-political Item: "Mr. Bryan, a prominent anti-expansionist, living in the Louisiana purchase, is visiting friends in Pensacola and other parts of the territory acquired from Spain." It would seem that even so distinguished a society leader as Mr. Bryan shouTd be bright enough to see the point of the auxiliary clauses. The most folly-stricken ofll thieves is he who steals postage stamps In It is like taking a detective into confidence when planning a bulk, one's crime THE POINT IN ISSUE. of Advantages From Neutralization the Cnt-al. The Outlook. The real question Is a simple one and a not unimportant one. It Is whether the Nicaragua Canal shall be, as the Suez Canal is, a part of the world's waters, as open to an nations as are the great oceans, or as the Great Lakes to the ships of both England and America, or a great naUgable river to all the States, or whether it shall be a national highway, belonging to the United States, practi cally through United States territory and wholly under United States control. We have no question that the former policy is better, both for the United States and for the nations of the world. A guarantee of neutrality by the civilized nations will be an immense saving to the United States. A common interest in the canal. win ennance its usefulness and make It a meaps of bringing the nations into closer relationship with each other, The ex pens and difficulty of fortifying the canal itself at both ends would be so great as to be almost Insuperable and the work would be practically useless when done. In "case there were danger of its being: For Ratification of the Treaty That Gave Us the Philippines. Boston Herald. Our Washington correspondent points out that It Is going to be exceedingly difficult for the Democrats to frame a platform which will bring in to them what may be termed the anti-Imperialist vote, for the reason that, if Mr. Bryan is the Presidential candidate, the convention cannot, short of repudiating him, take exception to the acquisition of the Phil ippine islands. Senator Hoar has recalled what most must remember, that the treaty of peace with Spain, which gave us our undisputed legal title to the Phil ippines, would not have been confirmed If Mr. Bryan had not personally inter ceded with Democratic Senators to In duce them to vote for it; and, as Senator Hoar points out, If ratification had been defeated, the treaty would have been so amended as to place the Philippines, po litically and Internationally considered, in the same condition that Cuba is In today. It is argued that Mr. Bryan, even more than Mr. McKInley, is responsible for Hhe Philippine complication, because the President was placed in a position where he was compelled to act and take re sponsibility, while Mr. Bryan's interjec tion! of himself into the matter was en tirely gratuitous. In this view, it Is held that It will be exceedingly difficult for the conventionwhlch shall nominate Mr. Bryan to the Presidency to take ground that is strong and consistent in opposition to our control of the Philippines. If Mr. Bryan had not taken a hand In the mat ter. It might have been possible to for mulate an Indictment against Mr. Mc Kinley and the Republican party on these grounds which would have obtained a very considerable degree of public support, though just how much no one can fore cast. On the other (hand, using Senator Hoar's argument, it may be said that, if Mr. Bryan had not interfered, there would now have been no Phlllpp'ne complica tion, and the war with Agulnaldo would never have taken place; hence he, more than almost any one else. Is the respon sible party. o A Left-Handed Shake. Boston Globe. State Senator Frank W. Maynard, of New Hampshire, has Just returned to his home In Nashua from Louisville, Ky. He arrived in Kentucky just after the shooting of Mr. Goebel, and witnessed the evcltement which followed. During his stay In Louisville he was introduced to Colonel Jack Chinn. "We were introduced," said Senator Maynard, "by a mutual friend, and I no ticed that Colonel Chinn extended his loft hand to me. At the time I thought it a bit queer, but after I saw him do the same thing with several other men, I came to the conclusion that he was left handed. Perhaps my face indicated my surprise at his manner of shaking hands, for he turned to me a few minutes later and remarked: " 'You have noticed perhaps that I shake hand3 with my left hand? Well, we have grown accustomed to that dur ing the past few days You see, we like to keep our right hands cfose to our pis tol pockets just now.' " t a f ' England and the Treaty. New York Times. While our amazing Hepburn in the House of Representatives is urging the treatment of the isthmian canal as a pure ly American channel for the development of American shipping, the Ministry In England is being sharply criticised for sur rendering the rights secured to Great Brit ain In the control of such a canal under the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, without obtain ing any compensation in such matters as the Alaskan boundary. The ground of this criticism is that the American Gov ernment, or the legislative branch of it, will regard the gratuitous concession made to the United States as due solely to a weak and cowardly desire to win the good will of America. e ' THE SOOTH AFRICAN WAR. It Is'not easy to understand why Gen eral Cronje remained In his Maes at Ma gersfonteln until the night of the Hth. His rear guard was attaeked the next morning, but resisted desperately uatll dark. The main body of the Boers reached Klip Kraal Drift, where they crossed to the south bank of the Modder River. On this day, the 18th, the British troops cap tured 120 wagons of the Boer transport. The next . morning, Saturday, the 17th, General Cronje was in full retreat south of the Modder River. Saturday night General MaTcdonald, at the head of the Highland Brigade, made a forced march of 20 miles in hope of reaching Koodoos Rand Drift in time to attack the enemy, while General French, at the head of his cavalry division, pushed eastward. On Sunday, the 18th, the British made an as sault on General Cronje's lines and suf fered a loss of nearly 1400 men In killed and wounded. Lord Roberts arrived on Monday, the 19th, and began the tactics which forced Cronje to surrender yester day morning. It is easy to understand that Lord Roberts outgeneraled Cronje, but it is not easy to understand how Cronje was so completely surprised that he was not able to leave his lines until the night of the loth. Cronje must have underrated the mobility of Lord Roberts' forces, or he must have been without in formation that it would seem easy for him to obtain In a friendly country. It ha3 always been reported 'that the Boers had many heavy guns mounted at Ma gersfortein, but there do not seem to have been many guns of heavy caliber surren dered at Paarde Drift. Reinforcements to reach Cronje would have to arrive by rail from Ladysmlth, via Elandsfonteln, or from Ladysmlth via Harrismith to Bethlehem, and they would march by road to Wlnburg, where they would again take rail for Bloemfonteln. To have moved these troops from Natal In time to help Cronje It would have been neces sary to start them a week before the 20th, for by that date Lord Roberts' dis positions were such as to make reinforce ment Impossible. The Boers are prob ably only masking their positions between Colenso and Ladysmlth to give time to got their convoys off, and news of the relief of Ladysmlth may be expected at any moment. The Boers will doubtless concentrate all their forces for the de fense of Bloemfonteln, If they can get there in time, but Lord Roberts is already half way from Jacobsdal to that city. It is quite likely that the scene of the war will before long be transferred for the Boers to the line of the Vaal River, which however could be turned by a strong force moving from Mafeklng on Pretoria o .HARLAN FOR EXPANSION. Senior Associate Justice of Supreme Court Makes an Address. Philadelphia. At the dedication of the now law building of the University of Pennsylvania, Justice Harlan, of the United States Supreme Court, said: "May I not add that now, more than at any period in our history, is it neces sary that we be faithful to sound prin ciples of government and liberty regu lated by law? Our country has reached a critical and momentous period, and the utmost vigilance and the most unselfish patriotism are demanded from every gen uine American. The time has come when we must be Americans, through and through. Wo have no right to turn our backs upon public affairs or to become indifferent to the fate of our institutions. Still less have we a right to enjoy the blessings and protection of this glorious land while continually saying and doing that which serves to strengthen! the hands of the enemies of the Republic. "Some people have a strange way In which to manifest their devotion to country. They rarely see in the opera tions of the Government anything to ap prove, and they never fail, when, the na tion is having a dispute with other peo ples, to say that our country is wrong and our adversaries right, "And they do this even while our sol diers are in far-distant lands endeavor ing to maintain the rightful authority of the nation. Some have not hesitated to say in the most public manner that those who from jungles ambush and shoot down our brave soldiers are fighting the battles of liberty and doing only what they have a right to do, -what their honor requires. "These men are never happier than when attempting to persuade their fellow-citizens that America is entering upon a dark and perilous future, and (that all so far accomplished for the liberty and well-being of the people will be lost if the Nation does not rertace its steps. For my own part, I believe that a destiny awaits America such as has never been vouchsafed to any people, and that In the workings out of that destiny, under the leadings of Providence, human ity everywhere will be lifted up and power and tyranny compelled to recognize the fact that God Is no respecter of per sons' and that he 'hath made of one blood all nations of men.' " 4 a XOTE AXD COMMENT. Creeje tttecaHy ran his campaign Into the grettsxL Chairman Jtmod sMwor speeeh proved, to be geMea oflawia.. The tarMC is sJwafqf rssdy to be quar reled asevt, whom Cgnsa has nothing else ea hand. If March esses to Mfce Hob, we trust it will rsBMBaeer the zwora ar no Boera in this vteiBtty. The society girl whs fears that the chain trust will goMHe war h gaCT links has ho eavee for alarm. If the oSeers of the. 1mm, acs dosleed. every ttae she Is, they most hawe to spestA most of their tfaaa aboard sMp. A juryman ta the MsMaaux trial saffshho would not go throve sweh another evae rienee, especially with the hnud'wtilthm ex perts, for a good farm. Mr. Attgeld saps the yomg mm of to day can aot travel on tho road to peadence. As he thinks aamrchy to' dependence, it Is perhaps jttst ss weW. The Sugar and Tobacco Trusts. Chicago Times-Herald, Rep. Popular sentiment reflected In the prere of the Northwest, which Is the seat of Republican strength in Congress, demands the abolition of all customs tariffs be tween the United States and Puerto Rico. It takes no stock la any pretense that free trade between the Island and our markets would be a precedent that might return to plague us when It be comes necessary to deal with Cuba and the Philippines. Congress can deal with these knotty problems when they arise. President McKInley cannot afford to mistake the clamor of the sugar and to bacco lobby for the voice of the American people. If the committee bill comes to him In its present shape nothing short of an absolute and uncompromising veto will save him from the ugly charge of sacrificing "plain duty" to the sordid de mands of two protected Industries, al ready In bad odor with the American people. 'B was something af a 'aa-baaa when 'e 'S was old. and grow In" Mw attgfcty tmrt. 'E -nsa thought to ae a tradta' sm 'H noma An' 'la ftghtln' days was all aaaelSoiBS past. But 'e didn't aak Mm Qowmaaat a ahjtt Whether 'e wm at to keo on SatttH stfm '3 Jet set Ms mlo to tMakin oae or mion Then he squared Hiwigu o " oM Mafrrtia HIH. There wss Onerafci ad MaiatwBu aad all those. There was CaptaJos aad Hialuaaiitu there la moos. But afflongr 'em there was so a, ae wa Kaewa, That amid 'oW a 'alt a caadh to ote "Boas." Some Americas papers recently no end of fun with The London Doily Mali because it spoke of a motor enr on "a long route te New York, eight softes be yond Boston." "Another iUuotratten of the BaghsbBtan's abyonml Igworawco of things American," it was said. Bwt for once the cap seems to fit the other head. for the Mail explains that Its ram ark re ferred to Unglsnd and not to the apHed States. There is. it aoonac, a vMnge named New York eight miles front j? do ton. England, and cortonety enengh there Is also a Bunker HIH hi tbe same neighbor hood. Some time ago a rich hut ienomnt woman wrote to the Weather Buroau in Washington, saying that she wos to give a lawn party on a certain day and asking the bureau to see that it was aloar on that day. To make hen communion ttea more Impressive, she incloeod a Hot oft the names of several prominent people she Intended to Invite. "I entered into the humor of the thing," says Professor Moore, "and sent her an anewer to the effect that tbe afternoon she doohmolod had already been Booyoken by a poor washerwoman, who wanked to obtain some rain water with which to wash slothon, and that on this acconnt I eoM sot possibly make it dear on that date." The telephone girl is pretty sure to get the beet of it in the long ran, as the lot lowing anecdote of a Portland suntnooa man will testify. He had called wa a number, and had been suavely Informed that tbe line was busy. He informed the young woman who attended to his oath that he thought she was mistakes. She repeated her information. He called her again, and she asked eahmly, "Number. please?" That aroused his Ire, and he used language which a gontlowan sefiem addresses to a lady except over tbe tote phone. Next morning at 2 he was awakened by the continuous rinsing of his telephone. It was one of those eokl nights, but he arose, clad In Ins night shirt, and in answer to his "Hollo" he received the pleasing intelhgenee that he was wanted on the long-dkitance 'phone. He stood there and shivered for 20 minutes before It dawned upon Itlm that the telephone girl had got eneJ&C her friends te square the aeeount wlJb him. Then the anger vanished from Ms heart, and he good-humoredty admitted to his wife that the girl had the best of K. e The Only Penneyer. Hartford Courant, Peanoyer of Oregon he's an "ex" new and sourer than ever holds Bryan respea sible for the McKInley administration and all its works, "hnperiaUsm" and the com ing gold-standard act included. He be lieves that Teller, or Bland, or Stevensos could have been elected in IMS. He be lieves that one of them would have seen nominated by the Chicago convention If Bryan bad kept his mouth shut. But Bryan spoke his piece, the delegates lost their heads, and the Democracy's eak-o was dough. HI Lee's Surrender. PORTLAND, Fob. . T the EdKec. Who was Commander-in-Chief of the Union Army at tbe time of Lee's surren der? -, SUBRSBSR. Served Since Adams' Administration. New York Oommerc.al-Advertiser. Roswell Beardsley, of North Lansing, N. Y., is eald to be the oldest postmaster In the service of the United States. He was appointed In 1828, when John Qulncy Adams was President and John McLean was the Postmaster-General. His salary was fixed at the munificent sum of $12 a year. Since then he has kept his place. He is 91 years old. n o ' The Facts in the Case. Chicago News. Tlmklns But Is your Income sufficient to justify you in marrying? Slmkins I'm afraid not Tlmkins Then what reason have you for taking such a stepj, Simklnfr I have no reason at all, I'm In love." The Uncertainty Ended. Harper's Bazar. "Now, honestly, Maud, didn't Jack pro pose last evening?" "Why, ye-e-ssl But how did you guess?" T noticed that you didn't have that worried look this morning." o Gallant. Detroit Free Press. "I hope I make myself plain," said the lady, trying to explain. "I hope not, madam," he responded." "I would prefer that I Ibe stupid rather than that you tbe plain." 4 e A Question of Advantage. Detroit Journal. Man Is distinguished from the beast by the power to speak his thoughts; the beast from the man by the power to keep its thoughts to Itself. 1 0 ' A Captive Mouse. Boston Transcript. So you're the thief that nibbles cakes and plest That I, persistently, have sought to kill That have eo long and well defied my skill I Row soft your furl How bright your Bttle eyea! Don't tremble eo Now all ray anger dies, And vengeful Impulses are hushed aad still. I have no heart to work my deadly wlUt In vain for mastery my reason tries. O Mouale' Earth Is such a'aruel p4ae! Death lurks for all favors no rank, no grade. And war la ever raging race on racel You only sought year food ao nature bade And now must die without a show of grace t It you've no right to Hyc why were" you . made? General Grant was hi temodhUe eora mand; but, of course, under the Constitu tion the President, Mr. Lincoln, was "Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the. United States." General Lee's sur render occurred five days before LtnoohVa assassination. e p i A Remarkable Oift. Hartford Tiroes. Mrs. F. E. Buttle has offered the New York Public Library a remarkable ghtt. It consists of 10W menus each front a dif ferent hotel or restaurant. She has col lected most of them hecseif, and some are from Hungary, China, Japan and Russia. Mrs. Buttle stipulates that tbe menus are to 'be kept sealed until I960, as It Is her desire that the coming generations may see what their ancestors ate. Lb eld. Chicago Record. "Clara, you don't accomplish, aatahg because you waste so much time "I don't waste time, hwtr there Je. aUfgays something I would rather do thaiosoBse thing else." o . Faith. S. E. Kiser in Chicago Tlmaa'Berohl. A happy sMM plays on the floor; And staeks Ms htoofee aad, stage. And he knows naught oC naolcat lare And saoght of worldly thtage; But faith is la Ms heart, and e 'Tls dark he kneels tavprar. Ab what is all the lore of men The fairest fruit of brass, or pes Against the faith, he has the faith I, toe, ooulq claim oae day? Beside the groat eatbedral door A poor oM woman, stands, A stranger onto worhny loos, WHa knotted, tired; ha nop t But faith la rested te, her breast. She h-ars the belt above. And on the Book her Upe are prost. And when 'tis sight fc g, te TrlmBphaathr behevlec m ber Savior's iKr level O sage, what la the lore yon toaea? O man of soteaee, alt The wtee conohioW)no that yon roach Are pltlfat and. smalt Beside the Sana of Mm who plays About opes the floor Beside the faith of hr wbose days Were soaless if she might not raise The Book to trusting lips that oar an ava at the door I " "