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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (March 17, 1900)
THE MOBNING OEEGONIAN, SATURDAY, MAECH 17, 1900. Cntrel at the Postofflee at Portland, Oreson, e second-class matter. TELEPHONES. Editorial Rooms... .108 I Business Office... .G67 REVT'ED SUBSCRIPTION RATES. By Mall (postage prepaid). In Advance Daily. wltfcBunday. per month ....$0 53 Dally, Sunday excepted, per year. T W) Dally, with Sunday, per year 8 00 Sunday, per year 2 00 The Weekly, per year .........-.... 1 50 The Weekly. 3 months. ............. 60 To City Subscribers Dally, per week, delivered. Sundays excepted,15o Dally, per week, delivered. Sundays lncludedOo The Oregonlan does not buy poems or stories from individual!, and cannot undertake to re turn any manuscripts sent to It without solicita tion. No stamps should be Inclosed for this purpose. News or discussion intended for publication In "The Oregonlan should be addressed invariably "Editor The Oregonlan." not to the name of eny individual. Letters relating to advertising, eubscriptlons or to any business matter should be addreased simply "The Oregonlan." Puget Sound Bureau Captain A. Thompson, office at 1111 Pacific avenue. Tacoma. Box 8K5, Tncoma postofflee. Eastern Business Office The Tribune build ing. New Tork city; 'The Rookery." Chicago; the S. C. Beckwlth special agency. New Tork. or ale In San Francisco by J. K. Cooper. 740 Market street, near the Palace hotel, and at Goldsmith Bros.. 238 Sutter street. For sale In Chicago by the P. O. News Co.. 17 Dearborn street. TODA-TS WEATHER. Rain in afternoon; cooler; winds becoming .southerly. :POR.TLAXD, SATURDAY, MARCH 17. CAXT RIGHT ITSELF TOO SOOX. It is not merely Puerto Rico. Behind this Puerto Rlcan question Is the larger one as to the Philippine Islands. Cuba also looms into view; for free trade toetween the United States and Cuba will cause Cuba to throw In her for tunes with the United States. "We can not coerce Cuba; but we may make conditions under which she will gladly come to us. And we want Cuba,, for naval, commercial and military strength. Her position gives her in comparable value to the United States. But Cuba will not come to us if we do not give her products access to our markets. Representative Payne, of New York, is chairman of the ways and means committee. At first he was in favor of free commercial Intercourse between Puerto Rico and the mainland of the United States. But he tells plainly how Oxnard, the sugar lobbyist, came along and "reversed" him. In his speech ex planatory of his change of position, Mr. Payne said: "I have yet to see a to bacco man who fears the Introduction of the Puerto Rican product. Their great fear is that if we should give free trade to Puerto Rico we should follow it with free trade with the Philippine islands and ultimately Cuba." As re gards the sugar lobby and its chief, Henry Oxnard, Mr. Payne then added; "He (Oxnard) was afraid that when prosperity came to Puerto Rico under free sugar, Cuba would be knocking at the door for admission." Then Mr. Payne stated bluntly that, in view of these facts, it was the purpose of the tariff bill to "make a precedent that all men can read" as a warning to Cuba and the Philippines. Tou have the whole business here. And if this goes through, you will eee what plight the Republican party will be in during the political cam paign the coming fall. How will it an swer the criticism of the Democratic campaigners on Its subserviency to the protected Interests and the trusts? And, as the Chicago Inter Ocean, stal wart Republican journal, puts it, "What are the Republican voters likely to do about it, if they be compelled to go to the polls next November in the consciousness that, after sacrificing its sons and spending its treasure In an in ternational war, this Nation was forced, by a Republican majority in the House and a Republican majority in the Sen ate, to lay the fruits of Its triumph, the great expansion policy, the plighted faith of Its Executive, and every prin ciple of enlightened justice and civil ized government, at the feet of the sugar and tobacco lobby organized and encamped In the capltol at Washington to thwart the will of the American people?" Our Pacific states want free commer cial Intercourse with the Philippine Islands. Here is a position that will aiTord a footing for boundless expan sion of our Pacific Ocean commerce. It is the one commercial question of all others in which we are most deeply in terested. A writer in "Engineering," a well-known technical journal, published in London, says: "The influence of the Philippines on the future of the trade In the Pacific area is certain to be very great, and it is hot improbable that Manila will become a port of call for all the most Important steamship Ines. Indeed, that port may be con sidered the most central port of the en tire Asiatic Pacific Coast, more so even ihan Hong Kong and Shanghai, and nearer to the great range of Southern and Australian ports. The possibili ties of Manila as a distributing port are great, and so also are those of the Phil ippine Islands, with their vast and varied undeveloped resources, which offer a most Inviting field for the ex pansion of trade." But a Republican Congress says we can't have these advantages, which would so largely inure to the benefit of our Pacific states, because selfish pro tected Interests fear their "graft" will be interfered with, and will hear to nothing but continuance of their own exactions. Either this Is to be the ruin of expansion, or it Is to lead to the destruction of protected greed. Per haps we have here at last an issue that will tear up the abuses of this system by -the roots. For the flag has got to come back from these places to which it has been carried by the valor of the country's sons, or these insolent de mands of avarice and greed are to be defeated. Is this a great country, or a mere pocket borough, the property of trusts, administered through their lobby? Are its new territorial acquisi tions to have fair treatment and to be permitted to develop their industry and to profit by it, or are they to be pressed to the utmost by schemes of selfish exploitation and imperial exac tion? The Republican party has al lowed itself to be headed in the wrong direction. It can't right its course too soon. The treasury statement sent out in the dispatches from Washington dally has been changed, It will be noticed, In accordance with the law of March 14, 1900. The cash balance has been re duced by $150,000,000, the amount set apart fcr the department of Issue and redemption. The" gold reserve no longer appears in the statement, as it stands stationary at $150,000,000, but in its stead appears the total of free sold in the treasury. The gold reserve will re main at $150,000,000, unless depleted by redemptions. Whenever It fails below $100, 000,000 it must be replenished by the Secretary through sale of bonds. It ap pears very doubtful If bonds will ever have to be sold for this purpose. The matter of the standard Is so thoroughly settled that calls upon the reserve for redemption of treasury notes are likely to prove things of the past. The "end less chain" seems broken, it is to be hoped, forever. THE PRACTICAL QUESTION FOR. US. What do you want a tariff on Phil ippine imports for? That's the ques tion. It is conceded by the assailants as well as the defenders of Puerto Rico that the real issue concerns not Puerto Rico, with its population no greater than Nebraska's and its annual exports to all countries no larger than Port land's bank clearings for six weeks, but Cuba and the Philippines. Our Pacific Coast representatives who insist on this exaction from Puerto Rico must stand or fall, then, on the effect their position will have on the problem of Philippine trade. First In Importance among Philippine products is hemp; and the question is, Does the Oregon or Washington farmer want cheap ropes and twines, or costly ones? The duty on raw hemp is $20 a ton, on hackled hemp $40 a ton; on cables and cordage, 2 cents a pound. The Philippines can supply us almost limitless quantities of these materials, either raw for our factories, or else manufactured by American industries on the islands. They export now 250, 000,000 pounds of hemp annually, and they 'can extend the acreage Indefi nitely. The natural result to expect is Importation of raw hemp and manufac ture of It here. Less than 600,000 pounds of cordage is exported annually, the bulk being exported In its raw form. With free trade in Philippine hemp, these Pacific states can easily become the seat of the world's greatest cordage works. Second in Importance among Philip pine products is sugar. And the ques tion is, Do we want cheap sugar or dear? The islands produce for export now about $15,000,000 worth of sugar, of which we get only the one-eighth part. Give us free trade in sugar, and the masses can be supplied cheaply. It is only through easy access for this sugar that the combinations controlling our domestic output, crude and re fined, can be held in check. The next item is tobacco and cigars. The Government will tax these cigars and tobacco for revenue purposes in the islands. Should it add to the revenue tax there an Import duty here? Or do our smokers want their cigars made as costly as possible? A great staple of Philippine export Is coffee. Do they hope to clap a duty on Philippine coffee? There Is none on coffee now. It is inconceivable. There are also tropical products of the Philippines, our only concern with which is to buy them to the best pos sible advantage. These are rice, cocoa nuts, cocoa, indigo, ebony, glue, rat tan, wax, salt, copra, gum, resins, oils, dyewoods. Last, but not least, the records of Philippine exportations show that jute has been produced and shipped to Japan and to Spain. Whatever increase of this production can be made, and whatever impetus to cheaper Imports of Calcutta jute through Manila can be given through free trade with the Phil ippines, ought to be afforded. On the question whether the Oregon an.d Washington farmer wants cheap grain bags or dear ones, there can be but one answer. The only thing to add to these con siderations is the fact that the one thing we need a little more than any thing else is a profitable market for our exports of wheat, flour, lumber, hops, beer, meats and fish. If we are to send these things profitably to the Philippines, we must provide return cargoes for the ships. Tariffs on Phil ippine imports will stand in the way of shipping between there and here, and consequently reduce the net return to our farmers, fishers and lumbermen from products sold In Asia. The question Is, What do we want a tariff on Philippine products for? A GREAT DAY FOR IRELAND. Today Is a great day for Ireland the world over, but it is to be particularly a great day for Ireland in England, where the green flag is to be univer sally displayed in honor of the splendid valor displayed by the Irish regiments in General Buller's army In all the fighting, from Colenso to Ladysmith. The intimation by the Irish lrreconclla bles that If Queen Victoria visits Ire land she will be treated by the public with silent contempt, if not open insult. Is an impeachment of the Irish people that they do not deserve. Queen Vic toria Is nearly 81 years of age; she has always been a thoroughly good woman, and Dublin, which received the visit of her wretched old uncle, George IV, with so much public applause that Lord Byron denounced it in one of his bit terest satires, Is not likely to be want ing in public courtesy to Queen Vic toria. The truth is that only a small portion of the Irish people feel any sympathy with the attitude assumed during the Boer war by Mr. Healy and his faction. Mr. Healy and his faction have lost a great opportunity, and have thus shown their utter lack of states manship. Mr. Healy was always a thorn in the side of Parnell, who was the only statesman that Ireland has known since the death of O'Connell. Mr. Parnell had his faults, but he never threw away a great opportunity for Ireland for the mere sake of ex pectorating his spleen upon the British Government when engaged in a foreign war. Mr. Parnell would never have considered the struggle of the Boer oli garchy as Identical with that of Ireland for home rule. Mr. Parnell would have promptly declared his loyalty to the British flag, and by that declaration have gained the confidence of the Con servatives and increased their willing ness to grant further concessions in the line of enlarged home rule. Mr. Par nell would have used his great oppor tunity like a statesman; not abused It like an eloquent blackguard and blath erskite. LordRoberts and his father be fore him were both loyal Irishmen, and Lord Roberts, who has recently been Commander-in-Chief of the forces in Ireland, has lately taken occasion to deny for the majority of the Irish peo ple any sympathy with the disloyal at titude maintained in public speech by Mr. Healy and his faction of Irish ir reconcilables, whose behavior Is the strongest argument yet uttered in sup port of those able Englishmen who dis trust the capacity of the Home Rule party for government, because they never govern- themselves, but discuss a great, far-reaching question of reform not with the sobriety of men of in telligence and Judicial temper, but with the' passionate Invective of a vituper ative fishwife. Suppose the leading statesmen of the North and the South had persisted to this day to discuss the dark and sor rowful passages of our Civil War in the same spirit that Mr. Healy and his fac tion exhibit whenever they think "Eng land's difficulty has become Ireland's opportunity" to show her teeth and darken the air with a shower of rhe torlcal rotten eggs. What prospect to. day of unity against a foreign fo would there be for the United States? Our Civil War is but thirty-five years distant, but its passions have so com pletely subsided that when our war with Spain broke out it found the sons of gallant ex-Confederates serving both in our Army and our Navy, and among its first martyrs. An ex-Lieutenant-General and two ex-Major-Generals of the Confederate Army served with our Army In Cuba, and one of them was a nephew of General Robert E. Lee. The saving common sense of America pre serves us from the folly of the Irish irreconcilable, who, wherever he goes, nurses his sentimental grievances against England. And yet the real wrongs of Ireland are things of the past, wrongs which all Englishmen of distinction admit; wrongs which all Englishmen of distinction are glad have been amended steadily since 1868. The truth Is that the faction of Irish ir reconcllables voiced by Mr. Healy is a curse to Ireland and to England, and would be a curse to any country that sought to consider questions of political reform sanely instead of waving the bloody shrouds of the martyrs of 1798. St. Patrick was a gentleman, in spite of the fact that he was not an Irishman. He brought a message of peace and good will to Ireland. He was a very tolerant man; a very hu mane man. He is a patron saint who deserves to be held in reverent mem ory, because he was a man who Won his way to the heads and hearts of pa gan Princes by tact and statesman ship, a great victory in an age when pugnacity of temper was universal and might was the only rule of right. It is a pity that the spirit of St Patrick had not descended upon the chiefs of the faction of Irish irreconcilables in the British Parliament. It was mani fested to a considerable degree by Grattan, by O'Connell, and by Parnell, who are the only Irish statesmen who ever won any political reforms for Ire land. Grattan's efforts were nullified by such revolutionary conspirators as Wolfe Tone. O'Connell denounced the architects of the rebellion of 1798, and his dying hours were made melancholy by the rant and violence of the "Young Ireland party," whose miserable fiasco he predicted but did not live to see. The Irish irreconcilables ought to work hereafter in the spirit of tolerance, guided by tact and fine temper, mani fested by St. Patrick, who first cap tured the heads and the hearts of the Irish chieftains, and thus quickly con verted the people. TRANSVAAL "INDEPENDENCE." Several persons have attempted to take The Oregonlan to task because it has said that the South African Repub lic was not an independent state. It is useless to enter into the subtleties of this dispute. We believe It is not ques tioned that Great Britain la her con ventions expressly retained control of the.XoreIgn relations of the Transvaal. Can a state be independent that ac knowledges this control by another? Even if the contention be true that Great Britain had surrendered the right to Interfere with the Internal affairs of the country, she retained by her right to ultimate control of foreign relations the right to Interfere in matters that might seriously affect the welfare of its alien population. Captain Mahan, in the March number of the North American Review, ex amines this whole subject with his customary care. "Great Britain," he says, "by a grant of full independence and sovereignty, might have relieved herself from responsibility for Injury or wrong to aliens In the Transvaal, due to internal maladministration; but she did not do so. If her citizens in the Transvaal received wrong, she had the right and duty of reclamation; if the wrong were continuous, she owed diplomatic pressure for a change of action; if this were refused, she had by International law the right of war. When the exercise of this last right becomes a duty, is a question for the sole decision of the injured country." The state which admits that another has the right to ultimate control of its foreign relations is not an independent state. Such control is the chlefest and greatest of all acts of sovereignty; and when occasion arises it Includes a con trol over internal policy, in its relation to aliens, as the greater Includes the less. Such is the basis of the British contention ns to the Transvaal. Sover eignty was not claimed over the Orange Free State; but that state cannot es cape the consequences of Its alliance with the Transvaal. 3IISTAICEN ECONOMY. Some of the statesmen at Washing ton who are just at present showing such a deep interest in the American merchant marine are in fair way to stultify themselves by the action they are taking regarding the abolishment of the branch hydrographlc offices. The plea they have made as an excuse for giving the shipbuilding syndicate several million dollars in the way of a subsidy Is that it will increase the num ber of American ships on the ocean. While endeavoring to work this graft through Congress, enough of these statesmen voted for a bill which in ef fect abolishes all of the branch hydro graphic offices, to secure Its passage by the House, and it is now before the Senate committee. In other wordB, they have endeavored to secure more ships, and at the same time have with drawn from those already afloat one of the greatest safeguards that could be thrown around them. The branch hydrogriaphle offices gather and keep the only record of cur rents, tides, winds, rocks, derelicts and other data pertaining to navigation. The monthly, charts which are made up from the data collected by men who traverse the seas are recognized the world over as models of accuracy, and the property and even life that is saved through the warnings conveyed by the charts is of Incalculable value. One of the arguments that was pre sented in favor of cutting down the estimate for the office was that the in formation thus collected was of more benefit to navigators of other nations than it was to the Americans. This in a measure might be true, but it is also true that the larger portion of the in formation which Is collected by the branch offices is supplied by foreign shipmasters. Nearly all of the Oriental liners running out of Pacific Coast ports are In charge of foreign com manders, and yet, with few exceptions, these shipmasters note carefully the latitude and longitude of every floating obstruction sighted, make detailed men tion of the direction and force of the wind in certain latitudes, of fog and varying currents encountered. Individ ually, the value of these reports would be limited, but, taken collectively, they enable the Government to map out charts and sailing directions which are used by every American navigator on the high seas. In avoiding the calm belts or the areas affected by storms at different seasons, the passage of a sailing vessel may be shortened many days, with an attendant profit, which frequently amounts to several hundred dollars. The entire appropriation made In past years for the maintenance of the hy drographlc offices has been exceedingly small In comparison with the benefits that have resulted. The interests of theUnltedStateson the ocean are grow ing more rapidly at the present time than ever before, and it has the appear ance of very poor economy to remove any of the safeguards which we bave thrown around our ocean fleet. With the river and harbor bill turned down, the hydrographlc offices abolished and the shipping subsidy graft going through, Congress certainly has queer ideas regarding the Improvement of our water transportation systems. A writer in a Salem paper says The Oregonlan objects to re-election of Sen ator McBrlde because he) is not rich. That statement Is a very cheap false hood. The Oregonlan do'esn't know whether Mr. McBrlde is "rich or poor, and doesn't care. It does-know, how ever, that if he Isn't rich he ought to be; for he has had continuous and steady employment In drawing money from public treasuries, in large sums, during nearly twenty years. The Ore gonian's objection to the re-election of Mr. McBrlde is simply this: He Is a man of small ability, little force and no positive convictions. He is merely a political trimmer and professional office-holder; and The Oregonlan would be glad to see a larger man elected to the position. The support of the Orange Free State will now quickly be detached from the forces of the Transvaal. Already the Orange burghers are rapidly returning to their homes and occupations, under assurance of amnesty and protection. Of course, the Orange State, as an in dependent state, will exist no more, and the clemency of the Britsh will cause withdrawal of its people from alliance with those of the Transvaal, who from now on will be compelled virtually to go It alone. Addition of $20,000,000 in minor silver coins to the circulation is another good result of the new currency law. Relief of the need for small coins Is only n part of the benefit, for in this way a considerable body of silver will be withdrawn from pressure on the gold reserve. This same policy is pursued with the-silver certificates, which will be given most of the field of small de nominations. Our silver burden hau been lightened in a statesmanlike man ner. We have to feed the Puerto RIcans yet, and we must continue to do so as long as the tariff bill Is held up. The dole of charity Is a poor substitute for the demands of justice. Give them markets and they won't have to ask for free soup. VIEW OF A RELIGIOUS JOURNAL. The Independent, New York. "What, then, la the secret of the extraordinary situation In Congress? Evidently there in a pressure of in terests which knoiv hovr to enforce their demands. It Is beet sugar and cane sugar and tobacco. It Trill be a revelation to the people of tbe United States that the growers of these crops have power suddenly to revolutionize the policy of a great party, to bring? recalcitrants swiftly into line, and to force an anpopnlni measure through both houses. "Vc assume that the Senate will adopt the principle of it, unless public opinion, which daily becomes more outspoken against it, makes itself 'heard in such a way tbnt legislators -will not dare to disregard it. It was asserted aeain and agraln in the debate that the President had come to favor the bill. Publicly, in his mcssaGTC, and privately to indi viduals, he had given his voice for free traile with Puerto Rico. It is evident thnt he lion accepted what he did not like, because of the polit ical pressure. "We suppose that he intimated that he would prefer to have the bill pass as it was drawn up rather than allow the Democrats to tako control of the measure. But we greatly regret that he yielded at all, and did not use all legitimate influence to secure, as we believe he might, the adoption of his pro nounced policy by his political friends. It would hnve given both him and his party a better record. If thi legislation is perfected, the Republican party Is likely to have a most troublesome Issue to meet in the coming campaign. Public opin ion will go strongly to the side ol Puerto Rico, if the disastrous results which arc feared should follow the novel project of relief by taxation. Now ire wait to see if the Senate may possibly have wisdom to cor rect the astounding blunder of the House. Q A Missing Twin. New York Herald. The party leaders are now quietly mak ing drafts of a new platform to be adopt ed In a few months. How are they going to explain the desertion and death of the reciprocity twin? When President McKInley was inaugu rated and at once called Congress in ex tra session, not, as was expected, to re form the currency, but to pass a tariff bill, the country was assured that ex travagant protective duties would not. In fact, bo operative, but would be cut down by the reciprocity treaties to be effected. Foreign nations, angered by the high duties imposed upon their products, and disposed to retaliate in hostile legisla tion, were conciliated with statements about the friendly intentions of the United States, and Its ardent desire to make reciprocal concessions. And now the farce is played out. It recently looked as If we might secure a treaty with Argentina, but the woolgrowcrs of Ohio killed that, and with France, but thiswhich would bo one solid result of ! the years of reciprocity negotiations this, too, Is now to be stifled. The reciprocity twin has been knocked on the head by the authors of Its being. ie AX AMERICAN "WESTMINSTER, But It "Would Precipitate and Per petuate Many Controversies. Chicago Tribune. When Daniel Webster, the defender of the- Constitution, died at his home in Marshfield, Mass., In 1852. a poet wrote: We have no proud cathedral for his rest. Dim with proud banners and the dust of years, AH we can give him Is Xew England's breast To lay his head on and ten thousand tears. Before and since that time others have less melodiously mourned the lack of a great national "Valhalla, where might be erected memorials to the mighty dead whom the Nation delighted to honor. Now, it appears, this want Is to bo filled. A Now York university has re ceived a gift of $100,000, which is to be ex pended in the erection of a Hall of Fame for Great Americans. In this building are to be placed busts and tablets dedicated to the memory of a specified number of great men. In this limitation on the number of great men wnoso busts shall be given niches in the new American Westminster would ap pear to be the greatest objection to the wholo proposition. Who. for instance, shall decide on the list of hose who shall be so honored, and where Is the man who is willing to take the responsibility for barring out the others. Shall the classic features of William Jennings Bryan, Immortalized in marble, frown at posterity in the Hall of Fame? Shall Jefferson Davis, whom millions ot Americans look upon as a great man, be given a place? Shall Admiral Schley or Admiral Sampson look down from a ped estal in the corner devoted to naval he roes? Shall only Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution be admitted, or are mere to be sections reserved for Irish, German and Anglo-Americans? What shall be done with Richard Croker, who Is admittedly the greatest New Yorker of modern tlme3? Will the Popocrats agree to let Grover Cleveland have a modest niche? Will they draw the color line and bar out Frederick Douglass and Tecum seh? When it comes to the list of those whose achievements in literature make them worthy of memory confusion will be worse confounded. Is Walt Whitman an Inspired master or a scribbler of rude doggerel? Was "Uncle Tom's Cabin" a great novel or a mere partisan tract? It Is to be feared that the title of the New York Westminster Is misleading. It should be rather "Hall of Fame for Those Whom We Think Are Great Americans." If that change Is mode there can be no serious objection to the New York enter prise, provided the commercial spirit of Manhattan does not lead its promoters to auction off especially desirable locations in the Hall of Fame to the highest bidders. At the same time the ancient common place is still worthy of consideration, "The best monument to any American citizen is the love and affe;t!on of his countrymen." i a "WRITE OR "WIRE YOUR SENATOR, Oregon Has One Senator That Needs the Monition. Chicago Times-Herald, Rep. Since the Republicans in Congress re fuse to accept the voice of the press as that of their constituents, it is time that those constituents began bombarding Washington on their own account. Tne Middle West has 12 representatives In the upper house, viz: IXDIANA. A. J. Beveridge. C. W. Fairbanks. MICHIGAN. James McMillan. J. c. Buitowsl ILLINOIS. Shelby M. Cullom. W. E. Mason. IOWA. J s- John H. Gear. W. B. Allison. "WISCONSIN. J. V. Quarles. John C. Spooner. MINNESOTA. Knute Nelson. C. K. Davis. All, or nearly all, of these Senators have already signified their opposition to the Puerto Rico tariff bill. But It Is doubtful If more than two or three of them realize that the Republicans of their states are practically a unit in demanding "Justice" and "our plain duty" to Puerto Klco, though It should cost us the Philippines. The Republicans of these states believe that the party leaders in Washington are wandering through the maze of constitu tional doubts and broken pledges to party dishonor and probable defeat. Therefore we believe that there should bo a concerted movement among the Re publicans of Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota to warn their Senators of the Jeopardy In whlcn the party stands by reason of the gross folly and political perfidy of the Puerto Rico tariff bill. Let each Republican consider it his Im mediate duty to inform the Senator from his state by telegram, letter or postal card of the prevailing sentiment of his neigh borhood that In denying free trade to Puerto Rico the Republican party Is en dangering the control of the next Con gress. Railway "Work In the Philippines. Cassier's Magazine. The fact that the entlro railway system of the Philippine Islands at present con sists of a single line of antiquated pat tern, having a length of less than 125 miles, gives some idea of the neglect of this economic form of travel and trans portation under the long Spanish regime. The road Intersects the rich peninsula northwest of Manila and connects that city with Dagupan, a town on the east coast of Luzon which will eventually be come an Important one. To be exact, the length of the lino is 122 miles. The gauge la 3 feet 6 Inches, and the ties are of the finest hardwood, obtained from the for ests along the line. On the entire length there ore 60 iron bridges. As compared with the fairly substantial character of the roadbed, the rolling stock Is very light. In speed and capacity the locomo tives are Insignificant, being of less than 10 tons burden. The usual speed varied from 15 to 20 miles an hour, and when the American troops took possession their railroading astonished the natives, tho speeds being frequently doubled. Compartment coaches are used, and these are divided Into three classes or apartments, each apartment seating eight passengers. The few first class coaches are provided with comfort able cane chairs, while the second'-clasa apartments have rough wooden benches, and the third-class are bare and are usually crowded! with natives carrying baskets and bundles of all descriptions. An ordinary train is made up of eight or 10 carriages, most of them third class, and the fare ranges from 2 to 5 cents, Mexi can, per mile. The bulk of tho freight now carried is made up of rice, sugar, hemp and building material, and the rates on all classes of traffic are considerable. e p French Vitality. Thomas Barclay, in the Fortnightly Re 1 view. Tho position of France In the world Is unique. England, Germany and America, as great competing Industrial producers, possess nothing which is unique to the one or the other. But to the French we owo practically everything that adorns and graces existence. Their creative fac ulty, their inexhaustible resources in pleasing the eye, the ear, the taste, and the intelligence, give to life nearly all the charms It possesses. Their wonderful metropolis. Instinct with everything that an artistic imagination has been able to devise in architecture and1 in street scene ry to mako It beautiful; their shops, which are a pleasure and a lesson in the fine arts; their theaters. In which the histrionic art has reached1 the highest point of development ever attained: their brilliant echols of painting, sculpture, mu sic, literature, philosophy, science, open to all tho world, aro a fow of the things rthat make France unique upon earth as an intellectual recreation ground for hu manity. There are people, nevertheless, who call France one of the decaying na tions. Yet what other country can show a greater array of more varied talent or more enduring work in the things of beau ty which are a joy forever? France a decaying nation? Franco who, after she was drained, by the revo cation of the Edict of Nantes, of what appeared to be the flower of .her people, produced the glorious 18th century; who, after the massacres of the Terror, burst 'into the power and magnificence of the empire; who, after the wars of Napoleon, ave us a great literary and scientific re- vlval; after tho revolution of 1S48 the ar tistic and Intellectual brilliance of tha second empire; and who, In spite of the crushing defeat of 1S70, retained that pre eminence! If any nation possesses vitality It Is auroly France, and the world may thank Providence that, owing to her, it seems likely to escape from the decadence which usually follows self-absorbed ma terial prosperity. A Corn Mission. New York World. Frank E. Carr Is going to the Paris exposition on a mission of the highest beneficence to the poor people of Eu rope. He is going to teach them to eat cornbread. To that end he will take with him a Western chef and a Southern "mammy" who know how to cook Amer ica's greatest cereal In a hundred ways. Cornmeal, hominy and American pork. representing corn, can be furnished to European peasants, laborers and artisans at about one-half the cost of the food they now eat, and In food value It Is great ly superior. This country produces an nually about 2,000.000,000 bushels of corn. It can easily produce 4.000,000,000 bushels, and It -will do so whenever there shall be a demand for it. Our present crop would furnish about 4& pounds of food per day to every man, woman and child In the country, down to the last new born baby, while three pounds Is the full ration of a hard-working man. Corn Is worth about 40 cents a bushel, or half the price of wheat. Its nutri tive qualities greatly exceed those of any other grain, with the possible ex ception of rice, which Is much too costly for general use. If Mr. Carr can teach Europe to cook and eat corn, he will be a benefactor of his race. In Billy Brjnn's State. Louisville Courier-Journal. And now Senator Allen arises and says that there Is not much demand In his part of the country for bills as small as S3. Times must be humming out in Nebrasky when 10s and 20s are the smallest change that the Pops care to be bothered with, i o Renctlon. Indianapolis Journal. Brown How do you feel about Sunday golf? Jones Don't tell that I said so, but I have heard sermons so long lately that they made me want to go out and take a whack at something. B In "Washington, Too. Vancouvec Columbian. Senator Simon, of Oregon, announces that he will not support the Puerto Rlcan tariff bill. Senator Foster, If he voices the will of nlnc-tenths of his constituents, will also vote against this bill.' a Mind Cure. Chicago Tribune. The Mother Oh. Amy, you have fallen In the mud and ruined your little cloak! What will I ever do with It? The Five-Year-Old (surveying the ruin) Forget It! a e It Game Out. Philadelphia North American. "I had my fortune told today." '"1V'TKVA .(VlllllM. .Mtf.3 T .. -...- x x . J. us ucuiuui Stuu J. as UUUUl IU lOSa some money, and then asked me for a dollar." 8 i Suited the Action to the "Word. Chicago News. Jones What made you kick Brown? Smith He called me a donkey. Jones Well, it seems he was right. a t Not Until the Harvest. Jacksonville (Flo.) Times-Union. The young man who Is sowing his wild oats doesn't seem to understand the value of diversified crops. The Slum-Worker's Plea. (With Apologies to Mr. Kipling.) I. "When you've preached predestination with a satisfaction keen "When you've thundered forth the doctrine and the law, "Will you kindly drop a penny In my little tambourine To save the poorest outcasts at your door? They're a worthless class of people, stamped with every vice and crime. But you and I must take them as we find them; From the brothel and the gutter, they are covered o'er with slime. And they've left all Christianity behind them! Old men, young men, women and girls as well, Thousands of them reckless bitter with want and cold Paying the wage of sin all of them bound for hell "Will you broaden your Goapel teaching, and let them Into the fold? II. When you'vo reared your stately churches where you do not count the cost! When you've preached your Gospel tidings to the rich; Will you kindly save a penny for the penniless and lost, , For the drunkards lying helpless In the ditch? They have long ago forgotten all the Gospel that you preach; They are helpless In the bondage of their sin Though they're drifting far to seaward almost beyond our reach There may be yet a chance to bring them In. Old men, young men, women nnd girls, as well, Baffled and beaten at every turn living aa best they can; Scarcely a helping hand outstretched all of them bound for hell Is this the Gospel He preached of old that wonderful Son of Man? III. When you've donned your costly vestments, when you've raised your altars grand; When your crccs of gold with Jewels leads the way; Will you kindly pause a moment, then lend a helping hand To save these helpless people gone astray? They are far from all your worship with their litanies profane. The chants they sing are those of grim de spair. And their creed Is Interwoven with a world of vice and pain But are they quite beyond our thought and care? Toung men. old men, women and girls as well. Brought to grief by their folly, lying low In their shame; Come with me to their brothels, look and see where they dwell Can you spare from your ease and comfort a cup or two In His name? rv. When you've satisfied your conscience with a large subscription to Your organized societies in Charity's sweet name: Will you kindly save a nickel for the unde serving, too, Who are living open lives of vice and shame? Tou may think their case Is hopeless, that they're quite beyond recall. That they scarce are worthy of your pence or prayer Shall we leave them In the brothel, let them In the gutter fall? Driving headlonsr in their course to God knows where! Old men, young men. women and girls as well. Thronging the streets by night, flaunting their vice in your face How Shall we answer for them? What shall the story tell When you and I have gone with them to our final resting place? Arthur D. F. Randolph. NOTE AND COMMENT. And there are some people who r kicking because it is too hot. Though ye do be havln smallpox In the hous across the way. If you have a yellow flag out, ye'd best take it In today. When the bye3 Is celebrathhV thot today! March IT, It's but rayson to expect thot they will paint the city green. If Quay doesn't get into the Senate ha ought to get a job floating Philadelphia.'! convention bonds. St. Pathrlck was the landlord of the Ould Kll- larney bogs. And the first harrd work he done was to evict the toads and frogs. They are already talking of the passing of Agulnaldo, but It must be remembered that this -will take a pretty fleet man. Now doth, the wily little kid Perceive It stands to reason That he should Join the Sunday school Before the picnic season. If this sort of thing Is to continue, it will soon be said that it is easier for a rich man to get Into the kingdom of heaven than into the United States Senate. It snowed, Thursday, in Louisiana, and was almost hot In Oregon. It looks as If McKInley's prediction about no North, no South, is being fulfilled by Nature. At Wilson's Creek the Union loss was 23S killed and 761 wounded, and the Con federate loss 279 killed and 951 wounded. The men were raw recruits and this was their first battle. There has been no such fighting in South Africa. Representative Summers M. Jack, of the Twenty-first Pennsylvania District, claims to represent one of the most popu lous districts in the country. It comprises four counties and has a population of 200, 000. What's the use o thlnkln When the sky is blue That such days '11 nevy , Last the whole week through T Storms may be a-comln 'Fore the first o May, But the sun Is shlnln' Bright enough today. A correspondent of. a Louisiana country paper writes: "I have had an engagement with a young lady for the last three months to take her buggy riding the first afternoon the roads would do to drivo over. The engagement Is still pending. Now you-can Imagine tbe condition of ouf roads." Once when General Butler was In Con gress he rose In his place and gently In sinuated that the member who was occu pying the floor was transgressing the lim it of debate. "Why, General," said the member In reproachful tones, you divided your time with me." "I Know I did," re joined the grim old warrior; "but I did not divide eternity with you." British military authorities in Australia have tried to temper the large popular expectations of what the Australian mili tia may achieve by saying that the Aus tralian colonists, unllko those in South Africa, are not expert in the use of fire arms. The lack of large game has pre vented the acquirement of the skill with the rifle which has characterized settlers In America and Africa. The resignation of Major Runcle from his office in Cuba, in response to the clam or of the Havana papers, brings to light a singular act of duplicity. His recent arti cle in the North American Review, severe ly critcislng the Cubans and the admin istration of General Brooke, was written for the personal benefit of a journalist friend in the United States, and was not meant for publication. Somehow the ar ticle got printed in the Review, and now Major Runcle pays the penalty by losing his office. Howly St. Pathrlck. a great and good man b was, Lolko many lv thlm In the long. Ions ago, Built on a. highly convivial plan he was. Whin they asked him to dhrlnk, sure he never said no. But wanst lv a night the good man had been dhrlnkln hard. And stharted to bed lolke a well-behaved saint. When he chanced on a eolght which commenced him a-thlnkln hard. And lnded by tumblln' him down In a. faint. Rolght In the room and all over the flure lv It, Progs, toads and snakes were all scattered galore; They numbered three thousand. St. Pathrlck was sure lv It. Such a reptile brigade he'd seen nlver before. "Sure," said the saint wnln he managed to think a bit. "This kind of folk must go under the ban; A folne thing It la -alien wan happens to dhrlnk a bit. AH the crayters that crawl must come sleep with a man." Nlxt morning, shllally In hand, thin he sthart ed out. Huntln for snakes anS for toads and for frogs, Slayln' the repthlles wherelver they darted out. Till not one was left In the lakes and tha bogs. Since thin has Olreland always ben free from thlm. And now, whin a man gets to dhrlnkln too deep. He don't have to turn like the chlldher and flee from thlm. But 3tays with the dhrlnk till he drops off to sleep. o Shamrock Time. Patrick Coleman In The Gael. T!s shamrock time, and the wild, wise swallow Pursues the Summer on eager wing. Xow April woos them, and all things follow. Take flight and follow the feet of spring. But we. In stranger lands sojourning. Like fledglings far from their forest nest. Are filled with mourning and wild heart-yeam-lng To the soft green Isle of the golden west. Oh. my heart doth follow The sweet Spring swallow. As It wings Its way o'er the ocean foam, Where the shamrock's springing. The thrush Is singing His song of Spring In my Irish home. Earth's deep heart answers today with laugh ter. But we, we nor laugh nor smile; For we are only fain to follow after The wild wind winging unto our lslew Today down many a leafy alley The whitethorn blossom Is odorous; O'er many a vlolet-purplw valley The lark Is singing, but not for us. Oh! fair, ye say. was the land our mother; Her smile was sweet, but it was not ours; We sowed the vineyard and vale; another Sat as lord In her children's towers. Her love was mild, but another claimed It; They took the harvest, 'twas ours the toll; Her name was fair, but her foes defamed It; We plowed, but a stranger held the solL Small share have we In the stranger's city. The scoff of scorn and the stony street. There's never a kindly glance of pity, Our tears embitter the bread we eat. We sing no song, but In dreams, we follow. Take flight and follow, or bond or free. The seaward sweep of the wild, wise swallotR, The west wind winging to lands o'er sea. Oh, my heart doth follow The sweet Spring swallow, As It wings Its way o'er the ocean foam. Where the shamrock's springing, The thrush Is singing The eons of Spring la my Irish bom