- ar T.V T
THE MOKNING OREGONIAN, FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 190(T
" T "T "V 4 "WLK yTa'rX anF"
ORDERS FROM ROOT
Secretary Held a Conference
With Philippine Commission.
FINAL MEETING OCCURS TODAY
Discussion Covered the Probable
Scope of the "Work: of the Board
for the Xcxt Two Years.
WASHINGTON, March 29. By appoint
ment the Philippine Commission waited on
Secretary Root about 3 o'clock this after
noon and spent three hours behind closed
doors in earnest conference. At the con
clusion of the conference the Secretary
Bald the discussion covered the probable
scope of the work of the Commission for
the next two years. So far he has not
been able to present the Commissioners
written Instructions, and what passed to
day was rather preparatory to the recep
tion of those Instructions. It was not
the intention at this time to make the in
structions public But it might be stated
in general terms, the Secretary said, that
the new commission will have much
broader powers In dealing with the prob
lems arising in the Philippines than had
Its predecessor. The primary purpose Is
the establishment of local civil government
throughout the island. In the selection
of the civil officers, the committee will
have a free hand. When asked whether
the civil authorities will dominate the
military, the Secretary contented hlmse'.f.
with the reply that as he sees it. no ques
tion is likely to arise on that point; there
will be no chance for friction.
The Commission will meet again tomor
row, and will continue the conference with
Secretary Root In the afternoon. That
will be the last meeting of the full com
mission in "Washington before the depar
ture for Manila. The members will dine
with the President at the White House
tomorrow evening, and tomorrow night
three of them, General Wright, Judge Ide
and rrofessor Worcester, will go to their
homes to prepare their private affairs for
a two years' absence In the Philippines.
Judge Taf t, the chairman of the Commls
eion, will go to New York Saturday, but
will return to Washington before starting
on his voyage. Professor Moses will also
leave Saturday, going directly to his home
In California. The Commission will gath
er at San Francisco April 12 and will sail
for Manila the 15th, on the army transport
Hancock.
The personnel of the attaches and staff
has been practically completed, but Judge
Taft prefers to defer the announcement of
their names until tomorrow, in order to
comply with certain necessary formalities.
COALI7CG BASE AT GUAM.
Kavy Department "Will Soon Begin
Construction of Works.
NEW YORK. March 29. A special to
the Tribune from Washington says:
The naval authorities have decided that
Guamstrategically is of scarcely less value
than Hawaii, and have begun the prepara
tion of plans to make it one of the most
important naval bases in the Pacific. The
projected improvements will involve an
expenditure of several millions for a
breakwater at Port San Luis d'Apra, a
coaling wharf and repair shops and shore
butteries for protection against assault.
The department has Just received com
plete surveys of the harbor and port of
the Island, with exhaustive soundings at
the port, and Is making an accurate chart
to be used In laying down the public
works. The project will be perfected by
a board, to sit In Washington, and an ad
visors' board may be convened at Guam
to furnish additional information. Ad
mirals Bcraey and Kempff will also visit
Guam and make reports before construc
tion work begins.
It Is proposed to erect on one side of
the barbor of Port San Luis d'Apra a coal
shed and wharf of 20.000 tons capacity,
with automatic loading machinery. The
immediate necessity for this is shown by
the fact that all naval vessels bound
across the Pacific are compelled to call for
coal at Guam, none of them being able
to make Manila or Hong Kong, after leav
ing Honolulu with full bunkers, except
through the exercise of extreme economy
and the maintenance of their lowest speed.
The Army transport service has found
that a whole day can be saved on the
vojap-e to Manila, by running faster and
recoallng at Guam, and these ships will
stop there regularly as soon as rapid
coaling facilities are provided by the navy.
CHURCH IX THE PniLIPPIXES.
Bishop Potter Found Plenty of Room
for Reform.
NEW YORK, March 29. A partial re
port of the condition of affairs as found
In the Philippines by B.shop Potter, ad
dressed to the Joint Commission on the
Increased possibilities of the Protestant
Episcopal Church, has been made public.
The report is in part as follows:
"The religious situation in the Philip
pines is such as was to be expected in a
colony of Spain. She has stamped her ec
clesiastical traditions narrow, intolerant
and often, corrupting wherever she has
gone, and she has gone almost everywhere
among the various islands of the archi
pelago, great and small. Worst of all, her
religious order-?,, except, perhaps, the
Jesuits, have robtied the people, wrung
from them their lands and taxed the ad
ministration of the sacraments and ordi
nances of religion with a scale of exac
tions and impositions at once scandalous
and outrageous.
"If we are to retain these islands, and
the undersigned are constrained to own,
however they may differ from any of their
assoc'ates as to the wisdom of originally
entering upon them, that no other course
seems for the present open to the United
States, these wrongs and the righting of
them lie at the foundation of the whole
Philippine problem. We must do Justly
In the Philippines, or God will have no
use for us, and our presence there will
inevitably redound to our National dis
honor." SPAXIARDS IX PHILIPPINES.
Glyen More Time to Decide Question
of Naturalization.
WASHINGTON. March 29. Secretary
Hay and the Duke d'Arcos, the Spanish
Minister, today flgned a protocol extend
ing for six months the period allowcl
Spanish residents in the Philippine Islands
to elect whether they shall remain Span
ish subjects or surrender their allegiance
and adopt the nationality of the territory
in which they reside. The article in the
Paris treaty bearing on this subject al
lowed the Spanlrh subjects one year from
the date of the exchange of ratifications
of the treaty within which to make their
choice. That period expires the 11th of
next month. The extension arranged for
does not apply to Cuba or Puerto Rico. It
is confined In operation to the Ph.llpplncs
for the reason that conditions in the archi
pelago have been so unsettled as to war
rant the Spanish residents in hesitating
to make an election In this matter.
Kempff Transfer His Command.
SAN FRANCISCO. March 29. Rcar-Ad-miral
Kempff has transferred the com
mand of the Mare Island navy-vard to
Captain Miller. Admiral Kempff will sail
next Saturday for the Asiatic station
where he will be second in command.
StndjIiiK tlie Atmosphere.
Chicago Record.
In Prussia the Meteorological Institute is
about to arrange for the systematic exam
ination of the aeronautical observatory at
Tagel. near Berlin. Kites and balloons
will be employed at heights from SOOO to
5000 meters to ascerta'n the atmospheric
conditions. The registering apparatus is
taken up by a kite-balloon Inflated with
hydrogen, and can lift 500 meters of wire.
To it a second kite is attached and to
this latter a third, and so on unt!l the
balloon reaches a height of 4000 or more
meters.
NATIONS LITTLE KNOWN.
Small Republics In OHt-of-the-Way
Corners of the World.
As regards population, the smallest re
public in the world is that of Tavora'a,
an island about five miles long, with an
average width of little more than half a
mile, situated about a dozen miles to
the northeast of Sardinia. The total pop
ulation of the whole of the Republic does
not exceed GO, but they elect a President
every six years and a council of six
members, all of whom serve the state
without pay. The women of this island
go to the polls and vote with the men.
and ever rfnee Jt became a Republic, in
16SG, all public business has been trans
acted without turmoil, the elections tak
ing plnce without any high party feeling
or undue excitement.
In 183G King Charles Albert of Sardinia
granted the Island of Travolara to a fam
ily of the name of Bartoleonl, but in less
than half a century the inhabitants threw
oft the yoke of the monarchy and took to
themselves the right to be governed Dy
themselves. This little war did not alarm
I the world, and was quite a peaceful one.
.rung -aui i reign ea until J.6&A ana oiu
his deathfbed requested that none of his
kin should succeed to the throne, and, as
no one claimed the honor, four years
later the people decided to draw up a
constitution, and Tavorala has been a
very successful little Republic since.
Twelve years ago its independence was
recognized by Italy, and it is to be pre
sumed that other powers would have rec
ognized it also If they had known of its
existence. The inhabitants live princi
pally by fishing and raising fruits and
vegetables. They fear no sudden invasion,
for they dispense with an army and navy,
and presumably, in case of need, would
rely upon their entire population to up
hold the freedom of the country.
The small half-French and half-Spanish
Republic of Andorra, which lies in an al
most inaccessible valley of the Eastern
Pyrenees, possesses a charter of right
dating from Charlemagne, in 790. There
is but one way of getting to Andorra
from France, and that is by the River
Bolira. To reach it from Spain you have
to be carried down by mule over one of the
most dangerous footpaths In Europe.
There are six parishes m the Republic,
and the whole contains about 6000 people,
the territory covering an area of 143
square miles. The Republic is governed
by a general council of 24 members, each
parish sending four, and of this council
the Syndic, or President, is chosen for life
by the council. The Syndic, being Presi
dent of the Republic, receives a salary of
$15 a year, and the members of the coun
cil are paid 57 50. The Republic is rather
hampered for, while it elects its own of
ficers, collects its own taxes, and looks
after its own army of 11O0 men, it has to
pay to France 960 francs a year for the
free Importation of com Into the country,
and is forced to import it from France.
Twelve months ago Andorra bought a
big gun from Krupp, and planted it almost
in the center of the Republic, right be
tween Spain and France. Europe should
tremble, for when that gun Is fired, either
France or Spain will be hit, for the Re
public is but 17 miles across, and the
gun carries 20 miles.
Very few people have heard of the exis
tence of the Republic of Goust, which is
situated on the flat top of a mounfain In
the Basses Pyrenees, south of France. It
has but an area of one and a quarter
miles and a population of 140, so that as
regards size, It can fairly claim to be
the 'emallest Republic in the world. It is
an older Republic than the United States,
having been in existence since 1648, and
enjoys the distinction of being recognized
by both Spain and Franco. The Presi
dent is elected from an elder college,
consisting of 12 peasants, who are chosen
every 12 years by the people. The Presi
dent Is also Tax Collector, Assessor and
Judge. If, however, his decisions, are dis
pleasing to the people, they appeal to the
Bishop of Laruns, In the Spanish parish
down the mountain side, and what the
Bishop says is law. Goust is certainly a
unique place, for it has no church or
clergyman, the people worshiping In
churches beyond the limits of their coun
try. Neither have they any burial
grounds, and when a death occurs among
them tlie body is slid down to a cemetery
In the valleys below. In this valley, too,
all the baptisms and marriages take place.
The Republic of San Marino, in Central
Italy, Is perhaps the beat known of all
these tiny Republics. Its territory covers
about 33 square miles and the population
numbers about S500 souls. This minia
ture state was founded in the Fourth cen
tury by SL Marinua, who, having em
braced Christianity, fled here to escape
the persecution under Diocletian. The
capital, San Marino, Is on the crest of a
mountain, over 200 feet high, and has a
population of 1200. It Is one of the most
picturesque places in the world, being
perched upon perpendicular cliffs.
The Republic Is governed by a Legisla
tive Senate of 60 members, elected for life.
From this body is elected the council of
12, which, with a legal adviser, decides all
questions. Two Captains Regent, elected
every six months, represent the state,
which has also its Home Secretary, its
Minister of Foreign Affairs, its Chancel
lor of the Exchequer, Its army of S50
men. and a regular budget. San Marino
Is proud of her antiquity, and hns many
curious customs. By treaty with Italy
the republic receives a certain proportion
of the Italian customs revenue, but ex
acts no customs on her borders. She also
agrees not to grow tobacco, but Is al
lowed to Import It. duty free.
In order to avoid copyright difficulties
there is no printing press in San Marino
and when the mall arrives at Borgo a
bell is run, and those inhabitants who have
their dwellings up on the cliffs have to
descend to get their letters, for, owing to
the primitive state of affaire, the postman
never ascends the rock. Another curious
fact is that the commissary or Judge nnd
the physician must both be strangers, and
a ,d.out of the PublIc Purse-London
Tit-Bits.
The Indecent Cuckoo.
The Academy.
The most affectionate of birds is the
bullfinch tender to his wife, kind to h's
children, faithful even to a human friend,
and, as might be expected, he mates for
life. When tho last scarlet tins .1-0 t.
ting on the bare hedgerow, you may still1
i,cc mm ,uiu me wi:e nc courted In tho
greenwood eating and roosting together.
But the cuckoo Is at the other end of the
scale. He has not the decency to stick
to his wife even for a season, and she
spends Summer flirting with a succes
sion of males, and laying eggs from about
the 9th of April to the middle of June.
A lady robin or hedge-sparrow, knowing
that she will have to feed and nurse her
offspring, takes care that they shall not
number more than four or five. The
cuckoo doesn't care. Without making a
nest, she lays her eggs at the hedge root,
and then flies with it in her mouth to the
first home that comes handy. She does
not oven Inquire into the character of the
nurse, since her egg has been found
among those of over a hundred species,
ranging In size from the wren to the
woofl-plgeon.
From so careless and disreputable a
parent Is it reasonable to expect any but
a monstrous progeny? But the young
cuckoo, though wicked. Is interesting.
Indeed, he presents to students of evolu
tion a problem that becomes more diffi
cult and fascinating as the facts become
more fully ascertained. When newly out
of the shell, the naked, feeble, sprawlinfi
monster proceeds to Fhou'fler his foster
chicks or eggs out of the nest
o
Superintendent Prltchett Resigns.
NEW YORK, March 28. A special to
the Tribune from Washington says:
Professor Hnry S. Prltchett superin
endent of the Coast and Geodetic Survey,
has resigned his place to accept the presi
dency of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, at Boston.
CLEMEN rSATFAURESMITH
FREE
STATE TOWS OCCUPIED
WITHOUT A FIGHT.
The Movement Toward Glen Reason
for Lord Roberts' Prolonged Halt
at BlocBifonteln.
LONDON, March 29. The War Office
has received the following dispatch from
Lord Roberts, dated B.oemfonteln, March
2S:
"General Clements occupied Fauresmlth
today without opposition. One nlne-pound-er
and one Martini-Maxim were discov
ered In a prospecting shaft of a mine,
where a large quantity of ammunition
was buried. Arms are being surrendered
gradually, and the Inhabitants are settling
down.
"Colonel Pilcher visited Ladybrand on
March 25. On leaving the town he was
attacked by a party of the enemy and one
of his force was wounded and five are
missing.
"Dunng the skirmish north of the Mod
der River on March 25, five men were
wounded. Three are reported to be miss
ing. Captain Sloan Stanley, of the Six
teenth Lancers, and five men of that
Teglment were taken prisoners."
Conjecture as to Lord Roberts ad
vance from Bloemfonteln is the topic
of the day, and is likely to con
tinue so if the British Commander-in-Chief
in South Africa conceals his move
ments as carefully as he has done in tho
past. April 2 is set by various critics as
tho probable date of the departure of the
main army from Bloemfonteln. It Is point
ed out that there will then be over a
week's hard marching before Kroonstad
is reached, though there, seems no cer
tainty that Kroonstad will entirely oc
cupy Roberts' attention. The advance,
when it does occur, will probably be made
by parallel columns along a broad front
The movements of the cavalry force and
part of the Infantry towards Glen can
scarcely be construed as an actual ad
vance, although they undoubtedly point to
the Imminence of such a step. But only
a small part of General Gatacre's forces
have yet arrived at Bloemfonteln and un
til that movement is completed. It Is not
likely Roberts will start for Pretoria.
The latest news from Bloemfonteln, con
tained in a dispatch published In the sec
ond edition of the Times and dated
Wednesday, again dwells upon the neces
sity for not making a premature advance.
This correspondent, who on several occa
sions seemed to be chosen as the mouth
piece of Roberts, cables:
"It should be clearly understood that tho
present halt in the vicinity of Bloemfon
teln Is absolutely necessary as a military
precaution. It should be borne In mind
that we are about to enter on a new
phase of the operations, with the main
communication through a recently occu
pied hostile country and that the recent
successes necessitated a great expenditure
of horse power. Here and In Natal we
shall move on the commencement of tho
South African .Winter and must be pre
pared to face the effects of the first frost
upon such animals as may be affected with
horse sickness. It would be suicide to push
troops forward until they are equipped to
meet the exposure of Winter. Horses,
clothing and food we must have."
The correspondent adds that the Boer
forces have been re-equipped, and he
says he la fully convinced that 15,000 for
eign troops have been landed to aid the
republics.
The Duke of Norfolk has resigned tho
office of Postmaster-General, owing to the
fact that he Is going to South Africa with
the Sussex Yeomanry.
Speaking at Belfast today, Herbert
Gladstone, son of the late William E.
Gladstone, and a member of Parliament,
declared that nearly all of the Liberal
nhade agreed. In regard to the settlement
of the South African question, that It was
the duty of the government to make a
recurrence of the war impossible, and to
show the world that British power In
South Africa was predominant; that the
British flag must wave over the whole of
South Africa.
AX IXTBRVIEW WITH KRUGER,
The Transvaal President Still Confi
dent of Success.
NEW YORK. March 29. The World
publishes a long interview with President
Kruger, under date of Pretoria, February
7. President Kruger said:
"I sent a message to the World saying
that the losses in a war 'would stagger
humanity.' The British laughed at me
and said they would only take a month to
conquer us. Did those 650 dead at Splon
kop and those hundreds who were killed
in other battles please the British? Are
they laughlnc now? When you camo
through London did you see much laugh
ing?" The correspondent told him of the scenes
in front of the London war bulletin
boards, the weeping relatives and the sor
rowing friends. Mr. Kruger went on:
"Yes, that Is only one side of the picture
Here we have the same scenes, only our
casualties are not so great Every home
in South Africa has been desolated and
the war has only berun. Walt until the
war Is ended and those who will suffer on
account of It will be numbered by the
hundreds of thousands. Did Chamberlain
and Milner and the capitalists who were
back of them think of those things before
they drove us to the wall? Are the tears
of widows and orphans to pay for the gold
fields?
"Tell the Americans that I appreciate
their expressions of sympathy, and tVat
I will inform my burghers of it I am
greatly pleased to hear that cemmitteea
have ber-n formed to raise funds for our
Red Crrls. We need medicines and sup
plies for the wounded not so much for
our own wounded, but for the many poor
British soldiers who come into our hands.
It makes my heart bleed to see that they
suffer, we cannot help them as much as
we would like to do, because the British
authorities will not let us bring medicines
or supplies for our local Red Cross through
Delagoa Bay."
President Kruger said that the Boers
looked for no assistance from any nation.
He declared that the Boers would not de
stroy the mines in any event. He said
that before the war he believed that the
United States would offer to act as ar
bitrator of the differences between the two
countries, and that he was perfectly con
tent to accept the decision that wou.d
have been made, but Great Britain refused
to arbitrate.
Kruger explained at length the efforts
which the British authorities made to seal
up Delagoa Bay, and then told of a
message he sent Salisbury concerning it
Kruger says he refused to have any more
correspondence with Chamberlain, but
frequently cabled to Salisbury.
In one cablegram he asked Salisbury to
allow food stuffs to enter through Delagoa
Bay, or they would be compelled to feed
2000 British prisoners In Pretoria on maize
porridge. Salisbury did not reply, but a
message signed "Chamberlain" explained
that the embargo on foodstuffs had been
raised three days before. Kruger laughed
heartily when he told that Chamberlain's
message was telegraphed back to Salis
bury with the query. "Is this true?" The
President added: "We have not heard
from Chamberlain since," and laughed for
fully half a minute.
Secretary Reltz then told of a series of
communications between the President
and Salisbury concerning prlsaners who
were taken by the British at Douglas,
Capo Colony, and who. although they be
came citizens of the Orange Free State,
are being tried in Cape Town for high
treason. The President sent a cablegram
directly to Salisbury demanding that the
Douglas prisoners be treated only as pris
oners of war and not as treasonable sub
jects of Her Majesty's Government, and
stated that If they were executed reprisals
would be made. Salisbury replied that if
the Pretoria prisoners were Iniured. both
J President Kruger and Steyn would be
hanged at the conclusion of the war. The
President thought that was harsh lan
guage to use, and, according to Reltz'
statement replied: "Go ahead with your
hanging, but remember that your son,
Lord Edward Cecil, is In Mafeking."
Kruger has no reply to this message.
"My burghers are fighting bravely," he
ald. with much earnestness, "and will
continue to do so until Great Britain asks
for peace or withdraws her soldiers,. We
cannot expect to conquer several hundred
thousand men In a day, but my burghers
are going ahead rapidly, as you can see
by looking at the place where we keep
our prisoners. Even as your forefathers
fought against great odds in the Revolu
tionary War. so are we struggling; and
even as God was with your people, so Is
he with us. We have fought with .Eng
land before, and we defeated her sol
diers. We will be victorious again."
NEW "WORDS IN ENGLISH.
How Anglican Dictionaries "Will Be
Enriched by the Boer "War.
London Daily Mall.
When the war Is over and done with,
many folks will be surprised "to see the
number of strange words that have crept
Into the English language, and which, In
the process of time, will duly find their
place in the dictionaries of the English
tongue.
These words are the direct result of the
present operations in South Africa, In
every case when England has had occa-
WORSE NOISE
slon to add to her empire some portion of
land hitherto in the possession of an
other power, she has also annexed certain
words most commonly current in that
country.
Already there are signs that a dozen
words at least have been, so to say, In
corporated Into our language, of which 99
per cent of Britons would have been Ig
norant had It not been for the war. Take
a word like "commandeer," meaning to
annex, by force if necessary, but anyhow
to take possession of. The Boers "com
mandeered" men, money, guns, horses and
anything they found ready to their hands.
We shall hencoforth speak of schoolboys
"commandeering" apples from an orchard,
or a selfish traveler "commandeering" tqe
best seat In a first-class compartment.
Again the word "roolnek," meaning "red
neck," which is a Boer nickname for an
English soldier, is already used as a term
of opprobrium, and a new slang expres
sion to denote a man against whom one
has a grudge.
Another Boer term that Is extremely
expressive, and cannot fall to make its
way, even In the English language, which
Is so well supplied with adjectives of a
like nature, is "slim." This means cun
ning, sly, canny, or smart In the rather
unpleasant sense of the term as Implying
a desire to get the better of somebody
else. General Joubert Is called "Slim
Plet" and many instances have occurred
during the past few months demonstrating
the fact that one of the chief character
istics of the Boer nation Is that of "sllm
ncss." It Is a useful word, and conveys a
subtlety of meaning which Is not fully ex
pressed by any other single word In our
tongue.
Again, to "trek," Implying to travel, to
shift one's quarters, to move, to travel
across an expanse of country, is a very
useful synonym for an operation of dall
occurrence. The Boers always "trek" from
one place to another, and with them It
means a kind of caravan, which, before
the advent of railways in their country,
was their only means of progression. We
shall henceforth say, "Where are you
trekking to this summer?" In place of
"Where do you mean to spend your holi
days?" or "It is a long trek home when
the snow blocks the tram lines." It will
be found an extremely useful word, with
a deal of local color clinging to It
A collection of wagons, forming an ob
long lnclosure, and containing the oxen
used to draw the wagons, is called a
"laager," and forms a sort of primitive
fortification which the Boers use at night
to protect themselves from the raids of
enemies or wild animals. "Laager,"
again, will be heard very ofen after the
war Is over. Children will build "laagers"
at the seaside with sand, and even the
old proverb may be altered to read.
"Every Englishman's house Is his laager."
There are many other developments which
this word may take, but it Is sufficient to
indicate its general scope.
When a team of oxen is unharnessed
from the yokes they are said to be "out
spanned," and when they are put to the
wagon again they are "lnspanned." This
applies equally to horses or to mules.
Here and there on the commonage close
to the larger towns a notice board may
often be seen displaying the Inscription,
"Geen TJltspan," which means that oxen
must not be outspanned on this spot
When our troops come back from South
Africa the stable3 through England will
echo to the familiar expressions "inspan"
and "outspan."
In future, no doubt, every little hillock
will be christened a "kopje." It is a useful
term for any elevation larger than a dust
heap and smaller than a mountain. It
comes trippingly off the tongue, particular
ly If It is pronounced in the South African
fashon. "koppy," and not. as Is too often
the case In England, "kopjee," which is
absolutely wrong and unauthentic.
These and many more words will make
their appearance before long in current
talk, as they already have done in the
columns of the newspapers. Our grand
children will find them duly Inscribed In
the dlctlorarles of the perlcd, and will even
cease to wonder whence their origin.
a o
Tennessee has become the leading phos
phate producer of America. There are 243
valuable mines In the state, and over 21,
000 men arc employed in the business.
New mines are being opened dally.
BOERS AT CLOSE RANGE
JULIAN RALPH DRAWS A FOCUS OX
THE ALLEGED REPUBLIC.
Lip Service to Religion Deceives
None "Who See the Cunning:,
Trickery and Dishonesty.
Julian Ralph, special correspondent of
the London Daily Mail with the British
army in South Africa, contributes to the
New York Times this letter:
The agents of the Transvaal, paid to
arouse sympathy and, if possible, to in
duce the Intervention of a foreign power,
have different methods In different coun
tries. In France they simply malign Eng
land and prevaricate about her purpose
and part in their war. In Holland and
Germany they hold up the glistening bub
ble of a great Teutonic nation embracing
all South Africa. In England and Amer
ica they p6so the Transvaal and Orange
Free Statetas two feeolo farmer-republics
throttled by the British octopus, though
they never would have made this war if
they had not expected to play the part
of the octupus themselves and to take
England at a disadvantage. They are
honest in no country and In nothing, but
It Is In France that they come nearest to
AND MORE OP IT.
St Louis Globe-Democrat
tho truth. They hate England as genu
inely as the "professional Irishmen" only
pretend to. They have hated her since
she freed their slaves and forbade the
Inhuman cruelty with which the Boers
treated the black races around them.
They left Cape Colony, which England
owned by purchase, and trekked as far
as possible from the loathed "red necks"
in order to set up a government wholly
according to their tastes and liking.
In the Free State, by reason of Intermar
riages with the Briton and close relations
with him as a neighbor and as a customer,
they produced a dignified and honest gov
ernment and a happy commonwealth, now
betrayed, alas, by an unscrupulous Pres
ident, who, bribed by a promise that he
shall succeed Kruger as the head of a
union of both republics, has sold his coun
try to the victor In this war. In the
Transvaal the more Ignorant, fanatical
and unruly section set up such a govern
ment as could be planned by the progeny
of 17th century peasants who had retro
graded from even that narrow foothold
on the edge of civilization. As to the pit
iful character of that government and
their unworthlness of even so poor a
makeshift, I refer you to James Bryce's
"Impressions of South Africa," trusting
that you are aware that Mr. Bryce's prin
ciples constitute him neither a tory, a
jingo, nor a warm devotee of Mr. Joseph
Chamberlain. In his able book you will
also read how helpless the Transvaal be
came In the state of its finances and the
face of its black enemies, how England
came to its rescue, then took over the
chaotic government, and then abandoned
it, but retained that suzerainty whose
continuance has been questioned only by
means of a quibble In Boerdom, but Is
recognized by every other power on earth.
But it is as to their plea that England Is
waging war against two struggling "farmer-republics"
that I desire briefly to ad
dress you. I do so because extracts which
I have seen from reputable American
newspapers cause me to suspect that some
of my countrymen may be impressed by
Transvaal arguments reiterated In news
papers whoso aid may have been pur
chased, and In others whose editors may
be swayed by sentiment rather than
knowledge or reasoning.
To begin with, the Boers are not and
never havo been farmers. Until 20 or 23
years ago they were hunters and traders
in pelts. Since then they have become
cattle-herders. Their so-called farms are
but ranges of the veldt tho prairie. These
ranges are fenced with barbed wire, im
proved by wells or reservoirs, and rein
forced by small patches of Indian corn.
Otherwise these farms remain as the first
Boers found them. In the second place,
this is their war, and not Great Britain's.
It should have been of England's making
and should have been waged a dozen or
15 years ago, when the Boer conspiracy
to seize South Africa was seen to be
waxing strong and general. But, aa
events have proved, it is a war steadily
projected for 19 years by the Boers, who
began to equip themselves for it with
lavish outlays for arms and fortifications
at least four years ago. Finally, it was
forced by the Boers, declared by the
Boers, and begun by the Boers.
I am here with a British army, but I
came with an open mind. On the voyage
I read all the trustworthy books upon
tho history of South Africa, and since I
landed here four months ago I have made
It my task to study the Boer at home and
at large. The public at home knows, so
far as It knows me at all, that I take
no retainer for what I write. Here I am
a foreigner, an outsider, and a looker-on.
I am frank to say that the English re
peatedly made grave mistakes In their
dealings with both their own colonists
and. In one or two instances, with the
Boera. but these mistakes were always
to their own damage. They did one in
justice. They acted unjustifiably in their
mode of acquiring the Kimberley diamond
fields, but the Free State accepted a
small sum of money as a salve, and may
never with dignity or decency -reopen
that sore. As to the Jameson raid by
means of which the Boers seek to justify
their present war so long as the British
Government be not shown to have been
privy to it, there can be no more to say
than that it was an asinine and outrage
ous affair, for which many of the reform
era were punished as the Boers saw fit.
and a portion of the raiders as the Eng
lish law decreed.
The Boers would have you believe that
tho capitalists among the disappointed Ult
landers are the progenitors of this war,
and that their purpose is to hand over
the Rand to England. Several facts in
terfere with this theory. In the first
place, there are hundreds of men in Cape
Town who were approached as far back
as 17 years ago with an invitation to Join
tho Dutch in their conspiracy to drive
the British out of South Africa and make
It a great Boer empire. In the second
place, the Ultlanders are not nearly all
Englishmen, and the Rand mines are
mainly owned by French and German in
vestors, tho English Interest being a -very
small part of the whole. In the third
place, tho grievances of the Ultlanders
truly were the basis and cause of the
demands which England made of the
Transvaal last year, but those were not
unjust demands. They could have been
acceded to with great credit to the Trans
vaal, but every man who was here, be
he Boer or Briton, knows that war and
not peace was the goal at which Kruger
was driving, and driving in such hot haste
that three weeks before he declared it,
he devoted a Sunday morning to urging
Steyn to Join him In it3 Instant declara
tion, that the English might be thrashed
before they were ready to fight
If this really was a war of the Ultland
ers against the Boers, and If the Ameri
can public would Inform itself upon the
nature of the rule which persecuted these
heavy taxpayers who have created Boer
dom's wealth and made possible its crude
ambition, then, I say, no Boer could get
a hearing from my countrymen. Grave
and cruel as was the Injustice our fore
fathers suffered at the hands of an Imbe
cile English King before we threw oft
hi3 yoke, I do not hesitate to say that
the grievances of these Ultlanders were
more numerous and In some part more
grave and Intolerable. The crafty Boers
have dared to liken their present hapless
plight to our unhappy condition as colo
nials, but whenever they rouse an Ameri
can to the point of studying the facts,
they will And that man likening the Ult
landers to his ancestors and vowing that
so narrow, bigoted, unjust and corrupt a
people as the Transvaal Boers have tio
right to national exlstence In this broad,
humane and progressive age.
You are 9000 miles from the Boers, but
I assure you that the nearer you ap
proach them and the more closely you
view them the less you will respect them;
to like them Is Impossible. Their Up
service to religion deceives those who do
not know that they are a non-moral peo
ple, cunning, tricky, dishonest, and un
truthful in the extreme, and holding up
"sllmness" (which Is ability to take an
unfair advantage of a neighbor) as the
highest proudest aim of man. I will not
describe to you how they are housed, how
they eat, dress and sleep, for unless you
have heard something of the facts you
could not believe the whole account to
be true. You will find somewhat similar
conditions only In the Balkans and in
Turkey, and yet it Is unjust to those peo
ples to even seem to compare them with
tho Boers.
I am not permitted to describe the at
mosphere of treason, spying, false Infor
mation and underhand dealing with the
enemy by which the disloyal Boer subjects
of the Queen environ the British armies
on their own British ground. Nor am I
permitted to tell you of the barbarities
and despicable tricks with which the Boers
are fouling their record In war. I am
under military law, and these things are
forbidden. This much I will say that the
course of this war, which thus far ap
pears to reflect extraordinary credit upon
the Boer as a soldier. Is due to British
blundering far more than to Boer prow
ess. No European army of these days has
encountered the conditions which prevail
here, and the British are learning to suit
their methods to the novel requirements.
We are now about to open the chapter
which will record the results of this revo
lutionary training In modern warfare.
But the point I wish to emphasise Is that
this war Is of the Boers' own begetting,
and they should be allowed to tako their
fill of it, whether they like the medicine
or not As for England's part in It, con
sider how It has already cemented her and
her colonies, and reflect how surely this
means that there Is to be a multiplied
Great Britain, stronger than ever we
dreamed she might be. A new Great Brit
ain with a large army the only experi
enced, practical, modern force In Europe
and with another standing army In each
of her colonies. JULIAN RALPH,
Modder River, Grequaland, West. Feb. 15,
100.
"We Are Cleaner Today.
The Cornhlll.
With regard to all the refinements of
habit conveyed In the words cleanliness,
sanltalton and facility of locomotion, the
small shopkeeper, the mechanic, the very
peasant of today is better off than were
Princes and noblemen 70 or 80 years ago.
That little bathroom of poor Queen Maria
Antoinette, at the Trianon must havo been
almst as much an object of curiosity, for
Its singularity. In her day, as it Is now for
its associations; and certain it Is that In
all those vast piles of buildings at Ver
sailles, with all their gorgeous magnifi
cence, bathrooms were an unknown quan
tity. According to some authorities, Louis
XIV never washed a little cold cream ap
plied with a cambric handkerchief serving
Instead. This let us hope was a cal
umny, but-In St Simon's minute and de
tailed account of the monarch's day, from
the handling in of his periwig through tho
closed bed curtains In the morning, until
several Dukes and Marquises had handed
the royal night chemise to each other, the
highest in rank placing it upon the royal
shoulders, and his chaplain, kneeling at
a prie-dleu at the foot of the bed, had said
his night prayers for him, no mention Is
made of any ablutions, except that he was
shaved every other day.
Mme. De Carette, In her "Souvenirs,"
gives a curious account of tho state of
the Tullerles under the Second Empire;
the splendor of the state appartments in
strange contrast with the discomfort and
darkness of the Interior of the place; nar
row wlndowless corridore and staircases,
with no ventilation and lighted with lamps
both night and day; the consequent heat
and oppressiveness becoming quite painful
with the first return of spring, and mak
ing the whole household sigh for the sig
nal of departure for St. Cloud or Fontaln
bleau. -
Intolerant Bigotry Bred Skepticism.
New York Commercial Advertiser.
While some persons are Investigating
the decline of Christianity in our rural
districts and cities, others have turned
their attention to colleges and universi
ties, and claim to find a very encouraging
state of things among the students. Tho
Influence of the late Mr. Moody, varied by
the scholarship and tact of his friend.
Professor Henry Drummond, appears to
have been enduring and fruitful. Accord
ing to replies received from 45 education
al Institutions in 20 states, from 45 to
E5 per cent of the students in different
colleges profess some form of Christian
belief. It Is significant that at Johns
Hopkins, our first university m the strict
sense that many of our best educators at
tach to that term, Co per cent of the
senior class are identified with religious
Affnrf Annfhpr Klrrnlfleant fact Is that
returns are as good from undenominatlon-
al as from denominational colleges. The
whole result of the Investigation Is an
educational sign worth noting, because it
is an unforced tendency of young men in
an environment where Intellectual effort
Is both fresh and active. It Is different
from the numerical return of the census
taker; it is proof of quality under ex
ceptional conditions. In another respect
also it serves as contrast between the
colonial and later type of college under
church control or Influence, and the pres
ent educational openness to intellectual
Influences of all kinds. The returns are
more favorable under the new than the
old order. It Is doubtful If today there
Is in any college or university in the
country such an assertion of skepticism
as there was once in Yale in the early
days.
THE GAME IN ALASKA
OBSERVATION OF EXPLORERS
THE GOVERNMENT.
OF
Thousands of Water Foivl and Song-
Blrds Visit the Territory
Every Summer.
Some of the exploring parties sent out
by the War Department in 1S9S traversed
wholly unknown regions In Inner Alaska
hundreds of miles Irom the coasts, says
the New York Sun. They saw a good
deal of Alaskan game, and In their re
cently published reports give some fresh
Information on this subject Lieutenant
Castner, for example, who struck out a
route all the way from Cook Inlet to
Dawson City, sums up his observations
with the remark that Alaska is not so
well suplied with game as most people
imagine. Many large tracts in the Interior
seems entirely devoid of game and are a
perfect solitude. Every summer, however,
thousands of water-fowl and song birds
pay a visit to our northern territory,
rear their young and then go South again.
Among them are many varieties of tho
duck and geese families, and many ot
the water-fowl stay all winter along tho
mild 'south coast of Alaska. The raven,
the ptarmigan and a few small snowbirds
are the only birds that remain after the
snow comes.
On his long journey Lieutenant Castner
saw the tracks of hundreds of bears, but
did not see one of the animals. The large
brown and the small black bears are tho
principal representatives of the bruin
family. The black bear Is most plentiful
and Is not so fierce as the brown bear,
which Is said to be very ferocious when
wounded. The large game that he saw
were moose, caribou, sheep, goats, lynx.
foxes, wolves and wolverines. He saw
the tracks of perhaps a thousand moose,
but they are so shy and so quick to dis
cover the presence of a human being that
he saw only one of them. The wolverine
seems to enjoy a practical joke, for ho
tears open caches and destroys their con
tents, even though they are not edible.
Captain Abcrcromble mentions in his re
port 20 species of mammals living in tho
Copper River Valley, Including- those men
tioned above, besides the sliver tip, blue
glacier and yellow bears, and the beaver,
marten, mink, muskrat, whistling mar
mot, porcupine and gopher.
Captain Glenn's report tells of the ef
forts that Mr. Story, of the Alaska Pack
ing Association, and others are making to
raise blue foxes on Fox Island, about
SO miles southwest of Port Valdez. They
pay the United States about $100 rental
every year for the use of the island, and
their plant. Including the foxes brought
to the island, has cost about $12,000. with
very small return up to the end of tho
third season. In 1S93 they had about SCO
head on hand, and expected to utilize
some of their increase last year. The re-
.putcd increase of the animals Is seven per
female annually, but these trappers are
amply satisfied if they succeed In raising
five. The foxes run wild on the Island,
but are caught readily without Injury in
box traps, from which the males are tak
en and killed and the females are re
leased. The pelts are valued at from $10
to $15 each.
Mr. F. A. Lucas has recently described
in Science the feeding and trapping of
blue foxes on Prlbllof Islands, where the
Industry has not long been established.
The Island of St George Is admirably
adapted for the abode of the fox, the
only drawback being the lack of food dur
ing the winter. After pelagic sealing b
came prevalent the foxes had, for a time,
an abundant supply of food In the shape
of seal pups, whose mothers had been
shot at sea, the pups starving In conse
quence. In 1S96 every pup was devoured
by foxes. On the Aleutian Islands dried
salmon has been used to feed foxes In
Winter, and on St. George linseed meal
has been fed to them. In 1S97 it was de
cided to use the carcasses of skinned
.-eals. but as the catch out of St Geor-ja
has of late been small, carcasses were
?alted. brought over from St Paul and
used for baiting the fox traps. As tho
use of the box proved slow, a corral, was
constructed and arranged so that the ei
trance could, easily be closed. This plan
proved a success, the foxes entering with
out hesitation, so that from five to forty
could be taken. The males are killed by
breaking their necks, but one male Is left
alive to every three females. Blue foxes
seem to lack the proverbial craft of tho
other fox species, for they readily enter
the pen, and when released do so again.
If by a little artificial selection and en
vironment a naturally monogamous ani
mal can be rendered polygamous, the sup
ply of blue fox skins will be jnaterlall
Increased. The greatest number taken In
one evening on St George Island has teen
245, of which 61 were killed.
a '
Gape's Happy Thought.
New York Journal of Commerce.
It wa3 a happy thought of Secretary
Gcge to decorate the new 2 per cen;
bonds, authorized under the gold-standard
law, with the portrait of Senator Benton,
of Missouri. The process summarized in
"Gresham's law" had sent gold out of
the country; the inconvenience of silver
had stimulated the Issue of bank notes
with little regulation and inadequate se
curity. Mr. Benton, a Democrat of tho
period of Andrew Jackson and not of that
of William J. Bryan, saw that the mint
ratio must be made to conform to tho
market ratio, and induced Congress to so
change the law. As he desired not sim
ply the concurrent circulation of gold
and silver, but a circulation of gold in
preference to silver, it served his purposo
that gold was somewhat overvalued. From
the date of the coinage act which he car
ried through Congress to the present
time, with the exception of the paper
money period the country has been in
fact upon the gold basis, and now that
the country has been put legally also on
the gold standard, It Is At that this em
inent Democratic champion of gold should
be honored.
hi
Blowing- Him Down.
T
Longman's.
Dr. Isaac Barrow was an eminent di
vine, great at long sermons; three hours
were nothing to him. On one occasion
ho was preaching In the abbey, and had
got well on In his "tenthly. my breth
ren," without any Indication of tho
stream's running dry. Now, the abbey Is
a show-place as well as a church; and
the showmen to wit, the vergers-becama
restive under the eloquence of Dr. Bar
row. Accordingly, as the veracious chron
icler records, they "caused tho organs to
play, until they had blowed him down."
Here again, you see, the organs blew.
Whether the organist was asleep not un
likely, for organists prefer a" sleep to a
long sermon any day and one of tho
vergers officiated at the keys. I do not
know, but I confess. I should like to have,
heard the "voluntary" fit name! that
"blowed" Isaac Barrow down.
- a
Officer Arrested For Kldnnpplnr.
SACRAMENTO. Cal., March 29. The
agent of the State of Washington, having
in charge John Collins, the alleged Seattle
bank robber, was arrested here on the
arrival of the Oregon train on a warant
Issued by Judge Lawter on a charge of
kidnapping, a preliminary step to habeas
corpus proceedings.
Por Infants and Children.
The Kind You Have Always Bought
Boars tho
Signature of
Z&fi&t