SWiH
6
THE MORNING OREGONIAN, SATURDAY, 'APRIL 7, 1900.
' fyfmr-r v-kfs at-tfgfftfi
Enured at tb PoitoOce at Portland. Oregon,
as-sccond-clsss matter.
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TODAY'S "WEATHER. Generally fair; west
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PORTLAJCD, SATURDAY, APRIL T.
TWO VTEWS OF ORIEXTAL DEVIX
OPJIEXT. The American people are asked to
view with alarm the prospect of close
social, commercial and Industrial rela
tions with the cheap-labor peoples of.
the Orient. They will, it Is argued, cor
rupt our morals, undersell our factories,
degrade our labor. That, undoubtedly.
Is one way to look at It. But there is
another way, -and the other way is set
out in a letter printed elsewhere from
a Portland man now at Manila. Not
every one can nccept at once the view
held by "Veritas Vinclt"; but it cer
tainly Is a. view deserving of serious
consideration.
"Veritas Vinclt" make3 one mistake
In his letter, probably, and that Is in
unduly emphasizing the money ques
tion. The silver standard is not the
sole cause of the low price of Asiatic
labor. The two things are concomitant.
Improved wages and Improved mone
tary standards go together. They are
marks of advancing civilization.
Japan's awakening has been accompa
nied by higher wages and the gold
standard. They are talking of the gold
standard In China. They are acquiring
It in India. The prophecy that in a
short time England will fasten the gold
standard on China as she has fastened
it on Japan and is fastening It
upon India, is an excellent illustra
tion of that apostle of socialism's dan
gerous perversion .of truth. The men of
India have demanded the gold stand
ard and insisted on it, despite the ef
forts of English and American "blmet
allsts" to keep them down on the sil
ver standard. Japan has taken the
gold standard at her own Instance: and
the struggles jof South American states
to raise themselves to the solid ground
of the gold standard will ere long be
duplicated in China.
In viewing the contact of the Orient
and the "Western nations, therefore, we
should look at the matter in a broad
and comprehensive way. The question
" Is. "Will they drag us down or shall we
lift them up? Our correspondent takes
the hopeful view, and he supports it
Tvlth evidence drawn from actual ob
servation in the Philippines. His letter
Is very suggestive, and should be read
-by all who fear the effects of Oriental
competition upon our industries.
Two great streams of civilization are
converging here. One is strong, the
other weak. One has degraded labor,
low conditions of comfort, debased
currencies, benighted Ideals, medieval
institutions; the other has educated
labor, thff gold standard, free press and
free speech, high mechanical develop
ment, unbounded enterprise. Will the
lower drag down the higher, or will
the higher elevate the lower? History
encourages us to the more optimistic
view. Backward races touched ad
vanced civilization in all times and
climes, and Imbibed its culture. Old
"Egpt and old Persia were drawn upon
by- the ambitious hordes of Europe.
Greece got its beginnings of culture
from ' Egypt, and Rome drew from
Greece. The nomad Israelites tarried
by the Nile and carried what they
learned into Palestine. Spain drew its
civilization from the Moors and the
cross followed the Roman eagle to
Britain. A hint of what may be ex
pected In- the Pacific's era Just opening
is afforded in the record of Japan. How
Incomprehensibly small the Oriental in
fluence upon our own people, how tre
mendous the uplifting effect of West
ern ideas already discernible In the
Island kingdom's Industries, manners
and laws!
We can look at this thing In a timid
way, fearful of ourselves; or in confi
dence and reliance we can Indulge the
hope to bring the Asiatics up to our
level of ambition and comfort. The
precedents are encouraging; and we
can feel assured of Incidental benefits
to ourselves. An awakened and up
lifted Orient means another Europe at
our doors. The" commerce -that has
built up New Tork and Philadelphia.
Boston and Baltimore awaits, on this
side, the future Portland and San Fran
cisco. TO JIB EXPECTED.
Captures of small detachments from
Lord Roberts' army, like those reported
from Bethanle and a week ago at San
aa's Post, are to be expected from time
to time, as they ane an incident of all
wars In which a long line of railway
communication needs protection from
the attacks of a rapidly moving
mounted enemy. Such attacks were of
weekly occurrence upon the communi
cations of General Rosecrans In Ten
nessee nnd General."' Grant in Missis
sippi during 1S63. General Grant's first
attempt to move by land from Memphis
against Vlcksburg, in co-operajion with
General Sherman's attack upon Chick
asaw Bayou, was foiled by a successful
attack of Confederates under General
Van Dorn upon Grant's depot of sup
plies at Holly Springs. Miss. The Fed
eral garrison surrendered and the sup
plies were destroyed.
In 18C2, 1863 and 1864 the Confederate
Mounted Riflemen under Forrest.
Wheeler and John Morgan were very
successful In attacking our line of rail
way communications defended by
blockhouses In Kentucky, Tennessee
and Georgia. We had plenty of cav
alry; we had fairly good cavalry com
manders; but the enemy were nearly
i always successful in picking up our de
tachments and garrisons, because of
I'- their superior mobility, which was due
, to their thorough knowledge of the
country; tney jujcw every crossroad;
every wood road; every ford, and the
people were ready to furnish them with
information or act as guides.
Lord Roberts suffers under the same
difficulties. He has a long line of com
munications; the enemy are well
mounted; they know the whole country
thoroughly, and the majority of the
people are their spies. The capture of
a few hundred men out of an army of
70.000 has no appreciable effect upon
the execution of Lord Roberts' plans
for his next advance.
THE TRi'STS AXD PUERTO RICO.
Mr. T. F. Kershaw writes us from
Ashland:
In dealing your Titan 'blows on the Puerto
Rico "enormity," why not be fair? Your posi
tion that the protected Interests tobacco and
sugar are responsible for the IS per cent tarlft
on Puerto Rlcan roods 1 controverted by
weighty authority. Senator Depew, Speaker
Henderson, in his famous letter, and Congress
man Tongue, all say, substantially, that these
Interests were represented by a lobby working,
not for a tariff, but for free trade. Specula
tors, last Winter, bought up this year's crops
of tobacco and sugar In the Islands, In antici
pation of free trade with the mother country.
Their Interests would be "protected" by free
trade. The "bogie" man Is jumped up on both
sides of this question. Where does he stand?
Who owns the sugar and tobacco in
Puerto. Rico makes no difference. Governor-General
Davis, in answer to an
inquiry, telegraphed that the story of
the previous purchase of the sugar and
tobacco by the trusts was a pure fabri
cation. The British Vice-Consul at San
Juan says it all belongs to the planters
themselves, and that there Is not much
of it, anyhow, as all but this year's
crop was exported long ago. It seems.
therefore, that the story about the
trusts wanting free trade with Puerto
Rico has been manufactured by the ex
emplary partisans quoted by Mr. Ker
shaw, for the express purpose of throw
ing dust In the eyes of the people.
All this, however, is aside from the
question. The Protected Interests are
not concerned for the paltry products
of Puerto Rico. That Is a small mat
ter. What they fear Is the entering
wedge of free trade with Puerto Rico,
to be widened in the case of the Phil
ippines, and eventually, perhaps, to
knock down about their ears the whole
fabric of their special privileges under
the tariff. Then we should have the
benefit of foreign competition. Then
our Protected Interests would have to
sell as cheaply here at home as they do
abroad. To ask us to believe that the
trusts are lobbying at Washington in
favor of free trade is to give us credit
for a tremendous stock of credulity.
While on the subject, it may be as
well to give Mr. Kershaw a few figures
for his scrapbook. They are furnished
by Mr. Henry W. Lamb, of Boston,
president of the New England Free
Trade League, and are open to correc
tion or refutation If wrong In any re
spect. The comparison Is of prices of
products controlled by trusts, through
operation of our protective tariff:
PRICES IN UNITED STATES AND ENG
LAND. U.S. Eng.
Article and quantity. price. price.
Lead. 10U lb l TO 3 CI
Litharge, lb b"!i 4
Wire, smooth. 100 lbs 3 2 S3
Barb wire. gait-.. ICO lbs..... 3 SI 2 3a
Wire nails. 100 lbs 3 3$ 2 55
Iron ore. ton til3 C 23
Tin plate. 100 ltn 4 KS 3 GO
Sheet steel. 100 lbs 2 70 2 07
Galvanised Iron. 100 lbs 3 TS 3 S3
Steel beams. 10O lbs 2 5) lm
Borax, refined, lb 073 034
Lime, bbl so G2
Cream of tartar, crystals. lb. 22U 150
Bleaching powder, lb 2 .013
Castor oil. lb 12& OGO
Caustic soda. 100 lbs 2 42 1 M
Cement, Portland, best. bbl.. 2 55 1 11
TO MIGRATING FARMERS.
An exodus of 1500 farmers from some
of the Atlantic States and those of the
Middle West, to North Dakota, is re
ported, as the result of the enterprise
of a Western railway company In se
curing settlers along the line of its
road. The movement will be of prac
tical benefit to North Dakota,- whose
vast areas are capable of supporting
an immense population. The climate
of that state does not differ materially
from that of the states whence this
immigration was drawn, hence these
farmer folk will not have to learn anew
the lessons of their vocation, as they
have descended from sire to son for
generations, but will keep on battling
climate in the old way. The same rig
ors of Winter and heats of Summer to
which they are accustomed must be
met and provided against in their new
home. The environment will be new,
the elbow room Increased, and the
change, merely as a change, will be In
a greater or less degree beneficial.
There Is a theory that people wear
out certain conditions of environment,
nnd if they persistently remain therein
they become stationary, so far as
growth in Intelligence and aspiration
is concerned. If, Indeed, they do not
retrograde. In this view an exodus
from old to new lands, with all that
the transfer implies of growth and
nwakenlng to new conditions and exi
gencies, may be commended, even
though. In climatic and other natural
advantages, the new location is not su
perior to the old. Of far greater value,
however, to farmers who seek homes in
a nw or a different locality would be
a transfer that would add to the simple
advantages of change of location the
decided advantages of a change from a
rigorous and Inhospitable climate to one
that Invites rather than repels the ef
forts of the husbandman. The break
ing up of old conditions; the aban
donment of familiar surroundings; the
leave-taking of the friends of a life
time and of relatives who from close
association are almost of one's own
family, are matters 'that careful men
ponder thoughtfully when the question
of moving to another part of the coun
try Is broached.
Of course, all of these are minor con
siderations, and become subservient to
the main object that of bettering the
industrial and financial conditions of
the family by the change. A move In
volves expense, trouble and anxiety;
the readjustment of the individual to
the new community life. Prudent fam
ily men are not rovers. But when such
men, having decided that it is for the
best interests of all Immediately con
cerned to make a decided change in the
location of their homes, such as Is con
templated In a move of from one to
two or three thousand miles. It is mani
festly short-sighted t to leave the ques
tion of the new location to be decided
by a transportation company. The
man who has spent the half of his
time since and including his boyhood
in battling the elements or fencing
against them might well consider a
milder climate as a matter of first Im
portance when contemplating a change
in location. He who has wasted his
energies in vainly coaxing an unwill
ing soil to yield reasonable tribute to
his Industry will be short-sighted In
deed if he does not require a generous
soli as a passport to his favor in de
ciding upon a new location. Accessi
bility to market is another considera
tion; social conditions and educational
advantages are others.
Pioneering, In the sense of Isolation
and a deprivation of the comforts of
life, is no longer necessary In order to
secure the advantages of the equable
climate, the productive soil and the im
mense natural resources of the Pacific
Northwest. Oregon has room and wel
come for an Immense addition to her
farming population, though she does
not press her invitation upon intend
ing immigrants as she might or as she
should. Whether from modesty or
carelessness, or both, her citizens do
not advertise her advantages as they
should. Yet the fact is that an exodus
from the Atlantic seaboard or the Mid
dle West of farmers to Oregon would
mean an exchange to these people of a
severe for a mild climate, unfailing
crops and a constantly widening mar
ket for everything that the farmer
produces northward and eastward Into
the great mining regions of the conti
nent.' and westward across the Pacific
And in securing these climatic; Indus
trial and commercial advantages
through the change in location, they
would lose nothing In social or educa
tional opportunities, since pioneer con
ditions have passed away and Oregon
Is in touch, through the magic of mod
ern Ideas, as evolved through rapid
transit, with the whole world.
is prosperity a dream:
Colonel Bryan, to whom good times
have given "fair round belly with good
capon lined," delights in posing as the
Iliad of human woes and In telling peo
ple that the prosperity they are enjoy
ing is imaginary. He would hold It to
be prosperity if people's pockets were
weighted with bastard silver dollars,
and poverty If people have fat bank
accounts and security to offer for
money when they want to borrow. But
it is the money you have or can get
on security that counts, and right here
Is where the National bank statements
to the Controller of the Currency put
Colonel Bryan's arguments to rout
Business throughout the country was
at a low ebb when Bryan was stand
ing for the Presidency In 1896 and the
pressure In our Pacific Coast States
was especially severe. Bryan had
scared much of our money Into hiding
places, and our Individual deposits had
fallen to J37.SSS.6C0 87; business contrac
tion, loss of confidence and Instability
of values had forced .our loans and dis
counts down to a little short of $35.
000.000. Three years of business revival
increased our deposits by nearly $40,
000,000 and our loans and discounts by
over $18,000,000. "You Republicans," to
use Bryan's hysterical method of ad
dressing his audiences. If this is not
prosperity, what Is it? In our North
western States Oregon, Washington
and Idaho individual deposits were
$25,243,374 19 on December 2, 1899, the
highest total ever reached In this sec
tion. The decrease of nearly $2,300,000
between December of last year and
February of this year Is accounted for
by the fact that money Is coming out
of the banks and finding Its way Into
business, which It would not be doln-r if
Bryan had been elected President.
Since September of Inst year loans and
discounts have Increased nearly $2,600;
000. They are now higher than at any
time for nearly six years. Colonel
"Bryan may prate about the poverty of
our people, but for what do hi3 Idle
stories and frivolous allegations count
against facts and figures?
These bank figures have value In that
they prove beyond quibble that the
Pacific Northwest Is prosperous. We
have an abundance of money, and It is
gratifying to note, as Indicated by the
Increase In loans and discounts, that It
Is coming out of the banks and finding
its way Into business. The demand for
money has been very active for the
past six months, and It Is a natural
and healthy condition that deposits
should decrease and loans and dis
counts Increase to meet it. Three years
ago the man who could get along with
a credit of $5000 at his bank now needs
between $10,000 and $15,000. What has
created this Increased demand for
money? Increased business. Our banks
are overflowing with money available
for legitimate business. Only legiti
mate needs are supplied, for the banks
learned In the free-silver panic the
wholesome lesson that Inflation Is bad
policy. Never In rthe Northwest have
business conditions been more stable
than now. Never has our financial po
sition been so strong.
Colonel Bryan Is paid to preach free
silver to the people of the United
States. It Is part of his dally duty to
rave and storm that there can be no
genuine prosperity without 16 to 1. He
deals in generalities and ignores facts.
All of which goes to prove, as the his
torian Fiske has aptly said, that "It
takes men a weary while to learn the
wickedness of anything that puts gold
In their purses."
THE GOLD DEMOCRATS AND I1RYAX.
Certain prominent Republicans of
New York City Interpret the recent
effort of certain Gold Democrats to
dissolve the Sound-Money League as
indicative of their purpose to support
the candidate of the National Democ
racy this year. J. Sterling Morton, a
member of the Cabinet In Cleveland's
second administration, recently re
signed the presidency ( of the Sound
Money League, and conspicuous among
its members who advised its dissolution
are Horace White, editor of the New
York Evening Post; Henry Vlllard,
Edward Atkinson, Edward M. Shep
hard, and other earnest opponents of
the- expansion policy. All of these Gold
Democrats and "Independents." who
urged that the Sound-Money League be
disbanded as early as possible, having
outlived Its usefulness, agree with Carl
Schurz that the country would be bet
ter off under Bryan and an anti-expansion
policy than under McKlnley
and his present policy.
Some of the Republican members of
the Sound-Money League believe that
the real reason which makes these antl
expanslonlsts anxious to dissolve It is
because they thought that the existence
of the Sound-Money League would be
an embarrassment to them in the exe
cution of their future political purpose,
if, as reported, they have decided to
accept Bryan, whether he preaches
free sliver at 16 to 1 or not, provided
only he declares himself to be in per
fect sympathy with them upon this
question of expansion. If It should be
announced by the Sound-Money League
that with the passage of the new cur
rency law the sliver Issue is dead, then
the greater part of the Democratic
members of the League would return to
the Democratic party, and as It Is the
purpose of Atkinson, White, Vlllard,
Morton, Shephard and others to do what
they can to defeat McKlnley, anyhow,
the dissolution of the League is a mat
ter of minor Importance, Many lead-
tng Republicans of the League believe
that "the tendency exhibited among a
considerable part of Mr. Cleveland's
personal following to form an alliance
with the Bryan Democracy and sup
port Bryan for President explains the
report that Mr. Cleveland himself pro
poses to support Bryan.
It Is possible that Cleveland may not
be able to swallow his pride and for
get his humiliation of four years ago,
but in all probability we shall sec
much of the personal following of Gro
ver Cleveland that has remained loyal
to him enthusiastically supporting
Bryan for the Presidency, whom they
strenuously opposed In 1S36, despite the
fact that Bryan not only has not
changed' his platform or his creed, but
has recently declared that the Issues
set forth In the Chicago platform by
the Democracy In 1896 are as supreme
In life and truth today as they were
then. The certainty of Mugwump an
tagonism to McKlnley adds to the peril
of his candidacy. Mr. Hepburn's an
nouncement will put an end to the agi
tation. Mr. Hepburn is custodian of
the League's funds, and he is evidently
determined they shall be employed to
keep sllveritcs out of the Senate.
The woes of newspaper proprietor
ship in the State of Washington are ac
cumulating. One nominal owner of the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer sought from
the Ellensburg convention the high
honor of delegateshlp to the Philadel
phia convention, and another made It
known that he would be pleased.to have
like favor bestowed upon his personal
friend and political manager. The con
vention concluded that the state could
assist in the McKlnley ratification
meeting without the valuable and dis
interested services of either of these
gentlemen, and left them at home. The
Post-Intelligencer swallows Its medi
cine with a poor face. It broadly hints
at treachery and bad faith. It would
have saved unnecessary, words, and
have contributed its mite to the party
harmony it so loudly demands, if It had
crystallized the facts In the simple and
altogether truthful statement that the
Republicans of Washington did not
want Mr. Wilson or Mr. Hughes at
Philadelphia, and sent somebody else.
The old-fashioned notion appears to
abide In Washington that a political
party has a right to select Its own can
didates for office. There Is. unhappily,
no way to estop unsuccessful newspa
per aspirants from using their own or
gans for noisy and undignified squeal
ing. Citizens of Tacoma have reason to
congratulate themselves upon the rela
tively prompt movement of Justice in
the case of Albert Mlchod, who was
hanged there yesterday for the brutal
murder of his former wife last Septem
ber. A review of the case shows that
Mlchod was one of a type of men whom
a woman, once Joined to In marriage,
can neither live with nor get away
from. As is usual In such cases, he
killed the woman and made a feint at
taking his own life. Contrary to the
usual course of the law, he was tried
without ado, convicted without unnec
essary delay, and hanged without pro
test or appeal, the case being finally
closed a little less than seven months
after the crime was committed.
The battle-ship Kcarsarge Is one of
the most formidable lighting machines
afloat. Except In name, she bears not
the slightest resemblance to the historic
vessel that destroyed the Alabama off
the coast of France, and finally went to
pieces on a reef) in South American
waters. The first Kearsarge served her
country's needs valiantly and well, but
she would have been useless in this
day of two-story turrets and steel
cruisers and armored battle-ships. Her
namesake will succeed to her title, with
its attendant honors, and will doubt
less. If occasion calls, serve her country
as signally In the twentieth as did the
old Kcarsarge In the nineteenth cen
tury. Proof presumptive that Fort Stevens
is to be made a four-battery post is
furnished in the announcement that a
twenty-four-bed hospital, thoroughly
equipped In every respect, is to be con
structed there at once. Certainly there
Is no more favorable site on the Pa
cific Coast, either as regards health
fulness or accessibility, for an Impor
tant military post than at the mouth
of the Columbia River. When the Gov
ernment Is fully convinced upon these
and other points easily demonstrable,
the present capacity of the post will no
doubt be greatly enlarged to meet pos
sible exigencies in our military opera
tions In the Pacific
Mrs. Dewey has smilingly assured an
Interviewer whom her husband had
turned over to her with the words "Mrs.
Dewey will talk." that "the Admiral
has a mind of his own." adding: "He
thinks for himself." This ought to set
tle the matter, coming as It does from
headquarters, but It cannot fairly be
said to do so under the circumstances.
That it should be necessary for a man's
wife to make such a statement (so
perverse Is human nature) has a strong
tendency to discredit It.
Tho New York Chamber of Com
merce has resolved that the stamp
taxes should be reduced. This Is hard
on Bryan. He has been pleading for
the toiling masses who arc ground Into
the earth by having to pay taxes on all
their telegrams at 1 cent each, and 5
cents' tax for riding in chair-cars.
Now he will have to switch around and
denounce the Money Power for want
ing to get out of the stamp taxes; and
we all know how Bryan hates "flops."
Now the Chronicle, of The Dalles,
concedes that In the Wasco County Re
publican primaries Senator McBrlde
received no more promise of support,
either direct or indirect, than did ex
Governor Pennoyer. Undoubtedly true;
but Is publication of the fact such "a
slap In the face" as friends of both men
ought to resent?
The Ellensburg convention treated
the Wilson candidates with distin
guished impartiality. It defeated them
all.
"The Cruel Wronir. Proponed."
Independent.
The Republican policy In Congress looks
to a tariff between Puerto Rico and our
ports. This is cruel and short-sighted. It
is a concession to avarice, and avarice Is
blind to all principles of right, nnd Justice,
and humanity. It Is a poor basis on which
to rest a policy. If the present course Is
persisted in, evil results ate Inevitable. The
futbre of a prostrate and starving people
will rise to condemn and distress us. if we
make it impossible for them to recover
what we have taken away from them.
They had prosperity before their alle
giance was changed: their agriculture
iflourisned; Spain, although ebe ruled UmsJ
with an iron hand, gave them a free mar-
ket: she did not condemn them to star- .
vation; they paid all their obligations. In-
sular and municipal, and came to u with- I
nut in minify debt. Is it Dosslble for
Congress, after the markets of Spain have
been tight closed to Puerto Rlcan products,
to insist on closing ours to them? Shall
we put ourselves In the position of robbing
these trusting, helpless people? God for
bid, and open the eyes of Congress to the
cruel wrong proposed.
a,
HUMBUG AXD THE CAJITEEX.
Bishop Potter and an Army Chap
Iain's Sound Views.
New Yotk Times.
Bishop Potter has shown his usual cour
age in recommending the article on the
post exchange In the army, prepared by
the Rev. Henry Swift. Chaplain of the
Thirteenth Infantry. The paper Is. In
effect, a pica for the extension of the use
fulness of what the writer regards as one
' "L """ JT ....... .lr.r: :"".!. '
L.tTTv 7 . 7 T, ,n tSs '
with the service. His testimony upon the
subject of the "canteen." which Is the
bar of tho exchange Is especially valua- j
.. c.. .. .- .I-.....-..., ......... ,...-. .
ence has extorted against what may be
assumed to be a professional preposscs-
slon, and also becauso he has served at
a post In which the canteen was at first
suppressed and afterward reopened. He
thus had an opportunity to compare the
effects of the system advocated by the
officers of the army with the effects of that
advocated by .those whp are incapable of
seeing anything In the question except
the horror of the government's engaging
la the "rum traffic" .
When the canteen was oTosed, on the
post at which Mr. Swift rved, and tha
enllitcd men had to leaverlhc, reservation
to get a drink of any alcoholic beverago,
he testifies that "the reputation of the
regiment suffered severely." There were
frequent affrays and one murdw, and
those things brought the soldiers within
the Jurisdiction of the civil courts. "After
th reopening ot the canteen," he emphat
ically say. "our disorders ceaed." Thero
was absolutely no drunkenness except
when the men went Into the neighboring
town. At the post exchange what drinking
was done was of light beer only, and it
was done under the eyes not only of the
comrades, but of the superiors of the
drinkers. The barkeeper, himself a total
abstainer, was empowered and directed to
refuse to sell whenever he thought It nec
essary', and men who abused their privi
leges were promptly punished. When the
canteen was In operation, men did their
drinking under every safeguard that could
be devised. When it was suppressed, they
did it under the auspices of men whoo
Interest and practice It was to fleece
drunken soldiers.
Ono such testimony as this will, to 'a
sensible mind, outweigh all the declama
tion of all the male and female Podsnaps
who Insist that the way to abate evils Is
to Ignore them, and not to attempt regu
lation, because regulation Involves recog
nition. In "One View of the Question."
Mr. RuJyard Kipling draws a powerful
picture of the evil that has been wrought
by the application of the spirit of Pod
snappery to other vices than drinking.
Hut Mr. Swift's testimony chows that. In
its application to drinking In the United
State.t Army, this spirit has done and can
do nothing but mischief. And it lstra.lmony
whlch simply reinforces all the testimony
we have had from officers of the army,
who are all men most warmly Interested
in the wo'.I-bclng of the enlisted men under
them, and who know best how that well
being can be promoted. The canteen- Is
but a small part of the post exchange,
which Is the center of the social life of
an army post. Drinking bears no larger
a proportion to the other social needs
which aro met there than It does. In a re
spectable club.
Mr. Swift's desire is that the post ex
change shall be a still more recognized
feature In the life of the army. He par
ticularly desires that better buildings be
provided for It. buildings expressly de
vised for its uses. Instead of Its being
fobbed ofT. as now, with premises of
which no other use can be made. Ap
parently It would be an excellent thing
for the army If a suitable building for
the post exchange were made part of the
equipment of every post. Bishop Potter
suggests that If one sccccwful experi
ment could be made with private funds.
tho case would be greatly strengthened
for an appeal for public funds to con
tinue the good work. And certainly It
would be a good thing If Congress, In
legislating for the army, took counsel of
those who beet know the needs of the
soldiers, and nre most Intelligently inter
ested In their welfare, however much
amateur and disengaged philanthropists
of either sex may squawk at the recom
mendations of the men who know, what
they are talking about. Let them squawk.
e
Trusts Don't Own the Sucnr.
New York Times.
There Is a suspicion, widespread and
amounting almost to a certainty, that
somehow or other "the trusts" are behind
the Puerto Rico muddle, and there has
been much talk in Congress and out of It
about the vast amounts of money to be'
put Into the hands of the sugar and to
bacco barons by the Imposition of a tariff
on the islanders. The barons themselves
have denied this with much apparent
earnestness, but of course it was assumed
that they would do that, whatever the
facts In the case, and their protestations
have confirmed rather than decreased the
belief in the reality and effectiveness of
their Influence In the controversy. But
nowtccmes forward Mr. Flnley, the Eng
lish Vice-Consul at San Juan, with the
explicit declaration that, it least so far
as sugar goes. It will not make the slight
est difference to "the trust" what action
on the tariff Is taken. There Is. he as
serts, no basis for the reports about large
quantities of sugar In tne island awaiting
shipment. "On the contrary." the V!cc
Consul explains, "all the sugar In Puerto
Rico was exported long as". We had no
sugar to supply the local Jcmand, and It
was Imported from the United States for
that purpose. It brought, for local con
sumption. 7 cents a pound. The United
States troops going to Puerto Rico took
their sugar with them, because it could
be purchased In the United States cheaper
than In Puerto Rico." The only suga?
now on the Island, according to this au
thority. Is that made from this year's
crop, and It all belongs to the planters.
What the latter want Is speedy action in
order that they may know where they
stand. Tho planters have not the means
to hold their sugar long. They have be
gun grinding, and if something Is not
done speedily they will be compelled to
let their sugar go at the best price they
can obtain, and It will be bought up by
speculators and others, who will be pre
pared to hold it for a good price. So Mr.
Flnley. says, and he ought to be well la
formed.
Chances for Retaliation.
New York Journal of Commerce.
Germany Is complaining because our
tariff neutralizes her sugar bounty, but
that leaves matters even between German
and other sugar, but we can easily make
the differential exceed the bounty: In the
calendar year 1S9S we Imported JSJT0.700,
and in 1S99 $10,760,153 of German susar.
We can easily shut It all out If Germany
Insists on a tariff war. We Import over'
$1,000,000 of German wine annually. If we
pulled every cork to test the wholesome
ness of the wine this trade would disap
pear. It is the producers of sugar beets
and of wine who are making war on our
exports.
s
Gucssinsr on Kipling's Dates.
Nevf York Tribune.
Just now, at all events. It would be
useful to have everything Mr. Kipling pub
lTshcs dated In the moat elaborate man
ner. We referred last Sunday to the shock
ing declension from his former standard
of writing In his first letter from South
Africa. But now copies, in the Ladleo
Home Journal, the first of a new series ot
Jungle tales, and in its way it Is almost
as good as Mr. Kipling's best. To be sure.
U "say" fc-at-Jxr4Kiprtaal. "XJisp It
Elephant Child" 1 another of his "Just
So" stories, a piece of Juvenilia expressed
in terms not unfitted to the nursery. But
humor, which in the South African letter
had seemed to have departed from Mr.
Kipling, is here present In full force. The
whole thing is delightful, eo that the il
lustrator, jar. vcroecK. nu Dcen Bpiuioc
ly Inspired, and his drawings Join with
the text in leaving a perfect' impression.
Query: Did Mr. Kipling write this long
ago, when unspoiled by laudation, when
unwarped by the notion that the fate of
tho British Empire lies In the hollow of
his hand, or Is it really a late production T
We elncerely hope that the latter hypothe
sis is the correct one.
FAILURE AS EXPORTERS.
Argument Made by Mr. Edmnnds
Seems to Be? Raseless.
New York Evening Post.
Ex-Senator Edmunds has put forth over
his signature an argument for the ship-'
subsidy bill which shows that a man may
b5 a flrst-rate antl-lmperiallst without
flrst-rate economist. "No farmer."
he tellB -would. jf ne could hclp ,t
send , pTOduce to even tbe' nearest mar-
Ket ,n tne wagon 0I Ms neignoonng iarm-
cr or any otner conveyance whose owner
na ... Bame ot tnincs to sell." This
proposition we take leave to question.
Speaking from observation, we nfflrm that
farmers are generally quite eager to send
their butter and eggs and garden truck to
market in their neighbors' wagons in order
to use their own teams for plowing, har
rowing, haying, or other farm work. "He
(the farmer) knows;" continues Mr. Ed
munds, "that it he would nnd the best cus
tomers and get the best prices, he must
run his own wagon and control his own
means of transportation." Not under the
modern condition? of consignment, we beg
leave to remark. The farmer knows be
forehand into whose hands hfa chickens,
his milk, his cabbages, are to go, and that
he will receive the market price for them.
Consequently, he looks only to the safe
carriage of his "exports." and the delivery
ot them to the right person. When this
Is secured. It Is a matter of indifference
to him who carries them, but he will
aim to secure the cheapest conveyance. If
this happens to be a railroad, he will not
use either hi neighbor's wagon or his own.
Mr. Edmunds goes on to say:
Any man. any country, or any nation that
trusts his or Its ccmrtltor to do nny part ct
his or Its business. Is sure to (all In the end.
All the farmers, all the miners, all the manu
facturers and all the merchants, etc. make
up the family of the nation, for a nation Is
nothing' else than a union of all these really
co-opcratlna; families. Just like a single rer
sonsl family, they must co-operate, or elfe the
family will grow poor In comparison with a
nelchborlnir family of which all Its members
try to help each other.
This Implies that tho United States is
cure to fall In the end. if It allows "any
part" of its export trade to be carried on
by foreigners. It Implies that we have
been rushing to financial ruin during our
lifetime as a nation for the want of a
ship-subsidy bill. How does it happen then
that our export trade has been advancing
by leaps and bounds during recent years,
as the following figures from the Statisti
cal Abstract of the United States shows?
Fiscal year to June 30:
Exports.
....$ 7!3..EfiMO
.... 84i1.HM.4ST
.... I.0S2.uri.U3
.... 1.21O.I01.D13
.... 1.SU3.931.SS2
The slight decline In exports In 1S5S-93
was due to the war with Spain, but even
with this drawback, the Increase over 1S35
was 10 per cent. If this is called "falling
In the end." Uncle Sam can endure a good
deal of it.
THE IRISH AVATAR.
Wnen George IV visited Ireland In 1S21.
Byron, who was living In Italy, wrote a
poem, entitled. "The Irish Avatar." avatar
bclns a Hindoo word, meaning the descent of, a
deity to esrlh and his Incarnation as a man or
an animal. The poem was preceded by the
following extract from a speech, of the great
Irish orator. Curran: "And. Ireland, like a
bastinadoed elephant kneeling "to receive the
paltry rider." These terrible lines on George
IV were Justified, for he had always de
nied Ireland Catholic emancipation. The fol
lowing extracts are without parallel la Eng
lish literature In ferocity of satire, when we
remember that they were written by a mem
ber of the hereditary Kngllsh aristocracy, by a
man who In his llrst fame had enjoyed the per
sonal acquaintance of George IV. who had In
vited Byron to visit him and had grossly flat
tered him:
But he comes! the Messiah of royalty comes!
Like a goodly Leviathan roll'd from the
waves;
Then receive him as best such an advent be
comes, g
With a legion of cooks and an army of slaves!
II.
He ccmes In the promise and bloom of three
score. To perform In the pageant the sovereign's
long live the shamrock, which shadows bun
o'er!
Could the green In his hat be transfenM to
his heart!
III.
Could that long withered spot but be verdant
again.
And a new spring of ncWe affections ar!
Then might freedom forgive thee this dance lb
thy chain.
And this shout of thy slavry which saddens
the skies.
IV.
Is It madness or meanness which clings to-ttec
now?
Were he God as be Is but the commonest
clay.
With scarce fewer wrinkles than sins on his
brow
Such servile devotion might shaine him away.
V.
Let the poor squalid splendor thy wreck can af
ford (As the bankrupt's profusion his ruin would
hide).
Gild over the palace. Lo! Erin, thy .crd!
KbM his foot with thy blcsalng, nls blesl:is
denied!
VI.
Each brute hath Its nature: a king's Is lo
reign
To reign! In that word see. yc tg-fi. comprised
Tre eiuj ,f the curseo all nruis contain.
From Caesar the dreaded to George the de
spised! VII.
Will thy yard of blue riband, poor Flngal. re
call The fetters from millions of Catholics limbs?
Or. has It not bound thee the fastest of all
The slaves, who now hall tielr bttrayer with
hymns?
VIII.
Spread spread, for Vitelline, the royal repast.
Till the gluttonous despot be stuffed to the
gorge!
And the roar of his drunkards proclaim him at
last
The fourth of the fools and oppressors call'd
"George" !
IX.
Let the tables be loaded with feasts till thty
groan!
Till they groan like thy p-ople, through ages
of woe! ,
Let tho wine flow around the o!iBacchanal's
throne.
Like their blood whlca has flcWJ and which
yet has to flow.
i
Shock to FIHnl Trust.
Yonkero Statesman.
The Son Pop, the hay in the barn is
all scattered about terribly.
The Father It Is the work ot tramps,
my son.
"Why, pop, I thought you told me
tramps never worked?"
The Hoodooed Xnmuer.
Buffalo Express.
A Michigan transportation company has
spent 12 in collecting a bill amounting to
13 cents. Will people never learn to be
ware of that number?
A Prudent Man.
Brooklyn Life.
Btey Do you believe in luck, father?
His FaUiSar-YeJL ytjj "'it r"9't depend
NOTE AND COMMENT.
Yesterday's breere was only a feeble
echo of the boy orator.
And now what are we going to do about
celebrating Dewey day?
A campaign of "education does not al
ways begin at the primaries.
A woman like Mrs, Dewey would hava
destroyed the fame of George Washington.
The Boers never trek so fast that they
cannot spare time to set a few traps la
their wake.
John L. Wilson's finish is about- the fin
est thing in the way of Washington scen
ery Just now.
"Bobs" will have to hire another press
censor and revive the formula about re
porting with regret
Probably the real reason Bryan Is not
going to Kansas City la that he has no new
metaphors to spring on the convention.
McKlnley recalls Bismarck's famous
description of an eminent Eigllsh diplo
mat, as, "a lath painted to look Ilka
Iron."
Public sentiment has at last breed tha
repeal of the Horton boxing lav In the
Empire state, and New York'Cly, after
September 1, will cease to b the tenter of
prizeSghtlng in the United States.
A report Just submitted to the Ptllafiel
ph'a Board of City Trusts show th:t In SO
years the Glrard estate has lncrea-ed la
value from J4.S0O.00O to nearly $16.00,000.
It is a large coal shipper. The.numb-r ot
scholars In Glrard College has increased,
nearly threefold elnco 1S70.
Several South American states are strtg
gling through the morass of sllverlsm aid
the qulckeands of paper currency toward
the solid ground of the gold sUndard.
Peru claims to be the first to react there
becauso the Bank of Peru and Londin, la
Lima, announces that all current oay
ments will be raado in sterling or Peru
vian pounds.
The Filipinos are described as a cleanlr
people. They all bathe evtry day, ana
even twice a day. Their simple garments)
are frequently washed, and are clean.
Withal, thero Is a strange Inconsistency
here. While clean In their person, they
have never seemed to have any ideas ot
cleanliness relative to their surroundings.
They have no conception of sanitary re
quirements. Slop, offal, sewage and ac
cumulatlono have been Indifferently left to
nature end the kindly" absorption of tha
soli.
Major George O. KIrkman. Forty-ninth,
Volunteer Infantry, who Is a Captain of
the Seventeenth Infantry, has been sen
tenced by a court-martial to dismissal
from the service. The sentence cannot
become operative until It has been ap
proved by President McKlnley. Major
KIrkman was accused of having been
drunk on tho Liverpool, which carried
the Forty-ninth Infantry from San Fran
cisco to Manila, and of having been In
sulting to Archbishop Chapelle. Apostolla
Delegate to the Philippines, on that ves
sel. The Forty-ninth Is a negro regiment.
All the field officers are white, and were
selected from the regular Army. Major
KIrkman was born in Texas, and appoint
ed to the West Point Military Academy
from Illinois.
The Republican State Convention to bo
held at Montpeller Wednesday, April 18. to
elect delegated to the National Republican
Convention, promises to be one of the most
Interesting political gatherings ever held
In Vermont, says tho Rutland correspond
ent of the Burlington Free Press. It can
be stated that It seems probable that tha
Green Mountain state will declare in no
uncertain tones In favor of free trade with
ruerto Rico. The Indorsement given tha
members of the Vermont delegation In
Congress, who have come out boldly
against the majority plan of Imposing a
tariff on Puerto Rlcan products, leaves no
doubt as to the sentiment of the state on
this subject. Congressmen Llttletleld, of
Maine, and McCall. of Massachusetts, will
probably both address the convention.
John Flske, the philosopher and histo
rian. Is iS years old. Ix feet In height,
and measures 15 Inches around the waist;
weighs 110 pounds, and Is reported to be
In a Etate of perfect health. Here are hl3
reported hablt3 of life: Always sit In a
draft when I find on", wear the thinnest
clothes I can Unci Winter and Summer.
catch cold once in three or four years, but
not severely, and prefer to work in a cold
rcom, S3 to GO degrees. Work the larger
part of each 21 hours, and by day or night
indifferently. Scarcely ever change a word
once written, eat when hungry, rarely
taste coffee or wine or smoke a cigar, but
drink two or three quarts of beer each
day and smoko a p'pe all the time when
nt work. Never experienced the feeling
of disinclination for work, and, therefore,
never had to force work. If I feel dull
when at work, a half hour at the piano re
stores normal mental condition, which is
one more argument for the hygienic and
recuperative effects of music.
General Botha, the new Boer Commander-in-Chief,
has an Irish wife, a MIsa
Emmet, a descendant of the Irish patriot)
of that name, and the Botha country seat,
on the heights between the Pongola River,
near the boundary line between the Trans
vaal and Swaziland, bean traces of re
finement, a well as of comfort and lux
ury, not usually found in Boer homes. The
house Is comfortably furnished, there Is a
line library', all the latest European pa
pers, a grand piano, as well as an organ,
Extensive greenhouses and ferneries. The
mansion is surrounded by beautifully-kept
grounds and Urge avenues of trees. Gen
eral Botha is about t years of age. tall
and stout, and well educated. He Is good
natured, rather slow of speech and man
ner. It was Botha who commanded the
Boers In the successful opposition to Bul
lcr's flanking movement on the Upper
Tugela, and who personally directed the
victorious battle of Spionkop. The Ger
man military attache spsaks of him in
flattering terms.
The Storm.
Emily A. "Warden In Philadelphia Ledger.
Cold blows the gale from out the north;
Wild moan the forest, vale and moor.
Fierce spirits wander boldly forth.
Grim monsters scream at every door.
Agaliut the tempest's hurling might
God keep the helplers poor tcnlght.
Cold creep the waves along the shore.
Wild shout the breakers In their gleet
Fierce swells the voice of ocean roar.
Grim stalk the shades along the lea.
Against the storm's temiestuous might
God guard .ice- sea-tossed ships tonight.
Cold mists are turned to rattling hall;
Wild volets call In every gust;
Fierce forms resist the shouting gale;
Grim fsces toward the sea ere thrust.
OS. God. against the ocean's might
Protect the staggering ships tonight.
Ah. cold the sea's embrace, and chill
The winds that wildly howl and fling.
As wrecks are tossed and fenns now still
To cpor and malnrray sadly cling.
Ah, yes, for. aye. from tempett might
J Thine nwnr.Mfelr hne tJifc