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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (May 11, 1900)
.wrrf-p: THE MOKXING OEEGONIAU, FRIDAY, MAY 11, 1&O0. to rjegomcm CMcred at tho Poitoffloe at Portland, Oregon. as eecond-clasa matter. TELEPHONES. EUorlaI Rooms 160 I Business Oace-...S6T REVISED SUBSCRIPTION RATES. By Mall (postage prepaid), la Advance Dally, with Sunday, per month. ........ ...0 85 Xti!y. Sunday excepted, per year. -... 7 50 Dallr. with Sunday, per year 0 00 Sunday, per year .................. ..... 2 00 The Weekly, per year 1 SO The Weekly. 3 months... ............. 60 To City Subscribers Colly, per week, delivered. Sunday eicepted,15c Daily, .per week, delivered. Sundays lncluded.20a Hrwa cr discussion Intended for publication In The Oregon! an should be addressed invariably ''Editor The Oregonlan." not to the name of any Individual. Letters relating- to advertising, subscriptions or to any business matter should be addressed simply "Tie Oregonlan." The Oregonlan does not buy poems or stories from individuals, and cannot undertake to re turn any manuscripts sent to It without solicita tion. No stamps should be Inclosed for this purpose. Puget Sound Bureau Captain A. Thompson, office at 1111 Pacific avenue, Tacoms. Box 853, Tacoma postoffloe. Eastern Business Office Te Tribune build ing. New York city; Tne Rookery." Chicago; the S. C. Beckwlth special agency. New Tork. For sale la Saa Francisco by 3. K. Cooper, TB Market street, near the Palace hotel, and at Qoldsmlth Bros., 238 Sutter etreet. For sale la Chicago by the P. O. News Co- . UT Dearborn street. TODATS WEATUER.-Occaslonal showers: northwesterly winds. PORTLAXD, FRIDAY, MAT 11, 1000. THE EFFRONTERY OF SEDGWICK. The Atlantic Monthly Is not doing Itself credit by abandoning the vig orous attitude originally taken toward problems growing out of the Spanish war for specious reasoning like that of Mr. Nelson and Mr. Sedgwick and shal low heroics like those of Mr. Moody. Wo treated of this matter at some length the other day, and recur to it again now merely In order to point out the very dishonest method employed in Mr. Sedgwick's article in the May num ber. It ought to have impressed the At lantic editor as incongruous that Mr. Sedgwick should view a stay-at-home Isolation policy as the incarnation of high and holy morality, while a policy of expansion can only be expressed, if we are honest men, in terms of arrant selfishness. I ask you, he says, to sup port anti-Imperialism, for the trans parent reason that it is a synonym for the Decalogue, but as regards expan sion, it is great gain for sweetness and light, even for common honesty, to rec ognize at once, candidly and contritely, that expansion has for Its sole purpose and Inspiration all that is unworthy and shameless. Two extracts will show the essayist's basis of operations: Back of these little causes which conspire to gethcr to keet a nation from the path of tho Ten Commandments, there Is a great, vague, powerful force, that seems to move among tho cJXalrs of nations like a current through the waters. It Is recognized by ail, but it Is known to men by different names. Some form this Idea of It, some that. Professor "Washburn Hopkins calls It, la its relation to Great Brit ain, the "higher morality." Senator Boverldge calls It, In Its relation to tho United States, "racial tendency." Shams must be rent asunder, no matter how high the motives which support them. Stales men n.ust speak out straight from tho heart. It Is In this that Senator Beverldge and Colonel Denty hate rendered so salutary service. ' " hatevcr may be the iustlce of tholr views on rent iolicy, they have opened the attack Evlnst sham. Let there be plain speech, and American people among whom the grat bocial experiment are to be tried shall have the f-ont place In the ranks of nations, to say whether the partisans of tho National belly or the partisans of the National con science shall prevail, and w hat America w 111 do to make straight the way for Christendom. If you are for expansion, be honest n.nd say that you know no higher law of conduct than such as Is derived from the belly. If you are for anti-Imperialism, the National conscience is in your custody and you are the true apostle of Christendom. Ervlng "Wins low, with his myriad ears listening and his myriad eyes watching to see what the American people are going to do with the church universal and the all pervading body politic of anti-imperialism, could not match this Sedgwick assumption in sublime arrogance. "What rights, anyhow, has a pitiful mi nority of 75,000,000 people to question or criticise the overwhelming majority of 100 of the strictly -exclusive men, women and children of Boston's anti imperiallst circles? Does the National conscience, in fact. Insanely imagine itself as existing otherwise than In and through Nelson and Sedgwick, "Wlnslow and Atkinson, Mason and Pettlgrew? Does the whole presume to be greater than a part? Since Denby and Bever idge hae entered a plea of guilty for the entire country, how shall the re mainder of American citizens have the hardihood longer to profess allegiance to the Decalosue or the tenets of Christendom? TUU PIANO IX POLITICS. An indication of the advance of uni versal prosperity that cannot be mis leading is seen in the increased sale of articles of luxury. "While in 1S97 but $3,0oe,000 worth of diamonds were Im ported, the Importation In 1S99 reached a value of $12,000,000. Last year twice as many top-buggles were sold In the United States as in any year In the history of that industry, while the in crease in the value of millinery import ed !ast year was more than half a million dollars in excess of that of 1S97. These circumstances, says the Kan sas City Star, have a certain bearing, "but the question of real and acknowl edged prosperity was settled hv thp 'fact that In the great wheatgrowlng states or tne isorthwest as many pianos ere sold last year as had been dis used of In the same territory in the c ious six years." So it seems th.it it n t diamonds or top-bugc-ies or mil- 'ntrv that attest the averace nrosner- rity of the country, but pianos. Specifi cally, diamonds show the wlllincnpss of persons of wealth to part with their cjoney. out pianos speak for the ires. The enormous increase in the snip nf plant s .a the wheatjrrowinir statps mnv mean that fanners have forgotten too soon the sharp lessons of adversity which were but now forced-upon them. The expenditure may be wise or un-wisv-, as the subsequent outlay for les sons, for music, for conservatories, etc, may be within the farmer's means- not taking possibility of raising money by mortgage on the farm into consid eration. But it certainly means that farrne rs have mere money than former ly; that they are not looking for a re turn cf calamitous times, but are an ticipatinr a season of leisure for them selves and the women of their families when the piano may be played, listened to and enjoyed. Even the pessimist, who retreats pre cipitately before the melting notes of "ihe Maiden's Prayer' or refuses to acknowledge a quickened impulse of patriotism in the stirring notes of the "Battle of Prague." vigorously pound ed out, must still admit that for all purpose of geniality and good cheer in households and in neighborhoods, these sounds are a vast Improvement over the crack of hard times so long heard in the land, and the howl of calamity that for years "brayed harsh discord ance on the air." Of course, there will be a day of reckoning, but while pianos are selling freely, either for cash or on the installment plan, we are Justified In accepting the verdict of the Kansas City Star, that "the country is not only safe, but comfortable." SEED OF 2MLITARY INSTRUCTION. Notwithstanding the proposed ap pointment at large of 100 cadets to the West Point Military Academy, there will probably be at least 150 vacancies four years from now, when the men thus appointed are assigned to regi ments, unless many appointments are made from civil life. Some of the best officers in the Army were civil ap pointees, yet the political features of such appointments do not recommend that method of selecting officers. The history of the volunteer Army In the Philippines seems to show that volun teer officers handled their commands In the field as well as regulars, and that the enlisted volunteer was at least as good as the regular, but the appearance is deceptive if it is to be applied as a general proposition. Almost to a man the officers of the Eighth Army Corps had enjoyed the advantages of a semi military training in the National Guard. They had acquired the habit of command and the Instinct for enforce ment of discipline. They had become as well qualified as regulars to maneu ver troops in as large bodies as regi ments. They had acquired considera ble knowledge of camp life from experi ence. They had drilled in fire discipline and battle tactics. Only In the tech nical knowledge of gunnery, engineer ing, military law, etc.; In theoretical knowledge of military strategy, and, In a somewhat wider practical experience of garrison routine and field duties, was the regular superior to the volunteer, and In the campaign In the Philippines these added qualifications were of but little advantage, and were fully offset by the superior zeal, freedom from traditional restraints and the general "get there" .spirit of the volunteer. To the qualifications possessed at the time of enlistment were added nearly a year of drill, discipline and practical experi ence before the insurrection took the volunteers Into actual conflict. The same general conditions applied to the enlisted men also. Fully CO per cent had received considerable military tralnlngand partial discipline in the National Guard. Not so large a per cent, but enough to supply non-commissioned officers and to leaven the whole mass, had enjoyed the benefits of military encampments and considerable target practice. Associated with them, the new men enlisted for the war de veloped Into soldiers rapidly, and all had the benefit of a year of practical military life and discipline before tak ing the field. These were the conditions under which the splendid volunteer Army in the Philippines was developed. It would be folly to generalize from this one experience that a large volunteer army could at any time be put into the field at all comparable with the volun teers who did so gallant service in Lu zon or to the regulars who fought with them there and in Cuba. The number of men possessing the training of these volunteer officers is limited, and the number of men with even partial train ing in the ranks is far short of the de mands of a large army. In another war there is no probability that the volunteer Army would enjoy the ad vantages of a year of actual service training before taking the field for gen uine campaigning. "Were there an emergency calling for the enrollment of a million men, such as might well be needed should those people have their way who decry militarism on one hand and seek to push the Government into offensive Interference with the affairs of other nations on the other, the Army would be essentially one of un trained volunteers, officered by men, the majority of whom would fall far short of the qualifications possesesd by tho officers of our recent small volunteer force. This lack of competent officers for a large volunteer Army and of partially trained men to fill up its ranks might In a large measure be met through a proper and comprehensive militia sys tem, one National in its character and uniform throughout the entire country. This force should be organized, armed, equipped and drilled exactly the same as the regular Army, with only the modifications as to time and discipline necessary. In a militia organization. There is, however, little hope that Con gress will adopt so sensible a plan for supplying the foundation for a large and effectivo Army for sudden call to service. If we are not to have a satisfactory militia system, the next best thing Is to give our young men at schools and colleges and In the state militia organ izations as much military training as possible, in order that when an Army is needed we shall have enough at least partially trained men to leaven the mass of recruits, and especially that there shall be officers competent to handle them and complete their train ing and transformation Into effective soldiers. The rapidity with which vol unteers become effective troops depends upon the degree of their previous ex perience, and especially upon the qual ity of their officers. At present there are not competent officers enough for even a small Army, and the Govern ment might well turn Its attention to supplying this deficiency. The school at West Point might graduate five times as many officers annually as It does now, with benefit to the country. They could ail be used in military in struction throughout the country and constitute a reserve supply of educated officers for a large Army when needed. Schools for the benefit of National Guard officers might be established in every state, with regular Army offi cers of experience for instructors, the younger officers graduated from the Military Academy g!ng Into the line for a few years of practical military life. . Though he was born since the war, the name of Richard Yates, Republican nominee for Governor of Illinois, will carry with it a certain weight In the state of Abraham Lincoln and of "Dick" Yates, who, as war Governor, so valiantly held up the hands of the great war President in the days of the republics peril, or course, among the tens of thousands of votes cast for him in November, relatively very few v.ill represent men whose feelings wju-jje. deeply stirred by the memory of those times, yet political opinions descend from father to son in a way that will awaken much enthusiasm for the name of Yates in the coming contest, regard less of present political strife from which his nomination was evolved.' THE ARISTOCRACY OF SKIX. United States Senator Tillman, of South Carolina, in a recent address be fore the Good Government League of Michigan University, at Ann Arbor, on "The Race Question in the South," said in presence of a negro student, who was an attendant upon the lecture, that "scratch one of these colored grad uates under the skin and you will find the savage. His education is like a coat of paint, like his skin." This was a brutal speech from a Southern man who is no fair representative of South ern gentlemen, and yet Its brutal frankness rests on a very large body of popular opinion, not only at the South, but at the North. The brutal aristocracy of skin rules In some of the public schools of New York, New Jer sey and Illinois. It rules even in Bos ton to such an extent that an able, well-educated, refined negro, bishop of tho African Methodist Church, could not three years ago obtain rooms and place at the public table of a first-class hotel. George H. Nixon, a New Hamp shire lad of mixed Spanish and Irish blood, went to a preparatory sehool at Highland Falls, N. Y., to prepare to enter West Point. The thirty-five other candidates for the Military Academy, assuming because of his dark skin that he was of negro descent, proceeded to visit him with systematic abuse and persecution. They "cut him dead," they abused the widow he boarded with until Nixon, to spare her trouble, went to another lodging, but the in sults were so incessant that Nixon de cided to go home, for he knows what reception awaits him should he obtain admission to West Point. He could go to Harvard or Yale and be secure of courteous treatment from his fellow students during his course. He might, as at least one negro student has done, secure class-day honors; but after he graduated he would find It very difficult to secure any employment en level with his acquirements and Intellect, because of the all-pervasive dull aristocracy of skin. Tho Southern whites apply' strict democratic principles among them selves, recognizing in a most complete and practical way the doctrine of polit ical equality, and yet they utterly re ject those principles when the color of a man's skin Is concerned, and this they do where there is not the slightest threat of any negro supremacy, far or near. The Southern whites exempt the ignorant whites from the educational qualification employed to disfranchise the Illiterate blacks, and this they do apparently because of a natural repul sion between white and black great enough to ignore any thought of logi cal consistency. But the Southern whites are not peculiar in this respect. The whites of South Africa, British as well as Dutch, are said to view the question exactly in the same light. At present In Cape Colony the franchise Is given to the few educated blacks, but It Is notorious that the Afrikander sen timent Is overwhelmingly in favor of keeping the negroes down. J. A. Hob son, In his book on South Africa, says: There Is -virtual unanimity among white South Africans that the natives must be kept down. Nine-tenths of the British colonists are prepared to remove tho Kaffir franchise should it ever become a potent factor la elections and Kaffirs showed any capacity for political organization on a race basis. ... Educated niggers are no more popular with the British In South Africa than they aro with the British in India. Kipling's stories of Indian life de scribe the children of Intermarriages of Englishmen and natives as "nig gers." Our American soldiers stigma tize the Filipinos as "niggers." The average man of English blood, wher ever he goes, has a personal antipathy and open, coarse contempt for any race but his own, and for this reason men of English blood as a rule are the worst hated foreign traders in all the ports of the world, in South America, China, Japan, Turkey, because they are arro gant, domineering and contemptuous In their treatment of other races than their own. We Anglo-Saxons are self-satisfied, liable to violent prejudices, intolerant and overbearing In our treatment of other races. Outside of English-speaking people of white ancestry, we treat men of other races as If they were all "Wanket Indians." or would soon be come "blanket Indians" under seducing environment. The Southern negro Is perhaps the most notable illustration of our race antipathies, but In our treat ment of Chinese, Japanese, Italians, all peoples outside our own, the Insular Anglo-Saxon, arrogant contempt for everybody as our "Inferiors" Is plainly visible. It is a deplorable trait; It Is a survival of barbarism, and yet it is an ugly fact that the brutal gospel of Tillmanism has a good many disciples at the North as well as the South. The South is franker than the North is. The North hypocritically boasts that a negro is fairly treated at some of the Northern colleges. So he is; but as a rule the North won't give him any work after he gets out of school, no matter how capable of Intelligent em ployment he may be. If the negro to day were as acute and successful in money-making as a Jew, he would still have to wait long years, as the Jew did, to obtain anything like the full civic Justice In practice that, under both law and gospel. Is theoretically his right. Again the Pacific Ocean has proved too small for a couple of sailing ves sels, and one of them is down In the depthc, while the other, In a damaged condition, is in port, a subject for the underwriters and the maritime lawyers. Fortunately, no loss of life resulted in the Argus-Iolani collision, but there is a property loss of about $200,000 which must be faced by some one, and from the reports at hand the fixture of this liability will probably not bo accom plished until a new precedent in mari time law has been established on the statute books. The coming together of the two ships was apparently unavoid able, for It is a well-known fact that vessels lying within a mile or so of each other in a calm will gradually be drawn together. The strange feature of the accident lies In the fact that a vessel In light ballast trim having "stern way" only could do such dam age as was suffered by the IolanL The -explanation of the ease with which the lost bark succumbed to the two light blows she received undoubtedly lies in her age. A quarter of a century of heating In the tropics and freezing in the northern latitudes, together with the havoc wrought by rust, had seem ingly extracted all the life from the Iron hull of it Tnlnnl nnil loft If ,if a hln shell, unable to withstand, even the moderately light blows Inflicted by the Argus. The effect, so far as the lolanl is concerned, would probably have been the same had she received the blow from a derelict or "a good sized log. in such a case, the single word "missing" on the maritime rec ords would have offered the only expla nation of the lost ship. The marriage of His Imperial High ness, Crown Prince Yoshlhlto, of Japan, and Princess Sada Ko, daughter of Prince Kujo, took place In the imperial palace at Toklo yesterday. The affair as scheduled presented a curious mix ture of old and new, Oriental and Occi dental. The state of transition which the erstwhile Hermit Kingdom is un dergoing is peculiarly marked In the ceremonial which makes the Prince a suitor instead of an autocrat in secur ing his engagement to marry, and in the adoption of the honeymoon Idea, in accordance with which the Imperial couple proceeded in a special railway carriage to Kyoto, the ancient capital, where they will remain in bridal seclu sion for a month. From what we have recently been told in this city by a Woman who has spent many years in educational work In Japan, that na tion's first permanent advance toward Wetesrn civilization must come through a modification in its estimate and treatment of Its women. Slaves such as she described the women of Japan to be can never mother a race of just and honorable men, the quality 'of whose patriotism is measured by their love of home In the domestic and pro tective sense which is characteristic of Western manhood. It appears that the Japanese who have been coming Into the country so freely this Spring are being largely utilized In railroad work. The difficulty rallroads have always experienced In procuring reliable white labor for con struction work Is greater than ever this year, because of the general Industrial activity, and it Is no wonder the more reliable Japanese labor Is In demand. Speaking of the portage road above The Dalles, an employe recently said the road would have been completed some time ago, had It been possible to get men enough. The wages were $2 a day, and the board good, and the same price as In town. "The average .men were a "cultus set, working only till they got a few dollars ahead, and then went to Tho Dalles to go on a big drunk, and would not show up for a week or not at alL" Mondays It was almost Impossi ble to get a crew to work, and it was generally Tuesday before the camp was In shape for active operations. Con tractors can scarcely be blamed for seeking relief from such labor, even at .the alternative of hiring Japanese. An exclusion law alone can prevent it, for the sober, industrious and reliable Jap anese laborer is too strong a competi tor for the class of white men with whom he comes into competition. The great activity of many persons In behalf of Captain Charles E. Mc Donell for County Assessor is a prac tical guaranty of his success a success that, by unremitting effort, may be made overwhelming. Numerous things commend McDonell's candidacy. He is young, active, popular, capable, and modest, and he has a most creditable record as a volunteer soldier In the Philippines. He Is one of those rare persons whose personality Inspires warm friendships and general respect and confidence. No one who knows Captain McDonell doubts that he will make a most efficient Assessor, entirely fair and Impartial in his attitude toward all taxpayers, large and small. It would appear, too, that his gallant service with the Second Oregon should be recognized In this manner, for by honoring him every member of the regiment will feel that he Is honored. His defeat would be an especial source of chagrin to his fellow-soldiers. The old pendulum argument Is prac tically the sole dependence the Demo crats have for carrying New York this year. New York went Republican for Lincoln In 1S64, Democratic for Sey mour In 186S, Republican for Grant In 1872, Democratic for Tilden in 1876, Re publican for Garfield in 1880, Demo cratic for Cleveland In 1SS4, Republican for Harrison In 1SSS, Democratic for Cleveland In 1S92, and Republican for McKlnley In 18S6. But the clock bids fair to stop short this year. Bryan, It Is hinted, will object to James Hamilton Lewis as a running mate because he is too young. A Pres idential ticket where both candidates have barely passed the Constitutional limit, and not yet attained the age of discretion, would obviously not appeal to the mature judgment of the country. What Is the matter with Pennoyer? He Is not too young. The Associated Press correspondent at Sioux Falls seemed to think that It was necessary to assure the public that the Populist convention was "well dressed, good mannered, and thorough ly well behaved, and with only occa sional whiskers." The burden of proof was on him. The Sioux Falls Populists want to stop a little war and begin a big one, and as preparation for It they suggest a reduction of the Army. Either Denmark's or Ours. New York Times. The project of celling tho Danish West Indies to the United States has been abandoned. There Is a strong opposition to the Idea, and the Kin; himself is against it. Copenhagen dispatch to the London Times. "Very good. We shall be well content to let Denmark keep the islands If public sentiment and her King oppose their sale. Denmark Is a good neighbor. She has no schemes or squadrons to menace our in terests or disturb our tranquillity. But we hope King Christian and his advisers are sufficiently familiar with our traditional policy to understand well that the transfer of title and possession to any of the great powers of Europe would not be countenanced by the Government of the United States. An examination of our diplomatic correspondence and instructions to our Ministers will make this quite clear to them. This principle of our permanent policy was concisely stated by Henry Clay, Secretary of State. In 1S25: You will now add that we could not consent to the occupation of those islands (Cuba and Porto Itico) by any other European power than Spain under any contingency whatever. In 1S52 Secretary of State Edward Ever ett wrote to Mr. Rives, our Minister at Paris: It has, however, been the steady rule of our policy to avoid, as far as possible, all disturb ance of the existing political relations of the West ladies. We have felt that any attempts on the part of any of the great maritime pow ers to obtain exclusive advantages In any of the Islands where such an attempt was likely to bo made would be apt to be followed by others, and end la converting the archipelago Into a great theater of national competlUon for exclusive advantages and territorial ac quisitions which might become fatal to the peace of the world. Many passages of like import might be cited from the papers -of our State De partment and the messages of our Presi dents. These two will amply suffice to establish the fact that the sale of the Danish Islands In the West Indies to any of the great European powers would bs Inadmissible. The islands must bo and remain Denmark's or ours. If Denmark understands this ehe may be spared the 'embarrassment of impracticable commit ments. WHY AMERICANS EXCEL. Manufacturers More Enterprising-, Workmen More Intelligent. Chicago Tribune. The London Times Is publishing a series of articles upon American engineering competition. That paper sent an expert Investigator to this country, and he Is now warning English manufacturers that they must bestir themselves or they will lose their supremacy In departments where it was once least disputed. This expert rates the manufacturers and workmen of this country above those of England. The American employers excel "In scientific organization. In economy of effort, in the use of machinery, and In training workmen." The difference be tween the workmen of tho two countries Is, he says, "the difference between the mechanical discipline of our soldiers and the reliance upon Individual training and intelligence, which Is now recognzed as necessary la other armies." According to this expert English workmen who go to America often find themselves uncom fortable there. "They are required to show a mental alertness to which they are quite unused, and find It necessary to do their best. Instead of conforming to the restrictive rules of the trades union, which require them to do no better than the average of incompetency." This observer says, as other have said before him, that "the Americans are never content while anything Is done by manual labor which can possibly be done by ma chinery." To this, primarily, he ascribes the fact that the trades union system Is not so troublesome In the United States as it Is In England. That the manufac turers of this country are less hampered by trades union regulations and restric tions than are those of England cannot be denied. To that comparative freedom, coupled with their own energy and klll. the American manufacturers of Iron and stleel products owe their ability to com pete successfully anywhere with foreign rivals. Whether tho rules of British building trades unions are any more restrictive than those of Chicago unions, and limit to a greater degree the amount of work which a man Is allowed to do. Is extremely doubtful. If they are equally restrictive, even, British contractors must be more patient and long-suffering than those in Chicago. In the building trades there Is far less opportunity for substituting ma chinery for manual labor than there Is In tho manufacturing Industries. A ma chine may be Invented to do the work of a dozen men in a steel mill, but not of a dozen plumbers or steamfitters. To this may bo due the insistence of tho building trades unions on their restrictive rules. It Is doubtful whether all the advice which may be given to English manufac turers or workmen will have any effect on them. Both are conservative in their ways to a degree which never has been known here. The British manufacturers, as a rule, think they "know It all," and the British workmen have the same cheerful belief. The only danger Is the decline of American workmen In the manufacturing Industries Into that "monotony of medloc rl y encouraged by the English trades unions." There Is nothing to give rise to fear that that will happen. Judge Locliren'a Predilections. New York Tribune. That Judge Lochren should hold the opinions reported about the extension of the Constitution to the island ex propria vlgore is not surprising. Anybody ac quainted with him would have predicted that such would be his views. Judge Lochren Is a Democrat, by association and training loyal to the Constitutional doctrines of Calhoun and Taney. More over, he Is a son of the Northwest Terri tory, a country which, even while unor ganized into states, had equivalent to Constitutional rights under the ordinance of 17S7 a country, moreover, peopled large ly by citizens of the old states, taking with them Into territories Ideas of their relation to the Federal Government ac quired In places where they had a voice In Its conduct. This tradition of partner ship along with citizens of states in the United States Government exercised a powerful influence on the people. Out of it arose the "popular-sovereignty" doc trine of Cass and Douglas, and, curiously enough. It Is today in the Middle West that the strongest disposition has been manifested, even among Republicans, to consider the Inhabitants of newly acquired territory as entitled to all the guarantees of the Constitution (without regard to Con gress an Idea that was ridiculed by Webster and Benton, repeatedly rejected by Congress, with the acquiescence for half a century not only of our own people, but of those in the territories thus held in subjection. It Is only natural that Judge Lochren should take the view he does. State Banking in Maine. In the May number of Sound Currency, Mr. E. BIrney Stackpole presents an elabo rate history of banking In Maine, from the establishment of the Bank of Port land In 1799 down to the Inauguration of the National banking system about 1SS4. His sketch of the Suffolk Bank redemp tion system and its Influence as a regula tor of the currency Is particularly Inter esting. Another Interesting point brought out by Mr. Stackpole's paper Is that the bank notes of that early period were not eo cured by United States bonds, but by the general commercial assets of the banks. One result of this was to make the cur rency responsive to commercial needs; an other was to give the inhabitants of Maine the benefit of more liberal loans and lower rates of interest than they could have had If the banks had been obliged to in vest largely in 2 per cent bonds, as re quired by our present National banking law. The article deserves careful perual by ah Interested In tho early financial history of this country, or In the cur rency question generally. Copies can be had for 5 cents each by addressing the Reform Club. 32 William street, New York. The President's Wlie Choice. New York Evening Post. Tho President's appointment of Mr. Dole as first American Governor of the Ha waiian Islands Is eminently fit. There Is an upstart and hot-headed faction among the Hawallans which has taken offense at President Dole's conservative ways, and would have been glad to see him replaced by a man more after Its own heart. It Is said to have maintained a lobby at Washington to prevent the nomi nation pf Mr. Dole. But President Mc Klnley has wisely decided to respect the wishes of the more Intelligent and stau.e elements of the population and to continue at the head of affairs a man who, both as Judge and as President, has shown himself steady and safe. The real difficul ties of Hawaiian self-government lie fur ther on; but In the preliminary step of selecting a Governor no mistake has been made. Well, Don't They? Elgin Recorder. There Is not much similarity between the editorials In The Oregonlan and those of the Republican country publications of the state on the Porto Rlcan tariff ques tion. The former possesses sufficient in dependence to condemn a policy which it knows to be both wrong and -vicious; but the small fry Is lacking In the moral cour age to oppose an Administration measure, though they realize It is contrary to the Constitution of our country. The pub lication that has the courage to stand up for what is right meen man and man. regardless of political considerations, 13 the one that the people should shov their appreciation of by their financial and moral support, s CLAIMS OF PERSONS AXD PARTY Two tickets before the people in the election In this city and county deserve the considerate and respectful attention of the public They are the Republican and Democratic. The only Issues In this campaign are between them. Each rep resents a principle a codo of principles and each has" put forward candidates In themselves representative and of good character. They are, besides, men of average intelligence and business capacity, and Tho Oregonlan does not doubt that the Republican officers. If elected, or the Democratic officers. If elected, would give a satisfactory administration of city rz. county affairs. It intends no injustice to the Democratic candidates, however, when It declaree that. In its opinion, the Re publican ticket Is, on the personal merits of the candidates, the better deserving of public support; but, as between the two parties. It urges the election of the Re publicans on broader grounds. The county and city election are Intimately and -vitally related to the state and Con gressional election; and the latter Is a link in a great chain that If broken might lead to defeat of the Republican National ticket, and overthrow of tho policies for which the party stands. Republican dis aster In this county, and Democratic suc cess, almost certainly Involve Republican defeat In this Congressional district, and probably In the state at large. So Republican enn afford to take the chances; no citizen interested in the -welfare of Portland and Oregon nhould shirk IiIm indlvldnal respon sibility of deciding- -what shall he their destiny. The voter at the ballot box Is the Judge who renders that very Important decision. Oregon has a partic ular Interest In the National destiny, as it Is concerned in Oriental expansion; and It has the same duty that every other state has to maintain a sound and stable currency. For those the Republican party stands. The dangerous element In this campaign Is the Independent candidacies of several persons for county and. city offices, and of a vagrant ticket for the Legislature. The former are, or have been. Republicans; the latter are recruited from pretty much all the parties. As between the Repub lican and Democratic parties, candidates and policies, tho voter should be able easily and clearly to determine. But the Issue Is beclouded, and the result made less certain, through the Interjection of personal ambitions and personal candida cies by Individuals who hf.ve no purposes to further except their own, and are In no sens6 whatever the representatives of any principle except spoils-hunting. Their success promotes no cause but their own, means nothing to anybody but them selves, except In so far as It menaces the establishment of Republican policies, dis courages Republican organization and declares the principlo that party Is not worth while to maintain, and individual self-sieking is everything. Such methods are a denial of tho elementary rule of our Government administration of public af fairs through the machinery of party. Tho practice of running Independent In Multnomah is largely the outgrowth of past demoralization In the Republican party. Four years ago and two yeara ago, there were .two factions and two organizations bitterly contending for su premacy. One of these deserved to be considered the Republican party, and has now clearly established Its title; but Its position was not then so clear to the wholepublic. No wonder, then, that In the widespread confusion email regard was paid by many Republicans for the legiti mate claims of party, and that several Independent candidates, supported for the most part by the Mltchell-McBrido or ganization, wero successful. Now nona of these candidates has any sort of claim to the vote of any Republican as such. They are indorsed by no party organiza tion which has the faintest color of right to be deemed a Republican party, or by any political organization at all. They are running as Independent candidates, and are especially opposing and endeavor ing to defeat the Republican candidates. If any person canin a ballot for any one of them, it Is becnnie he thinlcs that the candidate's personal des erts are superior to both the per sonal and political deserts of his opponents. In other -words. It -will he because he deem the Indlvldnal success of the independent candi date more Important than the suc cess of the Republican candidates and Republican policies. All this Is assuming that there are no objections to the independent candidates but as Independent candidates. But there are. Take the County Treasurership, for example: Mr. Hoyt has twice measured his personal popularity against the reg ular Republican nominee, and has been successful. He stands high In the regard of many friends; and The Oregonlan does not at all question that he deserves all the many pleasant things they have to say for him. Nevertheless. It asserts that It would, from the standpoint of sound public policy, be a mistake longer to re tain him In this responsible position. Most states place a limit upon the time which their Treasurers shall serve, because they think It Imprudent long to entrust their finances and their money with any one man, no matter who he Is. The State of Washington limits the Incumbency of one person In its Treasurership to one term, the State of Oregon to two. Counties might with propriety do the same. But there are still more serious reasons for retiring the present Treasurer. He Is and has been during the entire four years of his Incumbency cashier of a local National bank. Xo linnk should be permitted to hold that questionable relation ship to the public treasury; no banlc officer should he placed In position -where lie may, if he like, dispose of the public funds by vrny of de posit for the benefit of any pri vate institution, much less his own. There should be no such exclusive offi cial avenue between a bank and the coun ty treasury. Mr. Hoyt has such small appreciation of the ambiguity and Im propriety of his own position that he has the rare presumption to ask the public, for his own sake alone, to continue this queer arrangement; and the public will have little appreciation of the vlclousness, not to say real danger, of this practice If it is allowed to be continued. Another Independent candidacy Is that of ex-Policeman Austin for City Engi neer. Here Is an office that demands both good common sense and technical skill. The city charter requires that the City Engineer must be a civil engineer, but unfortunately does not define the qualifications of a civil engineer. But the charter evidently meant to require that he should have thorough training and ex perience In the engineering profession. No one questions that Mr. Chase, the present Engineer and Republican candidate for re-election, !s a competent officer. H's record shows It. It may be doubted, oa tho contrary, If ex-Policeman Austin has any particular skill as engineer or sur veyor, or any meritorious record in that branch of human endeavor. He docs seem to have been reasonably successful In the noble art of office-hunting. So has Tom Jordan. But it looks as If Jordan would now have an opportunity for a va cation of a couple of years. There Is no prospect that at the next election he will fail to bob up serenely for something else. Not one of the Independent candidates has any reason for being before the pub lic except that he wants the office. That Is not sufficient. Office-hunting should be something more than an opportunity for a personal livelihood at the public ex pense, - f - . N0Tf4SC0MMENT. If your vote is worth -anything to yo had better regster. Mrs. Mildred McLean Hazen Dewey is now out of politics. "" "u Missouri mules are nowwbrth $10 apiece, and still they are kicking., Uncle Sam will now proceed to see,Jf tho unspeakable Turk is also the unbluflabla Turk. - . Senator Clark Is contemplating matri mony. He evidently has no hope of ever hying President. Perhaps if the Boer Generals put in their time censuring one another they wouldn't be able to do quite so much fighting. Tho Mlddle-of-the-Road Pops seem to realize that their cause has gone to th dogs. They have nominated a man named) Barker for President. Philippine Guide This Is the great Agui naido, the leader of the Filipinos, the champion of oppressed liberty, and th Intimate friend of Senator Hoar. TouristIs Is he dead? Rev. Mr. Jeffries, father of the pugilist, defends prizefighting as an occupation. Tho church militant has In Je'ffries, Sr., a bright and shining example of what a preacher ought not to be. The movement for the perpetuation of the great Dewey Arch In New York languishes. Too bad. No reason why subscriptions should not be generous. Ths title can be kept In the city's name, and Mrs. Dewey easily circumvented. A few days ago a little steamboat be longing to McGowan & Son blew her whis tle on landing at Reed's Island. In tha Columbia, and scared two pair of horses Into the river. The animals were being; used In the seining grounds, and three oC them swam a distance of four miles .to Washougal, the fourth being drowned. Mr. McGowan paid the owner, J. C. Rus sell, IICO for the horse without a quibble, and everybody connected with the affair was satisfied, according to Captain C. W. Weir, who was in the vicinity at the time. The three horses which had sur vived the long swim, were trying to climb up a steep bank when found and wero pretty well exhausted. There are so many candidates these days of so many parties and complexions arid: of such diverse appearances that the boys find it necessary to ask all they meet for election cards, no matter whether they look like politicians, preachers or gam blers, or plain, ordinary American citi zens. The object of the boys is to let no guilty man escape, and, to make certain of this, It Is, of course, absolutely neces sary to strike all they meet. It Is some what of a nuisance to honest people who are not running for office, but they have to bear It for the general good. The boya who got the cards use them for trading and sometimes gamble or play ducks and drakes for them, as some of the candi dates will with the public welfare. If elected. Mayor Storey yesterday dashed oft the following touching poem, after seeking mental stimulus In the perusal of the works of the erring, but brilliant, Edgar Allan Pee: Oh! the awful nerve of TVells, Doctor Wells. How a simple nomination this physician's head plcco swells! What a world of gaff and glamour In the things he has to say; Hear bis clamor, clamor, clamor. While each heeler, with his hammer. Knocks him softly every day. Oh! this Wells. Wells. Wells, How he tells, tell3. tells The voters of his prospects In a way that doubt dlrpels. Docs thl3 Wells. Wells, Wells, Wells, Wells, Wells. Wells. Does this cock-suns old physician. Doctor Wells. The question asv to the validity of an oath sworn with th hat on has been set tled. Across the line and In British ter ritory generally, where It Is the custom to kiss the Bible when taking an oath, such a question could scarcely arise, as any court official would require the hat re moved as a mark of respect to himself, and notaries, etc., would require., it out of respect to the Bible. Many people hava never seen an oath administered by a woman, nor even heard of such a thing, but there are a considerable number of female notaries in this city who adminis ter oaths as legally and satisfactorily as men. In many offices where female sten ographers are employed they are com missioned as notaries public for the con venience of their employers, who are thus saved the trouble of hunting up a notary when one Is needed. Times have changed as regards chim ney sweeps within the last 40 or 50 years, as well as In regard to others. Now chim ney sweeps go to their business on bicy cles, carrying their full equipment and wearing plug hats. Years ago chimneys were swept by small boys, whose principal clothing was the eoot bag they carried, and who, armed with scraper and broom, climbed up the flues of chimneys in the morning before the fires were started, and whose cheery cry of "Sweep, Oh!" as their head3 appeared above the top of the chimneys was a common sound in cities. The poor little wretches- were mostly orpharjs, bound out to hard task masters, and were to be pitied, but aa they swaggered along the streets they had the right of way from all, for contact with them or a swipe from the soot sack was as much dreaded then as the mes senger boy on a bicycle Is these days. though he did not Inflict fatal injunes, but only spoiled people's clothes. TLEASAXTRIES OP TARAGRAPIIERS A Question of Livelihood. "Sure. Terence, If yez go to tho front, kape at the hack, or ye'U be kilt. Ol know ut!" Terence Faith, an Isn't that the way Ol get my llvln ? Punch. Fond Mother Tou say Mr. Willing objects to my presence In the parlor when he calls? Daughter Xes. mamma. Fond Mother I won der why? Daughter I'm sure I don't know unless It Is because he loves me for myself, alone. Chicago News. The Last Straw. Judson thought he might pull through without making an assignment, but Just as he was about arranging satisfac torily with his creditors" "What happened?" "The bill for his wife's Easter hat came In." Philadelphia Bulletin. Her Strategic Move. "Tes." said Mrs. Min lngcamp, "I Induced my husband to go to Monte Carlo, and he lost half his fortune. I'm very thankful." "Thankful?" "Yes. Ha was bent on having himself elected Senator. Why, he wouldn't have had a dollar left!" Puck. "There Is a roan whose vote In a Presiden tial election could not be bought." remarked Senator Sorghum. "Are you sure of It?" "Ab solutely." "Well, your faith In human na ture has Increased considerably." "Faith la human nature has nothing to do with It.. Ha is a resident of tho District of Columbia." Washington Star. Adroit. This missionary made a very adroit appeal to the sympathies of the savages. "Tou should suffer yourselves to be converted." he urged, "In pity for the clvlljzed. poor. For If you remain obdurate, you ara likely to "be th cause of Illuminating oil being pushed-up a point or two In pries." Hereupon, tha saras-s yielded, for they wero noi unacquainted with the Industrial conditions which "obtain: axneae sa enlightened people, Detroit Journal. J y