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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (May 29, 1900)
TITR MOBNING OBEGOlTCAtf, TUESDAY, MAY 29, 1900. IS WELL GOVERNED Portland's Business Conduct ed on a Cash Basis. REFORMS OF PAST TWO YEARS Municipal Administration. Compares Favorably "With. Tnat Otker Lsrge Cities. Except for a covert thurst here and there, and a sly -dig In the official .hand bills, the government of the City of Port land has escaped attack from the Mltch-ell-McBrldeite-Cltlzens cabal In the pres ent campaign. Two years ago they pre dicted terrible extravagance if the Repub lican Legislative candidates should be ticketed to Salem to give the city a much needed new charter and a Board of Pub lic "Works to supervise affairs that Involve the expenditure of large sums of money. The Republican Legislative ticket was elected, the Board of Public "Works was created, and long delayed reforms were inaugurated, but not a word of serious complaint comes from the opposition. The reason Is simple and obvious. There is nothing to say and nothing that can be said. Portland Is well and economi cally governed, and has heen since It was rescued from Pennoyerism by the Re publican delegation which Multnomah County sent to the Legislature two years ago. A bit ot history will serve to explain how Portland came to be well governed, and why reforms were so long delayed. The charter that went into effect with consolidation in 1831 did not wholly meet the situation. It naturally had short comings, for no Legislature could tell precisely what the new and greater city would need, should East Portland and Al- 'bina vote to consolidate with Portland? The best that the Legislature could do was to give as good a charter as possible and leave to its successors the work of lopping off the Jagged edges, and round ing up the form of the municipality. The Legislature of 1893 Improved matters in some directions, but much that It did, particularly in the line of Increasing of ficial salaries, should have been undone at the session of 1895, and would have been undone had the charter bill. Intro duced "by the Multnomah delegation, been allowed to pass. Portland got no char ter, that year for the reason that the Legislature, especially the House, was controlled by the gang that defeated Sen ator Dolph and the district attorney's sal ary bill. In 1897 the senatorial deadlock again defeated the charter. The special 'session of 1898 was the first time In over five years that the work of Multnomah's representatives in the Legislature was not obstructed by self-seeking politicians, and the result was the enactment of the charter which has put the city on a cash basis. That charter has saved money to the city, and there will be a further sav ing after July 1 of $14,200 In the matter of the salaries of Councllmen, Mayor, Treas urer and City Attorney. How Money In Saved. The provision of the charter which has put the city on a cash basis and at the same time thrown a complete safeguard around the money of the people, follows: Section 217. At the first meeting of the Com mon Council in tho month of January, an nually, the Auditor shall submit to the Com mon Council a Btatement prepared by him of the estimated amount of revenues for the cur rent year, to be derived from taxes, licenses and all other sources, and the Common Council shall be limited to Its expenditures to be made f6r all purposes during said current year to the aggregratc amount of such estimated reve nues. At the first meeting of the Common Coun cil In each month, the Common Council shall provide for the payment of all liabilities of the "City Incurred during the preceding month or at any lime prior thereto, excepting that the pay ment of Interest and other fixed charges shall be made as the same matures, in accordance with the terms of the contract under -which such payments are to be made. From -the es timated revenues hereinbefore mentioned there shall be deducted the annual Interest charge against said city, the appropriations made for tho police and fire departments and all other fixed charges, so that no greater proportion of the estimated revenues of the year shall be ex pended in the payment ot the liabilities and obligations of said city in any one month than one-twelfth part of the remainder thereof. No money shall be expended or payment made by the city except in pursuance of a specific ap propriation made for that purpose by ordi nance, and an ordinance making an appropria tion of money must not contain a provision on any other subject: no liability shall be in curred, debt created or contract made Involving the expenditure ot money appropriated by the Council during any year -which exceeds the amount of revenues received for that year. All contracts made, debts created or liability in curred In excess of the amount hereby author ized and limited are null and void. Neither the Common Council nor any officer of the city shall have authority to make "any contract or do any act binding- the City of Portland or Im posing upon said city any liability to pay money until a definite amount shall first have been appro priated for the liquidation of nil pecuniary liabilities of said city un der said contract or in consequence of said act. Any Councilman voting to incur any liability or to create any debt In excess of the amount limited or authorized by law, and any liabilities sought to be Incurred or debt created In excess of the amount limited or au thorized by law, shall be taken and held by any court In this state as a Joint and several liability and obligation of the members of the Common. Council voting for the same, and not the debt, liability or obligation of the city, and tho voting for or creating such liability, obligation or debt shall be conclusive evidence of malfeasance In offlce. and for which such members of the Council may be removed from offlce. Comparisons With Other Cities. The Oregonlan has made compilations from "Statistics of Cities," a bulletin Issued by the United States Department of Labor last Fall, to show Portland's position. In the matter of government, among cities of Its class In the country. The statistics are for all cities in the United States of between 90,000 and 100.000 population. These are. together with the date ending of the fiscal years for which . the Government collected the figures: Al bany. X. Y.. October 31. 1S3S; Atlanta, Ga.; Fall River. Mass.; Nashville, Tenn., and Portland, Or., December 31. 1S9S, Cambridge, Mass., November 30, 1S9S. end Grand Rapids. .Mich.. April 30, 1899. These" comparisons are Interesting at" this time. They disclose a satisfactory state of af fairs in Portland, and afford the voter opportunity to reflect upon the conse quences of turning the city over to Sto royites. Democrats, Populists or Inde pendents, and going back to the days of Pennoyer. when the watchword seemed to be "To h 1 with reform." It Is not amiss to remark, before letting- the reader delve into the figures, that the so-called Citizens legislative ticket represents the MItchell-McBrideites, who kept Portland yoked for over four years to a -form of government which municipal resources were not capable of sustaining. An Orderly City. Portland makes an especially fine show ing In the matter of saloon regulation and preservation of order. Though it has a smaller police force than any of the towns with which it is compared, and more saloons than any of them except Albany. N. Y., it has a low tfctal of ar rests for drunkenness and disturbance of the peace, two offenses which trace their origin to the saloons. Old-settled towns like Cambridge and Fall River run far ahead of Portland In the number of ar rests for drunkenness, and each of the other places reported from 2 to 50 times as 'many arrests for disturbing the peace as" Portland. The comparison between Portland and Cambridge emphasizes the old and well-known lesson that prohibi tion does not prohibit. Portland, with 251 saloons, reported 1230 arrests for drunkenness, and , Cambridge, with no saloons, 1758. Portland, Me., another town without saloons, arrested 470 drunks, and Topeka, Kan., 376. ' Policemen. Saloons. Aioany ie& Atlanta 177 Cambridge 102 Fall River. 115 Grand Rapids 93 Nashville 91 Portland 58 440 105 pro. 89 150 105 251 (a) (a) (a) 2381 SS0 (a) 1144 to) (a) (a) 334 233 (a) Drunkenness Arrests. Albany ii30 Atlanta .3695 Cambridge 175S Fall River 23S6 Grand Rapids SS6 Nashville 1031 Portland 1220 Disturbing the peace Albany .. WO Atlanta 5S50 Cambridge ... ......'; 305 Fall River 427 Grand Rapids 255 Nashville 9S7 Portland 121 Assault and-battery Albany 237 Atlanta so Cambridge 183 , Fall River 363 Grand Rapids ' 69 Nashville 955 Portland 319 Homicide Albany i Atlanta 19 Cambridge 1 Fall River Grand Rapids Nashville 18 Portland l Vagrancy Albany 13S Atlanta 1641 Cambridge 36 Fall River 27 Grand Rapids S4 Nashville 644 Portland 142 House-breaking Albany 1 74 fa) (a) fa) 2S 55 to) 116 (a) (a) (a) (a) a) (a) (a 27 22 (a). 65 (a) (a) (a) 78 1 (a) 7 fa) (a) fa) 178 1SS (a) 83 (a) fa) (a) 454 322 (a) 213 Atlanta Ill Cambridge 62 Fall River si Grand Rapids l Nashville in Portland 50 larceny Albany 355 Atlanta . 393 Cambridge mi Fall River 205 urand Kaplds 145 Nashville 297 Portland 335 Other offencrs Albany f. 5 Atlanta .- 2562 Cambridge 647 Fall River G67 Grand Rapids 392' Nashville 19S4 Portland 1074 (a) Not reported. Fire Department. Statistics relating to firemen, equip ment and property loss from fires, are: Horses Regulars ". Cull men ;.. Volunteers Steam engines .. Chemicals Hook and ladder trucks. Feet of hose Feet of ladders Hose reels and wagons.. Hydrants Alarms Fires Property loss (a) Not reported. Municipal Debt. The principal item in Portland's debt Is the cost of the water works, built to pro tect the health of the people. Prior to their construction, the water supply, it will be remembered, was drawn from the "Willamette River. Other Items are free bridge bonds, and - indebtedness assumed when Portland, East Portland and Al blna were consolidated in 1894. Tho total debt represents Improvements which the people demanded for protection of health and for rapid transit between the several sections of the city. Consolidation of municipalities occupying widely scattered areas, is always accompanied with some disappointments. The charter of '1891. which became effective after consolida tion, did not provide a form of govern ment suitable to the needs of the one big city that superseded the three small ones. Time has, however, remedied most of these deficiencies, and the city has set tled down to a cash basis. In New York, which had long contemplated consolida tion and had suposedly perfected all the necessary details before taking tho step, more serious blunders were made. Con troller Coler wrote recently in the Popu lar Science Monthly, that the people of Greater New York "are now paying $15, 000,000 a year for the sentiment that de manded a great city in all save honesty and political wisdom. Consolidation, in fact as well as sentiment, must result to prove the material advantage of the ar rangement." Consolidation has been fol lowed at New York by an annual expen diture, exclusive of bonds, for local pur poses, of $19 56 per capita, of an estimated population of 3,500,000. In Portland, local expenditures for the period covered by the Department of Labor's statistics, ex clusive of amounts applied to liquidation ot debt, were $1,189,241, or $12 86 per cap ita of S2.413 population. Comparisons on debt, with other cities follow: CITY. Albany Atlanta , Cambridge .... Fall River .... Grand Raplda Nashville Portland Valuation and Tax Rates. Low assessment and high taxes for 6tate purposes are the contributing factors in Portland's high rate of taxation. Port land In 1898 raised J1.7S2.735 upon a prop erty valuation of $3S.396,620; Albany gets $2,6S5.370 from S66.SS4.940: Atlanta, $1,185,677 from $52,521,0S2; Cambridge. $3,366,367 from $89,551,090; Fall River, $2.S57.0Jl,from $51. 580.2S6; Grand Rapids. 51,SSS.1S1 from $27, 75S.001; and Nashville. $1,104,634 from $35, 399.390. At Grand Rapids, Nashville and Portland, the high tax rate is an accom- 1 panlment of low valuation. In the mat- , ter of city tax rate proper, Portland. which collects $8 on the thousand, is b low all the other cities. It still compares ' favorably when the school and Port of Portland taxes are included. Assessed valuation of property and the rate on values per $1000 are shown in the' subjoined table: CITY. Albany Atlanta Cambridge Fall River t. Grand Rapids ... Nashville Portland 1559,150.5151 . .1 u,no,4ii . 72.90S.100j 44.710.S50i j S1.9S1.455 ZS.6M.2W 3S.396.620 Not reported. Included In real, Income and Expendltnres. The following summary ot Income, ex penditures and assets is explanatory of the preceding one relating to valuations and tax rate. By assets is meant the value of all property, real and personal, owned by the city, at the end of its fiscal year, including the cash in the Treasury, uncollected taxes, cash and bonds in sink ing funds, and all land, buildings, appar atus and furniture belonging to the city for whatever purpose used, as the City Hall, Police and Fire Departments, schools, parks, bridges, water works, etc O S3. CTTTES.. Albany , Atlanta , Cambridge .... Fall River Grand Rapids Nashville Portland ; 2,563,576;$. 1.451.637 2.090.13S! 1.536.427 1.4S0.337 1.022,645 1461.S30J Following shows the cash on hand at end -of fiscal year, and tho assets, of the cities In comparison: " Cash Cities on hand. Assets. Albany J58S.582 J6.S52.750 Atlanta EO0.SSS 6.500.99S Cambridge ... '. 205,150 11.161,052 Fall River 105.641 5.4OS.0S1 Grand Rapids 622,156 4.45S.5S8 Nashville S2.410 3,974,815 Portland 202.754 11.187,331 Income Itemised. Municipal Income from, all eources is Cash, beginning of year., Ordinary receipts Property tax , Liquor licenses Other licenses and fines.. Fines Franchises Docks, etc Other sources , Total ordinary receipts.., Extraordln'y receipts Special assessments , Loans ... .................. Other sources Total Total income ; 593,445 $ 258,901 1.039.2S1 751.239 S3.119 112,754 17,338 16Z.274 7.799 1.351 425.316 340.2301 129.520 8.136 1,451,697 26,059 300.619 225.678 1,777.775: 2,569,676! 167.576 536,701 '"704277! 3,273,933 t Including receipts from fines. Included from; receipts from docks, wharves, etc Including state, county and bank tax. Per Capita Taxation Low at Port land. Tho per capita debt, assessed -valuation of property per capita, and the per capita expenditures for municipal maintenance are shown below. Portland, Nashville and Grand Rapids having low assessed valu ations, naturally show correspondingly small per capita valuations, but a lower 4 r? Ill f a 651 S5I . 35 122 105 49 62 77 ii 3 8 7 2 2 4 3 3 15,050 18.000 14.200 1,146 624 1,000 10 8 7 787 1,085 922 542 438 209 542 390 184 ? 74.844 ) 89,153 $256,188 rei 5S 5S 73 2S0 10 4 5 17.350 1,219 17 554 355 337 74,077 izi 3 21 4 3! 3; 23.000 25.000 1.100 105 370 724 9 1H 10 912 1.193 679 fa) 412 401 244 ioq 235 J 62.0001123.163; 332;667j per capita, charge for maintenance than Albany, Cambridge and Fall River. Port land "pays .more for fire service than Nash ville and Cambridge, the same as Fall River, but less than the average for the six cities with which It is classed for com parison. For police protection it pays the same as Grand Rapids, one-half as much as Albany, 40 cents per inhabitant less than prohibition Cambridge, and much lees than any of the other places. Schools cost Portland more than Nashville or At lanta, Southern cities of considerable ne gro population, but less than any of the other cities. Portland keeps well within bounds on care of streets, and ranks well in street lighting and low in miscellane ous expenses. Total maintenance expend itures, per capita, are low at Portland. Nashville, Grand Rapids and Atlanta, and high at Albany, Cambridge and Fall River. The summary: Net debt Expenditures for maintenance Assessed valuation, real and personal... Fire Department .' Police Department Schools . Care of streets .". Street lighting All other purposes. Total Not Including cleaning and sprinkling streets, t Including cleaning and sprink ling streets. Recapitalatlon. The following statement summarizes I some of the main figures of the preceding tables, and elves additional statistics of ' population of the cities under comparison. a 2 O 9 a, j 2. S" . 0? $4,653,390 2.927.500 7,261,500 4,624.000 $ 78.830 1.9O7.5O0 3.31K.B00 5.560.336 115.922 ? $4.6SS.390 2.927,500 7.261.3X) 4.7O3.S30 1.907.500 3,318.800 5.676.258 $1,394,260 51.155 L125.75S 1.0S3.04S 116.176 $3,294,130 2,876.332 6.135742 3.619,782 LSS1.324 3.318.800 5.640.474 35.784 area Included in city limits, together with other statistics of interest: Albany , Atlanta Cambridge .... Fall River .... Grand Rapids Nashville Portland Following is the total assessments for the cities under comparison: . Albany J6S.6S4.50 Atlanta 52.521,082 1 uamonage .. 89,551,050 Assessment. Tax rate per $1000. $ 7,525.425'$5S.6S4.940:$ 1 91IX 3 24! $15 451 $20 60 J10.614.56S) 52.521.0S2 6 21 4 941 12 501 23 65 16.612.S90S S9.5ol.050 ! j 26.S5D.43S; 61.5S0.2S6l l i 5.776.516) 27.75S.C01 1 2 461 2 2S 16 40 17 80 13 5S 9 69 2S01 6.715.150! 3S.2M.3901 3 50! 7 fift 15 00 SCO 25 iff 32 00 I 38.393.620 10 70 7 SO? t5 50 t School, $4; Port of Portland. $1 5a Fall River .... Grand Rapids . Nashville 61.5S0,2S6 27.755.W1 ................. 35.399 390 ... rr, Portland iwtMrthr faVhmAVw"t li-v' t noteworxny ract Drougnt to light .In A this Investigation is that Portland Is the 19th city of the Union, In point of area. It covers more ground than Buffalo, with 400,000 population; Baltimore, with 541,000; Cincinnati! with 415,000; Cleveland, with 3SO.O00; Detroit, with 350.(09; Indianapolis, with 300,000; Kansas City, with 200.000; Louisville, with 225,000; Milwaukee, with 2SO.000; "Newark, with. 575,000; Providence, with 166,000; Rochester, with 175.000; near- Income: Expenditures. gOH 704. 1$ 3.273.953 f32.377! S 2,133.903 $ 2.6S5.370 326,678 1.4S2.319 1,71 1, 775 177.423 1.009,454 l,156,&u 3.356,367 2.857,041 1.5SS.181 3.572.617 X174.S05 1,255,794 217.497 235.088 803,007 .191.367 J.126.Z55 2,92,652! 1.680.337 L1S6.444 3160L247 940.634 200.000 163.799; 623.930 S6S.94S 1.104.631 1,985,520 979.729J 1.782.730 ly as -much as San Francisco, with 360.0CO, and Boston, with 582,453; but slightly less than Salt Lake and Seattle. SCHOOL IN A MIMING CAMP. Increased Fac ill tie's "Will's JTecea sary at Republic. Republic Miner. The annual school election will be held ,i ; 81.818; $ 192.3SS 603,4271?. 34.187, $ 197,262 39253 97,616 29,958 2,363 1.455.0101 1.291.293 623,743 601.893 122.276 37.048 10.311 8.610 9.620 81.557 6,562 9.133 2,250 5,5501 T412.340 100.000 166.233 113,183 82,075 1.4S0.337 149.6S4 252,339 189,789 1,161,690 90,374 731.197 1,903 823,930 1,985,520 43.194 131.137 J.022,645 2.090.19SI 1.836,427 1,271.900 935.S46 20.419 190.409 1.482.319 1,126,255 200.000 150,000 13,799 200,000 163,799 3.572.5171 252.682 1.6W.33JI 1.185.444; the 9th day of next month, and as the time is fast approaching. It will be a wise move on the part of the citizens of Republic to meet and place In nomi nation a representative ticket, A3 In both city and county administrations, the prob lem of providing for tle rush Incidental to the opening -of the reservation will have to be solved. A large number of families will settle in this Immediate vi cinity this Fall, and thera will no doubt be an Increase in the number of school children in the district. t Since the incor poration of the city, the portion of the saloon licenses which, formerly went to the school fund will be diverted to the city's use. In the face of this decreased Income and probable Ipcrease'in the num ber of children to bo provided for, the School Board to be 'elected next month will have a large task before It. To meet successfully these problems it will require a board with th-j confidence and backing of the entire community. Dangerous Use of Patent Medicine. Pendleton East Oregonlan. Jack Dickson, the little eon of Mr. and Mrs. Haldanc Dickson, during Friday got hold of a bottle of onsumpton cure and drank half the contents. Inasmuch as Jack Is a rather smal) fellow, not one half so large as he will be when ho grows to more than twice his present size, half a bottle of the mediclno was too much for him, and it was necessary to call the physician. He was made all right in a very short time, and is as well now as though he had not made the experiment. The little son of Mr. and Mrs. "Wil liam Ingram also experimented with swallowing an antiseptic- tablet, and had not the physician arrived within a few minutes the child would have been very Blck, with chances for recovery against him. Dr. Smith In both cases was called, and says that neither child Is any the worse for the experience, although each was. rather sick for the time being. GRANITE'S RAPID GROWTH. Voting Population Has Donbled "Wlthia the Last Two Years. Granite Gem. Granite at the last general election cast Q $32 94 $29 81 $6S17 $3712 $61 01 666 83 544 26 995 01 89 63148 105 134 279 223 S3 415 49 1 C6 90 2 62 73 S3 4 45 10 60 141 ' 115 ISO 14' 13N 277 67 148 3 95 45 199 77 85 14 03 SO 15 ll1 15 45 24 35 SI 2153 10 46 16 42 J 170 votes. There were registered in this preclnct this year 409 legal voters. These figures alone show that the voting pop ulation of the precinct has more than doubled In the past two years. But these figures aro by no means a true criterion of the Increase of popula tion. Recorder Brown reports a decided laxity In the matter of registration, even many of the oldest residents having neg lected to qualify themselves for the forth coming elections. Besides, It Is known that there are fully 1(00 miners In the mountains contiguous to Granite, whose votes, if ist at all, must be cast here. A majority of these miners claim Gran ite as their home. They purchase their supplies here. They get their mail here. They will vote here. It Is safe to assert. therefore, that the voting population of th!s precinct has at least trebled or quad- 4 6.867 6.720 4.183 26.240 I 100.000 $4,688,390 2.927.500 7,261.500 4.702.830 1.907.500 3,218.600 $3,273,933 1.717.775 3.572.517 2.962,682 1. 630,337 U86.444 1.9S5.620 $2,683,370 1.1S5.SS7 3.366.357 2,857.041 l,5S8,lol 1.104.634 1,782.736 95,500 90.000 97,517 99.000 90.000 92.413 11.200 1 7,136 1 25.600 I 5.676.23S J rupled since the last election. Candi dates for office fully appreciate this fact and are doing their hardest work In this ' J""-"1- A"e reaiizq mat as goes Gran- i win jsu unuii uounty. Hilda Hobson In Salem. Hilda Hohson, the original. Is In Salem, says the Statesman. She arrived in the city on the afternoon train Saturday from Lane County, and is accompanied by her Celestial paramour. Hilda Is not a bad looking girl, and was very well dressed. This Individual Is the original "Hilda. who for several months last Summer and Fall resided In this city- She became en amored of a Chinaman, who was fairly J prosperous, ana, alter a brief courtship. I concluded to wed. The couple went to a j lumber camp near Eugene, where the ! Chinaman Is employed as cook. There the . couple has since resided in perpetual blLss. ' ; Constlnatlnn. which irtve rln to manv 1 rraver troubles. Is cured-and.prevented by I r"o-' t.imi t.Itt... ?ut t ,.. J and you will be convinced. $ 19 00 $ 35 S3 230 33 393 33 115 97 90 102 281 182 70 153 - 41 SO 353 381 950 9 65 IN GEfi JOUBERT'S CAMP BOERS FLAXXED TO FLOOD LADY SMITH; BY DUILDIXG JL DAM. Kot Mere Than 7500 Men In the Army With Which Joabert Held OK 35,000 Troops. (Tho following letter was written from the Boer headquarters two weeks before Ladysmith was relieved): General Joubert's Headquarters, Modder Spruit, Feb. 12. The Investment of Lady smith still drags Its weary length along. It seems to have resolved Itself Into a question of how long It will require for the garrison to be starved out. The main tenance of the siege of Ladysmith and the blockade of the relieving column within a few miles of Its objective point will one day be rated as a brilliant military ac complishment. It is really wonderful how the Boers, led by generals presumably unskilled In the art of war, have main tained their far-flung fighting lines along the Tugela and around the beleaguered town in the face of a greatly superior force. I have, within the last two weeks, been over all these positions, and I speak by the book when I say that at no time has the total federal force exceeded 7500 men, while at Intervals it has fallen below that figure. "With this small force Genera's Joubert, Botha and Burger are compelled to guard an offensive and defensive lino more than 30 miles in length. Some 3000 burghers watch Ladysmith, while the rest oppose Butler's repeated at tempts to secure a foothold on this side of the river. In Ladysmith are now fully 7000 English soldiers, while Buller"s force is estimated at 30.000, with numerous and powerful artillery. According to all ac cepted theories, the Boer position is peril ous. In the extreme. Yet here the burghers sit, cool, and not In the least nervous. The Boer camps, or laagers, nestle In the ravines and valleys formed by the out lying spurs of the big kopjes, with which the locality abounds. A laager generally consists of 30 to 50 tents and two or three dozen veldt wagons, with a stone or wire kraal for the horses. From 100 to 500 men live in each laager. The "hoof-laager," where General Joubert has his head quarters, Is at Modder Spruit, near the present terminus of the railroad, on the ground where the battle of Nicholson's Nek was fought. This Is about three miles from Ladysmith, and other laagers sur round tho town at about this average dis tance. A. Most Democratic Army. The aged commandant-general, notwith standing that he cannot mount a horse, owing to an injury incurred during his famous dash to Estcourt, plucklly remains In the field, so as to be on the spot when fighting takes place. Mrs. Joubert insists on sharing the hardships of camp life with her husband and sons. General Jou bert Is almost always to be found In his tent, where he receives telegrams from all points of the seat of war. Here he Is at home to any visitor, and it Is not an unusual sight to see a group of bearded burghers drop in to chat with him. At such moments no one seems to realize the gap between the commanding general and the privates. The burghers are in tensely democratic, and would not permit their officers to give themselves airs, even If they were dlsiwsed to do so. Marvelous mobility la the secret of tho Boer strategy, coupled with prompt and accurate information of the enemy's movements. All the laagers are connected by telegraph and telephone, and any news received at one of them la known along the entire circuit within 15 minutes. Tho disposition of the Boer forces about Lady smith is such that the whole can be con centrated at any given point within three hours. This explains why the British gen erals hold the delusion that they are op posed by 30,000or 40,000 men. Every Boer has his rifle and bandolier of cartridges within reach night and day. His horse can always be saddled and mounted In five minutes, and then he is ready to speed to where the sounds of strife may indicate his duty lies. Life in the laagers Is very tedious be tween engagements. When not on scout or picket duty the burghers He about under the tents and wagons and smoke and chat. They do not lack for news about general war events, for each camp has a bulletin board, where telegrams are posted. Food Is coarse, but plentiful. Thousands and thousands of cattle graze over the veldt or on the slopes of the hills. There ,1s no attempt at uniformity In dress among the burghers. Each man wears what he pleases. Even General Joubert has no uniform, but goes about the laagers in an ordinary business suit. The commandos Include men of every class. A majority are farmers, but many aT6 lawyers, Judges, merchants, bankers and clerical workers of every kind. Many are well educated, and have left luxur ious homes to rough it In defense of their country. Nearly every man I have met heartily desires peace, but is content to fight until untrammeled Independence is assured. War Sons of American Recruit. The war has already given birth to many war songs, generally written to some familiar tune. Some of these are quite meritorious as to expression and sentiment. One of the best was written by "Butch" Wilson, an American, who Is serving In the "Irish Brigade." Wil son is one of the characters of the Boer Army, and Is extremely popular. These are his lines: I can bear the distant rumbling Of "Big Ben." who has been Brumbllnff, And he's sending' Iron passports To the kingdom come, I'm told. And It gives me consolation. To think our little nation, Can humble those mean boasters, . Those men that wont the gold. With their raid and agitation. They have brought on desolation. And for savages and dynamite Their honor has been sold. We'll let them know that right is might, 'Gainst dumdum balls and fierce lyddite. They'll find this is no nigger tight We'll cure their greed for gold. For as the river finds the sea. So sure the people will be free Oar stakes not gold, but liberty. Our rights we will uphold. So march on. Nature's gentlemen. With Mauser gun your rights defend, 'Gainst cliques that worship dividends, And sell their-souls 'for gold. Another favorite song concerns Dr. Jam eson, who Is shut up in Ladysmith, and Is sung to the air of "John Brown's Body": "We'll hang Doc" Jameson to a sour appla tree; We'll hang "Doc" Jameson to a sour apple' tree; We'll hang "Doc" Jameson to a sour apple tree; When we take Ladysmith. Attempt to Drown Ladysmith. The Boers, tired of waiting for Lady smith to surrender, have devised a plan to drown out the garrison, by constructing an enormous dam across the Klip River, below the town. Two thousand are work ing on this dam, which Is to be 150 feet long, SO feet high and 60 feet thick. Lum ber and sand In bags are the materials Used. Where the dam is being constructed the river runs between two precipitous kopjes. Th's point Is two' and one-half miles below Ladysmith, which lies in the flat along the river banks in a tiny val ley, entirely enclosed by high hills. It gives one a queer sensation of near ness to the English to climb one of the kopjes which flank this enormous dam and gaze dawn Into the valley. Beyond the de pression the Platkop. where several Eng lish guns are mounted, throws its table like outline squarely against the sky. At the upper end of the valley, In a cluster of trees, glisten the white cottages and red iron roofs of Ladysmith, the bright spire of the little church, rearing like a lead pencil out of the shell-shattered ruins of the edifice. Below, just in front Of you, so near that it seems possible to toss a stone among Its gray tents; spreads the British hospital, where they say 20u0 men He 111 and wounded. If you remain at your post an hour you are certain to see a black wagon, drawn by two mules, whose protruding bones give token of scant forage, leave the hos pital and drive slowly to a space 100 yards away. Inclosed by a wire fence. Here the wagon stops, and your glasses easily re veal the character of the cortege. It Is a burial. The Boer pickets on the kop will tell you that the black wagon makes from five to 10 trips a day. The moon Is now full, and, viewed from the hills at night, Ladysmith might well bo taken for a city of the dead, so still, so devoid of all motion and life does It appear. One can Imagine that the grass grows Id the deserted streets, that window-panes are broken, doorways vacant and houses tenantless. In the white, eerie light of the round moon the scene looks like a mirage transported from dreamland. The whip-like report of a rifle shatters the picture, and brings you with a jerk back to reality. A sharp splatter, like the dashing of hall against a window, comes from a distance, and denotes the answer ing volley. Then the singing of the bul lets, like tho Importunate notes of giant mosquitoes, reminds you that men still live within the circle of defense. Tho pickets on tho hills become active, and rifle after rifle adds its voice to the stam mering chorus. The row has been raised by Boer scouts on a horse-lifting expe dition. Horse Lifting" hy Boer Patrols. Scarcity of foddar forces the English to permit their horses to range at night, and many are cut out by the alert Boer patrols. Horse-lifting has become a night ly occupation for venturesome; spirits in the laaj-ers. and tho accompanying skir- mishes add zest to the sport." The ani mals thus captured are very thin, and probably the garrison Is Indifferent about losing them, as they, are worthless "for food. Quiet reigns again. The fitful night skirmish Is over. The pickets on the hills relight their pipes and again gaze drowsily upon the panorama below, bathed in white light. But the picture has been destroyed and cannot be conjured up again. The Boers have found a new use for the unexploded lyddite. By mixing with vine gar and water a bright gold paste is pro duced. A lonely rooster, which stalks de jectedly about General Botha's headquart ers. -vas smwrwl -with th nronnraflon nd, lb ! he came forth the most resplend ent gilded fowl ever seen. The burghers have named him "Chamberlain." In a spirit of emulation, the Pretoria com mando has glided a tiny donkey, which rejoices in the name of "Salisbury." TO SETTLE THE STRIKE. State Labor Commissioner Calls for Arbitration Board at St. Louis. ST. LOUIS, May 2S.-State Labor Com missioner Rlxey today sent letters to President Whttaker, of the St. Louis Tran sit Company, and Chairman Edwtrds, of the strikers' grievance committee, r'-qucst-lng each to appoint two arbitrators to act with himself, as chairman of a board, to settle the present striKc. This is done in compliance with the state law. The State Labor Commissioner stated In his letter that if the request was not com plied with within 24 hours he would make the appointments himself, as the law pro vides. A car on the Bellefontalne line of the Transit Company was partly wrecked by an explosion of dynamite placed on the tracks by unknown persons at Newhou&e avenue and Twentieth street late this af ternoon. Officers Steefcflne and O'Keefe, who were detailed to protect the car, were seriously Injured. The Reason for Some Failures. Success. How many public men have fallen, be cause they have been discourteous to sub ordinates, to news-gatherers, to voters after election! How many, on the other hand, have climbed to great heights of power and reputation because they paid attention to the civilities of life! People have long memories. They never forgive the slightest affront to their sovereignty. Tho moment a public man so far forgets the source of his power as to treat the humblest Individual with scant courtesy. he places in action an engine for his own destruction. Per contra, let an official be thoroughly agreeable In manner, and gen uinely Interested in the welfare of persons whom he may never have occasion to "use." and he places In unknown hands cymbals to proclaim his merits. Popular favor is swayed as often by the personal manner, of a candidate as by the princi ples he represents. True courtesy, how ever, springs from the heart, rather than from the head. It takes little account of rank, or circumstance, or benefits to be derived. ' Singing: the Evening: Hymn. "Lighter Moments," by Bishop Walsham How. The following words are given verbatim Tl B B X rf-rir irx UtfltfrVS s y VJ vKBBk vl H .to rtuel OH. The World's Famous Medicinal Whiskey (A distillation of pure malt) has no equal. Prescribed and endorsed by leading doctors for nearly half a century as the only pure, Invigorating stimulant and tonic All druggists and grocers, $1.00 a bottle. See that the trade mark is on the bottle. Book sent free. DUFFY MALT WHISKEY CO., Rochester, N.Y. The New York Dental Parlors No Students Employed. AH Graduate Dentists. Conveniently and elaborately arranged, -with PRIVATE OPERATING ROOMS, for the COMFORT of each patient, and a SPECIALIST for every department who is UNEXCELLED in his SPECIAL BRANCH. WE know no failures in Dental "Work. "We tit you where all others have failed, or no pay. . -- i. ' Recognized throughout the United States as the Leaders in Painless Dentistry. "Where their world-famed SPECIALISTS devote their entire time to their special branch of work, which FACT enables them to be without an EQUAL. "WE DO NOT COMPETE with cheap dental work, but our charges are less than ONE-HALF that charged by others, and OUR METHODS for ex tracting TEETH "WITHOUT PAIN are known and used by us only Teeth without Full set teeth N. E. Cor. Fourth and Morrison Sts., Portland. Or. Lady always In attendance. Hours, 8 to S. Sundays. 10 to 4. Branch of fices: San Francisco, CaL, 723 Market street; Howard block, Seattle, "Wash. I Dock 1 T 1 Health I "' lULM as spoken by an old woman in the parish, on the occasion ot my first visit soon, after I- became rector: "The old man and" me never go to bed, sir. without singing the Evening Hymn. Not that I've got- any voice left, for I haven't, and as fori him, he's like a bee In a bottlo; and then he don't humor the tune, for he don't! rightly know one tune from another, and he can't remember the words, neither; so when he leaves out a word I puts It in. and when I can't sing I dances, and s wo gets through it somehow." The Mongoose In Barbados. ' 1 Cornhill. Thero are, I believe, only a Trery fersr mongooses in Barbados, and strong meas ures will doubtless be adopted to still fur ther reduce their number; for no possible advantage in destroying the large browa rat which gnaws the sugar cano cam make up for the havoc the mongoose cre ates in the poultry yard, and, Indeed, among all feathered creatures. It has also been found by experience that the mon goose prefers eggs to rats, and will neg lect his proper prey for any sort or size of egg. He was brought Into Jamaica to eat up the large rat Introduced a century ago by a certain Sir Charles Price (after whom those same brown rates are still called). Instead of which the mongoose has taken to egg and bird-eating and has thrived on this diet beyond all calculation. Sir Charles Price Introduced his rat to ea. up the snakes with which Jamaica was then Infested, and now that the mongoose has failed to clear out the rats, some oth er creature will have to be introduced to cope with the swarming and ravenous mongooses. CTJSIXESS ITEMS. If Baby Is Cnttlnpr Teeth, Be sura and use that old and well-tried remedy, Mrs. "Wlnslow'a Soothing Syrup, for cblldrea teething. It iioothea the child, softens the gums, allays all pain, cures wind colic and diarrhoea. BEECHAM ? Purify the Bleed. Care Blotches, Ira 111 I Yl prove Complexion. 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