1 i THE MOItOTNG OBEGOIJIAN, 5E0XDAY, JUNE 11, 1900. hs regomcxt X the Postofflce at Portland. Oregon, as second-class matter. TELEPHONES. Editorial Booms.. ..163 I Business Office GST REVISED SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Br Mail (postage prepaid). In Advance Dally, with .Sunday, per month.. $0 S5 Daily. Sunday excepted, per year 7 50 Daily, with Sunday, per year 9 00 Sunday, per jear - 00 The Weekly, per year........ 1 50 The Weekly. 3 months.... &o To City Subscribers Dally, per week, dellxered. Sundays ereepted-15c Ually, per week, delivered. Sundays lncludei20c News or discussion Intended for publication In The Oregonlan 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 "The 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 pur pose. Paget Sound Bureau Captain A- Thompson, office at 1111 Pacific avenue, Tacoma- Box 855, Tacoma Postofflce. Eastern Business Office The Tribune building, Uew York city; "The Rookery." Chicago; the IK. C Beck with special agency, New York. ' For sale in an Francisco by J. K. Cooper. 4B I ''Market street, near the Palace hotel, and at Goldsmith Bros.. 236 Sutter street. Tor sale in Chicago by the P. O. News Co., SIT Dearborn street. TODAY'S "WEATHER Fair and cooler; "westerly -winds. PORTI.AXD, MONDAY, JUNE 11, lOOO .The Alaska Mexican Gold Mining KJoVapany, opposite Juneau, saved last year, from 1C6.054 tons of ore mined and milled $231,841, or 51 40 per ton In the mill. Concentrates sulphu rets amounting to S053 tons -were saved and treated, yielding $115,574, "being $37 8S per ton of sulphurets, or 69 cents per ton of ore milled. Total returns from the ore were $347, 415, or $2 09 per ton. Large Eastern Oregon mines, like the Golconda, put out as waste ore of higher value than the average of the rock treated by the Alaska company last year. "When our Eastern Oregon mines are equipped wHh proper machinery we shall make a showing In production that will as tonish the mining world. "With the utilization of the by-products will dis appear the bitter jest that to find an Oregon mine all that Is necessary Is to follow a creek as far as you see tail ings along the bank. Criticism of President McKInley, whether of clerical or lay origin, for not having abolished the army canteen is utterly unfounded. The President is bound to follow the opinion of his chief law officer. When Attorney-General Griggs decided that the law did not exclude the canteen, there was nothing for the President to do but to act on that view of the law or obtain a new Attorney-General. "The question of Iron ore supplies is becoming an important one in several European countries." says the Mining and Engineering Journal, "and the mines of Spain. Sweden, Greece and Al geria are being drawn upon heavily to supply the British and German blast furnaces. In Great Britain especially this matter of the Iron ore supply Is causing much discussion. Germany has still large supplies at home, and the Imports are of less Importance. In I the United States we shall not need outside supplies for many years." The i Pacific States have large and valuable deposits of Iron ore, but no development of them Is possible, because of the trusts. Any attempt to mine the raw I ore for shipment or for conversion Into manufactured products would Invite the crushing competition of Carnegie, ithe Federal Steel Company, and the I American Steel & Wire Company. So I long as the trusts control the iron and Bteel Industry, the Great Lakes country will be their source of Iron ore supply, and the deposits of the Pacific Coast will not be worked for any purpose, not even to meet shortages In Europe. A contemporary complains of the "dearth of Vice-Presidential possibili ties." But there is an ovemroduction In Vice-Presidential impossibilities. Once Friday was hangman's day. Now it Is prizefighter's day. Poor Fri day. With the exception of Paardeburg, for which General Kitchener was re sponsible, a fight in which more men were lost in a single day than any other during the war, no bloody assault has taken place under General Roberts' di- i rectlon. Since Paardeburg and General Cronje's capture no Boer force has i made a serious -vsiand, because the kBoers are not a disciplined army, and the flanking tactics of Lord Roberts have demoralized troops under no dls- clpline confronted with the spectacle i of the ease w 1th which a superior force , can surround an inferior force. A current news item from St. Louis has this startling paragraph: A mob of furious -women and boys tonlcht beat and denuded Lena Kaenter, a young I woman who makes her living by peddling lunches among the cmploes of the California avenue street-cir line. When the mob had etrlpped her to the -waist, one woman daubed her with green paint, while two others held her. The Jeering bojs and women of the mob applauded the outrage, and threw mud. Two shop girls were attacked by the same xaob an hour later, and they were partly de nuded before they escaped. St. Louis is the city that asked for and got from Congress a large appro priation for a world's exposition de signed to show the progress, enlighten ment and culture of the Mississippi Valley. It would appear that the world Is also In need of a few lessons In the science of government, and its orderly and peaceful administration, from this great Missouri center of the arts and industries. McKInley forgets that the constltu- lon and the laws concentrate the power f executive appointment In one Pres ident, and do not distribute it among ninety Senators. The losses of the English at the hands 3f the Boers, armed with Improved lagazinc rifles, are small compared with the losses of the Union army dur- ling the Civil War. The loss of the British has been not to exceed ten per it, while Battery B of the Fourth United States Artillery lost forty per sent killed and wounded at Antietam id thirty-three per cent at Gettys- inrg. Within a period of eleven months, inSerage strength of one hun- hree present, it lost In five ktrunty-one killed and eighty- P?led. -while out of a total of Ud.7 It had forty killed and 118 l At Chancellorsville Battery me regiment lost forty-five per cent killed and wounded, while at Chickamauga, H and I each lost thirty two per cent, H of the Fifth Artillery losing thirty-one per cent in this last battle. At Olustee, E of the Third Ar tillery lost thirty-three per cent. Four times in the Civil War the enemy got among the guns of Battery B of the Fourth Artillery, yet it never lost a gun or a caisson. GOVERNMENT COFFEE PROMOTION. The Government of the United States has gone Into the business of boosting coffee at the expense of tea. This It does through levy of ten cents a pound on tea and admission of coffee free. The excuse for the tax on tea is the need of revenue, but nobody has yet explained why the need of revenue dis appears as soon as we strike coffee, es pecially as ten times as much coffee as tea is used in the United States. The only explanation of the discrimination ever made was that when the sugar trust was enacting the war tariff. It wanted free coffee as an aid in its fight with the Arbuckles. This assertlan we have, never seen denied, nor has any one denied the further assertion, fre quently made in these columns, that Increased taxation of everything that comes from Asia to our Pacific ports Is In the interest of Atlantic Coast trad ers and the Canadian Pacific Railroad, the most influential slngje lobby main tained at Washington. Consumption of coffee In the United States is advancing by leaps and bounds, but consumption of tea is less than at any previous time In the long period since 18B8. Not a single year in all those thirty-two years, with their hard times and panics, has seen a lower per capita tax of "the cup that cheers" than now prevails. All this time coffee has been gaining in figures of consump tion, gross and per capita. This would be explained without ref erence to tariff taxation, were It not for the fact that consumption of tea was on the increase until the tax was laid. Here are the figures ot imports: Coffee. Tea. 1804 550,000.000 03.000.000 1835 C52.OO0.O0O 37.000.000 183 737.000.000 113.000,000 18U0 831.000.000 74.000.000 (The figures of 1833, the year the tax was laid, are valueless.) Observe that while we Imported 94, 000,000 pounds more coffee In 1899 than in 1S97, we Imported 39,000.000 pounds less tea. In 1897 our per capita con sumption of tea was 1.55 pounds; In 1899 It was only .96 pounds. But our per capita consumption of coffee rose from 9.95 pounds in 1897 to 10.55 pounds In 1899. It might be said that coffee suits the National palate better than tea as time goes on. This is practically disposed of by the Increase in per cap ita consumption of tea before the tax was laid. Our average for ten years before 1897 being 1.35 and the per capita for that year being 1.55, greater than for any previous year in our history. But if It were true that we use more coffee because we like it better than tea, the fact would demonstrate the error of the discrimination between the two. A tax of ten cents a pound on coffee would yield the Government $S0,000,000 a year, instead of the paltry $8,000,000 or so we shall collect this year on tea. Another thing. Despite this general decline, there are branches of the tea trade that are Increasing. The Pacific trade Is less, and enough less to reduce the total in spite of the fact that the shipment of tea hither across the At lantic is increasing. Compare the first ten months of" this year with those of last, and we find that our Imports from the United Kingdom are 2,144,000 pounds, instead of 1,331,000; from Brit ish North America (the Canadian Pa cific's graft at Washington), 1,229,000, Instead of 949,000. But In 1897 we Im ported from China 51,000,000 pounds of tea in these same ten months, and now we import 39,000,000. The effect of the duty on tea, rice and matting, and the Increased duties on silks, is to drive trade with Asia to Europe, so that we buy our Asiatic supplies in England. The fact Is that free trade in tea, rice, silks and matting would be a good thing for the Pacific Coast. It is Just as Impossible at the hands of Congress, therefore, as the Nicaragua Canal is, or withdrawal of aid to the Canadian Pacific, or a fair chance to sell goods In Manila. GENERALSHIP LARGELY A GIFT. The Chicago Times-Herald says that a recently published table shows West Point's great, soldiers not to have been its best students. "Sherman was by no means a star, Thomas, Schofield and Sheridan and some others of note had a hard time to pull through the semi annual examinations or were obliged to be content with a standing which gave them more leaders than followers in their classes. Stonewall Jackson was considered little better than a dul lard at his books. Pickett was at the foot of his class Custer was also last man in the procession of his class," etc This table was clearly carelessly pre pared, for Sherman was No. G In his class, Thomas No. 12, Schofield No. 7, while Stonewall Jackson ranked 17 in a class of 38 members, which no dullard could have done, and was, like Grant, an excellent mathematician. On the other hand. General Isaac L Stevens was No. 1, General Franklin was No. 1, General Warren stood No. 2, General McPherson No. 1, General R, S. McKenzie No. 1, General Rosecrans No. L General Newton No. 1, General Fitzjohn Porter No. 8, General Hancock No. IS, General Slocum No. 7, General Howard No. 4, General Stanley No. 0, General Sill No. 3, General Lyon No. 11 in a class of 52 members. General Ewell No. 13, A. P. Hill No. 15, General Getty 15. As a rule, the man who rose to dis tinction obtained a good standing at West Point. The exceptions are Long street, Heth, David A. Russell, Crook and Hood. These exceptions to the rule at West Point only illustrate that in the schools of war as In the schools of peace it Is the power to apply rather than the mere power to memorize knowledge that makes an efficient man of the world. Superior military schol arship is no more assurance of success In the application of the art of war to the sudden emergencies of the cam paign and the battlefield than superior legal scholarship at a law school Is an assurance of success in the courts, or than great scholarship at a theological seminary Is assurance of future power in the pulpit. Grant If you please that some of the ablest generals of our Civil War were not among the scholars of the first rank at West Point, It does not prove that fine military scholarship is not worthy of attainment by a man who would become a General. It only proves that outdoor executive energy, pugnacity and moral courage are es sential to a General as well as exact knowledge of the scientific principles of strategy and grand tactics. The scholarly temperament Is some times too cautious, contemplative and reflective when it needs to he aggres sive and audacious in action. It reflects so much that it becomes self-distrustful and hesitates when It should strike both swiftly and surely. Grant was the best General for the battlefield because he trusted to his power to meet emer gencies when they arose. If troubles came in battalions he trusted to his nerve and his courage to meet them; but he never relaxed his grip on his own original purpose until the enemy forced him to break It and obtain a fresh hold. Success in war, as In business. In pol itics and the professions, is not assured by great knowledge of books alone, or even pure intellectual power. There Is a native temperamental quality neces sary, which Includes Judgment, push, enterprise, and prompt decision at the golden moment, the absence of which no knowledge of books and. no mere power of pure thought will supply. If a fine military scholar lack this quality he will not .make a great General. A man of less military scholarship, who has this temperamental quality, will worst him In action. CUSTOMER AND C03IPETTTOR. Completion of the Trans-Siberian Railroad to Port Arthur three years hence will put an extensive region, heretofore almost totally unknown, into competition with cereal-producing countries. At a conference at Lyons, Franqe, in April, on the resources of Siberia, Emile du Marals. a civil en gineer who has passed many years In Russia, quoted figures that give an idea of the station Siberia is likely to take In the industrial world. He said that 200,000 farmers settle In the coun try annually, the Russian Government providing them with free transporta tion and giving each family the free use of 37 acres of land for a stated time. Siberia's population now is 8,000, 000, but on the basis of the population of Russia In Europe, the country Is capable of sustaining 80,000,000 people. The, annual production of cereals is 2.000,000 metric tons, COO.OOO to 00.000 of which are exported. The country can produce 10,000,000 tons a year, from 4,000,000 to 5,000,000 tons of which are subject to exportation. Siberia now ex ports butter to Denmark, and It Is es timated that she can export annually $15,500,000 worth of butter, wool, leath er, dried and preserved meats. Fish and tallow may figure conspicuously In her exports In the near future. The immense coal deposits have hardly been touched. One mine, with six beds, is believed to contain as much coal as all the deposits in England. The opening of Siberia will bring the world's two greatest producing regions into competition with each other for the trade of the consurring millions of China, Japan and Oceanlca. On the one side we shall have Russia's granary Siberia and on the other America's the country west of the Rocky Moun tainswith the Pacific Ocean between. In the matter of exports there Is rather a striking analog' between these two widely separated regions. Our princi pal commodities for foreign shipment are lumber, coal, cereals, leather, fish, dairy products and meats. In all of these, with the possible exception of lumber, Siberia seems likely to become our competitor, and she is already mov ing in the direction of forest preserva tion, destruction having caused a scar city of fur-bearing animals. Western America and Siberia are granaries. Si beria Is not a manufacturer and neither Is this coast. In the large sense. East ern competition favored by transconti nental rate discrimination forces profits to too low a plane to admit, with the present limited population, of extensive development here. But Siberia's entry Into the world's business may result In a readjustment of conditions. When the Trans-Siberian Railroad reaches Port Arthur, Moscow will be only thir teen or fourteen days' distant from Pekln, compared with our long ocean voyage from the Pacific Coast to China and the still longer trip from the At lantic seaboard by way of Cape Horn or the Suez Canal. Reduction of time from the manufacturing centers of Eu rope to China on the Trans-Siberian Railroad ought to open the eyes of American manufacturers to the ad vantage of establishing factories on the Pacific Coast and thus reduce the cost of manufacturing and time and cost of handling finished products made for Asiatic use. The coming together of Siberia and Western America in a contest for trade forms an analogy of Industry and an anomaly of race. The one represents the Slav; behind the other is the Anglo-Saxon Impulse. The struggle, so long continued on the European side of the Atlantic, is about to be trans ferred to the Asiatic side of the Pacific, by the "building of a railroad, from an economical and political standpoint tha greatest feat of the century. The land or boundary dispute al ways in progress at some point on the frontier bore Its usual fruitage a few days ago in Gilliam County, one ranch er shooting another with fatal results over the contested ownership of a field and Its crop of grain. Since there does not seem to be any way to settle dis putes of this kind, except through the regeneration of human nature or the rancher's shotgun, the latter means will no doubt continue to be applied in ex treme cases of provocation. Even at a distance one can feel the bitterness of a dispute Involving what each party thereto considers his Just and inalien able right to the fame piece of land. Of course, the pulling of the gun un der the circumstances Is not excusable, but numerous examples have proved that It Is the natural outcome of a dis pute carried on with the exasperating accompaniments of throwing down fences, letting stock in on growing grain, etc The actors in this rural drama are usually about equally enti tled to sympathy or censure, even af ter it ends in a tragedy, since the out come Is usually determined by the ac cident of being the "first to draw." It is a subject for public regret that Congress adjourned without passing the army reorganization bill passed by the Senate. The House committee pigeon holed the bill by refusing to report, either favorably or adversely, the Sen ate bill. There was great need for the passage of the Senate bill, which was a very modest measure. Congress has made provision for the mounting of 940 modern guns on our coast fortifications, and about 500 of these guns are already In place. There Is not now a sufficient number of men in the artillery corps to take care of the guns already mounted. There are not men enough to afford a relief for each gun now In fortifications. Only skilled and experienced men can make effective use of these guns, which are enormously expensive, with ma- j chlnery for handling them and the am munition, and these guns require con stant attendance to keep them from rusting and deteriorating. The Senate bill provided for an addition of 5000 men to the artillery, a force only suf ficient to take care of these guns. Mr. Cockrell, the .Democratic economist of the Senate, favored this increase in the artillery as absolutely necessary and as in the direction of a small standing army, because If the coasts are well de fended a large standing army Is not needed. The bill passed the Senate without division, but the House com mittee refused to report it. The only other important provision in the bill Is that providing for an Interchangeable staff for the army, such as the navy now has. The Socialists of the Italian Chamber of Deputies in their late attempt to override parliamentary rule seem to have taken their cue from Vienna, where last year they created an uproar In Parliament that echoed all over Eu rope. Beating their desks, shouting, singing in chorus a revolutionary work-" lngman's hymn, they effectually drowned the voice of the President and stopped all proceedings. The senseless ness of this sort of thing is even more apparent than its arbitrariness. The new Parliament that will assemble on the 16th inst. stands the same chance of being shouted down. Taken in con Junction with the fact that the govern ment is utterly Incompetent to meet the social and financial crisis with which the country is face to face, the "Italian question" may well be regard ed as a serious exhibit in the decadence of parliamentary rule In Europe. No reasonable taxpayer can find fault on the score of economy with the man agement of the County Poor Farm for May. With 107 Inmates to feed and otherwise provide for, the superintend ent's expense account for the month amounts to $1097, a per capita expense per day of 29.7 cents. To all appear ance there are no more employes at this institution than are needed to car ry on Its work, and certainly the sala ries paid are reasonable, the whole ag gregating but $391 a month. It is fair to presume that the food furnished to Inmates is abundant and wholesome, that the care given Is sufficient, and that they are kindly treated, since no complaints have lately reached the sympathetic ear of the public from peo ple who are proverbially tenacious of their rights and loud in their demand for considerate treatment as "guests of the county." Whether viewed as a monument to Ignorance or a display of obduracy that is utterly deaf and blind to the fact that the world moves, the revolt in China makes a presentment of the gov ernment and people of that country that will go far to Justify the rapacity of the nations that are evidently plot ting the dismemberment and partition of the empire. The revolt is an anti foreign movement, the wild inception of which has found fruitage In murder of missionaries, destruction of railroads and other property, and menace to the lives of all foreign residents. The na tions of the Old World will probably find In this internecine strife in China the opportunity to atep in and in the name of progress and human rights settle the Chinese question in accord ance with their desires. The first National Convention of the Republican party was held In Phila delphia June 17, 1856. The survivors of the 555 delegates are to be invited to attend as honored guests. In 1872 the Republicans held their convention in Philadelphia with 677 delegates,, when Grant was renominated for President without opposition. The Republican National Convention which meets in Philadelphia June 19 will not probably extend its deliberations beyond two days. There are only a few of the founders of the Republican party left. So far as can be ascertained, but fourteen dele gates to the Philadelphia convention of 1856 survive, and they are to occupy a place of honor at Philadelphia. Why is Bryan not Invited? He has- repeatedly Informed an interested public that he Is now the only surviving advocate of original Republican doctrine. The Republican party in 185S cast a popular vote of 1,341,264 and 114 elec toral votes for Fremont, while In 1896 It cast a popular vote of 7,104,779 and 271 electoral votes for McKInley. If the St. Loujs car strike were to spread across Missouri to Kansas City, we could expect some mighty Interest ing reading in the second Chicago plat form, adopted four years after. When prices fall, says Mr. Bryan, we have a rising dollar. When prices rise, that's due to the trusts. Consistency, however. In advocacy of Bryanism would be a damning fault. Colorado also has a great Democratic politician named Tom Maloney. So the Olympla statesman of that name Is not unique, solitary, grand. He has hap pened twice. Grover Cleveland denies all interest In National affairs. He lives In New Jersey. Only Oae Flagr NoV. Atlanta Constitution. We regret that any difference of senti ment should have sprung up in the ranks of the Sons of Confederate Veterans at Louisville in regard to carrying the Stars and Stripes along with the stars and "bars at the .head of the division in Friday's parade. If the veterans themselves who bore the flery brunt of battle through four long years of sacrifice could so far forget the asperities of former conflicts as to mingle the colors of both flags above them, similar feelings ought surely to have characterized the action of the sons. When the war between the suites ended some 35 years ago the Confederate sol dier presented the spectacle of gracefully returning to his old allegiance under th Stars and Stripes. He left the Union to flght for what he conceived to tie the right ful Interpretation of the Constitution, and when he failed to establish this conten tion he accepted the -situation In good faith and promptly reaffirmed his devotion to the country's flag, realising that it mean as much to him as It did to any one else, and that Its folds were Broad enough to cover North and South alike. If such was the spirit which animated the Con federate soldier on returning to the Union 33 years ago, there Is certainly no occa sion for the exhibition of any other spirit at t.s time, when the once divided sec tions have In recent years been still more closely knit together by common sacrifices and common achievements upon the field ot battle. We commend to the Sons of Veterans the conduct of the veteran themselves, and we would further Impress upon them this fact, that If the Con federate soldier Is their Ideal In war he should also be their Ideal in peace. Let us honor the flag under which our fathers marched to battle in the '60s and let us treasure the memories of. heroism which have come down to us from the past, but let us also remember that we live under the Stars and Stripes, which Is hence forth and forevermore the flag of the whole American people. FUTURE OF SOUTH AFRICA. Not aa Inviting Field fdr Peraianeat Coloalal Movement. New York Mall and Express. It is not certain that South Africa will fulfill the high expectations for its future under which Briton and Boer have taken up arms, or will Justify their extraordi nary efforts to become masters of It. The region represents certain very definite if temporary possibilities of enrichment, but there are no convincing grounds for sup posing that it will be the field of a perma nent colonial movement, that it will ever support a considerable population or that It will continue an empire factor of great importance. The reason is that South Africa Is de pendent for Its present position solely on its diamond and gold mines, and that the latter, at least, have a fairly definite term about 50 years-nset to their existence. Barring their mineral riches, the Dutch settlements of the hinterland are among the leanest countries of the world. They cannot compare In natural advantages with the Argentine Republic or the colony of Queensland, in the same latitude of the south temperate zone. South Africa has never had a large population, chiefly be cause it could not support It. It was found but sparsely inhabited by the blacks, who could solve the struggle for existence on Its rainless wastes only by keeping down their numbers through war. The Portuguese passed by without pop ping, and the Dutch did not settle the Cape until they had made unavailing ef forts to get a lodgment In Mozambique. They made their trek Into the barren In terior for racial reasons and against the protests of the wilderness. South Africa presents the strange spec tacle of an agricultural country that can not support its own scanty population, .but has to buy its meal, potatoes and tim ber abroad. In the Orange River State one square mile In a hundred Is under cultivation, in Natal one square mile In 130. In Cape Colony one square mile In 200, and In the Transvaal one juare mile In 1500. The area of cultivated land In the entire Transvaal, according to the latest obtainable figures. Is no greater than the area of Brooklyn Borough, no greater than the area of single wheat farms In the Northwest. A territory which In Europe supports a population of 100,000,000 falls In Africa to feed a white population of 2.000,000. The unfortunate geographical configuration of South Africa, with no navigable rivers, with a coast line devoid of habors and Indentations, and with northern frontiers open to the plagues and droughts of the tropics, has stamped It. perhaps forever. It Is feared, as the region of locusts and hot winds and fever and rinderpest, whose only lasting white inhabitant may be the solitary Boer farmer, rifle In hand, fend ing his flOCks On tha Innplv rnnn-oa Ti.a.Vi. ing the marauding Kafflr. or. with patient toll, leading thin streams of water into his arid) fields. Some time the gold-seeker may And the precious metal growing scarce and he will leave this Inhospitable land as he Is leav ing Nevada, as he has abandoned a hun dred once populous districts. The Boer was there before him. He will be there after him unless he wanders from a soil no longer his own. Practical Uses of Llqald Air. Baltimore Sun. J&? I :?eeUnS oi tho Franklin In stitute, of Philadelphia. Professc- Raoul Flctet, of Switzerland, discussed the applt. cations of liquid air to practice pur poses. It was shown- that with a $25,000 plant, using a 600 horse-power steam en gine and having expenses of $74 a day, there would be a dally output of products worth $1950, as follows: Three thousand pounds carbonic acid, at 7 cente a pound, worth $210; 3.550.000 cubic feet of oxyren' worth $1000; 5.300.06C cubic feet of nitrogen, worth $750. As a direct source of power or as a refrigerating agent, liquid air, it was positively declared, could have no practical value. The Philadelphia Manu facturer, which reports M. Plctet's ad dress, relates that a liquid air engino waa shown in operation. It produced one-na!f horse-power for five minutes with for.r gallons of liquid air, but each gallon of the, liquid required four horse-power for its production. . The carbonic aold produced by the $25,000 plant would find ready sale for car bonatlng waters and for certain forms of power generation. The demand exceeds supply. The oxygen separated from the ni trogen of the air by the supposed plant would bring at present prices 10 cents a cublo foot, but could be sold profitably for 1 cent a cubic yard. At the lower price it could be used for Intensifying the heat of furnaces, for making an oxyhy drogen flame suitable for welding and for producing light, for ventilation, for burn ing smoke and for bleaching. The ni trogen would be in demand, for making the cyanides used in treating gold ores, for tho manufacture of nitric acid and other acids and for Isolating heated bodies that must not be oxidized. It would be used also In preserving butter, fruits and other organic substances that spoil In the presence of the oxygen contained In the air. At present the costliness of oxygen and nitrogen restricto their industrial use, but when once cheapened by manufac ture on a large scale these gases would And numerous applications. Alfred Austin's Poem. Following is tha full text of Alfred Austin's Kafeklng poem: MAFEKING. Oct. 15. 1800 May 10, 1900. Once again, banners, fly! Clan? again, bells, on high. Sounding to sea ana sky Longer and louder Mafeking's glory with Klmberley, Ladysmlth. Of our unconquered kith Prouder and prouder. Hemmed In for half a year. Still with no succor near, Nor word of hope to cheer , "Wounded and dying:. Fevered, and foiled of sleep By the fierce cannon's leap. They still, still vowed to keep England's flag flying. a Nor was their mettle shown By male and strong alone. But. as Intrepid grown, Fragile and tender, "Without tear or sigh Echoed the brave old cry, "We. too, would rather die , Die than surrender." As pressed the foe more near. Only with naked spear. Ne'er knowing what to fear. Parley, or blench meant. Forward through shot and shell, "While still the foremost fell. They with resistless yell Stormed his lntrcnchment. Then, when hope dawned at last. And fled the foe, aghast At the relieving blast Heard In the melly Oh, our stout, stubborn kith! Klmberley, Ladysmlth, Mafeklng. wedded with Lucknow and Delhi! Bound for them martial lay! Crown them with battle-bay. Both those who died, and they 'Gainst death could wrestle. Powell of endless fame. All. all with equal claim. And, of the storied name. Gallant young Cecil! Long as the waves shall roll. Long as Fame guards her scroll. And men through heart "and sou! Thrill to true glory. Their deed, from age to age. Shall voice and verse engage, Swelling the splendid page Of England's story! Alfred Austin. Llaavlhangel Court, Aber gavenny, May IS. GOSSIP OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL WASHINGTON, June 5. The Bartlett Tripp Vice-Presidentialboomscarcelymade a ripple on the political waters In the East. Occasionally something wousd be said about It, but It was generally hit so hard on the head immediately by the itc publican leaders that it got little or no show. The general impression was that it waa put forward for the purpose of placating certain Gold Democrats in va rious states, who were inclined to return-1 to the Democratic party. Bartlett Tripp is a man of excellent character, who, as Minister to Austria, did the honors very nicely, but accom plished nothing, because there was noth ing to accomplish. As Judge of the Da kota Territorial Court years ago, he was quite a success as a lawyer. He was also successful as a Commissioner to Samoa. But this was not sufficient to entitle him to the horror of second place lrt the Na tion on the Republican ticket, according to views of Republicans In the East. More than this, the examples of the past have been such as to teach parties not to select men ot the opposite faith for the Vice-Preeidontlal candidates. It is only the students of "United States history that realize the mistake the "Whig party made In 1S-S0 when it nominated John Tyler as the Vice-Presidential candidate on the ticket with Harrison. Harrison's popu larity carried the Whig party, Tyler serv ing the entire Presidential term aave a month. Tho latest and moat unfortunate exam ple wo have, occurring in tho memory ot men now riving, was the selection of An drew Johnson, a former Southern Demo crat and a Union man, for Vice-President on the ticket with Lincoln. Lincoln's as sassination gave Johnson the Presiden cy, and a vicious reconstruction policy, together with a meet unseemly wrangle, followed. The attempt of Congress fo ab solutely rule the Nation through a two thirds vote over the vetos of the President and without regard to the wish of the President Is one of the dark spots In American history. A man In harmony with his party on general principles, such as Hannibal Hamlin, had he been renominated, would have avoided the scan dal between 1SC5 and 1S69. "While Judge Tripp Is a very accom plished gentleman, he is scarcely known throughout the United States, much less known than any of the other men who have been mentioned for the place. You cannot take a man from the prairies of Dakota, make him Minister abroad and 6end him on a commission to the Pacific Islands, and create out of him a popular character. The country wants a man that has had more experience In public affairs than that. It may be said that Hobart was as little known as Tripp is now. but that could scarcely be true, be cause Hobart had attended every Repub lican National Convention for 20 years, had been a member of the National Com mittee for 16 years, and was well known by nearly all of the politicians of his party. Not only that, he wa? a man of large ami extensive business affairs, which gave him a standing In the business world. No comparison can be made be tween Hobart and Tripp on the subject of availability. If the "Western States per sst In nushlror TrlDD's candidacy and 'vote for him. they may create a ripple of interest in the Republican convention, nut it would be better for them to make up their minds to cast their votes where they would mean eomething,ratheT than throw them- away. Money for Navies. In spito of the fact that there is always a howl because Congress makes large ap propriations for Its Navy, It is yet very true that when these sums are compared with the appropriations made by other prominent countries ot the world, espe cially countries which take a pride in their navies, the appropriations by Con gress are very small. As a general thing, a war has much Influence upon the Navy of a contesting country, and, as a result of the conflict, steps are generally taken to enlarge the navy or army, or both. This has been especially true of Germany and England, and even Japan, after Its conflict with China, has set to work, and now has a navy building that Is said will equal If not excel that of the United States. Spain Is a notable exception to this rule, and It would not be surprising, after her recent experience, if she aban doned the Idea of a navy, and contented herself with what vessels were left her by our fleets. In the matter of a complete naval equip ment, no nation can compare with Great Britain, and yet Britain continues to en large and Improve her navy every year, and Is making advances out of all pro portion to other nations. Germany Is also very progressive, and Intends In the next 15 years to double her present navy. The expenditures of these nations on their navies speak for themselves. England spends annuaHy nearly $120,000,000 on her navy, Russia and German spend each about $50,000,000, and while It is probably true that warships can be constructed cheaper in the United States than in these countries, yet the expenditures of the United States are not at all In keep ing with those of the European powers. So while the United States is balking at the price of armor-plate, these other na tions are paying their price and continu ally adding to their navies. At best, it must be admitted that for a country of Its size and capabilities, the United States has been niggardly In Its provisions for an adequate and befitting navy. It is true that an efficient and well-equipped navy costs a good round sum, but where other nations that are not usually considered equa'e of the Un'ted States can afford Immense and powerful sea forces, It is to be regretted that our Congress should so hesitate at making adequate appropriations in order to give the United States its proper standing among the fighting powers of the earth. Blent Home For Sale. New York Commercial Advertiser. Lovers of Dickens should be Interested to learn that the famous Bleak House, Broadstalrs, is for sale, the price aeketi being $15,000. So far, no purchaser has come forward, the reason, alleged for this being that the house is in a bad state ol repair, and would require a considerable sum to make it habitable. Failing a pri vate purchaser, it is suggested that the house should be acquired as a Dickens me modal and museum. Some Truths In Homeipu. J. W. Foley. Jr., in Bismarck Tribune. Be wise and envy not the man Attired however spick and span. True greatness empty fripperies but scorns, Silk hats may sen e alone to dress A noddle full of emptiness. And patent leathers hide a wealth of corns. No garments, fine they be, yet can Make lady or make gentleman; No garb, how poor it be. can ever hid The mark of true nobility. Nor velvet cloak, but we may see The boor, once Its rich folds are dropped aside. No lady yet was made with lace Or silk; for Nature leaves a trace That every artifice Is vain to hide. The lady Is, in calico. Not less the gentlewoman, though She had no mark of gentleness beside. The practiced-oft deception thin By asses In a. lion's skin In some unthinking bray with ease we read, A vulture, be he decked and dressed "With plumes from any eagle's crest Betrays, in seeking carrion, his breed. Count no man your superior, "Whatever his exterior. Appearance of truo worth Is not a, rule. The Jester's cap and Jingling bells F1I many a gem of wisdom tells. And wisdom's mortarboard may deck a fool. A King, by right and nature grown. Is King without a, crown or throne. Simplicity but marks his klngllness. No crown or throne or signet ring. Can make a knave seem more a King, The purple only makes him seem tha loss. The boor, of any style or Ilk, Is but the greater boor in silk. The garb but marks the more his boorishness; No person ever yet that rose Above himself by help of clothes. The manner makes the man, and not the dress. X0TE AND COMMENT. Portland has 100,000 people. If tyou don't believe It. count 'em. Neely says he -wants justice; but he, will change his mind If he gets it. A new cigar has been named after , Bryan. "Why this effort to make light of the boy orator? Now "William "Waldorf Astor is trembling lest some enterprising census enumera tor count him among the population of New York. Astoria wants to catch her rats. She might write to Oom Paul, who has' a Job lot of traps on hand for which he has no use. The idea ot a has-been like Jim Corbett -trying to run for Congress! He can't ex pect nothing better than Vice-President, at the very best Senator Hoar Is writing his memoirs. In view of the present public estimate of him, he Is not taking any chances on & post-mortem biography. A boy murderer 13 under sentence of death In Connecticut. "When he com mitted the crime the boy, Charles E. Cross, was IS years old, and is now 17. With Agulnaldo lm the tall timber. Neely in Jail, Bryan in silence, and Con gress adjourned there Is no reason why the march of prosperity should not pro ceed. A fact not commented upon In the re cent political campaign Is that the law firm of which United States Senator Joseph Simon Is a member has for one of its clients Dr. Andrew C. Smith, Senator-elect on the Citizens ticket. But it is a fact. The department of manuscripts of thi British Museum has purchased a series of letters of the Duke of "Wellington of great historical value. A number of them, near ly 200, were mostly written by "Welling ton to Marshal Beresford, and nearly all are dated In 1S10 or 1811. We pick the comic Journals up And read on every page. Seme Joke in which the census maa Aska women for their age. Nor do we find It chronicled In any that we read. That any tactful questioner "Was able to succeed. From which we gather that the- sex, Is getting on In years. No blushing maidens have as yet Been counted. It appears. For surely, when a girl Is In The heydey of her youth. There is no earthly reason why She should suppress the truth. Now maidens all. of seventeen And up to twenty-one. There must be culte a lot of you Beaeath the shining sun. Come, therefore, forth and give your names In accents clear and bold. Or else we'll hae to think, forsooth. That all of you are old. A discharged soldier, lately returned from the Philippines, tells a tale of a shirt which may be new, but perhaps Is adapted. Some people may not have heard It, how ever, and It Is too good to be lost. He says that as his company was returning from a long and tiresome scouting trip. In which most of the men had parted wi h the greater part of their wearing apparel, he saw on a clothesline in the grounds of a residence adjoining a blsr stone church two very good shirts, hunjr ouf-u to dry. As he had at the time only half a shirt to his back, and the smaller half at that; he proceeded to help himself to a whole one. As he was rolling It up a woman came out of the house and said to him in passable English: "You will pay for that on the judgment day." He replied: "Madam, if you give such long credit I will take both shirts," which he proceeded to do, and the debt he owes has never troubled him. Towards the close of the recent cam paign, Dr. Andrew C. Smith, one of the Citizens nominees for State Senator, was visited by a man who is prominently Iden tified with the Christian Scientists. "Doc tor," said he, "I am going to ask you a candid question, and I shall expect a can did answer." "I shall endeavor to be as candid as I can," was the reply. The visitor went on: "If you are elect ed State Senator what will be your pol icy with regard to the Christian Scient ists? You know we have a way of our own for treating the sick." To that question," said Dr. Smith, "I can give you a prompt and candid an swer. If It lay in my power I would leg islate into the penitentiary every person who prescribes for human Ills and Is not qualified to do so." "Yours Is Indeed a candid answer," said the Christian Scientist as he left the of fice. ' ' Speaking of the incident yesterday. Dr. Smith said: "If I were a politician I sup pose I should have made my caller as evasive answer, but as I am not I let him know how I stood." Dr. Smith will Introduce a bill regulat ing the practice of medicine and surgery in Oregon. It will be more stringent than the present law, and will get the support of even doctor of high standing in Mult nomah County. "When Dr. JosephI ran for Senator in 1S98 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Joseph Simon, the doctors of Portland, without regard to party, supported him to a man. Now that they have two of the leading physicians of the country In the Multnomah Sena torial delegation they will make a deter- mined effort to get the legislation they want. PLEASANTRIES OP PARAGRAPHERS Scene. On the Quay. Ocean liner's syren fog horn emitting short, sharp grunts. Little Girl Oh. mamma, that poor ship must have a dreadful pain in its cabin! Punch. Behind the Times. "They say that old Dr. Doce is losing all his practice." "No wonder. He hasn't begun to prescribe a trip to the Paris Exposition." Harper's Bazar. Evidence. Friend I suppose the baby Is fond of you? Papa Fond of me? "Why. he sleeps all day when I'm not at home and stays up all night Just to enjoy my society! Brooklyn Life. Not Binding. "Didn't I promise you a whip ping if you disobeyed me?" asked his mother. "Te3; but I'll release you from the promise, ma." replied Johnny diplomatically. Philadel phia North American. Haughty Lady (who has purchased a stamp) Must I put it on myself? Postoflce Assist ant (very politely) Not necessarily, ma'am; It will probably accomplish more if you put it oa the letter. Tit-Bits. "Look here." exclaimed the angry man, as he rushed Into the real estate office. "That lot T bought from you yesterday Is 30 feet under water." "Pardon my oversight." apologized the gentlemanly agent. "We give a diving suit with each lot. I will send yours to you to day." Baltimore American. A Good Character. "Can you give any evi dence In regard to the character of the de ceased?" said the Judge. "Yes. my Lord." replied the witness. "He was a man without blame, beloved and respected by all men. pure in all his thoughts, and " "Where did you learn that?" "I copied It from bis tombstoa my Lord." Harlem LUs. )