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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (July 2, 1900)
I THE MORNING OREGONIAN, MONDAY. JULY 2, 1900. Entered at the Post office at Portland, Oregon, as second-class matter. TELEPHONES. Editorial Rooms. ...160 Business Office. ...GOT REVISED SUBSCRIPTION BATES. By Mail (postage prepaid), in Advance Daily, witbSuriday, per month $0 83 Dally, Sunday excepted, per year T W Sally, with Sunday, per year.. 0 00 Sunday, per year 2 00 The Weekly, per year....... 1 50 i-ae weeiciy, a month J To aty Subscribers Dally, per week, delivered. Sundays exoepted.ISc Daily, per -week, delivered, Sundays lncluded.20c POSTAGE RATES. United States, Cmada. and Mexico: 10 to 12-page paper .Ic 16 to 2-page paper .. .'It 23 to 36-pagn paper .. ..,.. .........3c .iroreign rates doubled. News or discussion Intended for .publication In The Oregohlah should be addressed invariably any individual, letters retotlrff to edvcrtlslnsr. subscripUonw or to any buslneea matter should be addressed simply "The Oregonlan." The Oregonlan does cot buy poems or stories from Individuals, and cannot undertake to re ! turn any manuscripts sent to It without aoliclta ' tlon. No stamps should be inclosed for this I purpose. Puret Sound Rllrwill Carmtn A TtimniMnn. I office at 1111 Pacific avenue, Taeoma. Box 835, Taeoma poetofllce. Eastern Businm rfflivwrH. Tvtna m,iia. lne, New York eitvi "Th. flminr.n fhiMm- the S. C. Beckwith special agency, New Tork. ur oaie jn Sftn Francisco by J. K. Cooper, .746 Market atrrot. nmr ik pi.a. v.i . ax Goldsmith Bros.. 23C Sutter street. ot sale in Chicago "by the P. O. News Co., 217 Dearborn street. TODATS WEATHER Oni-rallr- fair: warm er; winds mostly northerly. j PORTLAND, MOXDAY, JUIiY 2, lOOO This week the Kansas City con- Svention. The oratory will be vehement and hysterical. It will show how m- ilie hope remains for our beloved coun- jtry. As It was to be ruined four years ago by the accursed sold standard, so I Bow It is to be ruined by imperialism. fortunately ours Is a country which, though ruined many times, can Btlll ; Sourish. It is announced that Mr. Bryan, who is bo complete a master 6f his party that no one else can have anything to say, is resolved that there shall be dis tinct and positive reaffirmation of free coinage, at 16 to 1. and no eaul vocation about it. Certainly, since he owes all his fame, his position In his party, and his mastery over it, to his rhetorical crown of thorns and cross of gold. To leave silver out would be Just about the I same as leaving Bryan out It would ibe a confession of judgment against the sanity of the party in 189G. The country has, indeed, passed judgment on tnat point, but the party cannot be expected to acknowledge the justice of Ithe judgment It is probable that the orators of the convention and the makers of the nlat- form will try to run a line of distinc tion between "expansion" and "impe rialism." That is,, it will not be af firmed in direct terms that we ought to abandon the newly acquired posses sions, but that we have no right to require the inhabitants to submit tn the authority of the United States. Ludicrous as such position would be, th TnnTrArs nf tVio nlaffm-m mn nA be unequal to it Such declaration Wy take its place .'-in platform literature with the old resolve that "we are un alterably attached to the Union, but loppose all measures for its preserva itlon"; and "we favor prohibition, but deprecate its enforcement" These will be the main themes: but Ion trusts much will be said or sung. No practical or practicable means of dealing with the trusts will, however. be offered, for the subject is one on which men of no party are agreed; but it can be whooped ud by vamie decla mation in the platform, and that will suffice. For the rest. Mr. Brvan's pnmlnn- platform mav be naranhraspd In th iwords of the Salt Lake. Tribune, to ur Come unto me all ye who have a growl and . win sympathize with you. Come unto me all ye who want silver and I tr'Al supply it. Ccmi tirjto me all yo who want greenbacks' md I wll set the" machines going. Come urto me nil va who mnt - vmi.v. courts, so that you can beconie anarchists. ir.a a wm join you. If ye have any vajrarv In the world. oniric lunto me and I will Indorse it. Come unto me yc criminal clasps who obj-ct o being governed without th mnmnt f v. Kcvrrned. and I will stand by you. All ye who are sick and have political mental iyspepsla, come unto me, and I will give you n-aicin All yo who were tramns undo?- r- m ...- nand'a administration, but who can get a liv ing and lay up money now in eight hours. sat ana siet-p eight hours more, and have eight ftours for deviltry every day, come unto me ind I will indorse Tour devil trr. n m!.. Jjchat it Is. Come unto me, Agulnaldo. Tou have given ne a great chance to use mv mmith nnin.i the Administration. We know you am not It to govern yourselves, but then ti 9M plenty in my own party In the United States nc mune way. Come unto me. ve who Vmt ( .n.v. ,., Ef you can do nothing to lift yoursolves up,' are wriinc to do all you can to pull others aown zor je are Kindred spirits. Come unto me. tb TJoei'a- hMn .. i. Barge German contingent in the United States Iwhlrh I Wish tO draw to me on -vrmi- nwit iThero Is a large Irish contingent, which 1 wasn to araw to me through their hate of ireat .uruain. My strong desire this year for votes and I am training mv lnnu nnA tos to minister to that delre, and the hlgh- tnournt I havo is to win. The New York Post, which is much rorrled about imperialism on the one land and free silver on the other, is :lcarly uncertain what course to take In the coming campaign. It has made ip its mind, however, that one line of iaction is clear before the small but he- jlc band of anti-Imperialists, and that is to make an earnest effort to "se- ?ure the election next November of a pious of Bepresentatlves vith a ma jority of members opposed to Imperial ism," which the Post spell3 with a large rX" Adds the Post: McKinley or Bryan will be the next Presl- lent that is certain. "What Is not certain is rhether there will be a majority In the noxt louse in favor of imperialism. A President rho favors imperialism will not be able to ;d very far on that road with a House which arl'l not keep htm company and to secure h a House Is the great duty before the antl- imperiallsts. A President who favors imperialism suld have to keep his Imperial de signs buried in the innermost recesses 3f his soul. There is no danger that he wlll get a Congress that would support um, whatever Its political comnlexion. We shall have an imperialist President id an imperialist Congress only when re have an imperialist people. Suppose that Mr. Fred Dubois, states- lan-at-iarge, is successful in persuad ing the Kansas City conventions that ft Is impolitic and dangerous to uphold le right of free riot, as applied to the .Idaho situation. The Sioux City con vention -severely condemned the meth-. ods adopted by the state and Federal authorities to restore order. Mr. Bryan Is the nominee of the Sioux Falls "Pop ulists. He will be the nominee of the Democratic and Silver Republican con ventions. These platforms, if Mr. Du bois' advice is followed, will be diamet rically opposed on this Important ques tion. In what position does this place' Mr. Bryan? Can he be for anarchy and arson and murder, and can he be against it? He can be, if anybody can. PURITY IN ELECTIONS. Our election system is sorely in need of purification. The Australian ballot primary and registration laws, enacted since 1891, are distinct advances upon old methods, but they do not strike the root of the evil; which lies in the star chamber control of the political par ties, from the selection of delegates at the primaries to the slating of all nominees in the county conventions. They aim purely at the conduct of elections, and do not give the people free and unhampered participation in the choice of candidates for office. They do not take the right of making up the party ticket out of the power of the bosses, where it does not belong, and place it in the hands of the party Itself, the individual voters, where it does belong. Because of this situation of affairs, our candidates for office are the nominees of county committees, not of the party for which, they stand. They are under obligations to the county committee for setting up dele gates for them in the primaries, and for delivering the requisite number of votes in the county convention. In re turn, they pay the assessment levied for campaign expense; they bow to the dictum of the committee in the selec tion of their deputies; they are the creatures of the committee from the day they aspire for office to the ex piration of their terms. If the candi date does all things as the committee dictates, he is held to be a good Re publican or Democrat unless he should be guilty of malfeasance in office, in which case the committee generously unloads him with the gracious remark that he has been unfaithful to his trust Faithless to whom? To the people, of course, though they had nothing to do with his nomination in the first place. Enactment of a law providing for di rect primary nominations, similar to the one proposed by Mr. E. W. Bing ham, would correct the evil of which there is so general complaint This should be the first duty of the Leg islature when it meets next Winter. A law of this kind would do away with county committees and county conventions that ratify their slates and platforms. It would give the poorest individual elector an equal voice with the wealthiest and most influential in the selection of candidates, and make the nominees for office the choice of the party itself, and not the favorites of a few men in control of the ma chine. All differences would be settled at the primaries by the ones who have an interest in their settlement, and the succeeding campaign and election would be freed from factional and per sonal bitterness and the independent candidate. The independent would cer tainly lose his calling, for a man who would fall to carry the primaries could not reasonably hope to win the office at "the election. Another subject to which the Legis lature could profitably give considera tion is the suggestion that at the close of a campaign all candidates, whether successful or not, be required to file with the County Clerk a statement under oath, showing the amount they expended in the canvass, the purpose for which each Item was expended, and the persons to whotn the money was paid. Some way ought to be found to rid the community of the horde of strik ers who pounce upon candidates at every election with offers to sell in fluence which they do not have. Some how or other the average candidate feels it his duty to cater to this para site mob of men who will not work, divekeepers, consorts of disorderly women and professional beer-olub or ganizers, not so much to get their votes as to minimize their power of doing harm to his candidacy. A law requir ing a statement of election expenses, and a provision making disbursements of a certain kind Illegal, would help to keep the grafters away from the can didates. The more safeguards we throw around our nominations and the men who get them, the better officers we shall have, and the cleaner and most business-like administration of our affairs. But if we stand by and permit candidates to go to county com mittees for their nominations, to be gduged by county committees before canvass begins, and by the scum of the electorate afterward, to be out of pocket $1500 to get a $3500 officer to must accept the situation philosophic ally and prepare ourselves to put up with men who look upon public office as a private snap. The remedy is in our hands. KING CORN LIBELED. A good deal is being said from day to day about the foolish antipathy, based upon ignorance and prejudice, of the Chinese against foreigners and foreign products. Facts of dally occurrence prove that the estimate of this folly is largely correct and that China is piling up for herself wrath against a day of wrath in consequence of it But China is net the only nation that tries through edicts of exclusion to block foreign trade. The same spirit prevails in governmental circles of Germany, France and some other coun tries, and It is especially directed against American food products. Take for example the attempt of the two countries named to exclude the meat products of the United States under the pretense that they are unwholesome. The official war that is being waged against these products is not as every one knows, in the Interest of the pub lic health, as It Is claimed, but for the benefit of a few producers, who can, with American competition destroyed, realize enormous profits upon the do mestic output But the latest and most utterly In defensible attempt to discriminate against an American food product In European markets is shown In the ef fort to discredit American corn as an article of food. For some years the United States has been encouraging ef forts to familiarize foreigners with corn as a cheap, nutritious and whole some edible for human consumption. There was and still is dense Ignorance among the European masses upon this point, which It was hoped to dispel by acquainting the people with the real value of this cereal as a food staple. The efforts of "Cornbread Murphy" in Germany in this direction a few years ago were a matter of common knowl edge, but the success wita. .which fcejnature of bsidy. Wottli to to met was very moderate. The same may be aid of efforts that have since been made in the same direction, yet it seems tbey have been sufficiently successful to alarm some Interested persons, since It Is noted that here and there In Europe are heard Inti mations and insinuations against American corn, or maize, as it is called abroad. Corn products have been vari ously .termed "coarse," "indigestible," "fit food only for swine," etc. The boldest stroke In this effort to discredit and shut corn out of European mar kets, however, is witnessed in an ar ticle that recently appeared in the Dally Messenger, of London. Discuss ing the "Food Value of Maize," that journal hinted that American corn is much the same as Italian maize, which, it goes on to say, produces a terrible leprous disease known as "lagra," from which 3000 persons are now suf fering in the Province of Milan alone. This is utterly contemptible. If founded upon Ignorance, it is inexcus able in the public journal; if upon preju dice, it is abominable. Millions of bushels of corn in One form or another are consumed by the people of the United States within and without the corn belt and the skin disease referred to is unknown In this country. The Government should, In justice to the large interests represented by the corn producers of a vast area, send some of the valuable data that it has collected concerning corn as a food product to this journal, asking In the interest of truth and fairness that it be published as a correction of its former mislead ing statement GOOD WILL COME OP IT. The present crisis in China will force a settlement through a congress of all the powers that will be of Inestimable value to all parties concerned, and most of all to the people of China. Fortu nately, this crisis In the affairs of China comes at a time when Russia is In no situation to abuse her opportunity, be cause Great Britain is practically foot loose today to prevent it With the South African dispute unsettled. Great Britain feared to enter upon any policy with regard to China which might lead to a rupture, lest the Boers would snatch the opportunity and try to seize South Africa. For this reason England be haved with pusillanimous diplomacy during the period of Russian aggres sion following the Chlno-Japanese war. She asserted the open-door principle and afterward almost abandoned It Ruesia was allowed to take Port Ar thur and press demands on Corea that were antagonistic to Japan. That na tion, on the advice of Great. Britain, then handicapped with the Boer war, yielded for the time being. Had the war In South Africa been deferred a couple of years longer; had Japan failed promptly to strengthen her navy after the Chinese war, Russia might have seized Pekln and Northern China with out Interference. She did seize Man churia, and, through Great Britain's cowardly diplomacy, she forced Japan to let go of the mainland of China and to abandon her designs on Corea. Fi nally, Great Britain, threatened with the spoliation of her far Eastern mar kets, refused to allow Russia to dis member China at her will, and Russia was obliged to postpone her scheme of dismemberment and the last two years have been devoted by her to intrigues at Pekln, to the garrisoning, provision ing and fortifying of Port Arthur and the determined exclusion of Japan -from Corea. When the Boxer insurrection began, Russian influence had supplanted that of England at Pekln, and Japan was near a rupture with Russia. But Rus sia's opportunity to seize Pekln and the whole of Northern China has not been Utilized by that power, for Great Brit ain is In a situation today to give the hand to Japan and defeat Russia's de signs on Pekln Uy threatening to dis possess her of Port Arthur and all vantage-ground in Manchuria and Corea. Russia is not ready today to go to war over China. Her railways are uncom pleted. She is trying to borrow money in this country on the security of these railways and other public works. A large Russian loan Is to be placed on the market In Paris this Fait To get the money she needs for her great pub lic works, Russia must remain at peace. A great war tomorrow would destroy her capacity to borrow money, except at ruinous rates. Even if the Siberian Railway were completed, Russia could not work her will in China against Great Britain, Germany and Japan, backed by the moral support at least of the United States. The crisis in China, precipitated by the Boxer uprising, has forced the in tervention of all the powers, so that the general settlement of Chinese affairs will be made by some .great congress of nations, like that of Vienna, which remade tha map of Europe after the fall of Napoleon. Japan will be repre sented in this congress. Such a settle ment through the action of civilized na tions will be of incalculable value com pared with the nominal concessions hitherto granted and vaguely enforced by China. Such a settlement will thor oughly open China to the trade of the modern world, and nobody will benefit more by it than our American manu facturers and merchants. The ports of our Pacific Coast will have their busi ness enormously expanded. In 1899 the value of the sales made by this coun try to China exceeded those of all Euro pean nations, England excepted, by $6,191,936, and the present yearly excess of $12,000,000 of British exports to China over American exports thither will soon disappear, for the power of Great Brit ain as a manufacturing country Is gen erally diminishing, largely because of the increased price of coal and the English failure to compete with Amer ican workmen and American enterprise. The United Stetes has become, through our occupation of the Philippines with a powerful army and naval squadron, a factor to be seriously reckoned with in the Impending settlement of China, and it Is certain that our Secretary of State understands too thoroughly the Imrnense Importance of the far Eastern markets to the American people not to insist with Great Britain and Germany on their protection through "the open door policy" against Russia. Newbergs victory in winning the beet-sugar plant Is chiefly valuable for Its demonstration of the quality and temper of the people of the community. Of course, the concrete achievement is Important, for the investment of three quarters of a million or more In a pro ductive industry in a small town will be a very great factor in Its progress and prosperity. But the hope and en ergy of the people are displayed by the vigor with which they took hold to help themselves by pledging the requi site x et nerMinv fhla la f In tvm given without a fair equivalent The factory could not' run without raw ma terial, and the ,farmers have slmply agreed that they will grow the raw material at the market price and in sufficient quantity to warrant the building of the large mill. This Is eco nomically sound and wise. The giving of the factory site does savor of sub sidy, but it Is 'a comparatively Bmall consideration in this case, and the town to be most directly benefited pays the bill. Newberg and Yamhill County are to be congratulated on the spirit of enterprise manifested, and their ex ample Is to be commended to the con sideration of other communities that may be sighing for developing and ex panding agencies. Fire at sea is the moat appalling of horrors. Fire among shipping at dock is not necessarily attended by any un usual features of terror and death. It Is hard to understand the reason for the extrordlnary los3 of life in the great Hoboken disaster. The flames. It is said, spread with extraordinary rapid ity, and speedily cut oft access to the shore. But New York Harbor Is crowd ed with small craft of all descriptions, and a rescue fleet of large dimensions ought to have been immediately avail able. Evidently it was not One nar rator Bays that thirty people were crowded at one end of a pier, and "called to some of the passing tug boats but their appeals were in vain, and when the flames came near them they dived into the water." Possibly some of the captains were thinking more of the salvage of property than of lives, because there would be more in it for them. What are police-boats and lifeboats for; If not to rescue per sons? If they were not on hand In time, so much the worse for all con cerned. An Eastern newspaper, one of the "red" or "yellow" kind, that live chief ly In the atmosphere of conjecture and sensational effort, says that "news is only good for anything before It hap pens." There is a-sense in which para dox is true. Coming events, when great and important often cast their shadows before them. The newspaper that can see the significance of such things may often "print the news before it hap pens." But the levity in journalism that contents or exhausts Itself by try ing to turn trifling things into sensa tional events, cannot do It There are proportions in news which It requires close attention and long experience to discover, and things of little Import are not to be made greater by trying to magnify them. Yet this is one of the vices of "red" and "yellow" jour nalism. The Washington Post, a quasI-Ad-minlstratlon organ, quotes Mr. Hanna as having declared, with reference to the Vice-Presidency, at the late Phila delphia convention, that he "controls the delegates to such an extent that he can nominate any candidate he pleases." But the great Republican leader refrained, according to the Post, because to "exercise the power would make a most unpleasant Impression upon the thinking masses of the Re publican party." This is valuable as exploding a common Impression that the Republican party is not permitted by Mr. Hanna to do for Itself whatever he 4an do for It The British House of Lords has at last passed the bill making it legal for a man to marry the sister of his de ceased wife. For a hundred years, more or less, this question has been before the British Parliament The House of Commons has often passed the bill, but the Lords hitherto have always refused. There has been so much fuss in England about the right of a man to marry his deceased wife's sister that the wonder always has been why he didn't marry her in the first place. South Carolina has a nrlmary elec tion law applicable to all state and county officials. But no one can be nominated till he has received a major ity of the whole vote cast In the elec tion to decide. If no one have received a majority for a nomination, a second election is to be held for decision be tween the two highest Mr. Bryan's itinerary for the next few days will be confined to the high way between his Lincoln home and the truck farm near the Nebraska city. But we may justly imagine that he will have Borne slight interests In the proceedings at Kansas City. It may be feared that there has not been latterly the quality of seaman ship on board the Oregon that rendered her famous formerly. No dangerous place in Chinese waters is better known than that where the Oregon Is ashore. The anti-tax bicyclers want to do the fair thing by the anti-bicycle taxpayers. All the former want is for the latter to foot the bills for building the paths, and for keeping the streets and sidewalks in repair, and they will do the riding. Mr. Bryan is displaying an attitude of masterly Indifference on the Vice Presidential question. He has one run ning mate already. He is likely to have two. He would not falter at sixteen. The powers are coming to the con clusion that for ways tha are dark and tricks that are not so almighty vain, the "heathen Chinee" is peculiar. It may not be war with China, as the powers declare; but somehow it looks very like "war. THE COUNTRY FOR EXPANSION. The Mistake the Democratic Party Is Making-. Louisville Courier-Journal, Dem. Speaking of the Courier-Journal's ad vice that the Democrats, instead of sur rendering to the Republicans the old time Democratic policy of expansion, should make their fight on the Repub lican's Administrative abuses of that policy, the Hartford Post (Dem.) says that "unquestionably an overwhelming majority of the people of the United States believe in the policy of expansion. Expansion Is a part of the spirit of the Nation. It has been the country's pol icy for a century, and if the attorneys for littleness had been able to dom inate history the United States would today consist of a strip of land on the Atlantic slope extending not much farth er west of the Alleghanles. The num ber of Democrats who are wholly out of sympathy with the Democratic opposi tion to expansion la undoubtedly Im mense." Every word of this Is true. The Dem ocratic masses are not opposed to expan sion, although they have not become so aroused on the question as to assert themselves. Meanwhile the present short sighted file leaders are improving their gtorttli UxcS.otopSoSSon opportunity to Identify the party ma- expansion, not because they, care, much, about that one way or anotherr notfbe, cause they believe that In any event? we shall be willing to, contract where we' have already expanded, but merely be cause they think the question affords them at least a temporary ground of expediency on which to make a politi cal flgljt for a party that is out against a party that is in. QUXGG ONLY AN AXAHUBNSlg. He Had. No Rigrlit to Ca&nse tke Re publican Platform. The Philadelphia Press, of which Charles Emory Smith is publisher, ap parently reflects the Administration view of the Republican platform and its omis sions in tha following: Mr. Lemuel E. Quigrs comes to the defense of the platform which Congressman Grosvenor Justly term "crude and seaUe." Mr. Qulgg ays that he "put together" the pl&nka of this platform, and he evidently covets tho fame of Its authorship, but we doubt If he Js en titled to that honor. As secretary of tho sub committee he was doubtless utilized as the amanuensis for yettlnj the document into Its final form, but Senator Fairbanks read the platform to the convention, not very audibly, to be sure, but -with the conscious pride of pa ternity, which it would have been difficult tor Mm to assume 'If ho had been really handUnc QuIses offspring. Mr. Quigg explains that the proposition that "Congress has full legislative power over ter ritory of tho United States, subject only to tha fundamental safeguards of liberty. Justice and personal rights," was left out of the platform because tins question was now before the United States Supreme Court. The suppres sion of this declaration without making the fact known tn. any other manner than In an Inaudible report, was a gross Imposition, If not & fraud, upon tho convention. If it had been known that tho committee had emitted this essential Republican principle tn refer ence to our possessions, the convention would have inserted It over the heads of tho com mittee. It was seriously proposed to do so next day, when tho grave omission Was dis covered, but tho knowledgo that the President could and would cure this defect, as well as give vitality, directness and force to tha In anition of the platform made It seem hardly worth while to bring tho platform a second time before the convention. The plank which the committee rejected Is a Republican principle, which should have been Inserted. It Is the princlplo on which the Administration has acted and Congress' has legislated. Temporary Chairman Wolcott and Permanent Chairman Lodge laid eloquent stress upon It in their convention addresses. The Supreme Court, we aro confident, will up hold it; but until It overthrows It any declara tion of the principle which controls Republican legislation and administration is Incomplete without It Tho Republican party was not well served by Its committee on resolutions. Its rambling, verbose and Incomplete production Is the one regrettable outcome of an otherwise most suc cessful and glorious convention. Fortunately, the party will suffer no permanent disadvan tage on this account President McKlnles letter of acceptance will be the real plat form on which the Republican ticket will go before tho country, and the Inane and tedious platform which Mr. Qulgg says he drafted will drop out of sight and out of mind. GOOD TERMS WITH CANADA. No Reason Why AH Differences Should Not Be Adjusted. The relations between Canada and the United States are discussed by the New York correspondent of the London Times. His conclusion is that there is no danger of serious difficulty between the United States and Great Britain because of Can ada, In spite of the .many indications to the contrary, which have caused alarm to British not fully acquainted with the situation. It is true that the Dominion and the United States are always quar reling. There Is now an outstanding list of 12 or 13 unsettled questions, ''all of them important two or three of them grave, and one pre-eminently so." But none the less there is no cause for appre hension. The Times correspondent finds that there is a state of irritation, espe cially in the Western States, arising out of the business and other controversies with Canada. "The West" he says, "has an impatient temper and perhaps an Imperfect concep tion of those diplomatic methods by which controversies are best adjusted. The Behring Sea arbitration left a sore, as arbitrations aro apt to. Fisheries ques tions on the Atlantic are still open, other questions are open distinct from the for midable Alaskan boundary dispute. In all of these the Northwest takes a strong Interest In Canada also strong views are held on these subjects. It Is possible nevertheless for an American to visit Canada and never see a trace or hint of Ill-feeling or of contentious feeling. I met many Canadians of high place In public life; I never heard a word of anything but good will to the people of tho United States." The closing paragraph of the article shows an excellent understanding of the situation as a whole. "The atti tude of the United States Government," writes the correspondent, "has been cor rect and something more than correct It has shown, I think, a sincere desire to be friends with Canada and to concede all that can be conceded. And In that atti tude It has and will continue to have the support of the American people. I do not doubt that the people of Canada or the present rulers of Canada. In spite of all differences of lnterost and policy, are friendly to the United States. With this state of feeling on both sides, there Is no visible reason why the two countries should not when the time comes, agree amicably upon a fair adjustment of all matters in dispute between. them." Wheat and Politics. New York Evening Post Thore is a political as well as commer cial bearing to the recent news from the various wheat-producing districts. This is true, first because of the great 'in fluence exerted by good or bad times on political sentiment Prosperity in the wheat district has very much to do, as tha country has learned since 1896, with National prosperity, and the Republican party Is going into the campaign with prosperity as its chief reliance for suc cess. A ruinous harvest failure such, for Instance, as the destruction of the Kansas and Nebraska corn crop in 1SSH, which cut down the yield 400,000.000 bush els would make havoc with this Admin istration argument Such an event would 1 In no way be chargeable to- the party. But people have a way of blaming the ruling powers for the shortcomings of Nature, and It would bo hard for the party which condemned Mr. Cleveland for the low price of wheat In 1E95 and the corn shortago of l&M, to escape some sim ilar Inference on its own account in the case of harvest failure. What Sryanltcs 'Will Do. New York Mall and Express. "What are the Bryanites going to do at Kansas Cityt" asks tho Now York Her ald. What difference does it make what they do there? They have been doing, and they will continue to do, all over tho country, everything in their power to make good their calamity prophecies of 1SSG. Yet not a single plank in their platform is today regarded seriously by the people, and tho country keeps right on prospering and strengthening in every line of Industry and commerce, both for eign and domestic The more ruin they predict the more prosperity prevails. Why, then, give heed to anything these Bryanites may do or say at Kansas City on July 4? It will be the same discredited story of 1SSS over again that's alL Everybody knows It and nobody believes it So let them fire away. It's rather hard on the Fourth of July, of course, but the glorious old National holiday can stand it ence In 12i years. Value of a National Convention. Tho Philadelphia Ledger reproduces some estimates in figures of the com mercial value of the Republican conven tion to the city. The gift to the National committee was $100,000, and it Is sup posed that the local political clubs spent 5230.000 In. entertaining. The visitors are believed! to- have spent over $753,000, the National' committee spent $S,000. and the delegates and alternates about $200, 000. The receipts of the street cars in creased 13 per cent, and the amount of business done by the hotels and boarding houses Is not put Into figures. The be lief that the visitors spent over three ciuarters of a million dollars Is based upon the estimate that the dally aver age of sightseers was ISO.OOO for five days, and that each of them spent at least a dollar every day. THE DECEASED WIFE'S SISTER. Entering: Wedge to Reform of Eng lish aiarrlaerc System. New York Times. It is the House of Lords which al ways withstood the proposition to allow a man to marry his deceased wife's sis ter. That rock-bound body of conserva tism has gone further than the Roman Catholic Church, which Is well known to be particular about such things. The degrees of affinity were first formulated in England In Henry Vni's time, and It was not until 1S35 that any attempt was made to legitimize tha children of mar riage with a deceased wife's sister. Ever since the struggle has been renewed and continued. The Marriage Law Reform Association, of which the purpose is to repeal the statutory prohibition, is half a century old. But the House of Lords has always been In tho way. The cable brings us news that the House of Lords has consented at Jast to validate in Great Britain such mar riages when made in a British colony In which they are lawful. Evidently that Is the "entering wedge," and it will, not be long before they are recognized and legalized In Great Britain Itself. That which by English law is natural and proper In a British colony of course does not become revolting and unnatural when practiced In England. It Is a very curious Insularity which has kept Great Britain so long from recognizing the consensus of mankind. To say that a certain union Is incestuous and monstrous which Is so regarded only in one country Is to talk evident nonsense. Yet Englishmen who are also "Angli cans" have been hugging this prejudice after It has been given up by all the rest of mankind, even the British colonists. So enlightened a man as Matthew Arnold could not discuss the question without becoming coarse and abusive, as If it were the test of decent sensibility to be horrified at what horrified nobody but tho English "upper classes." It Is a good thing for England that the non sense has been exploded and that the question Is" left to the Individual sense of propriety and suitableness. And It Is a particularly good thing for many excel lent couples who have obeyed the mar riage laws of the countries In which they were married, only to find that they were treated as outcasts by a section of British society. The German Vote. "Boston Advertiser. In 1SSG the German vote went almost solidly to McKInlcy. Bryan will make a big mistake if ho indulges the sweet dream that he Is to get all those votes back this year. The Kansas City con vention is going to reaffirm the Chi cago platform. The most prominent plank In that platform is the one call ing for the free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to 1. Thore Is not a bit of proof anywhere that the Germans are this year any less opposed to that rascally folly and foolish ras cality than they were four years ago. e Just Like Roosevelt. Philadelphia Bulletin. Roosevelfs allusion to the New York Ice trust In his convention speech is al ready sending shivers down the backs of the Bryan managers. It will be lust like Teddy to go sailing around the West re peating similar observations at the very points where Democratic "anti-trust" ora tors are Bent to shout their loudest Imperialism Has No Ilelnjr. Sacramento Record-Union. The bogy of "Imperialism" put to tho front to frighten voters has no being; It exists only in the partisan chicane of the opposition. Of all people in tho world to whom the thought of Im perialism In any form Is repugnant, the citizens composing the Republican party stand foremost Loyal to the Heaven Born. Boston Herald, (Ind. Dem.) Watterson Is doing his best to scare tho Democrats into taking a prudent course at Kansas City. He may frighten all tho rest of the party and beat Bryan out but no man ever has had reason to call Bry an a quitter. His dying song will be 16 to L Music of the Sphere. St Louis Republic. With an American garrison at Hawaii jn the West and an American regiment preparing to take transport for China In the East, It won't require much of a stretch now for our drumbeat to be heard round the world. Q.nlte Pertinent. Milwaukee Sentinel. In accepting a campaign contribution of $25,000 from John R. McLean it may be well for Colonel Bryan to make in quiry as to whether any part thereof was derived from dividends on octopus stock. How Simple. New Orleans Picayune. GI'e a man enough money to spend and ho will bo able to decide upon a placo for spending his Summer. MEN AND W03IEN. It Is said there aro fewer divorces among tho Chlckasaws than any other race of people. A Worcester man has Just taken out a patent for a music typewriter. It will do for music what an ordinary typewriter does for manu script Admiral Dewey and his bride will build a Summer residence on Big Fish Island, some 40 miles from Halifax. It Is located In Chester Basin. It has been settled that the trial of the youthful anarchist SIpldo, for the attack on the Prince of Wales shall begin, at the Brabant Assises, on July 2. Congressman John Allen, of Mississippi, has intimated to Several of his friends that he will probably retire at the end of his present term. He has served In all eight consecutive terms. The Italia Milltaire e Marina states that Captain W. Bade d! Wismar has organized an expedition to the east coast of Spltzbergen and Franx Joset Land to seek for traces of Andree, and also to obtain intelligence of the Duke of Abbruzzl. Captain dl Wismar will start from Trondhjera early In August and will be accompanied by Cornello Mahzl, the Italian writer and traveler. The Serenade. Baltimore American. She leaned from her window as he camo by. He paused, with a bow and a hopeful sigh; Then- softly he played. To the listening maid, A lyrical dream from the "Serenade." Ho drifted from that to a Tostl song. And mused of the land he had left bo long Of Italia fair. With its amorous air. And the fair Senorlta he'd loved over there. The languishing cadence In melody flows As sweetly he plays of "The Beautiful Rose." The beauty enhanced When upward he glanced To where the fair damsel sat half-entranced. But seel Prom her window she leans, and she speaks: "Git aft av the shtrate, or Ol'M git yez tin weeks! Yez lazy galoot! Now niptle an shcoot ' Or Ol'll break In yez face,--- an pl-anny f boot!" NOTE AND COMMENT., ; Whatever may be her fate, the Oregon Is still fast St Loui3 Is getting almost as quiet as the TransvaaL ' The Fourth, it appears, has come early to avoid the rush. McKInley may head the ticket but the campaign hats will be the rough rider article. Having invented gunpowder, the- Chi nese are now preparing an extensive mar ket for it In making repalra to 'his front? porch last Summer, Bryan forgot to 'put up a sounding board. The old Oregon got off right atgSan tiago, let us hope she will do asV well where she Is now. Of course the Boxers couldn't resist tho temptation to share in the results of the Czar's peace conference Tammany is likely to have an ice time in the noxt campaign. This joke was made by a constant reader. Ono thousand music teachers are taking part in the convention at Saratoga, and martial law hasnot yet been declared Now can the man who .kicks about The weather much rejoice. For we have all varieties. And he may take his choice. The congress of nations now In session in China seems to be proceeding about as peacefully a3 such congresses usually do. LI Hung Chang has a very business-like way of removing official heads. He re moves the officials heads at the same time. The Boxer that stays In the fight long est may have the honor of sending a challenge to the honorable James J. Jef fries. r It Is said that Senator Clark-l3 so rich that ho can afford to spend the Summer at the Paris Exposttlon after staying a whole week at Kansas City. A Philadelphia paper now glve3 it away that 71 million silver dollars were lying In the vault of the old mint in that city, while only a few blocks away the Re publican National Convention was mak ing a gold platform. This outrage ought to be aired at Kansas City. Some humorous tales are told of tha clashes between bicycle tax collectors and the nonpaying riders. On the steel bridge draw, a few days ago, a collector halted one wheelman who had no 1900 tag, and while "Jawing" with him, an other came along. The second rider was pulled off his wheel, with a "Where's your tag, young fellow?" and he had scarcely struck the deck of the bridge with his feet when No. 1 jumped on his wheel and darted off. The collector left No. 2 to follow the first, and so the sec ond delinquent made off also. Whether No. 1 was caught, No. 2 did not stop to Inquire. A young lady who Is spending her va cation in the country assures the East Brady (Penn.) Review, that the barn yard chickens are filling themselves up with 17-year locusts at a great rate, and that it is nothing uncommon for an old hen to waddle around wltn a load of locusts Inside her craw that aro '.giving forth their peculiar cry Just the same aa though they had not been eaten. It sounds like some snake stories that have gained currency, but the young lady vows that It Is a fact that she can vouch for, and she Is a good Methodist who would not exaggerate a locust story. Kite-flying records were beaten at an observatory on Blue Hill, Boston, recent ly, by a kite used In the exploration of the air. It was sent to the height of 14. OX) feet which exceeds the greatest helgbt previously obtained there by 1440 feet. The temperature at this height was IS degrees below tho freezing point, the wind velocity was about 23 miles an hour from the northeast, and the air was extremely dry, although clouds floated above and below the level. The kites remained near the highest point from 5 to 8 P. M. They were then reeled In rapidly by a small engine. On the way down the kites passed through a stratum of thin, ragged doud3 at the .height of a mile and a half. These were moving with a velocity of about 8 miles an hour. At thl3 time the wind at the observatory, about 600 feet above the gen oral level of the surrounding country, had fallen to a calm, and the small revolving cups which register the velocity had ceased to turn. The kites entered this calm belt at a height of about 700 feet above the hill and fell rapidly to the ground. The highest point was reached with four and a half miles of music wire as a flying line, supported by five kites at tached to the line at Intervals of about three-fourths of a mile. The kites were Hargrave or box kites of the Improved form devised at the observatory. They have curved flying surfaces modeled after the wings of a bird. The three kites nearest the top of the line had an area of between GO and 70 square feet each, and the two others about 23 feet each. The total weight lifted Into the air. In cluding wire, instruments and kites, was about ISO pounds. PLEASAKTRIES OP PARAGRAPHERS A Serious Difficulty. Mrs. Isaac Vot vos all you boys quarreling apoud? Ikey Veil ve vanted to play ve vos forming a trusdt but nopobdy vanted to be der gustomers. Puck. "How Mrs. Scrymser hates to see money wasted." "Yes, she told me she accepted Mr. Scrymser chiefly because he had made a long railroad Journey to propose to her." Indianapolis Journal. He Won. "All right then, we'll toss for It" said Tommy. "Her goes! Tou holler. Heads Or tails?' "Very well." replied little Emersou, of Boston, "I prognosticate the falling of the obverse uppermost" Philadelphia Press. "Young man." catd the mature friend, "learn to say 'no.' " "What for?" asked tho flippant New Tork youth. "That habit came mighty near costing a man up our way the Vice-Presidential nomination." Washington Star. Not a Free Agent "Charlie, do you think of marrying a little woman or a big woman?" "Well, Dave, you don't know a thing about human nature! How can I tell? It depends entirey on what kind of a woman takes a fancy to me." Detroit Free Press. His Little Joke. In wandering near the sea rocks of St. Helena, General Cronje picked up a plecp of broken glass. "What Is this?" Inquired tho General. "It looks like a piece of lamp shade," responded his wife. "Nml Perhaps it is the shade of Napoleon!" One hour later the English guards saw the Joke and grinned. Chicago News. "This Is a terrible oversight of yours," growled the city editor to the new reporter. "How's that?" asked the new reporter, la. tones that indicated a gladness over having committed his terrible oversight for that day, "In your story of the speech of the Hon. Win D. Jammer at the convention, you do not say that he sounded the keynote of the. campaign,"