THE MORNING OREGONIA2T,- TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1900.
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i i
TODAY'S WEATHER Rain; brisk to high
southerly winds.
PORTLAND, TUESDAY, DECEMBER. 4.
A SEMI-CENTENNIAL.
The Oregonlan celebrates today its
first semi-centennial. The initial Issue
of The "Weekly Oregonlan appeared De
cember 4, 1850, and It has In the inter
vening cycle developed into the dally
" .paper as it Is known today. No other
paper In the Pacific Northwest, nor, we
think, on the entire Pacific Coast, has
reached Its fiftieth successive mile
stone. Of the pioneer Journals which
were in existence when The "Weekly
Oregonlan made its first appearance,
none survive but Itself. Of the multi
tude of Oregon contemporaries which
came on the scene from 1850 to 1861,
When The Daily Oregonlan. was started,
all but one or two have passed away.
S The Oregonlan alone has endured the
"vicissitudes, struggles" and hard condi
tions of five strenuous decades, and has
grown with the years. In the begin
ning it was a feeble but ambitious
weekly. Today it is a newspaper of
metropolitan character, appearance,
style, equipment and contents. If we
had not Portland as It 1b, we should not
fcav? The Oregonlan as it Is; but that it
is what it Is is due to the fact that it
has been alive to all its opportunities,
and has Indeed Improved them.
Never has the fact been overlooked
by the management of The Oregonlan
that the strength of a newspaper is in
its news, In the range, fullness, extent,
variety and freshness of Its matter, and
In care and industry in presentation of,'
the dally contents. The OregonUmis
a dally epitome of the news oft"ae
world, supplementing its general re
ports with special news gathered at
principal Eastern centers and through
out the Pacific States. It believes it
don not fall in any part of Its duty as
a public vehicle of news.
An essential condition of successful
Journalism is machinery for quick
work. At the very outset of his career
. .as publisher of the daily paper, Mr.
Plttock grasped this fact As quickly
as possible a cylinder press was put In,
a small but sufficiently effective ma
chine. It was so much faster than
anything ever before in use in Port
land that it gave The Oregonlan a de
cisive advantage over its rivals. The
little machine was no small factor in
working out the newspaper problem In
Portland. It was in turn succeeded by
other and beter presses, and to them
were added the modern typesetting ma
chines, until today the mechanical es
tablishment of The Oregonlan com
pares favorably with that of any news
paper In the country. Its present re
quirements have Just led to the pur
ohase of a new lightning-speed quad
ruple perfecting press, to be Installed
by the manufacturers at the earliest
practicable time; and an additional
press of even larger capacity and
greater speed has now been ordered for
a period a little later.
The Oregonlan Is not a product of
chance or fortune. It has been created
by untiring effort, by ceaseless labor,
by unwearied attention, devoted to a
single end. Of the Importance of Port
land as a city, of the extent of the busl
abss of Portland, and of the super
imlnent position of the city In the
Torthwest there is no clearer or surer
ttestatlon than the pages of this news-
lper. It bears Portland's message
tery day to all parts of the vast coun-
of which Portland is the principal
y, and It reports all parts of thai
ntry every day to Portland. It is
exchange of intelligence, a medium
Uscusslon, a sort of clearing-house
pinion for Its own region; and it is,
Kver, a daily mirror of all the prln-
transactlons of the world. Its hls
is Interesting, as the evolution of
rspaper, and it has changes yet
It, as changes shall go on in all
around it.
wool product of the United States
ar Is placed at 2SS.636.621 pounds
National Association of "Wool
cturers in a report just pub-
Thls is the largest estimated
ported since 1897, when it was
259,153.251 pounds, and com-
th a maximum yield In recent
S4S,538,138 in 1893, before hejous -passages of departmental drigin.Ji
repeal of the wool tariff under the "Wil
son bilL Available "wool supplies on
hand In the United States on July 1 last
are estimated by the association to
have been 578,054,304 pounds, against
G67.109.02S at the same date In 1S99, 537,
309,125 in 1898, and 702,568,428 in 1897.
It is considered that present supplies
are ample to meet the requirements of
the mills prior to the movement of next
year's clip. The United States Depart
ment of Agriculture estimates the num
ber of sheep In the United States on
April 1 last at 40,267,818, against 34,784,
287 in 1897, since -which time there has
been a steady Increase, confined almost
entirely to the far "Western States. In
the states east of the Missouri River
sheepraising for wool seems to be a de
clining industry, tariff or no tariff.
ASPECTS OP THE MESSAGE.
For the most part, the message is
heavy, perfunctory and disappointing.
Perhaps the most valuable part of it Is
the chapter on the Chinese imbroglio,
and there its usefulness lies rather
I in its concise summing up of recent
history than In any original thought
the President has put Into It. For the
rest, it abounds In the commonplace
and Is loaded down with long extracts
from previous state papers.
China.
Every one should read the portion of
the message dealing with China. In
this passage the President has gone
over the difficulty there briefly and
comprehensively, rendering special
service in his discussion of the part
borne by the United States. He shows
the imperial sympathy with and re
sponsibility for the attacks on foreign
ers, he assumes responsibility for the
policy enunciated by Secretary Hay, he
makes clear the high plane upon which
that policy was conceived and carried
out. Admirable as his discussion is
from a historical or a diplomatic point
of view. It will satisfy also the virile
instinct of our people. He takes It for
granted by specific implication that for
eigners have the right to travel and do
business in China, and that the natives
have the right and privilege to hear
about and accept "alien faithsi" China
has contravened these conceptions, and
one important penalty earned and con
templated Is the compulsory opening up
of the empire to trade with the outside
world. This, the President says, will
help, China as well as ourselves.
Money and Banlrlnr.
If this message had said that th
Republicans in Congress are culpable
for their failure to establish the gold
standard beyond peril. It would not be
written by "William McKinley. He is
too good a party man for that. So he
contents himself by saying that It b
the duty of Congress to put the gold
standard beyond peril. He points out
the beneficial effects of the new law In
Increasing banking facilities where
they are worst needed, and in augment
ing the volume of bank currency. He
very propdrly felicitates the country
on the saving effected to the Treasury
by the refunding operations. When he
renews his recommendation for a "cur
rency responsive to the varying needs
of business at all seasons and In all
sections," he looks straight in the eye
of scientific banking reform. Of course,
the only such currency Is one not based
bn securities, but withdrawable as well
as Issuable by banks upon their own
Instance. It would be Interesting to
see this passage explained by our He
publican greenback worshipers.
Civil Service.
"Very characteristic is the reference to
the Civil Service Commission. This
noble work the President would have
go on. The commission Is hampered
for want of funds it should have
plenty. The idea Is, of course, to sup
port and advance by all possible moral
and financial aid the work of the com
mission, but to do so In a way that
shall not Interfere with apportioning
the spoils among the victors. "We must
do everything possible for these re
formers, consistent with reservation of
appointments for the politicians. It re
calls Thurston's idea of financial leg
islation establish the gold standard
thoroughly, but do It in such a way
as to leave our silver men serene and
undisturbed.
Somewhat Premature.
Is it hypercritical to suggest that the
citation of 124 years In the President's
opening paragraph Is inconsistent with
a proper sense of perspective? In the
history of civilization and forms of gov
ernment, 124 years is simply no time at
alL This sort of thing was well enough
In Fourth of July orations before May,
1898. But since we have traded our
provincialism for world citizenship, we
mUBt measure by international stand
ards. "When the Republic Is 1000 years
old, we may speak with some assur
ance concerning popular government.
Protection.
Nothing Is more Impressive in this
message than the circumstantial re
hearsal of the benefits of protection and
enunciation of the sublime principles
that underlie it all eloquently conspic
uous by absence. Who could have
foreseen it in 18907
Shipping; Subsidy.
The President is contented to Tenew
his cautious recommendation for "aid
to the merchant marine," and so very
cautious that he quotes from his previ
ous message so as not to commit him
self directly to(the subsidy scheme, and
yet give its promoters no chance to
complaint
Philippines.
There Is absolutely nothing new In
the unconscionably long discussion of
Philippine affairs. The subjeot was
covered far better in the letter of ac
ceptance. Trusts.
It is a sound distinction the President
makes between legitimate and Injuri
ous trust operations, and he leans de
cidedly in the direction of Federal reg
ulation. Pacific Cable.
t
Recommendation is made of a Pacific
cable which shall touch on our own
soil In crossing the ocean, a view which
leaves out of the count entirely the
project by way of Alaska, Siberia and
Japan. ,.
Rural Delivery and Hall of Records.
The President favors extension of
rural mall free delivery, and Indorses
the scheme for a hall of records.
Literary Construction.
As a matter of literary construction,
the message fs the least faulty of all
President McKlnley's state papers.
Some heavy hand is revealed in varl-
but the only grammatical offense is
the use. In two places, of "will" for
"shall." This Is doubtless a lapse.
COMMISSIONS FOR ENLISTED MEN.
An Army officer, in a communication
published in another column. Is dis
posed to defend General Corbln's pro
posal to reform the present conditions
under which an enlisted man of the
regular Army may secure a commis
sion. This officer writes In a fair spirit,
and we do not see that he really dif
fers greatly in opinion from The Ore
gonlan. The Oregonlan conceded In its
article that if two years' service was
not sufficient to fit a man for an officer,
the term of service could be enlarged.
If the examination is not severe
enough test, It could be made more ar
duous. The recommendation of our
correspondent that soldiers of military
aptitude ought to receive appointments
to the Military Academy is a good one,
but a good many soldiers of military
aptitude would, we presume, be too old
to enter West Point
Our correspondent points out the fact
that men who have been dismissed
from West Point have enlisted in the
regular Army and obtained a commis
sion before their class was graduated.
A man dismissed from West Point
must presumptively have been dropped
for moral delinquency or some gross
breach of discipline. If the offense was
a serious one. It ought to be a matter
of record, and be a bar to a commmis
slon in the Army. The reputation of
the enlisted man who was a candidate
for a commission ought to be part of
his qualifications for promotion, since
he is expected to be not only an offi
cer, but a gentleman, and It ought to
be very difficult for a man who had
been dropped from West Point for
moral delinquency or gross breach of
discipline to secure a commission by
promotion from the ranks of the reg
ular Army. The facts concerning his
dismissal from West Point ought to
form part of his record as a man of
sound military character. Of course,
dismissal from West Point is not con
clusive evidence of a man's unfitness
for an honorable and efficient military
career, for ill our Civil War some men
who had been dropped from West Point
for various reasons rose to high mili
tary distinction. Among these were
General John M. Corse, who fought the
famous fight at Altoona Pass; General
L. A. Armstead, who fell leading Pick
ett's charge at Gettysburg; Colonel
Charles H. Tompkins, of the retired list,
who was dropped out of West Point at
the end of two years, then served five
years in the regular cavalry, before he
obtained a commission as Second Lieu
tenant, and commanded a regiment of
volunteer cavalry with credit during
Pope's campaign.
Nevertheless, the nature of his dis
qualification at West Point should be
Included In the record of a dismissed or
dropped cadet, who as an enlisted man
applies for a commission. If it was a
serious delinquency, he ought not to
be appointed. If It was a breach of dis
cipline, that was due to boyishness.
which the mature soldier had out
grown, It ought not to be quoted
against him. But the whole question of
reform, it seems to us, Is easy of set
tlement, without practically putting up
the bars against men of military apti
tude obtaining commissions In the reg
ular Army. Make the examinations a
severe test of the candidate's fitness
as a man of high military Intelligence
and practica. skill to hold a commis
sion, and Insist on high personal char
acter, so that the regular Army shall
not become an asylum for such vulgar
ruffians as General Eagan. Of course,
there is much taught the cadet at West
Point that Is not necessary to test an
enlisted man's fitness for a commission.
The test should be limited to the en
listed man's knowledge of military tac
tics, artillery, Infantry and cavalry, his
knowledge of how to care for his men
on the march, in camp or garrison, his
knowledge of Army papers and ac
counts, his reputation for executive
ability and self-restraint in leadership,
his reputation for integrity, truthful
ness and honor.
Beyond this It would be neither just
nor necessary to go. It would not be
fair to test his fitness by the qualifica
tions of a West Point graduate, who is
expected to be a military engineer as
well as a master of battle tactics. Gen
eral Corbln himself entered the regular
Army as a Second "Lieutenant of the
Seventeenth Infantry in 1666, after a
service in the volunteers that was not
a severe test of his soldiership. He
passed into the regular Army without
any examination or service as an en
listed man, such as candidates confront
today, but he is so secure today in his
position that he is not friendly to pro
motions from the ranks. The real
abuse to be guarded against Is not pro
motions from the enlisted men of the
Army who have served two years, but
political appointments from civil life of
men who have never seen any service
In the regular Army, and whose exam
ination is nominal compared with that
to which the enlisted man is subjected
for promotion.
EMPEROR WILLIAM SNUBS KRUGER
Emperor William naturally does not
wish to receive Paul Kruger. Whs
should he? Emperor William is the
grandson of Queen "Victoria, and the
governments of Great Britain and Ger
many are at present on terms of warm
public friendship. It was natural that
France, the hereditary enemy of Eng
land, should take advantage of the
technical omission of the British Gov
ernment to announce officially to the
French Cabinet the annexation of the
Boer Republics, and permit a hoodlum
holiday welcome of Kruger. The
French President was careful to receive
Kruger as a private citizen, but the
French Chamber passed a resolution of
sympathy for a man who is not half as
worthy of respect as the Arab chief,
Abdel Kader, whom the French
crushed In Algeria many years ago and
banished to Syria Emperor William
knows that Great Britain Is his natural
and only ally In Europe In case of trou
ble, for Great Britain has a long purse
and a great navy.
France appears to have forgotten
these facts and gone out of her way
to throw mud at Great Britain by bid
ding welcome to Kruger, who is noth
ing but a cunning old Boer, who stole
himself rich through civil corruption
and extortion from the foreigners who
at his invitation Invested their capital
In the development of the gold mines
which the Boers were too poor and too
Ignorant to utilize. Before this date
Paul Kruger and all his associates were
poor men; in a few years they became
so rich that they built residences cost
ing 5200,000. Not only did Kruger and
his associates grow rich through extor
tionate methods of taxation and reve-
nue, but it was notorious that the so
called Supreme Court was a farcical
tribunal, for behind it stood Paul Kru
ger, ready to reverse any of Its decis
ions for a bribe. Kruger was nothing
but a corrupt old tyrant, with whom
his Ignorant people were infatuated"
through their worship of him as an old
time fighter against the Zulus and a
systematic perpetuator of race hate of
the British.
Kruger undertook to rush the British
out of Natal, and, had he possessed a
good master of natural Boer tactics,
like Dewet or Botha, he might have
transiently succeeded; but under poor,
old, broken-down Joubert, he failed,
and today Kruger is nothing but an in
firm old fugitive, posing as President
of the Transvaal Republic, which has
no existence outside of perhaps 10,000
Boer horsemen enacting guerrilla war
fare. Of what possible consequence Is
this ignorant old Boer to Emperor Will
iam? Kruger shot Zulus In bis youth,
and shot lions when he was not hunt
ing Zulus. He Is crafty, avaricious and
Ignorant. Ho Is of about as much con
sequence as was old Sitting Bull, who
gave us so much trouble at the head of
the' refractory Sioux until he was shot
to death by the Indian police. To a
mob of Frenchmen, crazy with stupid
Jealousy and hate of England, Kruger
is a welcome excuse for Jeering at
Great Britain, but to Emperor William
Kruger is of i.o more public Interest or
consequence than would be the war
chief of the Yaqui Indians If he should
leave Mexico and go mooning about
Europe seeking for applause and Inter
vention. A resolution in behalf of ex-President
Kruger has been introduced in
Congress by Representative Fitzgerald,
an Irish Democrat of Massachusetts.
Mr. Fitzgerald would not be an Irish
man if he ever lost a chance to twist
the tail of the British lion. It Is not
likely that this resolution will secure a
passage, for discreet men will see that
it is nothing but an act of gratuitous
discourtesy to a friendly power. Such
resolutions always secure the support
of Irish politicians, and when they get
no more than this they are viewed with
Just contempt by Great Britain. The
English people distinguish between the
solid public opinion of the American
people and the Anglophobia of imported
Democratic politicians. Just as they dis
tinguished between the invasion of
Canada by Arnold and Montgomery
and the invasion of Canada by the
Fenian General O'Nell, who was sent to
prison by a United States court as a
violator of our neutrality laws. It was
a Democratic statesman. United States
Senator Bayard, who once expressed
his disgust that a simple extradition
treaty between the United States and
Great Britain was difficult of ratifica
tion because under it Irish dyn'amitards
and other anarchist assassins would
probably be surrendered. President
Cleveland, in 1888, on the death of Chief
Justice Walte, decided at one time to
appoint as his successor our then Min
ister to England, E. J. Phelps, but the
clamor of the Irish-American contin
gent of the Democratic party prevented
the appointment of a man who, "as
Minister to England, had been on
friendly terms with a coercion govern
ment." Mr. John E. Fitzgerald and Mr.
Patrick Collins were both conspicuous
then in denouncing Mr. Phelps as an
Anglomanlac, just as they had previ
ously denounced Mr. Lowell just as
they subsequently denounced Mr. Bay
ard as an "aristocrat." The Kruger
resolution was, of course, to be expect
ed from Mr. John E. Fitzgerald, who
cannot forgive England for making
both Ireland and South Africa inhabit
able countries. Had Kruger succeeded
in overrunning Natal and Cape Colony,
It would, of course, have been "a great
day for Ireland," and so we suppose If
there should oe a secdnd "Indian Mu
tiny," that would be another "great day
for Ireland," and we should have a res
olution of sympathy offered for its
Nana Sahib.
The Chicago divorce Industry, once
so thriving, has, it seems, been trans
ferred to New York, or perhaps only
a branch of this business has been esr
tabllshed In the latter city, that has
drawn nothing from the activities of
the original plant. However this may
be, a regular system of fraudulent di
vorce has been established In the me
tropolis, and operated in the most un
blushing fashion by a gang of swin
dlers for many months. It appears
that the same people were permitted
to come into court with case after case,
not merely dozens, but hundreds of
them, And testify to alleged facts
which the slightest scrutiny would
have detected to be false. These di
vorce brokers were at last detected by
the merest accident through the pres
ence on two occasions of a stenogra
pher, who happened to take enough In
terest In the proceedings to notice that
the witnesses on both cases were the
same. Inquiry shows that the courts
had for a long time granted every ap
plication on the bare statement of the
applicant, without taking the slight
est trouble to inquire into the truth or
falsity of his story. So slack a ju
diciary can only "be accounted for upon
the basis of a sleeping or seared pub
lic conscience, further evidence of
which appears in the plain statements
and shocking developments which ac
company the present crusade against
vice In the great city. The virus of de
based political conditions has not only
permeated the body politic, but as the
seepage from an overcharged or fault
ily constructed sewer It has reached
the social fabric, contaminating it. It
may be added that the awakened courts
are striving in some degree to atone for
the mischief that their somnolent
state permitted, and all applications for
divorce, for the present, at least, will
be critically scanned and the applicants
be made to show good and statutory
cause before the, plea is allowed.
If the report that Lord Roberts Is to
be made a Duke and that Parliament
will be asked to vote him 100,000 to
support the title is confirmed, he will
be. the first English soldier who has
been made a Duke for purely military
services since General Sir Arthur
Wellesley was made a Duke for his
great military exploits In Spain from
1S0S to 1814. The Duke of Wellington
had fought and beaten successively
Soult, Victor, Massena and Marmont at
the Douro, Talavera, Fuentes d'Onoro
and Salamanca, a succession of bril
liant English victories equaled only by
Marlborough's triumphs at Blenheim,
Ramlllles, Oudenatde and Malplaquet
The only great English Generals whose
military exploits made them Dukes
were Marlborough and Wellington;
only two purely military Dukes In a
Century. It Is not likely that Lord Koo-
erta will obtain the distinction of
Dukedom, for, while he Is a very able
and brilliant soldier, and has rendered
great service to his country, it will not
be like the English Government to
award him such exceptional honors as
a Dukedom. The distance between the
performances of Wellington and that
of Lord Roberts is great enough to for
bid It. It would look like a lack of
sense of military proportion to award
as high dignity to Lord Roberts for
beating the Boers as was given Wel
lington for beating Napoleon's veterans
commanded by his ablest marshals.
The horrible fate of the youth. Perry
KIncald, who was killed near Corn
stock, Douglas County, Sunday morn
ing, while attempting to "beat his way
south" on the Southern Pacific train,
is one that every man or boy dares who
seeks to appropriate the brakebeam to
his own use in beating the railroad
company out of his fare. The details
of such a death are shocking enough
when read at a distance from the scene
of the tragedy. When witnessed and
followed up for a mile or more, as in
this case, by a brother of the mangled
victim, they are horrible past belief.
The hope, even though a faint, one,
that the story will prove a warning to
boys who attempt In this hazardous
way to get something for nothing. Jus
tifies the spreading of the shocking de
tails of the occurrence before the pub
lic. No, Portland Is not built exactly upon
the basis a Crook correspondent would
tempt us to believe. This city does
indeed owe its existence to agricultural
Oregon. But a very potent reason for
Its existence is Its location. Oregon
does not trade and ship Its products
here for sake of sweet charity. Port
land does producers some service when
it offers a market and an outlet for
their commodities. To be sure, they
have a state pride in the Northwest
metropolis, but their main interest Is
business. And when a gentleman de
clares Multnomah County has no right
to complain of state appropriations
from which it gets no benefits, because
the districts that do profit by them are
back of Portland's prosperity, he' is
simply off In his theories of grafts and
of economics. A local appropriation or
bounty may be defensible, but on other
grounds than this.
Circumstances over which he has no
control have Induced ex-President Kru
ger to forego his Intended visit to Ber
lin. The Kaiser, It appears, has noti
fied the pugnacious old Boer that he
would be too busy to receive him. He
will hie him, therefore, direct to Hol
land upon quitting France, where
Queen Wllhelmlna will receive him
with such demonstrations of friendli
ness and sympathy as her Ministers
will permit "Having encouraged a
useless guerrilla warfare, and having
disregarded Germany's advice when he
might still have followed It." William
feels justified in snubbing the old man
by refusing to give audience to his
grievances against England. Oom Paul
naturally feels much disheartened, as
the Emperor's attitude Is an Indication
that he considers the interests of Ger
many identical with those of England,
and thinks that to follow after France
Is not a part of his official or political
programme.
Secretary Long asks for only two
first-class battle-ships, two first-class
armored cruisers, six light-draught
gunboats, some smaller craft for river
service, and a repair-ship, transport,
training ships and colliers. The Secre
tary's moderation is due to the fact
that the department now has fifty-three
vessels under construction, and these
call for large expenditures, the total
naval estimates for the ensuing year
being fixed at 5S7.000.000, which beats
the record in our Navy for one year in
time of peace.
The apportionment bill introduced
yesterday gives Washington another
Representative. The increase Is Just,
and Washington should have it Ore
gon needs another, but she must first
get more people.
Frenchmen who Impeach the Kaiser
for not admiring the cowardice of Kru
ger probably think Sedan the greatest
glory of France. But the Germans are
fighters.
This swearing In of Filipinos seems
to be a trifle overdue. Wasn't it
planned so as to be In time for the
President's message? Or election, per
haps? Two thousand bolomen have taken
the oath of allegiance to the United
States. The Filipinos are getting to be
more liberty-loving every minute.
If Kruger is wiser than Bryan, ha
knows without a second battle that
crowds which howl for him are nqt
necessarily with him.
Disreputable and Contemptible.
Chicago Inter Ocean.
Full returns of the November election
from all the states give McKinley 7.233,514
votes, and Bryan 6,360,796; McKlnley's plu
rality, 877.718. In 1S96. McKinley received
7,107,304 votes, and Bryan 6.533.0S0; McKln
ley's plurality, 574.224. McKlnley's vote
was larger by 131,210 than four years ago,
Bryan's not as large by 172,234, and Mc
Klnley's plurality was larger by 303,491.
The Prohibition vote has been reported
officially from 30 states, Including Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts
and Pennsylvania, but omitting New
New York. In the 30 states Woolley, Pro
hibition candidate for President, received
157,620 votes. Bldwell received 264,362
votes In 1892; Fisk, 249.937 In 1SSS, and Le
vering and Bently 144.6C3 in 1S95.
There is a falling oft In the Prohibition
vote In Connecticut as compared with
1S92, ? gain in Florida and Georgia, a loss
of 15,000 in Ohio, a gain of 2000 in Penn
sylvania, and a loss of 3000 In Wisconsin,
This Is not a good showing for the can
didates who expected to poll 500.000 votes.
It is the people's answer, however, to ap
peals made through disreputable and con
temptible methods.
Truth -to Ideals.
Indianapolis News.
Democracy has frequently suffered
much at the hands of its self-appointed
prophets, for their credentials are too
often taken at their face value, and the
philOEophy Is judged by those who pre
tend to stand for It. What we have to
do in this country Is not to follow any
man. but to be true to our Ideals. And
least of all should we follow those guides
who, whether consciously or unconscious
ly, cast discredit on a great principle
either by misinterpreting or misapplying
It. It is to the credit of the American
people that they have rarely been de
ceived by those who proclaimed a false
gospel Under the old name. They have
been. In the main, true to their finer in
stincts, and have not often failed to treat
with serious attention the great Questions
with which they have been compelled to
adeaL
COMMISSIONS FOR ESLiSTED MEN
FORTCANBY, Nov. 30. CTo the Editor.)
"To shut the door of promotion upon en
listed men of natural military aptitude
would be a mistake." so ends your edito
rial. It Is too true. It is seldom that
Army officers speak their sentiments in
a newspaper, but your editorial, "Corbln's
Curious Suggestion," so roused me to de
fend the true meaning and Intent of Gen
eral Corbln as raised by Army 'officers in
general that I cannot refrain a few words
in your paper.
No officer of the Army today who is
Just and fair-minded will advocate that
commissions should be barred all enlisted
men. The point Is, and the gist of Gen
eral Corbln's suggestion Is, that their
term of service is too short. It, as it
stands, permits a dismissed cadet of
West Point to enlist In the Army and
obtain a commission before the class he
entered the Academy with has been grad
uated. Two years Is too short a time to
determine a man's military proficiency
for a commission in the Army. West
Point fixes it at four years. Annapolis at
six years; why should enlisted men be
permitted to enter the Army when their
training is far Inferior to that of our
military college In the short service of
fwo years?
There are many exceptions to the rule.
Generals Miles, Brooke, Colonels Llscum,
Coolldge, etc., form these exceptions.
Aside from all this, has It ever been con
sidered that with even rour years' ser
vice in the Army, will the enlisted men,
subject to the examinations that Army
boards give them, be equal to the tasks
for which graduates of our National
training school are fitted?
It seems an oversight on the part of
Congress that no provision has ever been
made for appointments to the Military
Academy at West Point for enlisted men
of the Army showing aptitude In military
affairs'. Why could not an enactment be
provided so that all soldiers, whether non
commissioned officers or not, desiring
an appointment to the Military Acade
my, make application to his commanding
officer and thereupon the applicant's
merits be examined Into as to his fitness
for appointment by a board of officers?
There are many men in the very battery
in which I now serve whom I believe
would do great credit and honor to -commission
in the Army, and whom i
would love to see so promoted, but the
principle of promotion as it now stands is
radically wrong. ARMY OFFICER.
REVISION OP THE TARIFF.
Work: for Its Friends, if They Will
Only Attend to It.
St. Paul Pioneer Press.
The Pioneer Press cordially seconds
the motion made by the Director of the
Mint, Mr. Roberts, when he said recently
of the duties which lay before the Repub
lican party:
The tariff should be revised by Its friends.
The duties which by reason of the develop
ment of our Industries have become superflu
ous should be removed or reduced, and thus
eliminated from controversy before we enter
another campaign.
The tariff has done its work so well In
promoting the development of some of
our leading Industries that they have far
outgrown the need of protection. For ex
ample, we are now producing steel rails
and most other steel and wire products
at lower cost and selling them abroad at
lower prices than our chief competitor.
Great Britain, or any nation in the world.
The London Iron and Coal Trades Re
view, in speaking of the remarkable fall
in the domestic prices of American wire
and steel, says:
The rapid end largo reduction should cause
serious alarm In this country, as. indeed. It
has done. When British prices of today are
compared with the prices quoted on the other
side of the Atlantic the man-el appears to ba
that the British manufacturers can do any
business at alL Here are a. few Items baaed
on Dresent prices.
Great
Britain.
s. d.
Foundry iron ... 3 10 0
Ralls" TOO
Ship plates 8 0 0
Merchant bars... 10 0 0
United Dlffer-
States. enca.
8. d. s. d.
2 0 0 1 10 0
4 12 O 2 8 0
5 10 O 2 10 0
6 0 0 4 0 0
As matters aro at present, American manu
facturers can undersell us on the basis of
quoted prices by at least 20s per ton In every
one of the items enumerated above, and these
represent the bulk of the ordinary trade.
JThe manufacturers of the United States
are thus enabled to control the steel and
Iron markets of the world. Our exports
of steel rails alone amounted during the
first nine months of this year to 2S3.92S
tons, and this is but the beginning of a
movement which will soon attain im
monse proportions. Under these circum
stances the existing duty of seven-twentieths
of a cent a pound on steel rails Is
of no value whatever for protection pur
poses, and, of course, yields no revenue.
Protection has done Its -work In putting
our iron and steel industries beyond any
further need of protection.
There are many other manufactured
articles which are now produced at a co3t
which enables the American manufac
turer to compete successfully with the for
eign producer. In all these cases the duty
should be removed. In many others,
whe-e it cannot be taken off entirely, it
can be largely reduced. It should be
taken oft entirely in every case where It
has cwised to be of any protection or
revenue value, and serves no other pur
pose than to permit capitalistic combina
tions to rnlse the price of the product be
yond its legitimate level.
The tariff is in great need of intelligent
and Judicious revision, and, as Mr. Rob
erts aay, it should be done by the friends,
not the enemies, of protection. If it is
not done by its friends they may be per
fectly certain that it will be done by its
enemies. The tariff question commanded
little attention during the campaign from
which the country has Just emerged, be
cause it was crowded oft the stage by
other and more vital issues. But condi
tions have changed so marvelously since
the present tariff was enacted, largely
owing to the enormous stimulus given to
our Industrial development by our pro
tective policy, that It now presents many
vulnerable points many points which
are, in fact, indefensible. The country
has progressed so wonderfully In the last
few years that It has left the tariff be
hind. No more important work lies be
fore the Republican party than to set
about the immediate revision of the tar
iff, with a view to adjust it to the
changed conditions of our industrial prog
ress. The Life Insurance War Tax.
St. Paul Pioneer Press.
From July 1E93, to October 1, the life
Insurance companies issued policies to
the amount of $3S0O,761,3S9, on which
there was collected by the Government
a stamp war tax of 0 cents for every
$1000. amounting in the aggregate to $2
240,000. Although this tax was nominally
paid by the insurance companies, it was
in fact paid by the policy-holders, for it
was either deducted from their dividends
In the case of the mutual companies, or
added to their premiums by the other
companies. This is an enormous tax on
the frugal and provident men who wish
to invest their savings in insurance poli
cies for the benefit of their families when
death shall deprive them of husband and
father. It operates as a penalty on the
prudence and thrift which alone seek this
form of trust investment, and which in
stead of being taxed with this oppressive
burden should be as far as possible fos
tered and encouraged. It Is unprece
dented, too, in the history of war tax
legislation. Under the amended revenue
law of 1S64, when a war tax was first
Imposed on life Insurance, the rate of
taxation was 23 cents for $1000 or less;
50 cents on policies between $1000 arid
$5000, and $1 on policies of over $5000.
This was an Inconsiderable fraction of
the present tax. The whole amount col
lected in 1S64 on life insurance was less
than $30,000. It was $1,059,233 last year.
This amount cuts but a small figure in
the revenues of the Government, but it
la a verv heavy burden to the few policy-
V holders who are compelled to pay it, and
every consideration of sound policy cans
ior its repeal.
NOTE AND COMMENT.
The Kaiser seems to be a dutiful grand
son, after alL
Among sad words, put these In, too:
"Full three- months more of Pettlgrew."
Kentucky's Governor does not drink, but
he permits the fact to be known only out
side the state.
A preacher says there is the devil in
mince pie, but the small boy says: "Get
thee within me, Satan."
The Kansas City Journal very properly
begins its football reports with a list of
the dead and the Injured.
The recent cyclone In Guam shows how
rapidly our new possessions are acquir
ing American institutions.
The shortage in the Delaware peach'
crop may be responsible for the prevail
ing dearth of chorus girls in New York.
Nebraska is safely Republican for years
to come. Cannot Bryan be indpeed to
take up his residence in Texas a few
years?
Tod Sloan refuses to talk for publica
tion. He has now only to turn prize
fighter to become one of the wonders of
the world.
A burglar fell out of a second-story
window In Philadelphia a few days ago.
but it was not recorded that any honest
men got their dues.
The man who made the freak election
bet will soon look like an Intellectual
giant. Men will be making New Year's
resolutions before long.
Eagan burst his cerements just In time
to fill the American soldier with thank
fulness that the army ration is no longer'
served by the undertaker.
In the underground burg of Pompeii,
Thev say,
An explorer was digging away,
"When an old Joke he found,
Which Is going around
With the mlnstrel-show stars of today.
Perhaps Bryan is not such a falsa
prophet after all. He predicted calamity
in the event of Republican success, and
now Congress is In session.
Oh. the concert of the powers
Lacked the proper erve and glee,
Till Conductor XJncle Samuel
Went himself clear down to C
Ever since that time the music-
Has been all way up in O.
Kruger and the Kaiser.
The wild huzzas of frantic France still rang
through all the atr.
The echo of the booming guns reverberated
there.
When creat Oom Paul across the line from
Germany appeared.
And, bowing low before the French, spoke
thusly, through his tard:
"Farewell, fond,, friendly, frenzied French;
your courtesy profuse
Is graven deeply on my heart; your eloquent
abuse
Of that fell tyrant. John H. Bull, oppressor of
the free,
I hardly need to tell you here, has made a.
hit with me.
No longer may I tarry here, for yonder In
Berlin
The Kaiser waits Impatiently until that I
blow In."
So speaking. Kruger took the phone, called up
the A D T.
And in a week or two appeared a modern
Mercury.
Who, when Paul's message he received, asked,
"Were does dat so at?"
And, waddinr up the scrawl-ed Bcroll, con
cealed It in his hat; . Mggi
Then slouched be forth. atT tortoise p?C.rief -fg
message to convey t
Unto the Kaiser -a here he sat enthroned in
great array.
Great Phoebus (that's an alias of our old
friend, the sun)
Was sinking In the crimson west, the Joyous
day was done.
When .William, sittlnr by his stein, was
startled by the din
Kicked up by Kruger3 Mercury, and rose and
let him in.
When he had signed the message book in large f
chlrography.
And beat the boy ten pfennig down before he
paid hH fee. .
The Kaiser took the message up, and cast his
royal eye
Upon the text, and bade the boy to wait for
his reply.
Upon his rcral brow there grew a large por
tentous frown.
And with the wicked word "verdammnf he
! th mwsare down:
For what he read therein was this: "Freund ,
Wllhelm. 1. Oom Paul,
Will presently fioat down your way, to pay a
friendly call; '
So. In the language of your land, Freund
Wllhelm. Komm' heraus."
The Kaiser seized his pen and wrote. "Mein.
Ich bin nlcht zu haus."
When this chill throw-down reached Oom
Paul, a look of sad surprise
Welled up within the liquid depths of his ex-
preslve eyes.
"What low-bred man Is this?" he said, "to
treat brave Kruger thus?
The weak-kneed, faint-heart, fat-brained dolt,
the craven, coward, cuss.
Now, by my faith, If, old John Bull has got
him so afraid
An ally worth a tinker's dam he never would ,
have made."
So, turning on his massive heel, bold Kruger
Journeyed on.
And took a train for AmUerdam that went by
way of Bonn,
While Kaiser Wllhelm smiled a smile, and
quoth: '"Now, Uncle Sam
And all the nations of the earth may see how
smooth I am."
PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGBAPHEBS
Mistress Did you tell the lady I was out?
Servant Girl Tes. ma'am. Mistress Did she
seem to have any doubts about It? Servant
Girl No, ma'am; she said she knew you
wasn't TIt-Blts.
Tetlow Keep truth on your side. F.emem
ber. all Uara shall have their part In the lake
that burneth with fire and brimstone. Wilton
Oh. it must have all been parceled out Ions
ago. Boston Transcript-
"Walklng lAdy" (late for rehearsal) Oh.
I'm sorry to be late! I do hope you haven't
all been waiting for me? Stage Manager
(icily) My dear Miss Chalmers, Incompetence
Is the gift of heaven; but attention to busi
ness may be cultivated! Punch.
Probably Correct Tess (who1 has wandered
Into the sporting page by accident "Boston
has & phenomenal pitcher recently discovered
in the West" What is a. phenomenal pitcher?
Jess Oh! I suppose It's one that can hold an
awful lot Phlladelahla Press.
Too Strong & Temptation- "Tes, George
asked me how old I would bo on my next
birthday." "The Impudent fellowl Of course
you said nineteen?" "No, I said twenty
six." "Mercy, girl, you aren't but twenty
four'." "No, but George is going to give me
a cluster ring with a diamond In It for every
year." Cleveland Plain Dealer.
' A Far Cry.
Harriet Boyer in the Century.
I walk the streets 1 do not know,
A stranger. 111 at esae;
And alien faces come and go
That do not please;
The very airs that round me blow
Blow from strange seas.
X know & hill in mine own land
Where I would be;
I know a hearth-fire burning bright
That bums for me.
Around that home, this Winter-tide,
The snow lies deep;
The midnight moon shines clear and high,
The vasrant winds are all asleep.
' An exile In this sultry land,
In dreams I seek those snow fields free.
The hill, the hearth-fire burning bright.
And thee.