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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 29, 1900)
THE 'MOUSING- 0KEG0XIA3, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1000. fte xzg$mmi ICaterea-afc. the Postonco at Portland, Oregon, as second-class matter. TELEPHONES. feoltcrUl Boosts 1C3 I Business Offlce...GC7 REVISED SUBSCRIPTION HATES. By Mall (postage prepaid), la Advance Daily, -with Sunday. pr month S 83 Sally, Sunday esrcopifcd, jer year T 50 Dally, with Sunday, per year 0 00 Sunday, per year ............ 2 00 The Weekly, per vear 1 SO She "Weekly, a months 60 To City Subscribers Dally, per week, dsllvered, Sundays cxcepteo.l3c Dallyper week, delivered. Sundays lncludedOe POSTAGE BATES. United States. Canada and Mexico: 10 to lC-pago paper.. ....... .......lo 3JS to 32-pago paper... ..................... ..2s Tcreign rates double. Jfews or discussion intended tor publication In The Oregonlan should be addressed Invaria bly "Editor The Oregonlan." not to the name Of any Individual. Letters relating to advertis ing, 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 tp re turn any manuscripts sent to it -without solici tation. No stamps should be inclosed for this purpose. Puget Soura Bureau Captain A. Thompson, office at 111J Pacific avenuo, Tacoma, Box 933, Sacoma Po'tofllce. Eastern business Ofllce The Tribune build ing; New aork City; "The Rookery," Chicago; the S. C Beckwlth special agency, New York. For Je In San Francisco by J. K. Cooper, T0 T'rkct streot near the Palace Hotel; Gold tm'ih Bros.. 230 Sutter street: F. W. Pitts. J )3 Market street; Foster & Orear, Ferry Tews stand. For sale in Ixss Angeles by'B. F. Gardner. 253 So. Spring street, and Oliver & Haines, IOC Bo. Spring street. For sale In Chicago by the P. O. News Co., 817 Dearborn street. For sale la Omaha by H. C Shears. 103 N. Sixteenth Etreet. and Barkalow Bros., 1012 Parnara street. For sale in Salt Lake by the Salt Lake News Co., 77 W. Second South street For sale in New Orleans by Ernest & Ox, 115 Bpyal street. On file in Washington. D. C, with A. W. Dunn. BOO 14th X. "W. For sale In Denver. Colo., by Hamilton & Kendrick. 903-012 Seventh street, fc . TODATS WEATHER,-Occasional rain, with Sresh southerly winds. PORTLAND, SATURDAY, DEC. 20. In following the work of the State teachers' Association, which closed its holiday sessions at Albany yesterday, the great value of the institute in di recting educational effort is readily Been. A great change In methods is discernible from the time, not so far distant, when all children were re ceived Into school as grist taken to a mill, to be treated and turned out by the same process; and the present time, when men and women who have de voted years to educational work, urge "child study" as essential to the edu cational end sought Said Dr. Henry D. Sheldon, professor of psychology in the University of Oregon, in his paper read before the Institute Thursday: "When we see children as children, and not as small men like ourselves, the first stride has been taken toward sci entific education." And when he add3: "The attempt to study children scien tifically has driven home the truth that children have rights and Interests of their own, which are as legitimate as those of the adult," he has stated a fact of which, as all observant parents know, many men and women who hold first-grade teachers certificates are wholly, lamentably, and, indeed, per niciously, ignorant "Child study," from the scientific standpoint, cannot be too earnestly commended to teach ers in this age, wherein "overpressure and nervousness seem to be making great inroads upon the health of the American youth." Not every teacher can be a physician, as suggested by another speaker at Albany, but every teacher can learn, and, as a matter of duty and humanity, should learn the drift of the child's mind and gauge the measure of his capacity in the in terest of Its direction and development "Tim" Healey, the brilliant Ishmael ite of the Irish home rule party, re cently denounced "the conduct of the Americans in the Philippines as more disgraceful, more abominable and l&ss excusable than the conduct of the Brit ish in the Transvaal." Mr. Healey said that he had "read of Catholic churches being desecrated and the chalices of the natives pawned In the shops of San Francisco." This Is an old, stale scandal which was long ago Investi gated and denied without qualification by Catholic priests who have visited Manila. More than one Roman Cath olic American soldier has published In the New York Sun a positive denial that the Catholic churches were looted by our soldiers. Of course, in an army of 60,000 men sporadic cases of pillaging will always occur, but the testimony Is overv.liUllftInyfrom Roman Catholic sources thm our Army has never treat ed the native churches with the slight est disrespect Shakespeare in "Henry V" makes the Duke of Exeter execute Bard lph, the former red-nosed re tainer of Falstaff. for robbing a church, and King Henry approves the execu tion, saying: "We would have all such effendtrs so eut off and we give ex press charge that nothing be taken but paid for; for where levity and cruelty rlay for a kingdom, the gentle game ster is the soonest winner." This was civilized warfare In Queen Elizabeth's day, and it is absurd to suppose that an American army largely composed of Roman Catholics would be permitted to rob churches In the last decade of the nineteenth century. In China our American soldiers are acquitted on all sides of having been guilty of mur der, theft or rape, crimes ascribed to thD Russian, French and Italian sol diery. The death of ex-Governor Roser Wclcott, of Massachusetts, recalls the fivt that he is the third member of a rtiabTa group of brilliant young men. Ev - n born and Harvard bred, to close r-c maturely a career of great public usefulness and excellent promise for the future. Twenty-five years ago Henry Cab-t Lodge. Roger Wolcott, J.hn F. Andre' and Sherman Hoar were all what might be called "mug wump ' Republicans. Henry Cabot Lodge was the first to discover that as an "independent" Republican he could not be elected to Congress, so he be came a strict party man and was elect ed to the fiftieth Congress. John F. Ardrew, Sherman Hoar and Roger "Wclcott all "bolted" Blaine's nomina tion In 18S4 and voted for Cleveland. Andrew, the son of the great war Gov ernor of Massachusetts, and Hoar, the son of the famous Judge E. R. Hoar, wre elected to Congress by the Dem ocrats, and were conspicuous support ers of sound money. They were buaten for re-election, but bo long as they lived never returned to the Republican camp. Andrew Is dead, Sherman Hoar is dead, and now Roger Wolcott, who, like Lodge, soon became a reliable He publican after his lapse of 1S84, Is dead at 5J, Just -when his political future was full of the brightest promise. An other of these young Harvard-bred Republican "mugwumps" who became "Independents" twenty-five years ago is George Fred "Williams, -who was a fellow Gold Democrat In Congress with Sherman Hoar and John F. Andrew. "Williams is now the most brilliant Bry anite Democrat In New England. Wolcott, like Xiodge, ceased to be a critical "independent" after he had once tasted of office and responsibility. He enjoyed public life, and, In order to obtain its honors, saw that he could not afford to be a "free lance." Wol cott doubtless would have succeeded to the United States Senatorshlp on the death of George F. Hoar. Of the other "mugwumps," John F. Andrew had none of his great father's taste or talent for public life, but he had his sincerity, and did not go back to his old camp. Sherman Hoar was a man of fine legal mind, but with the stub bornness he Inherited from his grim old father he remained under the Dem ocratic flag. George Fred Williams from a Gold Democrat became a Bry anlte because he had been refused a renomination to Congress, and because he really believed that Bryan would carry the country in 1S9S. Another old time "mugwump" was Theodore Roose velt, who, like- Lodge and "Wolcott, 'used to be an "Independent" Republi can of a very aggressive type until he obtained important office and sobering responsibility. All these brilliant "mugwumps" of twenty-five years ago found out that a man could ndt be a party "regular" and a reform "free lance," too. If the "free lance" Is an honest "fool," the regulars enjoy the spectacle of his war on windmills. If he is a stout and able crusader, they buy his lance If they can; break it if they cannot buy it There are now confined In the prisons of Kansas, as a result of the unwilling ness of the successive Governors of the state for some years to do their duty in signing death warrants, forty murder ers who have been condemned by the courts. Governor Stanley seeks relief for this very perplexing condition by suggesting that a law be passed pro viding that murderers shall be sup ported in prison for life. Supplement ing this request, he has sent inquiries to the states that have such a law, asking if it has tended to an Increase of lynching. This question, says the In dependent, is of little relevancy, as these are all states In which there is not and never has been any tendency to mob violence. Under either capital punishment or Imprisonment for life, it is assumed that there will be no lynch ing in Maine, and very few murders. It Is a much more serious matter that such a state as Kansas allows its laws to be nullified by the act of the man whose chief duty It is to see that they are executed, because of a reluctance to discharge a disagreeable duty. He disobeys the law and flouts It as really as does the mob. To this opinion of the journal quoted It may be added that the Executive's action, permitting murderers under sentence of death to be housed for an Indefinite term of years, with a fair possibility that they will be returned to society, furrilshes the mob an excuse, plausible to some minds, for lawless violence In the name of Just retribution. As long as the au thorities are sensitive about hanging duly convicted murderers, the mob spirit will seek and among a certain class find palliation for relentless actlv- Uy ' SOME PROBLEMS IX AGRICULTURE. F. Lam'son Scrlbner, agrostologlst for the National Department of Agricul ture, has submitted an Interesting re port of the effort and progress made during the past season of grass and forage plant investigations, In the In terest of the semi-arid regions of the country. Much co-operative work, as appears from this report, has been car ried on between that division of the De partment of Agriculture and the state experiment stations, In the cultivation of new and untried grasses. This work Includes the formation, care and man agement of pastures; the best method of restoring the native grasses on the great cattle ranges of the West; the crops best suited to the vast alkali lands of the interior; "Winter grasses for the South and Southwest; drought resistant grasses for arid sections; the best soiling crops for the dairy farmer; grasses for sandy soils, and for bind ing drifting sands, and the develop ment by selection of improved varieties of grasses and forage crops. A glance through the report Indicates the Importance and scope of the work undertaken, while a more careful re view of it shows the systematic en deavor that has been brought to the solution of the problem of agrostology as presented by the needs of tho re gions covered by the several experi ment stations. In May and June of the present year the experiment sta tions of eleven states and territories .were visited, viz: Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Minne sota and South Dakota. Texas, by rea son of Its large size and the great va riety of soils and climatic conditions included within its boundaries, com bines a variety of forage problems, some of which exist In limited variety or singly In the rest of the sections covered by this report. In this state alone are to be met the problems of range improvement, drought-resistant forage crops, annuals for rotation with the cotton crop; Winter annuals for Winter and Spring pasturage, the for mation, care and management of per manent meadows and pastures, and crops suitable for alkali soils and for the overflowed lands of the Coast and river bottoms. An empire In Itself, this state Is capable of supporting a vast pastoral population, and contributing through its agricultural and stockrals ing industries to the building of large cities, which, in wealth and possibili ties for civilization, are practically be yond computation. To develop this em pire, which, after all. Is but an Inte gral part of a great Republic a mag nificent part of a tremendous whole along lines of peaceful Industry and abounding prosperity, is a work of far greater magnitude than was its ac quirement by the Nation. This work has been inaugurated, and it Is the pur pose of the Department of Agriculture to carry It on intelligently and sys tematically, making the most of the bounty of nature and protecting this bounty from being dissipated by thoughtless or grasping men in the in terest of a few vocations. New Mexico and Arizona, perhaps, present fb the agrostblogls't the most serious problems. Many sections of both territories have been so badly in jured by drought and overgrazing that few perennial grasses of .any value re raainj and the only forage that the ranges afford is that furnished by the quick-growing annual species that spring up after the light and always uncertain Summer rains. To meet these conditions It Is proposed to im prove the ranges by the encourage ment and protection of the few remain ing perennial grasses and reseedlng with hardy native or introduced grasses and by the introduction and cultiva tion of hardy annual crops and succu lent perennials, such as the spineless cacti. Preparations looking to these ends are urged on a scale that will cover a term of years of systematic, comparative experiment Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and the seml-arld districts of Washington present problems very sim ilar to the agrostologlst, and in all of these states work has been undertaken through state experiment stations, carefully directed. Co-operation with the National division of agrostology is urged. The House committee on agri culture is asked to approve the methods outlined In this report, looking, Of course, to an Increase in the fund set apart for these investigations, since the available means for their prosecu tion are in no wise adequate to meet the demands of the work. A very en couraging feature of this endeavor in what may be called Its formative stage is the very general interest that it nas excited among stockmen and farmers wherever It has been brought to their attention. The co-oneratlon of the classes most deeply Interested is essen tial to the satisfactory progress of the work, which at best, for obvious rea sons, must proceed slowly. Nature re fuses to be hurried. Accepting aid gratefully, she utilizes it according to her own methods, and with a delibera tion that Is unmoved by the necessities or Impatience of man. The work of making the waste places of the conti nent blossom as the rose Is one that will proceed with measured tread, but which, if Intelligently managed and persistently pursued, cannot fall of ul timate success. AW ISDIAW POLICY. As shown by the report of the Com missioner of Indian Affairs, there are 45,000 Indians, two-fifths of whom are Sioux, who are regularly supplied with rations by the Government These ra tions represent a cash value of from $6 to $38 per capita per annum, aggregat ing about $250,000 a year. This distri bution, for obvlois reasons, tends to pauperize rather than promote content ment and prosperity among the Indians. It Is not intended that the individual ration shall feed the reclplent.and keep him In comfortable Idleness, and since Its only office seems to be to keep him a dependent, and a very dissatisfied one, Commissioner Jones very wisely urges in his annual report the discon tinuance of the Government dole. Spe cifically he says: "The policy of reduc ing rations and issuing them only in return for labbr should be strictly en forced, while those who have been edu cated In Indian schools should be made to depend entirely upon their own re sources." This Is about all there Is In a policy that proposes In time to make self supporting citizens out of Indians. Its administration Is in the hands of In dian agents, chosen, for the most part, as politicians rather than as practical men specially endowed for the work. Here is the stumbling block to the re forms proposed by Commissioner Jones. There are those who yet hope to see it removed from the path of the In dians' progress toward individuality and responsible citizenship, but the multitude of men who are conscious of the subtle workings of the wheels with in wheels called partisan politics do not cherish great expectations upon this point However, the policy outlined by Com missioner Jones In his recent report comprised In the suggestions, first, that Government rations should be discon tinued; second, that tribal annuity funds be distributed and gotten out of the way of the industrial advancement of the Indians; and, third, that the leasing of Indian allotments be re stricted, Is a practical and sensible one. Commissioner Jones will have yet four years in which to wbrk It, and It may be hoped that In this time he will suc ceed In making It the policy of the Gov ernment. Tho experimental work In agricul ture inaugurated and carried on in the valley of the Middle Columbia by the O. R. &. N. Co. Is of Interest to all who take pleasure in things that grow and add to the general productiveness of the state. The value of these ex periments, through which a great va riety of food and forage plants have been Introduced, cannot be estimated as yet; but it is certain even now that It will be great Plants that thrive un der similar conditions of climate and soil elsewhere cannot fall to take kindly to the wide areas that, after dUe ex perimental processes, will receive and nourish them. The man who makes two blades of grass grow where but one grew before is hailed as the bene factor of his race. What, then, shall be the status of he or they who make a variety of useful grains and nourish ing grasses grow where nothing grew before? To be sure, the work in this instance Is not one of disinterested gen erosity, but for that reasoh It may be depended upon the more for the persistence that Insures success. If some of the objectionable points or features of the city charter are not eliminated at the coming session of the Legislature, it will not be from lack of agitation in the Interest of the! municipal taxpayers. Light has been thrown on many shadowed places by full and free discussion, so that Legis lators from near and far know what changes are demanded in this Instru ment in the Interest of economy and good government. Economy In munici pal administration is not the only thing to be desired. When pushed so as to cripple the efficiency of the police, the fire, the street-cleaning or any other department. It degenerates Into parsi mony, and the last estate of the tax payer Is likely to be worse than his first The tendency of a certain class of reformers to make legitimate eco nomic measures suffer from this fact Is well known. Retrenchment is applied where It can least be afforded, and true economy falls Into discredit The Oregonlan has Investigated the matter of an alleged leak in the school fund in Clackamas County, and has found that some of the statements in a news item from Oregon City published Sunday were made under a misappre hension of the facts. The Howard and Phlster places, spoken of as having been sold at a loss, both brought more to the state than they cost It The state has In no case allowed accrued Interest to be added to the principal, nor has it taken a new note and al lowed the borrower a reduction in in terest from 8 to 6 "per cent Its agents in Clackamas Count? havo never made any loans, their only duty being to In form the land department as- to the de sirability of property offered as secur ity. The attorney's fees allowed by the State in school land cases have con formed with the rule allowing $50 for foreclosing a mortgage if the amount is $1000 or over, and $25 If It is les3 than $1000. The $200 attorney's fee re ferred to in the item, it is learned on credible authority, was never paid. The ex-champion of Democracy said the other day: At this banquet surrounded by neighbors who have been my friends lor years, I may be pardoned for saying a word of a personal na ture. Certainly, Brother Bryan, certainly. Whether you are surroxinded by neigh bors or not, we are quite used to words of a personal nature, and we would not have noticed the personal allusion had you not mentioned it Again: Five times you have voted for me for public offices twice for Congress, ohco for the United States Senate and twice for the Presidency and no candidate ever received mora loyal support than you have given. It is too bad about those dear friends. They ought riot to be such a pitiful minority. After a man has been In the Senate six years, sometimes he gets a petrified idea in his head that what he doesn't know about the business Isn't worth knowing, that he Is Indispensable to his state, urd nobody else could master the Job, and that his constituents would rue the day ever after If they should fall to re-elect him. No man, even a Senator, Is so important that the world cannot get along without him. History is about 5000 years old, and men have died and been burled, and yet the earth turns rOund on its axis and makes shift to get its work done without great ado. The President's New Tear's recep tions have been planned on a scale of magnificence befitting the Inauguration of the twentieth century and the rec ognition of the occasion In govern mental life. Beginning at 11 o'clock, the historic old White House will for 2 hours resound, metaphorically speak ing, to the tread of the Nation's feet, and the Chief Magistrate will take the Nation by the hand. The brilliancy of the occasion will no doubt be unequaled In the annals of the Government A Filipino has come to the United States because he would rather be a free American than an enslaved Fili pino. So would anybody of gumption, but the colleagues he left behind are not of gumption. They resist being free Americans, therefore they are en slaved Filipinos. The move to reward Hobson with medals and other gewgaws is timely. In a little while more he would have nothing to show for his bravery. If that Madison-Square arch had been a sword or a trinket, Dewey would be a greater man. Hazing at West Point Is a very good thing In the opinion of upper-class ca dets, because It made men of them, even though now It does not flatter their manhood. Esterhazy is a Count, bankrupt and depraved, and If he were not married he would have all necessary qualifica tions to get an American heiress. If ever a measure braved the sapi ency of the Senate without amendment, there must have been something the matter with It. Bryan says the people will return to the teachings of the Fathers. What, so soon, and without electing Bryan? Tlila la the Right Spirit. Roseburg Plaindealer. The talk of dividing Oregon Into two states will scarce receive any attention by the Legislature this Winter. What is needed is that the people draw nearer to gether. Unity of action will bring the in dustrial development that Oregon needs. Great enterprises await the touch of the golden wand of Individual wealth, but these great enterprises will lie dormant until the citizens of this state put shoul der to shoulder and push together. 4t is men that make the state. The natural resources that tempted the first Immi grants a half-century ago are still here and unutilized. The field is still an at tractive one to the settler, and there Is room. One thing that has retarded Ore gon's growth during the past few years has been, political dissension. It is time that factional controversies be buried, and that a more tolerant spirit prevail. It will be very unfortunate, from any point of view, if the same bitterness of fac tional strife Is permitted to interfere with Intelligent legislation at Salem this Win ter. In Washington there Is no Senator to elect, and it is confidently expected, thfrefore'l that legislative measures will receive proper consideration in that state. The Senatorial election should be promptly disposed of at Salem. The friends of Sen ator McBrlde insist that he lias given good service to his state, and is entitled to prompt re-election. That he has the advantage of good positions on the com mittees df the Senate, where the real work Is done in thai body, and that the state can ill afford to throw away that advantage by selecting a new man. How ever, a good and strong'argument is be ing presented oh the other hand to show wherein the state would be more dbly and better represented in Congress by H. W. Corpett other aspirants receiving but lit tle attention as yet In this matter pri vate ambitions and private resentments should cut no figure. The good of the state alone should be considered. If the Senator is elected early in the session, the various measures of remedial legislation Will secUre proper consideration. If the Legislature will rise above petty cabals and political intrigues, and make intelli gent effort toward perfecting the laws and curtailing expenditures, 'the new cen tury will open with a bright outlook for the state. Light Front Luzon. The following letter -was sent to the Outlook with a note stating that its au thor was Lieutenant-Colonel James Park er. United States Army, a graduate or West Point and Rutgers College, and a son of Cdrtlandt Parker, df Newark, N J. Colonel Pater is in command of "an Isolated province in Southeastern Luzon," with a population of some 50,000. It throws a ray of light on a situation not gen erally very cheerful: "In one of the schools I have estab lished hero the children, taught two hours dally by a soldier, orally (for I have no books), have learned In six weeks over 500 English words, and can even sustain a short conversation, their accent being clear and distinct Nowadays, as I ride about my province I am saluted at every door by little childish voices piping up, Good morning, Colonel I stop and speak with them in English. They answer me proudly from their little store of newly acquired knowledge, and as I ride away they always cry out, 'Good-bye, Colonel." The boys are all our friends. They play with the soldiers and talk to them. There Is no use for Spanish here any longer. Only those who received an unusual edu cation can talk and read Spanish! The children should be taught from English school books, and well taught A knowl edge of 'Americano will make them quickly Americans. "Things are gradually progressing here. We have Mayors and police In all the towns of the province, and schools. I de tail a soldier to teach English in each school, and the children are making great progress. On account of the confusion of dialects, Blcol, Visayan, Ilolan and Tagai, the text-books have always been Spanish. I trust that the commission will not allow this system to be perpetuated. I propose that in the chools of this district the children shall learn geography, history and arithmetic in English, as they desire to do. The difficulty is text-books. If 1 only could get a Iot of Illustrated Ameri can primers! It is a glorious opportunity. By teaching these children to read Eng lish, in five years there will be a new gen eration coming to the front that will read American newspapers, appreciate Ameri can manufactures, have new wants, be civilized. Knowing the uses of things, they will want them. They will no longer bo content with a hut without furniture and a pound of rice a day. They will want money to buy tho things they need, and- will bo willing to work for it It Is labor that will make these isands enor mously productive. I wish I had the primers.' Thoughts on the Booz Cose. New York Times. It is much to be regretted that It has been necessary in refuting the charges brought against the West Point cadets, to give wide publicity tb facts that cannot fall to cause pain to a bereaved father and mother. Youns men who are accused of somethipe not far from murder havo a right, however, to defend themselves by telling the whole truth, even though It does violate the injunction to speak noth ing but good of the dead. The dead must take their chances in such a case. And, after all. the revelations in regard, to young Booz. as we have already said, prove only that he had no fitness for the career of arms. The same Is true prob ably of a majority of all boys, or at least of a considerable minority. Physical courage, in otlier ages the most valuable, and therefore the most valued, of all man ly dualities. Is no" longer in frequent de mand, and with ordinary good luck one may co through life respectably and hap pily without it But the professional sol dier must Still be fearless, or If not that, he must have perfect command of his fears, which, if not the same thine, is a better .thing. An up-the-state paper, commenting on this case, says that a con stitutional coward deserves pity and sym pathy, not Insult. True, but a commit slon in the United States Army should not go with the pity and sympathy. We all hate war. and yet wars come; fights between boys are universally disapproved, and yet the bov who always refuses to fight does not always make the best man, while as for the boy who flchts 111 when I he does light, really there lsn t much nope for him. It Is not winning or losinc the battle that counts: to do one's best Is quite enough, and less than that is very terrible, Indeed. A Dream of Ctilcnjro River. ' Chicago Chronicle. A recent poet has described the interior of Africa, as it will be when culture shall .bid the colored race emerge from bar barism. Then busy cities shall arise there in constellations. They shall gleam with spires, palaces and domes, with marts where is heard the voice of nations, with Summer groves surrounding stately homes. He pictures scenes of gorgeous boulevards overlooking both Nyanzas. This Is something like what Chicago might have been, lining both sides of the primeval river. Improved for esthetic and not commercial purposes. Commerce would have been accommodated in an ohtcr harbor at the lake front. It might have been better accommodated than it now Is in the narrow, shallow tortuous channel through which the river current runs over the obstructive shallows of the tunnels and under bridges which delay the passage of every craft seeking the hospi talities of the harbor. But it Is too late now to transfer commerce from the river to the lake front The river must con tinue to be the resort of all the vessels employed In lake commerce to discharge and receive cargoes. Its docks must be preserved and Imaroved for present uses. It must be made a great commodious har bor, either by National authority or at the expense of local taxpayers. It should gc adequate to all the needs of lake com merce. t Judicial Geniai In Xew Toric. Chicago Journal. New York is constantly giving the coun try lessons In wisdom and the law. On one and the same day last week two cases were decided by two City Magistrates that showed the evenness and Impartiality with which -Justice Js dispensed In the throbbing metropolis. In one court the Magistrate was called upon to decide whether a litigant should pay tailor for a pair of trousers that he protested were too tight He made the man put them on. When he bent himself double they re mained whole. The tailor was awarded his money In another court a cobbler who had failed to put the right kind of leather In a customer's shoes that were to be heeled and soled was fined $5 for dis orderly conduct Thus nro the vital ques tions of life solved and New York mada forever magnificent by the unspeakable wisdom of its Judges. ,Great is the Juris prudence of the East, and long may it tailors make money and its cobblers grow disorderly. Tribute to tne Detective. Chicago Journal. The surpassing astuteness of the race of detectives could have been illustrated in no more striking way than by the cir cumstances of the last arrest reported in the Cudahy abduction case. A suspicious fellow was feathered In at Fort Dodge, la., but before the police got hold of him he was compelled to give all sorts of dam aging testimony against himself. He al most asked to be arrested; but even then he might not have been accommodated If a hospital nurse had not reported that his clothes were heavily ballasted with gold coin. The modern sleuth Is a marvel and his place Is In a museum. Picnic for Place Hunters. Rochester, N. Y., Herald. The ease with which the Army reorgan ization bill slipped through the House suggests that the way was greased. The fact appears to be that It opens the way for a lot of patronage and the influential friends of promising sons of distinguished sires will not be apt to miss the oppor tunity. There will be a large number of staff appointments to be made, such as paymasters, surgeons, commissaries, quartermasters, veterinarians arid the like, and the eagerness for the creation of these places may be understood when It Is recalled that they are life appoint ments. x i An Intercepted Message. Minneapolis Journal. DAMFONTEIN, Dec 20. Dear Queen: Two hundred thousand troops Isn't enough. The Boers have at least 5000 men under arms to my certain knowledge. Yours, KITCHENER. But Why "After All"? Albany Democrat After all Corbett has some good points. He Is In favor of freo trade with our new islands, believes in the proposed canal, and is opposed to the ship subsidy steal. That beats McBrlde. HOW TKE LINE WAS ESTABLISHED In 1521, when a considerable local dis pute arose over the location of the inter national boundary line, J. W. Carey, who had been one of the" Americana engaged In fixing the line, gave the Victoria Colo nist the following statement of the man ner In which the work was done, which is of nartlcular Interest, now that a dis pute has arisen a3 to the exact boundary in the Mount Baker minlna district: "In the year 1858 the American Boun dary Commission arrived at Point Rob erts, in charge of Commander Campbell. Ho was accompanied by Captaih Parke, a graduate of West Poinr, wlio was act ing as chief astronomer, and Clint Garner, of Washington, D. C. The latter had Just returned from tho South, where he had been the head of a party which sur veyed the Mexican bonncary. He was second astronomer to the party. Under these was a corps of excellently qualified Surveyors, each man being thoroughly trained In his duties. The body stayed at Point Roberts for a year, and during the whole of that time they worked at getting the central point of the survey. At the end of the year the British party ar rived at Point Roberts, accompanied by a body qt Royal Engineers. The party was headed by Colonel Hawkins, Captain Haigh, chief astronomer: tiaptaln Dar ragh, Lieutenant (now General) Pulner and Lieutenant Wilson, now Sir Charles Wilson, of Soudan fame., "The astronomical observations by which tho American party, while waiting for the Britishers, had established tho initial point were proved by Colonel Haw kln3io be correct, and then the two par ties started east from Point Roberts. The United States surveyors had the finest in struments In the world. They were im ported from Austria at great cost, and no expense was spared In 'picking out the best and most accurate. They were timed to under a half-second. "Kte British sur veyors had also magnificent sets of in struments, and, ih addition to this, the men of both parties were probably the most Intelligent and capable in the world for carrying out this class of work. They were the pick of the two nations. "As the parties moved along on either sld. they camped at every eight miles of the course, and each body at once proceed ed to define the spot the line would pass througb. This operation took from four to six weeks, neither body approaching the other till the calculations of both were completed. Then notes were com pared, and a spot fixed on, when tho parties moved on another eight miles, whpre the operation was repeated. "THe manner In which these observa tions were carried out show3 how partic ular they were to locate spots exactly. Before any work was done a tree was cut down to within fdur feet of the ground, and the larger Instruments securely fixed to the stump, In order to make them per fectly stationary, and under no -earth ac tion whatever. The camps were built In a semicircle round these Instruments, and the night observations were carried on with the greatest care and attention. Then when the point between the two camp3 was finally decided on, a stono monument was placed Over the spot "And this procedure was followed out right to the Columbia River, and I be lieve, throughout the whole survey. The boundary as defined at present is, I firmly believe', perfectly correct. There has never been any evidence to shake tho truth of the survey, and, knowing as I do, the status of the men who carried it out, and the very great care exercised with un ceasing vigilance all through the expe dltlon, it is incredible" that a mistake -should have been made." Evolution of Sir. Bailey. ( Kansas City Star. There is no lack of verisimilitude in tho story which comes from Washington fb the effedt that Mr. Bailey, of Texas, has blossomed out in a silk hat and has be come a devotee of cravats of the fiercest typo. This incident is quite In keeping with the tendency of men who profess to despise clothes, to go to the extreme .of sartorial embellishment when they once break over. Jerry Simpson, whose swift leap from fustian to broadcloth, is fresh in the public mind, was a Case in point It may be assumed, with reasonable certainty, that When a man Inveighs against dress suits or fashionable rai ment of any sort, it Is the resulf of Igno rance. Most prejudices arise from that source. It is entirely to the credit of Mr. Bailey, under the stimulus of proper ex ample, to augment his natural pulchri tude by seemly adornments. It shows his susceptibility to the influence of con tact, and it really encourages new confi dence In his public career. There is no hope for the man who will not learn when he has the chance, even in a matter deemed of so little impor tance by some persons as wearing clothes. But manners and what is called style In a public man are, as a matter of fact, auite vital. A statesman who goes to Washington from the rural districts is not tc be held blamable for his little lapses of behavoir at table and In the drawing-room when he first arrives, but If, after mingling with men of the world for two or three or four consecutive terms, a Representative or a Senator con tinues to eat pie with a knife or tuck his napkin Under his chin, society has Just cause of complaint There is no excuse for such vulgarity after a public man has been effectually exposed to the In fluence of reform. The public will be delighted to hear of the conversion pf Mr. Bailey to the es thetic standards and the conventional usages befitting his position, and if he will, at the earliest opportunity, invest his handsome anatomy In a dress suit, he may come to be regarded as a promising Presidential possibility. Favorites in the Army. Detroit Free Press. Army 'officers make np concealment of their belief that Corbin has been played as a .favorite and that the tendency is demoralizing. They further assert that General Wood is being advanced In Cor bln's footsteps. He Is of the volunteer forces and if promoted to a Major-Generalship, as proposed, in the regular es tablishment he Would in 1909 be where Miles now is. But little more than two years ago Wood was d subalteran in the medical department Eanua TnliliiR Up a 5ote. Baltimore Sun. It is suspected that there is but one really urgent Reason for passing the Han-na-Frye subsidy bill, and that Is because there is an outstanding promissory note, drawn for value received, which Mr. Ban na wants to pay. It Is not really pro posed to vote $9,000,000 a year to "promote commerce," but more likely to recompense a llttlo ring of shipping interests for their assistance in securing, for themselves and others, "four more years of prosperity.1' The Little Old Spinet. Mary Small Wagner in the Optimist Do you see: the little Spinet, standing in the corner there? Great-grandmother loved to play It, when she was a maiden fair. Sunbeams thro' the window twinkle, flick- 'ring on its yellowed keys, And we almost hear the tinkle of the old-time melodies. Great-grandmother sowned In silk, with high heeled slippers dainty tace. Sat there while a smile of pleasure lighted np her fair young face. From without the rose-scent lingers drifting on tho Summer breeze While she plays with fairy fingers all the old time melodies. And the little Spinet waits her patiently these long, long years Till Its mellow voice Is broken, harsh, and has the sound of tears Tct, It seems the sunbeams straying, fiick'ring on its yellowed keys. And her fairy fingers playing all th& old-time melodies! . .NOTE AND COMMENT. f England may congratulate Lord Rob erts heartily on his lucky escape. Dreyfua. has demanded a new hearing; Insatiate Captain, were not two enough! And speaking of the weather, do we not owe J. Pluyiud at least a vdte of thanks The use of tobasco sauce as a beverag 13 not likely to be encouraged by thi Booz inquiry, The report that Dewet la captured will probably be amended by substituting "has" for "is." Although prices in the dry goods Una are nrm, hosiery has come down since Monday night Hereafter the stomachs of applicants for appointment to West Point should bo rigidly tested. The President's Christmas turkey cams from Virginia ths year. There Is now Indeed no North, no South. Tho searchers for Pat Crowe have evi dently no caws for hope. (We will swear oft after New Year's.) Mark Twain says that lying Is tho re source of primitive intelligences. It U also a great convenience to cultured in tellecta. A Syracuse oculist died from drinking too much champagne. Truly, death can assume a pleasant guise, when he chooses. It ia announced that the Boerg aro checketL Tho ann-ouncement will do much to allay tho fear that the Brit ish would havo to be drafted. Tho Interior Department is considering tho irrigation of Indian lands, but the Indians would be better pleased If some provision wa3 made for rtho irrigation df their throats. An English correspondent tells this story: "Two Alsatians among the Ger man troops at Tien Tsln, were in their tent, and an English soldier was passing. Said one Alsatian to the other, 'Schang, schynt d sunn, schun?' (John, is the sun. shining, yet?), and the other Alsatian re plied, 'Ja! d'sunn schynt schun lang. (Yes, the sun ha3 been shining d long time.) The English soldier listened and shook his head. Wonderful coves, those Germans I' he exclaimed. 'On,ly been here a week, and blowed if they ain't talking Chinese a'ready.' " Dean Ramsay, the Scottish clergyman, of the last century, used to tell a story about one of the Earla of Lauderdale. His Lordship "was taken very 111, the worst symptom being insomnia in an aggravated form. His little son, hearing that recovery would-be impossible with out sleep, said: "Send for the preach ing mon frae Livingston, for fayther ayo sleeps when that minister is in the pul pit" The doctors considered that to act on the suggestion would be Judicious, so the minister was Immediately brought. He preached a sermon, sleep came on and the Earl recovered. Colonel Richard Malcolm Johnston tells a story of an eminent Georgian, Walter T. Colquitt, who was a judge by day, a divine at night, and a good deal of a man all the time. While serving as a Judge on ihe Chattahoochee Circuit, Col quitt was returning one evening from church in company with several mem bers of the bar. "Well," said he, "my experience today has been varied. I held court in the forenoon, in the interval for dinner made a political speech in the Courthouse square, held court in the af ternoon, after adjourning whipped a Whig who made insulting remarks In my pres ence about my noon speech, and preached tonight" The Judge of the United States Court In Porto Rico is Sulzbacher, and come? from Mexico, where he learned Spanish and became the friend of Senator Elklns. which accounts for his appointment. Judge Sulzbacher Is a diplomatist and a man of ready resources. Before the policy of Congress and the Administra tion toward our new possessions was de veloped, Judge Sulzbacher prematurely decided that the Cdnstitution follows the "flag. This judicial precedent might nave troubled other people, but it gave him no concern whatever, because the first time any one questioned his decision he replied: Tt is true that I held that the Constitution follows the flag, but I did not say with what speed it does the fol lowing." PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGRAPHERS Woman In Politics. "Of course, sho isn't fit for the ofllce," reply the -women voters warm ly, "but If wq don't vote for her, she'll get the reputation of beins beautiful'" Detroit Journal. Skilled In Ono Maneuver. "Polly, do you know much about parliamentary law?" "Oh, yes; often in our club, when somebody tells me to, I move to lay something on tho table." Chicago Kecord. So Consollnff. Lady (whose mare has Just kicked a member of the hunt, who was fol lowing too. closely) Oh, I'm so sorry! I do hope it didn't hurt yoit She's such a Gentle thin?, and could only have dona It la tho merest play, you know. tuncn. Mr. Sophlte Well, "Willie, your sister has given herself to me for a Christmas present. What do you think of that? Willie Huh! That's what she done fur Mr. Brown last year, an' ho gev her back before Easter. I bet you'll do the same. Philadelphia Record. A Fine Ethical Distinction. "What are you here for, my man?" inquired the benevolent Visitor at the Jail. "Why. you see, thing- that didn't belon? to me by rights, sir." answered the prisoner, "I tuck some, an' didn't do it accordln' to law." Washington Star. The Hedge Schoolmaster. (Of the Penal Days.) Seumas MacManus in Donahoe's. When the night from Erin's hills shall lift, 'twere shame if we forget One band of unsung heroes whom Freedom owes a debt. When we brim high cups to brave ones, then their memory let us pledge Who gathered their racsed classes behind a friendly hedge. By stealth they met their pupils, far la glen'a k deep-hidden nook. And taught them many a lesson was never In English book: There was more than wordy logic shown to use In wise debate. Nor was amo yet the only verb they gave to conjugate. " When hunted on the heathery hill and through the shadowy wood, They climbed the cliff, they dared the marsh, they stemmed ihe tumbling flood; Their blanket was the clammy mist, their bed tho wind-swept bent. And in fitful sleep they dreamt the bay ot bloodhounds on their ecent Their lore was not the brightest, nor their store, mayhap, the b:. But they fostered love undying In each young " Irish breast; , And through the dread, dread night, and long. that steeped our island then. The lamps ot hope and fires ot faith were fed by these brave nien. The grass waves green above them; soft sleep Is theirs for aye; The hunt Is -over, and ihe cold; the hunger passed away. Oh! hold them high and holy! and their mem ory proudly pledge. Who gathered their fagged classes behind & friendly hedje.