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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 1901)
'KwTmitl,W9S t 'WBSWSSfflyS!" fsgnSB3pBWgflljW &i& Tin3 f OTt'y ING OHEGbmAy . ' ' WBIVNESD A Y. JAKUAEY 2, 1&Q1. Dally, Sunday excepted, per year. uauy, witn sunnay. per jear. tiunoay. per year ekjy. QDIte rsgomott Entered at the Postofflce at Portland. Oregon, as second-class matter. TELEPHONES. Editorial Booms 168 Business Offleet..C87 REVISED SUBSCRIPTION RATES, Br Mall (postage Drepald). In Advance- Daily, with Sunday, per month. ...... 3 .. o oo .. 2 00 ThA lVirlv rkt A ............ 1 GO The Weekly. 3 Months M To City Subscribers , , Daily. per eek. delivered. Sundays exceptd.l5c Daily. per week, delivered. Sundajs include(L20c POSTAGE RATES. United States. Canada and Mexico: 10 to 16-page paper .. lo 10 tc 32-page paper .....2o Foreign rates double. News or discussion Intended for publication In The Oregonlan should bo 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 docs not boy poems or stories from Individuals, and cannot undertake to re turn any manuscripts sent to it without solici tation. No stamps should.be inclosed for this purpose. Puget Sound Bureau Captain A. Thompson. cilice at 1111 Pacific avenue. Tacoma. Box 953, Tacoma Postofflce. Eastern Business Office The Tribune build ing. New York City; "The Rookery," Chicago: the S. C. Beckwlth special agency. New York. For sale in San Francisco by "3. K. Cooper. 746 Market street, near the PalaqS Hotel; Gold smith Bros.. 230 Sutter street: F. W. Pitta, 1003 Market street: Foster & rear. Ferry News stand. For sale in Los Angeles by B. F. Gardner. r So. Spring street, and Oliver & Haines, 100 Eo. Spring street. For sale In Chicago by the P. O. News Co., 217 Dearborn street. For sale In Omaha by H. C. Shears. 105 K. Sixteenth street, and Earkalow Bros., 1612 Farnam street. For sale In Salt Lake by the Salt Lake News Co., 77 "W. Second South street. For sale In New Orleans by Ernest & Co, 115 Royal street On file in Washington, U. C with A. W. Dunn. 600 14th N. TV. For sale In Denver. Colo., by Hamilton A Xendrlck. 006-912 Seventh street. Mayor or the next Legislature. The house is on fire, human souls are per ishing, therefore we must act. When she sees young men going down to ruin and women's hearts breaking, Bhe prays only for strength to fight th6 liquor traffic with any implement laid to her hand, and' if so be she is impris oned or destroyed, she will glory in the martyrdom, because she has done her duty. The world is full of such re formers, in every sphere. Of Justice in the conventional sense they have no conception; yet if we try to put our selves in their place, with Paul at Ephesus. with the Covenanters under Charles, with John Brown at Harper's Ferry, we can in Imagination sympa thize with thelf high resolves and fancy, if we like, that the justice they aimed at Is of a finer texture than that hand ed down from the bench. Happy is the man whose conscience and whose coun try's laws are in harmony. Por the rest, it is fortunate there are yet no X-rays to disclose the exercise of pri vate Interpretation. independence, who is likely to make an admirable executive. He is not an ef fusive talker, but he is -a man of prac tical experience in the work of legisla tion fond ot having his own way,and is not likely .to "be the tool or fool of any less man than himself. The independ ent press of New York and New Eng land have strong confidence that he will make an excellent Governor. Gov ernor Rooseyelt has managed in the closing days of his Administration to be guilty of executive -acts that are de nounced by the press of- all. parties -as without warrant in either law or public policy. GIVE CHINA A CHANCE FOR LIFE. morally, mentally and geographically, "tha man on horseback" might be with us today. TODAY'S WEATHER, Rain: warmer: brisk to high squally south to west winds. PORTLAND, WEDNESDAY, .TAN. 3 Between Arnold's sonnets and Mr. Markham's putative blank verse, the literature of the twentieth cen tury is ushered in most lnauspiclously. The Englishman's effort to serve as mouthpiece for American sentiment is one every Englishman is certain to fall at, though we should hope some might spare us the ignominy of Sir Edwin's nlmbose anti-climax. Doubtless It would be quite as impossible for an American to frame an acceptable poem with John Bull loquens. As for Mr. Markham's sequel to "The Man With the Hoe," it seems to. amount to little more than a "peccavl" from that unique philosopher and an attempt to set himself right. He started out in life with the idea that man was orig inally created in the glory and the dream, but somebody slanted back his brow. Now he wants us to understand that he has heard, not only of geology and astronomy, but of social evolution as well. He knows, now. of the "Great Xiaw," seen In the secrets published by the Btones, and the movements of the constellations and the progress of man kind itself. His socialism, also, has been touched by the wand of optimism, for he concludes that the men of greed, 'without the dream," are "laying the foundations of the dream." This Is cer tainly a noteworthy advance from the indictment of masters, lords and rulers in all lands because the poor are not all rich, or the wooden-headed ones all learned. If Mr. Markham knew more about the ranks of Privilege, as he calls it, he would doubtless find that they have their share of burdens. The Man With the Hoe will average happier than the throned monarch or the cardinal. Do not look for happiness. Mr. Poet, In princes palaces or on Fifth avenue. However, let us not expect too much at one lesson. Before the twenty-first century comes In Mr. Markham's phil osophy may be practically harmless. Portland's real estate transfera for 1900 show a slight falling off from those of 1899, in spite of the increased movement of business and the gain of our people In wealth. It is easier to explain the causes than to suggest a remedy. Money that used to be spent In buying real estate here is now In vested otherwise. Some of it is in stocks and bonds, some in bank vaults (our individual deposits are nearly $12, 000,000), some in mines and wheat mar gins. The shrinkage in real estate val ues during 1893-4-5, and apparently un recoverable even yet, in spite of reduc tion in assessment valuations, has ef fectually discouraged this form of in vestment. The non-partisan and un- sectarlan fact that less money has gone Into Portland property in 1900 than in 1S99 is sufficient answer to the asser tion that real estate is escaping its just share of taxation. Whenever it is taxed so lightly that money can be made in buying it, sales will mount up inevita 'bly. The taxation aspect of the matter l's very obscure and annoying. It is mischievous to tax real estate heavily, because it discourages Investment, drives people from home-making into rent and boarding-houses, and injures the building trades. But It Is also mis chievous to tax business heavily. It discourages trade, keeps out capital, curtails employment. There is no op portunity now for Portland to decide whether it will tax both real estate and business heavily or fairly. That ques tion was 'decided some years ago, and we are now merely carrying out the programme formulated then. Many persons seem to have neen guneiess enough to think that the city could do any number of desirable things without any one's having to pay for them. The error has been sufficiently demon strated. We look for the coming leg islature to fasten the stable door with a very heavy padlock. Every one will understand, of course, that if the recent anti-Imperialist ar gument before the United States Su preme Court prevails, the painstaking labors of the Philippine Commission to arrange the least burdensome possible taxation schemes for the islands fall at once to the ground. If all "duties, imposts and excises" must be uniform throughout not only the United States, but in "all places subject to their jur isdiction," then the tariff and revenue laws applicable in Oregon are of neces sity applicable at Manila. The Ding- ley tariff will prevail there, not only on European manufactures, but on silks and salt from China. Tea must pay the same duty It pays here, and Hong Cong, with free trade, will have little Ito fear from Manila with its closed loor. But if the customs are light, the internal revenue may be depended upon to make business sufficiently circum- Ispect, Such war taxes as are not re- I pealed must be levied, just as with us, and upon the tobacco and liquor pro- luctlon of the Islands the tax-gatherers rill light with crushing effect In the :ase of Porto Rico, we forbore the In ternal revenue, but if the self-extension Ithecry of the taxation prevails, there fill be no choice. It may occur to the thoughtful reader that It might be best fcr practical statesmanship to inquire rhat taxation is best suited to the lablts and peculiar needs of 'the Fill- ilno. But that would not be antl-lm- leriallsm. It is too hard. The easier md robustious way is to declare with Ine unction that what is good for us is lone too good for the Filipino. Why should we be at the pains of adjusting ces to the ability to bear them, when With a sweep of the hand we can ex- terd the Constitution and consign all le doubters to the limbo of Imperial ists and destroyers of liberty? X,et no one condemn the Wichita roman who '.s in jail for smashing saloon fixtures, until he has made sure bf the ground of his own creed. This reformer, observe, does not hold mass icetlngs or pass resolutions in aid I'slmply of enforcement of the law," for he law, presumably; Is against her dea of temperance. If the law is on ur side, we contend for its sacred maj- sty If it is on the other side, we will t our right hand be cut off before we rill obey it If the canteen wereabol- shed by law, its opponents would con template with horror the law's dls- nor, but when it is sustained by the iw, no contumely Is too grievous for Its administrators. Mrs. Nation is .thing if not logical. She says that laloon-keeplng is an Infamous business. iw or no law, she views its ravages Ii lives ana nomes, ana sne says tne lorrect thing is not to wait for the bal- it, but to take your consecrated latchets and brickbats and get to work. Fhere isn't time enough to call on the. PORTLAND AND THE NEHALEM. No matter what may come of prasent efforts In the direction of harmony of Interests and community of ownership in transcontinental railways, Portland should have a railroad that will drain the rich resources of the Nehalem coun try this way. If It be left for timber speculators or coal land owners or townslte boomers to build the road, It Is not to be expected that the com merclal welfare of the City of Portland will receive much consideration. The timber speculators will aim for the nearest boomage. The coal land own ers will take a short cut to water, and use barges or any old means of getting their product to market cheaply. The townslte boomers will build where they may profit most from advance In real estate, whether to towns already estab lished or to others yet unborn. None of these interests will care for Portland's welfare. Portland must look out for herself. It Is not, of course, to be argued that Portland must embark on the policy of forcing trade unnaturally through Its gates for the selfish purpose of gather ing tribute from it. Portland does not need to resort to this expedient, which could not yield permanent good. But Portland is the great market which the products of the Nehalem country must, at any cost, reach. Portland is the commercial center which must handle the business of the Nehalem Valley. Connection between Portland' and the Nehalem country will be direct or Indi rect. Indirection In these matters means expense, and every particle of needless expense that Is put upon com merce retards development and trade. For this reason it Is important that Portland have a railroad to Nehalem over the most direct route practicable Important to Portland and to the Ne halem Valley and the Tillamook coast. Portland should take up this project and build the railroad. This does not mean that all the money for the en terprise must be provided here. It Is enough that responsible men take an Interest In it, organize the project and evince their good faith in It. There Is plenty of capital available for legiti mate investment, for opening up new country. A railroad between Portland and Nehalem Bay, a perfectly legiti mate development agency and one of undoubted economic merit, would com mand almost any amonnt of support in financial centers If properly organized here. This Is the work which Portland is called upon to do for herself, and which should be done without waste of time. If she shall wait for others to do this, her interests may be poorly served. It is probable that the Nehalem coun try will not remain long without a rail road, even If Portland should treat the matter with indifference. The system atic development qf natural resources that seems to be a part of the now transcontinental railroad policy will not leave so rich a field without transpor tation facilities. But the manipulations of. railroad managers, the divisions of territory or the declaration of truces may erect barriers between Portland and the Nehalem. A' railroad to that country may be thrown in as a mere makeweight In the larger transactions of the transcontinental, and it might then be directed against Portland. At any rate, Portland can view these things with comparative indifference when her own .independent line to the Nehalem and the coast shall be as sured, and when she shall handle the coal, the timber, the honey, the dairy products and general trade of that rich est, undeveloped region In the North west today This matter will not admit of delay. ' It Is high time -for the powers to "let up" in China. The Emperor has ex pressed entire willingness to comply with the conditions recited in the final note of the powers, although he fairly a"sks for the modification of the condi tions requiring the destruction of the fortifications at Taku, and for a reduc tion in the proposed greatly increased number of legation guards at Pekln. The agreement, to which China is re ported to have acceded, pledges the Chinese Government to payment of in demnities, to full reparation for all In juries, to the punishment of the guilty and to solid guarantees for the future against repetition of the Pekln out break. The Emperor is willing to pun ish all the persons proscribed by the powers to the extent of banishment. The. powers have already Inflicted the punishment of death upon a number of the minor offenders. The suppression of the civil service examinations for five years In all districts in which anti foreign outbreaks took place brings home to the smallest villages the ex tent of the punishment and collapse of the central power. The suppression of the importation of arms and the guard ing of the railway from Pekin to Tien Tsln by the troops of the powers are also included in the conditions. Now let the powers "let up" on China, and suffer the wheels of government to move. A dreadful famine has broken out In Shan SI Province, due to the paralysis of production caused by the Boxer war fare, and famine is likely to prevail in other provinces of North China before the Winter Is over. China has suffered terribly for her fault, and it may not be truthfully denied that the vicious pol icy of some of the powers in the past Is largely responsible for the outbreak in the Pekln Province. Some of the missionaries who have suffered the most plead 'for justice to the Chinese. Missionary Dr. Dogan testifies that many of the fleeing missionaries owe their lives to the Governor of Shan SI, who "protected them In face of the im perial edict to slay. His clemency cost him his position, and perhaps his life. Heathen Chinese mothers In different places along the way nursed and kept alive the babe of a fugitive mother who could no longer nurse it. The mission aries who did escape owe their lives to the aid given them by heathen Chinese. These people have suffered enough for the fault of their Empress and her fellow-conspirators, and now let the pow ers cease making It difficult or impos sible for the Pekln Government to re turn and start again the slow andjsum- brous machinery of their grotesque government. The powers should at once fish or cut bait. They sho'uld' either" allow the statesmen of China to resume control, or else assume absolute control them selves, which they are In no condition to do. China has statesmen competent to restore order, enforce peace and achieve governmental reform. Chang Chlh Tung, the great Viceroy of Hupeh and Hunan, who Is one ot the Chinese peace commissioners, maintained per fect order in his vast province: he Is absolutely loyal to the Empress and Emperor, and yet he Insists that China must quickly acquire an intimate knowledge of Western science and methods if she is to retain territorial Integrity and national independence. He believes that China must consent to the same innovations and reforms whose enactment has made Japan the peer in military courage, conduct, arms, Intelligence and skill of the best soldiers of Europe. A inan like that ought to be trusted. A noteworthy and valuable produc tion Is the annual number of the Crook County Journal, published at Prlnevllle by A. C. Palmer. The edition is Issued in pamphlet form, 12x14 inches; con tains 34 pages between the covers; is printed on good paper, and is profusely illustrated. It is the first Edition of the kind ever issued in Crook County, and is a very creditable one. The resources of Eastern Oregon are rapidly being brought to the notice of the world, and the Journal has done good work for its section, one, of the most resourceful In that part of the state. Stockraislng, woolgrowing, farming, dairying,, fruit raising and mining are especially cov ered lh this annual number, and no small amount Is devoted to the irriga tion plans and natural scenery of the county. The names of 77 taxpayers are given who pay taxes on property rang ing in value from $5000 to $306,866, and many of them pay taxes on more than $10,000 worth of property. A description of the public lands, timber belts and mining interests are special features of the edition. The Journal says that there Is room in Crook County for all' who may come and mean business; that there- is not a hobo or tramp In the county, or failure of any kind; and that a welcome hand is extended fo men of all trades, callings and professions. Truly, Eastern Oregon today offers su perior inducements to the honest home seeker, and Crook County is one of the best sections of that wide and rich empire. to the NIcaraguan route. But Mr. Davis also answers the question, "Irrespective of cost, which would be the mqre desir able canal if constructed?" TJhe answer Is that Nicaragua would save $15,600,000 as compared with Panama. The latter would have the advantage of being shorter and stralghter, making navigation through it easier to the extent of the In terest on $23,000,000, but Nicaragua would have the advantage or being nearer to the customary routes of commerce, which alone Is worth the interest on $35,000".COO. The items of healthfulness and of local commerce, add $8,000,000 to the NIcaraguan account, which Is not offset by Panama's advantage of 53.000.000 on the score of maintenance, operation and winds. Mr. Davis conclusion is that If the United States can buy out the Panama Canal for less than $30,000,000, I should do so. If that canal cannot be had for less than 540.0ai.OO0, the NIcaraguan route should be given the preference. It must be understood that in discussing this ques tion Mr. Davis does so from a purely commercial point of view. Whetiher one route is to be preferred to the other for the military considerations which Induce so many Americans to favor the construc tion of an isthmian canal, is a matter ho does not ro into. THE PRESIDENTIAL VOTE. Secretary Wilson, of the Department of Agriculture,' commenting on "a letter from a Missouri farmer complaining that prosperity had not yet reached him, gives a world of advice in the fol lowing paragraph: I must confess that I do not favor the rais ing of grain to sell. The prosperous farmer Is he who raises erain as a raw material and feeds It to domestic animals. They make their farm a factory by -adding skill to raw material and putting It into a finished form before of fering It for sale. Fine horses are -wanted; fine cattle and sheep. Hog products are In great demand, and so Is poultry. The farmer should turn raw material on the farm into high-selling products. The man who Is de pending on the ground, selling the grain that he grows, may as well moke up his mind that the longer he does It the smaller will be his returns, because he Is continually selling tho plant food of his farm. The man who grows grain to sell to somebody else need not expect the same prosperity as If he turned the grain Into high-price products. He must arrange to sell his education, his labor, his skill and his tact, and not Insist upon robbing, tho soli. Here lies the great secret of success for the vocation of agriculture. Raw materials and crude methods will not yield the return due to refined produc tions, skill 'and intelligent observation. The man who mlxe3 most brains with his work succeeds best The Belgian hare craze, which swept the Pacific Coast from Los Angeles to Seattle and extended to some extent Into the vast Interior as far East as Minnesota, has to a considerable de gree subsided. It has been succeeded, however, by the business of raising these toothsome creatures for the mar ket, which is said to be growing in re sponse to a taste that has been assidu ously cultivated for hare meat. Many persons are still prejudiced against the meat, but many others have overcome this feeling and regard roast hare, or hare frlcass'eea's a luxury worth paying a reasonable price to enjoy. To this basis the hare industry must come, eventually throughout the wide area, but ribw Invaded by the Belgian hare speculative boom. Governed by the law of supply and demand, It will be profit able In a small way, and, since noth ing s'tands still, will continue to grow from year to year. With this its pro moters should be satisfied, as it was all that they had a right to expect and no doubt all that they did expect. DISTINGUISHED DEAD OF YEAR. Only One Royal Personage Died, and He "Was Assassinated. Chicao Tribune. The record ot the deaths of men distin guished In the various departments of the world's work during the closing year ot the century has not been more conspicu ous than those of the last few years, yet many havo passed away who have large ly been concerned with public affairs. Lit erature, music and art have been the principal sufferers. The literary world na lost Dlmltrl Grigorowlch, a novelist, not much known out of Russia, but a writer of great ability; James Martlneau, whose religious and philosophical writings have attracted wide attention; Richard D. Blackmore, whose "Lorna Doono" has be come a standard work; Friedrlch Max Muller, the distinguished Orientalist; Friedrlch Wllhelm Nltzsche, the brilliant but erratic German philosopher; Michael G. Mulhall, the statistician, whose work is the world's reference book; Stephen Crane, the young American story writer, who died full of promise; and Charles Dudley Warner, the delightful essayist. Music has lost some eminent represen tatives, among them Karl Mlllocker, the composer of light operas; Helnrlch Vogl, the tenor, who achieved fame as a Wag nerian singer; Giuseppe del Puente, the favorite operatic baritone; Sir George Grove, the musical author, who has done the world great service by his discoveries of works by Schubert and Schumann and the publication of his "Dictionary of Music"; Sims Reeves, the emnent con cert singer; Marie Piccolomlnl, a prima donna who was the rage a quarter of a century ago; and 81r Arthur Sullivan, who was an accomplished composer of the higher music and made his reputation by his comic operettas of the "Pinafore" school. Art has lost many great workers, includ ing John Ruskin, the eminent critic; Jean Falguiere, the best of contemporary French sculptors with the possible excep tion of Rodin; Paul Jean Clays, the Bel gian marine painter; Michael Munkaczy, the great Hungarian historical painter; and three American art'sts of the old school, William H. Beard, Frederick Church, and Jasper F. Cropsey. Science has lost but one eminent representative, St. George Mivart, the evolutionist, whose last hours were embittered by the severe dlsciplino of the church to which he be longed. Prominently identified with the active affairs of the world there have passed away John Sherman, the eminent Ameri can statesman; ex-Senator John J. Ingails, Senator Cushman K. Davis, Edward J- Phelps, ex-Minister of Great Britain; Count Mouravieff, the brilliant Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs; Dr. William lilebknecht, the able leader of German socialism; Dr. Leslie Keeley, discoverer of the gold cure; Leander J. McCormlck, captain of industry, and Collls P. Hunting ton, captain of finance; General Joubert, of the Boer Army, General Osman Pasha of the Turkish Army, and Rear-Admirals Philip, Stempel, McNalr and Slcard, of tho American Navy. The sole representative of royalty in the list Is Humbert, King of Italy, slain by an assassin. KISSES AS INTOXICANT. Our catch-phrase Democrats who de clare that the United States should build the Nicaragua Canal without aid or consent of any nation on earth, doubtless will be put to stress by the news that Nicaragua Is going, to ham per construction and to" 'demand part control of the waterway. Will more imperialism have to absolve a Demo cratic idea? Benjamin B. Odell, who yesterday was inaugurated Governor of New York, is a very able, hard-headed man of business; a man of will, force and WILL NOT COME TRUE. Macaulay In 1857 wrote to Randall, the author of a "Life of Jefferson": Your republic will be pllaged and ravaged in the 20th century, just as the Roman Empire was by tho barbarians of the 5th century. with the difference that the devastators of the Roman Empire, the Huns and Vandals, came from abroad, while your barbarians will be the natives of your own country, and the product of jour own institutions. This prophecy of- forty-seven years ago Is more likely to be fulfilled In Great Britain 4than in America, because socialism has taken little root In this country compared with Great Britain, where it has Intruded itself Into legis lation more than in America. In Eng land no less man than Mr. Chamber lain has proposed pensions for the aged, free breakfasts for poor children, which would be an opening wedge for the Idle to quarter themselves upon indus try by legislative appropriations, the opportunity for demagogues to exercise the art of purchasing votes by largesses of confiscation, the most dangerous of all methods of corruption. America in the main has repelled socialism. The genuine worklngman Is on the prop erty-owner's side because he is actually or prospectively a property-holder him self. The genuine American working man as a rule wants nothing but a fair start under equal law, for he knows that -great fortunes have been made In Amerjca by men who have risen from the ranks. , Industrial promotion is far easier here than in England, and the social line between employer and em ployed is not so sharply drawn. Great fortunes will grow fewer In the twen tieth century. The capitalist will not be so well off, but the workman will be better off. There will be a more gen eral distribution of property. The pros pect, therefore, is that the twentieth century will not see that day of wrath prefigured by Macaulay when he said: A day will come In the State of New York, when the multitude between halt a breakfast and the hope of half a dinner will elect jour legislators. Is It possible to have any doubt as to the kind ot legislators that will be elected? You will be obliged to do these things which render prosperity impossible. Then some Caesar or some Napoleon will take the reins of government in hand. "The man on horseback" will not come in the twentieth century, because our working classes, whose' votes con trol our elections- and make our laws, are neither savages of 'civilization through suffering nor. ignorant vision aries saturated with socialism. Ma caulay made a very shrewd guess, and but for our Civil War, which gave us an enormous Impulse toward expansion Of course. Miles mustay he has not read Alger's whole article, eVen if the statement is-- too passing strange for credence. Much condescension would confer upon the article what would not comport with Miles' exalted dignity. Dr. Jordan says war has worked de generation of many peoples. Undoubt edly., So has climate, so has soil, so has the torrid sun. But climate, soil and the sun have elevated peoples, else there could be no degeneration. The Supreme Court has decided that a woman may convey her property without aBsent of her husband. Her right; was not so Inalienable that it needed the ballot. If Eastern Oregon would extend ap plication of the scalp bounty from coy otes to thugs and hobos, Portland and Western Oregon would be grateful for the favor. China should, know better than to ask pertinent questions amid the incoher ence of diplomacy. Equivocation Is the first axiom of international politics. Kitchener cannot keep up with the speed of Roberts' ship. Roberts will have to slacken up if he wants a tri umphal homegoing. The" very latest is to divide Tillamook County. Really, if we had more towns we would not know what to do with them. ' With $35,000,000 of gold to $15,000,000 of silver output, Colorado seems in a fair way to redemption from Bryanism. Tivo Canal Routes Compared. Arthur P. Davis, chief toydrographer of the Isthmian Canal Commission, contrib utes .to the January Forum an Interesting comparison between the Panama and NIcaraguan Canals on the basis of cost. Adopting the most reliable -estimates from all sources he reduces every element of the problem in both cases to! a basis of dollars invested. Assuming that in either case the annual tonnage passing through the canal will be 10,000,ooo tons, and bal ancing the advantages of one canal against those ot Uhe otner, he estimates tnat the Panama route would be the cheaper by $31409,000. It la tae original cost of construction that makes this sort of comparison unfa vorable to the NIcaraguan route. Mr. Davis puts the cost of constructing the Nicaragua Canal at $134,500,000 and that of completing the Panama Canal at $31,100,000. This leaves a balance of $43,700,000 adverse J hope for, Nonpartlclpants Arraign Ancient, Honorable Custom. Chicago Journal. There Is everything new under the sun. The Demorest branch of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, In New York, has discovered that kisses are In toxicating, and, of course, all the kissers In Christendom will swear off. In common decency they must feel that Intemperance should be discouraged. The custom of kissing was voted irreg ular at the meeting at the home of one of the Demorest unlonltes, Mrs. Shirley, in West Twenty-third street. The mat ter was broached In the course of a dis cussion on the anti-vice crusade, when Dr. Anna Hatfield, who disbelieves in kissing, either as a pastime or an art, enunciated her theories. The doctor did not pocket her Indignation, though she may have pursed her lips. "I think kiss ing is the worst thing a young woman can do," said she, "and the amount of hugging and kissing that some girls of our best families, too submit to ls liter ally a menace to our morality. I know a young man well who declares that he rare ly leaves a girl without kissing her good night. He says that they not only eager ly accede to his request, but that sev eral have Insisted upon belngklssed. 1 have carefully inquired Into tne matter, and I find many young women Imagine this is the way to get husbands. It is reprehensible. These are supposedly well-brought-up daughters of rich parents. The girls must be taught that It Is wrong, not only to kiss a stranger, but to kiss the men they are engaged to. Too great caro can not be taken." Dr. Hatfield con cluded her remarks with the statement that kissing was more fruitful of Intoxi cation than any alcoholic beverage ever distilled. Now all this is serious business. Dr. Hatfield has made an Important discov ery, becausa If kissing Is really, truly in toxicating. Its practice ought to be regu lated by law. Until this good lady arose to instruct us, we had viewed the custom of kissing timidly, as a beautiful and mys terious architectural structure, garnished with poetry and stuccoed with alimony. Dr. Hatfield's horrible discovery throws a new light on It. Meanwhile kissing will be continued by those who like It, and the severest protests against it will come from the ladles who do not get any. Tne American Patrolman. Chicago Journal. Occasionally one of the queer Ideas of the effete monarchies of the Old World bumps Into the customs of the land of the free and the home Of the brave. When it does, the idea is dead certain to come out of the affair considerably frayed, as was the case of Senor Juan Galta y Gor- dia's idea that policemen should be civil. Senor Gordia arrived In New York from Spain, and went strolling with 000 pesetas In his pocket. Growing weary ot walk ing he asked a policeman to call him a cab. Instead of complying and calling Senor Gordia a cab. the policeman called him several other things, and 'told him to go to a stable; whereupon the Spaniard aid his Individual best to retrieve Che glory lost at Santiago by punching the policeman's head. Before the magistrate fixed his bail at $500, Senor Gordia ex" plalned that "in Spain policemen call cabs for gentlemen, or, at least, answer questions politely." Which shpws again how far we have advanced beyond the rest of the world. In America the police man Is not expected to call cabs or be polite. If-he refrains from clubbing gen tlemen for amusement that ir all wo New York Jdumal of Commerce. Before the Presidential vote of 1300, ot which, the official figures are now com plete, passes into history there are come polnta in regard to it which may be worth noting. Perhaps the most remarkable fact is that the total is only 44,000 more than that of 1S9S. It was confidently expected that over 15,000.000 votes would be cast for Presidential Electors this year. This conclusion was arrived at by adding 10 per cent to the vote of 1S06, and this per centage was justly regarded as being a moderate one, for the following reasons: The Presidential vote ot 18S4 was 10 0M. 85; that of 18SS was U,3SO,860-an in crease of over IS per cent. In 1S92 the vote was 12,059,351 showing an increase of 6 per cent, while in 1895 the vote at tained a total ot 13,923,102, or an increase of over 15 per cent. According to the most careful compilation ot the results, the total vote ot 1S00 is only 13,967,808. It Is a question of some interest why at least 1.350.000 voters should have ab stained from1 casting a ballot for Presi dential Electors last November. For tha two chief candidates the total vote is actually less than it wae in 1S36, though I the vote cast for the McKinley electors is 112.S93 more than it was In tnat year, ifui Bryan's vote fell oft 145,072, making an Increase la McKlnley's plurality of 257, S70, and giving a total plurality to the successful candidate of 850,834, against 601,854 hi 18S6. When it is remembered that McKlnley's plurality of 1S96 was the first the Republican party had secured in 12 years the popular vote for Harrison in 1SSS being leas than that for Cleveland, though the latter failed to secure a ma jority of the Electoral College and was the largest plurality given to any Presi dential candidate since 1S72, the result Is sufficiently remarkable. It is perhaps all the more fo because the confidence of tha Bryanltes was based on the hope that their candidate would hold all the votes he had In 1896 and secure the support ot most of the new voters besides. It was Mr. Richard Croker's estimate that 360, 000 new voters had been naturalized since 1S96, and that over a million more had come of age. He thought, therefore, that the right sort of an appeal to those new voters was all-Important, and he did Ma best to show how it should be framed. If the vote of New York State were to be taken as a guide, it might be fairly as sumed that the appeal did not fall on deaf ears. Here the..Bryan vote was Increased from 551,369 In 1896 to 678, 3S6 in 1SO0, and McKlnley's plurality was reduced from 2(53,496 to 143,576. In other words, Bryan gained 127,000 vote3 In New York, white McKinley gained only' 2000. Still more notable was the gain scored by Bryan In Massachusetts, where the Democratc vote of 105,711 In 1SS6 was Increased to 167,016 In 1900, while the McKinley vote declined from 278,978 to 239,147. In a greater or less degree the same process is visible throughout all the returns from New Eng land. Connecticut cave Bryan 74.014 votes, against 56,740 In 18S6; Rhode Island. 19,812 votes, against 14,459 in 1896; New Hamp shire, 35,489, against -21,650; Vermont, 12, 849, against 10,367, and Maine 3,S23, against 34.688 In 1896. In every case tills gain in the Bryan vote is accompanied by a fall ing oft In the vote for McKinley, varying from 7 to 20 per cent. The reverse of this Is the rule In the West. It is true that Bryan gained and McKinley lost votes In Illinois; but in Indiana Bryan's gain was very slight, while that of McKinley was considerable. In Ohio the change In the figures la all In favor of McKinley, as It Is in Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and even in Nebraska. In the Dakotas, Bryan Is both relatively and absolutely weaker than he was In 1896, and In Utah there Is the striking change from a Bryan plurality of 61.033 in 1896 to a McKinley plurality of 2140 In 1900. Even Missouri gives Bryan 12,000 votes less than It did in 1896, and McKinley 10,000 votes more. In the Southern States, where the Repub lican vote is a negligible quality, Demo cratic voters showed a"n evident disincli nation to vote for Bryan. Mississippi turned out only 51,706 Bryan voters, against 63,859 four years ago; South Caro lina, 47,283, against 58,798; Alabama, 96,368. against 120,307; Louisiana, 53,671, against 77,175, and Arkansas, 81,142. against 110.103. Broadly speaking, therefore, Bryantom Is weaker than It was four years ago in the communities from whom it derived its chief strength, and stronger In parts of the country where there is no likelihood of Its being able to command a single electoral vote. It would be Interesting to know what feature of Mr. Bryan's some what elastic body of political doctrine commended itself so strongly to the votera of New York and New England. It certainly was not the free coinage of silver, though It may have been his op position to the trust system, or the pro test which he voiced to tne policy oi ex pansion. It Is as certain that Mr. McKln ley's responsibility for that policy cost him many votes in New England, as it is that It gained him many votes in the West, and would have gained him many more in the South, did people In that part of the country feel free to vote accordng to their personal preferences or In har mony with their Industrial interests. It Is quite probable that a feeling or security about the result kept as many Republican voters away 'from the polls as did opposi tion to the policy with which Mr. McKin ley stands identified. It is certain that the sheer force of party discipline was largely responsible for the increase ot the Bryan vote In this state. But, after jnaK Ing all such allowances, there are these somewhat serious reflections to be made on the story told by the figures of the Presidential vote: First, that 45 per cent of the total vote recorded on Novem ber 6 was cast for a candidate repre sentng theories alike destructive of Na tional honor and business prosperity; and, second, that it was among com munities supposed to represent the high est grade of intelligence In the country that this candidate found the only en couragement for thrusting himself nce more on the party whloh he has twice led to defeat. It must be confessed that a dangerously large proportion of the voters of the United tSates accept as a rule of political action "the party tight or wronir." but it whould also be conceded that a good many men whose boast It has been to cast their ballots In harmony wth the dictates of their conscience may be convicted of a display of party spirit quite as harmful as that of the hide bound partisan. "'" anti-expansionists certainly exhibited a lamentably false sense of proportion in being ready to bring about the triumph of Bryan'sra for the sake of marking their disapproval of the employment of &t United States Army in the Philippines. NOTE AND COMMESf: Nice day! The British War Officcls up against It harder at London than In Africa. It would appear that there is nothing in football as played on Multnomah field. China is no satisfied with a Joint nota even from the powers, without security. Although there is a good deal of money in kidnaping, it must be remembered that it is still an infant Industry. If this is the kind of New Year's reso lution the weather man has made, ho should be encouraged to break it. It looks as If J. Plavras (The wretch) was in cahoots With that bland Individual Who deals In rubber boots. The men who swore oft swearing had abundant reason to regret it when they went down town yesterday morning. With courage like a warrior bold Our hearts may proudly beat. But most of us before tonight Will suffer from cold feet. Thirty men were killed in Kentucky oa Christmas day. All of them are now con tributing their share toward "Peace on earth." Wilcox, the Hawaii Representative, got $1000 or more mileage, and yet even in the face of this fact some people are down on expansion. It is understood that Grover Clevelanl'iJ commission as grand reorganlzer of tha Democratic party has been delayed in transmission. How many of the youths who wallowed in the slushy football field yesterday would not have been insulted by a re quest to shovel snow from their moth er's kitchen step3? The question, "What shall be done witti our ex-PresidentsT' does not seem to be) suffering for an answer as long as fish are biting and South American republics are in need of lawyers. In a recent sermon Bishop Potter, ot New York, warned young men against tawdriness in Jewelry, which he said was a- special mark of decadence. He then told how a party of men were once in the office of Boss Tweed, when some ono espied on the floor a piece of diamond Jewelry which none of them claimed as his. Finally Mr. Tweed hitched up his vest, and after looking at the upper edgo of his trousers, exclaimed: "Why, It's one of my suspender buttonB." A marble statue of Frances E. Wlllard Is soon to be placed in Statuary Hall In the Capitol at Washington. It will be tho only statue of a woman ever allowed in the historic chamber. It is donated by the State of Illinois, each commonwealth of the Union being allowed to honor two persons in this manner. The statne will be given one of the most prominent posi tions possible. The unveiling will be at tended by elaborate ceremony, in which members of the Woman's Christian Tem perance Union, representing every sec tion, will be present. No ono will see the work until the drapery Is officially drawn aside. John Drew tells a good story on hlxriself In connection with Mr. Furness variorum edition of Shakespeare. In this edition Mr. Furness comments upon a certain production of "The Merchant of "Venice" In which Mr. Drew took the part of Tu bal, who, as our readers, will remember,, is ,. . one of the minor Jewish characters in the play. Mr. Furness particularly praises Mr. Drew's make-up on this occasion the hair, the beard, and, above all. the nose, which, as he says, was a marvel of art, being large and noticeably Jewish, yet so deftly made up as to deceive even those who were experts In dramatic dis guises. "This Is all very flattering," says Mr. Drew in telling the story, "but un fortunately the nose in question was tha nose I always wear!" "There Is a man in our company," says a Philadelphia stage manager, "who hasn't drunk a drop of water In 27 years. He boasts of It. He Is always the first man into the theater for a performance, and Is as regular as clockwork at re hearsals. No, he Isn't a "rummy In fact, liquor Is most repugnant to him. But for 27 years he has drunk nothing but tea, and he will probably continue in his present course until he dies. He car ries his little portable gas arrangement about with him, and between the acts ho makes strong tea the strongest you ever tasted In his dressing-room, attaching his little heater to the gas fixture with a rubber tube. When this Is impossible he carries a bottle of cold tea in his pocket, and when on a long run on tho train the other members of the company are yearning for a drink the old man ' Just pulls out his bottle ot cold tea and is happy." Compressed Air for Canal ioclcs. Youth's Companion. On the Erie Canal at Lockport, N. Y., a pneumatic balance lock is being substitut ed tor a flight of old-fashioned stone locks. The new lock consists of two steel Chambers, one for ascending and tha other for descending boats. Each cham ber is divided Into two pars, an upper one containing water to receive the boats and a lower one containing compressed air on which the upper chamber floats. When a boat has been run into tho upper chamber It Is either lowered or raised, as may be desired, by filling or exhausting the air chamber beneath it. Tne letter He Did Not Mall. George Blrdseye In Boston Globe. As he left the house In the morning. Said his wife! "Here's a letter to mall; And see that you don't forget It!" So he told her, of course, he'd not fall. As he placed It Into his pocket The address on the latter he saw. And the name of it was somewhat familiar It was that of his mother-in-law. And then a grim fact he remembered. That his wife had threatened to send And invite her to make a long visit What else could this letter portend? A look of profound resolution Did over his features prevail: For a week It reposed In his pocket The letter he did not mall. Then one evening, when home returning. He met his dear wife at the. door. Who asked if he'd mailed that letter She gave blm the week before. He told her, of course he had mailed It; "Then it's very peculiar," said she, "For I'd written before to mother To ask her to visit me. "And that letter was to Inforni her I'd rather she'd wait till next Fall; But here she arrived this morning She never received It at allL" Until be was alone he waited. Then kicked himself like a flaTi; And tore into uttermost atoms The letter he did not man. PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGRAPHERS Professor What -kind of Iron business is your father In. Mr. Freshman? Freshman Why er, I think it's metallic iron, sir. Philadelphia Record. Essentially a Feminine Reason. "If he was not ypur Ideal.- why did you marry him?" "Because so many of the girls seemed to want him." Chicago Evening Post Easy. "Jinks has no faculty for keeping moneyl" "Lots It go to whoever asks him for it, I believer "Why. I'm told that even his wife can get money, from him, if he has ltt" Detroit Journal. Angellnay-That was a lovely engagement ring you gave me last night, dear; but what do these initials "E. C" mean on tha inside? Edwin Why r that is don't you know? That's the new way ot stamping eighteen Icarats!-Tlt-Blt3. As an Accommodation. "Are you going to hanr up your stocking on Christmas ever asked the boy's uncle, patronizingly. "I sup pose so," answered the modern child, still more patronizingly. "Father and mother seem to expect that sort of thlnff. and It would be a pity to disappoint them." Washington Star. The Craze. "Er you remember that county fair permlum list I got out when we were not living sd well as we are now?" asked the suc cessful author "Yes, dear." answered his wife. "What of it?" "I want to know if you have & copy of it among your keepsake3. I have just received -an offer, with a good bit of money In It, for the dramatlo rights." Indianapolis Press. Fooled Again. "I can't understand. It at all,' soliloquized the bank president, after the trusted cashier had departed for parts un known. "He was a good fellow, smoked, .ould take a drink when necessary, and never attended church except when forced to by his wife. Who would have suspected such a man was leading a double life and was superintend ent of a Sunday school la Brooklyn? Nobody, i xsay; rue.