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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 5, 1901)
- ?-ff r i i rfrrry - "" m Jlllf ipi JipvpigffippIPP THE MORNING OREGONJAN. SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 1901. Catered &t the Fostomce at Portland, Oregon, u second-class matter. TELEPHONES. Editorial Booms 103 1 Business Office. ..067 REVISED SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Br Mall postage prepaid), la Advance Daily, with Sunday, per month S S3 Dally, Sunday excepted, per rear......... 1 50 Dan jr. -with Sunday, per year 0 00 Sunday, per year 2"00 The Weekly, per year 1 60 The Weekly, 5 months 60 To City Subscribers Dally, per week, delivered. Sundays excepted.l5c Xally.per week, delivered. Sundays lncludeL20o POSTAGE RATES. United States. Canada and Mexico: 10 to 16-page paper ..........lc 16 tc 22-page paper 2o Foreign rates double. News or discussion intended for publication In The Oregonlan should be addressed Invaria bly "Editor The Oregonlan." not to the name of any lndUiduaL Letters relating to advertis ing, subscriptions or to any business matter should be addressed simply "The Oregontan The Oregonlan does not buy 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. efHce at llll.Paclflc avenue, Tacoma. Box 035. Tacoma Postofflce. Eastern Business Office The Tribune build ing New Tork City; "The Rookery," Chicago; the 8. C Beckwlth special agency. New Tork. For sale la San Francisco by Z. K. Cooper. 746 Market street, near the Palace Hctel; Gold smith Bros.. 236 Sutter street: F. W. Pitts. 1008 Market street; roster & Orear, Ferry News stand. For sale In Los Angeles by B. F. Gardner. 259 So. Spring street, and Oliver & Haines, 100 So Spring street. For sale in Chicago by the P. O. News Co., 217 Dearborn street. For sale in Omaha by H. C. Shears. 105 N. Sixteenth street, and Barkalow Bros.. 1012 Farnani street. For sale In Salt Lake by the Salt Lake News Co.. 77 VT. Second South street. Tor sale in New Orleans by Ernest Co., 115 Royal street. On file In Washington, D. C., with A. W. Dunn. 000 Hth N W. Tor sale in Denver, Colo., by Hamilton & Kendrtck. 000-912 Seventh street. TODAY'S WEATHER. Snew and colder; brisk northeasterly Unds. PORTLAND, SATURDAY, JANUARY 5 OUR GREAT TEST CASE. There are Southern newspapers the Charleston News and Courier is a con spicuous example which do not attaoh much importance to Mr. Bryan's the ory of "consent of the governed" Judged by historical precedent in our National polity. Recently a Northern Journal asked how we obtained the consent of Louis iana, Florida, New Mexico and Califor nia, when their territory was acquired by the United States. A Bryan paper answered that the country was not peo pled in the ordinary sense of the term, but was sparsely occupied by a few savage tribes and scattered settlements of white people, who made no opposi tion to annexation. This statement, however, was not en tirely correot, since troops of the United States were compelled at dif ferent times to fight fierce battles with Inhabitants of former Spanish and Mex ican territory, who rose in insurrection against American authority; but the Presidents of the early time did not hesitate to crush all such Insurrections by force, as President McKInley is crushing the present Insurrection in the Phlllrplne Islands. But the journal of Charleston dis dains this kind of answer. It brushfs away all defense of our former acqui sitions, based on the assumption, or fact, that there was a country occupied only by a few savage tribes whom we had a right to "remove"; and It sar castically asks: "Why beat about the bush In this manner and be so careful to avoid any and all allusion to a case which must be uppermost in yqur minds? The Confederate States were not sparsely occupied, and they made considerable and protracted opposition to annexation. "When, and where, and how, was the consent of these people to their annexation obtained? And alnce they were nnnexed without the consent of their people, what is the sense of any further prating In this country, or in the Northern section of it, at any rate, about the American doctrine of the consent of the gov erned?" It must be admitted that this Is very much to the point. It Is, Indeed, a poser. Here were twelve millions of people, fittest for self-government of any in the world. Yet they were not allowed self-government Is the claim of saage liberty entitled to more con sideration? Undoubtedly, if Mr. Bryan, or any "anti" of today, had been an active politician at the outbreak of the Cliil War, he would have denied the right of President Lincoln to "coerce" the Southern States that is. he would have denied it had he held his present theory of consent of the governed. Truth Is that progressive nations get consent of the governed by compelling It. This is the historical law of na tional growth. But conservation of personal rights and individual freedom must go with it. This has been fol lowed in our Southern States, and It will follow in the Philippine Islands. When national autonomy is denied, it d?es not carry with It, under civilized rule, denial of Individual rights and personal freedom. Under the Govern ment of the United States there is more liberty today in the stages of this Union where consent of the governed was de nied and overthrown by force than there would be If their claim to self government had been allowed. So it will be In the Philippine Islands. A most impressive demonstration in the limitations of law is afforded by the Chicago Tribune's description of the new "magnate committee" of trans continental railroading. A few deter mined men have gone to work, and in a fc weeks have practically accom plished through conference what the combined efforts of courts, Interstate Commerce Commission and Congress have been unable to do or to frustrate. The best brains of the railroad world have long sought a remedy for rate cutting within the limits of law. They haie tried to adapt themselves to ex isting statutes and they have formu lated bill after bill for new devices. But while the Interstate Commission has been clamoring for more power, and states have been enforcing anti trust laws, and the United States Su preme Court has been alternately scar ing and solacing railroad interests, Messrs. Morgan and Harriman have discovered that' the true remedy for all these various troubles of traffic Is in amity of ownership. It is not neces sary for the roads to pool their earnings. It is not even necessary to form a trust or trusts. But it is essential that the accredited rep resentatives cf stockholders should have an understanding sufficiently close and mutual to repress disastrous rate cutting; and mainaln stable conditions Nobody, except in Isolated cases and for a short time, -will be Injured by such an arrangement. Settled rates make -the great desideratum of busi ness. They let the merchant know -where he stands, they insure steadiness and permanency to employment, and they protect the stockholder. And the stockholder Includes pretty nearly everybody. The owners of the rail roads are not Morgan and Harriman, but the hundreds of thousands of sav ings bank depositors, fire and life insur ance policy-holders, and In general everybody who has saved money enough for permanent investments. Morgan and Harriman think they are serving their clients, and so they are; but they are also working for every man, woman and child in the country who has anything to gain by pros perity or lose through business disturb ance. What a far remove Is construct ive financiering of this sort from the campaigns of destruction Mr. Gould was wont to wage for the possession of envied properties! A precedent is not always right, as Mr. Hovey, In his letter elsewhere printed, maintains. Neither Is It pre sumptive evidence of its own error. The real value of a precedent is not in the fact of its existence, but in the light It sheds upon the case In hand. The uniform practice of our Government in extending the Constitution and espe cially the revenue laws over new ac quisitions gradually, has grown out of the specific needs of each emergency as it arose. Nothing is clearer, from examination of the debates on these extensions, than that each case was settled on its merits. The contention that the Constitution is self-extending has been broached, and that is why Benton came to pronounce it a vagary and Webster called It preposterous. The cases of Porto Rico and the Phil ippines are precisely like other cases In that they present practical prob lems to be solved, and call for careful adaptation of measures to the needs at hand. To put the case In a nutshell, Jf there is any necessity at all for legislative action in the matter, the Constitution and the revenue laws are not self-extending. To admit that the Constitution requires Congressional ac tion to put it in force de facto, as Mr. Hovey admits, is virtually to give away the whole case. The plow trust announces that It will be able not only to make $5,000,000 a year more for the factories, but also to reduce prices to the farmer. Now, It is likely to make a great deal of differ ence to the plow trust and to. every other trust whether this sort of promise to the consumer is kept or broken. Theories about trusts, for or against, are not likely to cut nearly as much figure as their practices. It Is a very practical world, whose busy people are very apt to judge things by their fruits. If the plow trust reduces prices to the farmer, that same farmer can be moved to venom against it only with extremest difficulty. Witness the smooth sailing enjoyed by the monstrous Standard Oil, whose iniquities Mr. Lloyd has drawn in such livid colors, ,but which never theless has reduced the cost of kero sene. The starch trust, for example, has profited stockholders, saved many concerns from bankruptcy, and withal reduced the price of starch. The rub ber trust, also, has recently announced a reduction of 25 per cent to dealers, and at least one Independent firm has announced Its inability to meet the cut. Let us at once admit these things are wrong, but let us also recognize their economic strength. Nobody will under take to defend monopoly, but numbers will make shift to put up with one If it saves them money. No printer has been known to abandon his union be cause It is a labor trust. Judge Lowell's declination of the ap pointment to the Text-Book Commis sion Is a misfortune, especially as he embraces the opportunity to renew his recommendation of a man who has been a resident of the state but a short time, perhaps not long enough to hold public office, and whose appointment s further questionable by reason of his service In an Institution supported In part by public funds. Judge Lowell's reasons for declining are Inadequate. What we need Is not so much men fa miliar with text-books, for the County Superintendents were all that, but mm of sufficient decision to do what Is rignt regardless of pressure from interested sources. That is why he, with others like him, was appolrled. We want men In this commission who are dubious about their own supreme merit, who feel too busy to undertake the work, whose successes have been those of business and affairs. Governor Geer has done wisely In putting only one school man on the commission. We hope he will persevere in this method In the case of any vacancies that may occur. And it is greatly to be desired that Judge Lowell would reconsider his declination. We desire to commend to the atten tion of members of the Legislature and a few Oregon newspapers the tone and temper of the interview with Repre sentative Eddy, printed In Thursday's paper. Mr. Eddy Is for McBride for Senator, but that does not prevent him from being a- gentleman and a person of perceptive faculties. "I have not overlooked," he says, "the high char acter and great ability of Mr. Corbett, whom I greatly respect" Will those Individuals who have felt It necessary to malign Mr. Corbett's character be cause he is a candidate take a lesson from Mr. Eddy and kindly remember that they are living In the enlightened atmosphere of the twentieth century? Mr. McBride may not be elected, friends and brethren. And If he is not, he will continue to be the loyal Republican, steadfast friend and unassuming gen tleman he has always been In this state, where he was born and reared. Mr. Corbett may not be elected; and If he Is not be will continue to bear upon his uncomplaining shoulders a large part of the financial burdens of this community, public and private, and he will still lend a helping hand and gen erous purse to every deserving cause. Remember this, and remember that po litical success Is not the only thing In life worth hevlng. Assume a self-respect If you have it not Mr. Munly's bill for a Circuit Court of Appeals, drawn, it is understood, with the approval of one or more Judges of the Fourth Judicial District Is the most promising measure we have seen for relief of the Supreme Court within the constitution, and without extra ex pense. Its engaging feature is that It strikes at the heart of the problem, that is, accumulation of unnecessary appeals. No greater volume of business sboujd be permitted to press upon thq Supreme Court In this small state than three Justices can take care of. An in termediate Court of Appeals will be reasonably certain to arrest a consid erable volume of the unimportant ap peals that now clog the channels of the highest court The difficulty in this matter hitherto has been, with, all due respect to the legal profession, that reformatory effort has been principally confined to those who expected per sonal gratification of some sort in the proposed commission. These, doubtless, will find a great deal of fault with the Munly bill. But they need not give much concern. ARMY RETIREMENTS. The Senate committee on military af fairs has agreed upon the retirement of General Fltzhugh Lee and General James H. Wilson as Brigadier-Generals, and for the retirement of General Shafter as Major-General. These offi cers are worthy of these honors at the hands of Congress, but they are not a whit more worthy than are a num ber of veteran Colonels of the regular Army who will reach the age of retire ment this year. These old Colonels of good record ought to Be retired with the rank of Brigadier-General. They entered the Army at the outset of the Civil War, endured all its hardships, were engaged In arduous service against the Indians during nearly twenty years of service following the Civil War, and have since served with gallantry in Cuba, the Philippines and In China. The majority of these old Colonels have suffered wounds in battle; the majority have been brevetted for conspicuous gallantry in both the Civil War and the Indian wars; some of them wear medals of honor, which were as fairly earned for heroism as the Vic toria cross that Is cherished by the gal lant soldiers of-England. The frequent changes of post make it difficult for an Army officer with a fam. ily to save anything for a rainy day, and it would be o'nly decent for Con gress to retire these veteran Colonels with the rank of Brigadier-General. This would give them $3750 a year for the short remainder of their lives. The splendid stuff of which these old Colonels, whose first baptism of fire was In the Civil War, is made, was shown by the fact that the men who led our regular Army into battle before Santiago were all gray-haired, and some of them, like Colonel Hawkins, were white-haired. Colonel LIscum, who fell In China, was nearly 59, while there are serving In the Philippines and In China today a number of Colo nels who will reach the age of retire ment this year. These old soldiers did not ask to be retired when ordered to a distant country, a tropical climate and a disagreeable If not inglorious war fare, for publlft opinion does not think today as nobly of General Custer, who fell by the hands of the Sioux Indians, as it does of General McPherson, who fell by the hands of a white, civilized soldiery before Atlanta, and there Is not as much popular fame losing your life at the hands of a Filipino as there would be In charging an lntrenchment defended by the Boers. The Army service of the last forty years has been, taken all in all, ardu ous, dangerous and difficult, and these old men who are found'today at 64 "years of age still assembled with the colors on the firing line deserve as much hon orable recognition at the hands of Con gress as General Fltzhugh Lee and Gen eral James H. Wilson, who endured no equal military service, but sought and obtained the honors and emoluments of civil life from the close of the Civil War until the outbreak of our conflict with Spain. These veteran Colonels de serve consideration, for they have stood up gallantly In battle against the choic est troops of the Southern Confederacy; have faced the awful possibilities of Indian warfare against the fiercest savages of the plains; have carried in trenchment3 defended by Spanish regu lars, and have fearlessly encountered the Filipino Insurgents, whom the Spanish could not conquer with steel, but purchased a peace with gold. Let these old veterans of the Civil War and all subsequent wars have their Just re ward. UNSEA WORTHY CRAFT. Naval experiments In time of peace are conceded to be necessary to test the enduring and co-operative powers of the various types of vessels of war of which the new Navy is composed. Recognizing this fact, the Navy De partment some months ago, conceived plans whereby a flotilla of torpedo boats were to be sent with the North Atlantic squadron on Its Winter cruise. If the mosquito craft is to be effective, as an auxiliary force, the command ers of the torpedoes and cruisers alike should know it by practical demonstra tion, by which means alone the com bined capabilities of the two classes of modern war craft can be shown. It has however, been asserted re cently that this plan cannot be carried out, for the substantial reason that the unseaworthy condition of the torpedo boats necessary confines them to the sheltered narbors of the home ports. The machinery of these boats Is of the most expensive kind, and the wear and tear upon It, even In the ordinary, tests of speed that are applied as prelimi nary to their acceptance by the Gov ernment, are enormous. Examples of this fact are not far to seek, the Inci dents attending such tests being In evi dence wherever they have been made. Without having seen active -pervlce, It Is said that the machinery of these boats has deteriorated so greatly that many of them cannot be moved, even in still waters, without extensive re pairs costing large sums and requir ing a considerable length of time for their completion. If this is true, a grave responsibility rests somewhere between the Secretary of the Navy and the contractors of these vessels. It Is not necessary to be versed In the details of naval architect ure, or of the construction of machin ery, to know that a very costly mistake has been made by those In authority, If after the large sums that have been expended In building torpedo-boats they are practically useless when com pleted. Naval vessels hugging the coast in time of war, more liable to suffer disaster from the working of their own machinery than from an enemy's guns, are a reproach, either to the practical Intelligence of the men who compose the Bureau of Naval Con struction or to the capability of build ers. If the torpedo-boat Idea Is at fault the blame Hes-wlth the former; If its conception and execution have been bungled, It lies with the latter. Wherever the blame rests, it is plain that some one has blundered seriously when naval vessels that have been con structed at great expense and have never been used break down In at- tempting to move from 'one port to an other in calm weather. The condition. Is one that demands Congressional In quiry. It due to the failure to exploit an impossible Idea in mechanics, the Construction of such craft should be summarily stopped; if to official Ineffi ciency, or neglect the .blame should be properly placed arid the officials brought to book. In the meantime, the country must suffer the humiliation of having hundreds of thousands of dol lars invested in naval vessels that are helplessly confined to sheltered harbors. The ingratitude of the yellow peoples who are characterized by Kipling as "half devil and half child" is strikingly paralleled In the attitude toward the United States of members of the Cu ban constitutional convention. They seem to hate this country quite as badly as they hated Spain, utterly ob livious to the fact of the Intervention, at the cost of many lives and millions of dollars, of our Government whereby they were rescued from the barbaric rule of Spain. Porto RIcans are, by comparison, behaving like 'men ready to accept guidance where they are in capable of leading. All thajt our, Gov jrnment asks of these people in return Zor the large favors shown is that they prove" their ability to establish and maintain a stable authority, over the island that will Insure protection to life and property. In case they are not equal to this task, the Cuban question is likely to become Indeed a formidable one. Michigan elevated Pingree, but noth ing becomes her Hko his retirement The state has had no higher tribute than this unsolicited testimonial from Its whilom Governor: I am eatlsfied that I would have had the praise and support of our "best citizens" and our "best society" and of the press of the state generally, if I had upheld those who have for years attempted to control legisla tion In their own Interests, to the end that they might be relieved from sharing equally with the poor and lowly the burden of taxa tion. I would haVe been pronounced a good fellow and a great statesman. That Is to say, Pingree as a player to the "poor and lowly" and a crusader against property, has been an arrant demagogue, and the people have at length discovered him at his true value. Pennoyer and Walte have drunk of the same cup. c A nameless vessel, floating bottom upward on a stormy sea, Is an object to make mariners shudder. The sport and prey of the winds and waves, there is at once pathos and menace In Its aimless drifting. Known to the carri ers of commerce as a "derelict," It Is the one uncharted danger to naviga tion in the vast expanse of ocean high way. Two of these hulks, wrecked but still afloat, and with no sign of life' on board, have lately been sighted off the Oregon Coast, and shuddering specula tion is busy In the attempt to locate and give them nameB. It can only be hoped that these uncanny wanderers will be sunken or stranded by the pow ers of water and air before they bring disaster to some passing ship. Portland will. In a few days, have a circulating free library, as the outcome of many months of careful, systematic effort on the part of, -a"-number of b?r public-spirited citizens,'- both men and women. It is" proper to congratulate these workers upon the success of their endeavor, and to express the hope that the library will meet with a warm re ception and such generous support from the people as will justify the self-sacrificing effort that has been made In Its behalf. The Idea underlying the free circulating library Is one that lias met the test of usefulness and approbation in every considerable city of the land. Its demonstration In this city can hardly fall to be at once helpful and gratifying. The notion that Kruger is "looked at askance In Germany and Austria be cause he Is the President of a repub lic" is absurd. He was not the Presi dent of a republic at all in the modern sense in which the United States is a republic. He was President of a villain ous, corrupt oligarchy, which, was a republic only in the sense that medieval Venice, with its corrupt "Council of Ten," an absolute tyranny, was a re public. , Kruger will make a fool's jour ney to visit President McKInley, who can only tell him what he told his en voys last year, that the fate of the Transvaal is none of his public busi ness. Pingree Is against courts. Neverthe less, however much he may be a man of the common people, It cost, the Legis lature $40,000 to keep him four" years. Does he mock the common people, or is he Pingree? ..Several newspapers of Oregon which are edited by postmasters are very bit ter in their opposition to Mr.' Corbett. These postmasters owe their official places to Mr. McBride. A Michigan man was at Portland the other day, and had $100,000 to Invest in a lumber plant Did our citizens see him, or were they not interested? The dxample of Mrs. Carrie Nation, of Kansas, shows that a woman can throw straight when there is 'anything costly to demolish. Kruger is coming to the United States. He wants to learn the differ ence between an oligarchy and a re public The powers have more trouble in sign ing that joint note than in agreeing to it. AMERICAN EXPORT VIA CANADA, Dominion Facilities Helping to Give Shippem Cheap Freights. "Philadelphia Public Ledger. "That the Carnegie Company Is shipping great quantities of American steel to Great Britain Is generally known, but it is not so well known that part of this shipment is made through Canadian wat ers. The Montreal Herald hails the latter enterprise as probably the most Interest ing development of the year In the trans portation business. Four cargoes of steel bars from the Carnegie docks at Con neaut were sent direct to England by the ,St Lawrence Canal system. The vessels being merely light draught ocean steam ers, not designed for the canal trade, took only 1000 tons each at Conneaut al though they doubled their cargoes by stopping at Montreal and taking on pulp. Our contemporary says that vessels ca pable of carrying 3000 tons each might nass through the canals if constructed for the .purpose. 1 is conceded that the Suc cess of the experiment depends materially upon the ability of the Canadian system to compete with shipments by way of Philadelphia and New York. It Is figured that the only rail haul on the new route is 103 mires from Pittsburg to Conneaut, the remainder of the journey being by way of lake, canal, river and ocean. From Pittsburg to Liverpool via the St Law rence Is estimated as 3267 miles, as com pared with 3425 by way of New York. The Herald further says: "Tho freight rate to Liverpool by New York Is $7 50 a ton; it Is confidently ex pected that this will in future have to be considerably cut as & result of the low rates obtainable through the use of the Montreal water route. Bo confident are men of experience in the iron and steel world that a saving of from $1 to $3 a ton can be made In this way that vessels are already building specially designed to make the best u&e of tho Canadian canal facilities. How sanguine are men in the Iron and steel trades that there will soon be a demand for such services may be inferred from the fact that the steel ship, building plants on the Lakes have already been given contracts for all the new ton nage they can possibly undertake. Sev eral of these new ships building by the American Ship Building Company for a syndicate of Eastern capitalists will cost In the neighborhood of $200,000 each. They will be a composite type, built with regard for lake, canal and ocean requirements. Montreal business men will watch the de velopment of this new shipping venture with the llvelleat Interest." It Is probable that the shipments In Canada are 6t an experimental character, and that abnormal conditions in the for eign carrying trade are responsible for it If the St Lawrence route was so feasible from the commercial viewpoint, it, is singular that It was not taken more general advantage of long ago. Of course the shipment of American steel to Eng land Is a novelty; but we have for years been exporting other products directly from Atlantic ports. There Is significance, however, In tho fact that the Canadian route Is now a competitor with the Amer ican routes, and that trade ha"s natural laws under which buyers deal with those offering the best bargains. II i ... sf ANOTHER TRADITION ASSAULTED. The Serpent's High Place in Fancy Put in Jeopardy. Kansas City Star. It is cheering to reflect that the much beloved patron saint of the children, San ta Claus, will be safe from the attacks of the Gradgrinds for another year. The bright and Joyous Christmas of 1900 the lost of the nineteenth century has come and gone without a material abatement of the happy conviction in juvenile minds and hearts that the amiable little bene factor with the frosty hair and beard and rosy face, with his 3ledge and reindeers, Is a real personage who skips blithely over the snowy roofs of the houses and darts down the chimneys with his burden of glad gifts. Let all the world be grateful and offer up thanksgiving for the preservation through another 100 years of this genial little minister of cheer and generosity, and for the hope that when the year 2000 comes to Its close Santa Claus will be present to aid in the celebration of the event But the Iconoclast that relentless ma terialist who goes roaming up and down the world, casting down Idols, overthrow ing cherished beliefs and plucking up the ories which have taken deep root in the soil of human affection this enemy of fiction and pleasant fancy Is not Idle. His failure to dethrone Santa Claus has not weakened his fell purpose tc pursue his work of devastation in other directions. He will rejoice, with an unholy exulta tion, to learn that a professor In the Uni versity of Chicago Edmund J. James has, after 20 years of "patient search and vigil long," been able to find only one well-authenticated instance of death from snake bite. There will be other localities beside the prohibition State of Kansas where snake bites have served as an argument for li cense to which this statement will carry a shudder and a sickening suspicion that there is nothing left in this world which may not be removed, even to the solid mountains. Fancy the consternation which the alleged discovery of the Chi cago professor win carry Into the sanc tums of rural newspaper offices where snake literature is one of the essentials of the trade! What will become of that familiar figure, the rustic dame, who an nually receives her death wound from rattlers and copperheads secreted under huckleberry bushes? Where will the ro mance come in in picking up chips and corncobs If no deadly serpent lurks be neath them? Leaving the country dis trict and coming to the city, who Is to take the place of the hucksters who are stricken to death by the rattlesnakes Which reveal a penchant for lodging in baskets of potatoes and other farm pro duce? It Is written In a very old book that the serpent was more subtle than all of the other beasts of the field, and his evil ma chinations have filled great volumes and columns upon columns of newspaper space. Is all of the Scriptural testimony about the fiery serpents In the wilderness and the perennial Item about the annual destruction In India of 30,090 hapless na tives by the bites of poisonous snakes, to be brushed aside and refuted by an up start professor In an institution of learn ing so-called which Is yet rank with the smell of new paint and varnish? Perish the thought. Let society, on the eve of the new century, record a vow to stand for Its cherished traditions, as well as for Its altars and Its fires, and, more than all. for the snake stories which, since Adam and Eve and Eden, have never lost their power to fascinate the fancy of youth and enlist the credulity of age. o Beginning; nnd End. New York Sun. It Is a year and over since "the Sun printed an exhaustive discussion as to the moment when In the great relay race of time the 19th century stopped and the 20th century took up the running. Some, a very few, it will be remembered, thought that the 19th century closed with the first day of 1900, not with the last. These must now bow to the fact that the churches of Christendom, the world over, will keep midnight of tonight as the di viding line. It will be well to give here the two formal recognitions of this chro nology giver by the head of tho church possessed of the strongest claim to continuous existence since the besrin nlng of the Christian era. the Pope. For December 31 of 1S99 the Vatican published these Instructions: It Is most becoming that we who are about to celebrate the commencement of the holy year, happily proclaimed by our holy father, Leo XIII, should. In the depth of night, rise to rreet the Author of time and prostrate be fore His altars. Since, at midnight of the last day of the coming year the present century will come to an end and a new one begin. It Is very appro priate that thanks be given to God, by some pious and solemn ceremony, for the benefits received during the course of the present cen tury. Tonight ends the holy year, and In due course the decree from the Vatican, Is sued last November, directs Its celebra tion: To the King of the ages, Christ Jesus, It is above all befitting that all the redeemed, In whatever part of the world they may be, should solemnly consecrate the end of the waning century, now at hand, and the begin ning of the new century hastening toward us, so that both thanks may be given for the ben efits received from Him. especially In the cen tury that has elapsed, and that amid such ad verse vicissitudes. In affairs. He, pitiful and merciful, may bestow on us more powerful aid to enter happily upon the new century. It will be a world celebration. Gratitude for the past and hope for the future to all! Export Bounty Preferable. Orange Judd Farmer. As might have been expected, the ship ping subsidy bill In Congress has brought out a demand for a bounty on exports of American farm products. Senator Allen, of Nebraska, asks for a bounty of 10 cents per bushel on wheat and rye, l0 cents per barrel on flour, 5 cents per bushel on corn, 1 cent per pound on cot ton, etc. This question was all threshed over a few years ago, when David Lubln, of California, conducted a most vigorous campaign In favor of bounties. The best judgment at the time was that the propo sition was Impracticable; that it was a grave question whether it would result In any actual gain to the producer, and finally that it might not be able to stand the Constitutional test There Is no rea son for a change in this judgment The shipping subsidy measure and the bounty on farm products should both be shelved.. The bounty Is better than the subsidy, however, and if Congress is determined to grant either, the Lubln proposition should prevail over the subsidy scheme, m ' STARVATION IN PORTO RICO. Responsibility- of Our Government Can't Be Evaded. Chicago Tribune. In the last annual report of the Secre tary of the Interior attention was called to the fact that the death rate In Porto Rico was still high in several places, nota bly in Ponce and Adjuntas. "The com monest cause of death," says Secretary Hitchcock, "appears to be anaemia. brought on by poor nutrition and unsan itary surroundings." This statement Is now corroborated with rather startling emphasis In a report by Surgeon Will lams, one of the assistants under the re cent military regime. In which he says that the most harrowing stories from Porto Rico have understated rather than exaggerated the truth. He tells of la boring families. Industrious people, who were In a state of starvation even dur ing the Issue of relief supplies, and who are now In a pitiable plight He con tinues: At Adjuntas the conditions are appalling. Men, women and children, swollen, bloated, diseased, and emaciated, with pinched and haggard features, appeared weighted with the sorrows of years, the remembrance of which throws its shadow over me even now. Such a state of affairs calls for investi gation. Why should an entire commu nity be in such a desperate condition at this late date? The effects of the hurri cane disaster were largely tided over by liberal contributions from the United States. The island Is fertile and the cli mate favorable to the rapid growing of crops. The burdens of taxation were nev er so light as they lhave been since the passage of the Porto RJcan-revenue act last April. Any community In the United States, with anything like such favorable conditions, would be on Its feet again by this time. What are the special con ditions that cause this extreme misery in a Porto Rlcan town? The Secretary of the Interior reports that "agriculture In Porto Rico is In a backward condition, due to the ignorance of the common people regarding Che sub ject" He also mentions the lack of good roads as a cause of destitution. Will these things explain the suffering of the people at Adjuntas? Whatever the causes may be, they should be discovered and removed. Porto Rico now has its own civil government, and these matters are in its own hands, but the Government at Washington cannot look upon such dis tress with indifference. A Joke on Protection. Kansas City Star. The advantages of free trade between the countries of Europe are recognized by M. Paul Leroy-Beaulleu, the econo mist, in a call for an "economic alliance," on the Continent. A humorous phase of the situation Is that the reason for his appeal Is the pressure of American com petition by Industries which still clamor for government and protection. Mr. Leroy-Beaulleu argues that to meet this competition the nations of Europe must lay aside every Impediment to trade. The Interstate taxes he regards as the most serious of these. While European nations are apprehen sive of the development of American commerce, even In the face of their tariff discriminations against It manu facturers In America still, cry out about their" inability to compete with the "pau per labor" of Europe. If their sense of humor Is at all acute, they must smile at the absurdity of the situation. On one side of the Atlantic the nations of Eu rope are protecting themselves against the product of expensive American labor and an European economist Is calling on the powers to enter into an Industrial al liance against the growing competition of the United States. On the other side, these much-feared Industries refer to themselves plaintively as "Infant" strug gling concerns. On this basis they appeal to the public "purse for aid. The people then pass laws compelling themselves to pay higher prices for products until a concern like the Carnegie Steel Company, with a capital stock of $25,000,000, can make $41,000,000 profit In a year. This thing would be amusing to the general public if the cost of the joke were not so great The proposals of M. Leroy-Beaullau will probably come to nothing for the present Jealousies between the powers are too strong and the strength of favored classes Is too great Nevertheless he has served the good purpose of again calling the at tention of Americans to the obsolete sys tem of taxation under which they live. Of course, no tariff legislation will be at tempted during the present short session of Congress. At the next session, how ever, public opinion will have the oppor tunity to make itself felt so that even the Republican Senate and House will see the necessity of great reductions In the present schedules. Oldest Yncht Still In Service. London Express. The Royal George, Queen Victoria's first yacht, is still in the land, or the sea, of the living. She lies at Portsmouth, a de pot ship for the crews of royal yachts, when they are under repair or refitting. She Is the oldest yacht In the world. The last state occasion on which she was used was In August, 1842, when Her Maj esty made her first visit to Scotland, ac companied by the Prince Consort. The Queen was so much Impressed by the performances of a steamer which passed the royal yacht that she left the yacht and came back In the steamer. Twelve months later Her Majesty had a steam yacht of her own, the original Victor!, and Albert. It was on this vessel that the Queen made her first visit to Ireland in August, 1849. A Meadow. Gascolgne Macklc In the Spectator. There Is a meadow In the West Green, open to the sun and air; A thrill of Joy. a throbbing breast I could not cross It but In prayer. It glittered like a fleece of gold. And every blade of grass was bright; Each drooping bud was aurtoled, And every blossom crowned with light. And leaning from their leafy nook Moon-dalsles, In the crimson glow. Would gaze upon the gliding brook And watch the star of love below. I drank of that love-haunted stream Whose water hath no bitter lees. And walked with God as In a dream Beneath the dark, melodious trees. And, thronging through the twilight air, Thi dead, the living, e'en as one. Would gather round me wandering there Beside the rivulet alone. They sang of legends dim and old Ere this mysterious world began. Of earthquake, storm and Are they told. And of the still small voice in mati. They sang me songs of love; they sang Of broken hearts and wild farewells; And every note of anguish rang v Like the deep sob of distant bells. Then floated a triumphant strain From highest heaven now soft now loud Sweeter than skylarks after rain That sing above an April cloud. And soaring to'ard the distant gleam. And singing as. they passed from sight; The rack and rainbow of my dream Dissolved and faded Into light: Faded: and fainter one by one . Their voices reached ma from afar; Till, over the green meadow shone Only the shepherd's evening- star. NOTE AND COMMENT. . t Having no paper. Governor Roosevelt is still, talking. We have so little faith in Agulnaldo that we wouldn't believe tho story that he la dead If we heard It from his' own lips. It looks as if the open season for Boer shooting will be extended as long as Gen eral Kitchener Is in the humor for the sjjort' If Kruger comes to America, Webster Davis will make Pat Crowe look like a mere apprentice in the art of making himself scarce. To escape paying rent a Chicago man tried to drown his landlord. It is usual ly the landlord who tries to make the ten ant take water. A New York actress has been arrested for stealing jewels. This form of adver tising, while undoubtedly new, has some slight drawbacks. Bryan Is speaking of clubs In connec tion with his paper. If it gets its full share of McKInley prosperity, he will soon be able to make it stand -for a few diamonds. Thero is nothing so Incredible about tho statement that a man found a $10 pearl In any oyster served in a Chicago restau rant stew. The remarkable thing Is that he found the oyster. The Atlanta Constitution is now print ing Frank L. Stanton's poetry in a double-column frame. This will gain Mr. Stanton no more readers, however, be cause he already has as many as there are readers of the Constitution. Thero Is in Paris a hotel which has 4000 employes. The smallest kettle in Its kitchen will hold 100 quarts, and the larg est 500. Each of the 60 roastlng-pans Is big enough for 300 cutlets. Every dish for baking potatoes will hold 225 pounds. When omelets are on the bill of fare, 7800 eggs are used at once. For cooking alone, 60 cooks and 100 assistants are always at the ranges. In a recent address to the students at tending his course of gynecology. Profes sor Frledrlch Schauta, of Vienna, ex pressed the opinion that law and other professions should be thrown open to women, because at present too many of them crowd Into medicine, for which few are fitted. Of every 100 female medical students, he said, only 33 became physi cians, the others being incapacitated by the horrors of the dissecting-room and other impediments. Mr. Rockefeller's latest gift to Chicago University makes a total of about $9,500. 000 which he has given to that fortunate Institution, which he founded In 189C. This makes an average of nearly $1,000,000 a year for each year of the decade. Nor have his gifts been confined to that uni versity. A year ago he gave Brown Uni versity $260,000, and he has added large sums to the endowment funds of Newton Theological Institution, Wellesley and other colleges. In addition, he has been generous In his gifts to church, charitable and missionary enterprises. If all his benefactions during the pbst three years were summed up, it is calculated that they would exceed $15,000,000. Wo would respectfully notify the authors of that perennial poem entitled "Beautiful Snow," that their manuscripts are available, if available at all, only when the feathery flakes new sifted from the clouds are mantling the bosom of earth. In Oregon where the snow that begins in the gloaming meets up with the warm-breathed chlnook during tho still watches of the night, 'and is visible only in the form of slush when the sun in all his state Illumes the eastern skies, the poet who is going to land on tho public must employ a muse that Is keyed up to a 2:00 flat gait. Inspiration that re quires from 24 to 48 hours to transmit Itself to undying verse stands no show with the snow we have in this country, for while it is writhing in the throes of divine afflatus the snow folds its tent Hko an Arab, and silently sneaks away. Therefore, gentlemen and ladles (chiefly the latter), if you would see tho pretty children of your fancy clothed In the bright raiment of print, smoke up, and let the work of your genius be right out of tho oven. London Moil Coaches Fear Hold-Ups. Doubtless for reasons of economy and expedition the Postofflce has Its parcels between London and Brighton conveyed by mall coach, says a London correspon dent. By virtue of an old act, which has never been repealed, this coach 4s obliged to carry an arms basket, containing a couple of pistols and an old cutlass. High way robbery of the Dick Turpln type Is practically unknown now in this coun try, but It would satisfy the public curi osity very much If one could be definite ly informed whether the antique weapons carried by tho Brighton coach are meant to servo as a sentimental link with tha past, or to be used as a means of de fense In case of attack. The Boy Who Lives Next Door. S. E. KIser In Chicago Times-Herald. The boy who lives next door Has freckles on his face; His ears are red and hang Away out Into space. And when I hear a dog kl-yi ; And see It flee In terror, I Can qulcklyguess the cause ' 'TIs merely that one more Poor little victim knows A boy resides next door! He runs across the lawn I've nursed with jealous care, . And, in the Summer time. Knocks down the flowers there! It seems to give him pure delight To yell around with all his might And every week or so A pebble finds its way Against a light of glass For which I have to pay I He has no teeth in front His hands are cracked and brown. Twice he has nearly burned Our Summer kitchen down! He calls to people, "Hey! Watch out!" And whan they Jump he whoops about I used to think If God Wuld take blm from below Up to the sky I'd try To bravely bear the blow! The little child whose love Is all to me, one day Was stricken suddenly When I was far away The boy who lives next door forgot To, yell around, but ran and brought The doctor to the bed. And when I came, at last. Shrank from me with a look Of pity as I passed! The boy who lives next door Brought In his tops and gun, And pocketful of trash. To please our little one; He played beside my darling's bed. Turned cartwheels and stood on bis head. And God was good to me Let's wait a while before We utterly condemn "The boy who lives next deerf