THE MORXISG GREdOXIAN, FlttDAY. JANUARY 18, 1901.
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TjDAY'S WEATHER. Probably rain; south
ed winds
PORTLAVD, FRIDAY, JANUARY IS.
Tf Is the established cuBtom' for the
Multnomah members of the Legislature
tD busy themselves every session with
amendment of the Portland charter for
w j entirely different purposes one
I ut lie, the other private. They are al
wa:s for reform, but they are also
c wajs for plunder. That is, they have
c!;Jpcts as representatives of the people,
an J they have objects as politicians. A
I art of their acta are public-spirited
and meritorious, another part are self
seeking and reprehensible. It Is un
r.ecessary to review at length and spe
t -fie ally the admirable business expedi
ents with which Mr. Simon has been
w.nt to enforce economy upon our mu
r'Hpal administration, or, on the other
hand, to recount the signal and unre
mitting zeal with which he has pro
wded delectable rewards for his politi
cal friends and bitter pills for his pollt-l-al
opponents. We have grown to ex
k -ct these things from the adroit poli
tician Mr. Simon is accounted by both
friend and foe. and from the not too
high standard of political action he
himself maintains. But reformers
might reasonably be expected to inaug
urate a new departure in these mat
ters Halng wrested the Multnomah
ry re mentation from Mr., Simon and his
fronds, we have the right to expect
that his successors will emulate .his
virtues and eschew his errors. It Is a
trifle disconcerting to And it hinted
fr in Salem, therefore, that In the new
charter politics will be mixed with re
iurm in about the usual Simonian pro
pert! n. It Is possible this forecast is
Inc. met, or that, the delegation's at
tention being called to the matter,
Tlans may be altered before comple
tion. In particular we invite the dele
gatl n's reflective faculties to the walls
and denunciation that were wont to re
sound through the length and breadth
of Multnomah County and in turbulent
mass meetings because the diabolical
Simon charter was being prepared in
secret and might not be ready for ex
amination by "the people" a month or
ei before the Legislature met.
Industrial circles in the United States
might, If they were so Inclined, receive
Lord Rosebery's tribute to the power
of American capital with a glow of self
satisfaction. With our acuteness and
nterprlse, he says, two or three Amer
ican master minds, directing a great
corporation or trust, are "almost Irre
sistible." The principal difficulty with
this doctrine of irresistibility is that
while two or three American master
minds are moving .Irresistibly to some
specific ends, two or three other Amer
ican master minds are moving with
equal irresistibility la antagonism to
the first set Take, for example, the
realm of steel, where our operations
inenare British Interests so keenly. It
Is not monopoly In this country which
brings formidableness, for monopoly
only enervates and makes careless. But
cur steel interests are formidable be
cause out of fierce competition here at
home are born closest economies and
most effective methods of manufacture
and cal Here, for example, is the Na
tional Tube Company, whose ambition
Is belieed to be nothing short of a
monopoly of the steel tube Industry.
Put the Carnegie Company has S12.W0,
C03 that it must do something with; and
as the; tube business looks attractive, it
will rut the 512.000.000 into & tube plant
at Canneaut. O. Meanwhile, the Na
tl -ial Tube Company, which has been
getting its raw material from the Ca'r
r.cjle firm, is about to put $X,OM,00f to
?3 K w.J in blast furnaces and finishing
r-..s, in competition with the Carnegie
pc r" It would be wholly unneces
sary t follow the results of this com.
j-etfth i effort to its outcome of close
cr jjftji s and perfection of trade meth-
Icls whuh will equip our tube inter
jects to give Lord Rosebery, some
T-.nths hence, fresh cause for alarm.
C mention k not only the life of trade.
it .s the source of industrial power.
The ertabltehment of a bier exnort
jcber mill at Astoria, together with
& shipyard to be used in butldinir vm.
se'-s t carry the product to the markets
Of i if "vwrld. is the best piece of news
that has recently come from the dtv
by be sea. Astoria is more favorablv
situated for an enterprise of this kind
than is Port Gamble. Port Blakelev.
Chemalnus or Moodyville. and yet these
ports have been shipping lumber all
ever tho known world for the nast
Quarter of a century. The lumber busi-
rcss f the big mills in the northern
pcrts has attracted to Puget Sound
ana Rojal Roads big fleets of vessels.
frith xvsultant lower freisrht rates on
other commodities whenever business
dull "With the exception of the
I cargoes shipped from this city by the
IPaciflc Expert Lumber Company with
in the past four years, the Columbia
River has not cut much of a figure in
the export lumber trade, and the ad
vent of a big mill at the mouth of the
river will be witnessed with pleasure
by every business man In the state.
The value of Oregon's lumber output
for 1900 was nearly as great as that of
her wheat, and, as there are countless
millions of feet of fine timber easy of
access to Astoria, the new enterprise,
as a wealth distributer, will soon be a
close second to salmon.
Laws denying to railroads the right
to pool have the effect of driving them
into vast combinations tending in. the
direction of a gigantic trust or monop
oly. This movement is now taking the
form of community of ownership. This,
carried to its ligical conclusion, means
that one set of men will eventually
control all the railroads of the coun
try, and the competition- which the
anti-pooling regulation was designed; to
promote will be dead. Pooling tem
pered but did not destroy competition.
Common ownership removes absolutely
the incentive for competition. "Wise
men foresaw this, knowing that under
the circumstances fierce strife for
traffic would bring rate-cutting that
would soon become rulcous. The law's
requirement that all rates should be
just and reasonable could not make
them so, when railroad managers were
forbidden to enter into agreement to
maintain just and reasonable rates.
Human nature and business greed
could not be eliminated from the prob
lem. The result was secret cutting of
rates and a very annoying disturbance
in business. Out of this condition comes
the movement for community of own
ership and harmony of interest as the
only available alternative for protection
of the caplal Invested In the railroads.
This has already made considerable
progress, and It is not surprising that
President James J. Hill should now be
of the opinion that a law to legalize
pooling would be a bad thing. Such a
law would interfere with the plans for
centralization of railroad control, per
haps defeat the scheme altogether, and
the Idea Is too seductive to the capital
ists for them to abandon It easily.
Congress should at once authorize rail
roads to enter into agreement to main
tain just and reasonable rates, and
keep something of the spirit of compe
tition alive in our vast transportation
affairs.
A DDBT THAT SHOULD BE PAID.
Captain John Mullan has a claim
against the State of Oregon that ought
to be paid. The amount of the claim
is $10,510 S6. It would be fair also to
allow interest upon It at the legal rate,
which would make considerable addi
tion to the amount, isince the money
has long been due.
This is no trumped-up claim for Im
aginary services. Captain Mullan long
ago collected from the -United States
the sum of $105,408 75, and turned the
whole sum Into the treasury of the
state. The money was collected under
contract between himself and R. P.
Earhart, Secretary of the State. The
contract was made in direct pursuance
and under special authority of law.
Captain Mullan was to have for his
services 10 per centum of the amount
collected. Part of the sum collected by
him consisted of Oregon's Indian War
claims, to the amount of 570.26S OS, pay
ment of which had been "held up" at
the Treasury; and the remainder,
amounting to 535,140 67, consisted of
amounts stopped against the State of
Oregon on account of the direct war
tax, levied against the state at the time
of the Civil War.
The authority of the Secretary of Ore
gon, under "the laws of the state to
make contract for collection of these
claims, was clear and undoubted.
Captain Mullan pursued with assiduity
and judgment the duty with which he
was charged. He succeeded in remov
ing the objections upon which payment
of the Indian War claims had been
stopped, and in getting a warrant from
the Treasury for payment on this ac
count of the sum of $70,268 08; he fol
lowed up this success by pushing a
claim made by himself on behalf of the
State of Oregon for relmbursement on
account of the direct war tax, amount
ing to $35,140 67, which the accounting
officers of the United States had taken
out of sums due to the State of Oregon
on several various accounts, and he
succeeded in getting this claim for re
imbursement allowed, and turned the
whole sum Into the 'treasury of the
state. He could have kept back his
percentum of the amount collected, for
his own compensation, but he turned
the whole of these sums of $105,40S 75
Into the treasury of the state, expect
ing to receive payment of his share
through Legislative appropriation. But
the Legislative Assembly has never
taken action, and he has been kept out
of his money seventeen years.
This neglect has been most unjust.
The state has had the benefit of Cap
tain Mullan's services; It has received
the money, and payment of what Is due
him should . be deferred no longer.
Surely the state of Oregon Is able,
as It should be willing, to pay its just
debts; and It owes no debt more Justly
than It owes this one.
OBTAIXMEXT OF "COXSEXT."
"It may be," said Senator Teller,
"that the Army of 100,000 men is not
required to put down insurrectionists
and anarchists in the Philippines, but
those at home," This demagogy was a
feature of Teller's tirade against the
Army bill. Now certainly, if our an
archists and Insurrectionists at home
do make disturbance, we shall want a
force to put them down. We have al
ways done this, and we must continue
to do It
Again, said Teller: "I am not In fa
vor of giving up the islands. I want
to hold them because I think that
would bo. better for the Filipinos, and
that the islands will be valuable to us.
If, however, we can hold them only by
force, there is no consideration, finan
cial, commercial or any other, that will
justify us In retaining them."
Now, in regard to holding them by
force, let It be said, frankly, that there
Is no other way. No country, jio gov
ernment, holds anything except by
force. "Were force withdrawn there
would always be active dlssidqnts, in
surrectionists and seceders, enough to
create a revolution. "Consent of the
governed" is a fine principle, no doubt;
but it is got only by force. In every
case there doubtless will be a lot of
twaddle, but to this complexion it must
come at last Exhaust their power of
resistance, and you get consent of- the
governed. This was the way the United
States got consent of the governed in;
the Confederate States. It will get con
sent of the governed In the Philippines
in the same way.
In the acquisition of territory or the
holding of territory we never have
troubled ourselves about consent of the
governed. We have simply required
consent, and have enforced it After
conquest and subjugation, consent of
the governed presents few difficul
ties. It comes as It came in Poland; It
comes as It came In our Confederate
States.
Jefferson himself, putative author of
the phrase, "consent of the governed,"
didn't think of applying it to Ihe Span
ish and French residents of Louisiana.
They protested, but hewas deaf. Again,
the people of ' Florida were not con
sulted when that territory was taken
over by the United States. Nor, later,
were those qf California and New
Mexico.
The doctrine of consent of the gov
erned Is merely a revolutionary phrase,
and as such well enough. If the revo
lution succeeds, It Is vindicated; if the
revolution falls, it becomes a poor ex
pression, mere parrotry. Unless backed
by force to make it- effective, It has no
meaning.
Senator Teller wouldn't hold the Phil
ippines without their consent Whip
them completely, crush their power of
resistance, and we shall have their con
sent Within a few years they will
wonder why they ever resisted, as the
late Confederate States wonde'r now.
A PCIHTAX ItEXAISSAXCE.
The Rev. John H. Wohl, a Presby
terian minister, recently lost his life In
a shooting affray with Hon. S. D.
Stokes, lawyer and politician, at Will
iamson, W. Va. The altercation which
led to the fight grew out of a very vlo
letit and sensational sermon preached
by the Rev. Wohl against dancing, in
which, not content with consigning all
devotees of dancing to hell Are In this
world, the preacher said that "the white
light and glare of the ballroom are
the shrouds of manly probity and wom
anly purity." Naturally, decent people
who choose to attend a public dancing
party don't enjoy having their wives
and daughters consigned to hell from
the pulpit and described as the pros
pective children of impurity. It Is not
remarkable that the Rev. Wohl was
peremptorily "called down" for his ex
travagant abuse of respectable women
who saw fit to dance In public, and it
is not remarkable that, after firing the
first shot, he found that his cloth did
not protect him. It Is an Interesting'
historical fact that the great New Eng
land theologian, Jonathdn Edwards,
was forced to resign his charge at
Northampton, Mass., because of the In
dignation excited by a sermon against
frivolous social recreations which he
preached from his pulpit.
The Congregational Church of New
England 150 years ago, when Edwards
was In his prime, was a very con-
servativ.e body, but It could not endure
the frightful anathemas and bitter
Invective fulminated by Edwards
against many sorts of social recre
ation. So the greatest mind that
New England has produced had to step
down and out of a pulpit he had occu
pied for many years. If average hu
man nature would not tolerate such in
tolerant, extravagant abuse in the day
of Jonathan Edwards, it certainly could
not be expected to submit to it meekly
at the opening of the twentieth century.
There is something In the lurid lan
guage employed by the Rev. Wohl that
strongly recalls the diction of Jonathan
Edwards in those famous sermons in
which he pictures the fiery waves of
hell rolling up from the bottomless pit
bearing on their crest the hapless sin
ners in full sight of their sainted moth
ers peering over the crystal wall of
heaven. The resemblance Is so strong
that it Inspires the suspicion that the
Revt Mr. Wohl, being something of a
sensational preacher of the ' Talmage
quality, was weak enough to attempt
by Imitation a kind of Puritan renais
sance of the obsolete hell-fire pulpit dis
course of Jonathan Edwards.
It is but just to his memory to say
that his reproduction of the great theo
logian's vivid picture of the kingdom
of lost souls was executed with remark
able fidelity, but while the intolerance
and eloquent extravagance of Jonathan
Edwards cost him nothing but his pul
pit, the foolish temerity of the West
Virginia parson has cost him his life.
He was probably vain of his powers as
a sensational orator, and selected his
theme chiefly because a "hell-fire"
denunciation of dancing would at
tract a large audience In a small coun
try community, and would afford him
a' line opportunity to exhibit his elo
quence. His weakness and vanity have
cost him his life, and, even if he had
escaped death, his discourse would
have wrought nothing but Inexcusable
mischief and discord In his church and
his community. The dead preacher
was probably a clerical demagogue of
the sort that denoimce Sunday news
papers without discrimination, object
to Sunday trains under all circum
stances, and pretend to think the world
is going rapidly to the devil because
divorces are granted on other grounds
than adultery. Dancing, whether de
cent or Indecent, whether within the
family or in the public ballet, Is de
scribed by these clerical demagogues as
Impure. All nude art, pure or obscene
In Intent or expression, Is- stigmatized
as immoral.
All this holding the decent use of a
good thing responsible for the Indecent
abust of it is threshing old straw to
evil purpose, for it makes society and
churches and preachers repulsive to
thousands of people who are neither
Irreverent nor immoral, but are thor
oughly disgusted with this misdirected
enthusiasm for non-essentials to the In
creasing neglect of the great essentials
of human life and conduct. Do we
think less of Washington and his wife
because they danced decently in public
and private and heartily enjoyed It?
The evangelists of this abortive Puri
tan renaissance are doomed to failure
in their stupid effort to revive popular
belief In the musty cerements of an
cient New England bigotry, austerity,
inhumanity, narrowness and injustice
with Its stolid proscription of music,
dancing, fiction, art and the drama.
The people like peace, order and moral
decency, but they have no use for this,
renaissance of repulsive .Puritanism,
with its silly babble and clamor over
non-essentials exalted above essentials.
There Is good spiritual work enough
waiting for helping hands In every com
munity, without wasting moral and In
tellectual energy In voicing medieval
nonsense and seeking to revivify the
buried dust of Puritan bigotry and
asceticism. It is a ghost that won't
walk.
Jefferson preferred four-year Presi-
dential terms to seven. His argument
was that the people had recourse after
four years I the President endangered
their liberties, whereas If they wanted
him longer they could elect him again.
Nothing Is more non-Democratic than
the proposal to lengthen the tenure. It
travesties the doctrine of responsibility
to the people, and of popular author
ity. Doubtless the change would be
beneficial, .but a scion of Democracy
can hardly advocate it with consistency.
Cornelius L. Alvord, the defaulting
note teller of the First National Bank
of New York City, who embezzled $690,
000, was sentenced to only thirteen years'
imprisonment. When , we remember
that for stealing a horse the thief In
many states gets from five to ten years,
it does seem as if this bank thief re
ceived a very light sentence. It is not
easy to explain this seeming lenity of
the law to the people, who are disposed
tQ ascribe it to "Influence" of family
and political friends. The truth Is that
the infliction of what seems a light
sentence In such case Is due to the
law and to the discretion It allows the
Judge. In moral equity a man who
robs a bank by embezzlement of a
great sum of money ought to suffer a
more severe punishment than a horse
thief, but lawmakers and Judges seem
to think that It Is more dangerous to
society to let a horsethlef off with a
light sentence than a bank thief, for
the reason, we suppose, that the bank
thief will not probably be able to find
a fresh opportunity to rob a bank, while
a horsethlef can ajways resume his
vocation. In the matter of exemplary
punishment, thirteen years seems small
for stealing nearly $700,000.
The deat,h of ex-Governor Mount, of
Indiana, is an exceedingly sad event,
in view of the fact that he had reached
the point in' his life wherein he was
ready to retire from Its active duties
and pass Jiis remaining days In peace
among his own. He was succeeded In
the Executive office last Monday, and,
having settled all to his satisfaction,
would have retired to his farm today
with the purpose of dwelling apart
from politics for the rest of his life.
There Is nothing to regret, however, In
the manner of his passing. Life was
sweet to him until its latest hour, and
he passed away painlessly and without
apprehension of danger to himself or
sorrow at parting from his family and
friends an Ideal ending of, life when
the end Is due. Mrs. Barbauld, a gen
tle English poetess of a past genera
tion, expresses a wish that thousands
feel for themselves, but from which
they usually recoil for their friends, In
the following lines:
Life, we've beon Ions tocether.
In pleasant and in cloudy weather;
'Tis hard to part when friends are dear,
Perhaps 'twill cost a sigh, a tear.
Then steal away, give little warning;
Choose thine own time,
Bid not good night.
But In some happier clime
Bid me good morning.
Ex-Presldent Kruger wisely; hesitates
about undertaking the journey to this
country. His real friends share his ap
prehension in regard to a stormy jour
ney and a fruitless errand, and Insist
that he remain in the retirement that
befits his age and political" condition,
while those less wise urge upon him
the attempt to secure by personal ef
fprt recognition of the Boer cause by
the United States Government. For his
sake, because he is an old man and
already a disappointed man, clinging
desperately to a desperate cause, It
may be hoped that wise counsels will
prevail In this matter and he be left
to the fraternal sympathies of the
Dutch people, with whom he has found
congenial asylum.
The truth of the proverb, "He that
meddleth with strife that belongeth
not to him is like a man that taketh
a dog by the ears," finds, or bids fair
to find, striking exemplification in our
"mix up" in Cuban affairs. The Indica
tions at present are that we can neither
hold on nor let go of this mongrel creat
ure, half Spanish and half devil, with
out danger to ourselves. Cuba, It Is
affirmed, cannot get along without us,
and It is dally becoming more and more
apparent that we cannot get along
with her under present conditions.
There are two ways to lessen the fric
tion between farmers and city "sports
men," and both are up to the latter.
To Insure more harmony, the dudes
must either stay away from the coun
try altogether, or, when shooting, give
,over city airs, wear slouch hats and
blue overalls, and dispense with fancy
fowling-pieces. The animosity between
farmers and dudes is provincial as
much as anything else.
The despicable cowardice of the
French sailors of the Russie last week
recalls the dastardllness of the sailors
of La Bourgogne off Newfoundland.
The French are rapidly earning the
merited contempt of the world as sailors
and as soldiers. It Is quite evident that
'if France shall ever Invade England,
Mercler will have to do It alone.
La grippe is nothing if not impartial.
President McKinley, Secretary Hay,
Admiral Dewey and Secretary Root
have shared Us attentions with some
thousands of others in Washington
since the new year opened, the same
ness of the symptoms In all cases prov
ing the kinship of humanity under af
fliction. The West Point Investigation has
come just In time to show us the neces
sity of tobasco sauce as an Army ra
tion. We ought to make better prog
ress how in the Philippines, and also
the British In South Africa.
Representative Cushman, of Wash
ington, does not want the Columbia
River opened. He should be called to
order by his constituents for discount
ing the' products of his state.
General MacArthur will deport the
obnoxious rebel leaders. Owing to the
benevolence of our Constitution, we
cannot do that withthelr American
allies.
An incidental significance of Bryan's
newspaper enterprise is its testimony
to the confidence assured in the result
of the election.
Reorganization of the ethics of hazing
Is needed about as much as reorganiza
tion of the Democratic party.
China saw there was danger of the
powers' agreeing, and forestalled them
by agreeing first
STORY OF THE PRESIDIO CANTEEN
John R. Rathom In Chicago Times-Herald.
The organization which has been most
active in the demolition of the Army can
teen Is jubilant over having won what it3
Reading organ terms "a grand victory."
This description of the result, however,
is nut complete. It should have read "a
grand victory for the groggeries and the
dens of iniquity that the W. C. T. U. has
been fighting since Its Inception."
This statement of the cose Is fair and
Just Not a few of the officers of the
Regular Army are advocates of temper
ance. A rather extended acquaintance
among then- leads me to say that not one
will deny that the Army canteen has been
the greatest aid to temperance that ever
existed in an Army post.
The real value of the canteen was Illus
trated in a striking manner a little less
than two years ago at the Presidio at
San Francisco. The story will show bet
ter than any argument what the action df
fhe Senate and House of Representatives
last week Is likely to lead to.
The Presidio, lying as It does Just on
the outskirts of a large city, has always
held out an attraction for the scum of
the saloon element of the community. This
resulted In the establishment, a few years
ago, of eight or nine low grogshops which
lined both sides of the road up to within
a hundred feet of the entrance to the
reservation. Into these dens were brought
women, music and every conceivable bait
with which the soldiers might be en
trapped. The Presidio, however, had long pos
sessed a canteen managed with such skill
and made so attractive in many clean and
wholesome ways that the men did not re
spond to the temptations flaunted in front
of their faces. The profits of the canteen
went to the post library. The saloons
gradually languished. At least four of
them were abandoned to the rats and
spiders. The balance struggled along with
the occasional patronage of carters and
neighborhood hangers-on, with window
smashed, doors falling In and everything
about tumbling Into ragged dilapidation
and ruin.
With the rapid work of forwarding
troops to the Philippines regulations at the
Presidio were more or less disrupted, and
among the changes necessary was the
continual removal of post officers to places
with regiments bound for Manila, In this
way the regular sequence of officers in
charge of the canteen was abandoned,
and one Lieutenant of a cavalry regiment,
who occupied this position for a time, took
advantage of conditions to appropriate a
large sum from the canteen funds, over
$4000 In all. The name of this officer is
immaterial. He has suffered heavily for
his crime; the distressing circumstance
Is only referred to because it is closely
connected with what followed.
When the defalcations were discovered
all business of the canteen was suspend
ed pending an Investigation of the books
of the officer, who had fled to Mexico.
The thousands ol men at the Presidio, de
prived of the pure beer and the many
Comforts of the canteen, naturally enough
drifted out to where they could find some
substitute for 'these pleasures. They be
gan to Invade the groggeries close to the
reservation. The few saloonkeepers left
there were quick to note what had hap
pened. Within two days two of them had
painted up the fronts of their tumble
down resorts, decorated them gaudily In
side with the National colors and cheap
emblems of patriotism and were ready for
business.
What was the result? Before a week
was over one murder had been commit
ted and two soldiers had been slugged
Into insensibility by hired thugs and
robbed of their money. In revenge a mob
of over 1200 men left the Presidio grounds
one night, drew their guns on the pro
prietors of tho resortB, causing, them to
flee in terror, and completed their work
by smashing to pieces everything within
the saloons and burning one of them to
the ground. Fire engines and squads of
policemen arrived with all haste, but were
"powerless before the superior numbers of
the soldiers, who, frenzied by the bad
whisky and rum they had found In the
dismantled shacks, were acting like ma
niacs. A farewell dinner to a popular officer
who was about' to start for the Islands
had taken most of tho heads of the post
down Into the city, and no aid could be
secured In the reservation, from the
grounds of which 2000 other men of the
rank and file stood and watched the pro
ceedings. Finally three Captains arrived,
went among the rioters and in five min
utes had, them all marching peaceably
back to camp.
At the subsequent court-martial 40 of
them were sent to Alcatraz Island for
short terms and afterwards dismissed
from the service, and three others, who
were believed to be ringleaders In the dis
turbance, were given sentences ranging
from '10 to 13 years. Many of these men
were about to start for the Philippines',
and it was pitiful to hear their pleas to be
sent across' to fight the enemy, pledging
their word that If this were granted they
would cheerfully serve double sentence af
ter the struggle was over.
A few days later the canteen was re
opened. Every trace of the grogshops has
disappeared, and no other saloonkeepers
have thought it wise to risk their capital
in seeking the trade of the soldiers.
The story Illustrates what the canteen
means to an Army post, and Incidentally
how far the cause of temperance will
really be aided by its abandonment
Is Mr. Gilchrist Quite Correct?
New York Sun.
A very curious petition was presented
to the United States Senate on the 3d
Inst, by Mr. Thurston, of Nebraska; re
ferred to the committee on. territories,
and ordered to be printed. It bears the
signature of Mr. L. W. Gilchrist, of Seat
tle, and prays for radical changes in the
mining laws of Alaska, declaring that
the statutes which govern the location
of placer mines there were enacted In
1S72, and ore not adapted to the conditions
which now exist The petitioner asserts
that thousands of good miners are forced
to leave Alaska by the frauds which are
committed under the law permitting the
location of claims under power of attor
ney. In enumerating four "things that
prevented the opening of thousands of
claims" during the past Summer, Mr.
Gilchrist specifies as the fourth count In,
his indictment: "Fourth The Judicial cus
sedness of the United States Court that
landed in Nome July 19, this season." The
petitioner concludes his paper by saying:
"The fourth Item, the Judicial Court of
the Second District Court of Alaska (sic)
1 will take up In another article." What
this means we do not know, but It seems
as though a Senator of the United States
ought to be careful not to procure an In
temperate assault of this kind to be
printed as a public document unless It is
supported by trustworthy specifications.
Where Reform Beelns.
Chicago Journal.
Dr. Emll G. Hicsch, now, as ever, con
spicuous for hard-headed, common sense,
went to the heart of the problem which
confronts Chicago when he said at the
real estate men's banquet: "Let us drop
spasmodic reform movements, crusades
against vice by long-haired men and
short-haired women. Let us enter upon
a life of civic righteousness that will be
devoid of such things as do no real good
and accomplish no.thlng lasting." "Civic
righteousness" that 13 the need of Chi
cago today; a civic righteousness that
will compel the man who thinks himself
a good citizen to become a good citizen in
very truth: thst is a citizen who is in
terested in obtaining and securing good
government and who realizes that tho
only way to obtain and secure good gov
ernment is to join his ward club and go, to
the primaries as well as to the polls.
CARLISLE'S CURIOUS ASSERTION
New York Tribune.
It has all along been contended that the
anti-administration position oh the Con
stitutional question was founded on the
Dred Scott case. It was been denied as
a wicked libel, and Democrats have fallen
into the habit In writing and speaking
on the subject of quoting Chief Justice
Taney's decision with careful omission to
Identify the quotation for the public, who
rightly discredit that decision as an ex
tra judicial deliverance meant to take
from the people their liberty of dealing
with a political question. Now ex-Secretary
Carlisle comes forward with the
avowal that the Porto Rlcan-Phllllpplne
question is the Dred Scott question over
again. He says we have the Dred Scott
case "with the negro eliminated."
"The negro eliminated 1" What is the
Dred Scott case with the negro elim
inated? As much a matter of law as the
Constitutional expositions of John C. Cal
houn or the political extravagancies of
John Randolph. With the negro left out,
It Is- nothing, for the negro was the sum
and substance of it With the main point
under consideration eliminated it Is mere
dictum. Indeed, even with the .negro left
In all its discussions of the Constitution
in the territories, which is the essential
point now at Issue, were mere dicta. The
Supreme Court, considering the appeal of
Scott from the courts of Missouri to the
Circuit Court of the United States, de
cided that he was not a citizen capable
of suing In Federal courts If by the law
of the slave state In which he was a res
ident he was still a slave. Bryce, in "The
American Commonwealth," says of the
case:
This was the point which actually called for
decision; but the majority of the court, for
there was a dissentient minority, went fur
ther, and delivered a variety of dicta on vari
ous other points touching the lesal status of
negroes and the Constitutional view of slavery.
This judgment, since tho language used In It
seemed to cut oil the hope of a settlement by
the authority of Congress of the then pendlns
disputes over slavery and Its extension, did
much to precipitate the Civil War.
Von Hoist pronounces the decision a
political enormity, based upon the fact
that the decision went beyond the record,
and comments ol the delusion that the
court- should settle political and moral
questions. The historian of the Supreme
Court declares that "the real wrongdoing
of which the Chief Justice was guilty was
in attempting by extra Judicial utter
ances to enter upon the settlement of
questions purely political, which were be
yond the power of Judicial authority."
With the sustaining of the plea In
abatement the Dred Scott case was set
tled and the Justices knew it, but at the
suggestion of Mr. Justice Wayne, the
majority deliberately went to work to see
if they could settle the slavery question.
Doubtless the step was taken with good
motives, but It was "a political step out
side the sphere of the court, and tho de
cision, however much it may be quoted
as revealing the Constitutional views of
the Justices, stands ever condemned as a
political deliverance. We cannot Im
agine that Mr. Carlisle wants to urge
the Supreme Court now to make the
same mistake. and try to relieve Congress
and tho people, of the political ques
tions concerning the extension of our
country and the taking In as fellow cit
izens with us of millions of a strange
race. That would mean that the court
should assume the treaty making power,
and say that lands are an Integral part
of the United States and held In trust for
statehood which, according to the Dred
Scott opinion. Is all they can be held for
when, as a matter of fact, the political
'powers have declined so to annex them.
because with their vast barbarian popula
tion and distant situation they are ut
terly unthinkable as states of the Union.
Such an act, instead of helping the' Fil
ipinos to independence, as some imagine,
would bind them closer to us. Mr. Car
lisle has said he cared not for policy, but
merely for law. Yet he turns and In the
name of law asks the court to follow
blindly a purely political deliverance, the
giving of which history records as the
greatest mistake the court over made.
PLEASAXTHIES OF PAIIAGRAPHEUS
A Severe Blow. "That will be a popular
song," commented the composer's friend. "Is
It as bad as that?" groaned the composer.
Detroit Free Press.
Miss Styles Do you know, I think this oloak
must look awful. Miss Ames The Idea' Miss
Styles At any rate. It Is Just as comfortable
as It can be. Boston Transcript.
Thought Better of It. "Might I Inquire
whose umbrella that Is you are carrying?"
asked Mr. Perrysville of Mr. Westpark. "You
might." "Then I won't." Pittsburg Chronicle
Telegraph. Domestic There's a gentleman wants to see
yer on business. Master Well, aik him to
take a chair. Domestic He's taking 'em all,
and the table, too. He comas from the furni
ture shop I Punch.
His "Worship (to prisoner who has been up
every month for years) Ebenezer Noakes,
aren't you ashamed to be seen here so often?
"Bless yer Worship, this place Is respectable
tersome places where I'm seen." Tit-Bits.
Their Future Reward. "I do not see," said
Prince Chlng, "where you and I will get any
fame out of this." "Tut, tut," replied LI
1 Hung Chang. "Walt until the historical nov
elists take up the suoject." isaiumore Amer
ican. One Point of Difference. "What's the mat
ter with you?" asked the sympathetic friend;
"an attack of crip?" "No, this isn't grip. I
haven't time to stay at home and send for a
doctor. This Is simply a bad cold." "Washing
ton Star.
monument Place.
Indianapolis News.
(Read by James Whltcomb Riley In Indianapo
lis last week.)
A monument for the soldiers I
And what will ye build It of,?
Can ye build It of marble, or brass, or bronze,
Outlasting the soldiers' love?
Can ye glorify It with legends
As grand as their blood hath writ
From the Inmost shrine of this land of thine
To the uttermost verge of It?
And the answer came: We would build it
Out of our hopes mads sure.
And out of our purest prayers and tears,
And out of our faith securo;
We would build It out of the great white
truths
Their death hath sanctified.
And the sculptured forms of the men in arms,
And their faces ere they died.
And what heroic flj-urcs
Can the sculptor carve In stone ?t
Can the marble breast be made to bleed
And the marble lips to moan?
Can the marble brow be fevered?
And the marble eyes be graved
To look their last as the nag floats past
On the country they havo saved?
And the answer came: The figures
Shall all be fair and brave.
And, as befitting, as pure and white
As the stars above their grave!
The marble lips and breast and brow
Whereon the laurel lies.
Bequeath us right to guard the flight
Of tho old flag In the skies.
A monument for the soldiers I
Built of a people's love,
And blazoned and decked and panoplied
With the hearts ye built it of I
And see that ye build it stately,
In pillar and nlohe and gate,
And high In pose as the souls of thosa
It would commemorate!
1 '
Invocation.
WHIttler.
Our fathers' God! From out whose hand
The centuries fall like grains of sand.
Wo meet today, united, free.
And loyal to our land and Thee.
To thank Thee for the era dons
And trust Thee for the opening one.
For art and labor met In truce, ,
For beauty made the bride of use.
We thank Thee; but withal we crave
The austere virtues strong- to save
The honor proof to place or gold.
The manhood never bought or sold!
Ob! make Thou, us through centuries long.
In peace secure, in Justice strong;
Around our gift of freedom draw
The safeguards of our righteous law;
And. cast In some diviner mold.
Let the new cycle sbatao too old.
NdTE AND COMMENT.
The last ditch is usually the first hole a
candidate far United States Senator gets
Into.
The Boers have -not. yet replied to- the 1
British peace proposals: "This Is. so sud
den!" Between kidnapers and Dukes, equaliza
tion of riches Is in a fair way to be con
summated. Minister Conger is opan to offers to ex
change pulpits with any one In a civil
ized country.
What a beon a Federal office Is to a
man, who needs the time to lobby for a
United States Senator!
The recent affair in Kansas ought to
boom the sale of that once-popular novel,
"The Leavenworth Case."
The professors at Stanford University
now greet each other with, "Good morn
ing; have you resigned?"
If diplomacy consists In securing delay,
a college In, that science could be profit
ably established In Pekin.
There Is one consolation about Senator
McBrlde's presence in Oregon. He Is not
badly missed in Washington.
Mr. Bryan said there would be no ad
vertisements in the Initial number of the
Commoner. How about his own?
He who lights and runs away
May get chased down and killed seme day.
But he who has the nerve to stay
"Will get there In the end, like Quay.
Now Hawaii is after river and harbor
Improvement. It must be admitted that
there are some drawbacks to expansion.
How many Indian War "Veterans are en
titled to appointment on the committee
which will go to Washington? Don't all
speak at once.
The desirability of Guam as a place of
exile for Filipinos will bo largely aug
mented by restoring Captain Leary to
command there. k
Carneglo is endowing libraries, painting
and arts, things which are entirely non
productive. How would It do for him to
endow the biggest pumpkin?
Congressmen who fall to attract atten
tion In Washington always have the re
source of achieving fame by drinking a
few gallons of patent medicines.
Queen Wilhelmina's prospective bride
groom, who Is a High Dutchman, must
become n Low Dutchman before he mar
ries. As he has already descended from
a long line of noblemen, he ought not
to refuse to make this further drop.
Secretary Long advises revival of tho
grade of Vice-Admiral and promotion of
Sampson. Since the embalmed beef con
troversy has been revived; it seems en
tirely within propriety to do the same
with the Sampson-Schley logomachy.
If the professors at Stanford think the
old lady Is not running the whole shebang
they now have caution to revise their es
timate. If they think Leland Stanford
was an embezzler they should think again.
If Mrs. Stanford insists that twice two
are six she cannot be else than right.
The Legislature appropriates S2000 for
the purpose of sending a delegation of
five Indian War Veterans to Washington,
to beg Congress for pensions for aurvlvops
of our Indian wars. When they get thero
they may expect a reception. They prob
ably will be told to "keep off the grass."
Time was, when, recking naught of war's
alarms.
The soldier gladly hailed the call to arms.
Yet paused, ere starting, v. Ith a moistened eyo
To bid his weeping love a sad good-bje.
He knew the perils of the erusl war.
And sighed to think he ne'er might see her
more.
But now, the maiden with the aching heart
Most keenly feels how bitter 'tis to part.
When he who folds her in his fond embrace
Confides to her, wth ansulsh-strlcken face,
That h has but a few brief moments yet,
Ere West Point claims him as a raw cadet.
Indeed it is a hard problem the girls of
the High School Alumni Association are
up against. So many of them are eliglblo
for matrimony that the proposal to bar
"outside" men Is perfectly awful. It was
bad enough to have "outside" girls n
their way, but this new scheme is too
mean' for anything. It really does look
as If something will have to 'be done to
decimate the feminine membership of the
association so that the rest may have
some show. There Is a heroic but effect
ive way of accomplishing this. We have
four bridges across the Willamette, free
ones at that, which the sisters of tho
alumnae may use for their self-sacrificing
purposes.
The attention of the public is called to
the pitiable case of the Woodstock As
sociation for Keeping Women Standing In
Street Cars, an organization formed of
clerks, bookkeepers and salesmen who llvo
In" the vicinity of that suburb, and who
are band'ed together for the' purpose the
name Indicates. The cars bound outward
In the evening, on which these unfortun
ates are compelled to ride, are always
crowded with working girls, who, having
been on their feet alf day, naturally hurry
from their places of employment In the
evening to secure seats, that they may
enjoy 20. or 30 minutes of the rest they
so much need. The association alms to
prevent this Interference with Its mem
bers' comfort, and achieves a bullseye.
The enterprising youths who compose It
meet tho cars at the Morrison-street
bridge, ride around the loop to Third
street, and are already In the seats when
the girls arrive. If any member surren
ders his seat to ,a woman he la fined 10
cents, an amount which cuts a wide swath
in his weekly salary. The advantage of
organization is apparent It can be read-'
ily seen that no one who could qualify
for membership In such a club would
have the courage to Irritate a dozen tired"
girls by sprawling in his seat when some
particularly feeble old woman comes Into
the oar and clutches nervously at a strap
for support, but united they feel able to
withstand any attack. As most of the
members at their work sit on stool or
loaf over counters, the sitting habit Is
Btrong upon them, and It may be guessed
that they are loath to shake It off. As
a result It Is Impossible for a girl or
woman to obtain a seat in one of tho
cars patronized by the association unless
some workingman or cripple happens to
be ahead of a member and has a seat to
yield to her.' Yet the association Is .
still In need of sympathy, for, for
some occult reason, public opinion Is
against It, and the members are threat
ened with persecution and the forclblo
abridgment of their Inalienable right to
make hogs of themselves by certain ath
letic persons who ride on the cars occa
sionally. Against a few worn-out girls
their organization Is effective, but It will
go to pieces If a man (or boy) Is so hard,
hearted as to interfere with its privi
leges. Cannot the police step In and pr
serve it from bans?