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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (March 2, 1901)
6 THE MORNING OREGONIAN, SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 1901. Its rsgomcm Entered at the 'Pottofllce at Portland, Oregon, as eeWod-claes matter. TELEPHONES. Editorial Rooms..... 100 I Business Offlee...CC7 REVISED SUBSCRIPTION RATES. By Mall (postage prepaid). In Advance . Dally, -with Sunday, per month $ 85 Dally, Sunday excepted, per year......... 7 50 Dally, -with Sunday, per year 0 00 Sunday, per year 2 00 The "Weekly, per year... 1 50 The Weekly. 3 months... 50 To City Subscribers Daily, per week, delivered, Sundays excepted.ISc Dally, per "week, delivered, Sundays lncluded.20o POSTAGE RATES. United States, Canada and "Mexico: 10 to 10-page paper ...... ....lc 10 to 32-page paper - 2c Foreign rates double. News or discussion Intended for publication In The Oregonlan should be addressed Invaria bly "Editor The Oregonlan," not to the name or any Individual. Letters relating to advertis ing, subscriptions or to any business matter should be addressed simply "The Oregonlan." The Oregonlan does not buy poeras or stories irom 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, offlco at 1111 Pacific avenue. Tacoma. Box 055. Tacoma Postofflce. Eastern Business Office 7. 48, 40 and 09 Tribune building. New York City: 400 "The Rookery," Chicago; the S. C. Beckwlth special egency. Eastern representative. For sale in San Francisco by J. X. Cooper, 740 Market street, near the Palace Hotel; Gold smith Bros.. 230 Sutter street; F. "W. Pitts. 1008 Market street; Foster & Orear. Ferxy aewo stand. For sale in Ixs Angeles by B. F. Gardner, "259 So. Spring Btreet, and Oliver & Haines. 100 So. Spring street. For Bale In Chicago by the P. O. News Co., C17 Dearborn street For sale in Omaha by IL C. Shears, 105 X. Sixteenth street, and Barkalow Bros., 1012 Farnam street. For sale In Salt Lake by the Salt Lake News Co., 77 "W. Second South street. For cale in New Orleans by Ernest & Co., 215 Royal street. On file In Washington, D. C with A. "W. OJunn, 000 14th N. "W. For sale In Denver, Colo., by Hamilton & Kendrick. 000-912 Seventh street. TODAY'S WEATHER. Cloudy and threat ening, with occasional rain; southerly wlnds PORTLAND, SATURDAY, MARCH 2. Governor Geer has saved the people of Portland from the consequences of their own acts. The political features of the charter bill were nothing more than legitimate corollaries from the ver dict of June, though it is but fair to say that they were not contemplated at the time. The people were disposed to smash the Simon machine at what ever cost, and now they lift up their hands in holy horror when asked to pay the price. Governor Geer doubtless speaks the entire truth when he says that the business public of Portland have overwhelmed him with requests for this veto. It has at length dawned upon them that they have voted to throw out the best Fire Chief Portland ever had, and a Chief of Police as good as any they ever had, for a regime they could only hope might not be worse than the Napoleon Davis-Doc Robinson dictatorship we suffered un der the last "reform" administration. The political aspects of the veto are perhaps best ignored. The Democrats are incensed at the failure of their hopes, and Colonel Pat Powers talks about a "gold brick" with some little reason. If the Mitchell people are se cretly gratified, they cannot, of course, reveal it, and the ins are pardonably hilarious. "We take it that Democrats In the next Legislature will not make another such deal as this without an indemnifying bond. Meanwhile, nobody is likely to overcome the simple but forcible logic of the veto message. The Oregonlan has already pointed out the danger to street improvements, etc, under the doubtful constitutionality of the bill's passage, and the unbusiness like nature of taking a new charter for the few months pending the one that is to be framed by the new commission is apparent to all. In the limited circle of his immediate friends Guy Catlin's death will be keen ly deplored, for his nature was one that bound them to it with hooks of steel, and in the wider circle of his acquaint ances and admirers it will be regretted as the untimely close of a career of unusual promise. His lyric talent was noteworthy, if not great, and his songs, measured by the standard of pleasure imparted, achieved success truly re markable. His memory, however, Is of lasting impresslveness, not for the work of his hands, but for that peculiar qual ity of his character which inspired a vague feeling of reverence, as though he belonged to a different order of be ings from the common mass of human ity. Among the mysteries of the hu man mind, which is the most mysteri ous of all things, nothing is more inde finable and inscrutable than this hall mark as of finer clay which Nature stamps upon some natures, as she puts the perfume in the violet or the bloom upon the peach. We can understand the great man he Is the ordinary man magnified. Multiply John Smith's per ceptive, reflective and executive facul ties by 100 and you have Napoleon or Herbert Spencer. But these rare souls whom we venerate not for what they do, but for what they are, differ from the rest not in degree, but in kind. To seek to define their quality is vain. It is not simply grace of spirit, or mag netism or conscious moral or artistic poise, or even unusual discernment. No one can attain it by any amount of de sire or of effort Heredity and environ ment are baffled to explain its name less charm. We can only vaguely hope that when they leave us, whether after a long life of helpful inspiration or un timely snatched away as Catlln was, Nature will renew their kind with her own unsearchable . psychology, if for nothing else to teach us that she has ways past finding out. The local controversy over the Port of Portland bill Is only one of several unfavorable conditions over which this city must prevail with patience and determination. If the river and harbor bill passes, the channels may be main tained, despite the insufficient means at the disposal of the Port of Portland Commission. If it falls, there will be trouble both at the mouth of the river and between Portland and Astoria. There is no lightship off the Colum bia's entrance, and the bar tug service Is wofully Inadequate. Despite all the promises for trans-Pacific steamship service, there are Indications of the gradual substitution here of large craft by Inferior ones and increased use of Puget Sound lines by Portland import ers and exporters. The difficulty un derlying nearly all these untoward cir cumstances is lack of harmonious labor for the city's good. The contest for control of the Port of Portland Commis sion reveals two rival Interests, each threatening to leave Portland for Pu get Sound unless it has its way. Heavy shippers here employ Puget Sound steamship lines to break the backs of Portland lines, our own transcontinen tal connections set us down as second fiddle to San Francisco, and it is only with extreme difficulty that a Portland Importer can be prevailed upon to pat ronize a Portland line of Asiatic steamers. The placidity which the glorious climate of Oregon is supposed to impart seems to have missed our commercial interests as well as our pol itics. This is not the way, it scarcely needs pointing out, to build up a city. Shall we get together or shall we con tinue to cut each other's throats? There is a natural Impulse to impa tience over the news that among the requests to the Geological Survey for reservoirs in arid regions not a single one has been sent in from Oregon. What has Eastern Oregon been about and what has Representative Moody been about, that while urgent solicita tions supported by exhibits of facts have poured in from "Washington and Idaho, nobody has had a word to say for this state? It is to be doubted, however, whether the omission will In volve any actual loss. The Geological Survey may recommend reservoir sites, but it will not determine them. The se lection will devolve on Congress, and there will be plenty of opportunity for making representations before any ap propriations are made for the purpose. Public policy will doubtless require a good deal of irrigation expenditure in states like "Wyoming and Colorado, be fore areas not in such urgent need and not so promising for improvement can be taken care of. To be candid, more over, it must be admitted that Ore gon's needs in the way of river and harbor work will stand as a perpetual obstacle in the way of Congressional aid for irrigation. Every dollar we get for 'the Columbia and our Coast bays will be charged up against us, and the Rocky Mountain States will seek to off set these amounts with appropriations for surveys and reservoirs. This may be taken as the explanation of Repre sentative Tongue's unconcealed indiffer ence to our irrigation needs. Mr. Moody has no such excuse. Coos and Benton Counties cast no votes for him or against. Therefore we hope to hear that his inattention to this matter is more apparent than real. A CONSERVATIVE STATESMAN. The late William M. Evarts was a very able lawyer, and, like all lawyers of the first rank who obtain political honors, he was a very conservative statesman. He was of Vermont ances try, his father being a philanthropist deeply Interested in the work of foreign missions. The great lawyer inherited his father's philanthropic temper, for he was a radical anti-slavery Seward Whig in his youth, but there was noth ing Puritanic In his personal temper or tastes. He loved genial company, liked a glass of wine at a good dinner, was a man of brilliant wit and humor in conversation, and a charming speaker at public banquets. Of such a man rapid rise in politics would be predicted, for it was the charming so cial qualities of his great political lead er, Seward, joined to his great ability and acuteness as a political debater, that lilted him so rapidly to eminence. But Mr. Evarts was so devoted an apostle of Seward that he always hitched his wagon to that great man's star in victory or defeat. It was Ev arts that led the Seward forces at the Chicago National Convention in I860, and Seward's defeat lost Evarts his election to the United States Senate. When Mr. Seward became an "Andrew Johnson" Republican, Mr. Evarts still followed his colors, and it was his bril liant speech in defense of Andrew John son in the impeachment trial that cov ered with successful ridicule George S. Boutwell, of Massachusetts, then one of the prosecutors on part of the House and today the venerable champion of Aguinaldo. Mr. Evarts had no sympa thy with the Republican scheme of re construction; he was In full sympathy with Secretary Seward, and accepted a place In President Johnson's Cabinet at a time when such a step was fatal to his popular standing In the Republi can party. During Grant's Adminis tration Mr. Evarts was a conspicuous public opponent of his Louisiana policy, but with the election of President Hayes and the withdrawal of bayonet rule from the South, Mr. Evarts, as an old time conservative Seward Republican, always opposed to the reconstruction policy of Stevens, Sumner & Co., was naturally summoned to 'the head of the new conservative Cabinet. From this time dates the re-entry of Mr. Evarts Into the field of party politics. The conservative Republicans, who repre sented the old-time opposition to Roscoe Conkling, were strong enough to elect Mr. Evarts United States Senator in 1885. On the expiration of his term In 1891 Mr. Evarts retired finally from political life. The success of Mr. Evarts In political life was about equal to what might be expected of a very able, learned and acute lawyer, who was not a magnetic orator and was utterly without the baleful talents of a political trickster or partisan demagogue. Mr. Evarts as a lawyer In politics did not belong to the school of Hamilton, Matt Carpenter, Stephen A. Douglas, Caleb Cushing, Ben Butler, Roscoe Conkling men who were great lawyers and intensely parti san politicians, too. He belonged rather to that school of great lawyers who never sank the great Jurist in the cheap politician; men like Jeremiah S. Black, Salmon P. Chase, E. M. Stanton, Rev erdy Johnson, Jacob Collamer, William Pitt Fessenden, E. R. Hoar. The fame of Mr. Evarts as a lawyer is associated for all time with the Impeachment trial of President Johnson, with the arbitra tion of the Alabama claims, and with the argument before the electoral com mission of 1S77. As a lawyer of international fame Mr. Evarts does not leave his peer behind him. As a statesman he was undoubtedly a conservative force of vast weight, for he was faithful to Seward to the last and was naturally heir to the great influence that Seward exerted to the day of his death over an Important faction of the Republican party. Long after Seward's death his conservatism in the matter of recon struction has come to be justified by the march of events, and the conserva tive statesmanship of Seward survived and was perpetuated at every public opportunity by Mr. Evarts. Caucus en gineer and party manager he was not, but he was a learned jurist, a sound and acute political thinker, and a patri otic statesman. He is worthy of the highest respect for the moral courage with which he refused to be swept from the moorings of reason and justice by the clamor of partisan passion and prejudice from 1866 to 1877. He had to resist the appeal of his whole party, for outside of himself and Henry J. Raymond, of the New York Times, Sec retary Seward had no supporters among the leading men of his old party. Mr. Evarts stood by his guns during all the storm of Johnson's term. He was a fearless critic of the reconstruction pol icy of Grant's Administration, and it was a just tribute to his attitude that when President Hayes resolved, on Grant's advice, to withdraw bayonet government from the South, he at once called William M. Evarts to the head of his Cabinet. The colloquial wit and Vinmnr rf "Tr "Rvnrt? wpr Terennlal. Of President Hayes' dry state dlnnersjj Secretary Evarts would say to Senator J Edmunds: "You ought to have been there, Edmunds; why, water flowed just like champagne." Evarts was a great lawyer; a conservative states man, whose wit was without malice and whose humor was without vulgar ity. LEGISLATIVE MADXESS. Not all of the promoters of freak leg islation have pushed on west of the Mississippi in the hope of exploiting their "views" through legislative chan nels in relatively new communities. An Indiana statesman comes to the front with a proposition to legalize "joint smashing." His name Is Barlow, and he holds a seat In the Hoosler Senate. His bill provides that any number of persons not exceeding twelve may enter any premises where liquor is sold without authority of law, any gambling-room or policy shop, and smash the furniture or appurtenances of such place. Furthermore, any person who shall resist such smashers or do vio lence to them shall be adjudged guilty of assault and battery. This is one of the many examplesMoJ which prejudiced, fanatical or unthink ing people have In later years made legislation farcical and Legislatures an infliction upon the state. Not.all meas ures proposed under the general head of farcical legislation are as pernicious as this one. Some are mildly stupid and fall by their own weight, as for ex ample the many attempts to block busi ness because It Is held to Infringe upon what is considered the established rights of those first on the ground and set in certain ways. Others are offen sively and even childishly meddlesome, the attempt by the Legislature of Kan sas a few years ago to abolish corset wearing by law being in point. The attempt in the Idaho Legislature, as noted a few days ago, to tax unmarried men of a specified age, is another ex ample on a different line of legislative meddling in private matters. This In diana measure is, however, distinctly pernicious, since it solemnly proposes to legalize violence. One of the most sacred doctrines of common law Is that no person shall be put in Jeopardy of his life or property without due process of law. The evil doer as well as the righteous man is protected by the law until he Is proven by orderly methods to be guilty, after which his punishment is prescribed by law, and lawfully administered. To authorize irresponsible persdns to de stroy property is the height of legis lative madness. Such methods provoke retaliation, stir up a spirit of lawless ness which It is the province of law to check, and, If proceeded with unre buked by civil processes, will result in civil commotion, disregard of law and the taking1 of human life by violence. Perhaps the most serious phase of this attempt of a State Senator of Indi ana to legalize violence against prop erty and as a contingent result against person, Is the suggestion of a public sentiment behind It favorable to mob methods a suggestion Intensified since the introduction of the bill by the lynching and Its attendant atrocities at Terre Haute. GROWTH OF EXPANSION IDEA. President McKinley's response to the Senate Inquiry for records In the Phil ippine negotiations reveals some inter esting matter hitherto unpublished. It shows pretty clearly the progress of the expansion idea in the Presidential mind. Judge Day was at first strongly opposed to the seizure of the whole archipelago, and sent this dispatch to the President on October 25, 1S9S: I am unable to asree that we should per emptorily demand the entire Philippine Island group. In the spirit of our instruction, and bearing In mind the often declared disinter estedness of purpose and freedom from designs of conquest with which the war was under taken, wp should be consistent in our demands In making pence. Judge Day added the remark that "only experience can determine the suc cess of colonial expansion upon which the United States is now entering." Senator Gray, of Delaware, was of the same mind, and sent this earnest protest to Washington: The undersigned cannot agree that it Is wise to take tle Philippine Islands in whole or in part. To do so would be to reverse accepted continental policy of the country declared and acted upon throughout our history- Propin quity governs the case of Cuba and Porto Rleo. Policy proposed introduces us Into European politics and entangling alliances. ... It will make necessary a navy equal to the largest of powers": a greatly Increased mili tary establishment; Immense sums for fortifi cations and harbors; multiply occasions for dangerous complications with foreign nations, and increase burdens of taxation. There is no doubt whatever that the President shared the natural repug nance of conservative Americans every where to Asiatic expansion, and that he required the incontrovertible evi dence of events and the proved neces sity of such course before he consented to accept it. In his original instruc tions to the Paris Commissioners,. Mr. McKinley went no further than to say that "the United States cannot accept less than the cession In full right and sovereignty of the Island of Luzon," and that this country must also have the right of entry for vessels and mer chandise belonging to citizens of the United States into such Philippine ports as should not be ceded upon the same terms that should be granted to Span iards. It was not until the 26th of Oc tober that the President sent orders to take the entire archipelago. Even after that Judge Day interposed a fur ther protest, while Whitelaw Reld ad vised against taking the Sulus. Sena tor Davis was for taking everything without paying a cent for it, and Sen ator Frye wanted to include the Caro line Islands, giving Spain $10,000,000 for both groups. This was on the 11th of November, and the President's reply, which finally settled the question, was as follows: Tnu are instructed to insist upon the cession of the whole of the Philippines, and. If neces ary, to pay Spain $10,000,000 to ?20OC0.O0t and If you can get the cession of a naval and telegraph station In the Carolines, and the several concessions and privileges and guar antees, bo far as applicable, enumerated In the views of Commissioners Frye and Rcld, you can offer more. The anti-imperialist papers, notably the New York Evening Post, which has made a study of the dispatches, re gard this exhibit as showingthe change ableness of the President and his grad ual conquest by the spirit of commer cial greed and criminal aggression. This appears to them more desirable than the simple and actual fact that the President was learning something as he went along, and that the events of the Summer and Autumn of 1893 had en T s' altered the situation at Manila. t .V KHt is clear from the statement ma PW George D. Goodhue, of Salem, a practical creamery man, that farmers stand In their own light in clinging to the old plan of separating cream from milk by the gravity process. Pan skimmed cream does not, as creamery men have proved, produce butter up to the standard creamery quality. For reasons not hard to understand, the best butter is produced from separator cream. Butter from sour cream belongs to the unscientific era of butter-making; that from gravity cream, even when sweet, has not the flavor demanded by the cultivated taste for the best prod uct of the creamery. Chiefly, however, the butter produced from gravity cream is not suitable for storage, and hence Is practically shut out of the wider market that alone justifies the opera tion of creameries on a scale profitable alike to farmers and creamery men. The time of farm butter or dairy butter, except for purely local needs. Is past. It may be hoped that the farmers of Marlon County will realize this and devise means whereby the creameries can continue to handle their cream without lowering the quality of their jirWluv HaIi, product, and in effect causing any, creamery to close. j The warmest February day on record in this vicinity was followed by a March day of gently descending rain and seasonable temperature. Under the Influence of the February warmth, daffodils burst into a wealth of golden bloom, violets and crocuses unfolded, the red shoots on rose bushes gained an Inch in length, peony sprouts pushed their pink tips through the damp earth to see what It was all about, and pan sles turned their intelligent faces sky ward as if determined to make the most of the soft air and sunshine. With such evidence on every hand, an early Spring was freely predicted and Winter was considered a thing of the past. "Chinook conditions" are the most genial weather conditions known, though they sometimes pave the way for blighted buds and a shortened fruit crop. However, March may be pretty safely depended upon to check these conditions sufficiently to ward off dis aster to early flowers and fruit. The Washington Legislature mus tered the necessary two-thirds vote to kill Governor Rogers' veto of the medi cal bill. Osteopaths of that state must now drop the title of "doctor," which the "regulars" asserted they had usurped; and drop their remedial meas ures for the treatment-of disease with out medicine, or "move on." As shown by his veto message, o'f this bill, a syn opsis of which appeared in The Orego nlan a. few days ago, Governor Rogers based his objections to the -measure on distinctly conscientious grounds. He will probably find consolation on this the first defeat of his veto power dur ing three legislative sessions in the reflection that it is "better to be right than Governor." The contest now on between the city and a number of its firemen under the Pennoyer administration, for pay al leged to be due the latter from that disastrous period in the city's financial and political history, has developed nothing as ,yet more striking or im portant than the fact that we had a bookkeeper for the city at that time who scorned the detail drudgery of keeping books, and other officials who depended solely upon their memories to record business transactions. The heri tage of this administration was a bitter one, and the inheritance tax heavy. The taxpayers, wriggling and wincing, have already paid large installments upon it, and it seems likely that there Is "more to follow." It is greatly to be regretted that In drawing up the new Port of Portland bill provision was not made for an ade quate sum for operation of the dredges. The tax will yield hardly money enough for operation of one dredge after payment of annual Interest on the bonds. Provision was made for construction of a second dredge, but no provision for Its operation. The work therefore cannot go on with vigor nec essary for the needs of our commerce until there shall be another meeting of the Legislature. It was an oversight which seems to have escaped detection through use of excessive secrecy In the management of the bill. This was due to the political element In it. G. H. Titherlngton has an article in the March number of Munsey's Maga zine on "Grand Old Men of Today." Among the "grand bid men" noted is Admiral Keppel, of the British Navy, who was born in 1809, and among the "grand old men" not mentioned in the article is Rear-Admiral Thomas O. Selfridge, of the American Navy, who was born in April, 1S04. Titherlngton evidently went to the World Almanac for his list of famous old people, and of course repeated the omissions of that list. The Oregonlan had hardly expected Governor Geer to veto the Portland charter bill. It seemed not unlikely that he would fall back upon the rec ommendation of the "delegation," sup ported as It was by a large majority of both houses, and permit the bill to be come a law. Again, the veto must deeply disoblige the section of the party that triumphed In the election of Sena tor Mitchell and naturally expects to control the next nominating conven tion. Fish Commissioner Reed has been re moved from office by the Legislature. It is understood to be a consequence of his unwillingness to submit his official action and official duty to the dictation of Senator Fulton. If any gambling holes are reopening, they will do well to close right quickly, for there is to be no relaxation of the purpose that open gambling shall not be carried on in Portland. VIEWS ON MITCHELL'S ELECTION We are not sure but that Mr. Mitchell' election and Corbett's defeat Is a direct blow at the head of the gold standard in Oregon. Hillsboro Argus. The selection of Hon. John H. Mitchell by the State Legislature to the office of United States Senator meets with wide spread satisfaction by the masses of Ve people of this state. He will represent Oregon In the future, as he has In the past, with illustrious honor and great dis tinction. Gervals Star. Certainly no more unique nor diplomatic canvass was ever conducted than that which resulted in Mitchell's election early Sunday morning, February 24. Mitchell's name had not been mentioned until a few nai moments before he was elected and yet friends had planned for this result rom the very beginning. Seattle Times. John H. Mitchell is a wonderful man. in deed. He fights and defeats all the Demo crats he can during political campaigns, and then they trample over one another during legislative sessions in their efforts to elect him to the United States Senate. He is a Democrat hypnotizer. A hundred years ago he might have been considered a wizard. North Yamhill Record. Mr. Mitchell's great ability and the ex perience of IS years in the Senate Cham ber fully qualify him to successfully cope with all the great questions that will come up within the next few years, and that he will help decide. It was a grand finale of a prolonged contest, and the people of Oregon have reason to be thankful for the outcome. McMlnnville Transcript. The natural result of factional strife for office Is exemplified In Oregon In the elec tion of John Mitchell as Senator. He was not at any time a candidate, but there was no chance for a compromise between the Corbett crowd and the others. It was a dark horse or a vacancy. The manner of Mr. Mitchell's selection ought to con tribute materially to his usefulness. New tcom Reveille. Almost unanimously the people of Walla Walla express satisfaction over the elec tion of John H. Mitchell, of Oregon. Put ting aside party feeling and party preju dice, Mr. Mitchell, during the many years he has been In public life, proved a friend to this section of the state. Long before we were a state, and while he was rep resenting Oregon in the National Con gress, he showed by his Interest in the Walla Walla country' that he considered It a part of his mission to look after our welfare. Walla Walla Statesman. The Journal has no apology to offer for having supported Hon. H. W. Corbett for United States Senator. He Is a Chris tian gentleman, a loyal Republican, a broadmlnded, public-spirited man. A Re publican had to be chosen, and disinter ested minds were supporting Mr. Corbett as the only candidate who stood for any reform principles. Against him was the entire office-holding combine of several hundred Federal officials. While the Journal has only good will towards Sen ator Mitchell, it cannot condone his de sertion of lifelong principles for the spoils of office and it cannot see how any re form can come In state and National af fairs from the Mitchell combination. They do not represent Intelligent, aggressive business capacity in public affairs. Their hand will be raised to overthrow all that was accomplished for reform in state af fairs. Salem Capital Journal. Senator Corbett made a strong fight against heavy odds. Almost single-handed he has fought the "mercenary bri gade," backed by the Federal Adminis tration, for the past four years, and though defeated, it was not by his own party, a majority of whom stood by him. He made no dishonorable combines to se cure votes through legislation, and so far as we know his contest was open and hon orable. He has met political defeat, but he has not sacrificed his party nor honor. In his position as a private citizen he will continue to do more for his city and the state than his successful rival has ever accomplished In an official capacity. The defeat of Senator Corbett simply resur rects the old political faction which has for the past 40 years almost continuously domineered the politics of Oregon, and at times, by Its own corruption, became di vided. Senator Corbett can stand hla de feat. It remains to be seen if the Repub lican party can. If it be the means of installing the better element of the Dem ocratic .party into power. Senator Cor bett's defeat will have served a good pur pose for th state, but it cannot be done by such as aided to bring about his de feat. Portland Dispatch. There are defeats which In future re sults bear all the fruits of victory. There are victories which are so tinged with shame as to be more disastrous than the most overwhelming defeat. Such a defeat has been sustained by Mr. Corbett, and such a victory won by Mr. Mitchell. The battle of Mr. Corbett was from start to finish open and honorable. He sought the honor of representing this state In the Senate from the hands of the Repub lican party the party In whose principles he believes the party he has helped build up and sustain. He made no promises of Federal patronage and future political preference to Influence legislators to vote for him. He never thought of such a base thing as to sell his party to the Democrats In exchange for his election. He labored to unite his party rather than betray It and leave it naked to its enemies. His defeat, accomplished as it was in treach ery and shame, leaves his honorable course standing out all the brighter, In bold relief against the dark background of deceit and treachery practised by his enemies. His defeat has been a victory, because he has shown that he would not kill his party to save himself he would not sell his birthright for a mess of pot tage. His self-sacrifice should, and prob ably will, tend to awaken the conscience of the "Republican party and prompt it to reject with abhorrence that unclean fac tion that prostitutes itself to the Demo cratsdrives unholy bargains and wrecks Its own party for personal gain. Mr. Cor bett's defeat was to him a victory. A victory for principle. A victory of integ rity of party. A victory over temptation. A victory over self to save his party from shame. "He who conquereth himself is mightier than he who taketh a city," and when Mr. Corbett conquered self and triumphed over temptation to wreck his party for personal gain, he won a victory greater than the Senatorshlp a victory' which will endear him to his party and to all right thinking men of all parties. Then what can be said for Mr. Mitchell? His victory, begotten in shame and con ceived In Iniquity, carrying with It the wreck of his party, devoid of honor, lack ing in all that makes, victory sweet, will prove dead sea fruit and turn to ashes in his hands. His victory was won at the expense of his party, his friends and his honor. Pretending to champion Mr. Mc Brlde, he, under the surface, was at, all times trafficking with the Democrats and seeking to sell his party for his own per sonal gain. He has won the Senatorshlp, but his victory has been worse than a defeat, for he must surejy lose the respect of his party, his friends and himself. No man knows what his principles are, no man knows whether he Is a Democrat or a Republican, for he Is all things to all men. He has bought a future of distrust from his party, and when he appears be fore the party again for preference, pre tending to be a Republican, he will be answered: "This Is the voice of Jacob but the hands of Esau"; we cannot trust you, depart from among us. Victory at such a cost is infinitely more bitter than honor able defeat. Portland Chronicle. CORPORATIONS AND THE STATE New York Evening Post. The questions relating to taxes on cor porations are engaging so much attention at this time that a general survey of the relations between the state and these bodies seems appropriate. To the question whether corporations should be Invited Into this state by pre miums In shape of tax exemptions or by loose legal methods, or should be exiled from It by drastic taxation, the simple answer Is neither. A large part of cor porate business Is necessarily done within the State of New York, whether or not the home office Is in New York, in New Jersey, or In other "foreign parts," for In the eye of the law every corporation not organized here is a "foreign" corporation. Corporations should pay fairly, and should not be asked to pay unfairly, for the privilege of doing- business within the state. The Ideal corporation law, to the corporation mind, is one that is liberal as to conditions of liability, freedom from undue restrctlons and methods, and amounts of taxation, while not so lax as to arouse suspicion. The Ideal law from the public point of view is one that assures reasonable knowledge and safety to Investors and creditors. Delaware's notorious bid for corpora tion favor overstepped the mark, nor have investors the highest confidence In corporations from West Virginia, where recentlty four Jo.OOO.OGO corporations were organized with capital stock "fully paid." all the stock having been paid out for a set of patents by one Inventor. On the other hand, Massachusetts, Maine, and other states have driven many corpora tions into exile by strtlngent laws or drastic Judicial decisions or excessive taxation, and New York Is in danger, should some of the proposed tax bills be come law, of repeating their history. New Jersey, whose corporation laws seem to have achieved the happy mean, is still the happy home of many corporations, but It does not seem necessary for New York to reduce either its organization taxes or its annual taxation to hold the corporate business which properly be longs in the Empire State. What does a corporation owe to the state? First, the right to exlBt. For this it pays, once for all, the organization or license tax for Its birth or registration certificate. This Is but per cent on its authorized capi tal, and a reduction to 1-E0 per cent, the New Jersey rate, seems scarcely needful or desirable. The second debt of a corporation to the state Is for the right to do business In thte state, under favoring conditions created by the state. Besides the protec ion of the laws and the benefit of the facilities provided by the state, a cor poration enjoys peculiar privileges, and as it never dies. Is not subject to collateral-Inheritance taxes. For all this it pays the annual franchise tax. levied on capital upon the basis of what the capi tal earns. Unfortunately, the specific pro visions of the tax laws seeking to define the earning power, result In "confusion worse confounded." This earning power In the case of a corporation Is reg istered with substantial accuracy in the market value of Its securities; the excep tions are, perhaps, negligible. Where there are no market quotations, an ap praisal on uniform lines would be neces sary to determine actual value. A uni form tax, perhaps of 1 per cent, on the market or actual value of the share and loan capital of all corporations, would be a proper expense charge, equivalent to the actual saving to the corportlon from the facilities afforded by the state al ways a just basis for taxation. By limit ing this tax to the capital or business ac tually within the protection of the state that Is, the capital less the declared proportion used in other states the dis tinction between domestic and foreign corporations as to taxation would be so far obvlatetd, and a corporation would have no reason as to taxation for finding a legal home beyond the state. Charged as an expense of the corporation. Instead of a deduction from dividend, the nature and value of this tax would be made clear; and, in the case of consolidated companies, it might properly be paid by the controlling or operating company, leaving the shares of subsidiary com panies free from the tax to the propor tion of these holdings. The value of a surplus or reserve, which really belongs to the shareholders. Is necessarily in cluded In the earning power and market value of the stock, while such reserve, as in the case of Insurance companies, representing a fund to meet unmatured liabilities, would thus be rightly exempted from taxation. This seems to be the ideal at which the tax laws, and Gover nor Odell's suggestions for their amend ment, seem to aim; and as personal prop erty, especially In the hands of the wealthy, is largely in corporate shares, such taxation for state purposes might .lead to the abolition of the personal -property taxes, and Insure local option to the counties as to realty and other sources of taxation. In the third place, the railway and other utility corporations obtain special privileges in the right to condemn prop erty or use the pubic highways. For this such corporations owe a fair return, pref erably to the cities or countltes where they operate rather than to the state, in one sense the value of the special fran chise to use land is properly a realty value, and as such it has been treated, at least with partial success, by the Ford bill of 1S99. This compensation might be alternatively paid by a percentage of gross earning, or commuted. In whole or in part, by a reduction of fares or prices. Certainly it should not be levied by such devices as "car licenses," which put a premium on limiting the accommoda tions for the public. The Metropolitan Street Railway pays, or evades, a multi plicity of such Indirect taxes levied va riously on its subsidiary road3, and It would be better both for the pubic and for the company if all such taxes upon it could be generalized and clarified into an adequate special franchise tax or an dequate percentage of gross earnings, which should be paid to the city and for Its use. As the Ford bill Is now before the courts. It is useless to make any fresh experiments until Its legal status is de termined and Its financial results ascer tained. Finally, a corporation obtains for those sharing in it the limitation of personal liability. For this advantage over a pri vate business -the proper equivalent would be the publicity of Its accounts. This opens a wide question of first Im portance, with which the Legislature must deal, sooner or later. A simple, ade quate system of corporation taxes and provision for accounting, which should be public without being inquisitive, would do much to allay the pubic preju dice against corporations, while enabling them to make better returns both to their shareholders and to the public. PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGKAPHERS Grief. "Goodness! What's the trouble?" "Boo-hoo! All de kids on dls block are either too tough for me to play with, or else they's got the measles. Boo-hoo!- Harper's Bazar. A boy of 12. dining at his uncle's, made such a good dinner that his aunt observed, "Johnny, you appear to eat well." "Yes, aunty," re plied the urchin. "I've been practicing eating all my life." Tit-Bits. Smith Say. Sappy, what's the trouble be tween you and Bragg? He says the next time he ecea you he'll knock some sense Into that head of yours. Saphead Huh! He can't do It! Philadelphia Record. In tho Near Future. Old Friend And so both of your children ara studying profes sions? Hostess Yes, my daughter Is in a polytechnic college studying mechanical en gineering, and my son is In Paris, learning dressmaking. New York "Weekly. Girl Wanted. Mistress (to the new servant, who has overslept herself) How about break fast. Bridget? Bridget Ye naden't trouble teh bring me up annything. ma'am; I ain't feelln' very hungry this mornln'. Philadelphia Press. Dangerous Business. Tourist "Why don't you offer a reward for the desperadoes who robbed the bank here last week? Sheriff TVhy, If they thought there was any money iu th county treasury they'd come back and rob that! Puck. NOTE AND COMMENT. March came in like a duck. Have you begun taking ice yet? The Legislature proposes and the Gov ernor disposes. The inaugural parade will probably be almost as long as the Inaugural address. The phrase "Innocuous desuetude" win soon have to be taken down, dusted off. and attached to the Lincoln Commoner. In a few days Colonel Roosevelt will bo obliged to beat his rifle into a gavel and his huntsman's "haloo" into a call to order. Hayti and San Domingo aro going to fight. The event promises to be one of tho most interesting events ever pulled oft In the bantam class. A New Jersey man is reported to bo slowly turning to stone. As most '.New Jersey men are trust magnates, it is pos sible that the petrification began with his heart. A sensitive Scot rebukes the London Daily Chronicle for saying that his coun trymen pronounce man "mon." "The ab surd form 'mon,' " he writes, "is the hallmark of Scots' vernacular as written by a southern pen, and its intrusion has often lent additional sadness to comic journalism, even, alasl to the pages of our chief humorous periodical. In the North of England 'mon certainly occurs; in Scottish speech never. In Scott and Stevenson one may look for It In vain. The broad, soft vocalization of the word In Lothian dialect lies somewhere between 'maun' and 'moan,' but as It cannot bo literally symbolized, the word should be spelt In dialect passages simply as In English." Archbishop Temple, of Canterbury, be gan his career as a Bishop on the biggest episcopal throne in Europe. It is at the Exeter Cathedral. Composed of the very best oak, with magnificent carving, exe cuted by the most expert designers of the day, the throne soars upward in beautiful tapering pinnacles, which rise up to the lofty roof of the sacred edifice. The throne Is not only the biggest, but one of the oldest. It was saved from destruction by the Puritans by the ingenuity of the Cavaliers, who, when the Roundheads marched on Exeter, pulled down the throno and divided It into 365 pieces one for every day of the year. The pieces were snfely secured In many hiding places, and when peace was restored the pieces were put together again without the aid of a single nail. An English paper says that in a re mote corner of England there existed a parish which had been in the hands of one family for generations. One Sunday a neighboring clergyman was invited to preach, and, after the service, he re marked to the vicar, whose hearing had been bad for many years: "Why does your clerk in the Te Deum say, 'Thou art the Queen of Glory, O Christ'?" The vicar replied he had never, owing to his deafness, heard the clerk. On the clerk being asked for an explanation he replied that on the death of William IV the vi car's father had told him to substitute the word "Queen" for "King" wherever it appeared in tho prayerbook. Should there be any other cases of this klpd, tho perpetuated error will now be corrected by the instruction to say '"King'' tfficft--more. The news of the death of Guy Catlln,- which was received yesterday, brings to many people in Portland a strong sense of personal loss. Mr. Catlln was not only one of the most gifted and promis ing young men who have ever made Portland their home, but he was a stanch friend and a delightful com panion. Whllo he was perhaps better known as a song writer, the finest things he wrote were never set to music, and many of them composed for occa sions have drifted from the knowledge of his friends, and may be years find ing their way to print. One of the last and best bit3 of verse from his pen was written in Alaska last Spring, and is here published for the first time: THE SCORE. There's a haze o'er tho veldt, and the sun, hanging low. Tinges, dully, tho mist with its smouldering glow, And the shouts and the clangor of blow upon blow Tell the struggle "twlxt Briton and Boer; There is death In the drone of the ahells on the wing, And there'3 death la the bullets that merrily sing, For tho slaughter Is on, and the Devil Is King, And the Devil will settle the score I So Its Boom! Crash! rat tlo and roar. And Its death to the Briton, and death to the Boer, There are dead men a plenty, and soon to be more, (But the Devil will settle the score I) There's a aound in the air like tho toll of a bell. For they're bringing the dead, and they're ring ing their knell. And from city and hamlet, and kopje and dell, To the heavens, the requiems soar; There's a sound la the air llko the sough ot the wind; Tls the wall of tho women, left weeping be hind, But the Devil's In charge (and the Devil is kind!) And tho Devil will settlo the score J So its Boom! Crash! rattle and roar. And Its death to the Briton, and death to the Boer, There are dead men a plenty, and soon to be more, (But the Devil will settle the score!) The Lnst Poet. Frank L. Stanton In Atlanta Constitution. He passed high o'er the sunset hllla that blos somed "With the last fair and fading flower of song, "While silently the final night embo3omed The melody the world had loved so long! And men leaned listening to the dying num bers That floated far from that melodious height. And children heard the echo In their slumbers And kissed their mothers, dreaming la tho night. The violet winds were melted Into sighing. The lovely woods were wondering and mute; "While deep, divinely, on the world fell dying The splendid music ot the world's last lute. Then o'er the gloom God'3 spirit passed, and morning Saw all the banners of the darkness furled. While all her glittering Jewels flashed, adorn ing The hills and heavens of a songless world. And men went weary in the bloom and splen dor And did with lifted eyes the light condemn; For lo! they missed the music that could ren der The meaning of their sorrows unto them. All song was dead; In glorious groves en chanted The winds went tunelc&3 from tho airy throng: And by mad memories In the midnight haunted Men moaned with heartbreak for a living song. Nor for that song could any gold or glory Upon their lives a, bloom or blessing shed; For song had passed Into a mystic story The last sweet poet of the world was dead I.