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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (March 6, 1901)
THE MORNING OHEGONIAN, WEDNESDAY. MAECH 6, 1901. he rgomcm Entered at the Postofflce at Portland. Oregon, as second-class matter. TELEPHONES. Editorial Rooms 100 I Business Offioe...CC7 REVISED SUBSCRIPTION RATES. By Mall (postage prepaid), In Advance . Daily, with Sunday, per month 5 85 Dally, Sunday excepted, per year.... ... T 60 Dally, with Sunday, per year 0 00 Sunday, per year 52 00 The Weekly, per year 1 50 The "Weekly. 3 months 50 To City Subscribers Dally, 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 Orcgonlan should be addressed Invaria bly "Editor The Orcgonlan," not to the name of any Individual. Letters relating to advertis ing, subscriptions or to any business matter should be addressed simply "The Oregonlan." The Oregonlan does not buy poems or stories from Individuals, and cannot undertake to re turn any manuscripts sent to It without solici tation. No stamps should be Inclosed for this purpose. Puget Bound Bureau Captain A. Thompson, office at 1111 Pacific avenue. Tacoma. Box 053. Tacoma Postofflce. Eastern Business Office 47. 4S, 40 and 50 Tribune building. New York City; 09 "The Rookery," Chicago; the S. C. Beckwlth special agency. Eastern representative. For sale In San Francisco by J. K. Cooper. 740 Market street, near the Palace Hotel; Gold smith Bros.. 230 Sutter street: F. W. Pitts, 1008 Market street; Foster & Orcar. Ferry news stand. For sale In Los Angeles by B. F. Gardner, 250 So. Spring street, and Oliver & Haines, 100 So. Spring street. For sale in Chicago by the P. O. News Co., 217 Dearborn street For sale In Omaha by H. C Shears. 105 N. Sixteenth street, and Barkalow Bros., 1012 Farnam street. For sale In Salt Lake by the Salt Lake News Co.. 77 W. Second South street. For ealo In New Orleans by Ernest &. Co., 115 Royal street. On file In Washington. D. C -with A. "W. Dunn, COO 14th N. W. For sale in Denver, Colo., by Hamilton & Xendrlclc. 000-012 Seventh street. TODAY'S "WEATHER. Increasing cloudl- fiess; winds shifting U) southerly. 1 PORTLAXD, "WEDNESDAY. MARCH C. Defeat of the river and harbor bill Is unfortunate for the country, for many worthy and proper improvements will be checked for lack of funds, val uable working plants will go to ruin, damage will result from neglect and from the necessity for doing over again work once partially completed, but dropped for want of money to continue. It is probable that $10,000,000 might have been cut from the bill without in jury to any substantial enterprise or worthy interest in the land. But this defeat will not rid the measure of the unnecessary items. They will all be there in the end. The damage will come to the improvements of great im portance, like the Columbia River; the frivolous ones cannot be damaged. The delay occasioned by the failure of the bill at this time will waste more of the Government's money than would un questioned passage of the measure. There can be no doubt that the policy of the United States in China is such as will improve our trade relations with that conglomerate empire. It is possible that this has been the chief aim of our diplomacy. If so, it is not unworthy. "What has China to offer modern nations like ours but commer cial opportunities? We do not want her territory or her people. There is nothing In her traditions or customs to attract present-day Americans. But as a trade field of prodigious possibili ties China looms high, and it Is the part of wisdom to recognize it on this ground. True, poets and parsons, idealists and professors of etiquette, may object to conducting high interna tional negotiations on this common place basis, or to admitting it In public, but as surely as those highly rarefied persons require breatt and butter to" sustain them it is good to put interna tional questions on practical and ra tional grounds. It would have served us poorly to have become mightily ruffled over the Chinese affront to our National dignity and to have launched forth on a campaign of bloody venge ance against the offending people. This would have been fruitless. The Chinese are to be held to no such accounting. By inaugurating and pursuing a policy of moderation the United States has not sacrificed its dignity or self-respect, has not shouldered unnecessary bur dens; and it will come out of the fracas with substantial benefits to show for its experience. These benefits will consist largely of the good-will and confidence of the Chinese people. This is an ex cellent foundation upon which to erect a giant superstructure of commerce, and no other nation stands in so favor able a light as our own for the Chinese trade. The United States will get di rectly all the reparation there was any possibility of getting in the first place, and by reason of its wise moderation it will receive much greater Indirect benefits. This Is diplomacy that is both, high in character and practical in re sults. "Wanted, a genius to name our 1905 exposition. Many original people have turned their minds to It, but none has evolved a title that Is happy in all Its appointments or that compasses the scope of the exposition. Most of the inventions beat about the bush and mean nothing when they are all over. "We need a short, sententious expres sion, which will tell Its story at once. "We need an expression which will have a meaning to the United States and the world, arrd not alone to this locality. And we need an expression which will carry the amplitude of the enterprise. All the appellations thus far proposed are either too wide and. compendious or too narrow and provincial. "We should not alone please ourselves in the choice of a name, but also select one that will signify as much in New York as here. "Lewis and Clark Exposition" would hardly do, because millions have never heard of Lewis and Clark. "Ori ental Exposition" would not do because the enterprise Is to be more than Orien tal. Epithets tagged on here and there to these titles increase the difficulty. Life is too short to stop for "Lewis and Clark Centennial, Portland-Northwest-Pacific-Oriental Exposition and Com mercial Jubilee." "Whatever we may hit upon needs to be short without being too contracted, and full of pur pose without being replete with it. Jessie Benton Fremont, widow of General John C. Fremont, and daughter of the great Missouri statesman of a past era, has a claim against the Gov ernment of long standing. Many years ago Mrs. Fremont bought some prop erty on the windy dunes bordering on San Francisco Bay, paying therefor S400. Upon this she built a house at considerable additional cost. Subse quently the Government took the land and made it a part of the Presidio, the famous military reservation near San Francisco, and demolished the house The claim of Mrs. Fremont for reim bursement is disallowed at least it has not been paid on account, it is said, of some defect in her title. The story is a long and devious one, but Senator Bard, of California, has looked into it and is convinced that Mrs. Fremont paid her money in good faith and occu pied the property until the Government took It. She is now an old woman and. has an elderly daughter who never married, and who, with her mother, is dependent upon the latter's pension, which will cease at Mrs. Fremont's death. In addition to the alleged jus tice of the claim, it is urged that this daughter of a gallant soldier and In trepid explorer will, upon the death of her mother, be left destitute unless this claim is allowed. This latter consid eration is a purely personal one, and In that respect does not differ from the mass of claims that are urged upon the attention of Congress to the exclusion of matters of public Importance. If the claim of Mrs. Fremont is just, it should be allowed, regardless of her financial status otherwise, or of the domestic and financial condition of her heirs. The justice of a claim Is not strengthened by a plea of destitution. A plea for sympathy or charity is a different mat ter, and Congress is not the proper place to urge It. FORTUNATE IX HIS DEATH. Last Sunday evening the Clan-na-Gael of Paterson, N. J., honored the birthday of Bobert Emmet with appro priate services. Robert Emmet was an Irish patriot and martyr whose im mortality is due wholly to the remarka ble eloquence of his speech of defense before Judge Norbury, who condemned him to death. The singular eloquence of young Emmet's speech has made him the pouplar Irish martyr. Every schoolboy has declaimed that speech; every Irishman knows it by heart. As a matter of historical fact, Emmet has more admirers among his countrymen today than he had when he died. The rebellion of 1798 was opposed by all the constitutional agitators for home rule; by Grattan, by Flood, by that eloquent apostle of Irish liberty, the great orator Curran. Daniel O'ConnelJ, the great successor of Grattan as a constitutional agitator, had no sympathy with "the United Irishmen" of 1798, and, together with Curran, bitterly denounced Em met's rising in 1803, which was an utterly reckless and insane effort, for the struggle of 1798 had left the Irish patriots utterly crushed beyond hope of military resuscitation. Emmet was hanged and his head cut off after death at Dublin, September 20, 1803. He was the last person executed for treason in Ireland. Emmet's rising was disfigured by the brutal murder of Judge Kllwar den, who was dragged from his coach by the mob and killed before his daugh ter's eyes. Emmet was an enthusiast, a man of poetic temperament, an orator. Against the earnest protest of the wisest pa triots in Ireland, Emmet made his at tempt, failed miserably, lost his life; and, as his friends predicted, increased the sufferings of Ireland by, giving the government excuse for Increased cru elty and barbarous coercion. Curran refused to defend Emmet, but so far as eloquence was concerned he was amply able to defend himself. He Is a pa thetic figure; his youth, his genius, his eloquence, his loss of his chance of es cape through his decision to see his sweetheart, Curran's daughter, once more before he left Ireland, all help to surround him with deep sentimental Interest. One of Tom Moore's most beautiful melodies, "She Is Far From the Land Where Her Young Hero Sleeps," refers to Miss Curran's grief for her gifted lover. And yet It must be granted in severe historical justice that this brilliant young Irish martyr was nothing but an orator intoxicated by his own eloquence and vain, ex travagant expectations. He could make a noble, pathetic speech, but he could not measure public sentiment; could not organize it. But the government that executed Emmet might have spared him without injury to public safety. Tone and Fitzgerald were dangerous men; Tone had the brain and address of a shrewd and daring conspirator, and Lord Fitzgerald was a trained sol dier of proved ability and courage, but Emmet was without formidable Influ ence or practical talent. And yet his single speech has given him great pop ular fame. Although It Is not a great speech outside of its pathetic quality and Its invective passages. Greater Irishmen have made far abler speeches, but they did not make them standing in the shadow of the scaffold with the hangman almost In sight. Emmet was, like Kossuth, Mazzlnl, Vergnlaud, an orator, not an organizer; an eloquent visionary, not a grim revolutionist with the gift of leadership, and yet it is this unfortunate, impracticable, incapable Emmet whose memory is enthusiastic ally celebrated rather than the memory of Grattan, Burke, Curran, O'Connell and Parnell, whose brains have won every forward step in the enlargement of the religious and political liberty of Ireland since 1780. If It was fame that Emmet sought, he could not have been more successful if he had lived to be three-score and ten; there are a great many greater poets than Gray, but everybody reads his famous "Elegy"; there have been many greater Irishmen than Robert Emmet, but everybody has read his "Dying Speech." The steps of his scaffold led to the temple of fame. "A PIOUS POTLATCH." Rev. C. E. Cllne finds in the failure of the Methodist Conference, at its last annual session at Ashland, to receive an Invitation from any place in the state to partake of its hospitality next year, the long-deferred effect of a very distinct cause. Simply stated, the peo ple of the place where this ecclesiasti cal body, and many others of like na ture, meets are expected to provide en tertainment, 1. e., food and lodging for all who attend In the capacity of mem bers or delegates and their wives. To say that this custom imposes a serious inconvenience and in many instances actual hardship upon the entertainers is only to state a well-known fact Hospitality should not be taxed in this way, and when It is thus taxed it is little wonder that it loses the spon taneity that Is Its essence. "A pious potlatch" this correspond ent aptly calls the opening of one's house and larder to strangers, bidden to bed and board by the "committee on entertainment" of some convention. the members of which have perhaps for weeks looked forward to the event as promising freedom from care, work and expense. The ,tCUth is. as every thoughtful person must admit, that there is a certain amount of work to be done to keep up the maximum of thrift and comfort in the home life of the community. If one factor shirks his or her share, it imposes additional expense and burden on some other. This Is just what happens when a number, more or less, but always for midable, of breezy, zealous people, with appetites whetted by change of air and scene, swoop down upon a community in pursuance of some special line of work, and quarter themselves In its homes for three to five days. The ex pense of nrovidlnpr company meals three times each day, and the labor In preparing them that falls to the lot of women who do their own housework. amount many times to absolute impo sition. The unseemly crowding of chil dren upon such occasions into inade quate sleeping space Is by no means the least of the evils brought by the necessity of accommodating conference "guests." ' This burden has been borne, not al together uncomplainingly, but in the main cheerfully, by overtaxed house holders and housekeepers for years in the strained name of hospitality. It Is a sort of "Christian's pack," .which should be dropped without compunc tion, since to carry it farther is a pen ance not required either by true hos pitality or common justice. To -entertain friends under such circumstances is one thing; to keep open house for strangers at the request of a perplexed and distracted committee is quite an other. Such service is a "potlatch" pure and simple, and not always by any means a "pious" one. THE PRESIDENT AND CUBA. The President In his Inaugural de scribes our future relations with Cuba as a most Important question, and ex presses satisfaction In the recent act of Congress which requires that the Cuban constitution should provide for a government capable of conforming to the established and historical policy of the United States in Its relations with Cuba. The President may be correct In his assumption that Cuba Is asked to concede nothing that we have not a right to ask. The Cuban amendment of Senator Piatt of Connecticut defines nothing but rights, powers and necessi ties already existing. The allegation of the territory of Cuba we prohibited to Spain before she lost the island, and logically we could not permit "free Cuba" to do what we would not allow Spain to do. Our Federal Government has always Insisted that with the fate of Cuba the United States was espe cially concerned. "We interfered be cause the island was so near' us that disturbance there destroyed our peace, injured our trade, and today we have the same interest In the peace, good order and stability of Cuba. Cuba is part of the American sys tem, and neither Cuba nor the United States can escape from a common re sponsibility. The United States seeks only to render inviolable the territory of Cuba, to prohibit debt and disturb ance, provide for defense', expresses in terms what the Monroe Doctrine has enactedln fact. Of course we did not interfere against Spain "because she had made Cuba a public nuisance for the purpose' of allowing Cuba to befcdfrie a public nuisance by our wanton, neglect. If we are morally bound to see thqt the Philippines do not become a derelict or a Malay proa manned by pirates, we are morally bound to see to it that Cuba has a stable government resting on some better assurance than a mere promise to that effect; we have a right to see to it that the promise Is kept. Free Cuba is the creature, though not the captive of our bow and spear, and we are bound in exercise of the Amer ican right of national self-protection to see that Cuba does not become a stench In the nostrils of civilization, as Haytl has become. "We took the responsibil ity of creating free Cuba, and respect for the decent opinions of mankind obliges us to see that Cuba obtains and maintains a stable government protected from revolution, extrava gance, disturbance, foreign aggression or intrigue. If we are not ready to do this, then we had no business to have lifted the starving infant, "free Cuba," to its feet, but should have left it to the tender mercies of time and the Spanish General "Weyler. THE VITALITY OP THE SALOON. An eminent New England jurist once said that the woman witnesses on both sides at the Beecher trial did not ap pear to know the difference between virtue and a mere sense of fashionable propriety, for they seemed to think an intrigue with a man of genius, pretend ing by virtue of pulpit eloquence (o be an oracle of God", was a venial offense compared with sinning with mediocrity in the shape of your obscure next-door neighbor. There is a fashionable femi nine view that It Is especially bad to drink In a saloon under any circum stances. As a matter of fact, it Is not any worse to drink in a saloon, if you do not drink Intemperately, than it Is to drink at home behind your door or the blinds" of your neighbor. The vice is Intemperance whether you drink at home or abroad, and if to drink at all Is a vice, then It Is quite as vicious at home as abroad. Pinchbeck society virtue, propriety posing as purity, holds it is not good "form" to drink in a sa loon, even if you are temperate in your Indulgence, but that It is at least con donable If you "get full" at home. This mistaken sense of propriety calls a man who drinks wine at dinner a gen tleman, while It stigmatizes a man who drinks In a saloon as a low-bred per son. Morally speaking, the only drinking that is defensible is that which never trenches on sobriety of thought, speech or action, and when drinking does trench on sobriety It is Indecent and Immoral at home and abroad. The popularity of saloons, high and low, is due to the gregarlousness of human na ture, out of which is born the Impulse toward conviviality among high and 'low. Saloons are supported by a client age of rich and poor. In the old days before the advent of railroads, when travel was by stage, the saloon habit in some form or another existed. Our second President, John Adams, In his diary speaks of the popular habit of assemblage at the tavern to hear the news and to discuss it over a mug of flip. It was a custom "brought from England; It can be traced back to the Middle Ages; it can be found set forth In English fiction from Fielding down to Dickens. The liquor saloon does not belong j peculiarly to the life of the poor or the rich. The most fashionable -saloons In the great cities depend upon the pat ronage of the business classes during the day and the patronage of the vo taries of theater and opera at night. Until human nature changes, becomes less gregarious and mercurial, there will always be the saloon, the public house, or the beer hall. It Is absurd to pretend that the saloon Is only the con comitant of poverty; it is the feature of opulent circumstances as well as of economical life. Indeed, statistics show that the drink bill of England rises and falls with the price of bread. In good times men drink freely; In hard times they spend less for drink. A new geyser is reported In the Yel lowstone National Park about forty miles south of the Mammoth Hot Springs. According to an account pub lished in the Helena Record, it burst forth on the morning of February 18 with a terrific explosion, followed by a jet of water which excited and awe stricken beholders declared arose 500 feet In the air, through an opening about five feet In diameter. The new wonder of this veritable wonderland is located about 200 feet -south of the fa mous Fountain Geyser. The Immense column of boiling water played for about an hour and a half, after which it subsided, but has since beea playing at regular intervals of about two hours. A report of this kind would be wholly unbelievable were -It not that phenom ena equally inexplicable have excited the wonder, awe and admiration of vis itors In this tremendous theater of na ture for years. "Where all is wonder nothing is specifically wonderful, and where all Is Inexplicable human intelli gence, baffled, must accept the facts presented as a part of the unknown physical conditions. Human concep tion of nature's mighty mysteries had already reached Its limit In witnessing the great play of subterranean forces In Yellowstone Park. Another geyser, with its awful roar and .sulphurous fumes, spouting hot water heavenward, can make little difference In a scene the majesty and mystery of which have long baffled human Inquiry and taxed imagination to its farthest limit Kentucky Js abandoning her tradi tions. Down in Clay County the other day a Judge was so erratic as to re quire the disarming of every person who should come Into his courtroom. He even called to the attention of the grand jury and condemned he practice of carrying Winchesters and other heavy arms, and went so far as to order that all men who would not leave their weapons at home should be put under bonds to keep the peace. This order was made by a new Judge, It Is needless to say, and has not yet been executed. Another evidence that the Kentucky leopard Is changing its spots is found In the fact that a crowd of spectators athlrst for blood were shocked and nauseated by the" brutality of a prizefight in Louisville Monday night, and turned from the scene. There Is some promise 'lit this latter statement, since when prizefighters can no longer command th attendance of spectators, prizefighting vill cease. If the people ofr-Montanarare behind Senator Carter In his desire to defeat the river and harbor b'llr-for thenarrow reason that his and their state has no Hvers or1 harbors fo liriWve, they will probably IndorsS'lllm by electing him to succeed himself, the Legislature being still in session at Helena and his time having expired. If, however, the leg islators are men of a wider view, they will probably choose a wider man to represent the great Rdcky Mountain State in the United States Senate. A new High School. 'curriculum has been adopted by the State Hoard of Education. This is a. very much needed improvement in our school system. It brings the working parts into harmony and directs their service to a common,' end. Here tofore there has been too much heterogeneity and commonplace In the curriculum. The linking of the State University Into the system will very much enhance the efficiency of the whole. Sportsmanship of the type that exer clses Its skill and prowejss upon fright ened birds suddenly liberated within easy range and winged or killed in their confused attempt to escape might with great propriety be called by another name. More wanton cruelty to Inoffen sive creatures could scarcely be in dulged under any name. A- "sure-thing game," under whatever name, can scarcely be considered legitimate sport. The "Woolgrowers Convention, now in session at Pendleton, Js a notable gath ering of" men engaged Jn a great Indus try and anxious to promote its best in terests, If the question, "Our Ranges and Their Needs," one of many to be presented and discussed during the three days' meeting, shall be Intelli gently handled,' as no doubt it will be, It will alone justify the e,ffprt and ex pense incident to the convention. Colonel Merrltt Barber, former Adjutant-General In the Philippines, Is re cuperating at his old -.home in Pownal, Vt, where the townspeople are to pre sent him with a sword as a mark of their appreciation of his military serv ice. Colonel Barber was for several years stationed at "Vancouver Bar racks on the staff of the, late General John Gibbon, United Stages Army. The failure of John E. Searles again calls attention to the fact that mil lionaires have their troubles. His money was spread through a great va riety of business enterprises, and his embarrassment is evidence of miscal culation and not of unfavorable qom mcrclal conditions. The trust Is not an Impregnable refuge for chpltal. Some office-holders consider that they have a contract with the people and cannot legally be deprived of official jobs until the terms expire. They think all this, even although they sought the offices, and not the offices them. It would be Interesting to 'know where the theory comes in that office-holders are servants of the people. . Even if the failure of the river and harbor bill is going to throw many men out of employment, money will be saved which can be devoted to pensions. Is it not better that money be given away than that workmen shall earn it? If the election of Senator Mitchell has harmonized the Republican party, where are the ambitions of Democrats, 1 whose hope lay In Republican discord? WHERE ROLLS THE OREGON. If any "citizen" wanted an office last week, it was because the charter had not been vetoed. Governor Geer is something of a magi cian. Ho changed all the "plums" for which the "Citizens" were waiting Into sour grapes. There Is said to be friction between Blnger Hermann and the Secretary of the Interior. Maybe McBride needs to be taken care of. A Eugene girl, a sweet slxtejener, has written a college treatise in whlch sho concludes that the only way to grow old gracefully is never to get any older. A Huntington philosopher says: "If you let a family secret jump your yard fence, your neighbor Is certain to catch It for you free of charge." But he never keeps It for himself. Perhaps this Is the only thlng on earth that a man finds and freely gives up. We wonder how the Legislature could pos sibly resist the" temptation to furnish the peo ple of Sodavllle with free soda pop? Wallowa News. This is the way Eastern Oregon looks at it and also the way every locality ex cept Sodavllle. The fact Is there were not enough grafts at the Legislative ses sion for every locality to get Its share. Well, hasn't Russia Just as much right to placo a prohibitory duty on foreign manufac tures, and call It "protection," as we have? Baker City Democrat. No, certainly not. No country has a right to dlscr.minate against the Ameri can voter. The American citizen la a King unto himself and sovereign In his own right. It is not surprising that Mr. McKlnley should be afraid to act upon the Cuban question alone; he knows that it Is full of political dy namite. Baker City Democrat. And there never yet has been a knotty problem In his administration that would not solve itself if left alone. Such policy engenders no hard feelings because the Almighty cannot be held accountable. Already politicians are hot after that $25,000 voted by the Legislature for the Pan-American Exposition. It looks as If the whole would go up In grafts, with little left for the exposition Itself. Albany Democrat. Well, Mr. Democrat, Oregon will at least have an exposition of its best product, a nonpareil crop of bootless politicians. Wo doubt that any other state can make such a showing with 523,000. The Portland barbers succeeded In getting a law passed to prevent them working on Sun day, and It will be In order that the next Leg islature pass another law In their interest to kef p them from hunting and fishing on Sunday. Bandon Recorder. Hardly, friend. That would defeat the purpose of the Sunday closing law. And besides, every man has a right to do what he pleases on the day of rest. Bryan la not an ex-Prcaldent, but he is just as good as one when It comes to having opin ions. Oregonlan. Our bis contemporary, of all others, should be the last to censure anybody for "having" or expressing an opinion. Olympla Standard. Not at all, kind neighbor. The average person has all sorts of opinions and may very properly be censured for them. If these opinions were convictions it would be an entirely different matter and they would be criticised but not censured. It certainly cannot be Bryan's conviction that legal enactment could at once dou ble the value of silver. However, this may be his opinion, and if so he may be censured for it. The election of John II. Mitchell as a Sena tor from Oregon Is satisfactory to Eastern Oregon. We'remetnbsr him as a worker; we re member his long experience as a National legislator: we remembc his loyalty to Oregon's Interests; we remember his influence with his colleagues and the Administration. Carson Tocsin. Much of this prestige of Senator Mitchell at "Washington may be the fancied prod uct of a hazy past. Yet if he has the power to draw the attention of the coun try to himself and his state and to rep resent Oregon In such an eminent way as will meet the expectations of the above papor, Oregon shall be thrice blessed. Certain It Is that no man who has ever gono- from this state to Washington has had a grander opportunity. The Cubans have got the Idea Into their heads that they can manage their own affairs without any aislFtance from Uncle Sam, and It may yet be necessary forcibly to disabuse their minds. Newport News. Certainly we shall have to disabuse their minds. That time will come after riot, revolution and anarchy shall have ruled the Island, and citizens and rights of the United States shall have been violated. It will come possibly after the United States shall have smashed an alliance be tween Cuba and a powerful European nation. The Latin races do not remember national obligation and therefore Cuba does not consider itself indebted to the United States. This country Is entirely in the way, except when the Island wants something such as freedom. An Oakville correspondent says: We feci surprised at the action of the Legis lature In regard to the game law. The China pheasants are a nuisance to the farmers, for they are destroying the crops from planting tlmo till harvest, and then the farmer has only an equal chance with the sportsmen of the city. "Why surprised? Are the city dudes to have no pleasures? Farmers should not forget that delectation of "sportsmen" Is an Infant industry which needs help as much as Hanna's subsidy bill. If a far mer loses a cow by a reckless shot of a city chap, that is not the point. If the sportsmen trample his wheat Into the earth, that Is not the point. If they narrowly miss shooting his wife or daugh ter, that Is not the point. If he has any rights to his own property, that Is not the point. And If the pheasants devour his wheat just as fast as planted, that Is not the point The real point is that the Infant industry of destructive recrea tion which produces that which is not bread and drains the resources of the state to pay Game "Wardens and other hangers-on, needs encouragement. It is very strange that farmers who see the error of Mark Hanna's bill cannot see the wisdom of game protection. "The Prevnllingr Rate of "WaBes." New York Times. Every honest citizen will rejoice that the Court of Appeals has found unconstitu tional "the prevailing rate of wages law." Morally, that statute never had a leg to stand on. It was. In Its enactment, a piece of cheap demagogy. Intended to make votes for the legislators who sup ported it. In practice, the claims that have arisen under It for extra compensa tion beyond what laborers had agreed to receive would not have Inured to the ben efit of the laborers themselves. We will not say they would have inured to the benefit of a gang of shysters, because that term has been held to be libelous. We will say that they would have inured to the benefit of a group of sharp and enter prising agents and attorneys. Judge Landon's points, as they have been reported, seem especially clear and cogent. It seems difficult to escape from them or to break their force. It may be assumed that this decision is an end of the whole litigation which at one time seemed so threatening. That Is a matter for public congratulation. But It Is by no means a matter for public congratulation that the legal representative of the city, Instead of showing a disposition to resist this Imposition, and to test the law which authorized It, should have shown a dispo sition to give up millions of the city's money "on demand," without testing the lawfulness of the demand. OUR 'MODERATE POLICY IN CHINA Washington Special to New York Journal of Commerce. t The United States Is compelled to play a delicate part in the negotiations now go ing on in China. The essential motive of the Administration is to enforce modera tion In all the demands made upon the Chinese Government To carry out this purpose does not permit binding union with either of the other powers, but calls In turn for resistance to almost ail oi them. The matter of indemnities is as suming a shape where success Is counted upon for the policy of the United States. This Government has suggested that the amount should not be larger than China can pay in principal In a few annual in stallments and that this limit Is in the neighborhood of $130,000,000. There is like ly to be more friction over the amount than over the other principle laid down by the United States that the powers should unite In asking a lump sum and that the distribution of this sum should be a subject of consultation among them without permitting further aemanus uyun the Chinese Imperial Government. It is probable that Russia, aJpan and Great Britain will sustain the United States on both these points. The French Ambassa dor will probably co-operate with the pow ers named out of deference to the wishes of the Russian Government. The motives governing these powers In sustaining the United States probably vary somewhat, and In the case of Russia may be due as much to the desire to become influen tial at the Chinese court as to sympathy with American moderation. The German Government is likely to ask very large Indemnities, to enable It to favor the army of occupation at five times the usual pay of officers, as has been promised by the German War Office. Germany will hardly be able, however, to hold out against the concert of all the other pow ers and the success of the United States in limiting the amount of the Indemnity as well as securing Its settlement In a lump sum Is expected. If due skill Is used by Commissioner Rockhlll. Mr. Rockhlll has had large experience In China and will be charged with all the remaining negotiations for the settlement of the recent outrages while Minister Con ger Is In the United States. There seems to be a disposition among the other pow ers to conclude the negotiations at Pe- kln and to dispose of commercial questions as promptly as possible. The Unltea. States has taken the same position on commercial questions as In regard to the Indemnities, that whatever Is done thnnlrt h bv concert of the Dowers. This principle does not seem likely to be dis puted at present. There Is not likely to be any serious difficulty about the broader concessions in regard to freedom of trade and transit throughout China, but difficulties may arise In regard to the grant of railway, steamship and mining franchises. It is considered undesirable at the State Department to leave the control of these matters exclusively to the Chinese Government, which might be Influenced by the secret pressure of a single power or by the Improper use of money by promoters. Tho grant of fran chises might practically nullify some of the general provisions for commercial freedom If they were not carefully guard ed. The authority to a steamship com pany, for Instance, to operate vessels ex clusively on a given river, would tend to nullify the freedom of traffic on that river which might be prominent to all nations. Just what course to pursue to protect international Interests and freedom of trade In these matters has not been fully decided, but the matter will soon be a subject of consultation between Secretary Hay. Assistant Secretary Hill and others Interested In opening China to Western civilization. Intimations have been recolved from time to time that the Chinese Govern ment proposed, when order was restored, to Inaugurate some of the reforms an nounced by tho young Emperor in 1S9T, which led to the revolt in favor of tho Empress Dowager. These reforms Includ ed the suppression of the provincial armies and the creation of a national force on European models; the abolition of the liken, or provincial barrier taxed; the re organization of the monetary system, and the establishment of a central bank of Issue. It has been intimated also that American and European experts would be asked to nld In this work. It Is doubt ful whether any stipulations on these sub. Jects are embodied in the treaty made between China and the powers. Provision against reaction will necessarily be In volved, however, in the restoration of the reform element to control In China by the powers, and this element Is likely of itself to inaugurate some sweeping reforms. The work of reorganizing the monetary and nanklng system would be a heavy task and probably could not be accom plished by the stroke of a pen, as some such reforms have been accomplished in Russia and in more civilized states. It is thought quite likely, however, that several American and European economic students will be asked to give the benefit of their advice to the Chlneso Imperial Government, and may even be vested with authority to carry out a comprehen sive programme In China. All such pro posals are receiving the cordial encour agement of the Department of State, In the belief that they will not only benefit China but will promote the opening of new markets and opportunities for the people of the civilized powers, and by In creasing the enlightenment and prosper ity of the Chinese will gradually increase their Importance In international trade. Italian Taxation. Fortnightly Review. I do not think there Is In Italy a sin gle statesman who has not, some time or other, denounced the Italian system of taxation as a cruel Injustice to the poorest part of the community, yet one and all have been In thel rturn Intrusted with the government of the country, and each one Glollttl Included, who was Pre mier In 1S93 has done nothing to alter the denounced system. The Italian sys tem is very similar to that which flour ished in England before free trade was adopted, a system in which indirect taxa tion prevails, consequently the poorest, who consume the most, pay the most; while, according to their restricted means, they ought to pay the least Glollttl's scheme has been exposed by the present Minister for the Treasury, who, when in troducing his budget, said: "There are some persons who think that when a boat is overloaded one has only to shift the cargo from one part to another to make It llchter." A few days before Professor PantaleonI, a Socialist Deputy of conser vative tendency reara avis stated at a Socialist congress held at Bologna: "The state Is a brigand because It robs the poor: you are brigands because you In tend to rob the rich." Glollttl. without being a Socialist, belongs to this latter class, as his reform can be summed up In two words "tax the rich." as If the rich were an untaxed multitude. Glollttl's proposals, of course, are more popular, though any one can see that Connlno's reforms are of a permanent character; that their beneficial influences will be slow but lasting, and that he alms more at a moral achievement than a merely economic one. t The Lninp In the "West. Ella HIgglnson. Venua has lit her silver lamp Low In the purple west. Breathing a soft and mellow light Upon the sea's full breast; It is the hour when mead and wood In fine seed-pearls are dressed. Far out, far out, the restless bar Starts from a troubled sleep. Where roaring thro' the narrow straits The meeting waters leap; But still that shining pathway leads Across the lonely deep, "When I .sail out the narrow straits Whereunknown dangers be, And cross the troubled, moaning bar To the mysterious sea Dear God, wilt thou not set a lamp Low In the west for me? NOTE AND COMMENT. The Atlanta Constitution repudiates Lentz. Lookout, Bryan I The Hon. Richard F. Pettigrew Is not among the unflnshed business of the late Congress. The daughters of the Revolution prove even year that the old lighting blood can still boil. Now Pettigrew and Tillman are. fighting. Let us hope they will emulate the ex ample of the Kilkenny cats. That two trains cannot safely pass on the some track was again demonstrated at Riddles, yesterday morning. A Socialist says wealth is a disease. It is likely that the same Socialist la im posing himself to it recklessly. The robins sing a song of Spring, The swallows skyward soar. And In the yard is working hard The man behind the mower. There Is no orator so eloquent that he can hold a crowd two seconds after a house across the street catches fire. One of these days the officers in the United States Navy will learn to put their ears to the ground occasionally. Bret Hartc must have seen a session of the Austrian parliament when he wrote his history of tho society upon the Stanlslow. A Chicago bard advises every one to peddle sunshine. Better do It now, be fore the Morgan syndicate buys up the available supply. One of the yellow Journals has cap tured De Wet again. What a valuable accession to Kitchener's forces a yellow Journal would be! If Tesla does not hurry up and commu nicate with Mars, he will find that tho planet has been fenced In by J. P. Mor gan and cannot be approached. Later advices may show that some of the Chinese officials who were ordered to kill themselves hired substitutes. New York Mail and Express. As killers or killed? Russia is shutting out American agri cultural machinery, which Is the best thing sho could do for this country, for it will shorten her crop to such an ex tent that the American farmer will pros per as never before. A member of Congress has received a letter from, a constituent who has beon reading the many articles published re cently In which doctors have asserted that tho diffusion of malaria is due to mos qultoes, and who is much alarmed lest hl3 family and himself may be victims of fever thrills and ague chills in the com ing Summer. This constituent has learned also that dragon-flies pursue and kill mosquitoes, and he sends an anxious plea to his Congressman to get a stock of dragon-flies from the Agricultural Depart ment In Washington, and to send the in sects to his home, in order that his wife and children may be protected from in fection. It is, of course, entirely un necessary to mention the state from which this plaintive cry for help goes to tho National capitoL Years have gono by sinco the suggestion was first mado that great orators might enlarge their audiences through the use of such a system, of telephones that their Irrefutable arguments and burning words might be carried over the wires to many halls and homes at the same time. Now comes a delightful tale from a Michigan town, in which a small-pox quarantine has cut down tho attendance upon church services to scanty gatherings. This con solatory anecdote avers that the central telephone exchange of the town made a circuit at tho usual church hour, and over the wires hymns, Scripture lessons and sermons 15 minutes In length were transmitted to pious listeners. Evidently the telephone managers In that Michigan community are more devotional than those with whom the great cities aro familiar. Here In Portland the telephono is more frequently provocative of pro fanity than of piety. PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGRAPHERS Changed Plans. Miss Gabbclgh As a pen ance during Lent I am not going to gossip. Mrs. Sezzlt Oh. that's too bad. I Intended to come and listen to you as my penance. Bal timore American. A Gentle Hint. Chatty Gent I believe you porters receive very poor wages? Porter We do, sir. If It wasn't for the tips rale gents. like yourself, gives us. we should make no sort of a llvin'. Tlt-Blts. No, Not by Any Means. "Everybody, who knows anything about China Is writing a book on the subject." "Yes, but that doesn't ac count for all the books that are being Written about China!" Detroit Journal. An Exceptional Case. Towne la he bo very popular? Browne I should say. Why. when his set was getting up private theatricals ho was given the principal part, and not a soul questioned hl3 right to it. Philadelphia Pres3. Just Like a Policeman. "What's the charger asked the Judge. "Impersonating an officer." answered the prosecutor. "What was he doing?" "I saw him helping himself to fruit and peanuts from a street vender's stand." Chicago Evening Post. Res Antlquae. "Auntie, dear, where do these fossil shells come from?" "Oh. my dear child, a great many years ago they were washed up hare by the sea." "How long ago, auntie, dear?" "Ever eo long ago. dear child." "What! Even before you were born, auntie?" Punch. Beaching an Understanding. The young man was visibly annoyed at the questions which the heiress father Insisted on putting. At last ho could endure It no longer. HIb ances tral pride flamed up Into his cheeks, and he exclaimed: "I would have you understand that I am no ordinary fortune hunter!" "That's all right," was the stern rejoinder. "I am just as particular as you are. I'd have you understand that I am no plain, every-day Duke-chaser, either.' Washington Star. By the Century Deathbed. Thoma3 Hardy In the London Graphic I lean upon a paddock gate When shades were specter-gray. And Winter's dregs made desolate The weakening eye of day. The tangled vine-stems scored the eky. Like strings from broken lyres. And all mankind that haunted high Had sought their household fires. The land's sharp features seemed to be The Century's corpse outleant, Ills crypt the cloudy canopy. The wind his death lament. The ancient pulse of germ and birth. Was shrunken, hard and dry. And every spirit tipon earth Seemed fervorleas as I. At once a voice outburst among ( The bleak twigs overhead In a full-hearted evensong Of Joy Illlmlted. An aged thrush, frail, thin and small. In blast-boruflled plume. Had chosen thus to fling his soul Upon the growing gloom. So little cause for carollngs Of such ecstatic sound Was written on terrestrial things Afar or nigh around That I could think there trembled through His happy good-night air Some Blessed Hope, whereof he knnr And I was unaware.