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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (April 9, 1901)
a THE MOT?XTNG OREGONIAN TUESDAir, . APK1L 9, 1901. S to regomcm Cntcred at the Postofflce at Portland, Oregon, as second-clans matter. TELEPHONES. Editorial Rooms 1C8 I Business Office .067 REVISED SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Br Mall (postage prepaid), in Advance Dally, with Sunday, per month S3 Dally, Sunday excepted, per year......... 7 SO Dally, with Sunday, per year -. 00 Sunday per year 2 00 The "Weekly, per year , 1 60 The Weekly, 3 months K To City Subscribers Dally, per week, delivered. Sundays cxcepted.lBc Dally, per week, delivered, Sundays included.20c POSTAGE RATES. United States, Canada and Mexico: ' iO to 10-page paper..... .................. ...lc 16 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 of any Individual. Letters relating to advertis ing, subscriptions or to any business matter ehould be addressed dimply "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 he inclosed for this purpose. Puget Sound BureauCaptain A. Thompson, office at llli Pacific avenue, Tacoma. Box 033, ffacoma Postofflce. Eastern Business Office 47. 48. 49 and 50 Tribune building. New York City; 400 "The Rookery," Chicago; the S. C Beckwith special agency. Eastern representative. Por sale In San Francisco by J. K. Cooper, 54C Market street, near the Palace Hotel; Gold smith Bros.. 236 Sutter street; P. "W. Pitts. 100S Market street; Foster & Orear. Ferry news stand. For sale in Los Angeles by B. F. Gardner. 59 So. Spring street, and Oliver & Haines, 100 6o Spring street. For Bale 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., 1612 Fnrnam street. For sale In Salt Lake by the Salt Lake News Co.. 77 TV. Second South street. OnfUe In "Washington, D. C with A. W. Dunn. 500 14th N. "W. Por Bale in Demer, Colo., by Hamilton & Kendrlck. 006-012 Seventh street. TODAY'S "WEATHER. Fair, with frost In early morning; light northerly winds. PORTLAND. MONDAY, APRIL 8. TOfKASr LIES, ETC. It is a far cry from the enlighten ment of the twentieth century to the terrors of ancient courts, yet there is hardly a crowned head in the world today but suffers from dread of assas sination. King: Humbert, of Italy, is hut lately dead, plots are just uncov ered against the Czar and Sultan, Em peror William lias been hit with a mur derous missile, and today's dispatches tell of a plan to "remove" President Loubet, of France. Secret service and -well-paid detectives are usually able to checkmate such plots, yet it has not been so very long since it "was almost as much as a man's life "was worth to wear a crown. In Prance both Louis XVT and his fair Queen were beheaded, Napoleon died a prisoner at St. Helena, and since then the third Napoleon and successive Presidents have had hard work to keep out of harm's way. Nihilism succeeded in making away with Alexander IL of Russia, and the leading men of Italy and Spain are continually in jeopardy of their lives. If we can believe Em peror "William, his people are continu ally seeking his death. Even peaceful and constitutional England has been the scene jof violence to its sovereigns ever since Harold fell dead with an arrow in his eye on the dread day of Hastings. Edward H was murdered with the connivance of his wife, Shakes peare makes King John die of poison. and Richard IITs bloody death on Bos worth field has by the same master hand been made immortal. Mary Stu art and Charles I were executed, Crom well's dead body was hanged and be headed, James H found safety In flight Between most of these old regicides and the plots of today there is a wide difference. Then the executioners rep resented a popular cause whose success was certain of victory through the sov ereign's removal. Now the purpose is limited in effect and frequently in pur pose to the specific object of the out burst The death of Charles made way for the Commonwealth, and in the room of Cromwell the populace made sure of welcoming back their pleasures. Upon Harold's death followed the Norman conquest, upon the execution of Louis came the eventful French Revolution, and the beneficent reign of William and Mary made satisfactory amends for the loss of the Stuarts. But no such results can be expected from the assas sinations that are planned today. If Nicholas dies, autocracy will go on, for absolutism Is as much a product of Russian conditions as nihilism is. Al exander I came to the throne a liberal full of plans for popular freedom, but circumstances soon showed him the im possibility of their realization and made him an autocrat of autocrats. It is so everywhere. Doubtless there is not a constitutional reform whose end could be advanced by the murder of a single monarch of Europe, and it is certain that in respect of police -surveillance and free movement of the masses the result would be opposite. Modern government is no longer a thing of caprice. Society is not in a fluid state, susceptible to great change from the strenuous exertion of one great man or capable of tremendous movement as the consequence of some great man's removal. A French Revo lution is nowhere latent today, because our social and governmental forms have solidified through generations of growth, study and habit Popular en lightenment has created a ruling body of public sentiment which the most successful rulers are eager to discover and swift to execute. More than ever before it is true that the nation is the people, and not the sovereign. The modern historian prides himself upon his study of the masses. Instead of the ancient partial ity for courts and cabinets. This is partly his credit, but partly also his necessity, for history today is inevitably far more a record of what the people think and do than it could be in ancient times. The leveling processes of educa tion and interchanges between ranks and occupations reduce the distance be tween the highest and the lowest of the race. No man can stand out today so superior to his fellows as Charlemagne did in his time or William the Con queror when he took the throne of Eng land. He is not a discerning anarchist who thinks to change history by still ing the beating of a single heart The history of the expansion of our country from the domain of the thirteen original colonies includes the story of the defeat of the scheme of Spain to obtain the whole of the Northwest territory, -which had been ceded by France to England in 1763. Had the Spanish claim to" this territory been made good, when it was supported "by France in 17S2-S3, our western boundary would have been the Ohio River, and the tract now comprising the States of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin would have been under the jurisdiction of Spain. In 1779 Spain was persuaded by France to join her in the war against Great Britain. Spain seized the English posts at Baton Rouge, Natchez and Mobile, and in Jan uary, 178L an expedition consisting of French and Spanish militia, accompa nied by a band of Indian allies, was dispatched from St. Louis against the English fort of St Joseph, situated within the present limits of the State of Michigan. After a march of 400 miles the fort was captured and the Spanish commander took possession In his King's name of St Joseph and of the River of the Illinois. On the strength of this capture Spain made claim to the Northwest Territory when the negotiations for peace between France, Spain and the United States on the one hand and Great Britain on the other were begun at Paris in 1782. Spain claimed the territory now com prising the States of Mississippi and Alabama, a large part of Georgia, nearly the whole of Tennessee, all of Kentucky, portions of North Carolina and "Virginia, a large part of Ohio and all of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Franklin at once saw that Spain, backed by France, sought to se cure the Western country for them selves, so he entered Info a secret nego tiation with Lord Shelburne, of the British Ministry, which ended in the treaty of Paris of 1783. Spain did not abandon her alleged title to the West ern country until the treaty of 1795. Spanish grants of land were made within what is now the State of Illi noisfour in one county. HIS JUST REWARD. The antl-lmperiallst press is so angry at the capture of Aguinaldo that it first depreciates Funston's exploit as unbe coming a civilized military power or a United States soldier, and as a violation of the accepted laws of war, and sec ondly denounces the Government for having given Funston an extravagant reward. It is prdbaSTy true that General Funston's capture of Aguinaldo in volved no higher military qualities than those expected in a daring chief of scouts. The capture 'of the seal and correspondence of Aguinaldo's trusted military subordinate would, of course, have naturally suggested the plan by which the insurgent leader was made prisoner. The thought might have oc curred to any commonplace soldier, but General Funston was In a position as a general officer to obtain permission for its experiment, and he personally exe cuted it with remarkable courage and energy. It was a daring act, for Jf his guides had betrayed him his life would have been forfeited under the laws of war, as he and his party were really spies In the shape of fictitious prisoners of war. Had he been captured, Aguin aldo would have been as clearly war ranted in hanging Funston as Wash ington was in hanging Andre or Gen eral Howe in hanging Nathan Hale. While it is. true that General Funston has obtained an extraordinary reward in view of the fact that his exploit gives no positive assurance that he is necessarily fitted to be one of the lead-' lag Generals ot the regular Army, nevertheless- underthp circumstances the President could not very well refuse to make Funston a Brigadier-General for something after making Fred" Grant a Brigadier-General for nothing in par ticular except that he was the son of a great soldier. The President could hardly refuse to make Funston a Brigadier-General after making Surgeon Wood a Brigadier-General for his excellent san itary service in Santiago. What else could the President do? If Funston had been a noncommissioned officer, or even a subaltern officer, he could have been settled with by giving him a medal of honor and a higher rank, but, as already a Brigadier-General of Volun teers, Funston could not have been put off with a medal of honor and the offi cial thanks of the Government. This doubtless was the view of General Mac Arthur, an old soldier of the Civil War. MacArthur knows perfectly well that Funston never had any military experi ence -before he became Colonel of the Twentieth Kansas Infantry, except what he gained by bushwhacking with the Cuban insurgents; he knows that Funston is without the rudiments of scientific military training, but not more than MacArthur was himself at the close of the Civil War, or Lawton, or Wheaton. Nevertheless, General MacArthur knows that Funston is a man of energy, ability and courage, who has executed an exploit of great value to our Government at extraordinary personal risk. The qualities displayed by Funston in this affair do not imply that he is necessarily fit for a Generalship in the Army In every respect, but they are qualities so rare and valuable that they have always been handsomely reward ed by all governments. Had Andre suc ceeded In his mission, Sir Henry Clinton 'would have promptly recommended his favorite aid for a General's commission. So far as the exploit Itself Is concerned, it Is absurd to pretend that it was un becoming a civilized military power or a United States soldier, except on the assumption that no civilized military power can employ spies or men In dis guise to execute certain military ob jects which could not otherwise hope to be successfully attained. Of course, such operations are undertaken with the full knowledge that if the party In disguise is captured, death is their portion, and no civilized nation pretends to retaliate for the execution of a spy by putting to death a legitimate pris oner of war. There neVer was a war without spies on both sides. Grant and Lee both employed them, and Sheridan owed his success on more than one oc casion to the superior quality of his spy service. The exploit of Funston was of this sort, and until spy service Is ex cluded from war such exploits are le gitimate. If you are a spy, It is just as legitimate to impose on the enemy by forgery, as it is by stealing and assum ing his uniform as disguise. A spy puts his neck In a noose the moment he en ters the enemy's lines in disguise, whether he is or is not aided by forged letters for his entry. Sergeant Champe entered the British lines to abduct General Arnold after his treason and flight; Washington wished to promote him for his daring, but Champe died soon after his return to our lines. Colonel Barton captured the British General Prescott by surpris ing him in bed near Newport, R. L, in 1777, and hurried him, "clad in nothing but his night clothes and a cloak, into a boat, in which he was taken within the American lines to Warwick Point, on the west shore of Narragansett Bay. An exploit more nearly-identical with that of General Funston was the cap ture of the Union General, E. W. Stoughton, at FalrfaxJCourthouse, "Va., on March 8, 1863, by General John S. Mosby. Mosby, with twenty-nine men, entered Fairfax Courthouse, passing themselves off as belonging" to the Fifth New 'York Cavalry. Mosby took Gen eral Stoughton from his bed from the midst of his brigade of 3000 men. He was pursued by our cavalry, and, had he been caught, In disguise, would, of course, have b'een treated as a spy. Major-General George Crook was cap tured in a similar manner with Gen eral B. F. Kelly, In West Virginia, In the Winter of 1864-65, and taken to Richmond. The saying that everything is fair in love or war is no more a leg end today than it was In 1805, when the French Marshal Murat captured the bridge over the Danube at Vienna by an unscrupulous trick. FROM LAKE TO OCEAN. Cheap Iron, coal and timber on the shores of the Great Lakes have enabled shipbuilders there to turn out modern marine craft at a smaller cost than they can be produced for anywhere else In the world. The very alluring profits now being made by steamers engaged in. the deep-water trade has resulted In "a number of large steamships leav ing the lakes for the ocean, where there is an even greater scarcity of tonnage than there Is on the lakes. v Two of these lake steamers, the Asuncion and the Paraquay, 3500-ton steamers, are loading coal at Baltimore for San Francisco, " and they will be followed by four others of the same type. Out here on the Pacific these cheap lake-built steamers will be placed In the coal-carrying trade between California ports and the British Columbia coal mines, in competition with steamers of all nations, and that they will pay div idends in this trade is a certainty. In sending these lake steamers into the deep-water trade the owners are not In dulging in an experiment, as they have previously sent the lake-built steamers Keeweenaw and Mackinaw to the Pa-rt clflc Coast, and they were well adapted for running anywhere In the world. There has also been a number of lake steamers placed In the deep-water trade on the Atlantic, and all of -them have proved very successful. Every departure of this kind from the beaten path of marine trade shows the fallacy of the arguments used by those who regard America's merchant marine as a helpless industry that can not go out in the world and fight its commercial battles with other nations. Ore which Is mined on the shores of the Great Lakes Is carried to the furnaces and rolling mills of the East, and man ufactured Into ship plates. These plates are sold to Great Britain and Germany and used In the construction of ships which eventually must come into com petition with craft built right where the ore is mined and the plates are manu factured. The American Shipbuilding Company is turning out more steam tonnage on the lakes than It has evetr built before, the vessels constructed at Its yards 'in March alone Including five of the largest carriers on the lakes. All of the yards on the, lakes, as weH as on the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, are crowded with work, some of them for a year ahead. j Under such circumstances, the neces sity for forcing the ship subsidy bill through with the greatest possible haste can readily be understood. These ship yards will continue building vessels,, and the owners who are now growing rich by operating them will not sus pend operations, no matter whether the bill is passed or not If the graft goes through, the shipowners and builders will have $180,000,000 to divide among themselves, but they will not do any more than they are doing now, for the simple reason that they are working up to their capacity without the aid of a subsidy. SPANIARDS RETURNING TO CUBA. Cuban affairs present many complex and surprising phases. One of the lat ter is seen In the relatively large num bers of immigrants who are flocking to the Island from Spain. It will be re called that many Spaniards of high and low degree civilians, officers and sol diersleft Cuba In hot haste at the close of the war to escape the rule of the detested victors, who In a few weeks had taught Spain so sharp and conclusive a lesson in warfare. The re turn of these-people indicates either that the animosity excited by the con flict died out much more quickly than could have been expected, or that life in Spain is much less desirable than life In Cuba, even under conditions of hated American occupation and military rule. It Is said by those who have studied most closely the situation In Cuba that the Spanish element in the Island Is disposed to be more friendly by far to Americans than are the native-born Cubans. The latter, probably owing to the turbulent spirit begotten by and In grained in their nature through long years of oppression a spirit that wher ever ,it exists, is incompatible with peace and its industrial vocations are essentially a dissatisfied people. ' Their quarrel against government Is a part of their nature, and they seem to lack both the Intelligence and Inclination to discriminate between a government that oppresses and a government that fosters and protects. The Spaniards who remained In Cuba, on the contrary, are quick to see and appreciate the Im proved sanitary conditions, the security to life and property, and the enlarged opportunities for the profitable employ ment of capital and Jabor under Amer ican occupation. It Is doubtless through the representations of these to their friends and relatives across the water that the tide of Spanish Immigration has set so speedily and so strongly toward Cuba In recent months. Whatever the cause, the effect of this westward movement from Spain Is not likely to operate to the disadvantage of Cuba. The Spaniards as a rule are fru gal, temperate and, as compared with the native-born Cubans, fairly industri ous. Coming to and residing in Cuba for economic reasons, they are not likely to fall under the sway of the agitators who threaten revolt against the United States. Their purpose Is to engage in industrial pursuits, and their general willingness to work for a living prom ises to make them a useful factor in bringing the fertile and undeveloped island under the sway of such indus trial occupations as are suited to Its conditions of soil, climate and resources. Dormant during the long period of In ternal strife 'and semi-anarchy; never, Indeed, having 'been explored, much less exploited, by intelligent energy looking to their profitable development the resources of Cuba present a wide and varied field for enterprise. It is believed that Spaniards of the class now emigrating to the island will perform a valuable if not a prominent part in this work, hence their return, so far from giving rise to apprehension, Is not undesirable. 'i John A. Buckner writes to the Lake Providence (La.) Banner-Democrat as follows concerning Theodore O'Hara's famous poem, "The Bivouac of the Dead": Over the gateway of the National cemetery at Washington the famous first stania Is en graved, and there, as at Antletam and other National cemeteries, the entire poem Is re produced, stanza by stanza, on slabs placed along the driveway. Perhaps the anonymous character of tho poem was a blessing, since It Is doubtful if the Federal Government ot the United States would have used the lines In such lavish fash Ion In Immortalizing the dead ot the Union Army, had they been recognized as the prod uct of the genius of a soldier and officer of the other side. In any case, they did not know. Buckner is, a great Ignoramus. The poem was not anonymous, fdr It was part of the public exercises held at Frankfort cemetery in honor of the rel turn of the bodies of Kentucky's sol diers, who fell at Buena Vista, to their native state, in 1847. The poem was printed throughout the country ten years before the outbreak of the Civil War; the name of its author and the circumstances of the delivery of this poena were well known to the officers of the old regular Army, In which O'Hara was a Captain from 1855 to 1856, and to the leading journalists of the country, who published the Memorial day exercises at Kentucky's capital In 1847. The. authorship of the poem was well known before the outbreak of the Civil War; .the National cemetery at Washington was not completed until after O'Hara's death, In 1867, and noth ing can be more absurd than to suppose our Government would have hesitated to use at Arlington a verse written originally by an ex-Confederate soldier In memory of soldiers who fell fighting for the United States flag In the Mexi can War. Why should not our Govern ment place the lines that were origin ally written In memory of the loyal sons of Kentucky over the National cemetery at Arlington? How stupid to suppose that the Government would have hesitated to use lines that were part of the Nation's poetic literature nearly fourteen years before the out break of the Civil War! Mr. Borden, the new leader of the Conservative opposition In the Domin ion Parliament, demands mutual trade preferences within t British Empire, and also high duties on manufactured products of those countries, Including the United States, which Impose on Canadian products higher duties than the .Canadians approve. Under the present Dominion tariff a preference is gratuitously conceded to British goods. Mr. Borden would withdraw that concession unless an equivalent Is granted by Great Britain. lMr. Bor- 'den will be disappointed; 'the Salisbury Government Is too shrewd and far sighted ever to commit Itself to the tax ation of food staples 'and discriminate between foreign ahd colonial food prod ucts. The' large majority of British voters are Interested In cheap food, and the party that would "raise the price of food products through taxation would be defeated, at the next general elec tion. Canada will never get any corre sponding advantage from Great Britain for her present preference conceded to British goods, simply because Great Britain cannot afford to raise the price of food to her working masses. It is true today that Canada is naturally anxious to get something in return for her preferential tariff to British manu facturers, which enables them to un dersell their foreign competitors in the Canadian market, but the Salisbury Government cannot be expected to in trigue for Its own downfall. The State Board of Horticulture has passed the active educational stage of its endeavor, and will this year enter upon the penalty course. Its efforts through Its agents for several years past have been toward instructing fruit growers ho-w to keep their orchards fiee from pests. It now informs them that they must do this or the state will do it'for them at their expense. No one In his simplicity should Imagine that the state will perform this service as cheer fully as the orchardist can do it for himself, and since it has to be done It will be wise to attend to It promptly? Instruction In ways and means has, it is believed, been -sufficiently specific. Intelligent personal endeavor must do the rest. The Merrlmac Incident, by which Lieutenant Hobson won fame, has been closed. Never a barricade to the har bor of Santiago de Cuba, the vessel has been for nearly three years or there abouts an Impediment to the commerce and to some extent a menace to the navigation of the port. A more daring, but, as the results proved, a more use less, feat was never accomplished than that of sinking this' collier at the en trance of this Cuban port. The ease with which the Spanish fleet came out of the harbor In the broad sunlight of a tropical morning showed the futility of the sacrifice 6f the vessel, without, however, in the least discrediting the bravery by which it Was accomplished. What does the New York Evening Post mean by saying that we must give the Filipinos credit for doing what wc would do ourselves? If the Post were In Luzon, we take it, it would be for the Americans. Now it is here, it is for the Tagals Lieutenant Taylor, who gave Funston the letters that made Aguinaldo's cap ture possible, need expect from the antls only righteous indignation. He should, of course, have sent them to Aguinaldo. No honorable man would do anything to discommode the enemy. The Boers, it is announced again, will fight to the bitter end. Yet we still require to know how bitter that end will be and when it will come. Every body Is pretty sure to. fight till he stops. It is not a grave reflection on the Union Iron' Works that the Perry makes 28.2 knots instead of 29. With such high speed perfect results are very difficult to obtain. The McKInley parade should have a good representation from the ranks of worklngmen, and one of them should be on the .cpmmittee. A CLEAR BIT OF SATIRE. New York Times. A painful Incident in connection with the election of Mr. Tom L. Johnson to the Mayor of Cleveland is the circulation of the report that Senator Hanna spent $100,000 In a futile effort to defeat him. We regard as aulte superfluous Mr. Hanna's Indignant denial of this atro cIoub campaign slander. The Senator's well-known sensitiveness to assertions upon the uprightness and whlte-souled candor of his political methods doubtless explains the haste and the heat of his denunciation of the rumor. But lies can not sully nor Insinuations damage the high reputation he has won by years of child-like trust to the Impulses of the plain people and by his austere disap proval of the corrupting arts of the man ipulator of votes. Calumny has been busy, also, with the distinguished name of Mr. Tom L. John son. But the charge that he used money in aqueous profusion to procure his ma jority of 6000 refutes itself. Mr. John son is a friend of the people, and like Mr. Hanna he has perfect confidence In their judgment and their unaided decisions. He made his canvass on a platform of three cent fares, public ownership of public utilities, and unrelenting warfare on the capitalistic regime. Is not that enough to bring votes his way? When a candi date comes with the economic millennium in his hand, when he offers four acres and a frame house to every toller, with incidental chickens in the pot of a Sun day, are the voters going to be such im possible fools as to hold back until the enticement of the Immediate greenback Is added to the promise of ulterior pros perity? Besides, Tom Johnson would not more stop to use money in an election than Tom Jefferson would have used the stuff to suborn the press. Cleveland never had a Mayor so genial and even-tempered as Tom L. Johnson. He will He back in the Executlye Chair which we hope is an easy one looking unconquerably lazy and comfortable, but concealing under that complacement exte rior more love for man and a greater ca pacity for executive work than any other Mayor in the country, we suppose. He has been very successful with his rail roads and other things, not at all on the three-cent basis, nor yet on the basis of- a pure and generous love for his kind. Pull value In cash has been his rule ex cept when the party of the other part was willing to pay more. If he has such a thing as a public utility to sell to any iriunlcipality we should say that the struggle between his business instincts and his unselfish love of his fellow-man would be so uneven that nothing but the attendance as a referee of an Impartial and wide-awake Board of Appraisers would insure fair play and make the .fight long enough to be Interesting. It Is said that Mr. Johnson .will make the office of Mayor of Cleveland a step ing stone to the United States Senator ship. The' intrusion of a real, three-Cent-fare friend of the people into that dis tinguished body of corporation agents, the coming of a trolley man among statesmen in the steam road line, would at first create consternation, mixed with a feverish desire to know what the gen tleman was going to do. When Daniel was in the lions den he simply looked pleasant. That Is what saved him. It would be the ruin of Tom L. Johnson in the Senate. The people will expect their friend to lash hi? tail impressively and roal horribly at the. plutocrats. As three, cent-fare bills are never Introduced in the Senate, that Is all he can do, of course, bu he must do that, for if he forgets the people they will spurn him. Indeed. Mr. Johnosn has come to his test aready. As Mayor of Cleveland he is in a place where any lukewarmness on his part in the service of three-cent fares, the single tax, and the destruction of capitalism will bo easily detected. And Jones of Toledo continually has his eye on Johnson. THE HOAR AMENDMENT. Its Wisdom Demonstrated by Late Development. San Francisco Bulletin. When the Hoar amendment to the Spooner clause in the Army bill was adopted in the closing hours of the last Congress, there were Senators who pro fessed to regard It as a reflection upon the President. The amendment provides that no franchise shall be granted In the Philippine Islands to private individuals or corporations by the present military government there, unless in special cases, temporarily to meet urgent public needs! Senator Hoar was not the only man in Washington who distrusted the" zeal mani fested in pushing through Congress as a rider to the Army bill a measure which placed in the hands of the President a power, to quote the language of Senator Hoar, "more arbitrary and Irresponsible over the Ihes, liberties and fortunes or 8,000,000 people than Is possessed by any European despot over his subjects." The motive which inspired the Hoar amendment was not distrust of the Presi dent, but distrust of any man's ability to protect the Government from frauds under laws which offer great opportuni ties for fraud. The recently discovered Irregularities In the Islands under the mil itary government show that thi3 distrust was well founded. The need for the Hoar amendment is now evident. Neither Gen eral Otis nor any other General could keep the run of things. As the Bulletin correspondent says: "Otis was so overrun with the minor details of his office that he could not give attention to the evident signs of wholesale 'graft that were flu ting about him at every hand." Prob ably he was not accustomed to looking after the kind of men who rush into new countries and recognize no other restraint upon their money-making propensities than that Imposed by the hand of au thority. The danger attending the open ing of great opportunities is now appar ent, and It Is fortunate that such restric tions as the Hoar amendment imposes upon the exerclso of power granted by the Spooner clause In the Army bill ren der the Irregularities reported of tempor ary effect. The Government has been cheated out of some money, but the re sources of the Island remain untouched. Distinction With Real Difference. St. Paul Pioneer Press. "- Democratic newspapers, especially In the South, are in the habit of justifying the adoption, by Southern states, of a so called,, educational qualifications of the suffrage by citing the fact that Massa chusetts exacts a similar nnnlMrnMnn But hero Is the Massachusetts laws: No person shall have the right to vote or be eligible to ofllce under the constitution ot this commonwealth who shall not be able to read the constitution In the English language and write his name; provided, however, that the provisions of this amendment shall not apply to any person prevented by a physical disabil ity from complying with Ha requirements, nor to any person who now has the right to vote, nor to any person who shall be 60 years of age or upward at the time thl3 amendment shall take fleet. It will be observed that this law, passed and ratified by the popular vote In 1857, disfranchised nobody, while the South ern laws have disfranchised half of the population of several states, and while taking the ballot away from the Illiterate negro have left It in the hands of the Illiterate white man. There's all the dif ference between the two cases that there is between justice and tyranny. If Mary land had just now adopted a law like that of Massachusetts, not a protest would have been heard from any Re publican paper In the country. But of what avail to the purposes of Gorman and his tools would have been a law which left the franchise in the hands of only llliteraate newcomers, as did the Massachusetts enactment? The latter was called Into being by the necessity of pre venting the elections from passing whdlly under the control of an Ignorant mass of foreigners at that time pouring Into the state. AMUSEMENTS. Nell Burgess In "The County Fair" at the Mar an am. , When an actor can convince an audience for the time being that he Is really a character in theplay before them, not a man striving, parrot-like, to repeat lines as they have been read to him, he justi fies the circumstances which lead him to become a part of the little world known as the stage. And, when he can do not only that, but pursuade his rearers that he is a woman, he shows that his talents are such that he could find a field in other profession. Such an actor Is Neil Burgess, whose characterization of Abl gaIT"Prue in "The County Fair," at the Marquam last night, proved the most mirth provoking entertainment of the season. The play Is much the same as it was seen here eight or nine years ago. The Summer sunshine Is as bright as the meadow around the old home, the frost Is as thick as the window panes In the Winter, and the breath of the new-mown hay Is everything but tangible to the nos trils as It Is seen bursting the loft of the barn. The mortgage Is still there, but bereft of most of Its terrors because the audience feels that everything Is going to be all right The same old ob stinate cat Is left to warm herself on the cold outside, as best she may, and the rustic couple make love In the fashion they have always performed that duty. And Burgess is much the same, only more so, to borrow an aged expression. So perfectly natural is his every action, so familiar to everyone who has seen the New England old maid In her native haunts, that everything he does recalls an old acquaintance, and people must laugh whether ethey want to or not. They required no urging last night, however. From the first appearance of the elder ly Miss Abbie, In her corkscrew curls and cotton ffock, there was plenty to amuse them, and laughter rippled along from qne aisle to another, up to the balcony, and grew to a howl of delight In the gallery with every gesture of the wonder, ful Imitator. They soon found them selves forgetting that they were looking at a man, alluding constantly to Burgess as "she," and finding new cause for mer riment when they were reminded oi nis sex. indeed, tne deception ne pracucea Is so perfect, and so nearly Impossible, that he alone of all the many actors on the stage has ever been able to do It with any great success Chief among Mr. Burgess support was Miss C. May Rice, a mite ot an actress, who made such a bright little Taggs that she fihone, even In the light of so great a star as the man heading the company. Of attractive personal appearance, she gives to the part a brightness and charm that is the life of even' scene in which she participates, and. she receives her full share of the applause which was always bursting spontaneously from parquet to gallery. The rest of the company 1 good. Harry Stafford makes a Jolly lively Tim. John C. Fenton le an amusing Otis Tucker, and Cold Molasses made two distinct and sep arate hits, besides being the leading man In the great horse race scene, which Is the most realistic thing of Its kind ever eeen here. The scenery is unusually fine, making a perfect setting for the play. As a whole. "The County Fair" Is the most enjoyable New England comedy which has ever been seen In Portland, and those who love good honest fun. and plenty of It. with a bunch of reminiscences of the old farm thrown in. will make a mistake If they miss It. The last perform ance will be given tonight. Miss Stanton In "Frn Dlavolo." "Fra Dlavolo," Auber'e tuneful and ro mantic opera, was well put on by Il6S Josephine Stanton's company, at the Met ropolitan, last night "Fra Dlavolo" Is somewhat old, but the catchy melodies have always made it a favorite, and a good-sized house eat throughout the per formance and enjoyed It thoroughly. Th-s story of the robber chief gives the com pany a much better chance to display their powers than "Dorcas," and they proved themselves equal to the occaeion. Twenty-four hours In the balmy atmos phere of Portland had also enabled them to recuperate from the long journey which they took to reach this city. Mi33 Stanton, as Zerllna, was at her very best, and Miss Stanton's best Is something al ways worth while. The part Is well suit ed to her abilities, and her work In the second act. especially, was deserving of considerable more applause than she re ceived. "She was In excellent voice, and received several hearty encores. Mr. Hal lam, In the name part, portrayed the brigand chief In a style which was very acceptable. Lord All Cash, George Kunkel, had the principal comedy part, and as the eccen tric English lord who Is madly jealous of his young wife, made a decided hit, and George Lydlng. a3 Lorenzo, got all there was out of an indifferent part. The minor parts were well taken care of, the scenery was pretty, and the(Bhow moved with a 6nap that made it very enjoyable. "Mas cotte" Is the bill for tonight, and it is said to be the best of the company's pro ductions. Now Is Discussion Possible. New York Evening Post. The temper alike of the Administration and of the people generally regarding the treatment of Aguinaldo Is commend able. There seems to be a disposition on the part of our authorities to refrain from rigorous, measures toward him, and to utilize his Influence among the Filipinos In securing amicable relations If he Is ready to co-operate. There are also mul tiplying proofs that the public is more ready than ever before to consider seri ously and candidly the question of a per manent settlement. Independent journals like the Indianapolis News, which sup ported McKInley for re-election because It had no confidence in Bryan, are already talking of the ultimate Independence of the Islands as a goal to be kept in view. So prominent and influential a Republican Senator as Mr. Spooner, of Wisconsin, has always maintained that this solution of the problem was possible and desir able. Our Washington correspondent yesterday telegraphed that. If It shall appear, after civil government and local rule are well established In the islands, our authority Is unwelcome, many good Republicans would be In favor of with drawing It, and added the important and significant statement that "a member a" the Cabinet said to your correspondent to day that this was his view." Still Hovrllntr "Calamity." New York Mail and Express. Another token of the infinite variety of William Jennings Bryan's chronic pessi mism appears In his latest utterance con cerning the situation In the JPhllppnes. He sees nothing encouraging In the cap ture of the Tagal chieftain and the whole sale surrender of the latter s followers; he Is confident that the Issue of "Imperial Ism" Is still alive, and he declares In his customary theatrical tones that peace In the Islands "will multiply the embar rassments of the Administration." Every thing In the outlook of the fallen prophet Is as blue as Indigo. Yet If he believes what he says there Is one thin, tremulous ray of light and comfort in his somber skies. For if peace will multiply the em barrassments of the Administration he should rejoice and be glad. He has spent five long years In vain efforts to multiply those embarrassments. Innllenable Right. Omaha Bee. Representatives of the. Boers have gone Into the Federal courts to prevent the shipment of more mules to reinforce the English army. The mule has waited long for recognition of his Importance as a fighting unit of an army, but no one who has ever had anything to do with him. will question his right to be classed as a belligerent NOTE AND COMMENT. Dewet still remains unfunstonized. . Tolstoi's experience proves that he who writes must run, in Russia. Death loves a shining mark, which ex plains why he Is continually making a target of the Russian crown. Richard Mansfield advises actors not to be eccentric, and Incidentally furnishes them with a horrible example. Imitation Is a form of flattery which has not been showered very heavily about the devoted head of the Laird of Sktbo. Bryan ought to have known better than to offer Cleveland $6 for a contribution. The ex-President can get more than that for a single word at space rates. Perhaps the fact that grand opera Is not successful in Boston is .explained by the shortsightedness of the managers In not having the operas translated into Syriac. General James B. Weaver, once a cal amity candidate for President, has been elected Mayor of a llttel town In Iowa. Let Bryan look upon James B. and behokl his own finish. The friendly Filipinos who are growling about the kind treatment Aguinaldo has received should remember the scriptural information to the effect that there Ik more joy In Heaven, etc. One of the latest postofflce frauds now being Investigated by the postofflce au thorities at Washington 13 that of a dec tor who advertised to cure deafness er J1S 50 without fall. To those who sent th required amount the doctor forwarded 2305 pills, with directions to take one each day., and on no account to mist a day, or th charm would be broken, and it would ba necessary to start all over again. As that truth of this claim can not be put to the test until the end of a bout five and a half years, the authorities are puzzled whac course to take. "When drlzzlln rain la pourln' down, an' all, the sky Is gray. An winds Is slghln through the trees the hull! endurln' day. It seems a It the Summer time was navr go In to come. An all the world seems dreary like an' tfuHl an dead an" glum: But then the stlddy southwest wind, some dayt, will shift about. An everything' Is dlffer'nt when the sun cornea aut. No matter how uncomfortable you're fellnr ' 'bout the rain, No matter if you've come to think you'lltnever- smile "again. A streak o gleamln' bright blue sky will) open out some day. An then a fresh an" stlrrln breeze will blow the clouds away. An' scatter them a thousand ways, like iatth dl3pellln doubt. An jou can scent the Summer when the sun comes out. A Washington, D. C, street Arab has successfully tried a new form, of sooth saying on Senator Hanna. The Republi can chairman and Colonel Dick were standing in front of the Hanna mansion, which adjoins the theater. The two statesmen were talking and looking at some of the faraway stars, wonder ing how they might be secured for some of their Ohio friends, when the boy came up and said to Senator Hanna: "Say, mister, can't you give me a pass to your show to see you act?" When it became apparent to Senator Hanna that the boy was paying the limit of a oompllmont in mistaking him for an actor, he begam . laughing. As he dived into his trousers pocket, he said: "I am not an actor, bub. here Is 'something equally as good as a pass." The Senator gave the boy a shin ing half dollar, and. turning to Repre sentative Dick, said: "That Is a new Joke on me. I have been mistaken for a theatrical manager, but never before been taken for an actor." Dr. C. S. Latimer, the United States in sanity expert at St Elizabeth's Hospi tal. Washington, D. C, who was sent . to the PhlllDDlnes last June to Investi gate alarming reports concerning tho prevalence of mental diseases among the troops on duty there, Informs the Bal timore Sun that ho found that the num ber and character ot tho cases were en tirely overestimated: that thero are about 25 cases of Insnnity each month In an Army consisting of about 60.000 men, which Is about & of 1 per cent The vast majority of these cases are simply mel ancholia, and are easily cured. The ma jority of the cases are practically cured by the trip home, the doctor says. "The charge that the majority of the boys went crazy from drinking is untrue, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union to the contrary notwithstanding. Some undoubtedly did drink to excess, but many of my patients could not procure liquor If they tried, because their post pas In the place where none was to be had for love or money." , ; Strength, of the Army. Chicago Record. The recently enacted Army law makes It mandatory upon the President to main tain a force of at least 53,924 men, but leaves It to his discretion to augment this force when necessary to 100,000. It is now announced that the President believes there will be no Immediate necessity for enlisting the full quota of 100.000 troops, the situation in the Philippines and else where being such as to warrant him in maintaining the minimum force. If this Is the case the country will enjoy the im modlate benefits which were aimed at In planning for an elastic form of organiza tion. The threat of "militarism" Involved In the maintenance of an army of 10O,t 000" was slight enough, but an honest pur pose to keep the Army down to the mini mum consistent with safety still further decreases that danger. PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGRATHERS Cholly That fellow Kostlque said I was a perfect Idiot. Jack Oh, don't mind him. He always did exaggerate a little. Philadelphia Record. Showing Him His Place. He (complacently) I'm Just beginning to find my place In'the world? She (Innocently Dear me I How hu mlllatlng! Fun. "You have broken the Sabbath, Johnny,'" said a good man to his son. "Yes." said his little sister, "and mother's long comb, too, right In three pieces." Glasgow Evening Times. "Why didn't you come last evening, aa you promised?" his sweetheart asked him severely. "I had to attend a pound party " "I am so glad. Brother George said he thought he saw you at the slugging- match." Philadelphia Times. No Room for Doubt "You ipeak with great posltlveness about the sincerity of our friend's religion." "There can be no doubt whatever ot his sincerity," was the answer. "Why, sir, that man would rather go to church on Sunday than play golf." Washington Star. One On the Tenant, Landlord I Just cama over to tell you that I've decided to raise your Tenant (Interrupting) Well, you needn't bother about It. I've decided to move. Landlord Oh! I merely desired to say that I had decided to raise your porch where It seema to sag there at the corner, and also to paper the bedrooms, but. of course, you will not, since you have decided to move, care to hear anything further about my plans. Good day., I hope you'll like It where you're golnjr. Chi cago Timea-jieraia. 9 U