inrvcxgftfr
THE MOENIN& OKEGONIAK, MONDAY, JULY 8, IDOL
SDto rsgomcut
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as eecond-claaa matter.
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For sale in Los Angeles by B. F. Gardner,
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1 i
TODAY'S WEATHER Fair; westerly winds.
YESTERDAY'S WEATHER-Maxlmum tem
perature, 74; minimum temperature, 51; fair.
PORTLAND, 3IOXDAY, JULY 8, 100
PRIVING US TO SOCIALISM.
Combinations of capital and greed of
trusts are carrying a constant stream
of reinforcements into the ranks of
state socialism. Such growth as social
Ism is making in the United States
and it Is alarmingly rapid is due chief
ly to the Carnegies, Rockefellers, Mor
gans and others of their description.
It Is becoming Increasingly difficult for
those who oppose the socialistic spirit
.and its demands to maintain a stand
against its progress, while the great
monopolists, whose combinations are
rapidly getting control of the main
industries of the country, are so busy
and so successful in supplying argu
ments to those who insist that the only
remedy lies In their proposal that the
state shall take over the instruments
of production and distribution. For
there are increasing numbers who be
lieve this the only remedy, and under
the operations of the syndics and mo
nopolists they are multiplying year by
yaronreometrlcal ratios. That the
jilferapt-tb apply this remedy would be
after, not only to the country, but
raHsation, The Oregonlan does not
..JgUrtalna doubt But nothing can
prevenfthe people from making an ef
fort to apply this remedy, if the greed
of the monopolists shall be continued
and no other remedy that promises
anything shall appear.
Here is the steel trust deciding by
vote of its direptors to put both its pre
ferred and Its common shares upon the
list of paying securities. To pay divi
dends on the common stock means the
withdrawal of stupendous sums from
the trust's receipts from sales and their
distribution among shareholders. In
round numbers there are $550,000,000
each of the common and preferred
shares, so the declaration of the divi
dends means the distribution to the
stockholders of no less than $60,500,000
every year, of which $15,125,000 is to
be paid out at once. This vast sum is
supposed to represent the profits of the
syndicate after paying the operating
fexpenses, the Interest on the large
amount of bonds of the underlying com
panies and on the $304,000,000 of bonds
issued In exchange for the Carnegie
Steel Company properties. The charges
on the company's own 'bonds alone
amount to over $15,000,000 yearly, so
that In its interest and dividends the
syndicate will have to make an annual
disbursement of $75,500,000. It is an
nounced Chat $26,500,000 has been earned
in three months, which would be at the
rate of $100,000,000 a year. The divi
dends on the preferred stock and Inter
est of bonds would absorb only $53,
500,000. leaving $52,500,000 for the com
mon stock, or nearly 10 per cent.
This is an inordinate profit, not only
because money cannot earn 10 per cent
except under conditions far removed by
favoritism from free competition, but
also because of the notorious fact that
the trust markets its wares abroad at
much lower prices than the tariff en
ables it to charge at home. The effect
of such enormities is to arouse the
spirit of antagonism to corporations
and to wealth. The effect is already ap
parent even here in Portland, where we
have to fight against socialism in the
preparation of a city charter.
RISE OF THE SHIRT WAIST.
The fierce heat which has prevailed
for more than a week throughout the
Eastern States has done more for the
cause of the shirt waist for men than
cculd be accomplished by any number
of arguments in favor of the innova
tion. Two ministers, one in St. Xiouis
and one in Decatur, 111., recently ap
peared in their pulpits clad-in cool and
comfortable shirt waists, and by pre
cept and example encouraged their par
ishioners to go and do likewise. The
Pullman Company has withdrawn its
absurd order forbidding costless young
men to eat in its dining-cars, and fu
nerals are now about the only func
tions which cannot be attended with
propriety in shirt waists.
Most of the prejudice against the
new garment has grown out of itB
name. The word3 shirt waist, usually
accompanied by pink as a qualifying
adjective, hitherto conveyed an idea of
one of those tucked and plaited af
fairs narrowing down to a small com
pass at the waist, and flaring out stiff
ly at the bust, which look so comfort
able on a pretty girl, but which would
hardly become a man. The jocose car
toonist, always keen for some subject
worthy of his pencil, embraced the op
portunity afforded by the Introduction
?f dress reform among men to clothe
jocled idiots with these affairs, and
iragrapher hurled gibes at the
ientt until the public, always
easily moved to ridicule, took up the
ehout, and. the shirt waist was given
a "bad name. Buf. now that It is com
ing into general use and has been seen'
frequently about the streets of the
large cities, the voice of calumny is no
longer raised against it, and it is be
ginning to get its du.
Why a young man dressed In a cool,
comfortable waist, with a stock or collar
and a pair of trimmed cuffs, should be
any more ridiculous than a Summer girl
in the feminine version of the same
garment is something which is not read
ily found out. It has long been the
custom at Summer resorts for men
to wear coci outing flannel shirts, with
a belt instead of suspenders, and no
one has ever thought of pointing the
finger of scorn at them when an un
usually sultry day prompted them to
lay aside their coats. Here, in fact,
was the first step in the evolution of
the shirt waist, for the belt was found
to be but a poor substitute for suspend
ers, and as suspenders are useful but
not ornamental, youths who cared to
make a neat appearance were loth to
discard their coats. So Comfort stepped
in where Fashion had long feared to
tread and devised an article of wear
ing apparel which concealed the offen
sive "galluses" Without adding an extra
stitcb of clothing, and Fashion, her
iBr n..tf.i af.nnii.Pl
and. lo! the shirt waist was here.
And we may remark In passjng that
it is here to stay. Such a sensible style
will, after the voice of malice has been
stilled, be eagerly welcomed and tena
ciously retained, and in another Sum
mer the man who swelters inside a
coat on a hot Summer day will be the
butt of ridicule rather than he who
clothes himself as airily and coolly as
he may,
THE PRESIDENT'S PROTEGES.
Eugene Coffin, who has been appoint
ed a Paymaster in the regular Army,
with the rank of Major, was formerly
a clerk In Wlllard's Hotel In Washing
ton. He served in President McKin
ley's regiment during the Civil War.
Two years ago he was appointed to the
Volunteer Pay Corps by the President,
and a few weeks ago he was discharged
from that service to accept the position
in the regular Army. His chief quali
fication for the public service would
seem to be the fact that he is reported
to be "an accomplished musician,"
which recalls the declaration at Buck
Fanshawe's funeral that beyond dis
pute "he makes a nice, quiet corpse."
There is fresh news of another of the
President's pete, an ex-officer of the
line of the regular Army, Charles
Newbold, who was appointed from civil
life to be an additional Paymaster of
Volunteers in March, 1899, and in July
of the same year was transferred to a
Paymastershlp In the regular Army,
with the rank of Major. At the time of
his staff appointment Newbold had
been thirty-two years out of the regu
lar Army, and was about 60 years of
age. He was in the dairy business In
Washington, and was the President's
milkman. As a man who had had
some military experience, of course,
Newbold knew that he had no busi
ness in honesty or honor to seek the
position of Paymaster if he was phys
ically unfit for its duties. But in 1900
he was ordered from the station of St
Paul, Minn., to the Philippines, and
when the Chief Paymaster at Manila
directed him to go into the field to pay
the troops, he objected on the ground
of an organic trouble forbidding severe
exertion and exposure. The Chief Pay
master wished to have him sent before
a Retiring Board, but Newbold ap
pealed to General MacArthur, who at his
request sent him back to the United
States. On his return to Washington
a Retiring Board reported that his dis
ability was not contracted In the line
of duty, and recommended that he be
wholly retired that is, separated from
the service altogether, with one year's
extra pay. The President cannot whol
ly retire an officer without such a rec
ommendation from a board; but, on the
other hand, the board's function Is only
advisory, and the President, after in
voking it, is not compelled to abide by
the recommendation. President Mc
Klnley has done nothing in this In
stance, and Newbold will retire next
month on three-quarters pay of a
Major, or $2500 a year.
This case has disgusted Secretary
Root so intensely that he proposes here
after to subject appointees to staff of
fices to physical examination, so that
Jt will no longer be possible for a man
to be appointed to a position for whose
duties he is by his own confession
physically unfit Newbold has enjoyed
the pay and emoluments of a Paymas
tershlp without doing any duty, while
officers who have served through the
Civil War. the Cuban War, in the Phil
ippines and in China are Btlli doing
full duty and enduring hardship on a
Captain's pay, with small chance of a
majority before retirement. Newbold's
former Army service was limited to
six years, from 1861 to 1867, but he took
no part in any of the battles of the
Civil War.
Another protege .of the President's
is Calvin I. Cressey, of California, re
cently dismissed from the Naval Acad
emy for hazing, whom the President
has pardoned, and thus made eligible
for reappointment Cressey will soon
be back in Annapolis to prove that the
most obstreperous cadet can afford to
defy the discipline of the Naval Acad
emy if he has political pull enough to
extort a pardon from William McKin
ley. The discipline of the Army and
Navy, like the integrity of the Civil
Service, is broken down by the Presi
dent on the appeal of his friends.
MONEY, MARKETS AND TRADE.
Portland and that large portion of
the Pacific Northwest for which she Is
the financial and commercial headquar
ters are going into the second half of
the year under most favorable circum
stances. Bank clearings, which make
the most accurate of all business bar
ometers, show an increase of over 10
per cent for the first week in July, as
compared with those of a year ago,
which In turn were the largest on rec
ord for the corresponding week. This
showing is all the more remarkable
when it is considered that the wheat
crop is not making the demands on
banks that it was making a year ago.
when the season was fully two weeks
farther advanced. Oregon, Washing
ton and Idaho are now about ready to
harvest a big wheat crop. This will be
the fifth successive good year for grow
ers, and as prices have averaged fairly
good for that period, the financial con
dition of the farmers is very much bet
ter than It has been in the past The
independent position of the farmer is
reflected to a certain extent in the
country banks, which are not making
such heavy 'drafts on Portland for
money with which to handle the com
ing crop.
, It Is thus evident that the priper-
ity of the country no longer depends
on the wheat crop alone, for Portland
is taking care of a greater volume of
business than ever before at a period
when wheat is not having much effect
on the situation. The heavy movement
of wool is one of the big factors in the
trade just at present, and when it is
considered that the season opened with
practically the entire 1900 clip still on
hand, and that .now both clips are
well out of the way, it Is apparent
that the Industry has put more money
In circulation within the past sixty
days than ever before in the same pe
riod. Sheep, cattle and horses have
also been trailing out of Portland ter
ritory in numbers greater than at any
previous time in the past ten years.
Good prices have been realized, and
as the stockmen were enabled to cease
paying interest and lifting mortgages
two or three years ago, their money
now finds It way into the avenues of
general trade.
Along the Columbia River and In
the Willamette Valley and Southern
Oregon the greatest activity is shown
in the lumbering and logging Industry.
Much as we may regret the rapid pass
ing of our big forests of fine timber, the
business of converting it into lumber
is supplying employment for an indus
trial army of large proportions, and
In many localities gardens and farms
are taking the places of the forests,
assuring another class of wealth-producers
later on. Small fruits, like
cherries, berries, currants, etc., are
turning out well, and have brought
more money to the producers than In
any previous year since the Industry
attained proportions of consequence.
By far the worst feature In business
in this immediate locality has been
the remarkably poor run of salmon,
the pack to date being about the small
est in twenty years, and not even the
record-breaking price paid being suf
ficient to admit of any money In the
business for any one connected with
It There was some Improvement in
the run toward the close of the week,
and while, owing to the enormous
amount of gear in the water, a good
July run Would work wonders with
the pack, it is too late to hope for
anything like anaverage output.
Activity In building, especially in the
residence line, continues unabated, and
there Is an attendant demand for lum
ber, sash, doors and other similar ma
terial, together with plenty of work for
both skilled and unskilled carpenters.
July is always regarded as a quiet
month in shipping, but the first week
made an excellent showing in the
charter of two 6000-ton steamships to
load lumber at Portland, with a third
steamer of the same size taken for
July wheat loading. The first grain
ship of the new season finished load
ing Saturday, and another will fol
low during the coming week. Real
estate does not seem to be sharing in
the general prosperity. With money
plentiful and cheap, and natural trade
conditions seldom, if ever, better than
they are at this time, there Is little
or no Improvement in prices of either
Improved or unimproved property lying
within the city limits. This dullness is
in a large measure due to high taxes,
and to the clouds resting on a large
proportion of the property in the city
and county through failure of the
proper authorities to collect taxes when
they were due. Newcomers hesitate
about buying property wjiere ts.,Q,is.tory
Is lost in such a bewildering maze as
that which surrounds it at the tax
collector's office.
rfEED OP CONCERTED ACTION.
In some recent discussion The Ore
gonlan has pointed out to business men
the need of concerted effort to further
the Interests of Portland. Of organiza
tions we have a surfeit in the Chamber
of Commerce, the Board of Trade and
the Manufacturers' Association, the
transportation committee of the Cham
ber of Commerce, and to a certain 'ex
tent may be Included the Commercial
Club. Each of these bodies works on a
line of Its own, which not infrequently
puts it at cross-purposes with the
others. The result is that what should
be somebody's business has become
everybody's business, and is therefore
nobody's business. Nothing is done tb
advertise the state or make known
Portland's unequaled position as a com
mercial center, or encourage buyers to
come here to trade.
In an article published last week The
Oregonlan pointed out Portland's situa
tion as the trade center of the Colum
bia River Valley and the port of Pa
cific Coast commerce, and suggested
that the most ought to be made of the
opportunity offered. The work Is here
to be done an abundance of it Have
we not men who are equal to it, capable
of stimulating enthusiasm and keeping
the furnace at white heat? Let us
take a glance at some of our moving
spirits and see what class .of material
we have to take the lead for public ad
vancement. Who has been a more will
ing servant of the interests of commer
cial Portland than General Charles F.
Beebe? Two years ago he went East
on a mission for the Chamber of Com
merce and stated Portland's case with
such force and clearness to the Admin
istration that we were awarded a share
of the transport business. We would
have received still better treatment If
the promises made to General Beebe at
Washington had been fulfilled. George
Taylor) Jr., was the essence of energy
when he was president of the Chamber
of Commerce. He attended to the ardu
ous duties df his position to the neglect
of his own affairs, and was ever ready
for a call to service, even if Jt came in
the middle of the night But for him
It Is doubtful if the $250,000 appropri
ated for the Columbia River in the last
sundry civil bill ever would have been
vouchsafed by Congress. Herman Wit
tenberg is not a bit afraid to talk Port
land wherever he goes. When he went
into business on a large scale he ran
his eye over the map between British
Columbia and Mexico and reached out
one hand for the trade in that terri
tory and the other hand for what he
could grasp in Hawaii and Asia. He
is here because he knows Portland Is
a rattling good town, and he is going
to stay here and make it a bigger and
better town. Arthur H. Devers is an
other of the salt of Portland. Theo
dore B. Wilcox has spent piles of money
to open a market for Oregon flour in
Asia and other parts"of the world. No
man could be more enterprising than
Mr. Wilcox. Hon. H. W. Corbett, who
was by some thought "too old" only a
few months ago to sit in the United
States Senate, has taken hold of the
1905 fair project with ail the fire and
optimism of youth. L. A. Lewis has
inherited the push and skill of his dis
tinguished father, and Is a sincere be
liever In a greater Oregon and a greater
Portland. Who has not seen the mirth
In Dan McAllen'e eye, the toss of Dan
McAUen's head and the twirl of Dan
IMcAiien's finger as Dan McAUen took
the floor to declare himself In favor of
anything from a Fourth of July blow
out to a centennial celebration if it
would help the town?
The few who have been mentioned
here are simply types of the energy
there Is In the town. Many mbre might
be mentioned, and still the list would
by no means be complete. We do not
lack material for a giant forward move
ment. It 4s organization that we are
short of. Is it not a bit singular that
with all the good clay we have for
molding we are depending upon the
Nature that gave us the most agreeable
climate and productive country under
the heavens to advertise the fact to the
world; that we are In a measure wait
ing for trade to come to us instead of
reaching out and pulling It in? Noth
ing comes nowadays without effort.
Competition In the commercial world
Is too keen for the seller to await at
his ease the coming of the buyer. We
may talk about down grades to Port
land from ever so large a region, but
we must remember that it takes some
expenditure of force to give the car
the 'start that will roll it down hill.
Just so It Is with our appeal for the
opening of the Columbia River to free
navigation. We shall not get it In rea
sonable time unless we make the ef
fort It will take work to get the pro
ject started In Congress, and work, and
plenty of It, to keep the ball rolling so
that it shall not be held up for twenty
years, as the Cascades Locks improve
ment was. To every person interested
in the welfare of Portland it must be
evident that concerted action for the
general welfare is what we require nbw.
The scarcity of harvest help corre
sponds with that of domestic help an
army of young men and maidens,
women and. men of middle age, of the
laboring class, apparently preferring
idleness to work, unless they can secure
positions that carry with them the
minimum of labor with the maximum
of pay. Gentility of employment, which
is usually imaginary. Is also taken
more or les3 Into account In vain
farmers appeal to men to come out and
help them gather in their hay-, offering
$1 25 per day and board Equally in
vain do housewives seek girls for do
mestic service, offering wages equal
to those paid In department stores,
telephone offices, etc., with the addi
tional recompense of board and lodg
ing. Harvest work and housework are
old-fashioned employments. To the
latter, especially the title of "servant,"
Is attached the term "hired hand," as
applied to the laborer in the former vo
cation being not so objectionable. When
it is considered that every clerk in
every railroad office In the country is
a servant of the corporation for which
he works; that the typewriter who sits
at the elbow of the manager Is a ser
vant, whose duties are exacting and
constant; that, in fact, every employe
who performs the routine work of the
office or takes orders from the man
ager is a servant in the literal mean
ing of that term, it Is impossible to
sympathize very deeply with those
who, to escape the general title of all
who serve, whether with their hands
or brains, or both, In any and every
vocation to which labor is called scorn
the wholesome atmosphere of the home
and the field, and hang about the bul
letin boards of intelligence offices seek
ing employment. The housemaid Yno
brhigs to her vocation a- cheerful spirit
and competent hands dignifies labor,
even though she be termed the "serv
ant," and wear a calico dress, while
the girl (and her name Is multitude)
who sits wearily for a stated number of
hours at the telephone In a "stunning"
silk shirt waist and tie pays the penalty
of unsheltered girlhood in being scolded
over the line by every snob, male and
female, who can pay the monthly rental
of an. Instrument, for the pleasure of
being known as a "hello girl," Instead
of a servant The former title Is odious
because old-fashioned; the latter
charming because up-to-date. To be
sure, the service in the latter instance
is far more exacting than in the former,
but then the servitor in the latter is not
a "servant." She Is only a "telephone
girl," and like a multitude of her sisters
in outside vocations she counts this dis
tinction as a great gain, socially.
It Is said in England by the "antls"
they have 'em there, too that "Brit
ish prestige has suffered great loss
through the war policy pursued in Af
rica." But what if the opposite policy
had been pursued? Where, in that
case, would B.ritlsh prestige be? No
country having any pretensions to dig
nity and empire could accept the In
sulting ultimatum which the Boers sent
to the British Government Since that
ultimatum was Issued, subjugation of
the Bpers has been the alternative of
the dissolution of the British Empire.
"Father" Clark bespeaks a concerted
religious movement like the modern in
dustrial and railroad consolidations. It
is worth thinking of. Certainly, if har
monizations that really harmonize are
justifiable In any field, they are In the
arena of denominational warfare. The
ruinous competition of numberless
churches where fewer would suffice and
prosper is something that would put
to the blush the most unscrupulous
rate-cutting traffic manager.
The remark comes from Astoria that
"Portland Is away behind the times"
and "lacks enterprise." Pray, where Is
Astoria, and what does she lack? As
toria, that existed nearly a half century
before Portland was named. Is It said
that this is a poor and unworthy kind
of contention? Well, so it is. But tit
for tat Is the only argument' that some
people can understand.
The highest circles In China doubt
less regard with loathing the spec
tacle of Chinese waifs brought up in
the families of American missionaries
or other foreign devils. This reversal
of our agitation over white children In
Chinese homes is as natural and justi
fiable as our own.
Community of interests Is all right
in theory, but why doesn't it forbid
the Southwest rate-cutting and keep
the O. R. & N. from getting up the
Willamette Valley?
Quality of Infallibility.
Kansas City Star.
According to Mr. Bryan's thory of poli
tics, once an issue always an issue. In
his scheme of procedure there Is no such
thing as dropping, modifying or repudiat
ing a declaration once. made. Every com
mitteeman or delegate must subscribe to
the last National platform. Delegates
and committeemen must make their new
declarations conform to that platform. No
matter what the people say, the "organi
zation," otherwise the "machine," must
see that this plan is carried out Under
such a rigid system it would be impos
sible to correct an error. Only a supreme
egotist like Bryan, who attributes to him
self the Quality ot infallibility, would
1 formulate party policies along such line's.
TIMBER-CLAIM ' FRAUDS. .
PORTLAND, JulyT (To the Editor.)
In The Oregonlan recently I read the fol
lowing dispatch from Helena:
The United States grand Jury made a "flnal
report tonight, returning 102 Indictments. Thwy
are almost all against land locators In the.
Missoula land district, and charge perjury in
swearing that they filed upon lands for per
sonal use, whereas they transferred them sopn
after securing title. The lands comprise about
15,000 acres. The persons Indicted Include
school teachers, ranchers, servant girls, and.
in fact, all classes of people.
I do not understand what the Intention
of tne law nor its meaning is under such
conditions. I am trying to locate some
new-comers on Government lands. Some
desire to file homesteads and some timber
claims; but the act of the grand jury in
the Montana case blocks all proceedings.
New settlers reading the account do not
know what to do. They are at a loss to
understand the intention ot the Govern
ment First the land is sold by the Govern
ment to a man or woman for $2 50 per
acre, and then the Government Indicts
the purchaser for selling this land they
have paid for too vsoon after having
bought it. Does the Government Intend
that the land shall not be sold by the
new-comer, and that he must keep it for
ever as his property? Or is there a cer
tain time set by Che Government that a
purchaser must hold the land before sell
ing? Any other realty sold to a pur
chaser ends the seller's title and control
when the property is paid for. Why not
the same with the Government? It sells
a quarter-section of land for $400 and gets
Its money, and that la the end of It Then
why should not the buyer have the right
a few days after to sell the same to a
lumber firm at a profit? He and no one
else Is benefited thereby. Nor one can
constructs a sawmill and go Into tne lum
ber business on 160 acres of timber land.
LOCATOR.
We fear our correspondent Is not entire
ly honest In. writing the foregoing letter.
As a locator, he has certainly learned
enough of the land laws of the country
to know that persons are not subject to
indictment because they may sell land
legitimately acquired from the Govern
ment. All land titles run back to the
Government, but every sale of real estate
does not subject the seller to IndlcCment.
But under some circumstances, sale of
land just acquired from the Government
may be circumstantial evidence that
fraud was employed in getting title. Per
jury Is a crime, and Jf the persons who
located the land in Montana swore to a
lie in order to get title to the land, they
became subject to indictment The fact
that they sold their land Immediately was'
not cause for indictment1; but it might ap
pear as one of the evidences of fraud.
The applicant for timber land must
swear that the tract Is unfit for cultiva
tion and valuable chiefly for its timber.
The oath he subscribes to also contains
the following:
I do not apply to purchase the
land above described on apecnlation,
but in good fnitlt to appropriate it
to my own exclusive use and benefit
and that I have not, directly or indirectly,-
made any agreement or
contract, In any way or manner,
-with any person or persons wkoia
soever, by vrklck the title -nrkick I
may acquire from tke Government
of the United States may inure in
vrliole or in part to the benefit of
any person except myself. '
If any person taking this oath swears
falsely he will be subject to all the pains
and penalties of perjury, and forfeit the
money he may have paid for the lands
and all right and title to them, and any
grant 6r conveyance which he may have
made, except in the hands of bona fide
purchasers, will be null and void.
It is not a crime to dispose of land ob-,
tained from the Government), no matter
how soon after title is perfected. Cir
cumstances may warrant the selling of
land Immediately. But other clrcum.
"stances may make Immediate sale strong
circumstantial evidence of fraud. It is
hardly probable that any considerable
number of persons should take land "in
good faith to appropriate it to their own
exclusive use and benefit" and not foi
speculation, not upon any agreement or
contract, direct or indirect, whereby other
persons than the applicant shall reap the
benefit It Is hardly probable that any
considerable number of persons should
take land under these circumstances and
Immediately sell out to some lumbering
concern. It Is regarded as strong evidence
of fraud when largo tracts of timber land
are taken at one time, or within a short
time, and by concert of action fall into
the hands of capitalists, who may them
selves be speculators or manufacturers.
These things do not casually happen.
There Is a very general suspicion, too,
that these operations are promoted by
professional "locators."
Those who seek homesteads or timber
claims in. good faith to comply with the
law need not be and are not deterred by
reports of indictments of those who vio
late the law. . Undoubtedly these reports
do cause hesitation among those who
expect to slip through the legal formali
ties and speculate on the Government
bounty as manifested in its liberal land
laws. It is the purpose of the Govern
ment to get people out on homesteads
to settle up and cultivate the country
and make it productive; also to assist?
citizens to get for little money timber that
they may use. If they cannot use the
timber on 160 acres, they can let It alone;
they are not called to commit perjury by
taking the land for others, who may pay
a bonus for It
The Government's present method ot
disposing of timber lands Is open to criti
cism. The lumber business of today is
not the same it was a generation ago.
While small mills may be established to
saw the timber from small tracts ot land,
the large mill Is the lumbering Institution
of the day, and timber in considerable
bodies is required for their operation.
These large bodies of timber are frequent
ly obtained by palpable violation of law.
It would doubtless be better If the Gov
ernment should sell outright to those who
would pay most for Its considerable tracts
of timber. This policy would give rise
to a great howl from those who profit
from the present! arrangement, but it
would do away with the incentive for
wholesale perjury on the part of appli
cants. It Is useless to ask why the Govern
ment imposes certain conditions on the
sale of timber lands or homesteads. The
fact is that the law is plainly thus and
so, any locator or applicant can under
stand It Those who violate the plan
provisions of the law lay themselves open
to prosecution, and it is useless to whine
about the law's requirements. If "a tim
ber applicant cannot build a sawmill and
go into the lumber business on 160 acres
of timber, that Is no reason why he should
commit perjury tb get the 150 acres. He
can stay away. True, this would ma
terially reduce the business of the pro
fessional locator, but it would do away
with many dishonest transactions. Hon
est settlers need have no fear, there is
nothing in the law that will harm them.
Settlers do not take timber land In pursu
ance of arrangements with speculators.
Settlers are all rlsht.
THE NOISES OF CIVILIZATION.
In one respect, at least, man Is still a
savage. He loves noise. The highest'
form his patriotism can assume on that
day which Is set apart by the Nation to
celebrate Its proud assertion of Independ
ence from tyranny and oppression. Is a
hallabaloo of discords, such as would not
be countenanced for a moment In a fairly
respectable insane asylum. Strangely
enough, there are times when the art of
music falls to answer the public need. On
really great occasions, when heart-strings
are tensely drawn. It is huddled out of
sight Into the backyard of our souls, In
order that savagery and noise may have
the front door. If we desire to show our
appreciation ot the airy, tender grace of a
great s'lnger's trills and roulades, or the
subtle art of the actress fh a tragically
worked-out death scene, the only satis
factory means of expression we have at
our command Is ear-spllttlng noise. We
take our joy explosively, and In, this re
spect tiie human race has not advanced a
peg beyond the stage of barbarism. Man
kind begins life with a rattle, and there
after reclsters his joy through successive
phases- of development, with the drum,
the penny whistle, the torpedo, firecrack
er, and toy cannon, the megaphone and
the graphophone. What tally-ho party
is complete without Its tin horns and toy
trumpets? What graybeard orator but
finds the sweetest music he knows In the
stormy plaudits of his audience?
Thus does noise follow us and give de
light from the cradle to the grave. The
reason for this is obvious. Regularity of
vibration, upon which music depends in
distinction from noise, which is Irregu
larity of vibration Is Impossible without a
certain amount of emotional self-control.
TJie moment the emotions pass beyond our
control, and Joy, grief, anger or fear be
come excessive, that? moment self-poise Is
lost, and with it is lost the power to pro
duce or enjoy music.
When we arrive at that stage of
psychical evolution, when "there Is no
joy but calm." noise will have disap
peared. But as this Is a consummation
hardly to be looked for In the human race
as a whole, it Is probable that man, to
the end of his days, will continue to bo
more br less of a noise-loving animal. This
will in part explain why he finds it so
easy to accommodate hlmseV to the In
numerable noises that characterize our
civilization; the crazy locomotive whis
tles, the bawling of rowdy boys, the bel
lowing of street venders, Vhe clanging of
3treet-car bells, the clatter of heavy
wagons, the low roar of machinery, the
click of the typewriter, the practicing of
beginners on the piano, the excited chat
ter of Irritated men and women, the ring
ing of the telephone bell, the hurly-burly
that follows a fire alarm.
Man's power of adjusting himself to
his environment is so great that he could
in time, If necessary, accustom himself
to sleeping with his ear to a foghorn; but
it Is a question well worth asking, wheth
er in these days man is not Inclined to
adapt himself too readily to the needs of
civilization. Would it not, on the whole,
be better to adapt! civilization to the needs
of man?
Certainly the noises of every-day life
are more nerve-racking and life-shortening
than we realize. This-, at least is the
opinion of certain eminent physicians.
About four years ago an anti-noise cru
sade was started by a wrltef in the North
American Review. The cry was Immedi
ately taken up by editorial writers and
medical men all over this country and Eu
rope, who predicted a general nervous col
lapse of the civilized nations, unless a
reform was instituted.
All sorts of hints were dropped as to
methods of mitigating the evil. One
writer suggested automobiles In place of
horses; a more general use of asphalt
pavement; rubber tires on wheels, which
actually Increase the life of a vehicle
one-fourth, and reduce the cost of repairs
one-half. Another proposed that fog
horns, whistles, fire bells, cable-car gongs,
church bells, etc., should be tuned In har
mony. Roadbeds under railway trains
may be deadened. Slamming doors may
be made to produce music; all the doors
to a house, in fact, might' be made to emit
notes of one majestic chord. Rocking
chairs and cradles could sing soothing airs
or lullabies. One kind-hearted experl
mentor, Dr. Paul RIverra, of Munich, has
a laboratory filled with curious contriv
ances of hl3 own invention for producing
a quiet atmosphere for his patients
The noise of machinery may be dead
ened by the use of hair felt, placed be.
tween engine bedplates and foundation
capsJones, and underneath rails subject to
heavy traffic. Cork has been used in
Germany with the same end in view. "Vi
bration absorbers" in the shape of a sep
arate foundation of brick and mortar for
each engine In large manufacturing es
tablishments are said, however, to be the
true solution for the majority of machin
ery vibration problems.
One of the greatest) of city nuisances
has been the hauling of Iron or steel rails
through th8 streets. Tho clatter, made
by these is almost beyond endurance to
nervous people and invalids. The Board
of Aldermen in New Tork City therefore
passed an ordinance making It unlawful
to do this, unless the rails were so loaded
as to prevent? them from jarring against
one another. On May 6, 1S97, the first ar
rest was' made for violating this. ordi
nance, and a fine of $25 Imposed. Today,
as a consequence, steel rails aro quite
generally wrapped In old carpet or burlap
to deaden the sound.
But notwithstanding all these carefully
planned devices for cheating civilization
of its prey man mothers and fathers
who havo In their hands" the training of
the young, continue recklessly to defeat
the efforts of philosophers and reformers.
For does not half of the Joy of babyhood
He In a rattle? And what schoolboy,
pray, would find Fourth of July tolerable
without a bunch of firecrackers?
GERTRUDE METCALFE.
Doing Better in Germany.
New York World.
On Tuesday the Lelpzlger Bank , sus
pended. It had too rashly supported an
Industrial enterprise. On Thursday the
government Jailed Herr Exner, responsi
ble director, and the bank is In charge of
the public prosecutor.
On Tuesday the Seventh National Bank
got Into "trouble." It had rashly and by
admittedly unlawful practices supported
an Industrial enterprise. On Thursday, af
ter the authorities had done their bestj to
"smooth over" the "mistakes" of the
responsible officials, the bank suspended.
There have been no arrests, and there Is
no talk of arrests.
The Lelpzlger Bank Is In Germany, the
Seventh National Bank Is not.
Stupidity of the Foreigner.
Rochester Herald.
Curious, Isn't It, that those foreign
countries are unable to realize the ad
vantage It will be to them to admit our
products free, while we put a prohibitive
tariff on what they have to sell? But
these foreleners always were dense.
NjDTE AND COMMENT.
The Seattle political fight has passed
the gun stage, and is again on paper.
The threatened shortage of the Kansas
potato crop affords a gleam of hope to
the Populists.
Be patient, Arabella, we will say some
thing about the weather as soon as we
can think of It.
The bathing accident is patiently wait
ing for the Fourth of July casualty to get
oft the first page.
The lone highwayman once more has
become an awe-Inspiring feature of the
Eastern Oregon landscape."
Speaker Henderson has proved to King
Edward that all Americans are not like
William Waldorf Astor.
Perhaps a hundred years from now we
shall have a President who has never in
any way been associated with Ohio.
Comic papers to the contrary notwith
standing, it takes at least two yards ot
material to make a lady's bathing suit
The Presidential candidates have, tem
porarily at least, accomplished the re
markable feat of muzzllns: their friends.
General Alger Is to write a book about
the beef controversy. General Miles hag
probably prayed for this, for a long time.
If Buenos Ayres expects to draw a
crowd to that war of hers she will have
to wait till after the Pan-American Ex
position to pull it off.
At this rate, the Czar will soon be sing
ing that song of Tom Seabrooke's, whlcfc
concludes, "In fact there are only a hun
dred girls in the world for me."
A Copnectlcut couple walked 10 miles
in order to get married. They probably
deducted the mileage from the minister's
fee, with true Connecticut thrift.
Our old friend, John Smith, has been
prostrated by the heat In several of the
Eastern cities. John continues to hold tho
record for long distance ubiquity.
Perhaps there may be something in this
country Mr. Morgan would like to buy.
We are short on art, but we manufacture
an excellent quality of gold bricks.
The boy who waked the populace
With cannon bombs at dawn f
Away to wards where stealthily
The nurse's tread is gone.
But still the morning- Is profaned
By him who mows the lawn.
An Englishman staying at an Engllsl
Inn ordered a bottle of wine for luncheon
but only consumed a third of It at that
meal. When he asked for the remainder)
at dinner he was told that all wine left
at table went to the waiter as a perquisite
The landlord supported this statement!
but when a summons was issued for the
value of the missing wine the claim and)
costs were paid.
There was a teachers' institute the other
day In Eldorado, Kan., and some of the
younsr men, habited In gorgeous shirt
waists, took their seats In a row In the
rear of the room. The Instructions wcr
going along a few minutes later, where
the old professor looked over the top oc
his spectacles and said: "For this ques-t
tlon I would dike an answer from one of)
the young ladies in the back scat." (
A physician who has recently returned
from Persia says that the natives still be
lieve that human tears are a remedy for
certain chronic diseases. At every funeral
the bottling of the mourners' tears Is ono
of the chief features of tho ceremony.
Each of the mourners Is presented with a
sponge with which to mop his face and
eyes, and, after the burial, these sponges
are presented to the priest, who squeezes
the tears Into bottles, which he keeps.
A farmer named KropfT, In Dickinson
County, Kan., declared early In the Spring
that God informed him that tho wheat
crop this year would be a failure, and to
prove his belief In the revelation he soldi
his own wheat crop for $1 an acre. Tho
crophavlng turned out to be phenomenally
large, he was asked the other day to say
something In regard to the matter, and
replied: "I take It as a dispensation from
the Lord not to talk so much, and to keep
to myself hereafter what he tells me."
Philip Senior and Miss Lucile Eager, of
Paterson, N. J., were to have been mar
ried within a short time. For some rea
son the match was broken off and tha
cards recalled. Now, Miss Eager hasj
brought suit against the young man to
recover $15 for 60 meals at the rate of 25
cents per meal, and $10 for money loaned.
Miss Eager declares that she is not sup
plying meals to young men who do nofc
mean business, and she wants the money.
"There is always a scarcity of pennies
In tho West," says an official of tho Phil
adelphia Mint, "and a superabundance off
them in the East. Every little while tho
banks out there set up a hoot and cry fotf
pennies, but our banks here aro eve1
glad to rid themselves of their surplus
age in these coins. It is difficult to sef
why such a state of things should b
I'm sure a penny Is just as dear to th
Easterner's heart as to tho Westerner's;
one would no more throw a penny away
than would the other: yet here we always
have too many pennies; there they neverl
seem to have enough."
PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGRAFHBRS
Explained. "I never could see why thy al
ways called a boat 'she.' " "Evidently you
have never tried to steer one." Brooklyn Ufei
The "Wonders of Nature. Hucksley "Why. I
hardly knew you; you've got to look so roundi
Tynfile The effect of square meals, my boy.-V
Life. X,
And That's No Joke. "I sec that the distin
guished guests were warmly received at the
club." "Tcs, the thermometer was at 89."
Cleveland Plain Dealer. j
Extraordinary Devotion. "Why do you think
she is so desperately in love with html" 'She
wears a color that Isn't becoming to her, be
cause he likes it." Chicago Post.
A Heartfelt Eosr. Casey So poor Cassidy is
dead? Sure, everybody will miss hlmt Flan
nlgan They will! He was -tho only mon in
the war-rd thot cerybody could lick 1 Puck.
Pertinent Suggestion. "I wonder- how so
many forest fires catch," said Mrs. HcBride.
"Perhaps they catch accidentally from the
mountain ranges," suggested Mr. McBrldo.
Detroit Freo Press.
An Unselfish Boy. "Tommy," 'said Mre.
Glim, "you should not shoot your Are-crackers
in the house." "But I want you to enjoy them,
too, mamma." replied the thoughtful boy.
Harlem Life.
"Johnnie, your hair is wet. Tou've been
swimming again." "I fell in, ma." 'Non
sense. Your clothes are perfectly dry."
"Yes'm. I know'd you didn't want me to wet
'em, so I took 'em off before I fell In." Tit
Bits. "You see, I'm familiar with your music,"
remarked the amateur pianist after his per
formance at the muslcalc. "It seems so," re
plied tho popular composer, "at any rate, you
took a great many liberties with It" Phila
delphia Record.
The Main Thing. Miss Summergal What
have you been buying? Miss Ditto A lot of
nice novels for seashore reading. Miss Sum
mergal What are they? Miss Ditto I didn't
notice their names; but they're all bound In
green and will go well with any gown." Phil
adelphia Press
V