(THE MOJttONG 08GO$34tfs M0NlA"& DECEMBER 190, lte tm&man Entered at the Postofflce at Portland. Oregon, as aeeocdVcl&sa matter. REVISED SUBSCRIPTION RATES. By Mall (postage prepaid). In Advance Daily, with Sunday, .per month $ S5 Dally, Sunday excepted, per year 7 50 Dally, with Sunday, per yar 0 00 Bfcnday, per yeaCiC, V.J 2 00 The Weekly. pcryen..... I 50 The Weekly, 3 fijuufca... &0 To City Subscriber Dally, per week, delivered! Sundays excepted.lSc Dally, per week, del(veretl.fundays lncluded.20c POSXACE RATES. united States Canada and Mexico: 2? V kirpa&e papfc: I? Z to 2S-j)age paper. . 2a Fbrclgn rate double. News or discussion Intended for publication In The Orgc-nian should be addressed 4nvarla bly "Editor Tbe Oregonian," not to the name of any Individual; Letters relating to adcr tlsing, subscxiptlca or to any business matter should bo' addressed dmply "The Oregonian." The Oregonian dots not -buy poems or stories from individuals, and cannot undertake to re turn anj manuscript sent to It without solici tation. JCo stamps should be inclosed lor this purpose. Eastern Business Office, H3. 44. 45, 47. 4S, 40 Tribune buildlnt, jvfcw Tork City; 400 "The .Rookery,"'. Chicago; the S. C. Beckwith special Bgency, E&Btrrn representative. For rale In San Francisco by L. E. Lee, Pal ace Hotel news stand; Goldpmlth Bros., 236 Sutter street; P. W. Pitts. 1008 Market street; J. K. Cooper Co., 740 Market street, near the Palace Hotel; Foster & Orear, Ferry news stand. Fot sale In Los Angeles by B. F, Gardner, K9 So. Spring street, and Oliver & Haines, 10C ' Spring street. For sale in Chicago by the P. O. News Co.. 217 Dearborn street. Kor sale in Omaha by Barkalow Bros.. 1612 Farnam street. For sale in Salt Lake by the Salt Lako News Co.. 77 W. Second South etreet. For sale la Ogden by W. C. Kind. 204 Twenty-fifth stteet, and by C. H. Myers. Oa me in the Oregon exhibit at the exposi tion, Charleston. S. a For sale la Washington. D. C. by the Ebbett House new stand. For, sale in Denver. Colo, by Hamilton & genflrick. DgQ-912 Seventeenth street. TODAYS WEATHER-Cioudv, with occa sional rains. Winds mostly southerly. YESTERDAY'S WEATHER Maximum tem perature, 50; minimum temperature, 49; pre cipitation. 0.39 Inph, PORTLAND, MOXDAY, DECEMBER 2. A HOPELESS PROPOSAL. Xet us see and we soon shall see What President Roosevelt has to say about reciprocity. The Oregonian Is In clined to think he will merely mention St, and then will have to "give It up." For nohody in this great country of Xurs is willing to let In free of duty foreign commodities of the same kinds a3 those he himself produces. He may be altruistic enough to let In other kinds, but he wants, "protection" for his own. And this is general. Reciprocity would mean extension of the free list, or reduction of duties on the commodi ties that are to be admitted. It Is wholly Incompatible with maintenance of- the present "protective." system; which, by the way, we are told, Is too sacred to be meddled with at all. Almost everything not produced in .our country is now admitted free. "We can extend the list very little unless we let in competing commodities. But it Is asserted that not one jot or tittle shall pass from the protective tariff law. At what point is the system to give way? Manufacturers doubtless want free Taw materials. But this would, raise the old dispute as between the manu facturers and the producers of the -materials of manufacture. It would quick ly overthrow the whole protective sys tem. "We all know what our wool growers -would say. And what our prunegrowors would say. We have great numbers among us who will keep their eyes shut to the Iniquities of the steel trust's operations protected in the domestic while it sells at lower prices in the foreign markets only so long as they suppose they are getting advantage for themselves through pro tection of the products of their fields, orchards, dairies, forests and mines. President McKInley talked about rec iprocity, but never indicated how he would handle this intricate business. He attempted no suggestion as to de tails. It is, in fact, practically impos sible without surrender of very impor tant parts of the protective system; and the leaders in Congress have given It out that there are to be no tariff re ductions. "We shall therefore expect President Roosevelt's reference to reciprocity, so called, to be merely perfunctory. The tariff wall is not to be lowered yet. WHEAT MARKET A PUZZLE. Famine-stricken Russia only shipped 1,S0S,000 bushels of wheat last week, a (material decline from the 2,544,000 bush els shipped the week previous, the 2,400, '000 bushels and the 1,861,000 bushels in 'the first week in November and last week in October. These shipments from Russia would be of about the right di mensions for a season of good crops, and the manner in which they hold up right along with the tales of dire dis tress due to a poor crop are suspicious. 'Naturally, with the season for naviga tion about to close, exports have been rushed a little, but it is apparent that something besides th.is fact Is respon sible for these shipments keeping up to their present proportions. There is a possibility that the poverty-stricken people of the famine-infested districts are using a less expensive food than wheat, and that by diversifying their rations they have left that country with nearly a normal exportable sur plus. There are so many factors to be con sidered in shaping up estimates of the .probable supplies of wheat in seasons like the present that accuracy is im possible, and accordingly even the old est operators are unable to forecast the 'market with any degree of certainty. The American crop Is undoubtedly the 'largest on record, but if Russia "made good" on her short-crop stories, the surplus in this country would com mand higher figures. As It Is, prices have not advanced sufficiently to meet the views of many of the holders, and In some sections where the corn crop was so near a failure large quantities of wheat are being fed to animals in place of maize. The movement has been sufficient, however, to swell the American "visible!' nearly 10,000,000 bushels -in the past three weeks, and it is now nearly 50,000,000 bushels. Whether or not the wheat which is now taking the place of corn for feed ing will be needed later is uncertain, but it is apparent that heavy shipments from Russia are making a very satisfac tory stand-off for all the wheat that is being fed rfc this country. Argentine shipments have fallen away to almost nothing, but this is to be expected in that country at this season of the year, and has no particular bearing on the situation. Recent reports regarding the coming crop in that country have a 'better tone, and, as usual the damage I la much smaller than first reported, al though the crop will not be up to the average. The Psclnc Coast has been a very free lieller of wheat since the open ing of the" season", and has contributed tt larger portion than usual to tho quan tities on passage, and the price is how hanging around a figure which is at least satisfactory enough to keep ex porters rustling for ships ylth which to take care of the offerings. . The growing importance of the Pacific Northwest as a factor in the grain trade Is shown by the very heavy ship ments that have been made for. the sea son to date. With no attempt at forc ing the market, exporters and millers have put afloat Ih wheat and flour from Portland and Puget Sound In the first five months of the season over 13,000,0K) bushels, or over 2,000,000 bushels more than in any corresponding period 111 former years. Of this amount, over. 9,000,000 bushels went out afe Wheat for Europe, and ah but a single cargo of this season's fleet has arrived out, prttc tlcally the entire amount la afloat "The fleet will commence arriving out in large numbers within the next thirty days, and, together with the heavy ishlpments from California, may have a bearish effect on the market. Portland alone ,has 5,000,000 bushels of wheat afloat for. Europe; and for the benefit of the holders of the remaining 10,000,000 or 12,000,000 bushels Which will yet go for ward from this city it is hoped that it will "find buyers and consumers eager for It when it reaches the Old Wrld. PAYIXG THE PRICE. All was not serene at the Democratic caucus in Washington Saturday. Cer tain resolutions, offered by George 3. McCMellan, of New York, designed to turn the party's back to the past and Its face to the future, offended Repre sentative Ball, of Texas, who assured the Gold Democrats: "We can never win unless men calling themselves Democrats support the National plat forms of theDemocratlc party." Mr. McCIellan miy be right, but Mr. Ball is not wrong. That is, however astray he may be on finance or the rights of private Interpretation, he is not wrong in his idea that the platforms of 1896 and 1900 are to be laid jauntily away like a garment and forgotten in a night. It Is not good morals that one can make a misstep and not lose his pace; that he can wander in by-paths and bring up with the procession that has kept the true way. Mr. Fitzgerald, of New Tork, says the money question is settled. The Democrats did what they could for silver, but the country wouldn't have it. 'The country wants the gold standard has declared for it twice; so let it go at that Industry cannot abide uncertainty as to the legaL standard of- value, therefore let us recognize the gold standard and turn to other things. Thus we shall harmonize the par,ty and regain the country's confidence. But this will not do. It so happens that the loyal adherents of Bryan and silver are not the men to be thus put down. They are unwilling that those who defeated them in 1896 and 1900 shall now assume to dictate the tenets of the party. If they will come back to the family board, let them sit at the foot of the table. Thelr part Is not dictation, or even counsel, but silence and humility. Par,ty regularity must be maintained, party discipline must be enforced. They who bore the bur den and heat of the day will not make way for eleventh-hour arrivals who have been but now In the hands of the enemy. Upon the privacy of this domestic broil It behooves not the outsider to in trude, but the Bryanite Democrats cling not more stubbornly to their financial planks than clings the business senti ment of the country to Its distrust of the party. The horse that runs away is never worth quite so much again for family use. We do not advertise for ex-convicts to entrust with our valu ables. Memory, in short, is a most in convenient institution for erring men and parties. If Mr. McCIellan and Mr. Fitzgerald could have their way, and enunciate through the Congressional caucus that the Democratic party now, as ever. Is in favor of honest money, suppression of riot, and support of the flag everywhere and always, that would not make It so. That would not re move the attainder of dishonesty and disloyalty that rests upon their party for its course the past few years. Years of penance must atone for the wild de bauch of one July day at Chicago in 1896. A MATTER OF POLITICAL PRU- DEXCE. In his annual report, recently pub lished, Terence "V. Powderly, General Commissioner of Immigration, placed special stress upon the necessity of the restriction of Immigration within the limits of a political prudence which represents the safety of our institu tions. The "unchecked and unregulated introduction into the body politic of ele ments unassimllated, and In many cases unassimllable," Mr. Powderly re gards as dangerous to the peace and security of the Republic In his view. Congress must enact suitable legisla tion, -either with or without the co-operation of, tfie states, for the purpose of distributing the alien population with some reference to the law of supply and demand. Otherwise a great and growing evil, as represented by those unassimllable hordes, will threaten and notf and again disturb the social and civil order of the country, with results perhaps temporarily of a local nature, but in time far-reaching and disastrous. He urges an awakening to the under taking as a measure of self-preservation, not necessarily as a means to shut off immigration, or even materially to diminish it, but to deal with It so that It may cease to be the menace that it now is t social and civic order. That there is a menace In carelessly admitting to the rights and privileges of citizenship the hordes that come hither, unchallenged, except as to their physical ability to earn a livelihood, the records of our political, social and in dustrial life plainly show. Mr. Powder ly, who was for some years the head of the organization known as the Knights of Labor, may be considered authority on the question which he raises anew in his report No one knows better than he, because no one has had a better chance to know, through personal obser vation and official touch with foreign ers of the mischief-breeding class, how detrimental tc the best interests of labor is the wholesale admission of these people Into the Industrial life of the country, and how impossible it is, when once here and in the hands of vote-getters and labor agitators, to con trol or eliminate such an element The fact that in past years our spirit of National hospitality has outrun our po-. litlcal prutence la well nrovea ba the events of each succeeding year. ) the, sturdy foreigh element, agricultural or following other lines bf Industry Id skilled and unskilled labon appreci ative Of the opportunities dffered to hornebuiluers Uy our varied resources and generdUs laws--orderly and law abiding people the Natlbri cannot have too many. Hundreds dl thousands of these have become part and parcel bf our bpdy politic to Its substantial ad vantage. To discriminate against the Worthless and the mischief -breeders and turn them back from bur shpres is tb recognize In the larger and better class of foreign immigrants qualities that make for good citizenship. To discourage the Immigration of the others is to en courage men of the latter type to come hither, enter -upon the duties and enj6y the. privileges of American citlzejishlj dn the broad basis of bersohal and bo iltical freedom, r -- t- ti -a Statehood Foit Oklahoma . Political cohVentldns promise state hood to territories as glibly as they point With pride to themselves and view With alarm their adversaries. Yet no state has been formed. Since 1S96, When Utah was admitted, despite the steady growth at population and the compelling periods 6f territorial Gov ernors. There la, for example, Okla homa, with a population of, some 400, 000 a "native-born" percentage of 96, and an illiterate percentage of only 6 ampng the male, of voting age. If population la to be. the test, Okla homa certainly does not suffer by com parison with other states at their day, of admission. Of the states In the fol lowing table, the first four were ad mitted In 1SS9, the next two in 1890, the last In 1896, and their population in 1890 was: North Dakota .182,710 South. Dakota r2.S0S Montana 1324.Y) Washington -... 349,390 Idaho , S4,3$5 Wjoming 00.705 Utah ....i SOi.yQS Not only this, but many of the older states appear to even worse advantage, Colorado, which was admitted In 1S76, had a population of only 134,327 in 1SS0, Nebraslca, which was admitted in 1S$7, had a population of only 122,993 in 1870. Nevada, admitted In 1SS4, reached Its maximum population of G2,266 In 1850. California, admitted In 1850, had 92,597 inhabitants, according to the census of that year. In 1850 Iowa had 192,214 Deople, and it was admitted four years before, in 1846. Illinois, which came into the Union in 1818, had a popula tion of only 55,162 in 1S20 The accepted and cowardly answer to the Oklahoma request Is that we can't admit it- without also admitting Ari zona and New Mexico, which are not yet fit Perhaps they are fit New Mexico has a population of 195,310, and 93 per cent of that population is native born, but the people are largely of a persistent Spanish type and 28 per cent of the possible voters are llliteratea Arizona's population of 122,931 Is also partly of the same Spanish type, and zi per cent of the males, of voting age are Illiterate. But suppose they are not lit, and that we have enough unfit states as It is are we too craven a lot to give Oklahoma her due because we can't give other territories what are not their due? The easiest way, and therefore the most probable. Is to admit the three remaining territories at one gulp, and so make an end of them. Thus shall we be spared the pains of courage and investigation. In some such way, doubtless, the tariff will be handled. Let us not touch the steel trust, lest some one should mention lumber or wool, and thus overwhelm us with con fusion. DRIFT TO PUBLIC OWNERSHIP. The Hartford Courant thinks that great railroad combinations, like the present consolidation in the Northwest, are steadily driving us toward Govern ment ownership. It is pointed out all efforts to bring-interstate roads under effective National control have ended In failure. Government supervision under the law has broken down; the law is daily violated, while railroading is concentrated upon- an increasing scale of magnitude. The Springfield Republican agrees with the Hartford Couraut that the failure of full and ef fective Government regulation means Government ownership; to that conclu sion the combinations are forcing the country. The evidence recently taken by the Interstate Commerce Commis sion at Chicago supports this charge that the railroads are systematically violating the law by a system of pool ing; that they are making secret rates and granting rebates contrary to law. In the grain and flour, traffic there is so much secret discrimination and cut ting of published rates that the flour milling concerns tof the West have asked the President to say something about it in his annual message. The NewYork Railroad Gazette saysj But why should the millers, or President Roosevelt, or any one else, waste time dlscus ing a proposition to change freight rates i the officers ot the law are unable to devise any. means ot compelling the. railroads to obey an order for a change when. It la Issued? Government ownership prevails in Continental Europe, Australia and India, and the present tendency appears to be toward complete public ownership. The countries of importance which stand, aloof from the 'public ownership of railways are Great Britain, Canada and the United States. The method of public control over private owner ship has been fairly tried and found seriously wanting in England and in this country. In both countries railway influence has defeated the undertaking of government control, and In this coun try the recent vast consolidations have greatly vitalized the movement toward public ownership. Of course, the injus tice and political corruption which in here in private ownership would not be altogether absent In public ownership. It does not, follow, because, the public ownership of railways Is excellent for Belgium or Prussia, that it would, be equally good for the United States. It is a choice of evils at the best for the present, and the drift of the time Is in direction of the public-ownership pol icy that in France certainly has re sulted in greatly Improved municipal government and still greater Improve ment in the condition of the people. Adoption of the policy of general pub lic ownership of railways by the United States is probably still remote; but there Is a slow, steady drift to it as an ulti mate. The greatest obstacle would be the obstructive political Influence of the railway companies, and the immense addition to the number of Government employes which tfie public ownership of the railways would Involve might prove offensive and impracticable in this country. Nevertheless, the present situation under whloh the political gnawer of the railways, has virtually defeated Government control in bpth state and Nation seems to many in curable short of public ownership. The State bf Nebraska has been suc cessfully thwarted for seven years in its attempt .tb enforce, a maxiirium freight law. Session, after Session ihe. Cullom bill, which would confer bn. the Interstate Commerce Gdmmlisioh the power td fix rates,- has been keptsifi6th ered in the Senate committee, it may not be expedient to give the commis sion this power, bUt it la a thing of serious consequence that all considera tion of the bill has been blocked in oommittee. The recent history of the Nicaragua. Canal legislation further Illustrates the power of the great rail ways tq prevent- the. enactment of trans portation reform or relief., even wheil vlgorouslydemanded by the people. An instructor In- English literature In Tufts College, tolthouf giving notice of his intention, prepared, thlsf list of qUeS tion and exarnined his class in it: ii Name sir plays ot Shakespeare and two" poVeln by Scott. Who is. lie author et "Paradise Lo3t," thfe "Pickwick Papers," the "fllglow Papers," "AJtun Bcde," "Idylls Of the King," "Abon fieri .Adhcm"? 3. In what book does eaph ot the following, character dcctir: itofdecaj. lago, fiecky fihttrf. Kins Agrippa, Mihtisfaaha-? 4. Nome one Wflrlt each by Wordsworth. Carlyle. Ruskin, Matthew Arnold and Dsowh Ing. The class, consisted- of sixteen men and. eleven women three seniors, thirteen, Juniors, nine sophomores, ttv'o freshmen. Fiftetn, could not name two of Scott's "novels; two could not name six of Shakespeare's plays; three, did not know who wrote "Pickwick, Papers," and seven did. not know who wrote "Idylls of the Xing." Only four knew who wrote "Abou Ben Adhem." Twenty students knew not lago, but all save seven, could locate Minnehaha. Thir teen had never, heard of Becky Sharp; twenty-four knew nothing of Matthew 'Arnold; fifteen could name no work of Carlyle's or Browning's, eighteen no work, of Ruskln's, All but eight could name, a poem of Wordsworth's. Similar examinations have disclosed equal Ig norance among the undergraduates of Harvard and Williams. The New York Sun sarcastically says concerning tnls undergraduate Ignorance of English, lit erature: "But we don't expect people to read Tennyson. They have Edwin Markham; and Thackeray and Dickens palq. before the fiery genius of Calne and Core'lil. The Tufts instructor is not sufficiently modern, la his Ideas." Ninety-three per cent of the lands la the Philippine Islands belongs to the public domain. The Philippine Com mission's suggestion that the natives who are squatters now be given Individual titles, and that the remainder of- the lands be thrown open to Investment and settlement, un der conditions that will restrain monop ollsts, may be regarded as. offering a rational means- for pacification of the islands; since it may be taken a3 cer tain that the occupation of the pub lic domain by American settlers and American capital "would go further toward establishing peace than the oc cupation, by an army alone. If Ameri cans are allowed to develop the re sources of the Islands, the savage in habitants will soon be tamed. Reproduction by the New York Even ing Post recently of Its first number, Issued 100 years ago, called out several questions from Its readers. One of them asked the meaning of the heading "Telegraphic Dispatch," as It appeared in the Evening Post of that early time. The paper answered, saying: "In 1S01 the word 'telegraphic' was commonly applied to dispatches sent by sema phore, by other systems of signaling, and also by swift relays. After the in troduction of electricity, the adjective 'electric' or 'magnetic was used be fore 'telegraph to distinguish such mes sages from those which' were sent .by other systems." Signaling from a dis tance was called "telegraphing" a very long time ago. A newspaper of New Hampshire, an alyzing the census report for that state, says that comparison of the returns with those of fifty years ago shows how completely manufacturing In that tune has supplanted agriculture as the leading branch of industry. Speaking of the progress thus, shown. It is stated that "it becomes the more striking when compared with the slow growth of popuhxtlon. Since 1850 the popula tion has Increased only 29 per cent, but the average number of wage-earners has Increased from 27,092 to 70,491, a gain of 159 per cent" The greatest growth is shown In boots and shoes. The citizens of Troutdale have dene well in setting up a public library and reading-room in that village. A taste for reading and for the pleasures of a quiet evening, as contrasted with the roistering of the country dance and the village "play party" can scarcely fail to result from the successful accom plishment of this library and reading room scheme. It may be" noted in pass ing that the Troutdale library is not "free" in the sense that the books may be taken therefrom at will. A suitable fee is charged for this privilege, though the reading-room is free to all who de sire to enjoy its benefits. Reports from Washington to many newspapers indicate that there haabeen little, If any, growth of the ship-subsidy scheme in the favor of members since the last session. There are some. Indeed, like Senator Frye, of Maine, who believe sincerely in the theory of governmental grants to private corpo- rations; but on the whole the movement of opinion In Congress, as among the people, Is away from that doctrine. New Jersey is not in favor- of any restrictive measures, against the trusts. She Invites them to organize under her. laws, and takes In fees therefor which pay the whole charges of her state gov ernment. Indeed, she has now a sur plus of $2,000,000 in her treasury, de "rlved mainly from this source. New Jersey likes octopuses. The Oregonian has said that the peo ple are hard to arouse to the need of tariff reform, and the conclusion drawn at Seattle is that The Oregonian is about to acquiesce In the protection fetich-worship. Other basis for argu ment is needed in the Seattle sanctum beside the one supplied by self-consciousness. If It be true that the Chinese in the United States are raising a fund to be used for defeat of the proposaf for ex tension of the exclusion act they are badly advised. No sum of money would accomplish anything in that direction. "Grafters" are probably at work, A ".GO,". AND -A FAST ONE. Pendleton East Oregonian. Portland covers herself with glory by eecurlng subscriptions amounting, to ni6rb thail IsOO.OXl within forty-eight Hours, afid then proceeding t8-false the 16cal CapitalliatlBn fur the LeWis find Ciafk Pair tb$M(tik The recdrd id pSf baps unique ill ail cities nt the United States, ti- is io be doubted if arty Other ever raised s8 much ih so Short a time, Tthen population la taken, into account. Throughout dregon Will rise an enthu siasm that will assure success" for the big Exposition. It will create a senti ment so strong as to remove all difficul ties regarding liberal 4egis!atlve appro priation and make it a matter of form to introduce a bill and pass It through both hbusfcs. Let ho one doiibt that thft Exposltioa will be a ''go." It will be a. "go." and a fast one, and will bring id Portland Slid Oregbri more substantial benefits thah any event that has preceded it, fiat ftoi tke First tlmCt Dalian Chronicle, Portland, foe the first time in. her ydunft life, has surprised, herspif. Starting 6ut ifonday mdrnlnR to raLse t300,Q) for the Lowis and Clark Fair, sh.e finds herself, at the end of the three daya agreed Upon for taking Up. the subpcrlp tian, with $305,000 BUfascrlbed, and about 150.000 in sight The secretary ot the ex ecutive committee saya this la the largest amount that has ever been subscribed for a public undertaking In the same time on the Pacific Coast The enter- firlse involved in this magnificent show rtg is as gratifying to many of us out side Portland as it is to the POrtlnnders. themselves. They will not step now un til they have raised th subscription to half a million. But vhcther they do so or not Portland can now, "with the best grace In the world, ask the rest of Oregon to subscribe liberally to an enterprise that bids fair to do more to advertise the resources of the state than anything that has ever happened in Its history. The Panel n liaised. Dalles Times-Mountaineer. The Lewis and Clark Centennial is now an assured fact Portland has raised the $300,000 It started out to get, and has now set the mark at half a million. The, committee that had been appointed to solicit subscriptions to the capital stock In the city made partial reports Wed nesday night of three days' work, and it was found that the total subscriptions would aggregate fully $300,CC0, with sev eral large concerns to hear from. With that amount of money raised by Portland, the people of the city and of the entire state may be depended upon to do the rest All of Oregon is inter ested in the Exposition, for everybody recognizes that it will be a good, thing for the state. Rut since Portland Is to be the direct beneficiary it could only be expected that the city should bear the greater burden of the expense. Now that Portland has made a substantial move let the rest of the state do fts part. both financially and by moral support It Cnnnot Full. Ashland Tidings. Portland's Lewis and Clark Centennial Fair Is going- to, be a sure go. The can vassers for subscriptions to the stock of the fair started out Monday morning and before night it was understood that the entire $300,000 of stock would be fold as a result of the day'.s work. The commit tees having in charge the matter of solic iting subscriptions have made no report, but it Is. known, that the amount -already pledged, and that which the foreign cor porations are expected to contribute, will equal. If not exceed. $300,000 the amount of the capital stock of the Lewis and Clark Exposition corporation. "What tlic Fair Will Be Worth- Dallas Itemlzer. The proposed Lewis and Clark Cen tennial Exposition at Portland in 1905 is beginning to take shape. A capital stock of $300,000 has been decided on and Hon. H. W. Corbctt has . subscribed for one tenth of it. If other wealthy men are as liberally Inclined its success Is as sured. It might not pay as a direct pe cuniary investment, but it would be of immense value to tho whole Northwret Thousands of Easterners would thus, be Induced to visit this region, many of them would remain and the others who go back would serve as .a big advertis ing committee. Others Will Give. Moro Observer. Hon. H. W. Corbett has subscribed $25,600 to the Lewis and Clark Centennial on account of the First National Bank. About $45,000 ' has been subscribed by other citizens of Portland, aside from Mr. Corbett's personal subscription of $30,000. making the first $100,CO0 of the $300,000. which Portland expects to take as a popular subscription. A similar course should be planned for each county In Oregon. Washington. Idaho and Mon tana. In Sherman County the sheep men alone -want to put up about $5000. Within Our Mean. Gervals Star. Portland proposes to have and to hold an Exposition In 1905. Since the opinion that it would take $15,000,000 to ran "such an event has been dropped the chances for Its success brighten. If we must have such an Exposition In commemora tion of Lewis and Clark, then let us as a people be reasonable and have only as big an even as our means will permit Oregon is not only big, but diversified enough and Independent, as well, to main tain a respectable Exposition within her self. A Grand Achievement. Dallas Observer. Portland raised the entire amount of subscriptions for the Lewis and Clark Exposltioa corporation SSOO.OOft In two days. This splendid achievement speaks volumes for the enterprise of Oregon'a metropolis. With the worthy example set "by the people of Portland, It will not be a difficult matter to raise funds for the great Exposition in other parts of Ore gon and the Northwest, and the success of the enterprise Is now assured. 1 Gotkn.iln.im Ia Unbounded. Roseburg Review. The committee who were canvassing for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Expo sition In Portland met with good success, and already over $303,000 has been sub scribed. Enthusiasm has begun to rise, and with careful management of every de tail there is no reason for failure. Tho fair will be a great thing for the whole Northwest The capital stock will now be Increased to $500,000. Portland to the Front Albany Democrat. Hurrah! the Lewis and Clark Exposition Is a go. Portland has come to the front with flying colors. The Exposition -Rill be the biggest advertising scheme In the history of the Northwest, and the entire yectlon of the United States Is Interested In sqelng It made a success. Now Is the golden time of this country to make It self known. Sentimental Ynlne oX Life Insurance. Ladles' Home Journal. It la a nnev record for a man to leave behind him, as did a friend of mine not long ago who died after 32 years of mar ried life, and made it possible for his widow to say afterwards: "For 3t years wo were like chums. Never In all those years did I know what it was to rpceive a hasty word from him. He was always the same; loving and con siderate,, ever thoughtful of the day that was, but so mindful of the day that might might be, that now I have not a slnglo thought or worry to take one mo ment from my thought of him." I knew him well. At least I thought so. But I never knew how truly great, he was until I heard that, AMOSEMESTS. The Wilbur-KIrwin Opera Company made another hit at the Eaker Theater yesterday, giving in the afternoon and evening the Iwst performance of "La Mas cotte" that has even been pnn here. Not only did the principals have A bolter op portunity tb show chat they could do. thtm In "Said Pasha." but the music s better, the comedy brighter, and the mounting and costuming was far more brilliant. The ope?a was enjoyed by crowded houses both afternoon and eve ning. Mi. Kohnle, as Prince Lorenzo, and Miss KlrWIn an the mascot, both had an excellent chance to orouso kiughtor. ai.J they made the most Of It Mr. Kohnlc's every action was funny, his songs were the hit of the evening, and his make-up was exceedingly clever. His burlesque in the last act was one of the best thlnga Of the kind ever seen here. Miss Klrwin carried oft all the honors rightfully be longing to a prima donna, and added many admirers to the large number she made ay Serena. The costuming was particularly artis tic, and the chorus, which is with scarce ly an" exception the prettiest and bebt trained ever ten in the city, was fuiiy equal to the requirements of the opera. The specialties between the acts and in cldcntal to the opera were all good. Six girls in street malce-up won five recalls by their olever singing of "The Pride of Newspaper Row," and the other vaude ville numbers were appreciated. "La Mascottc" will be the bill until next. Thursday night, when It will be followed by "Fra. Diavolo." WISE W03IAX. Brlj$ht Comcd- Please Paclccd Houie at Cordray's. "A Wise Woman," a comedy of more than usual brightness, was presented by a rtnall but good company at Cordray's last night, to a house that lilted every stat 1c the theater and most of the standing room. Judging from the lauRhter and applause that formed a constant accom paniment, to the words of the actors. It was a welcome change from the melo dramas which have been the last two or three attraction';. The plot is rather a complicated affair,, but hinges on the love- affairs of one Paul Roach, who has made love rather too en thusiastically to a Casino actress before his diarrlagc, and who, to placate his guardian and keep that custodian of the funds In good humor, makes a secret of his own marriage. The Casino girl turns up, enters Roach's employ as a servant, and keeps things humming for everybody during her stay, but Roach manages to get things straightened out In time for the final curtain. Frederic Murphy, who plays Roach. Is a first-rate comedian, with a rapid trick of speech that gives much zest to what he does, nnd a way of making his aual ence feel that he has really entered Into the spirit of his '-art Gale Satterle who played Peter Clincher, Roach's friend, has a pleatdn?: stage presence and JT natural stylo. He jjacg three son,3 with good effect, bu; the second of the three might be imprord by a little Judi cious expurgation. John Ferguson made a good guardian. Ethel Balch as Honbr Racket was the star of the feminine portion of the cast, throwing much energy Into her acting, and proving herself more than ordlnar 11 clever. She has a sweet, clear so prano voice, and her singing was a fea ture of the evening. Alice Geer make, a good Airs. Roach, and Marie Lamour a very beautiful woman. Is equal to the part of Maud Evclry. The play Ms well staged and costumed. It will be the at traction all the week. COMIXG ATTRACTIONS. ''Shore Acres" nt the llnraunnt To niht. Tonight at the Marquam Grand Thea ter the beautiful play of James A. Heme's, "Shore Acres" will open an en gagement of three nights. It is much to the ci edit of the American stage that a play like "Shore Acres" has gained such a prominent hold upon it While it is true that in a large degree the Inher ent merit of the piece is responsible for its continued success and popularity, yet not a little of this success Is attributable to the excellent standard of production at which it has been maintained. The play, has never been permitted to be In differently presented. The company now appearing In "Shore Acres" includes many able artists, who formerly appeared with the author in this piece. William Collier In "On the Quiet." William Colli, r, a "quaint" comedian, who has made an enviable reputation for himself and is now almost alone, in the interpretation of the higher clats of com edy. Is tq come to tho Marquam Grand Theater next Friday and Saturday nights, with a matinee Saturday. Mr. Collier achieved the greatest success of his ca reer last Winter, at the Madison-Square Theater, where for six months he pre sented Augustus Thomas' successful com edy, "On the Quiet." to crowded houses,, The cast -of the play will remain prac tically the same as during the New York run. This engagement will be one of the Important theatrical events of the sea son. Will the Connnnser Stand It? Chicago Record-Herald. But, though, the facta are perfectly evi dent to every one, an element In the con vention ignores ' them and acts exactly as thought It had met not to approve, but to bury reciprocity. This element, upon being asked to make concessions to the foreigner, would refuse, even If it were now protected beyond all reason. It wants, abovo everything, to enjoy mo nopoly created prices in this country, and among its representatives will be found those who are producing cheaper than the foreigner and underselling him In tho world's markets. Will tho American consumers consent to being continually bled for their sake? A. B. Cummins, Governor-elect of Iowa, gave the correct answer to this ques tion when he said at the New York Cham ber of Commerce banquet that they would not tolerate "as a permanent trade policy the selling of goods abroad at a less price than they were sold at home," and ha uttered a true note of warning when he added: "If they believe that tariff dutlet. have any Influence upon the maintenance of such conditions, the man or party that stands for the per petuation of such duties Is destined for bitter disappointment" The American consumers are not a fac tor to be Ignored by cither reciprocity or party conventions. One Hundred Years Aj?o. New York Evening Post. In the Evening Pc?t for November 24, 1S01, appeared an item of new?, elsewhere reprinted in full, which began: "This morning. In the 20th year of his age, Philip Hamilton, eldest son of General Hamilton murdered in , a duel" The comment which accompanied the account of young Hamilton's death was as follows: Reflections on this horrlJ custe-n must occur to every man g humanity: bat the voice ot an ln,!ldual or of the press mait be Ineftett uai without additional, stroivK and pointed leg islative Interference. Fashion has placed. It upon a footing which nothing short of thU can may suspect that it was the be reaved father who wrote these words. If not he, It could only have been his friend, William Coleman, the first editor of this paper. However that may be, the comment on. the tyranny of public opin ion in regard to duelling received a start ling Illustration in both Hamilton's case and Coleman's." Within four years Alex ander Hamilton had fallen by Burr's pis tol, and Coleman had killed Captain Thompson, who had taunted him with evading a duel with Chcctham, ot tne American Citizen. X0TE AND COMMENT. The weather Is diluted. The first snow of the season Is about overdue. November came In like abutterfly and went out like a fish. The Wide West certainly has a right to expect an open Winter. At last accounts Santos-Dumont was still the Darius Green of France. General Buller knows where he wfil eat dinner this Christmas, anyway. The curious thing about the New York dramatic season is the run of "The -Messenger Boy." Personal Messrs. Tom &. Jerry- have arrived in the city and will remain until after the holidays. The farmer who has a good crop ot Christmas trees will not needi to worry about his Winter wheat. There are still one ortwo men In New York who have not told Mayor-elect Low how the city ought to be run. Why doesn't some one write an arith metical poem to accompany the historical novels and geographical plays? Bread will soon be aa expensive lux ury, as all the grain raised In the North west will be needed to feed the wild ducks. Now Is the time for some statistician to figure out how far the message would reach It tho words were placed end for end. If subscriptions keep coming in, the Lewis and Clark committee will be in the plight of the old woman who lived in the shoe. It is. reported that General Miles has not "bought more than 100 copies of Sec retary Alger's book, to give to his friends on Christmas. An ex-Assistant Secretary of the Navy and ex-Colonel or the Rough Rldere, presi dent Roosevelt was able to root all the way through that Army-Navy game. Congress will now take the responsibil ity for running the country off the hands of the barbers, who have been discuss ing It Industriously ever since there has been nothlg else to talk about Recently a lawyer In London was cross examining a witness connected with a company whose directors had been charged with fraud. He was pressing the witness to admit that a certain circular or pros pectus was of a dishonest nature, which suggestion the witness stoutly repudiated. "You all understood, I suppose, that this document was going to the public and the Importance of telling the truth In It?" asked the lawyer, "Certainly." "And did you tell the truth In it?" "We did" slight pause "to the best of our ability." The French writer asserts that Russia contains 32,000,000 horses of various breeds, from the tarpan, the singular wild horse of Turkestan, to the thoroughbred Arab. Perhaps the most Interesting are tho Kirghiz and Kalmuk horses, the useful cavalry animals of the Don, the unequaled packhorscs ot the Altai and the small but serviceable breed of Finland. Extremes of temperature and the hardships of a nomadic existence In the most merciless of climates combine to make the Kirghiz among the hardiest horses on earth. All Winter they have to find a bare sub sistence on roots beneath the snow and tho enormous mortality In these wander ings exercises a continuous process, of selection. Fast -and long racing are the chief diversions of these roush tribes men and even their courtship Is pursued in the saddle, every marriageable maiden, aged no more than 14 years, having to ba chased on horseback and transferred to the saddle of her wooer before she Is his legitimate bride. Consrrcst and the Arid Lands. Brooklyn Eagle. There are In our West 500,000,000 acres of arid land which are yet in the public gift. Wonderful results have been ob tained through Individual efforts to reclaim tho desert, and when one considers what might be done by Federal management, imagination Is startled and gladdened by the possibilities. It Is an empire that Ilea fallow beyond the mountains, an empire wherein millions who now o-ercrowd our cities may live In tho comfort and free dom that are denied in stony towns. To mako homes for these millions It will be necessary that the Government prepare the way. The cost and the labor are too vast for personal undertaking. Forests must be planted to Insure constancy In water supply: reservoirs must be created by damming valleys. In order that the sup ply may be ample In volume; canals and drains must be dug across the country for miles, with gates and dikes and other such appliances; and there must be uni formity In laws respecting rights to use of water. Most of the arid land Is In what have recently become states, but by tho savno authority or co-operation whereby forest reserves and National parks. Indian and military reservations and experiment al stations have been secured for public uses, the needed ponds and canals could bo created. A patriot, a man of genius, a man of sanely audacious prevision, a man of Eastern culture and of Western experi ence, is President of the United States. He could signalize his Administration In no grander and In no more excellent way than by Identifying Itwlth the beginnings of the great work and of the great duty of reclaiming the West on the lines the Eagle sets forth today. PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGRAPHERS The Provoking Jabberers. 'on'tf you de spise people who talk behind your back" "I "ho uld say so. Especially at a concert or Iur!nT an interesting play." Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. A Temptation. He No. dear: no church for me this morning. I should like to go, but unfortunately. I have a touch of headache. She. Do cornel darling: a good sleep la tho. very thlng for it. Brooklyn Life. Busy Han. "Did ou marry aa industrious, hard-working man?" said Miss Cayenne. "Yes. indeed." said the girl -with the picture hat; "Harold is never Idle. He plays golf alt Sum mer and whist all Winter." Washington Star. Papa Seo that spider, my boy. spinning his web. Is It not wonderful? Do you reflect that, try as he may. no man could spin that web? Johnny What of it? See me spin this top! Do ou reflect, try as he may, no spider could spin into top? Tit-Bits. Would Hae Gtu. A fellow who hunted the gnu Was asked. "What on earth would you gdu If the savages tried To catch you for your hied?" And he answered, "I'd kill oft a gfu." Baltimore American. A MInd-Riader. "I suppose," said the physi cian, smiling and trying to appear witty, while feeling the pulse of a lady patient "I suppose you consider me an old humbug?" "Why, doc tor," replied the lady. "I had no Idea jou could ascertain a woman"? tho-jght by merely feel ing her pulse." Chicago Xcas. Sympathetic. "Why doe she use mourning stationerv?" "Oh. shs done that ever elnce one- of her eplat.ti. went to -the deadletter olllce." Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. Mr. Stutson They tell me Neighbor Harria' cat is dead. Mrs. Stutson Oh. I' a so sorry! It used to take up Fido" time so pleasantly barking at, her Boston Transcript