Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937, December 10, 1901, Page 6, Image 6

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    THE MOKXIXG OPEGOXIAN, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1901.
t SDrggomcm
Entered &t the Ppstofflce at Portland. Oregon,
as second-class matter.
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The Weekly per year... 1 SO
Tho Weekly. 3 months 00
To City Subscribers
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Dally, per week, delivered. Sundays lncluded.200
POSTAGE RATES.
United States Canada and Mexico:
10 to 14-page paper........ .......lc
14 to 2S-page ieper..........................o
Foreign rates double.
News or discussion intended for publication
Jn The Oregonlan should be addressed Im'arla
bly "Editor The Oregonlan." not to the name
of any lndlidual. letters relating to adver
tising, subscription or to any business matter
should be addressed simply "The Oregonlan."
The Oregonlan does not buy poems or etorlcs
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tation. No stamps should ce Inclosed for this
purpose.
Eastern Business Offlce. 43. 44. 45, 47. 4S. 49
Tribune building. New York City; 4C0 "Tho
Rookery." Chicago; the S. C. Beckwlth special
agency. Eastern representative.
For sale in San Francisco by Xu E. Lee, Pal
ace Hotel news stand; Goldsmith Bros., 23'J
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Palace Hotel; Foster & Orear. Ferry news
bland.
For sale in Los Angeles by B. F. Gardner.
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tion. Charleston. S. C.
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TODAY'S WEATHER Cloudy to partly
cloudy, with showers; southerly winds.
YESTERDAY'S WEATHER Maximum tem
perature, 4S: minimum temperature, 40; pre
cipitation. 0.37 inch.
rOICTLAND, TUESDAY, DEC. lO, 11)01.
GEUMAXY IvXOWS HER BUSINESS.
The greatest qf prophets once came
out of despised Nazareth, and light on
tariff problems may sometimes be emit
ted from the darkness of high protec
tion newspapers. Two such concerns,
working independently, have turned out
flint and steel which may be struck to
gether to produce a most excellent
spark. The San Francisco Chronicle,
high protection, thus discourses on Ger
many's effort to save itself by higher
duties:
Germany is not, HUo the United States, a
self-sufficing nation. She require; raw mate
rials, which she cannot poslblroduce. Sho
apparently Is unable to produce tho food ncc
sary to support her population. She Is not
strong enough to override and subdue her com
petitors in neutral markets. She is apparently
approaching her limit. When that Is reached
It will be folly to attempt to exceed It. Sho
ihould not starve her people In an attempt to
achlore tho impossible
This advice, it is needless to say, will
be lost on the protectionists of Ger
many; and more's the pity, for it is
sound. But Germany is still reveling
in the industrial prosperity forced upon
it by the gigantic brain of Bismarck.
We all know how that tremendous
statesman established high protection
In Germany for all time, and thus In
cured Its permaneut industrial happi
ness and prosperity. Let the San Fran
cisco Call, also high protection, depict
the general triumph which protection
has achieved:
Bankers aro left loaded with stocks that arc
shrinking to nothing. Brokers find themselves
with no money to support the state and cir
cumstance of their estates. Manufactories aro
closing down, shipping is idle, and In Berlin
alono nearly 50,000 laborers have no work, and
the harsh Winter is piercing their rags.
But Germany knows her business too
well to be deceived by her high pro
tection enemies in this country, advis
ing her to lower her tariffs and depict
ing her present state in strenuous edi
torials. Are her factories suffering for
lack of raw materials? Then she will'
raise the duty on them still higher. Do
the people cry for food? Then Ameri
can flour and meat shall be kept out
entirely. The hair of the dog Is good
for the bite.
ALMOST A REBEL. V
A correspondent Inquires whether It
is true that "Massachusetts never con
tributed a man or a dollar toward the"
War of 1812." In one sense Massachu
setts did not contribute any men to
the War of 1S12; she did not through
her Governor honor the call of Presi
dent Madison for troops. The facts ap
pear to be as follows: In April, 1S12,
the Governors of Connecticut, Massa
chusetts and Rhode Island refused to
obey President Madison's call for mi
litia, and similar action was taken by
Governor Martin Chittenden, of "Ver
mont in 1814, and they were sustained
by their Legislatures and courts. The
Supreme Court of Massachusetts de
cided that the President of the United
States had no power to overrule the
Governor of the state.
Nevertheless, Massachusetts and Ver
mont contributed a good many men to
the War of 1812 in shape of volunteers.
There was a very large number of
Vermont volunteers present at the bat
tle of Plattsburg, in 1814, despite the
hostile action of the Governor and the
State Legislature, and it is to be pre
sumed that the "war" party in New
England, although greatly in the mi
nority, must have been represented in
our armies on the frontier. Colonel
Miller, who stormed the British bat
tery on the hill at Lundy's Lane was a
Massachusetts man, and so was General
Dearborn, who commanded the Federal
Army at the outbreak of the war. In
directly the State of Massachusetts
and all the New England States con
tributed men to the War of 1812 by put
ting their own coast in a state of de
fense, so far as possible. The United
States frigate Chesapeake was fitted out
from Boston Harbor, and when the
body of the gallant Captain Lawrence
was .brought to Boston for burial Judge
Story delivered the funeral oration. The
leading Federalists were absent from
the ceremony
Federal war tares were, of course, en
forced throughout New England, and so
long as New England contributed to
the revenue of the Government and
abstained from acts of rebellion, Mas
sachusetts could not avoid contributing
to the War of 1812.. She carried her
policy of obstructiveness.as far as pos
sible within the law, and her action
at the famous Hartford convention of
3S14 indicated a clear purpose to rebel
and secede, had the war continued
much longer. But the deliberations of
the convention were interrupted by the
r.ews of Jackson's great victory of New
Orleans, and closely followed the news
of the negotiation of a treaty of peace
with Great Britain by our commission
ers at Ghent. .
New England had no sympathy with
Madison's War of 1312; believed that It
had no Justification; believed that It
was a wanton war got up by the Jef
fersonlans to embarrass Great Britain
In her last great conflict with France.
New England. was ready to attack the
British whenever the British attacked
its coast, but had no sympathy with
the war, and, had it continued, would
doubtless have attempted to secede.
The mood of New York was scarcely
more cordial than that of New England,
for Governor Tompkins had to pledge
his private credit in order to equip
troops, for the .Legislature was hostile
to the Administration. There is no
doubt that the attitude of New England
and New York compelled Madison to
make a rather inglorious peace, but he
was between the devil and the deep sea,
for it is not likely that New England
would have refrained much longer from
secession and open acts of rebellion.
The strength of the anti-war feeling
may be measured by the fact that so
able and patriotic a man as Daniel
"Webster was a conspicuous leader of
the anti-war party. Had New England
seceded in 1814, she would probably
have succeeded in breaking up the
Union, for New York was in full sym
pathy with her, and the South and
West were not strong enough In those
days to compel submission to the Fed
eral flag. New England- would natur
ally have joined New Brunswick and
the maritime provinces of Canada. In
deed, Governor Andrew, of Massachu
setts, said during the Civil War that if
the South eVer beat the Government In
the final battle. New England would at
once join the maritime provinces of
Canada.
WHERE IMPERIALISM BEGINS.
"The American Empire," originating
with Chief Justice Marshall, Is an ex
pression that will be available for gen
eral use, so. soon as the "anti-Imperialist"
misconception of It has faded from
the popular mind. No better word ex
ists to define a vast territory under one
central government. Empire has been
enjoyed by republics, such as Rome,
Venice, Holland and France, by democ
racies like Athens, as well as by oli
garchies, monarchies "and hierarchies.
Our American difficulties with the
word came from the effort of the antls
to force upon the country the assump
tion that the extension of American
empire, sway, dominion, rule, control,
sovereignty, is synonymous with the
substitution of a monarchical form of
government and an Emperor.
The nature of a government Is not a
question, of geography, race, latitude
or longitude. Spaniards in New Mexico
and Arizona, French In Louisiana and
Florida, Esquimaux in Alaska, negroes
in the South, Chinese on the Pacific
Coast, Indiana everywhere, have altered
neither the form nor the spirit of our
Government. From Key West on the
South to Point Barrow on the North
our possessions before the Spanish War
extended through nearly half a sphere
of latitude and ICO degrees of longi
tude; and in Its application to various
units of territory our administration
ranged from full statehood down to or-N
dinary territories, like New Mexico and
Arizona, Imperfect territories like Alas
ka, and entire denial of representation
as in the case of Indian Territory and
the District of Columbia.
The real danger of Imperialism be
gins when helpless units of territory are
put at the mercy of unjust programmes.
The City of Washington boasts of be
ing the best governed city In the world,
though Its Inhabitants have no vote
and no" appeal from the arbitrary will
of Congress; but, on the other hand,
Porto Rico, with a delegate in Con
gress, and laws made by Its own Leg
islature, might feel, as It has felt, the
iron hand of oppression. And so, too,
the Philippine Islands, but now ringing
bells in honor of the trade freedom
given them by the Supreme Court, con
front the almost certain prospect of
onerous duties relmposed, and of being
made to pay tribute to the protected
corporations of the stepmother country
corporations that will meanwhile ex
pect full license from Congress to ex
ploit the archipelago for their own en
richment. Antl-lmperialism in its theoretical
genesis is an error, but It has flour
ished upon a real and vital conviction
In the popular heart. The public con
science, sound but largely unreasoning,
has given more or less countenance to
the cry against "colonies" because Its
fear was of just such things as our
colonies had to suffer from Parliament.
If the "colonies" were to be oppressed,
we didn't want any. The Intellect of
the country seems finally to have per
ceived that acquired territory may be
justly governed instead of being mis
treated "colonies"; but the moral con
viction that the islands should be
treated fairly and even generously Is
as strong as ever. A Foraker act for
the Philippines will chiefly serve for
recrudescence of an almost forgotten
partisan shibboleth. Its effect in the
islands and in this country Is faithfully
foreshadowed In an extract on this page
from the New York Evening Post.
PRIDE OF AXCESTRY.
The pride of ancestry, which underlies
the Athenian protests against transla
tion of the gospels Into modern Greek,
speaks volumes, not In honor of the
degenerate sons, but for the glory of
their sires. Byron appealed to the mod
ern Greek, but practically In vain. In
the day of Marco Bozzarls it was true
that
Now there breathed that haunted air
The sons of sires who conquered there.
With arm to. strike and soul to dare.
As quick, as far, as they.
But over the Gulf of Salamls and the
Plain of Marathon Byron could only
sigh, " 'TIs Greece, but living Greece
no more." Yet while the heroism Is
not repeated, the pride of former
achievement remains, and we are told
that from the richest and most power
ful Greek to the humblest there Is not
one who does not feel that "his country
has been defrauded of Its ancient rights
and who does not dream that Greece
will some day unite all the Hellenic
people and the fragments of the old
empire and re-establish the capital of
the empire at Constatlnople, as It was
until the Turkish Invasion."
The colossal ruins of Greece and
Rome are perfectly paralleled in these
Intellectual relics of ancient prowess;
for the pride of Athens today is merely
the crumbling shape of what was once
greatness and glory. The world is full
of such superb remains. We see it in
France, glorying In the name and sur
viving institutions of the great Napo
leon; in Spain, proud as Lucifer of the
days when her empire ruled the world;
in Ireland, feebly Imitating Emmet and
O'Connell. The Greek looks forward to
a restoration, but no more confidently
than does the devout Jew, or the lordly
Castilian, or the Bourbon of France.
In this country many pride themselves
on the Mayflower, or the Revolution,
or descent from famous New England
era and Virginians, with such emphasis
that they justify the Inference that in
the past only lies their claim for recog
nition. These are not faults, though they
may descend Into weaknesses, but vir
tues. A good illustration of family
pride in useful manifestation is sup
plied In the alacrity with which Ore
gon's pioneer families have subscribed
to the Lewis and Clark Centennial.
Burke has truly said that he who has
no pride In his ancestry will manifest
no cam for his posterity.
FULLER AGAIXST THE AXTIS.
It Is a singular and impressive fact
that the basic contention of constitu
tional lawyers who uphold the Gov
ernment side in the Insular tariff ques
tion is sustained by the opinion ren
dered In the fourteen diamond rings
case by Chief Justice Fuller. This con
tention Is that the government of the
new Islands Isiot a judicial but a polit
ical question, and that the Supreme
Court's business, under the Constitu
tion, Is not to set aside laws passed
by Congress for the administration of
the dependencies, but to find out what
Congress and the Executive purpose,
and then to uphold that purpose. This
does not transverse the commonly ac
cepted conception of , the Supreme
Court's function as the custodian of
Constitutional inhibitions en legisla
tion, but proceeds upon the belief that
the Constitution and precedents do not
deny but authorize tho widest latitude
In legislating for newly acquired terri
tory. In the recent decision the Supreme
Court rules that there is np law for
customs duties on imports from the
Philippines. Yet It is distinctly Inti
mated, In Chief Justice Fuller's opin
ion, that such a law would stand and
would be entirely proper. His exact
words on this head, as they appear in
the full text now coming to hand, are
worth reprinting:
But It Is said that the case of tho Phlllp
plnos Is to be distinguished from that of Porto
Rico, because on February 14, 1ES9, after the
ratification of the treaty, the Senate resolved
that by the ratification of the treaty of peace
with Spain it is not Intended to incorporate
the inhabitants of the Philippines Islands Into
citizenship of the United States, etc, nor to
permanently annex those islads.
Wo need not consider the force and effect of
a resolution of this sort if adopted by Congress,
not like that of April 20. 1S0S. In respect of
Cuba, preliminary to tho declaration of war.
but after title had passed by ratified cession.
It Is enough that this was a Joint resolution:
that It wa adopted by tho Senate by a vote
of 26 to 22 not two-thirds of a quorum and
that It is absolutely without legal significance
on the question before us. The moaning of the
treaty cannot be controlled by subsequent ex
planations of some of those who may have
voted to ratify It. What view those might
have taken as to the intention of the Senate In
ratifying the treaty we are not informed, nor
is it material: and If any Implication from ths
action referred to could properly be Indulged,
It would seem to bo that two-third of a quo
rum of the Senate did not consent to the rati
fication on the grounds indicated.
Now, what does this mean, as regards
tariff legislation for the Philippines?
It can mean nothing less than that the
trouble with the McEnery resolution is
that it Ib not law. It was a joint reso
lution, and was passed only by the
Senate. That Is to say, if It had been
passed by both houses and signed by
the President, the Issue would have
been different. Much more so would a
law definitely enacting, a tariff. The
Chief Justifce here indicates in unmis
takable terms the Supreme Court's be
lief that the tariff administration of the
islands is a political question for Con
gress and the Executive. Congress,
then, has the power to deal justly or un
justly by the dependencies. This Is the
contention which has been stoutly re
sisted by that school of statesmen who
have been receiving aid and comfort, as
they thought, from Chief Justice Fuller
and Justice Harlan.
FOREST SLAUGHTER.
A late report from the great lumber
districts of the Middle Northwest shows
that the plno forests of Michigan, Wis
consin and Minnesota have literally
fallen before the lumberman's ax.
The "stumpage," or price paid for
standing trees, is now $S and $9 per
thousand feet, or about what was paid
for the lumber In early days, when the
stumpage was 50 cents a thousand.
This indicates the prodigious waste
of a generation profligate in a bequest
of the centuries. The forest area in
these states has been denuded of trees
without any care or saving of the young
growth. The waste is an inherited evil,
the object of the first settlters of the
great West being to make way with
the forests In the interest of agriculture.
The writer well remembers the fires fed
by black walnut logs that blazed upon
wide hearths and roared up great
throated chimneys in Northern Illinois
fifty years ago, and the great log heaps
of hickory, walnut and maple that were
burned In the Fall on the clearings of
this section, where now grain fields
stretch for miles and miles. The object
was to get the timber "out of the way,"
and the result shows how thoroughly
this object was accomplished. In the
great lumber districts of the states first
mentioned the object of timber slaugh
ter was to get every cargo of lumber
possible afloat upon the Lakes, and the
wasteful spirit of the early settler su
perintended the butchery. Inaugurated
by necessity perhaps by stupidity this
waste has been carried en by the cu
pidity that thinks only of present gains,
unmindful of future, needs. The result
Is a denuded forest area that, with In
telligent care, would have yielded a
perennial supply, and the appearance
of timber agents, or agents of the great
lumbering companies of the Middle
Northwest, In our own state, where In
recent years at nominal figures they
have possessed themselves of vast tracts
of timber land.
The object of the lumber companies
Is the same now as it was when opera
tions were relentlessly carried on In the
Michigan and Wisconsin forests, to sup
ply the lumber market. And as this
market Is widening, our forests will In
time meet the fate of the great pine
woods of the Northwestern States that
of Indiscriminate slaughter unless In
telligence finds a way, supplemented by
law, to combat greed with success In
the interest of our forests.
The effort to create a market for
American com In Europe has been long
and untiring. Latterly It has met with
some success, and with a reasonable
promise of a widening market. A check
both upon this success and the prom
ise of its Increase Is, however, fore
shadowed by the notification served by
the Italian Consul at New York upon
the Produce Exchange of that city that
his government will hereafter require
a Consular certificate a3 to the quality
of maize Imported into Italy. Other
wise this product will be rejected by
the health authorities and its landing
prohibited. In explanation, Consul
BranchI says that Italian grain-traders
have received during the past year a
quality of grain so Inferior to that
which they had a right to expect that
the government has been compelled to
resort to this expedient for their pro
tection. The shipment of musty,
woevlly corn to Europe by American
grain exporters Is both dishonorable
and short-sighted. It Is, moreover, an
economic waste that Is far-reaching,
since In effect It will undo to a greater
or less extent the careful, painstaking
work of the Government as well as of
Individuals, extending overa period of
some years, by which a market for
American corn has been opened in sev
eral European countries.
In 19C0, in Vermont, the number of
retail liquor dealers who paid a license
to the Federal Government for the
right to conduct a traffic that is pro
hibited by the laws of the state was 325;
2S2 licenses were Issued to those selling
malt liquors at retail, and 14 licenses
to wholesale dealers in malt liquors.
Of course, the purchase of these Federal
licenses to sell liquor Is a plain adver
tisement that the purchaser thinks he
can afford to engage in a business that
is outlawed by the State of Vermont.
The town agencies, which are author
ized on a doctor's certificate to furnish
llquo'r for medicinal purposes, are so
loosely conducted that the annual sales
are beyond all reason. Nevertheless,
the number of persons to whom are
Issued Federal licenses for the sale of
liquor is very large In the state. Pro
hibition does not seem to prohibit, but
perhaps it Is more honored in the
breach than in the observance.
The sword, which has had so long-and
so distinguished a military record, ha3
been placed virtually on the retired list.
British Army authorities, profiting by
experience in South Africa, have de
cided that in the future unmounted offi
cers, as a matter of safety and effect
iveness, shall carry carbines instead of
swords during maneuvers or In active
service. This Is practical. The sword
Is not only useless as a weapon In mod
ern warfare, but It serves as a mark
to distinguish the officer from his men,
thus making him a target for the en
emy's sharpshooters. The British loss
In officers in South Africa has been
phenomenally heavy, and the retire
ment of the sword may serve to lessen
It to some extent In future. Whether
It has this effect or not, the passing
of the sword Is one of the signs of the
changed conditions of war.
Bourke Cockran thinks that President
Roosevelt ought to whisper In the ear
of the British Minister at Washington
that the United States "does not sym
pathize with the present scheme for the
conquest of the Boers." President
Roosevelt is not likely to expose himself
to the obvious retort, that guerrilla
warfare Is not pleasant or profitable In
South .Africa just at present, neither is
it In the Philippines. The British Gov
ernment declined all offers of mediation
on the part of President McKInley, and
would not welcome any further offers
on part of President Roosevelt. The
British Government doesn't offer to put
her microscope over our war In the
Philippines, and does not expect any
microscopic inspection or criticism of
her war in South Africa.
The epidemic of railway train wrecks
that has been on for several weeks ex
tended last week to Oregon roads.
While In sections farther East the cas
ualty list has bec-n large, it has here
been confined to those burden-bearers
of railway disaster the engineers and
firemen of the derailed trains. The
funerals of four of these railway em
ployes In this city In as many days
shows how close these wrecks have
come to us, while the record of disaster
in other sections tells how much this
community has to be thankful for, as
It takes its place In the railway cas
ualty list. Brave men who died at the
post of duty, the fate of these engineers
and firemen appeals strongly to the
public sympathy.
Secretarj Root's recommendation that
the 403,000 acres of lands now belonging
to the friars in the Philippine Islands
be purchased by the Government and
reallotted under proper conditions to
the Inhabitants deserves to be approved
and enacted by Congress, because It Is
the only proper thing to do. We cannot
take the lands without payment, for
the treaty of Paris confirms all the
privileges and rights which the friars
enjoyed under Spanish rule, and we
cannot leave the friars In possession
without perpetuating a grievance upon
the people which Is as old as the first
Spanish settlement.
Another new year promises to find
the drydock problem unsolved. It Is a
great comfort, however, to know that
we are going to have a drydock, even
If we don't know when we are going to
have a drydock. After all, Portland
has been without a drydock for time
eternal, so that perhaps It doesn't make
much difference how much longer eter
nity shall last.
Tnere Is no disposition to delay the
trial of the brace of scoundrels who
caused the death of James Morrow.
When the civil law does Its duty
promptly in such a case there is no rea
son to fear mob law.
For the Lewis and Clark expedition of
S000 miles Congress appropriated 52500.
The spirit of the centennial shows that
the Investment could not have reached
such grand results even at compound
Interest.
Unsophisticated citizens should not
depreciate the logic of the insular de
cisions. It Is all In the point of view,
and, even If the'loglc is as clear as mud,
politics Is a great clarifier.
A correspondent says the British must
have patience In South Africa. It Is
difficult to see how, under the circum
stances, anything else would avail, ex
cept a larger army.
Perhaps it would not have made any
difference If Queen Wilhelmina had let
politics Instead of romantic fancy
choose her a husband. Men are de
ceivers, ever.
Frye has Introduced another subsidy
bill.' He has "eliminated objectionable
features" of the old measure, but the
subsidy part Is still there.
Although Roosevelt's message was
long, it probably did not go so far as
to leave nothing to say to Congress
next time.
Prince Henry has a mother-in-law,
but he himself Is to blame.
TARIFF WAR OX PHILIPPINES.
New York Evening Post, Ind.
Of all the wrongdoings of the Inhabi
tants of the Philippines since the Ameri
can occupation, none, we are sure, has
been so bad as that reported in this
morning's Manila dispatches. Murder, ra
pine. Insurrection, we have grown famil
iar with even torture. Now It appears
that these wretched people have actually
had the audacity to "hall with joy" the
news of the Supreme Court's decision in
the "Fourteen Diamond Rings Case"! Na
tives, business men, Spanish merchants,
American soldiers, all are reported to be
so delighted with the court's ruling as to
be able to talk of nothing else. The black
ness of the offence Is all the more appar
ent when It Is noticed that the Washing
ton dispatches written before the news
from Manila contain the assurance that
tho tariff existing hitherto has been emi
nently satisfactory to all classes of people
In the Philippines. That American sol
diers should have taken part In this dem
onstration of joy at the upsetting of the
Administration's plans and those of the
protectionists is certainly nothing less
than treasonable, and we respectfully call
tho War Department's attention to them.
As for the other offenders, they shall
have their proper punishment, and that
promptly. The Administration, Iti Con
gressional leaders, and the representa
tives of the protected Interests will see
to that. The sugar men, for instance, are
rushing to Washington by every train,
determined that Philippine raw sugar
shall not come In free, and that the
Dlngley tariff wall shall be put around
these American possessions If nothing else
can he done quickly enough. In this mat
ter the protected Interests will see to it
that there shall be no cause for joy or
happiness In the Islands. Pleasure may
only be expressed at the success of this
or that measure of thcr, Philippine Com
mission's execution. No guilty ray of
hope or happiness shall escape to light up
the gloom of the Islands.
Consumer linn No Recourse.
Louisville Courier-Journal, Dem.
One thing has been accepted as clearly
Indicated, and that la that. duties hereto
fore paid under protest on goods from the
Philippines must be refunded. The Treas
ury hao already given out that refunds
will be made "when protests are duly
tiled." This appears to go upon the gen
eral principle that taxes voluntarily paid
cannot be recovered. It Is apparent that
the Government will retain all the taxes
voluntarily paid on Imports since the de
cision of the court In the Porto RScan
cases. The revenue? are so ample that no
Inconvenience can result from refunding
the duties Improperly collected. .It may
be remarked, however, that the consum
ers of tho goods kj Imported have been
charged with the taxes and that the re
funding process will not reach them.
However, few people care for the con
sumer; he offers himself as an "easy
mark," and so la not considered. When
ever he rouses himself to the fact that
he has some rights he may be taken Into
the account.
Discrimination "Won't Be Ensy.
Chicago Record-Herald, Rep.
Congress will find that It Is a trying
task both to institute and perpetuate the
anomaly of an American tariff against an
American possession. Those justices who
he'd that the new territory was a part of
the United States and entitled to uniform
laws used language that was without
mystification and that appealed to the av
erage person who Is not skilled In legal
subtleties, and who Is pleased to believe
that the American Hag means the same
thing everywhere. The distinction con
cerning "a territory appurtenant and be
longing to the United States but not a
part of the United States" Is not an im
pressive refinement. The situation Is sucn
as to invito continued discussion, and,
furthermore, Congress must come upon
groat practical obstacles In attempting to
discriminate. Free trade with the United
States would be a greater boon to the
Islands than any possible adjustment of
customs duties.
Bitter Opposition I Ccrtnln.
Brooklyn Eagle, Ind.
Until the Congress passes some tariff
law all goods shipped from the Philip
pines must be admitted Into our ports free
of duty. That Is what the decision of the
Supreme Court means. And the leaders in
Washington are trying to find a way to
relieve themselves from the predicament
in which the court has placed them. Their
task Is not easy. It Is morally certain
that the moment any bill levying duties
on Philippine products Is proposed there
will be strong and bitter opposition from
the people who opposed the Foraker bill
for Porto Rico. The Constitutional objec
tion to such a measure has disappeared,
but there remains the question of its wis
dom, as a matter of policy. Tariff re
formers will find, right here, an oppor
tunity to have their say, and they will
not let it slip. So It looks as If the carefully-laid
plans to prevent tariff discus
sion this Winter had gone awry, after all.
HnbibuIIah.
London Chronicle.
The peaceful accession of Hablbullah to
the throne of Afghanistan, and the com
placent attitude of his half brothers and
the Afghan sirdars, tides U3 safely over
the first and In some respects the most
dangerous step in Afghan, succession.
Other steps, however, still remain, and
for some time to come the Inner politics of
that state must remain a matter of keen
solicitude in the high places of India.
As we remarked yesterday, a rising sooner
or later against his authority Is as Inevi
table in Afghanistan as It would bo Im
probable elsewhere, and It Is then that
the mettle of the new ameer will bo test
ed. He has shown that he can rule well
and wisely In time of peace, and that
when the way to power Is made straight
for him he can. enter In. He has still
to show that he can hold his inheritance
against all comers; and In the East dag
ger and poison play as large a part as
open Insurrection. Hablbullah Is already
bound to England by prediction and self
interest, and the stronger and more mas
terful he proves himself the better It will
bo for us.
The Wllllamnon Uncertainty.
Klamath Republican.
It Is now announced that State Senator
J. N. Williamson, of Prlnevllle. will be a
candidate for the Congressional nomina
tion to succeed Congressman Moody.
Hitherto Mr. Williamson has been consid
cred a strong candidate for the State Sec
retaryship, In the nomination for which
he would be pitted against F. I. Dunbar,
tho present Incumbent. The uncertainty
as to what office Mr. Williamson will go
after Is puzzling politicians of the state
very much, and they are clamoring anx
iously to know "where he Is at."
This Editor Doesn't Know, Either.
Weston Leader.
The Leader reprints elsewhere an article
on the wheat market from The Oregonlan,
which Is presumably well informed. It
apparently leaves the farmer between the
devil and the deep sea; he'll lose If he
does sell and also lose If he doesn't. The
Loader believes It advisable to hang on
to wheat until It reaches 50 cents. This
belief Is purely instinctive, however, and
our agricultural editor doesn't want to
hang should bis advice prove faulty.
THE PERSONAL EQUATION.
The Oregonlan has received the follow
ing communication:
Portland. Dec S. "The personal equation U
the most important factor in a business opera
tion." This heads the list of "gems from the
message." in The Oregonlan of December 4,
but I am a. Populist, and so can't make It out.
I pass It up to you for elucidation. The pub
lic are now sitting at the feet of the young
ma3tcr. and perhaps there are others whom
It behooveth the press to enlighten.
To simplify President 'Roosevelt's lan
guage, put it this Wft" Some mon nr
j temperamentally fitted to do certain things
ana some men are not so fitted. Every
business enterprise In order to 'be suc
cessful must have at Its head a man
whom nature has endowed with the ca
pacity to think and to act. To choose
competent subordinates, to watch chang
ing conditions and meet them, to antici
pate the future, to hold employes up to
the best that Is In them, to risk nuttinsr
out a dollar where there Is a reasonable '
chance of getting back a dollar ami a
half, to study the needs of consumers
and supply them, to build up a reputation
for common honesty all these are fac
tors of the personal equation in busi
ness. To want to hog everything In sight,
to force competitors into bankruptcy, to
take advantage of poverty and secure
good service at starvation wages, to rob
without taking the chance of state's pris
on, to tax traffic all it will stand, to re
verse the GolJtn Rule, to pursue "the
public be d d" policy, to steal and con
vert Into coin the creation of other men3
brains these also are factors of the per
sonal equation In business.
This personal equation figures largely
In every walk of life. Seth Low's person
ality guarantees better government In
New York City. Theodore Roosevelt's
personality promises at least a little re
form In the Federal civil service. The
personal equation of Harriman In the con
duct of two great transcontinental rail
ways has not yet been solved, but the
country la watching Its solution with
great Interest. Jamis J. Hill, good times
or bad. has always been able to borrow
money for his transforation enterprises,
because Hill's personal equation is solved,
and, so far as the lender Is concerned,
solved all right. Henry Villard. m the
same line of business, came to a time
when his credit was impaired because his
persona! equation was solved and. so far
as the lender was concerned, solved all
wrong. Plymouth Church. Brooklyn,
since Beecher's death, does not wield the
Influence of 30 years ago. When Wilbur
F. Storey died, the Chicago Times then
the most powerful newspaper In the Mis
sissippi Valley began to die. With the
death of Fletcher Harper, the great house
of Harper & Bros, began to lose its
hold and recently went through "reor
ganization." See the personal equation?
The personal equation of the man at the
head of affairs In a crisis Is everything.
In ISO 1 a weak Grover Cleveland might
have plunged the country Into financial
ruin. In 1SC0-G1 a man of Andrew Jack
son's personality might have averted the
Civil War by depriving the South of the
means of armament. With a less man
than Washington at its head, what would
have been the fate of the infant Nation?
And In our great crisis, who except Lin
coln would have saved us from disunion?
Without the personal equation of Christ,
what would there be, today, of the Chris
tian religion?
One need not go beyond the field of one's
own observation to learn what President
Roosevelt means In the sentence quoted
from his message. No sooner was It
known thnt a time-tried, conservative
business man was to be the head of the
Lewis and Clask Centennial celebration
than Portland oversubscribed the stock
in the enterprise. The personal equa
tion was solved. If some adventurous
schemer had in contemplation an elec
tric line to the summit of Mount Hood,
he would invite, to finance It. a George
B. Markle not a Tyler Woodward. If a
dnrlnjr deed Involving preat personal dan
ger Is to be undertaken, nsk a Funston
or a Hobson to lead not a Falstaff. If
you want Scottish folk Idealized, get Ian
Maclarcn to write your story; If you want
a picture of the real Scot, ask Barrle to
paint It. Everything you want well done
depends on whether the man who under
takes to do It Is tempermentally fitted
for It.
In another line of business not recog
nized as legitimate though universal In
this country. It might be politic In a big
pot to run a bluff with a bobtail flush
against a timid man who had accumu
lated money by saving it. and was loser
at that session; but the same proceeding
might be disastrous against a miner from
the Klondike who had just come down
with a $50,000 sack and hail a tall stack
of blues In front of him. Personal equa
tion figures also In the strategy of busi
ness. If the correspondent had read the Pres
ident's message he would have found a
full and complete answer in the same par
agraph from which the "gem" was ex
tracted, for Ita author adds: "The busi
ness ability of the man at the head of
any business concern, big or little. Is us
ually the factor which fixes the gulf be
tween striking success and hopeless fail
ure." A FREE TRADER'S SUGGESTION.
Letter In New York Times.
Speaking for myself Individually, and
not for the Free Trade League, I answer
your Inquiries as follows:
With the redundant and Increasing Na
tional revenues, the reform of tho tariff
by reducing duties Is no longer compli
cated by the needs of revenue. The low
ering of duties Indeed tends rather to In
crease than to lessen the revenues, which
are sure to be ample for all reasonable
National needs.
Duties ought to be abolished forthwith:
1. On those articles which our manu
facturers export In large quantities and
sell to foreigners In competition In the
markets of the world. This la especially
the case whero the articles are sold abroad
at prices less than those exacted at home.
Therefore, abolish the duties on the fol
lowing articles and the manufactures
thereof: Iron and steel, copper, lead-and
paper; boots, shoes, and leather.
2. Raw materials, the duties on which
increase the cost of manufactured articles
and thus burden and discriminate against
our own manufacturers, and handicap
them In. competing In the world's mar
kets for tho world's trade. Of such are
the duties in wool, hemp, flax, and jute;
hides, furs and hair; lumber, wood pulp,
salt, horax, chemicals, paints and oils.
C. Fish, because It Is the food of the
people, and because the duties thereon are
the standing bone of contention with
Canada, which ought to be removed In
the interest of both countries.
3. Animals and agricultural products,
whfch "protect" nobody but a few along
the Canadian border, and only servo to
unduly enhance prices In times of partial
scarcity. Also tropical fruits.
5. Sugar, because It Is one of the prin
cipal articles of food'for the people, and
It Is an economic error, as well as an
outrageous oppression, to add ?SO.O"0,tUO
annually to their cost of living. In order
to support a few Louisiana sugar plant
ers and Western beetgrowers, and swell
the enormous Incomes of the sugar trusts.
6. Then, with cheap materials and the
whole world for their markets, let the
duties on manufactured goods be reduced
40 per cent now, and 10 per cnt annual
ly thereafter until the United States takes
Its rightful place as the great free trade
Nation the Industrial, commercial and
financial mistress of the world.
HAZARD STEVENS.
Don't Print Thl.n It' Profane.
M'MINNVILLE. Dec. S. (To the Edit
orsWas the Ministerial Associatrou
afraid that If Rev. Mr. Hoyt got Into
It he would knock h 1 out of It?
SAME OLD CONSTANT READER.
NOTE AND COMMENT.
Today's weather assorted.
No one can say that the messas0 was
a colorless document, even if it wasn't all
read
There seems to be a great future "or
submarine boats In navigating Lendoa
foes.
Among the bills which will not be In
troduced la Washington this session a
W. J. Bryan.
The prohibitionists ought to take orr.e
action on the President's declarat ja
against water in stocks.
Croker soys that a man's business suf
fers if he doesn't attend to it. lt N.w
York is not complaining.
Just how gousn managed to play before
King Edward without turning his bae'e
on him is hard to understand.
Sir Henry Irving says that man is not
old till he is 76. Soubrettes seem to apply
the surne rule to themselves.
Miss Stone could certainly not be placed
among people who are any more in need
of her services than are her captors.
"Where are you going, my little maid?"
"I'm golmc to Sunday school, sir." she said,
"'see you are pious, my little maid."
"So. It's the Christmas tree, sir." she said.
Portland's death rate was unusually low
In November. Even Thanksgiving and
football cannot overcome the healthful
ness of the climate.
Pettlcoated messengers are shortly to
supplement the regular male messenger
service of New York. Of course it Is
recognized that many errands can best
be assigned to boys, but on the other
hand It is held that girls are better fitted
for some assignments. The pettlcoated
pages of Gotham, it Is snld, will bo
garbed In ordinary weather in thick bluo
serge, with a jacket to match and a sailor
hat; when It rains they will wear mack
intoshes and sailor hats of shiny water
proof. This scheme is an Importation
from London, where It has been tried and.
It Is said, works well.
Under an act Just passed by the Georgia
Legislature, the dispensary liquor system
Is given extended local option recognition.
Any county, on petition of one-third of
the qualified voters, will be privileged to
voto (1) whether the liquor traffic shall bo
prohibited altogether or not, and (2)
whether, if the traffic be favored, tho
same shall be conducted through dispen
saries on public account. The proposed
dispensaries are to be open only from
sunrise to sunset, and will sell no liquor -,
to be drunk on the premises. It Is op
tional now with the Georgia counties to
have prohibition, license or the dispensary.
The digging of the New York rapid
transit tunnel Is said to be one-third
done. The total cost of the tunnel, with
Its equipment. Is estimated In round num
bers at J3T..O00.OW. but the cost of excava
tion will be only about $2.CO,C0O. Work
on the tunnel began In August. 100, and
the average monthly expenditure has
been a little over $700,000. One of the in
teresting engineering feats going on in
this connection is the blasting under the
street car tracks at Forty-second street,
between Fourth and Seventh avmues.
The railway tracks are supported by tim
bers and the blasting Is carried on with
out Interruption to traffic.
Susie E. Jenkins. 20 years old, of Phila
delphia, says: "I have seen nearly all
the funny shows that have come
.fniiadctiiiiv i,i r..7iii j ears, and not one
of them could make mo laugh. My mother
has often tried to make me laugh by
tickling me, but even that won't work.
Ever since I can remember people have
been telling me funny stories and cutting
up all sorts of funny capers In the hope
that I could be induced to smile; but all
their efforts have been in vain. No; I
have never consulted a doctor about it,
for I have always enjoyed perfect health.
I want to exhibit myself In public, and
offer a prize to any one who can make
me laugh. It must be a queer sensation."
Cleveland contemplitosvbullding a city
hall and a public library, while Cuyahoga
County, of which Cleveland is the major
part. Is to build a courthouse. It Is pro
posed to open a court of honor 300 feet
wide for a distance of perhaps 2000 feet
from the present public square to the
lake front, and to group tho three bulll
ings In a position overlooking Lake Erie.
There are many dlillcultles in the way of
a successful solution of the problem, and
a large amount of money will be neces
sary to carry out the plan. The City
Council hns approved the proposition to
Issue ?700,000 In bonds for the purchase of
a site, and the erection or a c:ty hall,
and the cost to the city alone of the rest
of the plan Is estimated to be at least
$2.000,COO additional. A new union passen
ger depot is also hoped for somewhere
near the lake end of the court of honor.
PLEASAXTIUES OF PAItAGUAPIIEItS
It should be remembered that mlsgovernment
owes Its existence to the consent of the mis
governed. Puck.
All Surprised. Kessie I was surprised when
Mr. Dashleigh asked me to mnrry him. Tessio
Everybody else was Ohio State Journal.
Fanning the Flame. He Do you think your
love for me will last as long as this engage
ment ring? "I don't know, but If you notice
It dying out you can present me with another."
Life.
Hade an Impression. City Girl Lord Xabob
must have made quite an impression In this
section, didn't he? Country Girl Yes. Indeed.
We took him to a picnic and he sat on a pie.
Xew York Weekly.
Hardened. "Why." said the good man, "do
you not give up your worldllness. and seek
rather to lay up treasures in heaven?" "Not
much." replied the hard case, "I'd very prob
ably n:ver see them again." Philadelphia
Press.
Mrs. De Mover Good gracious! This Is the
nois-Iest neighborhood I ever got into. Ji.st
hear those children screech! Maid They're
your own childers. mum. Mrs. De Mm r -Are
they? How the little darlings are en.,oy
lnjc themselves! Tit-Kits.
Uncle Jeff Look a" heah. you Henry Clay
White, how many times has I tole yo" sm 't
en'll shawten yo' life mo'n half? Young II
C Well. Unc" Jeff, yo' been smoken all yo
life, an" yo' is a putty ole man. I'ncle JpfT
Dht's all right, you fool niggah! I'se elshty
fo now, an' If I hadn" smoked when I nas a
boy I might 's.' ben mo'n a hundred years ole
by this time. Harlem Life.
;
Sen. In Autumn.
C A. Price in the Atlantic.
I know how all the hollows of the land
Are bright with harvest; how with every
breeze
Her largesse Autumn pentters from the tres.
And how the sheaves are piled on every hand.
Basks the brown earth; her toll hath bought
her case.
Here Is the lesson, plain to understand;
Yet there reroalneth eomewhat pace the
strand.
And watch awhile ths vast, the infertile peas.
Deeper than earth's thlr calm; from mars1
to merge
"Wide stretched they He. untroubled by tho
ned
Of any fruitage: barren nnd content.
They know the secret of a hope tnere targe
Than earth has guessed at; them a richer
meed
Than toll can win th,' inscrutable heavens have
sent.