,6 THE MORNING- OREGONIAN TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1901, tie rggomcos Entered it the Postofflce at Portland, Oregon, u second-das matter. 1 REVISED SUBSCRIPTION RATES. By Mail (postage prepaid). In Advance Daily, with Sunday, per month t S3 Dally, Sunday excepted, per year 7 K Dally, with Sunday, per year 8 00 Sunday, per year ......................... 2 00 The Weekly per year ICO The "Weekly. 2 months SO To City Subscribers Dally, per week, delivered. Sundays excepted.l5o Dally, per week, delivered, Sundays Included.20o POSTAGE RATES. United States Canada and Mexico: 20 to 14-page paper 1 14 to 28-page paper........ ........2o Foreign rates double. News or discussion Intended for publication In The Oregonlan should be addressed Invaria bly "Editor The Oregonlan." not to the name of any Individual. Letters relating to adver tising, subscription or to any business matter should be addressed simply "The Oregonlan." The Oregonlan does not buy poems or stories from Individuals, and cannot undertake to re turn any manuscript sent to It without solici tation. No stamps should be Inclosed for this purpose. Eastern Business Office, 43. 44, 43, 47. 48, 49 Tribune building. New York City; 4K "The Rookery," Chicago; the S. C. Bcckwita special agency. Eastern representative. For sale in San Francisco by L. E. Ie. Pal ace Hotel news stand: Goldsmith Bros., 230 Sutter street; F. W. Pitts. 100S Market street; J. K. Cooper Co.. 740 Market street, near the Palace Hotel; Foster & Orear. Ferry news stand. For sale In Los Angeles by B. F. Gardner. 259 So. Spring street, and Oliver & Haines. 100 So. Spring street. For sale In Chicago by the P. O. News Co.. 217 Dearborn street. For salo In Omaha by Barkalow Bros., 1012 Farnam street. For sale in Salt Lake by the Salt Lake News Co., 77 W. Scond South street. For sale in Ogden by W. C. Kind. 204 Twenty-fifth street, and by C H. Myers. On file in the Oregon exhibit at the exposi tion. Charleston, S. C For sale In Washington, D. C, by the Ebbett House news stand. For sale In Denver. Colo, by Hamilton Kendrlck, 000-012 Seventeenth street. TODAY'S' WEATHER Cloudy to partly cloudy, -with ehowers; variable winds, mostly southerly. YESTERDAY'S WEATHER Maximum tem perature, 55; minimum temperature, 45; pre cipitation, 0.00 Inch. PORTLAND, TUESDAY, DEC. 24, 1001. PRIMARY LAW DEFECTS. The City of Duluth has just tested a primary law something- like the one to be put Into use in Portland next Spring, and two complaints are made that may be expected to apply here. One Is an objection to the requirement that the voter publicly disclose his political affili ation, and the other relates to the length of the campaign. The Oregonlan has never ardently sympathized with the precipitation shown, by Mr. Bingham and others in their retreat under the Are of Califor nia decisions. The antipathy to pri mary laws reflected in the California Supreme Court is not shared in other states, and is not, we believe, shared in Oregon. It is altogether possible, there fore, that provisions abandoned In our existing primary legislation may yet be adopted and sustained, by the Su preme Court One of these provisions is security of secrecy to the voter. It is perfectly plain that if at a gen eral election the voter were obliged to announce to the election board which party ticket he proposed to vote, the chief merit of the Australian ballot would be vitiated. Our elections have been reformed largely through the fact that voters might be bought but bosses could not tell whether the contract was kept or violated. This uncertainty has been a powerful discourager of bribery. Under the Duluth system, as under the Oregon system, the voter at the general primary election must call for the party ballot he intends to vote. This has cre ated a good deal of dissatisfaction at Duluth, and may here. The remedy is to have a blanket ballot, such as we use at the general election. This was the Minneapolis plan, and the demand at Duluth is for a return to that plan. Our local primary reformers' were scared away from the Minneapolis plan by the California decisions. Maybe they will get more courage another Legis lative session. There is also a good deal of dissat isfaction at Duluth over the long time Intervening between primaries and elec tions. The time allowed at Duluth is seven weeks, which is pronounced too long. Three weeks is the length of the campaign in New York, and it seems to be enough. The longer time inflicts upon candidates annoyance .and ex pense that seem to be unnecessary, es pecially as the ante-primary campaign has already threshed over pretty thor oughly the merits of the opposing as pirants. Our Oregon law fixes primary day as not less than sixty days before election. This is longer even than the Duluth -campaign of seven weeks, though In Oregon we eleot delegates only, and some time must elapse for holding the nominating conventions. The Oregon law, we have no doubt, will be approved in practice for its fair ness. But it is only a beginning in the direction of true primary nominations, and when the next act of the sort is passed the experiences of Duluth and other cities should be useful for guid ance. In a late Massachusetts Bulletin of Labor a carefully tabulated statement shows the great place occupied by women in the industrial or wage-earning life of that state. The total num ber of branches classified in the occu pation returns of the latest census of the state show a total of 3825. Women workers are Included in 2127 of these, or 56 per cent of the whole number. Look ing over these tables, one cannot fall to be surprised at the wide scope that is given to women as wage-earners In this most conservative of states. They enter Into the official life of the state, being found in all branches of the pub lic service except the Army and Navy. They are found In medicine, literature, art, music, amusements, education and science; in its domestic service they are in large majority; in trade they show active competition with men; in trans portation business they appear with a fair per cent; in agriculture, care of animals, etc., they make notable show ing; in manufactures they are numer ous; as educators they are in great ma jority. The state, in brief, appears to be a great hive of feminine Industry. The ideal condition of society, in which the men of the commonwealth support its women in homes, is lost in a com munity where an army of women strug gle manfully in gainful occupations. Perhaps, as some would have it, women have outgrown the condition that made them homekeepers, and this showing is one of progress. But is it not more likely that men have shirked their duty as wage-earners, forcing women into the broad arena of gainful endeavor? Is it that women are unduly officious in making their way Into wage-earning vocations, or that men are remiss in their duty as protectors of women and supporters of them -in homes? The fig ures to which reference is above made tell a story; its preface is a long one and obscure in details; its sequel can only be surmised. Alf INEXPLICABLE SILENCE. It has occurred to several Americans of high position that we are under ob ligation to treat Cuba with generosity. Secretary Root declares that "the same considerations which led to the war with Spain now require that a commer cial agreement be made under which Cuba can live." President Roosevelt's message observed that there are "weighty reasons of morality and of National interest" demanding that the policy of reciprocity "should be held to have a peculiar application" to Cuba, and that there Is a "vital need" for "a substantial reduction" In the duties against that Island. The latest undertaking en Cuba's be half Is General Leonard "Wood's article in the Independent, in which he dis cusses the Importance of perpetua'tlng moral confidence between the two peo ples and urges the "dishonor and bad faith" of any attempt "to force polit ical opinion in Cuba" toward annexa tion -by withholding tariff concessions except on that basis. He also points out that Cuba can only prosper and thus become a blessing Instead of a fretting burden to this country through a government founded on "business confidence among the producers and traders of the Island." "We must, more over, sell goods to the Cubans if we can, and we can do so only upon the condition that we buy liberally of them. For such imports as they now take from us' and for the Increasing imports which a prosperous people should con sume they must pay us with their two great products, cane sugar a'nd tobacco. In the Interest, therefore, not only of moral regard between the two peoples and of the stable government which thlB country undertook to Insure In the Island, but in the Interest of a develop ing and mutually beneficial commerce between both, General "Wood urges "a reasonable reduction" of present duties on Cuban products. All of which is very plausible. But we should like to have President Roose velt, Secretary Root, General "Wood or any one else explain to us what moral or economic obligation of generosity applies to our relations with Cuba that does not also apply to the Philippines. Nay, more, the Philippines are a part of us, and to Cuba we have pledged In dependence. Is there no "Importance of perpetuating moral confidence" between the Philippines and the home land? Is there no need of "business confidence," or "moral regard," In this case, as well as in Cuba's? And if there Is, why this studied neglect of the Pacific Islands and fond solicitude for the Atlantic Islands? The welfare, happiness and good or der of the Philippines- are as vitally bound up with tariff concessions as Is the welfare of Cuba. Yet while strenu ous effort is readily enlisted on behalf of Cuba, tiftbody in all the departments of the Government has a word to say against the inhuman policy of treating the Philippines as foreign territory. Dlngley rates are uniformly levied against Philippine products, and if they happen to be on the free list, we levy an export duty at Manila. Is there a conspiracy at "Washington having for its object the alienation of the Philippine Islands? And, if so, has the Pacific Coast no man big and brave enough to expose it to the world? DISCIPLINE MUST BE MAINTAINED. The .rebuke of General Miles by the President not only was just, but it was most timely. Under the Administration of President McKinley General Miles was so conspicuous an offender against military discipline by the freedom of his speech as to make his judicious friends grieve and cause his enemies to impute to him a disposition to abuse his posi tion by playing to the galleries of the political theater. General Miles is a very able soldier, but he does not ap pear to advantage In public speeches or letters. His personal vanity is very great, and he seldom loses a chance to pose before the public. In his soldierly virtues and personal infirmities he con siderably resembles that famous hero of the Mexican "War, General "Winfield Scott General Scott was an admirable soldier in the field, but through his per sonal vanity he was all his days in trouble, either with the President or the "War Department In the Mexican "War General Scott was in trouble with Sec retary of "War Marcy and President Polk, and his last official act before his retirement as Lleutenant-General in November, 1861, was to write a bit ter letter to General McClellan, which caused President Lincoln great embar rassment General Scott like General Miles, had a political bee buzzing in his bonnet, but it ceased to buzz audibly after his tremendous defeat for Presi dent in 1852. During this campaign General Scott's speeches in response to serenades were foolish enough to make a funeral pro cession smile. The poor, old veteran was an awkward hand throwing bou quets to the crowd when he said that it delighted him to recognize among the voices of those that cheered him "the sound of the rich Irish brogue." Since the day of "Winfield Scott, no eminent American soldier has manifested any burning thirst for political honors. Mc Clellan knew that the nomination he accepted meant overwhelming defeat; Grant spoke the truth when he said that he made a severe personal sacri fice when he exchanged a military po sition which he enjoyed for the Presi dency, with Its political responsibilities, for the best discharge of which he did not deem himself fitted by personal taste or experience. General Sherman flatly refused to allow his name to be presented before the Republican Na tional Convention of 1880; and General Hancock certainly did not court the Democratic nomination he obtained. General Miles seems to be a kind of survival of the "Winfield Scott" type of soldier, able and judicious always In the field, but indiscreet and factious in his relations with military superiors. The discipline of the Army was se verely shaken by the license permitted both sides during the controversy be tween General Miles and General Eagan; the memory of that quarrel Is fresh with President Roosevelt and he is clearly determined that, if he can prevent it, neither the Army nor the Navy will have its morale ruined by unwarrantable license of speech and conduct on part of military or naval officers, high or low. And in this de termination the President ought to be firmly supported by Congress, The government of the Army and Navy is necessarily despotic; discipline in a business that In Its last analysis means the execution of duty in face of death cannot be maintained save through des potism. "When an officer asks and obtains a naval court of inquiry, if he is not satis fied with its verdict he may appeal to the President, who is his commander-in-chief and final reviewing authority. "Beyond this no officer can go or encour age his friends in carrying his case, because such proceedings would be totally subversive of all discipline. If every officer, high or low, of the Army or Navy, should appeal from the Presi dent's review of the proceedings of an Army or Navy court to Congress, when ever he happens to have political par tisans enough to force, a hearing, the morale of the Army and Navy would be utterly ruined In a short time, be cause political "pull" and partisanship would serve to discredit all reverence and respect for the highest tribunals of mili tary justice. Of course, military courts are fallible, like civil courts, and may not always do perfect justice; but, with an honest reviewing officer in shape of the President of the United States, a military or naval court Is far more likely to do justice than Congress sit ting In judgment as political partisans or representatives of bitter sectional feeling. If it be true that it Is overturning the fundamental conception of the Gov ernment of this country for a legislative body to Interfere with the judgment of a court, it Is certainly true that it would be the absolute death of all Army and Navy discipline if every judgment of a military or naval court should be re heard and passed upon by an average American Congress. Every thoughtful, patriotic officer of the Army or Navy will agre that a true soldier must be content with military justice for pro fessional wrongs; that it would be con trary to sound public policy for a sol dier to feel that, no matter what the military court decided, a purely polit ical tribunal would rehear his cause; that is, that professional judgment would be subordinate to political sym pathy or spite. A GIFTED CHAMPION OP LABOR. John Swinton, who died in New York City on the loth inst, at the age of 72, was one of the ablest newspaper men of New York In the last half-century. In his personal opinions Mr. Swinton was an advanced socialist of the Intel ligent typo of "William D. Howells. He was a writer of great vigor and elo quence of expression, and was unri valed in his accurate knowledge of the economic and social history of the world. He was born near Edlnburg, Scotland, in December, 1829, came to this country when a boy, and followed for several years the calling of his father, who was a compositor. He worked as a printer in Charleston, S. C, for a time, but his abolition opin ions forced him to leave the South. He was managing editor of the New York Times under Henry J. Raymond from 1855 to 1869, arid from 1S75 to 1S97 he wafe editorial writer on the Sun, and for a long period chief of staff of that paper. Mr. Dana thought .Swinton's judgment as to what should and what should not go Into the Sun worth 510,000 a year to him when he was in full charge. Mr. Swinton sacrificed much of his in come as a journalist when for four years, from 18S3 to 1887, he edited John Swinton's Paper, which was devoted to the cause of the worklngman. He was for twenty years the orator of trades unionism and other labor movements In New York City, making labor speeches In Tompkins Square when he was chief in the Sun office. He Is described as "one of the most cordial, eager and friendly of men, full of humor and wit with his friends, but unsparing in his hostility to capitalists who exploit their fellow-men." Mr. Swinton was a very remarkable man, and belonged justly by his great literary talents and edi torial administrative powers to the first rank of men who have risen from the printer's case to high public distinc tion. Nothing prevented John Swinton from becoming the peer of Greeley, Raymond and Dana In journalism ex cept the fact that he deliberately chose all his life to sacrifice all worldly con siderations to his passion for human ity. He was, like William Lloyd Garri son, an excellent printer, an excellent newspaper manager, an admirable writer, and, like Garrison, he never al lowed himself to think of business In terests or worldly welfare when there was any chance to help "the cause of humanity." He could not endure the slavery of black men at the South, and he was just ag hostile to what he con sidered the oppression of labor by tyrannical capital at the North. "Will lam D. Howells, another gifted gradu ate of the printer's case, Is a socialist of genius of the same sort as John Swinton, although gentler In the expres sion of his opinions. Speakers at the various New England banquets held In memory of the "land ing of the Pilgrims" of course never omit to mention that New England has been the birthplace of a great number of famous Americans, but they never allude to the fact that New England was also the birthplace of a goodly number of Infamous Americans, or at least Americans of disagreeable notori ety. Among these might be named Benedict Arnold, Stephen Burroughs, the famous criminal; Brlgham Young, Heber Kimball, Joseph Smith, Orson Pratt, and other famous leaders of the Mormons; John H. Noyes, the founder of the Oneida Community and prophet of the gospel of human stlrplculture; Orson Murray, "William Miller, founder of the Mlllerltes; John Brown, the "martyr of Harper's Ferry"; Colonel Ethan Allen, author of the "Oracles of Reason," the first "infidel" book print ed in America; Orestes A. Brownson, who began life as a Congregationallst, then became a Unitarian, and finally landed in the Catholic Church. New England is the birthplace, too, of "Mother'' Eddy, of "Christian Science" fame and of the famous "Eddy fam ily," who for many years earned a com fortable Income materializing the spir its of the departed and making them revislqt glimpses of the moon for the en tertainment or awe of their friends in this world. The tenacious life of the prohibitory liquor law in Maine, "Vermont and New Hampshire Is a survival of Puritanism, as any one who is familiar with the history of colonial New England will testify. The ancient Puritan lawgivers did not prohibit the sale of liquor, for, while intemperance was treated as a vice, the use of alcohol by all classes was too universal to make its sale sub ject of prohibition. Clergymen were given to tippling between Sunday ser vices, strong drink was served at funerals, as It was at no distant date among the Scottish peasantry, and the use of ardent spirits was never de nounced in colonial New England, but rather defended, saving when it result ed In public drunkenness. But the an cient Puritan lawgivers prohibited the wearing of fine clothing, of short sleeves or low-cut gowns; and In 1675 it was made a penal offense for men to wear "long hair like women's hair." The use in public or private of tobacco was for bidden, and Its purchase and sale were expressly prohibited. All of these anti tobacco laws proved unavailing. The courting of a maid without consentof her parents was expressly forbidden. It Is clear that the prohibitory temper saturated the ancient Puritan theoc racy. The question of what was prac ticable, or expedient, was never given any philosophical consideration by the Puritan, who persisted in trying to reg ulate wages and prices by law. The Rev. Mr. Cotton quoted the Scriptural example of Ephron and Abraham in support of his assertion that "It was a false principle that a man might sell as dear as he can and buy as cheap as he can." This political economy of the Puritan pulpit was quietly rejected by the people, for John WInthrop records that In 1640 "this evil was very notori ous among all sorts of people In their commerce to buy as cheap as they could and sell as dear." Portland takes up public kindergar tens at a time when some other places discard,, them or question their wisdom. A number of cities In the East seem about to arrive at the conclusion that kindergartens teach children much that Is not only unfavorable to subsequent progress, but requires time and effort to eradicate. Spokane, which previously maintained a dozen public kindergar tens, recently subjected to careful ex amination pupils In the intermediate grades who had had kindergarten In struction, comparing them with children of similar position who had not attend ed kindergarten. The result showed nothing In favor of the kindergartens, and all but two of them were discon tinued. Portland has not yet actually engrafted the kindergartens upon the public school system, but has taken the first step iri that direction by turning over public money for their support. Mr. M. F. Moore writes us from New Era: Will you please publish the artlclo In the Oregon Constitution that will allow the Legis lature to mako a legal approprlaUon for the celebration of the Lewis and Clark Centennial. The celebration may boom Fortland. but Port land never will amount to much; It Is too far from New Era. If Mr. Moore will consult his well thumbed copy of the Oregon Constitu tion he will find: ARTICLE XIX. No appropriation shall be made for expositions, except at the City of New Era. The wisdom of the fathers Is thus abundantly attested, Portland will move up to New Era as soon as It gets through moving to Astoria, Kalama, Mock's Bottom and elsewhere. Under modern processes of manipula tion, land scrip Is a device by which great corporations get legal possession of public domain in defiance of the real spirit of our land laws. The Burling ton and Northern Pacific Railway Com panies are among the most extensive holders of this land scrip, which is, in other words, the right to take the choicest public lands for equal areas of worthless land they have found oppor tunity to surrender to the Government Tracts of special value are "scrlpped" by these companies or their successors In interest by the thousands of acres before settlers have a chance to take up homes. Here Is an Injustice that might properly be ended "by Congress at this session. Late statistics show the steady de cline of flax cultivation in Europe. This decline in 'England, Germany and Aus tria since 1865 amounts to 65 per cent The flax acreage in France hag been reduced nearly 50 per cent since 1895 alone. In Austria there were sixty-nine flax mills in 1872; now there are but thirty. It Is explained that this de crease is not wholly due to the decline In flaxralslng, but to the substitution of cotton for linen goods In the Aus trian army, navy and public institu tions. "Whatever the cause, the de crease marks an auspicious time for the Increase of flax culture in sections of the United States favorable to the production of fiber flax. Mrs. H. C. Payne, wife of the new Postmaster-General, Is said to be more like Mrs. Alger than any other woman in public life. That Is simply to say that she is resourceful, tactful and has a genius for pleasant Intercourse with the outside world. Her addition to the circle of Cabinet women Is hailed with pleasure, and by no one more heartily than Mrs. Roosevelt, who has frequently been the guest of Mrs. Payne In her Milwaukee home. "While non-essentials in executive matters, women are sig nificant factors In official life In Wash ington, and play a part therein that makes for dignity and Impresslveness In Governmental functions. People of the Yakima country, In "Washington, will not be content without railroad connection with Portland. That Is a rich country, and it Is occupied by enterprising people, who should have, and probably will have, what they want. "Wade and Dalton will jrlve their Uvea Kin exchange for the one they took. It is lamentable that In quitting the world they cannot leave the account more evenly balanced. The Queen of Holland has taken back her renegade husband for better or for worse. Men seem to be as scarce with Queens as with the ordinary woman. France is enacting a new subsidy law. It does this, presumably, because of the tremendous satisfaction the two It has already tried have, not produced. In case of war the Kaiser would lead his forces In person. It might, therefore, pay Venezuela to accede to Germany's demands. "We are always locating oil but never getting it It would seem to be harder to find a place where oil Is not than where It Is. If you are thankful for your homes, your firesides and your fortunes, you can afford to honor Lewis and Clark. Historian Maclay la too much of a "coward" and "caitiff" to quit the Navy and face the world for a living. The anomaly about all those hold-ups at Salem is that the Legislature Is not In session. THE WEST AND TARIFF-REFORM Chicago Record-Herald. Several Western Representatives have spoken bravely and Intelligently on the "burning" question of tariff readjust ment The confident or dogmatic tone of the Eastern anti-reform brigade Is calcu lated to Impose upon the timid, but men with real Insight and some courage will not hesitate to assume the offensive and summon Congress to the performance of Its duty. Representative Boutell announces that he will continue to agitate the repeal of the war tax. though not as a substitute for tariff revision. He says with charac teristic directness and vigor: "The busi ness men want this law repealed. They cannot understand why they should con tinue to pay taxes for war purposes when there Is no war, and then have their money scattered among banks of deposit from which they have to borrow it at 6 per cent Interest While it remains it will continue to be a menace to the busi ness prosperity and an invitation to riot ous extravagance by Congress." There will be resistance ever to this rea sonable demand, as a recent interview with a Pacific Coast Senator Indicated. It will be urged that a surplus Is better than a deficit (which no one dreams of denying, and which Is utterly Irrelevant); that the isthmian canal project and the Pacific cable scheme, to say nothing about river and harbor appropriations, will require extraordinary expenditures, and that the present rate of accumula tion may not continue Indefinitely. But It is gratifying to know that the aggres sive antl-rcclproclty and anti-revision Representatives will give some sort of support to the demand for some measure looking to the reduction of the surplus. However, as Mr. Boutell perceives, the surplus problem Is wholly distinct from that of tariff revision and commercial ex pansion. Brushing aside miserable soph istry and cowardly evasion, he siys: "For my own part. I stand squarely upon the utterances of thejaje President Mc Kinley Jn his last speech at Buffalo. There was nothing ambiguous or uncer tain about that speech. It indicated clearly, logically and Intelligently a line of procedure for the expansion of our trade which we cannot Ignore. President McKinley undoubtedly gave expression to the sentiment that pervades the West The West stands for expansion of trade." Congressmen Prince and Warner, as well as Senator Cullom, have been ex pressing similar sentiments. No one will suspect our senior Senator of sympathy with radicalism, and there Is peculiar sig nificance in his statement that the people of the West are denfinding tariff revision not as a means of reducing taxation, but as a method of promoting our foreign trade. The doors wirr bo slammed in our face if we fall to make the concessions demanded by Canada, France and other good customers. The "disturbances" which no one fears as the result of ra tional revision at the present highly aus picious time will be decidedly real and grave if we forca the conclusion upon Eu rope and Canada that discrimination and retaliation alone will compel the United States to adopt a policy of give and take, of enlightened self-interest and liberalism. Cable Company's Troubles. New York Times: What the Anglo-American Company has actually done Is to give notice to the world that it sees in Marconi a dangerous com petitor; that it Is afraid of his Invention, and that the syndicate of capitalists which secures control of It will have a means of compelling the existing cable companies to come to- terms. This would be an ex tremely dangerous admission. If true. In making It the Anglo-American Company has done Marconi all the good possible and Itself all the harm It was at the mo ment In its power to Inflict This illus trates exactly the difference which exists between narrow selfishness and enlight ened self-interest The Incident is instruc tive, if not edifying. New York Evening Post. If the Anglo-American Telegraph Com pany has restrained Marconi from con ducting experiments In Newfoundland, as today's dispatches confidently assert, the sympathy of all right-feeling p'ersons will be with the great Inventor. His experi ments are. he asserts-, of a purely scien tific nature, and do not constitute an, in fringement of the commercial monopoly whlch the Telegraph Company enjoys. The case. In equity, of the company Is the poorer because Marconi Is there by Its express permission. So long as It sup posed that his- experiments were to be restricted to signalling for short distances ho was welcomed; the moment hia three dot S clicked from England he became no longer an experimenter, but a rival telegraph line, which must be sternly sup pressed. It may be readily understood that the cable companies generally can tako little satisfaction in Marconi's tri umph; the strange thing is the failure to see that not only decency, but policy, re quires them to be Marconi's friends. The telegraphic monopoly In Newfoundland ex pires In two years. Then all companies will be free to seek franchises from the Provincial Parliament By that time It will probably pay better to be with Mr. Marconi than against him. The Anglo American Cable Company should lose no time In revoking an action which is not only shabby in the eyes of the world, but also impolitic from any point of view. 'Objections to Separate Primary TIclcets. St Paul Pioneer Press. As long as only one ticket, and that the one bearing the largest number of cross es, were counted, there would not be a handful of persons willing to sacrlllce their votes for candidates of their own party for other offices In order to nom inate a weak candidate of the opposite party. Moreover, two could play at that game as well as one. And finally, the experience of Minneapolis showed that thero was nothing in this objection. To bo sure, those who want to return to the convention system insisted that Ames was nominated by Democratic votes. Un doubtedly he did receive many Demo cratic votes, but the results of the elec tion show that they were either given in good faith or gave him prestige enough with those who wish to be on the win ning side to make up the loss. If the game of nominating Ames as a weak candidate was tried, it proved a boom erang, as any one would or could have foreseen. The objection to the separate ticket system is that It takes away from tho ballot that secrecy which Is desira ble and In some cases essential, and It keeps those' persons who, for sufficient or Insufficient reasons, fear to disclose their affiliations from participating in nominations. The Clilld In the Manger. Bishop William Croswell Doane, In the'Church man. O Christmas Child, So roughly cradled here. Born, undented. Of maiden-mother dear; Xono dreamed thy true estate, None deemed thee to be great. There In thy swaddling bands In far-off eastern lands. Save that -wise mother-heart. To whom the angel's word ' Revealed thee as the Lord And Savior that thou art. We praise thee, thee we bless. And worship and confess. As God and Lord on high. Whom angels. In the sky, And men on earth adore; But for this single day Our lingering hearts will stay WlfcbJn the stable door Where, as a baby laid. Thy humanness has made All human hearts thine own; There, where all helpless shown. Thou madest manger throne; Blessing all cradles upon earth. Blessing each child of human birth, Giving new meaning to the mirth Of motherhood, and so. Filling all hearts, both high and low. With a fresh sense of childhood's grace Reflected from thine infant face. THE PROFESSOR'S DARLINGS. Chicago Record-Herald. "I have Just done the thing," said Pro fessor -Monckton, "thaf makes It possible for man to traverse the Illimitable reaches of space." "Tell me about It," replied his beauti ful young wife, who. Incredible as it may seem, took an Interest in her gifted hus band's experiments. "As you know," he explained, "my ran tometer completely reverses the law of gravity, making whatever it is attached to fall away from the earth Instead of toward it" "Yes, but aside from solving the prob lem of aerial navigation the rantometer has been of no use. It doesn't enable us to pass outside the earth's atmospheric belt, hence wo are as Ignorant as ever concerning other worlds than our own." "That Is the point I am coming to," the professor answered. "I have just completed an apparatus with which I can store heat. Long ago I began bot tling atmosphere. Ono day it occurred to me that if air could bo packed away like crackers in a box it must be possi ble to condense and preserve heat. This I can do with my praemostat. Now there Is nothing to prevent our taking a trip to some star and finding out what con ditions exist there." The professor's wife was anxious to become an actress, and, realising that it would be easy for her to do thlsir-she could gain notoriety a3 the first woman to make a trip to the stars, she consented to accompany him across the gulfs of space. After an uneventful trip through realms that were wholly devoid of obstacles, they found themselves, one day. In the vicinity of a large planet that resembled the earth In the latter's most lovely spots. The professor put the reverse English on his rantometer, thus permitting their car to drop gently down upon tho sphere which lay under them. They found this planet to be a vast' Garden of Eden. Every breath of the atmosphere was as a strong tonic; beautiful flowers were everywhere; sparkling brooks tinkled through lovely woodland ways; "birds filled the air with melody, and gladness was upon everything. "By George!" said the profersor, hop ping out and helping the lady to alight, "this must be heaven. I wonder If George Boardman Is around hero any where? George was the best man I ever knew He surely " "Lemuel Monckton," his wife Inter rupted, "what do you mean by speaking that way of such a man? Didn't he make a provision in his will that his mother should have a regular annual allowance from his estate and fix It so that If his wife gave her own people anything the property was all to go to his family The Idea of your expecting such a man could go to heaven!" "But you know, my dear, her people ob jected to their marriage, claiming that she was throwing herself away on a man of low birth, and It was only " Their argument was cut short by a happy looking old man who had just stepped from behind an Immense rose bush. "How do you do, sir?" said the pro fessor. "Can you tell U3 how far we are from Chicago?" "Chicago? Ah, yes, I remember Chi cago. Well, no matter about tho num ber of miles. You can neither see the smoke nor smell the stockyards, and there Is no dust from the streets to blow Into your eyes or sift down your backs. This is the plvtet Halcyon. When did you die?" "We are not dead," the lady answered: "wo are mere travelers. My husband thought when we landed that this must be heaven." "It Is or, rather, a part of heaven. This Is your husband's heaven. Youra 13 located on another planet" "What!" she exclaimed. 'You don't mean to tell me that we are to be divided In death?" "Yes and no. Here your husband will find all tho women he ever loved or ever thought ho could love. Here they ore and here they will remain through all eternity to be wooed by him." I "Lemuel," she commanded, turning to the professor, "you get Into that car and Etay there till I'm through talking to this man." After locking the door she turned and said: "I'd Ilka to know where the heavenly part of it 'comes in with such a state of things. If a man can come here and go to wooing all the women he ever loved there must be fine old times. I'd like to see a few of the homely things! I'd show " "There comes one of them now," the old man replied, pointing to a beautiful maiden who was tripping down a winding path toward them. "Let me out! Let me out!" yelled the professor, pounding at one of the car windows. But the old man waved a warning hand at tho girl and she turned away. 'You see," he continued, "the system Is rather complicated. An exact counter part of you will be here among your hus band's loves If he really loves you and you, on tho planet to which your spirit will go at last will find your husband's double there among the other men you have loved and with whdm you will be free to moon and spoon and flirt for ever. So you see every one may be pro vided for. Each of those you havo loved will, in turn, be placed among the differ ent ones he has loved, free to make each believe she Is the one and only. This disposes of the question that has troubled peoplo on earth the question how a man who has been married three or four times is to arrange matters with the ladies In heaven. With his wives located on dif ferent planet3 and with each of them pro vided with a counterpart of him, they may all be happy. You must understand that there are millions -and billions of planets that cannot be seen from the earth even through the most powerful telescopes. The stars that are visible from there are in number as a handful of peas compared with the sands of the seashore. Many of the stars you have looked upon In the night are Buns with systems of Invisible planets that revolve around them. Men know of the Invisible planet which swings around the star Algol. That Is but one of thousands of billions of similar cases. There's plenty of territory for all comers. It will never be necessary to put out the standing room sign." ' "But do you think for a minutes, sno replied, "that I can be happy with my husband's double when I know that he Is away off on another planet somewhere, gallvantlng around with a lot of other -women? Do you supposes " "But you won't know it. You'll think you have the real thing, and he In turn will think you are really there among the others he has loved." "I don't care," she angrily declared. "I don't believe In any such plan as this. I'm going right out to find those horrid creatures who are waiting for him, and At this point in the proceedings Pro fessor Lemuel Monckton. while endeavor ing to break out of the car, knocked over the tumbler In which his teeth were soaking and woke up, glad to be home again. e Hott They Tallc About Us. Tacoma Ledger. Mariners so dread Portland and have such difficulty in getting In and out that the gain of Pugct Sound Is partly ex plained by the circumstance. X" Christmas Roses; R. I. O.. in The Spectator. Pale Winter roses, the white ghosts Of our June roses. Last beauty that the old year boasts. Ere his reign closes! I gather you, as farewell gift From parting lover. For ere you fade, his moments swift Will all be over. Kind gnosts ye are, that trouble not. Nor fright, nor sadden. But wake fond memories half forgot And thoughts that gladden. O changeless past! I would the year f , Left of lost hours No ghosts that brought more shame or fear, Than these white flowers 1 X0TE AND COMMENT. Avoid the rush if you can. 'jTin to one you'll forget about six pres ents. . Rt-pntance will come with the day af ter tomorrow. The Joke about Christmas cigars is real ly no Joke at all. Count the Sunday school children now. while they're there. General Buller knows where, he will eat his dinner tomorrow, anyway. The 55 boxes of candy come high, but the VO-a-weeTc clerks must have them. It begins to look as if we would get a clearance sale price on those Danish West Indies. It will be pleasant to get down to plain food after a holiday diet of mince pie and plum pudding. The great Amerlivin boy will get out oC bed tomorrow mornirs earlier than he has since last Christmas. A good many promtient statesmen wilt look anxiously in theic stockings for Cab inet portfolios. Texas has a crop of scaawherries. Farm ers who have them outfit to be able to trade In a few bushels .for a potato to serve up Christmas. The Congressional Record -.Is an excellent paper, but it. Is getting beaten right along on Washington murder stonVs by its es teemed contemporaries. Many families which are totftzy enjoying peace and quiet will wake up tomorrow to the fact that some evil grnlus has prompted Santa Claus to leave a. drum in their midst An Ingenious youngster disappeared ear ly yesterday morning, and" a little later his mother heard a commotion an the roof. Running out In the yard, she saw her son on the ridge-pole and in the act of nailing the following sign near the chimney: "SANTA CLAWS THIS IS MY HOUS. DONT MIS IT JIMY." An English teacher and school inspector tells a. story of a visit which he made to a rural school for tho purpose of distrib uting prizes. "I wound up my speech," he says, "with an exhortation to the boya to be good during the coming year. Said I: 'Now, boys, see that when I come again next Christmas I shall hear an excellent account of you and shall not have to bo told that you have got into any trouble or mischief.' 'Same to you, sir!' shouted tho whole school, with one accord. Whether this was quiet humor or a mochanlct.1 re ply to the time-honored 'Merry Christ mas, boys!' which they had taken my final words to Imply, I cannot say." One of tho pleasant jokes of a recent humorist was that London's fogs wore caused by its dull people. The cynicism Is not original. Between Leigh Hunt and William Jordan, editor of the Literary Gazette, In tho 20s and 'SOs of the last century, a feud was waged. One of Hunt's epigrams aimed at Jerdan's head ran thus: The secret's found of Brompton's heavy air: Jerdan lives there. Other of Hunt's agreeable couplets upon his foo were: Last week a porter died beneath his burden; Verdict "Found carrying a Gazette from Jer dan." Same day: Two gentlewomen died of vapors: Verdict "Hair curled with Air. Jerdan's pa pers." A typical scene In a Manchurian vil lage Is thus described by a correspondent of the London News: "That afternoon we pulled up near three shanties on a woort slde, and a gang of Chinese all squab-ling-and making noises like dogs growl ing over bones fought with one another to get on a platform, where a boiler, madis by a New York firm, was chained. Thero was a scuttle. One Chinese was- pushed baclcward and fell. Ills head hit the met al and cracked like a nut. He gave a wriggle and died. The Russians who saw the accident were affected. The Chlncso laughed. He lay for an hour In the sun, until I undid his sleeping rug and spread It over his face. He was soon forgotten. A Chinese threw some hot water over a growling dog and made It howl. At this there wero shrieks of mirth. The engine puffed and groaned and jerked the wag ons Into progress. The last I saw of this spot was two Chinamen pitching mud at the same dog to keep it from sniffing at the body of tho dead." His Flocnt Fbant of Tears. Edinburgh Scotsman. There are funny incidents In the Hfo or a photographer. A man came In the oth er day and looked over all the samples, asking the price of each. "Do you want a sitting?" I asked. "I don't see nothln' like what I want," ha replied. I told him if he would Indicate what ho wanted that I might arrange it. "I don't know as you can," he said, "for I don't see nothln at all like what I want." I repeated what I had already said. Ho asked me to sit while ho told me. "You see. It's like thisr," he began. "X had a girl that I loved, and -we was go ing to git married. She had her thlng3 made up, and we was all but ready, wheu she was taken ill and died. And what I wanted was a picture of me sittin on her grave, weepln." I was touched at the homely story of grief, and told him I could send a man with him to the grave and have the pic ture taken as he desired. "It's some distance," he said. "It's over In Ireland. I expect it 'ud cost a lot to send over your traps for what I want?" I said it would. "I thought," he answered, "that mebbe you could rig up a grave here In your shop, and I would weep on it, and It would do just as well. It's no trouble for mo to weep anywhere." PLEASANTRIES OF PARACRAPHERS Its Name. "Miss Frocks has bought a bird less hat," said Mrs. Cumso. "It might tw called an Audubonnct, might It not?" a3ked Mrs. Cawker. Judge. "Ef you inns resk yoh money." said Uncle Eben, "don snoot craps. Save It up an" put It In do stock inahket. tv hah de police aln' tak In' no notice.' Washington Star. She What was his father, anyway; do you know? He Tcs; why? "He told me his father was a skipper." "That's right. He wad a bank cashier." Philadelphia Record. Equipped. Proprietor Our new editor Is evi dently a walking bluebook. Where did you dis cover her? Manager She used to be emplojcd at Bradstreet's agency. Town and Country. Discreet. Jay Yes. sir. when I was In Now York a sharper robbed me of $30. Hay Why didn't you call a policeman? Jay Well. I thought $30 was enough to lose. Philadelphia Press. Up to Papa. "Children." said the father, facing the ordeal manfully, "this Is your new mamma." "Was that tho best you could do. papa"?" asked the youngest, casting a critical eye on the new member of tho family. Chica go Tribune. Pleasing Opprobrium. Little Jlmmle Dad and ma said I was a little heathen. Aunt Jane How dreadful! Aren't you soiry? Little Jlm mle No, not If they buy me a Christmas presentsvlth the money that's la the missloa-ary-bfi-Brooklya Llfej