y:
THE HORNING OREGONIAN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1902.
JCnUrcd at the Postofflce at Portland, Oregon,
' as second-class matter.
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Eastern Business Office. 43. 44. 45. 47. 48. 40
Tribune building. New York City; 4C3 "Tho
Rookery," Chicago; the S. C Beckwlth special
agency. Eastern representative.
For sale In San Francisco by L. E. Lee. Pal
ace Hotel news stand; Goldsmith Bros.. 238
.Sutter street; F. W. Pitts. 1003 Market street:
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Palace Hotel; Foster & Orear, Ferry news
stand.
For sale In Los Angeles by B. F. Gardner.
239 So. Spring street, and Oliver & Haines, 100
So. Spring street.
For sale In Chicago by the P. O. News Co.,
217 Dearborn street.
For sale m Omaha by Barkalow Bros.. 1612
Farnaxn street.
For sale In Salt Lake by the Salt Lake New
Co., 77 W. Second South street.
For sale In Ogden by W. C. Kind. 204 Twenty-fifth
street, .and C H. Myers.
On file at Charleston. S. C. In the Oregon ex
hibit at the exposition.
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 Partly cloudy; winds
mostly northerly.
YESTERDAYS WEATHER Maximum tem
perature, 44; minimum temperature, SO; pre
cipitation, trace.
PORTLAND, WEDNESDAY, JAN. 22.
PREPARING FOR 1803 AGAIN.
"When a man is confronted with the
task of bolstering up a forlorn cause
he is apt to indulge in strange and won
derful reasoning. Two of Mr. J. J.
Hill's points may serve as illustrations
of a logician in the extreme throes of
desperation.
We need community of Interests, says
Mr. Hill, in order to secure more rail
road construction. "The business of the
country has outgrown the facilities on
most of the trunk lines, and that new
facilities cot now apparent will be neces
sary to relieve the situation," he says,
"and the West must have the facilities
or suffer for the want of them." .
Another urgent necessity which can
only be secured through the consolida
tion of rival lines is reduction In freight
rates. A good many roads have re
cently announced cuts in rates and In
crease in wages, for the express pur
pose of disarming public opinion In its
distrust of these mergers. Their -success
can at best be partial. Eyes can
be occupied by dust and encased In
wool, but not as a permanent and uni
versal thing in this country at this time.
The Idea that monopolistic and com
petition-destroying combinations of
rival railroads are necessary prelimi
naries to the construction of competi
tive railroads and the reduction of
freight rates and passenger fares is en
tirety worthy of Mr. Hill's fertile brain
and exemplary temerity. A column or
I so ought, perhaps, to be written to show
Its absurdity. But, owing to the late-
I ness of the hour and the crowded condi
tion of our columns, and as a further
mark of respect to the late representa
tive from Missouri whose name for the
moment escapes us, we forbear. And
perhaps it Isn't necessary. The wind
Is southerly at this season, and the Ore
gon farmer can tell a hawk from a
handsaw.
We can tell Mr. Hill and Mr. Harrl-
znao. what they are doing. In 1893 and
lor years succeeding, the water was
squeezed out of the transcontinental
railroads. Millions of capital were
wiped out of existence. Messrs. Hill
and Harrlman, with their gigantic mer
gers, are building up just such another
pretentious fabric for another heart
breaking squeeze. The underwriters
and promoters are getting rich now.
The investing public will suffer then.
Memory is only long enough to compel
vigorous protests and long addresses to
the public In defense of the operationa
History couldn't repeat itself if the
burnt child would only dread the fire.
"WHERE WHEAT IS KING.
The growing importance of the Pacific
JSJoitBtvest as a wheat-producing sec
tion was well set forth In the figures
printed in yesterday's Oregonlan show
ing the wheat exports for December and
lor the year 190L These figures, which
rere compiled by the Burean of Sta-
(tlstics, show that for the closing month
of the year Oregon and Washington
sxported more than one-third of all the
Iwheat shipped from the United States.
Naturally, this remarkable showing
jould not be expected to maintain
throughout the year, as some of the big
Ltlantlc ports are heavier shippers
earlier in the season. For the entire
ilendar year, however, Oregon, Wash
ington and Idaho exported over one-
seventh of all the wheat shipped from
le United States. The shipments for
seven or eight months of the calendar
ar were of wheat which jwas grown
asoo, and as the lsoi crop was largely
in excess of that of 1900, it is almost a
:ertalnty that an even better showing
ill be made In 1902.
In round numbers, the wheat exports
m the two states last year were 25,-
0,000 bushels. Another 10,000,000 bush
els were exported in the form of flour,
lowing a total of 35,000,000 bushels for
single year. This Is a large quantity
to come out or this territory, and Is
ver 15,000,000 bushels more than was
exported from San Francisco dur-
lg the same period. Large as these
ires seem when compared with
those of but a dozen years ago. they
rill seem small compared with what
rill be needed to show the crop of the
two states a dozen years hence. Oregon
md Washington farmers are not only
lcreaslng the number of acres of wheat
land, but they have Improved- their
lethods of farming to such an extent
lat the crop failures will never again
rork the hardship that they have in
the past. It is but natural to expect
some seasons will be less favorable than
jthers, but Increased acreage and bet
ter farming are a guarantee against
ly more such years as have wrought
jerlodical ruin In the past
Last year the greatest Increase In
rield and acreage was in the States of
fashington and Idaho, and those states
will undoubtedly show an Increase
lin this year. The extension of the
lumbla Southern Railroad, however,
will" develop -a country which is said
to be susceptible -of a production of
from 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 bushels of
wheat. "This will more than offset the
loss In acreage In the Willamette Val
ley, where farmers have been for a
number of years gradually withdrawing
from the wheat business and going into
fruit, dairying and diversified farming.
Heavy gains in acreage will also be
made in Idaho, and In the Big Bend
country In "Washington, and, taking all
of these sections into consideration, it
does not seem unreasonable to expect
within the next ten years a crop of from
05,000,000 to 75,000,000 bushels for the
three states.
Meanwhile California is steadily fall
ing behind in the business of wheat
growing, the farmers of that state, like
those of the "Willamette Valley, finding
diversified farming more profitable. The
California wheat crop has always had
an effect on the world's markets entirely
out of proportion to its importance, and,
now that the Pacific- Northwest has dis
tanced what formerly was one of the
greatest wheat states in the world, crop
conditions and movements in Oregon
and Washington are almost certain to
attract more attention than they have
in the pa6t
A QUALIFIED RECOMMENDATION.
Much of the Canal Commission's re
port Is lifted bodily from its previous
discussions. All that is new, beside the
reversal of conclusion. Is the showing
made as to probable negotiations neces
sary to perfect our claims and privi
leges from the Frenchmen and from Co
lombia. The commission has evidently
desired to epitomize its former argu
ments, to explain that the sole cause
of Its reversal is the reduced price of the
Panama undertaking, and to elucidate
the conditions under which we should
have to proceed.
It Is evident that everything possible
has been done by the Panama people.
Frenchmen and Pacific Mall, to facili
tate our acceptance of their proposals.
They think a canal will be built, and
they are willing, even anxious, to offer
us a good bargain and all possible aid.
Therefore, In addition to cutting the
price, they have prevailed upon Colom
bia to waive the prohibition and for
feiture hitherto imposed upon offers to
sell the canal; they have secured the
consent of the receiver of the Panama
Canal and the court under whose au
thority he is acting;- and'Jt is clearly
to be Inferred, also, that Colombia has
already signified a willingness to grant
such concessions as the commissioners
say are indispensable preliminary condi
tions. The report Is qualified In two ways.
The recommendation of Panama Is dis
tinctly conditioned upon due acquies
cence in our desires by the Government
of Colombia. Unless this acquiescence
is vouchsafed, Nicaragua would be bet
ter. The disposition of the government
where we wish to build Is so "Important
a matter" that it "might control the
action of the United States."
Another qualification upon which we
are disposed to rest much weight Is not
expressly stated by the commission,
though it is clearly recognized. Con
gress has asked the commissioners for
the most "practicable" and "feasible"
route, but not for the most advisable
route. As things stand, they say, you
can build at Panama in less time and at
less cost But in another part of their
report they discuss the matter of advis
ability, in these terms:
The Panama route is an old highway of com
merce, along which no considerable Industrial
development Is likely to occur. During tho
construction of a canal on the Nicaragua route,
business relations will be established with Cos
ta Rica and Nicaragua which would likely
continue.
This view of the canal has been main
tained at greater length In former pa
pers of the commissioners. If they are
convinced that the Panama Canal Is
cheaper and quicker to build, they can
not go on and say that they think as a
political move the Americanization of
Central America is worth the difference
between Panama and Nicaragua. They
very properly leave that with Congress;
and Congress Is not likely to be indif
ferent to that consideration. The doubts
hanging over necessary concessions in
Colombia and the difficulty' we should
have In maintaining sufficient forces in
the deadly Panama climate are matters
also likely to weigh with Congress.
There has never been any doubt about
necessary concessions from Nicaragua
and Costa Rica. There is some doubt
about Colombia, though it may be
cleared up later. But It involves delay,
of which the,-country has grown Impa
tient. If the Panama people are shut
out at last, even with the cheapest and
shortest canal, it will serve them right.
Their devious course will not commend
them to the straightforward. Solomon
or Shakespeare would have thrown
them out of court long ago.
The Panama Canal is too far south,
too far out of the way of commerce, too
far from the sphere of our Influence and
our business plans. It does not suit our
purposes.
CUMULATIVELY REGRETTABLE.
A letter Ur the New York Times has
filled us with keen and manJXold regret.
The letter Is from one John S. Glbbs,
of New York, the burden of whose
soul Is the name of Captain William
Clark, and the final "e" that Isn't there.
Mr. Glbbs has been pondering over curi
ous and forgotten lore, and It would
have been better had it still remained
forgotten.' He submits that General
John J. Gibson (U. S. A), In a magazine
article (American Catholic Quarterly
Review) published April, 1877, describ
ing Incidents in the campaign against
the Sioux, before and after Custer's de
feat, goes on to describe a visit by the
said General and author to "the far
famed Pompey's Pillar," where Captain
Clark passed by July 25, 180G. We
quote: y
I climbed up the not very steep ascent on
the eastern side, ana wnust resting on one
of the ledges read over the names, which. In
travelers fashion, were roughly scribbled over
the face of the soft sandstone, until I camo
to this:
: WM, CLAP.KE. :
: July 25th. 180(5. :
My first thought was that some later visitor
had amused himself by Inscribing the great
explorer's name on this landmark, but an ex
amination of the more recent Inscriptions
showed all or them to be light-colored, whilst
the lines of this one were of the same tint as
tho face of the brown sandstone upon which
the writing was placed, and I remained satis
fied that I stood face to face "with Captain
Clarko's name Inscribed nearly 70 years be
fore. I continued the ascent, pondering over
the different circumstances surrounding roe in
tho centennial year of tho country and those
under whleh Captain Clarke climbed up when
tho Nation was but 31 years old and this
whole region was one vast wilderness.
All of which is extremely interesting,
and the General's patriotic sentiments
do him credit. The only Improvement
we could suggest, but It is to be insisted
on. Is the elimination of the final "e" in
J Captain Clark's Inscription. The editor
of The Oregonlan has himself climbed
the pillar and read the name. It is
spelled CLARK, Just as the explorer
wrote It In the autographs which have
been printed In The Oregonlan and are
familiar to Its readers. Hence our re
gret takes these forms:
1. That General Gibson (U. S. A.) ever
came to Pompey's Pillar.
2. That when he came there he could
not read a plain Inscription.
3. That he did not keep his remark
able discovery to himself.
4. That the American Gathollc Quar
terly Review should have fathered his
error.
5. That Mr. GIbbs did not select some
more trustworthy source (there are
plenty) of orthographic authority.
6. That so amiable and" accurate a
newspaper as the New York Times
should 'have been imposed upon.
A BASELESS APPEAL,
The Oregonlan Is in receipt of a peti
tion to the President to stop the ship
ment of horses and mules from United
States ports for the augmentation of
British military supplies. This petition
Is Issued by the Chicago branch of the
American Transvaal League. The au
thors of this petition assume that our
Government is violating the neutrality
laws. This assumption is without any
foundation of fact. The situation In
South Africa and the Philippines Is
nearly identical. By public proclama
tion issued by Lord Roberts, September
1, 1900, the Transvaal was declared
British territory, as had been the Or
ange Free State at an earlier date. On
September 12 President Kruger aban
doned the Transvaal territory and fled
to Europe, where he is today. All the
leading towns of the South African Re
publics, including their capitals, are in
the hands of the British. Every mile
of railway is in their hands. The Boers
in the field are guerrillas. When they
take prisoners they are obliged to re
lease them because they hold no place
where prisoners could be guarded and
fed In security, as they were before the
occupation of the Transvaal. The South
African Republics are as much British
territory through military annexation,
despite the vexatious resistance of some
10,000 to 15,000 Boers, whose sole civil
and military headquarters is in the sad
dle, as the Philippines are American
terrritory by annexation, despite the
vexatious resistance of guerrillas-who
compel us to keep 40,000 men In arms
there today
During our Civil War neutrals sold
freely to either belligerent, subject to
the- perils, of course, of capture and
condemnation of all articles deemed
contraband of war. At the worst the
situation in South Africa is that of civil
war, even as It 13 in the Philippines.
Our Government buys nearly all Its beef
for support of our troops In the Philip
pines In Australia, and the agents of
tne uritisn government ouy a large ma
jority of Its horses and mules for South
Africa in the United State The Aus
tralians have a right to sell beef to
either belligerent, and we have a right
to sell horses and mules to either bel
ligerent The Insurgent Filipinos have
for a long time bought their supplies of
arms and ammunition In Hong Kong, a
British port, and landed them wherever
they could escape the observation of
our cruisers. During our Civil War the
British Island of Nassau was the head
quarters of the Confederate blockade
runners. The British merchants sold
the Confederates all kinds of supplies,
arms, ammunition and clothing. If our
vessels captured the blockade-runner we
confiscated the vessel and cargo that
was decided to be contraband of war.
The British merchants sold freely to
the Confederates and took their risk of
delivery. If England and France were
at war In "South Africa, it would be
more difficult to land her horses and
mules than It Is today, because France
has a large navy- The Boer Insurgents
have no navy, and the Philippine Insur
gents have none, but the Boers during
the whole war, until their lines of sup
ply became contracted by the occupa
tion of the railways, bought army sup
plies of all sorts, and through the port
of Delagoa Bay smuggled them Into
their own territory. The Boers could
buy horses and mules to any extent
tomorrow, provided they could pay for
them; they do not buy them because
they do not need them and because
they probably could not get them de
livered at any point In the Transvaal
where they could be utilized. The pe
tition of the Chicago branch of the
American Transvaal League Is absurd.
Suppose there was a London branch
of an" English Filipino League and it
should issue an appeal to the British
Government protesting against the pur
chase In Australian ports of all the beef
for our American Army in the Philip
pines, how should we receive that peti
tion? Great Britain Is slowly but surely
reducing the Boer insurgents to subjec
tion, and we are slowly but surely re
ducing the Filipino insurgents to obedi
ence. The Filipino insurgents bu of
neutrals, subject to the risk of delivery,
and so do the Boers. The fortune of
war has made It very difficult for the
insurgents In either case to make any
deliveries, but this fact does not nullify
the right of the United States or Great
Britain to buy supplies of neutrals,
which, under the present situation. In
cur no risk of non-delivery. The horse
dealers of the United States who sell
horses to the agents of the British Gov
ernment for South Africa have a clear
right to sell horses to the agents of
either belligerent. Their right to do so
Is as clear as the right of any Ger
man, French or Dutch merchant to sell
military supplies to the English or the
"Boers.
President Roosevelt has startled the
party politicians in Arizona by his ap
pointment of B. F. Daniels to succeed
Governor McCord as United States Mar
shal. Governor McCord was a close
friend of President McKlnley, a recess
appointment that President Roosevelt
was expected to indorse. Daniels, the
new Marshal, has lately Decome a resi
dent of Arizona, and was one of the
Rough Riders who enlisted from Colo
rado to serve under Colonel Roosevelt
He Is mentioned more than once with
praise in the book "The Rough Riders."
The President continues to make South
ern appointments purely with regard to
improving the Federal service In that
section. William F. Swan has been
nominated for Collector of Customs In
the Pearl River district of Mississippi
to succeed Henry C. Turley, "resigned."
Henry C. Turley Is Mr. Hanna's Na
tional committeeman for Mississippi.
James Hill. Register of the Land Office
at Jackson, and George E. Matthews,
Receiver of Public Moneys, are both
negroes and prominent leaders of the
local Republican machine, and their re
tirement Is viewed with anger and dis
may by the office-holding negro ele
ment. Matthews Is succeeded by Isaiah
T. Montgomery, a negro, who was .for
years body servant to Jefferson Davis,
and has acted with the Democrats in
politics. He was the only negro mem
ber of the Mississippi Constitutional
Convention, and not only supported in
convention the new constitution, which
largely disfranchises his race, but ad
vocated Its adoption before the people.
Edgar S. Wilson; who has been appoint
ed United States Marshal for the south
ern district of Mississippi, Is a Gold
Democrat. R. C. Lee, appointed United
States District Attorney, was Indorsed
by botht Republicans and Democrats.
These appointments mean the destruc
tion of the Hanna Republican machine
In Mississippi for the manipulation of
delegates to the Republican National
Convention.
It Is very Interesting to have an offi
cial statement from the British Gov
ernment of the attitude of Great Brit
ain towards the United States In our
war with Spain. Austria was put for
ward as the nation which should take
the lead in a European coalition against
us. Through Austria Great Britain was
sounded, but Great Britain refused.
"This power" (Austria), says a British
official, "was put forward as a sort of
buffer in order to sound us, and France,
Germany and Russia were behind her
and only awaiting our assent formally
to announce their own. We have, never
had reason to change that belief, which,
in the case of France, amounts to moral
certainty." In time of our Civil War
France took a similar position of hos
tility toward us. She proposed and in
sisted on direct Interference In behalf of
the Confederate States. Great Britain
declined. But France went on In her
hostile Intentions, and took up her posi
tion In Mexico, from which she was told
by the United States, as soon as our
Civil War was over, to get out; and get
out she did. Had Great Britain sup
ported France at that time, the United
States would have been dismembered.
Had she supported France and other
European powers In 1S98, there would
have been a coalition of the powers of
Europe In support of Spain and against
the United States. It Is edifying to find
those cheap politicians of our country
who forced us into the war with Spain
now reviling Great Britain, who, alone,
kept a European coalition from assault
upon us.
The school tax, so far as It Is neces
sary to carry on the legitimate work of
the schools, is a legitimate tax, payment
of which is for the most part ungrudg
ingly made. In the increased estimate
for expenditures, buildings for the ade
quate accommodation of pupils of the
grammar grades, take the lead as a
prime necessity. The schools In which
children crowd each other for seats and
air are a discredit to the public and to
the Board of Directors, the members of
which are the public's sorely tried,
wholly unpaid servants. The seating
capacity of the school buildings of the
district is, we are told, now Inadequate,
and relief against the Increase In the
number of pupils that will appear at
the schoolhousedoors at the beginning
of the next school year Is loudly de
manded. It Is proper that this require
ment should be met. In the view of
Mr. J. N. Teal, of the Taxpayers'
League, 2.5 mills was a sufficient levy
to cover this requirement and to provide
an advance presumably substantial
In the teachers' salaries. Since a levy
of 2.9 mills was ordered, these items
of increased expenditure will probably
be met acceptably and clamor In cer
tain quarters will be stilled for a while.
In the meantime, little tots between 4
and 6 years old will be left to the care
of their mothers or sent to private kin
dergartens. The police will breathe easier now
that Bennett Thompson, the self-confessed
Slavin road robber, is captured.
In running down Thompson and his
companion Charles Wright, Chief Mc
Lauchlan and Detectives Snow and
Kerrigan have performed creditable
work. The same detectives also ar
rested the notorious "Kid" West and
H. F. Cantwell, January 13, who came
Into town heavily armed and afterward
admitted that their intention was to
commit highway robbery. Fortunately
for the community, West and Cantwell
were forced to leave this city before
they had a chance lo Imitate Wade and
Dalton.
The arbitration committee of the Na
tional Civic Federation recently settled
the differences between the Clothing
Manufacturers' Association of New
York City and its employes, thus pre
venting a strike involving from 40,000
to 55,000 garment-workers. A dispute
between a Brooklyn shoe manufactur
ing firm and its employes has also been
settled by the state mediator of Indus
trial disputes In favor of the employer.
Bulgarian brigands, after much hag
gling, have agreed to accept the sum
offered for Miss Stone's ransom. If all
goes well, therefore, that much-adver-tlaed
and jvery worthy woman will In
due time come home and write a book
bristling with adventure and perhaps
explaining, among other things, her
failure to convert her swart captors
from Mohammedanism to Christianity.
General Miles really has the Presi
dential bee In his bonnet The Wash
ington correspondent of the Springfield
Republican reports that In the Summer
of 1900 General Miles called on Mr.
Roosevelt, then Governor of New York,
and Invited him to accept the nomina
tion for Vice-President on a Republi
can ticket to be headed" with the name
of Nelson A. Miles.
Mrs. Astor, the acknowledged leader
of all that makes up New York society,
has blue-penciled the list of the "400"
and cut it down to 100. Whether the
morale of the list has been improved
by the process is not stated.
Another trip is being arranged for an
other President to another exposition.
The expediency of such a visit Is, In
the light of recent events, doubtful, to
say the least However, forewarned is
forearmed.
Taylor-Street Church mourns In the
death of Mrs. George T. Myers the loss
of one of its most conscientious and
loyal members, and the community one
of Its most useful and womanly women.
A list of Governor Shaw's pardons,
announced last week, fills several col
umns in the Des Moines papers. It is
a dark blot on an otherwise creditable
career.
Mayor Low's troubles have begun al
ready. Dr. Parkhurst writes to demand
that the Mayor "brace his-administration
m accordance with his oath."
An article in yesterday's paper stated
that Portland has no direct line of
steamships to the Orient. It should
have read "to Manila."
LAND-TAX INJUSTICE.
It would be a good thing all round it
the land-tax question now under hot
discussion In Lane County could be taken
up in alL parts of the state and threshed
to a finish. No other phase of our pub
lic affairs is in such need of critical at
tention for there is none other, if we
except the question involved in the tax
ing of Intangible property. In which so
much and so many kinds of fraud and
Injustice are Involved. Our taxing sys
tem as It relates to lands and to other
things. Is a wretched patchwork of 111
asaorted and unassimllable features. It
invites fraud, and, In truth, almost com
pels It at a dozen points; It puts a pre
mium upon dishonesty; It oppresses In
tegrity. In brief, it has the faults which
proceed inevitably from a system founded
upon a false and Impossible theory and
operated by elective officials seeking, un
der widely varying notions of discretion
and authority to .satisfy their constitu
ents and to "save their counties" at the
point where the dues of the State Gov
ernment are reckoned.
In the case of Lane County, for ex
ample. If we may credit the Eugene Reg
ister's information,-great Injustice grows
out of the fact that many tracts, worth
in the market anywhere from $3 to $15
per acre, are classified as non-tillable
and taxed on a low basis, tho average
assessment of such lands being some
thing less than H 50 per acre; and In
large part these HO-called non-tillable
lands are held for speculation. The fraud
and the injury directly effected by this
practice In assessment are plain to see.
In proportion as the speculative and non
progressive holder of undeveloped lands
escapes from his Just share In the bur
den of county support the owners of
property In other forms are injured, for
it falls upon them to make good the sum
lost through his evasion of duty.- And
this Is not the worst of It for, as It was
set forth In these columns yesterday, the
settlement of the county and its Indus
trial development are held back by a
practice of assessment which aids the
land speculator In his game of grab and
puts a premium upon Inertia. So much
for tho strictly local or county Interest In
this matter of land taxation.
But it is when it comes to the mat
ter of providing for the State Government
that the most serious violation of equity
and justice Is encountered. The state
levies no direct tax upon property but
requires from each county a contribution
in proportion as the sum of Its assess
ment roll is related to the sum of all the
county assessment rolls. That is, if the
aggregate of all the personal assessments
of Tillamook County the whole taxable
property of the county Is found to be
the one-hundredth part of all the tax
able property of the state, Tillamook
County will have to pay the one-hundredth
part of the sum required for state
support The assessment rolls of the
several counties are used as the basis for
this calculation; and this fact ex
plains the anxiety so manifest
in every county to "hold down"
local assessment A generally high
assessment with a low tax rate Is, so far
as county taxation goes, precisely the
same as a low assessment and a high tax
rate; but it is quite another matter when
it comes to the state tax, to the sunt of
which each county contributes proportion
ately as above set forth. Every County
Assessor Is. therefore, being wholly
human In his relationships and motives
and for the most part wishing to be re
elected, trying to make personal assess
ments low, so as to "save the county" in
its relations to the State Treasury- -It Is
this motive this wish to make the gen
eral assessment low, and so avoid a large
requisition on state account that has en
forced the practice of assessing property
everywhere at a fraction of its real or
market value.
Injustice In many forms, follows or
course, upon 3uch practice, and in spite of
the efforts of boards of equalization they
persist and flourish under the system. In
general It may be said that tho more effi
cient and honest an Assessor is, the
greater the amount bis county will have
to pay Into the State Treasury. The finan
cial Interest of each county will commonly
be best cared for by an Assessor so skilled
In the sharp practice of bis business as
to make hit assessment roll relatively
lower than the rolls of the other counties.
There Is, It must be admitted, a shameful
sound in this remark, but we arc dealing
with facts.
How far the system In Its practical
workings departs from even Justice may
be traced by comparison of the practice
in different counties in the matter of the
land tax. Lane County, for example, re
turns In Its report to the state 113.5U3
acres of tillable lands, valued at $1,151,264,
or a fraction more than $10 per acre. The
same return gives 1,053,361 acres of lands
classed as nontlllable, valued at 51,569,42,
approximately $150 per acre. Douglas
County reports 0S.18S acres of tillable
lands, valued at $603,435, or a little above
$5 per acre. The same return gives 1,292,
3S3 acres of nontlllable land, valued at
$1,330,140, or a little more than $1 per acre.
Lane and Douglas Counties are chosen fqr
comparison, because they He side by side
and share almost precisely similar general
condlitona. Both front upon the sea and
extend across the western division of the
state. There are no differences in the
character, situation or development of the
two counties, which can by any stretch
of reasoning be made to explain the dif
ference between the two assessment ex
hibits. Tho true explanation. Indeed, lies
In the fact that one Assessor made the
figures lower than the other. It Is merely
a matter of arbitrary practice, in which
the Douglas Assessor "saved his county"
better than the. Lane Assessor; but we
hasten, lest we do a worthy man injury
with his constituents, to declare that no
body could reasonably have expected a
more "reduced" return.
But the Injustice growingout oflarbltrary
differences between the assessments in
Lane and Douglas Counties Is as nothing
when the returns from these two are
contrasted with the return from Multno
mah. We have seen that Lane reports a
total acreage (all classifications) of 1,166,
954, valued at $2,720,692, or less than $2 50
per acre. Douglas reports a total acreage
(all classifications) of 1,390,570, valued at
$1,936,579 approximately $1 50 per acre. On
the other hand, Multnomah, the smallest
county in the state, reports under all
classifications (excepting town lots) 193,233
acres, valued at $5,641,740, or about $28 00
per acre. Comparison of these figures
with those of Lane and Douglas as above
set forth show a discrepancy truly amaz
ing. Some allowance, it Is admitted. Is
due to the general proximity of lands In
Multnomah County to the chief city in the
state, but this consideration as a factor
in the estimation of values. Is rather sen
timental than actual. Lands 10 miles from
Portland, especially if not near a line or
railroad, are worth scarcely more than
lands of the same general character In
Lane and Douglas. Certainly they will
not yield" larger Or more profitable crops.
and their speculative value Is small In
deed, as many a long-suffering owner will
testify. The difference between the rela
tively low valuation in Lane and Doug
las and the relatively high valuation in
Multnomah is due not so much to intrin
sic or speculative considerations as to the
differing practice of the assessing officers
of the two counties. Both axe far too
"easy" on the holders of so-called non
tlllable lands, but the Lane and Douglas
Assessors pursue the principle almost to
the point of exemption. The effect Is to
put upon Multnomah County, as compared
with Lane, a disproportionate share of the
burden of state support It is a common
Jibe of the country press that the wealth
of tho cities in other words, Portland,
since there Is no other very considerable
city In Oregon evades taxation; but we
believe It to be the fact that no other
community pays even proportionately so
large a tax bill as does that of Multno
mah. There may be, and no doubt are,
large classes of property which contrive
to cheat the taxgatherer; but, on the
other hand, there are large classes of
property nontlllable lands being a case
in special point which pay at a vastly
higher rate than similar property in other
counties.
There Is .vast room for Improvement
along lines of reason and Justice in the
business of taxation here and elsewhere.
Never In the history of the world, wc
believe," have all the people of any coun
try felt that entire or even approximate
justice was done, in connection wltn tne
laying of taxes. If not in its present
forms, then In some other, we snail
have this problem to deal with, to the
end of tine, for, as one of the world's
wisest has declared, "to tax and to please
is not given to man."
American Iden of a President.
New York World.
The President is reported to have de
clared his purpose to "stamp out" at once
and forever all the agitation and conten
tion that have arisen over the Schley
case, and the Miles reprimand is under
stood to be his first step in this direc
tion. If that was the intention we cannot con.
gratulate him upon his method or upon
the" result for he has only added fuel to
the flame that was lively enough already
and Injected into a debate that was not
overcourteous an angry personal spirit
that is; to say the least unfortunate.
But is not "stamping out" freedom or
thought a rather new thing as a presi
dential prerogative?
Some months ago the German. Kaiser's
style was thought to be very comic In its
extravagant self-assertion. From the
German Karser, however, a presumption
of the personal sacredness and suprem
acy of the executive, a tone of all-powerful
and dictatorial arrogance, a dcclara.
tion of a purpose to crush all things dis
agreeable to him, are 'things not unnatur
al. But such a tone Is most repugnant to
American Ideas.
The American conception of the Presi
dent's position Is that he Is the executive
of another will than his own; that he
must not for one minute substitute his
own will for and against the will of the
people as defined by the law; that he Is
the head of the machinery created to en
force the law, and that if he proposes to
substitute his personal purpose for any
popular Impulse or to smother or "stamp
out" any popular instinct for justice, or
for what the people believe to be justice,
he puts himself outside the duties of his
office.
We are, as free people, accustomed to
declaring and holding opinions that many
men In office would be glad to "stamp
out" We cannot contemplate with pa
tience an executive declaring to the most
deserving, the most distinguished men ot
the Nation that they have no right to
have opinions.
President ana Public Opinion.
Kansas City Star.
One of the hard questions for Presi
dent Roosevelt to decide will be the extent
to which he should follow public opinion
His immediate predecessors held diver
gent views on this- subject Mr. Cleveland
believed thoroughly in the dignity and in
dependence of the Executive. He upheld
this doctrine so tenaciously that It
brought him into open conflict with Con
gress. Mr. McKlnley was a believer in
the theory that the President is elected
to carry out the will of the people. When
he was persuaded that the great majority
of Americans was set upon war with
Spain he determined to adopt the war
policy. Yet he would not go to the limit
of unalterably opposing any measure
which ho was convinced was thoroughly
popular.
Undoubtedly under the republican form
of government ot the President Is the rep
resentative of the people, elected to carry
out their policies. In the long run they
are to be trusted rather than any succes
sion of dictators-. If any Chief Magistrate
goes counter to a deep and permanent cur
rent of thought and policy, his usefulness
is largely at an end, and he will count for
little In history.
Jefferson's Estimate Wan Imperfect.
Springfield Republican.
It Is worth recalling that In Jefferson's
own estimate of, his work the Louisiana
Purchase had a subordinate place, lr
Inscription on his tombstone he selected
as the three most important services of
his fife, the authorship of the Declara
tion of Independence, the establishment of
religious freedom in Virginia, and the
founding of the University of Virginia.
And any one needs to think long and
well before saying that his estimate was
wrong. The three achievements mentioned
on Jefferson's tomostone stand for great
ldes, and Ideas are the greatest things
under the sun. Moreover, the three each
stood for freedom the Declaration for po
litical freedom, the church legislation for
religious freedom, the university for the
very largest measure of educational free
dom, and combined they were a trinity
of blows struck at critical hours In his
tory for the emancipation of all mankind.
The estimate upon the tombstone can
hardly be improved upon. The vast Im
portance of the Louisiana purchase to the
United States, however, might well be rec
ognized by naming this new common
wealth after Thomas Jefferson.
Expenttlve Empire Building?.
New York World.
On Saturday next the Anglo-Boer war
will have been going on just two years
and three months. And this is what it has
cost Great Britain up to this- time:
Total deaths from all causes.... 19.430
Total sent home as Invalids.... 64,330
Total expenditures to end of fis
cal years $750,000,000
Even If the conquest of the two Repub
lics were complete today. Great Britain
would have paid nearly $5000 per square
mile for the 163,500 square miles of the
annexed South African territory, and more
than one British soldier has been killed,
maimed or Invalided for every Boer sol
dier put in the field.
Perhaps this Is not a price that "stag
gers humanity," but it Is certainly one
that staggers the British people.
The Roosevelt Way.
" Cleveland Plain-Dealer.
The Youth Who Applies Mr. President,
I have called
The President Glad to see you. Call
again.
The Youth I have called sir, to ask you
The President That's very friendly. Run
In any time.
The Youth I have a petition here signed
by our member of Congress and one ot
our Senators
The President That's Interesting. I used
to, collect autographs myself. Don't for
get to call.
The Youth My father is
The PresIdent-o glad to know It Tell
him to call, too.
Shakes hands and crowds the youth to
wards the door and tackles the.next caller.
NOTE AND COMMENT.
One canal at a time, gentlemen.
The sun Is still sojourning In our midst
Lipton's prayer is "give me this year
my yearly Shamrock."
Oughtn't he to be Admiral Clark when
he attends the coronation?
Phillips Is not the first man who got
more corn and rye than he could carry.
Ground hog day comes on Sunday this
year. Perhaps the sagacious animal will
refuse to work.
Charles M. Schwab rises to make the
unnecessary remark that he didn't break
the bank at Monte Carlo.
The festive black bass can see nothing
cheerful in the bulletins from the bedside
of ex-President Cleveland.
Costa Rica whnty to go to war with the .
United States. Perhaps It thinks that is
the easiest way to be annexed.
Now the cruel war is over, the Port
of Portland Commission may be Expect
ed to say nothing and dredge sand.
Being an Admiral, Prince Henry will
be lucky if he gets out of this country
without butting Into a court of Jnqulry.
King Edward has set the style for vel
vet cuffs. But the British Hon has not
been getting any of that kind of cuffs
lately.
Turkey will have to pay $7000 for killing
an American wheelman. If he wasa
scorcher, tho payment ought to go the
other way.
The British War Office will not know
whether or not Its present course In the
Transvaal Is acceptable till Kipling ex
presses himself In another poem.
Of course the Kaiser's brother will go
to Milwaukee, just for the pleasure of
being able to make himself understood
with out the aid of an Interpreter.
By his father's orders, the Crown
Prince of Germany was confined for two
weeks In his room at college as a punish
ment for insubordination. He probably
put in the time singing "Hoch der Kai
ser." The future man Is to have only four
toes and to be taller than the man of
this age. writes Professor Henry L.
Bruncr. of Butler University, who has
doubtless been wearing pointed toed
shoes till he has corns on his little toes,
and wishes he were rid of them. He also
states that man Is going to get rid of his
vermiform appendls some of his float
ing ribs, and other things. In discussing
these propositions J. K. Lumberkopf, the
sage of Robinson's Hill, said yesterday
that it would not Improve the human
race to be tailor, except for persons who
were gatherers of fruit There is now
a man in this city who is a sort of
human flag pole, who Is fit for nothing
but to perambulate the streets sand
wiched between two placards. It took
so much gray matter to finish his spinal
marrow that there was not enough left
for a normal cerebrum and cerebellum.
As for a few ribs, the vermiform appen
dix and several other superfluous organs,
the sooner man Is rid of them the better
they never will be missed. As to get
ting rid of the fifth toe. Professor Lum
berkopf says that Is a different proposi
tion. Since shoes came Into use, people
have tortured their feet Into all sorts of
shapes, without In any marked particu
lar modifying the shape of the feet of
their offspring. The Chinese, for thou
sands of years, have compressed the feet
of some of their women into a shapeless
clump, totally destroying the ftatural
form and the usefulness of the feet; but
after all these years, such women con
tinue to bear children with the original
splay feet of the Chinese ard the orig
inal number of toes. "I would as soon
believe," said Professor Lumberkopf,
"that before the next Ice age arrives man
will have developed a fleece of wool like
that of a sheep, and be born with skates
on his feet." When a man looks, too
far Into futurity he overdoes the busi
ness. Two Poems by William E. Chnnnlngr.
SLEEPY HOLLOW.
Hero shalt thou pause to hear the funeral bell.
Slow stealing o'er thy heart in this calm
place;
Not with a throb ot pain, a feverish knell
But In Its kind and supplicating grace
It says, "Go. Pilgrim, on thy march! be mora
Friend to tho friendless than thou wast before."
. Learn from the loved one's rest, serenity;
Tomorrow that soft bell for thee shall sound,
And thou reposo beneath the whispering tree,
One tribute more to this submissive ground
Prison thy soul frcm malice bar out pride
Nor these pale flowers nor this still field de-
rldal
Rather to those ascents of being turn,
Where a ne'er-setting sun Illumes the yea
Eternal; and the Incessant watchflres burn
Of unspent holiness and goodness clear
Forget man's littleness deserve the best
God's mercy In thy thought and life contest
I dreamed a star from unknown skies
Was shining on the narrow earth:
Or was the beauty from her eyes
The light that gave my spirit birth?
I dreamed the Spring caressed tho flowers.
And sunshine danced about the trees:
Or was the llgnc Its golden showers.
That soft perfume, thy modesty?
Across the sea thy beauty camo
To this far shore so darkly chill;
But now a voice how sweet! I hear.
And those pure eyes I see them still
A richer hope and nobler traits.
The dowry of a splendid race
Ob. let us ask the hurry fates
To leave the spell In Liza's facet
On the Death of a Lady.
Thomas Moore.
Sweet spirit! If thy airy sleep
Nor sees my teara nor hears my sighs.
Then will I weep, In anguish weep.
Till the last heart's drop Alls mine eyes.
But if thy sainted soul can feel.
And mingles In our misery;
Then, then, my breaking heart I'll seal
Thou shalt not hear one sigh from me.
' The beam of morn was on the stream.
But sullen clouds the day deform:
Like thee was that young Orient beam,
Like death, alas, that sullen storm!
Thou wert not formed for living here.
So linked thy soul was with the sky;
Yet, ah, we held thee all so dear.
Wo thought thou wert not formed to die.
PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGRAPHER3
Hook Sllllcus acts like a fool. Nye Humph!
That Isn't acting. Philadelphia Record.
It Is needless to say that things needless to
say constitute a large proportion of the things
that are said. Puck.
Whom It Pays. "It doesn't pay a man to go
to law, does It?" "Well, yes. It pays a man,
but that man's the lawyer." Philadelphia
Evening Bulletin.
Behindhand. Snuffer What you want to do
for your cold Is to take quinine. Sniffer I'm
sorry old man. but there are 147 cures aliead
of yours.' Ohio State Journal.
Where the Fun Comes In. "Yes, I enjoy my
automobile Immensely." "But I never see you
out." "Oh. I haven't got that far yet. I am
Just learning to make my own repairs." Life.
A Difficult Text She Oh, you should come
to St. Dernas's; our dear rector Is so inspiring.
He Good preacher? She Yes. and so original;
he Is giving us an Advent series on the spirit
ual life of our last four Mayors. Brooklyn
Lite.