Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937, July 02, 1902, Page 6, Image 6

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    8
4?HE MORKIKG OEEGOKIAS, WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 1902.
-rtrt-eVJ-rttYtt "I
iX'jyjt&lWk. "J
Entered at the Tostofflce at Portland. Oregon,
as fcond?clai matter.
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Eastern Business Office, 43, 44. 45. 47. 4S, 40
Tribune Building. Ke York City: 510-11-12
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For sale In San Francisco by L. E. Lee. Pal
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TODAY'S WKATHEB Partly cloudy, with
occasional showrs; warmer; northwesterly
Winds
XESTERDATS WEATHER Maximum tem
perature. US. minimum temperature, 4S; prc-
dr.tatjon, 0,35 inch.
I 1 -
PORTLAND, -WEDNESDAY, JULY 2.
A DISCREDITED DEVICE.
The easy victory that has attended
the initial struggle of the McEride
Preston combination in Kepublican cir
cles of "Western Washington indicates
that the Governor is sure of a strong fol
lowing In the coming state convention
and the county legislative tickets gen
erally. Mr. Ankeny's triumph at "Walla
"Walla is equally noticeable In Eastern
"Washington, and while on the surface
It is not friendly to the McBrlde-Pres-ton
plans, there Is no reason why such
differences as exist should not be sub
ordinated to a united Republican effort
all over the state, resulting In a Repub
lican Supreme Judge and legislature,
or why the Senatorial question itself
may not result in a harmonious agree
ment upon some capable Republican to
succeed Senator Turner. Either Mr.
Ankeny or Mr. Preston would be an
immense improvement over George Tur
ner, and the Republican disagreement
should not be carried to a point which
would permit either of Turner's re-election
or the rehabilitation of the odious
"Wilson machine.
"With all sympathy and approval for
Governor McBrlde's activity heretofore
In opposition to the Northern Securities
merger, it must be said that when he
proposes a resort to the outworn device
of a State Railroad Commission he con
ducts his railway operations to a most
lame and impotent conclusion. Noth
ing, of course, Is easier than to manu
facture testimony in favor of railroad
commissions In states that still retain
them. Here In Oregon the politicians
that held down those highly ornamental
and enjoyable positions were always
iSoud In their praises of the railroad
commission. Testimony on the commis
sion's usefulness, such as Governor Mc
iBride has obtained, is certain to ema
nate either from the commissioners'
themselves or else from persons in close
affiliation with them In the state ad
ministration. It Is perfectly foolish to
adduce the decline In railroad rates or
&he construction of new lines as an evi
dence of the commission's usefulness.
Oregon, a railroad commission state,
)has lagged behind Washington, a no
ksommlsslon state, both in reduction of
srates and construction of new lines.
The railroad commission Is certain to
"become In short order a mere friendly
adjunct to the railroad company's ad
ministration. It was this way in Ore
gon, where the commission became a
Jjoke and where it was at length seri
ously proposed to have the railroads
'pay the commission's salaries, an
wunendment "being submitted that if the
Tallroad paid the salaries It should se
Ject the men. The consequence was
that only two sessions ago the Oregon
Legislature made haste to repeal Its
trallroad commission act. The sentiment
demanding the repeal was universal,
sand upon the passage of the bill the
.Senate voted unanimously for It and In
the House every vote was for It but one.
In view of this record, it is hard to see
what sincere support a railroad com
tanlsslon can have In the State of Wash
ington, especially where there Is now
practically but one railroad company,
"which, by reason of its great power,
-could easily compass the friendship or
the apathy of the commission. Such a
tody would almost certainly prove an
instrument of value to the railway mer
ger, which Governor McBrlde Is osten
sibly fighting, either hy Its giving sanc
tion to orders which had already "been
determined upon In friendly consulta
tion with the railroad people or else
what is more probable by affording a
stop-gap or preventive of a maximum
Tate law, or other legislative act of
freight reduction. The Governor Is
doubtless sufficiently well Informed al
ready as to what the people think of
a railroad commission formed purely as
the resource of a political machine.
The railroad commission, like the In
terstate Commerce Commission, is al
ways inefficient, and knows It. Hence
It is always crying for rhore power. And
this power that it wants It can't get be
' cause under our system of government
that power resides In the courts. For
the- enactment of laws there Is the Leg
islature, and for their enforcement there
are always the courts. This has been
recognized by Governor McBrlde In his
attack on the Northern Securities mer
ger. It should be remembered that
Governor McBrlde Is one of the five .or
six Northwestern Governors whose atti
tude toward this merger was largely
instrumental in Inducing President
Roosevelt to authorize proceedings
against the merger a proceeding which
originated the fight that has been made
upon him by leading Senators In close
touch with corporation Interests. Noth
ing can deprive Governor McBrlde of
his part in the honor of this campaign
on behalf of the people;tand nothing can
impair It- so much as an effort now to
dlvcr thIs anti-railroad light "to the
discredited device of a railroad com
mission. There is nounng wiiom me
legitimate province of a railroad com
mission that the Legislature of Wash
ington cannot enact and the courts of
"Washington enforce.
THE
IICFALLIBILTTY OP
THE
HEAVY-WEIGHT.
Mr. Bailey, of Texas, is young. So Is
Mr. Beverldge, of Indiana., Beverldge is
4b, Bailey is 39. But while the Indiana
man Is 5 feet 9, or such a matter, weight
150 pounds, Mr. Bailey stands 6 feet in
his stockings and tips the beam at
nearly 200. Let no one suppose that
a question of x'eraclty between gentle
men, or a matter of fact concerning the
actions of Secretary Hay or Solicitor
Penfield can he settled upon their mer
ltswlthout regard to feet high or pounds
weight. Mr. Bailey knows otherwise,
and so does every athletic Southern
gentleman of 6 feet, 200 pounds. A man
of his weight and height Is not to be
reflected upon with impunity, as he Is
physically able to demonstrate. As for
the rights of the man 5 feet 9 and 150
pounds, they stand upon another and
far lower footing.
The Southern gentleman has always
been sensitive about his honor. In its
defense he once was wont to cut his
friend up with a small-sword or shoot
him full of holes. It was worth while
any time to turn murderer In order to
demonstrate one's probity and culture.
A man could make certain remarks
concerning another's honesty or con
cerning the virtue of his neighbor's wife
provided he was quick enough on the
trigger or expert enough with a sharp
blade. To the champion in fence or the
dead shot a wide latitude in speech and
manners was permissible within the
bounds of Irreproachable morality; to
the, less skillful, a less latitude; and to
the mere human being, who had been
brought up without special reference to
the polite accomplishment of killing, r
mild and deferential demeanor, concili
atory and complaisant with all he met.
was the only course possible in con
science and decency.
With the passing of the duello, how
ever, a new order has come in, and opin
ions must differ as to the relative merits
of the -standards. The acquired pro
ficlence of the alert and the cold-blooded
has been superseded by the native ac
complishments of length and cubic con
tents. We gain in simplicity, evidently,
what we lose in cultivation. The arbi
trament of the blow dates from remote
antiquity, for it must be supposed that
before tools of any sort, murderous or
beneficent, were invented, the high
moral character of the Baileys and the
pusillanimity of the Beveridges must
have been established beyond question
throughout the savage world. We had
fists before we had arrows and toma
hawka In point of age, therefore, the
Baileyan standards antedate those of
Aaron Burr. In the cosmic mutations
copyrighted by Mons. De Vries, we have
swung round again to the level of the
prehistoric age. The advantage which
sword and gun lent to Intellect has
been abandoned for the cruder stand
ard of brute force.
Justice, however, requires the exclu
sion of any geographical or sectional
distinction in this reign of matter over
mind. We think that society generally.
North, South, East and West, recog
nizes the moral right of the heavy
weight to express his views with an
abandon that would only bring upon
him of slight physique a righteous retrl
bution for his temerity. Mr. Jeffries, or
even Mr. Fitzslmmons, we take it, may
with perfect propriety Inform an Inter
locutor that he Is a liar or reflect upon
his parentage with general approval,
whereas a smaller man must be careful
what he says. Our views of men and
things must be guided largely by our
height and reach. Whether your heated
antagonist Is a d fool or not depends
entirely upon his ability to hit out and
get away. The merits of moral and In
tellectual questions hang upon the com
parative size and strength of their In
carnate cbamplona Senator Beverldge
appears to Irave been strictly within the
facts In his characterization of Sena
tor Bailey's attack on Judge Penfield.
But he is not a big enough man to say
so. Mr. Bailey will say what he likes
and he can back It up. He can chokt
Beverldge, but Beverldge can't choke
Bailey. In the twentieth century of
Christian civilization thereMs po power
in society to set at naught this omnipo
tence of the avoirdupois.
THE ENGINEERS' STRIKE.
The strike of the marine engineers, if
carried to extremes, will work serious
hardship on a large number of people
who ordinarily should not be expected
to have the slightest Interest in thg
differences which arise between the en
gineers and their employers. Railroads
have opened up avenues for trade in
most districts of the Northwest, where
products of a perishable nature are
grown for the city markets, but not In
all districts are these facilities avail
able, and scattered all along the Colum
bia and Willamette Rivers and their
tributaries are gardens, orchards and
dairy farms, dependent entirely on the
steamboats for transportation. Many
of these producers have labored for a
year with very scant returns, waiting
for the season when the berries and
cherries, early garden truck and similar
products would begin. That season is
now at hand, and If the facilities for
reaching the market are withheld from
these people their losses will be very
heavy. The pressure of these Interests
which will suffer the greatest from the
strike will probably hasten the solu
tion of the question which brought on
the trouble.
On routes where the competition of
the railroad does not regulate such mat
ters a small advance In the freight and
passenger tariffs might be eagerly ac
cepted by shippers In preference to los
ing their perishable products entirely
through lack of transportation facili
ties. This advance might enahle some
of the boats to pay the advance de-
"manded In wages, but on other routes
where the railroads already take the
cream of the business, the owners might
not consider an advance advisable, and
there would be a lack: of public pressure
to force it, and owners would accord
ingly lay up the boats In preference to
continuing the service. The steamboat
owners of this city are neither philan
thropists nor foola They will not keep
their boats running at a loss for any
great length of time In order to supply
employment for men and transportation
facilities 'to producers. Neither will
they tie up the boats when the traffic
will admit of a profit under the in
creased wage scales demanded.
The marine engineers as a class are
well-educated, intelligent men, and they
have not taken, the step without count
ing the cost. With them as with the
uwnero, it Is clearly a matter of supply
1 and demand. If the supply of boats la
enough greater than the demand, no
advance can be made In freight rates
and accordingly no advance In wages.
With the men. If there are not enough
engineers who are satisfied with ?100
per month and hoard and lodging,
wages must advance whenever there is
an opportunity to operate a boat at a
profit under the higher wage scale. Last
year steamboat captains were scarce
on the Yukon River at $200 per month.
This year there are more men than
jobs at $125 per month. The main ar
gument of the engineers -who have quit
work Is that meat, groceries, provisions,
rent and everything else has advanced.
The argument Is sound, and It applies
with equal force to the firemen, coal
passers, deckhands, waiters, cooks and
every other employe on the boat. They
are less skillful and easier to replace
than the engineers, but steaks, chops
and house rent come just as high pro
portionately for them as they do for the
higher salaried engineers, and their de
mands must be considered as well as
those of the other employes. -Meanwhile
river traffic Is crippled, shippers and
merchants are inconvienced, and more
or less bad feeling Is engendered be
tween employers and employes. A
speedy settlement of the differences and
a resumption of Interrupted traffic will
be earnestly welcomed by all concerned.
PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT.
The worst thing in the Philippine bill,
as Pat would say, is what isn't there;
for the wisdom and conscience of the
Senate prevailed over the desire of the
House to recognize the gold standard
for the Islands. This pitiful subservi
ence to a fallen idol is itself about the
only cause for mourning, because the
practicability of Mr. Conant's advanced
and comprehensive coinage, currency
and banking system, under the -present
rudimentary situation in the Philippines
is at least open to question. Possibly
the drawn battle, eliminating both Sen
ate free-silver and House gold-currency
programmes, will prove an act of actual
If Inadvertent wisdom.
The victory of the House, in securing
a Philippine Legislature, will please
Governor Taft and other real friends
of the islands, and perhaps produce de
sirable sentimental results among the
Islanders themselves, without serious
sacrifice to prudence. Inasmuch as the
assembly cannot enter upon existence
for three or four years. This compro
mise between impulsive generosity and
hard-headed caution Is probably better
than either of the conflicting proposals
that went into conference. Similarly
conciliatory to optimistic enthusiasts
are the further restrictions upon land
owning. This affects care for the toll
ing masses, while it can hardly be Im
pregnable against the legitimate under
takings of capital In agriculture, mines
and lumbering, without which the civ
ilization of the archipelago must wait
indefinitely.
For the rest, the bill perpetuates In
the. main the code of laws enacted by
the Taft Commission and already in
partial operation. This code is extant
in published form in this country, as
well as in the Philippines, and bears
striking testimony to the care and la
bor which our representatives there
have bestowed upon the welfare of our
wards. This portion of the act Is its
principal feature, and Is a monument of
legislative pains and skill. Second only
to It Is the long enunciation of constitu
tional rights, obtained by Anglo-Saxons
through a thousand years of stress and
slow development, but -bestowed upon
the Filipinos out of hand.. This guar
antee of individual, municipal and pro
vincial Immunity from unjust Imposi
tion of power Is unique In history, and
will form a page of exceeding bright
ness in American annals.
It Is somewhat disconcerting to find
In this bill no enactments whatever
touching the burden of the ' debates
upon it in either house. ' The relative
merits of Massachusetts and South
Carolina, the moral virtue- of negro
lynchlngs, the. private quality of Till
man and McLaurin, the Boer War, the
Frederick statue, the visit of Prince
Henry, the special ambassadorship of
Mr. Whltelaw Reld and the life and
services of WInfield Scott. Schley and
Edgar Stanton Maclay arcall conspicu
ous by their absence. Yet upon them
and not upon Philippine laws, lands and
coinage has the long discussion upon It
turned.
The Democrats did not support the
bill upon its passage, notwithstanding
their heavy debt to it in the way of
texts for oratory and fisticuffs, nor
could they be expected to do so. How
can they go on saying now that the
Republicans have no policy and that
military rule should give way to civil
government? Their only recourse now
will be to denounce the measure as
premature.
GET IN THE GAME.
That the race Is not always to the
swift nor the battle to the strong, the
Portland baseball team has had abun
dant reason to think during the past
three weeks. During that dark and un
happy period it accumulated a consist
ent record of defeats, broken only by
a single victory. Everybody, including
their opponenta said the boys played
good ball, though, as the event showed,
It was not quite good enough.
Of the fifteen games away from
home, six were lost by a single score,
and one of them It took fifteen innings
to do it, and in another ten. In one
game only was there evidence that they
lost their nerve for even a brief mo
ment. When we remember what every
fan knows, that a bad case of the "rat
tles" is likely to make Its palsying In
fluence felt even In the best-regulated
of baseball families, we can have no
serious complaint to make. Some of the
games were no doubt lost on their mer
its; others were not won because of bad
umpiring so we are told on the unim
peachable authority of the man behind
the bat, who was there, and of course
knows and still others must be laid to
the score of the hoodoo.
It Is not necessary to go into details
and to explain about the hoodoo. Suf
fice it to say that the hoodoo is an un
accountable beast whose comings and
goings no man can reckon. When he
takes up his quarters anywhere ha Is
a mighty hard animal to get rid of.
The "rattles" is merely an acute dis
ease. The hoodoo Is chronic It Is a.
solemn and mournful thing to he
dropped from the dizzy eminence of
leadership in the pennant race to third
position; but it is not irremediable.
The team has the Summer and FaM
before it, and it has besides the undi
vided support of a public that Is con
vinced that the boys are all right. The
spirit of the men is good. They know
how to play ball, and they always play
it. , They have in the opposing nines
foemen worthy of their leather; and
they have a leader in Mr. Sammy Vlg-
neux who knows how to maintain dls-
clpllne as well as he knows how to back
up a star pitcher like Engle, or Wit
beck, or Salisbury, which Is very well
Indeed. Therefore we say, get in the
game, gentlemen, and the public that
loves good sport and clean sport will
stay with you. .
A RECORD WHEAT CROP.
Details of the wheat crop of the Pa
cific Northwest for the year 1901, as
printed in yesterday's Oregonlan, make
an Interesting showing for the port.
The exports for the entire year were
approximately 17,000,000 bushels, or only
about L000.000 bushels less than for the
record season of 1900-1901. These figures
prove conclusively that Portland has
lost none of the wheat trade which she
has developed and handled from Its In
ception. The crop of 1901 In Sherman,
Wasco, Gilliam and Morrow Counties
alone was over 3,000,090 bushels smaller
last year than In 1900, and to offset
this decrease In territory that was ex
clusively Portland's there was less than
1,000,000 bushels Increase In the Willam
ette Valley, and but very little of that
was moved.
It Is apparent, then, that Portland
made a gain of over 1,000,000 bushels
from territory where the O. R. & N.
was forced to fight with other roads for
the business. This gain Is another trib
ute to the superiority of the down-hill
grade for moving wheat to tidewater,
for it was made solely because the
Oregon road could deliver two cars of
wheat at Portland In the same length
of time and with the same power that
was required to deliver one car on Pu
get Sound. Both roads made special
efforts to haul all of the wheat possible
out of competitive territory, even though
It became necessary to keep shippers
waiting at points where but one road
touched. The Puget Sound ports,
through having access to an immense
area of new land with which Portland
had no connection, broke all previous
records with shipments of nearly 19,000,
000 bushels. A portion of this handsome
Increase In shipments was due to the
numerous steamship lines terminating
on Puget Sound, flour shippers thus
having practically a weekly service to
Oriental ports, and with this service, by
absorbing the rail rate from Portland,
some flour was diverted from Portland
territory to Seattle and Tacoma.
As stated before, however, new terri
tory in which the railroad company had
sold cheap lands and colonized thou
sands of settlers swelled the wheat re
ceipts at the Washington ports that
were the only outlets for this new terri
tory. Details of this colonization and
the effect It was having on the business
of the coast seaports were printed in
The Oregonlan a year ago, this paper
on September 6, 1901, printing the fol
lowing: As has been previously stated In detailed
letters from various parts ot the three states,
the heaviest Increases in both yield and new
acreage are In the State of "Washington. Se
attle and Tacoma will this year make the best
showing they have ever made, but the wheat
which will swell their shipments will none of
It come out of Portland territory, with the
exception of perhaps 1.000.000 bushels, which
will be hauled our of Oregon by the Hunt
road.
The crop of the three states -last year
lacked but a few bushels of 47,000,000
bushele, and was over 5,000,000 bushels
greater than any previous crop ever
grown In this territory. The Immense
Washington crop matured under condi
tions so favorable that It might be ex
pecting too much to look for a repeti
tion this season, but should the farmers
of the Evergreen State be so fortunate
as to secure another such yield per acre,
the crop for 1902 In the three states will
exceed that of last year, for the yield
In Portland territory will be several mil
lion bushels greater than It was In 1901.
Farmers In Portland territory have
made "wonderful progress In diversified
farming, and have put many thousand
acres of wheat land Into fruit and truck
farming, but so long as Portland can
show up with wheat exports of 17.000,000
bushels per year, the premier cereal
will still continue to be one of the most
attractive of her many wealth-producers.
The troubles predicted by an Orego
nlan writer who visited the range coun
try of Eastern Oregon some months ago"
have begun. Four hundred or more
sheep driven by their herders Into terri
tory reserved by agreement for cattle
have been slaughtered by men set to
guard the cattlemen's interest. This Is
rough business and lawless business.
The range" belongs to one man as well
as to another to the owner of sheep
as well as to the owner of cattle. No
body makes any pretense to the con
trary. But the law does not cover the
necessities of the case; It makes, no
account of conditions; and, as usual,
when this state of affairs exlsta the
men on the frontier make rough-and-ready
and sometimes severe adjust
ments to suit their own convenience.
And. on the whole, the unwritten law
of the frontier is for the purposes for
which It Is made abo'ut as Just as any
that could he made at Salem or Wash
ington. If the range Is to be preserved,
and If the range Industry Is to be pre
served, some such rule as that of the
"dead line" must be made and enforced;
and perhaps there is no more effective
or cheaper way of doing it than to leave
It to the men of each district. There
will unquestionably be some Injustice
and some harshness under this rule, but
nobody has yet found a way to adjust
the quarrels of stockmen on a basis en
tirely equitable and kindly. All In all,
we think the situation In Grant County
a good thing for public officials to Ig
nore. Jane Toppan, a professional nurse,
who confessed to the murder by poison
of eleven patients committed to her
care, has been committed to the Taun
ton InsaneJAsylum for life by the court
at BarnstaDle, Mass. The Jury at her
trial rendered a verdict of not guilty
by reason of Insanity. While she con
fessed to the murder of eleven persons,
it is believed that the number of her
victims was nearly three times as large. ,
Her latest murder was committed last
August, and for this crime she was tried'
'and on her confession was examined,
pronounced Insane and sent to an asy-.
lum. The medical experts declared Jier
a degenerate with a mania for murder,
-and that her Insanity was Incurable. It
Is fortunate for Jane Toppan that she
lives in an enlightened age, for .te
beautiful Mme. Brlnvllllers, In the reign
of Louis XIV of France, was horribly
tortured and finally executed for poison
ing to dearth no larger number or per
sons than Jane Toppan has muraered.
Lucrezia Borgia, as a poisoner, has no
authentic historical reality, but If her
tragic story be true, her murders were
not without a motive. The crimes of
Jane Toppan, however, were not
prompted by pecuniary; 'galnT or hy re
venge or to gratify ill-will. She felt no
hate for .the jpersop she poisoned; she
felt no regret for her. crimes, and after
the trial was over cafmlysald: "I real-
lie that I am not fit to be free, and I
think you have done the best for ine."
A person sane enough to reach this con
clusion would seem quite as fit for the
death penalty as Gulteau and Czolgosz.
The fact that ' this professional nurse
could ply her vocation so acceptably
that she never lacked patients or vic
tims, despite her dreadful mania for
murder, ought to make doctors doubly
careful In their selection of such at
tendants. Sairey Gamp and Betsy Prig
were seldom humane and never sober,
but while they might pick a patient's
pocket, they were not disposed to poi
son his drink.
The customary attempt Is made to in
duce the Executive to interpose between
a condemned murderer and the penalty
provided by law In the case of August
Schleve, recently convicted of the mur
der of Joseph Shellkowskl. in Columbia
County. The plea Is based upon the
fact that the evidence, though conclu
sive of guilt to the mind3 of the jury
and others who heard It, was purely
circumstantial. While It Is always pe
culiarly painful to those charged with
the responsibility In the matter to Insist
upon the execution of a law in such a
case, circumstantial evidence often
leaves no doubt whatever of the guilt
of the criminal. This seems to be true
In thl3 Instance, the connecting links
In the chain of circumstances being
complete. The ense Is one in which the
authorities of the county and court be
fore whom the criminal was tried and
convicted are not justified In an appeal
to the Governor for pardon or commu
tation, the plea being In the nature of
an attempt to shift responsibility by
asking a higher authority" to do what
they themselves did not feel justified In
doing. If Schleve Is guilty, there Is but
one penalty for his crime as provided by
the statutea If he is innocent, his im
prisonment for life, as asked In this
petition, would be a grievous Injustice.,
The Governor's position In a matter of
this kind Is an unenviable one, and he,
Is to be commended In his decision to,
let justice as adjudged by the court
take its course.
The Individual allotments to the Sem
lnoles of land In Indian Territory rep
resent a value per capita to members
of that tribe of $308. These Indians
have long been In touch with civiliza
tion as represented by modern methods
of agriculture, and there is some reason
to believe that they will take care of
their individual holdings Instead of
squandering them, as the Western res
ervation Indians have In most Instances
done. Vagabond Indians are very slni
llar In ways of thrlftlessness to. vaga
bond whites. There are hundreds If hot
thousands of tramps, for example, who,
If each were given a farm the first of
the year, would be landless at Its close,
with a grievance against thrifty property-holders
who take care of and add
to their accumulations year after year.
It Is Impossible to help, In the true
sense of the word, people who do -not,
will not and apparently cannot help
themselves. This Is a well demonstrat
ed principle of political economy, and It
applies Impartially, without regard to
the color of the skin.
If any large number of American,
soldiers die in Luzon of the cholera, it
will be because of lax discipline and
inadequate medical vigilance. Cholera
Is only transmitted by polluted water,
milk, and other liquid food. Military
authority can guard the water supply
and can enforce sanitary rules and
ceaseless supervision of the water, milk,
etc., used In camp and barrack.- The
application, of the knowledge obtained
by the military authorities In British
India during the last sixty years will
prevent any large number of cases
among whites. When the cholera vis
ited the United States and Canada, In
1832. It was a fearful scourge, but before
Its next arrival the medical authorities
had learned how to handle lt'so that
the number of deaths In 1849 were comr
paratlvely few, and since that date the
cholera has never put In a formidable
appearance.
The Pittsburg (Pa.) Dispatch points
out thAt Charles Francis Adams, In dis
cussing the question whether the Con
stitution of the United States made the
Union perpetual or dissoluble, 'overlooks
the fact that the Union was not" estab
lished by the present Constitution. .It
was established by the Artlqles of Con
federation. Those articles declared that
a Union was formed; that Its title was
"The United States of America," and
Article Xni expressly enacts that this
"Union shall be perpetual.' This Union
was not dissolved by the adoption of
the Constitution. On the contrary, the
latter document expressly states that
It was ordained and established, not
.by the several states, but bythe people
of the United States,'' already given
National unity by the Articles of Con
federation. .,
Congress has adjourned without vot
ing for Cuban reciprocity. Neverthe
less, the people clearly stand with the
President-against jthe politicians. The
people of Nebraska, a beet-sugar state,
are with the President. State after state
In the beet-sugar belt has rallied to
the support of the President. Kansas
and Nebraska are the most notable ex
amples. Evep In Ohio the Republicans
declined to adopt the reciprocity plan
of Congressman Dick. The people are
almost universally with the President
and against any revolt against him on
the part of members of hl3 party. If
he Is nominated In 1904, Mr. Roosevelt
will owe his success to the people and
not to the politicians, who have con
trolled' hlsparty in Congress.
A unanimous report in the House dis
crediting the alleged Christmas scan
dal Is a cruel blow not only to Rich
ardson, the Democratic leader, who sol
emnly arose In the House and called all
proceedings to halt In the name of "the
highest privilege," but also to those
r numerous Republican papers which
tofik the affair serlouslj'. The Orego
njan has seen( nothing to change the
view expressed upon the first appear
ance of this crazy story, which was:
The- "scandal" Is a pitifully small affair, and
the Danish negotiator's tale should be dis
missed with contempt, as It doubtless will be,
upon Investigation.
Tracy, and Merrill have proved to he
of better wind than the bloodhounds
which have been on their trail, Inter
mittently, ever since they escaped from
prison. The wearied brutes have been'
withdrawn from the chase for rest,
while the sagacious quarry is still mov
ing on.
An Inquiring correspondent is in
formed that the membership of the
Oregon Legislature and the official vote
of the state in Jun were printed in
The Oregonlan ot June 27. It is a good
number to file away for future reference.
WATER SYSTEMSOMEARED.
The water system of London, presuma
bly one of the best In Europe, Is like
most other things In London a creation
developed by the processes of piecemeal
and patchwork. It Li la private hand3,
operating under special franchises, and
consists ot e!sht companies, each limited
to a speciflc district. The area thus
served is 330 squore miles, and the num
ber of houses fa S91.621, in -which some
thing more than 6,000,000 persons live.
Last year there was dcUvered by th
eight companls 75,75O,0CO,C0O gallons of
water, for which there was -paid a Uttl
less than 512,000,000. The aggregate ex
penaco of. these several companies were
53,153.701, which leaves a balance of con
siderably over $6,000,000 out of vhich to
pay fixed charges, interest and profits on
the investment. As to the amount of this
Investment there are no available figures.
The sources of the supply are various.
Part of It Is derived from artesian wells,
of which there are IS on the south and 19
on the ndrth of the Thames. The Vew
River, -which is so called because it Is a
canal which was constructed In the reign
ot Charles II; the River Lea. which Is a
stream having about the -volume -of the
Perklomen; Chadwell Spring, which flows
In the valley of tho Lea, are all contribu
tory, but today, as a century ago, the
chief dependence is on the Thames its-lf,
and from that muddy and polluted river
75 per cent of all the water Is filtered be
fore delivery, but the opinion Is that
while Its appearance Is thus improved,
Its quality is" nDt materially ameliorated.
The amount of organic matter which it
contains continues to be dlsquietlngly
large, and the reason why It Is accepted
with so little complaint 13 because Lon
doners do not use water as a common
beverage.
The manner in which the water Is dis
tributed and In which the charge for it Is
computed is peculiar. Each house is pro
vided with a reservoir having a capacity
proportionate to the number of persons
whom the house accommodates, and as the
How of water Is not constant, but Inter
mittent, it is incumbent upon the house
holder to take care that the tank Is filled
during the period that the water Is turned
on. If through a neglect of that duty he
finds himself waterless, he only has him
self to blame. The charge made for the
water Is not based on the quantity con
sumed, but on the amount for which the
house rents, and It varies according to
the height at which it Is delivered. For"
small and medium-sized houses the charge
Is from 4 to 6 per cent on the rent, while
In the case of larger houses, the rent for
which Is greater, the percentage Is re
duced. It follows that there is a considerable
diversity in the bills rendered by the sev
eral companies, as so many elements en
ter into the calculation. In the low
lying sections the tariff Is from 50 cents-
to $1 50 on the rent. It ranges from 51 to
52 on the rent In districts which are mod
erately elevated, while In the quarters
which are classified as high the bills are
made out on the basis of from 52 50 to
53 75.
These figures are from a study of the
London system, made by a French en
gineer, who comments with special ad
miration upon the liberality of the sys
tem on the point of quantity of water sup
plied; but the figures he gives are hardly
calculated to impress an American com
munity accustomed to liberal use of water.
For example. In a medium-sized house the
tank !s made to hold from 600 to TOO litres,
and the special reservoir for hot water
will hold 200 litres more. Thus 900 litres
are placed dally at the use of a family of
from four to six persons. A litre Is rather
less than a quart, and 900 litres Is about
ISO gallons. In the aggregate, each Lon
doner Is furnished with 35 gallons of water
per day.
We give these fafts In detail becaupo
they serve in a very emphatic way to l.
lustrate some of the advantages enjoyed
by Portland In its extraordinary water
resource. Portland consumes dally some
where; between 2,000,000 and 2,400,000 gallons
of water, the figures varying with the
weather conditions. On cool days, when
no water Is used for irrigation, the con
sumption is about l.00,000 gallons; on
warm days it runs up to 2,100,000 or 2,200,
000 gallons; on very hot days It runs up to
2.400.000 or more. When the weather falls
near the freezing point the consumption
immediately jumps up to the full capacity
of the conduit line, which is 2,400,000 gal
lons, and in cold weather the outlying res
ervoirs have to be called Into use to sup
port the wastage which no severity of reg
ulations has been able to prevent.
In London something over 6,000,000 per
sons pay a little less than 512,000,000 per
year for water. In Portland, approximate
ly 100,000 persons pay something less than
5300,000. The figures arc in favor of Lon
don, since there the annual contribution
per capita is a little less than 52. while
with us it is nearly 53. But in the case of
London the water served is foul In qual
ityso much so that Its use for drinking
purposes Is not recommended by physi
cians, while with us the water Is abso
lutely pure and wholesome unquestionably
the best water supply' of any city in the
whole world. Again, the Londoner gets
for each members of his family bare 36
gallons per day, and this he must take
at special hours and store at his own
cost. With us, water Is available at any
instant and in such quantities that the
average daily draught not Infrequently ex
ceeds 300 gallons per day, or nine times
the allowance under the rules which gov
ern use of water in London.
It is a common saying that whatever Is
done by the public under municipal ad
ministration must cost vastly more than
what is done by private Initiative; but
the experience of the Portland water sys
tem now in the 16th year of Its operation
does not bear out this statement. When
ihe city came into possession of the sys
tem In 1886 "the charge for service in a
dwelling without other conveniences for
water than a faucet, was 5150 per
month. For a dwelling having one bath
tub the charge was 52 50 per month, and
the addition of a water closet Involved a
further charge of 51. Thus, In a house
with one bath-tub and one closet the
charge was 53 50 per month. Under public
administration the charge has been re
duced to 50 cents per month for. a house
served only by a faucet; 51 for a house
with a bath-tub; 51 50 for a house with
faucet, bathtub and closet.
Under private ownership the annual cost
of operating the Portland system was-cl03e
to 530,000 per year this at a time, when at
tho high rates above quoted Its Income
was approximately 5100.000 per year. To
day, the annual cost of operating the
system when, at the reduced rates the
cash income 13 approximately 5300,000 per
year, the annual charge for administration
and repairs Is about 545,000, or a little less
than the cost 16 years ago. Tho net earn
ings of the Portland water system at this
time that Is, the excess of cash Income
above the costs of administration, repairs
and Interest charges 13 not far short of
530,000; and this sum goes -Into the fund
used for extension of the system by the
I laying of new mains.
NOTE' AND COMMENT.
Isn't another big fire about due?
Tillman was the original, at all events.
Washington continues to be the hornet
of strenuous athletics. '
The fights in the Senate require neither
Frcss agents nor preliminaries.
We'll send a set of umpires along wlt
the team next time they leave home.
Bailey and Beverldge would make a fine
alliterative title for a sparring' team.
The Portland ballplayers have returned
from their outing. They were out mascot
the time.
The sergeant-at-arms of the Senate
should be made permanent referee by act .
of Congress.
The Governor of South Carolina to the
Governor of Texas: "It's a long time be
tween rounds."
It Is hardly surprising that a man of ,
Beveridge's oratorical talents should be
called Into the ring.
The Government might save surgeons
bills If It supplied every Senator with a
pair of boxins gloves.
New York is completely Independent of
Croker. Several million frogs fell there
in a shower the other day.
Kansas, w'lil pay ?2 50 per day for 10,000
harvesters. That settles all doubts as
to the politics of the ate.
It has been demonstrated that' there 13
no limit to the number of- games a ball
team can lose if It takes itself seriously.
Scotchmen are making heavy purchases
of American tools and machines, and will
soon be buying their Scotch whisky over
here.
We pay to see a championship flghc
when a better one is on view In the Sen
ate chamber and the Government fur
nishes the seats.
The Fourth of July reminds us that J.
P. Morgan's grandfather achieved con
siderable fame without makings even a
million dollars.
The scientists who have been exploring
Mount Pelee have discovered that when
a mountain Is In eruption It Is not safe to
look into the crater.
If "science" is to prevail In lawmaking,
the President may take- oft bis coat, step
out on the floor of the Senate, and put
in a few rounds for suffering Cuba.
It is rumored that the Harvard track
team has cinched Tracy and Merrill for
the distance runs next year. They may
also do some Indoor work, as they are
tolerably familiar with the bars.
' A boy came into a local barber shop
the other day with a bottle, and wanted
it filled with 25 cents worth of hot air.
It was not given to, him, probably because
the shop wasn't In the retail business.
Bernard Shaw is out against the apos
trophe, which he denounces as being un
that's, let's, he advocates dont, Ive, havent,
that's, let's, he advocates dont. Ive havent,
thats and lets. The New York Sun tells ot
a distinguished author, whose name is not
revealed, who goes Mr. Shaw one better
by calling for the abolition of the dash 'In
the printing of cuss words.
A painting of Fort Sumter in war time;
made in 1S63 by Lieutenant John K. Key,
a nephew of Francis Scott Key, author of
"The Star-Spangled Banner," is on exhi
bition in Charleston. It was shipped
through the blockade to England, where
It remained until It was returned to
Charleston a few days ago. It waa tho
property of Colonel H. W. Fielden, of the
British Army, and has been presented by
him to Augustine T. Smythe. of Charles
ton. Colonel Fielden resigned from the
British Army to accept a commission un
der the Confederacy, and served through
the war on the staff of General Beaure
gard. It was at his request that the pic
ture was painted.
The bust of Thackeray in Westminster
Abbey had several years ago upon Its
cheeks those pendant whiskers that are
called "weepers" from their resemblance
to the foliage of the willow. Today the
whiskers are no longer there. Their de
struction was due to William H. Lam
bert, of Philadelphia, the greatest collector
ot Thackerayana in this country, who has
many portraits In oil and many ink, pen
cil and wash sketches of Thackeray, and
hence should know how the novelist looked
at every stage of. Ms life. Mr. Lambert
Is sure that Thackeray never wore "weep
ers," and. therefore, he volunteered not
long since to stand the expense of the re
moval of the objectionable whiskers from
the otherwise accurate and spirited Maro
chettl bust. Mrs. Thackeray Ritchie ar
ranged the matter; the bust was taken for
a brief space out of Westminster, and the
whiskers were trimmed down to the
proper length. Mr. Lambert wa3 per
mitted to have a replica made of the
Westminster bust, and It now stands on
one of the landings of the stairway of his
house in Germantown.
PLEASANTRIES OF PAHAGRAPEERS
Love never laughs at goldsmiths. Life.
His Probable i'ate She farter singing) The
author of that sons Sled last week. He
Did they catch the murderer? Puck.
Good Name for Him. "That child seems to
stir up- a lot of trouble." "res. That's why
we call him the talking- delegate." Chicago
Evening Post.
Mother Oh, Mildred! You naughty llttla
girl! You know you oughtn't to slap. Elsie's
face! Mildred Where ought I to slap her,
then, mummy? Punch.
So Like a Bargain "She didn't used to
care anything about getting Into the 400."
"No; but she's heard that It has been reduced
to SOS." Philadelphia Bulletin.
Careful, Indeed. Ding I tell you my wife
is a conscientious housccleaner. Why,' only
yesterday I saw her puttlnr Insect powder
In the clock. Dong Why? Ding To get
rid of the ticks! Baltimore Herald.
Unreasonable. "John," she said, solicitous
ly, "I wish you would quit drinking. You
know it is nothing In the world hut slow
poison." "There you are. Mlrandy." he re
torted. "The" minute a man takes out life
insurance you women folks get unreasonable!"
Baltimore Hews.
He's All Bight. First Congressman You
have voted against every measure that wa3
for the best interests ot the Nation. What
will you say to your constituents when you
get home? Second Congressman Say? I'll
tell 'em I've got an appropriation for Mud
Creek. New York Weekly.
Rubbing It In. She had Just handed him
the icy mitt. "You aro a heartless woman,"
he hissed in a. tone IT degrees more bitter
than quinine, "but. thank heaven; I have at
last found you out." "Be It so," rejoined tho
human refrigerator, "and what Is more, you
will continue to nnd me out hereafter should
you call." Chicago Dally News.
"This country," said the owner of the Blue
Streak, "Is getting simply unfit for a gentle
man to live In. I ran over a little girl yes
terday, and when I offered to pay her father
a reasonable amount the bruto got a club,
and would have assaulted mo It It hadn't
boen for tho police." "Tho unreasonableness
of the lower classes," replied the owner of 'the
Yellow Demon, "almost passes comprehension."
Chicago Bccord-Hcrald.