THE MORNING QREGONIAN. FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 1902. Entered at the Postoface at Portland. Oregon, as eeccnS-class matter. HE VISED SUBSCRIPTION RATES. By Mail (postage prepaid. In Advance) Bally, with Sunday, per month ? S3 Dally. Sunday excepted, per year " CO Daily, with Sunday, per year 8 00 Sunday, per year...... - 00 The Weekly, per year........ 1 The Weekly. 3 months 50 To City Subscribers Dally. pr week, delivered, Sunday "epted.lOc Dally, per week, delivered, Sundays mcludedOo POSTAGE RATES. United States. Canada and Mexico: 10 to 14-.page paper 0 1 to 28-pasrp paper - rc Foreign rates double. News or discussion Intended for publication In The Oregonlan should be addressed Invaria bly "Editor The Oregonlan." not to the name Of any individual. Letters relating to adver tising, subscriptions or to any business matter should be addressed simply "The Oregonlan. Eastern Business Office. 43, 44. 45. j. 48. Tribune building, New York City; 610-ll-L-Tribune building. Chicago: the S. C. Beckwlth Special Agency. Eastern representative. For sale In San Francisco by L. E. Lee, Fai tce Hotel news stand; Goldsmith Bros., .wo Sutter street; F. W. Pitts. IOCS Market J. It Cooper Co., 74C Market street, near the Palace Hotel; Foster & Orear. Ferry news stand; Prank Scott. SO Ellis- street, and -N. "Wheatley. S13 Mission street. For sale In Los Angeles by B. F. Gardne.. 1259 South Spring street, and Oliver & Haines, ISU5 South Spring street. . . For sale in Kansas City. Mo., by Rlcksecker Cigar Co., Ninth and "Walnut streets. For sale In Chicago by the P. O. News Co.. 17 Dearborn street, and Charles MacDonaia, C3 Washington street. For sale in Omaha by Barkalow Bros. Farnam street: Megeath Stationery Co., 1612 1305 -tarnam street. , For sae In Salt Lake by the Salt Lake News Co., 77 West Second South street. For sale In Minneapolis by R. G. Hearsey a Cr )& TVil ,t.t Knllth. For sale In Washington. D. C by the Ebbett For sale In Denver. Colo., by Hamllto & vAt,. seventeenth street; iouinan & Jackson Book &. Stationery Co.. 15th and Lawrence streets; A. Series, Sixteenth and winn-fi WEATHER Fair and warmer; northerly winds. YESTERDAY'S WE ATHER Maxl mum tem perature. 71; minimum temperature, . pre cipitation, none. r PORTLAND, FHIDA AUGUST 20. TAHIFF AND TRUSTS. The steel trust, in an effort to show its financial strength and capacity, sub mits to. the New Jersey Court of Chan eery that It is making a clear profit of S150.000.000 a year. This is 50 per cent more than the United States Govern roent's gross receipts from the postal service. It is between 10 and 11 per cent interest on the company's own generous self-valuation of $1,400,000,000. The ex hibit also includes a surplus of $65,000, 000. It is a fair question, and one not to be Ignored, evaded or thrust aside, whether this powerful and prosperous concern stands in any longer need of a protective tariff. Once our Iron and steel production was an lufant indus try. It craved Government support that in some corner it might lay its helpless and defenseless head. Now it has spreaoUts, parchment out overthe whole and says. It is mine. It Is able to stand alone. Its tariff protection, which com pels all Industry here to pay extortionate prices for everything, whether domestic or imported from abroad, should bef withdrawn in no longer time than it takes Congress to pass the bill and the President to sign IL Iron bars and steel billets are pro tected by a duty of from three to seven tenths of a cent a pound, that is, from $6 to $14 a ton. Tet In the last fiscal year we sold abroad various forms of iron and steel manufacture aggregat ing in value $117,000,000. Firearms are heavily protected. A $6 gun pays about i $5 in duty. Tet our exports of firearms reached $1,000,000. Xiocomotives carry $30 a ton duty, or from $3000 to $8000 on a complete engine and tender; but we sell $6,000,000 worth abroad yearly. These duties are unnecessary. They should be abolished. Cars, carriages and buggies pay $35 to $45 on each $100 of valuation, yet we market abroad $10,000,000 of them an nually. The copper trust gets its raw product free and a protective duty of 45 per cent on its productions, yet 'sells abroad each year manufactures aggre gating $43,000,000. The rubber trust has its raw material of all sorts on the free list, with protective duties on its prod uct ranging from 30 to 100 per cent. Its surplus old abroad is $4,000,000 a year. Leather, protected from 20 per cent on. rough leather to complicated and much higher duties on manufac tures, goes abroad to the extent of $28, 000,000 annually: and this Includes $5,600,000 worth of boots and shoes, pro tected with a duty of 25 per cent Pi anos and organs with 45 per cent ad valorem protection, went abroad $2,700, 000 last year, and cotton, goods, protect ed 60 per cent and higher, find sales to the amount of $20,0.00,000. Another class of duties contribute to the profits of trusts controlling the nec essaries of life. Salt pays S cents per 100 pounds In bulk, and 12 cents in packages. The lead . trust is protected by a duty of $42 50 a ton, and ordinary window glass pays 3 cents a pound. The only remedy the consumer has against domestic extortion is the chance to buy abroad, and this is denied him by Con gress, acting under the Influence of these powerful corporations. There is no popular demand for protection to these trusts. The only beneficiaries are the trusts themselves. The tribute thus wrung by them from the people is un necessary, unjust and inimical to com- mbn morality. t For Republican leaders to pretend that eradication of these tariff abuses cannot be undertaken without disaster to business, is only to exhibit either ignorance or insincerity. These few simple corrections can be made as easily aa last session the war revenue repeal bill was passed. The result would be strict justice to the trusts and reassur ance for the body of the people, who are alarmed at the trusts and distrust ful of the whole protection fabric Secretary Shaw liken tariff reform to a fire In a wheat field which will assur edly destroy thistles along with the crop. The illustration i9 good, but mis applied. The fire that Secretary Shaw and other blind leaders are inviting is the lire of Democratic victory, which will sweep Republican thistles and grain alike from the political field unless it is quenched forthwith by a judicious and honest application of tariff reform. Child labor has attained proportions in the South that to the thoughtful stu dent of economic conditions are little short of appalling.. The cotton manufac turing Industry, which has oeveloped In that .section with such wonderful rapid ity 1n recent years, depends largely for its operatives upon children of from 9 to 15 years. Sallow, stunted little drudges, these workers toll in the. mills from year's end to year's end, their in dolent, illiterate parents perfectly con- tent to enjoy the proceeds of their la bor at the expense of their physical, mental and moral development. The effect of this industrial system upon the social and educational conditions of the South a few years hence, unless legis lation comes to the rescue of these little human machines and rules them out of the factories and into schools, is easy to foresee. Dwarfed in body, darkened in mind, mercifully shortlived, these chil dren will as men and women become a blot upon civilization not less dark than that which shadowed it through African slavers. OREGON AND CUBA. The Oregonlan's contention for gener ous treatment of Cuba has been based on the broad ground that our duty to the island, as to Porto Rico and to the Philippines, is to put the erstwhile sub jects of Spain in the way of stable and contented living, and that peaceful and orderly government is incompatible with commercial distress. Cuba peace ful can never be, except first there be Cuba prosperous. It was on this gen eral principle that The Oregonlan disap proved the action of the Oregon delega tion In Congress in collusion, with the "insurgents." It is well to bear in mind, however, that the matter has a more sordid bear ing. It touches the pockets of our peo ple as well as their conscience. One industry directly affected is wheatgrow ing. The present Cuban duty on flour is $1 per 100 kilos, or, practically, a dol lar a barrel. The new duty which Cuba Is about to establish is 100 per cent, or about $4, more or less, on the best Ore gon flour according to present quota tions. In 1902 we shipped to Cuba 588,- 556 barrels of flour, and the year before we sent 656,556 barrels. These figures are nearly up to those of the year 1S93, when the reciprocity treaty was in force, and when the West was enthusiastic over the policy Mr. Blaine had led his party to adopt. In the fiscal year 1891, with no reciprocity treaty, we sent to Cuba 114,447 barrels of flour, and the value of all our exports to Cuba was $11,929,600. In 1893, with the reciprocity treaty, our exports of flour were 616,406 barrels, and the value of all our domes tic exports was -$23,604,094. Last year the value of all our exports to Cuba was .$25,012,109, and the year before it was nearly a million dollars less.- Oregon will not lose much by this Cuban duty. As has been said before in these columns, Cuba will hurt her self as much aB any one by the high duties, and if our flour does not go to the Cubans, somebody else will be glad to buy it. Yet, so far as the result does affect us. It will be bad. A general policy along these lines would mean dis aster readily discernible. The proposed Increase in the duty will affect all flour, Spanish, Argentine, American; but the duty cannot be Increased from $1 to $4 a barrel without reducing Its consump tion. There are other Items of export In which Oregon Is Interested, such as pro visions. Some of the last year's exports to Cuba were: Provlsiona $5,COY,570 Iron and steel 4.325.314 ureaastuns 3,4G0,37 wood and manufactures 1.1)05.007 Boots and shoes 582.490 Manufactures of cotton 378,031 The sales of all these wares to Cuba would be promoted by friendly tariff concessions, instead of mutual antag onisms. For example, the pxnort of cot ton goods is small, -because there we en counter European competition. If we w(ould reduce our duties on Cuban to bacco and sugar, we could tret from Cuba a reduction of her duties on cotton goods and many other manufactures that would enable us to meet European competition. The Cuban tariff will im pose a duty of 40 per cent on pine lum ber, which is now free, an item that must Interest Oregon; it will Increase the duty ou fresh beef and mutton from $4 50 per 220 pounds to 50 per cent, and on fresh pork from the same rate to 100 per cent, and on salt provisions to 50 and 100 per cent Over $2,000,000 worth of lard -was sent to Cuba last year, and the new duty will be 100 per cent The duty on boots and shoes is now a little over 7 cents a pair; it will be raised to 10 and 17 cents. This whole Cuban episode, if it pro ceeds to its apparent end, will demon strate an aspect of the tariff question that is Important, but little appreciated, This is that drastic penal tariffs injure the Judge as much as the culprit We are in a fair way to drive Cuba to Great Britain to trade; and Cuba is laying the foundation for complaint of dear food from her masses. Cuba is not to us as Europe; but rather in some such eco nomic relation as that sustained by Louisiana or California. Free trade has worked wonders for these remote com munltles, enabling them to market ad vantageously their peculiar products and enabling the manufacturing regions to sell thither with ease and profit Meanwhile the benefits of free buying have given California cheap importa tlons and delighted the East with cheap fruits, flour, wool and wines. Of like mutual benefit would be free trade be tween the United States and Cuba. Be nlghted slaves we are, all of us, thus to prefer commercial chains to freedom THE MONROE DOCTRINE. The English newspapers are pleased with what they characterize as "Presi dent Roosevelt's modified interpretation of Monroeism" in his recent speeches- Monroeism as defined by President Roosevelt Is in strict conformity with its original conception and objects. The Monroe Doctrine as sat forth in the message of President Monroe declares. first, that any attempt on part of the allied powers to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere would be regarded as dangerous to our peace and safety; secondly, that the inter position of any European power to op press the South American Governments, or in any manner to control their des tiny, would be taken as manifestly an unfriendly disposition toward the United States; thirdly, that the contl nents of America, by the free and lnde pendent position they have assumed and maintained, are not henceforth to be considered as subjects of coloniza tion by any European power. President Monroe disclaimed in his message any intention, not only of in terferlng in European affairs, but also of interfering with any of the American colonies or dependencies which were at that time (1823) possessed by a European power. This disclaimer does not bar us from asserting rights of conquest and colonization In Asia, Africa or Oceanica TMia Hnnfrlna olmnli Mi.-a . Europe must keep her hands off Amer ica, and that we in turn will keep our hands off Europe. When Monroe's mes sage was first announced it was warmly indorsed by the English people, sav the paragraph which asserted that "the American continents are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European power' but the political changes of nearly eighty years have left Great Britain with no ambition with which the en forcement of the Monroe Doctrine in Its entirety can possibly Interfere. The British possessions in America are secure under the Monroe Doctrine, and Great Britain has no Interest In con testing the protest of the United States against the acquisition of new territorial rights in North or South America by any of the powers of Continental Eu rope. Such colonization would be a dangerous prize if it had to be won at the cost of a tremendous war with the South American States backed by the United States. DANGEROUS DELAY. The ship channel of the Columbia River above Willow Bar has shallowed to about 17 feet at low tide, although the river Is not yet down to the zero mark. About tea months ago the atten tion of the Port of Portland was called to the fact that this particular spot was one of the worst on the river. Ships were continually getting aground in at tempting to get through the zigzag channel on which a considerable amount of Port of Portland money had been spent The testimony of pilots, steam ship masters and others familiar with the river currents at that point, was all to the effect that a mistake had been made in attempting to cut a channel across the river at a point where it should have run straight up and down stream, or at least quartering with the current Protest and comment were of no avail, however, and throughout the entire shipping season of 1901-02 ships were subjected to annoying delays ,at this point This year the trouble Is worse than it was a year ago, and no steps have been taken to remedy It A period of several months has elapsed since the grain shipping season was at its height The lack of protest during the dull season may have led the Port of Portland Commission to believe that, instead of filling up, the channel had scoured out and that any work on it accordingly would be-superfluous. This seems to be the only reason in sight for the costly neglect to remedy an unskill ful piece of work. Even this hardly ex cuses the channel-makers for their fail ure to give the matter some attention. Every shipping man in business in the city has known for the past six months that the largest fleet of cargo ships that ever headed for Portland In a single sea son would be due here in September, October and November. It has also been quite familiar to the business com munity that over sixty .ships had al ready been chartered to load grain at Portland, and that many of them are too large to be handled to advantage in that zigzag channel. . Under, such circumstances it would seem that some one has been guilty of great negligence in not looking a little farther ahead. It is less expensive and more' favorable to the port to aig a channel for a ship before she grounds, instead of afterwards, and this is what should have been done by the Port of Portland. Comparisons are odious; but it is a matter of record that when the Port of Portland Commllon Included among Its members a prominent wheat shipper, a sawmill owner, a banker, a water front property-owner and a steve dore, there was a better channel In the Columbia than has been In evidence since that time. The wheat shipper kiiew that a poor channel meant light erage, and the attendant delay In get ting a cargo afloat The banker knew that a poor channel would eventually drive ships to other ports, and the profit of supplying finances for moving the crop would be lost to him and to Port land. The mlllowner was In coropetl tlon with ports where lighterage was unknown, and nothing but an unlm peded channel would put him on even terms with those porta The wharf owner was interested in securing all of the freight possible for his warehouses and the stevedore could get no money out of ships that were sent to other ports on account of the poor channel here. This was a combination of Interests- and they might be termed selfish In terests which resulted in giving Port land the best channel to the sea that she has ever enjoyed. In working to protect their individual Interests they incidentally protected the interests of the entire population of Portland. The present commission may be equally In terested in the welfare of the city, but results are what count A HARVEST FESTIVAL. The hop harvest Is just at hand. Tnls means that hundreds of pickers, mostly women and children, will soon be afield ready and eager to earn their share of the money that the hop industry annu ally brings Into the state. There Is perhaps no other single industry in the Willamette Valley that diffuses Its prof its so widely as this. It was distinctly the blessing of the hard times to hun dreds of families, who depended upon It for means to meet a multitude of press Ing needs. Farmers plucked their taxes from the hop vines; boys gathered from them schoolbooks and Winter clothing young women heaped up the boxes with fragrant blossoms and saw therein party dresses and plnmoney; older women saw the possibility of supplying the needs pf the little ones grow Into cer talnty ao the- days of the harvest wore on, and the checks to their credit grew and grew. The rain, though it ire quently fell in torrents all day long, was never hard enough- to drive the pickers entirely from the field, and when at last the harvest was over the grand army of laborers, bedraggled and weary but still glad of their part In the hop harvest, took their way homeward ordl harlly well content The greater part of the work. It is said, will be done by- women and children this year, for the reason that men generally are employed in other lines. If this Is true, it will mean added hardship and Increased re sponslbillty for women who undertake to care for their families In the hop yards. The social conditions of any pro miscuous gathering are not calculated to reassure the prudent parent In an "outing" such as the hop harvest is to many reckless boys and Inexperienced fun-loving girls is suggestive of all sorts of escapades, innocent in conception but likely, to grow into mischief more or less disastrous. For this reason young peo pie should not be allowed to go In "gangs" to the hopyards, unless accom panled by some one in authority. A la mentable occurrence in a hopyard In Polk County a few years ago, In whlfch a life was lost as the result of the bully ing and persecution of ungoverned boys Is well remembered, while of scandals of the baser eort there have been all too many In years past as the result of -the unrestrained association of young people In the camps and yards. As an outing properly supervised combining wage-earning with amuse ment, the hop harvest Is not only un objectionable, but full of promise, both of pleasure and profit. Unless properly supervised, however, it Is likely to bring harvest of regrets to many homes for which the profits will prove a mock ery rather than a compensation. Mr. Craddock, the Democratic candi date for Governor of Kansajs, declares hat if he Is elected he will reduce the taxes of the people one-half. At Sen eca, the other day, he described tne methods by which he would bring this wonderful thing about. "At present," he said, "the- ordinary property of Kan sas is assessed at about $300,000,000. The railroads and other public service corporations are considered to be worth $600,000,000, and we will assess them at 50 per cent of this and put them on the tax rolls at $300,000,000. This virtually doubles the assessed property of Kan sas, and, therefore, will cut the lax col lection In half. I pledge you that if I am elected, the man who pays $100 In taxes now will have to pay but $50 then. and the man who pays $10 now will have to pay but $5 then. How wise or mischievous such a pledge would prove In its redemption must depend on many other things beside Itself. Corporations as a rule pay big taxes with much more willingness than they .show in accepting other forms of predatory and restrictive legislation. In general the populist does his havoc In other ways than in correc tion of taxation abuses. In the State of Washington, for example, it is pro posed to do no end' of things to the railroads because their taxes are be lieved to be too low. A buslnees of any kind can pay Just taxes readily, enough If it 13 permitted to operate freely. The New York State Democratic Con en tlon has-been called for September 30, New York has always been an un certain state since the foundation of the Republican party. In 1S56, 1S58 dnd 1S60 New York was carried by the Republi cans, but In 1862 the Democrats elected Horatio Seymour Governor, but two years later Lincoln again carried New York. In 1858 and 1870 the Democrats were victorious, but In 1872 Grant car ried It over Greeley by a great major ity. In 1874 and 1876 New York was a Democratic state. In 1878 the Republi cans elected Cornell Governor over a divided Democracy, and in 1880 Garfield carried It for President In 1SS2 the Democrats elected Cleveland Governor over a divided Republican party, and It was a Democratic state In the Presiden tial election of 1884. In 1SS6 the Demo crats carried the state. In 1S8S New York voted for Harrison for President, but Hill and the other Democratic state nominees were elected. Other re cent Democratic years have been 1889, 1S91, 1892 and 1897. McKInley's popular plurality two years ago was 143,606. The betrothal of the Grand Duke Michael, brother of the Czar, and, in default of a son to the latter, heir to the throne. Is a matter of great rejoicing to the faction In Russian court circles that is hostile to the Czarina. This fac tion Is led by the Dowager Empress, who contrives to make the life of her young daughter-in-law miserable, a condition that Is aggravated by her re peated failure to give an heir to the throne. The young woman who Is to become the rival of the gentle but hlgh splrlted Czarina for the favor of the Czar's subjects Is a Duchess of Meck-lenburg-Schwerln, whose family is closely allied by marriage to the im perial house of Russia. She Is barely 16 years old, and Is said to be averse to union with the consumptive young Czarowltz. The marriage can scarcely fall to add another tragical chapter to the long record of unhapplness that tells the story of numerous Russian-German Imperial marriages. The increasing price of coal is so se vere a hardship to the people of tne Atlantic seaboard that the Springfield Republican urges the renjoval of the pfesent duty of 67 cents a ton on soft coal. This duty was Imposed for the purpose of protecting the great bitu minous coal Industry of the United States from the small Industry of Brit ish Columbia and the maritime prov inces of Canada. Its removal would give New England cheaper soft coal and coke. Coke made from bituminous coal can be used as a substitute for hard coal in the stove and the furnace. It can be used In stoves where soft coal cannot, and for furnaces Is no more ex pensive and much more satisfactory than soft coal. Anthracite coal Is on the free list, but none can be obtained outside of Pennsylvania short of South Wales, England, at a price which, with ocean freight added, makes its use at any distance from tidewater out of the question. Against the contention that It is none of the employer s business how his clerks spend their money or their leisure time Secretary Shaw makes substantial protest. His order with respect to clerks in the Treasury Department who Indulge in sports unbecoming to persons m their position, and more or less a menace to the public funds. Is alto gether commendable. It Is neither judl clous nor reasonable to maintain In posi tlons oftrust men who engage In gam bling at cards or who stake money upon the races. No doubt the clerks in the Treasury Department ere, as a body, men of exemplary life and char acter. That In so large a body there are some whose habits are questionable Is not strange. To eliminate these entirely may not be possible, but Secretary Shaw has shown, a commendable spirit in an attempt Ipoklng to that end. Hasty generalization is admirably ex emplified In this paragraph from the New York Evening Post: One of the curious results of abolishing party conventions Is noted In the Mississippi canvass. The stato has adopted the primary system, and, in consequence, is for the first time In many years without a party platform. The utterances of candidates will have to he taken as filling this deficiency. Platforms can be adopted through the primary system as well as under the old regime of packed conventions. Simply submit the various proposed planks to the primary referendum. The BIng ham act, twice defeated by the Oregon Legislature, but due there again this Winter, provides for Just such a method of platform-making in. this state. It would not be a great stretch of generosity for the state to make good, as far as possible, to Frank Ingram the leg he lost In the brave though un fortunately futile attempt to prevent the escape of Tracy and Merrill from the Penitentiary. Perhaps the Legislature will see it in 'this, light when the proper time comes and vote the necessary sum to put Ingram on his feet. THE BRAVE. V0IE OF IDAHO. Boston Herald. The action taken by the Republican State Convention of Idaho Is another proof of the aroused feeling In this coun try on the subject of tariff revision, par ticularly in its relations to the great Industrial combinations. Congressman Grosvenor. of Ohio, has recently said that the Republican party would revise the tariff when the proper time came; but he allowed It to be clearly understood that In his opinion the present was an exceedingly .Improper time. But the Ida ho Republicans Insist upon "a revision of the tariff without unreasonable delay, which will place upon the free list every article and product controlled by any monopoly, and such other articles and products as are beyond the need of pro tection." Taking this assertion In con nection with the further one "that many of tho Industries of this country have out grown their Infancy and the American manufacturer has entered the markets of the world and to successfully competing with the manufacturers of other coun tries," and It becomes clear that these Northwestern Republicans ,do not agree with General Grosvenor. of the ways and means committee, that things are pretty good as they are, nor with Secretary of the Treasury Shaw, that the protective tariff Is an arrangement for permanently dividing Government favors among differ ent geographical sections of the country. These Idaho Republicans apparently be long to the class of old-fashioned pro tectionists, those who believed that It was desirable to build up the Infant in dustries of the country by temporarlly according to the Representatives of these an opportunity during the days of early growth to charge their fellow-countrymen higher prices for their products than it would be possible for them exact if there was unrestricted competition. But when they find that our Industries have not only passed the Infant stage, but have grown to be the most gigantic In strength and ability that the world has ever known, the notion that the people of the United States should tax themselves in order to furnish official gratuities to these In vestors may be an acceptable notion to Messrs. Shaw and Grosvenor, but Is evi dently not so looked upon by the unso phisticated Republicans of the far North west Of course conventional resolutions can not bring about tariff changes; but such resolutions, which are entirely at odds with the wishes of the political machine of the Republican party, would not be adopted unless there was a strongly pro nounced feeling on the part of the peo ple whom the delegates to these con ventions represent; hence it becomes evi dent that If the Republican majority In Congress refuses to act it runs the risk of placing In the possession of the Demo crats the best possible Issue with which to win a sweeping victory In 1904. We should imagine that even the represen tatives of the. great industrial interests. who have been the chief beneficiaries of our protection system, would realize that, great .as the risk may be of having a Re publican Congress take up the subject of tariff revision, the risk of having the Republican party defeated on the tariff Issue and of having the Democrats revise the tariff Is, so far as their Interests are concerned, vastly greater, and hence of the two evils it is conceivable that they should see the expediency of choosing the lesser. HI Significant Omission. New York Evening Post, President Roosevelt's speech yesterday was, for the most part, a rather tedious example of what the Imperialists so great ly aeprecate a harking back to the dead past. Glorification of our motives and of our deeds in the Philippines, albeit with some confusion as to the facts of history. is so easy tnat we should think a man who so loathes tho "easy" as the Presi dent does would not so monotonously fall Into It. He pointed to our treatment of Porto Rico as the true way to administer our Island possessions. But why did he not specify? Why did he not frankly say that the great reason of the Porto Ricans prosperity and content Is that they enjoy irce traae witn us? Almost at the very moment he was speaking, Governor Taft was telling the Filipinos In Manila that they deserved free trade and would soon get It, Why could not the President be equally precise, Instead of resorting to vague platitudes? The only apparent reason Is that tho Republican nartv Is just now torn to pieces over the tariff. ana mat if Mr. Roosevelt were to say explicitly that we ought to grant free trade to the Philippines, as we have granted It to Porto Rico, he would be rubbing salt Into the party's wounds. But surey he cannot go on preferring what he calls "the easy and lazy thing." which would be. In this case, to bo silent about an Issue which is coming to have the first place politically. linrsely Dne to the "Insurgents." Providence Journal. The Republicans of Idaho have Indorsed the President and called for tariff reform If the beet-sugar men in Congress had not made euch a desperate fight against the proposed reduction In the duties on Im ports from Cuba these Western State con ventions might not now be so insistent on a moro radical revision of the tariff. This Beats the Oregon Case. Atchison (Kan.) Globe. In Franklin County a boy of 19 recently married a woman of 49. This woman had a son grown up and about the same time this son also married. Now the son is father of a child and the Ottawa papers are presenting the step-father as a record breaker as a man who became a grand father before he could vote. "I Fights Mlt SlKel." (These verses, by Grant P. itoblnson. are specimen of the many lines of the same .char acter that were current during- the Civil War. The recent death of General Franz SIgel re calls them. There was a parody oa It, after Chancellorsvllle, where the Eleventh Corp3 bolted, ending with "I runs mlt Howard.") I met him again, he was trudging along, His knapsack with chickens was swelling. He'd "Blenkercd" these dainties, and thought It no wronir. From some Secessionist's dwelling. "What regiment's yours? and under whose flag Do you fight?" said I, touching his shoulder; Turning slowly around, he smilingly said. For tho thought made him stronger and bolder: "I fights mlt Slgeli" The next time I saw him his knapsack was gone, His cup and canteen were a-mlsslng. Shell, shrapnel and grape, and the swift rifle ball Around him and o'er him were hissing. "How are you, my friend, and where have you been. And for what and for whom aro you fight ing?" He said, as a shell from the enemy's gun Sent his arm and his musket a-kltlng: "I fights mlt Slgelt" And once more I saw him and knelt by his side; His life blood was rapidly flowing. I whispered of home, wife, children and friends. The bright land to which he was going; "And have you no word for the dear ones at nomc7 The wee one, the father or mother?" "Taw, yaw." said he, -"tell them, oh! tell them I fights" Poor fellow; he thought of no other "I nghts mlt Slgel!" We scraped out a grave, and he dreamlessly sleexw t On the banks of the Shenandoah River. His home and his kindred alike are unknown, His reward in the hands of the Giver. Wo placed a rough board at the. head of his crave And "we left him alone In his glory." But on It we marked e'er we turned from the spot ' The little we knew of his story, "I flghU mlt Slgeli" u NATION'S MARVELOUS PROGRESS Chicago Tribune. The statisticians of the Treasury De partment have taken account of the Na tional stock, and a marvelous showing they make of the "progress of the United States In it's area, population and material Industries." In less than a quarter of a century the country has gone forward by "leaps and bounds," until now it stands In the front rank of the nations, and Its progreso Is still "onward and upward." The tabulated statistics of the last 20 years read like a romance, because noth ing like this growth and prosperity has been known In the past In such compara tively brief space of time. In those 20 years the population has doubled and the wealth of the country more than doubled. ft3 the "true valuation of real and personal property is fixed at 594.COO.000.C0O. as com pared with $42,000.:00.000. W&Ue wealth has thus lncreastd. debt has naturally de creased in nearly similar ratio, the public debt falling from $1,919,000,000 to 51.1O7.CO0. 000, and the per capita debt from $3S 7 to $14 52. The total circulation of money and the number of National banks have about doubled, while the deposits In National banks have trebled. A most significant proof of this wonderful prosperity Is the fact that the deposits In savings banks have increased from JS19.000.000 to $2,450. 000, and the number of depositors In these banks from 2.2S5.CC0 to 6.10S.009." Another indication of this great prosper ity comes from the agricultural cectlon cf the country. The value of farm property has increased from J12.COO.000.000 to $20,500. 000.090; of the yearly products of farm3 from J2.212.000.000 to 33.7W.000.000: and of farm animals from 51.SS2.000.COO to J2.9S2. 000.000. It would be interesting to know how much mortgage debt the farmers have ex tinguished in the last few years, how much moneV they have put in bank, how much has been spent in Improving and stocking farms, and how many luxuries have been bought for farmers homes, and what par have Industrial workingmen played in this marvelous showing? The number of man ufacturing plants has doubled. There were 253,000 of them 20 j-ears ago: now there are 513.000. The value of the output 20 years ago was $5,369,000,000; now It Is more than $13,000,000,000. Twice as many men have work, and wages have nearly trefcled. being $2,735,000,000, as compared With 594S.000.000. The same marvelous ratio of increase. and in some directions still higher. Is man ifest In every department of Industry and commercial and financial business. The country produces about four times as much coal, three times as much petrp- leum, four times as much plglron, eight times as much steel, and 10 times aa much copper, while the wool product has Increased 2o per cent, corn 40 per cent and cotton Co per cent. There Is not a de partment of natural Industry that does not show the same astonishing Increase. And yet there never has been a time during tho last 20 years when the voice of the malcontent and the grumbler has not been heard proclaiming loudly that the country was golnc to destruction. There has always been somebody to de nounce the policies which have contrib uted so much toward the unexampled progress of the last two decades. Even today there are timid souls who would retard If they could tne swift march of the united States and bind it down to. the leisurely lagging pace of other coun tries. TAX nATB IX THREE CITIES. Different Rates of Valuation In Them. Chicago Record-Herald. The tax rate In Boston for the year 1SO2-03 has been fixed at $14 SO on $1000. As tho assessed value In Boston approx imates the actual value this Is the equiv alent of a rate of 7.40 per cent on the Chicago basis of a one-fifth valuation. The total value of taxable property in Boston Is $1,191,308,100. of which $957,406. S00 is real and $233,811,200 is personal. From this It Is evident that the assessed value of real estate In Boston Is four times that of the personal property, the percentages being 0.4 and 19.6 respec tively. When compared with the figures for Chicago for 1901 It appears that our reve nue system reaches a larger proportion of personal property than the Boston system. Multiplying the returns for that year by five to get the full value the assessment In Chicago Is as follows: Real estate $1,296,272,990 Personal property 498.517,923 Kauroaus 7S,iii,Z55 Total $1,872,902,200 It will be perceived that In Chicago the proportions are real estate 69.2 per cent, personal property 26.6 per cent and railroads 4.2 per cent. In other words, while the assessable property found in Boston is less than one-fifth of the whole in Chicago It over one-fourth. In Greater New Tork the total real and personal assessment for 1902 Is $3,857,047,- 718, derived as follows: Real estate $3,330,647,579 Personal property 526,400.139 This yields a proportion of S6.3 per cent for real estate to only 13.7 per cent for personal property. It shows that the latter la less than one-seventh of the total assessment. The tax rate In New York Is about 2.3 per cent on assessed value, or over 10 per cent on the Chi cago basis of one-fifth. The striking feature of jthese assess ments, however. Is that In Chicago the personal property assessed Is more than double that la Boston, and almost as great as that in fabulously wealthy New York. PERSONS WORTH KNOWING ABOUT. John R. McVlcar. of Boston." Is the first white child bJrn north of the Arctic Circle. He cel ebrate his golden wedding anniversary the other day. He was born at Fort Revolution. Great Slave Lake, January, 1828. and was christened by Sir John Franklin. C. C Fuller, a civil engineer, has accepted an appointment as a Christian missionary In South Africa, where he will take charge of In dustrial work in South Rhodesia. He Is a firm believer that habits of Industry prepare a peo ple for the regneratlng Influence of the Gos pel. The Illness of his eldest son at St. Petersburg has caused Veretscbagln, the artist, to suspend his work on the historical painting. "The As sault on San Juan Hill." until he can make the trip to Russia and back. It Is not prob able that the painting will be completed for a year to come. Rev. Thomas Hagerty, one of the moat widely known Catholic priests In the country, who has been affiliated with the diocese of Dallas. Tejp.. has sent In his resignation as a priest to Bishop Dunne, of that city, and has also withdrawn from the membership of the Cath olic church. He has taken the step . In order that he may Inaugurate a propaganda of socialism. Lord Derby, former Prime Minister of Great Britain, was locking for a book In his library one evening In the presence of Lord Arthur Russell. Passing- the candle along the shelves he came to the poems of William Morris. "If I had known that he was going to turn So cialist I wouldn't have gone to the expense of binding him In red morocco," remarked Lord Derby. The best bit of patronage that ha3 fallen to the lot of any English prelate of late Is at tho disposal of the bishop of Oxford the arch deaconry of Oxford, with canonry of Christ Church added, the stipend being 1200 a year. wlth residence. This office has Just been re- signed by Bishop Randall, the suffragan of the diocese, who was appointed by Bishop Stubbs In 1S05. Professor R. S. Shaw, son ot Professor Thomas Shaw, of the Minnesota College of Agriculture, "has been elected proftssor of agriculture, superintendent of the farm, ex perimenter In livestock and member of the experiment station council of the Michigan agricultural colleger Professor Shaw has been professor of agriculture In Montana, where for roms time he has been practically In charge of the entire agricultural side of the station. Including what Is ordinarily embraced under livestock and dairying. He Is 35 years old. Professor Shaw Is a son-in-law of Rev. Will iam Travis, the well-known Presbyterian cler gyman, of Oregon, and brother-ln-Ja.w of John L. and Will Travis, of this city. NOTE AND COMMENT. When plumbers disagree well, we just have to pay the bill, and it'.ls no lower, either. The Shah has gone to France, and now the English spell the word the way it should be spelled. " A man who looks like Bartholin has been arrested. The "real surprise would have been if he had bfcen Bartholin. Miles will go to the Philippines to dis cover how in the world Uncle Sam ever conquered the Islands without him. Many a boy who saw Buffalo Bill won dered how the West 'had become so "aw fully" tame since It ceased to be wild. Since the timber lanos of Oregon mostly have been bought up. it is astonishing to all what a multitude wants timber lands. Before a doctor rates his business for the occupation tax he should be informed If the public is going to see his estimate of himself. We trust the gentlemen who are going to marry at the Carnival have begun their courting. It would be terrible, indeed, if the brides did not appear. , A German financier Is in America to study the .acthods of the steel trust. If he can find out anything he will do moro than anybody In America, that's all. John Barrett has been hobnobbing with the Empress of Chla. We always knew that nerve was the only qualification necessary to a man who would bring that lady around. The City of Panama has few soldiers, and fears it may fall Into the hands of the rebels. The rebels' have been notlned of the fact, so that they will considerately stay away. Of course Oregon Is adapted to the pro duction of teas. Such functions have been soing on here for many years. But the new varieties will iKJt confine themselves to the pink color. A hotel guest In an up-Valley town dis appeared in the course of the night. His clothes were in his room, however, so j that he Indications are that he dlsap- peared piecemeal. Kruger will no longer lead the Boer people. He has been leading them on to war, from a safe retreat thousands of miles away. When hla own courage 13 atsuch a high point, the surrender of his people canrot be else than cowardice. In deed. Tho greatness of the City of New York becomes Impressive when it is stated that in the districts forming the consolidated city the gain in population from 1S90 to 19C0 was equal to the total population in JS00 of the States of Oregon and Wash ingtonor nearly 1.000,000 souls. General Moret, who commanded the Spanish troop? In Mindanao before Spain lost the Philippines, delights our antls by declaring tnat the whole American Array will be unable to whip the valiant Mcros. Undoubtedly, If there were no better stuff in our Army than General Moret and hi3 tin soldiers. But American soldiers do these things differently. In a recent conference of J. P. Morgan and J. J. Hill "the coal strike was aliuded to." Tho expression Is a very happy one. The word "allude" is derived from two Latin words, "ad," meaning "at." and "ludere," meaning "to play." The pri mary meaning of "to allude" is "to make game of." or "to play with." This is con ceivably just the way Pierp. Morgan would treat the strike question. Son-.e of our European critics profess to fear that America, feeling Its power, will play the buliy. German papers especlally talk that way. But while America feels Its power. It knows Its responsibility, and It knows, moreover, what fate, soon or late, overtakes the bully among natlona ns among persons. It Is good for the in tegrity of Germany that its friends and enemies are fully as powerful as itself. Many people eager to get timber landa this season have assimilated only experi ence. "Cruisers" arc no better than the average run of business folk, and many of them have cheated Innocent persons without blushing about It. Some timber locations have been good, others bad and still more, Indifferent. The ordinary per son cannot detect good timber from bad by Just looking at the trees. But all the experience Is worth the money it cost, provided the loser can afford it, becauso It has helped him to cut his eye teeth. Mr. Schwab's salary as president of the United States Steel Corporation is $223, 000 a year, $105,000 more than that of tho President of France and $175,000 more than tho President of the United States. J. Plerpont Morgan Is authority for tho statement that Mr. Schwab's perquisites raise the amount which he receives from the steel trust to about $1,000,000 a year. Mr. Schwab only recently ordered ak New York house to cost $2,500,000. He paid $S65,000 for the land. Mr. Schwab is only 40 years old. He was born In Williams burg, Pa., of American parents. When he began to work as a boy IS years old ho received $2 50 a week as a clerk In a grocery store. After two months' work in the store he entered the service of tho Carnegie Steel Company, and becamo manager of the Carnegie interests In 1S97. He is a multi-mllllonairc. . PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGRAPIIERS "So Gayboy has recovered." "Tes. The lucky fellow was too poor to be operated on." Life. Xot Kceplns Up. Mr. Upjohn I wish you would tell Kathleen she cooks her steak3 too much. Mrs. Upjohn You are three girls late. John. The name of the present one is Mollle. Chicago Tribune. Merely an Oversight. Newspaper Editor Somehow or other, -I am unable to see any sense In this thing. Poet Oh, 1 beg your par don. I made a mistake, and handed you a poem intended for a magazine. Chicago Dally News. A Little Misunderstanding. Young Mother What will you charge for a photograph of our little boy? Photographer Three dollars, mad ambut It will be considerably cheaper for a dozen. Young Mother A dozen! Oh. no. we can't wait so long. September Lippincott's. Ballot and Bullet. "I suppose." said the visitor from New England, "that the people In this state don't take as much Interest In the election In off years as In years of Presiden tial elections." "Oh. no," replied the Kea- tucklan; "rathah tame affairs. Still. I've Known tne snootin" at me pons to Degin oeioro daylight In off years, sah." Puck. Legal Points. "So he got out an Injunction against your company." we say. pityingly; "why didn't you forestall him by getting an Injunction to prevent the Issuance of his In junction?" "I couldn't: you see, he wa sllk enough to get out an Injunction against my getting out an Injunction aginst his Injunc tion!" Baltimore Herald. The Lacking Quality. "There Is as much nourishment In one banana," declares the ama teur sc:entlst. "as there Is In one pound of beef. ThU being so. I do not see why the people do not eat more bananas." "They will." asserts the magnate. "They will, as soon as some one corners bananas and figures out some way to make 100 per cent profit on each one." Baltimore American. -