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PORTLAND, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21.
The Irrigation Convention has left be
hind it, in the hands of a subcommittee
of three men, a task which is surpasssd
in importance by nothing that came be
fore its sessions. This is the matter of
an irrigation code for the state. It is
superfluous to say that the Legislature
cannot be depended upon to do anything
of value In this line. The universal con
demnation of the state's? Carey law by
those who voted unanimously for It sup
plies all the evidence on this head need
ed. Under the most strenuous sort of
pressure from outside, the Legislature
may be induced to vote, but not to in
vestigate or construct. Therefore the
subcommittee on legislation must buckle
itself down to the task of perfecting a
code, and Mr. Sam "White, the chair
man, could ask for no prouder monu
ment than an irrigation code which will
not only facilitate and reguate the pro
cesses under the Carey law, but will
also define the procedure for water
rights in such way as to enable the
Federal Government to begin work of
its own. It is extremely doubtful
whether any steps will be taken by the
Interior Department within the borders
of Oregon until a satisfactory state law
regulating water rights has been passed
and sustained by the courts. Little was
said on this subject at the convention,
but it is of Immeasurable importance,
and Mr. Davis stated definitely that
question about water rights Is equally
prohibitive of Government Initiative
with prior private occupation of land.
Get together, Mr. White, and let us see
your Irrigation act.
President Roosevelt's speech at Mem
phis brings him into the light in respect
of authorship. He is not a great writer,
but no one is better equipped to speak
of Tennessee's history than the author
of "The Winning of the West." We
should say that next to his moral influ
ence upon society, in Europe as well as
in his own country, the President's chief
service will be his incidental enthrone
ment of the intellectual life. For with
all his traits of impetuosity and out-of-door
activity, Mr. Roosevelt exemplifies
as no President since Garfield has exem
plified the scholar in politics; and while
his thought is seldom profound and not
always convincing, his mood and
method are those of the thinker far be
yond the mood and method of Garfield's
somewhat tawdry oratory. No public
Bpeaker Of his time addresses himself so
undlvidedly to the thinking faculty of
his audience as the President does. Ele
gance of diction he Ignores utterly, and
even denies himself the humbler flow
ers of rhetoric which Lincoln loved and
McKinley employed upon pccaslon. All
that Roosevelt alms at Is to communi
cate his thought to his hearers and
arouse them to his own conclusions. His
few .quotations are Introduced, not to
grace his speech, but to fortify his
thought. This is why the reasonable
expectation that the President would
improve as a public speaker is meeting
justification. A scholar by method it
not by temperament and accomplish
ment, he is in the way 0 advancing
from the crude utterances on trusts and
tariff of a year ago to sound conclusions
worth the attention of Congress. His
speeches and state papers may never be
literary achievements; hut they are apt
to be events in the march of affairs.
Our Salem dispatches this morning
put the State Land Board In a very un
favorable light. The Odell transactions.
facilitated at Salem, connived at in the
Burns Land Office and now discredited
and balked by Secretary Hitchcock,
tend to portray the state as a willing
accessory to Odell's operations, under
which the machinations of the lieu land
iniquity are given free courss. There
are, of course, numerous defenses to the
unsavory exhibit. There is the time
honored excuse that if Odell hadn't his
office in the Statehouse and easy access
to every aid he needs, somebody else
would. Then it is pointed out that the
Federal Government does not defend
the homesteader's rights any more than
the state defends the recipient of its
school land deeds, although the home
steader's rights are Inchoate and the
state's deeds are ripened. The Govern
ment protects the homesteader when his
title is in the same finished state, with
the school land deeds. Another apology
is that the state makes $1 25 an acre In
the lieu land transfer, which many will
regard an insufficient recompense for
participating in the act of repudiating
its own deeds. Mr. Odell is in a very
thrifty way, and apparently within' the
letter of the law, but this whole busi
ness is going to appear as a far from
creditable chapter in Oregon's history,
and one to which no posterity will point
with pride. The record is that the state
Itself, through Its Governor, forwards
by its own application the movement
by which the Federal Government
"wrests" from it and from purchasers
the alleged mineral lands. It assists
powerfully at its own assault, like the
young woman who offered to hold the
calf. Does the Governor think it is high
policy for the state to encourage the
voldance o'f its contracts, and will he
so declare himself? If so, our col
umns are open for' that purpose,
not excluding the customary reference
to the Senatorial campaign.
Utterances of leading men and of the
newspapers of the state as reflected in
the columns of this paper from day to
day reveal a steadily growing temper
of acquiescence In the suggestion of the
Lewis and Clark Board for a state ap
propriation of $500,000. It Is true that
thi amount is larger In proportion than
has been customary In other exposition
states; but the cases are' by no means
parallel. The typical exposition is a
show, an entertainment Its work ia
done when the gates close on the last
day. Far otherwise Id it to be with the
Lewis and Clark Centennial. That 19 to
be a memorial celebration and an object-lesson
with a new and distinct pur
pose. The reward of the Chicago and
Buffalo events was gate receipts. The
reward of the Lewis and Clark Centen
nial Is knowledge of this great region,
from the Rocky Mountains to the ocean
and from California to Alaska, in every
community on the globe where money
is looking for investment and en
terprising men for land to till, mines to
be opened and forests to be made into
lumber. That is why the contribution
to this our own enterprise must be on
a larger scale than if it were merely
to serve as the backing for a spectacular
show. A realizing sense of this the true
nature of the matter Is growing, and
when It has penetrated to every nook
and corner of the state, Including some
remote fastnesses of close-fisted Port
land taxpayers, we do not expect to see
any formidable opposition whatever to
a half-million appropriation. If there Is
any part of Oregon 'that wishes to b'e
unknown of capital and settlers alike, It
can consistently contend for a small ap
propriation; but localities of that .sort
are getting few and far between.
A FAR-REACHING BLUNDER.
The recent elections proved so conclu
sively that the Democratic party Is
without a policy and absolutely without
a leader that non-partisan political ob
servers, who are by no means satisfied
with the Republican party, are hopeless
of Democratic success before 190S. The
present situation of the Democratic
party is due to its far-reaching polit
ical blunder of 1896, when it not only
became a reckless advocate of depreci
ated silver, but of populism. The Intel
ligent, conservative Democrats of the
country revolted against a platform
that was hostile to honest money and
hostile to the sanctity of the Supreme
Court as part of our machinery of gov
ernment The commercial classes knew
that debased currency would mean ulti
mate bankruptcy for the Government
and distress for the people. The law-
abiding classes saw that populism
looked forward to packing the Supreme
Court through Congress at every real or
fancied political emergency. The terrible
defeats of 1896 and 1900 proved how deep
was the rift In the Democratic party,,
and the recent election shows that" the
routed Democracy still remains leader
less and without even a National battle
flag. The blunder of 1896 was a terrible one,
and it ig not surprising that the Demo
crats, East and West, find it difficult if
not impossible to get together. In 1S61
the Democracy made a far-reaching
blunder In its refusal to support the war
policy of Lincoln, and so profound was
the impression made by this blunder
that the Democracy did not carry the
Presidential election until 18S4. In 1892
the Democracy came Into power on the
platform of "a tariff for revenue only,"
but a Democratic Congress repudiated
this platform, with the result that the
evangelists of dishonest money and pop
ulism captured the nominating conven
tion for 1896. The Democratic leaders
who were not advocates of depreciated
sliver and populism made another far
reaching blunder in opposing McKIn
ley's Philippine policy. The history of
this country shows that no political
party ever opposed the National Admin
istration in time of war and traduced
the American Army without exciting
the hostility of the American people.
The Democracy is in a very bad way
today because it has lost the confidence
of the friends of honest money and the
National Supreme Court; because it has
lost the confidence of the intelligent
friends of thorough tariff reform, and
because it has lost the confidence of pa
triotic men In both parties who love the
American flag and are proud of the
American soldier. For these reasons
the National Democracy has no just
hopes of successfully contesting a Presi
dential election before 1908. It Is true
that the National campaign does not
take place until 1904, but the events of
the next year do not promise to alter'
the present outlook. By a year from the
present date the candidate of the Re
publican party and the issues which he
will represent will have been finally de
termined. In the Winter and Spring of
1904 the choice of delegates will be
made, but there will be no uncertainty
as to the action of the National Conven
tion long before these delegates are
chosen. Nothing short of some very Im
portant, unexpected and far-reaching
event can possibly change the present
outlook, which i$3 that President Roose
velt will be easily, elected his own suc
cessor. Assuming, then, that the Democratic
party has no chance of success in 1904,
what platform can It hope to succeed
upon in 1908? Its only hope, in our
judgment, is to become a socialist party.
The Bryanlte following at the West
would probably welcome a platform of
this sort, and there is5 a deal more so
cialism at the East than there is pop
ulism. There were nearly 35,000 votes
polled for the socialist candidate this
yearin Massachusetts. It may not be
denied that the labor problem is reslst
lessly forcing Itself into American poli
tics. Many thoughtful men In both par
ties have reluctantly reached the con
clusion that we shall be obliged to
choose between government by the
managers of concentrated capital,-possessed
of a monopoly of public necesrl
tles, and government ownership of all
great public utilities that ares popular
necessities which must not be monop
olized in outrage of the common weal.
Neither party has yet made any deci
sive declaration on this question, but
the time Is not far distant when neither
party can afford to dodge it
There are a good many Republicans
who believe in Government ownership;
there are a good many Democrats who
THE MORNING OREGONIAN, FKIDAY,
do not believe in it. It is quite possi
ble that by 1908 on this issue there may
be a realignment of parties, as there
was in 1896 on the Issue of honest
money. This is the only burning ques
tion of the future, and it will not be dis
posed of by the Republican party's pro
posed regulation of trusts, or by tariff
reduction as an adequate protection
against monopoly and privilege. The
popular temper will sooner or later wel
come a party that demands radical
trust, regulation and public control of
public service monopoly. If the Repub
lican party answers this demand, it will
keep in power; if it does not, "it will be
forced to give way to the Democratic
party, standing on the platform of pub
lic ownership of public service monop
oly. NO COLOR LINE AMONG REPUBLIC
ANS. President Roosevelt received a warm
welcome from the colored people of
Memphis, afcd he deserved it, for he has
acted the part of a man in refusing to
prescribe- any American citizen on the
ground of race or color. By his recent
removal pf Collector Bingham, In Ala
bama, the President showed that he
would not permit a Federal officer to
use his position and his prestige under
a Republican administration to draw a
color line In the party. If the color line
were established in the South, Collector
Bingham could not logically object to
the reduction of the representation of
Alabama in the Republican National
Convention pro rata with the Repub
lican white vote. How would he and
his fellow white politicians like that?
The Republican party knows no color
line as a matter of justice, and could
not afford to know one as a mere mat
ter of selfish policy.
In Ohio there are 25.000 colored voters,
and there must be an equal number in
New York State. The states of the
South, of course, can do as they please
in the matter of suffrage, but the Re
publican party recognizes no color line
in Its National conventions. As a party
it repudiates the racial injustice and In
equality which Collector Bingham saeks
to establish as the law and practice of
the party In the Southern States. It Is
reported that President Roosevelt will
appoint Dr. William D. Crum Collector
of the port of Charleston, S. C, despite
the protests of the "Illy whites" of both
partlea There 19 nothing against Dr.
Crum except his negro blood. He Is a
man of culture, accomplishments and
character. His political opponents ad
mit that his life Is without reproach,
and concede his capacity for the office.
The only objection offered to his ap
pointment by the Mayor of Charleston
and others Is that the appointment of
any man of negro blood would be of
fensive to the white Democracy of South
Carolina. So much the worse for that
white Democracy if it opposes the right
of a free man to hold an office for which
he ia fitted by education, by brains and
character. The- social equality shibbo
leth is a ghost that won't walk. Social
equality is not fixed by law In this coun
try; It takes care of itself. The great
French novelist, Alexander Dumas, was
the son of a brilliant French General
who was a mulatto, and his negro blood
showed strongly in the hair, complexion
and features of his famous son. Push
kin, the greatest poet of Russia, was of
negro blood. Paris was proud of Dumas
and St. Petersburg of Pushkin, and
some of us even In America are today
proud of Booker T. Washington, who
Is welcome in London's highest and
most exclusive aristlcratic circle, the
same circle that welcomes Ambassador
Choate. The New York Evening Post
recently published some extracts, from
the diary of a cultivated French gentle
man of" noble blood, who lived saveral
years in this country. Among other In
cidents recorded we note the following:
Dined with J. B. Smlth a colored caterer,
Boston's Chevet. He sent' my wife, on our
arrival, a magnificent bouquet. I went with
Mr. Phillips to thank him. I found him at
his home in Cambridgeport. with his wife (very
white and well bred). I did not decline Smith's
Invitation to dine with him. My wife and
Mrs. M. W. Chapman were with me; the other
guests were Sumner and Longfellow. The din
ner was excellent. Longfellow was extremely
gracious, and conversed with much warmth.
Here we sse a polished French gentle
man and a distinguished Senator of the
United States and a famous poet, all
of them men of fine culture and refined
tastes and manners, who did not shrink
from dining with an intelligent, well
bred man of color. Longfellow never
was conspicuous at all as an anti-slavery
agitator, but he " was a Well-bred
man who was too manly to manifest
any race prejudice against a man of
negro blood who was well bred, upright
and intelligent. The Republican party
has no quarrel with negrophobists in
politics, but the Republican party is
content to be in a minority In the South
before it accepts negrophobia as its po
litical philosDphy, faith and practice.
A SOLDIER'S APPEAL.
Major Robert K. Evans, of the Army,
made a point in an after-dinner talk at
the Loyal Legion banquet In this city
Wednesday which deserves emphasis.
Speaking for "The American Soldier,"
he declared that In two particulars he
has not been fairly treated by the coun
try In the recent wars In Cuba and the
Philippines. "Your soldier man," he
said, "by the rules of his trade Is In.
some respects a servile instrument ser
vile in the sense that his first duty Is to
obey and In the further sense that mili
tary discipline makes him almost an au
tomaton in his dependence upon his offi
cers and In his work on the battle
field." And under these conditions, con
tinued the speaker, the soldier is enti
tled to efficient command, and he is
most grievously treated when subjected
to untrained and incompetent officers
commissioned through political or other
"outside" motives. Proceeding, Major
Evans declared that both in the Quban
and Philippine service commands of
conspicuous importance, calling for
skilled professional judgment, were In
the hands of men with" no military train
ing and no moral right to command.
He cited instances, in one of which his
immediate battalion participated, in
which brave and patriotic men went to
their death through the incompetence of
un'skllled commanders; and with a sup
pressed but passionate emphasis he de
clared that the blood of these dead was
upon the head of somebody who, for
some political or private motive, had
Imposed upon "the soldier man" an In
competent and blundering authority.
Proceeding to his second point, Major
Evans declared that the American sol
dier is entitled to the best tools of his
trade to the best guns, the best ammu
nition and the best appliances In general.
And yet, he pointed out, the Spaniards
had better guns than the greater part
of the American troops in Cuba; and
even the Filipinos were better supplied
with smokeless powder. In the Philip
pines our. regular troops werer well
.armed, but the greater number of the
NOVEMBER
f
volunteer regiments carried guns of in
ferior and obsolete pattern, rendering
them, man for man, other things being
equal, at a disadvantage. A nation
which has mcney for eyeTythlng else,
the speaker declared, Is morally guilty !
or something like it when it sends its j
sons to fight lis battles Inadequately
armed and so ill supplied in the matter
of powder as to be at a disadvantage in
every contact with the enemy. And, he
declared, it is no excuse that nothing
better is on hand, for a Nation like ours'
Is guilty when she does not keep on
hand ready for any emergency what
ever Is requisite for the effective service
of her soldier eons and for every possi
ble measure ofprotection that may be
given them.
jThere Is weight In these points. A
man who thus appeals for the American
soldier has a title to speak in plain
terms and with utmost emphasis. Where
complaisance on the cne hand and econ
omy on the other are practiced at the
risk of the soldier's life, it Is indeed a
case for plain speech. Major Evans is
right when he declares that there i3 no
excuse for being short of modern guns,
for not having on hand adequate sup
piles of smokeless powder, for sending
our soldier lads to face better tools and
better facilities than their own. He Is
right when he demands that the Gov
ernment get the best In the shape of
guns, no matter at what cost, and
maintain such supply, at no matter
what cost, that its soldier sons shall not
be compelled to face disadvantage and
even death as the effect of a stupid eco
nomical "prudence."
Edwin D. Mead, an ardent antl-im-perlallst,
quotes approvingly "from
Charles Sumner's address before, the
Boston Peace Society in 1S45 on "The 1
True Grandeur of Nations. This was
the voice of an anti-slavery Whig who
was opposed to the Mexican War, but
this came Mr. Sumner did his best by
his inflammatory speech in the United
States Senate on the Alabama claims to
involve us in war with Great Britain
under Grant's first administration. In
this famous speech Mr. Sumner went so
far aa to Insist that it was our duty to
expel Great Britain from North Amer
ica by the forcible annexation. of Can
ada. Mr. Sumner always was an apostle
of peace except when the shooting was
done with his permission and approval.
It seems to be a foregone conclusion
that coal consumers must bear the bur
den of increase in miners' wages if this
Increase is allowed. The possibility that
the profits of operators might be some
what reduced In order to let the miners
have a living wage and still be large
does not enter into the discussion of the
question. Simply stated, miners must
either be held down to a wage insuffi
cient to furnish themselves and families
with the comforts of life, or coal con
sumers must stand a rise in the price of
coal that will be keenly felt, especially
by the poor. The profits of the wealthy
operators cannot be diminished. That
point seems to be settled. Somethings
are too absurd for even Wayne Mac
Veagh to talk about.
The sturdy lads of Oregon who are
willing to serve their country as naval
officers should begin o "study up."
There are still two vacancies In the
Naval Academy awaiting Oregon boys,
examinations for which will be held in
April. While it is a matter of regret
that several applicants have failed to
pass the required tests,' this should not
deter others from entering the lists, but
rather encourage vigorous, earnest ef
fort. Nominations will be made March
5 and examinations will be held a month
later. "Brace up," boy9. Don't let
these vacancies at Annapolis continue
to mock your patriotism or your capa
bility with their emptiness.
The provincial towns (of England are
securing better service, as regards gas,
water and markets by municipal man
agement, while also reducing their rates
out of the profits. Darlington in six
years has made a net profit of $350,000,
relieving the rates of each family in the
town to an average amount of 7 50.
Birmingham's profits in five years are
$618,640; Bolton's, $1,002,325; Leeds',
$872,015; Nottingham's, $620,000; Man
chester's, $2,210,600, while the water rate
also has been reduced from 5d to ld in
the pound.
The operators would much prefer sep
arate unions of the anthracite and the
bituminous miners. It will probably
not be maintained that they take this
stand out of any desire to benefit the
status of the men. It is far more prob
able that they think such segregation
would facilitate their own tactics In the
controversy. Nothing cpuld so convinc
ingly approve the course of President
Mitchell in contending for a common
union.
The world of Intelligent, spiritual con
ception and growth, regardless of de
nominational lines, will lose a friend
and counsellor In the death of Rev. Jo
seph Parker, the great English Congre
gationalist preacher. Dr. Parker repre
sented to progressive religion under one
name what Dr. James Martlneau rep
resented under another. There was
some distinction, perhaps, between the
tenets of the two, but little difference.
The attractive pictures put before the
Irrigation Convention by t'.;c various
counties with promising reclamation
projects made an Impressive exhibit In
local loyalty, and In the aggregate min
istered powerfully to state pride. It is
permitted every citizen to view these
widely scattered regions with uniform
hope and pride, and to feel a larger con
fidence in the great future of Oregon.
Of the present Generals of the regu
lar Army, thirty-four- in all, only eight
are graduates of West Point. Not one
of the Major-Gcnerals, of whom there
are seven, Is a graduate, nor is the Lieu-tenant-Gcneral.
Of the other Generals
but two rose from the ranks of the reg
ular Army., The rest were appointed
officers from civil life, or have come up
from the volunteers of 1861-65.
R. L. Smith, the Booker T. Washing
ton of Texas, enjoys the distinction of
representing a white district in the
Texas Legislature, although himself a
colored man. He is at the head of the
Farmers' Improvement Society, an or
ganization of negroes, who own 50,000
acres of well-stocked land and expended
upon It last year $30,000 for Improve
ments. Secretary Hitchcock has checkmated
W. H. Odell's progress In the great land
game in which he has been playing a
lone hand for some time. "Tbe appli
cations," says the Secretary of the .In
terior, "do not conform tQ-.the, regula
tions." This is decisive. No doubt it is
also just,
2i; . 1902.
SPIRIT- OF THE NORTHWEST PRESS
A Rule Reversed.
Walla Walla Union.
The coal barons may think that might
makes right, but John Mitchell's trl-
umphant way -of standing off his sophistic I
cross-examiners proves that right makes t
m5sht-
Here's a Lops-IIcnded Publicist.
Salem Journal. t '
' What interest have other towns in Ore- j
gon in making Portland a city of a 1
quarter of a million? Like other cities., j
she would suck the life-blood out of all
the rest of the state. j
I
Unduly Pessimistic.
Albany Democrat. (
The great question before the next Con- 1
gress will be that of the tariff. There j
is a strong sentiment in the Republican :
party In favor of tariff revision, but tne country prosperity In unparalled meas
bosses in the "party have decreed other- urc. we have seen at the same time
wise, so that when Congress meets It Is nearly nil of Its benpfits usurped by the
verv doubtful if the party permits any
thing of the kind. In fact, it will not be
done, for the simple reason that a re
vision cf the tariff will bo detrimental to
the Interests cf the trusts, and regardless
of talk for nolltical effect, the party 13
not going to do anything serious to the
trusts. Some people can see tnis, some j
cannot, and some do not wish to.
Sny It's Too Much.
The Dalles Times-Mountaineer.
Since Governor Geer has refused
to
.. . . .... , -r-i
nsten to tne pminuve appcui 01 jtu.
for an extra session of Legislature
the-. Lfwis and Clark Exposition, let the
people of that city who are connected
with the management of the fair become
a little more modest in their demands.
Let them ask for a reasonable appropria
tion at the hands of the Legislature, one
that will be proportionatewith the benefits
to be derived by the state at large, say.
J250.CO0. Such an appropriation will very
nkejy mcPf the approval of a majority in-
both houses, and will be sanctioned by the j
neonle crcnerallv throughout the state. It
will receive attention early In the session,
and a referendum vote will hardly be de
manded. An Important Point.
Salem Statesman.
All thenn npnnln who nrt talkintr about
Irrigation of the arid lands of tho state
by the Government or by private Individ
uals forget one thing. They forget that
the people who are expected to buy and
settle on the lands are likely to be pos
sessed of some Intelligence. Under the
rule of caveat emptor, they will look out
for themselves to some extent. It Is con
tended by some of the people who are op
posed to private enterprise that the Carey
law does not make any provision to fur
nish the settlers with water perpetually.
But the private persons or corporations
would havo to see to It that the land was
sold before they couhl get their profits.
They would have to find buyers. And
they would have to offer them somo in
ducements in order to sell them the land.
Over in Washington.' perpetual water
rights are sold with the land, by irriga
tion and land companies, who are not
operating under any act at all. They
offer this inducement in order to get their
money and profits out of their lands.
They could not find bifjjers In any other
way If they offered less. The, thing for
the" people of Oregon to do Is to get all
the arid lands Irrigated possible, and as
fast as possible.
Delivery of the 28.
Spokane f.pokesman-Revlew.
With characteristic egotism, Wilson Is
parading the boast, "I cast 2S votes for
Foster for United States Senator." He
follows this boast by revealing In the Ta
coma Ledger a part of the consideration
of that deal. He declares that he drew
from Foster a signed contract the price
of his delivery of his deluded supporters.
Tills contract had at least five sections,
and Wilson has published the fifth sec?
tlon, being a promise" from Foster to sup
port him for tho Senate In 1903. Tho
other clauses of the contract are not re
vealed by Wilson, and probably will not
be revealed. They would disclose more
than Wilson would care to have the peo
ple know. More, perhaps, than he would
want the obliging 2S to know. There is
nothing surprising In this .revelation. It
is what-was expected by persons cogni
zant of Wilson's career and methods. But
it is surprising to find Wilson engaged In
a ridiculous effort, after this confession,
to round up another bunch of Legislators
for use as trading stock at Olympla this
Winter. Members who might attach
themselves to this political huckster, after
these amazing admissions, could not hope
to escape one of two classifications. They
would elOier be regarded as exceedingly
stupid or' as alert and vigilant to offer
themselves for trading purposes.
Idnho Is Interested.
Lewlston Tribune.
There is every reason to believe Mr.
Ankeny would make the Improvement of
the river as a whole his first Interest and
duty In Congress, as. doubtless would Mr.
John L. Wilson, though In the nature of
things the latter's 'concern could scarcely
be so immediate and direct as the for
mer's. In fact, any man of sufficient in
telllcence and discretion to find his way
to Washington without being taken there
In handcuffs by the Sheriff would neces
sarily understand tho importance of open
ing this free highway to the sea. Even
Idaho has been known to send men there
who would vote right on the question on
roll-call. What Idaho will do hereafter
In this respect cannot now be seen. Congressman-elect
French understands v.e
situation clearly, and will undoubtedly act
vigorously In the public interest. The
Senatorship ia a dense puzzle at this time,
nnd when It Is settled it may be merely
a means of distributing postmastershlps
rather than for the furtherance of a great
economic benefit like the open river. But
It ought to be made plain that the river
question Is the greatest of all questions
to the people of all the region drained by
the Columbia, while the postmastershlps
and similar considerations not only con
cern only a few, but can be disposed of
just as satisfactorily by those large
enough to understand and Influence the
politics of river legislation. The river
would be open today If the people had
only stood up for It and demanded It.
Appropriations large enough to secure
continuity of the work to an early com
pletion could be secured at any Congress
If the people made that the first consid
eration for sending men to Congress. It
is the dereliction of the people as an ex
ample to the Congressmen that Is pri
marily responsible for the delay and half
heartedness In making a commercial high
way out of the second river in the Nation
In Importance and capacity for usefulness,
but some day the people will rise and de
mand that the way be opened, and then
it will be opened.
Old Grimes, Jr.
Boston Globe.
"Old Grimes is dead, that good old man,
We ne'er shall see him more"
Until some mighty trust shall buy
That far-off "Golden Shore."
He was as honest as the sun.
And all his bills did pay.
So consequently had to wear
His Winter suit In May.
He paid good wages to his men;
He must have been insane;
He lived a simple, quiet life
And never did complain.
He helped the widow In her need.
His name the orphans knew;
He had but one new hat a year,
And boots he had but two.
His life was like a Summer day;
He always wore a smile;
Tls sad to think he lived In vain
Who might have lived In style.
Tcs, he Is gone, good old man Grimes,
We ne'er shall see him more;
He was so far behind the times ,
Ho should have died before.
CAST OFF THE LINES.
Baltimore American.
It is earnestly to be hoped that the re
port that President Roosevelt has deter-
j mined to let Wall Street look out for Itself
is true. The President of the United
states Is not elected to advance or protect
the Interests of any particular class of
citizens, or special group of men. His
utia to who, ?le' He owes "
t0 them' became of their suffrages, and
under his oath to .so administer the affairs
of the Government that the welfare of all
the people will be conserved. It Is better
by far that any coterie of speculators.
body of promoters, or particular company
pf cap,tallsts shouId be disturbed, ur.-
clone and subjected to less than that the
grCat mass of the people should be made
the vlctiirn'of undue financial burden3.
While we have seen restored to the
issrs, the masses having been almost
entirely excluded from participation In
prosperity's prrfits. Capital Is today
stronger ard bolder than It has over been.
The people, on the other hand, are 4n a
sorry plight, the cost of living steadily
advancing wfclla wages remain stationary.
'inis condition demanas that some curort
he put fcrth for is correction, and Prcs
idcr.i Roosevelt can do no wiser nor
more popular thing than to cast oft the
Hne3 that now hind the financial depart
ment of the Government to Wall trcct.
Kr.a. laKinir ine ncim doicuv ana iear-
.. .f4) Mr Mnrr .I,-,, urr,
tQ fte Therc Qre - 1
be curbed, monopoly to h-i crushed, dan
gerous and grinding combinations to be
thwarted in their designs against the peo
ple. This 13 work enough for one man,
and It Is work that should be pleasing to
a man of the type of Roosevelt. The foe
Si .powerful enough to furnish all the en
tertainment he desires and he Is quite
likely to realize a new phase of the stren
uous life before success shall crown hln
efforts. But let him once raise the rtand-
ar. Ct him call, and the people will rally
to his support. Irrespective of their party
affiliations.
The trusts have become a public men-,
ace. They must be dealt with, tind If
Theodore Roosevelt will write Into his
forthcoming message to Congress adec
laration which, by his subsequent action,
shall become a proclamation of emancl-
patlon from tho trusts.
he will have
'made good" his claim to the confidence
of the people and continued preferment In
their favcr. The anti-trust fight Is the
battle of the moment. To avoid It would
mean official disaster for Roosevelt and
his party. To take up the gage and force
the fighting until the evil of modern cap
italistic combinations shall have been put
under adequate control means for Roose
velt and the Republican party realization
of the highest ambitions an American can
entertain.
Cast off the llne, President Roosevelt,
Congress must back you up.
The Divorce Record.
San Francisco Bulletin.
Tho latest official figures show that
there are in the United States 114.CO0 di
vorced women, against 81.000 divorced
men. The greater number of divorced
women is accounted for on the ground
that a larger proportion of divorced men
marry a second time than of divorced
women. It Is assumed that tho greater
ability of the divorced husband to earn
money enables him to marry a second
tlrno. The woman In most cases has to
await the coming of a man who Is at once
agreeable and able to support a family.
While there are Instances of wives who
seek divorce in the hope of improving
their financial condition, by far the larger
part of wives will cling to their homes.
If home is not all the' had hoped for. The
mother's attachment to her chldren Is ad
mittedly stronger than the father's, and
for this reason. If for no other, she only
applies for divorce when release from
marriage vows is forced upon her. Ask
an unhappy wife why sh does not. apply
for a divorce, nnd her eyes will turn In
voluntarily to her children. There are In
stances of husbands who have given their
wives abundant rause for dlvorco who
still love their children. The wife In
such cases is yenerally sacrificed to the
mother. The divorce record also show?
that In Utah, where until recently plural
marriages were the rule, the proportion of
divorced women is less than In states
where the law allows the man but one
wife. This fact cannot be advanced as
an argument in support of polygamy, but
it may throw some light upon one of the
causes of divorce.
Need of the Post Currency.
BInghamton Leader.
The 57th Congress will reassemble In a
few weeks and it is widely hoped that a
part of Its work will be the passage of
the post check currency bills, which pro
vide for a practical and convenient meth
od of sending small 'sums of money by
mail. A great deal has been written on
this subject and there are few who do
not know that this method is simply an
Uiue of currency that can be circulated as
cash and also be safely remitted by mall,
because when mailed it will be made
payable only to one person whose name
Is written in the blapk space that Is left
for that purpose.
Under the present money-order system
safety can be assured only at the sacri
fice of convenience, and convenience can
be consulted only by disregarding the ele
ment of safety. The post check plan is
both convenient and safe, and, being so.
it is just what the public needs In Its
line. The business interests and the
press favor it with virtual if not actual
unanimity, and. in fact, the full measure
of popularity It has won is a warrant, if
not an order, for Its adoption by Congress.
Tariff Revision AHNured.
San Francisco Call.
The Call said that the retirement of
Speaker Henderson definitely settled the
future of tariff revision and established it
as a Republican policy. Current develop
ments prove the correctness of our fore
cast. The West controls the next House.
No Eastern candidate for the Speaker
ship Is considered. That power will pass
from Iowa to Illinpis with the election of
Cannon, and a Western man. probably
Babcock of Wisconsin, will supplant
Payne of New York at the head of the
committee of ways and means. Though
contradictory reports are given out, there
is every reason to believe that the com
ing short session of Congress will be fol
lowed by an extra session comprehen
sively to revise the tariff. This is a bold
policy on the eve of the Presidential elec
tion of 1904. but tho Republican party has
never been cowardly in its course upon
any subject, and as It Is now dominated
by revisionists that work will not be
done piecemeal, by amendment haphaz
ard, but by an entirely new bill that will
wipe tho Dlngley bill off the statutes en
tirely. To a Footliprht Chnrmcr,
The Brooklyn Eagle.
I Fat last night In an orchestra chair.
And studied your features so wondrously fair
A nleasure it was. I confess.
Although you spoke naught but the lines of
the slay.
Your- voice o'er my heart exerted a sway
I cannot find words to express.
And yet, as I sat In that orchestra chair.
Some troublesome thoughts occurred to me
there.
Now, Julie DeVere is a beautiful name,
And truly I hope you were christened the same.
And not a plain Maggie O'Toole.
The newspapers tell me that twenty's your age.
But many are that for years on the stage
I hope you have broken that rule.
And yet, as I sat In that orchestra chair.
Such troublesome Questions occurred to me
there.
The programme informs me that you are a
"Miss."
Yet some programmes err in matters like this.
For bllls-of-the-play will deceive;
The man who was playing the monster bazoo.
.For all that I know, may be married to you.
Although it is hard to believe.
And yet. as I sat in that orchestra chair,
Annoylne surmises w.ould come to me there.
NOTE AND COMMENT.
The man who will take a dare frequent
ly has to take it farther than he wishes.
It Is quite proper that a girl who is a
vision should be seen In a dream of a
drcso.
Fire-escapes are compulsory now. Tho
question Is what will they do with the
unfortunates who do not escape?
The unknown persons who dynamited
the gambling dens in Chicago possibly
found It the only way to make a raise.
Curfew will not ring tonight. But the
curfew bellcp. will still be open to the
sweet protestations of youth with a ring.
Tho proposition to tax bachelors is be
hind the times. Every single man In this
country now has to pay tribute to every
fair woman.
It has been finally announced that
Teddy, Jr., left school on account of his
rye:. AVhy couldn't the rest of us make
that excuse go?
The poor little girl who ran away to
Baker City may thank her stars that
homesickness came upon her while she
yet had a home. There Is a nostalgia too
bitter for tears when the place of affection
Is darkened forever.
Klng. Leopold has resolved to live bet-
ter hereafter. He Is a cood man. and
everybody hope3 that a life so marked by
domestic virtue, fatherly kindness and
respect for the Ten Commandments may
long be spared to his devoted people.
A Chicago preacher warned the girls of
his congregation against dudes, dead
game sports, the man who promised to
reform after marriage, and the young
man who'didn't believe in religion. Girls,
there's only one thing for you to do.
Come Wc3t.
A man whose experience in society has
been limited to a modest range was In
vited not long ago to a very swell house
where there were maid servants and man
servants. He stayed and enjoyed himself
hugely for a couple of weeks. On his re
turn he was asked by a less-favored
friend what he had discovered. "Noth
ing much," was his response, "except one
thing. "What is that?" came the query.
"I now know the definition of a maid."
"Yes?"
"A maid Is a woman who is dressed at
7 A. M."
An urchin of an inquiring temperament
discovered a new thing about Chinese
queues yesterday. The Chinaman whqm
he'used to experiment on was dickering
with a lottery ticket vender, and this
proved so engrossing that he did not no
tice when the small boy gave the end
of his pigtail a couple of turns about a
doorknob. His chaffering finished, the
Celestial started off and was brought up
roundly. In the endeavor to twist his
head to see what the matter was, he
broke the strands and his sleek locks dis
integrated, unraveled and showed that all
but the six Inches nearest the scalp was
made of fine black thread. This strange
phenomenon bewitched the lad who was
the cause of the trouble, and he Incau
tiously approached to get a nearer
view. The Infuriated Chinaman spied
him, gave vent to barbarian language,
caught him by the slack of his breeches
and spanked him In improved Western
style. When the fracas was over the bp
standers" were unable to decide "Who
the madder, the ' boy or the Chinaman.
The tall was fal3e. The story thereof Is
true.
A Helena hack driver smiled Inoppor
tunely at a somewhat funny slip In Stuart
Robson's tenses one night last week, the
story runs, and lost a fare. Incidentally
he uncorked the vials of the eminent
Thespian's wrath. The Incident happened
In the front of the Grandon.
Robson, tired from Interpreting his
Shakespearean role, was pacing the floor
of the rotunda within. The driver waited
outside In the cold. The actor was to
be carried to the Northern Pacific depot.
But he seemed to have forgotten the fact.
He dallied and the horses stamped. The
cabby, with visions of other "work ahead,
grew Impatient.
He opened the door and looked in. His
appearance clearly disturbed Robson, for
he broke off his meditations and emerged
frowning. "Isn't it your business to
wait until I am ready to go?" said he.
"It Is, but I can't wait all night. I have
another fare," replied the driver. "And
the train Is almost due at that," he
added.
"Sir," said Robson, drawing himself
up, "you contracted with my manager
to take me where I choosed and to do so
when I choosed." A startled look from
the driver greeted the first "choosed."
The second caused a smile to flit across
his face. The player caught the glance
and turned on his heel. "I shall employ
another cab," he called over his shoulder,
"or maybe I shall walk to the depot."
"Do," came the reply through the dark
ness, "and be hanged." Members of hl3
company. It Is stated, cooled their lead
er's wrath sufficiently to induce him to
give up his determination to walk, and
try another cab.
PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGRAPHERS
He Carrie, I believe you think I'm a fool.
She And yet you say I'm always in the wrong.
Boston Transcript.
Alice What do you do when Jack talks foot
ball to you? Julia Well, I try to look intelli
gent. Detroit Free Press.
A man feels blue with trouble, red with rage,
white with fear, yellow with envy, and green
with Jealousy. Baltimore American.
"If I should die rich. I'd leave my money to
establish a much-needed Institution." "What
Is that?" "A dormitory for policemen on night
duty." Puck.
Gerald As it Is to be a secret engagement. It
would not be wise for me to give you a rinse
at present. Geraldlne Oh. but I could wear It
on the wrong hand. Judge.
"Yes. Muggins is an innocent, trusting indi
vidual." "I should say so. Why. that man
can buy a cheap pair of patent leather shoes
and think they won't crack!" Baltimore Her
ald. "Why Is sulcclde wrons?" shouted the free
thlnklng crank. "Because It Interferes with
digestidn. respiration and other Important func
tions of the body," answered the health crank.
Life.
"So you had a successful hunting trip?"
"Eminently successful. We didn't bring back
any game, but nobody was shot by any of the
other members of the party." Washington
Star.
Mamma I was surprised and shocked by the
coldness with which you greeted Miss Boresuro
when she called. Ethel Yes. mamma, but 1
made up for It later. Mamma Did you?
Ethel Yes, indeed, you should have seen how
cordially I bade her good-bye. Philadelphia
Press.
Doctor (flndlng patient sampling a bottle ot
whisky) Here, here, my man, that will nevar
do. That's the cause of all the trouble. Face
tious Patient Well, then, fill your class, doc
tor. Now we've found the cause, the 30oner
we get rid of it the better. Glasgow Evening
Times.
Fond Mother I do wish you would look over
some of my little boy's sketches, and give me
your candid ooinion of them. They strike ma
as perfectly marvelous for one so young. Tho
other day he drew a horse and cart, and, I
can assure you. you could scarcely tell th
difference! Punch, -