THE MORNING .OREGONIAN, MONDAY, DECEMBER lfc 1902.
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TOD AT S WEATHER Cloudy, with nroba-
Ifcly occasional showers: east -.to south winds.
YESTERDAY'S WEATHER Maximum .tem-
Iperature, 4.4 dog.; minimum temperature, 31
eg.; no precipitation.
I PORTLAN D, 3IONDAY, DECEMBER 15
Affer the State Land Agent has been
performing the duties of .his office for
four years it is discovered that there
la room lor doubt concerning the legal
existence of such an office. The authori
ties are so evenly divided that lawyers
differ in their opinions. The question
was -whether the law providing for the
appointment of an agent had been re
pealed. Since the Legislature of 1899
twice repealed an act which had been
repealed once before, It is not surprising
I -that they would leave some repealing
act9 uncertain in their effect. The re
markable feature of the case Is that the
Governor gave his approval on succes
sive daj's to two acts which related to
his own office and which were in conflict
with each other. It Is altogether prob
able that the Governor had so many
bills to examine that he could not even
make a thorough Inspection of those re
lating: to his own duties. "When the
next Legislature provides for the em
ployment of committee clerks, perhaps
it would be good policy to provide a
competent clerk for the Governor to as-
lst him In ascertaining the legal effect
of the laws they have passed. In the
multitude of duties thrust upon th Ex
ecutive during the Legislative session,
he can scarcely be expected to give all
the bills the attention to which they are
entitled. The Legislature this session
will have the advantage of being pro
vided with a new compilation of the
statutes, so that they will not be obliged
to search in a dozen different volumes in
order to find out what the law la
A new and interesting fact is set forth
in Higgineon's new biography of Whlt-
tier, viz., that he was jnot only a poet,
but a very 6hrewd politician. It seems
that in 1832 Whittler sought a Congres
sional nomination by modern methods
of political appeal to mutual self-inter
est In securing posts of honor. A letter
is quoted written by him at 24, in which
' he makes a dexterous appeal to "mutual
self-interest." His few years in practi
cal politics had fostered in him an am
bition for power and patronage that was
not suspected by those who knew "him in
later life. He never took up with civil
service reform, and he did not hesitate
to invoke political influence to obtain a
place in the Boston Customs-House for
his brother, and to retain him In office.
This circumstance is not mentioned by
Higglnson, but it rests on good author
ity. Whittier's letters thanking politi
cal friends for favors of this sort are
still In existence. "Whittler was an abo
litionist, but never a Garrlsonian. He
was a Free-Soller, and afterward, a Re
publican, but he was never an advocate
of the dissolution of the Union, as were
"both Garrison and Phillips. He strong
ly disapproved John Brown's raid, and
described Brown as "sadly misguided,"
..and. declined "any countenance to such
attempts as that at Harper's Ferry."
furthermore, "Whittler declined to sup
port -woman suffrage. It is an interest
lng fact that Whittler, the poet, should
fcave been the most conservative, the
most sober-minded, of all the old antl
slavery reformers, and the only one
among them who had ever been an am
bilious, practical politician.
The organization of a Fair Associa
tion for the purpose of giving an annual
livestdck exhibition and race meeting
In this city la one of the most Important
Moves yet made for the benefit of the
livestock Industry In the state. The
Magnitude of this Industry Is not gen
erally understood, but it has reached
proportions where It now contributes
something like $9,000,000 per year to the
wealth of the state. An Industry of
such vast Importance Is certainly en
titled to all of the assistance and cul
tlvatlon that can be accorded it, and
that it will receive a positive benefit
from well-conducted stock exhibitions Is
an assured fact. In the early days of
the Industry the stockmen of Oregon
were obliged to Import large numbers of
high-grade animals from the older set
tied portions of the country and from
.Xurope. In- that era exhibitions were of
' little value, for the reason that we had
nothing to exhibit that would attract
&e attention or the cash of visitors who
anight' attend. But the stock business
fcse now reached a point where the state
I. has switched around from the position
an importer to that of an exporter
: 9I fine animals. Oregon sheepmen are
iflslpplng prizewlnnlng bucks all over the
it United States, Oregon horses are win
xing fame and money on the finest
tracks in the East, and Oregon cattle
bring the highest prices in the East
r& markets. The advantages of stock
shown, and public sales which always go
with these exhibitors He In the fact
I -tfcat they attract large crowds of buyers
of all classes, pf stock. Without these
fairs that bring out the best of ai kinds
of stock it Is impossible for Oregon
breeders to attract the best class of
buyers. The latter have neither time
nor inclination to make a farm-to-farm
canvass of the state in search of the
class of stock they are seeking; but they
will always be found wherever the vari
ous grades of well-bred stock are massed
for inspection. The proposed associa
tion now In process of organization is
composed of representative men. of the
city and state men whose names are a
guarantee that it will be conducted for
the benefit of the industry, and not for
the pleasure and profit of a few racing
sharps who in the past have not only
killed legitimate racing, but have also
dragged down the stock business with it.
December wheat in Chicago closed on
Saturday at 75 cents. On the corre
sponding date one year ago it closed at
75 centa Walla Walla wheat In Port
land sold on Saturday at 72 cents per
bushel. On the corresponding date in
1901 it sold In Portland at 61 cents per
bushel. December 13, 1899, the quota
tion on the same option was: Portland,
51 cents; Chlgago, 66 cento per bushel;
Liverpool quotations Saturday were less
than 1 cent per bushel higher than they
were on .a corresponding date one year
ago. These figures will prove of Inter
est to the people who in former, years
were professedly unable to understand
why the Portland market failed to re
spond to every advance In the Chicago
market. Interior newspapers always
placed the blame for this independence
of the Portland market on an alleged
Portland wheat pool, and Incidentally
sought to work up a feeling against this
market on that account. There are
fewer exporters In the wheat business
In Portland now than there were at this
time last year, and if the "wheat pool"
theory were correct, they (would hardly
be paying 11 cents per bushel more than
they were paying a year ago, with the
European market less than a cent
better than It was at that time.
As a matter of fact, there 1b no
other commodity on the face of the
earth more difficult of control by
a pool or trusts This Is on account of
the universal production of the cereal.
Liverpool Is the world's supply depot,
and the men who buy and sell at that
port make the prices' for the rest of the
world. A local pool Is as difficult of
formation proportionately as would be a
world-wide pool, for -there are always
ships which can be chartered to float
cargoes, and always speculators willing
to take a moderate profit for handling
wheat or any other commodity. At the
present time the Pacific Coast wheat
grower can 6h!p his wheat 17000 miles
around the Horn to Europe at almost
the same freight rate as the farmer of
the Middle West, who by the transpor
tation routes is 10,000 miles nearer to
Liverpool than the Pacific Coast shipper.
Matters will remain In this shape until
there Is an advance in ocean freights
out of our ports oh the Coast. That
there will be an advance Is a certainty,
for wheat is now carried to Europe ifor
less than the cost of operating the ships,
mm me auenuani iusa is ine iarmers
gain.
ASPECTS OP TRANSPORTATION.
The Klickitat Railroad enterprise has
given to the transportation situation, as
related to the interests of Portland, an
entirely new aspect First and foremost
it has demonstrated to our people the
power of their own large capital, and
through It, Portland's real Independence
of the great foreign railroad combina
tions which have arrogantly assumed to
apportion our country among them
selves, to promoteNjr hold back Its devel
opment, to "route" its traffic and "place"
Its business as It may suit their conveni
ence or assure their profit. The Klicki
tat Valley has been retarded in its prog
ress a full twenty years under this pol
icy, and even now, II the tacjtlcs of bluff
were capable of effecting still further
delay, it would be remanded to the list
of districts waiting In isolation and pov
erty the convenience of a foreign rail
road company. Central Oregon, Includ
ing the valley of the John Day River,
the valley of the Deschutes and the Lake
country further south, has long
been In this humble attitude, and has
been left to wait because It has been
assumed that nobody could hope or
would dare to contest for the transpor
tation and general business of these re
gions with the powers in control of this
part of the railroad field.
Second, the Klickitat enterprise, by
the emphasiB it has given to the fact
that the basin of the Willamette and
Lower Columbia Rivers now practically
extends to The Dalles, has shown that
the gateway of the Cascades is no mo
nopoly, and that the occupation by one
railroad of Its single rail route does not
necessarily clos,e it to competitive sys
tems. For, with the pld barrier to navi
gation at the Cascades out of the way,
railroads operating either on the north
or the south side of the river and con
necting with It at The Dalles or any
point below, may extend their opera
tions to Portland by means which no
body can hinder; while at the same lime
they may command without treaty with
'the established roads and without op
pression from anybody all the advan
tages of terminal facilities on the river
front at Portland. This makes a situa
tion in which two men in New York,
one representing the northern and the
other the southern "merger," may not
get together and in an hour adjust the
V transportation conditions and destinies
jd the Pacific Northwest with reference
to the selfish interests of the properties
represented. It means that a way is
open by which Portland may, If she
can muster the initiative and the energy
(she has already the necessary command
of capital), establish her own lndepend
ent connections with a large part-of the
country east of the Cascade Mountains
and within tne field which the 'two great
railroad trusts, operating under a mu
tual understanding, have partitioned be
tween themselves, and from which in ef
fect they have warned all comers.
These demonstrations made by the
Klickitat enterprise amazingly empha
size Portland's Interest In the project
for still further opening up the Colum
bia River to navigation. What has
been done by extension of the basin of
the Willamette and Lower Colombia
Rivers to The Dalles Is vastly Impor
tant, as has just been shown, buUwhat
still remains to be done Is vastly more
Important, for it is related directly to
the price of every .bushel of whea and
every pound of merchandise which
comes from or enters the great interior
baEin. Remove the barriers to navlga
tion, make competition into the heart of
the Columbia Basin possible, and there
"will .be an end, of those unnatural and
essentially iniquitous "arrangements"
under which the road operating on the
water-level and relatively short route of
the Columbia gateway gives over a large
share of its natural traffic to its north
ern . rival at rates which enable It
to make a profit in carriage
over Its mountain route. When freight
rates to and from the Columbia Basin
shall be adjusted upon the basis of the
level route and the shortest haul,
there will be no profit in carrying bulky
freights over a route which rlses'a mile
Into the air above both Its terminals.
An ofien river is the means apparently
the only means by which a rate clearly
demandedkby common sense and Justice
can practically be enforced.
GRAIN BY RAIL TO THE MOUTH OP
THE RIVER.
What have the railroads to gain by
delivering grain to the vessels at the
mouth of the Columbia, rather than
making the delivery at Portland, where
the business has been established for
'many years? This Is the question sug
gested by the stcry printed today to tht
effect that such a plan Is in contempla
tion. It is plainly .cheaper to haul grain
down the Columbia on a water level
than to lift it away into the sky to cross
the mountains to Puget Sound. But,
having1 reached . ocean vessels by the
easier route, why continue pulling the
freight another hundred miles by rail,
when it can be more cheaply transport
ed Over the same course In the holds of
vessels"?
On the assumption that 'the matter
printed today correctly represents the
attitude of the railroads, and It must
be admitted that appearances seem to
confirm it, the Northern Pacific is the
aggressor in the movement to force
common grain rates to the mouth of the
river. Three considerations operate to
determine its position. First, it wishes
to get rid of climbing the Cascade
Range with its grain; second, it has not
adequate facilities of Its own for reach
ing Portland from the gralngrowlng Co
lumbia Basin, or for handling wheat it
might deliver here; third, there is money
to be made in opening a new country
and building up a new town, such as
would be Involved in "carrying the
Northern Pacific line down the north
bank of the Columbia to its mouth.
These are business reasons, and they
must have weight. The question of ri
valry between the two great transcon
tinental systems may have a moral.
bearing on the case, but personal feel
ings can be and usually are subordi
nated to considerations of pecuniary
profit.
i Now, would it increase the profits of
the Northern Pacific to carry wheat
down the Columbia to Its mouth? There
can be no doubt that It would If the
company had a track on that route In
operation. Not having such Track, will
It be worth while to build it? The cost
will be something like $7,500,000, carry
ing an annual Interest charge of about
$350,000. The grain traffic would hardly
warrant such an investment. It is to
be observed, however, that the same
route that will give a water grade for
grain will give the same advantage to
other traffic, and that it Irf rather more
than possible that a largb part of the
tonnage to and from Puget Sound would
pass through the Columbia Gorge in
preference to tolling over the steep
mountains. Then there Is the new busi
ness to be developed along the Lower
Columbia the lumber carriage out, the
Summer resort travel, and, by no means
to be despised, the opportunities for
thrift In new townslte enterprises.
Granting that the Northern Pacific
will sooner or later make" this move,
the O. R, & N. will meet it as a mat
ter of course, occupying the south side
of the river. The effect upon Portland
will be insignificant. It may even be
doubted that all the wheat loading win
move down the river, for many ships
will still come to the Columbia with
cargoes for Portland which they must
discharge here. Being here, they will
naturally take on return cargoes at
Portland wharves. " The new railroad
move contains far more of menace to
Puget Sound than to Portland. But
there will be time for adjustment
Grain loading at the mouth of the Co
lumbia Is not so imminent that anybody
should have night sweats over it.
HOW TO RAISE REVENUE.
In one year more, according to Gov
ernor Odell, direct state taxation on
general property will be abandoned in
New- York. Minnesota Is rapidly ac
compllshlng the same change in Its, tax
system, and in five years, according to
State Auditor Dunn, the direct state tax
will entirely disappear. Thus it is seen
that In one of the old and wealthy states
of the East and in one of the compara
tively new and partially developed'
states of, the Middle West the Indirect
taxation system has been found to be
successful. Why not in Oregon?
The raising of revenue by means of
state liquor taxes, franchises taxes,
corporation taxes and inheritance
taxes has enabled New York and
Minnesota, to reduce direct state
taxes to a very small ,-vrate, much
to the gratification of owners of real
property. County and city revenues are
still raised largely by direct taxation
In both states the indirect taxes were
imposed by degrees, so that no radical
change was wrought and no business In
terests suffered. The popularity of the
Indirect sys'tem is shown by the satis
faction expressed over the announce
ment that direct taxes will soon be a
thing of the past.
The argument will probably be made
In Oregon, In opposition to corporation
and franchise taxes, that the burden Is
eventually borne by the people, and will
be no lighter. Even, If this were true, a
shifting of the burden from one ehoul
der to the other would make it easier
to carry. It Is possibly true that the
tax on the gross receipts of insurance
companies is paid by the property-own
ers who have their property Insured. I
Is possible that If special taxes were lm
posed upon telegraph and express com
panies, they would Increase their rates
in this state enough to make up the
amount of the tax. Perhaps If the fran
chlses of corporations were taxed, these
concerns would arrange their business
so as to increase their Income accord
ingly. While this is not probable, as a
general rule, yet If it be admitted for
the sake of argument, still It is prefer
able that state revenue be raised .en
tirely by means of a state tax.
Tangible property property which
the Assessor never falls to find Is bear
ing more than Its share of the burden
while money, notes and accounts, spe
clal privileges, etc., usually escape taxa
tion. An indirect tax will be more
equitably distributed, and those who
pay it will do so without inconvenience.
If all state revenue were raised by in
direct taxation, there would never be
the incentive' to Jow valuations which
still prevails In this state. While state
taxes are being apportioned "among 'the
counties at a fixed ratio, there seems to
be a feeling that perhaps some time the
state may return to the old system,, and
values have not been advanced as they
should be. Let Oregon once establish a
tax system which insures a permanent
separation of tax collection for state and
county purposes, and assessed valua
tions wiy become pretty .nearly an in
dex of the actual market value of the
property.
Punishment by imprisonment In. he
penitentiary will overtake wife-deserters,
in Nebraska if the Legislature of
that state at its coming session approves'
a recommendotlon to that effect embod
ied In a bill that will be presented by
the State Board of Charities and Correc
tions'. In the opinion of this organiza
tion it will be a disgrace for the state
longer to exist as an organized body In
society without enacting a law provid
ing for the punishment of this most das
tardly class of. offenders. There is much
wholesome Indignation embodied In the
resolutions bearing upon this subject as
passed by this board. That the deser
tion of wives .and children Is something
more than a misdemeanor, to be dis
missed with the scorn of loyal respon
sible men, may well be conceded. That
it is a crime, often of the most heartless
character, has been too often attested in
community annals to admit of question.
The suicide of a discouraged husband,
leaving his wife to bear alone what he
felt to be a burden too heavy for him
to carry Is the least reprehensible way
in which a man can desert his wife and
family, and this, as every one will allow.
Is Instinct with cowardice. It at least
eliminates all uncertainty from the
problem of desertion and opens the door
of sympathy for a woman supposedly
bereft But a sneak who, because he Is
tired, discouraged or meanly irrespon
sible, forsakes his wife, leaving her Jjo
struggle with poverty, humiliation, anx
iety and uncertainty, is a criminal of a
vicious and contemptible type, whom It
would be to the credit of the state to ap
prehend and punish. Public opinion
should Indorse a law looking to this end.
The National Indian Association
urges Congress to come to the relief
of the Navajo Indians In Arizona by
means of proper legislation. These In
dians, It Is said, are confined upon an
arid tract of land which it Is Impossible
to bring under cultivation without sys
tematic Irrigation. It Is further charged
that settlers upon lands adjoining the
reservation divert such water as Is
available to their 6wn use, leaving the
crops of the Navajos to wither and their
cattle to perish from thirst The case
Is one that calls for such relief as good
common sense In legislation affords. If
the reservation lands of these people
are not arable lands, they should be re
located upon some more suitable tract,
or measures should be taken to provide
irrigation for this one. It is manifest
ly both absurd and cruel to expect In
dians to raise crops where .conditions
are such that nothing will grow. To lo-'
cate them upon such lands means either
that the Government will have to con
tinue the ration systeni Indefinitely or
that the Indians will starve. Either al
ternative would discredit the Govern
ment the first because It, is plainly op
posed to the simplest principle of polit
ical economy, and the second because it
would be a disgrace to the simplest
precepts of humanity. In this connec
tion it may be asked what has become
of the Indian Agent of this Arizona
reservation, the Government's accred
ited representative In dealing with these
Indians, that it becomes necessary for
the National Indian Association to peti
tion Congress to do Its duty in the
premises?
The letter from Mr. Frank L. .Brown
touching the isthmian canal question
presents very clearly the effect cheap
Interoceanic transportation would have
upon the Pacific Slope. The Implication
that people of this Coast have urged
construction of the canal in the hope of
promoting their jobbing trade with the
Orient does not do them justice, how
ever. The Eastern 'States can get a ef
ficient servico through the Suez Canal
as through a canal at Nicaragua or
Panama, and we cannot bring wares In
from the East by any means and trans
ship them to the Orient at a profit in the
face of direct competition of the pro
ducers who supply us. We want the
canal because It will facilitate Inter
change of trafflo between our Atlantic
and Pacific seaboards andopen an eas
ier way to market for many of the
products of this Coast Our prosperity
depends on our power to produce and
to market. , The Isthmian canal will
help us reach market Our productive
capacity will not Increase by simply
taking toll of the commerce that may
pass this way. For that we must de
velop natural resources and work them
Into finished producta This will save
us in any situation.
While the Attorney-General does not
quote so many states for his view of the
law relating to the State Land Agent, It
la to be obS2rved that his authorities
carry more weight than those support
ing the contrary view. The Supreme
Courts of Wisconsin, Indiana and New
York greatly outweigh those of Texas,
Missouri, Illinois and Ohio in the re
spect they command among those
learned in the law. Probably no Su
preme Court except 'that of Massachu
setts stands uniformly higher than that
of Wisconsin. Those courts have never
been weak. New York has been in the
front rank, but it has shown weak spots,
as has also Indiana. But Texas, Mis
souri, Illinois and Ohio are frequently
weak. They are too closely affiliated
with partisan politics to command the
best scholarship and the cleanest mo
tives. Incidentally It may be remarked
that among the Western courts Oregon's
Supreme Bench holds high rank for Its
work of the more recent years, and
many of Its decisions are regarded as
very excellent authority in the fields
they traversa.
A District Attorney In New York re
cently visited gambling dens to learn
what was going on, and made "his en
trance through a window. This prompts
the New York Times to devote a half
column to a discussion of the question
whether a District Attorney, when he
wishes to make an evening call on a
great gambler, "should seek Ingress
through a door or a window. Out here
In the wild and woolly West that ques
tion is not likely to arise, for Municipal
Judge Hogue found no difficulty in mak
ing an. entrance- through the front door.
Secretary Root has decided that In
promotion of enlisted men to be Second
Lieutenants, candidates for examination
must have passed two full years of serv
ice in the ranks, and that to count in
this .a term of cadetship at West Point,
where the men had been dropped fpr de
ficiency, would be to put a premium on
failure
SPIRIT OF THE NORTHWEST PRESS
Phliosoplir Frera Xgafeo. '
,' Lewiston Tribune.
If the average man would serve his
country with as much zeal as he serves
his party, he would not need to find him
self up' against the blizzard of adversity.
Webfoot in the Palonse.
Garfield Enterprise.
The Fall and Winter rains and conse
quent mud of the Palouse country are
ever-present subjects of conversation, and,
with many, a source Of needless discontent.
In Keeping: With Onr Dignity.
Aurora Borealis.
Tho President of the United States
should have an annual salary of $100,000.
Such a powerful and rich Nation as this
should not assume such a niggardly atti
tude toward its Chief Executive.
Anka Insurance Investigation.
Brownsville Times.
A law looking to the control of Insur
ance rates in Oregon should engage the
attention of the next Legislature. Rates
are being advanced until they are becom
ing unreasonable. We believe inquiry into
the business of the insurance companies
will show that the receipts are double the
amount paid for losses and expenses.
Contrariness of the Easterner.
Albany Democrat.
People arc freezing to death in the East
and fuel to keep warm and even for cook
ing purposes almost unobtainable. In
Oregon we are having some rain, but
scarcely weather coldenough for a frosty
morning. "Yet some people seem to pre
fer to live in the blizzard-stricken East;
but some people have, contrary ways.
The Real Land Grabbers.
Albany Herald.
While Congress is so deeply absorbed
In endeavoring to amend the homestead
and timber land" laws It should not over
look the fact that It is' not the persons'
who buy and pay for the land or home
steads that are a menace to the public
flomaln, but The real and active land
grabbers are railroads and wagon road
companies with lieu land schemes. These
lieu lands schemes not only need watch
ing and amending, but repealing.
ioolcs Well for the 1005 Fair.
Heppncr Times.
The Harriman lines, the Great Northern
and Northern Pacific Railroad Companies,
have agreed Jointly, to contribute $50,000
towards the celebrating of the Lewis- and
Clark Centennial. This raises. the amount
of contributions so far to $410,000. Con
gress has been asked for an appropria
tion "6f $2,000,000. Should this amount, or
half of ifbe.securtd from Congress, and
the Oregon Legislature appropriates $o00,-
000. the success of the 1905 fair is as
sured. .
The Other Side Takes an Inning:.
Eugene Guard.
The transcontinental railroad lines en
tering Portland are not bothered with
spasms oi llDerallty. xney reiuse to
even make a joint $50,000 subscription to
the Lewis and Clark Fair unless the state
first appropriates $750,000. It is not prob
able, they will have to make the beggarly
subscription. The outside Legislator who
would vote to tax the people for that
amount for a Portland enterprise pure and
simple would end his political prospects
right then. And the members of the Leg
islature are not ignorant of this fact
Jonathan Is His Own David.
Astoria Astorian.
It would seem strange indeed for Jona
than Bourne to entertain aspirations for
the Senatorial toga, but- that appears to
be the exact situation. Bourne is a Re
publican with Populiatlc tendencies. But
it is quite reasonable that, even If. Mr.
Fulton could not be successful, neither the
Governor ijor the Populistic Portlander
could hope for the. toga. They are, to em
ploy the vernacular of the day, "dead
ones," and might as well hope for a" ride
over that railroad to Mars as to hope for
a commission that would entitle either of
them to a seat in the upper house of the
National Congress.
The Dull Thud That's Coming.
Salem Statesman.
With a wave of the hand that would
appear to end the matter, as' if spoken
by one with authority, the Astorian re'
marks that Governor Geer's candidacy for
the United States Senate "is not worth
considering." Here is a law of the state,
carefully prepared and amended on Its
passage through the Legislature, in order
that it might be perfected, and fully com
plied with in every particular, supple
mented by the votes of 45,000 men of Ore
gon'on the one side, and the opinion of one
man on the other. The people are watch
ing closely "to see whether the next "sacri
fice" Is to be made by themselves or by
others. It is going to be a mighty one-sided
game unless the Legislature concludes
to deride the popular vote, In which case
something will probably drop later on.
Objection to Reciprocity.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Take the treaty with France. Under it
Eastern manufacturers would procure bet
ter terms in the French markets, at the
expenso of the dried fruit and. wine in
dustries of the Pacific coast. Jj'rencn
wines and dried fruits would be admltteu
in competition with like products of the
Pacific Coast, but no Pacific Coast product
would have any easier entry Into France
This Is a kind of reciprocity against
which there can be legitimate objection.
The Eastern manufacturer, who is so
cheerfully willing to sacrlflcbvthe fruit in
dustry of the Pacific Coast, would with
very sound reason object to any proposi
tion to compensate the Pacific Coast pro
ducer for being exposed to such a compe
tition by giving him lower duties on such
manufactured products as he uses but does
not produce.
What Is a Caucus, Anyhow T
Salem Journal.
Such a thing as a signed call for a cau
cus la an anomaly, bearing the proof of
sale and delivery on the face of It, and
should be" repudiated by all decent and
honest Republicans in Oregon. All Repub
licans should go into caucus on a plain.
verbal announcement in each house by
the presiding ofiicer. That Is the way
each house organizes. That Is the way
both houses of Congress organize. There
is no precedent outside of Oregon, unless
it is In some" rotten-borough Democratic
state, for a signed call. Men who do not
want to sell their vote for cash or for a
Federal office better smash the rotten cus
tom of a signed, sealed and delivered cau
cus to nominate "a Senator. It is un-Re-publican,
un-American, un-Democratlc and
unmannerly, and will only produce a dead
lock In Oregon and leave us without a Sen
ator.
Stupendous Irrigation Project.
Spokane Spokesman-Review.
In the heart of the. African desert a
dam has been constructed 1 miles long
and 130 feet high. It will create a lake
with three times the area of Lake Geneva
and throw back the Nile water for a dis
tance of 140 miles. From April to. August
when the Nile runs low and thedemand
for water for the crops is at Its highest
the (rates will be systematically opened
and all sthe valley Below, thirsting for
moisture, will be supplied. More than 2500
square miles of new arable land will be
openeov ana it is esumatea mat tne per
manent benefit resulting will amount to
$100,000,000.
The cost of this, the largest irrigation
project of the age, has been about $24,000,-
000. It is a large sum, but It Is well ex
pended. Perhaps in so other part of the
world Is there a section of country wiere
an Improvement of this sort would have so
important an Influence on the life of. an
entire people and prove, so much of a na
tlonal blessing.
SOBTfcE ESTIMATE OF GREATNESS
4 r
Minneapolis Tribune. '
Mr. Thomas B. Reed furnishes another
example of the truth, that American
statesmen of. the greatest Intellectual
power .and public usefulness do' not reach
the highest station. Hamilton and Web
ster, Clay and Blaine, all missed the pub
lic recognition to whicfi their brains and
capacity for government entitled them.
These were Idols of their own states,
and commanded the highest appointive
positions under the general Government;
but none of them Could compete with
lesser men for the popular electoral sup
port of tho whole country. Mr. Reed Is
comparable to tho first two for vigor of
Intellect, and to the last two for those
engaging personal and social qualities
that invite the best kind of popularity.
He was popular, as they were to the
day of his death; but tho people who
loved and admired him did not want him
for President.
The familiar explanation of this famil
iar. fact Is that the Debole want for Presi
dent a commonplace, average .man, more U
iiKe one or tnemseives. unat is oniy stat
ing the fact in another form. Why have
they this preference? The human habit
of hero worship Is universal. Why do not
the American people express their frank
admiration -for their greatest men by4
making them Presidents? There" is some
thing in the fact that the average Intel
lect does not understand clearly the work
ings of tho exceptional, intellect; cannot
foresee how Its possessor will act In an
emergency, or where his Intellectual pre
science will lead him. It might lead, him
beyond the average depth and carry on
the Government above the heads of its
real popular sovereigns.
This Is the mental side of the popular
preference for commonplace men for
Presidents. We believe, that it has a
moral, side as well. That Is. the people
hold men of extraordinary Intellect and
wide knowledge to higher responsibility'
for their public conduct than men of av
erage powers. They are vaguely supposed
to know better the highest course, and
they are less easily forgiven for taking
the lower. The people can forgive an av
erage public man for falling into their
own common errors of Ignorance and
short-sightedness in' dealing1 with great
public questions, because he has the same
excuse that they have. They cannot for
give a man with Just pretensions to su
perior knowledge and foresight especially
if he change to win popular favor. In
sincerity with higher capacity Is more
dreaded than fallibility with lower.
An episode In Mr. Reed's career illus
trated this as perfectly as Mr. Webster's
disappointment of the. moral sentiment of
the country on the slavery question. Mr.
Webster took the heart out of his anti
slavery supporters without winning
friends on the other side. Mr. Reed disap
pointed the' best intelligence and experi
ence of the country by temporizing on the
money question, and he won no friends on
the other side. He did not vacillate on
the money question as much as Mr. Mc-
Klnley, but his higher intellectual stand
ard caused him to be held to stricter re
sponsibility. McKlnley's errors were for
given by men who shared them with him,
and traveled with him the same path to
gradual perception of the truth. They
were forgiven by men who never shared
them, but believed him honest in them
and equally honest in his gradual change
of them.
It is probable that Reed might have been
President if he had taken a bold stand
when the whole business and Intellectual
balance of the country was swinging
around to the gold standard in 1896, and
groping for a trusty leader. He took. Just
that time to temporize with convictions
the country knew he possessed, and the
slowly crystallizing public opinion pre
ferred to wait for tho slower process of
McKlnley's mind. A man slow to form
right opinions was preferred to a "man
who would not act on tho right opinions
ho had.
APPLIED FOR THREE PENSIONS.
She Was Widow of Three Veterans
and Is the Wife of a Fourth.
Washington. Commissioner of Pensions
Ware recently concluded an Investigation
made to determine the pensionable status
of Mrs. Ashton, of New Albany,-Ind., who
Is the widow of three Union veterans and
tho wife of a fourth, and has decided to
await the outcome of .Mrs. Ashton's most
recent matrimonial venture before taking
any action.
Upon the death of her first husband Mrs.
Ashton aonlled for a pension and got It
When she married the second time the
pension stopped, bu upqn the death of
her second husband she secured two pen
sion allowances from the bureau. Then
she married another veteran, and both
pensions ceased. Upon the death of the
third husband Mrs. Ashton promptly ap
plied for three pensions, which staggered
the officials of the bureau. While the
case was under consideration Mrs. Ashton
grew tired of a life of single blessedness
and again selected a Union veteran for a
life partner. He is .still alive, and the
question of how many pensions Mrs. Ash
ton is entitled to will await further de
velopments: Dr. H. C. Clinton's Wnrnlngr Against
Woman Workers.
Philadelphia Record. i
Trenton, N. J. The Rev. Dr. Henry
Collin Mlnton, moderator of the last Pres
byterian General Assembly, sounded a
warning to the Nation in his sermon to
day. Dr. Mlnton's theme was "Home, State
and Church," and in the course of his re
marks said: "The American home is at
once the pride, the Joy and the hope of
our Nation. God grant that it may con
tinue to be so. But it is not without its
perils. Conditions are combining to make
the survival of the home a more serious
problem in our modern life. The young
women of today are filling a hundred
places our grandmothers never dreamed of
filling. Every one of them is robbing a
home of a wife and mother a household
of a mistress or a maid.
"The unmarried are in danger of be
coming timid in the face of the practical
difficulties of homemaklng, while the mar
ried are flocking for refuge to the cruel,
tender mercies of hotels and apartment
houses. 1 am saying nothing pro or con
about women's rights or wrongs, but I
do say that unless there is a reaction
from the tendency now prevailing, unless
women will consent to leave a larger
Phare for men to do In the office, the store
and the factory, the future of the home
Is imperilled and the family circle Is
threatened with forces that tend toward
disintegration and decay.'.'
"Without a Champion.
ShanKhal Times.
Ye kin aca'ce pick up a paper
An Its poets' corner greet
Cept i-e'll see er plrty poem
'Boul the mother, saintly sweet:
But ye'll have a time a-s'archln'
Eyes will be er-achln' bad
Ere ye'll overtake er poem
At this time for pore ole dad!
No, It isn't willful In 'em
Them that write of mother dear
That thars never notice taken
6f her ole man settln near;
No, It's never meant to slight him.
But hit looks a little sad
All the bouquets made for mother,
Not a bloom for pore old daai .
True, our mother watched above us .
Till her dear oie eyes wuc acne,
1 But ole dad, he humped to feed us
Till his back would nearly break.
Mother crooned above the cradle.
Gave devotion all she had;
. Still, that wasn't any circus
l At this time for pore ole dad!
Do not take one line from mother .
Vhen ye write the soul-sweet songr.
But if thar's a word for father
Now and then It won't be wrons.
Pore Ole soul! He's bent and wrinkled.
An I know 'twould make him glad
If, while you are pralsln mother.
Somethla's sed for pore old dadl
NOTE AND COMMENT.
Good morning! Nice weather, isn't, it?
Venezuela has long been dunned,, but it
looks as ifshe were now to be done up.
Whoever tries to select presents for 10
friends knows the exact definition of the
strenuous life.'
A strictly up-to-date preacher should
choose for his text "What shall I give
for Christmas?'
President Cleveland is now wishing he
could get In another shot over the parapet
of the Monroe Doctrine.
Now we know what was the matter with
the Prince of Slam. Ho was wondering
what Bapa Chulalongkorn would say to
his writing love letters to an American
girl, who Is likely to make much money
out of these royal and fervent epistles.
John Barrett Is both sawing wood and
saying something. Too many go to sleep
in the calm assurance that silence is
golden. When they wake up 'they gener
ally find that they are In the midst of a
silence where no sound is heard, and some
who talk have the gold.
New Yorkers yesterday had for their
bill of fare hall, sleet, rain and snow.
And coal is something awful a ton. But
the Oregonian got out of his bed to see
the gleaming mountains and a blue sky.
Let that hardened lover of the good old
times pray vigorously for "Christmas
weather," but the most of us are quite
willing to trust to our gentle -climate.
On this we rise to start in on what will
doubtless be one of the merriest weeks of
tho whole year. Anticipation will lend,
the next few days wings, and before we
are aware of it, Time will have gathered
our happy hours Into the storehouse of
memory. Surely It is the gift of God that
we may never lose happiness once at
tained. Its material form may melt into
dust, no sense may be able to apprehend
even a trace of what raised us to tho
skies, but in the depths of our hearts wo
bear the central jewel safely. And in
days of waning life we can at will open
the casket of the joyous past and revel In
Its precious memoirs.
"M. A. P" tells a story with regard to
the late Czar of Russia, He was ono
night playing a game of whist at Hom
burg, and the present King, then, of
course, Prince of Wales, and several of
his friends were of the party. Among
those friends was Sir Jame3 Mackintosh,
a well-known bon vlvant of the 'S0av and
'00s. Sir James was one of those blunt
downright, rough-spoken Scotchmen, who
didn't know fear of God or man. In the
midst of the game Sir James called out
to tho Czar, "You've revoked." Every
body's blood ran cold. The Prince of
Wales, I have been told, kicked the
Scotchman under the tableand the Czar,
blushing and confused, exclaimed In. be
wilderment, "Revoked! Why, I never did
such a thing in my life!" But Sir James
persisted, and the monarch was proved to
be in the wrong; whereupon Sir James
jeplled to the observation of the Czar, "I
daresay you've often revoked, Your Ma
jesty, but this is the first time you were
ever told so."
After weeks of cloud and rain that have
veiled from our eyes the lofty heights of
tho Cascade range, the sun has restored
to us our horizon. We know that Helens
and Hood and Adams and Jefferson' were ,
immutably there, we caught an occasional
breath of wind from their chill and lonely
peaks; but the exultation of lifting our
eyes once moro to that mighty sierra is
above all pride. Immobile, preponderant,
Imperative, the mountains stand about
our valley and teach us the desire for the
beyond and the outer vast Day in and
day out we jostle our fellows in the sordid
streets, strive to lay up .aV little store of
wealth, forget the calling world. But in
evitably the moment comes when we raise
our dimming eyes to the hills and our
hands forget to clutch and our feet to
seek. That rugged skyline, the noble
heights so deep Into the blue call us home.
Like children, we wait to see the proces
sion of a strange and sweet world, gazing
in amazement at the mysteries of the
great showman. The pageant passes, the
clouds return and we wake to find our
selves faring In crowded ways. But who
may fall to remember the vision?
A "Rrlstol contemporary DUbllshes a cood
Story which has reached It from Canada,
says the London Express. It hangs on an
advertisement which appeared in an Eng
lish paper:
"A lady In delicate -health wishes to
meet a useful companion. She must be
domesticated, musical, an early-riser;
amiable, of good appearance, and have
experience In nursing. A total abstainer
preferred. Comfortable home. No sal
ary." A few days afterward the advertiser re
ceived by express a basket labeled, "This
side up with care perishable." On open
ing It she found a. tabby cat, with a let
ter on .Its tail. It read thus:
"Madam In response to your advertise
ment, I am happy to furnish you with a
very useful companion, which you will
find exactly suited to your requirements.
She is domesticated, a good vocalist, an
early-riser, possesses an amiable disposi
tion, and Is considered handsome. Sho
has great experience as nurse, having
brought up a large family. I need scarce
ly add that she Is a total abstainer. A
salary ls.no object to her; she will serve
you faithfully in return for a comfortable
home."
PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGRAPHERS.
Customer What do you charge for 10 cents'
worth of camphor? Druggist (absently) Twenty-five
cents. Chicago Dally News.
"But. you see, I only want the teanot and
the sugar-basin. Don't you break sets?" "No,
madam. We generally leave that to the
servants of our customers." Punch.
"How did you like the sermon this morn
ing?" "Oh, It was a beautiful discourse! I
don't believe Satan himself could have taken
offense at anything In ,lt."-Ch!cago Tribune.
General-I see here's an article on "Rev
olution in the Mince Pie." Colonel-That's
the kind of revolution you like to put down.
I suppose. General ?-Yonkers Statesman.
"I knows some niggers what's so lucky," said
Brother Dickey, "dat I wouldn't be 'tall sur
mise ter hear dat some er dem got lynched
on a Chris'mus tree!" Atlanta Constitution.
The father My daughter, sir. must hav-a
the same amount of money after she Is mar
ried that she had before. The suitor I wouldn't
deprive her of It for anything. Brooklyn Life.
Mrs. Jones Oh, .that brave, gallant young
"Lieutenant Van Buster! Just killed In the
Philippines, and was to have been married
next month. Mr. Jones Gad! fortune favors
the brave.
Elizabeth Begone, Horatio, me mudder says
yer ain't refined enough ter go In our set.
Horatio You're crazy, you are. Ain't me
fodder workln In a lard refinery dis very
mlnnet? Detroit Free Press.
Naggsby It's funny how women will change
their minds. When I first met the girl who
eventually became Mrs. N., she was one of
those who declared she wouldn't marry the
best man In the world. Within a year she
married me. Waggsby But what makes you
think she has banged her mind? Baltimore
American. .
4
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