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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 1903)
6 THE MORNING OREGOyiAN, TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1003. Entered at the Postofflce at Portland. Oregon as second-class matter. REVISED SUBSCRIPTION RATES. By Mall (postage prepaid, in advance) Dally, with Sunday, per month 83 Sally, Sunday excepted, per year......... 7 50 Dally. -th Sunday, per year 9 00 Sunday, per year 2 00 The Weekly, per year 1 W The Weekly, 3 months GO To City Subscribers Dally, per week, delivered. Sunday excepted.ISc Daily, per week, delivered. Sunday lnduded.20o POSTAGE RATES. United States, Canada and Mexico: 10 to 14-page paper....... ........... ........1 It to 28-page paper 2c Foreign rates double. News or discussion Intended for publication In The Oregonlan should be addressed Invaria bly "Editor The Oregonlan." not to the name of aiy Individual. Letters relating to adver tising, subscription or to any business matter should be addressed simply "The Qrcgonlan." The Oregonlan does not buy poems or stories from Individuals, and cannot undertake to re turn any manuscripts sent to it without solici tation. Ko stamps should be Inclosed for this purpose. Eastern Business Offlce. 43, 44. 45, 47. 48, 49. Tribune building. New Tork City: .310-11-12 Tribune building, Chicago; the S. C. Beckwlth Special Agency, Eastern representative. For SHle in San Francisco by L. El Lee. Pal ace Hotel news stand; Goldsmith Bros., 230 Butter street: F. W. Pitts, 1003 Market street; J. K. Cooper Co., 740 Market street, near the Palace Hotel; Foster & Orear, Ferry news etand; Frank Scott. SO Ellis street, and N. Wheatley, 813 Mission street. For sale In Los Angeles by B. F. Gardner. 59 South Spring street, and Oliver & Haines, 05 South Spring street. For sale in Kansas City, Mo., by Rlcksecker Cigar Co., Ninth and Walnut streets. For sale In Chicago by the P. O. News Co., 217 Dearborn street, and Charles MacDcnald, 63 Washington street. For tale In Omaha by Barkalow Bros., 1C12 Famam street; Megeath Stationery Co., 1303 Farnam street. For sale In Salt Lake by the Salt Lake News Co.. 77 West Second South street. For sale In Washington. D. C, by the Ebbett House news stand. For rale in Denver. Colo., by Hamilton & Kendrick. 00G-812 Seventeenth street; Louthan & Jackson Book and Stationery Co.. Fifteenth and Lawrence streets; A. Series, Sixteenth and Curtis streets. TODAY'S WEATHER Generally fair and continued cool; easterly winds. YESTERDAY S WEATHER Maximum tem perature, 42; minimum temperature, 29; pre cipitation, none. 1 PORTLAND, TUESDAY, JANUARY 13. AT SALEM. It is freely conceded that the result of organization fights at Olympla is very untrustworthy In its bearing on the Senatorial election, and we have little doubt that this is also true, pos sibly in even greater degree, at Salem. The combination that launched the candidacy of Mr. Harris was close to Mr. Fulton, but the combination that elected him represented very diverse interests. So in the Senate. No fact in recent Oregon political history is better at tested than the continuity with which Mr. Brownell has maintained friendly relations in every faction of the Re publican party. He nominated Dolph, he nominated McBride, he nominated' Sfmon, and, unless we are mistaken, he nominated Mitchell. That his personal qualities ore held in high esteem by the Senate is proven by the mere fact of his victory over so earnest and able and steadfast a man as Dr. Andrew C. Smith. We shall go on record right here with the prediction that they who fancy President Brownell'e committees or even, chairmanships will be in any sense proscriptive ere likely to discover their error without long delay. The Oregonlan may be deceived, but from the developments at Salem so far it Is strongly impressed with the con viction of independent disposition on the part of the members. "We under take to ay that there Is not a total vote of any Republican candidate for the presiding office of either house which can be labeled as the sole and exclusive property of any one party leader or Senatorial candidate. The members .are exercising a freedom of choice which has not been In evidence at Salem for many years. Dr. Smith's strength proves it Frank Davey's strength proves It. Brownell's strength proves it. This Is a good augury, not only for the Senatorial election, but for the more natural work of the session. We shall find many members, undoubt edly, who will dare to act upon public measures without regard to their effect on the fortunes of Senatorial candi dates, i Expectation of great influence on the Senatorship by the death of Represent ative Tongue is probably destined to disappointment. Neither Geer nor Hermann, we take It, Is likely to barter away his chance of the Senatorship for the Congressional bird in the bush, .which nobody, as a matter of fact, can promise with assurance. It is a com fort to know that the First District has at hand two such ellgibles as Geer and Hermann, either of whom would doubtless fill the position with credit. The Governor would have the pleasure of winning a race in which, there was more than one starter, and Mr. Her mann's Washington acquaintance would pretty certainly give him advantageous .positions on committees. The Oregonlan has not, to Its knowl edge, admitted to its columns unfair or partial statements concerning any of the aspirants in the organization fight; and it now turns the Legislature over to President Brownell and Speaker Harris with every confidence in their fairness and ability. PHILIPPINE CONCESSIONS NOT DAN GEROUS. We pointed out the other day that the prospect of injury to American In dustries from low duties on Philippine- imports Is too slight to account for the tremendous opposition of the trusts to the House bill reducing the tariff on Philippine products from 75 to 25 per cent of the Dingley rates. We find this view "shared by the able Chicago Trib une, which points out that the reduc tion made in the last .session has had no perceptible effect on Philippine im ports. Less sugar came from the islands last year than there did ten years ago. Possibly there would have been larger shipments if the islands had not been in a bad condition indus trially. The ravages of disease among men and animals have effected for the time being the productive capacity of the Filipinos. Meanwhile, as the Tribune suggests, the Cubans would be overjoyed if they could get as good terms for their sugar and tobacco as it Is proposed to give the Filipino producers. They would leel mat tneir lortunes were maae, ana would straightway increase their ship ments of the two products. It is not likely that the Philippines will send In the near future much more than they are sending now. The beet-sugar men and the American tobacco-raisers may not apprehend increased importations If they do they will tie, up the pending bill in the Senate, which has only two months In which to act on It. The trade with the Philippines, except as to the single article of manlla hemp, which is on the free list, has been smaller than some sanguine individuals thought it would be. Much was said at one time about the forest wealth ot the islands and large exportatlons of cabinet woods were promised. That wealth will be developed in time, but It has not been yet. This Is not to disparage the ultimate productiveness -and political greatness of the Philippines. Their capacity Is great, and the day will come when the United States will be an extensive con sumer of their different products. The reduction in duties which the House has voted will hasten the coming of that day. It will incite Americans to do in the Philippines what they began doing in Hawaii when reciprocity, was established with the United States. What has held back Philippine 'devel opment as much as tariff burdens is the imperfect legislation vouchsafed along monetary and industrial lines. MONEY THAT WILL RETURN. Oregon cannot do better at this time than to devote $50,000 to making a dis play of the state's resources and In dustries at the St. Louis Exposition next year. This appropriation Is car ried in the Lewis and Clark bill, and" will, come out of the $500,000 for expo sition purposes, leaving 5450,000 for the Lewis and Clark celebration. The two expositions will commemorate events so closely related, and they will them selves be In such neighborly spirit, that the appropriation for both may prop erly be carried in one measure. There Ib good reason for urging upon the Oregon Legislature prompt action in this matter. Missouri Is about to re appropriate $1,000,000 for the SL Louis celebration, the first appropriation for that purpose haying lapsed through non-use within the time specified by the constitution. That state will be asked to appropriate money for the Lewis and Clark Exposition, and there is every reason to expect favorable ac tion. But this enterprise in the Pacific Northwest has not reached so ad vanced a stage and is not so well known as the great project for celebrat- I ing the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase at St. Louis, and it is not surprising that the Missouri Legisla ture should prefer to have substantial ; evidence of Oregon's good-will before turning Itself loose In support of the new fair for old Oregon. Our $50,000 for the SL Louis Fair wHl probably mean $100,000 from Missouri for the Lewis and Clark Fair. Not only will the reciprocity be valuable to Oregon, but our state needs the service that can best be rendered, by an adequate representation In 1904 at St. Louis. The Lewis and Clark authorities will have the machinery for making the, best possible use of any funds avail able for exposition purposes. Usually there is much waste In starting and stopping these movements, because they do not articulate with anything else,, before or after. Circumstances now are such that Oregon, at compara tively little cost to the state treasury. can reap large benefit from a liberal exposition policy, and the Legislature will do well to seize the opportunity. IN EVERY WAY, COMMENDABLE. A tax upon legacies or inheritances within the limits proposed in the Malar- key bill which the Oregon. Legislature will be asked to pass will produce rev enue without hardship to any property interest in the state. Through it the public will get some return for the good order which makes possible the ac cumulation of wealth and protects the Individual in its possession. No limits are set to individual acquirements. Though It Is presumed that property contributes equitably to the expenses of government, it is matter of common knowledge that large estates do not pay in the same proportion as small ones, and It Is right that the state should require toll of those passing from dece dent to heir. The one Is done with it and the right to bequeath his property is one that Is conferred, by society. The other receives something to which he has no Inherent right, and he Buffers no wrong when society takes a portion for the'more equitable adjustment of public burdens. " It is proper that the state rather than the Federal Government should levy this tax, because It Is upon property and rights that are under the jurisdic tion of the state. The purpose of the measure is wise and just, and the form of the bill proposed by Representative Malarkey bears every promise of stand ing the test of the courts. It touches a point where taxation will rest easiest, and it provides reasonable machinery for enforcing Its provisions. The ex perience of other states with laws of this kind justifies the expectation that good will flow from the enactment here. It should receive the careful attention of the Legislature. KINGS COAL AND COLjj. . The coal situation throughout the East and Middle West has assumed an exceedingly serious .aspect. It means, not a coal famine in the sense that there is no coal, "but suffering in .thou sands of homes because the coal sup ply is held by men who refuse to dis pense it at prices even far in excess of its commercial value, but who corner and stubbornly hold it for more exorbi tant gains. Man's inhumanity to man or what may be termed the utter in humanity of greed has seldom found more forcible expression than it finds In this situation. The entire section over which the shortage of coal prevails, in the face of at least a reasonably adequate sup ply, Is in the grip of Arctic tempera ture. The great offio buildings and apartment-houses in the cities, equipped with all modern appliances for heat ing, are pervaded by a frigid atmos phere which means bitter discomfort and a long train of evils following in colds, pneumonia and rheumatic and catarrhal', ailments. The tenement districts are inhabited by a suffering multitude men, women and children huddled together In the extreme of wretchedness, with destitution and death upon their track. As In the ex treme heats of Summer, children under 5 years and persons over 60 are the greatest sufferers from the unallevlated cold, the mortality In both of these classes being greatly in excels, in Chi cago, of that of the corresponding week of last year. Two thousand persons are sick In the same city, their ailments be ing directly traceable to lack of fuel. Chicago, being a typical Western city, their condition may be held to represent the results of the coal famine In other large cities of that section. While the cause of the trouble primar ily is the miners; strike, It is immedi ately due to a preconcerted action among dealers to hold back the sup ply for the purpose of forcing prices still higher. This, at -least, is the only explanation of the fact, that long train loads of coal are sidetracked along the railroads leading into Chicago, guarded by trainmen whose orders are to hold the cars indefinitely. It is Inconceivable that any Americans could become so maddened by greed as fo enter into a combination to freeze people to death for their own profit. An inquiry has been set on foot In Chicago, the purpose of which Is to drive these coal-famine conspirators from cover and compel them to bring the sidetracked coal to market and place It on sale. In the meantime, with the mercury at zero and likely at any time to fall still lower, snow covering the ground and a bitter wind blowing, the people of the East and Middle West, may be said to be between the upper and the nether millstone the former represented by King Cold, the latter by King Coal, each In his most uncompro mising mood. It is evident that before the tremendous pressure is relieved the judicial authorities of the state and pos sibly of .the Nation will be called upbn to determine whether In this land of the free commercial conspirators will be permitted to freeze people to death with plenty of coal In slgfit. IRRIGATION ON LARGE SCALE. The irrigation question has long since passed the point where the efficacy of Irrigation in making the wilderness blossom as the rose requires proof. The problem of storing water in basins and distributing It through ditches and ca nals is, to use a familiar expression, "as old as Egypt" Joseph, the Israelite, drew some of his prosperity from a sa gacious disposal of the waters of the Nile, one of the canals that he planned for Pharaoh's people being still in use. The arid regions of our own country ocntaln .many traces of a civilization that was maintained upon an agricul tural basis through irrigation ill pre historic days. There is, indeed, no question whatever about the value of irrigation as systematically applied to land over which the rainfall Is deficient. The main question with us at the pres ent time is whether the necessity of lragely Increased agricultural produc tion and the demand for homes justifies the enormous cost involved in a Na tional system of irrigation. Its enthu siastic advocates take the affirmative side of this question, while the more conservative would allow an irrigation system to develop naturally through In dividual or state enterprise or the as sociation of capital. It is apparent, however, this phase of the question may be decided, that a comprehensive attempt must be made in the notr distant future to govern the water supply of semi-arid America. The problem, of avoiding drouth and mak ing waste lands fertile should be solved rather upon -the basis of an increase of homes and population than upon specu lation. It Is In this interest that the Government is urged to take charge of. irrigation as a great engineering prob lem and develop it in the same spirit In which It courted development of the public domain through the homestead law. It Is urged, on the other hand, that a Government system of Irrigation would be, relatively, enormously expen sive and Its progress would be subject to long delays while "appropriations were wasted and haggled over in Con gress. The Egyptian Government entered some five years ago Into a contract with British engineers to curb and store the waters of the Nile, to be drawn upon when required for the purposes of agri culture. The contract has just been completed. The reservoir, which is a mighty lake 1-10 miles long. Is expected to Impound a billion tons of water, and this bulk, properly distributed, will add something like a million acres to the productive lands of Egypt. Conditions in Egypt differ widely from those that obtain in arid America. There they have only the Nile, a sullen, inconstant stream, upon which the crops of the country depend almost entirely. In years of high flood its fertilizing waters spread over a broad belt of fertile lands and great crops are assured. In sea sons of low -water only a narrow strip of bordering land is reached by the fertil izing watera The object of this great engineering scheme is to render every year In Egypt a crop year, and it is thought the scheme cannot fall. The government has thirty years in which to pay for the work, the cost of which was $25,000,000. This means on annual expenditure of more than $800,000, but the revenue from the extra water sup ply will amount to about $2,000,000 a year, to the dams will soon, pay for themselves. The matter is of more than passing significance to us in the present stage of the Irrigation discussion in this coun try. With Egypt's capacity for grow ing grain and cotton so Immensely In creased, says a late chronicler of this great work on the Nile, "she is likely to become an important competitor. In the world's markets." That Is the eco nomic significance of the Nile dams and reservoir. And 'it Is well worth taking Into account when the possibilities that wait upon Irrigation are discussed. The reverence in which loyal Italians hold the memory of King Victor Eman uel I was witnessed In a pilgrimage to his tomb in the Pantheon a few days ago on the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death. There was a procession two miles long on this occasion; over 30,000 people participated In the ceremonies, and hundreds of wreaths were laid on the tomb. This popular observance of an anniversary a quarter of a century old accords more with the steadfast character o the royal family of Eng land during the reign, of "Victoria than with the more volatile nature of the j children of Italy. It Is to. the credit of a nation to remember a benefactor, but in this practical age "such remembrance does not frequently take the form of a pilgrimage to a tomb. Who, for exam ple, could imagine a popular pilgrimage to the tomb of Lincoln? And yet what man In all history Is entitled to greater veneration, or more loyal tribute of memory, than our great Civil War President who fell In the harness? Examination by an optician recently disclosed the fact that 20 per cent of the school children of Billings, Mont, need ed to be fitted with glasses to correct defective vision. Out of 500 cases ex amined, over 50 were found to be.suffer- ing from nervous headaches and great irritability. The cause of this defect ive eyesight in one-fifth of the school children of a single town on the great plateau, where .every climatic condition Is supposed to be favorable to healthful development, Is not hinted at The fact merely Is stated, and with this the school authorities and parents propose to deal. The cause or causes of defect ive vision in the young, when every fac ulty should be alert and every sense acute, may, indeed, be obscure. . It Is proof of enlightenment, however, to be ready to deal with the effect. In many of the larger cities of the East, where conditions of life, -including hurry, noise, ill-lighted school buildings and tobacco smoke In Ill-ventilated homes, have combined to weaken the body and arrest physical and mental develop ment, the eyes pf school children are ex amined once a year by opticians and treated, where necessary, to arrest If possible the growing tendency to my opic conditions and other visual defects. Whether science can battle successfully against the combined Influences that are at work upon the eyes of children to their detriment remains to be seen. It becomes intelligent parents and oth ers who are responsible for the care of the young, however, to make the at tempt, since defective eyesight through life is a handicap to endeavor, that la to be deplored, and if possible corrected. The key to the success In life achieved by Thomas H. Tongue Is given In the words of his friend and classmate, Ben ton Klllin, of this city: "In his school days he was no dawdler; he knew what he wanted and how he was going to ac complish It. Evenings, mornings and Saturdays he grubbed on oak grubs and earned his way; through college In that way." There Is a lesson In earnest pur pose In this simple testimony the value of which not all the advantages of free colleges can discount The young man who wants an education and Is deter mined to get it finds a way, paying, it necessary, for what he gets In college by his own exertions. Having gotten an education, he makes use of it. This Is the testimony of the life of Thomas H. Tongue and of the lives of a multitude of Americans who, like Whlttler's schoolmaster Early rained tho power to pay Their cheerful, self-reliant way. It is neither a merit nor a discredit where the necessity for working the way through college does not exist; but when It does exist and is overcome by "an energy begotten of the love of learn ing, either for Its own sake or because of the power that It engenders, it does not find expression In dawdlers In school or along the rugged ways of later life. Material relief will come to the frost bound East by removal of the 67-cent duty on coal. This will admit Nova Scotia coal to the populous centers of the Atlantic seaboard, and may even ease the stress as far as Chicago. On this coast it will Improve the mining In dustry of British Columbia and may also bring cheaper fuel tp Portland. The chief benefit from removal of this duty, however, will accrue to the large centers of the' East, which are wholly dependent upon coal for fuel and which, after suffering all the legitimate hard ships resulting from the miners' strike, ere now in the grasp of conscienceless dealers' combines. These must be broken. The courts may be able to do it in course of time, but it is gratify ing to see in Congress a disposition to take the matter firmly in hand, to rec ognize that the situation admits of no delay, and to provide so rational a rem edy. The protest of Mr. Shanahan, of the Oregon Humane- Society, against a bill now pending In Congress to extend the time In which livestock In transit from Western ranges to Eastern shambles may be kept on the cars without food or water, from twenty-eight to forty hours, should be echoed by hundreds of thousands of voices in the name of humanity and public health. As Mr. Shanahan says, and as every intelligent person who knows anything about the hardships to which cattle, sheep and hogs are subjected In transit on the cars knows, twenty-eight hours Is all too long to deprive these wretched creatures of food and water and any chance of shifting their constrained po sitions. Any attempt to increase the time of starvation, thirst and torture should be met by a protest so vigorous as to insure its defeat. The receipts of the Boys' and Girls Aid Society for the two years ending January 10 were, in aggregate, $13, 633 75;. its disbursements were $615 44 less. During this period 361 children in need of care or requiring restraint have been taken in charge. The work of the managers and the superintendent has been carefully atid conscientiously per formed. Its written records are open to public inspection. Its unwritten rec ord is held io trust byj the years, to be read by those who can understand its subtle meaning in good citizens and hajpy home-makers, evolved from way ward or neglected boys and girls who were the recipients of its care and discipline. ' Mr. Borah, though unsuccessful in his canvass for the Idaho Senatorship, has pursued an honorable and dignified course, and is entitled to the respect of all who have figured in the contest The young state would have had an able representative in the Boise man. His address last night put an end to the talk that his friends would bolt the cau cus, and brings him Into the light as a man who can make a vigorous fight without cherishing ill-will against the victor. Mr. Borah's attitude is com mendable, and It will keep him high in the esteem of his fellow-citizens. It is well that the'bbast of "no. hazing at Annapolis" has not found tongue lately, else would the veracity or the watchfulness of the authorities of the Naval Academy suffer by late develop ments. No wonder that a lad who de sires to enter this school must be of ex ceptionally sturdy physique. The pres ence of trained bullies in the "upper class" makes this requirement a neces sity. The outcome of this latest hazing outrage Is likely to result In several va cancies in the cadet corps at Annapolis. Treasury officials fear the extermina tion of the seals in Behring Sea. Many American and Canadian sealers, tempo rarily thrown out of employment by the British-American prohibitive agree ment are sailing under the Japanese flag and. making large catches. Unless this Government Insists on the c6mplete cessation of hunting within the slxty mlle zone, the Prlbyloff Island herd will be practically wiped out. President Dole has weathered many a storm in his little, dusky Isle In the mid-Pacific, but he never came under the condemnation of a Senate commitr tee before. He will doubtless get proper hearing, but the adverse report now In Washington will be rather hard to over come. Now,, who will do better than Dole? SPIRIT OF THE NORTHWEST PRESS Quality Better Than Ever. Hood River Glacier. The New Year's Oregonlan Is a great paper. It Is not so large as in former years, but the quality of Its reading mat ter and Illustrations Is better than ever. There May, and There 3Iay Not. Dufur Dispatch. A large number of the newspapers of the state are fairly falling over one an other in their efforts to slobber over Charles Fulton as a Senatorial possibil ity. May there not be a difference In the morning? If Etc. The Dalles Times-Mountaineer. If the Hon. C. W. Fulton, of Astoria, had received 44.697 votes for United States Senator last June, wouldn't he think It awful cheeky for any fellow in tho state to bob up now and ask the Legislature to elect him to the United States Senate? Did the president of the last Senate vote for the Mays law, or did he not? Simply Perfect. PrlneviUe Review. The New Year's Oregonlan for 1903 is far ahead of all. others ever issued, and Is simply perfect. It contained 48 pages filled with facts and figures concerning our state, plainly and correctly set forth. It Is a number that should be In every home In Oregon and filed away for fu ture reference, as it Is an encyclopedia of useful Information. It should also havo a wide circulation In the East, as it would be the means of bringing many settlers to Oregon. The Centennial Emphasized. Tacoma Trade. The Portland Oregonlan New Year's number is a magnificent newspaper of 4S pages, containing Portland's Invitation to the world to participate In the Centennial gathering to be held in that city In 1905, and the message of Oregon's great expo sition to the wide world. It is a Lewis and Clark edition, filled with matters of historical Interest and of present statis tical value, as well its with valuable de scriptive matter regarding Oregon and her natural resources. In order, however, to tell the story of Oregon properly, much space and attention are given to both Washington and Idaho. The "Mandate" Defended. Salem Statesman. As a double dose of high-handed ma chine politics, embodying a direct and plain violation of the state constitution, combined with a scornful disregard of the popular vote on United States Senator, where the highest candidate obtained in many cases more votes than the Legis-latI-o candidates themselves, this propo sition takes precedence without rivalry. Luckily, this revolutionary programme, which Is advocated by a few newspapers whose advice goes counter to the votes of the people of their respective counties, will find few, if any, supporters among the members of the Legislature. No man who cares anything for the future of the Republican party In Oregon will lend himself to this brazen attempt to "disre gard the popular mandate." Only One of Many. Salem Journal. It was after a long siege of "strained relations" with Secretary Hitchcock that Hermann went out, and not until it was demanded. Charges have been preferred against two of his subordinates, and they will in the end also have to. go. Beyond that probably Httlo will come of the mat ter, as Hermann Is only one of many Ore gon politicians who are engaged in the "land business." The Republican party has no more discreditable chapter In Its history in tho Weat than the loose man ner In which it has squandered the public school lands and allowed the great cor porations to steal the timber lands. Bln ger Hermann is made the scapegoat at present, but no one seriously believes that any real and permanent reformation is aimed at or will be accomplished. Ascendancy of the Country Press. Eugene Register. Country newspaper men are becoming an important factor in the development of Oregon. Formerly the papers of the metropolis governed the destiny of Ore gon, but in these latter days the country press are shedding their swaddling clothes and stepping into the arena with the metropolitan journals, and their In fluence on legislation and public matters is shaping the course of the newer Ore gon. If the country press declared to day against' a $500,000 appropriation for the Lewis and Clark Fair, the Legisla ture would not have the temerity to pass the measure over the veto of the country dallies and weeklies. Likewise, the posi tion of the country press on Senatorial matters Is the Legislator's safe criterion, for that demand reflects the wish ot the lawmaker's constituency, and where he has failed to respect that wish his voice is rarely ever heard again in the Legisla tive halls. Yes, this is the day of as cendancy for the country press In Oregon, and it Is well for the state that such Is the case. It Is 'Oregon's safeguard against rank political corruption and unwhole some legislation. It Is the time reflector of the genius of the state. Offers Him Moonlight on the Lake. Woodburn Independent. BInger Hermann has resigned as Com missioner of the United States Land Of fice because his resignation was requested by the Secretary of the Interior. We will not judge at this time whether Secretary Hitchcock Is In error, but accept the fact that Commissioner Hermann has to go, and the further Information that he Is coming to Oregon to be a candidate this Winter for United States Senator. Here Is where wo must point out his great po litical mistake. When a man becomes op timistic regarding the prospects of self, he should also exercise common sense and at least a little perspicacity. Mr. Hermann must surely see that thero Is no show of him being elected Senator this year, but by keeping out of the race this Winter he would have a much brighter chance of securing the plum In 1907. It would be only four years out of a job, and displaying a disposition to give others, who have done as much for the Republi can party as he, a fair deal. Is BInger Hermann of such huge dimensions that anybody else In Southern Oregon In such dense shadow cannot be seen? If so, our sympathy goes out to the little fellows of Southern Oregon and to that section of the state. Origin of "Inland Empire." Spokane Spokesman-Review. Apropos the New Year's edition of the Spokesman-Review, a reader inquires about the origin of the term "Inland Em pire," so often used In this paper In de fining . Spokane's commercial territory. The Spokesman-Review regrets Its in ability to name the author of the phrase. The term was more or less in general use when the writer came to the Pacific Northwest in 1881. About that time a paper called the Inland Empire was pub lished at The Dalles, in IJastern Oregon, and the writer has an indistinct recollec tion that Thomas B. Merry, an old-time Oregon newspaper man, who published and edited It lay claim to the honor of coining the phrase. At -that time the term was generally understood to 'apply to all those parts ot Oregon and Washington lying east of tho Cascade Mountains, .and to Include as well Southern Idaho. In more recent years Northern Idaho, Western Montana and Southern British Columbia, by com mon consent, have been "annexed." The expression is a happy one for local application, but it must be admitted that It is rather meaningless to Eastern read ers. There Is no better term, however, at hand, unless the region be recbrlstened l,the Spokane country." EVEN OXNARD LEARNS. Chicago Inter Ocean (Rep.). Washington dispatches say that the Oxnard bect-eugar lobby has ceased op position to justice and reciprocity with Cuba. The speedy ratification of the pending treaty with Cuba is confidently expected. Like all senseless agitation, the op position to justice to Cuba, organized by the Oxnard clique of beet-sugar mill pro moters, has brought Its own punishment. Even Henry T. Oxnard has been educated into some semblance of reason by disas trous personal experience. He has found that his apparent victory in preventing justice to Cuba was a defeat which bade fair to prove fatal. Mr. Oxnard's chief business Is not the manufacture of sugar. It Is the promotion of sugar-making enterprises. His reason of existence and the chief source of his gains is In convincing capitalists that beet-sugar mlllo are paying Invest ments. He has found that his argument against Cuba was an argument that beet-sugar mills are not paying investments. Hence his own interests have forced him to face the truth and admit that justice to Cuba will not Injure the beet Industry. A few years ago Mr. Oxnard was telling Investors that beet-sucar mills were bound to be enormously profitable, with or without a protective tariff. Then he chopped about and rent the heavens with cries that the beet-sugar industry would be ruined it the slightest reduction were made In the tariff for Cuba's benefit. His two sets of arguments were mutually de structive. Investors fought shy of beet- sugar projects. When solicited to engage In them they quoted Oxnard the lobbyist against Oxnard the promoter, So Oxnard has been compelled to assert that as a Dromoter he told the truth and that as a lobbyist he did not tell the truth. 'He has been compelled to do this to save himself and the beet-sugar In dustry from the distrust he was creating as a lobbyist. Now It so happens that as Promoter Oxnard did, as a rule, tell the truth. There Is an enormous future for the beet industry. And that future Is In nc way affected by giving Cuba a chance to prosper. The only people affected are the European sugar-growers, for whom Oxnard was all the time fighting, against his own Interests. The education of Oxnard and his de luded beet-sugar backers was a painful and expensive process. The obstinacy of Oxnard and his backers hampered the' development of the American beet Indus try, deprived the American people of profitable commerce, and almost drove Cuba to despair. But that education would seem to have been finally com pleted. Even Oxnard learns, and justice to Cuba will speedily be done. HoVr to Rend the Nevrapaper. Chicago Tribune. In talking about newspapers notlongago a college professor is reported to have said that 20 minutes a day was all that one ought to give to newspaper reading. It Is to be feared that such advice will fortify the skipper and the skimmer In their helter-skelter habits. Not that there Is no justification for skipping and skimming. There certainly Is. The perfect, ne "plus ultra reader Is the one who can adjust his speed to the Importance of the matter which he is perusing, who can float lightly over passages which do not con cern him, and plod conscientious ly through passages which do concern him, who has acquired the power of rapid sur vey without losing tho power, whenever it is necessary to exercise it, ot accurate Insight, This kind of reading machine, capable of being adjusted to any required velocity and to any required degree of thoroughness, will do more work In a day than any other kind of reading machine that can be devised. It remains true, however, that most peo ple skip and skim unlntelllgently. They fall Into ways which are fatal to mental health. They become too cursory. Such people should give their paper more than 20 minutes a day. They. ..need not read everything' that the paper contains. The headlines will enable them to pick out those articles .Which are of particular value to them.' Other people will pick out other articles. That Is the plan on which the dally paper is constructed. It Is not meant In all Its parts for all peo ple. What It attempts to do la to give each of Its readers the things which he Ik Interested In. When he has found those things he should read them carefully. Unless he does he will And that his ac quaintance with current events Is exceed ingly unsatisfactory. The farmer who plows through the columns of hl3 paper with much more care than speed is, of all men In the country, the best informed on many subjects of political moment. The thing we need is. perhaps, not that newspaper reading should be less absorb ing but that It should be moro discrimi nating. A Phase of Life Insurance. New York Sun. Insurance against loss now takes so many forms that no new phase of it is sur prising. One English company even In sured against loss a manager who had Invested a large amount In a theatrical production and was so unusually nervous about the success of the enterprise that he made an arrangement with the insurers by which he was to receive a certain sum which would cover the expense of the pro duction In case the receipts did not reach a set amount at the end of a fixed period. But no such complicated form of theat rical Insurance as that has yet been heard of. The last Interesting Instance of this kind of Insurance is reported from Phil adelphia, which Is the headquarters of a firm of managers controlling the services of one of the most popular comic opera comedians In this country. The enterprise for which they employ him depends, of course, on his personality, and any harm that befell him would entail serious finan cial loss on his managers. So they have just Insured his life for $50,000. Only the Monopolist Benefited, Boston Advertiser. The tariff on coal protects nobody out side of the coal trust. It does not protect any one single wage-earner In an anthra cite mine or In a bituminous mine. It merely enables multi-millionaire coal mine owners to wring somewhat larger profits out of the shivering misery of the public The tariff on beef products pro tects no farmer, no cowboy, no man who with his hands does the work of a butch er. It protects half a dozen enormously rich and closely combined monopolies in Chicago and Kansas City, and that is all. It protects them by leaving unprotected to their rapacity all the men, women and children in the United States who eat beef or who would If they could afford to pay for It at tho artificially enhanced trust prices. A Pluralist Is Positive. Philadelphia Record. In a bill before Congress the plural num ber Is dropped for the United States and for the pronoun "they" is substituted the singular pronoun "it," The framers of the Constitution knew something about the English language and the character of this Government In saying: "Treason against the United States shall consist only In levying war against them or in adhering to their enemies." In another clause of the Constitution it is written: "The United States or any of them' The new lawmakers would say, "The United States or any of It." which is treason against good language and common sense. The Girls' Misfortune. New York Sun. Professor Wenley, of the University of Michigan, tells his class In philosophy that "it has been discovered In the university laboratories that girls' ears hear a higher range of sound than do those of boys." Naturally. The feminine sensibilities are more delicate and acute than those of the grosser sex, and their capacities of rap ture or agony greater. But mark tho pun ishment that accompanies the gift. The men make the most noise. The women have to drink it In to the last dregs ot vibration. NOTE AND COMMENT. They're off arSalem! All Is not gold that one gets in his pay envelope. Those seem to be pretty lively stockmen who are now meeting in convention in Kansas City. If talk would burn, then the numer ous conferences over tho coal situation would afford Immediate relief. PmiinWir "Rrnrlnnd and Germany will again act in concert when it comes to declaring a blockade on Mr. Kipling. Congressman Bowersock is, from Kan sas, but Is no relation to Jerry Simpson, who boasted that he didn't wear 'em. The Philadelphia newspapers print as news, but without comment, the fact that a young lady there has been asleep for three weeks. Wo llko all things In rhythm that are terse. Though soma be bad and some a little worse. But let us lift our prayers In concert now To put the kybosh on the Khayyam verse I The Crown Prince of Slam cables a de nial of the report that he will wed an American girl. What was it the jolly milk maid said? The Chicago Record-Herald declares that Chicago Is the greatest railway center In the world. It Is also the greatest stockyards scenter. The Commoner. Et tu, William! If It be notfan impertinent question, win some one 'tell us what Mr. Schwab does to earn that million a year? We all know how he spends It. Governor Dole appears to be about the whole thing in Hawaii., and the politi cians admit they are afraid to beard him. Those who have seen portraits of Gov ernor Dole will not wonder at It. A prizefighter's jaw was broken during a contest in Baltimore Saturday night, and his manager gravely announces that this will necessitate his indefinite retire ment from the ring. Tho next time we are appealed to In aid of the famlne-strlcken people ot In dia wo shall recall that seven-mile pro cession of gold-mounted elephants, and the fact that the Delhi hotel man charges $200 a day for board. Indiana, not to bo outdone by the tales from Kansas, has come forward with a big vegeta ble story. A farmer came Into Friendsw.iod tho other day bringing with him a turnip whlrh was 30 inches In circumference and weighed 12 pounds. Philadelphia Ledger. Now watch Kansas! All "the nations represented at Venezue la's capital and pretty much all of "Vene zuela were at La Guayra to see United States Minister Bowen off for Washing ton. Let us hope that they will all be thero to greet him In the same spirit when ho goes back. Should those first 100 American miners whom the Czar will permit to prospect for gold In Siberia find what they are look ing for, wo will bet our friend Nicholas a red Oregon apple that all his 6,000,000 soldiers can't keep the rest of the Amer ican miners out. New Jersey Is the corporate home of the trusts, and the State Legislature Is ever ready to fly to their relief. St. Louis Republic. We deny it. The New Jersey Legisla ture, In aid of the trusts or of anything else, may walk, run, ride., slide, crawl, waltz, jump, hop, skip or gambol, btt It cannot fly. It Is a body that Is not to be made light of. These are names of towns In Wales, .according to the London Daily Chronicle, and we confess our admiration for, the railroad conductors on the line that runs through them: Paragahapeelalangamukalana. Pltakandahoragollemukalana. Damunugahawalakadamukalana. Malkekunelangahcnedenlya, Banasalagodellemukalana. Dodangahamullatennahena. Lintotadenlyakumburuyaya. , Munamalgaliamulakupbura. Karendagahamulakumbura. Mananhenepahaladeniya. Overheard over the long-distance from Salem: "I see Jones has got 45 votes certain." "He had, but " "And nine that he's suro to get." "Well, you see " "And 19 that are doubtful, which are likely to como his way." vYes, but " "And 29 that have pledged themselves to vote for him on the second ballot." "Looky-here, I " "Which makes him a winner even it Brown gets all tho rest. I wish you'd tell Jones for me " "Say" desperately "I ain't got time to spend the day at the telephone. They havo just taken a roll call, and Jones got six altogether. Call off, will you?" Mrs. Frank Foster has never been ac cused of being a strong-minded woman, but some there are who have strong mindedness -thrust upon them, says tho St. Loul3 Globe-Democrat. She found It so at the church meeting on the South Side which released her husband from tho pastorate of the Memorial Congrega- tlonal Church so "that he might accept another calL "Mr. Foster may go," said a lady of the congregation, rising In meet ing, "but we are not going to let hl3 wife depart. I therefore move that she herself be chosen our pastor." Another lady promptly seconded the nomination, and, to the dismay of the minister's wife, a vote was taken, and she found herself unanimously elected pastor. Now, this Is hot contrary to Congregational usage. In the East, councils are called every now and then to install a woman, not a man, as pastor of a Congregational church. Mrs. Foster 'is just as truly chosen pastor as are some of those hap less couples wedded who are married for fun by a man who turns out to be a Justice of the Peace. But she does not In tend to compete with her husband in the field of preaching, and she has already announced that she will decline the call. PLEASANTRIES OF PARAGItAPHEIlS Rodrlck You say he has faced bursting shells. What battle was he in? Van Albert None! Ho Is a chestnut roaster. Chlcaso Dally News. Sunday school teacher And It took Noah a hundred years to build the Ark, Street Arab What was the matter was thero a strike? Puck. "You think I make some pretty bad breaks, don't you. Fred?" asked the. young wife. "Yes, dear," replied the husband kindly; "but they'ra not like the breaks mother used to make." Yonkora Statesman. Mother It seems to me it took Mr. Sophl qnlte a while to say "good-bye" last night. and wouldn't see me for another year. Mothei II For. a whole year? Daughter That Is cr f nc won't be back until 1003. He s coming New Year's day. Philadelphia Press. Mother Have you any waterproof boots fot a boy? Salesman We have waterproof boots, ma'am: but they are not for boys. Mother Why don't you have some for boys? Sales manWhen somebody ha3 Invented a boot thai has no opening for the foot to get Into It, wi may hope for boys' waterproof boots, not be for. Boston Transcript.