6
THE M0RNI3SG OREGONIAN, THFRSDAY, MARCH 19, 1903.
Entered at the Fostefflce at Portlsni, Oregon.
as second-class matter.
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TODAY'S WEATHER Fair; wlnda mostly
northerly.
YESTERDAY'S WEATHER Maximum tern-
perature. B0: minimum temperature, 33; pre
cipitation, trace.
PORTLAND, THURSDAY, MARCH ID.
comedy, ran in London for 1352 produc
tions. The melodrama with the longest
run ie "Hazel iiiree, -which was pre
sented at Madison-Square, New York,
656 times. All these pieces are. clean and
wholesome. There is money, evidently.
In honest work. There is no excuse for
managers who deliberately choose vile-
ness In preference to purity. It is a re
proach both to the conscience and the
intelligence of the American people that
they so thoughtlessly run after every
unscrupulous actress who banks upon
the suggestlvenese of her lines and the
animation of her acting. It is of no use
to condemn the pernicious If we give it
the same financial support we accord to
the deserving.
i
wires are going in to perfect the new ar- j government manage to their own satis
rangement. It would be" most unwise ' faction, would be unbearable to Amer-
IMM0RAL AKD UNMORAL PLAYS.
IS WEALTH 3nSF6RTUXEt
President Eliot, of Harvard, says it is
the greatest of all misfortunes to be
bom rich, and Andrew Carnegie says it
is a disgrace to die rich. In the olden
time the rich young man was told, "Go
sell all that thou hast and give to the
poor." Praise of poverty takes the form
of fine sentiment, yet nobody thinks it
an excellent thing to be poor. Human
nature is little consistent in this matter.
In "King John" we read:
So whiles I am a beggar I will rail
And say there is no sin but to be rich.
And being rich my virtue then shall be
To eay there Is no vice but beggary.
It is silly to say that it is a misfortune
to be born rich, and equally silly to say
that it is a reproach or shame to die
rich. Indolence may indeed be a conse
quence of being born to wealth, but Is
not likely to be so if wealthy parents
instruct their children to a sense of their
position and responsibility; but "chill
penury" cuts off the opportunity of
thousands where wealth makes one lazy
or -worthless.
"Worship of wealth Is the worst kind of
idolatry, and they! who sink into sloth
through wealth are least of all men en
titled to consideration, and in modern
times least likely to get It. The Individ
ual who possesses wealth may be no
tetter for It, and e few may be even
worse; but wealth In its aggregations Is
the great mainspring of the industrial
civilization that distinguishes these
times from the past Under the dlrec
tion of an enlightened morality it be
comes the most powerful of all agents
that work towards moral ends. "Wealth
doesn't always do Its duty, "but the tend
ency is to press it more and more Into
the service of beneficence and morality.
If no man should die rich it would be
a misfortune to the world, because
wealth in masses or In considerable
masses should be handed on to pos
terity for the good it will do in. the
maintenance or promotion of great In
dustrial undertakings. "Work Is the
most moral thins: In the world. It ia
the main source of all other moralities
But It cannot be promoted or sustained
in these times of great endeavor, with
out wealth in large accumulations.
As to the Individual himself, doubt
less the middle course Is better. "Give
me neither poverty nor riches" is a wise
saying, when one thinks of average con
tentment, and of the best state for it.
Heavy riches are likely to be a heavy
burden to their possessors, but they are
the necessary reservoirs of all great in
dustrial activity, and even of the vast
endowments which give Harvard its
efficiency: while poverty, no matter
what songs may be sung in praise of It,
Is a condition that no one thinks helpful
to himself, a shield of virtue, a promoter
of opportunity good and desirable
either for the individual or for a people
in the mass. President Eliot and Mr.
Carnegie probably wish to get attention
by utterance of antithetical paradoxea
BREAKERS AHEAD FOR LABOR.
It Is the Inevitable lot of every hu
man Institution to approach measurable
perfection through Infinite vicissitude.
loss and errors. The industrial world is
no exception to this rule, which seems
to apply with relentless and often cruel
force to the cause of organized labor.
The union, we may take it, has come to
stay. The only question is as to Its
Bcope and modes; and the path to prog
ress lies along the way of frequent mis
takes, and subsequent retracing of steps
in obedience to wiser counsels.
It Is a very easy thing to get a wrong
perspective of an organization's welfare;
to magnify temporary small things and
sacrifice the permanent and the real.
The main thing for labor, obviously. Is
employment. It ought to be well paid.
it must absolutely be steady. Brief
spurts of excessive profits are not to be
compared with continuous engagement
at normal pay. They are ruinous Indus
trlally, socially, morally. They make
Industry a gamble and In times of Idle
ness foster the vices of dissipation and
discontent.
It Is perfectly certain that labor
makes a mistake when it insists upon
the Impossible, the unwise or the un
profitable as conditions of its cheerful
continuance at work. The history of
strikes, especially the old order of
strikes, is full of bitter lessons to the
worklngman. His power, to be sure.
has increased. He is, in many depart
ments of production, the practical mas
ter of the situation. Employers yield
rather than take the chances of idle
plants or lost contracts. If the employer
belongs to a trust, he can frequently re
coup his concessions from the consumer.
But this increased power of the union
brings with it increased responsibility
and paril. If it is misdirected, the
greater the damage to all concerned.
Signs are multiplying that the next crisis and
panic In this country will not be financial, but
Industrial and commercial, and that It will not
be caused so much by the excesses of capital.
overbold exploiting and promoting, expansion
of credit and reckless speculation, as by the
exorbitant and unreasonable demands of labor
and the arbitrary and tyrannical methods by
which the leaders of labor organizations seek
to enforce them. It Is this that Is most likely
to put a check upon production and give a dis
astrous shock to the vast fabric of Industry and
trade which Is necessarily sustained by credit
resting upon confidence In contracts and the
calculations of cost and of returns.
Such is the warning addressed to or
ganized labor by an Eastern Journal
that Is at once hostile to the trusts and
friendly to the worklngman. Possibly
its fears are exaggerated, os we believe
they are; but the apprehension is not
without some' Justification. Here In
.Portland, for example, hundreds -of
dwellings would jat this time be built or
under way whose owners have been de
terred by the cost of construction or the
fear of delay through strikes. The log-
deal result of this tendency would be, of
course, stoppage of all work. It must
be held in check, and the only way to
hold It In check is by the adoption at a
moderate course on the part of the
unions such a course as will exact for
their members fair and Just pay with
comfortable conditions, but which will
facilitate and not impede construction.
Especially at this time, in view of the
near approach of the Lewis and Clark
Centennial, would The Oregonlan urge
upon traaes ana employers alike a
reasonable course of mutual concession.
The building requirements of Portland
for three years will be such as to keep
all our workmen In continuous employ
ment at good wages. "We censure the
hotel or restaurant that utilizes such
emergencies to wring extortionate trlb
ute from the public; and equally cen
surable will be the building industry.
masters and men alike, If it undertakes
to hold up the city by extortionate de
mands. Let us have a reasonable policy
here of live and let live. Let us not
Impede the Fair and stop the city's
growth and imperil Portland's good
name by labor troubles between now
and the opening of the Lewis and Clark
Centennial in 1905.
and inopportune to interrupt and im
peril this convenience by the menace of
a new company, .Business men, wno
have had to bear the double expense
and exasperating inconvenience of two
telephones will not be disposed to look
kindly upon an effort to perpetuate this
nuisance.
The end of these so-called Independent
companies is consolidation and monop
oly in any case, and meanwhile the
public has had to bear the burden pf
the competitor's maintenance. All the
earnings of the old Columbia company
have been an unnecessary charge upon
the community's productive forces. "We
are well rid of it, and we should not be
In haste to put our necks in the same
old trap. The rates are low now. The
tendency is to lower and lower rates,
and in any event any increase Is abso
lutely forbidden by the existing fran
chise. Contentions to the contrary are
based on delusions.
COMMISSION OR NOTHING.
Advices from Olympla yesterday in
dicate that the expected will happen in
the veto by Governor McBrlde of the
Tax Commission bill. This action will
occasion little surprise among those
who knpw the Governor best. His atti
tude on the commission-bill question has
been thoroughly consistent throughout.
From the time that he Issued his fa
mous anti-railroad manifesto, nearly a
year ago, the Governor has recognized
no merit In any measure of this nature
except one in which the sole appointive
power and consequently the sole operat
ive power was vested in himself.
A great deal of the bitterness in the
late "fight lnf "Washington could have
been eliminated had the cohorts of the
Chief Executive met the opposition half
way at the Tacoma convention and con
sented to an elective commission. This
would have shorn the Governor of much
of his power, and, flushed with, his vic
tories In railroading the appointive com
mission plank through the county con
ventlon platforms, he rejected all over
tures toward a compromise. The Tax
Commission bill, which It Is said that
he will veto, was the result of a combi
nation of three bills carefully and de
liberately considered by the Joint judi
clary committee of the House and Sen.
ate. This committee was made up of
some of the best lawyers in the State of
"Washington, and from the material they
had in the Easterday, Bands and Gun
dereon bills they succeeded in working
out a measure which one of the Gov
ernor's own friends admitted was al
most an exact duplicate of the "Wiscon
sin law, which has doubled the amount
of property, on the tax rolls in that state.
The veto of this bill may be followed
by bad results for the Republican party
in the state. The Republican party was
pledged to pass a railroad and Tax
Commission bill, and, as the party must
suffer for the acts of its representatives.
the veto of the Tax Commission bill will
be a breach of faith for which the party
as a whole must suffer, although the
Governor as an Individual Is solely to
blame. Eventually, however, the Gov
ernor must be the worst sufferer by the
veto. His leading argument when he
abandoned the Statehouse for the stump
last Fall was that the railroads were
not paying their Just proportion of the
state taxes. His chief lieutenant. Sena
tor Warburton, made exhaustive re
searches Into the matter, and his
speeches throughout were on this one
feature of the bill. Discrimination in
rates, adjustment of tariffs and similar
features of the railroad business were
either ignored entirely or .touched on so
lightly that they were hardly viewed as
having anything in comomn with the
commission Ideal.
The bill now before the Governor for
his approval or veto not only makes
provision for getting all of the railroad
taxable property on the assessment rolls,
but also provides that all other forms of
corporate property must bear Its Just
proportion of the public burden. It ac
cordlngly embraces the good features of
the McBrlde commission bill and omits
the one bad feature that of placing In
the hands of one man such unlimited
power as would be conferred on him by
the McBrlde bllL In vetoing this bill
Governor McBrlde may pull down the
walls of the Republican temple In the
State of "Washington, but In so doing he
cannot escape unscathed from the ruin
he has wrought. There may have been
considerable truth in the statement of
Representative Roth, who denounced
the Governor on the floor of the House
as "a man gone crazy In his thirst for
power."
lean statesmen and American people as
well, yet they are inseparable from the
system which stands for Canadian life
and development. Canada has its own
ways about these things ways that are
a part of Its national life, that suit its
purposes and have contributed to its
substantial growth. But they are not
American ways and would not suit the
American people. To change them
would not be possible; to accept them
would be difficult. The question would
be a serious one if we were at all likely
to be called upon to face it. .It Is a
question largely of sentiment on this
side of the border a sentiment that
does not meet with response on the other
side, since very naturally the mas3 of
Canadians are satisfied with the gov
ernment and institutions that have
brought them protection and honor and
insured to them a distinct national
growth and life. As neighbors, tiie peo
ple of the United States and Canada
are in the main excellent friends. As
members of the same political family It
is more than probable that they would
not agree- upon the great problem of
ways and means, with which national
as well as family life Is constantly
struggling.
The antagonism of labor to machin
ery In Great Britain has never yielded
an Inch except upon the strongest com
pulsion, and It is still strong and pow
erful. In proof of this statement Mr.
Alfred Moseley relates that a British
manufacturer who some months ago
bought one of the latest American tool
machines on being asked recently by
the maker how It worked, replied: "I
cannot tell you; the union has not al
lowed me to use the machine for an
hour." In sharp contrast to this Is the
statement bythe same industrial and so
cial investigator in his observations
upon the use of machinery In the United
States, He says: "As the American
manufacturer works his men harder and
pays them more liberally, so he is mer
ciless with his machinery and renews it
whenever the slightest Increaes in effi
ciency can be gained by so doing. So
rapid is the change In appliances that
one manufacturer explained his willing.
ness to show the English delegates the
secrets of his machines, saying that be
fore we would have time to copy them
in England he would have discarded
them In favor of new machinery." He
adds that the American workman takes
to these changes; naturally, and men
tions as further illustration of Ameri
can Indorsement of labor-saving ma
chinery that one American workman
will mind two, three, four, or even eight
machine tools, while his British brother
will not allow one taj be tested in his
shop. Of course, all of this must result
disastrously to British manufactures
and trade, and find reflection in low
wages and the slow output of products,
The American system of "hustling"
may be prejudicial to longevity or even
of long-continuedi effectiveness In the or
dinars' routine of industrial pursuits;
the pace at which Americans are going
must, perhaps, sooner or later, be slack
ened. But at present the industrial en
ergy, Inventive genius and mechanical
skill of America is the wonder of the
world, and the despair of English man
ufacturers.
GOOD PLATS SUCCEED.
The large houses that are greeting
"Christopher, Jr.," at a local playhouse
the present week afford a vers' gratify
Ing testimonial to merit In a play that Is
absolutely unobjectionable on social and
moral grounds. The popularity of such
pieces affords an unanswerable rebuke
to the actors and producers who prosti
tute their noble calling to such base
purposes as the animal plays of the
"Sapho" and "Zaza" type. They
vate the stage while the others only
degrade it; and support of them be
comes, accordingly, a sort of public
duty. The vIcIoub will throng to the
vicious play. Shall not the good be
equally loyal to decency?
Mrs. Ryley's pieces are four, and all
are on a high plane of cleanliness. They
stand out prominently for their exquis
lte humor, their sparkling dialogue.
their adherence to the ideal of justice
and the abhorrence of wrong-doing
which shine so resplendently In Shakes
peare and are so conspicuously absent
In the "problem" play, whose .motive
seems often to be the confusion of eth
ical convictions. "An American Citi
zen" is perhaps her greatest success.
though "The Moth and the Flame" was
noteworthy in the hands of Herbert
Kelcey and Eflle Shannon, and "My
Lady Dainty" was worthy. "Christo
pher, Jr.," is pure comedy, and few
better examples bf pure comedy surpass
it in attractiveness of appeal to the uni
versal mind.
The longest run on record Is of "Char
ley's Aunt," the Immortal comedy which
held the boards in London continuously
from December 21, 1S92, to February 24,
1S97, and delights unnumbered audiences
to thla day. "Our Boys," another dean.
- OXE IS BETTER THAN TWO.
The application of the so-called inde
pendent telephone company is lying on
the table in the City Council chamber
pending the filing of a $25,000 bond and
the further demonstration that the citl
zees who are about to escape the bur
den of two telephone companies wish to
load themselves up with it again. It is
earnestly to be hoped that no responsi
ble user of the telephone will lend him
self to furtherance of this enterprise.
One telephone system is cheaper, better
and more convenient than two. Upon
this conclusion all experience unites.
ana it is almost inconceivable that a
city which has tried both methods will
voluntarily handicap itself with the
more clumsy and costly regime. For
example:
Sacramento Mayor George H. Clark: "I am
against any opposition In the telephone field.
For eight years I have paid double rental for
my telephone service. Two systems confus
ing." etc
San Jose Mayor C J. Martin: 'The increased
expense of keeping two 'phones more than off
sets the small reduction in charge made by
the new company. An attempt again to install
a new telephone system would be opposed by
a majority of our heaviest taxpayers."
Akron, O. Mayor William B. Doyle: "The
telephone business Is & natural monopoly. From
Its very nature it can be conducted success
fully by but one company."
Kansas City. Ma Mayor J. M. Jones: "In my
opinion, the construction of another telephone
system in this city would result in tearing up
our streets and Increase poles and wires with
which the streets are already burdened, without
any resulting good to the public or to telephone
users, to say nothing of the nuisance that
would result to subscribers from the operation
of two systems."
Columbus, O. Mayor John N. Hlnkle: "Busi
ness men are compelled to use both 'phones,
and they all consider It the worst nuisance that
was ever Imposed upon them."
Grand Rapids. Mich. Mayor George R. Perry:
"I believe the telephone Is a natural monopoly,
and with one company you will have better
service than with two."
Here in Portland we are In the throes
of a change In installment at the central
office. Two years ago a new switch
board, the best then available, was put
in. It Is already outdated, and the
whole installment is being superseded
by a new one which seems to approach
as nearly as human ingenuity can make
it to perfection. The complaints that
have recently been voiced are all in pro
cess of remedy by these changes. No
line will have more than six numbers
on It, and large numbers of poles and
AN UNWARRANTED ASSUMPTION.
Now and then the annexation fever
breaks out, and the Individual body or
newspaper suffering from the attack
points toward Canada, assuming with
out having investigated the .matter that
that country Is only waiting an oppor
tunity to come Joyfully under the Stars
and Stripes. Representative DeArmond,
of Missouri, recently gave expression to
this Idea in a resolution presented to
Congress empowering 'the President to
open negotiations looking to the annexa
tion or absorption of Canada to or into
the United States, the assumption being
that our semi-British, semi-French
neighbors north of the international line
would readily agree to the proposition.
This assumption is probably very wide
of the truth. Nor is it at all certain
that, fond aa we are of -such of our
Canadian cousins as we know, we
should like them en masse, as fellow
citizens, as well as we like- them as
neighbors who maintain their own "cab
bage patch."
In considering the annexation of Can
ada we are wont to proceed upon the
assumption, first that Canada is willing,
and second that it Is populated almost
exejusively by English and English
sneaking people. The fact that at least
two distinct nationalities inhabit Can
ada, and that Quebec, though a part of
the British provincial scheme, Is, as far
as language, customs, religion and
minor laws of government go, French to
all Intents and purposes, is lost sight
of. "We have some troubles of our own
on the race question now. If we solve
them peacefully and satisfactorily, with
out adding to them, in a generation, we
will Indeed be fortunate. Canada has
two rival or distinct races dwellin
peacefully side by side. It has a na
tional life of Its own upbuilding. It is
satisfied with its conditions and its
ways. It has a government with an Im
perial center in London, which fosters
commerce and encourages industry. Its
vast agricultural areas are being settled
bv people of simple habits and wealth
producing power. Development and
production are encouraged In ways
which, to the view of our people, are
decidedly un-American. The bounty
and the bonus habit permeates the en
tire fabric
The complicated system of vested
rights, which the Canadian people and
The Democrats of Missouri recently
celebrated with great pomp in Jefferson
City what they term "the emancipation
of the state from debt." This, says the
Kansas City Journal, "Is the dema
gogue's' way of saying, 'Rejoice that
Missouri lags behind in the march of
civilization,' " adding: "When the people
of Missouri are told to thank God that
they have been emancipated from debt
and that their tax rate is the lowest in
the country, are they to be promised
that Andrew Carnegie will give them
a Capitol that will keep out the rain;
tnat Jonn JJ. KocKerelier will endow
their university, and that J. Pierpont"
Morgan will provide good schools for
the blind and decent asylums for their
insane? Or If the state Is not to turn
beggar, In the name of all the saints
from what source ore decent public in
stltutions to come?" It Is true that the
only honorable way to secure the bless
ings of civilization is to pay for them.
The one thing that Is worse than pub
lic lavlshness Is public parsimony of
the ultimately debt-producing type.
Some things civilization demands and
will have. If these are not paid for this
year they must be paid for next, or
some succeeding year that has also Its
own burdens to carry. The policy as
applied to public expenditures of run
ning, below cost is the demagogue's re
source to perpetuate themselves In of
fice. Specious appeal to the thought
lessness and parsimony of voters of the
class that pays a very small proportion
of the state's expenses has before now
enabled them to do this, and it Is not
unlikely that the cheap device will
again succeed In Missouri.
Chicago Inter-Ocean,
Kyrle Bellew, the actor, has favored the
public with an attack upon the "prob
lem" play In general, and upon Mrs. Pat
rick Campbell In particular, as the most
conspicuous actress Just now in that kind
of plays.
That the "problem" play, with its un
compromising presentation of certain un
pleasant facts of life, may be 'immoral"
to certain classps of spectators may be
admitted. Certain facts of physiology
may. and often do, have an Immoral in
fluence upon minds unfitted to grasp them
in their true relations. It might as wen
be admitted once for all that the real
"problem" play la not written and acted
for boys and girls, but for grown men
and women.
The first dantrer of the "problem" play
is that Ignorant curiosity or social fash-
Ion may lead the unfit to see It. The
second danger, or rather defect. Is that it
portrays vicious characters, whom It often !
leaves apparently untouched by repent
ance. Whether Iris, to take the latest
notable example, ultimately returns to
righteousness or sinks to destruction, tne
playwright gives no indication. He sim
ply presents the fact of her apparently
hopeless, condition, and leaves the spec
tator to draw his own conclusions.
That the conclusion of the average mind
is often destructively pessimistic, instead
of savingly optimistic, would seem a fair
Inference. It Is an inference justified by
the fact that Mr. Bellow's average mind
draws the conclusion that "Mrs.' -Tan-
queray killed herself, not because she felt
any remorse for her sins, but because her
neighbors refused to call upon her"; that
her act was "not repentance, but pique."
That is the real danger of the "problem
play that It generates a pessimistic at
titude toward life: that it tends to make
men look at the badness of life as It Is
rather than at lt goodness 'as It might be.
However, thousrh the "problem" play
may be "immoral," for the reasons al
ready given, it ia least of all plays "un
moral." It constantly enforces the truth
that "the wages of sin Is death." The
trouble with It Is that It does not offer
the hope that there may be a life beyond
that suffering and death In which it leaves
trach characters as Mrs. Tanqueray and
Magda and Iris.
The really "unmoral, and nence im
moral," plays now conspicuously before
the public are the so-called "French"
farces and "musical comedies" now so
popular. Most of these are frankly pagan
in their lack of any moral intention what
soever. Most of them appeal to nothing
but the gratification of the senses, even
If they do not openly pander to vicious
desire. They are the really "immoral
nlavs because they are "unmoral." With
them must be classed those popular melo
dramas which make heroes of noted crim
inals.
And these Dlaya are the most dangerous.
because they attract those who, in most
cases, would be simply puzzled Dy ine
pllmai of the real "problem" play, or
would be inspired by it only to feelings of
pity, or would fall back upon tne com
monolaees of universal hone. These are
the plays to which Mr. Bellew might more
appropriately devote his reformatory en
deavors. As for the "problem" plays at
which he girds, though their Influence in
lnducintr a nessimlstic attitude towaru
life be maleficent, that evil Is largely re
duced, if not altogether cured, by the hope
that springs eternal in the human oreasi.
Joy of Dlenlty and Deliberation.
New York Evening Post.
That the Senate should at last be willing
even to consider a resolution to limit de
bate, shows that the shafts of pUDllc in
dignation are beginning to strike home.
It is not alone Congressman Cannon, not
merely the Hduse of Representatives, but
the country at large that Is growing weary
and ashamed of a Senate of grown men
which can find no way of escape from nu
busterere and marauders on its own floor.
Senator Hoar proposed yesterday that a
manual of parliamentary law be printed
for the special use of the senate, it cer
tainly needs it. If we had a "Vice-President
who would exercise the functions of
the ordinary presiding officer, and call
upon Senators to speak to the. point and
do business, reform might be begun. He
would incur odium at first, no doubt, and
would not have the backing of the major
ity of the Senate; but that would come In
time, and tho indorsement or tne peopie
would be given from the first to any man
who boldly strove to free the Senate from
the humiliating fetters which It has forged
for its own limbs. Meanwhile, the senate
committee may do something by the time
Congress meets again, to prevent the up
per chamber from fulfilling Shelley's
dream of a
Senate-house whose floor
Is Chaos.
THE INFLUX xOF IMMIGRANTS.
Baltimore Sun.
In the last six months of 1903 the num
ber of immigrants entering the United
States was 372,323, an Increase of 97,551
over the number in the like part of 1901,
and the Influx during January of this year
was. 35,097. against 26.150 In January. 1902.
showing an increase for one month of the
new year of C3S The tide of aliens Is
swelling, owing to the reputed prosperity
of this country, of which the newcomers
desire a share. Formerly we got the bulk
of our immigration from England, Scot
land. Ireland and the northern part of
the continent of Europe, but at present
the majority is of different blood and less
assimilable. In the last half of 1902 Italy
sent us 77.845 immigrants, an Increase of
22,89. Austria-Hungary sent 73,275, or 13,
670 more than In the last half of 1S0I.
Russia, with Finland, contributed 57.1S9,
an increase of 16,535. The United King
dom supplied but 26.452, of which number I
Ireland furnished 14.29S. Germany sent
but 16.440, against 12.00S in 1901, a smaller
increase than was to be expected in view
of the hard times In the Empira during
the past year. Sweden and Norway to
gether sent us 27,904 of their citizens. All
Europe contributed 303,091 to our popula
tion In the six months, an increase of
83,300-
Asla sent us but 16,296, of which num
ber Japan contributed 10,041, or 5023 more
than in the previous year. The Chinese
Influx was but 1237, if the official returns
may be relied upon. Africa, Australia and
other countries supplied a trifling stream
of immigrants, the West Indies leading
with 25S5. It is to be noted as of special
Interest that Canada gave us but 515 Im
migrants, against 38,291 in the 12 months
of 1SS5. The prosperity of British North
America in recent years has reversed the
current which formerly set this way,
causlnsr. It is said, some 40.000 of our
people to become subjects of Edward VH
last year. In January the ngures teacn
the same lesson that Austria-.Hungary
and Italy are sending us moat immigrants
and are mojt rapidly Increasing their con
tributions to our DODUlatlon. it we iook
back over the record for figures approach
ing the present we find them in 1S92. when
there were 623,084 immigrants. That was
the maximum. "With the panics and stag
nation of business In this country in the
following years Immigration declined rap
idly till in 1S9S there were out zsi.gm hu
mlKrants. "With reviving prosperity the
Influx Increased, and In the census year
tho fleure was 44S.572. How greatly lmmi
giatlon has contributed to our populatldn
may be gathered rrom tne xact mat aa
far back as 1S50 we received 310.004 immigrants.
"With Portland exporters shipping
wheat to Tacoma by the trainload and
to San Francisco by the shipload, and
at the same time taking care of the
usual amount of direct export business,
It is apparent that the headquarters of
the wheat business of the Pacific North
west has not yet shifted to other ports.
Portland has had bad years and good
years in the wheat business, and other
ports have had similar experience. Rap-
idly developing territory in the Big
Bend and other districts not tributary
to Portland have swelled the receipts of
wheat at Puget Sound ports, but Port
land still remains the financial head
quarters and the distributing point for
the greater part of the wheat country
of the Palouse and "Walla "Walla dis
tricts, which are and always will be the
most Important and most valuable
wheat districts in the State of "Wash
ington.
Grover Won't Play With. Billle.
Los Angeles Times.
Grover Cleveland positively will not
olay with Billle Bryan. As If there was
someone still denying it, he reiterates
for the forty-fourth time, that he Is Irre
vocably out of politics, that he has got
his nntrers crossed, that It la Kings' fix..
anyway, that he positively will not play
in their back yard, that their cellar door
does not look good to him, and that he
refuses absolutely to ever again "holler
down their rain- barrel. Grover Is, for
once, very eminently correct. He Is just
about as unanimously and proliflcally out
of politics as it Is possible for one man to
be. and It Is nice that ne realizes tnis
-without anv outside assistance. But If
there should ever, at any time, arise in
his mind, any lingering doubt as to where
he stands with regard to politics, it ought
not to take very much scientific retrospec
tion or caatinir of the horoscope either, 'to
reveal to him that he Is still largely in the
silent realms of "Innocuous desuetude."
NOTE AND COMMENT.
"We observe- with satisfaction that Ore
gon D. M. Gaddls (Mr., Mrs. or Miss
which Is It) has been appointed post
master at Kingman, Mohave County, Ari
zona. The Democrats of the First District are
a cheerful lot of fellows, anyway- They
go through all the motions with as punc
tilious recard for detail as it they really
expected their man to be elected.
Of course, the charge against wait
taker Wright that of circulating false
reports Is absurd. He should be in jail
simply for obtaining money by false pre
tenses, like any plebeian who had simi
larly offended.
Now that the Governor is after the base- ,
hunter and lieu-land grabber, and prom
ises that these parasites shall no longer
feed on Oregon's honor. We suppose Gen
feed on Oregon's honor, we suppose Gen
eral Odell will Issue another Icrcular.
The thoroughness In which the agricul
tural schools of the Western states are
going into the education of farmers is
illustrated by the announcement that the
Iowa State Agricultural College has Just
established a course of Instruction in
the slaughtering of livestock. It Is a
laboratory course and the young farmers
will learn the art by practical Instruction.
Twenty-six German titles are worn by
American girls who have married abroad
and 20 English peerages. There are three
French duchesses and five French count
esses of American birth. Seventeen Ital
ian noblemen and elx "Russians of title"
have laid their coronets at the feet of
American brides. Holland has two baron
esses, American born; Br.varia, one count
ess, and the sovereign Princess of Monaco
closes the list.
The trouble with "Lionel Staggc" Is that
he will not work. With his attainments
and opportunities any man of average
honesty and industry would have won suc
cess in large measure. But his moral
foundation was rotten, he deemed him
self too good a thing and the world too
"easy" to reaulre exertion on his part
and he is getting come of the wage he
has earned. He Is likely to get more of
It in the course of time, though the world
Is easy with velvet rogues.
In dismissing a policeman from the force
convicted of taking candy from a peddler's
pushcart the Police Commissioner of New
York bluntly called the offender a petty
thief, disgracing his uniform and his fel
lows. He was right in word and action.
Petty oppression and Injustice toward a
class incapable of maintaining their rights
against those in offices of more or less
authority Is one of the most despicable
forms of preying, and such offenders
everywhere should be dismissed to the dls
grace they deserve.
Nearly 500 members of the bar of New
York State have petitioned the Legislature
to amend the ballot law by providing the
form of the Australian ballot used in
Massachusetts. Attention is called to the
large number of void and defective bal
lots cast at every election In that state,
and to an opinion of the Court of Appeals
that "the evil and disorders which would
ensue In case of a close Presidential elec-
Scnatc's Inexcusable Opposition.
Resolutions from the Nevada legislature
dPinandlnir the election of Senators by di
rect vote have been presented to the
United States Senate. Similar resolutions
from other states will follow, very pos
sibly In such numbers that the present
Congress will be compelled to face the
alternative of either submitting the neces
sary Constitutional amendment directly to
the people or being forced by the demands
of two-thirds of the state to call a con
stitutional Convention for the purpose.
Amonsr the states in which similar resolu
tions have already been favorably actea on
bv one or both Houses of the Legislature,
are Kansas. Delaware, Illinois, Wash
ington and Oregon. Though the National
House of Representatives 13 eager for the
reform the Senate is loath to swallow
such bitter medicine. Nevertheless, the
moneyed men from rotten boroughs must
in the end yield. The quIcKer they yield
the better for the country. No other re
form in the mechanism of the Federal
Government will have a more beneficial
influence on the political life of the coun
try. Through it local issues may te in
policies, the all too numerous A'ddickses tion would be difficult to estimate." The
of the Senate may be weeded out by the
neoDle. and the Senate will stand some
chance of attaining a position In which
Its members will expeditiously attend to
the interest of the Nation Instead of to
those of their personal friends and sup
porters. Model Work of Its Kind.
Army and Navy Journal.
A large and handsomely bound volume
clvlne the "Official Records of the Oregon
"Volunteers In the Spanish War and Philip
pine Insurrection" has been complied hy
Brigadier-General C. U. Gantenbein, adjutant-general
of the State of Oregon and
late major Second Oregon United States
"Volunteer Infantry. It forms a very com
plete and interesting record of the excel
lent services of this regiment, a number
of illustrations adding to its value. The
state law under which the records are
published provides that the copies shall
be distributed in such a manner as the
Governor may direct. Of the 500 copies
provided for in the act Governor Gear
has directed that one copy be presented
to each of the 334 officers, sergeants and
corporals of the Second Oregon "Volunteer
Infantry and of Batteries A and B, Oregon
"Volunteer Light Infantry, and to the wife,
father or mother of each of the 64
members of the Second Oregon who lost
their lives while In the service, provided
thev aoDly to the adjutant-general before
May 1, 1903. The method of distribution
of such volumes as may remain on hand
May 1, 1903, will be made known at that
time. The volume Is of 700 pages and
contains the individual record of each
man In the regiment aside from other
facta of Importance. It is certainly a
model work of Its kind.
Captain Peary, after several strenu-
ous attempts to reach the north pole,
has at length almost accomplished his
object on paper. He believes that the
man who with the proper party, experi
ence and equipment next goes north will
"hold the pole in his grasp." Perhaps so.
But the fact remains that a number of
valiant men "properly equipped," so far
as equipment for a battle with nature
In her frigid strongholds may be se
cured, have failed to grasp the. pole or
even to come within long reaching dls
tance of It-
President Roosevelt's stay In Portland
will be all too brief. "Wisely planned,
however, the time will be long enough
to enable him to get a very good Idea
of the size, activity, location, scenery
and grand possibilities of Portland. It
is to be regretted that he will have to
cover the ground on rapid schedule
time, but this flying trip is so much
better than none at all that the people
of the Pacific Coast and of the great
Rocky Mountain region will take what
is given and be grateful.
The War on Steam.
McClure's.
"Inch by Inch the field is contested, and
slowly, sullenly, the locomotive Is giving
wav before the Insistent troney. a dozen
years ago it was only the car horse and
the cable In the towns tnat were inreai
ened by electric traction- Then the trol
ley poked an Inquiring tentacle over the
city limits into the suburbs. The results
were satisfactory, ana swiiuy xne eiectnc
lines flung their spider filaments from
town to town' until now great sections
of the country are cobwebbed with them.
The trolley. map of Eastern Massachu
setts looks as complete as the steam rail
road map. If you have a little time to
snare you can bo on an electric car to al
most any part of Southern New England
that vou could reach by a locomotive, and
to a good many parts that you could not"
Kathleen Mavourneen.
Louisa Macartney Crawford.
Kathleen Mavourneenl the gTay flaws is
creaking;
The horn of the hunter Is heard on the hill.
The lark from her light wing the- bright dew
Is shaking.
Kathleen Mavourneen, what! sluxnb'rlns
sUU?
Oh, has thou forgotten how soon we must
sever?
Oh, has thou forgotten this day we must
part?
It may be for year, and It may be forever!
Oh, why are thou silent, thou yolce of mr
heart?
It may be for years, and It may he forever!
Then why are thou silent, Kathleen ila-
vonrneen?
Kathleen Mavourneen! awake from thy slum
bers.
The blue mountains glow In the sun's golden
liKht:
Ah! where Is tho spell that once hung on my
numbers?
Arise In thy beauty, thou star of my night!
Arise In thy beauty, thou star of my nlghtl
Mavourneen! Mavourneen! My sad tears are
falling.
To think that from Erin and thee I must
cart:
It may be for years, and it may be forever!
Then why art thou silent, tnoa voice or my
heartT
Then why ,art thou sliest, Kathleen Ma
vourneen?
Love on a Motorcycle.
London Dally Mali.
Soma Interesting advice to lovers was
rfveh by Mr. Mervyn O'Gorman In an ad
dress on motorcycles he delivered before
the Automobile Club, last evening. He was
enthusiastic in praise of the motorcycle,
which, for speed, lightness and cheapness
rivaled the motor car. There were those.
he added, who, drew attention to the lone
liness or tne motorcyclist as comparea
with the owner of an automobile. "But,'
he continued, "It Is not a solitary game.
You will find in Summer that free wheel
ing is an exercise which your lady friends
will greatly enjoy. I have heard that
waltzing is a very agreeable pastime, with
your right hand gently pressed against the
waist of your partner. Imitate the posi
tion after you have mounted your motor
cycle, when she Is on her free wheel.
You can get to Henley quite nicely that
way."
Kill Them In Infancy.
Peoria Journal.
The thing to do with the trusts Is not to
wait until they have done the damage, but
when their intentions are clearly avowed
as they are in most cases. If not by
admission at least by construction to so
legislate that their power for doing evil
may be curbed.
Brace to His Men at Bansockburn
Robert Burns.
(The battle of Bannockburn, to which this
poem relates, was fought on June 24. 1314. be
tween the Scotch under Robert Bruce and the
English under Edward II. It resulted in the
total defeat of the English.)
Scots wha hae w.l Wallace bled,
Scots wham Bruce has aften led;
Welcome to your gory bed
Or to.vlctorle!
Jfow's the day. and now's the hour;
See the front o' battle lour;
See approach proud Edward's pow'r
Chains and slaverle!
Wha will be a traitor knave?
Wha can fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a slave?
Let him turn and fleet
- Wha for Scotland's King and law
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Freeman stand or freeman fa'?
Let him follow me!
By oppression's woes and pains!
By our sons In servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins.
But they shall be free!
Lay the proud usurpers low I
Tyrants fall In every foel
Liberty's la every blow!
Let us do or diet
remedy, say the petitioning lawyers. Is
tho Massachusetts ballot, which places
each candidate on an equality with every
other.
We wonder If there is a taxpayer m
the whole of Oregon who really believes
It would be for the best interest of the
state to upset the Lewis and Clark ap
propriation. In the present 'state of af
fairs here a more withering mow can
hardly be Imagined. Oregon is stepping
forward right prosperously and taking Its
place in the ranks of the progressive.
Defeat.of this appropriation would be re
garded everywhere as a display of un
pardonable moeebacklsm. and would set
the state back 50 years. But it won t ne
done. The progressive spirit has too firm
a place In Oregon.
Despite hia pleasant smile and cordial
grasp of his hand. Mayor Low, of New
York, is regarded by those who have oc
casion to do much public business with
him as a cold man. He has never shown
one epark of temper since elected to the
office of mayor, and this is a case of re
markable self-control, as he has a temper
that would blaze up If he would let it.
No matter how loudly he may be calling
an official down, he does It in d. quiet voice
and in choice words chosen with academic
precision. This characteristic Is all the
more marked as his predecessor. Mayor
"Van Wyck, was a steel trap baited with
vitriol.
The recent example in Oregon seems to
have had Its effect on. the Surveyor-General
of Idaho. That honesty, decency and
efficiency outrank partisan and personal
political fine work as qualifications for
the public service Is hard to get Into the
heads of the small, office-seeking poli
ticians. Stupefying as It Is to that class
of minds, it 13 gradually winning recogni
tion. The Idea that these land officials
can snap their fingers m the face of their
superiors and do as they blank please, so
long as they escape indictments by the
grand Jury, is falling Into the background.
The criminal statutes are not the only
ones to be obeyed.
The navigating amfc ordnance officer of
the Oregon, In her famous journey from
the Pacific to the Atlantic, and during
the investment and battle of Santiago,
who had been 29 years In the Navy, then
received $2500 per annum, while the chap
lain of the same ship, who had been nine
years In the Navy, received $2500 per an
num. In the distribution of prize money
the chaplain received more than the navi
gating and ordnance officer, Upon this and
similar cases. Secretary Moody bases his
application for a change in the law to
require the pay of chaplains to be graded
according to their term of service from
$1600 to $4500.
PLEASANTRIES OP PARAGRAPHERS
Bill What would you call this attack on the
poolrooms? Jill Race prejudice, I guess.
Tonkers Statesman.
In the Future. "I had to discharge my wife
today." "What was the matter?" "She was
horrid to the cook." Brooklyn Life.
Dick JImlny! I'd like to go to Alaska and
hunt bears. Dora You'd better stay right
where you are and hunt me a sealskin coat.
Detroit Free Press.
Mrs. Grady Phln was yure family founded,
Mrs. Kelly? Mrs. Kelly Founded. Mr3.
Grady? Shure, none, av thlm was lver Iosht
but little Timmy. Judge.
Customer I want a ton of coal. Dealer
Tes, sir. What size? Customer Well. If It
Isn't asking too much. I'd like to have a
2000-pound ton. Chicago Dally News.
New Barber Should I talk to patrons on any
particular subject? Old Barber Well, if a
man wanted a pompadour you might tell him a
. halr-ralslng story. Chicago Dally News.
"I want to get some bird seed," said the cus
tlmer In the seed store. "No, ve don't,
smarty," replied the new clerk, recently ac
quired from the country, "ye can't Joke me.
Bird grows from eggs, not seeds." Philadel
phia Press.