THE MORNING OREGOXIAX, THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 1903. Sstered at tha Postofflce at Portland. Oregon, as "second-class matter. REVISED SUBSCRIPTION BATES. By Mall ( postage prepaid. In advance) Dsily. with Sunday, per month ....50.8- Sally. Sunday excepted, per year... 7.W Dally, with Sunday, per year.-..... -w fttsday, per year . 2.00 Ta Weekly, per year ...... 1.60 Tfc Weekly. Z months -50 To City Subscribers Pally, per week, delivered. Sunday exc"epted.l5c Pally, per week, delivered. Sunday icluded.20a POSTAGE BATES. Baited States, Canada and ilexlco SO to 14-page paper.. ....... ....... ,.. lc US to 30-page paper ..... .............. ..-2c IX to 44-page paper ...............3c rprelgn rates double. Kews or discu&slon Intended for publication In The Oregonlan should be addressed lnvarta tily "Editor The Oregonlan." not to the name t tx.y Individual. Letters relating to adver flelng subscription, or to any business matter should be addressed simply "The Oregonlan." The Oregonlan does not buy poems or stories irorn Individuals, and cannot undertake to re turn toy manuscripts sent to It without solici tation. No stamps should be Inclosed lor this purpose. Eastern Business Office, 43, 44. 45. 47. 43. 40 Tribune building. New York City; 510-11-12 Tribune- building. Chicago; the S. C Beckwlth Special Agency. Eastern representative. Jrr sal In San Francisco by E. Lee. Pal ace Hotel news stand; Goldsmith ' Bros.. 233 Sutter street; F. IV. PUU, 1008 Market street; 1. SC. Cooper Co., 748 Market street, near the Palace Hotel; Foster & Oreart Ferry news nana; frank Scott. SO Ellis street, ana Wbeatley. 813 Mission street. For sole In Los Angeles by B. F. Gardner, 960 South Spring street, and Oliver & Haines. M6 South Spring street. For sale In Kansas City, Mo., by Blcksecker Cigar Co., Ninth and Walnut streets. For sale In Chicago by the P. O. News Co., SIT Dearborn street, and Charles MacDonald, S3 Washington street. Tor sale In Omaha by Barkalow Bros.. 1012 Farnam street; Megeath Stationery Co.. 1305 Farnam etreet. For ea in Ogden by W. O. Kind, 114 25th sp-eet; Jas. H. CrockwelL 242 25th street. For sale In Salt Lake by the Salt Lake News Co.. 77 West Second South street. For sale In Washington, X. C, by the Ebbett Bouse new stand. For sale in Denver. Colo., by Hamilton & Kendrlck, 000-012 Seventeenth street; Louthan A Jackson Book & Stationery Co.. Fifteenth and Lawrence streets; A. Series. Sixteenth and Varus streets. YESTERDAY S WEATHER Maximum torn perature, 73; minimum temperature, 55; pre cipitation. 0. TODAY'S WEATHER Fair, northwesterly winds. PORTLAND, THURSDAY, JTJXB 25. FRESH LOT OF FICTIONS. me democratic party or Iowa is "an wrioosln little cuss," as Josh Billings would say. The chairman of Its state convention, in his speech at the open ing of that interesting body, tells us that the country Is in a high state of prosperity, employment is easily ob tained, the mills and factories are run- , nlng, the railways are gorged with traf fic and all the processes of production ere going on, pouring out golden streams of wealth. Such being the case, he pathetically asks, "Of what, then, do we complain?" It is the hard case, indeed! Every thing is right, only the Democratic party is unhappy because it has no "Issues." So the spokesman of the party for Iowa launches out on un known seas, in a voyage of discovery, to find something of which he and his needy compatriots may "complain." A mirage rises before him. He thinks he is about .to make the happy discov ery. He names his Fortunate Islands "Antl-Imperlallsm" and "The Trusts." Here are prodigies and monsters. Now, In fact, since there Is nothing in sight to complain of, it Is highly necessary that something be found which will serve for that interesting re quirement. So the orator of the De mocracy of Iowa falls back on his pow ers of invention and imagination." "What does "antl-lmperlallsm" mean? That we shall quit Porto Rico and the Hawaiian and Philippine Islands? But suppose the Democratic party should go to the American people on that propo sition. It would get a thump to which Its former experiences were but gentle .flllps. The American people are not In the habit of pulling down the flag. Nor have they any fear that they will be. come "tyrants," or establish "slavery In the Islands that have come under the sovereignty of the United States, Antl-lmperlallsm Is a form of "com plaint" purely Imaginary except as it exists in the necessltlesof the Demo cratic party. As to the trusts. The present Ad ministration Is dealing with them In a rational way. It is employing all rea sonable means and every lawful power to hold In check and bring under con trol the vast combinations of capital whose methods seem questionable or oppressive. What other man would have had the courage that Theodore Roosevelt has shown? And what ground has any party to "complain" that he has done too little? But the Iowa Democracy has turned down Bryanism. It admits that the great platforms of 1S9G and 1900, on which Bryan went to the country, were silly, false and worthless. Now the search is for other fictions. OK, FOR A CIVILIZED FOURTH! The Holyoke (Mass.) Transcript pleads for a civilized Fourth of July, In which the "wild use of noisy crack ers should be forbidden except between 6 ojclock of the Fourth until midnight of that day, and the sale of cannon crackers should be forbidden altogeth er." In Chicago Mayor Harrison has Issued a proclamation prohibiting the discharge of firearms or firecrackers In the streets, alleys and back yards While the sale or gift of toy pistols or metal caps to children Is absolutely prohibited. Young America Is allowed to carry its firecrackers and torpedoes to large vacant lots and there burn gunpowder Without restraint The Chicago Tribune quotes a medical journal, which de clares, "The more noise, the more death and injury, is a pretty safe rule," and further says: "Before the country has recovered from the shock of the calami ties at Kansas City, North Topeka and Pes Moines It will be called upon to face the ghastly horrors of another Fourth of July." Extravagant noise Is endurable from children, for It is Incl dent to their immaturity. The same love of sensationalism that inspired one of "Helen's Babies" to beg his father to Tead to him the story about the giant Gollah, "with his head all Muggy." makes the average boy fond of making a senseless racket in sea son and out of season. But the unpar donable. Inexcusable nolsemaker is the full-grown male Imbecile, who executes an Indian "green-corn" dance at every opportunity. The persons who take delight in mak Jng a senseless racket after they hav reached manhood are Indians, China men, negroes and grown-up children among whites. A love of discordant sounds is a characteristic of childhood and childish men. and women. No man with a decent ear for music ever whls t furiously in a place of business; no man makes a needless racket la a pub lic place to the annoyance of his felloe- men unless he has a frivolous, childish mind, mossbacked with that common kind of selfishness that shouts: "The world Is mine oyster, and I, am the one altogether lovely pebble on the Teach! Needlessly noisy white people are noth ing but the survival of savagery. They make a deal of noise early and often from lack of thought. They have never outgrown their chlldhcod. They were born for ushers in a Chinese theater. They would make the pipers of Pan demonium look green with envy If they were permitted to be musical. THE TRUST THAT FAILED. The gold-brick peddler who preys on Uncle Reuben when he comes to town seems to be a fairly decent and honest member of society, compared with some of the manipulators who organized the shipbuilding combine. The jokesters and comic artists have for years kept the public warned against the former, and when he does dispose of a brick, the victim finds small consolation from his fellow-men. He ought to know bet ter. It Is different in the case of Schwab, who is now being sued for bunco work In connection with the ship building combine. He was selected as the bell-wether to lead the flock of guileless sheep Into the ship-combine corral, because his position in the busi ness world made him eminently suc cessful In the role in which he was cast. For his aid in financing the scheme Mr. Schwab was permitted to unload on the corporation the Bethlehem Steel Works, for which he received $10,000. 000 In bonds of the combination, $10,000, 000 preferred stock and $10,000,000 com mon stock. This Is said to have represented an original outlay on the part of Mr. Schwab of but 13,000,000, and to make sure that nothing could get away In the event of an accident, he took a first mortgage on both the steel property and also on the property of the combine. It is this clever act of self-protection which has caused the present roar among the victims. His immense hold lngs, out of all proportion to the amount of cash he invested, have enabled him, now that the crash has come, to re ceive such preferential treatment over the rest of the security-holders that he Is now practically In control of the con cern. It Is also charged by the vic tims that they were induced to buy through "gross and persistent misrep resentations by the organizers" as to the company's assets, earnings and conditions. The Intention of Mr. Schwab, and probably of Mr. Morgan, who has been his chief sponsor, was to make a sue cessful launch of this unwieldy cor poratlon, force the. stock up to a high figure and then complete the work by unloading, their holdings on an unsus pectlng public. This type of "Morgan. izlng" had proven such a grand sue cess wherever it was tried up to that time that the possibility of the gullible public refusing to buy the stock at an Inflated value had never entered the heads of the promoters. But the public not only refused to take the bait, but even the men who had unwittingly as slsted the big financiers In starting the scheme began to make trouble and cry 'Fraud." Now comes the good Mr. Schwab, and, while admitting that everything Is all right, announces his willingness to take back his Bethlehem property and give up his holdings In the combine. Such magnanimity at such a time Is truly marvelous, for the bids for the stock on the New York exchange are 1 cent per share on the common and 3 cents on ?he preferred. Most of the outside Investors would undoubtedly like to take similar action by returning their stock and getting back the dollars they put In. The whole affair serves to show that an easy conscience, whether It is possessed by a millionaire or a gold-brick peddler, will enable the pos sessor to prey on a gullible but gener ally honest public. No matter what the courts may decide In the shlpbulld ing trust case, Mr. Schwab, after his own confession as to the part he took In the scheme, can hardly emerge with anything like credit to himself. SHERIFFS SHOULD SHOOT TO KILL Professor Sledd, Southern man born and bred. In his -article in the Atlantic Monthly that cost him his professor': chair, placed the responsibility for acts of lynch law like negro-burning where It belonged upon the worthless, coward Sheriffs, who utterly ailed to do their duty. A mob is always cruel and al ways cowardly, and It Is always com posed of the worst elements of every community fellows who never lose chance to make a hoodlum's holiday An Alabama Sheriff with a small posse of nersonal friends who 6hot to kill easily stood off a mob until the Gov ernor of" the state sent troops to his relief. A Texas Sheriff, single-handed. defiea a mob and saved his prisoner; Georgia Sheriff did likewise. The mob knew that these Sheriffs would shoot to kill, and none of them wanted to "bell the cat." There Is not a city of the size of Portland that does not con tain hoodlums enough to form a lynch lng party formidable In numbers if It could safely count upon a cowardly or sympathetic Sheriff. The far-reaching wrong wrought by mob murder is not measured by the fact that the victim is guilty or Innocent, or by whether he is black or white; It Is measured by the fact that the whole responsible ma chlnery of public Justice has been over turned by the very elements of society whose reckless passions have forced society to forbid this Jedburgh justice of the village green and replace It with a carefully selected and responsible tri bunal. The eishth amendment to " the Federal Constitution provides that "cruel and unusual punishments shall not be Inflicted." The constitutions of the various states are pledged to the same prohibition. This prohibition" was dictated by the wisdom and humanity of the Fathers of this Republic, who knew by observation of the history of crime that the infliction of cruel and unusual punishments did no good as a deterrent, and wrought much harm by serving to dehumanize the people. If, however, the American people have changed their opinions as to the wisdom of cruel and unusual punishments, let them say so, man fashion, and pro vide that the punishment for rape shall be burning at the stake. Legal burn ing at the stake is not half so terrible as this permitting a mob to 'murder a prisoner by fire or the rope. If we are not ready to enact burning at the stake as the penalty for rape, let us Insist that nothing but the .legal pen alty shall be Inflicted by the hands of the law. Mob justice does no good, but works vast harm. Nobody has any sentimental sympathy for the suffer- j ings of a guilty ravlsher, but It a de moiltion of the defenses of the law for the individual that concerns us all, and greatly concerns us. No mob Is ever "the people"; no mob has any right to administer' the laws of a state with such corrections, extensions, and emen dation as the mob approves In face of vthe pledge of every state constitution that no man shall be subjected to loss of life, liberty or property without due process of law. The man, or mob that commits murder and pleads "the un- rltten law" in defense generally be longs to that class that are not only prone to violate all written law, but are themselves not seldom guilty of the very offenses to punish which they plead this unwritten law. Good citizens never seek to commit crimes under unwritten lafc but pre sumptive outlaws are always ready to do It. If a mob may rob a black man of his life lawlessly, they may rob a hlte man of his life; they may rob any man, white or black, of . Hie or liberty or property, for any reason that seems good to them or they have the transient power to enforce. We repeat that a mob is both a lawless brute and most hopeless fool, and mobs seldom succeed when the Sheriff shoots to kill. Whenever the Sheriff, North or South, is known to be an officer that will in tract his posse to shoot to kill, and will set them the example, mobs do not succeed; but if the Sheriff Is a "good fellow," with no pride of office, but a strong desire to he re-elected, the mob generally gets away with his prisoner. A high-minded Sheriff wjll always shoot to kill, and the mob, whose cruelty is only equaled by Its cowardice, lets that kind of a Sheriff severely alone. To shoot to kill Is not a matter of senti ment or sympathy for the prisoner; with a Sheriff It Is a matter of clear duty and business. FLOODS IX THE WEST AND SOUTH, It Is gratifying to note, now that ap proximately accurate returns have been received, that the losses from the floods In the West and South, though enor mous, are not as great as was at first reported. This was expected by those who simply heard reports of the flood from a distance, though It Is not a mat ter of surprise that to those who sent out reports from the scene of devasta tion It appeared at the time as If "all the world was In the sea." The destitution seems, as usual, to be the greatest In Kansas, where every sort of calamity, from political sophis try and financial blundering down through floods, drouth and grasshopper plagues, has taken Its turn In distilling the venom of misfortune. Though many people are homeless and other wise destitute In that state, aid has been received from all quarters, and already the sharp edge of destitution has been worn off. The damage to crops is much less than was estimated, and unless the other extreme sets In and drouth scorches where -but now waters surged, the corn crop will not suffer greatly, while according to pres ent estimates -the wheat crop will be In excess of that of last year. The stress of the flood being over, the subject that Is cngrossjng'the thoughts of the people . In the Mississippi and Missouri Basins turn to the possibility of preventing a repetition of floods In the future. ' Once more the plan of building immense storage reservoirs Is being considered, with the view of pressing the matter upon the attention of Congress next Winter. The present feeling that the levee system must be abandoned, so far as future extensions as dependable safeguards against floods are concerned, and storage reservoirs for the detention of surplus waters must be created. Agriculture depends absolutely upon the water supply, and the drainage of the iresnet means a dearth of moisture later on. The de tention of the surplus to meet a com ing need Is not new. The device was In use thousands of years ago In the val leys of the Tigris, Euphrates and the Nile. It will be. Inaugurated In the Mississippi and Missouri Valleys in time. Economy of resources demands It, and sooner or later, in a great and growing country, the demand will be acceded to. The subject is of direct In terest to more than 40,000.000 people a number that half a century hence may easily be doubled, by a wise develop ment of the natural resources of the section where the alternate wastage of drouth and flood now goes on year after year. STEAM NAVIGATION'S TRIUMPHS. The old-time rivalry between the Cu nard and the White Star lines for the fastest and largest ship afloat would seem Inclined to tameness compared with that which Is now raging between the two big German lines which are fighting for prestige aqd business on the Atlantic. The British lines have Ibullt some splendid flyers of great size within the past few years, but the Ger mans seem determined to keep at the head of the procession. The North Ger man Lloyd was the first to place In service a 700-foot vessel, and the speed of that giant scorcher Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse was for a time the wonder of the world. Then came the Hamburg American line with the marvelous Deutschland, which made a new record for fast, time across the Atlantic. The Deutschland s record has not been beaten, although the North German Lloyd expected the Kaiser Wilhelm H, a 707-foot flyer, to take the measure of her rival. Their latest addition to the fleet, the Kronprlnz William, has given promise of beating the Deutschland whan she guts her bearings worn smooth, and for fear that something of this kind may happen, the Hamburg American line is already making preparations for the construction of the longest and fast est steamship in the world. The con tamplated vessel Is to be 725 feet long, 77 feet beam and 50 feet depth of hold. and will have the most powerful en glnes ever placed In a steamer. She Is expected to be a flve-day boat, some thing which steamshlnjnen have looked forward to with the same interest and hope that is shown by horsemen In the two-minute trotter. The Increase in the size of these big ocean flyers has been so rapid within the past few years that the 1000-foot steamer may yet be a reality, and when It comes it will un doubtedly make the time of the pres ent ocean greyhounds seem slow In comparison. There seems to be a radical differ ence In the Ideas of the British and German builders regarding the con struction of their Atlantic flyers. The British steamers all have greater freight-carrying capacity than the Ger man passenger boats, the latter' being so constructed that nearly all of their space is required for mail, express and passenger accommodations, excepting, of course, the .enormous bunker space needed to carry a sufficient amount of coal to drive the big ship at railroad speed for nearly a week. Enormous as must he the expense of operating one of these Immense steamers, there is undoubtedly a good margin of profit aside from the prestige which helps other and slower boats of the company owning one of the flyers. The Deutsch- land Is reported to have carried on a single trip this season a passenger list from which fares amounting to over $275,000 had been collected. These earnings, together with the revenue from express and mall matter,, bring the gross amount earned by a steamer In a year up to a "figure which twenty years ago would have been deemed Im possible. Another factor which Is steadily help ing the revenue of the big steamers is the Increasing number of very wealthy people who pay handsome premiums for luxurious quarters on these fine ships. It takes no more coal to carry a ship load of people In elegant, high-priced quarters than It does to carry them In the steerage. Twenty-five years ago the ten-day boats were fast enough and big enough. Now the six- and seven- day boats, even though they be 15,000- tonners, are becoming too slow, and the 1000-footer with a four- to five-day schedule is not beyond the reach of the present generation. Portland has reason to congratulate Itself, both for Its prompt response to the call for help at Heppner and for the systematic manner In which the ..relief work was carried on. Immediately the news of the disaster was received, the Merchants' Protective Association, act ing upon the suggestion of Mr. I. N. Flelschner, laid the case before Mayor Williams, who In turn appointed as an executive committee on relief Mr. Flelschner. I. Lang, I Allen Lewis, H. Wittenberg and W. H. Chapln, all of whom are members of firms belonging to the Merchants' Protective Associa tion. Under the able management of these gentlemen at Portland funds were collected and turned over to R. L. Sabln as treasurer, and clothing, provisions and labor were forwarded to tlfe suffer ing people of Heppner. At the Hepp ner end. J. N. Teal and J. N. Davis, both Portlanders, organized the work ing relief force and attended to the proper distribution of the supplies. The Heppner disaster demonstrated the high value of the Merchants' Protective As sociation as a factor In the city's com mercial life. Composed as It is of busi ness firms of large capital and business and wide Influence, It was able to plan and carry on work better than any other organization In the city. It Is a fact worthy of note here that Portland always responds generously to the call for help for stricken humanity. Johns town, Galveston, the forest-fire suffer ers last year, are among prominent ex amples. Portland accepted Its task at Heppner as a duty It owed to human ity, and not one person who contributed to the city's fund ever thought for a moment he was giving charity. It Is occasions like these, deplorable as they are, that bring out the best spirit of the city and send men like Flelschner, Lang. Lewis. Devers, Wittenberg, Cha pln, Teal, Davis and Sabln to the front In charge of the relief corps. It must certainly be due to a mis apprehension of fact that the Weston Leader Indulges a tirade . .against the Pacific States Telephone people for turning their wire over to the West ern Union at the time of the Heppner disaster so that It could "make ten times as much money as It otherwise could," but incidentally earning "the deepest execrations of the general pub lic." The fact Is that this turning-over of the telephone wire to the general public through the Western Union was first proposed by Representative Phelps as an act of generosity on the part of the Pacific States people, and was so understood and performed by them. They asked no pay for the use of the wire, and expect none, and It was their Idea that anxious Inquirers could receive Information more quickly through the facilitation of press reports than In the usual method of private calls. The company probably lost 5500 by the operation, and 111 deserves cen sure now for what was really a com mendable contribution toward relief of the distress Imposed by the calamity. One good turn deserves another, and Is pretty sure to get it. In his address at the University of Virginia a few days ago President Roosevelt said: Virginia has a right to be proud of the char acter of tho men whom she has sent into pub lic life. The two United States Senators from vinrinia ar both srraduatea of this university, and it Is a genuine pleasure to b brought into contact with them In handling public affairs. It was a deserved tribute to Virginia and to her Senators, and there was tact as well as truth in it. The Senators listened with pleasure as well as with approval. Senator Daniel declined to add anything to what he called the President's "wonderful and masterly address"; and Senator Martin said the President's remarks were "truly excel lent." Summed up, a scientific Investigation of the Heppner flood by John T. Whls tier, of the United States Geological Sur vey, reveals: One and one-half Inches of rain over a surface approximately twenty miles square; rapid discharge of the water down steep hillsides Into a valley 500' to 1500 feet wide; sudden formation of a wall of water sir feet high; destructlveness due more to the rugged character.of the topography and almost entire absence of vegetation than to unusual rainfall. Charles F. McKlm, the famous New York architect, who designed the Hotel Portland, has been honored by the Royal Society of Architects at London with the King's gold medal. Europeans as a rule have small opinion of Amer lea's architectural art The singling out of Mr. McKlm for this marked acknowl edgment may be regarded as a distinct National tribute. Two negroes will be hanged for rob bery at Birmingham, Ala., . August Only one person has been hanged In Alabama for thls crime. He was negro. The negroes who are to be hanged held up a merchant at the point of pistols while they robbed his cash drawer of $17. Ira D, Sankey is stricken with loss of sight and his case Is pronounced hope less. He did the world a service with his gospel songs that gave comfort to multitudes. Of the millions who heard his voice and sang his hymns there Is not one who will not be moved hy sym pathy for the afflicted evangelist This time Seattle reports a big gold find near Valdes. June and July are harvest months, and the -fleet of steam ers needs something to stimulate travel. LIMITS OF LITERARY MENDACITY Minneapolis Tribune. The extraordinary misbehavior of Mr. Froude, la the matter of the Carlyle me morials, has provoked serious discussion of the ethical limits of literary mendacity. The question is now bow far a historian or biographer may employ the method of romantic fiction; that is, may suppress, pervert or destroy the .truth, or tell a whopper out of whole cloth. In order to be interesting. Mr. Froude was a bone 'of contention among critics before the Carlyle episode. No one disputed his original and cultivat ed mendacity. "While duller historians, perhaps inspired by Jealousy, attacked it hotly, his friends defended and Justified It by pointing to his matchless style and the perpetual interest of his writing. They admitted the painstaking accuracy of Mr. Freeman, Froude's great rival in the his torical field, and they did not dispute that Froude falsified everything, from 16th cen tury Spanish archives to the record of contemporary courts in Ireland. But they thought It was sufficient answer to say that Freeman was dull, and neglected by the reading public, and that every educat ed person read and enjoyed Froude. We fear that this is true In fact, how ever deplorable In morals. Mr. Froude's literary method was that of the historical novelist, and this again Is precisely that of the newspaper reporter, bound to make a readable story without regard to the facts. No historian of his century was such- delightful reading as Mr. Froude; but It is undeniable that his writings are unfit reading for persons without histori cal knowledge enough to discriminate be tween the true and the false; unless they have been warned in advance to read him In the same spirit as Scott or Dumas. The -question of the day is whether a historian, confirmed in this" method by the successful practice of a lifetime, is war ranted In carrying It into the biography of his two oldest and dearest friends, the survivor of whom had put he reputation of botn In his hands as literary executor, in a testament full of touching expres sions of confidence and affection. Mr. Froude Improved this trust to He most Infernally about both tho Carlyles. In or der to make a book, that would be widely talked about and sold. Mr. V. S. Lilly, a minor historical writer, takes him to task for this with extraordinary plainness of speech In the last Fortnightly Review. Mr. Andrew Lang," who Is such a clever humorist that one never knows when to relieve him In earnest, defends Froude and attacks Lilly In the London Post. Mr. Lang says. In effect, that no one knew Froude better than Carlyle: that he knew exactly how that acpompllshed artist had written history, and had every reason to know that he would write biog raphy In the same fashion. That is to say, Mr. Lang thinks that Carlyle knew Froude would build a monstrous literary monument of scandalous mendacity over his grave, but wished him to do it. In or der that the world might continue to talk about tho Carlyles. Really this must bo one of Mr. Lang's cleverest Jokes. Criminal Trial for Heath. New York Times. The report of Fourth Assistant Post master-General Brlstow Involves Mr. Perry S. Heath so deeply In the postal scandals and Irregularities, and presents against him charges so grave, that It will be the general opinion, we think, that between him and the defrauded Treasury of his country justice can be done only bv the finding of a criminal court afer Indictment and trial. The charges are al together too terlous to be passed over in silence, or to be satisfactorily explained away unless Mr. Heath may be so fortu nate as to be able to explain them by his testimony under oath. Instance after In stance Is cited in Mr. Brlstow'3 report of Irregularities in appointments, in pay ments and in contracts, as well as of loss to the Government through acts of negli gence. When the names of clerks were Irregularly put upon the payroll by order of First Assistant Postmaster-General Heath, and when tha appointees performed no service in return for the Government money which was paid them. It would seem that the offense, whatever It may be in law, was In fact a conspiracy of two or more persons to defraud the Treasury. j.iiese "Irregularities are numerous, and the aggregate of the fraudulent payments Involved Is considerable. It is altogether futile to attempt to sweep these charges away with the assertion that they con cern only tho Administration of Mr. Mc Klnley, and that nothing of the kind Is now going on in the department. The law was violated and money was wrong fully taken from the Treasury. Mr. Heath can never clear himself of the susplclon- and the public odium which these dis closures put upon him save by a verdict of acquittal at the end of a trial in court The Government cannot say that justice has been done to the people and to It- self until a Jury of Mr. Heath's peers have passed upon his acts. Auto Stage Linen in Nevada. Denver News. Unlike the horse or the less .comely mule, the autcmoblle does not need water. save that which Is wasted In making It look clean. Hence a field of actual use fulness has been found for the machine In Nevada, where water is scarce. Tono pah, realizing that several hours can be saved In the time required to make the stage trip between Sodavllle and Tono nah. Is organizing a strong company to Rut In operation an automobile stage line, each coach to carry sixteen passengers The machines will be 32-horse power and guarantee of making the trip of 60 miles in six hours. The news of tho new enterprise Is hailed with satisfaction ow ing to the crowded condition of the mall stage and Its heavy loads of freight every night Hamanklndneii Still Lives. Milton Eagle. It Is gratifying to note with what promptness and liberality the pepole of Oregon have contributed to the necessi ties of the flood sufferers at Heppner. Scarcely had the first reports of" the calamity reached the outside world when measures were taken by practically every town In the state to send relief. Contri butions are pouring in, and tho present need of the survivors will be supplied. It Is occasions of thlsklnd that call out tho best there is in a person and makes all the world akin. Those who fear that the world Is becoming sordid and selfish have but to note the generosity with which the appeals for help for the sufferers at Hepp ner have been met to have their fears dis pelled. Cakevralk Originally French. New York Tribune. The French have found a reason for the popularity of the cakewalk In Paris. The thing Is French! One of the negroes at the Nouveau Cirque, interviewed by a Paris paper, says that the origin of the danco wao French. According to this lat est account some of the French refugees from the court of Marie Antoinette Intro duced the minuet Into New Orleans about the time of tha revolution, and It was the native Imitation of the most fashionable dance In Europe that was afterward de veloped Into the cakewalk. His Excuse. July Smart Set "You can't go inside," said the door keeper of the village theater, wherein a certain "Uncle Tom's Cabin" aggregation were holding forth. "You are drunk." "Zrunk?" echoed the applicant fpr ad mission, who was lavishly and luridly lighted up Inside. Coursh I'm hie zrunk! Why goodgosh'lmlghty! do you s'pose I'd hie wanta see your darned old show If I wasn't hie zrunk?" Where, Oh Where Is George f Ansley (Neb.) Chronicle-Citizen. " Will eome one inform of the where about of George Haines. Did those school marms hie him away to some secluded spot to allow him to recuperate for next Winter's fascination? MORE SIGNALS R0M MARS. New York Times. Our good friends, the Martians, are at It again. They have something to communi cate, and are trying to signal us. Wheth er It is a peaceful communication, which, If translatable, would be found to mean. Good morning. Earth. How's business? or something to like effect, or formal no tice that the long-threatened Martian in vasion of this planet la about to begin, calling for some sort of proclamation of hostile Intent, we cannot at present be quite surev Professor Perclval Lowell, of Boston, who has made a specialty of Mars lor some years, has observed a brilliant projection from the edge of the Martian disk which admits of no natural explan ation, and consequently must be artificial. If artificial. It undoubtedly has a purpose, and from Its position and character the presumption is that this purpose Is to at tract the attention of the astronomers of this planet and tell them something, or at least get an answering signal. It might very' well be that they have some thing important to communicate, but the misfortune of It all Is that Jf thi3 be true, we shall have to remain content with Ig norance of what it Is. Were this otherwise, the difficulties In the way of answering the Martian signals would be sufficiently serious to prove dis couraging. Sir Robert Ball's calculations led him to the conclusion that If we should attempt to establish a wig-wag communication with Mars we should need for that purpose a flag of about 32,500 square miles In area, which would demand an inconveniently long flagstaff and entail ome mechanical difficulties in handling It. Or, if we should try it with lights, we should need an electric light as large as the City of London, which would be ex pensive to maintain. We may get to It by and by. If tho occasion exists, but meanwhile it would be a great pity if Martian romance was ellmlnate'd from our pseudo-sclentlfld literature. It is a lovely planet to speculate about. Every thing points to the conclusion that the conditions on Mars are very similar to those existing on the earth. We hope their June climate Is better than ours, and that, with their vast system of "canals," presumably for irrigation purposes, they suffer less than we from the alternation of drouth and flood but that Is beside the point. It will continue to interest U3, not because it makes any possible differ ence wu.t the people of Mars are doing, but maybe because it Is really- none o our business anyway, and has additional fas cination for that reason. It is a pity, of course, if they want to signal us, that we cannot find a way to respond. Just to show ourselves neighborly and sociable, but doubtless It amuses them to make the ef fort, and thus contributes something to the gayety of planets. The Dclnslvo Trust. Boston Herald. The statements which the promoter, Mr. Charles M. Schwab, Is nowadays giving out concerning the way in which the United States Shipbuilding Company was established as a trust are revealing. Thero is no reason to believe that the methods by which a value of $3,000,000 or $P,000,000 was converted into a valuation of $30,000,- 000 In securities to be unloaded on the pub lic is substantially different from a hun dred other . schemes, greater or smaller, that havo resulted In the large aggrega tion of what Mr. Morgan calls "undi gested securities," which the people are unwilling to buy at the prices asked for them. The shipping company In question is now a wreck on the shoals of confi dence, tho preferred stock having a quot able value of 3 cents on the dollar, and the common stock of 1 cent on the dollar. while Its bonds are far below par. How much of bonds and stock has been foisted upon the public we cannot say. The next thing is a receiver. Perry Heath and Hi Friend. - New York World. This thine of nagging faithful postal officials Is being run into the ground. For instance, they are criticising Perry Heath for allowing his friend Smith to collect $22.50 for carfare when he was stationed at a camp where there were no cars. Well, what of It? Was it Smith's fault that there were no cars at Camp Alger? You couldn't expect him to build a rail road with $22.50. could you? That money was what he would have spent If the cars had been there. He waited for them, but thev never came. He stood there at his lonely post, faithfully guarding that $22.50 and ready to do his duty as soon as other neoDle did theirs. But he got no. reward I-for It. no medal not even thanks; and now an ungrateful public is abusing mm for his thoughtfulness. And what cuts Smith even more bitterly, the critics are not content with abusing him they abuse his great and upright friend. Perry Heath! Woman Xot "a. Person," Brooklyn Eagle. Not long ago a woman applied to be admitted to the examinations for a sol icitor In Scotland and the Scottish law courts thereupon decided that a woman Is not a person. That Is to say, the act of parliament which regulates theterms on which anybody is aamittea to prac tlce law In Scotland speaks always of "persons," and the judges held that this word should apply only to men. Much the same decision was given a good many vears aKO In England about women medl cal students, and that matter was put rieht for the women who wished to be come doctors by parliament passing an act stating definitely that women could be admitted to all medical examinations where the heads of the profession were willing to admit them. The PhotORTapliers Art. Ashland Tribune. The photographs of the scenes of the Heppner flood reproduced In The Oregon lan convey an understanding of that awful deluge of waters carrying destruction and death, such as cannot be had from any of the descriptions written by Portland newspaper men, though they have been very complete and of marked excellence, especially so considering the difficulties in reaching Heppner and collecting the Information promptly. One- Soft-Hearted Servian. Philadelphia Ledger. After wiping tho sword with which he had assisted In slaying the King and Queen of Servla and a few others and hacking up their bodies Colonel Maschin objected to throwing the corpses out of the window. "That." he said with in finite delicacy, "that would be barbarous! A Sad Case. Chicago News. A life that seemed protected by a charm He bore, ro many dangers had he passed. Some special cherub kept him from all harm ' And brought him to a green old age at last. The life adventurous he always led: He'd sailed on stormy seas to distant lands; In bloody battles had he fought and bled; Ho'd been in peril dire from robber bands: Fierce cannibals had marked him for" their meat. But still ho always landed on his feet. And then at home he, too, would sport with death. Spring poems to stern editors he took; He braved his wife with cloves upon his breath. The cornet learned by an Instruction book: At ball satnes he did not ort officiate As umpire, and Chicago's streets at night L He fearles. walked, e'en-when the hours were late. Despite of which ho still came out all right. And thouca- for him "the grave would seem to gape All mortal hurt he managed to escape. And still ho eats tho deadliest of food. Drinks unboiled water, heedless of Its germs. Or stronger stuff, according" to his mood. And will not diet upon any terms'. If he gets sick he speedily Is cored. For years to come he'll be alive and merry; The reason Is. he's heavily insured And Tra the doleful beneficiary rve long abandoned all idea of wealth , Since he enjoys this most disgusting health. NOTE AND COMMENT. A Hands up I " f Your money or your llfei The "man behind, the gun" Is again looming Into prominence. The International Alphonse and Gaston act Is now going on at Kiel. A deserted city has. been found In Mex ico. Must be Tacoma off on a vacation. The patient husbands are already be ginning to ponder over Summer hotel ads. ' It'3 wonderful how many citizens- are leaving their watches and jewelry' at home these nlshts. A New York couple died from taking a doso of Paris green. They- probably thought It was an Irish cocktail. The only foreign representative on band at Peter's coronation was from Russia. It must have been a great love-feast. A Porto Rico circus management re fused to issue passes, and a riot ensued. Yes, our new possessions are becoming civilized rapidly. Yes, gentle reader, when It Is announced that the postal authorities will press all cases It means that all details will be published In the press. All street-car men aro to be provided with revolvers, say the street-car man- agers; but wnetner tor use on passengers or robbers. It Is not known. The police seem very much surprised that the highwaymen should remain un discovered. It Is hardly to be expected that the "artists" would rent a hall and lecture on their deeds. When Senator Arthur Pew Gorman waa at the Fifth Avenue hotel. New York, Just before sailing for Europe recently, a newspaper man. presuming upon long acquaintance, pressed the political sphinx Insistently for an Interview. "Can't do it my boy," replied the Senator. "Politi cians, you know, are like children." "How so?" They should be seen, not heard." And the Senator resumed his promenade up and down the hotel corridor. A marriage lottery has been organized by the Bachelor Club, of Derby, Conn. Once a year the twenty-five members will draw lots- and the one receiving a black ticket must marry within the year. The penalty for failure Is the forfeiture of $50. which each of the members hag already deposited with Treasurer George A Mc Neil, expulsion from the club and a loss of all money paid the club's insurance de partment. Those who abide by the draw ing will receive $200 for wedding expenses. The club has been organized fifteen years and no member has ever married. Grant Elrod, of Elmo,. Mo., is willing to admit that few things Irritate tha aver age man more than to have his hat blown off, but an experience he had last week convinces him that never again will he swear when such an accident happens to him. He was standing on the street, across from Calhoun's store In Elmo, a few days ago, when he saw a tornado coming. Calhoun's building was consid ered the strongest in the town, and El rod made a dash for it Just then his hat sailed Into the air. Probably from habit, he turned back to get It A moment later the storm struck Calhoun's building. mado it a wreck and killed every human being in it If Elrod had gone on he would have been among those who lost their lives. J. A Chaffee, famous as the original of Bret Harte's pathetic story, "Tennes see's Pardner," has been placed In a san itarium at Oakland, Cal. Chaffee has lived since 1S49 in a small Tuolumne Coun ty mining camp with his partner. Cham berlain. - In the early days he saved Chamberlain from the vigilance commit tee by a plea to Judge Lynch when the vigilantes had a rope around the victim's throat It was the only case on record In the county where the vigilantes gave way in such a case. Chamberlain waa accused of stealing the miner's gold, but Chaffee cleared - him, as everyone believed Chaf fee. The two men then settled down to live where they have remained ever since, washing enough placer gold to maintain them. Both are over SO, "Tony" Aste, the king of New York bootblacks, attended the Rancho del Paso sale of yearlings at Sheepshead Bay re cently and secured the star of the sale. A black colt by Watercress Inquisitive was knocked down to him for $7100, after spirited bidding, in which some men of money took part When Tony landed the prize the auctioneer said: "Mr. Aste, I hope you have another Nasturtium In this horse." It will be remembered that Aste sold this horse for $60,000. Aste Is the Napoleon of the shining profession. He formerly manipulated a brush in the Equitable building and now owns an ex tensive string of "parlors" all over tho city. He has over 800 men in his employ, all Italians. He has been In this country only li years, but In that time he has distanced ninety-nine and nine-tenths of the natives in the race for wealth. PLEASANTRIES OP PARAGRAPHBRS Rodney Jack and Joe are fast friends, I believe. Ripley Yes, they're going the paca that kills. Yonkera Statesman. Little Jim Your gran'pa is awful old. ain't he? Little Bob Yes-slree! Why, he's so old that he can't remember the time when he wasn't living! Puck. Payne's "Hot Air" a Simoon. The charges that Postmaster-General Payne sneered at as "hot air" seem likely to prove a withering blast for come people. Boston Globe. Gladys Why did Mildred break the en gagement? She said she would go to the ends of tbe earth with him. Phyllis No doubt she would; but he wanted her to live In Brook lyn. Judge, s Mr. Bangup That note paper Is certainly very quaint, but are you sure it's fashion able? ilrs. Bangup Oh. It roust be. It's almost impossible to write on It. Chicago Dally News. Dialogues of the Day. First Wall-Stieet Pa tientCheer up! I know we're all pretty sick, but the doctor is coming. Second Wall Street Patient Tou mean Morgan? I am nq sure whether he is the doctor or the under taker. Villager What do yer call that 'ere thing, mister? Cyclist This? Why, a bicycle. Vil lager WeU, give me a wheel-barrer, says L. Yer can sit down in It an' 'avo a rest when yer tired o' pushln' It. Glasgow Evening Times. y From Over the Border. Just as soon as Dood ling .in city governments and legislative bodies Is stopped for good, It will be time for hyper critical papers up North to criticise the way the Cubans manage their home affairs. Mex ican Herald. "I never see the Iceman stop before your house any more, Mrs.. Fllpperlelgh." "No: since the Buxtons. next door, fell Into their fortune, they've been so cool to us that wa don't need any help from the refrigerator. Chicago Record-Herald. "Wasn't that a dreadful scandal?" "Yes," answered Miss Cayenne. "I understand the people concerned are almost heartbroken." "That's true. It was" a dreadful humillatloa to them to find they dldnt have enough in fluence to keep It out of 'the newspapers." Washlnton Star. 5