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PORTLAND, TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 1904.
1
SYMPATHY AND NEUTRALITY.
One whom we know to be a constant
reader and friend of The Oregonian
sends us this pertinent if caustic query:
.1 observe with perturbation not unmixed
with solicitude that you divide your editorial
attention to the Russo-Japanese war be
tween demonstrating the irreconclllballty of
Russian with American civilization -and rep
robating the manifestation of American
sympathy with Japan. As I suppose It
would be Impertinent to suggest that 'there
is any Inconsistency here. I will merely ask
that you enlighten us. If possible, to the
proper harmonization of these two modes of
expression. For my benighted understand
ing, at least, the problem needs a little elu
cldatlom What would you" have us do
shout for Russia but pray In the closet for
Japan? Or Is there an Irreconcilable con
flict In thesanctum Itself?
The friendly tone of the inquiry for
bids anything but a friendly answer;
and let us own at the outset that the
correspondent's position is a natural
.one, which must have occurred to
"many. As to his closing intimation,
however, we can reassure him that the
sanctum is safe from domestic strife;
as the articles referred to were all
written by the same pen, and out of the
same trusty ink bottle where still abide,
Deo volens, many more of the same
persuasion. But to the question of con
sistency. Between the Russian order of things
and the English and American order of
things there is eternal war; but between
the Russian government and the United
States government there may be, and as
we believe should be. peace and even
good-fellowship; and between the Rus
sian people and the American people
there must be, if we are manly men, a
mutual recognition of each others
rights, duties and privileges. Many
times we have set out, in argument and
illustration unnecessary to repeat, the
basal and comprehensive antagonism
between autocracy and democracy, rep
resented by Russia on the one hand
and the United States on the other.
Trie triumph of Russia in this war.
therefore, becomes a thing of forebod
ing to every man who apprehends the
progress and happiness of mankind as
bound up with the success or failure of
popular government. No one who truly
understands and believes the principles
of democracy can view the ascendency
of Russia in the world and the spread of
unlimited monarchy without a fear for
the permanence of republican institu
tions, as developed and cherished in
Great Britain and the United States
But this is not the Issue In the war;
nor the merits of the combatants; nor
their respective claims upon our friend
ship or our self-interest. As a nation
we can have no possible grievance
against Russia because of her form of
government; or the rigors of her crimi
nal code; or the backwardness of her
civilization; or the lightness of the steel
on her Siberian Railway; or the policies
she adopts In regulation of trade, so
long as she does not make insidious
discrimination against us in favor of.
other powers, unless, of course, such
discrimination is a fair answer to some
overt act of our own. Germany, Austria
and France sympathized with Spain in
the war of 189S, but they had sense
enough to restrain it so that our friend
ly relations with them all were unlm
paired. The memory of Admiral Diet
rich's insolence at Manila has long
rankled in American hearts, and was a
powerful promoter of the efforts anx
iously put forth by Emperor "William
to appease us.
"We are friendly with Japan; we are
friendly with Russia. It is to our in
terest to continue friendly with each.
It Is our duty as an honorable people
to accord Russia the friendly treatment
she has always accorded us. If we do
not keep this trust, if we do not have
regard to our self-interest, we shall
speedily suffer In the alienation of a
great people's esteem, and in the cessa
tlon of Russian purchases of our wares,
"We are afraid of Russia's administra
tion of Manchuria; is it then our cue to
make that administration a certain dis
crimination against us, or by careful
conduct to deserve well of it? Our his
toric policy has been "friendship with
all nations, entangling alliances with
none." We follow this course, because
It is right, and also because our com
mercial necessities require us to be on
good terms with every country where
we may find markets for our goods or
desirable things to buy. To pick
quarrel with Russia would be to injure
our own producers.
The Russians are a proud and a sen
sltlve people. No nation on the globe
has put forth so tremendous efforts in
recent years to improve itself, to follow
the example of other nations in sound
'finance, enterprising industries, .freedom
of its serfs, benefactions; to the poor
and development of its immense re
sources. Russia Is. it is . true. - ambi
tious. She covet3 an ocean frontage in
open waters: she lays railroads' she,
hopes will pay, she- builds cities she
hopes will become great; she founds
colonies she hopes -may prosper. Tnese
are ambitions and performances that
are not' yet accounted crimes in other
lands and they are not in Russia.
Let us forbear to assume the air of
the swashbuckler, who plumes himself
upon his own prowess, but reprobates
prowess and pluming in any other. Re
member that the Russian has the same
sentiments of national loyalty and pride
that we venerate so passionately In our
selves. Remember that the true man
gives no affront without cause. "We
hope that every act of Secretary Hay,
so far, however much some may savor-
of a desire to aid Japan and humiliate
Russia, can be explained to Russia's
satisfaction; but if not, and if they are
repeated and added to, The Oregonian
hopes never to be found among those
who resent affronts to themselves but
reserve the right to Inflict affronts at
will upon others and grow angry when
called to account. It will be perfectly
Idle for us to alienate the friendship of
Russia and then expect either ty
wheedling or bravado to escape the log
ical consequences of our own act.
RUSSIA'S CONTRABAND ANNOUNCE
MENT. Foodstuffs and coal are the principal
items in Russia's list of articles that
will be considered contraband of war.
Had the Russian fleet command of the
sea, greater interest would be taken in
the "rules of' war" Just Issued by the
Czar, but as matters now stand it is of
no importance to the Oregon shipper
what Russia thinks , about wheat or
flour? The Japanese vessels will in all
probability have the Vladivostok cruis
ers "bottled" or forced Into an action
within a short time, and with these four
vessels out of the way the ports of
Japan will be as open to American ves
sels, whether carrying foodstuffs or
not, as are the ports of Mexico. It is
not the duty of the United States Gov
ernment to" prevent food supplies from
being shipped to Japan, and indeed
nothing short of an "effective" block
ade by Russian ships could prevent
grain-laden neutral vessels from enter
ing Japanese ports.
The trend of that wider form of pub
lic opinion" we call international law Is
toward restricting the hardships and
danger of war to the conlbatant forces
so far as possible. Jurists, viewing this
tendency with approval, and most of
them do so view it, are of the belief
that foodstuffs may be seized as con
traband only when destined for the use
of the enemy's, fighting forces. Food
stuffs for general consumption are held
to be exempt from seizure and confis
cation. It is obvious that the enforce
ment of this principle would lead to
endless complications, and it is safe to
say that belligerents will proclaim all
food supplies contraband, seize all they"
can, and confiscate all they seize, if
they consider themselves strong enough.
The present interests .of the United
States cause "Washington to look with
approval upon all efforts to hav.e food
supplies removed from the list of con
traband articles.
"With our great exports of wheat a big
naval war would sef lously dislocate our
commerce, if wheat were to-be made
contraband. Great Britain is even more
disposed to favor any movement -for
the exclusion of food supplies from the
list of contraband articles. The exist
ence of the United Kingdom in time of
war depends upon the success with
which her navy maintains free commu
nication for ships with food supplies.
British naval experts have expressed
their belief that, in the event of waf
between the United Kingdom and a
strong Continental power, this country
would not agree to have foodstuffs re
garded as contraband. It is therefore
evident that the inability of the Rus
sian fleet to take even a commerce-destroying
part in the Orient has pre
vented considerable friction.
As to Japan, she has no necessity for
declaring foodstuffs contraband, at
least not just now. She can maintain a
blockade of all the Russian ports where!
supplies might be landed. Her occupa
tlon of Corea renders it unnecessary to
blockade Corean ports. So Oregonians
have no reason for taking other than
an academic interest in the rules of
war as drawn up by the Cz'ar.
A GLOOMY OUTLOOK.
Secretary Taft's appearance in the
discussion of the Frye bill restricting
Philippine trade to American vessels is
distinctly in the direction of justice. He
has induced Representative Cooper to
frame a bill postponing the operation
of the bill until July, 1905, and canceling
tariffs on Philippine imports at that
time. He hopes that in eighteen months,-
enough American shipping will be
ready to serve the trade concerned, and
he understands now, as he always has,
the depressing effect of .unnecessary
tariffs upon the prosperity and content
ment of dependencies.
Inasmuch as this House bill meets the
views already contended for in the Sen
ate by Mr. Mitchell, of Oregon, it goes
without saying that It will have his sup
port, both on general and on specific
grounds. .He has always stood for
tariff reductions to the Philippines and
he understands the peculiar relation of
Portland" shipping to the Frye bill. This
is, as we understand it, substantially
as follows: There are but seventeen
American steamships on the Pacific
Coast. These are owned by four differ
ent companies the Pacific Mail Steam
ship Company, which owns and controls
seven; the Boston Steamship Company,
which owns and controls five; the
Northern Steamship Company, which
owns and controls two. and the Great!
Northern Steamship Company, -which
owns and controls three. All of these
have their home ports either at Puget
Sound or San Francisco. Not one of
them has ever been to Portland, and
In all probability never will be.
The adverse bearing of this situa
tion on the Columbia River, in case the
Frye bill should become law, is -obvious,
If we should be compelled to ship all
the Government supplies purchased
here in American bottoms, where is the
tonnage to come from? ' Last month an
award was secured from the War De
partment for 250.000 feet of lumber
ana lzoo tons oi oats, proviaea trans
portation can be had, and the only ton
nage available, as we showed the other
day, was under the British flag. If we
had been restricted to American bot
toms, the award could hardly have'
failed to be forfeited.
Under the circumstances ;there is
some ground for hope that the Frye
bill may yet be amended. The Admin
Istratlon's " Influence is evidently to be.
counted for it; but the votes in the Sen
ate on Saturday are riot reassuring. On,
Senator Mitchell's amendment extend
Ing the Dresent arrangement to July" i, J.
1S05, there were 34. noes to 23 ayes.- TheJ
Cooper bill, if passed by- the House;,
will doubtless be substituted there for
the Frye bill, which we must expect
will be' passed by the Senate today;
but the Cooper bill will contain the
tariff abolishment clause, which is like
ly to stir up fresh opposition in the
Senate from the "standpatters," who
hate tariff reform never.so cordially as
when' it Is doing some such manifestly
good work as lifting burdens .from the
unfortunate and oppressed. Advocates
of the Frye bill and kindred measures
are very potent in the National Capitol.
WELL-EARNED SALVAGE.
A good, fat salvage fee was earned W
Captain Reed and his tug "Wallula when
they picked un the disabled steamer
Grace Dollar off the -mouth of the Co-
lumbia Sunday. - Driving straight for
North Beach in the grasp of a gale, of
unusual violence, the destruction of the
steamer seemed inevitable, and in such
a storm It is very doubtful If a single.,
survivor would have reached the beach
In -safety- had she struck. The .pre-emi
nent factor In determining the value. of
services rendered at such a time is the
degree .of .danger experienced by the
craft at the time of the rescue. This is
the business side of a matter In which
sentiment 'and gratitude are the points
of absorbing Interest to the public, and
it does not detract in the slightest degree
from the heroism of a rescuing tugboat-
man and crew if they immediately file
a salvage claim against the vessel they
have saved from destruction. The fact
that not one out of a dozen of these
cases ever reaches court shows to what
an extent-the- right and justice of a
rescuer's claim are recognized among the
owners of unfortunate craft, shipown
ers and underwriters.
Maritime law and customs in most re
spects stand the test of time much bet
ter than ithe regulations provided for
settlement of disputes and awarding of
damages dn "shore," and the salvage law
has remained practically unchanged for
generations. The rescuing" vessel al-'
ways assumes a certain amount of risk
in taking hold of a craft In distress,
and in eases like that of the Grace Dol
lar, where human life is at stake, there
is no time nor inclination on the part
of the master of either vessel to figure
out the financial value of that risk.
It Is a case of do the work at once and;
present your bill afterwards, . ana even,
were there ho prospects" for . reward for
the rislc Incurred rare indeed would be
the occasions, when aid w'ould-.be with
held or delayed:' The men who are In
trusted with valuable steamers' or tug
boats do not reach their poslt(onswith
out lncurrlrig some of the dangers,
which 4re ever' arpund the 'seafaring
man,' and the rescuer of today may be
the victim of tomorrow.
"With a full understanding of -these.
possibilities, financial rewards are sec
ondary considerations when a distress
signal Is sighted. And yet this volun-:
tary bravery "which -places in jeopardy
the lives- of one crew of men In order
that an attempt be made to' save' an
other crew . Is certainly .entitled to re-
muneratlve.recognltion In keeping, with
the risk assumed. Captain Reed and.
his brave men are entitled to all praise
for their heroism, and the recognized
laws covering tle salvage question will
undoubtedly give them something more
substantial than - the gratitude of the
saved ahd'.the approbation of- the gen
eral public,.
CLIMATE IN THE PHILIPPINES.
"When the. treaty nvlth Spain by which
we acquired the Philippines was under
debate in 1S98, ex-United States Senator
Edmunds in public speech affirmed that
the climate .of those Islands was so fatal
to a white man that no American could1
expect to live there and bring up a fam
ily. At that time The Oregonian quoted
the fact ' that Englishmen "had lived'
many years in a worse climate, that of
tropical India; that Macaulay was able
to do hard legal work even in Calcutta
when the mercury stood at 96 degrees;
above zero; that Thackeray was born in
India, where his parents had lived for
many years, and that Lord Roberts had.
campaigned .oyer forty years in mala.
Secretaryjor'War Tait. is over six
feetotnd welghs'SB&ipouridsnot a very.
good subject, to endure Ja tropical cli
mate, and yet he- returned, from the
Philippines in perfect hSjfothj. and he
suggests that thenewspaprscan "help
tne American vxaeratjrenujr ueujine
the lies circulated. ?&pout tne- terrjoie
climate there." Of course, no man of
common sense fails to adjust himself
and his habits to ms environment. . jno
man wears the same clothing in "Winter
or Summer in Westerq Oregon that he'
would wear in "Western Massachusetts.
There are vast areas of country in the
United States where no white man can
live long because of malaria.' .Neither
the bottom lands of the Mississippi nor
the swamps, of South Carolina;, where,
negroes .Cai), Uye, are. .healthful, ior a
white mam t. There are- doubtless such
lands in Cuba, in Porto Rico, In Africa,
In Indiaand-ia. the. Philippines; but It
Is not. -.necessary that a, white man
should, plckj out a patch of malarial
country for a homestead.
The Northern Army, campaigned for
three years through Louisiana, Missis
sippi and Arkansas, and endured the
Southern Summers about as well as the
native whites. More English soldiers
died, of fever in. the marshes of the
island of Wajcheren. .than died in the
swamps of Louisiana or the swamps
of Luzon. "White men have resided in
tropical or subtropical, regions for many
years, and reached old age. TDf course
they cannot labor as they do in tern
perate climates f they need to be spar
ing-of alcoholic stimulants; they-'heed
to boll their drinking water and suit
their diet and clothing to the environ
merit; and vfrexl they do white-men can
do hard mental work and' white, men as
soldiers have done hard physical work.
Lord Clyde at 67 In the Slimmer heat
made the - Lucknow- campaign; Sir
Charles dapler was over. .6) 4 when he
won Meahee;';Slr Hugh "Rose ""-was a
veteran la .theilndlan Mutiny, march-
Ipg and fighting! in heat' and dustevery
SLOW . BUT -SURE.
- Of the ' five, great ilrTigatlonschemes
that viere favorably reported" and "rec
ommended for further Investigation at
the beginning of 1903 by F; -H. Newjell
chief engineer of 'the United. States, re
clamation service, two are reported as
turning out well, .two as dubious, and
the fifth neutral. The projects were
exploited on the -Truckee River, Ne
vada; on Salt River,'. Arizona; on Milk
River, Montana; on Sweetwater River,
Wyoming", and on Gunnison River, Col
orado. In reviewing the progress of
these more important irrigation enter
prises undertaken by the Government,
Mr. Newell says:
The engineers -of the reclamation
are engaged, in lnvestlgatlonauv.all
arid states .-and territories. -. Their
bring! out 'clearly a fact:. commonly
sized in other work, that the projects most
-popularly urged are" frequently, fojmd, when
given futl study, to b'e least worthy. On' the
ether 'hand, careful reconnaissance work has
developed unexpected - and' favorable oppor
tunities for Irrigation works.
To this It Is added that the attitude
of the people In some of the prdposed
irrigation districts-, has become some
what lukewarm, and their promises to
co-operate have not Veen 'entirely ful
filled. One pf 'the lessens, earned by
the engineers of the reclamation service
is that popular clamor or enthusiasm
cannot be.. depended upon-to .forward
great and enduring enterprises.. Great
works,, such! as, the irrigation, schemes
under; contemplation and .investigation,
which are destined to last for a hundred
years, cannot be thought out in every
detail In a few nfonths. In regard to
those, already passed upon, or partly soo
the engineering difficulties In some
cases have been found to be very great.
In others the amount of arid land that
is reclaimable is not sufficient to jus
tify the enormous outlay.
In the meantime-, examinations, have
been extended over a wide area, cover
ing sections In everysemiarld state and
territory. A number of opportunities
of great merit' have 'been found which
are being worked out "quietly. Experi
ence nas . snown that It is -prudent to
avoid publicity In these matters until
the feasibility of the schemes contem
plated Is passed upon 'by competent
men. In the words . of ' Mr. Newell.'
"pubjlc reaction is sure to Xollqw the
emotional exploiting .of such enter
prises. Disappointments are Inevitable
and- unforeseen difficulties are sure to.
arise." ...
It must be plain to any thoughtful
person that any large Irrigation work
must necessarily progress slowly. The
advancement of the work Is governed
arbitrarily by physical -conditions, even
though all of the money asked for is
available'. For example, In the case of
a long tunnel -only a dertaln number of
men can work at the point where effort
tells and. the-rate of progress is fixed
by the available space for the workmen.
The same is true as to putting in the
foundations for dams. This work can
only be done at' a suitable stage of
water, even though a million dollars are
awaiting disbursement for its comple-'
tlon. The fact that the work can only
be taken up as conditions permit is
overlooked! "by settlers and others, who
"want water right now."
It Is -easy to understand this feeling
of impatience, but quite: another thing
to dispel -it - However," it is believed
that when the' situation is fully made
known the public at large cannot fail to
appreciate the value of the systematic.
ousinessiiKe metnoas wnicn are Being
pursued by the engineers of the recla
mation, service. T.hese engineers are on
trial before the whole country, and for.
a period far beyond the present. They
cannot afford to make a single .great
failure, -since thereby the whole scheme
of Government reclamation would suf
fer. The public, understanding the sit
uation, should be satisfied with the as
surance that .every steji .13 being care
fully, taken and that-, the, work Is', pro
gressing on broad lines of safety, per
manence and substantiality. - .
The waste of war Is already exempli
fied in the ruin of the commerce. that
followed the opening of the Siberian
Railway. Military needs must first be
met, and- these are now o great that
the traffic of peace has .been practically
wiped out or cbhinletely blocked.' and'
the hopes aria labor of years paralyzed.
vast "section are. concerned. The coni-..
mercial prosperity of Ja.pan, so wonder-;
ful in its development In recent years,
has also been, checked to an extent thati
will require years of restored peace to
make- good. It Is the contemplation of
this Inevitable result of war, even "more'
than considerations of humanity, that
makes, . rulers, hesitate and diplomats
parley when war Is. threatened. When
the actual conflict Is on, however, these
considerations are reversed and en
lightened humanity deplores the waste'
of human life and the4errible suffering
imposed by the stress, not -of battle,
but of war stress which nothing can
'avert or ' lessen. Examples.' qf this, "are
given- In the outrages which Japanese
women are reported to -have suffered In
Port Arthur at the hands of Russian
soldiers, and in the bitter, hopeless mis
ery that Russian troops suffer In the
passage of Lake Baikal! jheser are but
faint whisperings of the beginnings of
jgutrage and suffering "the end of which
no one can loresee, examples or tne
events that make war war arid a thing
to be averted if possible by diplomacy.
A powerful tug, good seamanship and
heroism' saved the steamer Grace Dol-r
lar, "iumber-laden, from Gray's Harbor
to San Pedro, from being cast upon
North Beach, with the probable loss of
the lives of all on board. Either of
these forces would have been powerless
without the others -In the rough battle
with wind, waves and Incoming , tide
that combined against the safety of the
disabled vessel. The bar of the Colum
bia, scourged by the gale Into a white,
resisting and apparentlyreslstless fury,
broke jilear a.crqss In great white break-,
ers ,that threatened destruction to the
mariners that "dared 16 breast them.
But, far worse threatened them on the
Washington coast a f ew; miles to the
north, toward whlcff the' Grace Dollar
was steadily drifting". The tug Wallula
Is a stanch and powerful craft; her
captain 'Is a braye' man and the "harbor
inside the Columbia River' bar a safe
one. It is thus .that the "Washington;
coast was robbed of another attraction
for Summer visitors by .the close prox
imity of a safe harbor on 'the Oregon
coast.
For "once the riiemory of the "oldest
inhabitant" in regard to the "worst
weather ever" has been, verified by the
records of the Weather Bureau. Feb
ruary, 1904, went out with a downpour
of rain driven by a cold wind, thus
completing the story of the most
stormy, rainy, chilly and generally dis
agreeable .February in Western Oregon
for - the past twenty-two Tearst " Not
only this, but the month left a record of
the heaviest rainfall of any correspond
Ing month in thrty-four years, or since
any official record of precipitation has
been kepL Well, what of it? It is
past, and It has left the promise of an
early Sprang and the certainty, of an
abundant harvest. And, so kindly do
the people pf Western Oregon take to
even an excess of ilreclpltatlon (when
it'does not take the .form of snow) that
the health of the public, has been.gener-
r ally good and the degree.of discomfort
induced by wind and rain small,
j .
Geography" Made Easy.
: Port Townsen'd Leader.
- From the composIhg-TQom standpoint of
the newspaper there is one easy thing
about the, Russo-Japanese. War No one
service I Knows now;ia-speu aw uij "ic ijaca, auu
1 of the I an'thatirhecessarjr jkjto toss in' a lot pf
. reports I J's k,s,rs' and Vs, and, .enoit up wita
,aecog-pitch, vItch?ror skr arid they -have it. ?
SPIRIT Q THE K0RTHWEST .PRESS
" One Way to -Look at It.
Eugene Guard.
, Russia may- be In better luck than she
thinks she is by having one fleet frozen
Up In the Baltic and another shut up in
the" Black Sea hy the 'closed Dardanelles.
If she had them in Asiatic waters the
Japs might, get them.
A Mitigating Circumstance.
West Side Enterprise.. ;
Qaptain Sam white, chairman of- the
Democratic State Central Committee, de
livered a telling shock to Jeffersonlan sim
plicity by appearing at the meeting of the
committee on. Washington's, birthday in a
silk tile hat and a Prince Albert coat. But
otherwise the chairman set Democracy a
"good "example by subscribing forlhe West
Side Enterprise. - . .
Mentioning No Names.
Yakima Republic.
Representative Shafroth, who gave up
his seat in the House because, as he said,
he was satisfied upon Investigation that
his election was accomplished by fraud,
is a pretty good man. There" are mem
bers of both houses who do riot need an
Investigation to convince them that they
were elected by fraudulent methods who
are In no danger of following Mr. Shaf
roth'a example.
Take Your Exequatur.'.
Dayton Courier.,
Perry Heath, secretary of the Republi
can National Committee, has - resigned,
which resignation, as stated In 'hla-state-ment,
is due to the death of Senator Han-,
na. The late Senator from Ohio has had
laid at his door many delinquencies, but
this is .too much. If Heath appreciated
the fitness of things he would ta2e a boat
to the middle of the deep blue sea and
take a header, but It would be a wise pre
caution to attach a pile driver weight to.
his heels before doing so. The party
which he claims and the country which
he dishonors Would both be wll rid of
him.
.. alt. Wells In Polk County.
Brownsville Times
' Charles .OBrien, who owna a Carm near
Monmouth, says the neighborhocd where
he now lives Is excited over the salt well
which was recently dug on the Whlteaker
place. This well is on the same farm as
the one dug by Banker Hlrschberg, of In
dependence, arid gives promise of produc
ing enough salt of fine quality to supply
the entire state. The water in the well
has been analyzed and contains 75 per
cent of (salt. ' Machinery for an Immense
plant has been ordeced for some weeks
and Is expected to arrive in the course of
about two weeks' when- the work of puri
fying salt will commence.
Might Do Worse.
Aurora Borealis.
It Is' to be regretted that the Lewis and
Clark Fair will not be open Sundays. If
the straight-laced element want to en
force the blue laws to such an extent,
street-car service, police and fire protec
tion might as well be suspended on Sun
days also. The Fair, as we see It, Is
supposed to be of public benefit an educa
tional feature and Sunday is the only day
when "laborers and people living near
Portland can attend without losing time.
Those who like to attend church can and
will do so anyway, and the nonchurch-
goers are apt to spend Sundays in .much
worse places than on the Fair grounds.
Ignores the Photograph.
, Deschutes Echo.
Binger Hermann has recommended to
the President two men for one office. The
President nominated the one that Her
mann really didn't want and refuses to
withdraw it. Hermann is the same old
shifty, trickjvboneless Binger. The Presi
dent showed a friendly attitude towards,
hlsH discharged servant during the. time
that "Bineer was running for Congress, but
"fhat. exhibition cof good feeling was, made
for the benefit of the multitude and the.
President takes this opportunity to show
the' ex-Commissioner that he ljkes neither
hide nor hair. of him, and will not stand
any dog tricks from the Oregon man.
May Be It Belongs to Depositors. ,
Ellensburg Capital.
It has been the. boast of the Seattle
bankers that there is ?35,O00,00O lying Idle
in the vaults of the banks of that city,
yet when a big building is to be erected
or an enterprise of Importance is. under
taken, it is a noteworthy fact that San
Francisco, Boston and Isew York- are
always called upon to .supply, the money.
Not -long since. Alaska mining men who
have accumulated ?2,000,000 in that coun
try, conceived the idea of purchasing a
prominent business corner lot In the heart
of the city. They were ambitious and
wanted to erect a 14-story sky-scraper
on their realty, - and after sounding the
Seattle, moneved men and bank, they dis
covered the tales of wealth were shadowy
fiction. San Francisco was finally pre
vailed upon to furnish the money, a
paltry $500,000. Meantime, the Inquisitive
public wants to knaw where the bank3
are hiding the $34,000,000.
Some Advantage In Variety.
Winston's Weekly.
The Oregonian is growing eloquent on
the subject of Sabbath observance. In Its
zeal In advocating the "open door" for
the Portland Fair, on Sundays, it not only
knocks Genesis, Deuteronomy and the
saints generally galley west, but It even
goes so far as to charge God himself with
being illogical because, as it alleges, he'
gives one reason for remembering the sev
enth day and keeping It holy In Genesis,
and a different reason Jn Deuteronomy.
Provided -both reasons are good, we See
no ground for .criticism of the Deity, even
if- they are inconsistent, -which they are
not
If we were to apply The Oregonian's
logic to itself, where, in the .language of
the gentleman from Georgia, would It be
at? It is- a notorious fact that there are
often as many as three different editorials
in the same Issue of The Oregonian, all
on the same subject, all different In style,
each. Inconsistent .with the other, and yet
all perfectly logical "and convincing. This,
'so far from detracting from the Influence
and reputation of our highly esteemed
contemporary, Is precisely what has given
It the; widespread power and general credit
it possesses, and so richly deserves.
Meantime, if it comes to a show-down,
we are ready to he" 'counted with The" Ore
gonian and against Moses.
" Be Moral Seven Days.
Chewaucan Post..
Again the Sunday closing of the Lewis
and Clark Fair Is being agitated, and
some of the churches are taking it up. It
does appear to us that some' people are
so short-slglited that they can't even see
to the end of. their noses, and their blind
ness, is to be pitied. In the first place,
nathdng should be allowed on the Fail
grounds and we don't believe there will
that will offend the tastes of the most
fastidious, especially If that person is en
dowed with Just ordinary reason. Then,
if this be the case, and the Fair is good
and instructive qn. weekdays, why can't
it be so on Sundays? If some churches
are so hard up for members, as well as
audiences, that they think they can force
people against their wishes, they will soon
find tout their error- If the gates of the
Fair are shut on Sunday, every doggery
and place of questionable character wili
have .extra inducements to offer the un
wary, and In fact this same class of
.places are just, as anxious, probably, for
Lthe Fair to remain closed as these
churches are, and. no doubt, would form
a combination with them to accomplish
the purse. Let the Fair gates be opened
6n Sunday" and let us - have a building
erected on the grounds where religious,
services are held, vnot only on Sunday,
but weekdays a well, and.sobw" liberality,
Invitif; lrf a kindly ' and ( Christian spirit
'everyorie-.'to" coafe 'and ' partake t" the,
song; arid ""other ersvfeif. t "' . . :
:.;::"-.:'T.rL-Xf. .r
THE PERSONAL EQUATION.
.. New Tork; Sim? ' '.
"Mq4t of the" observers and the writers
whd'liave tried, to work out the personal
equation' involved 'in vthe meeting of. the
Russian and the' Jap, which, seems lnev-
ltivble sooner or later, have figured out.
that, take him for all in all, the" little
yellow man is as good a fighter as his
stalwart foe.
They have Been, him overwhelm and
rout the Chinese, they, have seen him
march side by side with his white broth
ers on the way to Pekln. nimble, resolute,
fearless, untiring", cheerful, and have said
among themselves: "Here at last, is the
model Asiatic '.the equal of the European."
That' Is the majority opinion. But there'
is growing up a . contrary belief, which
cannot be ignored, because It Is advanced
by men. whose inteltlgense and experience
and opportunities for observation entitle
their views to respect.
These dissenters point out. In the first
.plage, that the Japanese have never yet
locked horns with a white people. What
ever they have won has been won from
their own kind. Their wars have been
with. Chinamen or among themselves..
Moreover, they are not. a seafaring peo
ple. They have not yet had time to ac
quire the .habit of .the sea, which counts
wonderfully when the big guns begin to
speak. For . more than 200 years they
closed their ports and held aloof from
maritime traffic, and their critics say
that they are as yet indifferent sailors.
"I dqn't know whether the Japanese
have had more than their share of ma
rine disasters since they began to build up
an ocean commerce," said a naval officer
who has served long in Eastern' waters;
"but I do know that the" Insurance
companies will not Insure. a big steamship
commanded by Japanese. It wasn't so In
the beginning, but now all- the Japanese
liners are captained by -Europeans
Americans. Isn't that fact rather sig
nificant?"
This same Officer Is one of the compara
tively few who reject the prevailing optim
ism as to Japanese military potentiality,
"I base my opinion," said he to a Sun
reporter, "on a considerable knowledge of
Japanese history and a long and intimate
-study of Japanese character and customs.
To sum it all up, I believe that the Jap
anese has not the -stamina of the Euro
pean and the American.
"He is brave, patriotic, ardent, absolute
ly fearless of death, .a splendid, soldier,
but I think that in the wreck and strain
and carnage of a naval battle with white
men there will come a time when he will
He down and refuse to fight.
"I could give you Instances from Jap
anese history which tend to bear me out.
For example, in 1S67, 84 petty knights of
the Chosiu clan formed a conspiracy to
assassinate the present Emperor, who
was then living at Kioto and wa& ruler in
name only.. The nlot miscarried.
"What would any similar band of white
conspirators have done?- Why, try to get
away, of course, fight to the last ditch.
: ."What did the .84 Japs do? ThejJ went
out on a neighboring hill, and every .man
of them committed hari-klrl without an
effort to save himself. That was the re
sult of custom, fatalism, the habit of
mind which leads a people to go just so
far with a desperate enterprise and then,
if it miscarries, surrender to destiny.
to give anotner ana perhaps a more
easily appreciable illustration, every white
man who understands how to bargain
with an Oriental knows that the Japanese,
if you press him and corner him, will
throw up his hands just as he seems to
be most Insistent on his demand, and ex.
.claim 'Skataganl, which mean's It-can't
be. helped.
"It's the.same with, every other dlfCcutly
that, can't be overcome 'Skataganl!' It
can't be helped..
"Some of us believe that it the Japanese
and Russians meet in naval battle, the
Japs will fight bravely at the beginning
and then their fatalism will assert itself
and 'Skataganl' will give the victory to
ine unyielding aiav.
That's a minority opinion", but it's
good' 'one to meditate and ponder.''
An. Overrated "Accomplfshnen't.
PORTLAND, Feb. 29. (To the Editor".)
Apropos of spelling, I seriously suggest to
you that spelling does not always and ac
curately indicate pronunciation, as wit
ness "to read" and "have read," "to
slough" and' "the slough," nor derivation
as "lady" and "bosky. Good spelling is
hot a mark of brains or knowledge. No
one who knows a language Is helped to
the meaning of a sentence by its spelling.
Spelling at best is a mere triumph of mem
ory, an overrated accomplishment. It is
a part of this mechanic and unindivldual
age. And with the- modern tendency to
prefer form to substance the man of solid
information who "misspells Is sneered at
by the insipid product of some dictionary
ridden high school who will never pass
beyond mediocrity. We value spelling too
highly. Its prime object Is to indicate
sound. The makers of English spelled as
they pleased' and they understood each
other and the world understands them.
'Newspapers have done much to exalt this
parrot art " by sneering at mistakes In
spelling. Shakespeare -would be "Illiter
ate" today. I spell well myself. W-
. -THE . DEMOCRATIC DILEMMA.
If Mr. Cleveland thinks the prospect is co
bright for a Democrat to make the trip to the
"White House, -why doesn't he consent to under
take the Job? Lota of folks want him to.
Richmond Times (Dem.).
If Mr. Cleveland means to transfer his man
tle he has taken a poor way to discourage
these enthusiasts, who will be inspired by his
description to exclaim: "Thou art the man."
Chicago RecordiHerald (Ind.).
Evidently Lawyer' Edward M, Shepard has
thrown away political ambition for the pres
ent." at any -rate. His resignation of a public
employment fn order to have his time and
brains free .for the service of the Pennsylvania
Railroad' and other corporations Is eloquent
proof of -that. Hartford Courant (Rep.).
; Ex-Prsfdent Cleveland is not alone In think
ing thai the time is near at hand for Demo
cratic success. But the great question Is. thisi
"Will the Democrats who have been shaping
the party's 'policy the wrong way now profit
by their experience- and make a start In the
right direction? Davenport .Democrat (Dem.).
"When Mr. Bryan talks of a candidate being
secretly mortgaged to "Wall street he lowers
the level of his .remarks' from discussion to
nonsense. In short, Mr. Bryan's comments on
Mr. Cleveland's, utterances but lend weight to
what the ex-President has said and emphasize
the Importance of following his advice. Utica
Observer (Dem.).
"What shall be done? Mr. Cleveland, who
has never Before ventured to guide the Na.
tfonal policy as to the Philippines, advises that
we shall - retrace, our steps if a mistaken.
;course has been entered upon,, as he indicates
is the fact. . There is no good reason why we
should not treat the Filipinos as well as we
have treated the Cubans. Both peoples have
an undoubted right to govern themselves.
Hartford' Times (Dem.).
Mr. Cleveland thus emphatically defines him
self on. what the next Democratic platform
should be: "Let that message be expressed
in language easily-understood, unconfused by
evasion and untouched by the taint . of jug
glery. Obsolete issues and questions no longer
challenging- popular interest should ba, man.
fully abandoned." Does Mr. Cleveland really
.expect all .that from the Democratic party,
after .his extended experience with It? Prob-
ably the platform, will be the Joint produc
tion, of-. Gorman, Tillman and Stone, with a
Brian walkout. BU Louis Globe Democrat
(Re?.), -,
Nothing in Mr. Cleveland's article in the
Saturday Evening Post is- better than his state
ment that "this Is po time for cunning
finesse, ' nor .for use of words that conceal lnr
tentlonsL or carry a double meaning." The
party In power may "stand pat," utter an.'
equivocal piauorm-ana nope 10 remain m po'
er by simple Inertia, but the opposition can
never dislodge t unless it tell the country
plainly what Its purpose is in seeking the.
control of -the government. It -will "beldle to
adept & platform that may mean: sound' money,
or "flat" money, high tariff, or low, accordluir
to the locality. The party-; must -stand .for
.some political principles and .makelt clear''
what these are Philadelphia - Record (Dem-J.
. NQTE AND COMMENT.. ;
Strange the; devil' has never "proisted
against Sherman's definition of war;
Captain Reed, of the Wallula. appears
to know something about handling a tug.
Union men are warned against drink
ing non-union whisky. aU, of -us are
warned against drinking "any kfnd of
whisky.
If. Dowie wentto Australia fortius
health, he" showed, good sense. Exercise
is good" for? everybody,, .and Dowie gets
plenty of . Itsprintlng- from the mobs.
The Russian correspondent of the Asso
ciated Press, -at Port Arthur must be
an excitable -chap, .if-one' may judge- from
his description of the "belching : gUns"
and so forth.
"How to Sail a Ship When on Fire," is
the title of a "lecture to be given in Vic
toria this week. The listener should, get
Captain Cousins, of the Queen, to take
his place.
The manager of the TJeschutes Fine
Wool Company's ranch, a few miles west
of Prineville. wanted to "subscribe, for a
good trade paper, so he forwarded a sub
scription to the Ram's Horn.
The Ram's Horn treats of sheep and
goats, to- be" sure, but they are-of tne
human kind, those that will be separated
on the Day of Judgment
Wjatscheslavo Konstantinb.vltsch Von
Plevhe! Have you ever heard of him?
asks the Seattle Commonwealth. Well,
In another sense than that occasioned
by an attempt to pronounce his name.
Wjatscheslavo Is Minister of the In
terior and Secretary of State of Russia,
and among a people noted for inhuman
cruelties he is recognized as past rnas
ter. His chief diversion, is to Invent
new tortures for suspects'; his favorite
amusement to send comparatively inof
fensive people to the Siberian mines.
He fs now undoubtedly preparing on a
large scale to boil the Japs In oil or
flay them alive. Were I a Jap I should
pray the gods to protect me from a gen
tleman with such a name as Wjatsches
lavo Konstantlnovltsch. He must be
bad one.
The Chicago Journal compiles the
following questions and answers:
If 3000 Japs land on Corean soil, and tha
Cossacks defeat them, how many will ba
killed, In 15 minutes' fighting?
Answer 17.S03.
If the Russian squadron at Port Arthur
numbers -23 vessels, and the Japanese fleet
makes three attacks, how many Russian
shirs will be lost In the three battles?
Answer '120 sunk, 07 .blown up, 03 dis
abled and 18S captured.
It a yawl containing 'two drunken Russian
sailors hits a- mine and is blown to pieces,
wEat is tha damage?
Answer A 430-foot transport is destroyed,
and 603 men find waiery graves.
If a Russian gunner manages to clip a Jap
warship on the armor-plate and thereby
makes a half-Inch dent, what is the destruc
tion? .
Answer 1'ive battleships and two armored
cruisers sunk, and over S000 Japs anni
hilated. -
. The writers for -the funny papers have
written jokes galore about the messen
ger boy, likening hl9 speed unto the
gait of a turtle, but It remained for one
of the subjects of these jokes to coin an
unconscious jest far better than the ma
jority of the printed witticisms, says the
Philadelphia Press.
iThe incident occurred at Broad and
"Chestnut streets; and "the actors-were two
gfir bays. -One of the, young$Ars
running down Broad street at a
speep that was hardly typical or tne "mes
senger boy. Another boy had Just left
tho Western. Union Telegraph Of
fice at the corner of Chestnut street
and was strolling slowly up Broad,
his eyes glued on the last dime
novel of the "Terrible Terror's. Tu
mutuous Times." When the slow-
going boy spotted the swift-speeding
mesengser, his eyes stood out with amaze
ment and in tones of anxious inquiry, he
cried out:
"Hully gee, Bill! Wat's de matter?
Ain't you workln'?" .
The favorite "pastime of the "black-
and-white" artist, responsible for so
many comic sketches, Is to read of some
deadly disease, preferably a new one,
go to bed imagining he has if, He
awake all night, seek his doctor in the
morning and get assurance that he Is In
perfect health and then go back cheer
fully to work,, says the Saturday Evening
Post.
One morning not long ago he turned up
at the doctor's just as the man of medi
cine was getting into his, carriage.
"I'm in a hurry," called the doctor, ;and
can't stop to see you; but It's all right
you haven't got it."
Haven't got what?" demanded the as
tonished artist
Whatever you think you've got. Not a
symptom of it. Good-bye," and he drove
away. ,
Well, now," said levering", turning to
a lamp-post a3 tlie only witness- of the -
scene, '"that's the time hes mist
X know I've got it ten dollars in' my
pocket to pay his last bill; but if he's
sure I haven't, I'll try to get in line with.
his last diagnosis," and he went around to
his club and sat In a little game of draw,,
which came out as he expected.
OUT OF THE GINGER-JAR.
Doctor Tour wife must, keep out of excite
ment. Mr. Brlsque She can't. Doctor! She
carries It around with her. Indianapolis
Journal.
"He's worked hard- all his life." "Why,
I wonder? "So he'll have something- to
Jive on when, work wears him out." Detroit
Free 'Press.
She I am not the only girl -you have ever
kissed: He-How do you know that? She
"WelL I've had some experience myseIC De
troit Free Press.'
"Last night, at the Touraine,' I thought I
could see six finger's on my .left hand."
"YOU" must have one or two nngerrf too
much!" Harvard, Lampoon.'
"Has your flying machine ever been ac
tually used?" "Yes," answered, the young
Inventor . sadly. "The folks used It for
kindling last week." Washington Star.
"Some men," said the quoter, "are born
great,, some achieve greatness " "And the
great majority." lnterrunted the cynic, "be
lieve they corae under both of 'these Heads."
Philadelphia Ledger. '
"X. have never borrowed-a dollar In my
Ufa," said the man who had lived CO years
without having a wrinkle upon his brow.
"Well, that may be commendable'' replied
the thqughtful-looking citizen, "but It" isn't
likely to make you a historical cb'aracter."
.Chicago rfeccrd-Herald.
.'The new cook comes with fine recom
jUenSatlons," said Mr. Bliggtns. "Yes." an
swered his wife, '"they- sound as if the peo
ple' she "was' with thought a gteat deal of
her. or else that they were' willing" to do
or say almost anything Jn the hope of get
ting rid;-of her." Washington Star-
- -"M"andj d'ye-ree'lect how Henry Wiggins
used, to play marbles js.ll the time when hi
was - a littld- feller.2" "Goodness, yes
"Well he halnt got oyer his hankerin' after"
'em yet; this,, piece In, thepapelj" 'bjbut rail
,lio nacres' tiouses says,he hastone .of tha
'finest: Erection, of." 'ftaliaVmarbles iaiUbe hull
VbrId."BrooklB Life.-' : '?'