Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 1904)
THE MORNING OREGONIAN, FRIDAY, DECEMBER ' ,30, 1904. Sntere4 at the PoitoRce $ rortlanfl. Or., as econd-clas matter. REVISED SUBSCRIPTION" RATES. Br mall (postage prepaid In advance) JDailr. with Sunday, per xnoath .85 Dally, vita Sunday excepted, per year.. 7.50 Dally, with Sunday, per year g-WJ Baaday. per year. 2.00 p The "Weekly, per year 1 50 The "Weekly. 3 months Daily per week, delivered. Sunday ex cepted Dally, per week, delivered. Sunday U 'Vj eluded -20 POSTAGE RATES. United States. Canada and. Mexico SO to 14-page paper to IS to 30-page paper 2c 2 to 44-paee paper ...ao Forclrn rates, double. KASTEKX BUSINESS OFFICE. The 8. C. Bcckwith. Special Areaey -New Xork; rooms 43-50. Tribune building. Cni caso; rooms S 10-512 Tribune bulldlns. The Oregonian does not buy poems or sto ries from Individuals and cannot undertake to return any manuscript sent to it without olid Cation. No stamps should be inclosed for this purpose. KEPT ON SALE. Chlcaeo Auditorium Annex: Fottofflce Kews Co.. ITS Dearborn street. beorer-Jullua Black. Hamilton & Kend t rick. 06-912 Seventeenth u and FrueauH Broa. 605 16th st Ktmaas CIry. Mo. Rlcksecker Clear Co., Ninth and Walnut. Lot Angelee Haro Drapkin. Oakland. CaL W. H. Johnston. Four teenth and Franklin st Mlnnrapolis M. 3. Kavanaush. 50 South Third: I Reselsburser. 217 First avenue Couth. & New Xarle City L. Jones & Co Astor 51 Souse. " Oardea F. R. Oodard and Myers and Har- Omaha Barkalow Broa. 1C12 Farnam: Vareath Stationery Co. 130 S Farnam. Salt Xake Salt Iake News Co.. 77 West Second South street. Ban Francisco J. K. Cooper Co.. 746 Mar ket street: Foster & Orear. Ferry News Stand; Ooldsmith Broa. 236 Sutter: Lu E. Xe, Palace Hotel News Stand: F. W. Pitts. 1008 Market; Frank Scott. 80 Ellis; N. Wheaty. 83 Stevenson: Hotel St. Francis News Stand. Washlnrtoa. D. C. Ebbltt House News Stand. PORTLAND. FRTOAT DEC. 30, 1604. THE SMOOT INQUIRY. It has not been shown that Senator Smoot is a polygamlst, or that he ever was. Consequently the Inquiry that was started, -with a view to his expul sion from the Senate, doesn't "make pood." But he is an "apostle" of the Mormon Church, and testimony has been taken ''with a view to making proof that the Mormon Church still tolerates polygamy. Probably it does; but the Mormon Church cannot be prosecuted. It is an entity, but intangible; and Its beliefs and practices, as a church, are not smenaible to law. But the Individuals who compose or constitute it may be dealt with for any offense against the laws. Against Senator Smoot, himself, no testimony has yet been produced that could fasten personal wrong-doing upon him. i There are Mormons -who live in polyg amous relations, but Senator Smoot Is not one of them. There is no proof that he ever -was. He states, under the obligation or his oath, that he has one wife, never had another, and -that this one -wife is mother of all his children. This Is not controverted. He is a Mor- mon, hut is not on -trial tfor Mormon Ism. Those Mormons who wanted more wives than one used to say that they practiced polygamy in obedience to di vine revelation. It was not the first r fooKsh and immoral "revelation" that men. professed to have, nor will it be the last. But when It became apparent to them that they could not have state hood unless they gave up polygamy, - the Mormons of Utah got a new or revised "revelation," which per mitted them to abandon it So they professed to do. The question now. Is whether they did give it up or not. The United States was not deal ing then with the Mormon Church, but with the people of Utah. It will not now deal with the Mormon Church, hut with individuals in Utah who may vio' jl&te its laws. Is Senator Smoot one of 'these? It does not yet 60 appear. A ' man will scarcely be punished for be longing to a church whose members, or some of them, violate the laws. So far the inquiry is practically frult JJcss. There seems to be no proof of "inew plural marriages, but undoubtedly "old polygamous relations, in many cases, are continued. But there is no - testimony that Senator Smoot has or ever had. plurality of wives. rouncs in new york. In New York there has been a lively contest between factions In the Re publican party for control of the state, and it Is & drawn battle. The Odell faction has control of the state gov ernment; the Piatt faction gets the Sen ator. They don't take these things very seriously in New York that is. not always. They have their factional controversies, but they seldom push the fight to the point of annihilation, where all parties lie dead on the stage. Depew will be re-elected to the Sen ate. It Is a result that maintains a balance between the Republican fac tions. The contest between the older and the younger elements .of the party Is postponed a little while longer. Piatt's term will expire four years hence. He Is a feeble old man. now. But his influence still is greatilt was thrown "against Odell and Blackand the younger men of the party. But they can wait. Chauncey Depew has long been known as a man of brilliant, powers But. "Nature in him is now upon the verge of her decline." He was a man of more force outside the Senate than he ever has keen or can be in It. He is not the leading figure of this present political drama in New York. That fig ure is the aged, politician and Senator, Thomas C. Piatt Yet Mr. Piatt has no distinction at all in the great political thought and political movement of his generation. The infirm old Senator does, however, maintain in a remark able way his influence and ascendancy us a local politician. He stood with Roosevelt, and Roosevelt has carried - him and his faction and the other fac- - tjon of the party, too through a crisis that without his name and help, would have swamped both of them. A STRANGE PROCEEDING. f A most unusual and perhaps unex ampled method of controlling, or of at tempting to control the market-price of . product is reported in Georgia and other states of the South. The cotton crop of our Southern States is reported at nearly 12,000,000 bales. The market Is unsatisfactory. Growers do not ob tain the prices they expected, and con oert among them Is attempted, for the purpose of holding cotton out of the "market By -producers of agricultural staples this expedient has often heen attempt ed, though never with much success. But our cotton producers are going fur ther. They propose deliberately to de stroy a heavy proportion of their cot tonthus getting rid of the surplus, and making better prices for the re mainder. From Georgia , we have It, therefore, that the farmers and mer chants have begun to burn their cotton taking the Initiative for destruction of 2,000,000 bales in the cotton states. The expedient is more "heroic than wise. The mind of our Southern people is much given to action upon impulse, in strange ways. If they have grown too much cotton and the price is too low, they should hold it, if they can. plant less cotton next year, and en deavor to employ part of their energies in other directions, till the cotton mar ket shall right itself. But to destroy cotton already grown, in the hope of controlling the market, is to most minds an unthinkable expedient The "West in former times burnt corn for fuel, be cause at the market price it was the cheapest fuel then obtainable. But in the South they are burning cotton for the purpose of taking revenge on the market It is scarcely to be believed that this 6trange expedient will be pursued very far. The Atlanta Constitution urges the cotton growers to combine for stor age of a heavy surplus, and await events. This may not promise much. but it is rational. Burning is not. X.IED LANDS AGAIN. The Salem Statesman, of which ex- Governor Geer is editor, is out with a long editorial attempting a defense of the lieu-land transactions conducted by State Land Agent LLP.. Geer and General W. H. Odell. In .the course of its defense the Statesman, declares that The Oregonian-was incorrect when it said a few days ago that General Odell alleged certain school lands to be min eral. Says the Statesman: "General Odell did not 'allege this land, to be mineral." If Editor Geer will turn to the motion filed by Odell In the Depart ment of the Interior asking for a re view of the lieu-land decisions, he will find that Odell opens his argument with this statement: "All the school indem nity selections were made upon alleged mineral base, sought to be adjudged mineral, so that the state might select lands in lieu thereof," etc. It might be in order to suggest that Geer and Odell put their beads together and agree upon a consistent story concern ing the lieu-land transactions, so that the public will not be in doubt as to which to believe. The Statesman-quotes The Oregonian" as saying that "the proof offered was accepted and lieu-land selections ap proved by the United States Land Of fices." This The Oregonian did not say. and Editor Geer went out of his way to strike out one word used by The Ore gonian and insert two that suited his purposes better, notwithstanding he pretended to be quoting the exact lan guage of this paper. The Oregonian said "local Land Offices," and went on to show that the selections were turned down by the General Land Office. In the hope of deceiving the people the Statsman deliberately changed the lan guage of the quotation so as to convey the idea that the United States Land Deparment had approved the selections, whereas they had been approved, only by an inferior office, subject to the ac tion of higher officials. If the States man had misquoted The Oregonian in only one instance, it might be over looked as a possible error, but a similar change of words in another pretended quotation leaves no room to doubt that it was a deliberate attempt to deceive. Many people have believed, or tried to believe, that the manipulation of the lieu-land business by the Geer-Odell combination was due to ignorance, carelessness or stupidity, rather than to dishonesty, but when an attempt Is made to defend the transactions by de liberate misrepresentations, this, view becomes untenable. WILD GAME AND "SPORTSMEN." It is clear that changes are necessary in the present game laws of the state, if the wild creatures of our forests, fields, lakes and streams are not to be exterminated by insatiate sportsmen and their well-trained dogs. The Game "Warden is right when he says that the fifty-duck limit a day to a single hunter is "a shame and a disgrace to the stat utes of any state." As well license en thusiastlc sportsmen to bag all the ducks he can as to grant him the priv ilege of killing fifty In a day. As to pheasants, the Game "Warden says five a day are enough for any man to be permitted to kill, and these he should get by good, clean, honest effort, with out the assistance of a dog. The mer ciless slaughter of these magnificent birds by the privileged few In the past few years has been sickening to the sensibilities of all human persons who have seen the bloody trophies of the professional hunter's skill unloaded from the -cars by dozens .and by hun dreds as- the result of the "sport" of the bloody Sundays of the open season. Perhaps it Is too much to hope for legislation that will check this elaugh ter that takes place In the name of sport. A well-equipped lobby will prob ably be on hand' to defeat the attempts that will be made In this direction. But it is something to hear an official voice raised in the Interest of modera tion -as against professional hoggish ness in the field) of sport TEACHERS AND THEIR SALARIES. A levy sufficient to meet the required increase In the salaries of teachers in our public schools has been voted. The taxpayers will abide cheerfully by the decision of their representatives at the annual meeting. They have really very little reason to complain at the small increase of six-tenths of a mill that was levied for this purpose. It is the School Board that faces the disagree able part of the matter. "When it comes to deciding what teachers are earning the increase in salary that all have de manded and who among them shall be considered as already being paid up to their full earning capacity, the govern ing body will face a most unenviable task. It may as well be said in this connec tion that If there are teachers on the payroll of the district who are utterly incompetent, as intimated by Director "Wittenberg in open meeting Tuesday evening, It would be a good time when making the required readjustment of salaries to give them warning. It is exceedingly poor policy to carry In competent teachers on the roll at any salary, however small. There is more than a commercial value to a schoolteacher's services. A teacher may be excused for making pay the paramount issue, but a School Board is supposed to look farther Into the subject than this. If, therefore, there are teachers on our public school list who are Incompetent, and this fact is known to any Director, he or she should speak out not in open taxpay ers' meeting, where It does harm rather than good, but In board meeting, fur nishing such proof of the statement as he or she may possess. It may be said that as a body the teachers of our public schools are con scientious, competent and faithful In the discharge df their duties. That there are exceptions to this rule Is a matter of common knowledge. That it Is also a matter of official knowledge is shown by the assertion of Director "Wittenberg at the taxpayers' meeting. This is a serious matter, and calls for prompt remedy. The public schools are not eleemosynary institutions. The School Board Is not a charity board. A very worthy young woman may need a salary, but if she cannot earn one as a teacher in the schools she should not be employed in this capacity; a man of questionable morals, intemperate habit of speech and of disgusting personality may be a clever mathematician, but the salary he earns is at a great cost to our future citizenship. Neither the worthy but incompetent teacher on the one hand, nor. the immoral teacher, though competent on the other, should be carried on the list of public school teachers at any salary. As before said, the readjustment of salaries by the board furnishes an auspicious time for the correction of the very grave abuse which Is known to exist in carrying upon the teachers' roll the names of persons who are, for any reason, unfit THE SOUTH AND THE FUTURE. A letter from Albemarle Conntr Vir ginia Jefferson's county published in the New York Sun, pictures the future of the South In relation to National politics. The gist of the letter is pre sented in the "Winchester (Va.) Star, -in the following words: The last election removes the South .thun. lutely and finally from the arena or National poimca. ane must accept with equanimity the position of a conquered province. Her Na tional significance will bo taken away by a heavy reduction of her electoral and Conn-M. clonal representation. The -whole country trill rapidly adjust Itself to a government In which the President will bo an elective monarch with limited powers. No living man will ever see another Democratic President, the Republican party having entrenched itaclf in nownr Th. attitude of the South will be one of abstention from National politics; the promotion and de velopment of her material elstanco so far as she Is able upon local eelf- Eoernm-nt. This policy will go hand-ln-hand wun an organized eftort to induce negro emi gration northward. There is extreme bitterness in this statement It is the reverse of good- sense. The notion is not realizable. Nobody wants to oppress the South. .But the South cannot have her own exclusive Wav. No cnmhlnnMoTi chi can make with Northern Democracy will give it her. Such statements as those above Dre-. sentea simply -mean that the South won t play." But she will play. The forces Within horsolf it-Ill mol play. These defeats and disgus'ts will cure her of her provincial feeling, and oi ner excessive self-importance. She will become content with being part of the country, without pretending- or claiming to be all of It It is -significant that this expression comes out of Jefferson's own county' It was Jefferson who arrested the prog ress of the Idea and ideal of a nation for a century; and who made the con ditions that threw in a Civil War to arrest the necessary consolidation. That is over. The Jefferson la n notion of the exaltation of a state or of .a sec tion over the Nation is at an end; and the South will find there Is nothing in sulking, nor In saying that she "won't piay. And nothing moreover in burning her cotton to revenee herself on the world's markets. SEED ON STONY GROUND. In the course of a somewhat rambling dissertation from his Easy Chair, "Will iam Dean Howells attempts to' show the folly of trying to help others, and pic tures the regrets of an old man who had "lent money to struggling, or at least aspiring, people," who turned out to be ne'er-do-wells, by reason of which he concluded that "money not earned is doubly cursed." The Impression left by the discourse is, that assistance of this klndencourages dependence and smoth ers industry and frugality. Though it is true that acts of charity and gener osity frequently leave the recipient weaker and less self-reliant the conclu sion is not fully warranted by the facts stated. The man who lent the money did not do wrong in the lending, but erred in-Judgment in choosing his bene ficiaries. Promiscuous giving is certain to breed idleness and Irresponsibility, but intelligent aid to the worthy may do a vast amount of good. The college education, or rather the college diploma, that is secured with the minimum of effort upon the part of the student is likely to be of little use in the world of affairs. In fact, many a boy is spoiled by being kept in school by his parents when he does not appre elate his opportunities or try to take advantage of them. But, on the other hand, many a young man has been en abled to secure a college education and thus to become a more valuable cltl zen through the assistance of kindly disposed friends. Scholarships awarded upon merit are never misplaced, and probably no one will ever assert that the money expended by Cecil Rhodes In benevolences of this kind Is doubly cursed, or cursed at all. There are In Oregon a few men who have made a practice for years of lending money to students upon their personal notes. payable within a specified time after graduation. They consider the loans as Investments, and they are as careful In selecting the Investments as they would be In financial transactions of any other kind. Seldom are they dis appointed. If we remember correctly, the Methodist Episcopal Church lost heavily through loans from its educa tional fund, but the losses were due chiefly to lack of Judgment and per sonal responsibility in making the loans. The sower who scatters his seed on stony ground must not expect a har vest . The young man who will buy a farm in the Willamette Valley now and man age it intelligently will -be a prince in a few years, according to the opinion expressed by Director Withycombe, of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station at Corvallis. And Dr. "Withy combe knows what he Is talking about The remark need not have been limited to the - "Willamette "Valley, however, for it applies Just as well to the coast country and to parts of Eastern Ore gon. The Willamette Valley is perhaps the pleasantest part of Oregon in which to make a home, and because of its su perb water powers and its variety of resources Jt has the promise of most rapid development But in the coast country there are no fruit pests and pastures are green all Summer. -In Eastern Oregon the soli and climate are particularly adapted to irrigation, which makes the science of agriculture almost as certain as mathematics. Be cause it Is not reached by railroads the coast country Is behind the rest of the state In development, and needs only transportation facilities to give it such an. impetus as will surpass the expec tations of the most sanguine. Much the same condition prevails in the In terior or Eastern Oregon, where the op portunities for Irrigation are yet but slightly known. Ten years hence the young men of today will look back with regret to the days . when they could have bought farm land for a song and not only made money from Its products, but realized large profits from Its in crease in value. Thousands of Eastern ers who come West next year to see the country and the Lewis and Clark Pair will come back again to purchase land and' make homes. Increasing population- means advancing values in real property, and both "are as certain as the lapse of time. The continued Interest of the North ern Pacific Railroad In the success of the Lewis and Clark Fair is manifest by the wide publicity being given the Oregon enterprise In the railroad's magazine and periodical advertising. The Northern Pacific has not failed to call public attention to the Fair at every possible opportunity. Recently it summoned to Portland at great expense all its district passenger agents. They came, they saw, and -they were con quered by the beauty and all-around worthiness of the Fair: Now' they have undertaken a wflpfttei of education In all parts of the United States. . Of course, the Northern Pacific has a di rect interest in the Fair; but that is all right The Fair depends much on the railroads, and the more they get out of It the better for the Exposition. The steamship Ellamy, which cleared from Manila for Portland over two months ago, turned up at Vladivostok with a cargo of provisions for the Rus sians. Two other steamers -which are reported to have sailed from the Ori ent for Portland are expected to arrive at Vladivostok orPort Arthur. All of which goes to prove that whenever financial Inducements are sufficient there will always be men and vessels ready to take the Jong chances which are always against a blockade-runner. Some of the raciest tales that have come in from .the ocean have originated In the actual experience of blockade- runners, and when the present war dosses we may expect something up to date in blockade-running literature. In the sale by the State of Washing ton of Desdemona Sands, located near the mouth of the Columbia River, there is opened up a case which will proba bly keep Oregon and Washington law yers busy for an indefinite period. The State of Oregon had previously sold these sands and Issued a deed for them to Oregon men, and It has always been supposed that they were in Oregon ter ritory. As both of the present holders of deeds to this property are well equipped financially, and the prize is worth fighting for, there is an excel lent prospect for the boundary line be tween the two states near the mouth of the Columbia to be settled by the hlghes court In the land. The value of the fire drill in a public Institution was demonstrated the other night, when a JJre started la the He brew Orphan Asylum in New York City. The children, all of tender years, had been trained in fire drill, and; upon being awakened by the signal, all arose, dressed, put a blanket about them and stood at attention until directed to go out In an orderly way. Meanwhile the teachers and older boys manned the fire hose and put out the flames before the engines reached -the scene. The drill prevented fright, confusion and possi ble death, as, even had the flames been quickly controlled, these elements of alarm would have combined to work serious disaster. General Nogl's capture of Rlhlung Fort and Mountain shows that the steady plodding of the Japanese sap pers Is having its effect The terrible assaults upon Forts Kekwan and Rlh lung gave way to the lower but more certain method of an engineering ad vance, and the success of the Japanese against these positions on the Russian center Is a tribute to Nogl's foresight and tenacity. The first attacks by the Japanese were down the Shushi Valley, which is commanded by the forts in question, and it is against these points that the Japanese have been hammer ing away most persistently. It is pleasant to read of opposition to the Ice trust, and If the new company will only carry out its announced plan of cutting prices in half, all Portland will applaud. At the same time, we cannot escape that haunting fear that perhaps when the weather becomes warm and we really need ice the trust will gather in the new concern and the priceschedule will be maintained. What we are most In need of is a cut-rate war on ice In Summer and coal in Winter. Ice with the thermometer In its present location is within the reach of all, without the necessity of any op position in the field. French battleships are preparing to leave Toulon for Tangier, where the Moors are showing signs of throwing off restraint and taking to their old ways of let him take who has the power and let him keep who can. Sooner or later there must come a collision be tween the French and the tribesmen, and then, after a bloody campaign, Morocco will become another Algiers, and French railroads will 6trike into the country of caravans and bandits, We may expect to hear from Mr. Sweeny's supporters a few pointed re marks on the pernicious activity of the Federal administration in interfering with a United States Marshal who de sires simply to lend a helping hand to a fellow-townsman who wants to be Sen ator. The farmers in Georgia are burning their cotton in order to prevent a slump In prices. The reason given is not the same as that offered when they burn the negroes, although no exces- slve amount of wisdom Is displayed in either performance. . German military Instructors in China are being ousted by Japanese. China is having an object-lesson of Japanese military capacity shown In her own back yard, to say nothing of a more strenuous one ten years ago, and needs no further conviction. According to his accusers, Bishop Talbot is guilty of writing Lawsonesque letters. i NOTE AND COMMENT. Some of this great state's crop of poets have been complaining that the Oregon press puts too much of their verse in tho waste-paper basket. We are smarting under this unjust charge. We never put any communlcaton in the waste-paper basket, although we frequently throw one one the floor. Armor-plate now costs Jit a ton less than It did. Seize the opportunity to fence up your roses before the Fair. Better advertise yourselves as rem nants, leap-year girls. Peanuts nri hHnt- oirnorf tfl frnm, Afrfrn to the United States. Next we shall be importing cocktails. A correspondent thinks- that "lady edi- ! tor" Is not such good usage as "woman editor." However, few newspaper men will kick at the name provided they are delivered from the reality. It must be nice to have an attractive daughter In the family when a compara tive stranger Is led thereby to shower Christmas gifts upon all her relatives. But when the stranger Is refused the daughter's hand and wants his presents back, the situation is not without awk wardness. Cases of this kind show the folly of falling In love and giving presents in an unbusinesslike way. Far better to draw up a contract providing for the re turn of all presents If the deal does not go through. Then there can be no wrangling; everything Js down in black and white. Impecunious Earls and others have set a good example In this respect For kissing an Alabama girl a young man is doing 30 days In Jail. Had it been an Oregon girl the "kiss would have been worth It, but an Alabama girl wo shouldn't be surprised to hear that the young man tires of his cell about the third day. Anyhow, he's not the first man to find that a kiss and a sell often go together. Tho Pskoff Zcmstvos has been doing something as explosive as its name. We might have a game "aw limiting the hunter to one-half bird a day, to be shot on the wing with a popgun, between 1:30 A. M. and 1:25 A. M., and only when the wind was blowing from the nor'-so-west If we were a fish, we should certainly have hard work to distinguish between some of our streets and the Willamette these last few days. Clear skies are to be insured for the Fair. What's the matter with practic ing on the skies we have at present Portland's teachers appreciate tho Up lift movement. Especially as applied to salaries. Already some of the kids have again begun to doubt the existence of a Santa Claus. 1 The London Dally Chronicle tells of a Frenchman who came to grief over his English grammar. "I fear I cockroach too much upon your time, madam," he remarked politely to his hostess. "En croach, monsieur," she smilingly correct ed him. He threw up his hands In de spair. "Ah, your English genders!" he sighed. Writing to the New York Sun, a native of the Shetland Islands says: "For many reasons the Shetland tongue, though dif ficult to speak with a southern palate, and Impossible to reproduce with a south ern pen, is delightfully quaint and pic turesque. Tho sound of it is very musi cal, and you may fancy ltt perhaps, as a Scotch brogue spoken with a strong Ger man accent." A Scotch brogue spoken with a strong German accent and the sound of it very musical! Havers! Seven collie pups in New York have been cured of pneumonia and kept from yowling 'o nights by five days "absent treatment" administered by a Mrs. Ida Case, who declares that the pups are "spirit affinities." If this telepathic treatment can only be extended to the midnight cat, what a saving of profan ity and chunks of wood there will be. The Saturday Evening Post points out that a person released from Jail after serving a long sentence Is usually In ex cellent health as the result of regularity and diet Here Is a tip for any sickly readers. Ninety days on the rockpile might do for a trifling ailment but any thing serious will require some felonious deed to get a term of years In the Salem sanitarium. Be a felon and healthy. . WEX. J. HONOR FOR CAPTAIN H0W2E. Officer Persecuted by Miles Is Com mandant of Cadets at West Point. WASHINGTON, Dec. 29. By direction of the President Captain Robert L. Howze, Sixth Cavalryf now stationed at Fort Keogh. Mont, has been appointed commandant of cadets at the United States Military Academy, West Point, from June 15, 190G, to relieve Lieutenant Colonel Charles G. Treat, Artillery Corps, Next to the superintendent of the acad emy, the commandant of cadets Is the most important omce at tne institution. and carries with It the rank and pay of Lieutenant-Colonel. Captain Howzo was one of the officials charged by Lleutenant-General Miles with having abused and ill-treated Filipino prisoners. These proceedings were tho subject or. two searenmg investigations, one conducted in this country and the other in the Philippines, and resulted in the exoneration of the officer. Reduction of Philippine Tariff. J WASHINGTON, Dec. 29. Secretary t wVhx la AnfrrrtectAfl -nnrtr wltV matters pertaining to the Philippine?, had r conference today with the President re carding questions relating to the archl pelago. The Secretary desires that the proposed reduction in the tariff on Philip pine sugar and tobacco should be provided for at this session of Congress, and he is urging hie views strongly with all mem bers of Congress to whom he has oppor tunity to talk. He hopes to obtain a rate on sugar and tobacco Imported from the Philippines of 25 per cent of the regular Dingley rate. He Intimated today that ne gotiations had been Initiated looking to a possible compromise on a Philippine tariff rate, but It was too early to predict what the result of the negotiations may De. Adulteration of Grass Seed. "WASHINGTON. Dep. 29. Secretarv Wilson today promulgated a circular giv ing the results oi tests raaoe in accord ance with an act of the last Congress di recting him to obtain in the open market samples of seeds of grass, clover, of al fnlfn test tho same, and if anv such seeds of Canada blue grass are found under any nthet- tinmo than Canada, blue cxass or "Pao Compressa," to publish the result of these tests with Uie names or the dealers BAllInt' thft adulterated alfalfa seed. Sam ples were obtained by department agents from 742 seed men throughout the coun try, and out of these, tnero were 23 lots sold by eight seed dealers in an, found to be adulterated CARTER ASKS FOR CHINESE Hawaiians Will, Not and Americans Cannot Work In the Fields. WASHINGTON. Dec. 29. In his annual report to the Secretary of the Interior. George R. Carter, Governor of Hawaii, , urges In strong language the amendment of the Chinese exclusion laws, so as to permit the utilization of Chinese laborers In the Hawaiian Islands, and the modifi cation of the immigration laws so as to authorize the giving of assistance to Por tuguese worklngmen who may desire to immigrate to Hawaii. He says the na tives will not work in the fields, and that the Americans cannot; hence the pres ervation of the sugar and rice Industries Is seriously threatened by the prohibited Immigration of Chinese and the inabil ity to grant aid to the Portuguese. Re ferring to the objections to Chinese Im migration, Governor Carter says: Notwithstanding the large number of Orientals that compose our population. It Is evident from the school statistics that we are not being Aslatlclzed. The condi tions differ entirely from those which af fect the Atlantic seaboard, and provision for a limited number of Orientals to work In the cane and rice fields of these islands need not necessarily antagonize those who believe In restricted Immigration. The immigration laws in reference to the entrance of Chinese are already in force in these Islands, and those here are not allowed to enter the ports of the Pa cific Coast. Thus provision could easily be made for a limited number under re strictions requiring their return at the end of a given number of years and con fining them entirely to these Islands." H also recommends the removal or tne restriction in the leasing of agricultural lands, or it Congress be unwilling, that the land be sold outright Governor Carter suggests the organiza tion of the Islands into counties or munl- cin.illtles. Under the present system Honolulu Is the point at which practical ly all municipal functions are perrormea, and he says the effect is to afford an ad vantage to that city and to the Island of Oahu, which Is beginning to cause a feel ing of discontent in outlying aistncis. Chinese Minister Confers on Treaty. W4?hi'RTOV. Dec 29. The Chinese nii i. ,1 innrr toll- tl-HVi RpcrfttnrV jtxiiiiaivi nou ...... . Hay today about the arbitration treaty which this Government nas lnvuea nina to negotiate. No definite answer has yet hsn mnrio to tho invitation and the pre liminary exchanges on the subject are being kept secret So far as the Chinese exclusion treaty is concerned, the latter Is doing his ut most to assist the Secretary In concluding this convention in time for it to be pre sented to this Congress. WALCOTT 'MEN BALK. Say They Will Not Vote for Pea body in Colorado. DENVER, Dec 29. Very few members of the Legislature have arrived in the city, and whether the plans of William G. Evans and other Republican leaders to reseat Governor James H. Peabody will be adopted by a majority of the Re publican members 13 still undecided. The Republicans have an even two-thirds of the votes on Joint ballot and can carry any measure on which they are united A Republican caucus probably will be held next Monday, at which the contest for the Speakership of the House and the plan to continue Governor Peabody In office will be considered. There are at least half a dozen candidates for the Speakership. Some Republican members, known as followers of ex-United States Senator Ed ward O. Wolcott, have declared that while they do not contemplate a union with the Democrats under any consider ation, they will oppose vigorously any plan for counting out Adams. The Wol cott Republicans say they will go Into a party caucus and will agree to abldo by the- decision of the caucus up to a point where It conflicts with their con science. They insist that they have al ways strictly observed, party regularity, but when a course is commended that Is morally wrong they will not follow, and they will not consider their difficulty In that regard a3 "irregular." The plan to seat Governor Peabody, some of them declare. Is wrong, and ho caucus action will bring them to sup port such action. The canvass of the votes for state offi cers Is made by the Legislature and is not subject to review In the courts. JUDGE ACKNOWLEDGES ERROR Explains to Colorado Supreme Court Why He Issued Mandamus. DENVER, Colo., Dec. 29. For the first time In the' history of the state a Judge of a District Court was compelled today to appear In person before the Supreme Court of the state and explain to that tribunal why he had Issued a writ of mandamus when It was apparent that he was In error In so doing. Judge Samuel L. Carpenter of the District Court was the member of the bench served with the citation. A solemn protest against the action of the high court was entered by Judge Car penter, and he said that under the cir cumstances ho believed that he had au thority to issue the writ of mandamus against the State Canvassing Board to force that body to canvass the returns made for Charles B. Warde and Dr. Michael Beshoar, candidates for the Sen ate on the Democratic ticket from Boul der and Las Animas Counties respective ly. Being now advised that the Supreme Court has decided that district courts have no power to Issue such writs, the Judge said: "It becomes obligatory upon this respondent without any order of this court, of his own motion to dismiss such proceedings." Judge Carpenter was thereupon dis charged by the Supreme Court the writs issued by him were dismissed and he waa directed not to take any further action directly or indirectly In the matter. Decision in the contempt proceedings against Senator John A. Rush and Attor ney Everett Bell, who were cited for con tempt In procuring the writs, was de ferred until next Tuesday. Charles J. Hughes, Jr., appeared for Rush and Charles S. Thomas for Bell, and answers were filed on behalf of both of the accused attorneys. Both pleaded Ignorance of the full scope of the deci sion, and Insisted that they had acted as they believed In the best Interests of their clients. Republicans in Full Control. DENVER, Colo., Dec. 29. By the action of the State Canvassing Board In Issuing certificates of election as Senators to Caslmlro Barela and Henry B. Millard, the Republicans have secured such abso lute control of the General Assembly that It Is now regarded In Democratic circles as highly probable that Governor James N. Peabody wll be reseated. The Re publicans plan to accomplish this by throwing out the vote of all wards where gross frauds were committed in the in terest of the Democratic ticket. The Sen ate now stands: Republlcane, 19; Demo crats, 15; vacancy, L. On Joint ballot the Legislature stands: Republicans, 66; Democrats, 33. By throwing out one Las Animas County precinct the Canvassing Board converted a majority of 124 for the Democratic candidate into a majority of 207 for Barela, Republican, and by simi lar action In case of Boulder County the re-election of Senator Ward. Democrat, was nullified and his seat given to Millard. Adams Petition Not Yet Considered. DENVER. Dec. 23. Chief Justice Gab bert announced this afternoon that the Supreme Court has not found time to consider the petition of Governor-Elect Alva Adams to open all "the ballot-boxes used In Denver at the election and deter mine the extent of the frauds. He added HUNGARIAN POLITICAL SITUATION Premier Tlsza Says Question at Issus Is Obstruction. VIENNA, Dec. 29. Count Tlsza, the Hungarian Premier, arrived in Vienna "to day, and will be received In special audi ence by the Emperor. It is believed" that the object of Count Tisza's visit Is to. ac quaint His Majesty with the steps being taken In view of the Impending dissolu tion of the Hungarian Parliament. Be fore returning to Budapest tonight Count Tlsza gave the Associated Press the fol lowing statement regarding the present critical situation in Hungarian politics: .ine Hungarian Parliament is now passing through a crisis such as- every Parliament In the world has had to ex perience. Probably the Legislatures of Hungary and Austria are the last to en gage in such a struggle. The whole ques tion at issue is obstruction. For years past the working of the Hungarian Par liament has been paralyzed by the tac tics of the minority. From October. 1902, to May. 19W. tho Parliament at Budanest did absolutely nothing. This obstruction was only rendered possible through the standing orders of the House, which were made at a time when It was Impossible to foresee the developments of modern Parliamentary conflicts. "Matters finally reached a point where some radical reform was rendered abso lutely necessary if parliamentary govern ment wass to continue. Hence the Intro duction of the so-called lex dahlel, which was a provisional modification of the standing orders under which obstruction was easily possible. Tho lex danlel ap plied only to certain urgent measures be fore the Parliament, and was Intended only to precede the Introduction later In the session of the new definitive standing orders." The Premier frankly admitted that the lex danlel wa3 forced through tho House In an irregular manner, but he contended that such a course was absolutely neces sary. "The greatest question at the present movement" he continued, "Is' to enforce the will of the majority and to end an intolerable state of affairs under all -circumstances. The only alternative left to the government is to appeal to the nation We feel confident of obtaining a favorable verdict" Meanwhile the opposition Is preparing a vigorous election campaign. One of their chief contentions Is that the govern ment Is acting Illegally in dissolving the Parliament when the next budget cannot be voted as the law requires. They ac cuse Count Tlsza of forcing the monarch to break his constitutional oath in con senting to dissolution under such circum stances. Hence It is feared that there may be some unseemly Incidents when His Majesty reads bis speech from tho throne Wednesday. The elections will be held at the end o" January. Violent scenes may be antici pated during tho polling. No secret bal lot system exists in Hungary, the voters announcing their choice openly and pub licly. The electoral situation Is rendered more acute by the fact that a number of in fluential members of the Liberal party, headed by ex -Premier Andrassy, have left government not because they approve of obstruction, but as a protest against Count Tisza's method in forcing the pass age of the lex danlel and his action In bringing about dissolution of the Parlla ment The present Parliamentary com plications In Hungary,, coupled with the Ministerial crisis In Austria, finds condi tions peculiarly unfortunate at thl3 junc ture, when the dual monarchy is engaged in the negotiation of new commercial treaties requiring the closest attention of both the Austrian and Hungarian Minis ters. , . The last sitting of the present Hun garian Parliament will be held on Tues day, but It will be of a purely formal char acter, for the purpose of being Informed of the hour when the King will deliver his speech from the throne at tho Hof burg tho next day. Premier's Resignation la, Accented.- v, VIENNA, Dec. 29.-The Neu6 Freiof - enva fhrit the. resignation of Premier von Koerber, which, according' to that paper, was tendered yesterday, has been accepted. Protest of Liberty League. tm'mvj uw nolo.. Dec 29. The Liberty League State Convention adopted the fol lowing resolution toaay. "Resolved, That we denounce in unmeas arme action of the Republican party In attempting to override the plainly expressed will ot tne peopie ay Hy throwing out tho returns from a largo number of precincts, to the end that the afon Rrtnnto mav be made subservient to corporate greed; that the Supreme Court may be packed and tnat .Kimes ireaooay, overwhelmingly repudiated at the polls, mn.v Tia forced uDon the Tjeople ot this state for anqther biennial period." Another resolution declares mat tne election laws of Colorado are a farce and demands their revision. Tho political sit uation is declared to be so grave as to call for a complete investigation and it la demanded that every ballot-box In Denver be opened. A protest is made against the Indiscriminate throwing out of ballots without an attempt to separate the good from the bad. Variag Cannot Be Raised. NEW TORE. Dec. 29. The Japanese attempts to raise the Variag have been discontinued, cables the Herald's corres pondent at Seoul, Corea. It is Impossi ble to recommence the work, before Spring, by which time the three-quarter-Inch steel plates forming the hull may be so badly pitted by the action of the air and water that the damage will be Irreparable, except at prohibitive ex pense. It is probable that further salvage operations will be abandoned. The Japanese troops remaining in Seoul are less than 500, although reported re inforcements are expected soon. General Hazagawa ia expected to leave for the north next month. This probably indi cates some forward movement to coun teract tho Russian sorties reported from various places along the Upper Tain. A small engagement occurred Decem ber 20 on the northeast coast at Kong won, la the capture of Russian ammuni tion. Cunning of the Japanese. MUKDEN. Dec. 29. Irrefutable evi dence has been obtained at headquarters that the Japanese are not only hiring Chi nese bandits to operate on the Russian flanks, but that they are enlisting Chinese under Japanese officers. The Japanese are adopting cunning ex pedients to defeat the surprise attacks of the Russian scouts from which they have suffered much. They cover the steep approaches of their trenches with water, which freezes, forms Ice slides and "makes the scouts slip and fall in confusion. ;In other places the Japanese scatter millet stalks over the approaches, the crackling of which gives them warning of the pres ence of Russian scouts. Rural Delivery Appointments. OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU, Wash ington, Dec. 29. Rural free delivery route No. 3 has been ordered established February 1 at Eugene. Lane County, Or., serving 601 people and 1S5 houses. Rural carriers appointed for Oregon routes Dallas route No. 1, Bert F. Wells carrier. Franklin P. Well3 substitute; Oregon City route No. 4, David F. Mor huke carrier, Charles A. Morhuke substi tute; Portland route No. 4, George O. Thompson carrier, William J. Thompson substitute. Place Offered Admiral Lamberton. WASHINGTON. Dec. 29.-If the duty i3 acceptable to him, Rear-Admiral Benja min P. Lamberton probably will be ap pointed president of the Lighthouse Board when Rear-Admiral Evans as sumes command of the North .Atlahtia fleet next March.