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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 1905)
THE MOBNESG OKEGOKIAK, SATURDAY. UA'Ki 1, Entered at -the Foitoflicc at Portland, Or., as second-class matter. REVISED SUBSCRIPTION .BATES. Br mall Xpoetnpc prepaid In advance) Daily, with Sunday, per month .85 Daily, -with Sunday excepted, per year... 7.60 Dally, with Sunday, per year S.00 Sunday, per year .. . 2.0U The Weekly, per year 1-50 The "Weekly. 3 months Dally, per week, delivered, Sunday ex cepted .15 Dally, per week, delivered, Sunday In cluded .., .-. .20 POSTAGE BATES. United States. Canada and Mexico 10 to 34-page paper...... ...... .le 16 to 30-page paper 2c 32 to 44-page paper.. ...... .3c Foreign rates, double. EASTERN BUSINESS OFFICE. The S. C. Beckwlth. Special Ageacy Kerr Yorkt Booms 43-50. Tribune building. Chi cago: Booms 510-512 Tribune building. The Oregonlan docs not buy poems or rtorles from individuals, and cannot undertake to return any manuscript sent to It without solicitation. No stamps should be inclosed lor this purpose. KEPT OK SALE. Chicago Auditorium Annex; Postofflce News Co.. 178 Dearborn street. Dearer Julius Black. Hamilton & Kend riek. 906-912 Seventeenth street, and Fruenuff Bros-. 605 Sixteenth street- ' Kansas City. Mo. Bicksecker Cigar Co., Xlnth and "Walnut. Los Angeles--Harry TJrapkin. Oakland, Cal. W. II. Johnston. Four teenth and Franklin streets. Minneapolis M. J. Xavanaugh. &0 South Third: J. Begclsburger, 217 First avenue South. New York City L. Jones & Co., Astor House. Ogden F. B. Godard and Myers & Harrop. Omaha Uorkalou- Bros.. 1612 Farnam; Mageath Stationery Co., 1308 Farnam. Salt Lake Salt Lake News Co.. 77 "West Second South street. San Francisco J. K. Cooper Co.. 746 Mar ket street; Foster & Crcar, Ferry Jfewn Stand; Goldsmith Bros., 236 Sutter; L. E. Lee, Palace Hotel News Stand: F. W. Pitts, 1008 Market; FraSiK Scott, SO Ellis; N. Wheatley. 83 Steven- Eon: Hotel St. Francis News Stand. Washington, D. C. Ebbitt House News Stand. PORTLAND, SATURDAY. JAN. 14. 1905. "CIIABH US, ORATOR!" Mr. Patrick Henry Olson which name, by the way, is a name of strange commixture writes to The Oregon! an from 1915 -South D street, Tacoma, thus: The Oregonlan is easily the best paper edi torially In- America, but for come occult rea son the Thunderer of the Cascades finds It necessary" to paralogize whenever it deals with -he subject of Socialism. "Why In the name of rll that la fair should The Oregonlan forever hark back to that old man of raw, "the Individual cannot have private property un der Seclallnn." when the very central thought And purpose of Socialism is to Inaugurate a nystcm that will enable each Individual to own and retain his property? He can have all ho can produce by his own efforts, revel in property, choke, suffocate, inundate him self with property If he 'will, but not with other people's property. Warming up with his subject, our Socialist of Tacoma adds: In your criticism of the letter of Mr. C W. Saunders you say that Socialism would mean "cutting men of higher purpose to a mo notonous level." If you mean by higher pur pose that greedy desire to gather to one'a self the fruit of other people's hard labor or that appetite for position or power that enables one person to lord It over another, then yea. Socialism would cut in the bud the aspira tions of that sort of "higher purpose." But If you mean hy "higher purpose" that honest desire and pure intention that has been the motive of the truly great In all ages, the de sire to lift the raco and do good for the sake jf good, then such a one would And not on tVaw laid In his path by Socialism. In statements like these He the foun dations of Socialism. It is sentimental declamation, at Immense distance from the principles of human nature, of hu man action, and of the practical facts of life. It is impossible that the individual under Socialism should have private property to any extent, or of any per manent value. He would have the clothes on his back, but they would B&on be threadbare; he would have the bed he sleeps on, but It would soon be rotten or worn out; he might for a time keep the house he lives in. but he would have no means of keeping it in repair. As for travel, for new furni ture, for articles of luxury and art, they would be out of the question. Let us make this plain. Strange that there should be any one who cannot see that private or individual property, In any true sense or interpretation of the trm, could no longer exist after gov ernment had taken to Itself all the means of production of property and had assumed charge of the distribution of the proceeds of production equally among men, on "lab6r time." For government, under Socialism, is to take possession of all the sources and instruments and means of produc tion, and is to apportion the output, on principles of equality. Would this lift the race up, or carry It down? Cer tainly It would bring all life down to one dull monotonous level. How long will there be any private property If no man can have more than the dally wage? The dally wage. observe, will be small. It cannot be large, because everybody must have It the inefficient and the efficient alike. How long should we have any efficient people, under such conditions? Is the matter really worth discus sion? It isn't, but the proposal fasci nates a class of minds that never think it out, and they keep up a din about It. But from even" direction from which the subject Is approached the Inquiry comes to this result, towlt: When the socialistic state shall have taken possession of the means of pro duction, and taken the proceeds for distribution, private property will dls appear, because there will be no means or restoring or renewing It; no man can get more than the pittance of his daily allowance. It would break the spirit of ambition and energy; one's talents would be of little or no use to him; he would find himself In the posi tion of the shorn. Samson, "eyeless, in Gaza, at the mill with slaves." Personal, private or individual prop erty will cease to exist when govern ment shall have taken possession and control of all the means through which property, wealth, commodities, gains. may be made, produced or accumulated. The assertion that Socialism would leave to every man his own private property is absurd. The change in the social state would be total. It would be like plunging man Into the sea and expecting him to live and prosper there. It Is old truth this statement: Tou take my house when you do take the prop That doth "sustain my house: -you take my life When you do take the means whereby I live. Because the discussion is forced it must be met. But the idea Is futile and fatuous. Socialism would cut out the productive competition of labor. and the results would be nothing. It would cut out the element of persona energy and ambition, making men list less and hopeless. It would cut out the reward of merit, and the hope of It, which is "the god in the game.' The theory is attractive to those who wish to compel the stromr and wUIlnc to carry 'the "weak and Indolent. But so soon as 70a Insist on the principle of merit and work that principle Into the plan the principle of granting to each one the whole and full profit of his Individual work, and measure this profit according: to Intelligence, Indus try and 'actual 'desert you have scat tered to the winds the spirit of this so cial democracy, and eoclalism-wlll have no further charm for anybody. Thus the leading- promise of social democracy is practically and theoretically unten able; it is a delusive halt for an ex treme fanaticism craving for an equal ity that "Nature has forbidden and which never can exist. It Is right for men to use and to have the fruits of their superior capaclty-when they have it and the whole progress of mankind depends upon -this right, and upon maintenance of it, even though Envy, laughing sober fact to acorn. Cries to weakest as to strongest, "Ye are equals, equal-born! Equal born? .Oh yes. if yonder bill be level with, the .flat. Charm us, orator, till the lion look no larger than the cat! THE KEED AND THE OAK. Shillyshallying continues to be the order of the day in Russia, and the Czar appears to be blown about by every wind of reform or of reaction. After the grim "Von Plehve came the liberal Sviatopoik-Mlrsky, and now this champion of the tolling millions of Rus sia has been compelled to resign, to be succeeded in all probability by De WItte, the organizer, the financier, the man to whom system is more than souls and a stable budget more than a happy -peasantry. Changes such as these reveal the In herent weakness of the Czar. His Im pulses appear to be good, but they are abandoned or forgotten before they reach the point of execution. He pro poses international disarmament and encourages the Russian war party. He appoints Svlatopolk-Mlrsky and coun tenances the meeting of the Zemstvo Ists, only to rebuke them for presump tion in taking advantage of his conces sion. As to Svlatopolk-Mirsky, he ap pears but a broken reed. He meant well, but evidently lacks the force of character to press through his reforms, opposed by the bureaucrats and Pobe- donosteff, Russia's Old Man of the Sea. The Czar leant upon his Minister, but, like the oak In the old ballad, Sviato- polk-Mirsky first bowed and then he broke. Unstable as water, the Czar, in cir cumatances such as these, turns to a strong man, reluctantly, perhaps, but inevitably. De Wltte is the strong man. He has risen from the ranks by sheer capacity and force of character. Inclining towards liberalism, or a be liever in the established plan, be will at least bring order, and may be de pended upon to adopt what measures he conceives to be best for the whole empire If he succeeds Sviatopolk Mirsky, even the Liberals should be pleased, for De Wltte will not be the means of dangling constitutional prizes before the Russian Hampdens, only to snatch them away from outstretched hands. SPOLIATION OF FOREST WEALTH. Standing by the freshly-cut stump "of an Oregon fir In the Cascade Range, a diameter of five feet was exposed to an observer. Counting the rings In the stump, 167 were plain. The heart of the tree and the layers just under the bark probably accounted for forty more, so it had taken Dame Nature 200 years to grow and mature that splendid tree. It was surrounded by its brethren of the forest, many larger, some smaller, than Itself. The major ity of the larger trees had needed 300 years to attain their growth. Measur ing their distance apart, these wood land giants stood nearly as thickly to gether as apple trees In an orchard. But to be moderate, let us put the num ber at thirty to the acre. The special tree that is used for illustration showed six cuts of twelve feet each, with an average diameter of fifty inches. Its content In boards is there fore 9642 feet. If the thirty trees in the acre were of equal size, that acre would yield 289,260 feet. Such figures are typi cal of a good many acres In that re gion, and of others to the south and north of .It In the Cascades and of di vers others In the Coast Range through the length of Oregon from north to south. Thus can be brought home to the reader the Inducement to become the owner under trie existing timber laws of such wealth, for the Government price Is, as every one knows, $2.50 an acre. The quarter section mentioned, If of equal yield to the one acre, would give over 46,000,000 feet. If one-fourth of that be taken as an average of heav ily timbered tracts, it shows more than 11,000,000 feet to the claim, worth, at an ordinary stumpage value of 50 cents per thousand feet, $5500. For this claim the Nation will have been paid $400. But further the area of timber land in Oregon open for sale to the average citizen has been enormously contract ed by the gifts to the railroads and wagon roads. -It is generally conceded that each of the wagon-road grants contains 120,000 acres of timber lands. or over. The timbered area of the lands Included in the land grant of the Oregon & California Railroad, now In the hands of the Southern Pacific, twenty miles wide and covering the alternate miles within that belt. Is not publicly known, but Is very large. The fate of the man who has in good faith complied with the law, paid his $400 and obtained his land patent, has In the vast majority of instances been that he found himself the possessor of a prop erty which he could neither use nor sell, except to the owners of the tracts surrounding him on all sides. Not like the timber lands of Wisconsin. Mlchl- gan and of the South, much of the Oregon timber clothes the mountain sides, bounded by precipices and over hanging the cataract. When the forest giants are felled. It is a costly work to construct the roads to bring them to open river or to the rail. It is far too costly for the owner of the single claim to undertake. Such an one may hold on to his timber In hope of better price than, the syndicate may have offered him. In the end.he sees that he can do no better, and grudgingly accepts. Such has been the programme of hon est work by these syndicates In gath ering up their timbered areas, some times of a billion feet or more. The dishonest work which has smirched the good name of Oregon Is now left to the Government to follow up and to undo as far as the courts permit Some such transactions are shielded by the stat ute of limitations, others by such rules of law as serve to protect purchasers of property fraudulently acquired, when the purchaser Is not a party to the fraud. But in the end doubtless many timber claims will be returned to the public demalB, and -will be exposed t j fresh spoliation, under tae existing law This is -utterly ana essentially wrong. The timber land are the property of the Nation In trust for future as well as for the present generation. Widely dif ferent from the agricultural lands open to homestead claim, the value consists In what is on, not in. the lands. Hun dreds of years have gone to the growth of the forest. Once gone, this crop can not be replaced within the sight of this generation. Surely we now here are entitled to the use of so much, and so much only, of the standing forest as can be turned to legitimate use. Towns must be built, homes made, Tailroads set at work, mills and factories devel oped. All this is our right and privi lege. But this means, according to the figures of 1904, a consumption of one billion feet a year out of an esti mated total of growing timber of 225 billion feet in Oregon alone. II the Na tion could be brought to see the logic of the case, the timber reserve would be very sparingly and cautiously dealt out In such proportions as could be properly consumed by the Nation's needs. The possibility of such reckless handling has been seen In Oregon, and should be promptly and forever stopped. It Is easy to shut the door after the steed Is stolen. -And far too much Is the old proverb applicable. Yet there are some stables and some steeds left, and locks should be prompt ly put on. OUR SOUTHERN BICE CBOr. In a recent report by -the Depart ment of Agriculture the rice crop of the country for the year 1904 is given. In figures that follow: Production States. Area, (rough rice) Acres. nusneu. North Carolina 1.S00 South Carolina 33.300 8.320 832.500 Georgia 0,000 234.000 Louisiana ... Texas ... Other states 376.ri00 234.200 7.20(1 11.443.6O0 S.314.100 211.518 Total United States .. GC2.006 21.096.038 The farm value of rough rice Is given this statement, towlt: North Carolina South Carolina Georgia ....... Florida Alabama ... . Mississippi Louisiana ... Texas :. 46.073 537.778 154.440 09.617 67.388 30,284 .439.640 .847.306 Total $13,891,523 The rice product of the CaroHnas, once the chief seat of the Industry in the Unltel States, is now relatively small. The decrease in the South At lantic States during some years past has been relatively as great as the In crease In the Gulf States. Of this change the department says it is the result of the combined Impulsion of sev eral economic forces, some of which it enumerates, among them: "The recent low -prices of rice, on the one hand, and the high prices of cotton, corn and to bacco, on the other, have diverted the formerly Important area sown to up land rice almost entirely to the culture of more profitable products. The pe culiar inadaptability .of the irrigated rice lands of these states to the use of. heavy, up-to-date agricultural machin ery has prevented reduction In the cost of production, and. In this era of low prices, has rendered successful competi tion with the rlcegrowers of Southwest Louisiana and of Texas Impossible. Meteorological conditions, also, are in the long run less favorable than In the Southwest, and individual losses from unusually high tides, overflows and equinoctial storms have, in the already depressed condition of the Industry, doubtless influenced the decline. Indif ference and careless cultivation have, In many Instances, resulted from con tinued lack of profit, and, as usual, there has followed contraction of pro duction." The department intimates that con tinued decadence of this crop may be expected in the South Atlantic States and further Increase of it in the Gulf States. It Is one of the crops of the South that creates an Interest In that section In behalf of protective tariff, as sugar is another. TUB JUVENILE COUBT. A feature of the Governor's message, and one which appeals to humanity and justice and will be indorsed by thoughtful and humane people gener ally, is that which treats of and rec ommends the establishment, in connec tion with our state judiciary, of Juven ile courts. The term Is suggestive at once of sadness and of hope of sadness because of the necessity that it im plies, and of hope In that It suggests the possibility, under special judicial treatment, of restoring the Juvenile de linquent to civil favor, and, in due time, of advancing him to the status of the useful citizen. The basis of this hope lies in common observation and individual experience. The delinquent child Is, perhaps, nine times out of ten, the neglected child or the child subjected in his training, or lack of It, to some form of injustice, more or less pronounced. But whether from the one cause or the other, or from whatever cause, the child is enti tled to a chance to recover his dis turbed moral equilibrium before he Is given over to the company and tute lage of lawbreakers of more mature years, beginning at the regular crim inal's dock and proceeding step by step to the states prison perhaps to the gallows. Society must and will protect itself from, the acts of the lawless. It is only asked that in doing this those to whom this duty is delegated look to the fu ture of the juvenile delinquent while protecting the community from present Injury at his hands. The suggestion of Governor Cham berlain under the head of juvenile courts looks intelligently, humanely and hopefully to this end. That It will Je followed by legislation along the line 7 designated as having been found useful In other states Is at least probable. The object Is a worthy one. It applies not only to the present good of the juvenile delinquent, but reaches out with a two fold purpose that of making a man and a citizen out of material that. If allowed to run to waste, so to speak. would result In the loss of the Individ ual both to himself and to the state. The plan is succinctly outlined by the Governor. It Is not new, being, In fact. In effect in at least, as he observes. thirteen states. Briefly, It provides for the detention of delinquent children awaiting examination, apart from criminals; for the establishment of separate courts, known as juvenile courts, before which they may be tried, and for a system of parole on probation under the supervision of dis creet and duly accredited persons; for holding parents or guardians, where feasible, responsible for acts contribut ing to Juvenile delinquency, and to commit those who, after all efforts have failed, prove Incorrigible, to the Reform School, where they will receive Instruc tioa In maaa and Industrial training, instead of placing them, in purely puni tive institutions. It is believed, and in deed experiment has proven, that a large majority of juvenile delinquents thus treated can be saved to them selves and the state, who would other wise be lost to themselves and become a burden upon and a menace to society. Colorado Is not at present giving us many things of a political or judicial nature that are worthy of emulation, but she has, both In law and in prac tice, a system of dealing with juvenile delinquents that Is not only full of promise for her own future, but Is worthy of emulation by other states. Including our own. The passing of another pioneer is re corded In the death or Mrs. Mary E. Gibson, of Clackamas County. Her husband died many years ago. Mrs. Gibson settled on a donation land, claim near Needy In -1S52. There she resided continuously until her death, wrdch oc curred oil JanuarvJ?. and. from thence her body Witt be borne to Jhtqld .Rock Creek graveyard to ItsMast rest. Mrs. Gibson's Ufa and its activities belong to the pioneer era, of which It was a part. Of unflagging Industry, a careful economist, a thrifty housewife, hosplta ble, kind and diligent In neighborly acts and offices, she will be missed from the niche in the community which she so long filled. She was a sister of the late B. C. Duniway, of this city, and the last of a pioneer family who came to the beautiful wilderness "where flows the Oregon" more than fifty years ago. Considerable interest attaches to the Russian cavalry raids upon the rail road In the rear of Oyama's army More was expected from the Russian cavalry than It has hitherto done in the war. Tet the success of a raiding party In damaging the railroad at HalcheBg. which Is eighty-six miles south of Mukden, shows that something of the traditional Cossack dash remains. The attack upon Nluchwang, 100 miles by rail from Mukden and more than 150 by the route horsemen must have trav eled, shows that such a considerable body as 2000 troopers were able to pen etrate successfully territory undej- Jap anese control. The time of this dis play of action on the part of the Rus sian cavalrj is significant, as It shows how anxious Kuropatkln Is to prevent Oyama's reinforcement by the released Port Arthur army. Senator Fulton makes a good nolnt when he declareslbat the United States Government committed Itself to the Ce lllo Canal project when it Invited the State of Oregon to appropriate $100,000 for right of way. The state has done its share, and more. It showed its great Individual Interest In cheaper transportation for Upper Columbia products by undertaking to build portage railroad at Celilo at a cost of $165,000 and more. Chairman Burton complains that much money has been and is being expended' on the Colum bla, and the Celilo Canal can wait. But the Columbia Is a great river one of the greatest In the world and it drains a great and productive terri tory. Chairman Burton knows that and he knows that it Is an entirely proper work for the Government to carry on. It is unpleasant to discover In the Tacoma Ledger's account of the great red-apple campaign at Olympla obvious signs of dissatisfaction with the meth ods pursued by Hon. Charles Sweeny. The Ledger takes occasion to sneer at the Sweeny lobby and some of Its Im portant members, and to intimate that their absence would be highly appreci ated by the Foster management. It Is difficult to account for these smolder Ing signs of hostility between the Fos ter and Sweeny camps, after the recent festivities In that Tacoma banquet. It Is incredible that the apple supply has run short on the one hand, or that the trusty corkscrew has failed In its great mission on the other. Perhaps It ha3 dawned on somebody that two cannot be elected to one United States Sena torship. In view of Russia's apparent inten tion to .reorganize her navy, the Novoe Vremya's exhortation to the govern ment on the subject of Vladivostok is timely and pertinent Port Arthur, appears, was not properly garrisoned or munitioned at the outbreak of the war, and the Russian paper fears that Vladivostok, which is now of vast lm portance to Russia, may be in the same unprepared condition. With a secure base in Far Eastern waters, the strength of any Russian squadron would be double its strength without such a port. To the streams of Massachusetts the United States Fish Commission is mak Ing an effort to' restore several varieties of fish, long extinct there; among them perch, land-locked salmon, trout, and shad fry. Rocky Mountain trout are taken for the purpose of restoring that species of fish, but it is safe to say the experiment will be a failure. Trout will not live in streams polluted by the wash of factories and the drainage from a vast human population. Massachusetts wants fish In her waters she will have to-put up with carp .and catfish. If Byron could revisit Venice he would find American traveling men pushing the sales of electrical appll ances of all kinds, and, as Consul Bliss reports, the River Celllna dammed to furinsh power. This might strike the poet as even worse than the dull dis sonance of the barbarian drum. Senator Hodson wants to raise the marriage license from $2.50 to $5. The Senator 'has doubtless observed that the dog license in Portland is $3, and he properly resents the obvious fact that it Is cheaper to be a dog than married man. The political machine thinks it would be good to pass the amendment to the Australian ballot law over the Gov- ernor's veto. From Its standpoint the political machine Is right Its object Is to "simplify" elections. It shows very accurate calculation of cost and profits, to say the least when the Carnegie and Bethlehem Companies each bid $3,204,700 for the armor-plate contract and the Midvale Company $3428.78L Fourteen degrees below zero at Ivan sas City, and 12 below at Lincoln, Neb, and Des Moines, la., are causes for re newed satisfaction with our ever-mild and equable climate. Bristow didn't' find It a long lime be tween jobs. NOTE AND COMMENT. , ? The long-deserted whlpplng-post has awakened to find Itself popular once more. .Employes In the office of the County Treasurer at Seattle must address their boss as "Mr." Gormley. There have been treasurers offices in which there was more missing than, mistering. Or like a snowflake down your collar. One moment felt that makes yos holler. Russia's loan went like hot cakes. While there's dough there's scope. Yesterday's true story of the girl who unwittingly swiped a ribbon from a de partment store by entangling it on a dec orative plant she was carrying has brought forward a similar story, also true. This time It was a very tall girl, who bent over the counter to examine some ar ticle. When she straightened up her hat caught a veil that was hanging over the counter, and she had gone several blocks before some one told her' of the unusual decoration her hat was flaunting. In New York they are playing "Brook lyn Bridge is falling down." A Tillamook editor refers to a Portland trip as going "outside." all the same Alas kans. Seattle wants Furth to come forth on the chance of coming fifth. The National Livestock Association is pretty live Itself almost as much so as the Colorado Legislature. A Spokane woman is alleged to have set Are to eight houses In three months. Evidently she thought the Insurance com panies had money to burn. Dramatic lessons by mall brought trou bles to a young girl of Centralia. Adver tising, engineering, novel-writing. Span ish, piano-playing, drawing, gymnastics and a thousand other things are taught. or, better, are advertised to be taught by mail, but the stage! Lord knows, there are enough actorettes to torture a long suffering public, without the addition of hoats who have been sicked on by the 111-advlscd aid of Uncle Sam's rural free delivery. Is no surveillance exercised over girls that they can snatch a letter from the mallcarrier, retire behind the barn and there startle .the peaceful cow ana the egg-producing hen by shrieking. according to mimeographed instructions, "Mee chee-olld!" or "Unhaand meee, Vll yun!"? Are the minds of the Nation's girls to be thus distracted from the mak ing of biscuits, the sweeping of rooms and the selling of eggs? A hundred times, No. The Postmaster-General In his lat est annual report recommended the enact ment of a law against sending dangerous articles through the mails. When this recommendation Is acted upon, let dra matic lessons be named as one of the pro scribed dangers. Far from being grateful for the seeds sent him by a generous Nation, the ed Itor of the Independence Enterprise says the gift but rubs it into him that he Is a country editor. Not often does lngrati tude sneer so loudly. Instead of making bright his flower-beds with turnip seed. or planting pumpkin seed to insure supply of nosegays, the editor repines that he Is In the country, where such alchemy Is possible. Suppose he had nothing but asphalt pavements In which to plant seeds. and even the didn't get any of them with which to try his luck how would he like that? Wouldn't It be rubbed Into him that he wasn't a country editor and wasn't thought worthy of receiving one little mustard seed? Although they haven't been saying much about it of late, safe-blowers In this part of the state have been blowing about their business a good deal. Bristow was just off with the old job before he was on with the new. The trouble seems to be that every one wants to protect Oregon game his own way. Mrs. Chadwlck appears to have been equally distinguished as a smuggler. Instead of shooting the girl who refused to marry him, a Frenchman in Vancou ver, B. C, put an end to his own life an lnnnltely preferable method of express Ing his disappointment If a man loves a girl and she will not have him, he should have a clear field for some other fellow. If be can't live without the girl, lot him follow this Frenchman's example and die without her. Titles are dear to the American heart and naval circles appear to be much stirred up over the question of right to the use of the prefix "Rear-Admiral Chiefs of bureaus of the Navy Depart ment are now presented at the White House as "the Chief of the Bureau of Navigation" or "the Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks," a particularly ele gant and convenient designation. Thus the paymasters, surgeons and so forth lose the glory of being announced as "Hear-Admiral Soandso," and this great question having been settled, the Nation is able to devote some of its time to amusement. The Idaho Legislature wants It under stood that It doesn't play poker, at least not wry well. . "Port Arthur" is a new play being pro duced in New York. It should' make mora than a one-night stand. WEX. J. Sign of Age. Atchison Globe. It you forget a real pretty girl's name it is another sign that you are growing old. Getting Information Out"efPa. Council Bluffs Nonsarell. My pa. he didn't go dowatown. Last evening after tea. Bnt got a book an nettled down Aa comfy as could be. I'll tell you I was offul glad To have my pa about To answer all the thing I had Been tryln to find out. And so I asked him why the world Is round. Instead of tquare. And why the piggies' tails are curled. And why don't fish breathe air? And why the moon don't hit a star And why the dark la black. And Jest how many birds there are. And will the wind come back? And why does water stay In wells. And why do June buss hum. And what's the roar I hear In shells. And when will Christmas come? And why the grass In always green. Instead of sometimes blue? And why a, bean will grow a bean. And not an apple, too? And why a. horse can't learn to moo. And why a cow can't neigh? And do the fairies live on dew And what makes hair grow Cray? And then my pa. got up an', see; The offul words he said. I hadn't done a thing, but he Jjjt jcat 15 off tff bed. PLEBEIAN RULING PATRICIANS Career ef be Wltte, Aslcst 3la la Russia. "Who Is Expected t Succeed SvIatesolk-MIntky an n Minister at the Imteriar. De Wltte's return to power has been expected ever since Bezobrazoff, the ad- enturer who supplanted him, was dis missed in disgrace, but the utter Impos sibility of von Plchvc and De Wltte Working together harmoniously caused those who attempted to forecast the sit uation to look for von Plchve's dismissal. Therefore, as events Indicated that the Czar might turn to his former Minister of Finance, von Plehve's" dismissal seemed correspondingly imminent The old reac tionary hung on, however, until violently torn from office. Had he lived the world might have seen a great diplomatic duel between the two strongest men In Rus sia. The appointment of Svlatopolk-Mir sky appeared to foreshadow the Czar's 1 Intention to Institute a series of reforms, but the opposition of the reactionaries and the Czar's vacillating nature have apparently resulted In a return to the' old regime. De Wltte's return to power will mean a great deal more than the personal success of a very able man, at least It would mean a great deal more under representa tive government. In Britain a De Wltto would accept office only on the condition that his policy be adopted. Did exactly the same conditions prevail in Russia, the almost Immediate end of the war with Japan and Russia's evacuation of Man churia might be predicted. This latter was De Wltte's policy when he was Min ister of Finance. He was absolutely op posed to the Czar's course In the Far East and boldly denounced Von Plehve and Bezobrazoff, whose stars, however, were In the ascendant As a rebtike for bis outspoken criticism of the govern ment's broken faith in Manchuria, De Wltto was dismissed. While It Is not likely that on his return he will be per mitted to open peace negotiations, he will be the man upon whose advice the Czar will depend. He and he alone will have the imperial ear. That he will be able materially to modify the future course of the war, even if he cannot bring it to a sudden end. Is very probable. As to the effect of De Wltte's rule In the paat opinions differ. His numerous ene mies assert that be ground the people for taxes till they were almost on the verge of a revolution. This may be true, but If De Wltte wrung the land dry it was not to provide himself with riches. Russia's policy of maintaining immense armies and constantly acquiring more territory is and has been a deadly drain on the country's resources. From 1592 to 1302 De Wltte In creased Russia's revenue from $500,000,000 to 51,000,000,000, and reduced the national debt by $400,000,000. Every year he had a substantial balance on the right side of the ledger, the surplus some years amounting to $100,000,000. One of the most Important of the new sources of revenue he discovered was the liquor trade, which he converted Into a government monopoly, from 20,000 miles of railway In 1892 to 40,000 in 1902 Is another long stride," largely due to De Wltte's policy. He has had more to do with the Trans-Siberian Railway than any living man, and he had every thing to do with Russia's adoption of the gold standard, which cost him four years BITS OF OREGON LIFE. Occupation for Grandpa Redburg. Oretown Corr. Tillamook Herald. Mr. Porter will soon have the new brick flue on Mr. Redburg's house completed. Grandpa Redburg Is watching Its build ing with much apparent pleasure. . Mr. Crow's Educational Activity. Oretown Corr. Tillamook Herald. Mr. Crow, our schoolteacher, is teach ing the boys to play baseball during re cess and noon. He Is doing good work In our school and the children seem to be learning considerable. Wanted a Good Judge of Dogs. Astoria Astorlan. Chief Hallock Is looking for a compe tent, sober, industrious man for the posi tion of dogcatcher. The applicant does not have to pass a civil service examina tion, but must be a good judge of dogs. Sympathy for Rev. Mr. Pettyjohn. Newberg Graphic Sympathizers with Rev. R. Pettyjohn in his troubles as recorded in last week's Graphic, passed a subscription paper around and raised money to pay his fine and costs. Mr. Pettyjohn hands in a card or letter of thanks, rather too extended for publication, the gist of which is that he appreciates a 10-cent piece now more than he would a $100 coffin for his body to molder In. Here's hoping- he may have both each In its alloted time. THE OREGONIAN. Ashland Tribune. The Xew Tear's edlUon .of. The Oregonlan, which conslits principally of an exploitation of the Lewis and Clark. Exposition, is. In itself", an achievement of which the entire state may well be proud. The same material, published by any other paper on the Coast, would not have the same effect, because no other Coast paper ranks, as high throughout the length and breadth of this country. Mechanically, the edition Is perfect, all the cuts betas: clear and distinct, while the de scriptive matter Is not mawkish -with hack neyed expressions. Great Is Oregon! Great Is The Oregonlan! And Kreat will be the success of the Lewis and Clark Fair, because that which made Ore gon what It is and gave the state its splendid newspaper, still lives and dominates the peo ple who are behind the Exposition movement. The Intelligence in a Hand. Helen Keller In the Century. In all my experiences and thoughts I am conscious of a hand. Whatever touches me, whatever thrills me, Is as a hand that touches me In the dark, and that touch Is my reality.- You might as well say that a sight which makes you glad or a blow which brings the stinging tears to your eyes Is unreal as to say that those Impressions are unreal which J have accumulated by means of touch. The delicate tremble of a butterfly's wings In my hand, the soft petals of vio lets curling In the cool folds of their leaves or lifting sweetly out of the mead ow grass, the clear. Arm outline of face and limb, the smooth arch of a horse's neck and the velvety touch of his nose 'all.these, and a thousand resultant com binations which take shape In my mind, constitute my world. And a Bull Pup. Atchison Globe. There are two things that can't be' left alone a baby arid a gasoline stove. The White Cockade. yiy love was born in Aberdeen, The bonniest lad that e'er was seen: But now he makes our hearts fu' sad He's ta'en the field wl his white cockade. Oh, he's a ranting, roving blade! Oh, he's a brisk and a bonny lad! Betide what wilt my heart Is glad To see my lad wf his white cockade. Oh. leeze me on the phllabeg,. The hairy hough and gartered leg! But aye1 the sight that glads my e'e Is the white cockade a boon the brce. I'll sell my rock. 111 sell my reel. My rippling kame and spinning wheel. To buy my lad a. tartan plaid. A'braldaword, dirk and a. white cockade. I'll sell my rokelay and my tow. My gude grey mare and .bawkit cow; . That every' loyal Bucban lad -Uy teJc? tW Ocld wj' M- TjjbJtp oik-Jc effort. He has made the most important of Russia's foreign treaties, and Is cred ited with being very friendly toward Brit ain. Certainly he greatly Increased ha exportation of Russian goods to England while In office, and caused large sums of English money to bt, invested in Russian concerns- De Wltte is not a reactionary. He believes In education, and-has estab lished polytechnics and commercial schools thrqughout the country. "He is by no means an attractive man," says an English newspaper bio grapher, "His manner is cold, his de portment stiff and awkward, and his speech slow and unpolished. This is perhaps why he Is so Intensely unpopular among tne-Kusslan aristocracy whoso manners are those of a French cour tier. He is also. a man of passionate temper, and. exigent towards his sub ordinates to an extraordinary degree. He is quite unable to tolerate dullness, mediocrity, or lack of Intelligence, and the result of this is that when in of fice he gathered round him a band of workers representing the best Intelli gence in the country. He Is married to one of tho most fascinating and beautiful women in Russia, a woman who has secured for her distinguished husband many friends, where he him self, born a plebeian of the lower mid dle class, would never have made any favorable Impression. He commenced his career without money and without friends or influence. His father, who was of Dutch extraction, held a veryj small post under the Russian govern ment At the Odessa University, whero M. De Wltte spent some years as a student, he had a quite undistin giushel career, and gave no special signs of promise." " "His chance came, however," con tinues the biographer. . "soon after leaving the university, when he ob tained an appointment in the State Railway Department. Here he at once showed his ability by doing the work of those, above him much better than they could do it themselves. He con sequently rose by rapid steps until ho became chief of the State Railway De partment and afterwards Minister of Communications, the work of which office he has since discharged In addi tion te his duties as Finance Minister. "Two incidents In his railway career stand out with particular clearness. One was when he received his first ap pointment as chief of a small station In a few months, acting entirely on his own initiative, he had transformed the little station into a model for the whole country. The other was when. In 1S79 he was summoned to St Pe tersburg to the- great railway commis sion. At this meeting he showed that he had mastered the details of railway organization down to the minutest item In a most extraordinary manner, and drew up the famous report whicn was the outcome of the meeting." It is this man Into whose hands is en trusted the future of Russia. It Is doubtful if another so devoted and so capable could be found In that vast empire. AN APPEAL FOR THE H0RS& Merciful man, be merciful to your horse! This Is a trying time for the faithful servitors that face the bitter, ice-laden winds that sweep through the streets and shriek around the corners. Ill fares it with the poor dumb creature whosa driven muffled to the eyes in recognition; of the power of the storm, forgets to pro vide a covering for the steaming back of his horse and neglects the simple precau tion of knocking the ice and snowballs from time to time from the anlmal'a feet The human life that goes on wltbln homes must be ministered unto by men engaged in that business, regardless of the fury of the-storm. The'hOrse ibs do his part But see to it that the woo or cuii wagon is not so neaviiy laden while the streets an allnnprv jinrl " fhn wind comes roystering out of the East., Lrff not . tYtc hlltrhpr'o mi4 Vi V-4v.aM lunousiy or tne ruei wagon over-laden; let those In control snarp an miifh a ima. sible the horses that serve the special de livery Dusiness ana let the bad: pf each and everv hora in nrvfp dnrfnir thta bitter, unusual storm be protected from direct contact with the snow, keen winds, and Ice points by some sort of a cov ering. Let neODle who aro waxmlv hnnsAil restrain their impatience if the daily sup- puea ao not come in on time, realizing that both man and heast, from the half frozen milk man urging his struggling horses through the unbriken drifts In the suburbs, to the postmaif -fending under his lce-weifrhted load, and from tho nnrvMa- dellvery boy and his panting horse to tho oenumoea met vender and his straining team that bring the belated "hurry or der" to the door, are each and all doing his and their beat and are as anxious to accomplish the day's tasks as is any one whom they serve. In sudden stress they also serve who patiently wait. OBJECT TO THE "FRATS." Nearly All Important Preparatory Schools Against Them. Chicago Chronicle, Jan. 10. President Harper's committee of prin cipals of affiliated preparatory schools has spoken In the matter of high-school fraternities. The School Review, pub lished at the University of Chicago, yes terday contained an exhaustive report of this committee, of which W. D. Owen, principal of the "University High School, was an Influeritlal member. The committee has found that but two secondary schools of importance In the country favor high school fraternities. These are Lewis Institute, of Chicago, and Colgate Academy, of Hamilton, N. Y. Dean Owen, of the committee. Is of the opinion that the high school organ ization Is the most dangerous element la the social life of the academy today. He believes that every private school in the country should abolish them at once and that the public schools ' should carry the matter to the courts in order to test the rule against them. Professor Owen has 110 fear of "the out come of the fight In tho private schools. The students there can be given their choice of attending the school under cer tain conditions, and if they do not" care to accept the conditions they need not attend, he says. The University High School principal has no fear of thl3 rule on the attendance. "Our school can accommodate but 600, and we have to turn away many appli cants every term," he said. "We could lose all of oiri fraternity pupils and then easily All their places." ' The objections that the committee has found to the fraternities are as follows: They injure the school by dividing it into cliques and by bringing into it poli tics and bad morals. They cause a decline In the Interest and In the preparation of school work. Unlike college fraternities, they are un necessary, as the students are at home and are too young to choose any life out side of the home. They cause jealousy, especially among the girls. Their standards are different from those set up by the school officials and they often can offer strong opposition to the policy of the authorities. These objections were amplified with statements of Individual cases where "snobbishness," "school anarchy" and "disinterestedness In school work" arc shown to have developed. The report has been accepted by-President Harper and It is understood that he Is pleased with It Thank- Goodnes..V Atchlsop Globe.'' Jjbhe of us tSir a? mVif h' 3iDf ixlk as - hartcud-r. I