Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 1905)
THE JfORNIXa OREGOIKLAN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1905. Entered at the Postofflce at Portland, Or., aa second-class matter. KE VISED 6UBSCBIPXIOX KATES. By mail (postage prepaid la advance) Sally, with Sunday, per month - .85 Xailr, with Sunday excepted, per year... 7X0 Dally, with Sunday, per year .0 Sunday, per year. 2-W The "Weekly, per year . 1-50 The Weekly, 5 months.. - .W Dally, per week, delivered, Sunday ex cepted .... .... ... .13 Dally, per week, delivered, Sunday In cluded - -20 POSTAGE BATES. United States, Canada and Mexico 10 to 14-pag paper lc 16 to 30-page paper ........ ......... .2c 2 to 44-page paper 3o Foreign rates, double. EASTERN BUSINESS OFFICE. The S. O. Beckwitb. Special Agesacy New Torfc: Booms 43-50. Tribune building. Chl cago: Booms 610-512 Tribune building. The Orecoxlait does not buy poems or stories from Individuals; and cannot undertake to return any manuscript sent to It without solicitation. No stamps should be Inclosed for this purpose. KEPT ON SALE. Chicago Auditorium Annex; Postofnca News Co., ITS Dearborn street. Dectver Julius Black. Hamilton A Kend rlck, 806-812 Seventeenth street, and Fruenuff Bros., 605 Sixteenth street. Kansas City, Mov Rlcksecker Clear Cx, 2lnth and Walnut. Zaoa Aastele Harry Drapkln. OnMawiT. Cat W. H. Johnston, Four teenth and Franklin streets. HinBeapolie JI. J. Kavanaugh, 50 South Third; Xi Begelaburger, 217 First avenue South. New Xork City I, Jones & Co.. Astor 'House. Ogdea I. B. Qodard and Myers & Harrop. Omaha Borkol ow Bros.. 1612 Far nam; Mageath Stationery Co.. 1S0S Fa roam. Salt Eakc Salt Lake News Co.. 77 West Second South street. San Francisco J. X. Cooper Co.. 746 Mar ket street; Foster & Crear, Ferry News Stand; Goldsmith Bros., 236 Sutter; L. E. Lee. Palace Hotsl News Stand; F. W. Pitts, 1003 Market; Frank Scott. 80 Ellis; N Wheatley. S3 Steven son: Hotl St. Francis News Stand. Washington, B. C Ebbltt House News Stand. rOKTLiAND, THDBSDAY, JAN. 19, 1900. THE XXGISEATUKE AND THE 'XOCAIi OPTION" ACT. It may; bo admitted that there is room lor doubt, from the. phraseology of the referendum amendment, "whether the Legislature may amend or repeal an act which has become a law by a direct vote of the people. Under this amendment "the people reserve to themselves power to propose laws and amendments to the constitution and to enact or reject the same at the Tolls, independent of the Legislative Assem bly," etc; and further on it is declared that "any measure referred to the peo ple 6hall take effect and become the law when it is approved by a majority of the votes cast thereon." But no ex press power is given to the legislature to alter or repeal such law. Some therefore argue that such power does not belong to the legislature, but that the only way to alter or repeal laws of this description is through new ref erence to the people. These arguments, combined with study of the amendment, might not only leave doubt m many minds, but even prove conclusive against the power of the Legislature to amend or repeal laws carried by the referendum; but the Supremo Court has already passed on this subject, holding in clearest manner against the contention of those who deny the power to the Legislature. In its opinion of December. 1903, in which the constitutionality of the amendment was affirmed,. the Supreme Court, deciding that the Initiative and referendum amendment does not abol iBh or destroy the republican form of government, said: The representative character of the Gov ernment etlll remains. The people have simply reserved to themselves a larger shar ol legislative power, but they have not over thrown the republican form of government, or substituted another In Its place. Thw Government 1" still divided Into the legis lative, executive and Judicial departments. the duties of which are discharged by Repre sentatives selected by the people. Under this amendment. It is true, the people may ex ercise a legislative power, and may. In efV feet, veto or defeat bills passed and apv proved by the Legislature and the Goy ernor; but the legislative and executive de partments are not destroyed, nor are their powers or authority materially, curtailed. Laws proposed and enacted by the people under the Initiative clause of the amend ntent are subject to the same Constitutional limitations as other statutes, and may be amended or repealed by the Legislature at Will. This settles the matter, for the pres ent, at least. The Legislature may amend or repeal, at will. The perti nency of the. inquiry at this time arises frera the debate on the proposal to amend, through legislative act, the so called local option law, that came Into being through the initiative and refer ndum. The Orcgonian's views and opinions as to this act are well known. It thinks the Legislature ought to amend the act. For the act was unquestionably carried through by deception. All the facts have come out since the election, through the quarrels of the different elements that supported It. Through sharp practice on one side and through stupidity on the other, the prohibition ists obtained a decided advantage. The date had an excellent law, before this scheme of jugglery was enacted; for any incorporated town or city could even prohibit, If it chose to do so. and in country precincts liquors could be sold only on petition of a majority of the electors. But The Oregonlan would not counsel total repeal of the present law. It would suggest amendment only; which, nevertheless, should pro vide for a true local option, so the elector, if he wish, could vote for prohi bition in his own resident district, with out being compelled in order to do so to cast his vote upon a scheme of forc ing prohibition on others. This will be true local option. It would extend the right to call for a vote In any precinct of an Incorporated town, as well as In country districts; which some might deem a gain. But county prohibition should be cut out of the act. and The Oregonlan does not doubt that it will be, or that a gerat majority of the people of the state will approve such amendment. The real purpose or object of this peculiar law was to force prohibition through tho vote of the country pre cincts, where no liquors are sold be cause none are wanted, on the incor porated towns, where the people al ready had the right of local prohibition when they chose to exercise it. But no sooner had the authors of this .scheme of cunning, subtlety and deception carried it than they fell out among themselves. Now they are totally estranged; or as our old friend John "White used to say "they all got ostra cized." No fraud, xsven in what Its ad vocates call a "holy cause' can have permanent standing. This act could be amended with advantage, and it ought to be. It should be made an honest and fair local option act. TARIFF REVISION. PORTLAND. Or.. Jan. 17. (To the Editor.) It our present .tariff law requires revision. and the people are In favor of Its revision. why don't the advocates of revision point; out wherein they propose to revise It? From all portions of our country the talk Is "tariff revision." but no one tells wherein he wants It revised. Recognizing The Ore gonlan as one of the leading papers of "the world. I, and many others. woulff be pleased If It would lead In pointing ouf the advantage of a revision. W. W. BAKER. Some of the advantages of tariff re vision would be realized In cutting off a part of the inconsiderable profits of the steel trust, the sugar trust, 'the pa per trust, and many other "combines" which are helped by the present tariff to exact high prices in many instances selling abroad for lower prices than they exact at home. Movements of the markets show that the tariff on steel is an additional profit to the manufactur ers, on hides an additional profit to the great beef trust and butchering estab lishments, and so on. The reason why "tariff revision" is much talked is that these things are understood, very gen erally. The Eugene Register, commenting on recent remarks by The Oregonlan on this subject of tariff revision, says: We are not ready for an upheaval such as revision might bring about. In another ed itorial In the came issue objecting to tinkering with the tax laws of Oregon. The Oregonlan uses Hanna'a very familiar expression, "Let well enough alone." This would probably be the general public's reply on tariff revision at this particular time. Tariff revision will come In Its own good time, but not until the peoplt are good and ready for It. It is admitted, then, that tariff re vision must come some time. "Will it come through the Republican party, or over the Republican party? Here is to be an interesting question. There may be no way to convince some peo ple that tariff revision must come, until smashing defeat first Is suffered by the party that opposes it. This is . one of the consequences that President Roosevelt and those who agree with him that there ought to be revision would avert But It will come as sure as fate. If the counsels of those who call for revision shall be denied too long. This is not a free-trade country; protection will continue to be Its pol icy, because It Is believed to be con ducive to the general welfare. But everybody knows that good things and even best things may be abused by ex cess. A TAX ON PRUDENCE AND FORESIGHT. A bill has appeared In the Legislature to Increase the tax upon life Insurance companies. It really Is a bill to levy taxes upon the holders of life policies. At present a life insurance company doing business in Oregon must pay 5100 a year state license. To the City of Portland each must pay a license of $40 a 3ear, and for each solicitor or agent a license of 55 a year must be paid. The companies, moreover, pay 2 per cent per annum to the state on their gross receipts. This tax last year amounted to 544,000. Of course it was paid by the companies, but was all taken out of the policy-holders. The new bill proposes to double this tax to make it 4 per cent, and to enforce drastic measures for Its collection. The effect simply will be to make legitimate and responsible life insur ance dearer, and thereby to discourage it. It Is noticeable, however, that such Insurance as persons of sound business Judgment avoid such as that of ''fra ternal" and "co-operative" societies. Is not to be taxed at all. The Oregonlan cannot conceive it good policy to tax responsible life In surance out of existence, and to en courage that which can't be .depended on. It is unbusinesslike. Life insur ance, well directed, is a legitimate method of investment. It pays already a very considerable tax, which, of course, comes out of the policy-holders; and to double this tax only increases their burdens on the one hand or de feats Insurance on the other. "Why is it that there Is a class of men who want to fine and oppress to the limit such persons as are willing to cultivate the virtues of Industry, pru dence, self-denial and thrift, and if possible defeat Ihem? Shallowest of all is" the notion that the insurance companies can be made to pay the tax. They will simply pass it on, and if the policy-holders can't pay it, legitimate and responsible insurance will be at an end. WOMEN AND DOGS. A woman, a dog and a walnut tree The more you beat them, the better they'll be. Progress since the days when this doggerel couplet was esteemed as pos sessing both rhyme and reason has been very marked. io man of sense now beats a dog, realizing that there are better ways of training dogs than by knocking the spirit out of them with a stick. With the idea of further ad vancing Oregon along this human! tarian path. Senator Slchel has Intro ducca a mil calculated to remove woman also from the scope of the couplet quoted above. "Any person who shall hereafter assault and beat his wife," says the bill, "shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof by any court. shall be sentenced to bo whipped pot exceeding forty lashes, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or both, in the discretion of the court." Godlva, according to Tennyson, was held -by her husband a little lower than his horse and a little higher than his hound, an estimate of wives In general that Senator Slchel evidently desires to have revised for this later year of grace. The author of the bill and our progressive Governor are like the young woman who was being exam ined regarding her fitness to teach. "What is your attitude on corporal punishment?" she was asked, and re plied that her usual attitude was "seated In a chair with the child held firmly across my lap. face downwards." Like the young woman. Senator Sichel and Governor Chamberlain are firm In their attitudes on the question. Yet the question Is" not one to be lightly dismissed. The custom of wife beating strikes lt6 roots deep into the past. Not only wives, but grown-up daughters, were formerly subject to wallopings at the discretion of the head of the -family. In England, where the art of wlfebeating reaches Its highest perfection, a recent trial threw some light on the strength of the precedent that has grown stronger with each passing year. A man was charged with a vicious and brutal assault upon the woman with whom he lived. During the trial it developed that through some Informality In the marriage cere mony the couple were not man and wife, "Wot. ain't e my 'usband?" ex claimed the woman; "then wot right 'as to knock me about?" This, be It marked, was an actual occurrence, and It shows that woman, while refusing to be licked by any stranger that comes along, recognizes the prescriptive right of her husband to administer a thrash ing. Nor should wlfebeating be con fused with mere brutal assaults. Cato, we are told, was accustomed to flog his slaves soundly once a week. Just to remind them, that he was boss, and Cato is revered as an exemplar of all the sterner virtues. There is much to be said on both sides," Sir Roger de Coverly used to say, when a dispute was referred to him for arbitration, and with that dip lomatic treatment of the question the matter may be left to rest for the pres ent. But with Hudson running the price of a wife up to 55 and Slchel flogging a man for beating one, after he has got her, who Is going to marry In Multnomah County? RAILROADS AND CONGRESS. President Roosevelt has made no se cret of his purpose to put through. If possible, at this session of Congress, legislation to extend the power of the Interstate Commerce Commission so that it may fix what Is in its Judgment, af ter due hearing of the railroads' aide of the controversy, a reasonable rate for transportation. This the railroads have bitterly opposed. The President also wishes to add to the numbers of the Commission and to have the salaries raised from 55000 a year to 510,000, In order to make the office acceptable to the highest class of men. To this the railroads have no ob jection. The doubtful question has been if a majority in both houses of Con gress could be depended on to pass this legislation. Dispatches yesterday point to probable concurrence by both houses. The urgency of this railroad ques tion has for the present overshadowed tariff revision. The House committee on Interstate and foreign commerce has the past week given hearings to the representatives of the railroads. The case of the railroads has been presented by Mr. Samuel Spencer, pres ident of the Southern railroads. On January 12 he conceded the propriety of legislation against "rebates, secret contracts and discriminatory devices." In defense of the railroads Mr. Spencer adduced the fact that 90 per cent of the claims presented to the Commission under these heads had been conceded by the railroads without the formality of a hearing, and he pointedly says: "This does not indicate fight" (on the part of the railroads). What kind of business conduct Is it which pushes patrons to the necessity of recourse to the Commission, secures the delay, en tails the cost on them so Involved, and then admits 90 per cent of the demands as Just, and so avoids the hearing? It may be taken as settled that the whole- system of rebates, open and secret, and of all discriminatory de vices, is to be abolished by law, and the Infraction of such law severely punished. Even the Santa Fe. In the case of Its rebates to the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company, has abandoned Its appeal, and will have to take the con sequences. The railroads themselves having lost their own tails, propose that river and lake freight steamer lines, fast freight lines and) private car lines, should also lose theirs, and all be Included under the same ban. As to the equally great question .of the regulation of freights by the Com mission, every indication pointed to the railroads carrying their fight on to me outer ena. jbui aiecrctlon seems to be tempering their valor, and now this same President Spencer announces that legislation on this Bubject will not longer be opposed. The Greeks are to be feared, even when bringing gifts. Minute, never- ceasing watchfulness must be exer cised, or some omission, some qualifi cation, will slip in which will take the whole force from the acts which em body the great principle contended for that to redress the injury of excessive or unfair freights the powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission shall be extended to determine what are just and reasonable rates, and to en force their application. The last is the urgent change to be Insisted on. Probably a distinction may be drawn between rates reasonable In a business sense and those dependent on legal construction of documents or deduction from facts. The former should be Im mediately enforceable, until reversed by a Superior Court. The latter may be held- in suspense under the hand of the railroad company until a court has rendered Its decision on law and fact. Here appears another condition of af fairs wherein President Roosevelt Is verifying his promises and Justifying his election. GOOD NEWS FROM. SUBSIDY. BILL. A Washington dispatch says that it is practically a certainty that the ship ping subsidy bill recommended by the Merchant Marine Commission will not become a law. This will be pleasing news to patriotic citizens who object to the steadily increasing tendency to divert public funds into channels of private graft According to advices from Washington, examination of the bill disclosed the fact that the de mands It would make on the Treasury were practically limitless. Examina tion of the testimony taken by" the Commission also developed the fact that practically all of the clamor made for a subsidy came from Interested per sons residing at the seaboard. This confirms what has frequently been set forth by The Oregonlan, that the great mass of producers who supply the car goes which make up our foreign trade have no concern whatever In the na tionality of the vessels that carry their freight to market, so long as the ser vice Is performed at a rate low enough to admit of a profit in the business. If our capitalists find such remuner ative employment for their money ln the development of interior enterprises that they are not warranted In enter ing Into competition with the moneyed men of less-favored countries, there Is no good reason why they should be paid a bonus out of publio funds to enter the- carrying trade on the high seas. It Is exceptionally fortunate that this bill should be killed at this time, for the reason that the whole world Is glutted with ocean tonnage which Is In readi ness and eager to carry our products to market at such low rates that our foreign trade is growing more rapidly than ever before. With this trade growing and developing, the necessity for Increasing by any such artificial means as a subsidy the supply of ton nage with which to handle It will be still less apparent a year hence, when the subsidy grafters again have an op portunity to 'bring their unreasonable and unwarranted scheme before the public Not only will there be a sufficient amount of foreign tonnage to handle our Increasing commerce with foreign countries at rates so low as to give the producer the largest possible returns for his capital and labor, but as Interior development restricts the field for In vestment on shore, American capital will again turn seaward, and In -time become content with, smaller returns than are now possible In the ocean carrying trade. It Is reported that an attempt will be made to modify the bill recommended by the Commission so that it will pass in some shape this Besslon, but It Is believed that opposi tion to anything In the shape of a sub sidy bill will be strong enough to pre vent it The discussion and study awakened by the great publicity given the shipping subsidy matter have served to educate our people on the subject much more thoroughly than ever before, and in this manner the Commission may be said to have ac complished something. It has taught the people that we can never enter Into competition In the shipping trade on even terms with the foreigners until our capitalists are willing- to. accept smaller returns for the money Invested than they are now making on shore. It has also taught them that foreign countries have an Immense advantage over the United States In being permitted to purchase ships wherever they are sold at the lowest prices. The first cost of a ship runs against her expense account from the beginning of her career until the end, and If one nation Is prohibited, as Is the case with the United States, from buying In the cheapest market, she Is under a lasting handicap. One of the greatest aids which Congress could ren der American shipping at this time would be to remove this handicap. What American shipping needs at this time is not subsidy pap fed to it as though It was a sick Infant, but instead It needs release from 'the thongs of antiquated and stifling laws. Russian activity in Turkestan appar ently shows no diminution during the war, for China is reported to have en tered a protest against the occupation of Kashgar by the Czar's troops. "For years Russia has been pressing east ward and southward In the Turkestan country, and but recently completed a second line of railway to within a few miles of the Afghan frontier. In view of Secretary Hay's original note con cerning the "administrative entity of China" and his recent reply to Russia concerning Chinese neutrality, some interesting developments may be ex pected should Pekln follow up Its pro test The effort to make a political matter out of the Swayne impeachment pro ceedings has been successful only in part. The action of Representative Grosvenor in reading in the House the letter of Judge Pardee was strange business; and the letter itself coming from a Federal Judge was even stranger. Whatever the outcome of the impeachment proceeding. It Is cer tain that Judge Swayne has been guilty of highly improper conduct He has besides greatly offended the people of Florida, and his career of usefulness Is at an end. Mr. Niedrlnghaus, of Missouri, seems to have missed the. United; States Sen ate. He had the caucus nomination and a numerical majority of all votes cast In the separate houses Tuesday. But he did not have a majority of the Senate, which Is Democratic, and yes terday in joint convention enough Kerens men bolted to create a deadlock. The unpleasant stories told about the Niedrlnghaus method of procuring his election appear to be true; so that the Republican party and the country at large will doubtless be able to bear his prospective defeat with philosophy. It is to be observed that the inno cent pastime of keno is not to be In cluded In the gambling felony bill pre sented to the House at Salem. There Is an impression in certain quarters that playing keno is gambling, but gentlemen who are real gamblers and have had somewhat to do with the courts In Portland lately say It Is not, and of course they ought to know. Doubtless much depends on the point of view. If you lose at keno, it Is gam bllng; if you win, it is recreation. Prince Sviatopolk-Mirsky has at last abandoned an office for which he was not strong enough. With' a vacillating Czar, a clamorous Liberal clement and a strong and hostile bureaucracy, the Minister of the Interior was helpless. His retirement appears to dash the hopes of the Russian constitutionalists. who were encouraged by him to hope for concessions of some kind, merely to be deluded by promises of which the fulfillment was beyond Mirsky's power to bring about. It is clear that if the Game Warden is to enforce the game laws he must have a corps of deputies In every county; and to maintain his deputies he must have funds. The tax of 5t on hunters will probably raise a consider able amount. Inasmuch as hunter3 are a class who as a rule are willing to pay lor their fun. and they are, or ought to be, anxious to preserve all kinds of game, probably they will not greatly object to the tax. At the request of Representative Humphrey, the Navy Department has reduced the drydock charges at Puget Sound navy-yard one-half. It Is sel dom that the -Government enters into competition with the business of prl vate concerns, and this action will hardly be appreciated by the owners of docks not built with Government money. The Tacoma press complains of the "Innuendoes and erroneous statements of the Sweeny forces." and denounces the "paid hireling of the Spokane mil lionaire candidate." FroW which we are to surmise that the entente cordiale between the red apple and the cork screw has been slightly disturbed. With the Dr. Irvine-Bishop Talbot case In the civil courts, the every-day lawyer has a chance to show whether or not he can talk as much and accom plish as little as the ecclesiastical law yers that have hitherto had the floor. Pennsylvania, too, wants to come to the Lewis and Clark Fair, and will probably put up a large building out of a proposed appropriation o.f 560,000. As an unpleasant spectacle, nothing of late can compare with that of the doddering old Piatt tremulously relat ing his octogenarian amour?. "Trouble In come chronic. the Balkans" has be- N0TE AND COMMENT. A Washington paper credits a clip ping- to "John Ruskln in the Kansas City Star." Careful calculation shows that in the exchanges re6elved by The Oregonlan the messages of various Governors of states occupy paper enough to cover Multnomah County and leave enough. to start all the kitchen fires in Port land for three months. , A fool and his money are soon part ed, but not so a fool and his lawyer. How Is It that dynamiters almost monopolize the title of "miscreant" in the daily papers? Twenty-nine bananas were eaten by a Chicago boy for a dollar reward. A Portland boy would deem the bananas their own reward. "Faust" up-to-date Is making a great success in Japan, according to a Toklo letter. Mephlstopheles is rep resented as a modern European, who betrays a Japanese glrL Later the girl Is acquitted by a court and is married to a soldier Just home from the war in Manchuria. The Japanese are capable of anything. "Should women be hanged?" asks a Vermont paper. Well not all ofthem. A Marshfield correspondent writes to ask who wrote the poem called "T,he Ragged Jacket," and where a copy of tho verses may be obtained. Perhaps some reader of The 'Oregonlan can give the desired information. Some time ago (before the snow!) we ran a Tew lines under the title of "Here and There," on Eastern weather as compared with Oregon weather. F. L. Griffin, of the John Crerar Library, Chicago, sends the following verses: Here and There. (A reply to There and Here.) In the East we "hold our sides," As the Western bard derides Weather such as here abides. And, in rapid, witty strides. Tells what fearful thing betides Him whom Ijarsh fate hither guides. Torrents there are madly raining. And the water slowly draining. While pedestrians complaining And, Indeed, their patience straining Slip about, small headway gaining Why hold such Joys worth obtaining? And at times there corneals, flood. Covers half the town with mud, Smearing every shooting bud. Drowning all that chew tne cud. And uprooting sprouting "spud" My. it almost chills our blood I Nor in Summer is all clear. But a smoky atmosphere Renders all the landscape drear. Hides for weeks the objects near. Makes a view "without a peer." Do you blame us If we Jeer? One of the Smoot witnesses declares that the nrlme object of the Mormon Church Is to "steer clear of lawyers." What an organization of perverts. Among the felonious deeds mentioned by the anti-gambling bills are the playing of "brag, bluff, thaw, ton or banking." What In thunder are those games? According to an exchange, the women of Haparanda, a town in Sweden, have decided to relieve men of the necessity of doffing their tats in the streets so long as tho cold weather lasts. When the Sum mer comes on there will be sunstroke tr consider. Rojestvcnsky must be In the same hole with Pat Crowe. Governor Folk is a thorough' Mlssourian In that he has to be shown, especially by lobbyists. The North End Is like the cactus It thrives best on tho least attention. Eugene Ware's famous motto, "The Lord hateth a liar," has been painted out since he left the Pension Office. Evident ly some official was too modest to have the naked truth around, and so gave It a coat of paint The advertisement of a "human tax idermist" in Berlin runs as follows: Artificial calves to suit all purpoces. The calves supplied by our firms have been de signed by skilled anatomists, and are modeled on the finest sculptures of classical antiquity. Even a bull pup must find this world full of shams. The Czar declares that victory is a ccr talnty. So it is for the other fellows. A Detroit paper runs a headline. "JIa chine Tools in Their Saddles." A nice derangement of epitaphs. In a murder trial at Bridgcton, N. J., we notice that one of the witnesses was named Ananias Wcntzel. Mr. Wentzel's parents must have had funny ideas on choosing names. WEX. J. Sunday at the Fair. Spokane Spokesman-Review. If, as some of the Portland ministers fear, the opening on Sunday of the gates of the Lewis and Clark Fair will deprive them of congregations, they will still have the privilege, which was so freely employed by the master, of preaching to the throngs outside the churches and synagogues. The Fair management will provide a place for worship within the grounds, and if this should not accom modate the throngs the privilege will doubtless be extended any reputable min istcr to address overflow meetings in the open air. If the ministers will approach this opportunity In broad spirit and de termination, they can make of the Fair a revivifying influence in American re ligious life, instead of Its becoming, as they fear, a desecration. A Troublesome Question Settled. Springfield (Mo.) Leader. Can a horse pull 10) pounds of sand at tached to a rope 00 feet long? Many peo ple claim that such a thing can be done. while others say It cannot. Last week the question was settled la Springfield. A rope 500 feet long was tied to a 100-pound sack of sand at one end and a horse was hitched to the other end. A bet of 5W was put up on the event by the original parties, and several side bets were made. The event came oft on the Market Square, on Campbell street, and the owner of the horse won the stakes, the horse pulling the 100-pound sand bag for some distance. Collecting Bottles. The Gentlewoman. Quite a number of collectors are an nexing old bottles just now, and quite an interesting nobby, too. they make. from the old leather bottle and black Jack of antiquarian and historic renown to those of modern times. French liqueur bottles arc particularly artistic In design, and the Russian ones arc also quaint The Dismayed Senior. New Tork Evening Post A senior in one of our famous colleges, with an eye to employment after gradua tion. recently called at the office of the Evening Post He was attracted by Jour nallsm, but his heart misgave him. "Will not writing for a newspaper," he asked "ruin one s stylcr STRANGE PEOPLES THE DYAKS By arrangement with the Chicago. Tribune, f N O people has borne a worse reputa- t tlon tor unmitigated and blood thirsty savagery than the barbarous Dyaks of the Island of Borneo. This rep utation does not seem to be wholly de served. The Dyalc Is hospitable. He will divide his last bit of rice cake with, the I stranger. It is an Insult to refuse to drink ' hls native "tauk" with him, and his women never quit pressing It upon vis itors. He Is truthful, he seldom steals, and. except when he Is on a piratical ex pedition or tho passion for head hunting possesses him. he is gentle and merciful. The Dyaks are Malays, and. like the other members of their race, have a light reaaisn brown complexion. Their faces, breasts and limbs are hairless. They are shorter than Caucasians, but their bodies are wen formed, and. like the Indians of North America, they stand without ap parent fatigue exertions which would prostrate a white man. In youth they are gpoa looicing. but by blackening their teeth and filing them to a Doint thev give themselves, at a later age. a gro tesque and sometimes hideous appearance. The dress of the women consists only of snort petticoat and numerous brass rings on the arms and legs. The men usu ally wear even less. Christian mission aries have induced some of them to cover a little more of their nakedness but most of them still stick to their native garb. inere are few details of savage life more Interesting than those relating to marriage costumes. When a Dyak young man fancies a younc woman he shows it by bashfully offering to help her. with her work. If she accepts his aid he steals at night into the room where all her family are asleep on the floor together and wak ens his sweetheart She may ask-him to strike a light or stir the fire. In that case he slinks gloomily off In the darkness to his own lodging, for such a request is rejection of his suit But it the cirl takes a betel nut and slrlh leaf from him and chews with him, he is accepted; and the pair sit up all night, talking and chewing. Marriage follows close on tho heels of betrothal. Tha forms of the ceremony vary slightly among different tribes of Dyaks. The commonest form Is about as follows: Two bars of Iron are placed In the middle of the village and the young people are led from opposite directions and seated on them. The priest hands each of them a betel nut and a cigar and waves two fowls over their heads. In a long-winded speech he invokes many blessings upon them. He ends by knock ing their heads together three times. Tha bride then puts her betel nut in her pwn mouth and her cigar in the mouth of her lord, the groom puts his betel nut In his mouth and his cigar in the mouth of the bride, and they are declared man and wife. The fowls are now killed and the fortunes of the wedded pair divined In their blood. The ceremony ends with a feast and a general drunk. The young couple usually live for awhile In the home of the bride's father. The young man must show his father-in- law profound respect He dare not men tion his name, or eat from the same dish as he, or drink from the same vessel, or even lie on the same mat. The Dyaks houses are all raised on posts, and are often 200 or COO feet long. The floor, which also serves as a bed ror the whole family, Is made of strips of split bamboo. In most villages there Is a circular building called the "headhouse," where strangers are lodged, trades are made, unmarried men sleep, and tribal meetings are held. Many Dyaks have become Christians. They have always believed In a supreme being. It used to be that when one of their tribal leaders' died they set adrift a canoe containing arms, provisions and a THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. . Editor Harvey of Harper's Weekly Talks Well. From an address on the 25th anniver sary of the Chicago Press Club. Tnero is no press in the world com parable to that of America in freedom from Influence, political or soclal: from venality, from contamination of any kind whatsoever. In France, a newspaper's opinions are a matter of francs; la England, too often, of titles; In Germany, Austria and Spain, of im perial favor: In Russia, of absolute censorship. In America, thanks to the maintenance of tho sturdy traditions established by the Greeleys. Raymonds. Danas, Bennetts, Medils and Bowleses of the past, the fundamental Integrity of the press cannot be Impugned. It is faulttul. but it ia free. We have our sadly exaggerated headlines on week days, and our monstrosities on Sun days; we have amazing productions of no lessv amazing "art;" we have col umns and columns of crime, and pages and pages of waste. Finally, not least at any rate, In numbers, we hava our red and white papers, sometimes re ferred to as "yellow Journals." Personally, I should be of the last to defend or make apology for this latest manifestation of commercialism, mis directed ambition and false doctrines in the American press. But, however seriously we may regret and resent the ebullition, we cannot Ignore the irresist ible conclusion that this particular chan nel, and this alone, affords a vent for un expressed beliefs and suspicions which can bo dissipated only by the clear rays of reason following any form of expression. As contrasted with our own country, Russia today stands forth a vivid ex ample of the effect of suppressed opin ion. Discontent would better burn than smolder. The continuous hissing of of fensive gases escaping is not pleasant, but it is infinitely preferable to the otherwise Inevitable explosion. Tet more Important, mora vital to the per manence of a government of a whole people by themselves, is absolute free dom of expression. Upon that all de pends. Restrict It or create the im pression in suspicious minds that it is being restricted, and yon sow the wind. With this general dictum few If any would have the hardihood to disagree. But It is often, and I regret to say often truly, urged that liberty is sub verted to license. Freedom of speech, freedom of publicity, yes; all admit the wisdom and necessity of preserv ing both. But how frequently is added, especially by men In public office, a vigorous declamation against "unfair criticism," and how almost dally is ut tered, sometimes a violent and unwar ranted, sometimes a dignified and Jus tifiable, protest against "Invasion of privacy." "encroachment upon personal rights" and like offenses. Only those behind the curtain of the editorial sanctum can fully appreciate the proportion of insincerity contained in tho virtuous avowals of shy and re tiring, though weak and human beings of both sezes. in nine cases out of ten, the most vociferous protest may be at tributed safely to self-sufficiency, snobbishness or a guilty conscience. There is so little of malice in American newspapers as to be unworthy of no tice, but It is unquestionably true that too little heed Is paid to the fact that unwilful mlsrepresentitlon Is often quite as serious In effect. Worst of all is the refusal to rectify a known error. Cursed be the man who initiated the policy of never making a retraction in the columns of his Jour nal! The mere fact that an individual, whether right or wrong, is virtually voiceless and helpless in controversy with a newspaper, should and docs morally vest him with the right to ex ceptional consideration. A He once started can never be stopped, but tho one responsible for its circulation, di rectly or indirectly, who fails to exert every possible endeavor to that end Is unworthy ef association with decent EARTH tt female slave. - The arms aqd ptVieIons. were to bo used by tha deceased. 'In- an other World, and the' slave "was. to wait on him. When the Dyaks learned that the canoe and Its contents, instead of being serviceable to the deceased, fell Into tha hands of some of their warlike neighbors. they dropped this custom. The blowgun" Is the most Temark- able of the native weapons. It is seven or eight feet long and scarce an inch In diameter. Through it la blown an arrow made of the thorn- of a saga palm. Tho arrow is no thicker than a knitting-needle, but Its sharp point is poisoned with the juice of the upas tree, and the wound it makes, though hardly visible. Is almost alwavs fatal. Tho Dyaks also mako a sword of re markable temper. In the execution of a member of a tribe the point of the sword Is pushed Just behind his left collar-bone to his heart and quickly with drawn. Some cotton wool is then pressed Into the wound. The native executions are in this way made wholly bloodless. The most horrible custom of the Dyaks, and the one which, in the main, has got them their reputation for ruth less bloodthirstlness, is that of head hunting. To take a head Is as much the highest ambition of a Dyak as to take a scalp formerly was of the North American Indian. Tha Indian took scalps only in war. Among the Dyaks head taking was formerly the cause rather than the consequence of wars. Villages were attacked by large parties at nignt and every adult inhabitant de capitated. Tribesmen went forth singly and lay In ambush to kill and take tha heads of all who appeared. Women and girls were not spared. Lovo and religion conspired to strengthen tha custom. Girls disdainfully refused to marry young men who had not taken a head. It was supcrstltiously believed mat tne oia warrior could not lie com fortably In his. grave until a head had been taken in his name. After Sir" James Brooke had partially suppressed the practice in a district over which he ruled he was constantly beset by war riors, who begged permission to take one head, at least "They cried for heads." said Sir James, "as children cry for sugar plums." The heads, once taken, were dried and preserved as proofs of the valor of the individual or community. They were often drunk from. Head hunting has been abolish ed by European influence- over large parts of Borneo, but it still obtains in some districts. The Dytks a century ago were fierce pirates. Scores of their canoes would creep alongside a becalmed vessel and take it by sheer persistence and forca of numbers. The objects of their at tacks were loot and heads mainly tho latter. The invention of steamships and the vigilance of warships have suppressed piracy here as In other parts of the world. The Dyaks are among tho most tem perate members of the Malay race, and Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace, who has made the closest study of them, re gards them as among the mo3t intelli gent Like all savages, however, they are extremely conservative. They re fused to chop wood with a European ax, and even fined progressiva tribes men who did so, long after they- had been convinced that the white man's implement was much better than tha clumsy native one. They live mainly by agriculture, rice being their princi pal crop. The women do most of the, work in the fields. Tha men spend tho greater part of their time fishing, hunting and lolling indoors, indulging in the universal habit of chewing betel nut. a O. D. men. An American newspaper should be an American gentleman. To see the right Is genius: to do it Is courage. Unite the two under the ban- ner of sane idealism, and the most po-" tent force in the cause of progress, en lightenment and good will He In tho free press of America. Parker Before His Old Court. New Xork Letter to Philadelphia Press. A few days ago there was a brief report of Judge Parker's first appearance as an advocate before the court over which he had authority as presiding Justice for seven years. A few days later this court handed down an opinion adverse to Judge Parker's contention before it That was a most trying experience for Judge Par ker. He had not appeared as an advo cate for nearly 15 years. He was now appearing with all the embarrassment of Inexperience and before a court of which he had been for a long time presiding Jus tice. Moreover, ho was appearing aa a defeated candidate for the Presidency. Ha was greatly embarrassed. He blushed scarlet as he first addressed the court. It was some moments before ho could con trol himself. Moreover, he knew perfect ly well that he had a losing case, for ha knew that the Court of Appeals never re viewed questions of fact excepting in cap ital cases. It was upon this technicality that he was defeated, although in giving its opin ion the Court of Appeals spoke well of Judge Parker's argument Now that tha lea is broken. Judge Parker finds fascina tion in tho practice of the law. and looks to It as his exclusive vocation hereafter. Grant's and Port Arthur Losses. Chicago Chronicle. The Chronicle acknowledges the receipt of a letter from -clone! George K. Dauchy, of Chicago, late commander of. the Twelfth New York Battery, in which ho remarks that the statement of Gen eral Grant's losses- during the Wilderness campaign recently appearing in these columns was overestimated. Colonel Dauchy quotes General A. A. Humphrej'3 to the effect that these losses were not 60.0X). but 48.009. The Chronicle's asser tion was based on the figures presented by William Swinton in his "Campaigns of the Army of tho Potomac," a book generally held In high esteem, which are as follows: Wilderness. May 5 to 12 .......23 410 Spottayivar.ia, May 12 to 21. 10.3S1 North Anna. May 21 to 31 i eox Cold Harbor, June 1 to 10.... 13.153 Totals 51,501 To thi3 aggregate of killed, wounded and missing In the Army of tho Potomac should be added the losses of the Ninth Corps, which was not attached to that army, about 5000. making a total of nearly 60,000. In either case the slaughter was greater than that of any five weeks dur ing the siege of Port Arthur. If Kansas Girl and Oregon Apples. Atchison Globe. A 16-year-old girl Isn't as pretty as a barrel of picked red apples. OF THE On the Firing Line. For glory? For good? For fortune or fame? Why, ho for the front where the battle ia ont Leave the rear to the dolt, the lazy, the lame; Go forward as ever the valiant have gone; Whether city or field, whether mountain or mine. Go forward, right on to tho firing line. Whether newsboy or plowboy, or cowboy or cleric. Fight' forward, be ready, bo steady, be first: Be fairest, be bravest le best at your works Eiult and be glad: dare to hunger, to thirst. As David, as Alfred let dogs skulk and whine There Is room but for men on the firing Jine. Aye. the place to fight and the place to fall As fall we mut all in God'a good time It is where the manliest man is the wall. Where boys are as men la their pride and prime. Where glory gleams brightest, where brightest eyes shine. Far out on. the roaring red firing Use. Joaquin Miller.