THE OREGON
FRIDAY, SAWARY 20, 1905.
: - I
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PORTLAND, PBXDAT, JANUAKX 20, 3905.
. HBSTOBX OF IUVEB AND H ARB OS
LEGISLATION.
At 1hls time It Is the settled purpose
of the leaders of the House of Repre
sentatives to keep appropriations down
to the lowest possible limit Everything"
is closely scrutinized. The tremendous
victory won in November la not inter
preted as authorization or permission
to make all appropriations that every
body may want On the contrary, the
reversion to parsimony may now be too
severe We were fortunate in getting
our Lewis and Clark appropriation
through last year. It would stand no
chance at all now. The leaders of the
House are taking their present course
for the purpose of shutting off, or at
least of putting a check upon, the enor
mous demands upon an administration
that has won so great a victory, and is
supposed therefore to be in position to
grant everything wanted by those who
profess to be its friends.
It Is because there are so many of
these demands that we of the Pacific
Northwest are unable now to get what
we had reason to suppose we were enti
tled to, and should get at this time
without serious hindrance. Everybody
is "turned down." If, for example,
there Is to be any Tiver and? harbor bill'
it -will "be scaled down, all round. The
chairman of the committee on rivers
and harbors seems to he immovable:
but it Is known that he has support In
the position he has taken from all
those who leel responsibility for direc
tion of affairs at "Washington.
The objection arises from practical
considerations; not at all as formerly
on this subject from academic or con
stitutional theories. In earlier days it
was held that Congress had no power
to make appropriations for improve
ment of rivers and harbors, and the
Urst bills that were passed by Con
gress were vetoed and failed. In Feb
ruary, 1617, an act for "constructing
roads and Improving water courses"
was passed by Congress, but was ve
toed by President Madison In the very
last moments of his ofllcial life, on the
ground that Congress had no consti
tutional power to expend the public
revenues for any such purpose. An
effort to pass the bill over the veto
failed.
There is curious history here. The
opposition to improvement of rivers
and harbors by the General Govern
ment was at first and for long very
general. It came out of our early his
tory, and cannot be said even yet to
have been abandoned wholly. In the
Constitutional Convention of 1787 a
provision was offered that "no state
shall be restrained from laying duties
of tonnage for the purpose of clearing
harbors and erecting lighthouses."
But It was suggested that there were
other purposes for which tonnage dues
might be conveniently levied by the
states; and the provision was altered
to the more general form, "no state
shall, without the consent of Congress,
lay any duty of tonnage." And so it
stands in the Constitution today.
During several years a number of
the states, needing funds for harbor
improvement, levied tonnage duties; for
the original intention was that each
state should control entirely the im
provement of its own seaports, levying
for that purpose duties upon the com
merce that should enter them; but that
the consent of Congress should first be
obtained, for the purpose of guarding
against abuses. And this for many
years was tho invariable practice.
Students of this period of our history
find "assenting" acts of Congress to
the number of thirty-four, it -was the
general consensus that the National
Government had no constitutional
power to undertake this; and, as we
have seen, so great an authority as
James Madison, by a veto, upheld this
view.
At the time the Constitution was
adopted every state fronted on the
ocean, and the authority of each to
control its own harbors was unques
tioned. But new states, having no
seaboard, were created in rapid succes
sion; and this influx of inland represen
tation Into Congress soon began to
work a change in the original powers
,of, that body as to Internal Improve
ments. It seemed unfair that states
having seaports should have power to
provide for internal Improvements by
levying duties, to be paid in large part
ultimately by inland consumers, while
Inland states, possessing the great,
waterways that led to the ocean, should
be left to make their own improve
ments lor transportation at their own
expense. Under this influence was de
veloped first the idea of a great Na
tional road or turnpike system, of
which the Cumberland Road was the
first example or result; then the canal
around the falls of the Ohio, at Louis
ville. Under growth or the Idea re
newed effort -was made for harbor im
provement, and a bill of limited scope,
to this end. was approved by President
Monroe in 1823. This was the first act
for harbor improvement at the x-
Lpense of the United States. Monroe
hesitated, however; be apologized; the
bill seemed unconstitutional; and while
his own opinion, following that of Jef
ferson and Madison, was that the Con
stitution gave Congress no power to
authorize and carry on a general sys
tem of Internal Improvements, yet Con
gress had power to appropriate public
moneys at Its discretion, and though It
was in duty bound to select objects of
general Importance, It was not the
province of the President to sit in
Judgment on its selections.
Jackson halted. He did. not go so
-far even as Monroe. He disputed the
constitutionality of an Internal Im
provement system, and advised that
the surplus revenue be apportioned
among the states, to be used as they
might see fit This came to nothing,
for it could not he carried into effect
without first amending the Constitu
tion. Democratic Presidents, following
Jackson, held his yiews on the subject,
and reverted to those of Jefferson and
Madison vetoing all bills of this char
acter. After the-Veto of the river and
harbor bill in 1S54 by President Pierce,
this species of appropriation lapsed till
1870. Since then the opposition on
constitutional grounds has disappeared.
Since It had been demonstrated that we
could light down states' rights rebellion
and iwere a Nation Indeed, we could do
anything.
The question as to river and harbor
appropriations now is. How much shall
be appropriated and how shall the ap
propriation be distributed? President
Arthur in 1882 vetoed a river and har
ibor bill because he deemed It too large
for the resources of the Treasury at
that time. Chairman Burton is scaling
down his bill at this time for the like
reason. The constitutional argument
has been abandoned, practically, by all
parties. Yet there are members of
Congress who still say they would de
feat all such legislation If they could."
Most of such are from the South; and
even from Virginia there are members
who say they will not vote for an ap
propriation for the Jamestown celebra
tion, because there is no warrant for
It in the Constitution.
OREGON BtEKDS FOR MISSOURI.
The case of Mr. Niedrlnghaus calls
for no sympathy. He was within one
or two votes of election by Missouri to
the United States Senate, but a small
band of courageous patriots has so far
prevented, and from the outlook will
continue to prevent, the success of his
peculiar and exceptional methods.
These purehearted, cleanhanded legis
lators have taken their stand at the in
stance or Richard Kerens, a gentle
man who hates corruption and repro
hates boodling as far as he can see
them, though It must be admitted that
his eyesight is a trifle imperfect. It Is
no part of Mr. Kerens great war for
purity In Missouri politics that he him
self has been and is a candidate for the
United States Senate. That is another
story.
The outcome of the NIedringhaus
campaign has a particular interest in
Oregon for more than one reason.
First, a lot of us came from Missouri,
and the rest of us belong to the Show
Me Club. Second, our own Senatorial
elections have been conducted with
such invariable and. absolute free
dom from scandal of any kind
that our sensibilities have been greatly
shocked bj the extraordinary spectacle
at Jefferson City of a candidate actu
ally trying to get into the United States
Senate who is charged with hav
ing used money; and, third, the Oregon
method of bolting the caucus at a crit
ical time has been Introduced there
with brilliant results. So It -will be seen
that there Is a special bond between
Missouri and Oregon political, social
and consanguineous. Missouri's grief
at the mournful revelations at Jeffer
son City may be said to be in large part
our own.
The striking parallel between our
own state and Missouri ceases when
the candidates and legislators of that
state Join In a conspiracy to elect to
the Senate a professional politician
who accepts money from brewers for a
campaign fund and who promises a
Federal Job as a reward for a vote.
Missouri had not had a Republican
Legislature for thirty-six years when It
elected Carl Schurs to the Senate. That
is probably the reason. But now, hav
ing ejected the Democracy with surpris
ing ease and dispatch, the Republican
Legislature fails to follow the virtuous
example of Oregon, and trots out as its
leading candidate for Senator the man
who handles the stuff. Oregon bleeds
for the Missouri Legislature. So did
Niedrlnghaus and the brewers.
NORTHERN SECURITIES SUIT.
Latest advices regarding the status
of the Northern Securities suit are to
the effect that there will be a peaceful
division of. the assets which constitute
the hone of contention. The interests
of the general public in this great fight
were, of course, not a matter which
concerned the contending factions in
the struggle. The public Interests, how
ever, in this particular case happened
to be best served by the distribution of
the assets of the Northern Securities
Company on the lines favored by the
Harrlman interests, and it is a matter
of regret that the contest has been
amicably settled so soon after a de
cision adverse to the Harrlman Inter
ests. The popular upheaval of senti
ment against the Northern Securities
Company was due to the fact that by
Its perfect consolidation of three of the
great transcontinental railway systems
all competition was elimlnaetd and the
fixing of rates for nearly all of the ter
ritory west of the Missouri River was
left In the bands of one corporation.
It was the fear of abuse of this al
most unlimited power that caused the
suit to dissolve the Northern Securities
Company, and when it was declared an
illegal corporation there was general
rejoicing over the verdict It is not
exactly clear at this time whether or
not the general public will reap any
new advantages from the peaceful so
lution of the problem of redistribution
of the stock. Judging from precedent
the best interests of the public have
generally been served by the Infusion of
a moderate amount of warlike competi
tion in railroad operation. The fear
that the consolidation in Northern Se
curities of such large interests would
eliminate this competition was respon
sible for the overthrow of that corpora
tion. Now there will be little or noth
ing to be gained if the men who were
in control of Northern Securities join
hands and by working the properties
separately exact the same toll and of
fer the same service as would have re
sulted from Northern Securities re
maining a legal corporation.
In other words, there If no advantage
in being held up fori high rates and
moderate service by Hill and Harrlman
workinjt individually. I with a mutual
understanding, oyer having the same
game worked by Hill and Harrlman
sailing in the same boat under the
Northern Securities flag. "The Orego
nlan, and undoubtedly th greater por
tion of the population of the North Pa
cific States, would prefer to see these
great properties remain In Independent
hands, so that a healthy degree of com
petition would be assured. If, however.
Hill and Harrlman have settled the
matter peacefully and have legally elim
inated the competition which the
courts prevented Northern Securities
from putting out of the way, Portland
and this particular section served' by
the Harrlman lines will probably fare
as well as any other section which will
be In the grasp of the monopoly.
When the vast Interests represented
by Hill and Harrlman. with no compe
tition to fight, are dividing between
them the profits that are taken out of
the Pacific Northwest, they will cease
throwing away any of those profits In
a long, expensive haul over high moun
tain ranges. Instead they will insist
on the trafiBc following the course of
least resistance in reaching a market
and the downhill haul to the sea will
again get all that Is coming to it "We
should prefer to have healthy competi
tion between the different lines serving
this country, but. If this-is impossible,
Portland and Oregon can probably
stand the strain as long as the rest of
the country.
Tim PUBLIC LIBRARY.
Second to none among the public in
stitutions of Portland stands the Li
brary. The association held a very
successful annual meeting the day be
fore yesterday. The figures of the
librarian's report appeared In yester
day's Oregonian, and suggest a further
reference to the beneficent work which
now reaches so many. To old Port
landers, who remember the small be
ginnings, the growth of the collection
of books to 45,150 volumes is very
striking. Not less so is the report of the
extensions in progress, not only In new
classes of readers In the Library Itself,
but In the spread of its Influence over
the whole County of Multnomah. "We
learn that 48.617 children have attended
during the. past year. Any one can
well credit this who has seen the week
ly inroad of the school children on Fri
day and Saturday, and their eager hunt
for their favorite books. Happy the
child of today whose reading appetite
Is early developed and for whom pro
vision Is made in the "charming books
now available. The older generation
may look back fondly on "Robinson
Crusoe," "The Pilgrim's Progress."
Miss Edgeworth's and Jacob Abbott's
and Peter Parley's works, which nearly
exhausted the children's shelf in the
early days, but what sort of compar
ison do those old favorites bear with
the varied and wholesome tales of
travel and adventure by land and sea,
the easily understood descriptions of
modern achievements in science, art
and manufacture, the histories written
up, not down, for the. children which
crowd their Library now? Truly a boy
of 12 today has a better chance of
book learning than his grandfather at
50 or his father at 30. For in the chil
dren's books quality has kept pace with
quantity.
In the circulating "department there
are now 11,409 members, still but a
small proportion of those who should
become members if they understood
how easy It is to Join and what wend
less source of benefit and enjdrm'-'nt the
Library open. The- circulation has
risen to 174.2S5, while the percentage
of the literature or fiction has fallen
to C2. The figures In 1302 were 69 and
in 1903 67. Shall we conclude, then, that
the average reader takes out less story
books than he did? There may be a
reason for this In two facts one that
during 1S03 and 1904 there were not
many new masterpieces of fiction to be
read, and another that the Russo-Japanese
"War caused a great demand fdr
literature of the Orient The bookcase
full on China, Japan, Corea, Formosa
and on Russia was being forever filled
and emptied. Writers In other depart
ments strive harder today than ever
before to make their books interesting
and bright The recent wonders In sci
ence, too, have caught the people's
minds and fancy, and the literature
both of science and art gets more read
ers than formerly. "We have good rea
son to hope, then, that the public ta3te
In books Is both more exacting and
particular In the direction of fiction and
better instructed In more serious lltera-
ture as the years pass. The extension
to the schools of the county and to the
outlying districts of the Library books
is to be entirely commended, and the
opportunities should be made use of in
still other districts of the county.
Taking the Public Library as a whole,
Portland may be proud of It as it
stands, and its citizens may most prop
erly commend it to the visitor and the
newcomer, and may congratulate the
librarian and her staff on the progress
already made and still in sight
RELIGION AND HEALTH.
An article In a recent number of The
Presbyterian brings religion down to a
material basis, or, in other words,
makes close connection between spir
itual feelings and bodily ailments. A
healthy body, according to this esti
mate, is a great aid to clearness of re
ligious vision and to spiritual enjoy
ment A deranged liver is the enemy
of a joyous and hopeful piety, and dys
pepsia has much to do with Christian
despondency.
If this is true, it is evident that some
of the old hymn-writers, must have
been chronic sufferers from the malady
or condition that has made the name
of Thomas Carlyle synonymous with
pessimism. Take, for example, the
man who broke out with:
Sinner, hell is deep and yawning.
Quenchless fires are ragtag there;
Not a beam of hope Is dawning
On those regions of decpalr.
Even good Dr. Watts must have had
what Is known In modern phrase as
"stomach trouble" when he announced:
Sure there is ajdreadful God.
Adding, later on in a hymn which
was sung by sweet, childish voices in.
a Sunday school of a past generation:
Drep as the sea his Judgments lie.
His anger bums in hriL
Be this as It may, it Is the opinion
of this mouthpiece of modern Presby
tcrianlsm that bodily derangements in
terfere with the highest spiritual en
joyment, and a "good tonic" is recom
mended for the relief of spiritual de
pression when other remedies fall. Di
viding responsibility for this yoking to
gether of bodily health and spiritual
serenity and strengthening the pre
sentment of this opinion materially
thereby, it Is cited that a few years ago
a Roman Catholic prelate of Croat Brit
ain surprised the English public by hU
advice along the lines indicated to
troubled souls. The wide scope of the
good fafherls discernment and the sa
gacity of hip counsel are witnessed as
follows:
For the revil thoughts" that har
assed one bf his correspondents" and
which confession failed to exercise- a
course at YI
phy and Carlsbad was pre-
scribed as
remedy most likely to
prove efllcathous. As a cure for Jeal
ousy which Afflicted another he ordered
"beef tear" remarking that "all similar
passions become intensified when the
body is weak." To one suffering from
religious depression he recommended "a
good walk in the park or an expedi
tion on a penny steamer," adding:
"You will get into a small rage on read
ing this and say it is of no use toNvalk
In the park or sail on the Thames.
Well, get Into a rage and then cool
down and try the experiment" To an
other given to early-morning- medita
tions he stated that "they are apt to
be tinged with despondency, and should
be revised after a suitable diet of cof
fee and rolls."
There Is no xjoubt (says the journal
Quoted), that Protestant ministers would
often be the gainers If they studied more
the Intimacy subsisting between the body
and the mind, and how the one sympathizes
with the other. And If Christians generally
took this fact more Into the interpretations
of their varying religious moods and condi
tions they would And a relief and comfort
sorely denied them at times. Both Chris
tian biography and practical observation
show how doubts and difficulties and depres
sion in the divine life rise or fall with .the
state of health in the given case.
This is interesting chiefly because it is
instinct with common sense and is in
dorsed by common experience. .As
against the teachings of an old-new
theory that bids Its disciples deny even
the existence of the physical and dis
claim all alls as manifestations of error,
it Is, on the whole, refreshing.
By the passage of Senate bill 16 the
Legislature proposes to give District
Attorneys one-third of all fines collect
ed from persons found guilty of violat
ing certain fishing laws. This Is very
poor policy. All the District Attor
neys are receiving good salaries, but if
they were not the proper method of
raising their compensation would be
by expressly increasing their salaries.
The only argument that can be made
In behalf of this feature of the bill is
that It will encourage District Attor
neys to do their duty, and even this
Is. untenable, for the reason that it Im
putes negligence to these officers of the
law. The Prosecuting Attorneys should
themselves resent the insinuation that
they must be paid a portion of the
lines collected in order to Induce them
to do their duty. To pay complaining
witnesses a portion of fines collected
may be defended upon the ground that
it Is not the special duty of the ordi
nary citizen to detect crime arid bring
offenders to Justice, but this does not
apply to persons who are amply paid
for services which they have taken an
oath to perform.
It has' long been a source of wonder
that Tillamook County has been al
lowed to remain Isolated from the rest
of the state through lack of suitable
transportation facilities. This wonder
grows with every succeeding statement
of the large material resources of that
county. Handicapped- as they are by
the absence of railroad communica
tion with the world, the citizens of Til
lamook feel justly proud of many
things pertaining to their material
prosperity. It is gratifying to note in
thl connection that they- intend tu
make a showing of their resources at
the Lewis and Clark Fair. It may be
added, however, that this was the thing
to be expected of . county the people
of which have proved their ability to
prosper in the face oJT many drawbacks
to their commerce and to their growth
In population.
The Emperor of Russia yesterday es
caped as by a miracle death from a
storm of bullets that rained upon and.
Into the chapel in which, with the en
tire imperial family, he was witness
ing a religious festival. Personally a
mild and inoffensive man. he unfortu
nately stands for all that Is detested
in the Russian government, and,
though closely guarded, is likely at any
time to escape from the tribulations
of empire through the door of assas
sination. Seattle stock in the Olympia Sena
torial battle took a great boost yes
terday, when Editor Blethen got .seven
votes. These, added to Mr. Piles'
thirty-three, make forty. All that is
now needed is twenty-nine more for
some other Seattle man, and then if the
Seattle votes can be merged, Seattle
can have a United States Senator. We
opine that there will be no difficulty in
persuading Editor Blethen to deliver
his seven votes to so laudable a cause.
Even the Baltic fleet could never hope
to rival the record of an English squad
ron under Sir. John Arundel. Being
caught in a great storm, the gallant of
ficers of the King's ships lightened their
vessels by throwing into the sea all
the women aboard, sixty In number.
Of these unfortunates, some had gone
on the voyage voluntarily, others had
been taken aboard by force. But this
chivalrous jettisoning was done in 1379.
The Tacoma Ledger joyfully pro
claims that "Sweeny's exaggerated
claims receive a hard Jolt" The Ledger
has besides a startling cartoon In
which it strongly Intimates that the
Sweeny managers are not strangers to
the use of money. Naturally there is
great Indignation In Tacoma. Cannot
something be done? What has become
of that popular Seattle fund for the
prevention of bribery at Olympia?
Now then, since a statue of Governor
Rogers has been erected at Olympia,
will the Legislature of Washington per
mit a" further suggestion? Will it not
make provision for a statue, to be
placed In the Capitol grounds, of Isaac
Ingalis Stevens, first Governor of
Washington, patriot and soldier
Washington's supremely eminent man?
It. Is hard to tell whether the Czar is
lucky or unlucky. If a deliberate at
tempt was made to murder him, he is
lucky to have escaped it; If the affair
was a blunder, he is unlucky to be ex
posed to such risks.
All the European nations arc strong
ly in favor or preserving the integrity
of China, anyway until they get a
chance to slice into It for themselves.
Brodie L. Duke has been adjudged
sane, but the decision will not prevent
the, public from thinking him an un
usually perfect specimen of fooL
Missouri lobbyists will hereafter have
to do their work on the wing.
. K0TE AND COMMENT.
Already the annual crop of Valentine's
Day poetry Is appearing in the maga
zines, and the overworked Cupids are.
being dragged to work again by the Illus
trators. -It is the appearance of the Cu
pids, however, that saves- the reader
much vexation of spirit. When one sees
tho little boys and the pierced heart?,
there Is no need to read the verses to
know what they are.
The Irrlgon Irrigator, which has now
gurgled along for a year, speaks of "Ore
gon's most useful class of citizens her
editors." As the other classes have not
the same pull with the newspapers, the
statement will stand.
In Osceola a man died from excitement
over a chess game. Nice lively tow,
that .
When you see a picture of a man wear
ing a plumed hat in the papers, look out
Thcro's a patent medicine ad somewhere
in the woodpile.
Some day a beneficent wizard will In
vent a newspaper In which each story will
bo completed on the page where it- be
gins. Ennui can have little place In the Czar's
life.
Miss Hallie Ermlnie Rives recently vlsr
Isted the Garden of the Gods in Colorado",
and the Denver Post took advantage of
her presence to obtain a descriptive arti
cle. Part of the description was:
The fear of the abyss that had touched me
once before the voiceless qualm of the outre
came to me. I grasped the Inner agony of
Dante, and the meaning of "Wagner. I felt
the clutch of old Rhenish folkrlegends, the
reasonless shudder of the diablerie of Poe. It
was the Call of the Weird the self-hymnlng
of the elemental rune of terror on the harp,
strings of ay soul.
"How many of us," asks the New Tork
Evening Post "for a paltry 25 cents a
word, would suffer these things?" The
Post, it Is evident. Is consumed with
Jealousy. Indeed, It confesses that no
member of Its staff was capable of pro
ducing even an imitation of this fine
frenzy. No wonder the young college
graduate feared to accept a position, or
take a job we don't know which style he
would use on the Post, lest work on It
should corrupt his literary Btyle.
With the natural fondness for a good,
mouth-filling title, we welcome the advent
of the Northwestern Ethical Educational
Society Into the arena of Portland social
life, much as we regret the first object
of its care. Under the also excellent
name of "Tho Whole World Golden Chain
of Love to All," a subsidiary society has
been formed expressly to have children
write letters of love to other children.
Is It possible that none of the Northwest
ern Ethical Educationalists has heard of
a breach of promise trial, wherein letters
of love figure, to the great humiliation
and, sometimes, to the financial detri
ment of the writer? Men and women are
too prone to write these epistolary boom
erangs without any training, and we trem
ble to 'think how many will be undono
by such postal hugs If the habit 13 to be
formed in the kindergarten. -Possibly tue
object of the W. W. G. C. L. A. has not
been clearly stated. It may be that the
ethical education of the children will tend
to the production of safe and sane love
letters. In that case, may It prosper long.
Don Quixote was tilting at the windmill.
"Ho once served on a grand Jury." ex
plained Sancho Panza.
Some unknown but doubtless fair cor
respondent writes: "Now stop poking fun
at us women" (we wouldn't dare), and
Incloses an advertisement which shows
what at first sight looks like a corset
containing a glrL Closer Investigation
shows that the supposed girl Is decorated
with a mustache, and is presumably a
man, from the wording of the ad: "OF
FICERS and GENTLEMEN can command
the free attendance of our fitter at
their London address when requiring
CORSETS or BELT3. Price List and
Measurement J"orms Post Free" Pre
sumably the unknown is jealous that man
should seek the aid of such a potent
beautlfier as the corset, although there
Is no reason why woman should monop
olize all the contraptions designed to Im
prove upon Nature. We hope the "offi
cers and gentlemen" will respond In large
numbers, especially in view of the fact
that fitters will call upon them free of
charge.
Cause and Effect.
Representatives Hermann. Burns, of Coos
and Curry; Cooper, of Polk-, and Shook; of
Klamath, are accompanied bv htr
ffcand are employing mostly gentlemen for clerks.
baiem journal.
Investigation leads the New York Sun
to conclude that the average newspaper
reader turns first to the stock market
page. .Such may be the case In New
Tork. but out here the majority of read
ers probably turn first to the column
wherein Dr. Large may so frequently be
found attending.
It was raining and the sidewalk was some
what bloppy. so she carried her dress so as to
clear the mud as she passed the postoftlce
sufficiently high to disclose a pair of ankles
and well Just ankles. Now. rhll, who is a
recent arrival, wants to know whether this Is
a new fad, Oregon style. Simpsoaian sim
plicity, or Ltncolnian eccentricity, for he
stopped In front of the next dry goods store
and saw stacks of stockings on sale. Grant's
Pass Herald.
It Is a pity that no one goes barefoot
now. Shoes are as uniform as bricks,
and toes are jammed Into them so that
the littlest one will disappear, according
to a New Tork scientist. In a thousand
years or so. If the toes would all go
and take tho corns with them. It would
not be so bad, but It's heartrending to
think that the poor mortals of 2003 will
find no little toe to pinch whon they play
"This Little Pig Went to Market" with
their babies. And girls don't appear to
realize the charm that a good foot pos
sesses for the public. Look at Trilby;
and the girl who made a royal marriage
"Barefooted Came the Beggar Maid Be
fore tlie King Cophctua." If she had been
wearing hlgh-hcclcd shoes, wc may be
sure the King would never have stepped
down, in robe and crown, to meet and
greet her on her way.
WBX J.
Shells Exploding on Potomac.
- Hagerstown Mall.
Some days ago the woods in h
mountains known as Loudon Heights,
opposite Harper's Ferry, took fire and
burned with great Intensity, After
burning for some time a series of ex
plosions were heard, which startled the
inhabitants, and the concussion was so
great that It broke windows In some
houses in Harper's Ferry, across the
Shenandoah.
The explosions were caused by the
bursting of shells, which were thrown
on the heights at tho time when Gen
eral Mills surrenderee! to Stonewall
Jackson, In 1S52. These had failed to
explode when they were fired, and had
lain here for over 40 years.
RAMIFICATIONS OF THE "SYSTEM"
THOMAS YV. LAYVSON DESCRIBES GROWTH OF FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS IN EVERYBODY'S FOR FEBRUARY.
fAs a preliminary to bis story of "Amal
gamated." Thomas "W. Lawsoa gives In the
February number of Everybody's magazine
an exposition of the financial structure ' of j
the country. From that article, the follow- .
lng extracts have been taken.)
Though this 13 the twentieth century
and enlightenment Is supposed to pre
vail throughout this broad land of ours,
the majority of people still regard the
world of finance as the world of magic.
Within the fairy realm of finance the
law3 of nature apparently arc suspended,
and. over-night wonders are worked.
The ordinary mortal, wis- In all other
walks of life, sees the man who yesterday
stood beside him at the plough or at the
bench emerging from the mysterious por
tals bearing the fruits of the endeavors
of a hundred or a thousand lives, made
all In a moment out of nothing. There
is no denying such marie, nor that the
magicians who perform these miracles
are entitled to veneration. So the ordi
nary mortal feels that he has no license
to enter the world of finance save on his
knees, hat in hand, bearing tribute to
the divinities enthroned within this en
chanted territory.
The average American would consider
it a huge joke should his grocer under
take to Induce him to buy 1C0 times more
sugar than he could use, on the ground
that he might find In the sugar bags when
he reached home gold and diamonds. But
would he not wrathfully seek the police
If. after opening his" sugar bag. for which
he had paid 51. he found it contained
only 50 cents' worth of sugar? He would
tell you If you met him at this stage:
"Tou can bet that chap on the corner
cannot get away with any such trick
as that not In America. He might in
Zanzibar, or In the province of the Sul
tan of Sulu. but I will show him he can
not rob an American- In this, tho twenti
eth century." The grocer would be hus
tled to jail without a "by your leave,"
and thenceforward his name would be a
byword among all honest tradesmen. And
so It goes in every business but finance
the most important of all. the business
into which is merged all other businesses,
the business of taking and preserving the
results of nil nthpp hinlnMcM n n
rhuman endeavor.
Suppose our grocer, waxing rich, invests
his funds in the sugar trust He thinks
he knows all there is to be known about
sugar. The business of the trust Is to
make the sweet commodity and sell It to
the people. No mystery or magic, surely
about this simple pursuit Tet when our
grocer Invests his savings, the sugar stock
is many dollars more valuable than when,
scared Into selling by fluctuations which
he cannot see any reason for. he tries to
get back his investment So many times
have investors been milked of their sav
ings by thia one trust during the past
20 years that in the coffers of Its creators
and jugglers are hundreds of millions of
money that once belonged to the people
and for which they received absolutely
nothing In return.
It is the phenomenon of the age that
millions of people throughout this great
country of ours come of their own free
will to the shearing pens of the "System"
each year, voluntarily chloroform them
selves, so that the "System" may go
through their pockets, and then depart
peacefully home to dig and delve for
more money that they may have the de
basing operation repeated on them 12
months later.
Tou may ask if I desire to convey the
Idea that the great financial Institutions
and trusts of this country, which have
their head center In Wall street are all
concerned la a conspiracy to rob the peo
ple of their savings. Tou think, doubt
less, that so sweeping a statement goes
beyond the truth. I desire to go on rec
ord right here in declaring that all such
financial. Institutions which , in any way
are engaged In taking from the people the
money that is their surplus earnings- or
their capital, for the ostensible purpose
of safeguarding it, or putting It in use
for them, or exchanging it for stocks,
bonds, policies or other paper evidences
of worth, are a part of the machinery for
the plundering of the people.
In the height of its prosperity the Lou
isiana lottery only took from the people
a paltry J10.C00.frD0 or 520,000.000 a year,
while today there are single groups of
banks, trust companies, corporations and
trust3 which take from the people by
might, by trick and by theft hundreds of
millions each year, and there are scores
of such groups. The sugar trust has
been tho Instrument of gathering, in one
year. 5100.000.000 of the people's savings,
and the steel trust alone, has robbed the
people of over 5500,000,000 In a single 12
months. Today the "System" and its
methods are as clearly and as sharply
defined In the tangibility of their relation
to the people as was ever the Louisiana
lottery. On certain days the Louisiana
lottery sold its tickets, which the people
bought with their savings. On a certain
day the drawing took place, at which all
those who had parted with their dollars
expected to receive them back, together
with Immense profits, and upon that day
disappointment was spread broadcast
among the many and unhealthy joy among
the few. So with the "System." On cer
tain days the public is sold their stock,
bond and Insurance policy tickets. Upon
other days they look for their savings
and profits. On the contrary, they learn
that these have decreased in value or have
been wiped out. My critics will say that
such a comparison cannot hold, for In the
lottery nothing was dealt in but gambling
tickets, whereas the stock or bond ticket
represents an ownership in- the material
things of the country. This is the fallacy
the "System" spends millions every year
to foster and disseminate. Between the
two the difference i3 in favor of the Louis
iana lottery, for both arc gambles and
the lottery game was square.
It is only a matter of simple mathe
matics to ascertain the day, and that only
a few years away, when ten men will be
as absolutely and completely the legal
owners of the entire United States and
all there is of value in it as John D.
Rockefeller is the absolute legal owner of
the large section of it of which he is to
day possessed.
When that day is hera the people win
legally be the slaves of these ten men.
It Is almost Incredible that a people as
intelligent as the American people, and as
alert to that Individual and national
honor which they have bought with so
much of their blood and their peace of
body and mind, can be so deceived and
juggled with. When one looks about,
however, and notes happenings of which
one personally knows, and the degrada
tion and dishonor to which public opinion
is seemingly Indifferent, nothing Is incred
ible. One sees a certain man openly dis
playing 5300.000,000. a sum which represents
the life earnings of 150,000 of our popula
tion, and knows that this man has se
cured this Incredible amount during forty
years of his life. One sees the second
highest and most honorable office In the
nation, a United States Senatorshlp, open
ly bought for a few stolen dollars by a
man who up to the very day of Its pur
chase was a watch repairer In a small
country town, and who had never done
a single meritorious deed or been pos
sessed of worldly goods to the extent of
53.000. One sees a wily a'lvurturcss secure
from the banks, which exist only to safe
guard the people's deposited savings, hun
dreds of thousands of dollars on her bare
story that phe was the possessor of some
mysterious documents. One sees a 53-a-week
office boy of one of the "system's"
votaries able to borrow for the "system,"
on a bare note. W.OW.00O from a New
Tork institution which only exists to safe
guard the people's savings although the
law says that auch Institutions shall not
loan to any man on any kind of collat
eral, even- Government bonds; one-tenth
that sum. One sees two men. drunk with
their success, gouging and tearing at
each other's heart In Wall Street, and
aecs their gouging and tearing bring
about a panic which takes from the peo
ple In an hour over a billion dollars, and
drives scores to suicide, murder and de
falcationthe two men continuing mean
while as ornamental pillars of society,
instead of wearing prison stripes. Ona
sees a great railroad corporation, in which
are millions of .the trust funds of widows,
orphans and charitable institutions,
caught "short" (having sold something
it did not own) in the stock-gambling
game and held up to the tunc of 510,000.000
by a reckless Btock gambler, who says:
"If you don't ECttle tonight it will be
520.000,000 tomorrow": and the toll Is paid,
while the great banker who conducts the
release of the hold-up charges the further
tribute of 512.000.000 for his services. And
then one sees this twenty-two millions of
"commission" tacked on to the capital
stock of the great railroad which Is sub
sequently capitalized into a "bond" and
sold to great life-insurance companies
as a first-class investment for their trust
funds.
(Mr. Lawson then describes the seven
"inventions" of mankind." namely, law.
money, life insurance, fire insurance, the
banks, the corporations and the stock ex
chagc.) A "trust" is an institution which en
dows Itself with the right to use any or
all of these seven institutions of the peo
ple as the people use them, but so made
that its user derives from the institutions
the benefits the people intended for them
selves, and yet Is immune from the legal
consequences of appropriating such bene
fits. Two or more men make a "trust"
by combining acquiring the control of
an Insurance company, a trust company
and a savings bank. The now organization
Is all of these istitutions. performs the
functions of all of them, yet can legally
do with their incomes, capital and sur
pluses things which, from tho very nature
of each, none of the Institutions is al
lowed to do the new organization is all
of these Institutions until the law attempts
to bring It to book; then it so evades be
ing any of them. The trust company is
empowered to lend monuy oa speculative
ventures, which the insurance company
and savings bank may not do, so the
"trust" lends the insurance company's
vast accumulations and the savings bank'3
hoard through the trust company with
great profit or tremendous loss and enjoys
immunity from the consequences which
should follow such disobedience of the.
law. Moreover, when the trust company
shows a proflt-the "trust" appropriates
it. and when a' tremendous loss is' sus
tained the Insurance company or the sav
ings bank must bear It
. What Is the connection between the
"System" and the minor financial institu
tions throughout the country which are
owned and controlled by groups 'of sturdy
men who know not Wall street and ta
frenzied votaries and who are ignorant
of "made dollars"? Let us see. We will
take five National banks in different parts
of the country, each having a capital of
5200.000. and deposits of 52.OCO.000. One is
in the farming district of Kansas: an
other is In Louisiana in a cotton district,
a third is in the orange groves of Cali
fornia; in tho mining district of Montana
Is a fourth; the fifth is in the logging and
lumber country of Maine. These 510,000.
000 of deposits represent savings earned
by the type of men who have made Amer
ica what she is. and who laugh when they
read In their local papers: "Panic in Wall
street; stocks shrink a billion dollars in
a day." "Fools and their money are eas
ily parted they say, "but Wall street
gets none of our honestly earned money."
Now the officers of these five banks ar
honest men and they know nothing of th
"System," yet the day of the panic they
all telegraph to their Illinois correspond
ent the big Chicago bank, "Loan our
balance. $200,000, at best rate." That dsy
the Chicago bank with similar telegrams
from 45 other correspondents in various
parts of the country, wires its New Tofii
correspondent the big Wall-street bank,
"Loan our balance, 52.000,000,. at beet
rates." Thereupon the great New Tork
bank sends Its brokers out upon "the
Street" to loan on inflated securities of
one kind or another which its officers,
the votaries of the "System." had pur
chased In immense quantities at slaughter
prices the millions belonging to the Chi-,
cago bank and to other correspondents of
Its own in Cincinnati and Omaha and St
Louis and other big cities. The decline
Is stayed and then the world learns that
the panic is over and that the stocks, of
which the people have been, "shaken out"
to the extent of a billion' dollars, havS"
recovered In a day 5300.000,000 of it, and
that probably in a few days more" will1
recover the other 5500,000,000. Who has
recovered this vast sum? The people who
had been "shaken out"? No. indeed! The
votaries of the "System" have made it
they and the frenzied financiers whose
haunt is Wall street, and whose harvest Is
In such wreckage.
SPIRIT OF NORTHWEST PRESS,
Frightful.
Athena Press.
If John Barrett has to pay 513 aplec
for shirt? in Panama, allow your Imag
ination to dwell for a moment on the
probable price of a shirt that- would fit
Secretary Taft.
Consequences of Knowing Too Much.
Tacoma News.
An Oregon man is believed to have
been killed because he knew too much
about the Oregon land frauds. Most oC
the voters of Oregon are also "dying to
know" more about the frauds.
Ralph Took No Chances.
Monument Enterprise.
Ralph Randall, who is herding for L.
Sweek, was In town Wednesday, the first
time for four months. He made sure o
keeping in touch with the world's events
by ordering The Enterprise and Orego
nian sent to his address.
Good Thing for Milkers.
North Takima Republic '
The Oregon Agricultural College has
added a 2-year-old shorthorn heifer to the
state herd- It3 four preceding maternal
ancestors have a maximum averaea rep-
ord of 51 pounds of milk per day. Thia
promises great tmngs ior tnose who milk
the state cow hereafter.
Instruction They Missed.
Tillamook Independent.
Owing to pressure of other matter we
have to omit the usual editorial page this
week. The people have not lost much by
its omission, however, as it only con
tained "A Plan to 'Settle the Differences
Between the Japs and Russians." "A
Way to Dispose of the Land Fraud
Cases," "Condolence With Mrs. Chad
wick and Mrs. Duke," "How to Organize
The Hague Tribunal," "Comparison of
the Personality of the Water Commission
With That of the Town Council." "A
Slam -at Sam." "Tillamook's Electric
Railroad." "How to Curry the Paternal
Parent of a Mule." (with special local
reference.) and "Red Hot Shot" para
graphs. We regret this loss of labor on
the part of the overworked editor, white
extending hearty congratulations to the
reader.
Dutiful Lunatic.
Indianapolis News.
While looking for stragglers, just as
Welsh regiment was about to sail from
Cape Town for England, an. officer found
a private standing at attention in a
shed- "What are you doing here?" he
was asked. "Please, sir," was the. reply.
"I am a lunatic and I am waiting for
the corporal's guard." He was right: he
was a lunatic and his guard had forgotten
hlra.