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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 1905)
THE MOKNING OEEGONIAN, MONDAY, FEBRTJAEY 6, 1905. Entered at tho Postofflce at Portland. Or., as second-class matter. SUBSCRIPTION RATES. INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. (By Hall or Express.) Daily and Sunday, per year $9.00 -Dally and Sunday, six months 5.00 Dally and Sunday, three months........ 2.55 Dally and Sunday, per month 85 Dally "without Sunday, per year 7.50 Daily without Sunday. bIx months S.OO Dally -without Sunday, thrco months... 1.05 Dally without Sunday, per month 65 Sunday, per year 2.00 Sunday, six months 1-0 Sunday, thrco months . CO BT CARRIER. Dally without Sunday, per week ( .15 Dally per week. Sunday Included.. ' .-0 THE "WEEKLY OREGONIAN. (Issued Every Thursday.) "Weekly, per year..-.. 1-50 "Weekly, six months Weekly, three months HOW TO REMIT Send postofflce. money order,, express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at the sender's risk. EASTERN BUSINESS OFFICE. The S. C. Beckwlth Special Agency New York: Rooms 43-50. Tribune building. Chi cago: Rooms 510-512 Tribune building. The Oregonlan docs not buy poems or etorles from Individuals and cannot under take to return any manuscript sent to it without solicitation. No stamps should be Inclosed for this purpose. JEEPT ON SALE. Chicago Auditorium Annex; Postofflce Mews Co., 178 Dearborn street. Dearer Julius Black. Hamilton & Kend Xlck, 006-812 Seventeenth street, and Frue "Sjuff Bros., 605 Sixteenth street. Kansas City. Mo. Rlcksecker Cigar Co.. Iflnth and Walnut. Los Angeles Harry Drapkln. Oakland. Cal. W. II. Johnston, Four teenth and Franklin streets. Minneapolis M. J. Kavanaugh. -50 South Third; L. Regelsburger. 217 First avenue South. New York City L. Jones & Co.. Astor House. Ogden F. R. Godard and Myers & Har rop. ( Omaha Barkalow Bros.. 1612 Farnham; Mageath Stationery Co.. 130S Farnam.. Salt Lake Salt Lake News Co.. 7T "West Second street South. San Francisco J. IC Cooper & Co.. 740 Market street; Foster & Crrar. Ferry News Stand: Goldsmith Bros., 236 Sutter: L. E. Lee. Palace Hotel News Stand: F. W. Pitts. 1008 Market; Frank Scott, 80 Ellis: N "Whoatlry, 83 Stevenson; Hotel St. Francis News Stand. IVanhimrton. D. C. Ebbit House News "Stand. PORTLAND. MONDAY. FEBRUARY 6, 1005 THE RUSSIAN CRISIS. General Kuropatkin resigns his com mand- of the Russian forces in Man churia, and General Grippenberg. the next officer in command, asks to be relieved. What is the reason? Russian Generals have not been accustomed to take this course, in the face of any enemy, or of difficulties however great. The probable reason is that the army is reluctant and even mutinous; tha"t the commanders can't get out of the soldiers the work they have expected of them. With such loss of spirit the strength of an army crumbles. Some ray of light begins to enter the dark mind of the Russian soldier. Not less brave than heretofore, he yet begins to ask what he is lighting for. The Russian common soldier lacks, too, in this war, the religious spirit, the in tense fanaticism, by which he has been dominated In his wars against the "in fldel" Turk. The view he gets begins to open to him, in many directions, a wider world. , In severe weather, in a country cov ered heavily with snow, Kuropatkin or dered an advance and attack. Battle under such conditions has not been an unusual condition for the Russian sol dier. He has fought, frozen and died on such fields many a time. Had he shown his former spirit and resolu tion, this attack, in frigid weather, on a snowy field, might have succeeded But even If it had failed, the Russian soldier of the former time would have died without complaint; nor could the horrors of a field on which every wounded man was sure to perish from, cold, shake his firmness. The Rus slan Generals in Manchuria expected in their soldiers the old courage and resolution. They didn't find it. Know lng they couldn't win with such an ' arrir. they have resigned. But has Russia any Generals who can win That is the next question. Kuropatkin was selected for this command because of his known and proved military ability. He was a dis tinguished commander. He was given a free hand in -the organization of the army. Vast forces have been placed at his disposal. In the severe weather of Winter the Russian soldier has many limes shown his superiority to others and the advance and attack on fields of snow, it was believed, would again show him at his best. To such climate, moreover, the Japanese are wholly un used; and in fact the Russian attack, in such bitter weather, took them by surprise. Their troops who received the first force of the attack were all but annihilated; but they 60on got help, and the Russians losing spirit, were unable to pursue their advantage. Gen eral Grippenberg, not supported as he believed he should have been, and or dered to retreat by the commanding General because the spirit of the sol diers had failed him, declared himself "dishonored," and asked to be relieved, and Kuropatkin himself has now ten dered his resignation. It seems certain that liberal ideas are now at last penetrating the Rus sian army- Time was when the Rus sian soldier did what was expected of him. or died on the field as at Preuss Eylau, near Konlgsberg, in February. 1807, on a field of snow, where whole corps, both Russians and French, per ished. Yet the French, though com manded by Napoleon, could not claim the victory. The Russian soldier is not fighting now as he fought then. He ap pears to be learning that he is under no obligation to fight for the preserva tion and extension of Russia's tradi tional despotism. That Russia will be compelled to desist from her attempts on China and against Japan seems certain. Her pres ent weakness Is not so much in Old Russia, where the people can be held down yet for a while by a barbarian soldiery brought from distant parts of the empire, as in the East, where her disaffected armies confront the forces of Japan. Most ominous of all things is the resignation of the Russian Gen erals, on the heels of military disaster. It never would occur, if they could de pend on the spirit and devotion of the troops. Russia's endeavor in Manchu ria is doomed to failure. The effect of it on the Internal affairs of the empire and on the fortunes of the reigning dynasty -will certainly be very great. Movement, however, in' Russia is very slow; the circulation throughout so vast an empire is obstructed, and in- telllgence. penetrates slowly Into the minds of the people. But something is to happen in Russia, nevertheless. NEW DEAL IN WASHINGTON POLITICS. The people of Oregon will not soon forget the work of Congressman Jones, of Washington, In coming to the res cue of the Celilo Canal project. Un questionably a large share of the credit for securing the appropriation is due to the "Washington Representative, whose interests In his state are not coiv fined to the county from -which he hails. Compared wJth the continual "knock ing" which Cushman has always given Columbia River projects, and .the in ability of Humphrey fo see anything beyond the boundary lines of King County; the work of Mr. Jones becomes all the more noteworthy. But "Wash ington Is about to have a new deal in Congressional representation. Amal gamation of the Ankeny-Sweeny forces with King County has resulted in for iijt una rcouncu . i mation of a new political machine built on broader lines than any that has yet operated In the state. With these pow erful East Side and West Side forces working harmoniously, it will be Im possible for contracted statesmen to edge their -way Into Congress. The first Important change to be made by the Ankeny-Piles forces Is reported to be the retirement of Con gressman Humphrey, of Seattle, and tne suDStitution or Jf ranK xi. jsrownen, Of Snohomish County- Mr. Brownell is a broad-rautre man. and. if he succeeds In reaching the position for which he has twice made an unsuccessful race, Mr. Jones will not be alone in his glory as the sole representative in the lower halls of Congress of the. entire State ot Washington. There are other questions coming up besides the opening of the Columbia River to navigation In which passed that will be entirely satisfac lt may be necessary for a West Side tory to either the railroads or the peo- Congressman to co-operate witn an East Side man at the National capi- tal. and the West Side should send to Washlngton men who are big enough and broaa-minfled enougn to nanaie them other from a selfish standpoint. The primary cause of the downfall of Humphrey is said to be a pronounced J tendency to place patronage above pa- triotism. In his desire to take care of his friends properly he has found but little time to look after the Interests of any part of the state outside of King County. The immediate cause was the prolonged attempt to retain in office at beattie a Postmaster who was not in good standing with the now dominant political forces of King County, as well as the rest of the state. In his zeal to keep in office this Postmaster. Mr. Humphrey Is accused of misrepresent- lng the position of Senator Ankeny on the matter, thus causing friction be tween the Senator and the President. Mr. Humphrey is also accused of fall lng to support Samuel Piles In his re cent Senatorial fight. If he should be deposed by Brownell, as now seems probable, his position L will be similar to that of Senator Fos- ter, whose defeat was largely due to the ungraceful "straddle" he made In tne Tacoma postmastership fight. In the interest of his Senatorial fight Sen- ator Foster played politics with that posimasiersnip so long mat ootn ol tne candidates which he had on the string became lukewarm In the support of the u ,.Mw0a,I0 ,u. i..c Foster delegation who resented the manner in which the plum was kept dangling above the noses of the two candidates, and were secretly knock- lng" -the Senator for his refusal to de cide where he should award the prize. Politicians of high and'low degree have been taught a severe lesson by the ter mination of the recent Senatorial fight. and the political air of the State of Washington will be so much purer for awhile that it ought to produce a bet ter class of statesmen than some of those who have been misrepresenting the state at Washington, D. C. GRABBING THE STATE'S I1ND There is nothing new nor strange In the effort to grab 3000 acres of state school land at Salem last Friday. There was nothing new either in the manner of operation nor in the management of the deal. The only incident that was at all unusual was the exposure of the fraudulent nature of the transaction throuch the exercise of ordinary viei- lance on the part of state land officials. Many times in the past similar manln- ulations of state land business could have been exnosed. but this seems to have been deemed an opportune time to add one more to the list of charges against S. A. D. Puter, who Is already a convicted landerabber. Taking Puter's own story for the trATiiotinn u war nininiv il -trinintinn of the statutes of this state. The land laws require that an applicant for the purchase of state land shall make affi davit that he wants the land for his own benefit, and that he has made no contract; express or implied, to convey it to any other person. In his state ment published yesterday Puter says that he had the nine men file applica tions for state land, and furnished the money with which to pay for it. "They all agreed with me before making their applications that they would, as soon as their certificates -were issued, assign to me a nine-tenths interest in the land," he said. If anything more Is necessary to show that the applicants were not the real parties In Interest, It is only neces sary to note i'uier s assertion .tnat ne paid eacn oi tne men -'u. wnat tor? i-uter nas tne reputation ot nanaing out money freely, and sometimes in large sums, but no one has accused him of giving it without getting some thing in return. The alleged retention of a one-tenth Interest by the appll cants was a mere subterfuge, and for all practical purposes the land was to be conveyed to the men who furnished the money as soon as the certificates of sale had been issued by the State Land Board. According to admissions made by the parties to the deal, the transfers of the certificates were signed Imme diately after the applications had been filed, and before the certificates had been issued. . It. is probably true that there was no effort to defraud the state out of any money, for the state would receive the legal price. $2.50 per acre. There are those, no doubt, who will argue that if the state received Its price, it makes no difference whether the land was to go to one person or to nine persons, This is the argument that has been used repeatedly in defense of the grab bers who have been seizing the Gov ernment timber lands through the me dlumshlp of Individuals who purchase them at the Government price, with money furnished by syndicates, to whom the land Is transferred as soon as title has been secured. As. long as the state gets its price no one should complain. Is the defense. It is not necessary nor proper now to discuss the question whether it Is wise policy for the state to limit each pur- I chaser to 320 acres of land. Wasting words over that debatable subject I serves but to detract attention from the main question, shall the laws of the state be observed and enforced, or shall the public and public officials wink at flagrant violations? So far as the state school fund Js concerned, It makes no difference whether the land is sold In half sections or sold In one block to one corporation. But It makes a vast dif ference to the people of this state whether laws are openly violated with impunity, or whether they are enforced. What does it profit the state if the school fund be swelled a few thousand sonars ana me cnnuren De given a icw days' additional schooling. If those chil- dren are to be taught by example that It Is proper and profitable to disregard the plain requirements of the law? The great defect In the adminlstra- tlon of the criminal laws of this coun- try is that the big thief Is permitted . SP!ino and fvmtlniios to rvnsn ns nn hnrmrjlW fl,n tv-mi th u honorable citizen, while the small sneakthlef must serve his term behind prison bars and wear the stigma of dis grace forever after. The man who se cures a few hundred thousand acres of public land by perjury and suborna tion of perjury enjoys the luxurious life his ill-gotten riches afford, but the poor wretch "who, driven by cold or hunger. steals food or clothing, must pay the penalty In full unsatisfactory commission bill probable. The railroad commission bill, that dls- turber of political peace in the State of Washington, will come before the Leg- islature this week. As stated In our oijTnpIa correspondence last week, it is hardly possible that a bill can be pie who are clamoring for a commls sion. This Is because the sentiment for a railroad commission -was prac- tlcally all manufactured by a band of political adventurers who see In such an adjunct to the state srovernment an opportunity to ride into power. The kind of a bill demanded by this class I 0f patriots is too- stringent to be ac- cepted by the railroads without a fleht I and, as has been demonstrated in the past, the railroads have a sufficient number of friends in the Legislature to make the contest interesting. But the railroads are becoming tired of this continual battle for what they choose to term thelr rlehts. and it is nmc- tlcally a certainty that something less than an outright victory at the nres- ent time will be accepted with a view- to restoring peace. The result will not fully satisfy the railroads, but It will be the best they can do, under the circumstances. The Kennedy bill, for which the more rabid commission men of the Snokesman-Ro- view school are fighting, is a measure which If passed in its original form would place in the hands of one man I the Governor greater political power i for the territory Involved than has ever been wielded by any official In the United States. An enforcement of the joint-rate provision of that measure ! would enable a Governor so disposed to force all other roads in the state to pay tribute to any particular road which he might .designate, possible exemption irom sucn iriDute oeing secured per- haps by promise of loyal railroad sup- port In perfecting a political machine by the use of which a commission dynasty could be perpetuated for an dynasty could be perpetuated for an inaeimiie perioa. xms tne railroads win not consent to, for some railroads are bigger than others, and the smaller ones would ob- ject to tne absorption of their property or tneir proms Dy tne larger roads, it Is thus plain that the bill when passed will have some of Its fangs drawn, and, as a result, tne ultra-commission forces will not be pleased with it. The rail roads will receive all of the blame or credit, according to the light In which It is viewed, for toning down the meas- ure. but.it will not be the direct fight which they make against these drastic features of the bill that will result In tneir elimination. or in me great "State of Washington, in addition to the manuiacturea sentiment in lavor of a railroad commission bill, there is a song natural sentiment mat is favor aD,e to the railroads, These big corporations have poured millions to the ,State of Washington The" have bulIt and towns, de veloped seaports, established steamship 1Ines to foreign ports, and in other vays done more for Washington than for ay .ther state in the W8t- Their motives ol course were seinsn, tne en- terprlses being projected for the pur Pose of Increasing their profits. At the same time, there are towns, cities and counties in the state where it would be as impossible to awaken a senii ment against the railroads as it would be to quicken an Egyptian mummy This is the sentiment -that has made the railroads powerful in the state, and as long as It exists no railroad leglsla- tlon of the Kennedy commission bill 6trlpe will be placed on the statute books IN RETROSPECT. Sixty-four years married; eight living children: thirty-six grandchildren; forty-two great-grandchildren. This is the life record in outline at S6 and 84 years of age of William Boyles and his wife, of Medical Snrines. Or. Ther arc perhaps few in these days who would j care to emulate the career of this aed COUDle. since it would Involve too much self-sacrifice and too great persistence in commonplace endeavor. Perhaps they themeclves would not care to take up the duties of life where they as- sumed them sixty-four years ago. and discharge them as they came along in the unvarying monotony of toil incl- dent to the bringing up of a large fam- ily. But looking back over the long stretch of their united endeavor to the present stage of its attainment, there is, we may well believe, nothing either In "water of tears or oil of joy" that they would eliminate from their past. though incidents of which one or both were a part they might not like to live over again. Phoebe Cary, one of the sweet singers of the great West during the middle years of the past century, reviewing her life of fifty-odd years, with its many unsatisfied longings and unat- talned possibilities, courageously de- dared: My past is mine, and I take it all. Its weakness. Its folly. It you pleaie; Nay even my fdn. If you come to tha May have been my helps, not hindrance He is a true philosopher and a cheer ful If. not a joyous one who, looking from life's west windows across the long memory stretch to the east, can say with this earnest, thoughtful woman, "Ms life, for me. Is the best, or It had not been." It Is reasonable to suppose that the aged couple who have passed more than three of their four-score years of life together -will, in the backward look over the heads of their children and their children s children to the third and fourth generations, range them- selves with philosophers of this class and pass on In serene contentment to the end. Otherwise they would be oh jects of compassion rather than sub- jects for congratulation upon the recur- rence of the anniversary of the wed ding day that is dim with the mists of sixty-four years The New York Sun translates a long article from a Paris magazine, by Phil nppe Bunau-Varllla, on the feasibility Gf an ocean-level canal at Panama m. Varilla has practical knowledge of the conditions there. His conclusion Is that the United States would do well to beidn with a canal above the sea ieVel and to transform It gradually Into a sea-level canal. By such methods, he holds, the canal can be opened much sooner, and it will be much easier to solve the engineering problems in volved. While the sea-level canal Is the Ideal canal, he points out that prob lems are to be met. The canal could be transformed while in operation. "The Ideal and complete solution of the Panama Canal," M. Varilla says, "is the Bosphorus; it is the passage freely opened between the oceans and the Chagres, flowing freely Into the middle of the canal like a river into a strait." All this, he holds, is prac ticable. Turning the river Into the canal, dredges could be placed at In tervals in the reaches, and when the reach was dredged to 40 feet, for In stance, the sill could be lowered and the extra ten feet of water permitted to flow out (assuming that the original depth was thirty feet), and the canal continued at a level ten feet lower. By repeating these operations the whole canal might be dredged below sea level It seems probable that though the orig inal idea when we took the canal was that of a canal with locks, our engl neers will be content with nothing less than a sea-level canal. ne Legislature will propose amend nients to the miscalled local option law. 80 as to make it a true local option Iavv the act wl11 D approved by an immense majority of the people of Ore- Eon. For local option the proper unit is the election precinct The demand pushed further Is prohibition. The law voted last June was a juggle, that car rled prohibition in disguise. It was Intended to be such. It was designed for the express purpose of forcing pro- hibition on communities that voted against It towns like Corvallis and McMInnville, which are forbidden un der it to regulate their own affairs. Yet it is called local option. The term is a mere falsehood. This act is a prohlbi tlon act. not a local option act. Now if Legislature wilt submit a local option act, such act will be approved J an Immense majority. So let us have the referendum on this issue the referendum, that Is the fairest flower and choicest fruit of the demand for popular rights. And We are going to have the referendum on a lot of other things, before we are done with it Tne referendum will astonish a lot of people, yet. There Is no doubt that the City of NeVv York adds 100,000 to its population cach year. Building operations were mUch greater in 1904 than in 1903, not- - - ir - itwrtino. tf. .imnt nr.,-aT.nPa r hwlthstandinc - the almost nrevalence of strikes. Investments in new buildinirs not including small sinele dwellings exceeded $9S,0000,000, against $81,000,000 the previous year, while the loans on real estate In 1904 aggregated $449,000, 000. aralnst $273,000,000 In 1903. The ainrrejrate of the sums nut Into lanre tenements and apartment houses ex- ceeded $45,000,000: arid still the increaa ing throngs are not housed, for still larger sums will be invested in elml lar buildings this year. A consequence is that real estate, anywhere within reach of the business districts, con tlnues to rise In value- Most of the apartment houses, recently erected, are r Mh MnB If the Legislature is to adjourn to a day certain, say ten or twelve months from now, how would It do to begin the resolution for a special session with a preamble, declaring that, "Whereas, Senator Mitchell Is under indictment. the result of which cannot be foreseen and, whereas, his health is not first rate anyway, and life Is always uncer tain; and whereas, Oregon has a Dem ocratlc Governor who. In case of vacancy, would appoint a Democratic Senator: Therefore, be it resolved, that this body adjourn to a day of ," etc. etc. If there are any reasons for an adjourned session, this would be a fair statement of them. But "call you this backing your friends"? Cloudbursts and heavy rains are re ported in Southern California. Rail roads have suffered Joss, and much gar den truck has been ruined. While this distribution of moisture will be no more acceptable to the losers than the sys tern of equalization which gives the rich man Ice in Summer and the poor man ice In Winter, it is probable that the drouth-stricken state as a whole will be a heavy gainer by this down pour. California, by reason of pro traded drouth, has almost ceased to figure as a wheatgrowlng state, but with a good supply of moisture there Is no reason why she should not win back some of her lost prestige in the cereal line. The telegraphic (report of the opinion of the Supreme Court of the united States on the operations of the Beef Trust was imperfect; and to meet a de- mand The Oregonlan prints the opin Ion in full. The opinion was unani mous. in effect it prohibits contln uance of the combination to suppress competition, to maintain uniform sell lng prices, and to o&tain discrimlna tory rates from the railroads. The decision strikes directly, therefore, at the three great instrumentalities methods essential to the success not only of the beef trust In its effort to monopolize, but at all similar combl nations. One of the most useful citizens of Ore gon was J. M. Church, of La Qrande. He was actuated always by a high and true motive. He was one of those men, always, upon whom a community may depend, for judgment, for counsel and for public spirit. There Is loss through his death, not only to the town and county where he lived, but to the whole state. Members of the Illinois Legislature assaulted a Chicago newspaper re porter. The first enemy a spitted grafter turns upon Is usually a newspaper. tfOTE AND' COMMENT. Tho editor of the Howard (S. D.) Spirit takes his pen in hand and tells f Dakotan Joys In this fashion: From out of the haymow echoes the' homely cackles- of busy, 'biddies" lining their nests with two-cent eggs. The wheel tires creak a shrill melody on the rrosty track, while the roadside wires, linking the farmstead to the throbbing heart of the great, busy world, keyed Eollan pitch. All tho air with rhythm. The bouquet of rich old wine In in tho air. It races through tho veins, mounts to the brain, sparkles In the eye. and bursts from the lips in ,,mu.ad,Ul!!!f- !lnf: llZ" Pi!Me the beauties of the tropics, of teeming, swarm ing lire, of perennial foliage, flowers and fruit; extenuato the 'lukewarmness" of more tem perate dimes and endure the penetrating chill of lower altitude.- If you know no better but give me the cheery, rejuvenating, glorious Da kota "Winter. S. T. Clover, editor of the Los Angeles Express, tells' the San Francisco Argo naut that tho two books that interested him most In 1904 wero "Astoria" and The Adventures of Captain Bonnc- Illc." whlca he was prompted to rea.d by the approach of the Lewis and Claik Exposition. One of the Twins What's the stork like father? Father Dcadbroke Mostly bill. An exchange humorously remarks that President Roosevelt recently received the following letter from a former rough rider: Dear Colonel: I am In a heap of trouble. and I wrlto to co If you can help me out. Last week when I was shooting at my wife another lady stepped In rango and I hit her. It was an accident. I wasn't shooting at her at all. I hope you will write to tho Judgo and tell him to let me go. The Critic slyly boosts one of its pub lishers' forthcoming books by "drop- ping a hint that it is decidedly pas pour les jcuncs lilies." Think of bcincr vice-nresident of a. 545,000,000 corporation at a salary ot ta... , .. " yun& man a. vice-presiuent ot tne uoio- rado Coal &-. Fuel Company. However, he only holds the position for the pur- nos of sieninc- 45.0,10 $1000 hnn.i nn when that job is done he will resign. The Boston Transcript sarcastlcally says that two Scotchmen who were formerly artists, but have learned to paint in the English manner, have been elected to the Royal Academy. A bear created a sensation by ap pearing on the stago of the Colonial Theater In New Tork. Bears among the audience are too common to attract at tention. That was a "faithful hound" which retrieved a stick of dynamite with A burning fuse attached, and tried to lay the prize at Its master's feet. The 'dog was blown to pieces, but nothing hap pened to the man who was about to fish the Columbia In such a sportsmanlike manner. A New Difficulty Started. The Los An geles Express says: "Managers of the Lewis and Clark Exposition have offered a prize of $100 for the best ballad treating of the Trail.' But how much of a pre mium do they offer for Judges?" The editor of the Centcrvllle (Wash.) Journal remarks that ho is in line with the fad of wearing socks of different colors. and occasionally makes one sock do for both feet. This should bring In delinquent subscribers. The "Little Father" is little of a father. O. K. The London Solicitors' Journal says that statute law always remains enforce- able until repeal, with the legal result, for instance, that Sunday trading is punish- able by the stock? if the offender cannot pay the fino for it. that an agricultural laborer may not play at cards except at Christmas, and that to elope with a nun Is punishable by three years' Imprison ment. Burmese customs are away ahead of American in some respects. Divorces there are simple affairs, no bothonomo legal proceedings or expense. -According to an exchange, if a husband and wife decide that life together is an impossibil ity, she goes out and buys two little can- dies of equal size, made especially for the use of the unhappily wedded. She brings Mnrtin hnm nrf fhnn it nr, the candles between them. The can arc lighted at the same moment, and one represents tho husband, the other the wife. The pair watch the burning tapers anxiously, for custom decrees that the nnip nf nnft tphioh cm., nnf fir k nn t i,v th hmlw Th e,m,i candle may have only flickered out a moment later, but its possessor remains owner of the house and all Its contents. his or her. late partner going away with nothing but the clothes worn at the mo ment WEX. J. This Is "Plumb True." Woodburn Independent. . A young married man. In a letter to The Morning Oregonlan, speaks of being out of employment and refers to either get ting remunerative work, joining the rock- pile or becoming an authority on the here after. He says in part: "What Is a man to do who has been continu ally on the hunt for work for two months without success? A man ot 24 years of age. with a wife and a sum total of $1.20 In his pocket: no relatives or no friends in the country, willing to work at anything, and capable of tackling seveial lines of business. Tot, If that young man were offered employment on a farm or in some small town he would demur on the ground that he does not want to leave a city. He de sires to live In crowded Portland and talks of starvation, but shudders at the thought of forsaking the fascinations of city life and enlnc into a rural section where there are better opportunities to succeed. His case is not an isolated one. He Is anx ious for work, hunts earnestly for work. Is willing to do anything for d pittance. but will -not extend his search outside of the city boundaries. Crowds are his de light He's got 'em- Time for a Strike. Albany (Or.) Herald. More .strike rumors In Portland. The demand as usual Is for more pay and shorter hours. The work may be hln riorp nf course. Authorities will fenr to go into building operations' which would ... . It - . result in money distribution and public benefit All this does not enter into the calculation. Some walking delegate or leader sees a chance to put on the screws and does so. From all reports, the work men at the Exposition are receiving good pay. and If any one watches them for a time his mind will.be dispossessed of any idea that the slavedrlver Is present De- pend upon labor, always, when sufficiently organised, to kill tne goose tnat lays the golden egg and smash tho egg as y,-ell. . A LEAF FROM HISTORY. The Press on Which The Oregonian Was First Printed. Olympia Standard. The evening paper publishes a very in teresting article written by George H. Himes who. it says, "is ono of tho best- Informed men on the subject of old Ore gon history, and especially that part re lating to newspapers" in regard to tho old Ramagc press, on which the first newspaper In the state the Columbian was printed in 1852, and which Is now pre served as a revered relic by the State University. He notes that it was sent to Mexico from New York In 1834 and was used by the Spanish government In printing proc lamations; that it was thereafter taken to California, and used in printing tho Call- fornian. .at Monterey, tho first newspa per in the afterwards El Dorado. In o46 it was taken to San Francisco and used in printing the Star, and In 1S4S, the Alta California was Issued from it. On December 4, 1S50, the first issue of the Weekly Oregonlan, of Portland, was printed upoa it by Thomas J. Dryer, Its editor, the plant being ownea by w w Chapman and Stephen Coffin. In !Sa2 the press was brought to Olympia by T. F. McElroy and J. W. Wiley, and ne Columbian, the first paper in that part of Oregon north of the Columbia River, appeared on September 11 of that year. The name was suggested By the fact that the bill for creation of a new territory from the northern portion of Oregon pro vided for calling It the Territory of Co lumbia. As the name of Washington was substituted, the Columbian changed its title to Pioneer, and soon afterwards the Ramago press was supplanted by a Wash Ington handpress, about as much of an evolution as from the Washington press to the mammoth perfecting press of to day. The Ramage press resembled very much the old-fashioned cheese-press. It was constructed principally of wood, only the bed on which tho type were placed and the Paen, tho plato covering the bed, and the screw and lever by which the ,mrlrKal ,van v,Mni- nf Iron. The. nacft, Wpro nrinted one at a time, re quiring four impressions for each of the small sheets. 22x32 Inches in size, that crc then more eageny react ana xnor ougniy appreciaica man ine i--pa.u uca- paper of today. A- few ycara afterward, it being discov ered that the public printing of the new territory was a juicy "plum." ready for plucking. R. L. Doyle appeared on the scene with a Washington press and a "hatful" of new type, to dispute posses sion of the Drize with the Pioneer. A prospectus for the Northwest Democrat was Issued, when Messrs. McElroy and Wiley proposed a "combine," which was effected, and the historic press was stood up in a corner while the Pioneer and Democrat was printed in new type on tho new press, the wonder of the frontier settlers! The old press remained In seclusion, till In tho early 'COs. when It was taken from retirement by A. M. Poe, agent of tho Victoria Tress, and used to print a week ly paper called the Overland Press, which filled the local field as well as serving as the seventh issue of the dally service at Victoria, being distributed Immcdi ately on arrival of the steamer, thus dis tancing a competitor the Colonist. This was rendered possible by the fdet that the telegraph was then completed no farther northward than Portland, from whIch a pony express was maintained by the Victoria paper, that delivered a copy of The Oregonlan to Mr. Toe every Sun day In advance of the mall and In time tor. him to print in tne uvenanu a coupie of columns of the very latest war news Some time afterward the old press was taken to Seattle, and used by J- R. Wat son to print the Seattle Gazette and af terward by S. L. Maxwell for publishing the Intelligencer, the starting point of the now magnificent P.-I. The last own ers gave the historic press to the unl versity classes, for preservation as one of the most interesting mementos of pio I neer history of the whole Coast. I The Pioneer and Democrat was contin ucd till July. ISO, having been published D' the -Public winters, wno were m sue cession elected by the Legislature, which then met annually. Thej- were J. W Wiley, A. M. Berry, George B. Goudy and Edward Furste. Althourb the laws were few and the volume "thin," in those days the print Inc was exceedingly lucrative. On bill work our benign Uncle Sam allowed $1.50 per thousand ems composition, the same 'per token" 240 sheets for pressworK, and tho use of double-pica reglets between the lines of the bills, half a dozen lines of which could easily be made into two uaces, by "running over," and the best man In the world for printers. Ellsha Whittlesey. Third Auditor of the Trcas I ury. did the measuring at Washington and on his "O. X. the bills were promptly uald by a checK irom w asningion m.jce for folding was $2.50 per thousand sheets, and for assembling and stitching In paper covers, 51 per volume was the minimum charge. The printing per ses sion cost tho general Government from $10,000 to $15,000 for printing bills, Jour- nals and session laws, and most of the profits went into the saloon trade, the printing gang being with few exceptions "high rollers." Mr. Bryan on Signs New York Sun. Since the Tuesday after the first Monday In November. Mr. Bryan has been one wide smile. Not a word about the money changers and Naboth's -vineyard and Ab salom hanging by his hair In the timber trust. Everything is lovely since the reorganlzers goose was cooked. We like to see Mr. Bryan happy, but, as humble students of psychology, we can't help being puzzled to see him joy ful for the very reason that long made him howl and gnash his teeth. "There will be much left in the result to encourage the Democrats." he told the New- Haven dollar diners the other night, and "It was a good sign that the Inde pendent voter asserted himself in the last election." The independent Democratic voter as serted himself in 1904 by bolting the Dem ocratic nomination. Mr. Bryan pats him on the back. The Independent Democratic voter asserted himself in 1S96, and to a less extent in 1900, by bolting the Demo cratic nomination, and Mr. Bryan breathed nre and slaughter at mm. The bad sign of 1S96 and 1900 becomes the good sign of 1904. This anecdote teaches us that It makes all the difference in the world what can didate Is. bolted. Open Winter in Eastern Oregon. Wallowa Chieftain. Old settlers of .this section say that this has been so far the mildest Winter In the history of the county, there having been less snow fell this- Winter than any for years. So far there has been but little hav fed in this county compared to the amount usually consumed during the first I half of the Winter. A. few are prophesying bad weather all through February and March, but that Jgnk remains to be proved, and we .hnuld not look upon the beautiful -weather we have been having simply as I a calm before the storm. Almost before we are aware that we have started on a new year, the month of January slips by and we wonder how it passed so quickly. While people of this county usually dread to sec Winter approaching we think that they will hard ly be aware of its arrival this year until it has vanished ana repiaceu oy tne Springtime with Its green mils, singing I birds. plowboyS and mustard greens, etc. RUSSIA: AN ODE, 1 Tim rniirtw'nf fnmous verses oi a win' burne. that lost him the laureateshlrJ seem especially appropriate to buluaji events in Russia: 1S0O. T. Out of hell a word comes hissing, dart a doom. Fierce as Are. and foul as plague-polute j doom; Out ot hell wherein the sinless damned cn dure More than ever sin conceived or pains imnure: More than ever ground men's living souls to dust: Worso than madness ever dreamed of mur derous lust. Since the world's wall lirst went up from lands and seas ars have heard not, tongues have told not things like these. Dante, led by love's and hate's accordant spell Down the deepest and the loathllest ways of hell. "Where beyond the brook of blood the rain was Are. "Where the scalps were masked with dung more deep than mire. Saw not, where the tilth was foulest, and tho night Darkest, depths whose fiends could match the Muscovite. Set beside this truth, his deadliest vision seems Pale and pure and painless as a virgin's dreams. Maidens dead beneath the clasping lash. and wlve3 Rent with deadlier pangs than death for shame survives. Naked, mad. starved, scourged, spurned. frozen, fallen, deflowered. Souls and bodies as by fangs of boass devoured. Sounds that hell would hear not, sights no thought could shape. Limbs that fell as flame the ravenous grasp of rape. Filth of raging crime and shame that crime enjoys. Age made one with youth in torture, girls with boys. These, and worse if aught be wor3e than these things are. Prove thee regent, Russia praise thy mercy. Czar. II. Help is none In heaven; hope sees no gentler star; Earth Is hell, and hell bows down before the Czar. All its monstrous, murderous, lecherous births acclaim Him whose empire lives to match its fiery fame. , Nay, porchanco at sight cr sense ol deeds here done. Here where men may lift up eyes to gre tho sun. Hell recoils heart-Btrlckcn; horror wo.se than hell Darkens earth and sickens heaven; Mr knows the spell. Shudders, quails, and sinks or, filled w" fierier breath. Rises red in arms' devised of darkll death. Pity mad with passion, anguish mad w shame. Call aloud on justice by her -lar! name: Love grows hate for love's sake: lif t.. death for guide. N'lrht hath none but one red sf .Tyrannlclue. III. God or man be 'swift: hope sickenr delay: Smite, and send him howling devj father's way! i Fall. O fire of hoaven. and smit from hell Halls wherein men's torturers, crowned cowering, dwell: These that crouch and shriek and shudder." girt with power Those that reign, and dare not trust ono trembling hour These omnipotent, whom terror curbs and drives These whose life reflects in fear their vic tims' livest These whose breath sheds poison worse than ' r,lnrili.-c hl.'fc tiroath These whose reign Is ruin, these whose word Is death. These whose will turns heaven to hell, and ilav to night. These. If God's hand smite not. how shall man's not smite? So from hearts by horror withered, as by flro Surge tho strains of unappeasable de sire; Sounds that bid the darkness lighten, lit for death: Bid the Hps whose breath was doom yield up their breath; Down the way of Czars, awhile , In vain deferred. Bid the Second Alexander light, the Third. How for shame shall men rebuke them? How may we Blame, whose fathers died, and slew; to leave us free? "We, though all the world cry out upon them. know.. "Were our strife as theirs, we could not strike but so; Could not cower, and could not kiss, the hands that smite; Could not meet them armed in sunlit battle light. Dark as fear and red as hate though morning rise. Life it is that conquers; death it is that dies. Gold Field of the Transvaal. New York Sun. The full returns of the -gold output of the Transvaal for the calendar year 1904 show a production of 3,779,621 ounces, val ued at about $78,150,000. The output for 1903 was 2,963,759 ounces. Mining opera tions were resumed on a limited scale In May, 1901, and since then the output shows steady increase from 1,704.410 ounces In 1902 to more than double that amount In 1904, although the yield is not yet up to that of the two years imme diately preceding tho war. The returns for 1S9S were 4,555,015 ounces, and for the nine months of operation In 1S90 they were 4,101,441 ounces. A feature of special interest is the ex periment now being made with Chinese labor in the mines. Those Interested as sert that it is already a demonstrated success, but really no accurate statement on the subject can yet be made. It Is true that there is an increase in the total of monthly output, but this Is due, in part at least, to the increase in the total num ber of workers. Tho real test is the com parative efficiency of Kafflr and coolie. It Is asserted that, so far as determination is possible, the coolie appears to be the better workman. The statistics of employment in the Transvaal mines show 15,000 white men engaged, an Increase of 2000 during the year. The number of Kaffirs fluctuates from month to month, tho general aver age being a littlo moro than 75.000. In June last 1000 coolies were put to work, and 13,000 were at work In October. Re ports for later months ans not yet re ceived. The mineowners report general satisfac tion with the ImmeJiate prospects, and the London money market seems to be satisfied with recent returns. As the game Is played chiefly by these two, there seem3 to be no one left who has any right to complain. Let the Shoemaker Quit His Last. Boston Herald. President Roosevelt preached on Sun day. So did Grover Cleveland- And their sermons appear to have got a wider pub licity than those of any of th regularly ordained clergymen. 'The moral of which Is that the shoemaker might do well to quit his last occasionally If he wants to attract public attention. Definition of a Tack. Stenographer. A tack is a simple, unpretending sort, pf a young nail, noted for its keen r- artee when pressed for a reply, and sessing the peculiar power, when st.; ing on Its head of causing the cold ers to run down the back of a ij mere anticipation of what might Two of a Kind. Philadelphia Ledger. The little Republic of Honduras Is evi dently in the line to fear a flourish of the big stick. Honduras owes a foreign debt of about $23,000,000 and another stu pendous sum of nearly $o.0G0,000 in Inter est and arrearages. Honduras seems to be the Mrs. Chadwick of rotton republics.