THE MORNING OREGONIAN, .MONDAY, APRIL 3, 1905. Entered at the Postofflce at Portland. Or., . at second-class matter. - SUBSCRIPTION RATES. - INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. (By Mail or Express.) Dally end Sunday, per year. $9.00 Sally and .Sunday, six months COO Dally and Sunday, three months 2.55 Dally and Sunday, per month .85 Dally ivithout Sunday, per year 7.50 Dally without Sunday, six months - 3.90 Dally without Sunday, three months ... 1.95 Dally without Sunday, per month 65 Sunday, per year - 2.00 Sunday, six months 1-00 Sunday, three months .60 BY. CARRIER. Dally without Sunday, per weelc .15 Daily per week, Sunday Included .20 THE WEEKLY OREG ONI AN. i (Issued Every Thursday.) Weekly, per year 1.50 ) weekly, tlx months - 7& , Weekly, three months 50 j HOW TO REMIT Send postofflce money order, express order or personal check on ; your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency j are at the sender's risk. EASTERN BUSINESS OFFICE. The S. C Beckwith Special Agency New Tcrk: Roams 43-50 Tribune building. Chi cago: Rooms 510-512 Tribune bulldlnp. j The Oresronlan. does not buy poems or stories from individuals and cannot under take to return any manuscript sent to it without solicitation. No stamps should be locloeed for this purpose. KEPT ON SALE. Chicago Auditorium Annex; Postofflce News Co.. ITS Dearborn street. Dallas, Tex Globe News Depot, 260 Main street. DeuTer Julius Black, Hamilton & Kend rick. 808-912 Seventeenth street, and Frue nuC Bros., 605 Sixteenth street. Dee Molaes, la. Moses Jacobs. S09 Filth street. Goldfleld, Nerv C. Malone. Kansas City. Mo. Rlcksecker Cigar Co., Ninth and Walnut. j Los Angeles Harry Drapkln; B. E. Amos, j IU Weet Seventh street. Minneapolis M. J. Kavaru.ugh, 50 South Third: L. Regelsburger, 217 First avenue South. New Tork City L. Jones & Co.. Astor House. Oakland, Cal. W. II. Johnston. Four teenth and Franklin streets. Ogden F. R. Godard and Meyers & Har rop; D. L. Boyle. Omaha Barkalow Bros., 1612 Farnham: j Mageath Stationery Co., 1308 Farnham. : McLaughlin Bros.. 246 5. 14th. Phoenix. Ariz. The Berryhill News Co. Sacramento, Cal. Sacramento News Co., 29 K street. 6alt Lake Salt Lake News Co., 77 West Second street South. Santa Barbara, Cal. S. Smith. San Diego, Cal. J. DIHard. San Francisco J. X. Cooper & Co., 748 Market street; Foster & Crear. Ferry News Stand; Goldsmith Bros., 236 Sutter; L. E. Lee. Palace Hotel News Stand; F. W. Pitts, 1008 Market; Frank Scott. 80 Ellis; N. Wheatley, 3 Stevenson; Hotel St. Francis News Stand. St. Louis. Mo. E. T. Jett Book & News Company, S0C Olive street. Washington, D. C. Ebblt House News Stand. PORTLAND, MONDAY, APRIL 3, 1905. i -- GOVERNOR STEVENS AGAIN. Mr. Ezra Meeker, in his book, spoken of by The Oregonian yesterday, insists that there -was serious defect in the mental balance of Isaac I. Stevens, first Governor of the Territory of Washing ton, whose name holds and doubtless -vHl long: .hold the highest place in the history of that commonwealth. To this alleged defect Mr. Meeker attributes the. Indian hostilities at Puget Sound in 1S55-6. But. this would" leave the? simultaneous and almost universal rising of the Indians in Oregon, Washington and Northern California, at that time," unaccounted lor. Undoubtedly the Indians in the upper parts of the Puget Sound country were-dissatisfied with their assignments of lands, under the treaties made by Governor Stevens, and after the war they were given better; -but Mr. Meeker eeems needlessly harsh towards Ste vens, and dwells a good deal on a habit of drink observed in him at the time; yet the fact was that the whites, coming as settlers, wanted lands, and far too little consideration was shown for the rights of the Indians, there as elsewhere. Governor Stevens did the w ork that the settlers who were press ing in were clamorous for. The general argument was that the Indians were making no use of the lands, and the whites who would use them ought not to be kept out of them. - From Cape Cod to Cape Flattery, from James River to Columbia River, the argument and practice were the same. Governor Stevens was supported and vindicated by the people. While still Governor he was .elected Delegate in Congress by a vote or nearly two to one, and again, elected "by a large ma jority. In 1861 -the Democratic party was split by the Issues of the Civil War, and Stevens failed of renomina tlon. The convention was held at Van couver, and Stevdns. upon its adjourn ment, came over to Portland, and next day wrote a letter tendering his ser vices to the Government in the war for the Union. This was May 22, 1SS1. September 1, 1862. in command of a di vision, as Major-General in . Pope's Army, he was killed at Chantilly, Va., while leading a charge at the head of a regiment (the Seventy-ninth New York) five of whose color-bearers had fallen in quick succession. Stevens, seizing the flag, called the regiment to follow. and in the rush fell dead, shot directly through the brain. Mr. Meeker, though criticising the ad ministration of Governor Stevens in Washington Territory, pays a high trib ute to his earnestness, general ability ahd exalted patriotism. AN EXTRAORDINARY DELUSION. By adoption of a gold standard Mexico has put herself in line with the move ment of a rational and Internationa! civilization. It may be doubted whether,"to the "fu ture historian, anything n the history of the United States will seem so inex plicable, so irrational, so absurd and preposterous, as the effort in our coun try for twenty years, down to 1S96, to force free coinage of silver, on a fixed ratio and grossly false ratio, with gold. It was based on a notion, inconceiv able to the normal mind, that the United States, by declaring that sixteen ounces of silver were equal in value to one ounce of gold, could establish this valuation for the world and main tain it; and therefore that the stock of money in circulation," on this basis, would be doubled. It required tremen dous effort to. expose .the fallacy, and to prove that gold could not be main tained in circulation, or forced into cir culation with silver, on such basis, or indeed on any other, and that the re sult simply would be silver as the basis of money, -at the market price. Even Mexico was not deluded by this fallacy, for she had proof to the- contrary in her daily experience. But Mexico could not then command the credit that would enable hor to effect the transformation. So she had to wait a while. But she has waited. And now she acts. The shallowest thing in our own country, since the effort to force a ficti tious ratio between silver and gold, is the argument or excuse that the need of free coinage of silver has passed away though there was need of it in the conditions that existed ten years ago, from the smallness of the mone tary base, the inadequacy of gold, and so on. Why was gold "inadequate"? It hid away because It was knoVn to have value throughout the world, and free coinage of silver in the United States would have put sjlver, overval ued in the coinage at 16 to .1, In its place, as the basis Or standard of money. Then the dollar would have been worth whatever silver might be worth; and at 16 to 1 the dollar at pnee would have lost more than one-half its value. The transformation' would'liave produced universal ruin. To the fear of all this, the financial panic of 1892 and the terrible, Condi tions that continued for years after wards, were due. Gold became scarce only because It was driven into hiding- places. Even silver politicians had sense enough to hide gold, against the break of the storm. But it was extraordinary how prev alent was the silver delusion, and how long and how tenaciously it was up held. It was the most -unreasoning and the most dangerous fallacy this coun try ever knew. Even Mexico, which had slid into the pit of this fallacy earlier, now struggles out of it. In our country there never has been any sub ject upon which it was so difficult to enforce the plain truths of science, ex perience, history and reason. Advo cates and defenders even of slavery stood on better economic and saner ground. Seen at this distance, the sil ver craze in this country, for twenty yeaVs down to 1896, was the most ex traordinary delusion the country has ever known. LATEST RAILROAD FICTION. Seventeen railroads or branohes, ag gregating nearly 2000 miles in length, are included in- a list of "projected rail roads in Washington," details of which appear in the latest issue of the Rail way Age. The showing is an Imposing one, well calculated to make the specu lative heart of the Washingtonians beat faster that is, providing they do not subject the details to close scrutiny. At the head of the alphabetically arranged list we find the Bellingham Bay & Brit ish Columbia, slated for a 275-mile ex tension from Glacier to Spokane. This Is an Indication of enterprise, and, as we read, we can conjure up visions of a vast area of territory rich in mineral. Timber and agricultural wealth opening up for the settler. But and it is that everlasting and ever-present "but" that is forever "butting In" on these railroad plans we have heard that before. Bel- lingham's silver-tongued orator, the Hon. Clint Howard, has told state con ventions and legislative committees all about this extension for the past ten years. From a constructive standpoint the B. B- & B. C. Is as slow as a tor toise, but, as a political expedient for staving off adverse legislation, there is nothing slow about It. Passing over half a dozen roads and branches of minor Importance between the B's and the O's, we come to an old friend, the Oregon Railroad & Naviga tion Company, which is scheduled lor a 71-mile extension from Riparia to Lewiston. This is another scheme that awakens fond memories of the long ago. Out of the dim and dusty past come trooping forth visions of that genial. enterprising railroad president, the late Major McNeill, and, as we sit and dream with half-closed eyes, we can again hear the Major's assertion that the RIparia-Lewiston road would be built "darn auick." and "don't vou for get it.' Then came Mohler, keen, clever and aggressive, and, like his predeces sor, he was positive that the Lewiston- Riparia road would be built. Seasons came and seasons passed under the Mohler administration, and the scheme was still slumbering when President Mohler was succeeded by Mr. Calvin, thie silent man. The merits of the project appealed to Mr. Calvin, as they did to McNeill, and Mohler, and for him as for his prede cessors Wall street "whistled up the same old tune." The grade for this road was built years ago, and at one time ties and rails were distributed for a considerable distance out of Riparia. Now. if we may be pardoned for follow ing the example of the immortal Silas Wegg Its rails are rust. Its ties arc duet, its owners, they are cussed. The Lewiston-RIparia 'extension, when it shows up on paper, presents a good appearance, but any assertions re garding its probable construction will from now on be classed with the "Tales of the Rainbow-Chasers." In close company with the Lewiston Riparia road on the Railway Age's list of "Latest Works of Railway Fiction" we find the Port Angeles Eastern. This scheme belongs to the same family as the Port Townsend Southern, the latter having been retired from public service on avcount of old age, its whiskers be coming gray soon after Ezra Meeker discovered the "Crime of '56." The list also includes the Portland, Vancouver & Yakima, with a 135-mile' extension to Yakima; the O. R. & N. extension from Pomeroy, Wash., to the Clear water country, and a number of others of minor importance. Had the Railway Age headed its list "Railroads Which Should Be Constructed in Washington." the title would- have been much more appropriate. What Washington and also Oregon need at this time Is more actual construction and less Indefinite projection of railroads. . WHEN TO BUY AND SELL. In the news columns a few days ago it was related that Willamette Valley farmers who bought sheep last Fall at 51 to $2 a head are now Eelllng them for 54 and more a head. This is one more illustration in support of the old rule to buy when every one else wants to sell, and sell when every one else wants to buy. Last Fall many found themselves overstocked with sheep and understocked with feed. Demand for mutton was slow, and the price of wool last Spring, 17 to 18 cents, was fair, but not high. There were many sellers, and those who had an eye for a bargain bought sheep. Mutton-is up again, and the prospect seems good at present for 25 cents for wool. Because wool is up sheep are in demand. There are plenty of buyers, and the farmer who bought last Fall can get more for his Spring lamb than he paid for the ewe. He can sell more wool off the sheep's back than the animal cost. him. Such is the history of nearly, every article of production. Large .profits In crease production until an oversupply or decreased demand brings prices down and those who become discour aged want to sell. The frequency and abruptness of the changes In values de pend upon the ease with which the sup ply or demand may be varied. Cattle are now down, but they are coming up, whether the beef trust prosecution wins or not. Hops are" up and production will increase until the supply exceeds the demand, and then prices will fall. That man succeeds best, in any under taking who can see far enough ahead to anticipate rise and fall, so that he may begin an enterprise in time to take advantage of a rise and quit it In time to escape the loss attendant upon a fall. EASTERN OREGON IRRIGATION. The Government scheme for utilizing the waters of the John Day River for irrigation purposes is fraught with great possibilities. The John Day is one or the rew uregon rivers carrying a considerable volume of water which as yet has been put to but little prac tical use. An occasional power plant of modest dimensions has coaxed some work out of this healthy stream, but the demands of this nature have been inconsequential, arid, for practically its entire length. It tumbles along In Idle ness on its journey to the Columbia. The Deschutes Is another Interior river from which the state has never yet se cured any advantages of consequence, and which the irrigatlpnists now expect to put to practical use. Both of these streams are fed; by the eternal snows of the adjacent mountains, and are in such close proximity to those snows that 4here is seldom, even in the heat of Summer, very much diminution in the volume of water. In the Deschutes in particular there is at all seasons of the year a steady flow which keeps the stream at prac tically the same height the year round, the extra volume of water occasioned by the quick melting of, snow in the Springtime disappearing in the subter ranean caverns which are numerous In many of the canyons through which it sweeps. Navigation in a mild kind of a way Is possible over a portion of the Deschutes River, and at a number of places the stream makes terrific drops, creating Immense power which-, will some day be utilized for manufacturing purposes. Neither for navigation nor for the development of power, however. can this stream ever prove so valuable as for irrigation purposes, and if the day ever comes when all the water it carries can be advantageously ueed for irrigating purposes, its usefulness in other directions can be easily sacri ficed. If the plan of Engineer Davis proves feasible, the waters of the John Day- can be used to advantage on fully 200, 000 acres of land in Umatilla, Morrow, Sherman and Gilliam Counties. Land of the class that will be reached by this mighty irrigation project has, wherever it has been touched by water, shown phenomenal yields, and the successful carrying out of -this one irrigation pro ject would add thousands to the popu lation of Eastern Oregon and transform what is now a veritable desert Into a highly productive region. Irrigation 'lias long since passed the experimental stage In the Pacific Northwest. The Yakima and Wenatchee districts and the.Snake River banks, near Lewiston, have demonstrated in the most effect ive manner the magical power of water on lands which a few years ago were practically worthless. In neither" land nor water is Oregon at a disadvantage as compared with the localities mentioned, and, as soon as the work of combining these productive forces is complete, the dry districts east of the mountains will enter on an era of prosperity such as has never been equaled where Nature was unaided in her work of supplying moisture for the soil. WHAT OF JAPAN? The eyes of the world are upon Japan Not only are the problems incident to the present situation and their bearing upon the immediate future of that na tion and of the teeming world of Asia attracting attention, but their solution. as touching the future in the trade and commerce of the Western world. Is of absorbing interest. From present indi cations active hostilities in Manchuria may cease before many months, per haps weeks. Will Japan be strong enough in statesmanship to make this peace, when it comes, a lasting one, and one that will insure her own expan sion? If so, what? Dr. T. L. Eliot, of this city, who spent five weeks, alert and observant, in Japan two years ago. in a brief synop sis of his "Impressions of Japan." gave it as his opinion that in social and do mestic life the Japanese will assimilate very little from the West compared to what they will retain and develop in conformity with their racial tempera ment. of which Shlntoism is the relig ious and moral expression. Continuing in words that seem prophetic, Dr. Eliot said: This name temperament and virile ambl tlon. will tend to make the Japanese, alter n while, as croat commercially and industri ally, as they have already proved themselves capable of being. In the world o art and of military discipline. It is not altogether a wild prophecy, that. In combination with a re generated China. Japan may within 50 years dominate Eastern commerce and manufac ture, and drive the West entirely out of Its- markets, perhaps encroaching upon me Western world. However, the truer and happier augury, is to predict an era of t-nnA will and International respect. In which these industrial and commercial strifes shall i,njc and exchange of benefits shall be reg uinteH hv the entirely natural laws of soil. and capacity of production; and through which the terms where human nature is universal an ascendant over brute forms, will be more common than the lower forms of warfare and distrust. . And when he adds. "The brotherhood of man and the love of God are at the heart of both Eastern and Western civ ilisation, and tocether they will surely move UDward. working out the beast. and let the ape and tiger die,' " he pre sents as a prophet of humanity and of evolution what may be termed "the hope of unknown years." What is meant by the suttee is well known. But It was or has been sup posed that English control In India had abolished it. Such, however, is not the case. We are told that the ancient cus tom which requires wives to be burned on the funeral pyres of their husbands Is still nracticed in India, now and again, in spite of the fact that it was prohibited by the British Government so long ago as 1829. Performing the suttee was a rite enjoined by Hindoo ism, and the idea which underlay it was that the wife should accompany the husband to the hereafter in order to minister to -his comfort arid happiness, and also to prevent his re turn in ghostly form to disturb the sur vivors of his family. The hold that the practice had on the Hindoos Is Illus trated by the fact that It wak in sa s far back as the time of the Invasion hv Alexander the Great, more than 300 ears before the Christian era. and has not yet wholly disappeared, although the government has enforced severe penalties against It. Lord Curzon, the present Viceroy, has recently approved sentences of long terms of penal servi tude upon a dozen Hindoos convicted of participation in suttee. Orielnallv it was asserted that wives went joyously to their doom, esteeming it the highest proof of devotion to their religion and the surest guarantee of eternal felicity. nut now It is said that the women of India are beginning at last to make protest against this ancient and hon ored custom. The Washington State buildlnsr Is on the most conspicuous site at the Lewis and Clark Fair grounds. It should be. ashlngton Is an Integral part of the old Oregon Country. Its history, tradi tions and sentiments are much, the same as those of Oregon. It has the same Interest as Oregon in commem orating the achievement of Lewis and Clark, and it Is just as important that should show the world what it was, and hopes to be. The keen interest manifested by the people of Washing ton in the success of the Fair Is exceed ingly gratifying to Oregon an interest that has taken substantial form In lib eral state and county appropriations, and In great energy In collection of ex hibits and erection of the-state build ing. The building will be done by May 15, and the displays installed immedi- atey, so. that everything will be In read iness by June 1. When Washington- sets -about to do a thing, she does It In the finest possible way. Undoubtedly every citizen of that great state will have reason to be proud of what he sees here from Washington. It will do the President good to see the South, and it will do the South good to see the President. Not all Southern ers are. like Governor Vardaman heaven forbid! and the President is sure of a most kindly and enthusiastic reception. Despite the Booker Wash ington incident which was an incident. and nothing more the President is quite as good a friend of the Southern people' as of the Northern; and they are beginning to know it. If he shall meet them' face to face and talk to them. they will learn to like him ahd to un derstand him. To get on better terras with the South is Indeed a part of fhe Roosevelt mission on his two months' vacation. The South is meeting him half way, and we shall confidently look forward to an era of good feeling. There are evidently' some very gen erous guzzlers of spirituous liquors in Seattle, unless Judge Carroll has made a mistake in his estimates. For the ex clusive saloon privileges in the Queen City the Judge offers 55,0000,000 for a ten years' franchise, and as bonus will throw In a city hall and a city hospital. The success of this method of handling the liquor traffic in this country Is yet to be demonstrated, but there is no question about the novelty of the scheme. It would put Ta'coma way to the bad from a statistical standpoint if Carroll secures the Seattle franchise. for no one would give half a mililon dollars per year for the privilege of sell ing firewater q the decorous town on Commencement Bay. It looks as if the troubles of the Equitable Life were to be settled finally and to the satisfaction of all concerned. It is a very great insurance company, and the publicity given the quarrel be tween Mr. Hyde and some of the direc tors and Dollcv-holders has made manv pedple uncomfortable. But there would seem to be no occasion now for uneasi ness, if there ever was. The Equitable is a tremendous trust, and its officers are alive to their heavy responsibili ties. They have been determined that the method of discharging their trust should be settled for the best interests of all. The result is a mutual plan, and the unpleasant incidents of the past several weeks will no doubt soon be forgotten. The Polk and Yamhill County Mohair Association on Saturday disposed of two pools of mohair, aggregating 90,000 pounds, at an average -price of 32 cents. The mohair industry is of comparative ly recent date in this state, but already It Is making material contributions to the profits of diversified farming. The goats not only turn off a valuable fleece every year, but are also quite useful in clearing stubble from the land. Opening prices for the fleece this 3ear are higher than last, and the clip is also larger and of a better quality. Having carefully Investigated its own administration of affairs, the Po lice Commission impartially finds that the "Police Department is in better condition now than at any previous time." No doubt that-Is the reason we are to have forty more policemen. There were thousands of people out af .the Fair Grounds yesterday. It was Sunday by evangelist's called the Sab bath. The Oregonlan doesn't know how these people expect to be saved. Per haps It Is none of Its business. The Republicans say they are going to carry Chicago by over 20,000, and the Democrats offer to bet three to one that they will not. We may be wrong, but it really looks as if somebody is mis taken. Mr. Bryan is cautious about the "re organization" of the Democratic party. He says it does not need reorganiza tion. It was "reorganized" last cam paign. . What it really needs is votes, A most just Judge has decided that the lady who eats the oyster and finds a pearl must turn it over to the gen tleman who bought the oyster for her. That ought to satisfy everybody. The Police Commission is sure that Councilman Flegel is wrong, about sa loons being open after 1 A. M. Perhaps some one turned the Councilman's watch ahead. Since Carnegie and the small colleges appear to be getting on excellent finan cial terms, the normal school problem is perhaps not after all hopeless. Just about this time the boys in blue from the gallant Nineteenth know how it is with the girls they left behind them the world all upset. ' Well, nobody really wanted. Portland to win all the ball games. . SHORT ST0RIES0F REAL LIFE. THIS Is a-story of a dog and why the dog did not die at a time which at first seemed most favorable for Its demise. The dog In question rejoices in the Plebeian cognomen of Waggles, and Is the properly of D. C. Freeman, assistant to President H. W. Goode. of the Expo sition. Like other canines, Waggles has a lamentable faculty for wandering away from home and associating with other pups regardless of pedigree. But Wag gles, being good-natured and amiable, seemed to wax popular with the dogdom and never engaged In any unpleasant en countersthat Is. not until he met up the other day with the bull terrier pup which bears the distinction of being owned by John Mahon. Now, besides be ing the terror of the neighborhood, . the terrier looks like a full page display ad., while Waggles is not more than half a column long. So there is no use wasting vajuable space telling what happened when the pups met. After, the fray Waggles limped home ward a sorry sight. An ear was awry, a leg hung loose and there were other Irregularities. All in all It looked as If Waggles were slated for a final pilgrim age to the crematory. But It was not to be; for across the street lives a little miss of 6 years, happy In the possession of her first trimmed hat and new slate. And It so happens that this little miss knows a thing or two on her own account. She saw the van quished dog drag Itself home and forth with paid him a visit. "Waggles, he ain't hurt," she said sol emnly when she saw the perturbed Free man family busy with liniments and ban dages. "You must not think he is hurt cause he ain't. He will be well tomorrow." But her remarks passed for mere childish prattle and the bandaging went on. Next day Miss Slxyears was on hand bright and early to see about the invalid. But she did not inquire after his health. She merely remarked that the dog was much better and would bo able to play that same afternoon and this without having laid eyes on the sufferer. lou see, I have been treating him." she explained demurely. Well, you please tell me how you could treat him when he was locked In the woodshed all night and Is still there?" Inquired the nettled Mr. Freeman. "Oh, that do not matter I pray for him and think about him all the time and say he is not hurted. I am Christian Scien tist, you know." The household hurried to the shed and unlocked the door to see if the dog was still alive. Waggles came out at once apparently in good spirits and on the road to convalescence. "A miracle!" exclaimed Mrs. Freeman, "A coincidence," asserted Mr. Freeman. WHEN a biography of Joseph F. Smith Is written it will refer to the fact that Mr. Smith was matrimo nially Inclined to the extent of seven wives. Incidental mention will prob ably be made of the fact that 43 chil dren owe the favor of their presence on earth to Mr. Smith. But unless the biography contains this account of an Incident in the every-day life of the Mormon patriarch, the truth of which is voucned for by Fred Benton of Mr. bmltns own religious persuasion, it win DK incomplete. Mr. Benton relates that President Smith stepped from his office In the Lion House in Salt Lake, some time since, and started hastily homeward. The word homeward, by the way. con veys no particular Idea of direction In Mr. Smith's case, as his homes are scat tered about the city at convenient in tervals. Be that as It may, we are at least assured by Mr. Benton that the autocrat of the faith left his office and proceeded along the street. Within a block his attention was at tracted by a boy of perhaps 7, who was playing on the sidewalk. .Now Presl dent Smith is said to have a special fondness for children, which statement it takes no great stretch of the imag ination to believe, in view of the size of nis family. Mr. Benson says the Mormon chieftain entered into convcr sa tlon with the youngster, finally say ing: well, well, you are a very smart lad, to be sure. I like the looks of you. I should not be surprised if you grew up to be President of the United States." "Thank you, sir," the lad stammered, with apparent confusion at such flat tery from a total stranger. "By the way,' my little man, whose child are you. If you do not mind tell ing me?" is the next statement Presl 'dent Smith is credited with. "I'm Mistor Smith's boy my pa is president or tho Mormon churcn, was the astonishing reply. COR politeness of the genuine brand I go to France, or Austria, or Hun gary, or almost anywhere in Europe Stay there awhile In proper circles, and you will acquire It the superabun dant, obtrusive,- overwhelming, abound ing politeness. Return to America. though, and you will soon lose the sur plus. Perhaps tho causes are climatic, or psychological, which Is what peoplo say whon they don't know what other analysis to make, and which doesn't mean anything. Possibly it Is because the American peoplo haven't time to carry on Alphonse-Gaston delibera tions. being too busy making money and history. Here Is a practical dem onstration of the question as it oc curred at the Exposition grounds a day fir two ncn. Herr Mors. E. Fischer Is fresh from Hungary, from whence he came to rep resent his government at the Lewis and Clark Fair. H. B. Hardt, assistant director of exhibits, is also from Hun gary, except that he has been in Amer ica several years, and has been duly Impressed with American environment. Accordingly, whon he essayed so show Herr Fischer about ho grow very much concerned by the Hungarian commis sioner's offusle politeness. On being introduced Herr Fischer would make a low obeisance after graciously remov ing his hat. All of which was very Impressive. An interview was soon in progress with pskar Huber, director of works. and after each remark of the director concerning the concessions and favors which Hungary was to receive, Herr Fischer would remove his hat, bow gravely, and say: "Ah-h-h! .You are most kind, sir." ' This had been repeated perhaps dozen times in less than that many minutes, and Mr; Hardt was plainly becoming more and more concerned for nis countryman's demeanor, although Mr. Huber seemed duly Impressed with it. "Nothing is too good for Hungary," said Mr. Huber. immediately after one of the sweeping courtesies. Off came the hat again, and again the bow. followed by "You are most kind, sir." Hardt's acquired instincts got the better of him. He tugged sharply at his countryman's arm. "I say, Fischer." he said with sever ity, "keep your hat on your head and your mouth shut, lou re too d po lite for this country." And It has been observed since that Herr Fischer has acquired a little more of the American brusqueness. Needs Two Editors. Galveston Nows. Visitor (in newspaper office) I suppose you have two editors for the "questions ami answers" department. Editor No; only one. ' Why did you suppose, two were necessary; . T Vin.ir.Vi vmi'H Tinve tn havo a wnmar. to ask the questions and a man to answer tncm. DIXIE CLUB AND Hott the Slate Societies Are Tatorlnsr Soatberaers 1m Portland Portland Corr. New York Evening Post. Portland, Or.. March 19. It is as tonishing what a civilizing and 'generally salutary effect a World's Fair has upon the city that fathers it, if not in final results' too often associated with finan cial reaction at least during the long period of preparation. To the Fair visi tor, of course, the city in which the Ex position is held stands simply for so many hostelrles and hotel clerks in de grees of badness, and so many Inade quate means of transportation to the grounds. But to the citizen, ' unable to conceive such calloused Indifference, the Fair serves as a mere searchlight thrown upon his city's beauties to attract the eye of the Nation to her perfection, so that, through the months of the Fair and for many preceding, he is painfully sensitive to an unsightly ash barrel, and is driven frantic by any prejudlciaV blocking of the car lines. He Is even careful to appear only in spruce garments lest the visitor. who unfortunately doesn't know him from any stray sightseer from another coast line, should underrate the quality of the population. There is no keener self-consciousness than that of a growing Western town. passionately eager for a larger population and for the approbation and trade of the East, desperately afraid of the rival at tractions of equally new and vigorous Western towns a few hundred miles away. In Portland the chance happening by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark upon Its site a century ago, having given It a genuine right to the first great West Coast Fair civic pride, already strong, has been roused to a tremendous pitch. Witness the sudden raid upon billposters which for years have made hideous the city unmolested. "They are a disgrace and an outrage," cries the press, sudden ly awakened to the fact. Great gullies on the principal routes to the Exposition grounds are being filled; streets have been paved, roadbeds made smoother, bridges rebuilt improvements which the city has long needed, but, having only herself to please, has so long neglected to make. Municipal improvements are not the only ones a Fair brings In Its train. The Individual Is exhorted by the press which in Portland has an unusual personal rela. tlon to the people, since there is but one morning paper to do his or her share in beautifying the city. Articles on rose culture, grass-cutting and kindred arts appear on Sunday. In one of them was this naive phrase (it is quoted approx imately): "if the people of Portland will but carry out this method (of rose-pruning) they may make their gardens, how ever small, bowers of delight with fes toons of climbing roses to astonish and gladden the eye of the Lewis and Clark visitors." . Many small clubs have been formed among the citizens for mutual enlighten ment on subjects that the Fair has made prominent. I was given the following out line of the work of one of these by a member: "First, we read a short history of Oregon, and then the story of Lewis and Clark's trip-, and now we are to be gin on the rocks and plants and animals of the state. They'll all be exhibited at the Fair, you know." They are anxious, the members, that these exhibits should "mean something" to hem, and also a little anxious, I think, to meet adequate ly those Inequitable questioners which the Summer will bring them, so that they may properly; represent the intelligence of tneir city. The ways and means adopted by the Exposition committees for advertising throughout the East and South are var led and ingenious. No stone is left un turned. The unsuspecting traveler west ward Is startled Into consciousness of the Importance of the 1005 Fair midway across the continent, by Innumerable pamphlets bestowed upon him free of charge. But SPINDLES AND LOOMS The Seats of Cotton Manufacture in the United States. Boston Commercial Bulletin. Dockham's bi-annual survey of the textile Industries In tho United States contains the usual volume -of Instruc tive statistics. The following table Is self-explanatory: Cotton Spindle. XBW ENGLAND STATES. 1RJH 1002. 1P04- Maine 931.il6 S9lioK 910,623 New Hampshire. 1,296.608 1,356.072 1.300.7S0 Vermont 102.30.1 103.908 106.008 Mafoachusetts .. 7.1 00. 80 8.S98.340 S.819.473 Rhode Island . 2,076.6rt5 3.201,848 3,313.756 Connecticut .... 1.033.935 1.120.520 1.182.424 Totals ....12.601.103 14.321,780 14,702,968 SOUTHERN STATES. North Carolina.. 656.4PO 1.762.3U 2.193.403 South Carolina.. 626,883 2.520.946 2.928.0M) Georgia 550.510 1.383.815 1,475.951 Alabama. 170.159 603,380 822.840 VlrslnUt - 139.356 172.SS0 300.802 Tennessee 121.984 242.378- 264.874 Totals .... 2,263.372 6.702.719 7.994.059 The number of looms of all kinds amounted to 734.038 for the entire country. This compares with 690,2.72 In 1902. That Massachusetts Is still tho chief home of the weaving Industry may bo Judged from the fact that It has 22,SS0 looms of all kinds, as com pared with 22S.239 In 1902. Our nearest competitor Is South Carolina, with a total of ,77,23S. consisting, however, wholly of cotton looms. The chief weaving states aro a3 follows: dumber of All looms. 1902. 1904. Connecticut . 2?!o77 29.421 Georgia . 31.595 33.996 Maine .... .... 27. SI.'. 28.6T.0 Massachusetts - 228.239 229.fs0 New Hnmpshlre 42.230 41.672 New Jersey - 31.108 32.39S New York 7.249 29.16S North Carolina - 41.456 50.048 Pennsylvania 58,48 59.087 Rhode" Island 54.069 OfJ South Carolina 64,57. 7i.23S Got Their "Irish" Up, Evidently. Nashville American. Just as we expectedfoyama is an Irish man. So is Oku. We get the informa tion from an Indiana orator who, in a speech at a St. Patrick's Day dinner, de clared that the original Oyama went from Ireland to Japan during the Elizabethan period, and that his name was Patrick O'Yama. Being an all-round fighting man, he soon found favor with the Mikado. General Oku Is descended from a Hiber nian named Keough. Kurokl. we are fur ther informed. Is of Polish descent. We have long suspected -that Kuropatkin la an Irishman. His name indicates it. Gen eral Stocssel is said to have come from Switzerland. Nogl Is probably an Abys sinian. Nodzu Is a Turk. This Is official. As for the proof, that is a matter of de tail which docs not interest us. Hurrnh for Generals O'Yama, Keough, and Pat Kurokin! Nothing the Matter With Kansas. Washington Star. Gov. Hoch balks at the idea of chris tening the new battleship Kansas with champagne. But he Is not inspired- par ticularly by temperance motives He se.es a chance to advertise hls state and its recently Inaugurated crusade against the great oil octopus. So he proposes that when tho big vessel slips oft the ways a fair daughter of Kansas shall break ov4r Its bows a bottle of oil, not the product of the Standard Company, the hated trust against which the State has just placed lance In rest, but crude Kansas oil, draiiVn from the bleeding soil and ready for t;'he work of the state refineries. There 13 truly nothing the matter with Kansas when it comes to keeping everlastingly ' In the eye of the world. j THE '05 FAIR for Oregon' Great Enterprise and Their Methods. the most ingenious and original methodfe the "state society" scheme. There are to be very few state buildings at tho Expo sition, only nine I believe, for the grounds have been found too small for even more Important buildings. Therefore, there will not be the usual hospitable state welcome for each visitor. In its stead, "state so cieties" have been formed. A "president" has "been appointed to represent each state: all Portlanders hailing originally from any other clime nativity or "ten years' residence entitles one to claim a state as one's own are requested to seek their state's president., and to form a sort of club for mutual admiration and the extension of hospitality to visiting coun trymen. A secretary dispatches personal letters to his or any one's else frlands in his particular state, telling of the Fair, and of the Northwest, and cordially invit ing them to join the club next Summer (traveling expenses not prepaid). Not long ago I had the real pleasure of attending a meeting of the Dixie Society. Not enough representatives of each South ern state were found to make separate state societies worth while. All the "vice presidents" and their followers have com bined therefore into the "Dixie Society" and have audaciously elected as their mu tual president the Governor of Oregon. It was a gala meeting. The Governor for the first time presided. Gov. Chamberlain is a MIssissippian and a "mixer," as a Texan sitting next mc told mo with en thusiasm. He is a small, jovial person, and opened the meeting with, an address of great informality, expressing his ap preciation of such an audience of Intt ligeat men and handsome women" and declaring autoblographlcally that there was only one person of whom he was afraid; that was the Misslsslpplan who happened to be his wife. Here there wa appreciative applause, and the Governor's wife beamed upon him from the roar of the room. The secretary, from Texas, gave glowing accounts of his labors and their reward in letters of appreciation and thanks. "Why, friends." he shouted with enthusiasm, "we are going to have Sena tor Bailey with us this Summer Senator Bailey of Texas and we'll make him glad he came. And, friends, did you know ttoat the Governor of Tennessee has asked that a Tennessee day be appointed? He is coming to it, and with him will come some of the choicest spirits of Tennes see." Whereupon the club cheered loudry. and was glad. The members of the society aro of Lin coln's "plain people." So much genuine patriotism and love of state and homo I have rarely seen exhibited. Every n was jovially anxious to know every ne else, to "get together, friends!" as tha Governor admonished them. Any one of any prominence made a little speech full of love and reminiscence of the South, and enthusiasm for Oregon and the now era. One woman from Kentucky re marked with emphasis that, of course, she knew Kentucky was the finest state in the Union, but. whatever else Ken tucky might boast, and she reckoned we all could guess, Portland had good water, which sally, appealing both to sense of humor and civic pride, elicited groat ap plause. There was, at that short Southern moot ing, a more appealing display of human nature in the raw and of generous, heart ening, human kindness than at any other gathering of the sort I had known. And there was more talking, an Oregonlan told me, than an equal number of native Port landers could boast of in the course of a year. The "native sons," as they ar called, are keen, shrewd. unGxpresslvrt men. men who do things but take little time to talk of them. They have had hard fights with circumstan6e In these rugged Western mountains, and this, combined with the Puritan tendencies so many of them inherit, has served to stop, or at least to retard, here the flow of easy hu man Intercourse. These "state societies" serve a double purpose in bringing fellow-citizens together as well as prepar ing a friendly welcome for strangers. L. L. MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP IN CHICAGO Chicago Evening Post. We have municipal ownership of tho City Hall. Is it kept clean and savory, free from water bugs and tax-eatin? bipeds? Not if your nose and eyes have sense and your tax bills feeling. We have municipal ownership of streets and sidewalks. Are they kept clean, safe and In decent repair? Not in twice 20 years have they been clean except by private subscription. The millions In bonds, just Issued to liquidate damage judgments testify to their perennial danger from dilapidation. We have municipal ownershfp of lighting, heating and power plants in various parts of the city. Are they models of economical law-abiding effi ciency? Not on the dally smudge that settles on your nose and the millions of dol lars wasted in keeping clean lun,gs. lawns and linen in the naturally pure ozone of Chicago. We have municipal ownership am! operation of the best water supply on earth. Has it been maintained on a basis of cheap rates and economical administration? Not if the report be true that th whole system is worn out and needs entire rehabilitation, the city engineer saying that SO per cent of all the water pumped Is wasted. Verily the advocates of municipal ownership invite tho citizens of Chi cago to a greater orgy df corruption and waste than has ever been known in an American municipality. Gorky as a Playwright, Metropolitan. We all know Maxim Gork story teller of unequalled pessimism and occasional pathos; we also know Maxim Gorky. . Revolutionist, thanks to his reckless bravery In St. Petersburg; but New York did not know Maxim Gorky, playwright, until his "Nachtasyl" ("The Night Ref uge") was produced at the Irving Place Theater last month. At the Kleines The ater In Berlin last season I had shuddered over his depressing, blighting "slice of life" carved by the steady hand of one who, because of Ms experiences, sees llf as a hideous nightmare. If you have read Gorky's tales, and many of them are in English, you will recall who can ever forget of them? his crew of vagabonds, sullenly lying in dirty cellars or else blistering under the merciless Summer sun of the steppes. He has simply trans ferred to the boards one of these episodes. In which the unrounded, abrupt, 'uncom posed. monotonous quality of life is re produced with a visor and a vraisem blanc that makes Zola's "La Torre" a frivolous pastime. "The Night Refuge" represents one of those wretched lodging houses only to b found In St. Petersburg or in Moscow. By comparison, the dives of Paris. Lon don and New York are cleanly and-comfortable. In this milieu he has sat mov ing a half dozen characters who talk, drink, quarrel, sleep and gamble. The Need of Panama. Providence Journal. Admiral Walker, "the man with the pull." seems destined not to be actively . associated with the construction of tb ) Panama Canal. What is wanted on the Isthmus is not pull, but push. Kansas Proposes to Find Out. Washington Evening Star. Kansas does not believe that Mr. Rocke feller makes benevolent donations to re lieve his conscience. Kansas decs not be lieve that Mr. Rockefeller has a con science. '