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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (June 12, 1905)
THE MORNING OREGONIAN, MOM)AY, JITNB 12, 19057 Catered at the Postofncs at Portland. Or., as second-class matter. SUBSCRIPTION" RAZES. XXVAHIXBLY IN ADVANCE. (By Hall or Express.) "Dally and Sunday, per yeir $8.00 rDally and Sunday, six months......... 5.00 Sally and Sunday, three months....... 2-55 Sally and Sunday, per month -. .S3 Sally without Sunday, per year......... 7.50 Sally without Sunday, six months 2.90 Sally without Sunday, three months... 1.95 Sally without Sunday, per month...... .65 Sunday, per year 2.00 Sunday, six months. ................... 1.00 Sunday, three months .60 BY. CARRIER. Sally without Sunday, per week .15 Sally, per week. Sunday Included -20 THE WEEKLY OREGONIAN. (Issued Every Thursday.) Weekly, per year 1-50 Weekly, six months .75 Weekly, three months.. -50 HOW TO KEAIIX Send postoffice money order, express order or personal check on 3'our local -bank. Stamps, coin or currency xe at the sender's risk. EASTERN BUSINESS OFFICE. The S. C. Beckwlth Special Apency New STork; rooms 43-50 Tribune hulldlnr. Chi rac o, rooms 510-512 Tribune bulldlnc KEPT ON SALT:. Cblcajfo Auditorium Annex. Poatotflce Stew's Co., 176 Dearborn street. Dallas, Tex Globe News Depot, 2S0 Main vtreet. San Antonio, Tex. Louli Book and Cigar to., 521 East Houston street. Beaver Julius Black, Hamilton & Kend--flck, 806-812 Seventeenth street; Harry S. Dtt, 1503 Broadway. Colorado tprincs, Colo. Howard H. Bell. Des Koines, la- Moie Jacobs, 809 Firth "Street. Duluth, la. G. Blackburn. 215 West Su terlor street. Goldfleld, Ner. C M alone. Kansas City, Mo. Rlcksecker Clear Co.. Ninth and Walnut. Los Angeles Harry Srapkln; B. E. Amos. fcH West Seventh street. Minneapolis M. J. Xavanaugh. 50 South Third; 1 Regelsburger. 217 First avenue South. Cleveland, O. James Pushaw, S07 Superior street. New York City I. Jones & Co.. Astor House. Oakland. Cal. W. H. Johnston. Four teenth and Franklin streets. Ofcden F. R. Oodard and Meyers & Har. top. S. X Boyle. Omaha Barkalow Bros.. 1612 Farnam: Mageath Stationery Co., 130S Farnam: Me "Laughlin Bros.. 246 South 14th; McLaughlin & Holtz. 1515 Farnam. Sacramento, Cal. Sacramento News "Co., 42 K street. Salt Lake Salt Lake News Co.. 77 West Second street Pouth; Frank Hutchison. Yellowstone Tark, Wyo. Canyon Hotel, Lake Hotel, Yellowstone Park Assn. Long: Beach B. E. Amos. San Francisco J. IC Cooper & Co., 746 Market street; Goldsmith Bros.. 230 Sutter: L. E. Lee. Palace Hotel News Stand: F. W. Pitts, 1008 Market: Frank Scott. 60 Ellis: N. Wheatley Movable News Stand, corner Mar ket and Kearney streets; Hotel St. Francis News Stand: Foster St Orear, Ferry News Stand. St. Louis, SIo. E. T. Jett Book & News Company. S06 Olive street. Washington, S. C. P. S. Morrison, 2132 Pennsylvania avenue. PORTLAND, MONDAY. JUNE 12, 1005. WAIT JUST A LITTLE. The Eugene Register has an article on the election last -week in Portland, the sum of which Is contained in this paragraph, to wit: The day Is Kne by In Orexen when The Oreconlan rBTi ns supreme dictator. Those whom It cannot control politically it seeks by even method to kill oft, as has been exem plified In the rwit land-fraud eass. but the day or its success In that direction Is ended. We shall see about the land-fraud cases. Through- The Oregonlan a full n.nd circumstantial report of ,thc trials will be presented. No other newspaper is in position to give It. An afternoon newspaper, however excellent, like the Evening Telegram must go to press too early to give the whole of the day's report. But The Oregonlan will give it, in every detail. Through The Oregonlan the people will' learn all about the land Ira ud cases. What disturbs and distresses the Eu gene Register, one of the organs of the political ring that wishes to protect thp ,ian,d thieves and is deeply In volved with them, is the fact that the Government of the. United States, un der direction of Theodore Roosevelt, is' pushing , this prosecution, with relent less purpose. The ring and its .organs hesitate to attack the President, but try to "take it out" of The. Oregonlan. "The day Is gone by in Oregon when The Oregonlan reigns as supreme dic tator." This statement, clumsy, ab surd, bungling, ungrammatlcal, comes properly from such a source.- The Oregonlan never has been a dic tator, supreme or other. Temporarily It haa always lost, hut in the long run it has usually won.- Multitudes there are who don't like to have the naked truth, the inevitable facts, presented to them. They rebel and they fight. But In the long run they are forced to ac cept the naked truth and Inevitable facts. Hence every principle for which The Oregonlan has contendod. during its long career, has been vindicated and established, and now is unques tioned. But there has been a fight over every one of them, as there was over slavery, the National credit, the powers of the general government as against the states, the gold standard and con trol of corporate powers. AH these con tests have been fought out. There were many defeats, many reverses. But as to which of these or any other prin ciple was The Oregonlan though all shallow people talked of Its- "defeats" and said that any cause supported by The Oregonlan was sure to fail as to which of these was The Oregonlan on the wrong side, and where was the failure? All that The Oregonlan has contended for most earnestly during its whole career is fixed 'firmly In the laws and jurisprudence of the country, and in the thought, constitution, and habits of the people. Undoubtedly the fight has "killed off" a lot of temporizing" poli ticians, and it will kill off yet many more. For the end Is not yet. Since so much. Indignation Js ex pended upon those who are pushing these land-fraud trials all of which falls upon the President who has di rected them might it not be Just as well to await the deliverance of the testimony? It will be but a little time, and then there will be something to talk about. Into the Russian army there has been Introduced a flogging machine which supplants human whipping. The new machine Is automatic in Us action, and as soon as the culprit is fastened In position a spring is tightened or loos ened vto gauge the exact force of the blow. A pointer Is moved over a dial to the requisite number of strokes and the mechanism is started. With per fect regularity the victlm'6 back is scourged by the thongs, the handle of the whip being moved by a' screw de vice after each stroke so that the lash dpes' no fall -upon the same spot throughout the punishment. Each blow 1". of 'uniform severity, and as soon as the required number has been given the machine comes to rest and .the of fender is released. The Oregonian takes the liberty of commending this apparatus to Sheriff Word for the next wifebeater who has to pay the penalty of Oregon's new law. Unlike Jailer Grafton, the machine won't apologize to a brute who hammers a weak, de fenseless woman. IT IS PROUD ACHIEVEMENT. Immense gratification, emphasized by a prolonged scream of delight, is mani fest through the organ of the monopo listic plutocrats of Portland, over their success in selling the streets of the city and putting four' millions of dollars' in their pockets. From this scream of delight all may understand how quick ly and how fully cold-blooded finance may be transformed Into frenzied finance. The thaumaturglcal process of making millions for private indi viduals out of public franchises for which not a dollar was paid, was long time In preparation; but when all was ready the electric spark was communi cated, and the work was done. In comparison with such achieve ment, what are all your slow, laborious and vulgar methods of making money by honest Industry worth? Are you not ashamed of yourselves, you of the common herd all of you? "Finan ciers," operating on your Common Council (see report of late grand Jury) have got possession of your streets and sold them out; and you are to pay In terest and dividends on the capitaliza tion. These darlings of high finance boast that on this Inflated capitalization they get 145 for their stock which in the hands of the new holders will be worth even more. Does not everyone see that a situation like that in Chicago is rap idly approaching here? It is operations of this character that prepare the way for public ownership. But first, control, through legislation, and proper taxation of these boasted values. Let It not be supposed, how ever, that this will be easy. Every ef fort will be made by these experts In financial prestidigitation to control the Legislature at the next and at every successive session. As far as they pos sibly can. they will intrigue for direc tion and control of the nominations of either party and of both parties. They will have their agents In all the coun ties, instructed to took after the nom inations; they will try to defeat this man or elect that man to the Legis latureindifferent whether the candi date is a Republican or Democrat, so he is their man. Their hired men, paid agents and attorneys will gather in the lobbies of the State Capitol and about the committee room?; their own news paper, and such others as they can bribe, buy or hire, will be employed to the utmost In trying to make black white, foul fair. The object will he to prevent legislative Interference and to defeat all measures for control and tax ation. They can afford to put up great sums of money, and they will. The people of every county, the peo ple In each and every part of the State, must be made aware and kept aware, that never was It so important to exer cise cxtrome caution as to selection of members of the Legislature as mow and hereafter. Let the people beware of subtle methods and secret corruption. In such ways these "masters of finance" do all their work. ItAILKOADS WILT. IGNORE LAW. Governor Mead has not yet appointed the $75,000 railroad commission that Is expected to cure all the transportation ills puffercd by the State of Washing ton, but work for that body of experts is already accumulating. Mr. Fair child, who was chief engineer of the bill before it became a law. and who will remain Jn charge, has scheduled a Junketing tour throughout the United States, wherever a railroad commission Is in existence, as a preliminary to the beginning of hostilities at home. In order that the commission may have something to work on from the start, the railroads have announced their in tention of Ignoring two of the lumber laws which wore passed at the last ses sion of the Legislature In return for votes which were needed to pass the railroad commission hill. One of those bills provides that one thousand pounds shall be deducted from the weight of cars for sMestakes used thereon. The other requires that all cars must be weighed at common points and the freight chargep be made in accordance with these weights. An nouncement that the railroads would not recognize the right of the State on these matters is not surprising, as the representatives of the railroads told the legislative committees t ' which thes?e bills were referred, that they would fight the matter out in the courts If the bills became laws. The question as to who should stand the freight charges on the sldostakcs is not easily understood outside of the two Indus tries most interested, but enactment of a local law to regulate traffic that ex tends through half the states In the Union would seem to be to much of an encroachment on Interstate com merce preserves to escape litigation now imminent. As it was the bartered votep of the lumbermen, which made possible pas sage of the railroad commission bill. It is perhaps natural that the first clash should come betweon them and the railroads, and the outcome of this first contest will be noted with considerable interest. If a local law governing the weighing of cars can be made operative through half the states of the Union, there does not seem to be anything to prevent the lumbermen receiving the "forty cent rate" for which they have been Insisting. Unfortunately for the railroads directly interested, in the mat ter, there is another fire at the other end of the line. The Minneapolis mil lers and Central West Jobbers have been fighting hard to get into the Oriental trade op a little nearer to even terms with the Coast Jobbers than they now enjoy. They are strongly In favor of reduction in rates " on westbound traffic to a figure where the profit Is practically eliminated, believing, as they do. that the Pacific Coast lumber men need cars out here, and can load them back at a freight rate sufficiently high to make up for the low westbound rate. . t Is thus obvious that a rate which would prove satisfactory to the East ern millers and Jobbers would neces sarily be so low that it would have to be equalized by a higher rate on 'east bound freight, of which lumber is the prlnclpal commodity. The situation is a decidedly complex one. and, when the Washington Railroad Commission be gins business, it is certain to have enough on hand to occupy all the Idle time of the membera. Anti-railroad sentiment Is strong In the State of "Washington, hut It can hardly be strong enough to uphold an unconstitu tional law, and. If it should do so, there are courts of higher powers. MORTON AND HIS SI 00.000 SALARY. Paul Morton, the new chairman of the Equitable Board, is to have at least JflOO.OOO per year. It is a very large sal ary. Many men who get $100,000 per year do not earn it. but some of them do. Mr. Morton leaves a cabinet posi tion paying only $S,000 per year; but there is no reason to believe that he retires because he is dissatisfied with his salary. It is, on the contrary, well understood that he is not in harmony with the President on certain well defined issues of public policy as to railroads and trusts. and his accepta bility to the great financial Interests of New York is therefore quite under standable. If any .man can honestly earn 5100.000 annual salary, it is prob able that Mr. Morton can. It Is certain that he can and will If he stops abuses and chokes off the leeches that have been sucking the llfeblood of the great corporation under the Hyde-Alexander regime. The Frick report goes ex haustively into the question of Equit able salaries, and shows that since 1900 certain favored minor officers whow total pay then was J39.SS. have been advanced through one Influence and another until they receive J69.150, an Increase in five years of 123.9 per cent. The salaries of the executive officers have been as follows: Name and Title. 1000. J. W, Alexander, president.. $73,000 J. H. Hyde, rice-president... 30.000 G. E Tarbetl, 2d vie-pre- - M.00 G. T. Wilson. 2d vlee-prea... 25.000 W. II. Mclntyre. 4 th vlee-pr. le.oal W. Alrxaoder, secretary . 23.666 J. G Van Ctee. actuary 17.500 T. D. Jordan, controller 2SO0 F W. Jackson, auetter 1.0 M. Murray, cashier 16.0W R. G. Hann. assoc. artaarr 7. ZOO A. W. Maine. aier. auditor. . Satatiel Frost, recorder 2,W IP03. 100.000 109.000 39.000 aa.000 2a.oo 17.5CH X5.000 12.309 15.OU0 7.500 12.00a 4.ew Total $237,600 Ji8,DO0 These enormous salaries have, of course, come out of the policy-holders' pockets. It Is a highly instructive and significant showing. Inasmuch as It dis closes what becomes of a part of the premium that you and the other $75 per month wage-earners struggle hard and wearily each year to meet that a $1000 policy designed for the protection of possible widows and orphans msy not lapre. But the 3100.009 Mr. Morton, we are happy to say, has In his pocket the resignations of the $1W.W Alexander and the 3100.000 Hyde and the 3G.0d9 Tarbell. and others of their kind. But he will have more to do to earn that 3100,000 salary. He must stop the pri vate syndicate graft. He must reduce excessive expenses In all branches He must stop the advances to agents on premiums not yet earned And. most ' important of all, he must, if he will keep the general confidence, let every body know exactly what becomes of the premiums on new policies. For ex ample, we find this statement in the Frlck report: The typical ag;eii' contract aUotra Mrs M per cent of the firm year's premtomo. 2 per cent of the reeen 74 per ent f the tMrd. IS per eent of the fourth and H fwr crtrt of rabtrcent premiums up i aslntt6Mii: tke teath. No cfemmtivtau are are4 mot ar payaMe wUI the preratams Swe keen actu al! r received fey ike toefety. These are commissions, entirely aside from salaries, and they make very good pay. But is that all? What commis sions do the general officers of the com pany get on all new business. If any? Is it true that it is the cuptonn of the great companies to pay their president one. per cent on such business, so that in one society alone the president's per quisites came last year to 3354.6M above his salary? What other emoluments do these salaried officers get? And finally. If Chairman Morton stops this sort of business In the Equitable, will the other companies follow his example, so that the policy-holder may know he will get what he Is paying for and paying for In many Instances by the hardest kind of sacrifice and self-denial. If these things are done, every policy-holder instead goer to Pugct Sound, where a will feel that Chairman Morton cams j rVal line secures It. and with It the his 5100.000 salary and much more, j credit for much business which orlgi They complain at laying such great nates In this cltv. sum? to men who have simply taken advantage of an opportunity, and whom no other business concern wants, or would have, at any price. BFTECT OF IllGH-rRICIiD COTTON. The cotton planters and brokers are making a great effort to advance prices on that staple. They are sending out figures which show that there has been decrease in acreage of 1S.43 per cont as compared with last year, and that there has been reduction In the use of fer tilizers of 36.04 per cent. This reduc tion In acreage was accomplished by a determined effort and carefully ar ranged plan for restricting the output in order that prices might be main tained without the necessity f burning the cotton after H was produced. The planters, those at lean who have cot ton to sell, would undoubtedly profit by another such a short crop as enabled Sully to force the price up to extrava gant heights two years ago. It is not at all dear, however, that any great restriction of the natural production of the staple is beneficial t any on a con- nected with the Industry, except the 1 few speculators who reap a temporary gain. There was a large crop of cotton last year, and as a result the price dropped back from the dizzy heights to which it had been forced In the previous season and made it possible for the mills. which had been shut down by high-priced raw material, again to resume business. There are more people In the world than there were lat year, and an at tendant increase In the demand for cotton goods, but the experience of two years ago showed quite plainly that the consumers would not purchase as freely at high price? as at more reasonable figures. This is what restricted the de mand and caused the mills to shut down, and the trade that was lost can never be regained. The man who Is compelled by the high price of a cotton garment to wear the old one two years, when at more moderate prices he would replace the old one with a new one, has shortened the demand In his particular case one-half. This restriction of the demand through high prices is not the only evil that will be suffered by the In dus try. The European countries which have for so long been dependent on the United States for a cotton supply have for years been endeavoring to find a new source of supply from which they could secure the raw material. When the high prices in America two years ago demoralized their business and caused wholesale curtailment of the output and the closing of many mills, thej redoubled their efforts to secure supplies from other sources. That they were not entirely unsuccessful Is appar ent by the figures on the cotton crop of India, for 1504. when there was an Increase of $09,000 acres in the area planted as compared -with the previous season, and of more than 4300,000 acres over the average for the preceding five years. The increase in yield was pro portionately heavy, the amount advanc ing from an average of 2,425,151 bales for the five years preceding 1503 to 3.153.610 bales In 1903 And 3,494.107 bales last year. Very gratifying reports have also been received from the British planters in Queensland and the French colonies In Africa, while Spain is increasing her acreage of the great staple. Some of this interest- in cottongrowlng would have been displayed regardless of the heavy advance two years ago. for there has been for years a disposition on the part of the Europeans to get away from the uncertainty that the American spec ulator throws around so many of our staples. The greatest factor la Increas ing the output in other countries last year was the abnormal prices to which the raw material was forced In this country- There was a temporary effect "that was highly pleasing to the cotton growers who bad the staple to sell, but in the long run they will suffer by the competition which their own acts have I done so much to foster. The acreage can only be restricted by unnatural methods, and. once these methods are adopted, they must be maintained or the price will sag. If It docs not, the foreigner will continue to enlarge his. cottongrowlng operations until he has a supply of raw material that will some day make him Independent of the United States. But one newspaper has come under the observation of The Oregonian that decries or belittles the Lewis and Clark Centennial. This one newspaper Is the New York Times. It Intimates strongly that the Fair business is "overdone"; says Portland is ahead of time and ought to have waited, since "Lewis and Clark did not come out upon the Pa cific Coast till November. 1605," and we are absurd therefore. All of us have be lieved that Lewi? and Clark came here in 1E05. Again, we are told that "It Was Captain Gray who completed and cor rected the discoveries of his predeces sors. Cook and Vancouver, by ascend ing the river." etc. But' neither Cook nor Vancouver had any knowledge whatever of the river, nor had others, prior to Gray's discovery. It Is seldom we find slipshod editorials in the New York Times. They say It is not an unusual thing that these persons who have capitalized public utilities at Portland, and have sold them for millions to those who ex pect the whole people to pay interest and dividends on the fictitious valua tions, nave oonc. iney say mis is "business." In Us regular course. Grant that H isn't unusual. Say the same about highway robbery The fact that these descriptions of "high finance" are not unuTual is the strongest of all In- ! dlctments against them. It is an out- I rage and crime yet by comparison no,J great mattor to "hold up" ah indl- i vidua! and rob him. But what of these I operators in high finance who "hold up" a whole community, capitalize the "grab" on the basis of mlhlons and ex pect the community to pay Interest and dividends on the capitalization? Mr. Harrlman's -sfcamehlp St.' Paul was unable to accommodate more than half of the people seeking iossage on her yesterday. Mr. Harriman's trains for the South, however, had some standing room left, so that the dollars which overflowed from one Harrlman pocket landed in the other. It would be In some respect? a great thing for Portland and Oregon, if Mr. Harrlman had the same Tclnd of a grip on the Oriental business that he has- on the California trade. As It is. when he only has one Oriental steamer here to handle five cargoes of freight, the overflow ! cannot cross the Pacific bv train, but The Government crop report, which appeared Saturday, was decidedly bearish, but as wheat closed fraction ally higher in all the principal mar kets of the country. It is quite appar ent that the trade failed to place very much dependence In the report. If the wheat crop Is as good as the Govern ment reports show it to be. the price at the present time Is about ten cents per bushel too high. With the experience of last year before them, however, there are but few operators who care to Indulge in extensive short selling. The statistical position of the cereal in this country has not been so strong In the past fifteen years, and only a spark of really bad crop reports -Is needed to produce fireworks, especially In the July option. When the franchises of Portland were granted by the Common Council, under tho conditions then appearing on the surface, they looked Innocent enough. None, except those deep in the game. I imagined that the franchises would be capitalized or Immenre sums, stock certificates multiplied on the Inflation, and the people required to pay interest and dividends on their own property upon which easements had been grant ed. Let no one who Is chuckling over his success In getting away' with his share of this booty Imagine that the people of Portland and of Oregon are going to be quiet under this spoliation. The population of Tacoma, as indi cated by the new city directory. Is 74. 000. an Increase of 11 per cent over that of a year ago. These figures show a substantial growth, which is all the more valuable from the fact that the City of Destiny Is" no longer subsisting on a diet of railroad "pap." In pro portion to the size of the city, the u,V"cr iuu ill lawum iuiu m an) uiuci North Pacific port, and the bank clear ing figures and generally healthy ap pearance of the city, show no sign that there has been any unnatural forcing of matters. The Russian diplomacy dies bard. It will not clothe Its representative to meet the Japanese with, full power to make peace. He will simply receive and transmit the terms to his govern ment. The Russian never falls to pro vide & loophole to crawl out. Why the malignant and continuous attack on President Roosevelt, by ring organs like the Astorlan,' Rosebur? Plalndealer and Eugene Register, for bis prosecution of the land frauds? The Callfornlans come today,. They are the people who know bow to do things for their state. Watch them. 0REG0N0Z0NE; Eunnr. days la Oregon! My. but ain't they bright? Don't you see the glory-gleam Leaping down the height? Don't you feel the magic thrill Lurking in the shine? Sunny days In Oregon . It's Oregon for mine! Russia's willingness to quit reminds us of a fight that took place In a barber shop back In Missouri. The German barber engaged In fisticuffs with, a cus tomer, who proved to be a tough cus tomer. When several men stepped in to., separate the combatants, the barber cried: "Two men holt him; von can holt me!" Postmaster-Genera! Cortelyou now stands tiptoe upon the topmost pinnacle of fame. He has been Invited to deliver a commencement address, and has deliv ered it. His cup of glory Is fulL and yet it may be made to run over if some body shall name a nickel cigar after him. When Frank BIgcIow. the .Milwaukee banker-bandit, reaches the penitentiary in Kansas to serve his sentence of ten years for stealing 31.&,CC0, he will find in the same institution Frank Coleman, of Oklahoma, serving ten years for steal ing eight cents. Mr. Blgelow stole his 5L5CO.00O on installments, going about his work neatly and gently. Mr. Coleman stole his eight cents all at one time, and did It in a rude and vulgar manner. The results, however, arc the same to the thieves. Both Mr. Blgelow and Mr. Coleman may hove the satisfaction of feeling that they are not ordinary prison ers; they are boarders. The Territory of Oklahoma pays Prank Coleman's boardr while thp United States pays Frank Big- elow's board. Each man gets his clothing and his board and keep he is "found." so to speak for his work. And yet one is con strained to ask: Is It a square deal? A baby with two faces has been dis covered la Michigan. That Is unusual. Two-faced adults, however, are-- to, be found , anywhere. To paraphrase Cowper: We would not enter en our list of friends, though graced with pellahed gaiters and kid gloves, ae who would heedless fling a banana peel upon .the sidewalk. Mistaken Kindness. "Here's a case where I've gotten Into trouble by being polite." remarked Thom son, ruefully. - "Don't be polite, then; be natural' remarked Johnson. llogues' Gallory Intact. Stranger (to Portland Chief of Police) Reckon somebody must have been rob blng your Rogues Gallery. Chief? The Chief Why so? Stranzer Here's a picture I Just- pick ed up: Rogues' Gallery size, and It's got a number tag photographed on it Just like Rogues Gallery pictures. The Chief Oh. I see: some fellow must have lest his photo pass to the Lewis and Clark Exposition- - Anticipating Statistic. Following is a tabulated report to be filled In as soon after the Fourth of July as the return's are 'available: Cles. No. Left eyes lost OW Right eyes lost ,'.....) Both eyes lost., .w.v.....W Legs Manglrd (XX) Arms amputated .'. .- 0O i Kilted by utray bullets Victims of lockjaw.... OX) :.CW Total casualties CW This Is a grand and glorious .country! Let the eagle scream and the rooster crow! Hurrah for the Decadence of In dependence! Three eheers for the Decla ration of Indignation! Whoop! S!ss! Bang! The latest news Is that Jesse James Is going to have an exhibit at the Exposition. wtifc iiiuc. Jir. James nans iruui rorw Scott. Kan., across the line from Mis - souri. and he is described as "an artist mechanic who is the manufacturer of all kinds of window display fixtures." For the sake of ndciity to history, Jesse ' ought to Install his display in the Missouri buildlRg. with an effigy of his Illustrious namesake guarding the window fixtures with hand fixtures such as he used to use with neatness and dispatch. Three baggage-cars of scenery have ar rived in Seattle from New York, with a full equipment of stage horses, actors and plays guaranteed never before to havo been seen In the West. The titles of some of the plays with which the Pugct Sound City Is being regaled -ire: "Es caped From the Harem." "Queen of the Highway." "Through Fire and Water." "The Female Detective." "Held for Ran som." "The White Tigress of Japan." "Rich for a Day," et cetera. On tho Seattle stage you can now enjoy a dime novel, made In NcwYork, for 10 cents. A Little Heaven. A little white house on a little green hill. With a' little blue brook that babbles by. And a little red earth to tend and till. And a little gold glimpse of wheat or rye: A little fond, wife with eyes of brown. And a little wee bairn with toes of pink; A little kind kiss from lips that drown Gloom In their dew 'twere- to touch the brink Of the azure ocean of love, and lave One's soul in the splendors that lift and save! ROBERTUS LOVE. Washington at the Fnlr. Seattle Argus. The Washington exhibit at the Portland Exposition was all In place at the opening of the Fair, and visitors from this city will have reason to feel proud of the showing that this state has made. And the- will be especially well pleased with the King County exhibit. Washington has by all odds the best of the Portland Exposition- There will be mighty few visitors from east of the Rockies who will not visit this city either going or coming. And there will bo no aftermath in the shape of declining reaf estate values as has been in past years felt In every city where a large exposition has been given. Washington. In a spirit 61 friendship, has done everything that she could to make .-e Portland Exposition a success. She will get her reward. A Useful Member. Exchange. The small son of a clergyman who was noted for his tiresorde sermons overheard two friends of his father saying how dry they were, and how bard it was to keep awake during 'them. The following Sunday, while the minister was preaching; he was astounded to see his son throwing peb bles at the congregation from the gallery. The clergyman frowned an grily at him. when the boy piped out In a clear treble voice: "It's all right, pop. You go oh preaching; I'm keeping them, awake." TAXATION OF PUBLIC FRANCHISES Sh press e Ceurt'a Declalem at Im mease laajiertaace .t the Waefe PhMIc Hnvr Great Corporations Haire Escaped the Assessor, bt Hereafter It May Be ImpewtMe A Lesso far Portland. New Orleans (La.) Picayune. The people of the cities of the United States have for a long time realized that whrn-lhey gave the free use of their streets and public places to private" Indi viduals and corporations for protended public use, for which the people were to j receive reasonable benefits, there were no benefits received, but the public benefits so bountifully bestowed brought only trouble, loss, annoyance and disappoint ment. Latterly the people have been trying to get some returns out of such private ben eficiaries by taxing, but the difficulty has been to force them to pay. A street rail way business that draws millions of mon ey from the pcole's necessities, when taxes are laid only on Its personal and landed property, pays nothing in propor tion to. what it should do, because all the value and real worth of the business de pends on the use of the public streets. The people of New York City have long been trying to force private corporations enjoying public franchises to pay taxes on them, but in vain. There will be a change, however, as the Supreme Court of the United States has just decided that such corporations In New York must pay taxes on their franchises. The result Is that Un paid taxes amounting to more than $M, 00O.C0O In Greater New York are made pay able by the decision of the Supreme Court of tho United States upholding the State tax on corporation franchises. Among the companies affected and the sums due by them under the law are the following: The Manhattan Elevated Rail way Company. Jl.22,351; Consolidated Gas Company. J1.45J.KS: Metropolitan Traction 8ystem. ,025,157; Brooklyn Rapid Tran sit Company. J2.222.636; Brooklyn Union Gas Company, J3316S, and the New York and Harlem Railroad Company. t3S4.024. What would such companies do without the use of the streets? They could not. carry on business. Their business would not even exist. There can be no more righteous law than to tax It so that at .least the public would get some relief from the lightening of the general tax burden. , ' Boston Transcript. After fighting the franchise tax- law over every inch of ground for about five years, the opposing New York corpora tions affected by It have now reached the last ditch and tumbled In. The situation har been one of great Interest and Im portance. The bill 'was known as the Ford bill from the name of the State sen ator who Introduced and championed it. It received the unqualified Indorsement of Theodore Roosevelt, then governor of New York, and although there was hardly evcr marshalled In opposition a more powerful lobby, it was not strong enough to defeat the popular pressure behind the measure. It was pasred at a special ses j sion. The tax wao first levied In 1000, ! and then began the battles In the courts. I Routed In one position after another, the corporations retreated behind the Supreme Court of the United States, which now unanimously declares": "We find no er ror in the decision of the Supreme Court of New York and It Is affirmed." Thh finding is final. There seems to be nothing left for the contesting corpora tions to do but pay up their back taxes with accrued Interest and look as pleas ant as possible. This means a great deal .to the; cuy of New York. It means some thing over $2t.000.C0O in hand and an an nual income of five or six million more. Probably this has- not been entirely un expected by the public service corpora tions themselves. When the Investigation of the Consolidated- Gars Company' affairs was stnrtcd, two months ago, there ap- OREGON'S WHIPPING POST. . Punishment Fits the Crime. Forest Grove Times. It may be a brutal taw. but there are men who deserve it. and for such It Is the punishment most nearly fitting the crime. Apply It to Chlldhcntcrs. Belllngham Herald. If the Oregon law which provides the whlpplng-post for wifebeaters could be I applied In this state to childbeaters the man who was yesterday convicted of brutal treatment of his son might have .!,. hi. ..,.. o th. .tTn j tJrne rPicascd to support the family of which he Is the head. ; j nttlngr Penalty for Brutal Assaults. Portland Labor Press. The whipping post may be an" Invention of a barbarous age. but It Is a fitting pen alty for a man's cowardly attack upon a woman. There may be some women who need a thrashing, but under the eternal fitness of things they are not the ones who get it- The new law will there fore serve -well to protect the women who need protection. Let the Sheriff Lay It On. Olympla Recorder. Oregon's new law providing the penalty of the lash for wifebeaters was applied in Portland yesterday to a belligerent husband who apparently coveted the dis tinction of being first to face the post. According to the report, he got all that was coming to him. and will have the rec ord on his back for some time to come, with which to prove his claim to prior ity If any dispute It. May the Oregon Sheriff or his bumballlff lay It on to draw the gore whenever called upon to admin ister the penalty which would delight the genial Mikado, of the comic opera, with Its eminent fitness. Relic of Barbarism. Tacoma News. The Oregon whipping-post law has been the means of locating McGlnty. He was tied up and given 20 lashes for beating his wife. The Indignation of the outraged public has been alloyed by the drawing of blood with a blacksnake whip in thd hands of a powerful Jailer, .who Is no doubt now enjoying a feeling of be nignity only second In degree to that of a public officer who has had the privilege of conducting a hanging. The culprit probably got less punishment than his case deserved, but nevertheless the re adoption of that relic of barbarism Is to be regarded as a backsliding of civiliza tion. Appeal Is Effective. Boise Statesman. Portland has Invoked a new law of our sister state which authorizes the whipping of wifebeaters. The punish ment administered was evidently severe, and It meets the approval of a very large proportion of the people. There, are a good many offenses for which such pun ishment might be advantageously In voked. Many men are ready to commit crime who think nothing of a term In Jail, but a thrashing with a blacksnake on the bare back would appeal to them in an effective manner. For wife-beating, however.- whipping Is peculiarly appropri ate, and the public is glad to see it. in voked on this Coast, Will Obtain Notice. Springfield (Mass.) Republican. Francis J. Heney, the Government pros ecutor in the Oregon land fraud, was to return to Portland last week to resume his aggressive work In the prosecution of those who are under indictment. Un less there Is some change of plan, his purpose is to try Senator Mitchell first. This will be sure to enlist thej close attention of the country. peared on the liability side of the com pany's books an Item of $2,117,000 for "ac crued taxes;" yet even allowing for that a very pretty balance' was shown. -The. "accrued taxes" Item has doubtless been a feature in the , bookkeeping of all the- puDiic .service corporations, though, ac- cordlng to Comptroller Grout, Cortsoll dated Gas made this liability more than a half million larger than It needed to do. The atmosphere has been very appre ciably cleared by this decision. It shows In what values consist under modern con ditions. The. court says: "A franchise., though Intangible. Is none the less prop erty and oftentimes property of. great val ue". Indeed, growing out of the conditions of modern business, a large proportion of valuable property Is to be found in in tangible things like franchises. ... To Ignore thte intangible property or to hold that It Is not subject to taxation at. Its accepted value is to eliminate from the reach of the taxing power a large portion of the wealth of the country-'" The law does not Impair the obligations of con tracts and Is not unconstitutional. The people of New York State- and of the city of New York in particular, are to be congratulated upon the victors they have won. But It reaches far beyond the boundaries of that commonwealth, and the citizens of every State in the Union have reason to thank the persistency o' the corporations for carrying the conten tion up to the one tribunal where it could be permanently settled. The decision is as valid for Massachusetts or California, as it is for the Empire State. It makes franchises Just as taxable as land. States and cities can continue to give them away If they are content to allow such mat ters to be managed by and for the at torneys and agents of private Interests, but it is no longer a matter of course that these privileges are to be exempt from helping to bear the burdens of the State. Whatever la salable In a business sense, ought to be taxable In some form or another. Franchises are property and must bear the responsibilities of property. From that decree there now seems no escape. BuOalo (N. V i Times, The decision of the United States Su preme Court sustaining- the constitu tionality of the Ford Franchise law naturally created considerable enthu siasm -among- the taxpayers who feel that their burdens are to be lessened. They will be If the State Tax Commis sion does Its duty. but. like all com missions operating In the state; the .tax: commission Is elsthc.I with unlimited powers and the ltrse corporations of the state . are naturally working through their attorneys or lobbyists to Influence the commission in fixing the valuations of tnelr franchises. Going outside of franchises for a moment, a citation or the conditions that exist here will show how the largo corporations avoid a just taxation, No j one will deny that It Is the small prop crty-owner who pays the bulk of the local taxes. If the property of the corporations In this city wa'j to be valued by the assessors In the same ratio as is placed on the home of tho avtrage citizen, the amount to- be paid by the small property-owner would be reduced one-half. It is needless to deny that the great corporations are faxed on the true valuation of their property, and accordingly in the taxa tion of franchises there is the same ULiT-'ity "n the fixing of va'r.f. While by this decision the people make a gain, it Is nothing to what the gain should be If the valuation of franchises were fixed at the correct figure by the Stato Commission. ODD BITS OFjOREGON . LIFE. S-alado Corr. Toledo Reporter. The raossbacks in this part of the. coun try are awaking from their long dream. S.'J. Copeland Is building a new barn, which is 45xSO feet square. George Hodges and son Jim are doing the carpenter-work. Owing to Mr. Altree being two weeks be hind with the lumber, the barn work has stopped until lumber comes. Mr. Hodges is beginning a barn for him self. W. H. Daniel had bad luck while driving j nls .3ta nome FrIday. He dld not fce"J ,ikA imhin- th hut w n ht An like climbing the hill, but sent his dogs. which caught and killed one. We don't know whether he had been to. Toledo or not. j It is queer what attracts Jim Hodges' j attention In Elk City. That's 'all right. I Jim: I'll furnish the. license. Last Tuesday was a hard day for bear j hi1?ka 'lZ?! D?J port killed a large bear on Gopher Creek, and the Hodges brothers caught one In a trap. Jim says be hasn't lost a bear. Sl'etz Corr. Toledo Reporter. L. Wood and John Lloyd had a narrow escape from an attack by a vicious bull. The animal was lassoed and his. horns sawn off. ' When let loose It went to the river and drank so much water It died. Mr. Wood received several severe wounds, but it is thought that he will recover. The baseball game was not a success on account of the weather. Depoe Charley made a short speech at tho cemetery. He said: "Mike Tlllcomo and Friends: Today I feel very small after visiting all the graves, and there lay the 13 graves of my children and my wife. When will my turn be to lay down my life. I am willing, my friends, to give up this broken spirit. Your days and my days are numbered, but God alons knows when you reach the end and then you are called away. O. mike slcke torn torn Tillcome." A. Sneer at Reciprocity. Boston Transcript (Ind.). It will be noticed that Secretary Shaw, Judging from the press reports of his speech, stated the several ways in which the tariff, might be treated without com mitting himself irretrievably to any one. He Indulged in a side sneer at reciprocity, and still keeping within the limits of re serve he had set for hmself, be gave a prominence which may be significant to the suggestion of a maximum and mini mum tariff. Under this scheme, which is receiving considerable attention, the max imum would be enforced against nations that enforced their maximum rates against us; while the minimum would be accorded to those who. similarly favor us. The argument for the system is that it would work automatically in our tariff relations with other countries and would obviate the need of special treaties. It is in vogue In some foreign countries now, but before it can be adopted here must undergo a time-consuming discussion. The basis of our fiscal system will continue protective, even if the maximum-minimum idea eventually prevails. .War Heroes and Baseball. ilcLandhursrh Wilson. Q. Who Is this Sherman here in prtat? His name Is straqge to me. A. He mads & home run long afo, Front Georgia to the sea. Q. Please tell me who was Farrasut, And May where ho was at. A. He was a. captain onc reaowned r For bilDg at the' bat. Q. "Why call that Hancock man sussrt? : I never saw the name. A. The Bloody Angle was the curva On which he won his fame. Q. And who was Grant? Vm sure his naaes No memory recalls. - A. He was a pitcher, once well known N For throwlax carmen balls. Q. And prar. what does Old Glory iat Unheard of, it would seem. . A' It Is the pennant, my dear chili- They give the wiantnr tears . .