THE MORNING OREGONIAN. SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1906.
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PORTLAND, BATTRDAY, AUGUST 28. 1806
IN SEARCH OF AN ISSUE.
We are at last permitted to know
Just what Mr. Bryan meant by his fa
mous remark in London that "free sil
ver was not at present a living ques
tion." Mr. Moreton Frewen, the English
blmetallst, explains the whole matter
in a letter to the New York Times. Of
course the phrase "not at present" im
plies that some time In the future free
silver may again become a vital Issue.
When? Mr. Bryan told'Mr. Frewen
the precise moment- It will be when a
tyrannical government under the dom
ination of the insatiable goldbugs melts
up the silver dollars now in circulation
and demonetizes them.
If this is the only contingency which
can resuscitate the free-eilver issue,
Mr. Bryan's "not at present" triay be
understood to mean "never"; for cer
tainly he is the only person, living or
dead, who ever dreamed of melting up
the silver coin now in uee. Dollars
and smaller pieces are essential to do
mestic commerce, and" silver is the only
metal available for supplying ffiem.
Gold is too dear for such a use; paper
is not convenient. The fractional pa-
per currency which many can remem
ber during the later years of the Re
bellion was satisfactory to nobody. '
The Coast was never afflicted with it,
but the Middle West and the East
were, and gladly did they cast Jt aside
for silver coins when these wese re
stored to circulation. Even the $1 and
22 Treasury notes are not extremely
popular. People in general prefer
coins, though for some purposes the
paper dollars are in demand. They
are convenient to send by mail in place
of the postal currency which Congress
still denies to the people at the in
stance of the express companies.
Our silver coins are not likely ever to
be replaced by gold. Whether silver,
paper or something else Is used to re
plenish the supply as it wears ont is
not of any Importance. The main thing
is to keep email money In circulation
and to make it as suitable as possible
for popular use. It Is a credit currency
and from its nature must be so, since
the values in question are too minute
to be expressed toy gold tokens. The
manifest absurdity of the retirement of
the silver dollars tempts one to be
lieve that, Mr. Bryan could not have
been entirely frank with his bimetallic
friend Frewen; he must have made
mental reservation of some other con
tingency which would -revive the ghost
of free silver. What could It have
been? The Commoner, Mr. Bryan's
newspaper, throws some light on the
question. The Commoner is In a .pas
sion because the Government does not
coin the seigniorage, or gain accruing
to the Treasury when bullion Is made
into money. This Is a considerable
sum, taken one year after another, and
if coined would sensibly increase the
amount of money In circulation; but
what would be the use? The present
. need of the country Is not for system
atic inflation, but for a currency which
shall expand and contract automatic
ally to meet the varying necessities of
commerce. Increased coinage of silver
would not help, but perhaps Mr. Bryan
had this in mind.
The annual increase in the world's
supply of gold, which In 1893 nobody
foresaw, has, as Mr. Frewen says.
taken the question of free silver out of
politics for all time, or at least until
the mines of Alaska and the Transvaal
fall. In referring to the question as he
did, Mr. Bryan made a move in the
political game as bad as it was un
necessary. The Nation was at that
time ready to forget the old contro
versy and give him an unprejudiced
hearing upon living issues. These are
certainly important ana difficult
enough to exercise the best thought
even of the Bryanlc intellect, but he
was not satisfied to let bygones be by
gones. He could not live for the pres
ent and future, but must revert to the
past and try to revive the specter of
the dogma which had twice been the
ruin of his party. It would be well for
Mr. Bryan and his adherents if he
could follow the benevolent advice of
the Springfield Republican and organ
ize an aggressive campaign this Fall
on pertinent Issues.
Free silver sleeps with the snows of
yesteryear, and if Mr. Bryan were wise
he would not disturb its slumbers.
How can he meet the Republicans this
Fall with their issue of "the President
and his achievements"? Certainly not
by invoking the sheeted corpse of free
silver to squeak and gibber through
the campaign. The Springfield Repub
. lican suggests that he can easily neu
tralize the Republican claim to the
glory of the rate bill, the pure-food
law, and so forth. He can say with
truth that the Democrats supported the
President in his demand for these laws
quite as loyally as the Republicans, if
not more so. Certainly what opposi
tion there was. came from the Repub
lican side. These measures, therefore,
the Springfield paper argues, belong to
the Democrats as much as to the Re
publicans, and Mr. Bryan in his
speeches this Fall should claim the
proper share of credit for his party.
With this to checkmate the Repub
licans and with an aggressive demand
for tariff revision, it is confidently be
lieved by their New England adviser
that the Democrats could meet their
opponents victoriously.
This Is very doubtful. The Demo
crats supported the President because
his measures were manifestly right
and they did not dare to oppose him.
Without the support of his own party
their backing would not have carried
through a single bill. On the other
hand, every bill that passed would
have "been safe if every Democrat in
Congress had opposed It. Practically
they had no hand In the legislation
and deserve no credit for It. It may
be feared, therefore, that this part of
the Springfield Republican's advice is
futile. As for the tariff, nobody knows
what the effect of a vigorous demand
for revision would have upon the pop
ular mind. The people may be eager
for immediate revision; they may be
content to wait until Mr. Roosevelt
shall demand it, as he surely will. The
only way to find out is to try it on and
see what happens.
A CRUEL SLIGHT.
We condole with Mr. Varnum. He
has our heartfelt sympathy. His
method of word butchery is systematic,
thoroughgoing and complete. It spares
nothing. Destruction goes before it
and ruin 'dwells in its wake. As a
scheme of spelling reform nothing
could sprpass it in hideousness and
confusion. And yet the President has
coldly passed by Mr. "Varnum s
method and adopted Professor Brander
Matthews. Thus is modest merit over
looked and the pretentious compromise
encouraged. For, awful as the re
formed spelling looks and puzzling as
Mr. Roosevelt's letters will 'be to his
correspondents when Mr. Loeb has
studied out the system and got it in
working order, nevertheless it is but a
compromise with evil a sort of agree
ment with Satan and league with hell.
as it were.
With all its vain pomp, the reform
only brings regeneration to a paltry
300 words, and those by no means the
worst ones. The rest are left to wal
low In their sins. What word needs
reforming worse than "sieve"? Who
ever epelled "sieve" right without look
ing In the dictionary? Yet "sieve" es
capes the muckrake, and so does "colo
nel," which is a still more horrible ex
ample. One would have thought that
Mr. Roosevelt, when he began to re
form, would at least have taken up the
cases of "gnomon" and "bdellium," to
say nothing of "myrrh," but he did not.
He left them Just as they were. We
suspect the Influence of Standard Oil
in this matter. We scent the fine Ital
ian hand of Mr. Aldrich. When all
comes to be known It will be found
that Elkine Is not without a share in
the iniquity. The reform Is a fake, a
mere opiate to lull the people to re
pose while they are exploited by the
dictionary makers and plundered by
the spelling-book trust.
Had Mr. Varnum been consulted, we
should have had 6ome results worth
while. "Eugene," for example, would
have sallied forth preened and plumed
as "Yewdjelgn." ".Malheur" would
have become "Gmaglhewyrrh." While
"Rlckreall" would have appeared
transformed and glorified as "Yrrh
reighykqrreeawgl." This is reform that
means something. This goes to the
root of the matter. Of course Mr.
Roosevelt is a free man, even if he Is
President, and he has the right to spell
as he chooses; but when he under
takes to reform it is a pity that he
stops on the threshold. To the real
beauties of phonetic spelling It is to
be feared that he is as blind as ever.
We shall never cease to lament that he
did not call in Mr. Varnum Instead of
Brander Matthews.
THE NEW PORTLAND SPIRIT.
In another column The Oregonlan
prints a communication from Eureka,
Cal., calling attention to the seeming
indifference of our people regarding
trade expansion north and south of us.
The letter contains some ideas and
suggestions which could be acted on to
advantage; but the arraignment of
Portland business men for lack of en
terprise Is hardly warranted by the
facts. Infusion of new blood and up
to-date energy has wrought a change
in Portland, and, while there yet re
mains a number of Immensely wealthy
people who, like the raven, "still are
sitting," and Incidentally, like the
raven, still are "croaking," the newer
element is more progressive and public
spirited. It was this new bloodi that
conceived and pushed to Its highly suc
cessful termination the Lewis and
Clark Exposition.
This new Portland spirit is reflected
In such work as the building of a $350,
000 home for the Portland Commercial
Club, and in the remarkable campaign
of publicity which is being Varried on
for the benefit not only of Portland,
but of the. entire Northwest. The new
comer who arrives at Portland with a
vlaw to Investment in some enterprise
calculated to Increase not alone the
profits of the newcomer himself, but
also to add to the prestige of the city,
can still meet with that old-time chilly
reception accompanied by the Informa
tion that the field is well filled and
there Is no room for any others. For
tunately for Portland, the evil of this
kind of talk is offset by the more op
timistic efforts of a large and growing
number of public-spirited men who
have less money but Infinitely more en
terprise than those who for so many
years have obstructed the growth of
the city.
The Oregonlan understands that the
schooners now building on Coos Bay
are only partly owned by Mr. Inman,
the principal owners toeing San Fran
cisco people who for mort than forty
years have had their schooners built at
the Coos Bay yards. Portland ship
yards and Iron works have been busy
for months in constructing and repair
ing all kinds of marine craft, and, as
the demand for the larger type of ves
sels grows, there will naturally be
more of them constructed here. The
steamer Kllburn Is too small for the
Alaska trade, and it would be worse
than useless to attempt to break Into
that field without first being equipped
for the business with vessels well
adapted to the trade. ,
All of this, however, will come in
good time. Portland is growing more
rapidly than ever before in Its history.
In every branch of industry, in popu
lation, building and manufacturing, of
ficial statistics record greater gains
than have ever been made before. This
phenomenal growth of business has
almost overtaxed the facilities In some
lines of trade, and a little time Is re
quired to "catch up." These congested
conditions will not prevail for long,
however, and as rapidly as possible
Portland will swing into position for
handling all business to which Its com-
manding position and growing enter
prise entitle it. This means not only
a big Increase in the coastwise trade,
but a large hare of the Alaska trade
as well.
STRICKEN VALPARAISO.
The wonst has'at last been learned
about the earthquake that cauHed the
ruin of Valparaiso and other cities and
towns of Chile a week ago. The condi
tions are similar to those that pre
vailed in San Francisco" Immediately
succeeding the great calamity of April
18, with this difference, that the lawless
element in the South American city
was more ruthless in the pursuit of
pelf than was the same element In San
Francisco. . Acts of cruelty and even of
barbarity are reported, which would
cause anybody but a South American
bandit of mongrel breed, or a Kurd, or
a Cossack of pure blood, to shudder
with horror. As to the rest, the scarc
ity of food, the condition of the shelter
less hundreds who are living out of
doors, afraid to enter such dwellings
as are left standing, the tremendous
loss of properly and the general condi
tions that make military rule neces
sary the cases are similar if not iden
tical. The loss of life in the South
American disaster far exceeded that In
San Franolsco, and the energy that set
to work In a short time to rebuild and
repair will probably be found wanting
in Valparaiso.
Be this as it may( the conditions pre
vailing In the latter city may well en
list the pity of the world. The needs
of these people may not be as great as
were those of the people of San Fran
cisco, for the simple reason that their
wants, in ordinary times, are not as
numerous. But such needs as are com
mon to all (humanity shelter, food and
clothing, each in kind suited to a peo
ple's accustomed mode of living, are
pressing, and measures have been
taken. In an extent relatively limited,
to supply them.
The kinship of humanity Jg" not as
strong as that of blood, of race and of
nelgbborllness. Hence the people of
the United States will not respond, and
cannot be expected to respond, as mu
nificently to the cry of unhoused
wretchedness in Valparaiso as they did
to a similar cry from San Francisco.
But the gift hand of the American
people Is never empty when human
destitution, brought on by sudden, un
preventable disaster, makes appeal for
aid. Overflowing with the bounty of
pity and good will, it was but now ex
tended across the North American con
tinent and, down the Pacific Coast to
the Golden Gate. It has already been
extended to Valparaiso, carrying such
relief as has been asked and the de
mand for which is the most pressing.
Taking the matter in hand, the gov
ernment of Chile has instituted such
measures for relief and protection and
for the punishment of human vultures
that prey upon the very vitals of mlsr
fortune as were found effective in San
Francisco. These things a people must
do for themselves if they are done. It
is only by means of money and stores
that aid from abroad can (reach a
stricken people.
THE . ANNUAL DIVIDEND.
An abundant harvest of grain, hops
and fruJt is assured in Lane County.
There will bef work, and a demand for
the labor of every ablebo-dled man,
woman and child In the county, at good
wages, for' the remainder of the sea
son. Thus says a news dispatch from
Eugene, and its statement Is true of
the entire country. In this lies a guar
antee of the great dividend between
Investment and labor, of which the
latter will receive its full quota.
Upon this dividend an-d its distribu
tion depend pretty much every element
that goes to make up what is called
prosperity. Upon this basis farmers,
merchants, tooardlng-house keepers
the entire industrial and trade army.
In fact Is building expectations of the
most prosperous Fall and Winter of
recent years. Mills and railroads will
be kept running upon this dividend
throughout the year. Stores will be
kept open and business at every coun
ter will be (brisk because of it. Fed
upon it, school and colleges will thrive
and grow populous.
These dividends comprise in aggre
gate throughout the Nation many bil
lions, more or less, of clear assets, of
which no class, no Industry, no cor
poration has a monopoly, and from
which no ablebodled man is barred.
They swell the payrolls of the fac
torles, the profits of the merchant, the
savings bank account of the farmer,
the cash account of the grocer, the,
public fund upon which business Is
transacted, and National credit is es
tablished. They will glisten in new
paint on the farmhouse, and make tidy
display in the fresh garments of school
children. These annual dividends of
agriculture make generous showing all
along the line of education, industry,
trade and business. The man who does
not share In them is the lounger of the
park, the idle camper by the roadside,
the thriftless vagrant of the village.
But for those who answer to the honest
call with energy and purpose, the an
nual dividend Is sure.
The forests of Oregon are heavily
assailed first by an enormous and
constantly increasing market for lum
ber, and again by fires that are run
ning riot In various sections. The lat
ter is a devastating force, making rfo
returns for what Is taken; the former
is equally devastating, vast areas of
timber that represent the growth of
centuries, falling before it. But it
makes returns in wages, aggregating
an enormous sum yearly, to woodsmen
end mlllworkers, makes the cultivation
of denuded forest areas possible, per
mlts enterprising millowners to amass
large fortunes, and meets a legitimate
demand of commerce. Tho fate of the
forests under assault of these combined
forces is easy to foresee. It will take
years, as it did in Maine, even at the
present rate of devastation, to destroy
our forest growth, but, as was the case
In Maine, and in many states of the
Middle West and Northwest, the result
is sure. . The use of our abounding for
est wealth is legitimate; it is only its
waste that is to be deplored, and, if
possible, checked.
It is said that the Czar, in sheer
desperation, has asked the Emperor of
Germany and the King of England to
advise him what to do. In pursuance
of this request William will meet his
Uncle Edward In a few days at Fried
richshof, where the two will take the
troubles of Russia under advisement.
The two monarchs, being of entirely
different mind on the matters at issue
are not likely to Join In advising the
Czar to hold on or to let go. The King
of England, a constitutional ruler, who
finds peace and safety in deferring to
Parliament, can hardly be expected to
approve the policy of repression upon
which the Russian government Is de
termined; nor can the Emperor ol Ger
many, who is a born tyrant and an
aggressive one at that, be expected to
counsel Nicholas to moderation. What
Russia needs is a ruler with a keen
perception of Justice, wise political
foresight and manly determination.
Lacking this, the advice of other rul
ers is not likely to be of profit.
In 1880 Conkllng of New York, Cam
eron of Pennsylvania and Logan of Il
linois undertook to smash the prece
dent 6et by Washington that two terms
of the Presidency were enough. This
powerful trio of Senators insisted that
Grant should be a candidate onee more.
and they secured 306 solid votes In the
National Republican Convention of
that yearv When the time arrived for
presenting names, Conkllng electrified
the immense crowd with this "exor
dium": If youk me where he cornea from
My one reply will be, '
He halls from Appomattox
And the famous apple tree.
Judge George H. Williams was a
member of that convention, and tells
of It in The Sunday Oregonian tomor
row.
Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, in a re
cent special census report on the blind
and deaf of this country, has furnished
facts that should give pause to cousins
german, or first cousins, Who desire to
intermarry with each other. He shows
that about 5 per cent of the cases of
blindness in the country are children of
first cousins, and that the same is prac
tically true of persons who were born
deaf. Of the blind whose parents were
thus nearly related, about one in four
had been born blind, while among the
blind whose parents were rot cousins
the proportion of the congenitally blind.
was somewhat lees than one In fifteen.
The social and economic lesson con
veyed by these statistics is one that in
telligence should never Ignore at the
behest of passion.
The Czar of Russia has placed upon
the danger line between himself and
his oppressed subjects another picked
regiment of Cossacks. Ignoring the
cause, he seeks to ward oft the effect.
It is one thing to cover an ulcer, quite
another to drain it of its virus and give
the wound a chance to heal. This dif
ference Nicholas has not yet recog
nized In the treatment of the vital mal
ady that is eating out the heart of his
empire. The-double guard of soldiers
may protect him, for a time at least,
from a violent death, but the bitter
ness in which plots for his death are
brewing will not be assuaged thereby.
Chauncey M. Depew, the aged Jun
ior Senator from the great State of
New York, has been heard from after
months of silence. Not as a politician,
however, not as a railroad magnate,
not as a financier, nor yet in his time
honored role as an after-dinner speak
er. The once gay but now somber old
man exceeded the automobile speed
limit a few days ago in a suburb of
New York, and, with his machine and
chauffeur, was taken to a rural police
station and held until bail could be
procured. The incident merely served
to recall a name that had been long
forgotten and practically out of print.
If Cuba cannot, after several years.
experience and much friendly aid, gov
ern herself without outside Interven
tion, the quicker her people vote for
annexation that will entitle them to
protection, without the asking, of the
Stars and Stripes, the better. A tur
bulent folk, always getting Into trouble
with each other- and crying out for
"help," Is not capable of self-government.
The Filipinos are of this class,
though they protest the fact, and It
looks as though the Cubans, with all
of their coaching, had not yet gradu
ated from it.
A Salt Lake newspaper prints a pa
thetic wall over the woes of dishwash
ing, which. It says, are eternal and
irremediable. That dishwashing is a
disagreeable business may be conced
ed, but it admits of amelioration.
Were man lord of the kitchen, he
would have Invented a dishwashing
machine ages ago which would cleanse
the pots and platters, while he sat In
the salon playing pedro. Why has not
woman Invented such a contrivance?
Why did she go without a sewing ma
chine until man made one for her?
Colonel Gantenbein wants it under
stood that the best of feeling prevails
between the volunteers and the regu
lars, after that little brush at Amer
ican Lake. We are sure of it. But it
could have been improved If the regu
lars had got away with the volunteers.
Perhaps.
Dr. W. Reed Blair, of New York,
thinks monkeys could talk if they had
noses. Professor Garner, who has
again gone to Africa to learn monkey
language, is likely to discover that
monkeys can talk, but, being wise, will
not, knowing man would put them to
work.
"Judge Bennett Is a good lawyer, but
he struck a hard proposition in defend
lng men for land frauds. He has lost
all his cases," remarks the Albany
Democrat. Naturally, since he had
against him the combination of Hepey
ana the facts.
After hearing of the dreadful de
struction by earthquake of Robinson
Crusoe's island, it is some relief to
learn from a current newspaper para
graph that there are 16,000 uninhabited
islands In the Indian Ocean.
Mr. Cortelyou has given a dollar to
the Republican campaign fund, and
"Gas" Addlcks is reported to have 6ent
in another foliar. Yet one more dollar
is needed. vv no 11 make Himself fa
mous by sending it in?
The Georgia campaign has safely
passed the hip-pocket stage, and the
mint-Julep era will be inaugurated
when the Democratic nominations are
ratified peaceably in November.
The railroads have talked it all over
and they have decided to obey the law.
It is wiser, and safer, under this Ad
ministration. But there may be other
administrations.
"Cap" Ormsby "hopes for" clemency
because of his part in the land-fraud
trials, "but doesn't expect it." Blessed
are those who expect nothing, for they
shall get it.
The Hood River Growers are now
getting something like $3 per box for
their output a cause for congratula
tion. If you are never apple-hungry.
Now the President has tackled the
Job of reforming the English lan
guage. And they say he's a man of
action, not of words.
TRADE OF THE LOWER COAST.
How Portland la Looked I pon by Some
Critlea.
EUREKA, Cal.. Aug. 19. (To the
Editor.) I happened today to be where
I could hear a conversation between
two prominent business men of Eu
reka, Cal., concerning the effort of
Portland citizens to get a steamer line
to Alaska, and it may interest you to
know the estimate they have of efforts
In that direction. One of these men,
I learned. Is the local manager of a
large lumber company owning several
vessels of their own, and the othar
man was a banker of Eureka. The
banker asked the lumberman if he
thought the effort would amount to
anything, and he very emphatically re
plied :"No." He said:
"Portland business men can talk
more and do less than any set of men
on the Pacific Coast. They are not
loyal to their town. Why. even their
own lumbermen go away from home to
get lumber schooners built. R. D.
Inman is having one or two built on
Coos Bay right now, and he could Just
as well have had them built in Port
land. It should be an easy matter to
get $350,000 subscribed to a stock com
pany in Portland; and get Joseph Sup
ple to build them two steamers about
the size of the F. A. Kllburn. This
could be done during the coming Win
ter and the boats be ready for business
as soon as navigation opens In the
Spring. Then give every business-
house that will subscribe $500 stock
one free round trip for their best trav
eling man. provided they send him
after business; and in a year's time
they would have the boats paying ex
penses and, after that, it would be
clear sailing. During the Winter they
could be used In the Coast trade be
tween Portland and 'Frisco, and thus
be kept busy the entire time."
This is the substance of the conver
sation and unfolds a plan that might
be made to work. These Coast towns
like to trade in Portland and the ad
vent of a railroad In here from the
north by way of Coos Bay is not going
to lessen the water traffic at all, but
will rather Increase It, as there will be
a large addition to the population
along the Coast In the next few years.
Double the business could be done
with this territory now if the mer
chants could be assured of regular
steadier service.
BLGEKE WILLIS.
PLAIN, OLD TWO-LEGGED HEV.
Saw Her Duty and Stayed With It.
Coryallls Times.
Shewas Just a plain, straightforward
old setting hen. It is not even neces
sary to record whether she was a Ply
mouth Rock or a common barnyard
specimen, for It is a case where blood
cuts no figure. Her escutcheon Is one
that a mere matter of blood can neither
add to nor detract from.
She sat calmly on her nest the after
noon of the fatal day when the forest
fires in the Cascades swept the village
of Berry, laying half its houses low,
destroying its school building and
burning up every horse in the town.
The smoke hung thick, the ashes fell
in torrents and the roar and crackle of
the wind-swept flames was awful.
Every living thing in Berry was on the
move but the setting hen. Children
and women , were fleeing with what
effects tHey eould carry to Detroit and
the men were running here and there
in the effort to save their homes. As
though carved from colored stone and
placed on a foundation of adamant, the
old hen was motionless and fixed. Like
the boy who stood on the burning
deck "whence all but him had fled"
she stuck to her post. The flames crept
up close and even licked the moss
that fringed her nest. They scorched
away a portion of the long feathers of
her tall and ate out a bit of her comb,
but beneath her warm body were her
precious eggs, and she never flinched.
"Yew bet yer life she stayed with it,"
admiringly asseverated the 11-year-old
lad from Berry, who related the inci
dent, "an' she won out."
And so she did. After the fire and in
the midst of the waste qf ashes and
ruins they found her, scarred and
scathed, but still sitting heroically on
her nest, the eggs in which In due tlma
will be hatched and the mother heart
be rewarded for the ordeal through
which she passed with the "cluck,
cluck" that she will chirrup to a brood
of little henlets, by and by. A Carne
gie hero medal ought to be sent her.
Forty Eight Grandmas at a Party.
St. Paul Pioneer Press.
A remarkable function was the "grand
ma day" given at the home of Mrs. E. C.
Erickson, Elk Point, S. D. There were
present 48 grandmothers, six of whom
were great grandmothers. They were en
tertained by music and reading applicable
to the occasion, but that which created
the most amusement was the quilt
knotting contest, in which each one
of the guests hal iv t'c si t many kni!s
as she had gra,iJ :h.::V-n and m-at-grandchildren.
Mrs. Jihn R. Wod
was awarded the pr'zi, nh.- having, 15
grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Phoebe Hayes grot the
prize for being th6 oldest grandma
present, her age being S6 years.
Growth of the Brltlah Parliament.
Nineteenth Century.
This table shows the relative num
bers composing the two chambers of
the British Parliament at various pe
riods since the battle of Bosworth, In
1485, which Lord Salisbury fixed as
"the end of the first stage in the his
tory of the House of LordB":
Com- Corn
Year. Lords. mone. Year. Lords. mone.
14S5 77 2'.H1'17!4 219 5.-.S
154 74 343 1819 372 T
1550 75 3K3'lfra 400 6f.S
1(V2 69 4H2 18S1 Dll 1158
124 107 4X9.1005 694 670
164 184 61.1
The peerages created during the last
six months raise the total of the House
of Lords well over 600.
SUGGESTION TO THE
--Froit ,ne ChKa, Jutirual.
WHY NOT TRY THE STREET CORNER METHOD FOR COLLECTING
! FUNDS
MR. BRYAN'S "AT PRESENT."
With Mr. Frerrti'i Aramment for Sil
ver and 'Blmetalliam."
Letter by Mr. Frewen to the New York
Times.
A recenUy published interview with Mr.
Bryan is, I see. attracting much atten
tion. Mr. Bryan's statement reads that
silver is "at present" not an issue, and
the two words quoted have revived here
a natural anxiety. The position of silver
In the Western currencies has, in my
Judgment passed forever out of politics,
and it is important that Mr. Bryan's
attitude should not be misunderstood.
I happened to see the Interview before
It was published, and I drew Mr. Bryan's
attention to the two words now so much
in evidence. Mr. Bryan replied that his
statement was sufficiently categorical be
cause a proposal to melt up and demone
tize the silver dollars now in your cur
rency might again revive the silver ques
tion. The two words under review, it
seemed to me. mlcht have been safely
omitted; in 1S96 $8 of gold per capita
stood sentinel over pearly $9 of silver,
while today in your currency more than
16 gold dollars secure the controverti
billty of 8 sliver dollars. Under these
conditions there was perhaps no need to
contemplate any fresh antisilver legisla
tion, but I think it important to point
out what it was that Mr. Bryan had in
his mind.
While on the subject of silver perhaps
you will permit me. as one who hekl
somewhat advanced views 10 years since,
to define my present position; it Is with
out doubt the position of a majority of
students of currency conditions the world
over. In 18T-6 the great fall of prices
threatened the world of trade with grave
disaster, and we had been assured yby
Professor Suess and other geological ex
perts that the prospect of any consider
able additions to the world's gold sup
plies was remote. So recently as 183
the yield of the mines was only 4.614,5S8
ounces, five-sixths of which was ab
sorbed by the arts and manufactures,
while for the last year the yield was
in excess of 18.000,000 ounces. In your
country the effect of the new gold on
prices is to some extent obscured. Tariffs
possibly , slightly raise your price level,
and I think, although this is not the
popular view, the operation of trusts has
the efTect of reducing prices; but in Eng
land, where the trend of prices Is not
interfered with by these artificial condi
tions, the effect of the new gold on prices
Is now very marked. Augustus Sauer
beck, who since the death of Professor
Soetbeer works out the "index number"
for prices, shows a general rise of prices
(in other words, a depreciation of gold)
since 1896 of more than 25 per cent. The
index number lias risen from 61 in 1S!6
to 77 for last June; that is, the amount
of produce which In 1W6 would have pur
chased 61 sovereigns today purchases 77
sovereigns. It is quite safe to affirm that
in the whole history of prices there has
never been so steady and" so marked a
rise during a period of only 10 years.
The late Professor Stanley Jevons, writ
ing of the much less considerable price
inflation which followed the great gold
discoveries in California, said ("Investi
gations in Currency and Finance," p 101):
"The country may be. said to be calmly
lookine on while every contract, includ
ing that of the national debt. Is being
violated against the Intention or tne con
tracting parties."
The great rise of prices, a rise which
is likely to be much more pronounced
during the coming decade, will be the
more startling because the Western cur
rencies are now gold monometalic. The
condition Is Interesting, and it recalls
what Wolowskl said in the '60s, that
stiver the legal tender silver money of
Europe "was the parachute which broke
the fall of gold." The Invasion of the
European currencies by the great mass
of gold from California and then from
Australia would 60 years since nave in
flated European prices much more con
siderably, ' only that subject to the then
bimetallic system the new gold displaced
an equivalent mass of legal tender sliver
and "dumped" that silver on the cur
rencies of Asia. The mechanical action
of bimetalism on the European exchange
rates at that time was very simple and
admirable: the California gold raised the
price level In Europe; attracted to these
higher prices the products of Asia poured
Into Europe, thus giving Asia more
favorable trade balances and sucking the
legal tender money of Europe Into the
currencies of Asia. But today there is no
legal tender silver in Europe to be dls
placed at "melting-pot" rates, and thus.
In Wolowskl's happy phase, there Is no
parachute to break the fall of gold.
That the present position will prove
satisfactory to creditor interests' I do not
believe. The sovereign, and doubtless the
dollar, hag lost one-qilarter of Its pur
chasing power in 10 years; It is likely
to lose a further 25 per cent In the next
10 years. Such changes do Indeed Justify
Jevon's phrase that the world is looking
salmly on at the violation of every con
tract.
Wheeler County Bear Story,
Fossil Journal.
Ed Blosser killed a big brown bear
near the head of Thlrtymile about
three weeks ago. He was herding a
band of sheep for the Butte Creek
Company, and his sheep had been
scattered a number of times by the
bear before Ed caught sight of him,
quietly standing in a glade, all una
ware' of human presence. Ed is not
much of a shot and has been known
to miss a big pine tree at target prac
tice, but lie shut both eyes and blazed
away at a distance of 60 yards and
plugged his bearshlp through the neck.
The bear fell dead, but the hunter
wasn't used to bears, alive or dead, and
was sorely afraid that his quarry was
playing 'possum Just to get a swipe
at him; so he went oft in search of
help to hold an inquest on the game.
He soon found Walter F. Geren, a
homesteaJer recently frpm Portland,
and the two with trembling; hands re
moved the bearskin from the carcass.
The bear was a big one, weighing prob
ably 600 pounds, but -when Ed, In after
years, tells the story to his grandchil
dren, it'll be a grizzly, weight one ton.
PARTY MANAGERS
SOME FEATURES
OF THE SUNDAY
OREGONIAN
First and foremost, all the world's
new by Asxoclated Preaa, special
rorreapondenta and members of The
Oregonlan staff, making the fullret
and most complete record of any
Paclnc Coast newspaper.
THE FIRST MANSION
ERECTED IN OREGON.
Built 67 years ago near Oregon
City by Thomas Livingston
Holmes, it still stands Intact and
Is occupied by the only remain
ing members of the family. It
has 20 rooms and was construct
ed after the manner of Southern
mansions with a ballroom and
accommodation for a large num
ber of guests. In early days this
house was Oregon Territory's
social center. The drawing-room
contains probubly the oldest
piano In the state. This home of
hospitality Is well described with
pen and pictures.
MAKING BAD BOYS GOOD
WITH THE SURGEON'S KNIFE.
Medical scientists declare that
criminal tendencies in youth are
often due to pressure on the
brain, occasionally caused by ac
cident involving the skull. In
Philadelphia the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Chil
dren has inaugurated a work of
vast proportions, namely, to
try to cure physical defects in
youngsters of criminal instincts.
One case Is reported where tre
phining the skull changed a
"bad"' boy's nature.
IN A JAPANESE
MOUNTAIN MONASTERY.
Among the little brown men
they have patron saints whom
the populace make journeys to
worship. Anna Laura Miller
went to the shrine sought y
pious Orientals and writes en
tertainingly of the visit.
COURTING DEATH
FOR MERE PLEASURE.
An average of 200 lives are lost
every year In the Alps and not
all are amateur mountain climb
ers. Quldes frequently are vic
tims of fatal accidents. Ma
zamas of the Pacific Northwest
may felicitate themselves on the
safety of mountaineering here as
compared with Switzerland's
perils well set forth by a cor
respondent. FAMOUS QUARREL BETWEEN
GARFIELD AND CONKLING.
Judge George H. Williams tells
about It. The reminiscence takes
in the Republican National Con
vention of 18S0, of which he was
a member, and recounts the ef
fort of a triumvirate of "stal
wart"' Senators to force the nom
ination of Grant for a third
Presidential term. Garfield was
the convention's choice and
Conkllng supported him in the
campaign, but after the election
the New York Senator was
turned down cold.
ONE PERFECT OREGON
TROUT STREAM.
"Nan," who is camping on the
banks of the Breitenbush, In the
Eastern part of Marion County,
describes a mountain stream that
meets every mood of man and
appeals strongly to natural
longings.
HAUNTED HOUSE ON
HARNEY HILL.
A landmark at Vancouver,
Wash., erected by General Will
iam S. Harney, of Mexican War
fame. With this dwelling are
recalled many Incidents of early
pioneer days.
THE CHUMP, THE DOG
AND THE WHITE TROUSERS.
Being an account of a trip to
Mount Scott of a Summer even
ing on the trailer. It is far from
serious reading.
ATHLETICS AS THE
RICH MAN'S SALVATION.
An article by Dexter Marshall
showing how the multimillion
aires of the East are encourag
ing their sons to cultivate health
and develop strong bodies, with
portraits of young men who
have become prominent In ath
letics. MR. DEVERY VISITS
A PARIS VAUDEVILLE.
Percy Lindon-Howard relates
how ths distinguished New
Yorker saw the show, which was
not under the most favorable
conditions.
WATCHING FOR
THE EXPLOSION.
Dr. George C. Cressy writes from
London concerning the waiting
attitude of all Europe toward
the Impending revolution in
Russia. He also tells how Eng
land persists In misunderstand
ing the United States.
ALL THE NEWS OF
THE WORLD OF SPORTS
Many features lend especial Inter
lest to the sporting pages this
week. Latest particulars are given
in full concerning the Gans-Nelson
fight which Is now the center of
attention for the entire country,
as well as the Pacific Coast, where
the battle Is to occur. Baseball,
rowing, tennis and other sports
are also well handled. No other
paper in the Northwest is so thor
ough In this department as The
Oregonlan. Associated Press dis
patches are supplemented by spe
lolal dispatches and letters and
columns of local articles. A Cali
fornia letter from Harry B. Smith.
SOCIETY, MUSIC
AND THE DRAMA
In these departments will be found
a thorough resume of the fields
they cover. As the time for the
opening of the theatrical season
draws nearer, news of the stage
is of greater Interest, and this is
covered fully. Social happenings
are becoming more numerous as
the Summer days draw to a close.
AT THE OREGON AND
WASHINGTON BEACHES
The Summer resorts are still the
scene of great activity. Although
the crowds are diminishing some
what, there are still large colonies
at all the outing places, and the
closing weeks are proving the best
of the season. A page devoted to
the Summer folk 1b well illus
trated. WITH THE BUILDERS
AN REALTY FIRMS
The regular weekly building and
realty review gives the details of
sales which are being made and
descriptions of the many new
buildings under construction. It is
Illustrated with pictures of some
of the attractive new residences.
ANNUAL REGATTA
AT ASTORIA
All lovers of sport are awaiting
with interest the Astoria Regatia
w'hich is to occur the last of the
present month. During Its prog
ress there is continual gaiety in
the City by the Sea. It Is expected
that the meet this year will be
one of the most successful ever
held, as an excellent programme
of sports has been prepared. Prac
tically all of the fastest boats
of the Northwest will be entered
in the various races. An illus
trated article will be given, cover
ing this subject.