Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937, December 18, 1906, Image 8

Morning Oregonian., December 18, 1906, Page 8, Image 8

Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR

About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 1906)

Prev Page of 16 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (4.4 MB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Prev Page of 16 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page TextTH33 MORNING OREGOXIAN, TUESDAY, DECE3IBER 18, 1906. BCBSCRIITJON RATES. CT INVARIABLY JN ADVANCE. "Q (Br Mall.) Dally, Sunday Included, out year SSrOO Dally, Sunday Included, tlx months ... Dally, Sunday Included, three month!.. 325 Dally, Sunday Included, on month.... .73 Dally, without Sunday, ona year 00 Dally, without Sunday. six month S-25 ually, without Sunday, three niontns. . i.ia Dally, without Sunday, on month 60 Sunday, one year 2.60 Weekly, on year (Issued Thursday)... 1.00 Sunday and Weekty, on year 8.60 BY CARRIER. Dally, Sunday Included, on yrfr 9.00 Dally, Sunday Included, on month 73 HOW" XO REMIX Send postorttc money order, express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency ar at the sender's risje. Give postofZlee ad dress In full. Including; county and staXa. POSTAGE BATES. Entered at Portland, Oregon. Postoftle as Second-Class Matt". 10 to 14 Pages 1 cent JS to 28 Pages Joints 0 to 44 Pages - 8 cents 6 to 60 Pages cent Foreign Postage, doubl rates. IMVOKTANT Th postal laws ar strict. Newspapers on which postage Is not fully prepaid are not forwarded to destination. EASIEKX MSINESS OFFICE. The IS. C. Brckwitb Special Agency New York, rooms 43-50 Tribune building. " Chi cago, roams M0-S12 Tribune building. KEPT OX SALE. Chicago Auditorium Annex, Postoftle News t:o., 178 Dearborn street. St. Paul, Minn. N. St. Marl, Commercial Station. Colorado Springs, Colo. 1 Western News Agency. Denver Hamilton Hendrtck. 808-913 Seventeenth street; Pratt Book Stor, 121 Fifteenth street; L Welnsteln; H. P. Han sen. Kansas City, M Rlckseckr Cigar Co., Ninth and Walnu, Minneapolis M. J. Kavanaugh, BO SoutkY Third. Cleveland, O. James Pushaw. 80T Su perior street. Atlantic City, Jf. J. Ell Taylor. New- .York City L. Jones A Co.. Astor. Houk: Broadway Theater News Stand. Oakland, Cal. W. H. Johnson, Four teenth and Franklin streets, N. Wneatley; Oakland News Stand. Ogdra D. L. Beyle; W. G. Kind; 114 25th street. Hot Springs, Ark. C. N. -Weaver Co. Omaha Barkalow Bros., 1812 Farnam; Mageath Stationery Co., 1308 Farnam; 240 South Fourteenth. Sncramento, Cal. Sacramento News Co., 43'.) K street. Salt Lake Moon Book Stationery Co., Rosenfoid & Hansen. Los Angeles B. E. Amos, manager seven street wagon. San Diego B. E. Amos. Long Beach, Cal. B. B. Amos. Pasadena, Cal. A. F. Horning. Sun Francisco Foster & Orear, Ferry News Sta.id; Hotel St. Francis News Stand; L. Parent, N. Wheat ley. Eureka, Cal. Call-Chronicle Agency. Washington, D. C Ebbltt House, Penn sylvania avenue. Norfolk, A'a. Jamestown News Co. Pino Beach, Va. W. A. Cosgrove. Philadelphia, Pa Ryan's Theater Ticket Office. PORTLAND. TUESDAY, DEC. 18, 1908. TIMBER AND COAL . LANDS. The President' terse and pointed epecial mwaage on the public lands touches, upon a number of notorious ' evils and suggests remedies for them which will excite controversy. Upon the entire code of land laws he makes the criticism that they are not adapted to present conditions. Once they may have met with actual need. At present not only are they of no benefit, but they nerve In general merely as an aid to the large corporations in their persist ent efforts to plunder the public do main. Even the homestead act, which at one time was so efficient In filling the West with actual homeeeekers. now serves chiefly to promote the. ef forts of syndicates to control arid land and the water supply which is neces sary to its fertility. Speaking of the timber and stone act, Mr. Roosevelt says, what everybody knows to be the truth,- that "it baa done enormous. harm, and "la no longer needed." Without much strain on the reason, one may surmise that a law which, does harm instead of good' was never needed. Lacking the timber and stone act, the syndicates would have acquired the Government's timber, no doubt; but they would have paid a bet ter price for it than has in general been received, and vastly fewer persona would have been guilty of perjury to facilitate the acquisition of title. This timber and stone act might very prop erly have been entitled "An act for the encouragement and remuneration of perjury." Persons who take up "tim ber claims" in the great majority of cases do eo with the full expectation of bearing false witness before the trans action is complete. Very few isolated individuals have the Tesources or the knowledge to develop a quarter section of timber, log it, transport the fogs to market and direct the necessary finan cial operations. It is notorious that virtually every person who takes up a timber claim intends to sell it. The transaction amounts to a net donation of from $2000 to $4000 to each individual who is "smart" enough to grab a quar ter section of timber. Why the Gov-. . eminent should make donations of this sort to private Individuals out of the property of the public nobody has yet made clear. Under the homestead act lay a far olghted public policy, which has been more than Justified by results. Noth ing of the sort can be said of the tim ber and stone act. If it has ever done any good, it has been kept out of sight remarkably well; the harm it has done is beyond estimate. Perhaps no single piece of legislation has tended eo di rectly to debauch the morals of the public as this timber and stone act, if -e except the prohibitive tariff. - of course, .the regulation limiting the area of mineral land which one person can acquire to 160 acres acts in precisely the same way. The President well says that Individuals without large capital cannot profitably develop' mineral land; they are virtually compelled to sell it, and they must sell it to syndicates for two reasons. In the first place, as we have said, it is only combinations of capitalists that can provide the funds to develop mineral lands. In the sec ond place, under modern conditions, it is only in very rare caBes that it would pay to work a single quarter section. The operations must be on a large scale or they bring no returns. These facta are undeniable. How ever much we admire competition among small and enterprising captains of industry, in the development of min eral land, it is out of the question. Two sensible methods of disposing of the Government's mineral land lie open. It may be sold to the syndicates, or it may be leased to them. Either way would be preferable to the present sys tem of using It to suborn perjury on the part of the first patentees. Mr. Roosevelt prefers the method of leasing the land. By this the public would re ceive a permanent Income until the mineral might be exhausted. The sale of the land would produce a present sum; but all subsequent profits would go to the syndicate. From the point of view of the public good, it would seem as if there were no choice between the two methods; that of lease is so mani festly the better. Still it is argued that syndicates which had to pay a royalty to the Government could not make so much profit as those which owned mines; therefore capitalists would not rent the Government lands. This argu ment 4s specious; but a little thought hows how unsound it Is. Capitalists might not rent the Gov ernment land at first, but the time would.inevitably come when they would be eager to rent it, other mines being partially exhausted. Meanwhile the public pays neither Interest nor taxes, and it can well'afford to wait. Nor is it a trifling consideration that a eupply of coal would thus be . reserved for future use, which could gradually come into market and scale down monopoly prices. It must not be supposed that were all the coal land in the possession of syndicates there would be competi tion between them and a lowering of prices. Few people are simple enough to expect such a thing in this age of combines and trusts. There is no ques tion of Mr. Roosevelt's wisdom in urg ing the retention of Government coal and timber land and the exaction of royalties for rtheir use. The only real difficulty In the -way is to secure offi cials honest enough to collect the roy alties without pilfering them. Perhaps as we advance in civilization even this can be done. THE SEATTLE HORSE SHOW. A brougham, it seems, Is something new in Seattle. When Mr. William Gyldenfeldt appeared in the ring at the horse show, with his magnificent equipage of that designation, the Judges, it is eaid, mistook it for a new fangled butcher's cart. This was sim ply disgraceful. The Seattle papers try feebly to defend the Judges who made this terrible blunder, but in vain. Why butchers' carts were admitted at all to a presumably aristocratic func tion like a horse show is more than we can understand. In New York, where such matters are properly managed, nothing more vulgar than tlnpeddlers' wagons is permitted to enter. Before presuming to pull off another horse show Seattle should send a delegation to New York or Philadelphia to learn how to do it in style. But butchers' carts were there, ac cording to reports, and in that de based class the Judges placed Mr. Gyl- denfeldt's aristocratic brougham. They- even tried to tack a yellow ribbon to the dashboard to show that they looked upon it as a very fine butcher's -cart. Naturally Mr. Gyldenfeldt was indig nant. He was angry, not eo much at the Judges whose benighted state htj pitied, as with himself for taking part In such a Jay show. The Judges may have been experts, but, if so, how .did they come to give the trotter prize to a horse with a spavin on his off fore leg? And what good reason can they assign for giving the first prize for carriage horses to a team of mules? When these questions and other similar ones are satisfac torily answered perhaps public faith in these experts will in some measure be restored. But even after that people will wonder how Uiey knew the night beforehand what equipage was destined to receive the star premium. Mrs. Treat's champagne, it is said, inspired them with prophetic insight, but of this we have our doubts. Champagne is good in Its place, but it is but a poor guide to the merits of a horse. The array of shirt fronts at the Seat tle show was large for a country town, and the display of diamonds was im posing for the backwoods; but in both these respects Seattle must improve greatly before she can put up a genu inely good horse show. MILK THAT IS M I l.K. Consumers will heartily Join produc ers of butter in indorsing the utmost cleanliness intelligent cleanliness as a necessary adjunct to the production of good butter. Many remember the sour, malodorous wooden churn of a past era and its product in "country but ter" that lay in melting mood day after day in the country store in close prox imity to boxes of brown soap, sides of rusty bacon and the molasses barrel, wjth its dripping faucet and swarm of happy files. The wooden churn was succeeded, after a long reign, by the tin churn, which was an improvement, because of the possibility of keeping it sweet; but it was not until quite recent years that the thud of the churn dasher was silenced in the farmer's kitchen, and the separator succeeded the pro duction of cream by the gravity process in the preliminary sta.ge of butter making. While many butter-makers of the olden time were neat and clean throughout -the process, from straining the milk in sweet, clean pans to rolling the finished product of the churn in cheesecloth for the market, untidiness was much in evidence, and "Oregon butter" came to be a reproach to Ore gon housewives. The modern butter factory Is not al ways as clean as it should be, but it' is pleasing to hear a practical dairyman L. B. Zlemer, of Tillamook assert that, in order to be successful and make for itself a name that will stand for con tinued profit, creamery butter, the com mercial butter of a commercial age, must be kept clean in the strictest sense of the word. "Milk is milk only," says Mr. Ziemer, "when produced by a milker of clean habits. In a clean barn, from clean and healthy . cows." We shudder to think of the vast bulk of milk that Is not milk, according to his diagnosis, that finds Its way Into market dally from the milkmen's cans as well as through dairy products. Between "milk that Is milk," according to this standard, and the "filthy liquid" that contains many Impurities, even after the strainer has removed "small por tions of real estate, bits of fertilizer, parts of the straw stack or tributes from the cows' overcoat," there is cer tainly a wide gulf. Let us hope. that Mr. Ziemer's exhortation to dairymen to be clean, be clean, and again be clean, will have a salutary effect. TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN. The Board of Fire Underwriters of the Pacific. Coast is out with its annual warning of the danger from fire of in flammable material used In Christmas decorations. This is not only a matter of business with the Insurance men, but it serves a purpose of humanity es well as of timely suggestion to property-owners. It means a great deal to the householder, ir his house be de stroyed by fire started by a toppling candle on a bough of a resinous Christ mas tree, or by the almost instantane ous combustion of the filmy decora tions of the entire room, due to the careless handling of a match In light ing the candles, that the insurance he carries on the building cannot be col lected and will not be paid But it means much more to him If, from the. same untoward circumstance, some member of his family loses his life or is severely if not fa.tally buiyied as the result of such a catastrophe. Tho Fourth, of July warning is against the toy pistol, and the careless handling of firecrackers; the Christmas warning, Is against the use of inflam mable materials in decorations and in lighting candles on Christmas trees. It is easy to avoid therlsk incident to the latter custom. The tree with its gay decorations shows nearly or quite as well from the ordinary lighting of the gas Jets or electric lights In the room and all danger of conflagration Is thus avoided. An excellent effect can also be produced in homes in which coal oil Is still the illumlnant by the proper placing of lamps in places suf ficiently remote from the tree or other decorations, and high enough to be out of the way of excited children and the busy helpers moving about. These pre ventive measures should be insisted upon by every householder, since at best remedial measures in such cases afford little rlief. A word to the wise at this Juncture should be sufficient, but, unfortunately, all are not wise in such matters. Hence resort is had to repetition hammered on the ear by un derwriters who have both a financial and humane interest in this matter. and by the press that, in the role of public mentor, discharges a duty to humanity in reiterating and emphasiz ing the. commercial warning. PRESIDENT'S PANAMA MESSAGE. President Roosevelt gives a highly optimistic tone to his Panama Canal report, at times growing quite enthu siastic over the conditions at the Isth mus. He asserts quite emphatically that ."this country has never made a better Investment than the $40,000,000 which it paid to the French. company for work and betterments, including the Panama Railroad." In commenting on the classes of labor employed on the canal he explains his intention of em ploying a few thousand Chinese by stating that "our business is to dig the canal as efficiently and as quickly as possible; provided always that-nothing is done that is inhumane to any laborers, and nothing that interferes with the wages of or lowers the stand ard of living of our own workmen." It is somewhat surprising to learn that during the rainy season, which, of course, is quite unfavorable for work, new records for excavation have been established by the steam shovels at work, in Culebra cut. With such ex cellent work during the rainy season, it is certain that rapid progress will be made with the coming of better weather. Perhaps the most Important announcement contained in the mes sage is mat regarding the Intention to let out the work by contract, providing satisfactory terms can be made with the contractors. Friends of the canal who hope -to live long enough to see Its completion will extend, their best wishes to the President in his efforts to secure contractors who are willing to undertake the work. The President is of the opinion that "the whole work is of a kind suited to the peculiar genius of our people," and that "our people have developed the type of contractor beet fitted to grap ple with it." The President, however, intimates that difficulty may be en countered in finding responsible con tractors who are willing to accept the Job. With a desire to throw oft some of the coils of red ape, the President has reached the conclusion that "a seven-headed commission is, of course, a clumsy executive Instrument," and he again suggests that there should be but one commissioner, with power to select such assistants as he may wish. - As might be expected, the writers who have spoken slightingly or criti cised the work at Panama come in for some very caustic rebuke from the President, and he closes his message with a glowing tribute to the men. who are performing the actual labor. The message, on the whole, is typically Rooseveltian and proclaims beyond question that there is at least one man in the United States who does not be lieve that the building of the Panama Canal Is a task that cannot be com pleted within a reasonable length of time. THE CONGO AND CARDINAL GIBBONS. A surprising feature of a late news report is the statement of Cardinal Gibbons upholding the methods of gov ernment employed by the unspeakable King Leopold of Belgium in the Congo country, and incidentally eulogizing this monarch as a wise ruler. It is strange, perhaps, that Cardinal Gib bons' advices in regard to the treat ment of the natives by- the soldiers of King Leopold, and with his sanction, should differ sp materially from those that have been received in Washing ton, by the British government and by and through reputable Journalists, Jour nals and periodicals throughout this country and England. - We recall a picture veritable since It was from a photograph, taken by missionaries upon the ground, and printed in a standard magazine in which hapless natives were shown in various conditions of mutilation, now a hand gone, then an arm to the el bow; again with ears, fingers, toes or feet severed from th body, the work of the soldiers, who were permitted, if not commissioned, to commit these barbarities as a penalty for not bring ing in rubber to meet the Insatiable de mand of the King's rubber company, and as a warning of what others might expect who failed Jto render the re quired tribute to this mwt atrocious of rulers. Accompanying the picture were statements' of reputable missionaries verifying the stories that these shock ing mutilations illustrated, and giving details concerning the treatment of na tive women and children, men and boys, that were barbarous in the ex treme. This Is only one of a number of state ments which go to show that Leopold's rule in the Congo Free States mocking ly so called is a blot upon civiliza tion, a sickening record of greed, de-- bauchery, mutilation and death. Facts like these, fully substantiated, have been brought before President Roosevelt. He has been asked to pro test against these barbarities in the name of civilization, and even the in tervention of our Government in the matter has been urged. - While dis tance and other cotjeideratlona render Intervention by the United States im practicable, and perhaps" unwise, a pro test In the name of civilization might with propriety emanate from the Presi dent, and even from Congress. Abuses that have stirred the indig nation and horror of all Christendom, the reports of which have come from sources that cannot be discredited, have been perpetrated under the narryj and sanction of the King of the Belgians. These abuses consist, says the con servative Brooklyn Eagle, "in condi tions of the most oppressive slavery, under the pretense of abolishing slav ery; of torture under the pretense of abolishing torture; mutilation and mur der ' under the pretense of preventing them, and atrocities that excel any known and avowed record of barbar ts'm, under the pretense of displacing them with mercy. Justice and kind ness." To deny that these conditions exlete in the face of evidence that Is Incontrovertible is resolutely to close the understanding to facts that exist and are proven to exist. The construction of the Canton-Hankow Railway, which will give Pekin direct connection with South China, a distance of 1400 miles, is well "under way, twelve miles being practically completed and grading extending many miles farther. The line s wholly in Chinese hands, the engineers being na tives brought from the north. The tra ditional objections of the Chinese to an innovation that opens the doors to for eign travel and commerce -creates new conditions aind plows ruthlessly over the graves of their ancestors has in a large measure abated. Cars for the first division of this great railway have been ordered from an American builder and are due for delivery In Canton by the first of April, 1907. One Innovation follows another, and It is yet within the possibilities .that Tsl An. the aged Em press Dowager, will yet venture from her seclusion in the inner circle of the silent city to enjoy the luxury of a Jour ney in a private car through the popu lous domain over which she has so long extended the scepter of superstition, seclusion and absolute power. This from the Chicago Chronicle, commenting on the recent-storm which added another woe to San Francisco: "The one bright spot in the situation is the almost cheerful resignation with which San Francisco's misfortunes are regarded by Portland and Seattle, which are amiably willing to take care of San Francisco's trade and commerce during that city's period of disability and longer if necessary." Taking no credit for unselfishness, Portland has not reached out into San Francisco's field. Jobbers of this city have their hands full taking care of the business offered by the territory that has been tributary to Portland the last forty years. The volume of trade in 1906 is probably 20 per cent larger than 1905, Itself the banner year. True, Portland since last April has opened accounts that would not be on the books except for the San Francisco disaster, but the business sought Port land: we didn't rob the wounded. Per haps the Chronicle had Los Angeles In mind when It spoke of cheerful resig nation. The dependence of the city for sub urban growth upon streetcar service is quickly manifested by stoppage of the cars. The strawberry patch and the orchard but a few years ago cov ered wide areas that are now dotted with homes and churches and school houses. Living upon these lands and working in the city was made possi ble by the discovery of electricity as a motive power and by its application to the streetcar service of the city. This statement, no less trite than true, re ceives added emphasis from any cause that interrupts the car service. Need less to say, all residents city and sub urban Join in the hope that the dif ferences between the contending forces be speedily and amicably adjusted, to the end that the interruption of traf fic may be quickly superseded by cars running on schedule time. Dr. Osier's mother lives to rebuke through her placid life of five-score years the statement imputed to her son thait life has no place for a human being afer he or she has attained the age of 60. While it Is probable and in deed certain that Dr. Osier has been sadly misrepresented In this matter, it is at least unfortunate that he should have made a statement subject to such interpretation, especially since his mother's lengthened years were in evi dence against the assumption that 60 years marked the extreme limit of hu man usefulness and by -Inference the right of a human being to live. Seventy-four complaints have been filed with the Washington Railroad Commission since It began doing busi ness about a year ago. If some of the Western traffic men who have been straining their nerves ever since the car shortage trouble could get the number of-'complalnts filed with them down to about seventy-four per day. they would be so overjoyed that they would have no room in their hearts for envy of the Railroad Commission that had only seventy-four complaints In more than a year. Universal car shortage, labor short age and general difficulty in finding enough of anything to meet the big demand has been quite noticeable in this country of late. Now come the New York jewelers with a statement that there Is such a demand for jew elry that they must take advantage of it and mark up prices. It is thus quite plain that even the purse-proud New Yorkers must suffer with the common herd in a failure to secure what they need, or think they need. To an impartial onlooker. It appears that Spokane's threat to "punish" Se attle for being the beneficiary of a transportation policy and geographical conditions Is not the best way to build up a commonwealth. Legislative ap propriation for the Alaska Fair should be based on merit, not on rivalry be tween cities. The obnoxious word "scab" must have a new meaning or else it Is im properly used when it is applied to a man who insists on working in the same position he has held for ten to fifteen years, as some of the Portland streetcar men now dubbed "scabs" have been doing. An effort Is being made to secure an increase in the pay of Congressmen and Senators. It is not generally be lieved that there will be a strike If the effort should prove futile. The Ladds have sold a piece of busi ness property in Portland for $350,000. That Is exactly the amount the Y." M. C. A.-'i W. C. A. wanted for the build ing they didn't build. ' While the strike may delay the send ing of Christmas gifts,, there is com fort in the thought that it will not in terfere with receiving them. Who could have divined a" week ago that car shortage would affect the comfort of all Portland and suburbs? Lumbermen of the Pacific Northwest have a multitude of new sympathizers over lack of transportation facilities. Never before were Portland's con crete sidewalks so universally es teemed. LET OFFICER RISE FASTER President Recommends Passage of Navy Personnel Bill. WASHINGTON, Dec. 17. The Pres ident today sent to Congress a special message strongly recommending the pass age of a bill changing the laws as to the personel of The navy. He urges the ne cessity of such legislation as will cause officers of the line of the Navy to reach the grades of captain and rear-admiral at less advanced ages, and will give them more experience and training In the Im portant duties of these grades. Under the present system of promotion, with out parallel In the navy of any other first-class power, captains are commis sioned at the average age of 56, and, rear admirals at the average age of 60. This system sacrifices the good of the service to the Interest of individual me diocrity. As a direct consequence, naval officers obtain more than ample service in subordinate positions, but have a lim ited and Inadequate experience as cap tains in command of battleships and as flag officers In charge of fleets and squadrons. ' He gives tables showing that officers serve longest time as captains in the British navy and the shortest time In the American Navy. The contrast as re gards sea-going flag officers Is even stronger, a French admiral serving 14.2 years, a British eight years, and an American 1.5 years. The bill he recommends was based on the report of six line officers and the Secretary of the Navy. He says of It: Should it be enacted Into law. It will cause officers on the seagoing list to reach the grade of captain at 48 and rear-admirals at 65, and will assur their serving seven years in the grade of captain and seven years In the grade of rear-admiral, thus enabling them to become thoroughly skill ful and efficient In th grades. He also recommends the creation of the grade of vice-admiral, that our fleet commanders may be on an equality with those of other nations, .in case of com bined naval action. He says that the bill will save several millions in the next seven years by stopping the voluntary retirements of young lieutenant commanders, and that unless It Is adopted "the . future of our Navy will be greatly compromised." SENATE HEARS MESSAGES. Orders Inquiry Into Harvester Trust and Child Labor. WASHINGTON, Dec. 17. A plctorlal ly Illustrated message from President Roosevelt portraying conditions as he found them on the Isthmus of Panama during his recent visit occupied the Senate during the greater portion of its session today.- Printed copies of the message, handsomely bound, were placed on the desk of each Senator and the reading of the document was closely followed. Preceding the Pana ma message, the President's Recom mendations respecting public lands and the naval personnel were received and read. The Senate agreed to the holiday ad journment resolution and will be in re cess from the end of the session Thurs day next until January 3. Resolutions were agreed to directing an Investigation by the Department of Commerce and Labor of the Interna tional Harvester Company to ascertain whether It effects restraint of trade; also directing the Senate Judiciary committee to report what authority Congress may have under the com merce clause of the Constitution to prevent Interstate commerce In child made goods. " Resolutions to guard against In fringement of state rights were , pre sented by Senators Whyte and Rayner, of Maryland, for future discussion. UPHOLD RIGHTS OF STATES Raynor and Whyte Move Resolu tions Defining President's Power. WASHINGTON. Deo. 17. Senators Whyte and Rayner, of Maryland, each presented resolutions In the Senate to day touching the states rights question Involved In the Japanese controversy. The resolution of Mr. Whyte resolves that there shall be no increase In Federal power by a strained construction of the Constitution at the expense of the rights of the states. The Rayner resolution provides that the functions of the Executive shall be lim ited to the performance of the duties as signed to him by the Constitution and the legislation enacted thereunder and that there shall be no Interference by the ex ecutive in the legislative or judicial branches of the Government or with the Representatives of states. It also re solves the states have no authority to surrender any of their reserved rights under the Constitution.. Both resolutions were laid on the table for future action. ACCEPT PRESIDENT'S ADVICE Congress "Will Adopt Suggested Re forms In Land Laws. OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU. Wash ington, Dec. 17. The President's pub lic land message sent to Congress to day will probably result in the early enactment of a law authorizing the leasing of public range along the lines he suggests, and will almost sure ly result In the repeal of the timber and stone act and the radical modifi cation of the desert land and home stead commutation acts. Already steps are under way to pass a law resting permanent title to pub lic coal land In the Government, but permitting the development of coal deposits under the leasing system. It is probable that such land laws will be passed this session. Penalty for Making Campaign Gifts. WASHINGTON, Dec. 17. The Till man bill, forbidding National Banks and other corporations authorized by Con gress, as well as corporations in gen eral from . contributing to election funds, was considered today by the committee on elections of President and Vice-President, which decided unani mously to report the matter favorably, with the addition of an imprisonment clause as well as Imposition of a ifno for offenders. As amended by the House committee. It Is optional for the court to send offi cers of offending corporations to Jail for a period of not more than 12 months. The maximum fine Is $1000. Refuse to Validate Citizenship. WASHINGTON, Dec. 17. The House today discussed a bill validating some 20,000 certificates of naturalization which were issued by the courts, the clerks of which failed to inquire whether the persons to whom the cer tificates were Issued were anarchists or not. The bill was defeated, two thirds having failed to vote in Its favor under suspension, of the rules. It will be called up under committee later. Steinhart Gets Better Position. WASHINGTON, Dec. 17. It is under stood that Frank Steinhart. who has been consul general in Cuba since 1303, is about to relinquish that office to become the resident agent In Cuba of a large New York concern. He will remain in office until early next year at the request of Governor Magoon. HAVANA. Dec. 17. Frank Steinhart, the American Consul-General here, has withdrawn his resignation at the re quest of Governor Magoon. . GIVE 6AME RATES TO ALL. Supreme Court" Upholds State Power to Enforce Equality. WASHINGTON, Dec. 17. In the case of the Alabama & MIssissipl Railway Com pany versus the Mississippi Railway Commission, the Supreme Court rendered a decision today In support of the con tentions of the state. The case Involved the right of the Commission to fix the fiat rate of cents per mile per 100 pounds on carload lots of grain from Vlcksburg to Meridian, both in Mississip pi. The action of the Commission in rnaldng the rate was based upon the allegation that the Vlcksburg road was In the habit of giving the figure to pat rons who also gave their business to the Shreveport Sc Pacific Road, an allied concern, while the rate to the other patrons was 10 cents per hundred. The Mississippi Supreme Court sustained the action of the Commission and that find lng is upheld. The opinion was handed down by Justice Brewer, who said: We are not construing an act of the State of Mississippi or passing upon the powers which rjy It ar given to the State Railroad Commission, Th question w have to con sider is the power of the state to enforce an equality of local rates between all parties shipping th same distance over vhe same road. That a stat has such power cannot be doubted, and It cannot be thwarted by any action of a railroad company which does not involv an actual Interstate ship ment, although done with a view of pro moting th business Interests of the com pany. While a state may not compel a railroad company to do business at a loss and whll a railroad company may Insist as against the power of the state upon the right to establish such ratas as will afford reasonable compensation for the services rendered, yet. when It voluntarily establishes local rates for some shippers, it cannot re sist the power of the state to enforo th same rates for all. The state may insist upon equality as between all the citizens and that equality cannot be defeated in respect to any local shipments by arrangements made -with or to favor outside companies. GOVERNMENT CANNOT APPEAL Supreme Court Places Obstacles in Way of Convicting Thieves. WASHINGTON, Dec. 17. That the Government Is not entitled to a writ of certiorari bringing to the Supreme Court of the United tates for review criminal cases which have been passed on by United States Circuit Courts of Appeals adversely to the Government's conten tions, was today practically held by the Supreme Court in the case of John C. Morgan. Morgan was found guilty by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on a charge of cut ting timber upon the public domain, -but the Court of Appeals for the Eighth cir cuit reversed the verdict on various points. The Attorney-General then brought the case to the Supreme Court In an effort to secure a reversal of the usual practice, which is to prohibit appeal in any form by the Government In crim inal cases, but in this he was not suc cessful. SANE MAN IN AN ASYLUM. Insurance Companies Investigate and Locate George Kimmell. NEW FORK. Dec. 17. George J. Kim mell, ex-cashler of the Farmers' State Bank, of Arkansas City, Kas., who has been an Inmate of the Insane asylum at Mattewan, today was declared by a Judge In the Supreme Court at White Plains to be of sound mind. Kimmell was setenced to the insane asvlum under the name of Andrew white. He was cashier of the Arkansas State Bank. Mrs. Edna K. Donslott, a sister of Kimmell, was named as beneficiary in the policies he carried and after her brother had been missing for seven years she made a claim to the money, de claring that he was legally dead. The Insurance company contested and finally located him In the asylum. ST. LOUIS, Mo., Dec. 17. After a trial lasting for almost a week, a Jury in the United States Circuit Court here rendered a verdict, October 5 last. In favor of George C. Rankin, In his suit against the New Tork Life Insurance Company, to recover $7736 insurance on the life of George A. Kimmell. Kimmell was the former president and cashier of the Farmers' State Bank of Arkansas City, Kan., and dis appeared Jury 81, 1SS8. In contesting the suit, the insurans company set up the claim that Kimmell was not dead, but was an inmate of the Matteawan asylum for. the criminal Insane In New York under the name of Andrew J. White. ' DECLARE HENEY THREATENED Attorneys for Schmitz and Ruef Make Motion and Are Denied. SAtf FRANCISCO, Dec. 17. Another motion to strike from the files an indict ment, charging Mayor Eugene E. Schmitz and Abraham Ruef w-ith extortion, was made and denied in Judge Dunne's court today. A similar motion was denied last week, but the motion offered today was based on new grounds as follows: That all the evidence taken before the grand Jury would not warrant convic tion; that the indictment was based on hearsay evidence; that Langdon and Heney were guilty of misconduct in the grand Jury room; that the grand Jurors were guilty of such conduct as to preju dice each other against the defendants; that Heney abused and vilified the de fendants in the grand Jury room; that while the indictment was pending. Forev man Oliver and Heney threatened wit nesses with perjured indictments; that Heney was appointed by private persons, enemies of the defendants, and that he coerced and intimidated witnesses and that he controlled the avenues of ap proach to the grand jury room, exclud ing the Sheriff's officers. District Attorney Langdon was first placed on the stand, when Attorney Ach attempted to prove that Heney was ap pointed to the office 'at the request of the newspapers to prosecute Ruef and Schmitz. This was denied by Langdon, who also declared that he did not know Heney and Schmitz were enemies. NO GRAFT IN RELIEF WORK Taft Scorns Suggestion and Praises San Francisco Committee. BOSTON, Mass.. Dec. 17. A letter which John F. Moors, qf this city, a member of the Massachusetts relief committee, has received from Secretary of War Taft, who is also president of the American Red Cross Society, dis cusses the recent criticisms of the ad ministration of the San Francisco re lief funds. Mr. Taft says: "The relief committee makes no claim that mistakes were not made In the stupendous relief work it was called on to undertake without pre cedent or previous experience by which to be guided, but the charge that the funds contributed have been squan dered or stolen is a great injustice to men who have been devoting their time, thought and energy to the best welfare of their fellow-citizens in San Fran cisco and. unless such charges can be substantiated by proof, they should be accepted by no one." King Oscar Has Good Day. STOCKHOLM, Dec. 17. King Oscar passed another good day. He had several hours sleep and his improvement con- tlnues. MAY COMPROMISE WITH LORDS British Cabinet Offers Concessions on Education Bill. LONDON, Dec. 17. When the educa tion bill, amended by the House of Lords, sent back to the House of Com mons and returned by that body to the upper house, reached the Lords today, the Earl of Crewe, Lord President of the Council, said the government was not prepared to sacrifice the main pur pose of the bill, but that it was certain modifications of the most important points might be agreed upon in order to enable the bill to become a law. Lord Crewe added that concessions of a substantial character would be made. In view of this announcement, the House of Lords consented to an ad journment of the debate in order to en able to leaders to reach an agreement. Immediately after the debate the conference of the leaders on both sides assembled in Mr. Balfour's room in the Commons. The result of the delibera tions is not known, but the general opinion Is that a compromise will be arranged. BIG TUNNEL UNDER CHANNEL Anglo-French Scheme Revived In British Parliament. LONDON, Dec. 17. A bill empowering an Anglo-French company to construct a tunnel under the British Channel has been deposited with Parliament. It is estimated that this scheme will Involve an expenditure of fS0.000.000. It Is pro posed to build two parallel tunnels 24 miles long. General Strike at Italian Ports. ROME, Dec 17. A general strike has been proclaimed In all the ports of Italy and serious Injury to commerce is beginning to result. This general movement is an outcome of the recent srlke on the part of men employed on trans-Atlantic steamers, which be gan at Naples and Genoa. Grants Home Rule In South Africa. LONDON, Dee. 17. After a debate lasting several hours, and on motion made by Winston Spencer Churchill. Under Secretary for the Colonies, the House of Commons today approved the grant of constitutions to the Transvaal and Orange River Colonies. LEVEY' IS CLOSELY QUESTIONED Vice-President Kept On the Stand AU Day Long. NORTH YAKIMA, Wash.. Dec. 17. (Special.) The condemnation cases of the North Coast Railway against the Northern Pacific for a right of way over property in the Yakima Valley were taken up before Judge Rlgg this morning in Superior Court. The first case was that continued from Novem ber 6, in which a right of way is de sired over a tract of 20 acres of land lying at the foot of Selah street, this city, so as to permit the North Coast to build its line along Selah street, abutting on which it has purchased 70 per cent of the property to be used as trackage and station and warehouse grounds. C. M. Levey, third vice-president of the Northern Pacific, was called In cross-examination this morning and was on the stand the entire day. The attorneys for the Northern Pacific sought to show that a compro mise proposal had been made to the North Coast, and the latter refused it. The strip of land in this case, it is al leged by the Northern Pacific, is want- ed for roundhouses, coal-bunkers and other purposes, to be used when cer tain improvements cbntemplated for this city are carried out. The' Northern Pacific offered to sell the North Coast. Mr. Levey says, a strip of this land, so as to permit it to build on Wenas avenue, two blocks to the west! of Selah street. He says the company also offered to sell at $50 an acre a right of way across any of its land between Union Gap and the east end of the valley, providing the proposal of going around the 20-acre strip below the city is accepted. The North Coast has all its surveys made and all of its rights of way pur chased, save over Northern Pacific ground, and It alleges 1t is Impossible to make a change without a big ex pense. Then to change the course of entering the city would throw the North Coast out of the warehouse dist rict, and this is what the North Coast desires to enter. The case will prob ably be on all week. THREE LIVES LOST IN WRECK Twenty-Ton Schooner Gabrlella Goes Down on Skidegate Bar. VANCOUVER, B. C, Dec. 17. Three lives were lost in the wreck of 'the 20-ton schooner Gabriella, Captain Schultz, on Skidegate Bar, about the middle of October, and it was not until a month later that the news of the disaster was received at Skidegate. Those who lost their lives were Cap tain Schultz, James Lindstrom and an unknown Indian. The bodies were not recovered, but the remains of one man, nothing but a handful of flesh, were picked up in a piece of an old shirt, clinging to the wreck. News of the disaster reached Vancouver by the steamer Tees, Captain Locks, which reached port from Northern British Columbia points shortly after 8 o'clock. BRINGS A CARGO OF CEMENT Mnshkoka Arrives at Astoria Lost Sailor Overboard During Voyage, . i"t'ai) t a i' r- T o r 17 f KnAnlal-1 t 5 , t i.ri Ftrltish tinrlc Muskoka. arrived In this evening, 164 days from TTamhurir with a careo of 3650 tons of cement for Portland. USE COTTON SEED FOR FUEL Oklahoma Farmers Will Soon Suffer From the Cold. nTTTUDTT' rra Ta. 17 A anoHal in the State Capital from Mangum. Okla.. says that the fuel famine was partially relieved by the arrival of two cars con taining coal over the Rock Island this morning. In three hours he long pro cession of farmers and residents of Man gum had exhausted the supply. Farmers have been reduced to cotton seed and corn for fuel and if the situation is not materially relieved within the week there will Da actual sunenng. YACHT DESIGNER IS BURNED Herreshoff, Whose Genius Has Often Saved America's Cup. PROVIDENCE, R. I., Dec. 17. Na thaniel G. Herreshoff, the famous ae- signer of yachts which have borne the brunt of defending America's cup, was severely burned Sunday by the explosion of a tank of naphtha in the machinery department of the Herreshoff shops. Two sons of Mr. Herreshoff, Sydney, aged 16. and Francis, aged 13, were slightly burned.