8
THE MORNING OREGONIAN, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1907.
SCBSfRIPTIOS RATES.
tJT INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. "V3
(By Mall.)
rally, Fundny Included, one year $3.00
X)ally( Sunday Included, six months.... 4.25
Ijally, Sunday Included, three months.. 2.25
Dally. Sunday Included, one month.... -75
Daily, without Sunday, one year....... 6-00
Daily, without Sunday, en month 3.25
Dally, without Sunday, three months.. 1.75
Daily, without Sunday, one montr ...... .00
Sunday, one year.'.-, .' V ... 2-50
Weekly, one year (Issued Thurad, 1.50
Sunday and Weekly, one year y. 8.50
BV CARRIER.
Dally, Sunday Included, one year 9-00
Daily, Sunda; included, one month.... .75
HOW TO REMIT Send postofflce money
order, express order or personal check on
your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency
re at the sender's risk. Give postofflce ad
dress In full, including county and state.
rOSTAUE RATES.
Entered at Poftland, Oreuoll, Postofflce
as Second-Class Matter.
10 to 14 Pages 1 cent
18 to 28 Pages 2 cents
80 to 44 Pages 3 cents
4li to 60 Pages 4 cents
Foreign Postage, double rates.
lMroKTANT The postal laws are strict.
Newspapers on which postage is not fully
prepaid are not forwarded to destination,
EASTERN BISINESS OFFICE.
The 8. C. BeckwJth Special Agency New
Tork, rooms 4:1-50 Tribune building. Chi
cago, rooms 510-012 Tribune building.
KEPT OX BALE.
Chicago Auditorium Annex, Postofflce
News Co., 178 Dearborn street.
St. l'aul, Minn. N. St. Mario, Commercial
Elation.
Colorado Springs, Colo. WeBtera Heva
Agency.
Ienver Hamilton Hendrick, 906-012
Seventeenth street; Pratt Book Store, 1214
Fifteenth street; I. Welnsteiu; H. P. Han
sen. Kansas City, Mo. Klcksocker Cigar Co.,
Ninth and Walnut.
Minneapolis il. J. Kavanaugh, CO South
Third.
Cleveland, O James Pushaw. 307 Su
perior strect-
Atiantio City, N. J. Ell Taylor
New York City L. Jones & Co., Astor
House; liroadway Theater News Stand.
Oakland, Cnl. W. H. Johnson, Four
teenth and Franklin streets; N. Wneatley;
Oakland News stand.
Ogden D. L. Uoyle, W. Q. Kind, 114
Twenty-lifth street.
Hot Springit, Ark. C. N. Weaver & Co.
Oimiiia llarkalow Bros., 1012 Farnam;
Magealh Stationery Co., laoS Farnam; 240
outh Fourteenth.
Sacramento, Cul. Sacramento News Co.,
43i K street.
Salt l.iikr Moon v Book & 6tationery Co.,
Rosenfeld & Hansen
Los Antrim 11. E. Amos, manager seven
street w nitons.
San Diego- B. E. Amos.
Lons; Br:ieh. Cal. B. E. Amos.
l'uNHdenu, Cal. A. F. Horning.
Sun 1 runcisro Fostnr & urear. Ferry
News Stand; Hotel St. Francis News Stand;
L. Parent. N. "Wneatley.
Eureka, Cel. Call-Chronicle Agency.
Washington, 1). C. Ebbltt House, Penn
sylvania avenue.
Norfolk, Va. Jamestown News Co.
I'ine Reach, Va. W. A. Cosgrove.
Philadelphia, l'u. Kyan's Theater Ticket
Office.
PORTLAND, FRIDAY, FKBIU'ARY 8, 1907.
REPEAT. ALL FEUPKTl; AL FRANCHISES
All perpetual franchises should be
repealed. They are bad in law and bad
In policy. There should bo no such
thing. The Oregonian has said this
repeatedly and now reiterates It. The
Oregonian has also said that It la sound
logic and proper procedure for the
power granting the franchise to re
voke It. This Is Incontrovertible, we
think. Rut the way to revoke is to
revoke, and we will not split hairs with
any one about procedure. If It bids fair
to be' effectivo und correct." A part
of the Multnomah delegation at Salem
insists that there should bo passed by
the Legielature a measure revoking all
perpetual franchises. Any genuine
measure of that kind will have the un
qualified approval of The Oregonian.
The people of the state want them re
pealed and demand that they shall be
repealed. The Oregonian only voices
their sentiments and desires, and rep
resents their interests when It declares
that any effort made In good faith In
that direction and to that end merits
commendation.
The franchise of the Portland Gas
Company, however, elands In a class
by Itself. An attempt to treat It upon
the same basis as other perpetual fran
chises w-hlch are held by various cor
porations is a mistake. All other fran
chises have been granted since Oregon
became a estate. They fall under the
constitutional provision that all fran
chises may be "altered, repealed or
amended" - The Gas Company's char
ter, or one of Its charters, and the
principal one, was obtained before Or
egon became a state. It was conferred
by the Territorial Legislature and
there Is a question whether or not the
above constitutional provision applies
to it. The contention of the company is
that- It does not, and that this fran
chise cannot be repealed by the Legis
lature. No such contention is made
for any other franchise. The oldest
of them, that of the railroad on Fourth
street, dates only from 1S69. Oregon
had then been a state and the constitution-
in- force for ten years. This
franchise, if it Is' a franchise, ought
undoubtedly be revoked. The tracks
on Fourth street are a common nui
sance, but the revocation should not
tie attempted In the same bill that
deals with the franchise of the Gas
Company. . Under the repeal of the
Fourth-street franchise, by the general
act, and of all others granted under the
constitution, there can be no litigation
unless confiscation should be at
tempted. Over the repeal of the gas
franchise granted In 1839 litigation Is
certain. The company will maintain
In court that Its privilege is not only
perpetual, but also irrevocable; that
It is above, not only the -laws of the
state, but the constitution a!io. The
purpose and the necessity of the spe
clal bill, affecting only the Gas Com
pany, ought to be perfectly clear to
every Legislator and there should be
no objecticn to It from any one who
"desires repeal of any perpetual fran
chise.
THE AFFRONT TO JAPAN.
We have heard a great deal In con
nectlon with the Japanese school em-
brogllo in San Francisco about the ob
jectlon to the attendance of full-grown
Japanese men along with American
'children of 10 and 12 years of age. In
point of fact, an stated by William
Inglls, special correspondent detailed by
Harper's Weekly to investigate and re
port upon the situation, there were
only ninety-three Japanese pupils at
tending the twenty-three public schools
of. San Francisco when the trouble be
gan. Of these ninety-three pupils two
were 20 years of age; four were 19, six
18, twelve ,17, nine 16. and ten 15 years
old. The rest were between 6 and 14
years of age. It is contended that Jap
anese children could have been ex
cluded from cchools attended by white
children in such a manner as to avoid
giving offense. The trouble was in the
order of the Board of Education direct
ing that Japanese, Corean and Chinese
pupils must not go to schools attended
by. white children. This grouping of
the races aroused a protest; from all
Japan.
The, citizen of Japan, eays Mr. Inglis,
is not only proud, but sensitive; he is
like Sir Walter Scott's Hlelander, who
walked abroad with hie nostrils quiver
ing and searching the air for an af
front. To throw him in pell-mell
among Chinamen and Coreans, whom
he despises, was the crowning act of
humiliation.
The School Board acted hastily and
without tact. The incident is to be re
gretted, first because of the hostile feel
ing againet the United States to which
it gave rise in Japan, and again be
cause it gives every blatherskite In the
country, in Congress and out of it, a
chance to air his opinions upon race
antagonisms. Denis Kearney, Of
anti-Chinese sandlot memory, has come
out of his retirement of a score of years
to exclaim: "The Japanese are the yel
low peril," adding:
They're establishing tailor shops, shoemaker
shops, laundries, restaurants and"' everything
else. They're becoming gardeners, and doing
all kinds of work which our own children
and our own people ought to be compelled to
do. They're leasing land all over the state
and raising products on it to compete with
our own farmers at a cheaper rate. They're
worming their way Into every work.
By and by there'll be a million of them
here, because thla is the finest place in the
known world to live. Now one million Jap
anese would be a menace to the peace of these
states. They'll fight. We know that. The
Russo-Japanese War shows it. They are a
fighting nation, and they are fighters, by na
ture. They mean to win by hook or by
crook.
This Is Denis Kearney, but the sen
timents are no.t confined to him or his
class. It is said that they are shared
by ninety-five Californians out of
every one hundred. It Is against the
expression of such sentiments that Sec
retary Taft warns men in the Nation's
high places. This warning Is well
timed.
OREGON APPROPRIATION'S SAFE.
The House yesterday agreed to all
of the Items in the rivers and harbors
bill, the aggregate being more than
$3,200,001), of which nearly one-half is
immediately available, the remainder
being for continuing contract work.
This action of the House, while almost
a foregone conclusion, removes the last
veetige of doubt regarding the ultimate
completion of the Columbia River Jetty
by the Government. It also assures
some important work on the upper
river obstructions. Ae has been previ
ously stated, a great deal of credit for
these liberal appropriations is due the
delegation from our neighboring state.
Senator Fulton has been Oregon's
only effective working member, and
the responsibilities upon him have been
very heavy. He not only got the riv
ers and harbors bill through the Sen
ate, but his labors before the House
committee were unceasing and were
most potent. It ought to be said for
him that he worked wherever work
was needed for every part of Oregon,
and it is only proper acknowledgment
to remark that the efforts he put forth
for Oregon's appropriations, combined
with the friendly attitude of Represen
tative Jones, of Washington, a mem
ber of the rivers and harbors commit
tee, resulted in most generous consid
eration by the House committee and
large appropriations by Congress.
Tho project for a fourteen-foot chan
nel from Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico
suffered defeat in the House, not per
haps because it lacked merit, but on
account of the large amount involved
and the pressure for funds which were
badly needed on otherwork which had
already been commenced and which
might suffer by any "paring" made
necessary in order to take care of the
new project.
The rivero and harbors appropriation
bill, on the whole, has been a good one,
and Its special value lies in the in
creasing interest in river and harbor
work which is reflected by such appro
priations. The Chicago waterway to
the Gulf may not be constructed for a
number of years, but the increasing
recognition of the value of our water
ways gives assurance that it, as well a
large number of other similar trans
portation projects, will eventually re
ceive due consideration from the Gov
ernment. -
TRADE AND THE FLAG.
The "far-flung empire" of Great Brit
ain, on whose possessions the sun never
sets, is still well in the lead of all
other maritime nations, and as a shin
ing example of what our own merchant
marine should be, the subsidy-hunters
make copious allusions to that of Eng
land. Great Britain's over-sea posses
sions are of such great proportions and
are kept In such close touch with the
mother country that a vast merchant
marine has grown up from this cause
alone; but, contrary to the assertions of
our own subsidy grafters, not one
twentieth of the tonnage engaged in
foreign trade under the British flag
receives a penny in subsidy. There is
no more reason why the United States
should engage In the ocean carrying
business at a loss because Great Brit
ain and other cheap-labor, cheap-ship
countries engage in it than there would
be in an American citizen keeping a
delivery wagon when he could have his
delivery work handled at a smaller cost
by some one who made a specialty of
that work.
The principal reason for Great Brit
ain's prestige on the high seas is
shown in some recent statistics on her
foreign trade and possessions. These
over-sea possessions, which, of course,
can be reached only with a merchant
marine, comprise an area of 11,193.000
square miles, or a territory more than
100 times as large as Great Britain her
self. The over-sea possessions of the
United States have an area of approx
imately 160,000 square miles, compared
with 3,600,000 square miles in the home
country, where the subsidy-hunters are
at work. With possessions of such
vast extent and so widely scattered as
are England's, the business of moving
troops, officials and government mail
and supplies alone is sufficient to fur
nish revenue for a large number of
steamers in all parts of the world.
This forms the nucleus of the trade
on routes where the United States is
not maintaining a regular service under
the American flag. It admits of ' the
British shipow-ners carrying our traffic
at rates much lower than those which
our own shipowners see fit to make.
It has been argued that by not owning
the ocean carriers we have been placed
at a disadvantage In the foreign trade.
The fallacy of this argument is quite
forcibly shown by the official figures
previously mentioned. These show that
in 1905 the imports and exports in the
British Empire outside of the United
Kingdom reached a total value of 641,
700.000 pounds sterling, of which only
287,200,000 pounds were done with the
United Kingdom. In other words,
Great Britain, with all of the enormous
prestige supposed to be given her by
ihor unequaled merchant marine, was
unable to secure one-half of the trade
with her own 'possessions. But while
she was unable to sell them as many
goods as were sold them by the United
States and other countries, she was still
so much lower than the rest of the
world with her freight rates that she
actually sold transportation to the
Americans and other merchants who
supplied the goods.
The figures are of special interest at
this time, when some of the chief offi
cials of our own Government are en
deavoring to show that 'our foreign
trade is being hampered by reason of
our not owning as many ships as some
of our competitors. They prove quite
conclusively that Great Britain deals
heavier proportionately in transporta
tion than she does in general traffic,
even with her own possessions. They
also prove that when the comparative
area of the over-sea possessions of the
United Kingdom and the United States
is taken Into consideration, our own
country has a proportionately larger
merchant marine than her famous com
petitor on whose domain the sun never
sets.
COMMISSIONERS TO BE ELECTED.
The Joint railroad committee at Sa
lem appears to have made up its mind
that the State Railroad Commission
should be elected by the people; but
not now. There is a mighty effort to
give an important piece of patronage
to Governor Chamberlain in the ap
pointment of commissioners. The pres
ent Governor ought, in the committee's
opinion, to be considered, but no other
Governor. After Chamberlain, the del
uge, possibly; and then the people only
can be trusted.
Why not begin right by placing the
power to elect three commissioners
with the people in June, 1908? Of
course, there should be temporary ap
pointments meanwhile, and it is proper
that the Governor should appoint
them. But it is not best, in the opinion
of The Oregonian, that they should
hold office after the people shall have
had an opportunity to elect their suc
cessors. The people in June, 1908, can
elect three commissioners, two for four
years and one for two years. In 1910
the successor of the short-term com
missioner may be elected for a full
term of four years.
The railroad committee, we observe.
Insists that the Commission shall have
power and authority to employ a spe
cial a.ttorney. Very well. That un
doubtedly is a proper provision. A
further provision should be made that
no person who is the paid attorney of
any shipper should be employed in that
capacity. The Commission is entitled
to have the public interest, and not
any private interest, served through
the labors and talents of its attorney.
THAW'S DEFENSE.
When Stanford White wa3 shot by
Thaw the newspapers of the country
almost unanimously decided that he
had deserved his fate. Few, of course,
approved the violent manner of his
punishment. It was regretted that the
law provides no adequate methods for
bringing such characters to Justice,
leaving vengeance, as it does, to the
hands of those whom they have
wronged; but that White had merited
his fate the public voice agreed. Still
there were dissentient opinions. It was
said by a writer in Collier's Weekly
that White was a gentle and lovable
man, famous as an artist and kind to
his family, whose life wa& . as blame
less as his death was cruel. The writer
added that the denunciations of White
were products of "yellow Journalism."
To his mind those habits which made
White odious in the sight of the plain
people of the country were-innocent, if
not even commendable. There are, in
fact, not a few men, and possibly
women, too. In the world who hold that
a girl who has to earn her living is the
legitimate prey -of any man who can
accomplish her ruin. Once fallen she
is forever fallen. There is no pardon
for her sin. While the man who has
led her astray is not only forgiven, but,
in some quarters at least, his deed Is
rather accounted to his credit and he is
at full liberty to look upon the girl
thenceforward as. the slave of his pleas
ures. Should- she endeavor to climb
from the gulf of ruin where he has
plunged her, he is permitted to thwart
her efforts by every means that his de
praved imagination may suggest. He
may pursue her with solicitation; he
may blacken her name; he may lie,
slander and deceive her. No matter
how vile the methods which he chooses
to force his victim 'to follow a life of
perpetual shame, a certain section of
society condones and perhaps approves
them. A.mong the members of the so
cial set to which White belonged the
ruin of young girls Is a recognized vari
ety of sport. They class it as vastly
more amusing than grouse shooting
and not more immoral than stalking
the moose.
The common and statute law govern
ing wrongs committed by men againet
women represents the opinions 'of this
social class, which includes many of
the wealthy, all of the idle and some
of the intellectually gifted. It has been
contrived to protect rather than hinder
them in the pursuit of their favorite
sport. Thus, under the law of New
York, "knowledge on the part of a
man that hie wife was being pursued
or annoyed by another would not be
such provocation as to reduce a homi
cide to manslaughter." It would per
mit him to shoot a burglar who was
attempting to steal his silver, but not a
"gentleman" like White, who had first
assaulted his wife in her innocent girl
hood and afterward sought to drag; her
back into renewed infamy. Nor do the
courts of New York recognize any
"higher law" pertaining to these mat
ters. The privilege of a "gentleman"
to pursue a woman who has once been
his prey, to blight her life by his wiles
and entrap her again if he can, is sa
cred and inviolable. The father, the
husband or the brother is forbidden to
Invoke against him the primitive law of
eye for eye and tooth for tooth. He
may invoke this law In defense of his
property, but not in defense of his
wife, daughter or sister,.
Thaw's defense, therefore, could not
be placed on the broad basis that his
deed was intrinsically Just and that he
had been compelled by the defects of
the law itself to right his own immeas
urable wrong. The plea of insanity
was his sole recourse. To make this
plea good under the law of New York
he need only prove that at the time
when he shot White his mind was so
affetfted that he did not know "the na
ture and quality of his act,' or did not
know that his act was wrong." The
word "wrong" here means "illegal,"
since if his act was not morally wrong
of course it Would be absurd to think
of his "knowing that it was wrong,"
whether he was insane or not. More-
Iover, he need only establish that he
was "insane" in this restricted sense at
th& moment when he fired the shot.
His mental state before and afterward
Is of no consequence. This makes the
problem of the defense comparatively
simple.
To accomplish the one vital purpose
of showing that . Thaw's mind was so
affected at the time when he shot
White that he did not know his act
was illegal, Mr. Delmas, his lawyer,
introduces two lines of evidence. The
first tends to show that Thaw Is pre
disposed to insanity by heredity. The
second, that White's pursuit of Mrs.
Thaw was so persistent and malignant
that insanity was actually produced.
Thaw's brooding over the original be
trayal of his wife by White in her girl
hood would contribute to the same ef
fect; therefore the particulars of this
event, her narrative of White's gen
tlemanly wiles to accomplish his pur
pose, are submitted to the Jury by the
astute attorney for the defense. There
seems to be no doubt whatever that
Thaw loved his wife passionately. The
story of her fall, or rather her betrayal,
before he met her, does not seem to
have diminished his affection in the
least, but in all probability it did in
duce prolonged and morbid brooding of
the sort that leads to madness. "That
way madness lies," said Lear of similar
harrowing thoughts. Whatever the
technical result of the trial may be.
Thaw has the sympathy of that part of
mankind which sets the welfare of the
family above the sensual pleasures of
the aristocracy.
The ordinance limiting -the height of
reinforced concrete buildings to eight
stories has been reconsidered by the
City Council and twelve stories is the
extreme limit now fixed for such build
ings when they cover 100 square feet
or more of ground. Careful tests of
this material have been made, and the
result Is held to Justify the extension
of the height limit. Modern engineer
ing skill may be trusted must be
trusted indeed not to exceed the lim
its of public safety in matters of this
kind. Wise waggings of the head In
spired by Ignorance of the subject and
by fear which is commonly the result
of ignorance, are not to be taken as
safety gauges. Prudent men, however,
see the necessity of an inspection that
inspects, and of engineering skill that
is something more than technical in
the construction Of lofty buildings, and
can only hope that Portland Is- well
equipped in these lines. We want
twelve-etory buildings if we can have
therh properly constructed with ma
terial that will stand the . tremendous
strain not otherwise.
Washington lawgivers approve the
Oregon law that sends wifebeaters to
the whipping-post, and have under
consideration the enactment of a like
measure. The law has not found favor
In Oregon, chiefly, perhaps, because of
its lax administration. Its effect is
said to be brutalizing upon the recipi
ent of the penalty, but, after all. appeal
can only be made to a. brute through
means that he can understand. This
law, like any other, must be rigidly and
impartially enforced if it is to prove
salutary. It is a fact, well known, that
its enforcement has not oeen insisted
upon by the courts of the state, and it
cannot be said, therefor.e to have been
given a fair and full trial. The human
hounds to whose backs the lash has
been applied have whined like the curs
that they are under the penalty. There
iff no evidence that they have been fur
ther "brutalized" by its application,
while there is good reason to believe
that the fear of another dose of their
own medicine has deterred some of
them from repeating the gross offense
of wlfebeatlng.
If the song of the meadow lark Is the
advance call of Spring, that much-desired
season Is close at hand. Even In
the days when snow was on the ground
and Ice covered the snow, the trill of
these cheerful and hardy .little song
sters rose and fell on the air, shaming
the human grumbler who looked from
the windows of his warm room and
listened. Of course we know that with
February nearly half gone Spring will
soon be here, but it is pleasant never
theless to be reassured of that fact by
the songs of birds.
Shocking, these revelations about the
Franklin Association. A local Job
printing trust to keep up prices and
gouge the public? Cannot be true, or
we should "have heard ere this from
those valiant friends of the people and
lynx-eyed guardians of the weal of the
plain people. Senator Hofleon, Senator
Beach and Senator Bailey, all about
the Iniquity of such monopolies, and
they would be sitting up nights at Sa
lem to devise ways and means to bust
the trust. Yes, indeed.
Councilman Shepherd, too, deserves a
little more public attention and sympa
thy than he has had. He is about the
hardest-worked man in Portland to
earn his two salaries, one from the
Harriman system and; the other from
the city. But it must be admitted that
the associated plutocracy got value re
ceived on his vote on gaa franchise
revocation. But what did the public
get?
The point of view over in Bunchgrass
is of the right sort. Recently some
people were arrested at Harney for
killing a calf. They set up the defense
that they were lost and hungry. The
owner of the animal said he would
have done the same and withdrew the
case.
Possibly the Thaw witnesses might
be able to answer Mr. Delmas' question
ae to whether Mr. Thaw acted in. an
"irrational" manner after he killed
White if they could learn what is a
rational way for a murderer to act
Just after the crime.
Good Judges predict a yield of a mil
lion dollars from the placers in the
neighborhood of Grant's Pass this sea
son. 'If Rogue River cannot beat Hood
River on apples, she can dig up the
dust all right.
The virtuous Councilman Sharkey
doesn't propose to be "used" by The
Oregonian. Probably not, since The
Oregonian has not suggested or tried to
arrange It. There Is no other reason.
Councilman Annand, we observe. Is a
candidate for Mayor. He has started
well with the support of the Portland
Gas Company.
GiveTl adequate transportation, the
copper mines tributary to Baker City
will rival the world's best. Its day Is
in sight.
For the proposed State of Lincoln,
Baker City could easily furnish the
gubernatorial . candidates.
HARDSHIP TO POOR SETTLERS
Fulton Confers With Roosevelt on
Suspension of Patents.
OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU,
Washington, Feb. 7. Senator Fulton
had a long conference" with the Presi
dent today ' in regard to the latter's
order suspending all public land entries
until they can be examined on the
ground by a special agent of the Land
Office. The Senator said this order
was bound to work hardship on honest
settlers, and was to his mind conducive
to more harm than good.
The President admitted that he had
never looked on the matter as Mr.
Fulton did, and said he could see dis
advantages that he knew nothing of
when the order was issued. While
he made no promises, he rather gave
tho Impression that the order would
be modified, particularly as it applies
to homestead entries.
Where Fraud Conies In.
Mr. Fulton told the President that
the greatest amount of fraud In the
past had been committed under the
timber and stone act, but he showed
that fraud under that law was not
such as could be discovered by a spe
cial agent visiting the entry. The
fraud was usually in the form of an
agreement between the entryman and
a prospective purchaser of the land,
and such agreements would be no more
apparent to a special agent examining
the timber than to the department in
Washington. For this reason, he be
lieved examination of- the timber en
tries by a special agent would fall to
accomplish the President's purpose.
As applied to homesteads the Sen
ator said it would be a hardship to
withhold patents from settlers who
had complied with the law, mostly be
cause their entries had not been per
sonally inspected by a special agent.
Many times setlers are anxious to ob
tain title se they can mortgage their
land and obtain money for improve
ments or for other legitimate purposes.-
Sometimes they might want to
sell. The long delays Incident to ex
amination would defeat these pur
poses. Slight Bribe Special Agents.
On the other hand, he told the Presi
dent that out of hundreds of special
agents at salaries of $1200 a year tho
Government would be bound to get
many men who would not be above ac
cepting bribes, and such special agents,
instead of protecting honest settlers
and exposing orooks, would accept
money from men who were breaking
the law to sustain their records, but
would report adversely on honest en
tries where the entrymen would re
fuse to bribe them. He believed that
more fraud would be consummated
under this system than is perpetrated
now.
The President seemed much im
pressed and admitted that these argu
ments placed the matter in an entire
ly new light and he would go deeper
into the situation. Intimating, as stat
ed, that he would modify his order, at
least in so far as It applies to home
stead entries.
SEATTLE CANAL IS REVIVED
Dimensions of Moore's Ditch Altered.
Government to Build Lock.
OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU. Wash
ington, Feb. 7. AH Oregon and Wash
ington items in the river and harbor bill
as reported by the committee were agreed
to by the House today. In addition, the
committee amended the bill to permit
James A. . Moore of Seattle, or King
County, to construct a canal 25 feet deep
and 75 feet wide connecting Puget Sound
with Lake Washington, It being under
stood that the next river and harbor bill
will carry money to construct a lock in
this canal necessary to prevent the lower
ing of the level of Lake Washington,
which is to be used as a fresh-water
harbor back of Seattle. The committee
also authorized a survey of the Snoho
mish River from its mouth to Lowell.
NEW POSTMASTER AT BAKER
Moomaw Ousted for Incompetency
After Second Trial.
OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU. Wash
ington, Feb. 7. Senator Fulton today set
tled the postofflce fight at Baker City
by recommending the appointment of
William H. Packard, Sr., to succeed
David L. Moomaw, who has been re
moved for incompetency and neglect of
duty. Moomaw was serving his second
term, having been originally appointed
by Representative Moody.
The department was unfavorable to his
reappointment, but the people of Baker
City generally desired that he have an
other term, and the department yielded.
His conduct of the office lately has been
so lax that It was decided to oust him.
No corruption or fraud is charged against
him, however.
LOOKS BRIGHT FOR SEATTLE
Senate Committee Reports Appropri
ation for Fair Exhibits.
OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU. Wash
ington, Feb. 7. The Senate committee on
expositions today favorably reported
Senator Ankeny's bill making an ap
propriation for Government exhibits at
the Seattle Exposition. The total appro
priation was cut from $1,250,000 to $700,000,
the items being as follows:
Alaska exhibit, $250,000; Hawaiian ex
hibit. $50,000; Philippine exhibit, $75,000;
three buildings to house these exhibits,
$325,000. Mr. Ankeny expects to call up
the bill for consideration at an early day.
The entire Washington delegation ap
peared In Its behalf at the committee
meeting this morning.
Bourne Dines Western Senators.
OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU, Wash
ington, Feb. 7. Senator Bourne gave an
informal dinner today at the Shoreham
to the Senators from the extreme West
ern states. The Senators present were
Fulton and Mulkey, Oregon; Ankeny and
Piles. Washington; Heyburn, Idaho; Suth
erland and Smoot, Utah; Newlands and
Nixon, Nevada; Carter and Dixon, Mon
tana; Warren and Clark, Wyoming. The
California Senators and Senator Clark, of
Montana, declined because of previous
engagements. Dubois was out of the
city. The dinner was entirely unofficial
and merely for the purpose of encourage
ing good fellowship.
All Oregon Items Included.
OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU, Wash
ington. Feb. 7. The House today
agreed to all the Oregon Items In
the rivers and harbors bill, aggregat
ing $3,213,240, of which $1,700,000 is a
continuing appropriation, the balance
being immediately, available.
More Money for Pacific Lights. .
OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU, Wash
ington, Feb. 7. The Senate commerce
committee reported the House omnibus
lighthouse bill with amendments added
giving $20,000 ior rebuilding the lighthouse
at Cape Arago and $120,000 for a lighthouse
vessel at Oxford Reefs.
Right of Way Across Fort Columbia.
OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU. Wash
ington, Feb. 7. The Senate today passed
Senator Fulton's bill authorizing the II
waco Railroad to build across the Fort
Columbia reservation and quarantine
station grounds on its way from llwaco
to Knappton,
SCHOOL
QUESTION SEPARATE
Japanese Press Denounces Proposed
Labor Treaty as Farce.
TOKIO.-Feb. 8. (Noon.) While ig
noring the anti-Japanese feeling in a
portion of the American press, the Jap
anese public is almost unanimous In
demanding that the solution of the San
Francisco school question must not
involve the labor question.
A mutual treaty restricting the emi
gration of laborers is condemned here
as a farce and a one-sided concession,
sacrificing Japan's honor without any
recompense whatever. It Is felt that,
even with the United States, nothing
derogatory to national honor, however
slight, must be admitted ln4the diplo
matic relations of both nations.
DID NOT DISCUSS AMERICA
Japanese Privy Council Rumor
False War Talk Ridiculed.
TOKIO, Feb. 7. A report reaching here
from America to the effect that the
Privy Council had met Tuesday last to
consider a dispatch from Washington is
repleto with great surprises and some
indignation. It is thought here by some
that the report has been put into circu
lation by some careless or irresponsible
source. Others see a sinister motive
aiming to Injure the relations between
Japan and the United States by the de
liberate falsehood and exaggeration.
It is generally felt by the well meaning
that no care Is too great at this moment
to prevent misunderstanding when alarm
ists are busy in America. The Asso
ciated Press is informed on the best of
authority that the matter submitted to
the deliberation of the Privy Council
Tuesday was entirely of an Internal
nature and had no relation to diplomatic
matters. Even a slight knowledge
of the constitution of the Privy Council
would be sufficient to save misapprehen
sion on occasions like the present. Should
American relations assume a gravity
warranting a special meeting of the
Privy Council, the fact would not escape
the attention of press correspondents.
As has previously been cabled, quiet
reigns, regardless of alarmist reports in
America. The idea that Japan would go
to war with the United States is consid
ered generally to be simply ridiculous.
There is no doubt that among the emi
grants to Hawaii there are several who
served in the Russian war, but it is
pointed out that nothing was more ab
surd than the report of an elaborate or
ganization prepared to act in an emer
gency. The report is regarded as simply dem
onstrating sheer ignorance. If not a ma
lignant move.
OPPOSED TO DISCRIMINATION
Los Angeles Chamber on Separate
Schools for Japanese.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7. The President
today received a telegraphic copy of a
resolution adopted yesterday by the Ixis
Angeles Chamber of Commerce upon the
Japanese school question, which expresses
the belief that the public sentiment of
California, especially of the southern
part, upon the question of the exclusion
of the Japanese from the general public
school system of the state has been
to some extent misrepresented and is
largely misunderstood. The sentiment Is
expressed that on the main question,
whatever may be the diversity of opin
ion upon the constitutional and legal
phases, the board is assured that "the
general trend of public opinion in South
ern California Is decidedly adverse to
any discrimination against the Japanese
as a people In the matter of public school
privileges, and the belief that this opin
ion Is based upon consideration of equity
and Justice and is held altogether inde
pendent of any attitude which the Jap
anese government has assumed or may
assume In regard to the question.
More Time for Klamath Contract.
OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU, Wash
ington, Feb. -7. The Secretary of the
Interior has granted an extension to
April 20 to the Mason-Davis Com
pany, of Portland, for the completion
of their contracts on schedules L 2 and 3
of the main canal of the Klamath Irri
gratlon project. The work consists of
nine miles of canal, which, under the
terms of the contract, should be com
pleted by February 16.
Bars Monopoly In Coal Lands.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7. Representa
tive Lacey, of Iowa, chairman of the
House committee on public lands, in
troduced a bill today, the purpose of
which is to prevent monopolies in coal
lands. The measure provides that pat
ents to coal lands shall contain a clause
stipulating that', they are to become
Invalid In case they are transferred
to persons or corporations holding
more than 5000 acres of coal lands.
Harbor Rill in the Senate.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7. The Senate
committee on commerce today decided
to begin consideration of the. rivers
and harbors bill next Monday. The
committee will sit every day next
week to hear the representations of
Senators In support of amendments.
but no other persons will be heard.
EVICTED
INCOME TAX FOR FRANCE
Government Proposes to Make Rich
Bear Burden, Relieve Poor.
PARIS, Feb. 7. The government's new
scheme of taxation. Introduced In the
Chamber of Deputies today, created a
great stir when it was made public this
afternoon after the closing of the Bourse.
If enacted into a law, It will constitute
a complete readjustment of the financial
system. The old door, window, poll and
other direct taxes are to be replaced by
a system based upon Incomes. Laborers
are practically exempt.
The taxes upon Incomes of over $1000
a year is made progressive up to 4 per
cent of the total. Even government
rentes (bonds), excepting those held
abroad, only nominally escape, the cou
pons themselves being exempt, but the
revenue therefrom being taxed, when the
total income of the holder exceeds the
minimum laid down. French savings are
largely Invested in rentes. The burdens
placed upon foreign securities, both pri
vate and governmental, constitute a par
ticularly heavy blow to Russian securi
ties, of which It estimated that from
$8,000,000 to $10,000,000 are held In France.
The new Income tax measure is one of
the radical reforms to which the Clem
enceau Ministry committed itself upon
assuming office. While it is received with
unbounded' Joy by the Socialists as a
proper shifting of the burden of taxation
to the shoulders of the idle rich, it is
sure to encounter intense opposition from
the more moderate Republicans, as well
as from the Conservative parties.
How the nation at large will receive
the measure remains to be seen and, while
it is resented by the rich. It seems likely
to prove popular with the masws. Only
600.0C0 families are affected by the higher
progressive Income features, which Fi
nance Minister Caillaux estimates will
produce S24.0CAO0O a year. The other 500,
000 taxable families of France are com
posed of "petits rentiers'" (small fund
holders), who live upon modest savings
that produce lesn than $1000 a year and
who are liable to the lower rate of tax
ation. Venezuela Prepares for Revolt.
SAN JUAN. Porto Rico. Feb. 7. Ac-
...ini. trt naqcpn?pr who arrived hers
from Venezuela by the steamer Philadel
phia, troops are beginning to move in
v.T,A.,,alg T-ncit Mnniiav n. trnlnload of
soldiers and f0 carts of cartridges were
sent out of Caracas.
A Hecree nrohihitine mask ne and palnt
ing the face during the carnival has been
issued in Caracas because of the fear of
trouble.
Vice-President Gomez, who is directing
affairs In the absence of President Castro,
who is ill. is said to be practically a
prisoner at his residence.
SENTENCE OX XEBOGATOFF
Admiral Prisoner for Ten Years for
Surrendering. .
ST. PETERSBURG, Feb. 7. The Em
peror has confirmed the sentences passed
by the court-martial on Vlce-Admlral
Nebogatoff and other naval officers tried.
Nebogatoff will be kept in a fortress for
ten years and others for varying periods.
Japan Forces China to Sell.
NIUCHWANG, Feb. 7. Land? has
been bought from the Chinese here under
military compulsion by the Japanese ad
ministration and handed over to tho
South Manchurian Railway, extending Its
concessions. This road will be under
military rule, with ten councillors to be
selected by the Governor. The Liaotung
Railway Is extending its concessions at
ah stations which wiU Injure foreign in
terests. Speed Test for Drendnaught.
LONDON, Feb. 7. The battleship
Dreadnaught is to be given a severe speed
test, according to oflicial reports. Dur
ing the trip from Gibraltar from the
Island of Trinidad, the big ship is to
endeavor to maintain a speed of 17 knots
over the entire course.
The machinery of the battleship is In
fine condition for the test.
Rain Aggravates Kingston Woes.
KINGSTON, Feb. 7. Rain Is falling,
and Is Increasing the discomforts of the
earthquake sufferers who are encamped
in the racetrack and In the parks. The
work of building homes for the needy is
being hurried. A heavy earthquake
shock occurred Tuesday night. It lasted
nearly ten Beconds.
Avalanche Kills Fifteen Men.
BUCHAREST, Roumania, Feb. 7.
Fifteen woodcutters were overwhelmed
by an avalanche yesterday in the Mus
cel district of the Transylvania Moun
tains. All the men were dead when
dug out of the snow.
Troops Close French Seminary.
NICE. France, Feb. 7. Troops and
gendarmes today participated in the ex
pulsion of the students from a local
seminary. There was much hooting at
the soldiers, but there was no violence.
Famous War Correspondent III.
LONDON, Feb. 7. Sir William How
ard Russell, the war correspondent who
described the battle of Bull Run for
the London Times, is critically ill.
From the New York World.