8 THE MORNING OREGONIAN, WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 27,t 11)07. ersscKiPTiON rates. CT INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. XS (By Mail.) Pally. Sunday Included, on year. $8.00 Dally. Sunday included, alz months.... 4 25 I'ally, Sunday Included, three month.. 2.'J5 Daily, Sunday Included An mnnlh 73 I'ally, without Sunday, 'one year 8.00 without Buuday, six months B. I'ally. without Sunday, three montha. . I.T5 Tally, without Sunday, one month 00 Sunday, one year 50 Weekly, one year (issued Thursday)... 150 tunday and Weekly, one year ... 3.50 BY CARRIER. Dally. Sunday Included, one year 00 ally, Sundaj Included, one month 75 HOW TO REMIT Send poetofflce money order, express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at the sender's risk. Give postofflte ad dress id full. Including county and state. I'OSTAUE RATES. Entered at Portland, Oregon. Postofflce as econd-Class Matter. W to 14 Pages 1 cent 1 to 28 Pages 2 cents 80 to 44 Pages 3 cent 4(1 to CJO Pages centa Foreign Postage, double rates. lAlPOKTAKX The postal laws are strict. Newspapers on which postage Is not fully prepaid are not forwarded to destination. EASTERN BUSINESS OiYlCE. The B. t. Heckwlth Special Agency New York, rooms 4:1-50 Tribune building. Chi cago, rooms 610-511 Tribune building. KEPT ON SALE. Chicago Auditorium Annex, Postofflce Kews Co., 178 Dearborn street. M. l'uui, Minn. N. iL Murie, Commercial Elation. Colorado Springs, Colo. Western News Agency. Denver Hamilton & Hendrlck. 900-912 Seventeenth street; Pratt Book Store, 1214 Fifteenth street; I. Weinsteln; II. P. Han sen. Kansas Illy, Mo. Rlcksecker Cigar Co, Ninth and Walnut. Minneapolis 1. J. Kavanaugh, SO outh Third. Cleveland, O. James Pushaw, SOT Su perior street. Atlantic City, X. 3. Ell Taylor New York City L. Jones & Co, Astor House; Broadway Theater News Stand. Oakland, Cut. W. It Johnson, Four teenth and Franklin streets; N. Wheatley; Oakland News Stand. Ogden D. L Boyle, W. O. Kind, 114 Twenty-fifth street. Hot Spring, Ark. C. N. Weaver & Co. Omaha Barkalow Bros., 1612 Farnam; Mageath Stationery Co., IMS Farnam; 40 Couth Fourteenth. tacrumento, C&L Sacramento Newa Co., 4.111 K Ftreet. ftalt Lake Moon Book & Stationery Co., Roftnfeld ft Hansen. Is Aneeles B. B. Amos, manager seven street wsgons. Han liego B. E. Amos. 1-ong Uracil. Cal. B. E. Amos. Pasadena, Cal. A. F. Horning. ban Francisco Foster Orear. Ferry News Stand; Hotel St. Francla News Stand; Li. Parent, Tf. Wheatley. Eureka, Cal. Call-Chronicle Agency. Washington, 1). C Kbbitt House. Penn sylvania avenue. Norfolk, Y. Jamestown News Co. ' Pine Beach, Ya W. A. Cosgrove. I'liiladflphia, l'. Ryan's Theater Ticket Office. rOKTI.AXI, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 27, 1907. 1 RANC11ISE-IIOI.DEK.S AND OTHER 1TBL1C OFFICERS. A franchise is not a ditch. Neither in it a collection of gan pipes, nor a p steam engine, nor a building. To some this remark may appear superfluous., but it is-not. On the contrary, it is very necess?ary, for many persons, not iviturally c'tupid, constantly confuse franchises with the material property which franchise-holdmv accumulate and upo in their business.- Just as a lease 'of land Is not land, so a street railway franchise is not the railway. It is not the truck, the riarlit of way, the power station nor thp cum. ' The t"ri.mliio.i tf o -.. II.. .... company is the right obtained from the public to lay tracks on the highways, to carry paesengers and collect farei The franchise of -a gas company is not Its mains, but the right to lay its mains in the streets, convey gan through them and charge for it. To lay a gas main in one"s private property requires no franchise. A franchise is needed- only when some individual or corporation wishes to exercise a portion of the sov ereign power of the city or state. The control of the streets is an attribute of sovereignty. It is a function of gov ernment. When thie control or any part of It is handed over to a corpora tion, then that corporation becomes a part of the machinery of government. Sovereign power is delegated to it. It becomes a public official. Sovereignty 1s delegated to the Sheriff when he is elected to his office. Like wise It is delegated to the Governor of the state and to a United States Sena tor when they are legally chosen. Elec tion "by ballot Is one method of delegat ing sovereignty to an individual. The granting of a franchise Is another method. Many Kings have perpetual franchises; that is, sovereignty is dele gated to them in perpetuity, and the tame is true of many other public offi cers In Europe. But In this' country we muke no perpetual delegations of sover eignty to our President, our legislators, or even to our Supreme Court Judges. It is delegated to the Judges during good behavior, but they cannot trans mit it to their successors. Therefore it w not perpetual. None of our elective officials thinks of claiming a perpetual franchise. Their terms are all strictly limited. But in some cases elective officers, who held only a temporary franchise, have "-ti-ied to be&tow perpetual delegations of 5vereign authority upon corporations. This, of course. Is logically absurd, be cause no one can grant a greater power than he himself possesses; but the cor porations invariably seek to maintain the validity of such grants. They thus claim to be holders of public office In perpetuity. They contend that they have been made an eternal factor in the government. This is contrary to our American theory, which does not admit that sovereignty can be alienated for ever from the people, but must be re turned by them from time to time and the delegation renewed. We maj- say of all our officials, the street railway companies, the gas company, the Sher iff, the members of the City Council, that they each hold franchises. One franchise delegates sovereignty for one purpose; another for another purpose; but in principle they are all identical. The constitution of Oregon expressly denies that any franchise may be per petual. The franchises of oil our elec tive officers are fixed as to duration; while concerning franchises, or delega tions of sovereignty to corporations, it provides that they may be repealed by ' the body that granted them. Thus, no matter how the grant of a franchise may read. It cannot be perpetual under our Constitution; and if the document mentions no time limit, this merely makes the franchise Indefinite In dura tion and it may be repealed at any time. The question came before the Oregon Legislature, whether or not the Port land Gas Company, which holds one of these indefinite grants of sovereignty, ought to receive compensation when It is repealed. Must we pay our public officials for relinquishing their offices when their terms expire? The Sheriff does not expect pay for yielding his of fice to his successor. The Governor will give up his franchise without compen sation when his term ends. Why not the gas company? If we must pay our officials to get rid of them at the end of their terms, then it is useless to fix the terms, for they really own their offices in perpetuity. .The gas company, let -us remember, is a public official just as much as the Governor of the state. Its term expires when the Legislature says it does. No definite limit being fixed, the Legisla ture may set any limit It likes, and then the term of office of the gaa com pany ends. Must we pay It for doing us the favor to go out of office when Its term Is up? Why not pay the Gov ernor for the same thing? If we admit that the gas company owns in perpetu ity the fraction of sovereignty which has been delegated to It, we must also admit that the Governor owns his. In fact, the Governor has the better claim to perpetual ownership of his office, since his title is Indisputable for a fixed period, while that of the gas "company is terminable at any moment. But, it is argued, the company has made a physical Investment on the strength of Its franchise; and that this Investment will be deteriorated by the repeal of its sovereignty. Therefore this deterioration ought to be made good. Is this true? Oftentimes a Senator buys or builds a palace when he goes to Washington, and in this palace he ex pects to live and exercise his franchise, or official power, for many years. But a rude fate interferes. He is deprived of his office. His mansion is worth less than it was when he bought it. Must the people make good his loss? They should if it is right to pay the gas company for the repeal of Its franchise. Public officials who make Investments upon the prospect of continued power do so at their own risk. Just as the Senator knows that he may fail of re election, io the gas company knew all the time that Its franchise might be revoked. The people do not contract to keep their officials in power forever nor to insure their investments. The people of Oregon did not contract with the hold ers of the gas franchises in Portland to Insure their investment. Yet by passing the Coffey bill the Legislature would not have Impaired that Invest ment. The City Council of Portland would have granted' a new limited fran chise to take its place. Franchise and plant are wholly distinct, though by a clever trick they were confused by the gas lobby in the State Capitol until several Senators were made to believe that revocation of franchise an intan gible thing, but a function of sover eignty meant confiscation of physical. property the plant and pipes. The trick Is plainly isible from this fact the Hodson amendment to the Coffey bill, which amendment compelled the City of Portland to pay the gas com pany for relinquishing the old fran chise, did not require the city to pay for or purchase the physical properties of the company. Those properties were still to be owned by the company after the unlimited franchise was revoked. How absurd, therefore, that the people of Portland should pay money for that old franchise, given away free by the people of Oregon, fifty yeara ago, and used ever since,, to line the pockets of Its possessors with gold at the expense of the public. NO PROTECTION FOR HALMOX. ' For protection of the ealmnn industry of the Columbia River, the Oregon Leg islature did little or nothing, nor will the Washington Legislature do more. since remedial laws must be enacted concurrently in the two states. The closed Suriday and the shorter fishing seasons in April and August both were killed In the Oregon Senate, though agreed to by joint committees of the two houses from the Legislatures of the two states. For two years more, then, the salmon hatcheries of the Columbia River are to be almost idle, as during the last three years, or until there shall be laws to save breeding salmon from the greedy clutches of men who cannot oth erwise be held from Immediate profit for the sake of the future good of the industry. 1 Once more the fisheries have legislat ed for themselves and again have done nothing or worse. It has been said fre quently that the fisheries will not be protected until they have been almost destroyed, or until other interests of the two states shall take the-matter out of their hands and legislate in a sensi ble manner. Must this turn out true? Again The Oregonian points out that the plight of the Industry comes from the catching of too many salmon and the escape of too few for breeding. We shall see If two yeans more will teach the lesson. ANOTHER TRUST VICTORY. Filipino hopes for fair treatment on tariff matters were dispelled by the United States Senate Monday. By a vote of 46 to 11 the amendment reduc ing the tariff on sugar, tobacco and rice was tabled, and the dusky inhabi tants of our Pacific dependencies were thus made to realize to the fulleet ex tent the blessings conferred on them by American freedom. It has been shown repeatedly that the entire sugar, rice and tobacco output of the Philip pines is insignificant in comparison with the amount consumed in the United States, and that half . dozen other countries in which America has no eueh interest as In the Philippines are now supplying much of this home demand. It is an Iniquitous- and unfair policy all along the line that compels the American people to pay higher prices for commodities than foreign consum ers are obliged to pay for the same goods, but the worst feature of this policy is shown when it Is applied to the Phiflppines, a country In which it is our solemn duty to encourage develop ment of all legitimate enterprises. We forced ouf authority and our laws on them, and, having done so, the very least we can do is to permit them to develop their crude industries to the best possible advantages. The Ameri can camel Is already staggering under a load of tariff Iniquities, which will bear the Increase In weight of but few straws. The numerical strength in the Senate of opposition to fair treatment for the Philippines indicates that a smashing defeat at the polls is needed to bring about this much-needed re form. The trusts for years have been work ing the old threadbare argument that a high tariff must be maintained for the protection of the American work ingman. The fact that this system en ables the trusts to sell In foreign mar kets at lower prices than they exact in this country every article that Is affected by the tariff is gradually be coming understood by the workingman as well as by their trust employers. High wages are desirable, but the protective tariff has never protected wages to the same extent that It has "protected" the manufacturers of the commodities which the wage-earner is forced to buy. Every article of im portance used by the wage-earner, for food or raiment, is steadily advancing in price In this .country and lowering in price in the foreign markets. There has been some advance in wages in this country, but It has not been at all proportionate to the ad vance In the commodities for which the money must be spent. The foreign workmen today in many branches of industry can buy more with his small wages than the American can purchase with his high wages. If It is the tariff that causes high wages, it is also the tariff that Increases the cost of living, thus reducing the purchasing power of the high wages. The trusts, grown rich and powerful, are arrogant, and, as shown hy the vote in the Senate, are still firmly Intrenched, but the day Is coming when the wage-earner, whose vote has been such a powerful factor in the perpetuation of the iniquitous sys tem under which we now labor, will take a broader view and there will be a reversal of policy that will sweep into obscurity the prominent standpatters who are now professing fear of compe tition from the insignificant, poverty stricken Philippines. WIT.I. MR. HARRIMAN EXPLAIN? Before the Interstate Commerce Com mission closes Its investigation of his esoteric experiments In railroading, Mr. Harriman will probably seek an oppor tunity to explain away that inanlpula tion of Union and Southern Pacific div idends which Is said to have put $10, 000.000 into his pocket in the course of a day or two last August. The public was Ingeniously led to believe that the dividends had been passed by the di rectors. The stock fell. Mr. Harriman and his friends bought copiously of the declining shares. At the psychological moment the news came out that, in stead of passing the dividends, the di rectors had declared one of 10 per cent on Union Pacific and 5 per cent on Southern Pacific. Both were extraor dinarily large. The stocks flew upward and Mr. Harriman and his favored co- operators sold at the top notch what they had bought at the lowest. This is the tale which it is hoped, for the sake of his good name, that Mr. Harri man will take an early opportunity to disprove. If the tale is true, as it probably is, this maneuver Is an excellent example of that sort of "thrtft and industry" by which our economic magnates transfer other people's property to their own possession. It is the sort of "pro ductive energy" which has brought the great wealth of the country into the hands of a small part of the popula tion. It is one of those "magnificent enterprises" which Chancellor Day so much admires, and which enable Mr. Harriman and Mr. Rockefeller to en dow education without expense to themselves. It was not quite so out rageously cruel as the employment of peon labor on Mr. Ryan's new railroad in the South, but it was cruel enough to break hearts and wreck hornet?. Surely our benevolent railroad despot will seek an occasion to explain it. THE PANAMA RESIGNATIONS. Chief Engineer Stevens, of the Pan ama Canal, has followed In the foot steps of ex-Chief Engineer Wallace by tendering his resignation from a posi tion of great importance, but appar ently one of overwhelming responsibil ity. It will be remembered that Mr. Wallace was roundly scored by the Ad ministration and the people for aban donment of the great work before it had hardly begun. In view of the praise that was showered on Mr. Ste vens when he accepted the charge. It will now be Interesting to note the spirit in which his desertion of the cause will be received. It Is a matter of regret that these frequent changes occur, for the moral effect -ys well as the actual loss of time is bad for the project. It would seem that a little more sta bility in the "management and methods followed on the canal would vastly im prove the situation. A man of the rep utation of either Wallace or Stevena very rarely assumes a position of such great Importance without having some intention of seeing the work through. It is thus clear that when, after a fen weeks' trial, he abandons -the task, there must be something objectionable or difficult which did not Appear on the surface when the position was accept ed. Perhaps It is politics, that bane of all legitimate business-like efforts. Cer tain it is that politics cuts a big figure when, et a sacrifice of vast sums of money, the purchase of canal supplies was limited to American products. There was also politics In the wave of protest over the employment of Chinese on the canal work. It Is even hinted that politics has ap peared In the scramble for the contract for constructing the canal. Hard-headed business men of the Wallace and Stevens type have contempt for either red tape or politics, and so long as the canal work was in a measure involved In one or the other of these factors it could not well have been other than distasteful to the"rk: " Judged by the past, the next engineer in charge will have work cut out sufficient to tax his talents to their utmost. IIEUI'S GREAT FORTUNE. According to a late inventory, filed In the Probate Court by the executors of the estate of the late Marshall Field, of Chicago, his estate is worth between $90,000,000 and $100,000,000. Doubt as to the exact value arises from the fact that the Inventory places no exact value upon the real estate that comprises about one-fourth of the whole and gives only the face or par value of the stocks and bonds. On the basis of the current quotations of these stocks and bonds it Is believed that the estimate of $100, 000,000 is not extravagant. Marshall Field may almost be said to be the father of the modern department store. It is true that the basis of the department store was the country or village store, where merchandise of all grades, from soft soap and dairy butter to nails and silk, hardware and calico, was kept for sale. But the strictly classified and methodically conducted department store, culminating in the great establishment of Marshall Field and others only less enormous in extent and in the volume of business trans acted, was a growth the magnitude of which must have astonished Field him self. There Is a difference in opinion con cerning the benefits which the public and the wider business world have de rived from the evolution of the depart ment store and the practical extinction of the small stocks of merchandise even In a restricted or special line; but there is no mistake that the department store has proved a big factor not only In rolling up Individual fortunes, but also In giving employment to' a multitude of men and women. The result of the effort of Marshall Field Is told In nine figures, the contemplation of which causes wonder; if the correlative results could be told, the presentment would be far more astonishing, as it would show myriads of homes established and supported, a multitude of children edu cated, schools and churches maintained and the basis of more than one modest competence laid from the increment that grew out of the first endeavor. Harmony among the railroad-builders seems to be fully as pronounced up in Canada and British Columbia as it is along the north bank of the Colum bia River or on the tidelands of Puget Sound. The Grand Trunk Pacific, which Is invading the field of the Cana dian Pacific, has met with opposition since its Inception, and has had to fight its way to the Pacific. The latest Illus tration of hostility toward, the new road Is shown In the refusal of the provincial government in British Columbia to sanction the grant of the Dominion Government giving the Grand Trunk right of way across the Metlakahtla Indian reservation. The Grand Trunk was apparently stronger than the Ca nadian Pacific at Ottawa, but finds con ditions reversed on the west end of the line. Governor Chamberlain, after weigh ing carefully the arguments made on either side, decided to veto House bill No. S67, which permitted the indiscrim inate slaughter of Oregon birds urged in the alleged interest of horticulture and did so in a brief and pointed mes sage. The veto, s stated, was in re sponse to a strong protest against the bill from men and women all over the state, many of whom are engaged in horticulture, agriculture and gardening. Intelligent representatives of the two last-named industries recognize the birds as their friends and coadjutors, while the horticulturist can reasonably protect himself during the relatively brief season in which robins and other birds eat fruit, by planting enough for the birds as well as for the market. The headquarters of the grain-bag trust, referred to in yesterday's Orego nian, is at Calcutta, India, and the lo cal distributors of the grain bags are as much at the mercy of the trust as are the farmers who use them. The elevator system for handling the grain without bags will work well so far as it effects grain used for milling and home consumption. Pending the completion of the Panama Canal, export grain must still be shipped in bags. The vexed question will be settled as soon as the rapidly increasing demand for milling and home consumption reaches proportions where it can take care of all the grain produced. The Calcutta bag trust will then seek other markets for its output. Pacific Coast news regarding the movements of the Japanese is inclined to cause perplexity as to what the little brown men are actually trying to do. For example, we find In yesterday's dispatches from San Francisco that they are pouring into this country by hundreds, while a Seattle dispatch notes the departure tf a large number who are returning to the land of their birth to enter the army. Japan might save the passage money by "swapping" lots. How about broken pledges at Salem? Speak up, Meesrs. Bailey, Beach, Free man, Beutgen, Beveridge, Chapln, Bayer. Wilson and Farrell. You prom ised the people at election time to vote for bills to repeal perpetual franchises, but in the Legislature you voted for an amendment to the Coffey bill so as to grant the Portland Gas Company per petual right to hold its franchises un less the people should buy them. Speak up, gentlemen. No one feels called upon to enter a demurrer to the statement of Governor Vardaman, of Mississippi, that "when whisky-soaked and addicted to the use of cocaine and morphine, the negro is the worst type of fiend." It is, more over, a fact well known at police head quarters that when a white man ab sorbs these drugs in quantity the act is nof conducive to the development of angelic qualities in him. What will be the ultimate effect of the Rhodes scholarships? . Will they transform our smaller colleges Into pre paratory schools for Oxford, the mosi reactionary and sterile of foreign uni versities? Oxford is the ancient and impregnate fortress of plutocratic toryiem. Mr. Rhodes planned well for his class in purchasing patronage for it from democratic America. E. II. Harriman announces that he will retire from business next year when he reaches his 60th birthday. This ought to make James J. Hill reconsider his determination to quit, for life would scarcely be worth living if "Uncle Jimmy" did not have to spend so much time and money pushing to one side the boulders that Mr. Harriman rolls down on his right of way. The Interest of $42,000,000 at 5 per cent is $2,100,000 a year, almost twice as much as the annual expense of our state gov ernment. Thus Mr. Rockefeller's edu walon board exercises double the finan cial power of the State of Oregon, and financial power is, at the bottom, the only power there is. How Is that for centralization? Several other gentlemen besides Messrs. Annand, Sharkey, Masters and a few more of the City Council have the support of the gas company in their political ambitions, the others being Multnomah legislators who "stood in" at Salem, like the "solid nine" of the Council. Dr. Lyman Abbott is quite right in saying that trusts are "for the public good." The trouble about it is that the good which is "for the public" has thus far gone to somebody else and will continue to do so as long as "some body else," and not the public, controls the trusts. Few will lament the death of Senator Beach's voting-machine bill. As Gov ernor Chamberlain says, it "smacks of an effort to legislate in the interest of one or more establishments with low priced machines." Governor Chamberlain has done good work with h!s veto since the Legisla ture adjourned. The Legislature seems never to fail to put thunder In his hands. Now that wicked passes are under the ban, Oregon perhaps contains worthy gentlemen who think 2-cents-a-miIe tickets the p'roper thing. Don't swear at the railroads when you pay your fare, but at the dear people and the Legislature. A DELUGE OF FREAK BILLS. Weird Le-Klnlatlon CosgreM and State Lesrlfflaturea Asked to Enact. New York World. From time to time weird bills on sub jects ranging from anti-tipplng to taxing bachelors have been introduced in Con gress and in the various State Legis latures. To round up the most foolish bills offered for statesmen to ponder upon the World inspected its correspondents at prominent capitals to telegraph what each deliberate body considers its. prize per formance, and the result follows: Washington. There are many freak bills introduced during the session of Congress, but most of them are intro duced "by Request." The two prize pieces of attempted legislation at this session are the Murphy anti-tipping bill and the Wharton resolution giving the President the right to suppress newspapers that print matter that offends his Ideas of propriety. The anti-tipping bill was reported 'out by the District of Columbia committee as a joke. Th e Wharton resolution never will be reported out. Murphy and Wharton are both first termers and both have been defeated for re-election. Murphy is from Missouri. He came in with the great Roosevelt wave two years ago. Wharton Is from the stockyard district in Chicago, and he also was boosted in by President Roose velt's popularity. Topeka, Kan. The Kansas Legislature this Winter changed the name of George Denolf to George Bell, but neglected to change the name of Mrs. Denolf. Mrs. Denolf made so much trouble for Mr. Bell that he came back to Topeka to lobby for a bill to change the name of his wife. The original bill was introduced by E. P. Rochester of Scott County. He said Denolf wanted a name the neighboring farmers could remember. When Mrs. Denolf learned what had been done she suspected a trick and notified her hus band that he must go to Topeka and remain there until he rectified the mis take. Jefferson City, Mo. In addition to the bill to tax bachelors, freak bills intro duced at this session of the Missouri General Assembly Included Dr. Tubb's anti-tipplng bill, which passed the House but was killed in the Senate: Mr. Hous ton's bill to regulate spendthrifts, to pre vent them from disposing of the money they have inherited: the bill by Mr. Car ter of Clark to prevent, under heavy pen alty, one person from treating another In a saloon, and the bill by Mr. Stapl of Atchison preventing the manufacture and sale of parlor, or popping, matches In the state. A bill by Mr. Barry of Ralls prohibits swearing tinder penalty of a fine of from 50 cents to $1 for every "cuss" word uttered. The bill allows a person to say "darn It." Another bill prohibits boys from play ing ball on vacant lots in the country, and another requires farmers to cut all the morning glory vines and cockle burrs from their farms. . Indianapolis, Ind. The Indiana Legis lature is ridding the record of- foolish bills. One, by Representative Pearson of Lawrence County, prohibits stray geese and chickens from running through his premises. Another prohibits Killing easrles. of which there Is but one in In diana. Another calls for $501) fine for walking on the grass in the Statehouse yard. Other bills introduced provide for wo man suffrage, one doe: to a family with out being taxed, prohibiting football on Sunday, "doping" horses to deceive pur chasers, fining children who desert their parents. Augusta, Me. The most talked of bill before the Maine Legislature is one to allow any person the right to kill any dog found running at large. Representative Forrest J. Martin of Bangor, a dog fancier, has introduced a hil! the entire text of which Is "A dog is a domestic animal." If this should become law it would be necessary for owners to keep their animals at home like other domestic animals. Denver. Colo. The bill in the Colorado Legislature that took the freak premium is that Introduced by request by Repre sentative Albert of Otero County and labeled "A Bill to Prohibit Football." It provides a penalty graded according to the frequency of the offense and amount of damage to the anatomy of any oppos ing player. Managers and promoters of football would be heavy contributors in fines and the players would be classed as felons should they do serious damage to an opponent, and might be held In close confinement to await the outcome of a particularly serious case which might have a fatal termination. Madison. Wis. Onefreak bill before the Wisconsin Legislature is to prevent the sale of antiquated "hen fruit." Its author explains that he is tired of going to so called first-class hotels and calling for a boiled egg for breakfast only to be served with an article that must have been laid before the Civil War. He wants all eggs stamped with the- date of their laying, wtlh a penalty of a fine of $50 for each egg not stamped. An amendment has been offered that all hens be provided with automatic stamping devices. Hartford, Conn.-The fool bills In the Connecticut Legislature include one tax ing bachelors. One bill provides tor a bounty on 'coons. Another requires pri vate detectives to take out a license from the Controller. Most of the bool bills in the House- are referred to the committee on woman suffrage or to the committee on grave yards. Boston. Mass. The session of the Massachusetts Great and General Court has been up to the average in freak legis lation introduced. The bill to tax bach elors, projected by some Wakefield wo men, has not progressed beyond the committee-room yet, and Its fate Is doubtful. A bill for the incorporation of a ceme tery for pet cats Is fathered by well knoWn Newton society women, and some of the legislators take It seriously. Glvea 100 Cats to a College. St. Paul Pioneer-Press. Colorado has been endowed with '100 pedigreed eats by Mayor Henry C. Hall, of Colorado Springs, Colo. They are all valuable, declares Mayor Hall, and no joke is intended, although some of the friends of the city's chief officer do not look at it in a sober light. Mayor Hall wants the cats used for propagation to keep up the supply, the surplus to be turned over to uie biological department of the college for dissection and research work. Mayor Hall became Interested In felines several years ago and has added specimens to his collection until it be came the largest in the West whor Boston Transcript. Who, when our honeymoon was o'er. Arrived with packages galore, . And said she'd stay a month or more? (Think real hard.) Who made me weary of my life. Who loved to stir connubial strife', And always sided with my wife? (Don't give it up.) Who confiscated my latchkey, Sat up till the sma' hours for me; Who made me use a big, big D? (Rhymes with "Jaw," yes.) Who loved to catch me when I "fell, And such sweet stories used to tell. Until my life became a well (The word Isn't nice.) Who dressed my wife in clothes so gay And ran nip bills for me to pay. And minded nothing I did say? (Yes, that's it.) Who sniffed my 'baccy" from afar,- And could not bear a mild cigar. Who said "What wretches all men are?" (Heaven bless ber?) , l NEW YORK CITY FVLI, OF CROOKS About 10,000 Pickpockets Are There. New Vaffrant Uw Xeeded. New York Times. There are no less than 10,000 crooks and suspicious characters on the streets of New Y'ork, according to Inspector William McLaughlin, Chief of Detectives. Every night, the In spector said yesterday, his men bring In from 40 to 100 of these men who have police records, and every morn ing after, said the Inspector, the Mag istrates set most of them free. "The situation at the present time is this," said Inspector McLaughlin. "The city is overrun with criminals, and it Is up to the Police Department to protect the public. My orders to the men under me are to arrest criminals on sight, and those orders must be obeyed. Why, there are probably 10,000 crooks at liberty in this city right now, and something must be done to get the better of them. "There should be some law under which the Magistrates can hold these criminals when they are arraigned be fore them, so that it shall not be neces sary, as it seems to be, that they shall be turned loose at once to resume their depredations on the people of New York." Pickpockets particularly. Inspector McLaughlin said, are operating in great numbers, and so shrewd are they that under the present conditions it is almost impossible to establish a case that will hold against them when they are arraigned. Every night his men. Inspector McLaughlin said, bring in a score or more of men, nearly all of whom are discharged the following morning. Last year, he said, he tried to have passed at Albany an amend ment to the vagrant law. which, if in force, would enable him to hold the criminals when they are arraigned. In fluences over which he had no control, however, had the bill recommitted, and It never saw the light again. A similar law is now pending before the Legislature, but whether it will be come a law or not Inspector McLaugh lin would not hazard an opinion. "It's a new order of crook." said In spector McLaughlin, in talking of the pickpocket, "that has arisen in New Y'ork. The modern pickpockets are young men largely, and of the hard ened sort. New York is going to wake up some day and find out that a law like the one now pending at Albany Is absolutely necessary. The pick pocket of today is not the pickpocket of the old days. He Is a more daring; sort of an Individual, and very shrewd. These gentry generally travel in bands, and have their business down to such a fine point that they can pass stolen goods from hand to hand In such a manner as to make conviction ex tremely difficult. "These men would just as soon break into a bank as commit a misdemeanor, and they appear Indifferent to the out come. They realize, that under the laws In force they can work with comparative impunity. Thtt Is why I am so anxious that a law like the one now pending shall be passed." Many Kairer to Wed Him. New Haven Dlt-patch In New York Sun. As a result of an advertisement for a wife. George Moon, a widower, 40 years old. of Ansonla: has been so overwhelmed with applicants that he has posted a "No Wife Wanted" elgn on his front door. Every evening for a week Moon has had from 15 to 30 callers, and he has received more than '100 letters, most of them with photographs Inclosed. One woman came from New York and insisted on his paying her expenses. He demurred at first because she was a negro, but when she pointed out that his advertisement did not draw the color line he gave her carfare. My Prer-lons One. New York T mes. My love she Is the fairest, The sweetest and the rarest! I would die beneath her frown. She's the dearest thing In town. Che's a woman In a thousand Dollar sown. How 1 love her who can tell? I'm enchanted by her spell. My passion none condemns. My ardor nothing stems. She's a woman In ten thousand Dollar Kami. That she lives, sweet heaven, I blws; And I long for her dear "Yes." How she shines above the mass. My most fascinating lass. She's a woamn In a million Dollar class. IS THIS THE ) teu you me muse I -1 WAS LOCHD UPSIU. , LAST MONTH! OT& MET MS UGHT2!! - ii l K m V ihi . , SMOOT'S FIGHT FOR THE SEXATE Women and Re4lscious Societies Had Marked Him to Be Destroyed. Washington (D. . C.) Dispatch In New York World. Reed Smoot was elected to the Senate by the Legislature of Utah January 21. 1303. The Ministerial Association of that state and citizens of Salt Lake City tiled a protest against him January 26. TDK, five days after his election. Rev. Dr. Leilach filed a protest February 22. 1903. declaring that Mr. Smoot was a polyga mist. This charge was withdrawn. All the various women's organizations of the country then took up the tight against Mr. Smoot. They were assisted by several religious societies, but the bulk of the contest fell upon the women. Ex-Secretary of the Treasury John G. Carlisle and ex-Representative Robert W. Taylor were employed to conduct the case for those protesting against Smoot. and Senator-elect W. B. Borah, of Idaho. "vXaldemar Van Cott and Colonel A. S. Worthington were retained by Mr. Smoot to defend him. Hearings were begun before the Senate committee on privileges and elections Feb ruary 23. 1904. These continued for many weeks. Officials and representatives of the women's organizations were in at tendance at every session. They filled the committee-room and occupied the ad joining corridors. At these hearings 103 witnesses were examined, and the testi mony covered 3331 printed pages. The Government expended more than J25.O00 on witness fees. One witness. Charles M. Owen, who chiefly prepared the case for the protestants, obtained more than $uxJ in fees. A feature of the fight against Smoot was the presentation of petitions ad dressed to the committee on privileges and elections and to individual Senators More than 2.000.000 people signed these various petitions. The different women's organizations sent to the Senate at one time petitions carrying more than Lonomv) names. These petitions were packed in boxes and were presented each dav. Sena tors from various states taking their turn Senator Piatt offered petitions from nearly 200.000 women of New York State ' After the allegation of polygamy had been dropped the contest against Smoot was waged on the proposition that as an apostle of the Mormon Church he had taken an oath which conflicted with his obligations as a Senator: that by the teachings of his church he was now com mitted to advocating the practice of polygamy and the contracting of polvg amous marriages, and that the endowment-house oath calling for vengeance on those who had slain the prophets of the church was equivalent to treason. It was admitted that Mr. Smoot had but one wife and lived an exemplary life. Offera Million Dollars for His Child. Ashvllle (N. C.) Dispatch in New Y'ork Sun. Merrill Peecher Mills, of Detroit, who has some fame as a yachtsman, and who is suing his wife for divorce, has ofTered Jl.Ollfl.OOO If she will surrender to him their six-year-old child. Cynthia. Mrs. Mills has rejected the offer, say ing: "I would rather see Cynthia dead than for him to have her." In her counter-suit for divorce she demands 200.000 alimony and the custody of the child. The Golden Y cddlnK. Samuel Hoyt In the Youths' Companion. Fifty years married. Polly and I: It was hut yesterday, I ween. Blnce I had just turned twenty-one. And Polly was only seventeen. Two years later, and we were wed. Polly and I. one Hummer day. And the bird" all song in the orchard trees Ana the farmers sang as they made their hay. And the village folk made feast for us. ' Polly and me and the damsels spread Roses and garlands along the way. And the blue sky was smiling overhead. Many a rosy path we've trod, lJol1y snd t. since that blissful day. Ami many a (horn our feet have pressed. And treasures dear we have laid away. And our heads are silvered, as you may see, But our hands clasp firmer as years go by. And we breathe our happy vows again. And the old love looks out from eye to eye. You call us old. and you wish us joy. And bring loving tokens, both great and mal I. But Poily and I to each other yield The dearest gift, which Is more than all. Love without blemish, and faith that's tried by the crucial flres of sorrow and loss; And th Joy end mercy of eventide Requite the pain of the noonday cross. And again the sun and the smiling sky Are as fair as on that Summer day When the birds all sang In the orchard trees And the farmers sang as they made their hay. NEXT REMEDY? Prom the Chicago Journal.