8
THE MORM.NU OKEGOMAX, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 1907.
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TORTLAND, WKINESDAV, MARCH SO.
THE HENEY METHOD.
Standing; out prominently above all
other features of the prosecutions that
"have been conducted by Mr. Heney is
the determination to convict the arch
conspirators, even though the lesser
Criminals be permitted to escape pun
ishment. This is something; new In
Criminal prosecutions so new, in fact,
that this policy and the manner in
which It has been carried out might
Very appropriately be called the
I'fHeney method." To catch the big
rascal is the main -purpose, contrary to
policies that are well-nigh universal.
-Heretofore, when extensive frauds and
grafts have become so notorious as to
pall for legal investigation, it has been
Ana custom to pick out some of. the
smaller participants In the grafting
game and prosecute them and possi
bly convict them; but the men of
wealth and political influence, who
were really mora guilty, were over
looked in the indictments and all men
tion of their names at the trials was
avoided. There has been something
sacred about the name and person of
a big grafter that protected him from
the contaminating associations of e
criminal court. Mr. Honey has pro
eeeded u-,on the theory that- a big
grafter is no better than a small one,
and, if there be any difference, that he
Is a. little worse.
The establishment of tho Heney
method of proceeding against gangs of
"public plunderers is one of the most
encouraging Incidents in the history of
the administration of criminal laws in
jttiis country. From Portland, Or., to
Portland, Me., and from the Rio
Urande to the Lake of the Woods the
Ilency method has been observed', dis
cussed and approved. It -promises ex
tirpation of the graft evil, root and
.branch, and for that reason has re
ceived commendation in every part of
the country. Adoption of the Heney
rolicy always means that a graft sys
tem will be exposed in all its work
ings. In addition to showing what
crime has been committed, the Heney
plan sho'ws how it was done and who
did it. No fact in a criminal conspir
acy Is smoothed over because it will
hurt some man of prominence and offi
cial power. The unwavering purpose
is to disclose the truth, the whole
truth and nothing but the truth.
vTo say that Mr. Heney plays no fa
Torites is true, though there will be
some who will deny it. He has let
eoinc men who were guilty escape the
actual punishment by imprisonment,
but he has never done this until they
-hiinestly tried to right their wrongs
and make reparation to the Govern
luent, by full confessions. No man who
tried to conceal his own part in a con
spiracy has received mercy at Honey's
hands. All else has been subordinated
to the main purpose1 and desire of
bringing to justice those men without
whose aid the crime could not have
been committed. The men who es
caped punishment were but tools in
the hands of the men who committed
the real crime against the people. Tho
man whom Heney seeks to convict is
the one who planned the crime or
t hose official position of public trust
was such that he was guilty not only
of graft, but of betrayal of the people.
Briefly stated, the Heney method is
to begin working on the minor trans
actions and uncover the deals where
evidence is to be had. The big grafter
always tries to cover -up his part in the
conspiracy, so any attempt to ferret
out the wrong must begin with the
deeds of the underlings. Careful, per
sistent, fearless detective work by such
capable men as W. J. Burns places in
the hands of the prosecution a mass of
evidence that is conclusive against the
small member of the gang. Confronted
by a statennt of the evidence against
him. the man who has committed a
small crime to aid In the success of
a larger, gives up in despair and con
fesses the whole conspiracy. This
leads to discovery of further evidence
until the whole story is known in all
its details and the net of overwhelming
testimony entangles the arch-criminal.
And that is the man Heney is after.
There have been some who have
Where
lg have I
subordinates in the criminal gang
confessed all they knew Heney has
advocates leniency toward them. It
does not appear that he has ever pro
cured testimony by promising immu
nity to the witness or that members
of the gang have sworn falsely- for the
prosecution in hope of securing immu
nity. The methods of procuring evi
dence have been fair, and, moroever,
they have been effective. Probably no
one regrets more than Heney himself
that it is sometimes necessary to place
upon the Witness-stand a- man whose
own confession brands him as a crim
inal, but it is certainly wiser to place
all the evidence before a jury and let
the twelve men give it whatever credit
it is worth than to leave out essential
links in the" chain of evidence and let
the big criminals escape. This latter
policy has too long prevailed. Instead
of sitting back in easy chairs and
challenging ' the public to "bring' in
your evidence," Heney and Burns have
taken off their coats and tackled the
job of uncovering the evidence them
selves. They have done the work they
were hired to do and were paid for do
ing. To have been content with con
victing one or two small criminals
would have cost less labor and- time,
but would have been of no benefit to
their employers the -people.
The Heney method has the merit of
promising extinction of graft. So long
as big grafters felt' safe from prose
cution they cared not how many of
the underlings went to jail. This nw
Idea of prosecuting bribe-givers as well
as bribe-takers and prosecuting them
with relentless determination is too
serious a matter to take chance with.
Adoption of the' Heney method all over
the country will put an end to graft.
. BE CHARITABLE.
We rather guess that our esteemed
neighbor, the Telegram, hardly realized
what it was about when it accused
another neighbor of plagiarism. Is
nothing whatever to be sacred any
lorrger? Are there no social Or relig
ious connections which suffice to shield
one from vulgar accusations of this
sort? Can no reputation for religion
and piety in one's backers save a man
or a newspaper from the tongue of
scandal? If a millionaire can steal the
streets of a city without loss of his re
ligious character and without endan
gering his reputation in the most select
social circles, cannot a millionaire's
newspaper steal a paltry editorial
without being hounded and Jeered at
for doing it? O tempora, O mores!
What are we coming to? This icono
clasm, this unrelenting assault upon
the sacred privileges of property and
the sycophants of -property is some
thing too shocking to be endured.
Besides, our accused and persecuted
neighbor of the gilded escutcheon did
not steal the editorial headed "The
Newspaper Reporter." At least. It did
not steal all of It. Its benevolent as
similation of the literary property of
the Baltimore News differed In two
important particulars from the cus
tomary methods of the plutocracy in
assuming the stewardship of other peo
ple's worldly goods. In the first place,
it did not take the whole editorial. We
call the Telegram's attention to .entire
phrases and even sentences w-hich its
neighbor left wholly intact. This is so
exceedingly unlike ordinary plutocratic
methods when there is a chance to
swipe anything that we must commend
the evening mouthpiece of the local
aristocracy for Its forbearance. It
might just as well have taken the
whole article; It actually left a small
fraction untouched. And yet. there are
those who blame It for stealing. Ver
ily, It is a hard, uncharitable world
that we live In.
In the second place, tho maligned
organ of the light-fingered craft insert
ed here and there a tidbit of its own
In the plundered property of the News.
This is very different indeed from or
thodox plutocratic methods. "Git the
whole while you're a-gittin'," is the
first motto of this brotherhood of dis
ciples of Autolycus, and "never do any
work yourself when you can rob an
other man of his work" is their second
motto. To both they live up so relig
iously . that their newspaper must be
praised for departing from the accept
ed custom of its masters-in the direc
tion of honesty. To steal only part
when it might have stolen the whole
approaches very near to righteousness
on the part of a plutocratic organ. To
write even a fraction of an editorial
when there was enough of the booty
to fill all its space is the highest form
of self-sacrifice for people of this
genus. The Telegram should therefore
have commended the pious forbearance
of its light-fingered neighbor instead
of shouting with fiendish glee over its
somewhat awkward predicament. In
the divine words of Mr. Rockefeller,
"Let us exercise sweet charity toward
all." Let us not say -that the organ
changed Its pilfered prey Just enough
to show a clear intention to commit
theft and, provide an excuse for the
deed at the same time. This might be
true, but it would not be charitable,
and of all earthly things the most
blessed Is charity. .
RAISING MOSEY FOR THE STATE.
In direct contrast with the record of
the Oregon Legislature upon the sub
ject of revenue measures is the record
of the Washington Legislature. In
fixing the amounts of appropriations
the Oregon Legislature surpassed all
previous records by nearly a million
dollars, and provided no new source
from which revenue could be derived.
On the contrary, revenue measures of
various kinds were defeated with un
wavering .regularity. The Washington
Legislature also made unusually large
appropriations, but did not fail to pro
vide for funds from new sources.
Washington passed a tax commission
bill for uniform appraisement of rail
roads and telegraph and telephone
lines a measure similar to that which
was defeated in the Oregon Legisla
ture. The defeat of this bill at Salem
was absolutely without excuse. But
it is not by specifying particulars that
the work of the Oregon Legislature is
to be compared with that of the Wash
ington -body, for the same measures
were not pending in both bodies. The
noteworthy feature of the comparison
is the entire failure of legislation in
our state and enactment of legislation
in the other. The Washington legisla
ture passed laws that will compel cor
porations to pay $100,000 a year in fees
which they are now avoiding. A state
liquor -license law was enacted, re
quiring payment of a fee of $25 a year
to the state. This will provide $100,000
a year revenue, and- as it makes the
state an .interested party where liquor
is sold unlawfully, it will tend to make
enforcement of liquor laws more easy.
Other measures passed in Washington
for revenue purposes" were a gross
earnings tax law for express and Pull
man companies, a revised insurance
criticised Heney's methods.
tax law, a revised inheritance tax law.
a perfected law governing control of
escheated property, and a depository
bill applying to state, county and city
funds. What the total revenue from
these sources will be cannot yet be es
timated with any degree of accuracy,
but it will probably exceed $300,000 a
year. But whatever the amount, the
legislation was in the right direction
and disclosed a desire on the part of
the Legislature to provide funds for
increased expenditures without throw
ing the burden upon the classes of
property that now pay- the 'bulk of the
taxes.
BIRTHRIGHT BARTERED BY BOSSES.
A soft-palmed, greedy-handed bandit
is the boss as uncovered in San Fran
cisco. The people, give him their birth
right for a mess of pottage and he
turns around and sells it to a streetcar
company, a telephone company, a
prizefight clique and others, for hun
dreds of thousands of dollars, and puts
the money in his pockets.
He leaves his footprints in Portland,
to and from the City Hall, whither he
carries "the word to obedient Council
men and whence he takes with him the
people's birthright, in the shape of
streetcar franchises, ' which later sell
for $4,000,090. The jingle goes into the
pockets of scions of first families, and
thereafter, during the thirty years of
the franchises, the people of bartered
birthright pay tribute. And- what does
the boss get? A question unanswered.
St. Louis had its Folk. New York has
its Jerome, Omaha has its Rush, San
Francisco has its Heney, and Portland
might profit from their example.
Always wronged toy his foes is the
boss. Injured innocence is his mask,
throughout his career. His enemies
know nothing of his generous traits or
his devotion to the public weal. He is
a sincero man whom the prejudice of
his public and private foes has de
prived of opportunity to prove his sin
cerity. He is not a perfect man, but
too much badness is ascribed to him;
for example, the newspapers say he
holds a City Council or a County Court
In tho palm of his hand, as if such an
absurd thing were possible. They say
also that he awards paving1 contracts
and frames ordinances for this or that
paving monopoly and for his reward
pockets a rakfirdown for years after
ward. They say he controls jobs
throughout a city or county govern
ment and appoints this man or that as"
by the simple beck of his hand. They
say ho gets boodle from award of pub
lic contracts for sewers and bridges
and road machinery. They say he
elects this man or that for Speaker or
President in the Legislature, and has
the committees appointed to his liking.
Tlrty say bills are passed at his com
mand or killed, if he so wills. They say
he uses his Influence to "shake down"
this or that "interest" for or against a
particular bill. They say he picks the
successful candidate for United States
Senator and "double crosses" others.
They say he -uses his power in city.
county and state polKIcs to squelch the
political ambition of any person who
does not pay due homage.
These tongues give pain to the virtu
ous side of the two-faced boss. In
plaintive voice he laments fho asper
sions on his character. Ho even sheds
tears on occasion. He holds his head
in his hands and even weeps, to think
his foes and pretended friends should
tell tales so foul. If they would but
believe him, they would know that he
has nothing to do with politics and is
glad to be out of the lying, dirty busi
ness. He is misrepresented and wholly
misunderstood, and some day the peo
ple will know it. Perhaps then they
will award him the Justice he has
craved all through life; if not, lot it be;
he can suffer. As for his detractors,
they will get their deserts, because a
man never lives long enough to escape
punishment for his misdeeds.
Meanwhile his other face, what Is It
doing? Are there franchises and pav
ing contracts to be awarded in the
City -Hall? Are Road Supervisors to
be appointed in the Courthouse? Are
bills to be looked after in the Legisla
ture? Tea, and each business has at
tention. A telephone wire leads to
each place and the returning mail
brings rewards.
Boss Ruef thrives in many cities.
He wear3 a face of virtue and wronged
innocence and a face of knavery and
appetite for evil. He denounces his
detainers, challenges them to prove
their charges, demands investigation
and trial, and then blocks their efforts
to bring the proofs.
Go to the penitentiary he may from
San Francisco, but his hundreds of
thousands of dollars of boodle will be
waiting for him when he gets out and
he will be richer than the captain of
the forty thieves. The poor laborer,
eking out a petty-wage slavery of a
lifetime, has no hopes as .bright as
Ruef. The boss will be a prince some
day in another land, where the taint
of his money will not be known. But
the toiling worker will be a drudge, al
ways. This will be his reward for In
dustry, frugality and honesty. That
will be Ruef's reward for thievery.
But we are getting on in the world.
The graft of bosses will not thrive as
In the past. A Heney and a Folk will
be a terror to them hereafter and will
strike the fear of God into their1 hearts.
And a direct primary law may even
drive the -boss out of existence. It has
done so in Portland.
SEW FACTS ABOCT DIVORCE.
The investigation .of marriage and
divorce statistics undertaken by the
Census Bureau has developed some
surprising facts. They show, in tne
first place, that during the twenty-year
period from 1S87 to 1306 the number of
applications for divorce in the United
States reached the enormous total of
1.400.000. It is estimated that three
fourths of the applications were grant
ed, hence that more than 1,000.000 di
vorces were allowed during the period
covered. The twenty-year period from
1S67 to 18S6 showed a total of 328,000
divorces.
These figures indicate an enormous
increase in divorces, but, when consid
ered in the ratio, that they bear to pop
ulation, the statistician- does - not find
them so great. Still, the total is large
enough to warrant the conclusion that
the extreme has been reached and that
the divorce pendulum will soon return
to its medium movement.
Another surprising feature developed
by this investigation Is that Boston,
and Philadelphia take the lead of Chi
cago in the number of divorces .grant
ed in the past two decades. This,
taken In connection with the fact that
South Dakota, for some years the
haven of retreat for those who wished
to secure quick divorce as precedent to
speedy remarriage, has, through its
Legislature, called a halt in this direc
tion, indicates that the march of em
pire, so far as divorce goes, is no
longer -westward, but has turned
squarely toward the East, with Phila
delphia and Boston as its objective
points.
The work of the Home Missionary
Society of any church organization is
valuable according to its practical deal
ings with those who arein special need
of its assistance. The name of these
is legion ; . they congregate in ever-
increasing masses in the immigrant re
ceiving sre'.ions of our great ports of
entry, too often to become the sport -of
cruel circumstance and- the prey of un
scrupulous men; they people the moun
tain regions of the Southland, grovel
ing in Ignorance and a prey to indo
lence; they struggle in small frontier
communities of the great West, not
asking alms, but . needing encourage
ment and the assistance that comes
through kindly suggestion. The field
is wide; its highways and byways are
populous with humanity struggling
toward an upward plane, or descending
to one yet lower. "We have here,"
says Miss Carrio Barge, National or
ganizer for the Women's Home Mis
sionary Society of the Methodist
Church, "opportunity to prove to the
world what Christianity can do for a
nation, and we should begin at home,"
adding: "If an Individual is inconsis
tent, he becomes a sad- spectacle; if a
nation is inconsistent, it is also a sad
spectacle to the world." The applica
tion of this principle is suggested in its
statement. Since, as Miss Barge fur
ther asserts, "we are far from being a
Christian nation," It is the -part of con
sistency to strive to become an exam
ple at home before we essay the teach
ers' role abroad. Diffused energy is
wasted energy, or at least enfeebled
energy, whether applied to- physics or
ethics.
The Topeka State Journal Is worry
ing somewhat because,, it sees many
evidences of the "special Interests" put
ting forth efforts to secure nomination
of a Presidential candidate safe and
conservative, and in that respect un
like Roosevelt. The plan, the Journal
thinks, is to. put four or five satisfac
tory candidates in the field and- let
them get the delegates from their own
states and when the proper time comes
swing all the delegations to one of the
number or to some new candidate who
would be satisfactory to "business in
terests." Knox would be relied upon
to deliver Pennsylvania; Cannon, Illi
nois; Foraker, Ohio; Fairbanks, Indi
ana, and perhaps Shaw, Iowa. Having
pictured this much of the game, the
Journal ventures the opinion that the
movement extends to Kansas and that
the Republicans of that state must be
ware or they will be made a party to
it. The Journal is borrowing trouble
over a political trick too old to work
well now. The people will not be mis
led by such tactics. The next Presi
dent will be a man who will try to
carry out the Roosevelt square-deal
policy.- A Republican convention that
would put up any other kind of candl
didate would be afraid to adjourn and
go home.
There is some evidence that the Ore
gon Legislature was not tho "worst
ever" even though it may bo considered
a record-breaker for this state. Kansas
has had a legislative session this Win
ter and it is some consolation to learn
that Oregon Is not the only state in
which pledges have been broken and
the people betrayed. When compari
sons are being made in general cussed
ness the Kansas City Star claims su
premacy for its State Senate. It says:
Intrinsically and on any even basis of
comparison, the Senate which expired at
Topeka on Monday was far and away the
worst that has ever dlsKrared Kansas Rel
atively considered, in connection with the
general drift of opinion and moral regen
eration, throughout the land, its record
was absolutely unspeakable.
The trouble In Kansas was that the
Senate stood in with tho railroads as
well as all other corporations. Some
of the Senators who stood with special
interests were expected to stand with
the people, which circumstance leads
another paper to note the fact that
though the people are often deceived
the special interests never are. A
member of the Legislature often goes
back on his pledges to the people. No
member was ever charged with being
unworthy of confidence placed In him
by the corporations.
A law has been passed by the Legis
lature of California making it "a mis
demeanor to dock the tails of horses.
This law has been approved by the
Governor and measures for its enforce
ment will be at once -undertaken. Pre
liminary to this, all the horses in the
state that are now thus disfigured
must be registered within thirty days
with the County Clerks of the several
counties. Failure to comply with this
mandate will render the owners of
such animals liable to prosecution.
Thi3 law is humane and gracious, and
it Is believed that its enforcement will
not be difficult. It is a matter of re
gret that a law of similar intent failed
to pass the Oregon Legislature at Its
late session.
The City Council of Helena has re
voked the gas .franchise of that city
because the company served poor-quality
gas. The company officers ought
to have visited Portland and obtained
pointers from Joe Teal, Linthicum,
Keady, Swlgert and Mills.
It will be remembered- that two years
ago Harry Lane couldn't be smoked
out of his "sufficient unto the day Is
the evil thereof for a long while. Then
he ran for Mayor. Let the patriots
wait. Their votes are no good now,
anyhow.
Caught with the goods, the pluto
cratic plagiarist editor squeals "You're
another." Even Mr. Trill had more
grace than that. -Perhaps, after all,
he wouldn't do for a plutocratic editor.
Always remember that grafters never
fail to run for the City Council. That's
why so -many of them have got there.
And that's why, aguln, good candi
dates should be brought out.
Perhaps the gas company at Helena
didn't "come through." Even the solid
nine of the Portland Council might re
voke a gas franchise under such cir
cumstances. Abraham Ruef Is said by the dis
patches to -be "Incommunicado at the
St. Francis -Hotel." St. Francis Hotel
Is, we suppose, Friscoese for County
Jail.
Before the fight for Mayor shall be
over, several candidates for Mayor will
probably wish they had allowed the
evil to be sufficient unto the day.
Seventeen out of .eighteen San Fran
cisco Supervisors have been caught in
the Heney-Burns dragnet. There was
also one honest roan In Sodom.
TWO-CEST RAILROAD FARE FIGHT
Why the Same Standard Shouldn't Be
Enforced oa All Roads.
' New York Sun.
A letter very characteristic of -cer
tain features of the movement for
two-cent railroad fares which is
sweeping over the country, was re
ceived recently by the State Railroad
Commission of Georgia from repre
sentatives of the Georgia branch of
the National Farmers' Union. This
Interesting epistle was in substance
a request for the commission to take
action to reduce passenger rates with
in the state. "We believe," the letter
said, "that the present passenger rates
can be reduced and ought to be re
duced," and the opinion was expressed
that "this should be done in justice
to the public." In order that the com
mission should not be tempted to adopt
too niggardly a standard in making
the reduction, it was suggested "that
you take into consideration the adop
tion of the two-cent rate so generally
fixed by various states during the past
few months." With the utmost
naivete the writers proclaimed that
they did -"not wish to be unfair and
unjust to the railroads," but well.
the commission knew what was
wanted.
Probably it did not ocrur to the
authors of this ingenuous communi
cation that there could be anything
unfair or unjust in imposing on the
Georgia railroads "two-cent rate so
generally fixed by various states in
the past few months." To give the
agitators and reducers everywhere the
benefit, of the doubt, it has probably
not occured to them that it is ab
surdly unjust and unfair to set up
the two-cent standard for all the rail
roads, that what might bo meat for
some railroads would be poison for
others. So in state after state the
two-cent rate has been "generally
fixed" this Winter, all because the
Ohio Legislature passed a two-cent
rate law last year, without any rail
road bankruptcies resulting in the
nine months that the law has been In
effect. Yet the benefit of the doubt
which foregoes thf imputation of ill in
tentions Is very difficult to extend to
these universal reducers and two-cent
standardizes In view of the fact that
there is so tremendous a difference be
tween railroad conditions and the kind
and extent of traffic in different parts
of the country that no such general
standard as. the two-cent passenger
rate could possibly be fair and just.
The following exhibit of passenger
rate legislation this Winter, or with
in the last year, and rate reduction by
decree of .commission, shows how gen
erally the two-cent standard, or an
approximation to it. has been applied
rigidly to the widely varying condi
tions of railroad travel In the United
States.
Pennsylvania Two-cent bill passed by the
House and is pending- in the Senate.
Ohio Two-cent law enacted last year.
West Virginia Two-cent bill passed.
North Carolina Two-and-a-quarter-cent
hill passed.
Alabama Two-and-a-half-cent bill passed.
Arkansas Two-cent bill passed.
Texas Two-cent bill pending.
Kansas Two-cent bill passed.
Nebraska Two-cent law enacted.
North Dakota Two-and-a-half-cent bill
passed.
South Dakota Railroad Commission au
thorized to order 2lis-cent rate.
Indiana. Two-cent bill passed.
Illinois Two-cunt bill passed the House.
Missouri Two-cent bill passed.
. Iowa Two-cent bill passed applying; to
roads earning $4i30 a year gross per mile.
Minnesota Two-cent hill pending-.
Wisconsin Rale of 2i cents fixed by
Hallroad Commission.
All parts of 'the country except the
New England States and the Pacific
slope are. represented In this list, and
the Pacific, slope will come in under
authorization given to the railroad
commissions of Washington and Ore
gon by the present Legislatures. Yet
this general movement toward a re
duced and rigid passenger rate stand
ard absolutely ignores the great di
versity In passenger traffic conditions
East, South, North and West. The
following table of passenger traffic
statistics for 1D04 will serve to illus
trate what the difference is:
Av-f-r. rec. Aver. rec. Aver. No.
per pass,
per mile.
Whole country.. 2.0&3
States
New England.... 1.7ft
Middle Atlantic. t.S'J
Central Northern 2.1
South Atlantic. 2.:t:t
fiulf & Miss. Val. 2.4
Southwestern .. ".lift
Northwestern ..
Pacific 109
per mile pass, per
of R. R. mile rd.
$2,143 3.3S4
4.n:in 15.704
4.SS3 30.651
1.040 2.3N5
l.r.'.'O 3.3N4
l.fi l.nKt
l.:-.4 154
1.K14 Wl
2,209 S.M'i
In cents.
.There is no need to go Into an argu
ment to show from this table how
unfair. and unjust It Is to force the
same passenger rate on all the rail
roads of the country. It is unne
cessary to add to the significance of
the tabular figures the analyses which
would show how the averages are
affected by the srreatcr roads as com
pared with the lesser and by the sta
tistics of commuter and excursion
travel. The table speaks for Itself
to the point of the gross inequality
of passenger traffic conditions to
which the two-cent fare standard is
now being so rapidly applied.
STEEIAVORKERS OX STRIKE
Two Mills at Hammond Shut Down
by Laborers.
HAMMOND, Ind., March 19. All the
employes of the mills of the Republic
Iron & Steel Company at East Chicago
struck today for higher wages, 800 men
walking out and completely tieing up the
establishments. The men have been re
ceiving an average of $1.75 a day and
demand $2. -
Superintendent Grove said today that
the plant would be closed indefinitely be
fore the increase would be allowed.
No disorder has occurred, but the mills
are guarded by a large number of special
policemen.
Late today. 600 men employed by the
Interstate Steel Company struck for an
advance of 25 cents a day.
Silva to Sing at Paris Opera.
PARIS, March 15. Mine. Silva, the well
known prima donna, who has been so
successful at the Opera Comique as Car
men and Santuzza. in "Cavalleria Kusti-
cana," was today re-engaged at that thei
ater for another year, beginning Septem
ber 1 next.
Under her contract she is to sing only
leading rolee. and she is now rehearsing a
creation in the opera "Ghyslalne," which
is to be given its premier at the Opera
Comique early in April next.
Ensign Fremont's Brave Deed.
SHANGHAI, March 19. The American
armored cruiser squadron arrived here
yesterday from Nanking. The officers re
port a daring rescue by Ensign John C.
Fremont, Jr. It occurred while' the ves
sels were anchored off Chin Kiang.
Dr. Paul B- etainaker. of the West
Virginia, fell overboard. Ensign Fremont,
although wearing a heavy overcoat,
jumped after the doctor and saved him.
Strikers Rave Over Victim's Grave.
NANTES. France. March 19. Violent
anti-capitalistic harangues were delivered
at the funeral of the victims of the col
lision, March 16. between' the striking
stevedores and gendarmes and police, but
there was no disorder.
The strike of stevedores is now complete.
AVAK"I"G IS GIVEN".
Stockmen to Be Prosecuted lor In
vading Forests.
OREGOXIAN NEWS BUREAU. Wash
ington, March 19. Tne forest service to
day made the following announcement:
"Stockmen who refuse to pay grazing
fees, may be denied future privileges in
forest reserves. Some stockmen who held
permits last year to graze cattle and
horses on forest reserves in Colorado
made an agreement among themselves not
to apply for permits or pay a grazing
fee this year, and to make no effort to
prevent their stock from drifting upon
the reserve. This action was taken to
test the legality of the act which Author
izes the Secretary of Agriculture to make
regulations governing reserves.
"By a recent act of Congress the Gov
ernment is now able to carry directly to
the Supreme Court criminal cases decided
against it under certain circumstances,
when the ground of decision is invalidity
or construction of the statute upon which
the indictment is founded. J"his for the
first time puts it in the power of the
Forester to secure from the Supreme
Court a decision of this question and
under the advice of the Attorney-General
forest officers will make such arrests for
grazing trespasses on forest reserves as
may be necessary to secure final adjudica
tion upon the validity of tho criminal
provisions of this act.
"Stockmen have been notified that those
who held permits last yeHr and have
failed to make application may lose their
right to grazing privileges upon reserves,
as objection to the payment of the graz
ing fee will not be accepted as a good
reason for not having made application at
the proper time. In case their stock
enters a reserve without a permit, they
will be required to pay damages In addi
tion to the regular grazing fee and. unless
this payment Is made within a reason
able time the cases will be referred to
the Department of Justice with a request
that proceedings be commenced to secwre
an injunction rcstrainng them from allow
ing their stock to graze upon the re
serve." -
ALL SIGNS rOIXT TO DE1TRICH
Federal Judge for Idaho Will Be
Appointed Today.
ORBGONIAN NEWS BUREAU. Wash,
ington, March 19. It is intimated that a
successor to Judge Beatty, of Idaho, will
be appointed tomorrow and all signs in
dicate the selection" of Dietrich, of Poca
tello, as the lucky man. Strong in
fluences have been brought tj bear in
behalf o Edgar Wilson, of Boise, but his
selection is not looked for.
Judge Ailshie. Senator Heyburn's origi
nal choice, apparently stands.no show of
appointment, because of the charges,
which are serious, notwithstanding a
statement by Heyburn.
Unwilling to Prosecute Fencers.
CHEYENNE, Wyo, March 19. Tho
announcement was made today that B.
M. Auslierman, of Evanston, recently
appointed United States District At
torney for Wyoming by President
Roosevelt, had declined to qualify for
the office, caused a surprise in local
political circles- It is reported- here
that the intention cf the Administra
tion to insist upon criminal rather
than civil prosecutions in the cases of
Illegal fencing of the public range had
a bearing upon the decision of Mr.
Ausherman. M. B. Camptin. of Sheri
dan, has announced his candidacy for
the office.
Australia AVant Immigrants.
MELBOURNE, Victoria. March 19. The
Victorian cabinet has authorized Premier
Bent, who leaves here shortly for Eng
land, to arrange for the transportation of
emigrants to Victoria at transportation
ratest cheaper than what is paid "by emi
grants who go out to Canada.
DOES HE MEAN IT?
"We have got to come out in the open and tell the people the rail
roads' side of the matter.
"The only thing to do is to reach the public through the
newspapers.
"I want to develop a feeling of co-operation between the people
and the railroads." From E. H. Harriman's latest "interview.
EW FRENCH ELECTION BILL
Provides Universal Suffrage and
Representation of Minority.
PARIS. March 19. The text of a
new bill, which if passed, may intro
duce a complete change In the French
Parliamentary electoral system has
Just been adopted by the universal
suffrage committee of .ie Chamber ot
Deputies, and will shortly be brought
up for discussion.
The bill is based on the principles
of proportional representation and
ticket voting, while, the committee,
carrying out what it believes to be
the general desire, has increased the
period of the Deputies' mandate to
six years Instead of four, as at present.
At the same time the number of rep- .
resentatlves Is to be reduced from
591 to about 490.
By the new system each department
is to be regarded as a distinct elec
toral district entitled to return one
deputy for every 25.000 voters and one
In addition in case tho division of the
total number of voters into fractions
of 25,000 leaves a surplus figure of
more than 5000. Should any depart
ment by reason of its population bo
entitled to more than 10 deputies It
will be sub-divided into two or more
constituencies, each to be treated as
a separate department for electoral
purposes.
An innovation so far as France is
concerned is to be introduced into the
method of voting. Each voter is to
bp given as many votes as there are
deputies to be elected in his depart
ment, and he may either distribute
them among the candidates or cast
them all for one.
In order to avoid the recurrence of
bye-elections by reason of the re
signation or death of a deputy, it Is
proposed that vacancies in the Cham
ber shall be filled by candidates un
successful at the general election In
the department represented by the re
tiring or deceased deputy, the high
est on the list, according to the num
ber of votes cast for him, having the
right to claim the seat, provided he has
not in the meantime been deprived of
his civic rights for any reason, and so
on until the list is exhausted. The
only reason for a bye-election, accord
ing to the bill, is in case a vacancy
should occur more than six months
before a fresh general election is due
and no unsuccessful candidates should
be eligible or desirous of filling the
seat.
Says Explosion Was Spontaneous.
TOULON, March 19. The court in
quiry appointed to determine the ex
plosion of March 12 on the battleship
Jena, decided today that the disaster
was caused by a spontaneous explo
sion of powder, due to decomposition
and the elevation of the temperature
of the magazine.
Predicts More Earthquakes.
LONDON, March 19. John Milne, the
selsmogist, says that the world, which
normally, steadriy experiences earth
quakes, has been strangely and ominously
quiescent for the last fortnight, which
suggests that something is threatening.
Will Kill Freedom of Speech.
LISBON. March 19. The efforts of the
Liberals in favor of freedom ot speech
and of the press have been unavailing.
The new consorship bill was adopted to
day by the Chamber of Deputies by 51 to
33.
Suit for Kingston Insurance.
KINGSTON", March 19. The first suit
against the Insurance companies to recov
er for losses sustained in the earthquake
was filed yesterday. The Yor.xshire com
pany is the defendant. Other companies
will soon be sued.
From the New York Mali.