10 THE MORNING OREGOXIAN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1907. 'rtY'f',J1't SI BSCRIITION RATES. INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. (By Mail.) Dally, Sunday Included, one year $8.00 Dally, Sunday Included, six month..... 4.25 Dally. Sunday included, three months.. 2.25 Dully, Sunday Included, one month 75 Daily, without Sunday, one year G.OO Dally, without Sunday, six month.. a. 25 Daily, without -Sunday, three months.. 1.75 Dally,- without Sunday, one month CO Sunday, one year 2.S0 Weekly, one year (Issued Thursday).." 1-50 Cunduy and weekly, one year 3.50 BY CARRIER. Dally. Sunday included, one year 9.00 Dally, Sunday Included, one month.... .75 HOW TO REMIT Send postoltlce money order, express order or personal check on your local bank. stamps, coin or currency .are at the senders risk. Give postofrlce ad dress In Jul!.' Including county and state. l'OSTAGX KATES. Entered at Portland. , Oregon, Fostofftce a. Second-Class Matter. 10 to 14 Paces . 1 cent IB to 2S Pagos. .; 1 cent HO to 44 Paces 3 Cents 48 to 60 Paces .-. cents Foreign postage, double rates. IMPORTANT The postal laws are strict. Newspapers on which postage Is not fully prepaid are not forwarded to destination. EASTERN BUSINESS OFFICE. The 8. C. Deck with Special Agency New York, room 48-50 Tribune building. Chi i cago, rooms 010-312 Tribune building. ISJirT ON SALE. Chicago Auditorium, Annex; Postofflce ' News Co.. 178 dearborn street. tt. Paul, Minn. N. St. Marie, Commercial Elation. Colorado Springs, Colo. Bell. H. Denver Hamilton and Kendrlck. 000-912 Feventcenth street: PnUt liook Store. 1214 Fifteenth street; H. P. Hansen, S. Klce, Geo. Carson. Kansas City, Mo. Ulcksecker Cigar Co., Ninth and Walnut; Yoma News Co. M luneupolut M. J. Cavanaugh. CO South Third Cleveland. O. James Pushaw, 807 Su perior street. Washington, D. C. Ebbltt House, Penn sylvania avenue. Philadelphia, Pa. Ryan's Theater Ticket Office; Fenn News Co. New York City 1 Jones & Co.. Astor House; Broadway Theater News stand; Ar thur Hotallng Wagons; Empire "News Stand. tfgden D. L. Boyle; Lowe Bros.. "Ml Twenty-fifth street. Omaha Barkalow Bros., Union 8tat!on; . Mageath Stationery Co.-,' Is Moines, la. Mose Jacobs. Sacramento, Cal. Sacramento News Co., iiw n biicci; Aiuua adhi uo. I Salt Lake Moon Book & Stationers Co.: 1 Ko.enfeld & Hansen; Q. W. Jewett. P. O. corner. Dos Angeles B. E. Amos, manager ten street wagons. Pasadena, (nL Amos News Co. San Diego B. E. Amos. , Long Ueucn, Cal. B. E. Amos San Jose, Cal. St. James Hotel News Etand. Dallas. Tex. Southwestern News Agent Amarillo, Tex. Timmons & Pope. Sun Francisco Foster & Orear; Ferry News Etand; Hotel St. Francis News Stand; : I Parent; N. Wheatley; Fairmount Hotel News Stand; Amos News Co.; United News J Agents. 14tt Eddy street; B. E. Amos, man 1 ager three wagons. Oakland, Cal. W. H. Johnson. Fourteenth ; and Franklin streets; N. Wheatley; Oakland , News Stand; B. .E. Amos, manager nve wagons Cioldtield, Net. Louie. Follin; C- E. I Hunter. . I Eureka, Cal. Call-Chronlcla Agency; Eu ( reka News Co. rORTLAND. THURSDAY, DEC. 19, 1907. "MONEY DIRECT TO THE PEOPLE." A Republican paper, before usi con tains this statement: A correspondent writes to ask this paper why it would not be advisable for the Gov . eminent to issue a. billion or so of the old Abe Lincoln "good for all demands, both public and prlTote." greenbacks, to be loaned to the people on right security, during times of money stringency. The correspondent rea sons that if a coterie of bankers in each city can Issue clearinghouse paptr money that Iw good for general use. why cannot the Gov ernment lsmie a billion or two of greenbacks, based on the faith and credit of the whole Government. The only answer we can give l that we are under the gold standard, which floes not permit the Issuance of greenbacks. And a emoeratic paper, before us, contains this statement: ... Since the Government decided to Issue debt certificates, credit currency, "flat" or "raff money' not based on gold, why could it not have done so directly to the people, instead of turning the business over to the banks so as to give them a big promt It Is a sorry matter. Indeed, when idwis so hazy as these are in the minds of the people, especially In the minds of those who write and print. In these ldons there is not the first conception of the necessary principles of finance'. The country must maintain the gold money standard so that values may be kept on the gold basis, and all notes may be redeemable in gold. It is the ' only safety for Industry and business. But If she Government should issue "a billion or so of good old Ahe Lincoln greenbacks" the power of redemption would be lost, as it was In those old days, and the country would be afflict ed again with all the evils of an Irre deemable currency, and would suffer again all the losses arising from It. It Is said the notes could be "loaned to the people on the right security." But the people have no security to offer that the Government could take. Even land is no security for paper, when the gold standard is lost. Government docs not want land, nor horses, nor wheat : It leaves commodities to pri vate ownership. Government has not Issued any "rag money- not based on gold," because ; Government has engaged to maintain the gold standard. And it is doing it. The problem is dlfflcujt. under our sys tem, since the notion op-paper inflation has so deep a hold. It is complained that the notes are not "Issued directly to the people." But on what security; and ho-iv would their redeemabillty In gold, or their ; exchangeability with gold, bo maintained? The, bonds, In limited quantities, are offered to the people, and become the basis of addi tional bank-circulation: because in this way the banks are made a buffer, so to speak, between the demand of the peo ple fo gold- and the Government that must maintain the parity and keep , command of the gold to maintain it. The. parity the gold standard would : be lost in a week, it would be lost be fore tomorrow morning, if trie an nouncement were made that the Gov ernment would issue money direct to the people; that is, that it would print Treasury notes, as it did in 1861, for . payment of its current expenses and general obligations. The Treasury must keep the banks between, itself and a direct run on its gold reserves. Thus, the banking forces of the coun try are enforced to help In maintain ing the parity and the gold standard. Government could not do it alone, ex cept by heavy contraction, which would pinch business to death. Clearing-house certificates, no mat ter where issued, are but makeshifts, temporary ' currency, good only for their promisa of quick redemption. The bills may run as credit notes a month or two. Their value depends on knowledge f belief that they will ,be' speedily , redeemed. Only through assurance, of quick redemption will anybody take them at their nominal value. They are not money at all, nor do they purport to be money. They ere merely credit notes. United States iiotes are the same, with only the addi tional quality of legal tender; which,' however, would render them no better. If the prospect of their conversion Into actual money wer lost. Treasury i urn rea tofbe .deemed in gold or-redemption fndefl ' nitely postponed would be worth no more than clearing-house certificates never to be redeemed. 'It is the func- tion or government to maintain the gold standard, and Its operations are conceived and conducted with the pur pose or making the banks help to do It. Ail this is the mere alphabet of monetary science. It is discouraging to be obliged to hammer it, and tq hammer it over and over, at this late) stage of the debate In our country on money and currency. HOME AND FOREIGN C UPIDS. ' The Chinese Cupid, according to Mr. Foon Chew, is a sophisticated 'little creature with a cool head and a keen eye. He Is subject to no illusions and misled by no passions. Compared with the American Cupid, he is a wise coun sellor instead of a gay deceiver. Our young couples marry because they are In love. Chinese youths and maidens marry because it seems a good bus! ness proposition to their elders. At first glance our way seems the best one. The other appears sordid, avari cious, destructive to all romantic feel ing, blighting to all tender emotions of the heart. But there is one thought concerning our system of making love and mar riage which will not down. We sub mit more completely to the guidance of love in these Important affairs than any other people; and we have more divorces than any other. Is there a connection between the two facts? China is not the only country where marriages are arranged by the elders without regard to the preferences of the couple to be united. The, same thing is done In France, and, with ex ceptions, throughout Europe. Even in England love plays a lighter part than with us, and more attention is paid to the question of Income and social fitness. Mr. Poon Chew thinks that the ar rangement of a marriage requires the ripe wisdom of matura people and should not be left to the headstrong passion of a boy and girl. ' Perhaps the only way to decide whether he is right or not is to Inquire which'system works out better in practice, ours or the Chinese. The condition of women in China is said to be rather degraded, but it seems that the position of a wife and -mother is more secure than here. She Is not nearly so likely to be aban doned or divorced. To many persons a somewhat Inferior position which is nevertheless secure would appear pre ferable to a more dignified one which" is subject to frequent disaster. In, France, where, as we have tald, the system of arranging marriage is. much like the Chinese, woman"has a posi tion quite as dignified as she has in America, while her place in the home is more stable. Divorces In France are more frequent than formerly, but they are not by any means bo common as they are here. Something would be lost, of course, , by permitting our eld ers to arrange our marriages, but very likely a great deal more would be gained. IMMATERIAL AND IRRELEVANT. Because Mr. Johan Poulsen made a profit of $1,000,000 in the business of sawing and selling lumber, that does not justify the 10-cent advance in the lumber rate. No one has questioned the fact that Mr. Poulsen and a large num ber of other millmen have' grown rich in the business1 In a very short time. JBut if their profits were doubled and trebled, it would .not make reasonable Rn unreasonable freight rate. If the 10-cent advance in freight which is "being fought by the lumbermen is un reasonable and out of proportion to the rates charged on. other commodi ties, it should not be allowed. But it Is difficult to understand where the million-dollar profits of Mr. Poulsen have any bearing on the cost per ton per mile of moving freight. The testimony has perhaps demon strated that the railroads have not been exacting ail" that the traffic would bear, as has been charged; otherwise Mr. Poulsen's profits might not have reached such princely figures. The question before the Interstate Com merce Commission Is not whether the Oregon lumbermen are making money too rapidly, but whether the railroads are charging a rate that is unreason ably high. No one has complained about the amount of money Mr. Poul sen Is making out of the business. That is a phase of .the question that rests between him and the men who buy the lumber. It is not at all clear where such testimony is of value to the rail roads who are credited with placing Mr. Poulsen on the stand. President Elliott in his testimony yesterday went into details to show that the 40-cent rate was too low to admit of a profit In handling the busi ness. If he can support hiscontention to the satisfaction of the 'courts, the profits or the losses of the lumbermen will have but small part in affecting the decision. The rate on hops re mains the same today that It was two years ago. Then the growers were all making money. Today they are rll losing money. The . testimony of Mr. Poulsen looks like a case of dodging the Issue. . AN UNHEEDED PROTEST. Until a very few days before the sailing of the battleship fleet there still lingered In the. minds of many of. the Eastern people a Btrong belief that the proposed cruise would be abandoned. The somewhat sacrilegious sentiment that the Almighty disdained to assume any Jurisdiction west of the Missouri River has always been popular ln the Eastespecialy in the provincial habi tat -of the Manhattan Islander.' The possibility that anything of conse quence exists anywhere else In the United States Is so preposterous that it Is usually dismissed from the mind of the New Yorker with hardly a passing thought. For these reasons It was ex tremely difficult for the East to believe that the fleet was actually to be trans ferred from th.e Atlantic to the Pacific. But when the final orders were given and preparations had reached a point where there was no longer doubt of the departure of the fleet, the feeling shifted from languid incredulity to a condition bordering on alarm. The New Yprk Journal of Com merce devoted a column of its valu able editorial Bpace to assuring its readers that "from whatever point of view the President's order for the as sembling and dispatch of the fleet is regarded, it must be condemned as both unnecessary and mischievous." With the smug complacency that has made New York famous, the Journal of Commerce assures us that "the conr tingency of war in the Orient exists only in the .imagination of half -informed or wholly prejudiced men." But is the "contingency of' war" so much greater in the well-protected notes or bank notes, never harbors of the Atlantic that the fleet should be kept there permanently? By commercial ties alone the United States is bound so close to Great Brit ain and Continental Europe- that war on the Atlantic is a possibility, so re mote that the suggestion should hardly receive serious consideration. That the great battles of the future will be fought on the Pacific is a pre diction that has been made by the most prominent military and political experts of the age. Society across the Pacific is still "in the making." and until order is brought out of chaos there is an ever-present danger of con flict. It does' not necessarily follow that the United States should become directly Involved in war with some of the yellow races in order to justify, the presence of the fleet in the Pacific. The American possessions bordering on the Pacific have a shore line many times greater than those which face the Atlantic, and the fortifications of the Pacific are so woefully Inferior to those of the Atlantic that comparison Is Impossible. Wehave - built up a great Navy for use In preserving peace and upholding the dignity of 'the coun try. The question now before us is whether that Navy shall be perma nently stationed on the Atlantic, whjere peace and' dignity have no demand to make on its services, or whether a por tion of it shall be stationed In easy call for protection of the American posses sions which will be In greater or less jeopardy until order is brought out of chaos across the Pacific. "As a menace to Japan," says the New York paper, the presence, of our warships In such force on the Pacific is unnecessary-and therefore imperti nent." And yet no intimation has been conveyed to Japan that this fleet Is In tended, as a menace. But if war with Japan or thenecessity of a fleet for police duty wTiile Japan was fighting wth ysome other nation should ever occur before completion of the Pan ama Canal, with this fleet on the At lantic, It would be an Impossibility to get the fleet around until it was ever lastingly too late. SHALL WE DESTROY OR IMPROVE? A valued contributor, whose letter Is printed today, writes to rebuke The Oregonlan for a recent lapse lnte "or thodoxy." The reader may possibly recall a remark in our comment on Mr. Hamilton's economic straits to the effect that if he would look about him with some vigor God would ta!;e notice by and by and lead him to a Job. Our contributor was evidently pained by this utterance. He wishes to know If it Is rfbt "a contradiction to the edi tor's liberalism." One gathers from this that in his opinion "liberalism" means cleaving to one side In a contro versy, without regard to the merit of the other, accepting truth so far as it agrees with antecedent prejudice and rejecting it when It does not. This sort of liberalism is not unpopular, but It Would take a -keen casuist to dis criminate it from bigotry. There is a bigotry of dissent as well as of faith, and which is the more detestable it were difficult to say. Why should not the Lord help Mr. Hamilton find a-job? He has time to number the halra of our heads and to look ater the falling sparrow; surely a workman out of a job is of more account than many sparrows. Indeed the good book says he is. Our grieved contributor, however. goes deeper Into the question. He dis cerns in our advice to Mr. Hamilton an indication that The Oregonlan has joined the great conspiracy against the. humble which he declares the minis ters of religion have been' working out from olden times. It may or may not be true that their advice has al ways been "to trust !n God and look to him for guidance as a remedy for every social evil," but The Oregonlan was not proposing a remedy for any social evil whatever. It was attend ing exclusively t'o a particular man's individual evil. It is not likely that Mr. Hamilton could well have waited for a Job until all our social ques tions have been answered. His need was Immediate and the problem was to keep him from starving. The prac tical way to do this was to find him some work; and the way to find work was to look for it. Our contributor. being a . socialist, no doubt believes that it Is the duty of society to keep jobs on tap all the time, so that no man need look for work. This theory need not be disputed now. Even if it is correct it is not In force, and it would be foolish, would it not, for a workingman to sit down and starve because society does not do its duty by him? After all, the case against the min isters is not so black as our contrib utor paints it. To be sure, they are much disposed to resolve all difficul ties by advising people to cast their burdens on the Lord; but they s'pice this counsel with a sprinkling of com mon sense which ought not to be over looked. "Trust God," they tell us; but they add in an undertone, "and keep your powder dry, which plainly shows that they themselves realize the diaphanous quality of supernatural aid In time of difficulty. The (jommon say ing of pious people concerning a man In the extremity of peril that "he ha1 no help but God" Implies that the forthcoming help was not very sub stantial. When- a man has no help but God the chances are very strong for his going under. It is an orthqdox maxim that "The Lord helps those who help themselves." and it follows that those who cannot help themselves need expect no help from above; which agrees with the facts. The Oregonlan meant nothing more terrible than this when it told Mr. Hamilton he might expect divine di rection if he exerted himself vigorous.1 ly in, nis own -Denait. . was only a poetical way of telling him that he was likely to succeed. So much may be offered to our contributor as a sort of sop to Cerberus; but when he goes on to lay it down that all crimes and soclaLevlls are' caused by "government, religion, marriage and education," he gives us pause. Of course If there were no such thing as government many of the acts which are now called crimes might be committed with im punity; but would that be much of a gain? Likewise, if we had no institu tion of marriage there could be no di vorces; but again H does not appear quite certain that we should be better oft, .Who would take care of the chil dren if the family, and the state, were to be abolished? If the state were left Intact we might possibly make shift to dispense wlthi the family, though that Is doubtful enough, but with both gone the outlook would be pretty dark for newborn babel. The viorld as It Is now organized is not a very easy home for the' lame, the halt and the blind; but would their lot be Improved if we should destroy the hos pitals, the asylums, the systems of edu cation and charity, which depend upon the state and the church? Law as It Is administered is an extremely defec tive Instrument of Justice; but it does, after all, help the weak against the strong. It does not help them as much as it ought, and sometimes it i3 even perverted into an Instrumentality of wrong; -but upon the-whple, in spite.' or the lawyers, the law acts for the good of mankind1. Shall we abolish it then, or improve it? . The criticism we have to make upon Mr.. Goldralner's letter Is that It is de structlve in spirit. He wishes the race to move backward some hundreds of thousands of years, burning its bridges and destroying all the work of the In tervening ages. A wiser counsellor would urge mankind to keep the good j jt has won from time and toil while it eliminates the bad which still persists. We may grant without difficulty that all .our Institutions are human and therefore imperfect; but the sensible course seems to be to make them per feet if we can, certainly not to bring them down in common ruin about our ears. To but few men does the turn of the wheel of fortune bring such vicissl tudes and duties as fell to the lot of the late Colonel Crooks, who died in this city Tuesday. After a notable career as an Indian fighter In the Middle West, where he materially aided in blazing-the trail for civilization, he be came-one of the pioneer railroad build ers of the country which he made safe for the white settlers. During his long and varied career as a railroadman he was at different times associated with nearly every prominent railroad in the West, and to the end of his life he enjoyed the friendship and confi dence of the greatest railroad men in the . United States. During his ten years' residence in Portland Colonel Crooks formed a wide acquaintance and his death wjll be sincerely regret ted by all who knew him. He acted well the parts allotted him in life, and has left a vacancy in the Harriman service that will not easily be filled. The effect of the' recent financial stringency is not reflected in the move ment of domestic exports for the) month of November. - An advance statement from, the Bureau of Statis tics of the Department of Commerce and Labor snows a total for the month of $122,772,997, compared with $104, 943,802 for the same month last year. The commodities included in these fig ures were breadstuffs, livestock, meat, cotton and oils. For the eleven months ending November 30 the total exports of these commodities show a valuation of $841,279,S46, a gain of $56,000,000 over the) same period last year, one-half of which was made in wheat alone. - On account of the high prices and heavy .shipments going for ward this month, the percentage of in crease will . undoubtedly fce greater than for November. Interstate Commerce Commissioner Lane will investigate the Pullman Car Company. A San Francisco dispatch bringing the news says that the com pany will demur on the ground that the Commission lacks jurisdiction. The unfortunate individuals who are compelled to pay a considerable por tion of the cost of a Pullman car for the privilege of riding in it, and in ad dition must make up any deficit in the porter's salary, will appreciate the Pullman position. No one has Juris diction over a Pullman car except the Pullman stockholders and the porter. Mr, Lane will now find his limitations. It Is generally acknowledged that schoolteachers are in a measure dwarfed mentally, because of constant association with children and little as sociation with the world of affairs. Yet nearly every school district resents any activity of the teacher in local public questions or politics. Perhaps if teachers were invited to take an ac tive part in public discussions they would be more effective in the school room. No danger of Incurring popular dis pleasure attaches, to the Interstate Commerce Commission's primary ef fort to regulate Pullman cars. If, as a sanitary measure, the upper berth should be abolished, thus providing reasonable breathing space, the travel ing public will hold special thanksgiv ing service. While that funny Chinaman in San Francisco may make us laugh when he ridicules our sacred marriage customs, he isn't telling us anything about them we don't already know. Pursuing Its Invariable conservative policy, the London Times waited until the fleet started before it sanctioned the President's ordering the battleships to the Pacific. Certainly the boycotted stove com pany will not object to first-page ad vertisements in every morning news paper in the country. In forbidding Sunday use of the tele phone, Idaho seems to have pushed blue laws one notch too far. Assuming that Senator Martin Saxe Is In earnest, he will do well to start a publicity bureau at once. Third Term Republican Institutions. New York World. In spite of Mr. Roosevelt's emphatic declaration, it is by no means certain that the voters will take him at his word. Senator Hansbrough remarks that "the interests of the . Republican party and the entire country may be para mount to the President's personal wishes in the matter." If the people really want Mr. ' Roosevelt they are likely to take him, tradition or no tradition. Whether the custom on which Mr. Roosevelt bases his refusal Is "wise" or not depends entirely upon circumstances. It the country were in the midst of a great war or a great social and economio unheaval It might be the extreme of unwisdom to change Presidents. There may be times when every argument that can be advanced in favor of a second term will apply with equal force to . a third term. Our own ofinlon Is that if the 16,000,000 voters, supported by the Constitution, by Congress and by the United States Supreme Court, and in complete control of all the machinery of nomination and election, cannot . without the assistance of an "unwritten raw" protect republican Institutions from Presidential usurpation, the country will never be saved by myths and tradition. Foxe-i Prosper by Electricity, Trenton (N. J.) Dispatch. Electricity on the third rail near Clay ton, N. J., has killed so many foxhoiirids that foxes there are multiplying rapidly and destroying rabbits In large numbers. Ths county pays' $3 bounty for evsry fox killed. . . . - MB. ROOSEVELT'S RENUNCIATION. .Newspaper Comment on President's Statement to the Electorate. Now Dawns the Hughes Boom, Baltimore Sun. -With' Roosevelt out of the way, the Hughes boom will almost Immediately as sume formidable proportions. . HfMinres a Cynical Generation. ' New York Sun. The reiterated pledge of December 11, 1907, is no more explicit, no more positive, no more praiseworthy, than was the flrBt, tout; perhaps It is more important In the view of a cynical generation because It brings the statement of Intentions down to date. A Cage of "I Told Yon So." New York Herald. Those who' from the first have had full faith in the sincerity of Mr. Roosevelt's declaration that he would not accept a nomination will now say, "Why, of course!" On the -other hand, those wuo have, argued that he could not decline .f the convention should overwhelmingly de mand him as a candidate: will remark, "We shall see!" And there you are! The Tent Just Before Convention. New York American. Nobody believes that Mr. Roosevelt will not take an eager interest in the fight, and do his utmost to name the man who is to carry out his policies. But whether his support will benefit his proteges be cause of his popularity, or .will Injure them because o his unpopularity. Is a thing that only the test of the preconven tion months can determine.- No Different Statement Possible. New York Times. Mr. Roosevelt's statement Is what those who respected him most and knew him best expected him to make. No different statement was possible. It cannot be said that Mr. Roosevelt's withdrawal real ly clears the atmosphere. We hazard the guess, however, that to no two men in the country has it brought more joy than to Mr. Bryan and Speaker Cannon. Both are optimists. True to Hla Every Promise. ) Baltimore American. Some of the President's most x-iruient critics and detractors will, doubtless, as sert that he was forced from the field, by the attacks "made upon him and his poli cies. This the American people cannot believe, but, on the contrary, will regard his decision as another-great proof of his manliness, his straightforwardness, and his determination to keep every pledge and be true to every promise. Benin to Hurrah for Taft, Or New York Evening Post Mr. Roosevelt gave It to be understood that the contest for the succession Is to be entirely free. Only, woe be to that man who ventures 4.0 have a choice different from the Administration's! Nothing else can be meant by Mr. Roose veltVs statement that there must now -e "a lineup." Those who support his poli cies must at once begin to hurrah for Taft, those who oppose them, must get "behind'" some other candidate. Can the Roosevelt Tide Be Stoppedt New York World. So far as words go. President Roosevelt could not take a more positive stand. Tne political activity of close friends has helped him to accelerate the movement to re-elect him. At this late day can ha stop It? Can he turn back the tide? Sun- pose the Roosevelt shouters, as Governor Hoch, of Kansas, has threatened, ride over the contention like a herd of Texas steers? Will he still decline? Will he oe able to decline? Crystallization for w Candidate. New'-York Mall. The President's reiterated pledge not to Stand again is likely. to bring about con ditions somewhat similar to those of 1888. Then Blaine's popularity and prestige had operated to embarrass other candidacies, as the President's popularity and prestige naa operated until his announcement. At this moment the Republican party pre sents again the aspect of a council rather than of a wpll-discipllned army following a masterful leader. There Is to he a new plebiscite an' initiative and referen dum of , Republican sentiment. Take the President at His Word. New York Globe. Members of the bread and butter bri gade, who fear, for their larders If the White House has a different occupant. may endeavor to keep up the third-term clatter; they may be assisted by a few frenzied persons with whom Rooseveltltls has become a chronic disease; but tue overwhelming disposition of the country will be to take the President at his word. The direction in which opinion is drifting is inaicatea By the fact that Secretary Taft Is conceded to be the leading candi date. His strength is diffused and Na tional, whereas that of other candidates is primarily local. Has Mr. Cortelyon Been Smoked Out? Springfield (Mass.) Republican. It had become necessary for Mr. Roosevelt to impale the third-term folly so that it could no longer wriggle. If he would protect adequately his own good name for square dealing with the Ameri can people, and In doing this the question of time was merely incidental. We are now regaled with the story, soberly put forth by the Washington corps of Infor mation seekers, that -Jr. Cortelyou, like a MacchlavelU, has burn plotting against Mr. Roosevelt's choice for the Presidential succession and seeking to gain the Presi dency of the United States for himself. This, and nothing else, we are told, was the immediate cause of the President's announcement. The astute Cortelyou had been overreaching his master. Sud denly the master awakes to the situation. HebsDo In the House. Washington Letter to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. 'That bald head On Hobson Is rather remarkable for a man so young;" said a member of the House today as he watched the hero of the Merrlmac episode flitting around on the democratic side of the chamber. "There are only a few stragglers left on top." "True enough," answered another, "but each of those strands represents a battleship and that frown he is pulling off bodes hell and bowwows for Japan If you let him tell- it." What Success la In Corral lis. Corvallls Gaaette. If a man has continued In business for five or ten years and has simply made a living, he has not been a successful- busi ness man. "A FEW OS FAIRBANKS." The Fairbanks sounder keeps platltudln lzing at ths same old speed, in spite of the "23" signal from all the keys oa ths line. Indianapolis Sun. The New York Times thinks the cocktail Incident In .no wise affected the Fairbanks boom. Is this a knock or a boost? Wash ington Herald. "We are patiently waiting; for .an explana tion of the failure of Brother Murat Hal atead to have a history of the Fairbanks cocktail on the market. Ho oat on Post. The rate at which Vice-President Fair banks keeps plugging away at his boom il lustrates the lasting verity of the "triumph of hope over experience." Atlanta Constitu tion. "There are no humorists In this country," Insists a Chicago professor He probably never noticed how funny Fairbanks la with out trying;. Detroit News. AND YET THIS BANK FAILED. Sh oti1d.c AVhat May be Done by Per sistent and Deadly Rumor. Atchison (Kan.) Globe. What a wonderful financial Institu tion the bank of Commerce of Kansas City, which closed its doors yesterday morning, has been! Its immensity and the integrity of its officials are shown in the manner in which it has been conducted during the last-six weeks. In that time It reduced its deposits $19,000,000, reduced its loans $3,500. 000. cut down. Its cash resources $11, 750,000 and sold $2,000,000 of high grade bonds. A week ago Monday a representative of an Eastern banking publication was in Atchison, and spoke of the Bank of Commerce. He said he asked Dr. Woods, its president, how ) much money It had paid put since the financial trouble started. "Ten millions, and we are prepared to pay out as much more," was the reply he received. Atchison bankers thought that Dr. Woods' statement was. a bluff, but it 'has been shown that he told the truth. An Atchison man, who was a clerk In the Bank of Commerce a fw years ago, said that, at that time, it was a deposi tory' for 6000 banks, most of which were located in Kansas, Missouri and Okla homa. Two years ago an Atchison banker visited the Bank of Commerce Just at. the noon hour, as the force was leaving for dinner. A small army marched out and one of the officials told the Atchison man that there were 257 persons on (heir pay-roll. The Comt merce trust company, a side issue of the Bank of Commerce, is still In as good condition as any other bank In Kansas City. Had the officers of the Bank of Commerce meant to be dishonest, they would have takf n the Commerce . Trust Company down with them. Had they meant to be . crooked they would have closed their doors while their vaults were full of money. The Kansas City Star ad mits that no institution was more wining to help things that helped Kansas City' than the Bank of Commerce. We hope its affairs can soon be Htraiehtenprl nut so that it nan Ho hiifilnesn ncaln fni1 tA is not only a very useful Institution to Kansas City, but to the entire Missouri Valley. EVERYONE HELPS HIMSELF. Then He May Be Sure That God Will Help Him. PORTLAND, Or.. Dec. 15. (To the Edi tor.) In your Sunday editorial "Advice to' H. Hamilton" you say: "Somewhere there is a victory for you. and if you strive hard enough, by and by God will take no tice and show you where It is." Is this "orthodoxy" a contradiction to the edi tor's "Liberalism"? It is the same ad vice we always hear from every minister to trust in God and look to Mm and Jesus for guidance as a remedy for social evils. Our economic system, the way he nec essaries of life are made and exchanged. Government, religion, marriage and edu cation are man-made institutions, and the evils of our present society, poverty, intemperance-, divorce, race-iuloide and ail ruin are inherent In them. Why should man look to a God for relief and place all crime. upon his shoulders? Is it not far better if man would recognize bis own responsibility? The ministers preach this doctrine to tickle-the fancy of the men of wealth, who pay their salaries, and also in part because they fear to' study the economic question lest It might conflict with old conservative religious Ideas. The progress of society, the elimination of so cial evils, depend entirely upon the indi vidual man and woman. They must rec ognize their own responsibility and duty and this can only come about through self-education. Let every man and woman lay aside the Bible and the time that they spend In church; let them stay at home and read such hpoks as Henry George's "Progress and Poverty," or Vall's "Modern Social ism." By doing so his conservative re ligious ideas will leave ijim. Ha will rec ognize his responsibility and duty, .and nave a higher conception of morality and as such become a force In the social evo lutlon of society. As his dependence and fear of God leave him, that of love and reverence takes Its place. He vYl then be virtuous, not for the sake of a reward In heaven,, but for the pleasure that virtue brings with It. If every church member would follow this advice "the pews would soon tfe empty and the minister in order to earn his sal ary would be compelled to teach those doctrines In harmony with the progress or society. . Whether there is a God or not la not In question. The progress of society and the elimination of social evils depend upon the indlvldual.dlscardlng tha-thought or dependence and guidance of a God and the recognition of his own responsibility ana duty, ana tnis can only come about through self-education. JOHN A. GOLDRAINER Hla Three-Base Hit WlnWlfe. Worcester (Mass.) Dispatch in New York Sun. Through a three-bae hit made while he was a member of a baseball team, an acquaintance sprang up between Harold Heald, of Dorchester, and Miss Birdie von Schoope. of Somerville. Mass., and. now they are on their honeymoon. In a game of ball a year ago, at which the bride was an Inter ested spectator, Heald was at the bat at a critical point in the game. She called from the grand stand that If he made a hit he could wear her colors home. Heald grasped the bat rafth a firmer clutch and sent the ball' sailing out for three bases. . John D.'s New 925,000 Garage. New York World. John D. Rockefeller has completed a garage at his Pocantteo- Hills estate that Is said to be' the finest private one in the country. The garage is 100 feet square and has a cement floor and the walls are of white tile. All floors are of hard waod. In the rear of the gar age Is a workroom, and on the second floor are sleeping rooms for chauf feurs,' a bathroom and a large reading room. The garage cost $25,000. Mr. Rockefeller Intends to stay at Pocantlco Hills until the snow flies, .when he will leave for the South, where he expects to play much golf during the Winter. HUMOR FROM ENGLAND. He was telling; her about the memhers of his cricket team. "Now thert'a Brown." said he. "In a few weeks' time he'll be our best man." "Oh. Jack," Bhe gushed, "what a nice way to ask mel" Weekly Telegraph. A doctor, at the request of one of his patrlents. a wealthy woman who was recov lng from a serious illness, allowed her to eat an egg after a long course of liquid food. She ate It with a mlnsled air of contempt and relish, and as the nurse re moved the olate said: "Doctor, an egg is a delicious thins:. What a pity it is so common among the poor." Cassell's Saturday Journal. Rich TJncle Ebenezer So you are named after me. are you ? Small Nephew Tes. Ma aald It was too bad, hut we needed the money. London Opinion. Doctoi- Tour husband will be all right now. Wife What do you mean? Tou told 1 me he couldn't live a fortnight ago. "Well. I'm going to cure him. Surely you are glad." "Puts me In' a bit of a hole. I've been and old all his clothes to pay for his funeral." Weekly Telegraph. A little girl was asked to write an essay on wlid beasts. She went, on to name them. "Long ago," she added, "wild beasts roamed about England. The only wild beasts In this country now are In the Theological gardens." Weekly Telecraph. SILHOUETTES By Arthur A. Greene. ' There was a tumult of blaring brass and thundering drums the tempestuous riot of martial acclaim. Higher and louder the crescendo mounted until the heart fairly shouted in exuliVtion at the glory of sound. The familiar precincts of the room foil away and, strained to the tension where imagination becomes madness, we saw a triumph sweeping along the Appian Way. Some victorious Caesar was returning to Rome with a train 'of captives at his chariot wheels. Banners were upon the breeze and tha eagles the eagles were aloft. The sun glinted on burnished armor and the sound of the legions marching and the multitudes cheering was as the rushing of a mighty wind. Those Latins wera putting their blood into it and the music of the band was telling brave things. In very mercy then the ultimate was reached there was a cataclysm .nd the leader, wlld-visaged and exausted, his electric black hair disheveled, 'stood a moment, and bowed to a normally sane and maccaroon -eating audience which was now shrieking its approval with the abandon of the gallery at an Empire matinee. There was eerie waiting of the reerts; uncanny murmurs and vague, indefinite, complaining notes a ghostly symphony, but caressing, appealing whispers soft and soul-soothing 'as angels' sighs. The spirits of forgotten melodies seemed hold ing a love-tryst in the Grove Elysia. It was evening and the rising moon was shimmering a lotus-bordered river. Thu night wind rustling the palm branches brought a chill of minor refrain and then a swan' floated upon the bosom of tho waters and sang. Just then I woke up and discovered that I'd been lying on my back and that cursed phonograph on our floor was chewing away at "He's a Cousin of Mine." 4 Uncle Joe Cannon acts like a man standing pat on a full House. . ' The way of the transgressor Is hard, probably because It la raved with good Intentions. The ' figures show that mors married men than bachelors commit suicide. Why shouldn't they? Contentment laziness. Is half-brother to I have Just discovered statistics show ing that In France there is one drinklnij . kshop for every SO of the population. T'p to this time I had supposed Walla Walla held the record. The fashionable New York hostleries have decided to supply chaperons fpr all unattended women guests. Without wish ing to be Impertinent I'd like to suggest the adoption , of this plan bjr Portland's family hotels. Those who do not believe In a future state receive a severe Jolt from the an nouncement that ex-Senator William V. Allen." of f Nebraska, has entered the l!1? Presidential race. Don't look the other way and try to Ignore the Salvation Army's' Christmas pots on the street corners. Remember somebody's mother may go hungry on ths day of gift-giving. Many people pride themselves on their frankness who are merely rude. Small kindnesses multiply faster than guinea' pigs. At Christmas time a man Is Justified In looking a gift cigar In the mouth. These are the days when ma and the kids are buying pop a lot of fool things that he doesn't need snd having them charged 'to him. Oh, a Joy for pop is the holiday season. Every year I seem to see more sprigs, of rue in the Christmas wreaths. . Let us hope that Senator Bourne will not prove to be Mr. Roosevelt's Burchard.. I'll bet Judge Landls won't get a bag of candy on Rockefeller's Sunday school Christmas tree. , Many people don't get what they pray for because they spend so much time on their knees that their feet go to sleep. Temperance is a good becomes Intemperate. thing until It Every time I hear a. great bass, like Eugene Cowles, sing I shudder to think how tha,t man must snore. Uncertainty. There was a young husband In Drain, Coming home late one night through the rain;v Found a bird at his door. And became very sore For he feared both a stork and a crans- FlKure This Out In Cigarettes. Philadelphia .(Pa.) Dispatch. Lewis Staples, of Sayre, Pa., aged 17, died of Bright's disease, having smoked 50 cigarettes a day since he was 9 years old. A FEW BQriJBS. Algy My dear fellah, how can you say that prices of necessities are getting higher? Why, personally I know or a touring car that costs a thousand dollars less than 'it did a year ago. Puck. Visitor to Dublin What is the population here? Jarvey (somewhat out of his depth) well, sor, ye niver can ted: tt s never twice the same. There's always more on market day. Punch. Grateful mother Oh. are you the noble young man who rescued my daughter from a watery grave? Noble young man (who is truly 'modest Yes, madam: but I assure you I only did it from a sense of duty. - Judge. "I'm afraid," said the anxious mother, your new gown will be too expensive to p.ease your husband. . "Oh." rejoined the young wife, "I didn't get it to please him. I got it to worry otnsr women. Chicago Dally News. Mrs. de Style I suppose your daughter Is to have her coming-out ball very soon, isn't she. Mrs, Rose Quyck Oh. dear no. My daughter, has another year at school be fore becoming a dllitante. and will not make her debris until next season. Judge. Katie (describing a visit to "Uncle Tom's Cabin") Tes, an' Eliza she carried de kid over real ice. Mamie (with recollections of the Summer Gee; no wonder de billboards said it was a twonty t'ousand afSUar perduc tion. Putk. "Are you beginning early Christmas shop ping yet, Mrs. Smith?" "No;' I generally do mine at the last minute. You see. I am kept so busy writing articles and giving talks on how to spare the overworked clerks. Baltimore American. '