THE ' MORNING OKKtiUXIAN. SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 1909.
8
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PORTLAND, SATURDAY, JAN. 11. 1908.
. OUR BANK CURRENCY PROBLEM.
Probably by this time the 1 eople of
the United States have been educated
out of or beyond the notion that when
there appears to be a scarcity -f
money, or currency for business, the
Government ought to set Its presses at
work to print all . that ' everybody
wants; or, if not that, to coin silver at
a false ratio in relation to gold, so
as to make nor.i,y "easy." These
phases of the subject probably- we
shall not have to deal with again.
The . fiatlst no longer clamors for
greenbacks ".equal to business re
quirements," and Mr. Bryan has
ceased to lament the crucifixion of
mankind, under a crown of thorns, on
cross of gold,
Still, nevertheless, there is debate
on the methods of providing "eraer-.
gency currency." In other countries
Ihls has been settled by expedients
adapted' to their several situations, or
conditions. None of them would quite
Suit us,' yet each and all of them sup
ply taggestlons w'.Jch we mlht will
consider. We probably shall not do
the best thing, but sh ll try to get on
by patching up our present system, so
as to "make it do."
It is a demonstrate' truth that gov
ernment cannjt supply an emergency
currency that is, a currency that can
be expanded and contracted to meet
requirements at one season "or an
other. Th-t can be effected only
through banks. Government may ex
pand the currency, but cannot con
tract it. The Invariable rule of gov
ernment paper Issues Is that one be
gets another,- until the entire volume
exceeds- the legitimate demands of
business, upsets values, and goes, be
yond the reach of restoration to the
metallic standard. A government is
not only not under restraint of law
when tempted to pass 'he limits of
safety In its paper issues, but there
are no natural and automatic limits,
fixed by the conditions of note issues,
as In the case of banks. A paper
currency therefore should be a bank
ing currency; under strict control of
law, yet not too much interfered with
by government. There should always
be close relation and connection be
tween the volume of the currency and
commercial movements. In England,
France and Germany, this problem has
obtained practical solution. Our' prob
lem is to solve it here.
This is the -problem now before Con--press.
We cann&t adopt the system
of any European country, because our.
conditions are unlike those which ex
ist there. No country can cut- up
everything by the roots. Hence in
changing our system we &rg forced to
have regard to the system that now is.
We want automatic regulation of cur
rency, to meet 'emergent needs, at one
time and another; but this cannot be
effected through Government paper
currency, because government Is not
In the banking business. Yet govern
ment should pre vide ways and means
for regulation of the banking busi
ness. A letter before us by Mr. S. B.
Wlghtman, vehemently denounces the
bill proposed by the House commit
tee of banking and currencythe
Fo-ivler bill. ' The objection is that "it
gives absolute power to "the gang to
Inflate or contract the purchasing
power of the dollar at their will." it
!s remarked further thct "every
American citizen should do his kick
ing now, before the milking machine
Is fastened on the country."
Tet Just what is wanted, and that
which exists In .countrio that deal i.i
an enlightened way with a note or
credit currency, is a system that may
expand or contract to meet emergen
cies or demands. Government can
not supply such currency directly, but
may regulate its supply Us timely
expansion and contraction through a
banking system. It may be doubted,
however, whether any such measure
can now be enacted. We haven't yet
intelligence enough that is, we
haven't yet had hard rubs and haTd
experience enough to "force, it on us.
A new and great country like ours
learns very slowly. It hates the les-.
sons of experience, and it defies them,
as long as it can. '
" But the laws of paper currency are
invariable. More currency is needed
at one time or season than anothery
Government Issues are, however, . all
for expansion, never for contraction.
What they call an elastic currency can
be had only under a regulated bank
ing system. In all other commercial
countries they have It. . Why not In
ours? . " -
It Is not probable that the Fowler
b.ill, or any other bill closely resem
bling It, will pass now. It would ef
fect a change for which, however ex
cellent it might be, our' people are not
prepared. It would not, however, put
it in the power of a "gang" to "inflate
or contract the purchasing power- of
the dollar, at their will." .For expan
sion and contraction - would be held
under fixed rules; made and enforced
by the Government,, on economic
principles established In practice and .
cpn firmed by experience. Under such
system, rightly conducted, there could
be no general inflation or .ruinous con
traction; for the whole banking sys
tem could not fall under control of
any clique, and eaten and every part
of the country would be In a measure
independent. If currency were want
ed to move the cotton .crop of the
South, It would be forthcoming in that
quarter; if it were wanted for the
wheat crop of the West, "there would
be means of getting It there. Tet the
tax on the currency would force Us
reduction or retirement as rapidly as
lts function had been performed. Thus
the bank currency of each section of
the country would flow back to its own
source, and ' if not In use would be
retired to escape the taxation. It. is
universal experience that this balance
of paper can be maintained only
through banking currency. It never
can be effected through government
notes. This is the next lesson In mon
etary science that is to be learned by
the American people. '. It is not much
to their credit .that they are at the
foot of the class here, for the lesson
has been learned everywhere- else. .
FIVE DECISION.
In the performance of its duty to
the public The Oregonian has had oc
casion of late to comment upon cer
tain shortcomings of the courts.- It Is
easy to understand how a thoughtful
citizen here and there may have been'
disquieted by these comments. Most
of us have been reared in profound
respect for the courts. We have been
taught from earliest youth to look
upon them as the ultimate refuse of
the . oppressed, the inviolable asylums
of justice, the Indefatigable defenders
of life and property. Whenever, there
fore, it is suggested that the courts
have stepped awry in the performance
of their exalted duties to society, ve
are doubly troubled. For one thing,
it is by,no means pleasant to read re
proaches against an Institution which
we have reverenced all our lives. We
are shocked, almost horrified, like the
devotees of a religious cult whin its
sacred symbols are defaced. But it is
still more disagreeable to reflect that
possibly the reproaches are deserved.
Society as it is now organized could
not exist without courts. We could
make shift to dispense with Congress
and the State Legislatures. Lawmak
ing Is a business- which may lapse for
long periods without Injury to -anybody;
and, when a new law becomes
necessary, it can be enacted by cus
tom if there Is no special machinery
at hand. But the administration of
justice between man and msrn is a so
cial function which .cannot lapse with
out ruin to the state and -which must
be performed by judges or not at all.
The community can make laws by
silent, unconscious processes of agree
ment; but masses of- men have never
yet been able to apply the law to par
ticular cases with even a semblance of
justice.
The part which the courts play in a
civilized community is so vital that
no citizen can escape injury when
they do their work badly; and It then
becomes the duty of every intelligent
person to It . -n, if hecan, what the
wrong is, to study Its causes and aid
In correcting It. It will never be ad-,
mitted Jn a democratic nation that the
courts are too dignified,, sacred or im
portant to be criticised. Their sa
credhess and their measureless Im
portance furnish the very reason why
they should be criticised with unspar
ing candor and sleepless vigilance'. It
is diamonds that men set guards over,
not clods. If the courts were of no
consequence In society, who would
care whether their decisions were wise
or foolish?
We must have - courts. Qur com
mon happiness depends' upon their
wisdom and integrity. . Hence , every
body is frightened when judges lose
touch with the realities of life and
wander off into scholastic subtleties;
for Justice is neither scholastic nor
subtle. It Is a plain, every-day aJair,
and it is reached, not by analyzing
words, b"t by observing men and
things. When judges begin to split
hairs justice "takes, a trip to Utopia.
When corruption taints the courts, be
it never . so faulty, the whole civic
body Is poisoned.
Fife decisions have been made by
our-higher courts within the last few
days which qutrage the common sense
of mankind. Two of them came from
the Supreme Court of .the United
States; of these two, one holds virtu
ally that. the law does not forbid fraud
Upon the Government; the other, that
employers in. dangerous trades can
compel workmen to bear all the risks.
Two of the decisions came from the
Supreme Court of Oregon.. Of these,
one annuls the sentence - f a confessed
murderer on a minute technicality of
law; the other declares that a leather
strap Is neither a whip nor anything
like a whip. The fifth decision, made
by. the California Court of 'Appeals,
holds that It is lawful for the Mayor
of a city- to extort money from restaurant-keepers
by threats, and sets
free the notorious grafter Schmitz.
Is not this a beautiful record? Does
It tend to . fortify our confidence
in ,the courts? Does it assure
us that they are busy doing Jus
tice or suggest that they are doing
something else? Touching the Sc-mltz
decision. Judge Dunne, who Is not a
rash, man either in speech or act, ac
cuses the Court of Appeals of some
thing very much like corruption. The
members, - he says, have friends and
relatives among the gang of grafters
to- which Schmitz belongs. If they
were honest men, would they have
undertaken, to decide his appeal? The
truth Is' that these Judges were put-in
place by. the same power that created
Schmitz. They are creatures of -t
Herrin-Ruef-Calhoun synfllcate-.Thelr
authority Is part of a -conspiracy
against civilization in California. They
were put. in office to protect thievery
and they . fulfill their - obligation by
giving immunity to thieves.
PORTLAND'S FINANCIAL STRENGTH.
The business of the Portland post
office last year reached the enormous
total of $.11,013,174, an average of
more than $30,000 per day, including
holidays and Sundays, for'.the entire
year. This was a gain of 19.26 per
cent over .the figures for ? the; year
1906, and Is only one of the many
trade features which Indicate the sta
bility and' steady growth of Portland
even at a time when financial disturb-
ances were .quite' general. - There was
a' pause toward the close . of 1907
which had the effect of reducing the
volume of general trade, thus affect
ing the bank clearings, but the Inher
ent strength of Portland is quite clear
ly demonstrated by a comparison with
other Pacific Coast cities. . The New
York Commercial and Financial
Chronicle In Its issue of January 4.
printed an', elaborate review of the
year's bank clearings throughout the
United. States.
In the Pacific division, embracing
twelve cities, San FrancKSco, Los An
geles, Seattle and Portland are in the
lead, and, for the month of December
as well as for the entire year,, Portland
makes a .much hetter showing than
any of the other leaders of the Pacific
division. It was In - December that
financial affairs reached ft crisis, and,
compared with December, 1906, bank
clearings for all cities of the United
States showed a decline averaging 34.1
ier cent. . The Pacific division as a
whole made 'a slightly better showing
with a decline of 33.6 per. cent. Com
pared with December, , 1906, Los Attr
geles lost 46.7 per cent,. San Francisco
36.7 per cent, Seattle 27 per cent and
Portland but 18.4 per cent. Ori the
entire year's business an even "better
showing was made, for, despite the
decreases . at the' close of the year,.
Portland showed up for the twelve
months, with a gain of 24.5 per cent,
compared with 0.5 per cent gain in
Seattle and Los Angeles, 6.8 per cent
gain In San' Francisco a gain of 8.3
per cent for the entire Pacific division
and a loss of 9.5 per cent for the en
tire United States,
Portland was the first large city ln
the United States to resume business
on a cash basis after the recent finan
cial storm began to clear away, and
there has been a steady gain from the
low point reached while . the trouble
was at ltfi height. The satisfactory
showing made in bank 1 clearings
merely reflects the condition of gen
eral trade, and in nearly all branches
business 'is swinging into line again:
Building permits for dwelling-houses,
which fell away to zero while the
trouble was on last honth, are again
going on record, the. first seven days
of the new year showing forty of these
permits at more than $1000 each, the
total . being $75,000. Meanwhile t; e
grain trade -is holding iy to such pro
portions that Torelgn and coastwise
shipments have averaged $100,000 per
day since-January 1, and promise to
hold up to that average throughout
the month. There Is less of a desire
to rush matters than was In evidence
one year ago, but there has been no
shrinkage in real estate values, gen
eral trade is'holding up well, ant!, as
disclosed by the bank clearing figures,
Portland still remains In better shape
financially than any other city on the
Pacific Coast.- '
A SIMPLE SOLUTION.
The old, old problem-represented by
an arrnji of men standing upon the
street corners with the plea "No man
hath hired us" upon their lips con
fronts this city With daily augmenting
volume and force. " That to .do with m n
who do not know' what to do with
themselves, or, .knowing, have failed
to put this knowledge to timely use, is
a perplexing question, especially at a
season of the year in which fore
handed people have their work well In
hand and' have little that they can
give to the idle man who, hungry and
111 clad, asks for work. The weather
is .not favorable for work upon the
streets or roads; it is too early to work
the ground around or to plant gar
dens and the grass on the lawns Is
taking its annual' rest. As for prun
ing trees', ornamental vines and rose
bushes, it requires an expert hand, to
do this' intelligently and satisfactorily.
What then ? Since there is -not- work
in the city for these large numbers of
idle men to do, what of. the country?
There is land to be cleared, wood to
be chopped, fences to be built and
work about dairies to be done.' Why
not encourage these men to move on
a bit not in gangs, or to the next city
or town, but Individually and out into
the country? The line of unemployed
men besieging the Board of Charities
at the City Hall grows longer, every
day, we are told, yet it Is doubtful
whether men with land to clear within
a dozen miles' of Portland can get
men to do the work required at any
price which the owner can afford to
pay.
The men who comprise the large
body of the unemployed 'are appar
ently willing to work. That they are
sorely In need of work is evident.. But
are they willing to do the rough work
that Is waiting to be done in subju
gating land? To depend upon their
own resources for entertainment when
the day's work Is over? Are. they
willing to exchange empty pockets, the
lights, the comradeship and the cheap
amusements of the city bar-rooms and
streets for steady wort In the country,
with its attends: t loneliness and qui
etude and a few dollars over and
above expenses In. the 'pocket, at the
end of the week? If so, many of
these men can solve the problem of.
the unemployed for themselves, retain
their self-respect and relieve others,
as all ablebodled men should do, of
their support.
Uncle Sam, easy-going and indul
gent in the main, is a relentless prose
cutor when he sets out to compel de
linquent officials to make restitution.
Witness the persistence with which,
through his prosecutors, he has fol
lowed the trail -of Captain Oberlin M.
Carter, whose gigantic frauds while
engineer In charge of Port Royal har
bor Imprtvements, were disclosed sev
eral years ago. In conjunction with
Greene and Gaynor, contractors for
this work, Captain Carter separated
the Government from funds aggregat
ing $2,225,000. Fort Leavenworth,
Kan., was the enforced residence qf
the peculating engineer for several
years. He was cheered during his inr
prlsonment by ,he thought that his
portion of the funds stolen, aggr-egat-
tag $700,0001 had been secured;to his
perpetual use and benefit through' in
vestment In unregistered railroad
bonds and other securities,' which had
been . deposited in safety deposit
vaults In various cities. But the Gov
ernment prosecutor was keen and sa
gacious, the power behin I him relent--less,
and the securities have been
traced and will' revert to the coffers
whenoe the purchasing funds were
stolen. The litigation will pro: -lly.
cost Uncle S-.n all he will recover,
but that is neither, here nor there. He
will wrest the stolen funds' from the
hands of the arch-conspirator and his
predaceous accompi.ces,1 which was
what .he set out t- do, after having
thrown them all In prison.
Wlthout entering into a discussion
as to the merits of the railroad end of
the Harriman merger, it can be stated
truthfully that Attorney-General Bo
naparte is In error when he assumes
that the merger "has resulted in elim
ination of all competition from Pacific
Coast ports to the Orient." Ships of
all nations gather in practically un
limited numbers in the Far Bast, and,
as the Pacific Coast is the nearest
point at which cargo Is obtainable,
there is an abundant supply of ton
nage available for Pacific Coast ex
porters at all times.y end at rates
which are lower per ton per mile than
on any sea route in the world except
the North Atlantic. The lack of
steamship competition on the Pacific
exists only In the minds of that busy
band of subsidy-seekers who, in sea
son and out of season, distort facts in
an endeavor to work up ship-subsidy
sentiment. ,
Mr. Armstrong, of Colfax, takes the
Washington State Grain Commission
too seriously. To be sure. It has
placed the grain standard so low that
it gives those who know what It is 'the
impression that Washington grows
very poor wheat,' but the foreign buy
ers pay no attention to any standard
except that established by the Port
land Chamber of Commerce. The
Washington Commission and its
standards are of no consequence to
Anyone but those who pay the bills.
It is nice, of course," f r the men who
grow poor wheat to have the com
mission, by placing the standard suf
ficiently low, make No. 1 stuff out of
it, but the obtuse foreign buyer will
insist on buying on. weight and quality
which are shown in the samples of
Washington wheat forwarded to all
parts of the world by the Portland
Chamber ot Commerce.
Mr. Morgan's International Mercan
tile 'Marine Company has Inaugurated
a rate war with the Cunard line be
cause the owners of . the express
steamers Mauretania and Lusitania
decline to increase the second and
third-class, rates, on their steamers.'
Thus far but two. slices of $3.75 each
have been taken from the rates, but,
as passengers are scarce and steam
ships plentiful, there will 'probably be
further reductions. The Cunard' line
has always refused to Join .with the
other lines in the making of rates or
schedules, and, as It now has the fast
est steamers afloat. It would hardly
seem an opportune time- for forcing it
to change its policy.
There is a peculiar political situa
tion. Representative newspapers of
the Democratic South deplore the,
prospect of Bryan's nomination. Here
is Editor Hemphill, of the Charleston
News and Courier, saying that with
Bryan as the candidate there will'. bra
no possible chance of success. But
not a few Republican newspapers f
the North believe Bryan the' strongest
candidate his party could name. Dif
ference in the point of view accounts
for these opposites. Observe, how
ever, that no doubt is expressed that
the South will vote for Bryan.
Twenty-four divorce decrees were
granted by the Circuit Court yester
day morning, and at least half of the
Interested parties are the better for
the change. And yet these tragedies
of life .have left behind" them a trail
of sorrow and regret which may be
softened by time . but will never be
eliminated.
John A. Roebllng has given away
his magnificent estate at Asheville, N.
C, and moved away because the town,
voted for prohibition. "What's the
use of being a millionaire," asks the
New fork Commercial, "where you
cannot buy a drink?" As well be a
thirsty logger-or a common tramp.
The burglar who gets into your
house is no gentleman. He won't
wait till you have a chance to look
about and get your gun Police don't
catch . the robbers. Same trouble.
When the robbers start out for busi
ness they don't "tip off the Job" to the
police. .
Portland wants Btreet-cleanlng, of
course; and this' work may afford
some employment for needy men. But
It needs macadam improvement on
hundreds of streets, East Side and
West Side. To '.the rock is the prob
lem. ' . -
Payment of fine fare ought to' enti
tle a passenger to one seat; yet a ma
jority of people would rather stand
inside a car and ride than stand on
the sidewalk waiting for the next'ear.
Having been judicially vindicated,
ex-Mayor Schmitz is now at liberty to
go before his constituency for like ac
tion. In a city like San Francisco a
fourth elective term is not -Impossible.
There 'probably Is no way in this
country to stop the sale of revolvers,
or to take revolvers away from per
sons who buy and carry them; but it
ought to be done, just the same.
When 'the "no-seat-ho-fare" idea
gets into street railway franchises, it
will be interesting to watch how many
passengers on an open car pay just
after a ball game lets out.
Roosevelt united all sorts of Re
publicans In Oregon; but who except
Roosevelt can 'unite them again? The
tendency now Is to 'divide on the old
lines of 1896. . '
The Appellate- Court of San Fran
risco simply wanted to help Schmitz
out. If could . have found four rea
sons more, just as good. as. the many
It alleged.
James Hamilton - Lewis says - he
didn't say women "couldn't be be
lieved on oath." H thinks now they
can be. believed on oath.
ACTIVITY OP JAPANESE SPIES.
Mayor Last's Discovery Seta the Whole
Country Agog.
' New York Evennig Post.
'New . York. Mayor McClellan - was
astounded, while on ,his way to lunch, 1
to detect two Japanese in the act of
taking snap-shots of Broadway.
Brooklyn. It is now generally known
here that agents of the Japanese govern
ment have been making a map showing
Just where all the B. R. T- trolley cars
go something which no native has ever'
been able to grasp before.
Boston. It has' been discovered that a
Japanese spy took stenographic notes of
Secretary Taft's speech. As he was very
near the platform, it. is believed that he
heard some things which the newspaper
men failed to catch.
Detroit. The police- have been showing
unusual activity for the last 48 hours as
it has been discovered that Japanese
spies have walked around the Great
Lakes and made a careful outline map,
showing that Huron flows into Erie and
Erie into Ontario. The Japs have made
the St. Clair River and Niagara Falls
about twice their proper slse', thus al
lowing the water to get through more
easily.
Chicago. A mysterious Japanese, be
lieved to be a spy, has been- arrested
west . of the city on the Des Plaines
River, for sketching a sunset. The. sketch
was superior to. anything Chicago-born
artists have, done and showed the sewage-
canal, as well as all the principal colors
used in sunsets around Chicago.
Denver. A sensation- was caused - today
by the announcement that a -party if
three Japa'nese had been caught red
handed looking at the top of Pike's Peak.
They were warned, and, if caught again,
will be conducted to the state line. -
Tucson, Ariz. This section of the coun
try is wrought up to a nigh pitch f ex
citement over the discovery that two
Japanese have been -making' minute In
vestigations of the Gfrand Canon of the
Colorado, evidently with a view to de
termining whether a Japanese fleet could
b8 sent up the river.
PAST PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATIONS
Some Candidates Found Nomination to
. Reaemble the Irishman's Flea. .
Leslie's Weekly.
" Secretary Taf t and 'Mr. Bryan Lave been
attacking and answering each other re
cently on the assumption that they would
be the leaders of their respective parties
in the campaign of 1S0S. A year in ad
vance of 1840, however, Clay. was more
confident of getting the Presidency in that
year than either of the present leading
aspirants are of carrying off the prizes
in the approaching conventions. But
William Henry Harrison and not Clay
waa nominated. . The country believed
with Van Buren that he would be tue
nominee of the Democratic Convention in
1840, yet a comparatively obscure man.
Polk, was selected. After his defeat at
the polls by a scratch in 1844 Clay be
lieved he would - be given another chance
in 1848, but the Mexican War obtruded it
self and created a rival man of destiny,
Zachary Taylor, and Clay was beaten in
the convention.
A year before the convention of 1860
Seward and Douglas were singling out
each other for attack as Taft and ryan
have been recently, and for the same rea
son. Each of those two aspirants of
nearly half, a century ago was assailed
by the opposite party far more vigorously
than Taft or Bryan is now, under the be
lief that they would be-the persons who
would have to be fought at the polls.
Lincoln beat Seward in the convention
and Douglas failed to get the nomination
of a united party,, the South' repudiating
him and putting-. up a candidate of its
own. Breckenridge...
Blaln'e was confident just before the
convention of 1876, and Grant's friends
were equally sanguine about their favor
ite in 1SS0, but in each case the conven
tion chose somebody else Hayes in 1876
and Garfield in 1880. After Blaine's with
drawal froin the race early in 1888 Sher
man thought that the prize was his, Just
as Bland believed at the opening of the
Democratic Convention in 189$, that th
dominant silver Issue would make him the
Candidate, yet Harrison carried off the
prize in the convention in the former
year and Bryan in the latter. Stock on
the political exchange' sometimes has as
swift mutations as anything on Wall
street's list.
A Fence Post, Not a Whip; Therefore
. No Crime.
Heppner Times. .
Sheriff Shutt, who Is making war on
horsebeaters In this county, learned last
Monday -that John Carter,, a Monument
freighter, who is. hauling wheat Tor the
Eight Mile farmers, -had taken a fence
post,' nearly beat one of his horses to
death, punching the horses eyes out hi
his rage. The Sheriff immediately in
structed his deputy at lone, W. C. Cason,
to arrest Carter and take him before Jus
tice Perkins, which was done and Carter
was fined $50 and costs, amounting to ISO
in all.
Boy's Patriotic Art Wins President.
Worcester (Ma'ss.) Dispatch in N. Y.
World..
Jacob Krlesfeld, a 14-year-old sartist.
spent weeks on a patriotic calendar for
the White House. A" large American
eagle with the name of President Roose
velt on a scroll in its beak is the prin
cipal design. It is done in good taste.
He has received a- letter from the Presir
dent thanking him and congratulating
him on his artistic work. As an incen
tive to' take iv art. as a. study. President
Roosevelt sent him a new $10 bill. .
Changed His Mind.
" Chicago News.
"Well, what are you doing there?'
asked the lady, addressing a tramp who
had Just climbed a tree in time to escape
a savage bulldog.
"Madam," replied the hobo, "it was my
intention to ask for a hand-out, but in the
interest of humanity I now request that
you give any surplus food you may have
on hand to ray canine friend down there.
An Interesting Calculation.
1 - Louisville Courier-Journal.
According to Frederick J. Haskin, a
ton of coal gives off 65,000 pounds of
carbonic gas, and the consumption of
coal In America makes three trillion
pounds of. such gas in a year. . The
human mind cannot comprehend that
amount of- gas except by trying to
imagine Mr. Davis, of Arkansas, fight
ing 365 one-day rounds with Mammon.
Something Doing.
Marshfield News. '
About 40 dog fights In the same number
of minutes were reported on Front street
yesterday forenoon. Bird dogs, shepherd
dogs, bulldogs, household pets and curs of
high and low degree were mixea up, ana
something was ooing ail me time.
. . Rogue In Office.
Washington Herald.'
Jail 'em
And' ball 'em
And Jail 'em once more;
Queer' 'era
- And Jeer 'em
Fight 'em
Aira yell for their pn. .
Fight "em
lndlot 'em.
Pile fine upon free;
Chase 'em.
Disgrace 'em, '
" Tbey' never resign.
Boast 'em
And post 'em ,
Aloft and alow;
Soak 'em
And poke 'em
' "Wherever they go.
Rile em "
Tbey whimper and whine;
But' never
Will ever '
rascal reslgni
A MIGHTY OUTPUT.
Mrtnls and Mineral of the United
States.
New York Sun. '
The value of the yearly output of
metals and minerals in the United States
has been multiplied by ten during the
last generation. The record stands:
isto $2is.508.!f4il!no tl.inT.010.352
1SHO 3Kt.938.2Wim . ... 1.623.8T7,ia
1890 .- 6oo,47,3SO;l07 2,10i,000,000
Estimated.
During this, time our gold output has
about doubled; our silver output some
what more than doubled; our coal, meas
ured in tons, has been multlpled by fif
teen; our petroleum output, in gallons, is
nearly tfiirty times what it was In 1S70;
our production of pig iron has Increased
from 1,700.000 tons in 1870 to about 26,000,-
000 tons at the present time, and our cop
per output has grown from the paltry
12,600 tons of 1S70 to about 350,000 tons last
year. Owing to the closing down of mines
during the year the output of copper was
about one-sixth less than it was In tne
year 1906.
This 2, 000,000,000 extraction ' includes
stones used for a variety of purposes;
clay used for bricks, tiles, piping and
pottery; - lime, cement, slate, phosphate
rock, salt, and sand for building and
other purposes. These represent a value
of several hundred millions of dollars.
It includes natural gas of a value of some
J40.O00.00O, and a long list of metallic and
non-metallic substances having commer
cial use and value. Some of these mate
rials are merely changed to other than
their original form and others are con
sumed. Whether measured In billions ot
dollars or in millions of tons, they repre
sent a heap of stuff. No record of our
total national wealth was made until 1S50.
The total valuation of real and personal
preperty in the United States at that
time was a little more than 17,000,000,000.
From such figures as are reported for the
year 1800 it Is a fair . guess that we now
dig out of the earth every year materials
p whoso total value is equal to the entire
wealth ot the country a hundred years
ago. - '. '
We are undoubtedly drawing heavily
ori our natural resources, but there will
still be something left one or two hun
dred years hence.
DIRIGIBLE BALLOON IN WAR.
Ia Destined to Play an Important Part,
Says Lieut. I.a b m.
Washington. Lieut. F. P. Lahm. IT.
S. A., whb. In September of 1906, won
for the United States the International
dirigible balloon contest In France and
who has returned to this country after
four years spent in Europe, will report
to Gen. Allen, Chief of the Signal Corps,
for duty at Washington.
Discussing aerial navigation and the
progress mad,e in it as an applied
science, Lieut. Lahm says the dirigible
balloon as an instrument of warfare is
destined to play an Important part in
future operations on land and sea.
"The chief war advantage of the diri
gible or wind-Opposing balloon over
the old spherical, or wind-driven tai
lpon," ha. said, "is that the fbrmer after
spying out an enemy's defenses and
movements can put about and return
to its "own lines with the Information
gained, while the old style vehicle of
the air had to depend on carrier
pigeons, or make a more or less peril
ous and uncertain descent and resort to
ordinary means, to send back reports.
"An agreement entered into by The
Hague Conference prohibits the
dropping of shells from war balloons,
so the field of operation is that of the
scout purely. .At the- same time The
Hague conference failed to protect the
aerial spy from land attack. However,
the extreme difficulty of finding the
range of a balloon sailing over an
enemy's guns reduces the danger. in a
great degree, for the dirigible Daiioon
is practically immune from big gun
fire, and a rifile ball would be of no
consequence to the object itself though
It might be to occupants of the car."
Radium for the Philippines.
Washingten Dispatch in New York Trlbr
une.
The Bureau of Insular Affairs haa Just
paid the largest price ior the smallest
shipment ever sent to the Philippines.. It
has bought for $3000 one-thousandth of a
gram of radium,, which is equal to .01543
of a grain, troy weight. The purcnase is
for the Bureau of Science of the Philtp-
-nlnes. which purposes to use the radium
in a series of experiments it is about to
conduct. i
.When the requisition reached the Bu
reau the acting chief called for quotations
on radium by the pound or ounce, but tne
New York purveyors disregarded the
specifications: and quoted a price -of $3000
for the quantity above noted.
Major Mclntyre sent the quotation by
wire to Manila, but with little expectation
that the offer would be accepted. How
ever, he received a reply a few hours later
saying, in effect, that the Bureau of
Science would like J3000 worth, but would
regard the price as too high if any extra
charge 'was made' for boxing or shipping.
Accordingly, the' radium goes forward.-
Rah for Brynn and Bryan!
Providence Journal.
Again it is announced, that the South
will make no effort to have a' Southern
man named for the Presidency at the
Denver convention. But what is the
matter with this combination? For
President. William J- Bryan of Ne
braska; for Vice President, William J.
Bryan of Florida.
From a University Town Paper.
Eugene 'Guard.
There is one consolation in the theory of
Professor Dodd, of Amherst College, that
the wise men of Mars will soon be teach
ing us by wirBess messages-they can't
try to teach us more fool things than our
college professors now do.
Gargets and Graft.
Chicago Tribune.
One of the latest stories is that New
York City stands on a vast bed of gar
nets. Investigators doubtless would
have to dig through several layers of
graft to get at them.
What Becomes of ItT
. New York Evening' Mail.
What becomes of;the money people
save by
1. Not smoking?
2. Shaving themselves?
3. Teetotallne?
To the Bat, Not on It.
Milwaukee Sentinel. .
"Prohibition goes to bat in the South in
two weeks more," says the Detroit Newa
Yes, and the pitcher will, be doing busi
ness, we suppose.
FOREIGN GOITt PRODUCTION,
Beloch. the mining expert, says the Jo-mannesbtrrg-
gold reef io good for at least
115.000,000,000.
The Welcome Stranger, an Australian nug
get ftf pure gold, weighed 2516 ounces and
brought $51,000. .
A South African prospector foun4 that part
of bis claim was under an old Dutch church.
He drove bis peg under the, altar.
Mount Morgan. New Soo'th Wales, Is a
verltabls mountain of gold. It has produced
2,471,303 ounces of gold, worth S20 an ounce.
Ths stamps at Kalgurll's Golden Mill, New
South Wales, have produced gold valued at
. 000.000. It costs J25 to haul a cord of
sage brush, tbe miserable fuel used at the
batteries.
Africa produces more than one-third of
the world's, fenld. Its annual output in S150.
000,000: the United States gives out tffc'MioO,
000. Australia $8&,000.000 and New Zealand
10.000,000.
The gold mine owners In South Africa have
In three years spent over gl .000,000 recruiting
laborers from Central Africa. They only
got 17,000 negroes, and few of th-.ni could
stand the Winter. Then 67,000 Chinese weTS
brouabi. aborting the labor troubles.
THCHOUSCJiOLD
sffe. ifitm
BY LILIAN TINGLE.
I T wa a delicious concoction, served
I In- soup plates; but for the eating
of it both fo-k and spoon were pro
vided, in a most unorthodox manner.
A glance at the faces of the guests
showed that it was something unfa
miliar, to practically all of them, but
that it met with general approval.
Knowing our Hostess and her literary
preferences. I made a silent guess at
the identity of the dish before us a
correct one as it proved; for prosently
her - cousin announced: "Mary, be
fore I leave this house I intend -by fair
means or foul to obtain the name-and
recipe of this remarkable luncheon
dish of yours; so you had better tell,
lest a worse thing befall you."
Mary laughed and began elowly:
"A street there is - in Paris fa
mous -" and half a dozen voices ex
claimed "Bouillabaisse." "Thackeray's
Bouillabaisse !" "Is It just like the real
thing?" "Where did you learn to
make it?"
Mary's face had exactly the expres
sion seen on that of her small son
when he has Just finished some inter
esting piece of mischief and is ma'king
up his mind to tell you about it. "The .
recipe?" she said, "I don't know any;
and I haven't the least' idea whether
this is like the real -thing or not. I
Just took the second verse of the bal
lad, and some common sense and In
spiration, and substituted herring and
halibut for 'roach and dace' and that
is all I shall tell you," and she recited:
This bouillabaisse a noble dish is
A sort of soup, or. broth, or brew,
Or hotch-potch ot ail sens of fishes
That Greenwich never could outdo.
Green. herbs, red peppers, mussels, saffron.
Solos, onions, garlic, roach and dace.
All these you eat at Terre'a tavern
In that ona dish of Bouillabaisse.
Some of us are Btill trying to sum
mon up courage to imitate her success,
but we are not quite sure of the nec
essary amounts of "Inspiration and com
mon sense." It is .a pity. that Thackeray
was not a little more definite as to thesa
ingredients in his Bouillabaisse. Did you
ever begin to make a coUection of
rhynilng recipes? Of course, every one
knows the famous one, by. Sidney
Smith, beginning: . -
Two large- potatoes passed through, kltchea
sieve.
Softness and smoothness to ths salad give,
And ending:
Serenely full the. pi curs may say.
Fata cannot harm me I have dined today,
s s
The following recipe for "L'eau de
la vie" belongs to the same period, and
was sent to a lady who did not belong
to the W. C. T. U. or any similar or
ganization: Grown old ana grown stupid yon think ma
Just fit
To transcribe from my grandmother's book
a receipt
And comfort it Is to a wlgbt ia distress
To bs still of some uswe could scarce be
of less-.
Hera greater his talents, fair Aane might com-
mand .
Hla bead of mora worth than his heart or
his hand. . .
Tour mandate obeying, ha sends with much
glee
The genuine receipt to make l'Bau de la Vie.
So much for politeness I omit
some of the compliments for lack of
space, but no doubt "Anne" enjoyed
them. Now to business:
Take seven larga orangea, para- them as thin
As a wafer, or, what is much thinner, your
skin ;
Six ounces of sugar next take: bear In mind '
That the sugar be of the best double refined.
Clear the sugar in ' near half a pint of-spring-water
In the neat silver aaucepan you bought for
your daughter.
(Did daughters bav chafing 'dishes In those
days?)
The fourth of' a pint you must fully allow
Of new milk mads as warm as it comes from
ths cow.
Put the rinds of he lemons (?), the milk, and
the- syrup .
In a Jar with thai rum, and gl-va them a stir
up, s
A full quart ot old rum XYenah brandy is
better.
But w ne'er In receipts shouM stick close
- to tha letter
And then to your taste you may add soma
. perfume,
Goa-stone, or whatever you Ilka In it room.
Let It stand thus tan days; but remember to
shake It
And tbe closer you atop It the richer you make
It.
Then filter through paper; 'twill sparkle and
rise.
Be as soft as your Hps and as bright as your
eves,
. s s
Here is a more modern-Inspired recipe
for clam soup written, I believe, by W. A.
Croffut:
First catch your clam along the abbing
edges
Of saline coves you'll find tha precious -
wedges,
With backs up. lurking tn the sandy bottom;
Pull- in your iron rake, and lo! you've got
'em.
Take 30 large ones; put a basin under,
And cleave with knlle the stony', jaws
asunder.
Add water (three quarts) to the native
liquor,
Bring to a boil (and by the way, tha quicker
It 'bolls- the better, if you'd do It cutely).
Now add the clams, chopped up and minced
minutely.
Allow a longer boil of Just three minutes.
And while it bubbles quickly stir within Its
Tumultuous depths where still the mollusks
mutter
Four tablespoons of flour and four of butter,
A pint of milk, some petpper to your notion:
And clams need salting, although born of
ocean.
Remove from Are ,lf much boiled they will
suffer.
You'll find that India rubber isn't tougher):
After 'tis off, add three fresh eggs well
beaten.
tflr once more, and it's ready to be eaten.
Fruit-of tha wave! Oh, dainty and delicious!
Food for ths godst Ambrosia for Apiclus
Worthy to thrill the soul of sea-born Venus
Or titillate tbe palate of Silenus.
.
The warning about overcooking calls to
mind the story of the new mistress whoso
now maid asked her bow long "they"
liked their egss boiled. "It doesn't mat
ter much. Maggie," she said, "so long as
they are thoroughly cooked; but be sure
to give them a good, long boiling, because
we like them done until quite soft and
tender."
I have long cherished in an old scrap
book some "kitchen couplets" which. I
recently learned, were written by the lata
Samuel Ward, of New York, though I
had always believed them to be of Eng
lish origin. The first quoted couplet
should be engraved on the handle of every
frying pan and in the heart of every cook:
Broil lightly your beefsteak to fry It
Argues contempt of Christian diet. a
To roast Spring' chicken is to spoil m
Just spilt 'em down the back and broil 'em.
The cook deserves a hearty cuffing
Who serves roast fowl with tasteless stuf
fing. .
It gives true epicures the vapors
To sea boiled mutton minus capers.
Always have lobster sauce with salmon.
And put mint sauce, your roasted lamb on.
Roast pork, -sans apple sauce, past doubt,
Ia "Hamlet" with the Prince left out
Egg sauce few make It right, alasl
Is good with blueflsh or with bass.
But one might rhyme for weeks th-is waj
And still have lets of things to say.
And so Til close, for reader mine.
This Is about the hour I dine.