THE MORXTXO ORECOXIAX, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, lOS.
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PORTLAND, 6ACTJRDAY. FEB. 1. 1908.
A SURVEY OF THINGS.
The Oregonlan, as a looker-on in
politics, though not a party advocate,
supposes It may offer some considera
tions on the political situation In Ore
gon. It doesn't exactly ask or expect
unanimous consent, but will go ahead
on an easy canter or career round
the field, and sometimes perhaps
make short cuts across it, asking no
body. The new political and legislative
methods make a peculiar and con
fused situation. The professed object
is to place and to" keep their own gov
ernment in the hands of the people.
It is Ideal, in its terms; but party, as
well as government, requires organi
zation, and ' organization requires
leadership, and leadership requires
that some man or group shall take
the lead; and this again means the
creation and activity of the person we
call the boss, or of the group we call
the machine. Our new system there
fore attempts impossibility. Un
der the plea of bringing their govern
ment into the hands of the people
and keeping it there, it would forbid
organization and leadership strong
enough to do anything. And yet in
politics men must co-operate, and in
all co-operation some will take the
lead and become more active than
others. Then the effect must be sim
ply the substitution of one leader,
manager, group or machine for an
other. Then is our effort to result
merely in the elimination of one ma
chine and clearing the way for an
other? This may be some gain doubt
less; but it was often effected under
the old system; for parties always
have been accustomed to 'changfe
leaders and the managers of their or
ganization very often.
The great body of citizens are sel
dom active in politics, because It
doesn't suit them to be so. Most
have other business to attend to. But
they are easily stirred by appeals
against the organization or machine.
Nor are they likely to stop long
enough to observe that those who are
declaiming most loudly against the
tyranny of the organization and Its
usurpations are desirous chiefly of
obtaining this control for themselves;
and when they do obtain it they con
tinue the prevailing or antecedent
methods, without much .change ex
cept in the identity of the personal
factors. All this is inevitable, be
cause it Is human nature, and it will
continue, because it is human nature.
Few of those whose votes carried
the new system to adoption are satis
lied with the results it produces. Its
effects prove to be very different from
what was anticipated or supposed. It
i.s found not to be a way of determin
ing "the people's choice" for nomina
tions, or their judgment on proposals
either of Initiative or referendum. It
produces a great crop of candidates,
each supported by a small group, but
few of them entitled to consideration,
and many who never could have been
seriously thought of. But they di
vide the primary vote, and one candi
date obtains a few more votes than
any other. But he is not the people's
choice at all. He is not even the
party's choice: and if the office is an
important one he will probably bo de
feated In the election. Or, if elected,
it will be merely by a scratch, after a
hard fight. All this may be Illus
trated by familiar example:. ,
Mr. Bourne, y vigorous effort, sup
ported by a. fund which no other can
didate was able to provide, received
the primary nomination for Senator.
But he obtained less than one-fourth
of the Republican vote of the state,
and less than one-third of the Repub
lican vote cast In the primary. He
was not the people's choice at all, nor
his party's choice at all. Of course
the same could have been said of any
other one of the -contestants for the
nomination, who might have won It in
the same way. But it was especially
difficult to elect Mr. Bourne. The
causes were in his antecedent polit
ical career, of which nolhing needs to
bo said here. The majority for other
Republican candidatfs in the same
election was 30,000; for Mr. Bourne it
was barely 2400. Both with the can
didate for this office and with tha
I system under which he had .pushol
i himself forward the Republicans
I were greatly dissatisfied. Many swal
lowed their objections and voted for
him on the party name, but a multi
tude refused, because he -was not
deemed a representative of their po
litical principles and of their party,
and so passed over the name with
out marking their vote for Senator.
Another multitude, feeling deeper re
sentment, emphasized it by votlng'dl
rectly for Mr. Gearin, who, indeed,
might easily have received the major
ity of the popular vote, had his polit
ical friends known how close it was
and how easy it might have been.
Bvery one knows that Mr. Bourne
was not the party's choice nor the
people's choice. The pretension set
up, therefore, under the primary law
Is a fallacy. It was shown in a sim
ilar way In the nomination and de
feat of Mr. Withycombe for Governor.
It-will almost surely be shown again
In the coming election. Doubtless
Mr. Chamberlain will be the nominee
of his party for Senator. In the pri
mary he may be expected to get one
third of the whole vote. " The other
two-thirds will be divided between
Fulton and Cake. One or other of
these will have the plurality; and
then we shall expect Chamberlain to
get the majority of the popular vote;
and if "Statement No. 1" shall be the
rule of action for members of the
Legislature, he will be elected Senator
by that body, aa a Democrat, and will
act as a Democrat and with the Dem
ocratic party on all political and na
tional questions throughout his term
though two-thirds of the peopla of
Oregon are Republicans. Is thl3 the
way to arrive at the people's choice?
Is this representative government?
Under the system tl.j Republican
party will not be able to nominate
against Chamberlain the candidate it
would want, or the candidate on
which it could or woulC unite against
Chamberlain, and thus defeat him.
Its factions, drawn further apart by
the primary contest, and all their dif
ferences accentuated by it, will not
unite for the election. '
Wherein . the primary law disap
points Is In its inapplicability to the
principles of human nature, and in Its
failure to bring out men for office
who are the choice of the. party, or
the choice of the party in whose name
the candidate comes forth. "Wherein
the scheme of initiative and referen
dum fails is, first, in the facility It
offers to groups of whimsical and
cranky persons to piopose laws; and
second, as to the referendum, in the
invitation it presents to similar per
sons to "hold up" proper legislation.
For examples of the one kind look
at the fish bills and other initiative
measures now presented. For exam
ple of the other kind, take the refer
endum call on the bill for support of
the University of Oregon. The mass
of voters seldom will take the trouble
to give sufficient examination to Initi
ative bills or "referendum. Many of
them are irrational, and the whole
thing comes to be looked upon as a
bore or nuisance.
The Oregonlan now has no business
with party at all, because as matters
now are It sees no way to make ac
tion through party, effective for any
result. A minority party will have
little trouble under present condi
tions; Indeed will be favored by .them,
but a majority party will be broken
into factions and fragments' and can
accomplish little or nothing. Such
Is the state of the Republican' party
in Oregon. The new system has in
creased and aggravated all its dissen
sions, and Is constantly sowing seed
for new crops of them. Having noted
this for a number of years, The Ore
gonlan has stepped aside to watch
the melee and record it; for it has
found by the abundant experience of
abortive effort that there can be no
result from exhortation, remon
strance, appeal or expostulation. Re
publicans have shown again and again
that they will not vote for candidates
so nominated, especially for leading
positions, who get but a' fragment of
the votes for their nomination. It is
true thatv Furnish, nominated for
Governor six years aso by a conven
tion, was beaten. But this was the
exclusive work of rival politicians
seeking revenge; yet Furnish was
beaten by only 250 . votes, while
"Withycombe, supported by all the ef
fort of the party leaders (so-called),
was beaten by ten times as many. The
knife of faction, sharpened by the
new system, has been used, and will
still be used, with deadly effect. It
has been driven right into the vitals
of the Republican party. The Ore
gonlan excuses itself frpm using the
tone of lamentation and mourning. It
simply supplies a plain explanation of
facts and conditions. This party may
yet elect, and doubtless yet will elect,
through the mere mechanical habit of
voting, certain candidates for in
ferior offices, or others upon whom no
fight la made; but It cannot elect to
leading positions, which may be con
tested among its own members or by
the opposition, candidates who push
themselves forward ,for nominations
and get them by petty pluralities,
which represent neither people nor
party.
But after all, no doubt, we shall
hear it said, "Well, what of it?"
Nothing In the world, so far as The
Oregonlan is concerned, except that
it analyzes a situation and gives the
news. It Is unwilling to lead or to
follow the procession, again and
again, "through the slaughter-house
to the open grave." It has had its fill
of that, to satiety.
A MCCKRAKEK EXPOSED.
The recent exposure of the alleged
weakness of the American Navy by
one Henry Reuterdahl at the time" of
Its appearance created a sensation.
While the writer was comparatively
unknown, some weight was given to
his criticism by the fact that S. S. Mc
Clure unequivocally indorsed the
story with the statement that he had
"personally verified" the "facts" set
forth by Mr. Reuterdahl. If one-half
of the charges made by Reuterdahl
were true, it was made quite clear to
the American people that they had
invested an enormous sum of money
in a fleet as vulnerable and useless as
a lot of old tramp steamers surmount
ed by guns which could be' destroyed
by the first real warship encountered.
Fortunately for the good name of the
men responsible for our Navy, the
Scientific American has come to the
front with an elaborate analysis and
expose of the muckraking Reuter
dahl. There is nothing theoretical or as
sumed about the line of defense es
tablished by the Scientific American:
Each change, is taken up, analyzed
and discussed in detail. One of Reu
terdahl's most serious charges. In
dorsed by IcClure, was that "the
broadside guns of fcrelgn battleships
and cruisers are, generally speaking,
twice as high as ours, and many of
them three times as high." The Sci
entific American refutes-- this slander
with the actual measurement of the
Connecticut and British vessels of a
similar type built at the same period.
On the Connecticut the broadside
guns are fifteen feet above the normal
water line, and on the British vessels
Drake, King Edward VII and' .Swift
sure the distances are: Ten feet seven
inches on" the Drake, thirteen feet
three inches on the Swlfteure and
twelve feet nine and one-half Inches
on the King Edward "VTI. With a
similar strict adherence to facts Mr.
Reuterdahl's critic proves by ..ctual
displacement figures tha the new ex
pert has made a glaring misstatement
in. saying that when loaded our ship3
show but six inches of the main ar
mor belt above the water line, for in
sinking the vessels to this depth they
would -lose their buoyancy to such an
extent that they would sink entirely.
It is also shown that if the armor
plate were raised there would be
great danger, when the ship was roll
ing, of exposing so much of the hull
below the armor that shells could
pass under it and explode In a vital
part of the ship, -.. hlle in passing
above the armor as now placed the
damage would not be fatal. This very
able exposure of a liar will be well
received by the American people, who
were at first Inclined to give full cre
dence to the McClure article, which,
with Its accompanying diagrams and
engravings, was sufficiently elaborate
in detail and serious In language to
impress readers with the sincerity of
the writer. Mr. Reuterdahl has
earned a front seat in the ranks of
the muckrakers, hut he has also
earned the contempt of the American
people, who do not love a liar.
THE SPECIAL MESSAGE.
Mr. Roosevelt's special "message to
Congress is one of the most powerful
pieces of political eloquence in the
English language. It contains pas
sages which will be read with passion
ate approval by mature men and re
cited with flaming hearts by ambitious
youth long after the President has
ceased from his fight with the powers
that prey and others have taken up
the weapons .for liberty and justice
which he wlejds so potently and man
fully. It breathes the spirit through
out of clear perception and undaunt
ed courage. He discerns with un
erring accuracy the meaning and ex
tent of the struggle which is on in
this country between the forces of
predatory wrong and the forces of
common right, and he strides into the
fray without flinching. If Mr. Roose
velt has ever dreamed of compromise
with those insidious enemies of the
republic who endeavor to make their
success an excuse for their crimes
against morality and law, hg has
thrust that dream from his thoughts.
If he ever dreaded the consequences
to trade which might flow from the
Inflexible pursuit of Justice and the
unmasking of gilded wickedness he
dreads them no longer.
In this great utterance the servile
creature who lives upon .the favor of
the pirate corporatio z and earns his
vile livelihood by making himself the
mouthpiece of their mendacity or the
Instrument of their social treason will
see nothing but a cunning move in
the game of politics. To his base
vision this noble muniment of eternal
Justice will appear as nothing more or
better than a deft intervention for
Taft and against Hughes. Mr. Roose
velt Is a consummate politician. That
is one reason why his enemies hate
him. Were he stupid tr jy could out
wit him.. Were his ambitions alien to
the popular will, they could ruin him
by calumny. Were he less than a
master of , masters in the sword play
of politics, they would have given
him the death stab long ago, and,
seating some compliant tool in the
Presidential chair, would have' com
pleted their schemes to establish a
plutocratic oligarchy and make the
American people forever slaves to the
evil hierarchy -f Mammon.
As a politician Mr. Roosevelt is in
comparably superior to his enemies,
but that is the. smallest of his advan
tages over them. To them the com.
mon man is but a clod to be trodden
under foot, a sheep to be shorn, a
beast of burden to be worked out and
cast upon the dunghill. But Roose
velt, like Lincoln, sympathizes with
the common man. He knows the
heart of the people, he hears the cry
of their wrongs and burns with indig
nation against their oppressors. It is
a low phrase to say that a man lives
with his ear to the ground, and of
Roosevelt it is not true. The mere
politician must watch and listen and
spy to learn what the people desire
and form his servile opinion whether
or not they desire it earnestly enough
to make it advantageous for him to
take their side. But'Roosevelt knows
what the people want without prac
tice of these unworthy arts. They
want justice' and he wants justice.
What more is needed to put him in
harmony with the feeling and thought
of the Nation? It is a noble trait of
the President that he knows human
nature well enough to trust it. He
makes his appeal to the deeps of the
popular mind and heart. He speaks
without evasion or subterfuge. He
cajls a spade . a spade. He gives
crime its right name.
Of course, the cry will go- up from
the maleficent hordes whom the Pres
ident lashes with the whip of truth
that he is severe, undignified, un-
statesmanllke. He is severe, but so is
truth; and there are times when the
interest of the Nation demands from
its first magistrate something more
effective than dignity. If Mr. Roose
velt continues to give us the same
passionate advocacy of what is right
and just that iie offers in this mes
sage, we can well dispense with ail
the dignity he loses by it. One can
Imagine that Isaiah was somewhat
undignified when he denounced pro
phetic woes against the wrongdoers In
Israel. From one point of view all
passion Is undignified, and yet,' with
out passionate advocacy of the right,
wrong would reign undisturbed over
the affairs of men. Let us be thank
ful that Mr. Roosevelt is sufficiently
undignified .in this memorable mes
sage to tell the naked truth with con
vincing power and unparalleled en
ergy. 1 Nor do we agree that it Is unstates
manlike. It urges upon , Congress to
take immediate action upon several
questions of fundamental importance.
The petty creatures who assume to
dictate the legislative policy of the
Nation have decreed that this session
of Congress shall be stale, flat and
unprofitable; that it shall be a scene
of humbug and passive inaction; that
the men sent to Washington to guard
our interests and remedy our. .evils
shall spend the Winter spewing forth
buncombe. Mr. Roosevelt would
have none of this. There Is work to
be done and he urges Congress to do
it without delay, knowing that even
as a party measure it is better to go
before the country with a record of
achievement. There is an employers'
liability act to be passed: injunctions
must be regulated to maintain even
handed justice between workman
and employer; the Sherman act must
be so modified that beneficial combi
nations may become lawful; the pow
ers of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission must be enlarged; the Na
tional authority to punish the crim
inal syndicates must be exercised for
the common good. Here is sufficient
work to keep Congress busy for .-. long
time. How much of it will be done
when the two houses adjourn and the
two rival parties go before the people
for Judgment? Has it ever occurred
to the pitiful band of leaders that
both may possibly be condemned?
Fallacious reasoning -on the al
leged benefits of llgh protective
tariff is too common to excite much
remark. Still, an incident now and
then appears that may receive com
ment. We find the Corvallis Gazette
saying that in 1882 steel wire nails
paid a duty of 1 cent a pound and
were sold at 8 cents a pound; but in
1884 the duty was raised to 4 cents a
pound, and since then wire nails
have been much cheaper and often
have been sold as low as 2 cents. The
fallacies of the conclusion that the
greater cheapness is due to the high
duty are numerous. First, no account
is taken of the improved methods
which have completely revolutionized
the manufacture. Second, no ac
count is made of the fact that these
methods have cut the price in foreign
countries the same as in our own.
Third, a duty of 4 cents on nails that
are sold at 2 cents Is absurdity.
Fourth, our manufacturers, whenever
they get a chance, sell to foreigners
at low prices, while they hold up the
rate at home, and are enabled
through the tariff to gouge domestic
consumers. Fifth, the nail industry
is part of the system of the over
gorged steel trust, whose enormous
profits are among the scandals aris
ing from predatory wealth. It i3 edi
fying, indeed, to find the steel trust
glorified as a benevolent and philan
thropic institution, organized and
maintained for the benefit of labor,
under protective tariff.
There is no need of an additional
Federal Court in Oregon, nor 6f an
other department of the State Circuit
Court in Multnomah County. The
main purpose of these suggestions is
to provide additional offices. Every
new court will be as fully officered as
the old ones, and its expenses at max
imum, the year round. The effort of
the politician and office-seeker to
multiply offices and compel support
from the publlcT treasury is sleepless.
It Is a horde already twice too large.
All. the service, from one side of the
country to the other, could be per
formed by one-half the persons now
in office, and then they would have
little enough to do. There are not
only too many offices, but two-thirds
of ""the persons in effice render no
service comparable with the amount
of money they get. The people of
the United States are being reduced
fast to the position of a body of feud
atories held to work for support of a
privileged class on the public pay
rolls. Japanese importers are suing the
United States Government for i 1,5 00,
000 allegedto be due them for exces
sive duty levied on "sake," the stuff
from whichi Japanese dreams are
made. The Japanese allege that the
intoxicating qualities of sake are not
so pronounced as Uncle Sam thinks
they are, and that the duty should be
reduced and a refund made of the
amount mentioned. It might be well
for the Government to investigate
and see If the use of sake had
anything to do with promoting
the "peppery" dispositions which
the Japanese have been exhibit
ing along the Pacific Coast. If so,
an advance Instead of a reduction
should be made In the tariff.
Theodore P. Shonts, who has the
sympathy of all true Americans, has
felt it necessary to announce that
there will be no marriage settlement
on the Due de Chaulnes when he
marries Miss Shonts. In making the
announcement Mr. Shonts expresses
his regret that such a subject should
arise, and states that it would never
be mentioned "when the bridegroom
Is an American." There is, of course,
no such disgrace in connection with
the Shonts wedding as attended the
bargain and sale of the Vanderbilt
girl to a titled ape from over the sea,
or many other similar matches.
The Tillamook people, tiring of the
miserable transportation facilities be
tween Portland and their city, have
Induced San Francisco people to
place a 1200-ton steamer on the run
between San Francisco and Tillamook,
It will not require a v-;ry great knowl
edge of mathematics or human na
ture to figure out where the trade of
Tillamook will go when the new boat
is placed on the run.
The ice trust in New Tork is
cheered by the good news that a
bountiful supply of, the frozen water
is beign secured. I Jack Frost does
not play favorites, and in consequence
the coal trust is already reaipng in
creased profits through the action of
the thermometer.
It has been well and most truly
said that "disorganization in party life
is the signal for activity on the part
of doctrinaires and discontented poli
ticians." Here is a mirror in which
the Republican party of Oregon may
see a reflection of itself, all right, all
right.
Mr. Bryan declares that all argu
ments used In an election should be
used publicly. If this doctrine be put
to practice for the next six months,
the political news will be the most in
teresting feature of every daily paper
in the United States.
"The issue here," said District At
torney Jerome. "i3 not whether Stan
ford AVhite deserved death. We can
not go into that." But it is not prob
able that it can be kept out of the
mind of any member of the jury. ..
Rr.PtBI.ICAK Oil DEMOCRATIC
Sundry ConNlderationa and Various
Views.
Woodburn Independent.
The Portland Journal thinks it would
be a splendid thing If Oregon went into
the Democratic column at the next Pres
idential election. It falls to. state
whether It should go overwhelmingly
Democratic or bytthree plurality. This
expectation on the part of the Journal
will not be realized, 'especially with
Eryan In the saddle, for the eminent, or.
correctly speaking, prominent Nebraskan
can never carry -this state. But, In one
sense, Oregon Is in the Democratic col
umn now. Wo have a Democratic Gov
ernor. Portland has a Democratic
Mayor and District Attorney, and Sen
ator Bourne, virtually a Populist-Democrat,
seeks to load us up with others of
the same ilk. U'Ren may run for United
States Senator and may be elected, and
those who know him well kndrw that
deep down In his heart ho la not Repub
lican. If he were elected Senator, and If
Bryan, were chosen President, Oregon
would have two Senators at Washing
ton standing hand in hand with their
old love, Bryan. It therefore cannot be
truthfully stated that Oregon is wholly
Republican, yet there is discrimination
against this state. Better would it be if
Oregon next November gave a larger Re
publican .plurality than ever; then, if
Bryan is elected, he would make an ef
fort with favors to turn the state. It
woilld be bis aim to work upon Repub
lican states, not those he knows will go
Democratic. On the other hand, If the
Republican Presidential nominee is
elected, Oregon would recefve less recog
nition than It ' does now If It failed to
materially assist In electing the Repub
lican candidate. It would be different if
Oregon had 86 electoral votes and in the
doubtful column, but it has only a little
measly four and would but get the horse
laugh if it changed political colors.
s e
NEW LAW OX PICTURES COPYRIGHT
Painting Needn't Have Notice On It
Face to Prevent Reprodnctlon.
Topeka, Kan., Journal.
A decision just rendered by the
United States Supreme Court in a
copyright suit holding that it Is not
necessary for a painting to have a
copyright notice painted on Its face to
prevent its reproduction, is likely to
have a far-reaching effect on the pub
llcatlon of prints in this country.
Heretofore, the practice In the
United States courts on this point has
been conflicting, but there has been
a general tendency to hold that unless
a painting bore on its face a state
ment of its copyright anyone was at
liberty to copy or reproduce It in any
form he chose.
The practice In England and on the
continent is that ownership of a can
vas does not confer a right to repro
duce a picture. The practice here has
worked great hardships on artists, for
unless they disfigured their pictures
with copyrighted scrawls they were
likely to be unpleasantly surprised
some day to see their masterpieces
staring at them from advertising cards
or posters.
Justice Day, who delivered the opin
ion of the United States Supreme
Court on the subject, holds that the
notice of copyright required by the
Federal statutes need not be Inscribed
on the original painting, but that the
statute is fully complied with if notice
is Inscribed upon the published copies
which it is desired to protect
"PISTOL-TOTERS" 1ST GEOHZrl.
Are It earn r ded aa Greater Dnngera Than
Illegal Liquor Seller.
Atlanta (Ga.) Constitution.
With courage and pith Judge ;.Ioses
Wright of the Rome circuit has struck
one of the greatest evils in Georgia and
the South squarely between the eyes. To
the Rome grand Jury he charged:
'The pistol-toter Is a far greater menace
to the community than the blind tiger
The conviction of one pistol-totejr In this
community would do far more gupd than
the conviction of men selling liquor. A
man never knows when he Is going to. be
shot down like a dog by some fellow car
rying an arsenal In his hip-pocket. That
is the truth of it; let us indict them and
let us apply the law to them as vigorously
as we know how.
Judge Wright has with perfect accuracy
said the first and last words with regard
to a practice which the authorities of this
state are impelled by their oaths and the
public safety to stamp out relentlessly.
The pistol-toter we have always with us.
Whisky merely complicated the problem.
From an official standpoint, it has disap
pearedand he still remains, ever ready
to arbitrate some petty quarrel with the
deadly six-shooter. There Is no evading
the issue. Every man who carries a pis
tol "without, the sanction of law Is a
potential murderer. He may not leave
hlshome with murder in his heart. But
it needs only the slightest provocation to
stir the blind blood-lust in his veins and,
reckless for the moment of consequences,
to resort to the means of death so easily
at hand. When we drive out whisky and
Ignore as negligible its deadly accessory,
we are dangerously near making a farce
of the enforcement of law in vjeorgla.
Thla la a Mean'' Man.
Chicago Inter Ocean.
A recent case in one of the Cleveland.
O., courts is well calculated to cause
every right-thinking man to olush for his
sex.
It was the case of as neat and active
and pleasing'' a little woman as ever
stood In front of a judge to accuse her
husband, and the charge was laziness
resulting In the criminal neglect of his
family. It Is only necessary to quote
the testimony of the woman in order to
give the reader a pretty clear'impresslon
of the kind of a man her husband is.
Said she:
Why. Judge, he Is o lazy that when he
goes up to bed in the attic above our room
he pulls up the ladder. That's the only
stairway, and when he has puiled it up with
him I can't wake him in the morning. He
never help me and does not work often
enough to need any sleep, let alone all he
gets by pulling up the ladder.
And ingratitude of the' basest kind was
added to this, for she went on to say:
My husband wae awfully anxious for me
to marry him, but he left me on the day we
were married and did not como back for a
week. Then be begged me on his knees, and
1 took him In. I've supported him ever since.
Xtw Catholic Marriage Lam,
New York Tribune.
Churchmen will watch with much In
terest the operation of the new marriage
laws of the Roman Catholic Church,
which, according to reports, will be uni
versally enforced after next Easter. The
most Interesting clause Is the one pro
viding that betrothals, to be binding be
fore ecclesiastical courts, must be for
malized In writing and- attested by a
priest or two other trustworthy persons.
What makes this significant is the fact
that it has long been insisted upon, in
all essential respects, by not a few
priests here and there, and in some cases
has resulted In tempting many 'persons
to break with the church. Will the In
creased authority with which the regu
lation is now promulgated succeed in
bringing the free American back to the
good old ""custom of "publishing the
banns"? The merits of this custom are
great indeed, but we suspect that the
headstrong and too independent Ameri
can youth will not see them, even if the
bann-publlshlng fees be cut down to a
bargain sale figure. '
Trlbote to T. T. Geer.
Baker City Democrat.
A pretty compliment was paid T. T.
Geer the ' other day. One of; the old
residents of Eastern Oregon said he
could shake hands, chuck more babies
under the chin, eat with more different
people when he was out campaigning
than any other man in the Northwest,
not excepting Methodist presiding eiders.
NO WAY TO GET RID OF BRYAN
Yet There la I.otid Democratic Protest
Against Him.
Nashville (Tenn.) American, Dem.
Everywhere Democrats who openly de
clare for Bryan will privately admit that
they have no hope of his election. No
man of political Intelligence believes he
would be elected. The newspapers which
urge the nomination of Mr. Bryan are,
with few exceptions, weak editorially,
and otherwise are of the third or fourth
class. The ablest newspaper advocates of
Mr. Byran's nomination are Republican
newspapers. They feel that with Bryan
as the Democratic nominee the election of
the Republican nominee is assured, no
matter who he may be. It is a question
I of judgment.
Springfield (Mass.) Republican, Ind.
That there is hope that Mr. Bryan will
yet withdraw in a blaze of glory, winning
universal applause for magnificent self
sacrifice, and leaving some other
wretched, forlorn Democrat to be wal
loped at the polls that there Is hope of
this should not be lost sight of even now.
But Waldorf-Astoria conferences will not
achieve that result. When Mr. Bryan
withdraws, he will" be the stage manager
and all the accessories will be to his
histrionic taste.
. Utica (N. T.) Press, Ind.
Before it became absolutely established
that President Roosevelt would not bow
to the wishes of those who wanted him
to try for a third term, it was frequently
asserted that nobody but Roosevelt could
defeat Bryan. Now that Roosevelt has
been removed from consideration it is
noticeable, however, that the sentiment
In favor of Bryan's nomination among
the Democrats instead of Increasing has
declined.
St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Rep.
The wise Democratlo enemies of Bryan
will encourage him to get the candidacy
this year, so as to take him out of the
fight for the nomination in 1012. As
Democratic defeat this year Is inevitable,
the putting up of some colorless candi
date at Denver like Johnson, Hoke Smith
or Harmon would fasten Bryan's grip on
the party four years hence. The only
way that the Democrats can unload
Bryan is to let him go to defeat at the
polls in 1908.
, Philadelphia Ledger, Ind.
When the country is struggling to
establish business on a safe basis, reform
the currency and restore confidence, it
would be contemptible in Democrats
those who know better to do anything
for Bryan's- encouragement or leave un
done anything likely to rid National poli
tics of his disturbing fllghtiness. The
best course Is to organize the bolt now
and give him notice. Then he and his
friends would have no excuse for com
plaint If he were nominated and the bolt
came.
San Antonio (Tex.) Express, Dem.
It probably would be stimulative of
Democratic effort and enthusiasm if there
should be an earnest and conspicuous
movement for the nomination of a con
servative Democrat of the Harmon, Gray
or Johnson type. Inasmuch as it would
arouse the party spirit in the breasts of
a great many Democrats who will be
apathetic, to say the least. If convinced
that the nominee has been practically
agreed upon before the convention and
that it Is Hobson'a choice with them.
Philadelphia Record, Dem.
The question at the present time Is not
whether Mr. Bryan is right or not. and
still less Is it whether he was right in
1S96. It ought not to be necessary to
discuss him or his platforms. The Demo
cratic party has twice nominated him
without success, and while he was not the
candidate in 1904, it Is Idle to pretend that
he was not a large factor before, during,
and after the convention. It ought to
be sufficient for practical men who desire
the success of the Democratic party that
Mr. Bryan has been defeated twice when
conditions were far more favorable for
his success than they are now.
Charlestorf (S. C.) News and 'Courier, Dem.
There ought to be some sort of or
ganization against Mr. Bryan within the
party and we do not know of any one
who could lead In this work better than
Mr. Rldder. Without organization, Mr.
Bryan will be nominated at Denver In
July and be defeated, as he ought to be
defeated, in November.
LOCAL OPTION IN WASHINGTON.
It Will Now De Pnt I'p to the Colored
Brother Also.
New Yof-k World.
"Whiskey has no enemies In the
cloak-room and no friends on the
floor," said Representative Sherley, of
Kentucky. Congress may not reform
the currency, or revise the penal laws
of the United States, or provide for
adequate coast defenses, or amend the
Sherman law, or reduce the extrava
gant expenditures of the Federal Gov
ernment; but it Is reasonably certain
to grant the domands of the W. C. T.
U to the extent of enacting a local
option law for the District of Colum
bia. When this act is passed it will con
tain no provision disfranchising the
negro. No honest and thirsty South
ern statesman will advocate a "grand
father clause" to restrain the colored
brother's fine frenzy at the polls. Here
is one Issue of negro suffrage on
which North and South, Democrat and
Republican, will stand shoulder to
shoulder, an Impregnable phalanx.
When the local-option bill passes,
every male negro in the District of
Columbia who has attained the age of
21 years will have not only a chance
but an invitation to vote on the great
issue of sumptuary regulation. And
few Congressmen are disturbed by
doubts as to what the colored brother
will do to the Demon Rum when be
encounters it at the ballot.box.
The Loaera In Life's Race.
London Post.
Mr. Chlozza-Money discovers that
out of about 700.000 persons who died
in the year 1906-07 In Great Britain
82.121 left property worth 299,334,000,
while .the rest either died bankrupt
or left nothing to attract the notice of
Somerset House. The list is, he points
out, "almost entirely a list of losers"
in life's material race.
But of the winners he finds that al
most two-thirds died leaving on the
average only 200 ($1000) out of the
the gigantic total of nearly 300,000,
000. Another 10,000 of them left
estates not exceeding the value of
1000 apiece, so that "practically all
the property left in an average year is
left by only 21,000 persons out of
700,000."
rive to Foot.
W. M. M. In Commoner.
The shades of nleht were falling fr
When up from Washington, D. c.
There come decrees all handed down
By Judges wrapped in black silk gown
"Five to (our.-
The Income tax? They pondered lata
And argufied with learning great:
They seized their pens and gravely wrote
Opinions tnen tney took the vote
' Five to lour."
The Merger? 'Twaa a famous case.
Each Judge sat there with solemn faea, -And
heard the argument so keen.
When the decision came 'twas seen
"Klve to four."
Our wards beyond ths deep blue sea?
Ah. surely hera they will agree!
But after rods of legal lore
Behold the spectacle once mora
"Five to- four."
A law to safeguard human life.
To care for orphans and tor wife;
Ah. Judges on that will agree!
But there's the record look and see
"Five to tout."
POTPOURRI
BY NANCY LEE.
Of course, the Senator's friends will re
gard the attack as a Heney-ous offense.
The full name of the foreigner on whom
Gladys Vanderbilt has conferred her cash
and affections Is Count Lazelo Jeno Maria
HenTlk Simon Szeche-Szechenyl.
When the Vanderbilt millions begin to
flow
Gladys will speak of her "Dear Lazelo."
When more are absorbed by bridge, po
ker and keno
She may mention the Count as "Lazelo
Jeno."
When the titled Siechenyi's begin to guy
her,
Gladys will refer to "Lazelo Jeno Maria."
When the acid tost rubs the gilt from the
brick.
The' Count will become "Lazelo Jeno
Maria Henrik."
When the pawnshop has all, to the very
last diamond.
He'll answer to "Lazelo Jeno Maria Hen
rik Simon."
And the final rhyme, by far the saddest.
Shows the lady's name as "Dennis," not
"Gladys."
A cockney cabdrlver In London, who
had driven all day a typical London skate,
decided to have a glass of 'alf and 'alf.
o left his cab tied in front of the tavern.
Presently a little newsboy rushed In
breathlessly to the bar and then the fol
lowing dialogue occurred:
"I say, cabbie, your 'orae haa fallen
down."
"You blasted beggar, I bet you pushed
him down."
In the "domestic Information" column
of one of our contemporaries we notice
that, of all different methods of punisnlng
children, spanking takes the palm.
e
A theatrical man tells the following,
for which he vouches authenticity:
Frederick Warde and Louis James
were touring the West, and at a small
town in Nebraska were billed to play
"Othello." The manager of the com
pany had occasion to visit one of the
dignitariesof the rural community and
invited him to witness the perform
ance. After the show was over and
while they were issuing from the the
ater, the manager asked his companion
what he thought of the show. "Pret
ty well," was the hesitating reply;
"yea, it was a pretty good show, but
I can't see but that the nigger did about
as well as any of 'em."
'
There was a man who spoke disre
spectfully of the equator. Wo certainly
have a right to hurl objurjatlons at this
eatit wind.
A woman's mind is never mads up
so readily as her face.
An Englishman tells of thT follow
ing conversation which took "place at
a smart London fancy drees ball.
As the guests entered the drawing
room the characters which they por
trayed were announced by the butler.
Two dignified matrons who had pre
ferred to wear evening gowns Instead
of fancy dress costumes were the next
to enter.
"What characters shall I announce?"
queried the butler.
"Oh, we haven't attempted anything
in particular."
To their horror, in a phonographic
tone of voice the butler announced:
"Two ladles of no particular charac
ter." The mining fatalities in the United
States may be twice as great as they
are in Europe, but then the profits are
also twice aa great. An economic Idea
Is the hardest kind to get accepted.
l.rt the Womtl Do the Work.
We all agrea
That policy
Is quite the proper thing you seo;
But if the Japs
Think that perhaps
We spend our time In talcing naps
We really hold
When all is told
Our country more than lov or gold.
So do not think
That we will shrink
From fighting with the "missing link."
But weeks and fears
And beera and teara
'Twill take to round up volunteers;
To drill and train
And skill attain
'Tls not so simple as appears, .
"While an hour at most
Upon our Coast "
Would land the yellow nifty host.
So I've thought of a way
To save the day
And prove how false la their silly boast.
"While at the show
Two nights ago
Awatching tho chorus come and go.
The dizzy whirls
Of the score of girls
And their marching to and fro;
I noted the grace
Of figure and face
And how they kept time and step and
place.
Why not send the chorus girl
The war flag to unfurl
And hurl destruction to the pony ballot
pace?
Ten thousand miles
In the rank and files
They'' have marched for years in their
silken lisles.
To fife and drum
We've watohed them come
Changeless, deathless (except for styles).
She will the powder face
To arms she will embrace
And usually captures every man she sees.
And I really think that she
Would an acquisition be
In fighting with the wily little oily Jap
anese. In the front row
The beauties would go
Just as we've seen them at every show.
The polite little Japs
"Would surrender, perhaps,
And capitulate to the charms of the foe.
If he wouldn't be polite
And bow down to beauty bright
"We'd bring the back ranks on and the
Japs would scoot with fright;
For the grandma chorus phiz
Such a scare producer is
Our enemy would fly to escape the fearful
sight.
The cornerstone of Lova In
tage Is usually a solitaire.
cot-
Ignorance, to the average woman. Is
rarely bliss.