.THE MORNING OREGONIAN,' SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1908.
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VALUATION AND DEBT.
In Illinois they have a singular law
for levy of taxes. The law requires
all property to be assessed at Its "fair
cash value," but provides that one
fifth of that value shall be the as
sessed value for all purposes of taxa
tion. The Intent, undoubtedly, is to
keep down excessive expenditure and
prevent prodigality.. Last year, as the
Chicago Tribune informs us, the "fair
cash value" of all the property of
Chicago was $2,389,000,000, but the
valuation on which taxes were levied
was one-fifth of that, or $477,000,000.
Besides the object of keeping down
the expenditure . that great riches
would provoke or Induce, the law is
so adjusted as to keep down putllc
Indebtedness. The law forbids, any
municipal corporation to become In
debted to an amount exceeding 5 per
cent of the taxable property therein.
So the actual limit of indebtedness is
not 5 per cent, but 1 per cent. The
limit of the Indebtedness of Chicago
therefore a city of two millions of
people, with property valued at $24,
000,000,000, Is $24,000,000.
Though Chicago has grown to be
Kreat and mighty under this system,
it would hardly be advisable in a small
city, situated as Portland is. AVe
must do things in Portland that
couldn't be done under the system
that prevails in Chicago; yet the' world
' contains no city more progressive than
the one that thus limits indebtedness
and taxation. Have they the secret
of getting for their money at Chicago
we can't get at Portland?
The Tribune says, however, that
Chicago ought not to go on longer
with this limitation of indebtedness
to 1 per cent of the actual value of
property. At Portland, with very full
valuation of property, the indebted
ness is nearly 5 . per cent; and while
we must make other great improve
ments soon, we shall have to look out
lest it grow faster in proportion than
the growth of values.
THE 1UTV ON PETROLEUM.
Representative Gustav Kuesterman,
of Wisconsin, gave to Congress and
the country some Interesting facts
nbout Standard Oil and its doings in
a speech he made the other day. The
occasion was an amendment which he
offered in the House repealing the
ingley duty on petroleum. The
false belief has been seMulously
spread by Mr. Rockefeller's agents
that there is no duty whatever oh pe
troleum, but Mr. Kuesterman shows
that there is one and that It amounts
in some cases to 200 per cent.
There is a provision in the Dingley
act which Mr. Kuesterman sometimes
calls a "joker and sometimes a "cun
ning little proviso," whose effect is to
give the Standard Oil Company higher
. protection, he alleges, than almost any
other trust enjoys under the benefi
cent distribution of tariff largess. The
evasion is accomplished by first say
ing in the law that petroleum shall
come in free of duty and then slipping
'into another section the proviso that
It shall pay the same duty that other
countries impose upon oil from Amer
ica. The only other nation that produces
oil to any extent 'is Russia, and' her
tariff tax upon outside petroleum is
exorbitant. Hence Russian oil is ex
cluded from America. (
Three results follow. "First, Mr.
Rockefeller's trust is freed from all
competition and permitted to rob us
without restraint. Second, the trust
sells oil In Germany, Great Britain
and Denmark for about two-thirds
what it charges the meek American
public. Third, our petroleum deposits
are being rapidly exhausted to fin the
greedy maw of the monopoly and we
shall soon be bereft entirely of one of
our most important natural resources.
Our extravagant tariff policy smacks
of Insanity everywhere, but nowhere
else co flagrantly as In the duties it
Imposes upon crude raw materials.
The inevitable effect of these duties
Is to skin the country of Its resources
for the benefit of foreign nations and
ultimately leave us stripped and bare
to become the laughing stock of the
world for our lack of foresight.
A SORRY FABRICATION.
Mr. Lincoln Steffens, the magazine
writer, has written an article for the
American Magazine for March, on
politics in Oregon," of which advance
sheets have been received. In his ef
fort to describe conditions in Oregon
during past years the writer. says:
Perhaps the conditions I mean can
best be brought home by citing an agree
ment written by Harvey W. Scott, the
really great editor of that really great
newspaper,. The Oregonlan (and of its
afternoon edition, the Telegram), one
night In 1903. There was a contest on
for United States Senator. . Scott had
hopes. Bourne had had them, but he
had nothing left but a small' minority of
legislators. These he owned, however;
they had cost him $25,000. Scott wanted
Bourno's legislators, so on the last night
of the session he wrote the agreement
printed below, and William .M. Ladd, the
leading banker of Portland, -wired it
(hence the verbal errors) to Salem. Here
it is:
In cae I receive Jonathan Bourne, Jr.,'s
support for United States Senator at the Joint
session of the Legislature tonight, I hreby
agree to use the full power of the Morning
Oregonlan and the Bvenlng Telegram to de
feat John H. Mitchell at the next Senatorial
election, and elect Jonathan Bourne, Jr., In his
place.
I further agree that If I receive the sup
port of Jonathan Bourne, Jr., for United
States Senator in the Joint session of the Leg
islature tonight that if elected I will turn
all the Federal patronage .over to Jonathan
Bourne, Jr. '
I hereby further agree In lieu (view?) of
receiving the support of Jonathan Bourne, td
nlght at the Joint session of the Legislature
that whether elected or not I will pay to
Jonathan Bourne SL'5,000 In United State gold
coin.
It is simply fiction. This so-called
agreement, alleged to have been wrllt
ten by Mr. Scott, was not written by
him nor dictated by him, nor ever
seen by him, till now. It never existed.
It is a fabrication by somebody, and
sheer forgery. It follows, of course,
that it was not "wired" to Salem, on
the last night of the session, or at any
time, by Mr. Ladd, or by any one else;
and Mr. Ladd, moreover, never saw it
till it was shown him in this maga
zine article.
CHILDREN AND ROSES.
It is "a fine thing to Interest the
school children in the work of plant
ing roses. The child boy or girl
who is untaught in the simple lessons
of beautifying the home and the city
through the cultivation of and inter
est in growing- things has at best but
a lopsided development. It is a pood
thing, therefore, to have the children
out in force today not to plant roses
In the parks, perhaps, since it is very
desirable that the slips should grow
after planting, and to insure this they
must be well and properly set but to
see how it is done and lend such as
sistance in the work as they can.
A sense of responsibility and propri
etorship that goes -with this call upon
school children to help in planting
these roses will be of benefit to the
plants later on, when it will be neces
sary to take care of them and cut off
the faded and falling blooms. It Is a
good thing to call the children out, in
vest them with responsibility, arouse
their interest and incidentally" In
struct them in the care of the plants.
They will thus "become an animated
feature indeed, a valuable factor In
the Rose Festival from its beginning
in February to the grand climax of its
beauty on parade day in June.
BANK CLEARING AND BUILDING PER
MITS. .
The fine manner in which Portland
weathered the recent financial storm
is in evidence on every hand, but, for
purposes of comparison with otfier
cities, there are few, if afTy, more ac
curate business barometers than bank
clearings. The New York Financial
and Commercial Chronicle, which
makes a specialty pf compiling clearing-house
returns by groups of cities,
is at hand with the complete figures
for the first week in February. In
the Pacific group, California makes
the poorest showing, the decrease in
San Francisco as compared with last
year being 33.4 per cent, Los Angeles
36.5 per cent and Oakland 59.1 per
cent. Seattle 'was somewhat better
with a loss of 18 per cent, while Port
land showed a decrease of but 6.9 per
cent.
The importance of this satisfactory
showing can be better understood
when it is stated that the average de
crease for all clearing-house cities in
the . Pacific group, .was 27.5 per
cent, and the average decrease for
all cities in the United States
was 2 5 per cent. Details by groups
are not at hand for' the second
week in February, but Bradstreet's
figures for that week show a decrease
for Portland of but 8.2 per cent, while
Seattle was credited with a decrease
of 26.4 per cent.
It is not alone in bank clearings
that Portland is "making a much more
favorable -showing than Seattle, our
closest competitor in the Pacific
Northwest, but the building permits
for January and for the month of
February also reflect tne satisfactory
financial conditions in this city. Dur
ing the month of January there were
issued in Portland 298 building per
mits of a total valuation of $625,545,
the average value being $2099. For
the same period there were issued in
Seattle 878 building permits, but so
many of them were for insignificant
repair jobs that the total was but
$427,800, about $200,000 less than the
amount of the Portland permits, the
average being $4 80 each, less than
one-fourth of the average value of
the Portland permits. For the first
eighteen days of February for which
statistics are available, there have
been issued in Seattle 493 permits,
with a total valuation of $281,665, an
average of $571 each. From Portland
for' the same period the 212 permits
issued had a valuation of $294,195, an
average of $1340 each.
In real estate transfers Portland is
also making a most creditable show
ing, but, owing to the peculiar meth
ods adopted In Seattle, we are unable
to make accurate comparisons on ac
tual business. An illustration of the
Seattle spirit as reflected in real es
tate transfers, is shown In statistics
appearing in the Seattle Daily Bulle
tin, the, official city paper. In a de
tailed table of the transfers for" the
month of February there appears op
posite the date February 4 an item of
$35,052,181.85, which, of course, will
materially. swell the month's business.
With a full knowledge of the accuracy
of Seattle statistics, it would be pre
sumptuous to question the legitimacy
of such an' entry on , the transfer
books, but it seems passing strange
thatsa real estate transaction Involv
ing $35,000,000 should escape the at
tention of the newspapers.
The ladk of publicity given this im
mense transaction is probably due to
the innate modesty of the Seattle peo
ple. Despite the occasional presence
ot these deals, that would make
first-page stories in Chicago or on the
Ananias Club .Bulletin, in strictly le
gitimate unpadded business, Portland
continues to lead' all other cities on
the Pacific Coast, and is rapidly near
ing the point where all traces of the
recent setback will have been eliminated.
THE LAND-GRANT PROBE.
" Senator Fulton has done note
worthy work in securing adoption of
the land-grant resolution by the Sen
ate, directing the Attorney-General to
institute suit to protect the rights of
the Government and the public as to
the land grants of the Oregon & Cali
fornia Railroad , and the Coos Bay
Wagon Road Company. These grants
were parts of the big scheme of public
land despoilers to rob the public do
main in this state. The terms of the
grants, which were intended to pro
tect the public- interest, have been re
pudiated by the railroad and the
wagon road company (now the South
ern Oregon Company), from the time
the lands fell into their clutches. The
record of these grants and of those of
other wagon road companies in Ore
gon is a tale of infamy. There should
be retribution now for the railroad
and recompense to the public interest.
Senator Fulton, In taking up the
Senate resolution and obtaining its
adoption by that body, has accom
plished a work that is in some re
spects a surprise, in view of the re
puted hostility of the Senate .toward
"radical" measures. Representative
Hawley has been a zealous worker in
this cause since it started, more than
a year ago; In fact he was one of its
initiators. He will be depended on to
obtain favorable action on the resolu
tion by the House of Representatives.
TIIE FAREWELL ADDRESS.
Washington's Farewell Address is"
not a discourse which swells with
buoyant optimism, though neither is
it despairful. When he wrote "It the
father of his country was not yet a
very old man, only three-score and
four years had he then numbered, but
he had lived an Intense and varied
life and his latter experience had been
bitter. He had seen treason, envy, in
subordination, wreak their dire effects
upon the human heart and human
conduct in an Arnold, a Gates and a
Lee. He had seen the adulation of
his countrymen turn to malignant
calumny. But all this had ripened
his nature without souring it. When
he finally retired from public office to
his home at Mount Vernon, Washing
ton had lost m.uch of his earlier en
thusiasm and some of his confidence
in mankind to gain the calm wisdom
tinged with melancholy of the phil
osopher who looks backward without
regret and forward without too much
hope.
He offers the Address to his .coun
trymen as "the counsels of an old and
affectionate friend," but he dares not
hope "that they will make the strong
and lasting impression I could wish,"
nor does he expect anything he can
say to "prevent our Nation from run
ning the course .which has hitherto
marked the destiny of nations," that
direful course from vigorous, free and
happy youth through partisan blood
shed, plutocratic tyranny and barbar
ous decadence down to death.
We must not forget that in the
prime of his life Washington was an
uncompromising revolutionary radi
cal. He rose in arm's against his law
ful government and had he been
taken before peace was declared he
would have been executed as a traitor.
Less poignantly cynical than Franklin,
devoid of wit and perhaps also of hu
mor, never aflame with zeal, he, had
more of. Erasmus in him than of Lu
ther, and yet he lacked nothing of
that iron steadfastness which made
Luther the bedrock of modern civili
zation. Serene and solitary, he was
above all our other revolutionaries the
thinker. We mean that he was an
unpartisan, impersonal, disinterested
thinker. His intellect, of course, was
not to be compared with Franklin's,
nor as a fabricator of institutions
could he rank with Hamilton, but his
mind was Inflexibly honest with Itself
and with facts. Loyalty to facts, both
pleasant and unpleasant, is the pre
dominant trait of the Farewell Ad
dress. It shrinks from nothing. He says
of "party .spirit that while it is insep
arable, from our nature, "having ift
root In the strongest passions of the
human mind," nevertheless it is "truly
the worst enemy" of popular govern
ments, and it demands ."a uniform
vigilance to prevent it bursting Into a
flame lest, instead of warming, it
should consume." Washington de
rived his Ideas of party spirit partly
from Plutarch,, partly from his own
unhappy experience and the lessons
from the two sources completely
agreed. According to Plutarch, party
had wrecked the Roman "Republic,
and Washington knew that it had ma
ligned and khwarted so far as it could
all his- sincere efforts for the welfare
of his country. He looked upon party
as an evil, but one of those necessary
evils which human nature prevents us
from eradicating.
Reading what he says of the love
of power and the encroachments and
tyranny to which it leads, one would
almost imagine that he had looked
forward with prophetic vision and
seen opr Federal courts gradually ab
sorbing the entire legislative, execu
tive and judicial functions of govern
ment. "The spirit of encroachment
tends to consolidate all the powers of
all the departments In one, and thus
to create, whatever the form of gov
ernment, a real despotism." These
are his words upon this momentous
theme. He could scarcely have made
them stronger had he seen the courts
vetoing and setting aside laws on the
one hand while on the other they
boldly amend the Constitution by con
struction, enact new laws and abolish
the right of rial by jury. What
would Washington have thought
could he have seen a judge first enact
a law, then trv and convict a man for
breach of It, and finally impose upon
the victim a penalty limited only by
his own sense of injury?' Yet all this
has become a daily spectacle in the
United. States. A recent English
writer says that if Washington and
Franklin could have foreseen what
was to become of the Government
they founded they would have fled in
terror from the specter. This Is ex
treme, of course, but we have permit
ted many things to happen which the
fathers sedulously sought to avoid,
and - one of them is the progressive
absorption of all governmental powers
by the courts. Nothing quite like this
phenomenon has ever, before been
seen in the world. There have been
nations governed by priests. Kings and
mobs, but never before. in all history
one like ours despotically ruled by
lawyers out of their musty tomes and
steel-wired brains.
Washington himself was an intense
ly practical man who knew enough
of human affairs to realize that the
Constitution as he left it would have
to be changed with the times. He
wrote to Jefferson that he thought
the Constitution was "a tolerable com
promise"; to Patrick Henry that he
wished it had been made more per
fect, but in the circumstances it was
the best they could do; while to
Henry Knox he said he hoped the!
successors would be as ready to amend
it as they themselves had been. "To
think otherwise will, in my Judgment,
be ascribing more wisdom and more
virtue to ourselves than I think we
deserve." This genuine language of
Washington conveys but little comfort
to those who speak of the Constitution
as an inspired document which is too
nearly perfect ever to be Improved.
It is time that experiment with
"Chick" Houghton in the name of
sympathy, looking to his reformation,
should cease. Predatory by nature,
he has become a thief by profession,
and his liberty, whether under parole
or from the failure' of a. Jury to con
vict him on evidence, is a menace to
the public. The sentence of five
years in the penitentiary was all too
mild a penalty for the crime of which
he was convicted, and he should have
been allowed to remain .In prison
without official interference until It
was fully completed. From burglary
or robbery to murder is but a short
step, and one that is likely to be taken
any time that either crime is commit
ted or attempted. The incarceration
of a professional thief in the peniten
tiary is therefore his best assurance
against the gallows as well as the
community's best protection against a
graver crime than robbery at his
hands. Even his devoted and heart
broken old .father should see this and
be thankful that his predatory young
son is for a stated time compelled
to. "be good" through restraint and
prison discipline, and cease his pitiful
importunities for the young criminal's
release.
Mrs. Elizabeth Barnum, one of the
few surviving widows of the War of
1812, died in New Jersey yesterday.
As It has been but ninety-six years
since the war w"as fougljt, and there
are not many of the widows still sur
viving, it is 'easy to understand that a
reduction in the widows' pension rolls
for the Civil War may be expected in
about fifty years, and it -will not be
more than eighty or ninety years be
fore there will be a decreasing num
ber of widows of Spanish War veter
ans. It makes It easier to understand
why the United States pension roll has
reached the mammoth sum of $140,
000,000 per year when we occasion
ally read of the taking off of a -widow
of a man who fought for the Govern
ment ninety-six years ago. The stag
gering immensity o)f our pension rolls
is entitled to deep consideration be
fore the Government engages in any
more sorties on the field of battle.
Shipments of cheese from Tilla
mook last year are said to have
reached a total of 40,000 boxes on
which the freight to Portland was
2 8 cents per box. This would show
a revenue of nearly $1000 per month
on the single item of cheese. As the
Tillamook country annually sends out
hundreds of tons of butter, cranber
ries and other products and imports
large quantities of flour, feed, provis
ions, etc.. It would seem that there is
ample business for a direct steamer
from Portland. The new project,
however, cannot be made a success
unless the parties most Interested
agree to stand by the new line, which
will promise a regular service at rea
sonable rates. One dollar per ton for
freight for a few weeks, while com
petition rages. Is a poor offset for six
or seven times as much for a poor
service after the opposition ends.
The Philadelphia police had a
pitched battle with 1000 unemployed
foreigners Thursday. The riot fol
lowed a mass meeting, at which a fe
male speaker told her listeners that it
was better to be in jail, where tlyre
was plenty to eat, than to be out of
work and hungry. There was. per
haps, logic In the statement, but as
the speaker bore the un-American
name of Voltairine de Clere, and, as.
stated in her address, half of the audi-,
ence could not understand English, it
is a matter of .regret that they had
not .given the jails in the land from
which they emigrated a preference be
fore coming here.
In some parts of China the death
penalty is given thieves. It would
save the taxpayers of Multnomah
County lots of money if "Chick"
Houghton could be induced to locate
In the Flowery Kingdom.
All fear of war with Japan has been
forever silenced by the exchange of
International taffy at the White House,
between Ambassador Takahlra and
President Roosevelt.
At. Stanford University it is now offi
cially considered improper for stu
dents to appear on the campus while
they are drunk. There is hope even
for California.
- "' t
When Salem gives her horse show
Portland will not have to depend, as
formerly, on the Inefficient service of
one railroad to get there and back the
same flay.
"And God saw it was not good for
man to be alone." There are excep
tions to all rules. Harry Lane would
have been better alone in the Mayor's
office-
In the purchase of a Count by Dor
othy Whitney one pleasing, novelty is
offered the American 'public. We can
pronounce his name.
Fugitive McKinley rode from the
Union station to jail in a carriage. No
one can blame him for objecting to a
Fifth-street car.
Roosevelt's purpose in sending the
fleet to the Pacific is now clear. The
capture of Callao is accomplished.
Good morning! Are you going to
help plant roses?
UNCLE JOE'S PSALM OF LIFE!.
"Doln' Nothln' All the Time" About
Tariff Revision.
John Sharp "Williams In the Congres
sional Record.
Mr. Chairman, the risibilities of the
members on the other side of the
chamber seem to have been aroused a
few moments ago about a clash of
opinion upon this side. They seem
especially to rejoice in the fact that
there Is no rod of authority In the
Democratic party whereby absolute
unanimity of expression about meas
ures or candidates can be obtained.
While I of course regret that all Demo
crats do not always express exactly the
same ideas' under the same circum
stances, I thought, perhaps, it would be
well to emphasize before the country
just at this moment the reason why
the Republicans here are generally
united outwardly, at any rate not
withstanding the fact that, now and
then one of them arises in his place
and serves notice that if somebody
does not "get out of the way he is
going to be run over." I cannot ex
press that idea any better than by
reading a little piece of poetry that was
produced In the Chicago Record-Herald,
and of which, emphatically, I am
not the author. I do not wish to be
charged with all the doggerel I put in
the Congressional Record. It is en
titled "Uncle Joe's Psalm of Life," and
it reads as follows:
Tell me not, oh, fellow-members.
That we ought to put on steam;
Let the flame die down to embers
While we alt arourrd and dream.
Say revision to your sorrow!
Let -us fritter time away.
Acting so that each tomorrow
Finds us where we are today.
Talk is cheap and time is fleetin'
Let the foolish public rave;
It's enough that we keep meetln' '
And most gener'ly behave.
Though our critics would remind us
How to make our lives sublime.
Let us act so they may find us
Xoln' nothln' all the time.
(Laughter.)
While the highest aim is to produce
unanimity In "doln' nothin' all the
time," the method of procuring that
unanimity is asserted in the last verso
of the "psalm," which has, I am sure,
received the approval of the speaker,
and, for all I know, was written by
hirn. (Laughter.) Listen to this last
verse. I have no rod of authority, but
"Uncle Joe" may have one. At any
rate the author of these lines, which, if
not poetry, might be "werse," thinks so,
for he says:
If by chance a foolish brother
Should rebel or make a kick.
Trust your "Uncle Joe" to smother
His ambition mighty quick.
(Laughter and applause.)
BUSINESS IS GROWING BETTER
Resumption of Activity In Industrial
Center" Being" Marked.
Washington (D. C.) Post.
The Iron and steel interests have de
cided that the manufacturers, the con
sumers, employees, and business interests
generally will benefit by a maintenance of
prlce3. The question was considered in
New York when 75 manufacturers and
purchasers of steel met to discuss the
proposed reduction in prices. The opin
ion was unanimous, among purchasers
as well as makers, that steel prices are
about right and should not be lowered,
on account of the disturbance that would
result, including the possibla reduction
of wages. The steel men agreed that
there was an improvement in buslnSss
conditions, and that the future outlook
was favorable.. They believe it will not
be long before the increased demand for
material will -start the mills going to
their full capacity.
This optimistic report from the steel
industry is in line with the reports from
all other kinds of business, as epitomized
by Bradstreet's. Trade and financial de
velopments have been toward Improve
ment In the large cities. Whil- conser
vatism is being exercised, and the fac
tories are not yet going at full blast,
the resumption of activity is very marked.
This is the result of the Improvement
in underlying financial conditions. The
holders of money have recovered from
their panic. New York is now flooded
with money seeking investment. As this
money gets back into business, th-3 wheels
that baused will begin to revolve again.
In some sections of the country there
are small "armies" of unemployed men.
It is not surprising, that this should be
the case, following such an acute, dis
turbance as that of last Fall. But the
number of unemployed is so small, in
comparison with the enormous number
of those at work, that the country does
not feel the burden in the slightest de
gree. As industry . revives these unem
ployed men those who really want work
will be drawn into the factories, and
the last vestige of the panic of 1907 will
have been removed.
Lincoln's Professional Card.
New York Evening Post
Some time ago Mr. Oldroyd added to his
collection one of Mr. Lincoln's profes
sional cards. This card is printed on a
medium-sized piece of stiff paper and
reads as follows:
A. LINCOLN.
Attorney and Counsellor at Law,
To Whom It May Concern:
My old customers and others are no doubt
aware of the terrible time I have had in
crossing the stream, and will be glad to know
I will be back on the same side from which
I started on or before the 4th of March next,
when I will be ready to Swap Horses, Dis
pense Law, Make Jokes, Split Rails, and per
form other matters in a small way.
Brother Dickey's Philosophy.
Atlanta. Constitution.
We should be thankful ter what we re
ceive, an' likewise dar same er us is too
po' ter git In de han's er a receiver.
Wen Gabrul blows his trumpet dat'Il be
one time we'll Bho" rise ter de occasion.
- Ef I grows older, an' sees new people, I
mus' say dat dey ain't no - dlffunt fum de
people I been knowln' all my days. Dls
yer thing called human natur is mighty
frequent I
Wen I gits ter glory I'll be thankful ef
dey dea lets me res' up a spell 'fo' dey puts
leadln' questions ter me.
The Spendthrift Version.
Philadelphia Press.
"You know that old saying," began
Kwoter, " 'Take care of the pennies,
and ' "
"And," interrupted Galley, "the dol
lars will take care of your heirs."
A Nebraska Noble-Man.
New York World.
"Mr Br;an will not ask for or seek a
nomination and he will not assume to decide
the question of his availability." The Com
moner. Ah. modest. Matchless Leader, .
Ah. silver-mouthed star.
How little do they know, who do
Not know that's what you are:
A daisy growing by the brook.
Obscure, retired, shy.
Compared with you is brass and noisa
And odor rank and high.
Ah. modest. Matchless Leader,
Submissive, lowly, meek.
In any phase of leadership
You neither ask nor seek.
But far awaj1. kissed by the sun
And watered by the dew.
Tou grow and wait and wait until
Your party cries for you.
Ah. modest. Matchless Leader,
What candidate presents
To party view for public usa
Your dainty diffidence?
How few like you, if they had led
The party to defeat
In two campaigns, would start again
i Along the same old beat!
Ah. modest. Matchless Leader.
You've proved whatyou can do.
And still ynu ,do- not thrust yourself
Upon the party view.
But modestly stand back and wait
Until it calls, and then
You sacrifice yourself and get
Tha party licked again.
ANCESTRY OF" GEO. WASHINGTON.
Royal Blood In Veins of Father of Our
Country.
Caroline Tickner, in Harper's Weekly.
"Let no man fancy he knows sport,"
said the late Moncure D. Conway, "unless
he has family-treed an ancestor of George j
v asnington. let, aesptte tn many
clever scholars and antiquarians of Amer
ica who have tried their hands at this
"sport," It has remained for a Fellow of
the Royal Historical Society of England,
Rev. Frederick W. Ragg, to convey to us
the latest Interesting revelation regarding
the ancestry of our first President.
Barring those that champion the truly
democratic standpoint, . less prevalent to
day than It was in 1620, which scorns to
connoct itself with Old World titles and
abhors royalty, there remain many liberal
souls among us who do not grudge to one
who was acknowledged first in war and
first in peace a share in the homage ac
corded the first family of England.
Edward I was himself a mighty warrior,
and first in many wars his prowess was
early exercised on the Turks, during that
last crusade ever embarlted on by Eng
land's kings, and when the throne became
his own he successfully carried out his
project of uniting England, Scotland and
Wales. He brought the famous Stone
of Scone to Westminster Abbey, and un
der him England became a mighty nation.
He was a monarch wise and great, even
though he had little leaning toward demo
cratic government and did not display
special fondness for Magna Charta. Ed
ward Longshanks was not an ancestor to
be despised by his descendant George, of
kingly bearing and equally long legs.
That this direct line of descent has not
until now been established may seem a
bit surprising in view of the exhaustive
research that has been devoted to the
"Washington ancestry. . The reason is,
however, not difficult to understand when
one reflects that such research has been
concerned exclusively with the male line,
while this royal blood is introduced into
the family by .Margaret Butler, who mar
ried Laurence Washington in 15SS.
GREAT MORAL UPLIFT IX BUSINESS
Judtce Gary on President Roosevelt's
Service to His Country.
Wall Street Journal.
The reiteration of the oft-stated
principles of the President of the
United States has Increased my feel
ing of responsibility toward the stock
holders I represent, toward our com
petitors, toward business men and to
ward the public, and our relations have
been improved. I don't hesitate to
make this confession. According to
my belief, business is done on a bet
ter basis and on a higher plane because
of what I have referred to.
In making this statement Judge
Gary has directed the attention of the
country to the greatest service which
President Roosevelt has performed for
it. It Is likely that the Roosevelt ad
ministration will be less remembered
for anything that it has actually ac
complished in the way of legislation
than for the moral uplift which it has
given to the business of the country.
This Is a most striking tribute to the
President of the United States from
the head of the largest corporation in
the nation.
The Wall Street Journal has, during
the past year, not infrequently criti
cized President Roosevelt for what it
believed to be the unnecessary Intem
perance and untimellness of some of
his utterances. It has believed that
this has intensified the financial strain
to which the whole world has been
subjected. But it repeats now what
It has said more than once in the past,
that in the coming years when the
history of these times is written the
mistakes of Roosevelt will be forgot
ten, while the record of his really mag
nificent crusade for equal opportunity,
fair competition, and higher standards
for the trusteeship of wealth will be a
glorious memory.
THE FAVORITE SON PROPOSITION.
Where Illinois Votes Will Go When
Cannon Is Out of he Way.
Chicago Record-Herald.
At last a genuine popular interest
is being taken in the Cannon boom. The
Republicans of Illinois, who have been
silent co long, are speaking. They are
speaking rapidly, tumultuously, as if
their feelings had been corked up and
were now bursting all barriers. It is
a sort of contagion running up and
down the state, ' and it makes the
Cannon boom as resonant as a wet
sponge.
The limit of Cannon enthusiasm is
expressed in the comment of Fred W.
Upham: "So far as concerns the Con
gressional district in which I live, I
expect to see two delegates for Cannon
on the favorite son proposition and for
Taft for the nomination."
Thus Cannon is reduced to a prop
osition. Nobody expects him to be
nominated. The Republican voters are
bitterly opposed to. his controlling the
delegates in. the interest of some other
reactionary. But as a favorite son
proposition he will be tolerated for one
ballot.
In such troubled waters it hardly
seems worth while to fish for the com
pliment, and such a compliment.
Time to Rely on Themselves.
Atchison (Kan.) Globe.
Atchison has never been able to do any
thing . with "Eastern capital." therefore
we suggest that we all join hands this
Spring, and see what we can do without
assistance. . It is the only way we can
make a town here; Eastern capital is a
great coward, and never comes to a town
until Its own citizens have demonstrated
that the town Is a good one. If there is
any one thing in the world that we are
tired of, It is "Eastern capital." We
have plenty of capital here; all we need is
a little more hard work. Hundreds of
shrewd and industrious Atchison men
have grown rich, while other fellows were
talking "Eastern capital."
Misjudging; the Crow.
Milwaukee Evening Wisconsin.
Since the crow bounty law went into
effect in Illinois, Champaign County has
paid 10 cents a head for 992 crows. The
slaughter has not been as brisk as was
expected because of the existence of a
counter sentiment among farmers, many
of whom believe that the crow has been
misjudged. These defenders of the crow
declare that the birds are hedpful in sub
jugating Insect pests. If the crow even
tually secures Justice through debate as
to the enforcement of the Illinois law, the
slaughter of a few thousand of his breth
ren will have been worth while, from the
standpoint of crow posterity.
Prohibition.
Detroit Free Press.
Rum omelets are off the bill of fare.
And brandy sauce Is something that we
shun:
Bay rum we may not sprinkle on our hair;
When I am hungry I can t get a "bun."
When people come to call on us. 'tis true.
Our former cordial welcomings are
missed.
The secret' 1 will now Impart to you.
Dad's bound to be a Prohibitionist.
The chafing dish Is In the attic now.
For chafing dishes alcohol require:
But we are in good spirits, anyhow.
Since cheering spirits we no more desire.
The babya bottle has been thrown away.
We hate to sea It in his chubby fist;
The bottle Is the curse of life today.
Dad's bound to ba a Prohibitionist.
Strong drink is something that wa all
detest.
We neverspeak of brandy, beer or rum;
For .anything that liquor may suggest
Inside our homo must never, never come.
And Dad says when he's called away from
here,
To go above to Join the heavenly list,
He doesn't want to lie upon a bier.
He's bound to ba a Prohibitionist.
BOOf6
SHORTLY after she wrote "Isubel
Carnaby," Ellen Thorneyeroft Fow
ler, the English novelist, who in
private life is known as Irs. I-'elkin,
dined at a friend's house where the con
versation took a literary turn. Sitting
next to the authoress was a young man
who began to discourse on the way young
authors spoil themselves witli tricks. To
emphasize this point, he said: "What can
bo more horrible than Miss Fowler's
trick of saying. 'Everybody laughed'?"
There was a painful pause. He evidently
expected Mrs. Felkin to make a remark,
for when she did not speak, lie turned
and said, "Oh, don't you know Miss
Fowler's books? Haven't you read any
of them?" "I wrote them." Mrs. Fel
kin replied, and then, Indeed, "every
body laughed." .
While Winston Churchill's lucky letter,
as shown by "The Celebrity," "Richard
Carvel," "The Crisis," "The Crossing."
"Coniston" and "Mr. Crew's Career" (to
be published soon), is "c," other authors
have different favorites. Louis Joseph
Vance believes that for him there Is good
luck In the letter "h." Last year he pub
lished the very successful "Brass Bowl,"
and this year he names his new novel
"The Black Bag." Van'ce says he has
gone the spelling reformers one better in
that he spells success with a "b."
Le temps, of Pails, has a story
to the effect that 90 per cent of tho
English contingent, whose business it is
to recommend suitable recipients for the
Nobel prize, were In favor of giving it
to Swinburne, white only a few
voted for Kipling. The committee which
made the award therefore overrode the
opinion of the mapjority of the English
advisory board.
"Seraphiea" is tho title of Justin Mc
Carthy's new romance.
A majority Interest in tho Suburban
Press, publishers of Suburban Life, has
been purchased by the S. S. McClure
Company.
'
Who's Who, the original English edi
tion, is now out for 1S0R, the sixteenth
year of its issue. It contains over 2000
pages and 10 times, as many biographies
of living persons in England and other
countries.
The first volume of the new edition of
Tennyson has Just been Issued. The ap
pearance of this edition will constitute
one of. the most important literary events
of recent years by reason of the new ma
terial that is to be brought forward.
The poet's son. the present Lord Ten
nyson, has at List allowed a number of
poems to be published which have never
before appeared in any of the collected
editions, and in addition he has fur
nished the volumes with a series of notes
left by his fathor, which are full of per
sonal Interest.
.
Sarah Grand, the well-known novelist,
who recently expressed the opinion thnt.
given equal opportunities and cultivation,
women would be equal in intelligence to
man, was born in Ireland of English
parents, and some of her ancestors were
Quakers. When quite a little child she
used to write stories, and all through
her girlhood was ambitious to become an
author. For a long time she wasVnot
very successful; even her famous "Heav
enly Twins" was sent to nearly every pub
lisher of note before it was accepted, but
when at last it did appear, her fame was
instantaneous, Madame Grand is one of
the best-read women of the day and has
confessed her favorite authors to be
Emerson and Oliver Wendell Holmes.
.
Mrs. Stannard ("John Strange Winter")
sought change of occupation as a relief
from novel-writing and accepted a posi
tion as adjudicator in the "Limerick
contest" of a popular English paper, but
found the labor of choosing prize efforts
from among thousands of mediocre pro
ductions "simply appalling."
Kipling's "Jungle Book," it is reported,
is the most popular of all his works.
Twenty-four editions have been pub
lished and the sales steadily continue.
A young woman interested in the
spread of prohibition, recently called on
Mark Twain to ask his opinion of "the
cause," "1 am a friend of temperance,
and I want it to succeed," Mr. Twain
said, "but I don't think prohibition is
practical. The Germans, you see, pre
vent It. . Look at them. I am sorry to
learn that they have just . invented a
method of making brandy , out of saw
dust. Now, what chance will prohibition
have when a man can take a rip saw
and go out and get drunk with a fence
rail? What Is the good of prombition if
a man Is able to make brandy smashes
out of the shingles on his roof, or if he
can get delirium tremens by drinking the
legs off his kitchen chairs?"
Just prior to Mrs. Elinor Glynn's de
parture for Europe,' James K. Hackett
finished arrangements for the dramatic
rights of her novel, "Three Weeks."
Mr. Haekett announces that he will play
the part of Paul himself.
President Roosevelt's book, "Outdoor
Pastimes of an American Hunter," is
one of the most popular of - outdoor
books, and now a new edition has just,
been brought out containing two new
chapters and a number of new illustra
tions. The new chapters are the account
of the President's recent expedition "In
the Louisiana Canebrakes" and "Email
Country Neighbors." The new photo
graphs and the new chapters make this
book even more varied in interest and
more valuable to the lover of out-of-doors,
than before.
In a personal letter to J. Plerpont Mor
gan, thanking him for his gift of the
first three volumes of the Illustrated
catalogue of his collection of pictures,
niiniatures, books and manuscripts,
Queen Alexandra has expressed a wish
to visit Mr. Morgan's residence in
Prince's Gate, London, in order to view
the originals. It Is expected that the
visit will be made In March, when the
Dowager Empress of Russia will be In
London. It is likely that Mr. Morgan
will be present to show the collection.
Josephine Daskam Bacon has written
"An Idyll of All Fools' Day." In it are
related the humorous adventures of a
man and a woman In April with circuses,
automobiles, snakes, etc.
Upton Sinclair's new novel, which Mof
fat. Yard & Co. will bring out early in
March, 1h entitled, "The Metropolis." and
may be read as the complement of "The
Jungle." The earlier story dealt with the
manner in which wealthy men got their
money; the new one will tell how it is
spent.
Robert W. Chambers' new novel, to bn
published in the Spring, will be entitled,
"Some Ladies in Haste." The author
treats of mesmerism as a fad among
society people much as he satirized art
fakers in the story of "Iole."
David Graham Phillips' "Old Wives for
New," on the March list of the Apple
tons, deals with the relations of men and
women, with special reference to the
leading couple In the story, who. after a
short married life together, separate and
marry more congenial spirits.