6
THE MORXIXG OREGOXIAX, MONDAY, 3IARCH 2, I90S.
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PORTLAND, MONDAY, MARCH S. 1008.
PORTENTS OF POLITICS.
An extraordinary thing has oc
curred in Kentucky. A Legislature
which contains a Democratic majority
though the majority Is but six has
elected a Republican Senator. The
event is not much in Itself, but in its
suggestions it is almost astounding.
Four Democratic members of the fjeg
islature voted for Bradley, Republican,
for the United States Senate. It was
after many weeks of resistance to
Beckham, former Governor of the
state and master of the machine.
It is in part a revolt against ma
chine politics, and In part a protest by
a very powerful body of voters, who
hitherto have acted with the Demo
cratic party, against the attempt of
the Beckham machine to convert the
opposition to the liquor Interest into a
political and partisan agency for its
own purposes. The present result
raises the question at once whether
Kentucky Is to be a prohibition state,
or not.
Jefferson County, in which the City
of Louisville is situated, is naturally
a Democratic county. It was Confed
erate in sentiment during the war, and
gave no vote to Lincoln at all.
Through the whole period of recon
struction and for many years after
ward it was almost solidly Democratic.
Later, the Republican party began to
build up, and the gold standard In
1396 furnished an issue on which the
vote of the city for the first time was
Republican. But,-this issue settled,
the city and state dropped back Into
the Democratic column. Bryan car
ried the state In 1900; Parker carried
it In 1904. Jefferson County (includ
ing the City of Louisville) gave Par
ker a strong majority; but In the elec
tion of last November the Republican
candidate for Governor carried the
county by nearly 10,000. Tet the
Democratic candidates : for the
Legislature. or most of them,
were elected. Three of these have
now voted for Bradley, Repub
lican, for Senator. One Democratic
member from another county joined
them.
Only a profoundly disturbing force
or cause could produce such results
as these. In a city hitherto Demo
cratic the Republican candidate for
the office of Governor receives nearly
10,000 majority; yet Democratic candi
dates for the Legislature are elected.
But they are elected in opposition to
the Democratic machine, and after
long effort to beat the boss or master
of the machine, they unite with the
Republican members and elect a Re
publican Senator. The cause, or mov
ing force, lying behind this result and
bringing it to pass was the effort of the
Democratic machine to use the anti
liquor or prohibition forces of the
state for its purposes. A machine, ar
bitrary and odious, formed an alliance
with the prohibitionists. Kentucky Is
not ripe for this sort of politics.
County local option will be accepted,
but general prohibition will not.
Kentucky, on Its northern border,
lying opposite Ohio and Indiana, has
a very powerful element composed of
Germans and others of foreign extrac
tion. The mistake has been made by
the managers of the Democratic ma
chine of supposing these people, in the
turns of party, would stand for the
Violent restrictions of prohibition.
Among the native element there also
is wide revolt. Note the protest from
the Louisville Courier-Journal, pub
lished In The Oregonlan of yesterday.
The effort has been, says Watterson,
'"to get the prohibition question into
religion, then Into politics, and Anally
to make It an agent of universal cor
ruption." 'The red-nosed angel who
plays prohibition six days in the week
and gets drunk on Sunday, a familiar
figure in those states where the Issue
has got Into politics," has appeared,
he says, in Kentucky.
Ona may well suppose that the like.
of this is pretty serious for such a
state. For Kentucky, though it hasn't
been consuming more liquor in pro
portion to its population than Its
neighbors has been, rather open and
free In the use of liquors, and has
been accustomed to a great deal of
"personal liberty" in sale and con
sumption. Besides, the state has an
enormous industry in the manufacture,
and in various adjuncts of it. The ex
cise paid to the United States upon
liquors produced In Kentucky amounts
to the prodigious sum of 130,000,000
a year. Enormous Interests are corre
lated with such an Industry. "Prohi
bition in Kentucky," says the Courier
Journal,' "means the confiscation of a
hundred millions of property values
and increase of taxation everywhere."
- It Is not to.be supposed that prohi
bition will carry in Kentucky. But
the political quarrel over the question
may become a matter of National Im
portance. The signs are that it will
take Kentucky out of the Democratic
column in the coming Presidential
election, and become a factor in break
ing up Democratic rule in the Solid
South. Likewise it may have similar
effect on some , of the Republican
states of the North; but perhaps not
now.
Exceedingly subtle and strange, and
beyond power of forecast or divination,
are the action, Interaction and reaction
of the multifarious forces of human
society on each other. A political
boss attempts to use and convert the
anti-liquor sentiment of his state to
his ambitious purposes, and loses the
very thing ha-is striving for; while the
effect on parties, and on the liquor
question itself, no one can foresee, but
probably it will be much wider than
his state, and may make changes in
the course of National politics. No,
others are quicker to see the possible
effects and results of this Kentucky
Incident, on National politics, than
Mr. Bryan and other leaders of the
Democratic party.
But it Is not the first time a Repub
lican Senator has been elected by
Democratic votes. Simon Cameron
was so elected In Pennsylvania in 1856.
Three Democratic - members of the
Legislature, declaring themselves un
alterably opposed to extension of slav
ery, or to measures looking even pos
sibly to that end, refused to vote for
the candidate of their party, who was
committed to the pro-slavery regime,
and joined the Republican members
in the election of Cameron. Parties
and politics are again in flux and tran
sition now, but without any line of di
vision so clear as that which began
to manifest itself when the era that led
up to the Civil War began.
PORTLAND'S REMARKABLE GROWTH.
The Swift Packing Company is still
adding to its already large holdings in
this city, and the elaborate plans for
the big plant are becoming more
known. This enterprise Is, in its. line,
the most prominent industrial under
taking with which Portland . has ever
been favored,, but it is only one of a
large number of causes which are con
tributing to the placing of Portland
In an Impregnable trade position for
all time. The completion of the North
Bank road, and the opening up of the
Willamette Valley by electric lines, to
gether with the early completion of a
number of other transportation proj
ects, will draw an increased volume
of trade from all directions.
The tangible and indisputable evi
dence of this development of new
trade fields, and of the improvement
in business in those already partly de
veloped, is shown in bank clearings,
customs receipts, building permits,
postofflce receipts, exports and im
ports and In practically every feature
of our economic system. The recent
financial trouble was National in its
extent, - and with few exceptions all
lines of business show some decrease
as compared with last year. That
Portland has suffered less and recov
ered more rapidly than any of its
most prominent competitors on the
Pacific Coast is easily demonstrated by
comparing statistics. The New Tork
Financial Chronicle, in its Issue of
February 22, gives in detail the bank
clearings from all cities In the United
States for the second week in Feb
ruary. In the group of Pacific Coast
cities, the average decrease, as com
pared with the corresponding week
last year, was S2.B per cent. Port
land's decrease was 15.2 per cent, or
less than one-half the average de
crease for the entire Coast group. The
decrease in Seattle was 25.8 per cent,
San Francisco 38.1 per cent and Ta
coma 19.9 per cent. For all cities In
the United States the decrease was 30
per cent.
The showing for the first week in
February was still more favorable and
returns for the last half of the month
show-Portland with a decrease of 22.1
per cent, while the average decrease
for Los Angeles, San Francisco and
Seattle is 28.S per cent. The final re
port of the Bureau of Statistics of the
Department of Commerce and Labor
has Just been received. In foreign ex
ports for the year 1907, Portland is
credited with a gain of 78 per cent,
Puget Sound 2.8 per cent, and San
Francisco with a decrease of 10 per
cent. Portland's increased distribu
tive trade is reflected in an increase
of 36 per cent in foreign imports, the
Puget Sound ports showing an in
crease of but 17 per cent, while San
Francisco is credited with a gain of
but 11 per cent. Official returns for
February are not In, but January
showed an enormous increase over
January. 1907, in both Imports and ex
ports. Portland building permits for
January were 50 per cent larger than
those of Los Angeles or Seattle, and
for February exceed those of Seattle
by more than 30 per cent.
This -demonstration by actual fig
ures of the superiority of Portland's
commercial and financial condition to
that of any other city on the Pacific
Coast could be continued indefinitely
throughout the various features which
combine to make up the business of
the ports. All this has been accom
plished without resort to artificial
booming or forcing. It has been a
natural, healthy growth, and the city
has now attained a momentum which
cannot be checked by anything short
of widespread disaster throughout the
immense territory on which Portland,
draws .for trade. As crop failures are
unknown in this region, and the lat
ent resources are without a parallel
anywhere on earth, such a contingency
1 remote. .
FTtTTT-PACKING PROJECTS.
Reports of the number of fruit can
neries to be erected In the Willamette
Valley this Spring are gratifying In the
extreme. These canneries will provide
a market for much fruit that now goes
to waste and for the product of new!
orchards'and berry patches. All pos
sible encouragement should be given
to enterprises of this kind, for they
help to advance productive resources.
At the same time, a word of caution
is needed. Those who, are going into
a business of this kind, especially if
on -the co-operative plan;, should re
member that It takes a lot of money to
pack a fruit crop. The cost of a
building is a small part of the invest
ment. The management must buy tin
cans, sugar, shipping boxes and other
necessaries in advance. Labor must be
paid weekly and growers must be .paid
for . the raw material. All this ex
pense must be met weeks and perhaps
months before any cash can be se
cured from the sale of the canned
fruit.
While the financing of an en
terprise of this kind does not
present an insurmountable obsta
cle, the task is difficult enough to call
for some thought and planning before
the season for active operations ar
rives. We want canneries and we
don't want any of them to "go broke."
PROGRESS Or ENGLISH.
Mr. E. H. Babbitt, in a recent maga
zine, emphasizes the fact that the Eng
lish language, though not spoken by
a greater number of people than any
other, Is certainly the most widely
read language in the world. "The map
of the world's literacy," he says, "cor
responds closely with the map of Eng
lish. ' Three-fourths of the world's
mall is addressed in English." Mr
Babbitt presents a table of the num
bers of people who can actually read,
or who, will learn o read, if now too
young for the various languages.
Dutch and Flemish are at the bottom
of European languages, with 9,000,
000; the Scandinavian tongues come
next with 11,000,000, and Spanish Is
next with 12,000,000. 'Italian counts
18.000.000, but is surpassed by Arabic
with 25,000,000. Minor Asiatic and
minor African and Polynesian tongues
claim 16,000,000 and 2,000,000; France
shows 28,000,000, Russia 30,000,000
and other European languages, chief
ly Slavonic, 34,000,000. - The written
Chinese is .believed to have 70,000,000
readers, and German is credited with
82,000,000. But English overtops them
all with 136,000,000 readers, and it is
'believed that the number of readers
of English Is growing more rapidly
than the numbers of all others put to
gether.
POINTING THE GUN.
There is a law upon the statute
book which makes it a misdemeanor
for one person to point a gun at an
other. While the purpose of the stat
ute is a good one, it is manifestly In
effective. If the gun is not loaded,
the man at whom it is pointed does
not think seriously of the offense and
has no desire to prosecute. If the gun
Is loaded and does not go off, he may
reproach the careless ho.lder of the
weapon, but since no harm has result
ed, he will' not have his "friend" ar
rested. If the gun goes off, as usually
happens, the victim dies, the criminal
almost loses his mind from grief, and
the bereaved family is so sorrow-
stricken that prosecution -is opposed
by them. So we never have prosecu
tions under a statute that Is frequently
violated with fatal results.
Quite likely an unwritten law would
be an effective remedy in cases of this
kind. If. men at whom guns and re
volvers are pointed "just for fun"
would give the offender, a good drub
bing, perhaps others would take warn
ing and cease the idiotic practice. Cer
tainly some means should be found
for preventing one of the most com
mon causes of death by shooting.
Cold-blooded murders are scarcely
more frequent than the killing of men.
women and children by close personal
friends who have such a shallow sense
of humor that they see a joke In plac
ing human life in peril.
RCS6IA AND ITS NAVY.
The Russian plans for a re-creation
of the navy at an expense of $1,078,
000,000 have gone glimmering, and In
stead of four battleships as a starter
this year, one big fighting machine is
about all that can be expected. There
are a great many reasons why the an
nouncement a few days ago of this
billion-dollar programme failed to
throw terror Into the hearts of Rus
sia's neighbors. One of these reasons
appeared in a St. Petersburg cable
printed in yesterday's Oregonlan, ex
pressing the belief thatMhe American
plans for the fortification of Manila
"will convert Cavlte Into the most
powerful naval base on the Pacific,
and enable the United States to insist
upon an actual as well as a theoret
icalrealization of the open door in
Manchuria,"
Prior to Russia's defeat by the Jap
anese, the most powerful argument at
the command of the Russian govern
ment, when it was seeking appropria
tions, was the necessity for strong
naval power to guard its Interests In
the Pacific and enforce its desire to
keep the Manchurian door closed
against all comers. The fracas with
Japan, which resulted in the loss of
Port Arthur and almost everything
else that was Russian in the Far East,
obviated the necessity, for any further
displays of naval strength in the Ori
ent, and the admission that the Uni
ted States could be depended on to
maintain an open door In Manchuria
leaves the Czar in no danger of his
trade interests suffering, whether he
has a fleet or not. Practically the
only other locality where a Russian
fleet would bear any semblance to
anything more than a luxury is in the
Persian Gulf, and that is already so
thoroughly under British control that
it would be useless for Russia to at
tempt any aggressive tactics there.
The project for a billion-dollar navy
is said to have originated with the
Czar and a few of his intimate ad
visers, whose actions in t,he past have
resulted in more bomb-throwing than
would otherwise have been In evidence.
The Russian fleet went down before
the Japs like a row of tenpins before
a good bowler, . simply because it
was poorly equipped, incompetently
manned and officered and wretchedly
handled. Discipline was unknown and
loyalty was missing. As yet nothing
has been done with the remnants of
the fleet to eorrect these evils, and un
til there are reforms, it would be a
sinful waste of money to build any
more battleships. The patient Douma,
which Js said to be broken to saddle
and tame enough to eat from the hand
of the Little Father, might be bull
dozed into providing the necessary leg
islation for paving the way for this
billion-dollar navy, but it is very ques
tionable whether the project could be
financed.
The luxury sought Is too expensive,
especially at a time when the world
is hearing continued reports of fam
ine and hunger throughout the land
of the Czar. A famine-stricken peo
ple can hardly be expected to make
heavy contributions in the way of
taxes for such a -purpose, and the al
ternative of borrowing might not be
an easy matter. Viewed from almost
any standpoint, there is small likeli
hood that the ambitious plans of the
Czar and his aristocratic advisers will
be carried out.
Mr. Bryan says the Republican
party Is dying. Perhaps it is. . Par
ties do not last forever. For exam
ple, the party of Caesar and the party
of Pompey, that tried it out on the
field of Pharsalia, are dead. And the
parties of the Guelphs and of the
Ghibellines of the Middle Ages are
dead, too. And tother parties since.
For example, the party of Jefferson,
which made its last stand at Appomat
tox. Mr. Bryan still talks about Jef
ferson; but Jefferson's notion, or the
ory, or idea of our Government
and our National system, is dead as
Julius Caesar, or as Cneius Pompey,
or as both of them. The old soldier
who stood up in the meeting on Satur
day and said he would vote for no
Democrat, because he had been obliged
to meet Democrats at the point of the
bayonet, put the whole idea of the
difference between parties in our coun
try during the last fifty years in Its
concrete form.
It is exceedingly funny to find the
New Tork Evening Sun taking with
serious gravity the insistence of The
Oregonlan that Supreme Court decis
ions should be subjected to revision
through the referendum, and even the
popular initiative .employed in cases
at law. The Evening Sun judges from
this article that The Oregonlan Is one
of the most rabidly revolutionaryand
socialistic sheets of the country; and
it gravely quotes the following from
the article as an exposition of the
spirit as it exists today:
Whafs the constitution, anyhow? The
constitution of Oregon was adopted when
there were no more than 60,000 people In the
state. There are 600.000 now. Why should
50,000 people, most of whom are dead, 'by
ordinance enacted fifty years ago, rule over
600,000 now, all of whom are alive? D
the part, anyhowl
What has caused this eclipse of hu
mor, which of course is but temporary,
in the office of the New Tork Evening
Sun?
Candidates for the Senate are pub
lishing their "platforms." But no
body pays attention to them. A plat
form put forth by a convention of a
political party may amount to little;
put forth by a candidate on his own
account. It Is nothing. Nobody reads
it, nobody pays the least attention to
it. It is simply the proclamation of
an office-seeker, who represents no
body but himself. Party representa
tion and party responsibility are cut
out completely by this system. These
persons who proclaim themselves do
not represent any party. They repre
sent nothing but their own desire to
get office. A party's candidate must
be representative; and he Is not repre
sentative if he nominates himself.
'Mr. U'Ren says that when he paid
Mrs. McGrath 3300 out of 31400 due
he paid all that he ought to pay.
Mr. Kay thinks he should have paid
the debt in full. But why should there
bo a difference of opinion over so sim
ple a matter? What does the contract
say? If 3300 is all that Mr. U'Ren
should paj', the contract surely shows
that fact and it will be a complete
defense for him to make the agree
ment public. He should pay what he
agreed to pay no more and no less.
Above and beyond the Statement No. 1
of the direct primary law is the great
Statement No. 1 of life to do sim
ple justice to all.
The spirit of Insubordination seems
to be prevalent among college stu
dents these days. At Pullman the stu
dents are warring with the faculty
over athletics; at the University of
Washington the students are talking of
dropping two members of the faculty
from the students' association board of
control" because one of the students
was "flunked" in English; at Stanford
there is a revolt against the interfer
ence of the faculty with drunkenness
among students; at Willamette the stu
dents have offered an affront to the
retiring president.
Jacksonville has joined the "booster"
brigade. It Is an old town, and, like
most of the old towns, very conserva
tive. It has labored under the disad
vantage of being off the main line of
the railroad. But it is situated in a
productive region, has many capable
business men, and has vast and varied
resources back of it. While the
"booster" movement is on, that town
resolves not to be left behind. Wel
come to the ranks.
Robert Nixon, known generally to
newspaper men of the Pacific Coast,
died at Yreka a few days ago, at the
age of 77 years. He had conducted
the Treka Journal forty-six years, and
had' lived at Yreka since 1855. He
was a native of Quebec. In the days
wlien Yreka was an active mining
town the Journal was one of the best
known weekly papers of the Western
country.
Mr. Harrlman collected hundreds of
thousands of dollars from the shippers
of Oregon and spent it on improve
ments and extensions elsewhere at the
same time that his Yamhill and. Sheri
dan line was unsafe and becoming
more dangerous every day. Oregon
pays the tribute not only in dollars,
but in human life and limb.
No American citizen, whether a Na
tional, state, county or city official,
can be properly called a "meddler"
when he makes an effort at enforce
ment of the law. The man who defies
the law and persistently violates it is
Uttle better than an anarchist.
This is taxpaying time for 1907, but
whatever property you possessed im
mediately after 12 o'clock last night
must be assessed for the next collec
tion of taxes, and the Assessor must
now begin again. Two things never
sleep interest and taxes.
Fruit Inspector E. C. Armstrong, of
Marlon County, is demonstrating the
appropriateness of his name. He is
wielding an ax In diseased orchards a
feat that requires a strong arm.
If we are not to have school chil
dren) on parade, let the Carnival com
mittee arrange for a parade of defeat
ed candidates.
What is politics without
tion?
conven
XI- I
WOMAN'S STATUS AXD STRENGTH.
Obserratloas ea the Recent Opimlom nf
X the Sssrae Court.
New York Globe.
The Supreme Court of the United
States recognizes a difference between
man and woman which some state
courts have been slow.-to comprehend,
while others have indeed directly or in
directly denied It. In upholding the
Oregon law providing! that laundries
and other concerns employing females
in mechanical labor may not require
such employes to work more than 10
hours a day the court places its deci
sion clearly and precisely upon the
ground that men and women are un
like and that public policy justifies
different police regulations for the two.
Does this not sound like elementary
sense? And does not the statement
that such limitations upon woman's
contractual powers are imposed not
solely for her benefit but "also largely
for the benefit of all" establish a self
evident truth and remove the question
so far from the region of contention
and debate as to make attempts to
drag it there again seemingly impos
sible? And yet there has been such con
tention and such difference of judicial
opinion respecting this matter that a
decision even by our highest court is
not likely to induce uniformity of opin
ion all at once. There will still be
those who will declare, and from their
benches decide, that men and women
are alike, that they should be treated
alike, and that it Is an outrage and
affront to political and legal theory
to attempt by one lota, to make the
contractual powers of one inferior to
those of the other.
But it may be confidently believed
tfiat in the course of time the decision
will work its perfect work. The court
has reached bedrock, and legal struc
tures built upon it will endure. This
is not to say that every limitation of
contractual powers will not be or
should not be scrutinized with the ut
most care. Those who find a carte
blanche in the case', permitting them
selves all sorts and kinds of discrimi
nations, will be abruptly disillusion
ized without doubt. The gates have
not been thrown open. The Oregon
statute Is treated merely as a proper
police regulation, and all police regu
lations, to be legal; must be properly
limited. But while contractual rights
will be duly regarded and protected,
perhaps less emphasis emphasis too
often disengenuous will be placed
upon them In the future, and more no
tice will be taken of the fact that
laws like the Oregon statute are very
seldom conceived with a view to limit
freedom of contract. Their primary
and usually their exclusive purpose' is
the protection and welfare of the in
dividual and society. Place the accent
there, where It belongs.
Modernism.
Ooldwin Smith in N. Y. Sun.
There can hardly,- It seems to me, be
much doubt as to the meaning of the
Pope's expression "Modernism." From
the - days of -Abelard and Arnold of
Brescia to those of Wycliffe, from the
days of Wycliffe to those of Luther and
Calvin, and from those of Luther and
Calvin to the present time,, there has
been a constant struggle between- Papal
autocracy and free thought. What is the
Index Expurgatorlus"? What was- the
work of the Inquisition?
The Syllabus I have studied. But I do
not find in it any renunciation, direct or
indirect, of the Papal claims to dominion.
They seem to me to be still plainly as
serted, though of course not In the Im
perious language of Innocent III or Boni
face VIII. Political intrigue. If the world
is not much mistaken, still goes oh
through the Jesuit, on whose agency the
Papacy fell back when its direct power
over governments had failed. The Influ
ence, of the Jesuit was commonly be
lieved to have borne a part In bringing
on the Franco-German war.
Hlldebrand has, except in the person
and within the range of. the Jesuit-,
hardly succeeded in laying firmly the
foundations of his structure here. In his
own realm the structure seems nodding
to its fall. With it will fall all that has
been built on mere antagonism to it. A.
happy hour may be coming for unity as
well as for freedom of thought. "
Once more let me say that I have
spoken against ' Papal autocracy, not
against the Catholic Church. The Catho
lic Church, with its Christian ideal of
character embodied in its Anselms, in its
Pascals and its Fenelons, with its mis
sions. Its charities, Its ritual. Its church
art, would, if the Papal usurpation were
historically detached from it, be relieved
of an unspeakable load of evil memories.
Doesn't Rerosrnlze Webster's Speech.
New York Sun.
Luther B. Little, secretary and treas
urer of the Republican State Commit
tee, Is now known as Daniel Webster
No. 2. Perhaps he hasn't the forensic
talents of the great Daniel, but In
another way he has earned the name.
I At the recent dinner of - the New
Hampshire Society the dinner commit
tee at the last moment was shy of
speakers. W. E. Chandler and others
couldn't come, and Mr. Little, a loyal
son of the state, was drafted. He made
a speech of rounded periods and swell
ing eloquence.
The 200 New Hampshire feasters
were either dazed, dumb, or well,
never mind but never a hand did Mr.
Little get. Impenetrable silence was
his portion from start to finish, and not
till the end did he have his revenge.
He then announced:
"Gentlemen, I have repeated to you
word for word the great speech of
Daniel Webster, our greatest son, at
the New Hampshire festival held in
Boston in November, 1849, and not a
mother's son of New Hampshire hpre
has recognized a wordof it."
Then came the yells and shouts of
laughter, and from that hour Mr. Lit
tle has been known as Daniel Webster
No. 2.
Some Interesting Facta.
The imports to this country of tropical
and subtropical products amounted to at
least J600.OOO.O00 during 1007. '
The population of Oklahoma is about
1.500,000, and the increase in Oklahoma
City, the metropolis, which now has 32,
4S2, has been 232.3 per cent in seven years.
No Arctic explorers ever have colds
until they return to civilization. Then,
nearly all are prostrated by severe in
fluenza. The population of Canada, according to
the official estimates of that country,
was S.504,900 on April 1, an increase of 21
per cent in six years.
Tourista complain that Japan is getting
to be the most expensive of all countries
to travel In. Everybody considers for
eigners legitimate prey.
Saturday is the busy day of the London
firemen. In ten years London had 3,393
Saturday fires, against 3,002 on Monday,
the day they were least frequent.
Britannia's Liqnor Bill.
London Consular Report.
With a total population of 43,659.121, the
United Kingdom expended for liquors of
all kinds during 1908 the sum of 3809.6S1.
829, or an average of 318 per capita. Of
this amount 3495,187,316 was . spent for
beer, the quantity consumed being 33,
8S1.191 barrels; 3253,201.812 for spirits, or
89.302,402 gallons; 153.992,961 for wine, or
12,328,691 gallons, and 37,299,750 for other
liquors, or 15.000,000 gallons. The per
capita expenditure for spirits was 35.82,
beer $11.35, wine 31.25 and all other liquors
13 cents. The consumption of beer per
capita in England, Scotland and Ireland
was 31.4. 9.5 and 21 gallons, respectively;
of spirits 0.8, 1-6 and 1 gallons; of wine
v.-
0.3, 0.3 and 0.1 gallon, and of other liquors
4, 0.001 and 0.1 gallon.
OLD AGS PENSIONS IX ENGLAND.
Hours of Coal Miners Labor Also Are
- to Be Shortened.
New York Sun.
In the legislative programme which
the Bannerman Government has de
termined to carry out during the pres
ent session of Parliament, so tar, at
least, as the House of Commons is
concerned, there are two features of
worldwide interest. We refer to the
bill for shortening the working hours
of coal miners, which is expected to
lessen England's annual output of the
combustible by about one-fifth; and
secondly, to the old age pension bill,
which, unlike the pension law of Ger
many, will apply to every inhabitant
above a specified age, and. again un
like the German law, will not make
the receipt of a pension depend on the
preceding payment of contributions by
the beneficiary. We may say at once
that if the former bill is placed upon
the statute book British manufactur
ers will be handicapped In their com
petition with their American rivals,
while If such an old, age pension
scheme as we have mentioned shall be
sanctioned in the United Kingdom it
will be difficult If not impossible to
prevent a reproduction of it on this
side of the Atlantic.
Let us take up these proposed in
novations In their order and mark their
full significance. It Is computed -by
experts that the bill shortening the
working hours of coal miners will if
it become a law increase the price of
coal, already high, by at least 63 cents
a ton. It is obvious that such a rise
in the price of fuel wilt fall with pecu
liar severity upon the very poor, who
as it la find it difficult to keep them
selves warm In Winter. But that is
not all or the worst. If the wages
paid by British manufacturers should
go up In proportion to the advance in
the -.price of coal, workmen, of course,
would gain In one direction what they
would lose in another. This, however,
would not be the case. The cost of a
British manufacturer's products would
manifestly be heightened by his in
creased outlay for coal, and If under
such a disability he Is to continue to
compete with foreign rivals, American
or European, he will surely feel him
self constrained to lower wages rather
than raise them. The temptation to
take such a course will be intensified
because the present government has
repealed the export duty on British
coal which was imposed by its pre
decessor. Since the date of the repeal
the demand In parts of Europe has
been so great that the price of coal in
the home market has undergone a re
markable advance.
Now let us glance at the old age
pension bill, which. It Is understood,
will differ materially from the German
precedent that makes workmen, their
employers and the state contribute to
a pension fund from which contribu
tors alone may derive any benefit. Un
der the British projected bill every
human being in the United Kingdom
who shall have reached a prescribed
age this, it is expected, will be 65
will be entitled to draw a certain sum
of money weekly from the imperial
exchequer. How are the pensions to
be paid? Mr. Asqulth, the Chancellor
of the Exchequer, said a year ago that
he should "earmark" or reserve a
specified fraction of the national
revenue for the purpose, but the sum
so set aside would fall very far Bhort
of the amount needed to give even so
small a stipend as three dollars a
week to every man and woman 65
years of age or older. How is the
deficit to be made good? Shall great
economies be carried out in the mili
tary, naval and civil administration,
or shall new sources of revenue be
tapped? The Labor party insists that
the latter course should be followed,
and there are Indications that the Lib
eral leaders are inclined to acquiesce
In the demand. That is to say, they
will get the money required for oid
age pensions by Increasing the income
tax and the death duties, thus making
the rich support the poor. We need
not point out that if such an old age
pension scheme is accepted In England
there will be plenty of men in the
United States, as well as in France, to
clamor for a counterpart of It.
There Is no civilized- people which
has not cause to watch narrowly the
doings of the British Parliament dur
ing its present session.
Well, Well!
Chicago Evening Post.
"Mr. Githerly." says the fair young
Creature with the heavy pompadour and
the permanent marcelle waves, "do you
think that a girl Is justified In taking ad
vantage of leap year and proposing to a
young man?"
Mr. Githerly thrills with expectation,
hitches his chair closer to that occupied
by the beauteous creature arid says: -
"I do."
"Do you know," she murmurs, "that is
just what I thought about you? I had an
idea you were the sort of a man who
would be afraid to take even the slight
est chance of being rejected."
And iMr. Githerly did not recover con
sciousness until he bumped Into a lamp
post eight blocks away from her home.
Making Men Vote Against Their
Principles.
Benton County Republican.
There is certainly one bad feature about
Statement No. 1. No Republican should
be asked to vote for a Democrat
for United States Senator, and no Lemo
crat should 'be asked to vote for a .re
publican for such .office, and should the
popular vote be opposed to the majority
vote of the Legislature this would need to
be done. Let a Legislator hav?a chance
to vote for the man in his own party hav
ing more votes than any other candidate
of his party. The Senators should be
elected by the popular vote of the people,
but as long as the Legislature elects no
member thereof should -be asked to vote
against the very principles for which he
stands. ,
A FEW SQUIBS.
"Don't you think my new suit Is a per
fect m?" "A fit? Why. ifs a perfect con
vulsion!" Cleveland Leader.
Tommy "Pop', what is oblivion?" Tom
my's Pod "Getting married to a famous
woman, my son." Philadelphia Record.
The Poet "To be a' post one must be
poor." The Editor "Congratulations. Tou
are the poorest poet I ever met." Cleveland
Plain Dealer.
Wlgg "What errors these novelists make!
Here the author of this book sneakB of his
heroine aa being unmanned." Wagg "Maybe
she was divorced." Philadelphia Record.
"In the matter of that property settle
ment. Mrs. Jones treated you meanly, didn't
she?" "I should say sot Why. she couldn't
have treated me any worse IX she had been
a member of my own family." Life.
The One "I suppose, sir. you think I am
a tool?" The Other "I did think so. but
now I think you must be a mindreader;
therefore you cannot be a fool, and I beg
pardon for thinking you were." Chicago
Daily Newa
"My collection." said the numismatist,
proudly, "Is worth $10,000. And every coin
genuine." "Mine," said the minister, sadly,
'is worth about- $7.63 a Sunday. And I
have to take my chances on the coin's being
good." Cleveland Leader.
"Some of the greatest classical composers
did not make any money," said the guest
at the musical. "Tea," answered Mr. Cum
roz, "that thought la about the only thing
that gives me any comfort when I listen to
the things they made up." Washington
Star.
"Ton-re wasting your own time and mine,"
said the busy merchant, lmaatlently. "I
should think you'd see that." "Why so?"
demanded the Insurance man. "I told yon
some time ago that I was Insured to the
limit' "I know you did. but a man will
say most anything to get rid of an lasur-
JLace wut-" Phiiadelnata, Pxaaa,
T
mati)nalgiard
1HE question of a rifle range In the
vicinity of Portland has become one
of importance, not only to local Guards
men, but to commercial organisations and
business men. Strong pressure is being
brought to bear .for a suitable range, con
venient to the city, and the entire Oregon
delegation, at Washington, D. C. has
taken the matter in hand. The Portland
Commercial Club has formally taken hold,
of the project, realizes that a modern
and suitable range means much to Port
land In the development of effective fight
ing men.
Tha chief aim at this time is to at
tract the American fleet here for small
arms practice. The men of the fleet
must have some place for this practice
during the Summer and, of course, will
be altogether unable to use an Eastern
range. California has nothing to offer at
this time, nor has Washington, although
both states covet the prize which Oregon
stands an excellent chance of winning.
The Guard Is Interested only to the ex
tent of getting a desirable shooting ground
and Is utilizing the other advantages
merely as an argument to get substantial
aid in securing the range. The expendi
ture will be lo-ooo, on a low calculation,
bat there possibly will be little trouble In
Inducing the Government to spend that
amount, or to secure the money locally,
provided ths right sort of a tract can be
found. Several strips of land are already
under consideration, all of them con
venient to Portland, but no particular
piece has been definitely settled upon.
,
The local troops will benefit by establish
ment of a range near Portland quite as
fully as If the range, were a state in
stitution; created for the sole use of the
Guard, since the state soldiers are able
to do their range work only on Sundays,
while the regulars confine their ranse
practice to weekdays. From, the stand
point of the local infantryman a new
range Is an urgent necessity since tha
strip of land back of the City Park, which
has done service in the past, is insuffi
cient, affording no long range work: In
fact nothing beyond 6(0 yards. The Port
land rifleman, therefore, finds himself at
a great disadvantage in competing witii
marksmen who have ,had the privileges
of 1000-yard ranges. With the new Spring
field rifles, 1500-yard firing will -also be
come a necessity.
The outcome of the present movement
for a new isnge is being anxiously
watched, for the outdoor season is not far
distant and the old range Is not greatly
better than no range at all.
a
A movement has been started in the
East for the . organization of an "Army
League" the purpose of which will be to
secure the support of employers of labor
In guard work insofar as It relates to
their employes. The movement has
already assumed National proportions and
is to be taken up in Oregon shortly. An
Interesting statement of the purposes of
the league has been Bent out from ths
Massachusetts headquarters. It is as
follows:
"If the average citizen could know the
amount of work performed yearly by his
neighbor in the Guard for the amount of
compensation received, he would indeed be
astonished.
"The great stumbling block today In
the making for efficiency is the lnclllTer
ence of the average employer of labor to
the needs of our National Guard, and his
attitude when an employe wishes to per
form camp duty. This same employer
Is generally the first to complain bitterly,
m time of trouble, of lack -of protection
to his life and property.
"The organized militia of this country Is
assuredly being welded into such a shape
as to become a most important part of
the Nation's plan of defense. The tremen
dous force behind this movement was a
revelation to the citizen who read of the
recent deliberations of the Interstate Na
tional Guard Association convention, in
Faneutl Hall, Boston. The brains, energy
and high standing of the representatives
of 40 states, coupled with the business
like methods employed in preparing anrt
Introducing congressional bills, made for
an Irresistible movement towards effi
ciency. These same men have been called
upon to devise a plan to interest citizens
who employ Guardsmen. Employers are
to be brought to see that training in
time of peace is only a premium paid
for a large insurance policy when trouble
comes. The National Guard Associations
throughout the states should not rest un
til every employer of labor, large or small,
joins the "Army League." thus pledging
support to the land forces, which must
be relied on as an Important factor in
the first line of defense, when trouble
occurs."
ess . v
Officers of the Third Regiment and
battery attended the funeral services of
Mrs. McCormaek, yesterday afternoon.
First Lieutenant MeCormack, who has
been in charge of the Portland- Armory
for many- years, has the heartfelt sym
pathy of the entire Guard in his bereave
ment. e s
Company K, of the Third Regiment, did
itself proud at the annual inspection,
Wednesday night, turning out an at
tendance of 100 per cent. Not an officer
or man was so much as tardy and tha
company made an exceptional showing,
meeting every requirement with a high
percentage. Company K is likely to
stand at the head of the list when the
comparative statement of. the standing
of the companies Is returned by Colonel
Jackson, In his forthcoming inspection
report.
Company E likewise made a good show
ing, although its attendance was short,
there being only 89 per cent of the mem
bership present. Those who were on hand
rolled up high percentages in every other
requirement, so that company is expected
to stand well up towards the front in the
Inspection report.
The Fourth Oregon Infantry is now
back in the ring as a regiment. Colonel
George Yoran has resumed command,
with Majors "Hammond and Hamlin as
battalion commanders. It will participate
In the American Lake maneuvers as a
regiment.
A meeting is- to be called shortly by
General Flnzer to formulate and take up
a plan of campaign in securing the 3100.00
armory appropriation made by the last
Legislature and held up under the Initia
tive and referendum. An active fight
will be mads to secure this money, which
Is an important need. The campaign will
be waged with the view of bringing voters
derstanding of the matter. It will be""
shown that the purchase of armories wiii
the 3100,000 In question is a good Invest
ment and that the state will ultimately
save several times the amount in rentals,
not to mention the Impetus that guard
work will receive through construction of
suitable quarters for organizations out
side Portland.
A Half Nelson.
From Puck.
Englishman (on Atlantic liner) Well,
old chap, we'll soon be engaged with
those blarsted Yankee custom inspectors.
American You bet! And remember,, old
man, that the United States expects every
man to pay his duty!
Man la Fined BO Cents Per Oath.
Dover (Del.) Dispatch.
Edward George was fined in George
town, Del., 50 cents an oath for swear
ins. the bill amounting to 315.