6
TTE MnVTXG OREGOXIAN, MONDAY, MARCH 9, 1908.
BLB8CKIPTIO.N' BATES.
INVARIABLY IK ADTUiCl
(Br MalU
I'ally. Sunday Included, on yr
Dally, tjundty Included. six month!....
Dally. Sunday Included, tnra month. ,
Dally, Sunday Included. on month.,
Dailv. without Riindav. ona year.......
M 00
.4.25
.79
.0O
Dally, without Sunday, alx montha.
a 25
Dally, without Sunday, three montha. . 1.7a
Dally, without Sunday, one month M
Sunday, one year f'Si
Weekly, one year (laaued Thursday)... 1SU
Sunday and weekly, can yr. ftu
B V CARRIES.
Dally. Pundav Included, ona year....... JJ
Dally. Sunday Included, one month '
HOW TO REMIT Send poatofflc money
rder. eipreaa order or peraonal check on
your local bank. Staropi. coin or currency
are at the sender's risk. Give postoBIc ad
dress la fuli. Including county ana stAl.
POST AG K BATES.
Entered at Portland. Orecoa. Postoffle
as Second-Clasa Matter. . .
10 to 14 Paes 1 '
1 to 28 Pace ? cen"
SO to 44 Pagea
to to Pates canta
Forelcn postage. douMa rate. . .
IMPORTANT The postal lawa are atrtct
Newspapers on which postal Is not fully
prepaid ar not forwarded to deatlnaUon.
EASTERN BUSINESS OFFICE.
The 8. C. aVrckwith ripecfcel A7ej Now
York, rooms 48-S0 Tribune bulldln-. Cnl
Mco. rooms 010-513 Tribune bulldlnc
KEPT OX SALE.
Chic jo. Audltorlunr Anaex; Postofllce
Kewa Co.. 178 Dearborn atreet; Empire
News Stand.
(St.. Paul, Minn. K. St. Marl. Commercial
Etatlon.
Colorado Parings, Cl. rVll. H. H.
Drarer. Hamilton and Kendrlrk. 0n-ll
Feventeenth street; Pratt Book Stor. 1214
Fifteenth street; H. P.. Hansen. 6. Rica.
Georye Carson.
Kansas City, Ma Bickserker Cigar Co..
Ninth and Walnut; Yoma News Co.
Minneapolis M. J. Cavanaufh. 50 South
Third.
Cincinnati, O. Toma News Co.
(lerclud. O. James Pushaw. 80T Su
perior street.
Washington. T. C Ebbltt House. Penn
sylvania avenue; Columbia News Co.
Plttsbors. Pa Fort Pitt News Co.
Philadelphia. Fa Ryan's Theater Ticket
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New York Cftj Hotallniss newstands. 1
Tark Bow. 3Slh and Broadway. 424 siH
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phone 374. Single copies delivered;
Jones A Co.. Astor house; Broadway The
ater News Stand; Empire News Stand.
Osden. D. L.. Boyle; Low Bros.. Ill
Twentv-flfth street.
Omaha. Barkalow Bros.. Union Station;
Maa.ath Stationery Co.: Kemp A Arenson.
lies Moines la. Moie Jacobs.
Fresno. a I. Touiist News Co.
Sacrameato, Cal. Sacramento News Co..
430 K street; Amos News Co.
Salt I.ake. Moon Book ft Stationery Co.;
Bosenfeld A Hansen: G. W. Jewett. P. O.
corner; Srelpeck Bros.
lin( Beach. Cal. B. E. Amos.
Pasadena. Cal. Amos News Co.
ban lHcgo. B. E. Amos.
r-an J nee. Emerson "W.
Houston, Tex. International News Agency.
Dallas. Tex Southwestern News Agent,
44 Main street; also two street wegona.
Ft. Worth. Tex. Southwestern N. and A.
Agency.
Amarllla. Tex. Tlmmons A Pop.
San Francisco. Fnrster 4 Orear: Ferry
News Stand; Hotel St. Franils News Stand;
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News Stand: Amos News Co.: United News
Agency. 14H Eddy street; B. E. Amos, man
ager three wagons; Worlds N. S.. 2626 A.
Sutter street.
Oakland. Cat W. H. Johnson, Fourteenth
and Franklin atreets: N. Wheatley; Oakland
News Stand; B. E. Amos, manager five
wagons; Welllngham. E. G.
Ouldfleld, Nct. Louie Follln.
Eureka, Cal. Call-Chronlcl Agency: Eu
reka News Co.
PORTLAND. M ON DAT, MARCH 9, 19M.
Cl'RRENCY LEGISLATION.
A friend, whose letter is very much
too long to be printed in full, writes
that he opposes the Fowler currency
bill, because it "would place the en
tire monetary system of the United
States In the hands of individual ma
nipulators and corporations," and
would leave out ' the Government,
which should have "the sole right to
Issue money." This "would be in
deadly antagonism to the freedom of
the people."
. But the Fowler bill does not propose
to Invest the banks with the power to
issue notes, at their own pleasure and
on their own account, without super
vision and control of Government and
law. Every part of the process, the
methods of Issue, and amounts to be
issued, are to be under direction of
law executed through the Controller
of the Currency and the Treasurer of
the United States.
But the system would be so changed
that bank circulation under strict
rules would be allowed on current
and movable assets and on the general
resources of the banks, and no longer
be confined to a fixed security of
bonds, under which, at frequent inter
vals, great part of the currency of
the country goes Into hiding, freezes
tip, ceases to flow. A bank currency
secured on bonds can hide away and
wait. Secured on current bills of ex
change, which are good as bonds for
if any security better than wheat bills
and cotton bills and wool bills and to
bacco bills and coal bills and oil bills,
and bills based on all the staple prod
ucts of labor and of production and of
commerce has been discovered, nobody
yet has reported them. .
Of course the direction and super
vision of the bank Issues by officers
of the Government, under the instruc
tion of law. Is necessary. This the
Fowler bill fully provides.
Our correspondent also objects to
the statement that we should follow
the course of other civilized nations,
derived by them from their experi
ence: tecause the masses of the people
of those countries are - paupers and
have no rights, and if we adopt or fol
low their example in money and
llnance we shall fall into the same In
dustrial and social conditions. The
cart here, as In so many other mat
ters of ltke discussion, is before the
horse. A progressive Industrial civili
zation requires a sure and stable mon
etary systeml Trewards such condi
tions our country is making rapid ad
vance. In the parts of our country
where the population Is congested the
condition of the people is not essen
tially different from that in similar
districts of the Old World. And the
leading principles of commerce are all
the same. And since industrial and
commercial conditions in our country
are rapidly approaching those in older
countries, our financial operations and
.monetary system . must tend to con
form hi general to hose of other
countries, adopted by them because
found necessary to a progressive in
dustriar civilisation. We are forced
Into the same course by principles as
rompulsory as those of geometry and
the laws of gravitation.
-Government notes are the very worst
form of currency or substitutes for
money. The best form, and the only
scientific form, is bank notes. Issued
under regulation of law. secured first
on gold reserves, and moving in ordi
nary transactions on the security of
hills of exchange representing the sta
ple commodities of use and consump
tion. First thing, however, is to eradicate
from the public mind the notion, that
. the Government, by issue of Treasury
notes, can create money. That Is the
root of every error in our financial
and arionetsry system. It was the' root
of the greenback craze and nexc'of the
silver craze. It atill sends up shoots,
as tares sown among wheat; against a
rational, stable and effective currency,
which must be issued through banks,
but remain under Government control.
s
NEW YORK FOR HUGHES.
It has always seemed doubtful, upon
any general survey of the field,
whether Taft could obtain the nomina
tion for the Presidency: for since he
Is the leading' candidate, the natural
tendency among supporters of all the
rest will be to unite on some one
against him. Whether any of the
great states, save Ohio, will back him
zealously and steadfastly, is still prob
lematical. What will Pennsylvania do
when she gets through with Knox,
and Illinois when she gets through'
with' Cannon, and Indiana when she
gets through with Fairbanks? New
York, greatest of all. Is likely to stand
for Hughes.
A long step in this direction has
been taken by the Republican State
Committee of New York, which has
unanimously pronounced for Hughes
and issued an address calling upon the
various districts of the state to send
Hughes delegates to the Chicago con
vention. It is probable that New York
In convention will support Hughes
with practical unanimity. Question Is
whether other states will fall In for
him more probably than with Taft.
Not a few persons believe Hughes
would be a stronger candidate beforn
the electorate than Taft. Hughes has
excellent standing on all matters of
present Interest to the country. H.s
record Is unimpeachable. In his treat
ment of the great questions that have
arisen in the State of New York he has
been as fearless as Roosevelt himself.
Taft is handicapped how far no
one can tell by the opposition of or
ganized labor, and by the resentment
of the negroes of the country over the
Brownsville affair. To insist that the
opposition to him on these grounds
has no Just foundation would avail lit
tle. But these forces of opposition
would not appear against Hughes at
all.
Good judges of politics deem the
chances excellent for the nomination
of Hughes. The whole question will
be whether the supporters of Knox,
Fairbanks, Cannon and La Follette,
and various unattached delegations,
may not be as likely 'to swing to
Hughes as go to Taft. In the present
state of the case this appears to be
the problem of the Republican nomination.
HIP SUBSIDY AND HIGH FREIGHTS.
The Oregonlan has frequently called
attention to the fact that the greatest
sentiment in favor of a ship subsidy
exists in interior cities in the United
States, where, of course, the opportu
nities for close observation of the
practical instead of the theoretical
workings of the project are not avail
able. Proceeding on theory, instead
of practice, commercial bodies at Den
ver, Wichita and other interior cities
have indorsed the ship Subsidy in Un
qualified terms. Out here on the 'Pa
cific, where it is so easy to get a close
range view of the matter. It is surpris
ing to note . the Ignorance regarding
our maritime commerce. For exam
ple, we find in the Tacoma Ledger a
statement that "of the $8,056,950 re
ceived for.' the wheat' exported from
Tacoma "(since July 1, 1907)', J1.557.
600 is paid to foreigners for taking It
to market." The Ledger writer con
cludes that these figures "serve to
show what an opportunity Americans
are losing by not having a merchant
marine in which to carry the products
of this country to the markets across
the seas."
To begin with, no portion of the
$8,056,950 received for the wheat ex
ported from Tacoma was paid to for
eigners or any one else for carrying it.
to market. Foreign buyers paid
JS. 056. 950 for the wheat, and the for
eigners sent ships for 1t. The price
paid the wheatgrower, of course, is al
ways the European price, less the cos?
of transporting it from the farm to
the European buyer, and the wheat
that was worth $3,056,950 when It was
cleared at Tacoma "was accordingly
worth more than $9,613,000 when it
reached Europe. This- freight charge
was paid by the foreign consumer be
cause the handicap of distance pre
vents him buying wheat as cheaply as
the consumer at Tacoma. But admit
ting, for example, that the Ledger was
right, instead of wrong, and that the
$1,557,600 was deducted from the
$8,056,950 received for the wheat, are
the Americans "losing by not having a
merchant marine in which to carry,"
etc. 7 - -
Would the American merchant ma
rine have carried the wheat for the
amount paid the foreigners, or would
It have exacted the 60 per cent extra
which Is being paid for coal carried In
American bottoms for the Pacific
fleet? One of the vessels clearing
from Tacoma this season carried 300.
000 bushels of wheat, the product of
about 150 farms. Are the;150 farmers
who sold this wheat' so vitally inter
ested, in a merchant marine that they
are willing to pay'rhe one shipowner
that additional 50 per cent which is
now demanded by American shipown
ers? The great American people are
not "losing" any money, through lack
of a merchant marine, so long as their
freight is handled by foreigners at a
lower cost than It can bf handled by
Americans. Eventually -we. may be
permitted to buy cheap ships and en
gage in-, the business on even .terms
with the foreigners. When-. that is
possible there will be no necessity for
a ship subsidy.
RIVAL SALMON BILL.
Neither of the two fish bills, 'pre
sented under the initiative for the Co
lumbia River, contains the real reme
dies required: instead, each of them,
proposed by a selfish fish faction, de
signs to smite a rival. The waning
salmon Industry needs check of gill
nets, seines, traps and "wheels the
gear In use by making their size and
reach smaller. It needs .also rest from
fishing at periods between April 15 and
August. 25. In the long attack on the
salmon, between those dates, there is
practically no restraint on the rapacity
of the fisheries.
One measure, known as the Asloria
bill, abolishes wheels.' Instead, it
ought to regulate wheels by-shortening
their working season, eliminating
them from certain places, cutting
down the length of their leads and by
otherwise lessening their destructlve
ness. At the same time the bill ought
to regulate in similar manner gillnets,
seines and traps. The other measure,
known as The Dalles bill, proposes the
closed Sunday, stoppage of bar fishing
(both good .remedies).-prohibition of
night fishing In navigation channels.
limitation of nets to 900 feet in
length and 25 feet depth, and closing
of October and November. As to size
of nets and night fishing, this bill
goes too far and is too drastic.
Both bills. If enacted, will fall to
protect salmon; since they do not pro
vide for closed season between April
15 and August 25 closed Sunday not
being enough. Besides, there Is
doubt that they could both be enact
ed, since the Astoria bill abolishes
wheels and The Dalles bill legalizes
them, and under such circumstances
the law says the bill receiving the
higher number of votes shall be en
acted. There Is no doubt, however."
that .enforcement of either bill would
protect some salmon. The fish now
protected are woefully few. Yet it
should be borne in mind that either
bill' would operate unfairly for other
fisheries- than the one which pro
poses it. -
These-remarks are intended simply
for Information of the. many persons
who do not know the purposes and
shortcomings of the two bills. At the
present time, surveyed from the gen
eral interest of the state, it does not
seem to make-much difference whether
either bill is enacted or not. The next
Legislature , should , dispose ., of this
matter 'and pass proper measures.
EXPOSITIONS AND EXPOSITIONS.
The New York Sun devotes nearly a
column of editorial space to "knock-
log" expositions in general,, and that
of Seattle in particular. Its apparent
inability to recognize merit in any un
dertaking that does not' begin or end
on, or at least; contribute heavily to,
Manhattan Island is a well-recognized
characteristic of the-New York press.
Jkmestown appears to have coat us
about $2,500,000," says the Sun, "yet,
undismayed - by that experience, Con
gress is now disposed to give Seattle
for her Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposi
tion next year the sum of $1,175,000."
Concluding Its theorizing .as to what
the Seattle Exposition may be, the Sun
asserts that, "as a matter of fact,
whatever the allegations, the Seattle
show, like all of its kind, will be first
and foremost a boom for Seattle."
This is the spirit'which was so much
in evidence when the late William H.
Seward was ridiculed and even ac
cused of mercenary motives in his ef
forts to induce the United States Gov
ernment to pay about $7,000,000 for
the territory of Alaska. The opposi
tion to that purchase, of course, all
came from the smug, self-satisfied,
egotistical individuals who, neither by
personal inspection nor mental vision,
were in a position to know that any
thing of merit could exist west of the
Mississippi River. The result of the
Seattle Exposition will not differ ma
terially from that of the Lewis and
Clark. Exposition, held in Portland.
Like that of Portland, the Seattle Ex
position will attract thousands of peo
ple from all parts of the United States
as well as from foreign countries. The
most of these people will come for the
express purpose of learning at first
hand of the resources of this compara
tively new country.
The territory Involved covers several
hundred thousand square miles, and.
taken mile for mile, it is incomparably
richer in natural resources than aly
similar area tributary to Manhattan
Island. It presents opportunities for
the small capitalists as well as the
large that cannot be equaled anywhere
in the . known world today. James
town, which from an exposition stand
point the Sun compares to Seattle, is
a "finished" town in a "finished" coun
try. There is no new territory and no
new resources to be developed. It can
show nothing new in the way' of at
tractions for capital or labor, as this
country can do, and as neither capital
nor labor attended the exposition It
was a fiat failure. Seattle will un
doubtedly profit by the exposition, but
it will return not only to the Govern
ment, but to all of the people who at
tend the exposition, value received.
Portland profited by the Lewis and
Clark Exposition, but there are few if
any individuals in any way connected
with the big show that profited to any
greater extent than have some of the
new residents whom it attracted to
Oregon, and who, remaining here,
made more money in one year than
they could make in ten years in the
crowded industrial hives of fhe East.
The benefits were not all reaped on
the Pacific Coast, either. The new
capital which found such alluring op
portunities here created a demand for
more labor, snd the congested labor
centers of "the-East were relieved to a
certain extent by the thousands that
flocked westward. If Seattle had noth
ing more to offer in the way of attrac
tions of intrinsic value than were
available at Jamestown, there would
be some excuse for "knocking" the
coming show. " If there were no other
good resulting from these Far Western
expositions, they are worth the money
for the purpose of broadening the vis
Ion and increasing the knowledge of
the provincial Easterners whose ideas
of the greatness of their country have
been dwarfed by a lifetime spent in a
narrow environment.
"A DEMON THAT MAY BE EXORCISED."
Dr. Woods Hutchinson,' In a long
article in a late number of the Satur
day Evening Post, treats typhoid fever
as "a demon that may be exorcised by
an Incantation of one sentence "Keep
human excreta out of the drinking
water'." Every case of this justly
dreaded, wasting and wasteful disease,
he asserts, is the result of a previous
case. While this disease is now "dis
gracefully common," he foresees the
time some many years or a few years
hence, as the case may be when it
will be as Infrequent as typhus, its
predecessor, now. practically unknown,
but a far more virulent and fatal fever
than typhoid. So enthusiastic and
hopeful is this optimist in the sanitary
realm that he declares that there can
be no question but that, with a step
higher in the scale of cleanliness and
further quickening of the biologic con
science, typhoid will disappear as com
pletely as has typhus.
Typhoid, as it exists today, is de
clared to be a disease of the country,
not of the city, for the reason that
great cities are developing some sort
of a sanitary conscience, while deni
zens of rural districts have as yet lit
tle or none. Plainness of language is
one of Drv-Hutchinson's characteris
tics. His readers are never left in
doubt as to his meaning. In common
parlance, he does not "mince matters."'
Hear him:
Bad a our city water often is. and de
fective as our systems of sewerage, they can
not for a moment compare in deadlines with
that most unheavenly pair of twin?, the shal
low well and the vault privy, a more in
genious .comnstion for the dissemination of
typhoid than this precious couple could hardly
have been devised. The innocent householder
sallies forth, and, at an appropriate distance
from his cot, he digs two holes, on about
30 feet deep, the other about four. - Into, the
shallower one he throw) his excreta, while
upon -ha surface of th ground he flings
abroad his household waste from the - back
atoop. Th gentle rain from heaven washea
these various products down Into the sou and
percolates gradually into the deeper hole.
When the interesting solution baa accumu
lated to a sufficient depth It ta drawn up by
the old oaken bucket or modern pump, and
drunk. Is IV any wonder that In this pro
gressive and highly-civlllaed country 350,000
cases of typhoid occur every year, with
a death penalty of 10 per cent?' Counting
half of these aa workers, and the period of
illness aa two months, which would be very
moderate, estimate, give a loss )f productive
working time equivalent to 30.000 - years.
Talk of "cheap as dirt!" It la the most ex
pensive thing there is.
This picture is exceedingly vivid. It
calls to mind many- a farmhouse.
scourged by typhoid, pinched by the
consequent exhaustive drain upon its
resources, Its inmates decimated by
death and the white-haired preacher
of "ye olden time", discoursing to the
bereaved ones at many successive fu
nerals of the inscrutable will of divine
Providence as represented by their
grievous afflictions. The puzzled doc
tor, as he went his rounds through an
afflicted neighborhood, fought the dis
ease valiantly when he found it, in the
human body, with such remedies as
the scant medical knowledge of the
time sanctioned, but never thought of
tracing or attempting to trace it to its
source the old oaken bucket that
. Dripping with coolne
t' Arose from the well.
Other carriers of typhoid are milk
placed in vessels that have been
washed with contaminated water, and
the fly that lights on everything and
''never wipes his feet."
The story as told In 'detail is at once
alarming and reassuring. Alarming
because of the common methods by
which this disease is carried reassur
ing because, having tracked the mis
chief-breeder to his lair, satiitary sci
ence has already surrounded him and
is waging upon him a war of extermi
nation which in the end far or near
must prove successful..
The new liners Mauretanla and Lu-
sitania, in spite of their great speed,
are said to be disappointing in their
inability to make proper use of the
power generated by the steam turbines.
The latter, to attain the maximum de
gree of efficiency, must be run at a
speed so great that it is Impossible to
construct a propeller with the right
degree of "pitch" to suit. Engineer
ing experts who have followed the
course of the turbine hope to overcome
this difficulty with an Intervening gear
which will admit of the turbine devel
oping the maximum power and trans
mitting it to the propeller at a speed
best suited for the propeller. For a
new beginner, the , steam turbine has
been a wonder, and it Is reasonable to
believe that its advantages have not all
been discovered or developed.
The old saying that "money' talks"
is illustrated in the provision of the
state law which requires that the au
thors of arguments for or against ini
tiative and referendum measures shall
pay the cost of publishing the same In
the pamphlet for distribution among
the voters of the state. It costs a man
$50 a page to address the 100,000 vot
ers of the state through the medium
of this pamphlet. At that rate the
voters should feel some assurance that
the writers of arguments have not
wasted any space and there should be
no hesitancy in reading everything
they have written. When a man pays
$50 a page for the privilege of talking
to you, it is a fair assumption that he
is in earnest and that, he has "boiled it
down."
Six years' imprisonment at hard la
bor was the sentence for John O'Brien,
a representative of the Structural
Ironworkers' Union, at Ashtabula, O.;
for assault with intent to maim a non
union foreman at a labor riot, last
month. A few sentences of this kind
passed out to the un-American ele
ment that elects to say whether a man
shall work or remain idle will have a
wholesome effect on the country. It
will also In the end prove beneficial to
respectable unionism of the American
brand;
"What is it to The Oregonian, any
how?" asks the St. Helens Mist. "9hat
paper says it is not a party advocate,
but "merely a looker-on." Why, yes,
indeed. But isn't a looker-on entitled
to an opinion, and to a right to make
a forecast of the results "of the game?
You'll all see where you'll come out.
The Oregonian merely foresees it.
But it doesn't worry. Why should it?
You're all sheep for the Democratic
shambles. The Oregonian excuses It
self. Prohibition, like politics, of which
it is perhaps a part, "makes strange
bedfellows." The Kentucky "kernels'
who have made mint Juleps and red
liquor of the Blue Grass region fa
mous, are now threatening to turn Oie
state over to the Prohibition hosts in
retaliation for the election of Senator
Bradley, their contention being that
the liquor interests were responsible
for Bradley's election and the defeat
of Beckham. - -
Uncle Joe Cannon, . Representative
Payne and a few more of the most
eminent standpatters have at last de
cided that the tarifT is in need of re
vision, and the matter will be taken
up at an extra session next Spring.
This decision is some years overdue,
but if the subject shall be properly
handled and early relief shall be af
forded, it will make amends in a de
gree for the dilatory tactics of the
past. -
There is just a suspicion that the
Rev. Mr. Cook might have been ant
mated by a desire to share in the glare
of the spot light that has been play
ing around Dr. Day since he assumed
the role of apologist for the "predatory
rich." This suspicion is heightened by
the statement that he will insist on a
public trial of the charges against Df.
Day.
If the tariff revision committee
really want the inside facts relative to
benefits of protection, let them sum
mon our distinguished fellow-citizen,
Andrew Carnegie.
After all, Widow McGrath was lncky
to get $300 from Mr. CRen. And Mr.
CRen thinks so. too.
The season is on when the Spring
poet should lay in a supply of stamps
for return postage.
Maybe Kaiser Wilhelm wrote the
letter to advertise his new battleship.
. JCRIST PLOTS RTCV-E'fGK.
"Isnmanlty Bath" Judge Alleged to Be
Aa Active Caanoa Warker.
Springfield (111.) Dispatch to Chicago
Record-Herald.
A dramatic phase of the attempt to put
Illinois in the anti-Taft lists came to
light when It was discovered that Judge
J. Otis Humphrey, of the United States
District Court, was one of the Instigators
of the "porch climbers' convention"
at Litchfield. Judge Humphrey is the
jurist whose decision giving the "Im
munity bath" to the packers in the beef
suits in 1906 brought a special message
to Congress from President Roosevelt,
declaring that the Humphrey finding
made the outcome of the trial & "mis
carriage of Justice," and that it came'
"measurably near making the law a
farce."
No rejoinder was made by Judge Hum
phrey. Smarting under the" President's
reproofs, however, the jurist is said by
his friends to have been quietly mapfing
out a plan of retaliation, and -when
"Uncle Joe" Cannon first began ' to
scheme to deliver Illinois to the reaction
aries in the National convention the
Judge was quick to join the movement.
The "porch climbers' convention at
Litchfield, at which a programme was
rigged up that would allow the sage of
Danville two delegates from this district
who would be absolutely under his
thumb, was the outcome of weeks" of
work on the part of Federal officials In
Sangamon County. Judge Humphrey did
not participate In the work of button
holing the Congressional committeemen.
leaving that to coarser spirits. But It
Is generally understood that throughout
he was chief of the instigators behind
the scenes, .
Republicans who have been Dusy tne
past two days trying to map out a way
of circumventing the effort to drag two
vestpocket delegates out of this district
for. "Uncle Joe" have dug up indlspyta
ble evidence that Judge Humphrey not
only sanctioned the schedule to throw
Illinois to an anti-Roosevelt candidate.
but that the scheme itself was largely
based on his advice and suggestion.
MR. GROAT'S DAY' FOR BEAR
Didn't Need a Dog. bnt He Gat Five
Victim In Two Tree.
Cottage Grove Leader.
The bear story of the season comes
from the Coast Fork Valley, a dozen
miles south of this city. Last Sunday
Mr. Groat, who .lives on the Thackrah
place, Informed some neighbors that
he was going bear-hunting. He was
reminded that no varmint dogs were at
hand, when Mr. Groat replied that he
did not need any dogs to hunt bear, so
he took his gun and alone proceeded
about three miles up Wilson Creek.
He soon located a great hollow cedar
tree and while Investigating it a big
black bear peered out of a hole and
was promptly shot. Groat, being satis
fied that more - bears were inside,
stopped up the hole in the tree ami
went back home for help. George
Taylor returned "to the bear haunts
with him. and two more black bears
were located and killed In the tree." A
little farther up the creek another hol
low tree was located. In which was
found two big brown bears, and they
were both killed. Mr. Groat thus made
good, and at one swoop came near rid
ding that part of the country of 'the
troublesome bruins. President Roose
velt will please take notice and surren
der the bear-huntens' persimmon to Mr.
Groat.
Mighty Good Theology.
Philadelphia Record.
"I never discuss marriage," said the
late General .Fitzhugh Lee, "without
thinking of an old colored preacher
in my state who was addressing his
dark-skinned congregation, when a
white man rose up in the back of the
building.
" 'Mr. Preacher,' said the white man.
" 'Sir, to you,' said the parson.
" 'Mr. Preacher, you are talking
about Cain and you say he got married
in the land of Nod after he killed
Abel. But the Bible only mentions
Adam and Eve as being on the earth
at that time. Who, then, did Cain
-marry? '
"The colored preacher snorted with
unfeigned contempt.-
"Huh!" he said. 'You hear dat.
brederen and sisters? You hear dat
fool question I am axed? Cain, he went
to de land o' Nod, just as de Good
Book tells us. an' In de land O' Nod Cain
gits so lazy an' so shiftless dat he up
an' marries a gal o' one o' dem no
'count pore white trash families dat de
Inspired apostle didn't consider flttin'
to mention in de Holy Word.' "
Apotheosta."
Chinook Observer.
Th apotheosis of W. S. U'Ren, by
Lincoln Steffens. in the March number of
the American Magazine, is the most?
striking and remarkable revelation in the
political muck-raking that has been
directed and conducted for the past three
years in the State of Oregon. Those who
are familiar with the political and Legis
lative career of U'Ren, and who were eye
wltnessess of his movements, conduct
and acts at the famous hold-np session
of 1597. and who are- posted On the facts
and true inwardness of the politics of
that session, learned all they desire to
know about U'Ren. his character his in
terests, and professed honesty. They
need no magazine article or half-tones to
make U'Ren a saint or sinner. These in
formed persons, in making comparisons,
will look with composure and admiration
upon the career, confessions, conviction
and restoration of the rogues. Puter and
McKinley. by - executive clemency to the
ranks of citizenship: but the deification of
U'Ren. a cheap, trick politician, will strike
their Imaginations as the apotheosis of a
rat, or a chunk of embalmed beef, with
Lincoln Steffens as the only worshipper.
A Marrying Woman.
Louisville Courier-Journal.
Mrs. Sophronia Gleason, of Indiana
who wants a divorce from her eighth
husband, says she will continue to
marry until she finds her affinity. The
center of population . is somewhere
near Mrs. Gleason's zone, but it will
doubtless shift as a result of the stam
pede of eligible men. -
WILL, BRm'A "lTMf HIS YOB V
For Norr Minnesota's Y'on Toasos la
.After Him.
Detroit Free Press.
Ton Tonson, him wan silent man.
Ay hear wan day heem run
For president;- ma heart it go
Lak wan beeg gatllng gtm.
Ay say Ay now ekol wait an' hear
What Yonson have to say;
Ay bet ma life when Yonson speaks
Bal Bryan run away.
Ay waited now tree weeks or four.
Or maybe five or sax:
Ay tank me soon Ay bear hi voice,
Ay swing no more ma ax.
Bay Ylminy! Ay tank it queer,
Yon Yonson mak no noise;
But all the time Bal Bryan, he
Kap talking to the boy.
Ay no can mak it out at all.
Ay tank an' tank all day;
Ay wonder why Yon Tonson don't
Gat u an' have his say.
Bay Yimlny! It makes me mad.
Ay wan t to fight an' swear.
Ay wait to hear Yon Tonson talk.
An' see dat Bryan scare.
Ay tal ma Gretehen she's ma wife
Ay tal her only wait, .
Dat Yonson some day he gat mad
An' speak, as sure a fate.
An' Ay skol bat ma life dat when
Yon Yonson gat his say.
Dat Bryan feller yump his yob --.
Ay bat he run away. s
BILLBOARD A PUBLIC NT1SANCB
Considered aa Bad Advertising ana
Detriment to Property,
Rochester (N. Y.) Herald.
Judge Welch, of the California Supreme
Court, has decided that a billboard under
certain conditions is a public nuisance, ex
plaining his stand on that question in the
following language:
"A" glaring billboard advertising, for In
stance, a popular beer, set opposite a
man's house in a vacant lot, bordering
upon a public highway in a country town
devoted to homes, is just as offensive to
the immediate residents as would be the
maintenance of a pigsty giving forth of
fensive odors, or the maintenance of a
stonebreaking machine, or a chime of
hoarse bells. In principle, there is no
difference between them. It would be a
singular result of our law If relief could
not be had against the maintenance, for
purely advertising purposes, of an un
couth billboard erected opposite my house,
having painted upon H grotesque adver
tisements of wines, beers and whiskies,
and constantly, hourly and daily a detri
ment to my property, and a serious in
jury to the feelings of myself and my
family. Happily, there is a strong cru
sade in full swing all over this country
against the further maintenance of bill
and signboards, a crusade that can only-
end, as all crusades have ended, looking
to the betterment of mankind, in the final
downfall of this damaging kind of busi
ness." .
Aesthetic Boston has long waged a war
on the billboard nuisance, where lawyers
have contended that under the common
law they could not be Interfered with.
But the Park Commission has been given
certain powers of restraint, and the public
parks are not now fenced in with board
walls containing glaring advertisements.
Possibly Judge Welch's frank opinion will
reawaken the nearly somnolent authori
ties, and hearten the anti-billboard cru
saders into renewed activity.
It seems a pity that something cannot
be done to restrain this continued deface
ment of the landscape. Someone has
gone up and down our beautiful Genesee
River painting on every available rock the
name of a commodity of daily use. Along
our railroads fair landscapes are bellt
tered with signboards which offend the
senses seeking a change from the con
stant evidences of commercialism visible
In the cities. The vandal penetrates to
remotest solitudes wherever he finds a
path trodden by buman foot, or likely to
come within range of human vision. A
there Is a bit of picturesque scenery there
the signboard man is sure to be found.
It is wrong In principle and practice, and
from every consideration o propriety
ought to be discouraged.
Political Diasolntlon.
Chinook Observer. '
The political condition in Oregon at
this time Is that of a political wreck.
Statement No. 1 is fast destroying and
moralizing Its parties. The initiative and
referendum is being used as a child
would use a razor. All the great leaders
of the Republican party have been killed
or so badly crippled that no reorganiza
tion along party lines is possible. The
Republicans who are worthy and able
will not seek election or appointment to
place. The mediocre in talent and ca
pacity are now in the front rank' for
promotion and elevation, U'Ren and bis
crowd of agitators and obstructionists
are In the saddle, and they will con
tinue there till the taxpayers and Re
publicans of Oregon begin to realize
that they are congratulating them
selves, with inconsiderate enthusiasm,
on the downfall of their leaders, who.
Judged, by the common standard of
politicians and men, were as fair in
politics and no worse in character and
methods than those who hounded them
out of public life.
i Spain In America.
New York Herald.
Not to know the history of Spain. i
not .to know the history of America.
The discoveries of thp early explorers
and colonizers are deeply imbedded in
the records of the Spanish Empire at
its mightiest period. The language they
brought to this hemisphere still prevails
through an area on this side . of the
Atlantic almost four times that of the
United States. Our coast line bristles
'witlv Spanish names from Florida to the
Straits of Vancouver. Even today in our
own Southwest several hundred -thousand
of our citizens use the. Spanish
tongue.
The barrier of language has been the
great obstacle to a better knowledge of
and sympathy with people and things
of Spanish origin. Only lately has the
Spanish language been included in our
school courses. Few Americans among
the hosts of annual tourists have been
Induced to see Spain with their own
eyes and know its people.
Depends on the Cabana.
New York Sun.
The transfer of Cuba's government de
pends upon the force of our obligation to
get out in accordance with conditional
pledges In comparison with our obliga
tion to continue American control for
the purpose of maintaining peace and in
suring the safety of life and property.
The issue is in. the hands of the Cubans
themselves.
Another Mltle Tranitaetlon.
Sherman County Observer.
While attempting to explain that
financial deal with the Oregon widow,
Mr. U'Ren might elucidate that $80 graft
in the assembly a few years ago, which
scared him so bad when detected.
' A raw
"What Started th Quarrel Tounj Wife
(at hornet "Hello, dearest:" Tounir hus
band (at office) "Hello: Who is this?"
Puck.
"Maude wu afraid the girls wouldn't no
tice her engagement ring." "Did they ?"
"Did they? Six of them recognised it at
once." Cleveland. Plain Dealer.
"Are you a valetudinarian, ir?" "No.
air. I ain't no such thing, sir; I'm an out-and-out
Prohibitionist." Baltimore Ameri
can. She "Don't you think he' clever? He
"Well, he aeeros to make people think,
ao." "Well, don't yon conaider that clever?'
Tonkera Statesman. - "
"I want to tell you, air, that this panic
don't affect the farmers." "Don't, eh?
Well, you Jest oughter see the prodigal
sons thet'a been thrown back on us."
Judge.
Office ' Boy "Plase, sir. my grand
mother's dead, and I must get off early to
go to the funeral -match I mean the foot
ball ceremony that is " ( Exit In con
fusion.) Punch
Musical Manager "Now. candidly, talk
ing of the performance of Wagnerian opera,
what do you think of our -company's execu
tion ?" Candid Critic "It is not execu
tion, my friend; it is assassination." Balti
more American.
Mrs. Hayfix (reading) "This paper says
th doctors nev oiscoverea anotner w dis
ease, Hiram." Hayrlx "Huh! I wish th
pesky critters would stop lookin' fer new
diseases long enuff tew hunt up a cure fer
th' rrtumatlz, by grass y Chicago Daily
New.
"How do you like the committee to which
you were assigned?" asked one member of
the House of Representatives. I suppose
I ought to feel flattered," answered the
other. "I never heard of it before. It
seems tff have been discovered for my per
sonal benefit." Washington 6tar.
"Here's a piece In dts paper," said Weary
Walker, "what saya it's better to He to a
woman if de truth would make her un
happy." "Dat's de way I feel," replied
Thiraty Tanks, "an wen a lady sex to me:
You won't buy; liquor wid dis?f I always
ay, 'No, ma'am " Philadelphia Press.
Gwendolen (much embarrassed) "I have
to apologize to you this evening, Mr.
Whackster. The girl has been cooking on
ions in the kitchen, and the odor fills the
house." The Young Man (not at all embar
rassed) "I don't mind that a bit. Miss
Gwendolen. I've Just been eating onions
myself." . (Dense silence.) Chicago Tribune.
NATIONAL GUARD
THE first requisition of new Sprm?;
field rifles to be issued to any Guard
organization in the United States was re
ceived at the Portland Armory from ti.e
War Department last week and will be
distributed at once among the Infantry
companies of Oregon. It will be 6everat
weeks yet before any other state troops
receive the guns. This initial shipment
is a small one. the total being only 100
guns. But 1400 similar weapons are
already on the way here f rtm the
Ordnance Department at Washington. D.
C., and the entire Guard will be equipped
with the modern arm b" the time the
outdoor rifle season opens. The 100 guns
have, been apportioned, by direction of
Adjutant-General Flnzer, so as to giva
five rifles to each company of infantry
in the state. . The best marksmen in the
various companies will be the ones to re
ceive the weapons at this time.
The new aJpringfield. mooVl i!i, is nu
excellent appearing rifle and" it takes only
a casual examination to convince the ex?
perienced marksman that the gun is all
that has been claimed o it. It is better
made than the Krag, being much in the
nature of a Krag but including many im
provements in minor' details which have
been suggested out of long experience
with the now discarded gun.
One important change has been -.nade
since the Springfield was amiounred '
several years ago. This change 1 in the
type of bayonet. Originally the War De
partment set out a slender rod bayonet, i
little thicker than a pencil. 12 inches long
and blunt at f.he thrusting point. It 1
was the mwt harmless contrivance ever
attached to any weapon; The War De
partment authorities had agreed that
bayonet fighting was a thing of the past.
Official reports of several important hat
ties of the Russo-Japanese War revealed,
however, that bayonet fighting had been
the decisive point not in one engagement
but in manyy The War Department very ;
quickly called in the rods and ordered a
bayonet that went to the other Extreme
of being the most serviceable blade ever
in use by United States troops. This
weapon, a knife bayonet, accompanies
the new rifles jmst received. It has a
thrust of 18 inches and a four-inch hilt;
and the Krag bayonet looks very much
like a penknife by comparison. With such
a bayonet. American troops would never
be at a disadvantage in close quarters.
The rifle itself is of far greater ac
couracy than its predecessor and drives
with greater velocity. While the sights
are patterned after the Krag sishts. many
minor improvements are apparent which
will at once appeal to riflemen. The load
ing arrangement is different, the shells
being inserted with a clip. Loading and
firing, otherwise, is controlled by a holt
similar to that of the Krag. The pro-,
jectile is 30-30 caliber and tapers to a fine
point offering less surface for atmo
spheric resistance than the blunt pro
jectile heretofore In use. Just exactly
how this pointed mlssle will be affected
by high wind is a matter yet to be seen.
Just why the War Department has not
sent out more printed matter on the new
Springfield is a matter not easily un
derstood. The giins are here but the
varoius little problems as to how they
act at different stages of range .work is
left for practical experience to solve. As
eoon as the first shipment of ammunition
arrives the gun will be taken on the.
range and the requisite "dope" worked
out by local experts. Fifty thousands
rounds are now on the way. .
March 27 has been set as the date for
the annual inspection and review, by
Governor Chamberlain, of the troops,
stationed in Portland. Colonel C. E. Mc-'
Donell, of the Third Oregon Infantry, and.
Captain H. U. Welch, of the field bat
tery, have issued the necessary orders for
the event. The companies are now re
cruited well up to their maximum
strength and the turnout for this event
will doubtless be the largest on record.
Within the next CO days the campaign
for a favorable vote on the 5100.000 ap
propriation for new "Armories will be
taken up. Information has been secured
that grange organizations are coming tn
see the need of the new structures and
are withdrawing, in part, from the at
tack on the appropriation. The campaign
will be essentially one of education, as
the Guard does not intend to play in the
game of politics any further than is
necessary. Efforts will be made to bring
the voter of the state to an intelligent
understanding of the matter and militia
men believe that then there will he no.
further question about approval of the
appropriation.
There is just a possibility that th?i
American Lake joint nfaneuvers will have
to be called off this Summer. The bill
appropriating $1,200,000 for joint maneuvers
in various parts of the United States was
favorably reported hy the House com
mittee lately. But when it Rot before the
House, breakers were encountered. 1 1.
passed by a narrow margin and then a
raw Congressman from Illinois arose to
oppose the expenditure of so much mony
for military training and asked a roll
call vote. The result of this was that the
appropriation was lost by Just one vote.
The Senate, however, has taken the;
matter up again and will seek to have It.
reconsidered and passed. Tremendous In
fluence is being brought to bear to havp
the appropriation put through - without
reduction and at lat accounts the bi!I
seemed to have gotten clear of the break
ers. Extensive joint maneuver for
regulars and National Guard troops have
been planned by the "War Department
for Chlckamaufca Park, Georgia; fort
Benjamin Harrison. Indiana: Fort 'Rily,
Kansas: Fort D. A. Russell, Wyoming:
Leon Springs. Texas: American Lake,
Washington, and Maclemento Ranch.
California. The ultimate fate of the ap
propriation bill for these maneuvers .will
be watched with wide interest.
The schedule of events for the National"
shoot this Summer is announced. Th:
matches will be held at Ca'mp Perry,
Ohio, again. Three great programmes are
included. The shoot will open with fh
matches of the National Rifle Assoeiatiun,
August 17 to 30.. The Ohio State Rifle As
sociation will sandwich in its events Nt
intervals between August 1? and -3'. . The
big National matches, team and indivi
dual, will be held from August 21 to 20.
That Oregon will send a team is al
ready assured. New mn will have a
better chance of qualifying in view- of
the change of rifle and "he competition
for places on the team gives promise "f
being more heated than ever before.
Prohibition In the .South.
New York Times. .
Already every barroom in Georgia has
gone o-at of business, and for the first time
In 40 years the Atlanta Journal came out
and said that not a single black man was
in the city prison. Booker Washington at
the People's Forum in New Rochelle.
The temperance movement is well but
tressed by racial'sentiment in the South..
Prohibition for white men failed to pro
hibit. Prohibition administered by
blacks would certainly not prohibit. But
imposed upon the blacks by the superior
race in the South it may become effective
for both through sufference on the part
of the inferior race, and because of an
extraordinary motive for self-denial re
inforcing the good resolutions of fhe
whites