Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937, March 21, 1908, Image 8

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Morning Oregonian., March 21, 1908, Page 8, Image 8

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Newspaper Page Texts 7TTK MORNIXG OREGOXIAX. SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 1908. SUBSCRIPTION BATES. INVAT.IABLT IN ADVANCE. By MalL pally. Sunday included, on year Pally. Bunday Included. lx mouths.... Pally. Sunday Included. three months., z Jauy. Sunday Included, ona zuuui.--. --- pally, without Sunday, one year X Pally, without Sunday, six months..... - Pally, without 8unday. tliree month... n Dally, without Sunday, ona montb. so Cunday, ona year Weekly, ona yaar (Issued Thursday) Sunday and waekly. cno year 2 SO ISO .5u , BY CARRIER. Pally, Sunday Included, ona year...... " Pally. Sunday Included, one month-. MOW TO REMIT Send potortlca money order, express order or personal reur local bank. Stamps, coin or c""en5 ra at the sender-. risk. Give postoBlca a drsas la lull. Including county and atata. rOSTAOK KATta. Entered at Portland. Oregon. Postomea as Second-Clase Matter. - UMt 10 to 14 Pagea J 1 to 28 Pale. J " 0 to 44 Pages C to 00 Par"" " Foreign pontage, double ratea. .,. ULPOKTAMT The postal laws ra atrlpt. Newspapers on which otaae Is not ruuy repaid are not forwarded to destination. EASTF.HX BL'bISKbB orVIC.. The 8, C. Reckwith Special Agency J STork. rooms 48-50 Tribune bullaing. Chi cago, rooma B10-512 Tribune building. K:PT OK SALE. Chicago, Auditorium Annex; a"""1"? ewa Co.. 17 a Dearborn street; tmpiro 'Svewa Ftand. . ft. Paul, Minn. jr. St. Marie. Commercial Ctatlon. olorado Springs, Colo. Bell. H. KenTer. Hamilton and Kendrlck. seventeenth street; Pratt Hook store. l-Tieenth etreet: U. P. Hansen. S. 1214 Rica. Georae Carson. Kansas CUt. Mo. Blcksecker Cigar Co.. Ninth and Walnut: Jomi New. Co. Minneapolis M. J. Cavanaugh, SO Boutn Bblrd. Cincinnati. O. Tom a News Co. tlevelaod. O. James Pushaw. SOT su perior htreet . Washington, D. C Ehbltt House. Pnn ylianla avenue; Columbia liews to. Plttehnrg, Pa. Fort Pitt News CO. Philadelphia. Pau Ryans Theater ro Office; penn News Co.; Kemble. A. P.. Si Lancaster avenue. - New tork City Hotallng's newstands. t Park Bow. S8th and Broadway. 2d ana Broadway and Broadway and 21Un. ia'f" J.hnne S74. Single copies delivered; I Jones A Co.. Astor house; Broadway The ater News Stand; Empire News Stand. Ogden. D. L. Boyle; Lowe Bros.. 11 Twenly-ntth street. ... Omaha. Barkalow Bros.. TJnion Station, Mageath Stationery Co.: Kemp at Arenaon. lire Moines, la- Mose Jacobs. Fresno, CaL Tourist News Co. Sacranjento, Cal. Sacramento Newa Co.. 430 K street; Amos News Co. Salt Ik. Moon Book Stationery- Co.; Fosenfeld A Hansen: G. W. JewelU P. O. torcer; Ktelpeck Bros. lynr Beach, Cal. B. E. Amos. I'aaadena. Cal. Amos Newa Co. (its Jllrgo. B. E. Amos. a Joae. Bmerson W. Houston, Tex. International New. Agency. Dallas. Tex. Southwestern New. A lent. 44 Main street; also two street wagon.. Ft. Worth. Tex. Southwestern N. and A. Agency. Amarllla. Tex. Timmons Pope. San Francisco. Forster ft Orear: Ferry News Stand; Hotel St. Francis Newa Stand; J. Parent: N. Wheatley; Falrmount Hotel News Stand; Amos New. Co.: United New. Agency. 14ft Eddy .treet; B. E. Amos, man ager three wagons; Worlds N. S.. 020 A. Cutter street. . Oakland, Cat W. H. Johnson, Fourteenth and Franklin streets; N. Wheatley; Oakland Newa Stand: B. E. Amos, manager five wagons: Welllngham, B. O. troldneld, Ncv. lxule Follln. Eureka, Cal. Call-Cbronlcla Agency; Eu reka New. Co. 3'ORTIjIMI. ttATl RIAV, !H.RCH II. 1908. THE MINl'SK AND EXCESS. To the primary law itself and rea sonable Interpretation and use of It, The Oregonian has made no real ob jection. The primary law Introduces a system that confuses Issues between parties; but let that pass. It is to an effort to make a suggestion In the pri mary law which the law Itself treats nnly as a suggestion the chief feature and whole spirit of the law, that The Oregonian makes Its objection. They who push this feature as the essence and substance and heart of the pri mary law simply go against the con stitutional method of electing Senators of the United States, and repudiate the principle of representative government, as established by the Constitution of ihe United States. The vote of the people may be accepted as advisory, indeed, this important matter; but it can go no further. It is not in this law to destroy distinctions of parties, or to reject the Constitution of the United States; but the forced interpre tation of it gives it this character. It is against this forced interpretation, not against the primary law, that The Oregonian makes Its protest. State ment No. 1 is merely suggestive. It loesn't profess nor purport to be any- thing else. It Is not the primary law. So as to initiative and referendum. It is not to the principle that The Ore gonian makes objection, but to the perversion of the method to narrow, cranky and injurious purposes. It ought not to be invoked for subver sion of the fundamental principles on which the state is established. It ought not to be used for overthrow of the principle of equal taxation. It ought not to be employed to convert the) constitution Into a statute, alter able in every election. It ought not to b used to change the customary . system of representation of the people in the Legislature, nor to authorize ag gravation of the evils resulting from location of the institutions of the state sway from the capital, nor to mix up the people on opposition bills none of which the people at large know about for regulation of the salmon fish tries of the state. These are some of the matters, but only a part of the present crop. It is a crop that will increase from year to year, and run to infinity, under whim sical suggestion, unless a stern quietus be put upon It. A BKNKFK'IARY OF THE TARIFF. The. late Senator Proctor was one of he wealtUiest of the wealthy men in the United States Senate. He was, moreover, a type of the old-style busi ness man of his day and generation in New England. He wsa a man of influence In Congress from the time he entered it. in 1891, to the day of his death, seventeen years later. He was upright in business, serious in his vo cation, whether as the developer of the great marble quarries of Vermont or as a lawgiver looking to the wider Interests of his state and the Nation, including its newly acquired insular possessions. His most distinguished olTort in Congress, indeed, was in be half of Porto Kico and in regard to our National policy In Cuba. His treatment of his employes at Proctor willo, Vt.. the headquarters of his great marble Industry, was In evidence when on the day of his funeral, while a typi cal New Kngland snow storm was raging, they stood in long lines on the street bareheaded and reverent as his cortege passed. No need for his blog 'rapher to say after that spectacle that he was attentive to the welfare of his men. Tet. as cited by the Kansas City Siar, Senator Proctor was a great beneficiary of the protective tariff, which enabled him and others engaged in the marble business In New Eng land to sell their products at excessive rates. The duties on marble range ;rom 65 cents to $1.15 per cubic foot, a rate so high as to slrut and lock the door against foreign competition. He was, says the journal above quoted. -a good business man and would doubtless have been rich even without the aid of protection, but the fact nevertheless is that his very large for tune is mainly a product of tariff dis crimination." What he did was within the law, and he used all the power that came to him through opportunity and as a result of his upright, masterful mind to keep the law on the side of his business. FINE TTNTS" OF LAW. It' seems to be an established rule of law and morals in California that extortion of m6ney for protection of crime, or use of official authority to extort money from those who wish to find an '. open and clear way to "do business,' free from molestation of the lawful authorities, is subject to no pen alty. The courts of California have so held. It is a fine point, of course; but judges whose delight it is to stick In fine points of law and practice have no trouble to make the point. They easily find that extortion and robbery. n certain peculiar forms, are not cov ered specifically by the statutes. Of course they conveniently forget all the principles of the old common law that stand against extortion and robbery. How do the courts accomplish it? Nothing could be- more simple or easy. It is held that the statute does not forbid corrupt use of official power and influence, graft and blackmail. except or unless threats of "unlawful injury to property" were the means of graft and blackmail. But threat to take away a mere license, the courts hold, was not a threat of unlawful in jury to property, since there was no vested right of license; and the Mayor, anyway, had the authority to refuse to renew the licenses of the victims of his grafting system. Now that, indeed, is a remarkably fine point. Any robber on the road could put up an equal one if he had the money to hire lawyers whose subtleties had weight with the courts of California. God deliver, us here, where there is as yet more simple honesty, from such interpreters, and from such interpre tations, of law, and of right and wrong! ' Whatever honests- yet remains in California should devote itself to com plete exclusion, from the company of honest men, of judges who protect crime in such ways as these. It is not asserted, nor assumed, bf course, that judges who render decis ions such as these have all been "bought up" by the defendants. But judges of this class do dearly love nice subtleties and "p'ints" of practice, and ambidexterity of argumentation, which show how learned they are. VAIN 11.CLATIONS. When Judge Thomas M. Norwood retired from the bench of Georgia last December full of years and honor he signalized the event by an address on "The Negro." We have read the ad dress with such patience as we could command; but evermore as the queer, distorted opinions, the barbarous senti ments, the ferocious slanders on great and good men passed in review, the question has Insistently Intruded itself. "Why should an educated and repre sentative Southerner send out into the world a pamphlet like this? What does he hope to accomplish by it?" The aged judge's literary effort con sists of three elements mingled in fairly equal quantities abuse of the North,' savage vituperation bf the ne groes and praise of slavery. The speech reiterates the old charge that slavery was Introduced into the South by the "Yankees." So it was. Nobody thinks of denying It. But why drag the accusation from a tomb where all sensible people are willing to let it slumber and use it to arouse sec tional hatred? The sad tale of recon struction is rehashed for us with fire and fury, and all that the judge says about the mistakes and crimes of that lamentable epoch Is true enough. No body wishes to excuse or palliate them. Rational people everywhere are eager to unite In an effort to repair them so far as human energy and good will can do so. Why, then, resurrect their baneful memory and harp upon It? Does the judge Imagine for a moment that he can make matters better by bitter words and cutting sarcasm? The common charges against the negro race are all set forth in the speech with a relish that can only flow from uncompromising hatred. Most of these charges are undeniable. The negroes are woefully lazy, they are in clined to forget the distinction between mine and thine, they shelter criminals of their own blood and they are far from being as intelligent as the whites. They also show a proclivity to revert to barbarism when left to themselves. This and much more is freely admit ted by the negroes' best friends. But what of it? Judge Norwood concludes from the facts that we should either return to slavery or to something so near it that there is no difference dis cernible. The humane. Christian con clusion is the precise opposite of his. The greater the need ofthe colored race the more urgent our duty to it. If it is ignorant we must patiently in struct, if Its morals are low we must labor to elevate them, trying, not seven times merely, but seventy times seven, and more yet until we succeed. The two races must manage in some way to live together here in America. One would suppose that peace between them would be preferred to strife by all concerned, and we believe it is by the great majority. It is certain that neither the humanity nor the religion of the country will permit a return to slavery, or anything like slavery. The colored man is our fellow-citizen, and In everything except social matters he is the equal of the white, or has the right to make himself equal if he can. Why, then, waste time and words glooming and mourning over the charms of the civilization that devel oped under slavery? It is gone and gene forever. For our part we heart ily cry good riddance to it. Its men may have been noble and its women beautiful, but they belong with the past and not among the most admira ble things of the past either. With all its charm, the boasted civilization of the old South was semi-barbarous. It was far from being as much of an im provement on Europe and the North as Judge Norwood thinks. The most curious parts . of this strange document are the attacks upon Booker Washington which are scat tered through it. In one place Judge Norwood speaks of this great- man as "the fattest parasite of his race." Elsewhere he Is "the sleekest beggar In America," and the contributors to the Tuskegee fund form a "school of fat, brainless suckers." He quotes a cer tain Dr. Graybill who was "disgusted with the licentiousness of teachers and pupils" at the famous school. Would it not be well for the man who could write such stuff as this to pay some little attention to his own moral con dition? In fact, would it not be well for the entire South to take its mind off the negro for a while and try to think of something else? Why not come back out of the graveyards of the Rebellion and begin to live in the twentieth century? Why not take an active part in our present world and let the dead world of slavery stay dead? If the South had a sense of humor equal to its good intentions, it would perceive the absurdity of such threnodies as Judge Norwood's retiring speech. LABOR, UNIONS BEFORE CONGRESS. Representatives of labor organiza tions of the country, now at Washing ton to urge Congress to pass an em ployers' liability act, with various other legislation for the benefit of organized labor, passionatefy denounce the Supreme Court for a recent de cision rendered by it, which is said to make "the National anti-trust law ap plicable to labor as If it were a trust conspiracy and an organization in re straint of trade." The words "trust conspiracy" have an ugly sound, and are justly odious. A trust conspiracy fixes the prices of commodities, cuts out competition and divides profits. A labor organization establishes prices also, but does not suppress competition, since its general policy is to take all workers into the union who can be induced to enter. It is an organization in restraint of trade only as it tries to prevent persons from working who are not members of its order, or to use the boycott on em ployers who refuse its demands. Abuses of this kind occur here and there, and are' to be expected, since labor will fight, in emergencies, with such weapons as it can command. The representatives of labor at Washington are'asking Congress to le galize the boycott when used by labor unions. This is not likely to be done; but on the other hand they who are asking that the boycott by a labor organization shall ,be severely penal ized are not likely to obtain conces sion to their demand. There is a neu tral ground here, between the parties, over which they .will continue to-fight, back and forth, as heretofore; because the law never can deal justly with the varying conditions of such situations and contests. Liability of employers and rights of employes can, however, be more clear ly defined by law, and should be. Many of the states have enacted very ad vanced laws on these subjects; and Congress most probably, acting under Its power over interstate commerce, and moreover providing more exact regulations for protection of labor In all work under actual direction of the Government, will meet' the principal demands of the labor representatives, in these particulars. It probably also will be granted that no injunction shall lie against labor organizations, under the Sherman act; which will leave the local authorities to deal with dicturb ances that may arise through strikes and their consequences. MR. HUMPHREY'S MISTAKES. Congressman Humphrey, in his over whelming desire for a ship subsidy, continues to handle the truth regard ing the subject in a most careless man ner. In the current number of Gov ernment, a magazine printed in Bos ton, Mr. Humphrey contributes an ar ticle on "Our Weakness on the Pa cific," in which he states that "it was the subsidized vessels of Japan that carried her troops to Manchuria, that supplied them with food and ammuni tion. It was the subsidized ships of Japan that made possible her great victory on' land, and it was from the subsidized ships of Japan that came the trained seamen that manned her vessels of war that destroyed the great Russian Navy." The attention of Mr. Humphrey ha3 been called to these and other similar misstatements a number of times, but it is possible that he has repeated them so often that he has begun to believe them himself. It was not "the subsidized vessels of Japan" that carried her troops to Manchuria. Her transports were, with but insignificant exceptions, vessels purchased on "hurry up" orders from Great Britain, Germany, France and other European countries, and the most extravagant prices paid for them were less than the United States paid for some of the American-built "gold bricks" foisted off on our Quartermas ter's Department during our war with Spain. At the close of the war with China. Japan began placing orders with European shipyards for warships and merchant vessels. Securing them at the cheapest market on earth, and without, any hampering legislation which forbids a foreign-built vessel to fly the National flag, she soon accumu lated a merchant marine of sufficient tonnage to demand the construction of local Japanese shipyards for repair work, and this quite naturally was soon followed by the building of new ships In Japanese yards. Soma of these ships on mail routes are paid a subsidy, but the hundreds of steamers which carry the commerce of the country, and which carried the troops during the war, are nearly all foreign built craft operated as business prop ositions. The United States needs a merchant marine, and Congressman Humphrey and every other subsidy-seeker who is refusing to get it by the same methods as are employed by other progressive, nations, is remiss in his duty to his country. There Is not a single logical argument that can' be advanced to show that this country should not be permitted to secure a merchant marine or an auxiliary fleet for the Navy by the same methods followed by the countries with which we come in trade competition. "Japan has fully 550 merchant vessels fit for transport serv ice on the Pacific," says Mr. Hum phrey. This is probably true, but if Mr. Humphrey will secure a copy of Lloyd's Register he will learn that con siderably more than two-thirds of this fleet was built in foreign yards, and the Japanese owners were not com pelled partially to wreck the vessels and then commit perjury in order to secure Japanese registry for them.- It has been sixteen years since Con gress first took serious notice of the business of dabblihg in "futures," but, with the exception of 1904, when there was considerable agitation favorable to a law against the method of buying and selling grain; etc., only mild in terest has been shown in the matter. Several billls have been before the present Congress, ana the system is being investigated much more thor oughly than ever. Regardless of the evils that seem to be inseparable from the legitimate functions of the "fu ture" system of trading, the practice is overwhelmingly indorsed by strictly le gitimate grain dealers and millers throughout the country. That it pos sesses advantages of unquestioned value to the producer as well as the dealer is shown by the recent adop tion of a similar system in the Argen tine Republic, a country in which the producer has always been obliged to dump his grain on the market and ac cept whatever price dealers chose to give him when it was ready to sell. In no other way can the grain crops of a large country like the Argentine or the United States be marketed to ad vantage to all parties as profitably as by buying and selling for "future" delivery. Two construction gangs, one work ing east and another west, will next Monday commence laying track at Lind, Wash., on the Chicago, Milwau kee & St. Paul extension to the Pacific Coast. Work on the line is progress ing rapidly farther east, but this will be the first tracklaying in -Eastern Washington. The Milwaukee Railroad has not announced its plan for reach ing Portland, but, as it is under the managtment of business men, there is no doubt about its finding a route by which it can enter this city. Mr. Hill was many years discovering that a water-level grade offered advantages over one that leads over a lofty range of mountains, and, as the country dir rectly-tributary to Portland and to no other port has greater traffic-producing resources than are found in any other locality in the Pacific Northwest, there is no likelihood that ' this port will be overlooked by this latest line to head for the Pacific Coast. Representatives of the various branches of the steel trust met in New York Thursday, and, after discussing trade conditions and prices, decided that there would be no change in the price of steel. This maintenance of existing high prices for steel, when every other commodity except that controlled by the trusts (Including the labor trust) has declined, of course ap plies only to this country. In Europe there have been heavy reductions in steel, especially in ship plates, foreiga builders now taking contracts at the lowest prices in ten years. As the American steel trust, after selling a portion of its output at enormously high prices, in this country, dumps the remainder of the output on the foreign market at very low prices, it is easy to understand why the foreign ers regard our high-tariff system as an admirable policy for them. The slump In business last year came too late to spoil a record-bijeak-ing year in the production of rjhlling stock for American railroads.. During the twelve months ending December 31 there was .constructed, exclusive of cars and locomotives built in railroad shops, a total of 289,645 cars and 7362 locomotives,, valued . at $477,000,000, an increase of 25 per cent over the preceding year. This will undoubted ly stand as a high record for many years to come, as business has fallen off to such an extent that a vast amount of the new rolling stock has not yet been placed in service. With so much money tied up in idle equip ment, railroad men will be backward about placing new orders until a long time after business again gets on the up grade. "The German troops had been sent out to find Simon Koppers, the last of the Hottentot chiefs, who is still hostile." says a Berlin cable, and, as the report was supplemented by the statement that the German forces lost thirteen men killed and seventeen wounded, it is apparent that they found Simon and that he proved a very active Hottentot. The incident shows that the jungles and deserts of South Africa' must still prove attractive to old Mars, in lieu of conflicts more serious than the periodical Central American revolution or the occasional sorties of the Moorish bandits. . One of the most striking phases of our boasted civilization Is the insecur ity of property. No investment or in stitution seems to be indubitably se- cure. The failure of a Home for the Aged in Chicago with the attempted suicide of the inmates reminds us of a peril that mars the happiness of mil lions. What would not every careful husband, father, friend, give for some financial device which would secure the comfort of loved ones beyond per adventure? Many such are recom mended, but none quite meets the test of experience. The Brewers' Association seems to have formed a large number of good resolutions which it may be both will ing and able to keep. Like other men the brewers find their righteousness mightily stimulated by danger, but If they weed out the vile saloons and pre vent their return they may. save the decent ones. It Is curious to note that they expect to do by a simple agree ment among themselves what the law has failed to accomplish In every' city in the country. Saito, ex-Minister of Commerce in the Japanese Cabinet, has arrived at Seattle and will begin a campaign among union labor leaders in this country with a view to securing admis sion of Japanese workmen into organ ized labor bodies. The general im presslon will be that Saito will discover that even Japanese diplomacy and tact are in a fair way to learn something of their limitations. It is computed that if all the Scandi navians in the country should vote with the Democrats they could elect Governor Johnson President. The computation 4s idle, first because Gov ernor Johnson will not be nominated, and second, because the Scandinavians, being mostly Republicans, would not vote for him if he were. Even with our mild climate and matchless environment there are dis advantages living so far from the At lantic Coast. In New York fresh eggs are only 15 cents a dozen. Among the very cheerfulest signs of Spring are the taking out of a dozen building permits a day in Portland. This is the average for March. With the very brief declaration by the Hon. "Flngey" Connors, of New Tork, the Johnson boom may be con sidered, started. l,ISCOL" AD WHISKY DRINKING President Had 'o Taste for Liquor or Tobacco. Chicago Tribune. Abraham Lincoln's attitude toward the liquor question was made the chief weaDon of the anti-saloon torces yes terday in the rapidly Increasing agita tion over the question. Testimony from dozens of sources was cited to the effect that Lincoln did not use in toxicating liquor and that he took the stand that the "demon rum" must be the next foe to be conauered in this country after the reconstruction period. Remarks of Lincoln in denunciation of saloons and other matter pertinent to the subject will be printed on postal cards and scattered broadcast over the state as the next step of the temperance forces. Robert T. Lincoln, son of the mar tyred President, was brought-forward as a witness that nls latner was a temperance man. He was quoted by Alonzo E. Wilson as saying: "My father seemed to be absolutely devoid of the taste which is gratified by wine 'or liquor of any kind. Charles Edwards, secretary of the Edwards-Deutsch Lithographing Com pany, whose mother was a sister of President Lincoln's wife, said: "As a boy I .remember Mr. Lincoln oominar to the home of my father. Ninian Edwards, in Springfield. We al ways had liquors on the sideboard, l never saw Mr. Lincoln take a dr:nk, but I do not remember that he ever said anything on the subject. "In 1862 I was a guest at the White House. I remember that Mr. Lincoln disliked tobacco, for he would not let his Cabinet members smoke during the 'Cabinet meetings. Secretary Seward used to come Into my room to smoke. I have no recollection of ever seeing the President drink at the White House. "It would be interesting to know whether there was any whisky in the little country grocery that Mr. Lincoln kept In Saiem In the early days. Most groceries of the kind were grog shops, but I can offer no information as to that part of his life." That Abraham Lincoln did occasion ally take a drink of whisky with per sonal friends, and that he never used tobacco, are declarations made by George B. Foster, an attorney of Peoria, who is at the Great Northern Hotel. "Abraham Lincoln was a temperate man," said Mr. Foster, "but he would take a drink of whisky with a per sonal friend when he felt its need. I have seen him drink whisky under such conditions. He did not use to bacco. , "I was surprised to see the news paper article declaring that Lincoln never drank a drop of strong liquor. He did drink it before me and with a Mr. Rogers at Bloomington in the Sum mer of 1831." race: between taft asd hughes Why the People Appear to Prefer One to the Other. Providence Bulletin. Tnd.-Rep. If Governor Hughes had appeared in public life before the day of Theodore Roosevelt the people would almost surely have turned to him as the one man In the country to guide them out of corruption and greed to National honor and fair play. But the Presi dent has been working toward these ends all his life and during this whole time he has been in the public, yiew. The people have watched him unceas ingly for many years, and their faith in him is as strong now as it ?ver was. With such a man in the White House it is only natural that Governor Hughes, who has served but a little over one year in public office, la over shadowed. He makes a worthy fol lower of Roosevelt, but he cannot at this early stage of his career compete with him for public commendation. Neither is Mr. Hughes the only worthy follower of the President. Since the . Roosevelt standard of public ad ministration has been adopted by the people as the one that their servants should measure up to. several men of the highest character and of eminent ability have appeared in public life. One of them, and the man who the President thinks is best fitted to ad minister the affairs of the Nation dur ing the next four years, Mr. Taft, has had the benefit of wide experience in solving the greatest problems that the country has been facing in the Roose velt regime, and he lacks little if any of the character and ability of either the President or the New York Gov ernor. More than that, he has the genius for winning the affection of the masses. His qualities are as much liked as they are admired. Under these conditions it is impossi ble for Mr. Hughes to win the nom ination by popular demand. But he may win it If Mr. Taft does not secure a majority of the votes on the first ballot and the politicians who are cry ing "anybody but Taft" unite upon his chief opponent. The people clearly prefer the Secretary of War. but if they should be given the Governor of New York their disappointment would probably not be great and their inter ests would be well guarded. Do Americana Want Lower California? Providence (R. I.) Journal. A California Congressman wants this country to buy Lower California. The im mediate prompting of such a purpose is the advantage of Magdalena. Bay as a naval station. Although Lower California Is. generally speaking, a desolate . and deserted stretch of territory, Magdalena Bay Is a superb -harbor; its wide and deep waters are protected by a natural breakwater, the island of St. Margarita. Here the battleship fleet will engage in target practice, by permission of the Mexican government, which, however, has refused its consent to small arms practice on shore. The United States might have taken Lower California at the close of the war witn Mexico, out tnere was no reason to believe that it would have been in the least useful. Mexico does not now find its possession of any material benefit; but, such is national sentiment in the matter of territory, that it is improbable that she would consider favorably an offer to buy. It. As an available half-way anchorage between the west coast and the Panama Canal the harbor could probably be made ser viceable to the fleets of the United Slates, especially in event of war. Lady Toad, Thousand Years Old. New York Herald. Mrs. Spade " Foot, the lady toad in Bronx Park, who had been asleep a thousand years, has not been on speak ing terras with any of her tribe since back in the sub-paleozoic age. She went to sleep long, long ago and the limestone formed about her, and a few months ago -a prospector's hammer smashed her couch. She was brought to the New York Zoological Gardens and was watched with great interest A week or so ago Mrs. Spade Foot began to wake up and take -notice. She ate a fly or two and this was greet ed as the breaking of her fast of 1000 years. Now she is building a nest. Prohibition and the Dissolute Darky. Lowell (Mass.) Courier-Citizen. For the first time in 13 years, there is not a negro in the city prison at Atlanta. Georgia, and the fact is passed to the credit of the new prohibitory law. No doubt it deserves it.. The law was made for that very purpose and apparently it is accomplishing what was Intended. To separate the negro from alcohol is the motive of Southern prohibition generally, and so long as the colored man can be prevented from forming clubs, which is the white man's privilege, the separation will continue. The end in this x-ase jus tifies the 'means, as the dissolute darky has been a serious drawback to the ad vancement of the South. DEATH RATE AMONG THE STATES Pulmonary Tuberculoala Leada, but Na tion 'a Health Bill Eaeoarsgrs. Springfield, Mass., Republican. The Federal census bureau is now making yearly reports on mortality stat istics from such states and cities as maintain a carefully conducted registra- I tion of deaths and the causes thereof. This so-called registration area was very small when the bureau began Its work I several years ago, but it is being con- stantly enlarged, and for the report for 1006 issued recently It embraces 15 states, the District of Columbia, and 77 regis tration cities In non-registration states. These states and cities had in 19j an estimated population of about 41,000.000. or nearly one-half the population of the continental United States. The registra tion area is being steadily extended. The average death-rate for all the states in the retristration district was 16.1 in 1SU6. compared with 16.2 in 1905, and 16.3 for the average annual rate from 1901 to 1905. These are very low figures. They com pare favorably with present death rates in foreign countries. But it is when this present death-rate of 16.1. over an area peopled by above 40.000.000 persons, is placed in comparison with rates which used to orevail In the earlier half of tne last century, that the progress of man kind in mastering the forces whtcn pro duce premature death is made impres sively manifest. As this census Bureau report says, "the tendency in the larger countries with a population of similar character to that of the United States now seems toward an annual dea.h-rate of about 15 per 1000 or leaa." Next to pulmonary tuberculosis as a chief cause of death comes pneumonia with a rate of 149 per 100.000 of popu lation, followed by heart disease, 130.7; diarrhea and enteritis.- 122.9; Bright's disease and nephritis, 99.8; apoplexy, 71.8. and cancer. 70.8. A generally increasing mortality rate from cancer is indicated for areas where statistics for a serieB of years are available, and the report says that this is true of foreign countries as well. It is a disease against which medical science seems to be making no headway, and we are left as much In the dark respecting the reasons for its In crease as respecting its nature and the means of combatting it. DISPENSARY SCHEME A FAILURE. Politicians Head a Graft and State Paid High Price Columbia, . S. C letter In Chicago Record-Herald. The state of South Carolina has gone out of the whisky, business, and Senator Tillman's hobby, the dispensary, has col lapsed, leaving a pungent odor of cor ruption, bribery and graft, which has long been suspected, and is now being exposed by exhibiting the books, which show that the state has been paying from 25 to 75 per cent more for liquor than the catalogue prices. For example, ordinary whisky which costs 38 a case at any grocery has been billed to the state for $12; St. Julien claret, worth $4 a case, at 36.75: Bass' ale, usually sold for 31.67 a dozen, has been billed at 32; bottled cocktails have cost the people of South Carolina 38.50, when they were ad vertised for 36.50. and so on. In the set tlement of accounts the dealers have almost invariably submitted to a reduc tion, and several of them have frankly explained that the excess was required for commissions to politiciana who se cured them the trade. These exposures have been made by J. Fraser Lyon, the Attorney-General of the state, assisted by Colonel Felder, a leading attorney of Atlanta, who has gone over the dispensary accounts care fully with experts, and has compared every purchase for several years with the market price of that particular form of wet groceries on the day it was bought. The overcharges have been regular and systematic, and it is believed that they have been divided among the members of the "plunderbund," as the organization is called. There is no evi dence to show that Senator Tillman par ticipated in the graft, but members of the Investigating committee declare that they have evidence to show that he knew all about it and refused to interfere. A Delpble L'tterance of Watteraon. Louisville Courier-Journal (Dem.). . I look again, and what do I see? Sen ator Jonathan Bourne. of Oregon, was right after all; so was Tom Law- eon: so was Bat Masterson. The third termers have captured the con vention. Owing to the conspiracy of Hughes, Fairbanks and Cannon, Taft lost on the first ballot by a single vote! Then, of a sudden from the southwest corner of the hall--comes a ripping, rushing sound the delega tion from Arizona, flanked by the del egation from Hawaii sounds the bold anthem the wardogs of New Mexico and Porto Rico are howling down the center aisle sweep the' legions of civil service reform, led by Hitchcock and Bonaparte in a twinkling New York changes her vote from Hughes to Roosevelt Ohio catches the infec tion the solid South, with Clay Ev ans In the lead, brings up the rear guard, crushing even Foraker and his black horse cavalry from the back of the stage a screen Is unrolled and a banner of prearranged electric lights bursts upon the view, and we read in blazing letters "Four years more Of Theodore " and. amid the blare of trumpets and the howling of voices, and the crash ing of bands, up In the gallery Hetty Green shakes her bombazine skirts and hoists her red cotton umbrella, and says: "What was it I told you, you idiote?" Now Boys. All Tosetbrr! Baltimore News. Mrs. Hetty Green says that she would prefer her daughter marrying "a live, energetic newspaper man" in prefer ence to any duke or count that ever lived.- There seems to be no limit to that woman's rare judgment and good common sense. Bill's Bad End. Bt. Louts Post-Dispatch. I got a letter, parson, from my son away ont West. An' my heart's as heavy as an anvil In my breast. To think the boy whose futur I had so proudly planned. Should wander from the nath of right and come to such an end. I told him when he left ua only three short years aeo. He'd find himself a j,lowln In a mighty rocky row. He'd miss his father, counsels, and hi. mother's prayers, too. But he said the farm was hateful and he rruessed he'd have to go. I know there's bif temutatlon for a youngster in the. West. But I thought our Billy had the eourajre to resist. An" when he left us I warned him of the ever-waiting- snares. That He like hidden sarpenta in life's path way everywheree. But Bill he promised faithful to be keerfuU and allowed He'd build a reputation that would make us mighty proud. But it seems aa how my counsels aort o' faded from his mind. And now the boy's in trouble of the very worste.t kind. His letter, came eo seldom that I somehow sort ,of knowed That Billy was a-travellns In a mirhty rocky road. But never once imaained he would bow my head In shame. And In the dust woudl waller hla old daddy. honored name. He writes from out in Denver, and th. storv. mig-hty short. I just can't tell his mother, it would break her poor old heart. An' so I reckon, parson, you might break the news to her, BtU'a been sent to Congretuh hut ha. doesn't any what fex. BOOr ik' yi ITHIN the past few days, tha VA cables toll us. Enslish authors have, with praiseworthy effort. boen Interesting themselves in public af- taira. For Instance, an anti-censor dfra onstration called on a governmental of ficial, and J. M. "Thrum." Barrio, ofin called the shyest man in England, made the opening speech, and A. Pinero and Sir William S. Gilbert also spoke against such an unpopular official as a play-examiner. An agitation Is now going on to try to secure . the liberty of a little airl who has recently been sentenced to five years' imprisonment in an English reforma tory for what cause is not made ciear and ainonr those who have made strong representations to the British government against this seemingly severe sentence are Eden Phiilpots and Beatrice Harradcn, the latter of "Ships That Pass in the Night" fame. Tile case of Nicholas Tchaikovsky, a Russian, who is well ,-nown In England and who for a political offense is now a prisoner in the fortress of Saints Peter and Paul, is also winninc the symrn- thies of the literary profession over the seas. Among those foremost in the agi tation to try to secure clemency . for Tchaikovsky and Thomas Hardy, he of "Tess" fame, Mrs. Humphrey Ward and George Meredith. Jerome K. Jerome and W. W. Jacobs are running against each other hard to secure the crown of the pre-eminent humorist of England. Mr. Jacobs is tak ing life easily at his Essex home and says that the only literary work on which he ' is at present engaged is a novel entitled "Salthaven," which- is appearing serially and will be Issued In book form this Fall. Mr. Jerome is working around Brussels on his way back from Switzerland, and reports that he has many literary irons in the fire. In a few weeks from now he promises a book of short essays and In the Fall a volume he calls "The Pass ing of the Third Floor Back." which is -described as - "collection of tales of a mystical character." Mr. Jerome also plans to finish before long a light, humor ous novel. The title of Miss Sedgwick's new novel will probably be "Annabel Chan nice." "The scene," says Miss Sedgwick, "Is laid In England, and the theme is very dramatic a knot sharply unraveled In the space of about one week. There are four characters, and no more, of any Importance Annabel Channlce: her son, Augustine: her husband. Sir Hugh Channice, and anotner woman. Lady Elliston. The story centers in the 'rela tion of Lady Channice to her son, a boy of 19, and to her husband, from whom she la separated." Miss Sedg wick Is therefore going again to pre-! sent the study of a middle-aged hero-1 ine. The authoress concludes her revala--tions by exclaiming. "I think I cannot j say any more, without .'giving away' my story:" Sir John Tenniel was 88 the other tlav, i and from his life of retirement in Maidu!. Hill can look back on a career of wonder--ful Industry, during which he drew some.; 2500 Punch cartoons, and a far more! memorable feat made the original "Alice' In Wonderland" illustrations. a Suitably enough, Herbert M. Hopkins' new story "Priest and Pagan" will be! issued at the same time as Rev. Wash-! ington Gladden s "The Church and Mod-' em Life." for in the very preface the author proudly saya. referring to the dis turbed, self-conscious period through which the church is passing, "The way of life is not obscure, and it seems al most absurd to indultre the fear that the church, after toeing providentially guided through so many centuries, will fail to find 1L" Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens, young est son of the famous novelist of that name, shows that he Inherits a good share of his distinguished father's humor. Th younger Dickens Is a member of Par liament in Australia, and not very long ago was interrupted in the course of a speech he was making by a snappish member named Willis. "Mr. Speaker," said Mr. -Dickens, with biting sarcasm, "It may be remembered by some present that my father coined an expression which attained some popu larity. 'Barkis is willin". The circum stances of today are such that I am strongly tempted to reverse the picture and say 'Willis is barkin'.' " It is hinted that tor the time being Mr. Willis was crushed. Mis. Frances Hodgson -Burnett's last novel, "The Shuttle." is now in its fifth edition. This, according to the publishers, brings the total copies issued to a num 'ber somewhat in excess of lflO.OuO. The book is still quoted as a "best seller." From the public library reports it also ranks first in frequency of demand. a It is related by those who ought to know that at a certain social gathering recently an enthusiastic admirer greeted Mrs. O. Henry, the wife of the novelist, who was present on the occasion, with a hurst of unconcealed delight. "Oh, -Mrs. O. Henry." she exclaimed. "I have been just longing for this opportunity and I am sure you will not deny me. Could you will you tell me why It is that your husband always dresses his heroines in crepe de chine?" The query proved too much for Mrs. O. Henry, who accordingly referred the matter that evening to her husband. After a painful interval of silence the novelist replied, with a somewhat feeble attempt at a smile, "Why, the fact is, my dear, there are only two kinds of material used for feminine clothing with which I am personally familiar. One of these is crepe de chine and the other is calico. Now. on thinking the matter over carefully, it did not seem appropriate to dress a heroine in calico, so 1 adopted the simple and happy expedient of ar raying them all In crepe de chine.' "The Judgment of Eve" is the title given to May Sinclair's new novel, issued simultaneously by Harpers with Mr. Howells' "Fennel and Rue." this week. Reprints of Thackeray's "Contributions to Punch" and two novels by Wilkle Col lins, "Man and Wife" and "I Say No," are also announced. a Tn his new work, "The Prolongation or Life," Elie Metrhnlkoff. subdirector of the Pasteur Institute, Paris, explains at great length, in the liRht of additional knowledge gained in the last few years, his main thesis that human life is not only unnaturally short, but unnaturally burdened with physical and mental dis abilities. Be analyzes the causes of these disharmonies and explains his reasons for hoping that they may be counteracted by a rational hygiene. "Interpretation of the Bible." by Tro fessor George Holley Gilbert. D. D., formerly of Chicago Theological Semi nary, covers the earliest rabbinic -interpretation of the Old Testament and its interpretation by Phiio; then its use by Jesus. . which the author regards as of fundamental significance, ' though quite neglected In the past, and its use by the New Testament writers: the interpreta tion of early Christian writers from Clem ent of Rome to Irenaeus; the Alexan drian and Syrian types of Biblical ex egesis; mediaeval Interpretation; Interpre tation as practiced by tne reformers; inter pretation in the 17th and 18th centuries; and finally the great movement toward a more scientific interpretation which has marked the past 50 years. The book gives illustrations from early writings, with critical comments thereon, and is ful.y thnugh not blindly In sympathy with what is known as "modernism" in the roojrenien.t.