8
THE 3IORNTXG OREGON AX, TJ3TJRSD AT, JULY 9, 1908.
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' PORTLAND. THURSDAY. JULY 9. 1908.
FROM 1806 TO 1008.
Mr. Bryan is a great man today. His
'party is chained to his triumphal
chariot. There Is plenty of protest
within the party, but the protest Is
, cowed, subdued, ineffective. Behind the
movement for Bryan there are no defi
nite principles or purposes. The
, Bryan of today is not a crusader, as
' In 1896, fired with an Idea or purpose.
He is an opportunist, seeking votes;
conciliatory, not aggressive or defiant.
:No particle of the spirit of 1896 is in
him, or in the convention that makes
: him its candidate.
; The year 18 96 fell within a period
of industrial depression and general
discontent. Everything concentrated
; the thought of those who felt the
pinch of the times, yet couldn't reason
out the cause or the means of relief,
' upon free coinage of silver as the rem
edy. So intense was this thought that
the use of a single phrase by Bryan,
.'timed for the occasion, set his party
"wild: and It nominated him. There Is
show of enthusiasm for him now. But
there is no life in it. It is the manu
factured article; it is simulation.
Never In all the history of our poli
' tics has fundamental error been pre
sented in so seductive a form as In the
Bryan campaign of 1896. It simply
set men wild, all men to whom that
sort of thing could appeal. Effort to
repeat It was made in 1900, but it was
merely an attempt to galvanize a
corpse Into life. In 1904 the patty,
by a plunge, attempted another
course, only to fail more signally than
before. It now comes back to Bryan,
but with no such material as it. had
before, for incantation and spellbind
ing. Free coinage or sliver was "tne
insane root that takes the reason
prisoner." There Is nothing to answer
to It or to correspond with it now.
The Bryan of today, therefore, cast
ing about for materials out of which
to make a platform, supplies no part
of the inspiration that came from the
spontaneous effort of 1896. Successful
opportunism does not proceed from
calculation; it comes from impulse,
catches the moment that carries men's
minds away. Is strong in proportion as
it acts on instinct and without delib
eration, and falls when it sits down
to weigh or balance its judgments as
to this policy or that. Bryan's plat
form of 1S96 was a spontaneous out
burst; his platform of 1908 comes
from a cold yet sophistical prudence,
which has lost half its power by losing
tha whnln forre rf its incnirsi tion . ATr
Bryan started as a crusader and revo
lutionist. To such, deliberation is
fatal. Think of the leader of such a
movement puzzling over his platform
ana trying to aeciae wnetner mis or
that utterance in it would gain adher
ents or repel them!
Mr. Bryan is now trying to appear
. in more conservative character than
heretofore. By this he will gain votes
from one quarter, but will lose votes
'hind his campaign this year so intense
as that of 1896. The whole spirit of
discontent, with which the country
then was aflame, was concentrated on
a single thought, which appeared as a
magical remedy. That it was merely
'a delusion made no difference at all;
'or If any, it was only thereby the
stronger. As a catch-phrase of poli-
', Pa-aa. nnlnai,i nf ellva, nav 1. .. A
.an equal. Xow, we are to get a com
plicate platform which contains no
single expressldn, announces no single
purpose, upon which general attention
may be fixed, or by which it may be
'challenged.
The contest of this year will not be
so Intense as that of 1896. The fight
for or against Bryan will nowhere be
; .so fierce as it was then. Tet his vote
may prove to be larger proportionate-
.li- , h, ,i n haMlnfnro Tha.a. la o lYanere
I spirit of opposijn, having indeed no
t 'common purposes, but actuated in
'many ways by most opposite purposes.
. " "
r Just for the sake of giving expression
'that will Qinanr htm na Its anH rlntA
H.to dissatisfaction, and of voicing the
' desire for change of parties in the gov
' ernment. This spirit is, however, ex
ceedingly tame compared with that of
189S.
LEGISLATIVE FAVORITISM.
.' Whether the City Council has or has
not authority to exempt a particular
individual from the operation of a
general ordinance is not a mere aca-
demlc question. It goes to the roots
1 of orderly government The theory of
i our American institutions is that every
) man is equal before the law. Legis
; lative bodies are supposed to give no
, privileges to one citizen which are not
open to all upon the same terms, and
to Impose no restrictions upon one
! which are not imposed upon all. This
' is the theory, but the practice has too
often been to enact a law which shall
I bind the mass of the people and then
proceed to make exceptions of favored
persons. Thus legislation has been
.' used as a means of injustice Instead of
Justice.
i If one man has the right to erect a
, wooden building within the fire limits,
' then all men should have the same
. right. To grant to any citizen the
,' privilege of violating a law by which
other citizens are bound is injustice so
gToss that it would not be permitted
for an Instant in a community which
' was alive to Its rights. The authority
'. to suspend the law of the land In spe
cial cases was one for which the Stuart
'Kings of England long contended, and
-. to which the people of that country
resolutely refused to submit. What is
law for one man, they contended, must
i be law for all men. and they won their
fight. But the victory which our Bfit
Ish ancestors gained by the sword we
are in imminent danger of losing by
our negligence. There Is no exhibition
of tyranny more detestable than fa
voritism in the execution of the law.
There is no injustice which a free peo
ple ought to resent more swiftly and
more bitterly than the grant to one
man of the right to break a law which
all other men must obey. If 'City
Councils are ultimately abolished, the
Inveterate habit of legislative favor
itism which seems to beset them will
be one of the principal causes.
IDAHO'S POLITICAL GAMBLER.,
The Denver convention has let In
the Dubois delegation, at the behest of
its renegade leader, whom Bryan up
holds for his service to silver on the
holy ratio. This cheap politician (Du
bois), who had exhausted every other
resource, took up his attack on the
Mormons as his last expedient. He
had been a great silver advocate, and
mustn't be turned down.
But this assault of a "desperate and
utterly played-out politician on the
Mormon Church which, whatever any
enemy may think of it. Is as well en
titled to tolerance as any other relig
ious sect "or organization will turn
every Mormon vote in the mountain
states against Bryan. Perhaps Idaho
and Utah and Wyoming, with their
nine votes, may decide the election.
But this isn't the main part of the
matter. The injustice is done at Den
ver, that Dubois, an utterly discredited
politician, of no principles, might still
have a standing, because he had been
a favorite champion of silver and sup
porter of Bryan. But Idaho will still
repudiate him the more determinedly
because of this proceeding. There is
growing hatred of political gamblers.
CHAUTAUQUA.
The Chautauqua Assembly at Glad
stone opens more prosperously than
ever this year. The corps of teachers
is numerous and able. The hot
weather is propitious to tent life. The
crowds "are unprecedented. The "tal
ent" which will amuse and edify the
multitudes Is more attractive than
heretofore. What makes so many
people attend the lectures and classes
at Chautauqua Assemblies? Do they
go merely out of curiosity, the crude
desire to hear and see celebrated per
sons? Very likely this motive plays
its part, but there are others.
The love of amusement must also be
taken into account. .Even granting
that Chautauqua amusements are a
little pale and blqodless, still they suf
fice for men and women who have
passed the heyday of their years and
are content with mild excitement. Nor
must we forget, in summing up the at
tractions of Chautauqua, that life out
of doors has a perennial charm for
many people of healthy tastes. The
open air, the tent, the rude cookery,
the unconventional manners of the
grove, give wholesome pleasure and
make a refreshing break in the rou
tine of life.
But after all It must be admitted
that the great majority of the Chau
tauquans are in search of instruction.
They are people who wish to round
out little defects in their schooling, or,
perhaps, who never went to school at
all. There are many elderly students
In the Chautauqua classes. Some of
them have taken their first excursion
into the world of knowledge through
Its verdant gates. Originally the
Chautauqua idea of giving freely to
the multitude the best there is in lit
erature, science and art was much
scoffed at. Pedants wailed that it was
a prostitution of their lofty trade se
crets. But all that has passed away.
Nobody now believes that learning is
desecrated- by being imparted to a
farmer's wife or a village carpenter.
Each jug holds what it can of the pre
cious flood. Nobody Is the worse for
it and some are better. Who shall say
how many lives have been made
worthier by the Chautauqua Idea In
education? Even the staid universi
ties are beginning to catch it. Some
thing of the magic glamor of admis
sion examinations has faded and fac
ulties are beginning to see that educa
tion ought to be freely offered to
everybody who asks for it. Some pre
dict that the university of the future
will be very much like a perpetual
Chautauqua Assembly, open to all the
world, old and young. The all-Important
question asked of students will be,
not "How much did you know when
you came?" but "How much have you
learned while you were here?"
AIN'T IT HOT? '
Men who are doing hard muscular
work seldom suffer sunstroke, no mat
ter how hot the weather may be. The
man who is stricken down is likely to
be a staid citizen decently clad in a
black frock coat with a tall silk hat
on his head and half a pound of beef
steak in his stomach. Excessive meat
eating slays its thousands every Sum
mer, while beer and whisky slay their
tens of thousands. The reason why
the man at hard labor in his shirt
sleeves suffers but little from the heat
is, In the first place, that he is usually
in good health and spirits. This pro
vides him with a fundamental resist
ing power worth all the good advice
and bad drugs In the world.
In the second place, most fortunate
ly for his welfare, he does not over
eat himself for the excellent reason
that he cannot afford it. If he had
the means he would doubtless be as
egregious a glutton as his capitalist
neighbor, but a beneficent Providence
has seen to it that his means are lim
ited. Hence he dines temperately and
survives the heat wave, while the sump
tuous plutocrat succumbs. Another
advantage of the shirted proletarian
In the struggle with ardent tempera.
tures is that he wears only such cloth
ing as decency demands. Sometimes
he falls a little short of her code, and
if he does It is all the better for his
health. He who goes beyond decency
and submits himself to the behests of
fashion puts his life in peril. When
fervent heat consumes the earth and
the sun sheds his withering rays upon
our heads, a stiff collar is a defiance
of fae. Searched bosoms invite
destruction. . The laborer in his flan
nel shirt sets us all an example which
we fail to Imitate only because we are
slaves to custom.
The thick flannel shirt Is really a
cool and hygienic garment on a hot
day, because it makes Its wearer sweat.
Nobody ever suffers a sunstroke while
he is in what Lady Euphemia politely
calls a "glow,"' and the dago ditch-
digger calls a "sweat." The dripping
skin is cooled by evaporation and
keeps the whole interior oiled, just as
wise people in the tropics hang por
ous jugs of water to cool in the blazing
sun. We are nothing but jugs of por
ous earthenware. So long" as evapora
tion proceeds everywhere upon our
outer surfaces, we shall be cool and
serene. No man can be religious in
Summer who does not sweat. Satanic !
Influences are exuded through the
pores along with glacifying liquids.
When we stop sweating we bottle up
the fiend, as it were, and he begins to
rage within, driving us to desperation
as he did those antique brethren of
ours in the country of the Gadarenes.
Next to work In the field or ditch,
the best way to keep up a perspira
tion is to drink floods of water. If we
put enough of this purifying fluid into 1
our stomachs, it must come out -in
some way, and a portion of it is pretty
sure to ooze through the pores. Thus
they are opened and cleansed. Learned
physicians also point out that water is
far preferable to beer or gin for wash
ing our internal possessions and mak-.
ing them hale. In hot weather water
both within and without is man's best
medicament, though in these wiser
years we have learned to beware some
what of the matutinal Ice J5ath so
much - lauded at one time. The cold
tub taken to the lark's wild song is
for many-people a snare. It saps the
strength which were better, employe!
in resisting the fury of the sun.
Another good prophylactic against
sunstroke is not to worry, but as a '
Portland clergyman has pointed out in
The Oregonian, if we don't worry we
shall stagnate. Calmness Is a merit
possessed in the highest degree by
dead people and duckponds. Let us
go on worrying, therefore, and ward
oft the effect of the heat by keeping
up a dripping perspiration.
NO DCTY ON HOPS.
After several weeks of agitation, at
tended with extraordinary demonstra
tions throughout the kingdom, and es
pecially in London, the British govern
ment has turned down the request of
the hopgrowers for a protective tariff
on hops. No precedent was estab
lished in this action of the government
in refusing the demand for a duty on
hops, for it has in the past, with strict
consistency and for similar reasons,
refused to levy a duty on American
commodities that find a large market
in England. The British movement
for a prohibitive duty on hops, of
course, began with the party most in
terested, the British hopgrower. This
is strictly In keeping With the policy
and principle which causes the Amer
ican woolgrower, cottongrower, steel
maker or any other producer of a
commodity for which there is a uni
versal demand, to howl louder than
any one else against removal of the
tariff.
England, however, in the case of
hops as we'.l as a great many other
commodities, seems to have settled the
question on the equitable basis dff "the
greatest good for the greatest num
ber," the English assumption being
that more people are benefited by
cheap beer than would derive advan
tage from high-priced hops. In ar
riving at this decision the government
was also undoubtedly impressed with
the belief that the brewers would off
set some of the increased cost of hops
b- substitution of harmful drugs.
British beer without an import duty
on hops is something fearful to con
template, and If it became necessary
in the interest of economy still further
to reduce Its quality, tho results might
be alarming. The temperance phase
of the matter does not enter largely
into the discussion. Centuries of mon
archical rule have brought about pe
culiar economic and social conditions,
especially in the large cities of Great
Britain.
London Punch humorously pictures
the government predicament on this
phase of the question in a sketch of
two topers discussing the Asquith li
censing bill. "Does he want to stop
our beer?" inquires the first toper.
"Not likely," retorts the second toper.
"If he- do, 'ow's 'e goln' to get the
money for our old-age pensions?"
Brewing in Great Britain is regarded
as an industry fully as legitimate as
breadmaking probably for the reason
that so many of the people prefer beer
to bread. Taking this view, it is not
surprising that the government should
refuse to enact laws that would ham
per or Interfere with the business and
increase the cost of the article for
which there is such a universal de
mand. Whatever our opinion may be
of the moral side of the question, the
logic of the policy is irresistible. If
the same principle were applied by
this country, it would be possible for
the American working-man to buy for
$20 as good a suit of woolen clothing
as the Briton now buys for $10, and
typewriters, sewing machines, steel
rails and a thousand other trust-con
trolled articles could be bought as
cheaply at the American factory as
they are now sold in foreign lands
many thousand miles away.
Great Britain has retained free trade
In hops not because it happens to
benefit the American hopgrower, but
because It lessens the cost of beer to
the British consumers. The United
States denies free trade in many com
modlties for opposite reasons. Here it
enables the enormously wealthy trusts
t- Increase beyond all reason the cost
of staple articles which the poor peo
pie are most In need of.
TEACHING CORRECT ENGLISH.
It has been pleasing to observe. In
recent years, the tendency to give
more attention to the study of English
in our public schools. The movement
in this direction has been noticeable
not only in the common schools, but
in the high schools, the university and
the Agricultural College as well. The
change has been due largely to popu
lar demand, for there was a feeling
that the young people were receiving
too little training in the use of the
mother tongue. Business men com
plained that graduates from the com
mon schools were so deficient in spell
ing and grammar that they could not
write ordinary business letters. When
college graduates went into the profes
sions or engaged in other work that
compelled them to disclose their
knowledge or lack of knowledge of
English, it was often found that their
education was lacking in this respect
As a consequence there has been not
only a strengthening of courses of
study so far as English is concerned.
but there has also been an increasing
desire on the part of students to give
a greater portion of their time to this
branch of their education.
In years gone by school officers and
boards of regents of colleges have
given particular attention to the quali
fications of instructors in other
branches, while it has been assumed
that anybody can teach English. The
country school teacher who "got
caught" on a problem in arithmetic
was ever thereafter in disgrace and his
prestige gone, but he could use almost
any sort of murderous .expression ex-
J, cept "I seen" without suffering in his
reputation as a scholar. Even now,
though courses of study have been
strengthened in English, too little at
tention Is given to the qualifications of
the men and women who teach this
subject. This is said, not of Oregon
alone, but of the schools of the coun
try as & whole. Here In Oregon we
are taking the lead in the movement
to extend the study of English, and for
this purpose the Board of Regents of
normal schools has decided that here
after English shall be one of the re
quired subjects in each of the four
years of the normal course. Our
teachers are to be better prepared
for their work in this, particu
lar. The - children. : in tha com
mon schools will give more time to the
subject, and when they go out of the
schools or pass on to the high school
and the university they will be much
better trained in the use of their na
tive language.
Not all of the records for size, ele
gant equipment and all around mag
nificence in marine architecture can be
claimed by the great trans-Atlantic
liners. The Commonwealth, the larg
est sidewheel steamboat in the world.
has Just been placed in service on the
Fall River line between New York and
Boston, and by reason of her wonder
ful proportions, luxurious furnishings
and accommodations, is attracting
much attention. This great floating
hctel Is 456 feet in length,' and 96 feet
breadth over guards, and has sleeping
accommodations for 2000 people. The
cost of the vessel was $2,000,000. The
daily operating expenses and fixed
charges against a vessel of this type
will be enormous, and, as she will be
supported almost exclusively by the
through traffic between New York and
Boston, it is quite clear that even a
frequent train service between the two
cities over one of the finest railroads
in the United States is Insufficient to
lure all of the travel from the charm
of the water.
A Teheran dispatch to a Berlin pa
per says that the Persians are much
annoyed over the increasing Russian
influence at the Persian capital, the
Cossacks being given the best of every-
ing in the way of arms and quarters.
This should occasion no surprise. Had
the revolutionists made better use of
the constitution which was given them
by the Shah, and not taken immediate
steps to relieve that ruler of all power,
there would have been no occasion for
the Shah to welcome assistance from
Russia. If the Czar shall obtain any
undue hold on Persia, It will be be
cause the Persians themselves forced
the Shah to appeal to him for assist
ance. Prior to the recent outbreak,
affairs In Persia had reached a stage
where the position of the Shah was de
cidedly hazardous. If, In protecting
himself, he has called in company that
is obnoxious to his subjects, the revo
lutionists alone are to blame for creat
ing the situation that rendered the
Cossack invasion a necessity.
The Seattle Times complains be
cause The Oregonian of June 22 stated
that Portland's bank clearings for the
preceding week showed a loss of
$2,000,000 compared with those for the
corresponding week in 1907, while the
Seattle clearings for the same period
showed a loss of $4,000,000. The exact
figures on the decrease for the week
ending June 21 were: Portland,
$2,008,366; Seattle, $3,939 259. The
average reader will hardly recognize
in this use of "round numbers" any
gross inaccuracy or justification of the
Times' charge of falsehood. Had The
Oregonian regarded the matter seri
ously, it would have carried out the
additions in full Instead of using even
numbers, as was perfectly Justifiable
when the figures were so close.
A negro convention, attaching itself
to the Democratic party, is in session
at Denver. It is said to represent
many states, and it professes to be able
to control from 250,000 to 400,000
votes. The trouble Is, it can't; but if
It could and should take all these over
to Bryan,- the act would be worth ap
plause. However, a few adventurers,
who are hunting distinction for them
selves and something else never can
accomplish a thing like this. These
dusky brothers will not tap the Demo
cratic campaign bar'l to any great ex
tent. The managers know they
wouldn't get much for their money.
and wouldn't put up. much anyway;
for Democrats are not paying the
prices now for "niggers" that they
paid before the war.
Crazy Snake is the name of the
leader of a band of Snake and Cree
Indians who are making trouble for
the authorities in Oklahoma. The red
man with the suggestive name has sent
a "defi" to both state and United
States authorities, and is apparently
about to indulge- in one more Indian
fight. His action suggests that at
least a portion of his name Is eminent'
ly appropriate.
The great automobile race at Paris
Tuesday was a grand success. The
winner of the stellar event maintained
an average speed of sixty-nine miles
per hour for nearly seven hours; two
men, one a famous driver, were killed
another man fatally injured, and a
million people witnessed the race. As
an exhilarating, thrilling sport, auto
mobile racing seems to be in a class
by itself.
The Denver convention leaves that
anti-injunction plank to a subcommit
tee consisting of Alton B. Parker and
others, expecting that it "will be satis.
factory to labor." Can this be our old
friend Judge Parker, who thought he
was a candidate for President in 1904?
The silence of Boss Murphy, which
gives so much pain to the Bryan fol
lowing, will be broken just as soon as
some one comes along making a noise
like a winning candidate. Boss Mur
phy proposes to let no available band'
wagon get by.
Freddie Dubois got in the Denver
convention by making a pitiful plea
that he was trying to carry Idaho for
Bryan. By driving all the doubtful
votes Into the Republican party.
The negro representatives at Denver
were assured that "under Democratic
rule the negro would be treated like
all other citizens." Like all other col
ored citizens, of course.
In Boston they have had nine days
of uninterrupted tropical heat. The
hub seems to be only a hot-box.
It is believed that if Mr. Bryan shall
be nominated today at Denver (or to
morrow) he will not decline.
RECORD OF GREAT OPFORTCXIST
How Bryan Ham Passed From One
"Popular Craw to A other.
Brooklyn Eagle.
Mr. Bryan, after graduation from
college and a law school In Illinois,
removed to Lincoln in Nebraska.
Thence he was twice chosen to Con
gress' between 1891 and 1895. On the
expiration of his second term he be
came a reporter for a Democratic daily ,
in Omaha, and "wrote introductions"
to its account of McKinley's nomina
tion in St, Louis In June, 1896.
Two weeks later he was nominated
for President at the Democratic Con
vention in Chicago. There never was
a more theatric transition; but - it
should be remembered that he was a
brilliant Congressman before he be
came a brilliant reporter, arid at the
Democratic Convention, as a success
ful contestant for the seat of a regu
larly elected delegate, he made a bril
liant speech for the heresy of the free
and unlimited coinage of stiver.
Grover Cleveland had forced the re
peal of silver coinage. The Chicago
convention denounced Cleveland and
the repeal. Bryan voiced the hostility
to both. He won the praise of the
silver mine owners and of the states
with politics controlled by them. He
also magnetically stirred a convention
that felt toward Mr. Cleveland the re
sentment of politicians that could nei
ther scare nor cajole that President.
The union of silver mine owners and
of the politicians whom Mr. Cleveland
had affronted and defied created an op
portunity for Mr. Bryan. He used it
and used him. The most dramatic
nomination In history resulted.
The first effect was defeat, but Mr.
Bryan increased by a cubit his stature
as an agitator, and In 1900 was renom
inated as a declaimer against "Im
perialism," as the sequence of a war
in which he was commissioned as the
Colonel of a regiment which the Mc
Klnley administration put in camp and
not in the field. Mr. Bryan was unan
imously renominated, but was badly
beaten. After each defeat and between
both he found in lecturing an occupa
tion and a revenue. This he afterward
augmented by a voyage around the
world with syndicated letters describ
ing It. The sovereigns, parliaments
and ambassadors paid honors to him
and he made a strong Impression on
them. He returned to the states with
enhanced fame.
We will not be misunderstood when
we say that ever-slnce he has Increased
his eligibility and decreased his popu
larity. A seeming but not an actual
paradox Is this. His eligibility has in
creased, because no man of his skill
and readiness in his party has appeared
to dispute the lists with him. His pop
ularity has decreased because his party
regards him only as an inevitability.
He is accepted because of the default
of others, not because of an augmenta
tion of his own strength. The persua
sion that his nomination cannot be pre
vented goes In thousands of minds with
the conviction that he can hardly be
elected, but must be got out of the way
by another nomination that will regis
ter further and final defeat.
Something more than this conclusion
of "kismet" must, however, be taken
Into account. President Roosevelt has
accomplished some of the good which:
environed much of the nonsense and
worse that was in Mr. Bryan's prior
candidacies. To the extent of this good
done by Mr. Roosevelt, Mr. Bryan has
prospered as in a degree a vindicated
man. Mr. Bryan's claim of right to
push as much of the rest of his pro
gramme as he has not renounced has
been shrewdly urged. Not a word has
he said against Mr. Roosevelt, but only
against the party that would not go
the whole of Mr. Roosevelt's length.
Moreover, Mr. Bryan has dropped
some of the heresies his two defeats
stamped out and others his travels re
futed. He has dropped free silver If
only for a;. while. He has substitutes
eventual for immediate equipment of
the Filipinos with seltrgovernment,
which both parties say they favor, dif
fering only as to the time when. Mr-
Bryan quarrels with the new currency
law, only because It does not Include
some provisions he would have added
to it. He dropped his demand for Na
tlonal seizure of the railroads to In
8l8tence on National supervision of
them, and Is now willing to forget that
he ever hinted confiscation. He tem
peramentally believes that what he fias
round will not De accepted ne really
mooted for Inquiry only, and never at
all espoused.
He can distinctly remember . what
never happened and totally forget what
did. The union of actor and of poet
In him not only enables but' compels
him to do this. Every morning of the
time between one National nomination
and another he begins life anew, like
John Brougham's King Powhattan:
"All things, said yesterday, forgot to
day. And having talked ourselves to
proper dizziness, let's now debate our
views of public business." Readers will
pardon' the alteration of a few words
to what Mr. Gilbert would call the im
provement of verisimilitude. What
George Eliot defined as a great facility
for occasional -belief Mr. Bryan illus
trates and personifies.
While the Eagle cannot support Mr.
Bryan, we would not underrate his pos
slble strength with million of un
steady or star-struck voters. The
known many who resent but accept
him will vote for him. The perhaps
unknown more, to whom the promise
of good times spoken to the ear has
been broken to the hope, may vote for
him. That liability must be combated
by reason, and the result be left to
time. No cessation of effort can be ad
vised. No over-confidence can be war
ranted. Those who Just lazily or in
stinctively assume that two defeats
assure a third may awaken In a fool's
paradise. To the feat of concurring
with hard times and lowering wage
and of winning, over both. Democracy
has never been equal but Republicans
may be, and we trust, will.
Because Mr. Bryan is unsafe we op
pose him. Because he can believe or
change belief at will,- we oppose him.
Because he Is the victim of his own
delusions we oppose him. Because he
is convinced that whatever may win
should be advocated and whatever may
lose should be renounced we oppose
him. Because he is the idol of the des
perate, fanatical, credulous and vision
ary, and makes them his confidants
and aids, we oppose him. Because he
is a Populist and not a Democrat we
oppose him. To us, to do this the duty
is plain. The consequences of duty
done belong not to those who do it.
The consequences of duty neglected or
violated or misconceived belong where
and to whom need not be said. None
of those consequences shall belong
hero.
BRYA5T A7TD THE MIDDLE WEST
There la the Battleground But He
Cannot Win Without tne East.
New York Sun.
The Honorable Joslah Quincy proclaims
that "the battleground is the Middle
West." As Mr. Quincy was closeted with
his new idol only the other day, the an
nouncement may be regarded as phono
graphic: Mr. Bryan must have told him
that the Middle West would be the bat
tleground, and, according to Mr. Quincy,
"Mr. Bryan thinks he can be elected."
The returned pilgrim coldly refused to
make any prediction himself, but it oc
curred to him that "Mr. Bryan has al
ways had a strong following in Ohio."
The McKinley plurality in Ohio in 1S96
was 48.497, and it was 69,036 in 1900. Mr.
Quincy has conveniently forgotten these
figures. His impression that Mr. Bryan
was staking his chances upon Republican
dissensions was no doubt Imparted to him
by the candidate in strict confidence. By
this time the Democratic party ought to
have learned that there are no rainbows
for It in Republican storm clouds but
then the Democratic party never learns
anything to its advantage. Nevertheless
the Quincy tip reveals the Bryan strat
egy: hope of electoral votes from the East
is not seriously entertained, and the can
didate, harboring no doubt of his nomi
nation, is planning to take the Middle
West from the Republican party. The
uninstructed delegates will be told when
they submit that the entire East Is alien
to Mr. Bryan that it matters not, that
he will have enough electoral votes In
the boundless West, together with the
South, to seat him in the White House.
We doubt if particulars will be forth
coming, even from Mr. Bryan's loudest
barkers."
No plausible tally of votes with the
Eas left out could elect Mr. Bryan
nothing, indeed, would but a flocking
of independent voters and seceding Re
publicans to the apostle of repudiation
and antl-tmperiallsm, such an overturn
and sweep as elected Mr. Cleveland In
1892. If Mr. Bryan could carry Indiana,
Ohio, Kansas and Nebraska, in addition
to the solid South and Missouri, he would
have 207 electoral votes and would be 35
short of a majority. He would still fall
of election If he carried Colorado, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Wyoming
and Utah. The most credulous Bryanfte
could not discern a rainbow in Illinois,
Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan or Minnesota,
states which have rolled up enormous Re
publican majorities since 1892. There is
no surface indication, no subterranean
rumbling, no film of a sign In the sky,
to give the Democratic party under the
leadership of the twice defeated any hope
that the verdict of the embattled voters
in the great Middle West would be in his
favor.
It is an Impudent confidence game to
urge such a phenomenon as a reason why
Mr. Bryan should be nominated for Pres
ident. If the delegates believe it they
will believe anything that the moon is
made of green cheese, that the sun sets
in the East.
THAT "TRIBUTE" TO CLEVELAND
Democrats Fall to Honor Him Where
He Deserves Honor.
PORTLAND, Or., .July 8. (To the
Editor.) Nothing better shows how far
the Democratic party has got away
from itself than the fact that it was
found impossible, without offending the
Democratic party and its present idol,
to eulogize Mr. Cleveland for what
most deserved the approbation of his
country. Mr. Cleveland's great title to
distinction was thaf"he put down, the
Chicago insurrection and preserved the
gold standard. His administrations
otherwise were creditable, but not
great. In these two things he was
great. He maintained two principles
necessary to the life and the honor of
the Government its power to preserve
order and its duty to maintain the pub
lic credit. But these two great achieve
ments had to be cut out of the resolu
tions offered In memory of him before
they could be acceptable. He would
have fared better at Chicago.
MARTIN L. PIPES.
Likes Editorial on "Liberty."
VANCOUVER, Wash., July 7. (To
the Editor.) I wish to express my
deep appreciation of the editorial on
liberty In this morning's Oregonian.
It Is one of the very best, clearest and
most sensible of all the able editorials
I have ever seen. As the writer says,
it is time that orators and novel-writers
should quit asserting that republics
were unstable. It is the monarchies
that are in the greatest danger, and
have the most bloody riots and the
most terrible "red Sundays." Such edi
torials are deserving of the highest
praise.
GLENN N. RANCK.
Why Johnson Quits.
New York Evening Post.
We begin to understand why Gov
ernor Johnson of Minnesota refuses to
stand for another term. The Republi
cans have got a candidate for the Gov
ernorship who is not only a Swede, but
has the great political advantage of
eating pie with a knife! Even "the
poor-house1 candidate," as they used to
call Johnson, could hardly hope to meet
such a man on equal terms. Jacobson
bids fair, like Kit-Kat, to be "made
immortal by his pies."
An Interviewer Balked.
Washington Star.
"What do you think of the plat
form?" "It's a fine platform," answFered the
candidate.
"But you have your personal opin
ions about Borne parts of it."
"None whatever. A platform Is es
pecially designed to relieve a man in
my position from the necessity of hav
ing personal opinions."
The Question.
New York Sun.
What respectable, responsible, con
servative Democrat of the old Democ
racy lives today that Is willing, for the
sake of the Vice-President's title and
salary, and a gambling chance with
death, to become the stool-pigeon of
Bryanism, such as it has been, is, and
will continue to be?
To Average Up.
Omaha Bee.
The Denver convention might better
its average by nominating Bryan and
Parker. Mr. Bryan is Just as unpopu
lar In the East as Judge Parker is in
the WeBt.
The School Child Up to Date.
Puck.
Make -haste to school, my Uttla child.
Or else you will be late:
Your books are all aseptic now.
And here's your sterile slate.
Your pencil has been boiled an hour
'Tls germlss. now. I hope;
And don't forget to wash your desk
With this carbolic soap.
And lest about the schoolroom floor
Some unseen microbes lurk.
Just sprinkle formaline around
Before you set to work.
Tou'd better put, for safety's sake,
Bichloride In the ink;
And water that has not been boiled
You must not dare to drink.
Of- course, when recess comes around.
Some food you'll want to munch;
.. So In this disinfected box
Is predlgested lunch.
And since 'tis said that in a kiss
Bacteria may dwell,
' I may not give you. as I'd like,
mother's fond farewell.
ALBAXY BIBLE SCHOOL PLAX3
Regular Courses or Instruction by
Noted Men.
ALBANY. Or.. July 8. (Special.) In the
Summer Bible School In this city July 17
to 27 It Is assured that more than 10
people from various parts of the state
will take the course of study. This will
be an Innovation In religious work In
Oregon, and If the venture" proves suc
cessful It Is purposed to make It an an
nual event, similar to the Chautauquas.
The site for the school has boen selected
In Bryant's Park and a big tent will b
erected there next week. The forenoons
will be devoted to the regular courses of
instruction on different phases of tha
Bible, while the afternoons will be taken
up with special conferences, and lectures
in accordance with the programme, here
tofore announced. The evenings will be
devoted to addresses and special pro
grammes, which will be public events.
The regular courses for the school are
as follows: "The Psalms." Rev. R. H.
Washburne. D. D.. of the Kimball School
of Theology, Willamette Vniversity,
Salem; "The Minor Prophets." Rev. Sel
by Frame Vance, D. D- of Lne Theolog
ical Seminary, Cincinnati; "The Paulina
Epistles," also conducted by Dr. Vance;
"Inductive Studies in the Gospels." Rev.
Franklin H. Geselbracht. D. D., formerly
of Chicago, who has accepted the pastor
ate of the First Presbyterian Church of
Albany; "Religious Pedagogy." also by
Dr. Geselbracht; "Home Missions." Rev.
W. S. Holt, D. D., of Portland, field secre
tary Home Missions for the Pacific Coast:
"Young People's Work," Rev. C. T. Hurd.
of Corvallls, president of Oregon State
Christian Endeavor Union and secretary
of Y. M. C. A. of Oregon Agricultural
College; "Thev Rural Church," Rev.
George T. Nesmlfh, of New Lenox. 111.:
"Sunday School Methods," Professor
James F. Ewlng, of Portland Academy,
superintendent of the-Sunday school o
the First Presbyterian Church of Port
land, who has recently attended the In
ternational Sunday School convention nt
Louisville. Ky.
President H. M. Crooks, of Albany Col
lege, who is In charge of arrangements
for the Summer school. Is not overlook
ing the entertainment features of the con
vention. Special musical and other en
tertainment features are being arranged.
President Crooks is also planning consid
erable recreation. A tennis tournament
will be held and there will be two base
ball games between the ministers and the
lawmen who attend the school. A field
meet may also be held. Launch trips on
the Willamette and Calapooia Rivers,
which pass the opposite sides of the- park
In which the school will be held, will also
be a pleasant feature.
BIDS MUST ALL BE SET ASIDE
Eugene Cannot Sell Bonds at Less
Than Par, Says Charter.
EUGENE. Or.. July 8. (Special.) The
Council in special session tonight set
aside the bids that were in for the pur
chase of the $300,000 water bonds to be
used in the construction of a city water
Bystem. The bids called for a, commis
sion to be paid the bidders and since the
city charter declares that no bonds shall
be sold for less than par, the City Attor
ney held that the offers could not be
accepted.
The Council authorized Mayor Matlock
and City Attorney Bean to go to Portland
to arrange, If possible, with the bidders
to make their offers conform to law.
The matter will be -taken up at the end
of the week. No action was taken on the
proposed transfer of the present water
system from the Willamette Valley Com
pany to the city.
REHEARIXG OF NORWOOD CASH
Suit for Damages to Bridge to Be
Opened Again.
OLYMPIA, Wash., July 8. (Special.)
The State Supremo Court has granted
a rehearing in the Chehalis County
case of A. J. West against the owner of
the steamer Norwood, and will hear
the case again at its session In Octo
ber. The steamer Norwood ran into
the bridge built by A. J. West across
the Chehalis River at Aberdeen and did
great damage to the structure. JudpL
ment was recovered in the lower court
for $13,751 damages. Last October the
Supreme Court decided that the State
Court did not have Jurisdiction, that it
was an admiralty case, set aside the
judgment and ordered the case dis
missed. The motion for the rehearing
was filed last Winter.
Grants Pass to Have Market Day.
GRANTS PASS. Or., July 8. (Special.)
The Idea of having a monthly market
day, at which time cattle, hogs, sheep
and all other farm products are to he
sold In open markeit, meets with favor
among the merchants of this city. With
preliminary plans well worked out, the
first market day will occur July 18. This
new enterprise will be largely advertised
all over the country and made a special
feature on the days of such sales. This
method of bringing tockraisers. fruit
growers, business and commercial men
together it is thought will stimulate trade
and assist materially in raising the stand
ard In all p-gricultural lines.
Linn County After Cherry Prlne.
ALBANY, Or., July 8. (Special.) Linn
County will enter the competition at the
Salem Cherry Fair for the $150 silver cup
for the best county exhibit of cherries.
The Albany Commercial Club today de
termined upon this action. A committee
consisting of County Fruit Inspector E. C
Roberts, of Lebanon: ex-County Judge C.
H. Stewart, of Albany, and M. L. Forster,
of Tangent, is in charge of the arrange
ments. About 75 boxes of cherries have
already been promised for the exhibit
and it is expected that the total display
will comprise twice that number.
Run of Fish Improves.
ASTORIA. Or., July 8. (Special.) The
run of fish shows another improvement
last night, and some of the launches
were compelled to make extra trips to
the lower harbor today to bring their
catch. The run, while, not one of the
large ones of former years, is still suffi
cient to keep the canneries busy, as the
fish average small and the most of them
are sent to the canning plants.
Plans Another Street Fair.
HILLSBORO, Or., July 8 (Special. )
Preparations are under way for another
big street fair here this Fall. It Is the
intention to give more time to an exhibit
of livestock than heretofore, and cash
prizes will be distributed to winners.
Last Fall the fair was more than cred
itable and the managers think they can
improve, on all the exhibits at the com
ing event. Racing will be given a place
on the programme.
Dispute Leads to Assault.
EUGENE, Or., July 8. (Special.)
Contractor John Chezem. of Springfield,
was arrested this afternoon by Con
stable Plank on the charge of assault
with a dangerous weapon upon John
Berkshire at Creswell, on July 3. He
was bound over to the Circuit Court.
The dispute leading to the assault arose
while Chezem was engaged in building
the new oddfellows' hall at Creswell.
Breaks His Wrist.
OREGON CITY, Or., July g. (Special.)
Irvine Hoar, while exercising on the
gymnasium platform In Gladstone Park
this morning, was pushed off the plat
form and fell, breaking his wrist.