8
THE MORNING OREGONIATf SATURDAY, JULY 25, 1908.
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PORTLAND. SATURDAY, JULY SS. 1008.
THE PRESIDENT'S COMMENT.
Of the eighty-five millions of the
"L'nited States scarcely one who reads
anything failed to read what Presi
dent Roosevelt said yesterday about
the decision of the United States
Court of Appeals in the Standard Oil
case. The Associated Press reported
him with absolute accuracy. It sup
plies news for Journals of all the vary
ing shades of politics, and it cannot
afford to make mistakes. The first
statement was this, viz:
The President haa directed the Attorney
General immediately to take steps for re
trial of the Standard Oil cae. The reversal
of the decision of the lower court does not
in any shape or way touch ' the merits of
the case, except insofar as the sise of the
line Is concerned. There is absolutely no
question of the guilt of the defendents or
of the exceptionally grave character of the
offense.
The statement is as characteristic
of Roosevelt as any of the statements
made by Cleveland, or by Lincoln, or
by Napoleon, which you find in the
memoirs of them. As to authorship
and genuineness in the present case
there is no possibility of mistake. In
our old dramatic literature there was
collaboration in the making of numer
ous plays, in which Shakespeare had
a hand. To the reader who has
caught the Shakespearean spirit it is
apparent at once where the work of
the poet paramount in these plays be
gin and where it ends. So likewise, it is
easy to separate the original parts of
the Jewish and Christian Scriptures
from the later glosses and additions.
"There Is," says President Roosevelt,
"absolutely no question of the guilt of
the defendants (In these proceedings
against Standard Oil), nor of the ex
ceptionally grave character of the of
fense." You would know the author
ship of that expression if you met it
in a strange land. This follows:
The President would regard it as a gross
miscarriage of Justice, If through any tech
nicalities of any kind the defendant escaped
the punishment which would unquestionably
nave been meted out to any weaker defend
ant who had been guilty of such offense.
The President will do everything in his
power to avert or prevent such miscarriage
of Justice.
It is a statement quite as character
istic as the other, and even more em
phatic. "It would be a miscarriage of
justice if, through technicalities of
any kind, the defendant should es
cape the punishment which would un
questionably have been meted out to
any weaker defendant." Though the
penalty was very heavy, and open to
criticism on the ground that it ex
ceeded the proportion of the. specific
offense, the country does not, nor can
Jt, forget that the offenses of this
monster have been cumulative, and
long since reached mountainous pro
portions with no means hitherto of
abatement or redress. It was. an er
ror, doubtless, to hold that the rebate
en each carload, instead of on each
shipment, constituted a separate and
distinct offense; but that the offense
was committed, and has been commit
ted continually throughout the long
career of the Standard Oil Company,
Js undoubted. It is to this crime.
mainly, that it owes the monopolistic
position it has achieved, and so far
maintains.
The grounds on which the court
lias sent back the case for re-trlal are
regarded by the President, as the pub
lic regards them merely subterfuges.
The result Is "a miscarriage of jus
tice." It is subterfuge to urge that
the New Jersey corporation is being
punished for offenses to which it was
not a party. The Indiana corporation
is a child of the New Jersey corpora
tion, legitimate, yet misbegotten. The
parent corporation should not be per
mitted to disown its children. To vary
the metaphor or Illustration, all these
corporations are sections of the same
tapeworm; or to vary it again, are
links of the same sausage made out of
the same dog.
Judge Grosscup, who, apparently
iias had the chief part In framing the
opinion that protects this vast mon
eter, "In bulk mora huge than that
pea-beast leviathan, which God of all
his works created hugest that swim
the ocean stream" Judge Grosscup,
It is announced, wants to quit the
bench and resume his practice as a
corporation lawyer. The Standard Oil
Company certainly can pay him more
than the United States can or will.
Of the offense committed by the de
fendant there was no doubt. If the
penalties were deemed too heavy and
certainly they were very heavy why
couldn't the court have reduced them,
Instead of putting up the subterfuge
lor the offender, that it was wrong to
punish one corporation for the unlaw
ful and oppressive acts of another
when that other Is a mere dummy,
creature, agent, or offspring (whether
in legitimacy or In bastardy) of the
original offender, brought into exist
ence to defy through Irresponsibility
the laws of the country and the de
mands of the people for fair and
honorable dealing?.
President Roosevelt is soon to retire
Irom office, because he could not ac
cept a third term; but when one reads
what he says about Standard Oil and
other corporation abuses It may be
just as well to keep It In mind that
Sir. Roosevelt would not be giving Mr.
Taft his support for the succession in
the Presidency were he not assured
that Mr. Taft's views and purposes
on these and other important matters
are in accord with his own.
Confidence in the correctness of the
decision of the Federal Court in the
Standard Oil case will be severely
shaken by the disclosure that In two
important particulars the appellate
court misquoted the decision of the
lower court. In one Instance, the ap
pellate court sets forth as error the
action of the trial court in excluding
certain testimony as to the ignorance
of the Standard Oil official concern
ing the rebate hie company was re
ceiving. The record shows, however,
that this testimony was not excluded
but was admitted, over the objection
of the prosecution, so that in this par
ticular the defense had no cause for
complaint. The other instance was
that- in which the appellate court
quoted Trial Judge Landis as refer
ring to the New Jersey corporation as
no virgin offender, whereas the refer
ence was to the Indiana corporation,
which was upon trial. The question
naturally arises whether the appellate
court was more accurate in other par
ticulars than this. News dispatches
contain the information that the de
cision was hurried, because the judge
who rendered It, Judge Grosscup, de
sires to retire' from the bench. The
report that there was haste in con
sidering the questions involved may
easily be credited.
THE OLYMPIC GAMES.
A fair field and no favors Is all that
the American citizen asks in any kind
of a contest. That is all that was de
manded by the American athletes at
London. Had it been accorded them
they would have carried off the lion's
share of prizes in spite of their small
numerical strength. It is regrettable
in the extreme that the friendly rival
ry which is supposed to characterize
the Olympic games should have been
disturbed by unfair treatment such as
has been so apparent throughout the
meeting at London this week. The
British have always pretended to be
good losers," but the manner in
which they deliberately robbed the
Americans in the tug-of-war and in
the 400-meter race is simply disgust
ing, and cannot fail to have a bad
effect on similar contests in the fu
ture. Notwithstanding the shabby
treatment and unfair rulings, the
Americans have made a wonderful
showing. The greatest harm from
this shameful treatment will come
through the general effect it will have
on the only recently revived Olympic
games.
The Olympic games were the best
features of the ancient classical days,
devised as they were for the. purpose
of bringing together the most perfect
young men in the country. There
were no "ringers" in those old days on
the plain of Olympla, for a "char
acter" was required from every con
testant, and none who had ever been
guilty of any offense against the state,
or were in any respect unworthy,
were permitted to take part. This
was clean sport, and, while It is a far
cry from the days when the Hellenic
youth ran, wrestled and tugged on the
little plain of Olympla to the twenti
eth century contests in the London
stadium, the underlying principle of
clean, healthy sport Is supposed to
remain the same. It was to get away
from the tendency of modern sport to
drift into gambling channels, and to
weed out the undesirable element re
cruited, not unfrequently from the
haunts of crime simply because of
their physical prowess, that the re
vival of the Olympic games was un
dertaken full 1500 years after they
had been abolished in ancient Greece
The first of these modern games
took place in Athens in 1896, and
since that time interest in the games
has been steadily growing, and they
are now bringing together hundreds
of the best athletes in the world. In
some of the annual contests since the
revival there have been mild charges
of unfairness, but nothing so serious
as the charges made against the Brit
ish during the present meet. The of
fense is all the more flagrant from the
fact that the American athletes, as
well as those from other parts of the
world, were to a certain extent guests
of the British. In the old days, the
plain of Olympla was regarded as hal
lowed ground, dedicated to Zeus, and
on its sacred soil the Hellenic youth
refrained from any unworthy action.
It is expecting too much for twen
tieth century young men to regard
any field for sports as hallowed
ground, but, as the revival of the
Olympic games was brought about
more through a desire for clean sport
thai) for any other purpose, it seems
a pity that the system of the ancient
Greeks is not followed a little more
accurately. The best blood in the
world gathers at these contests, and
the physical training and sportsman
like spirit that are fostered and en
couraged by such exhibitions cannot
have other than a good effect. For
this reason greater care should be
exercised to prevent a recurrence of
such unsportsmanlike conduct as has
placed some of the British athletes irr
an unenviable position.
IMMORALITY OF HIGH SCHOOLS?
Because Secretary Rhodes, of the
Oregon-Idaho Interstate Y. M. C. A.,
told his audience at Albany that im
moral conditions 'existing in high
schools are startling, it is not
to be assumed that he meant
that morals are worse in high
schools than elsewhere. Quite likely
Mr. Rhodes has not Seen much of the
world. If he were to investigate con
ditions among the workers in a fac
tory, or even among the members of
the medical profession, he would find
things that would startle him. There
have been a few disclosures from time
to time that leave room for the sus
picion that, if one could but read the
minds of men, we should find a few
startling features in the morals of the
members of the ministry. Men do not
leave human frailties behind when
they enter some particular occupation,
nor do boys become fiends nor angels
when they enter high school. It is
wrong to class high school students as
immoral. "There Is so much' good in
the worst of us and so much bad in
the best of us that it scarcely behooves
any of us to talk about the rest of us."
Mr. Rhodes is undoubtedly correct
In saying that harm results from the
efforts of high school students to ape
some of the ways of college men.
There is a pretty general feeling that
college students of today do not take
life as seriously as did college boys of
twenty years ago and that they en
courage themselves In the indulgence
of frivolity. But there are indications,
also, that this tendency toward grati
fication of "the baser elements of hu
man nature began higher up and that
college men are but aping their
seniors out in the Industrial world.
Whether this changed conception of
the duties and responsibilities of life
can be deemed a drift toward immor
ality depends upon the point of view.
The preacher of half a century ago
would be shocked if he should be sud
denly transferred from his own time
to this, and should hear the sermons
preached by our most popular pastors. 1
Quite likely he would have something
to say of the modern preacher as se
vere in tone as what Mr. Rhodes has
said of our high school students.
This question of morals depends, as
said before, upon the point of view.
Some time . ago there was a protest
from farmers near -one of the ' valley
towns because the T. M. C; A. boys
engaged in cross-country runs dressed
in clothing so scanty that they
shocked the modesty of wives and
daughters not accustomed to witness
such indecencies. Perhaps Mr. Rhodes
would call these farmers and the
members of their families prudes, or
something akin thereto. The high
school boys, it may be ventured, think
Mr. Rhodes is a prude. It is chari
table to assume that there Is indiscre
tion and frivolity all along the line.
but it would be unpleasant to believe
that as a class either high school or
Y. M. C. A. boys are mjore immoral
than other boys of their age. The
plea for a higher standard of morality
is more properly addressed to men,
whose improvement in this respect
will doubtless be aped by college boys
and high school boys. Perhaps more
than any other institution, the organi
zation which Mr. Rhodes represents is
doing an uplifting work for our young
men. Unquestionably, there is plenty
of work to be done, but while there
is "so much bad in the best of us," it
is to be regretted that any group made
up of Individuals from all walks of
life should be pointed out as particu
larly immoral.
MORE SEATTLE ENTERPRISE.
Under the caption "Railways Divide
a New Kingdom," the Technical
World Magazine prints a handsomely
Illustrated advertisement of the city
of Seattle. As an advertisement, there
could be nothing objectionable in the
article, but it masquerades under the
guise of an impartial review of rail
road and industrial development of
the Pacific Northwest and studiously
ignores other parts than Seattle, even
going so far as to misrepresent facts
in order to avoid the mention of Port
land, and showing but little more fair
ness toward Tacoma. The article
opens with an account of the Vlllard
excursion in celebration of the com
pletion of the Northern Pacific, and,
with no mention of Portland, notes
the arrival of the special trains "at
Tacoma, then the terminus." Yet
everyone at all familiar with the mat
ter knows that these special trains ran
no farther than Portland, where the
celebration of the road's completion
was held, some of the guests after
ward going by boat to Kalama and
thence by rail to Puget Sound.
"Seattle is. the objective point
whither most of these rail lines are
hastening" asserts the Seattle boomer
who supplied the advertisement, and
he makes special mention of the Mil
waukee rushing across the continent
to reach Seattle before the gates of
the Alaska-Yukon exposition opens
next year, calming ignoring the fact
that the Milwaukee will make Ta
coma and not Seattle its main ter
minal on Puget Sound, and will also
doubtless have a terminal at Port
land. The Seattle writer is good
enough to mention the Spokane, Port
land & Seattle Railroad, which pro
vides a "water level outlet from the
great Inland Empire," but no mention
is made of Portland's position as the
headquarters of that great road. The
only Inference the uninformed reader
could possibly draw from the story
would be that it was exclusively a Se
attle enterprise.
- Among the amusing statements
made by this reckless magazine writer,
is that "a ship sailed from Seattle the
other day loaded solely with grain
reapers to be used on the expanding
wheat fields tributary to Vladivostok"
and that "Seattle, with 275,000 people,
has a port commerce of $140,000,000,"
no reference at all being made as to
how much commerce she has with the
present population. "Puget Sound,
iiearer the Orient by several hundred
miles than the California ports, boasts
a larger foreign trade than the Golden
Gate" asserts this veracious Seattle
boomer. The word "boasts" is prob
ably used advisedly, for the custom
house receipts, which offer the most
accurate estimates of "foreign trade,"
show that San Francisco collects in
duties more than six times as much
as is collected by Seattle. The Wash
ington wheat crop is valued by the
Seattle writer at $40,000,000 per year,
although the record crop of last year
was only worth $32,000,000, and the
average for the past ten years has
been less than $25,000,000.
"The finest interurban cars in use
in America are on the line between
Seattle and Tacoma" is another wild
statement, which will provoke a smile
from travelers who have patronized
the Seattle-Tacoma interurban, and
also the Portland-Salem interurban,
the latter being equipped throughout
with cars which make the Puget
Sound equipment look like a stock
train. The development of electric
lines in "the Pacific Northwest" is dis
cussed by the Seattle man, and Seat
tle, Tacoma and Spokane are men
tioned in connection therewith. Per
haps Portland is not In the Pacific
Northwest, for no mention is made of
the fact that this city has more miles
of both urban and interurban electric
roads than Seattle. If the Technical
World Magazine is desirous of main
taining its excellent reputation for ac
curacy, it will do well to keep its ad
vertising In the advertising columns
or else label it with the proper
heading.
HELPS THE HONEST DAIRYMAN.
Rigid enforcement of the dairy and
food law accomplishes many bene
ficial results In the production and
consumption of milk. It places all
producers on an equal basis. Insuring
the honest dairyman that he shall not
be .required to compete with a dis
honest dairyman who sells water along
with his milk. It guarantees the con.
sumer a fair quality of milk In return
for his money and relieves him from
the necessity of personally inquiring
Into the methods and integrity of the
man from whom he buys. When
strictly enforced, the law which re
quires that milk shall contain pre
scribed proportions of butter fat and
solids becomes an aid to the men en
gaged in the industry which it seeks
to regulate.
It is readily apparent that a dairy
man who sells a high grade of milk,
and who goes to considerable expense
to keep his stables and his cows clean,
cannot long compete with a rival who
pours water in his cans and saves
operating expenses by neglecting the
first essentials of cleanliness. When
all producers axe held to the same
standard, there is opportunity for
equality In competition. Enforcement
of the law protects the consumer not
only from the dishonest but also from
the careless dairyman. So far as the
effect is concerned, Tt makes little dif
ference whether the dairyman waters
his milk or serves his first customers
by pouring oft the top of the cans,
leaving the others to take milk that
has been practically skimmed. Fre
quent tests and impartial prosecutions
compel the milk dealer to give his
customers, individually and collective
ly, what they pay for. Such super
vision tends to increase consumption
and builds up the industry at the
same time that it promotes neaitD
and Insures square dealing.
The race problem is exhibiting a
new phase down in Alviso, California.
It seems that the fruit cannery there
is owned by Chinese, and a news dis
patch says that all the white em
ployes struck because "it was impos
sible longer to endure the abuses
heaped upon the women and girls by
the Orientals in charge of the can
nery. It is also charged that the
Chinese superintendents discriminated
against the whites in the matter of
wages, paying the white boys less than
either the Chinese or Japanese receive
for the same work." Usually the com
plaint is that Chinese are employed
at less wages than whites and that,
therefore, whites are compelled to
compete with the coolies. It would
be interesting to know why the man
agers of the cannery pay more for
Chinese than for white labor.
In view of the fact that a member
of the Georgia Legislature introduced
a bill declaring that it shall be good
ground for divorce if a woman de
ceives her Intended by the use of
powder, pads, or peek-a-boos, It may
be assumed that there is need for
such a law in Georgia.. Quite likely
the legislator himself had suffered
from deception of that sort. But there
is no necessity nor demand for such a
law in Oregon. Here the mild climate,
the invigorating sea breezes, the lus
cious fruit and the custom of living
much in the open air, all combine to
give our women perfect forms, fea
tures and complexion so that no art
could possibly add to the gifts of Na
ture. We may go to Oklahoma for
legislative precedents, but not to
Georgia. However, our bedsheets are
long enough.
The individual who indiscriminately
and insultingly throws confetti in the
faces of peaceable, well-behaved visi
tors of a public park la, of course, less
entitled to punishment than the fool
who rocks the boat, but he has some
thing coming to him. At the Oaks
Thursday night, one of these humor
ists encountered a stiff right arm jab
from the able-bodied escort of the
young woman who did not relish the
insult. The young man who adminis
tered the well deserved punishment is
entitled to a medal and a vote of
thanks, for he not only avenged an in
suit to his lady friend, but he has also
established a precedent, which, If fol
lowed, will cause a decrease in this
special form of hoodlumism that haa
become too common.
Since It became generally known
that sleeping In the open air Is a good
remedy for tuberculosis many people
have adopted the practice of sleeping
in tents in the Summer. But sleeping
in a tent is far different from sleeping
in the open air. In fact, many people
who sleep in houses come nearer be
ing in the open air than do those who
occupy tents. A canvas room eight by
ten feet, with sides close to the
ground and the front closed, is not as
airy a place as an ordinary bedroom
li or 15 feet square, and with doors
and windows open. It may be all
right to sleep in a closed tent, but
don't deceive yourself Into believing
that you are sleeping in the open air
when you do it.
When Mr. Bryan said that in the
event of his election he would invite
the Vice-President, Mr. Kern, to give
advice at Cabinet meetings, he prob
ably did not mean any more than he
said. He did not mean, for example.
that Kern's advice would be welcome
when not invited or that It would be
asked at all Cabinet meetings. Like
all other Presidents, he- would not be
likely to ask Kern's advice if it seemed
probable that Kern would get any
glory out of. the result. For the pur
poses of a political campaign it is just
as well to let Vice-Presidential candi
dates think they will really amount to
something If elected.
The leading horticultural paper of
California declares that it "is in t
position to absolutely and unqualified
ly uphold the opinion that there is at
present no combination among can
ners or dried fruit packers in Cali
fornia of sufficient force to set and
maintain the price of fruit." Here Jn
Oregon we have a combination of
packers of sufficient force to do it, but
whether it will be done or not remains
to be seen.
Perhaps it is just as well that all
the papers in the Sothera divorce suit
have been kept from public view, but
one cannot help but note the fact that
this is a favor not accorded to ordi
nary mortals.' It is difficult to see
why discrimination should be made in
the case of a man and woman who
happen to be of particular promi
nence. Have we abandoned the prin
ciple that all are equal before the
law?
Mr. Taft is on his way to Cincin
nati, leaving Senator Bourne at the
Hot Springs to . play golf all
alone or with the common peo
ple, or with such common people
as play golf. No doubt he left
also with the popular Oregon Senator
a written promise never, no never, to
run for President again. Either never
or hardly ever.
The brewery "at Astoria which has
undertaken the manufacture of
"near-beer" writes to The Oregonian
a denial that the liquor will intoxicate.
Of course if any of the prohis in
the dry counties are in doubt about it
they can drink their fill and find out.
Lincoln Beachey, the aeronaut, dis
tanced an automobile In a fourteen
mile race with his airship. It is rea
sonably certain that Beachey was not
obliged to get down under his ma
chine to see what was wrong with it
Hasn't a lady's escort as much right
to punch a hoodlum's jaw as the
hoodlum has to throw confetti in the
lady's face?
CLAIMS OF IJfDEPEXDENCE PARTY
What It Says It Haa Achieved fader
the Hearat Direction.
The Independence party, created, con
trolled and financed by W. R. Hearst,
claims to hold the balance of power In
Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin,
North and South Dakota, Minnesota
and other states. Though asserting
possession of this power, the party does
not propose to use it to the advantage
of either of the old parties in particu
lar, but Its leaders announce the Inten
tion of putting out candidates in the
usual manner. Naturally, the Independ
ence ticket will draw more heavily
from the Democratic ranks than from
the Republican, so that indirectly the
Republican party will probably be the
beneficiary of the activity of the new
political organization.
Pointing with pride to nearly every
political achievement of the last three
years and claiming the record as its
own, the Independence party will at
tempt to secure votes at the election in
November because of what it asserts if
has accomplished. Says the New York
American:
Ita victories extend from the Atlantic
Ocean to the Golden- Gate on the Pacific
Coast victories which heve affected the
every-day conditions of wage-earners in a
majority of the states in the union, indi
rectly at least, through the Interest which
success In one locality developa in others.
1.1KS ail great National parties, the toun
datlon of the ' new party was established
through the efTorts of one man. who be
gan, by his individual effort, to improva
conditions, check abuses, and correct evils
which had attached themselves to business
and political conditions. Thus when William
Hearst began his attack upon the coal
trust, and continued tho fight until the trust
was beaten, the groundwerk. 01 the new
party was prepared.
Exposure of the Ryan-Whitney light
ing combine In New York City is one
of the first victories recorded after the
so-called defeat of the coal trust, which
exposure resulted In the appointment of
legislative Investigating committee,
and so aroused the people that In the
municipal campaign Hearst was noml
nated for Mayor and came near elec
tlon, notwithstanding he lacked a po
litical organization and the election
boards were in the hands of his ene
mies. Following this the party nomi
nated Its leader for Governor of New
York, Induced the Democratic party to
indorse him, but failed to elect him.
because the Democratic bosses manipu
lated the election by means of repeat
ers and floaters, so the American as
serts. Prosecution and conviction of
men guilty of election frauds is the
next achievement recorded, and then
these sweeping claims are made:
Corrupt pnbllo officials have been pur
sued and driven from office. Corrupt
methods of administration have been ex
posed and those benefiting ftom extensive
systems of graft have soen thera abolished.
As a result of the marked success of the
party's inquiry into tha lighting situation,
the inquiry Into the scandals In the life In
surance companies followed a year later.
The leaders In the Independence party,
with others, demanded this Investigation,
and had it not been for the success of the
lighting- Inquiry It la doubtful whether the
thorough Inquiry Into Insurance methods
would have followed. Instead, the customary
"whitewashing" programme wculd probably
have ensued.
It obtained an 80-cent gas law, and when
the trust sought .to stay the effect cf the
law by appeals to the Federal Courts, the
party . leaders forced the trust to supply
gas at 80 cents while the case was In the
courts.
It advocated and aided in the fight for
pure food laws. It fought for and suc
ceeded In getting a direct nominations bill
through one branch of the Legislature in
New York State. -
it obtained the enactment of a 5-cent
fare bill to Coney Island after a fight ex
tending over several years, only to have
the bill vetoed by Governor Hughes severs
months ago. In the Natioi al Legislature
It fought for the establishment of postal
savings banks and a more extended system
of parcels post. As a result of its campaign
in this direction Postmaster-General Meyer
has urged Congresa to pass the bill creating
postal savings banks, and has lseued orders
extending the parceli post...
It haa obtained the passage of a bill
compelling tha establishment of the three
platoon system for the police of New York
City several times, although McClellan has
vetoed It consistently. It forced the re
tirement of Kllburn as State Superintendent
of Banks; fought the Interborough-Metro
politan merger, which, though unsuccessful
at the time, has since disclosed the sub
stance of chargea made in the original ap
plications to the courts.
Tt.i fight In behalf of the Elsberg bill
limiting the lengths of leases for new sub
ways to be built to 20 years and separating
the operating from the construction con
tracts is still fresh In the minds of those
Interested In the question. Under this law
the grip of the Ryan-Belmont Interests upon
the transit facilities of the city sustained
their first serlcus setback.
The history of the achievements of the
new party In New York State Is repeated
In Illinois, Masachusetta and California.
besides other states' in which the party haa
become active. Its growth is based upon
long line of successes which cannot be
enumerated here.
In the history of third parties, the
leaders of the Independence party see
promlsa of victory for themselves.
Despite the popular notion that third
party movements in the past in the United
states have amounted to little or nothing,
the political history of the country demon
strates that Independent parties organized
upon broad principles, In the interest
all the people, have rtsen to great power
in their second National campaign, and In
various cases have elected their tickets In
the third campaign, If not earlier.
This does not apply, of course, to third
parties of reoent date, renreeentins- a Bind
idea, such as the Prohibition. Socialist,
Greenback and Socialist-Labor parties.
applies, however, to the Whigs, to the Re
publican party, two of. the great successful
Independent parties organised upon lines
similar to those adopted by tba Independ
ence party, and to the people's party.
la the case of the People's party, how
ever. It fused with the Democrats in 1896
ana again In 1V00, supporting William
Bryan. As a result of this fusion, it was
practically wiped out or existence. Th
Whigs elected their candidate for President
In their third campaign, and the Republi
cans in their second. The People's party
in tneir nrst straight campaign obtained
more than 1,000,000 votes and had 22 votes
In tha Electoral Ccllege which named Grover
Cleveland for his second term.
Six Acres for Children's Playground,
Springfield (Mass.) Republican.
Nathan D. Bill has made known to his
fellow citizens that he . has decided
to
deed to the city for playground uses
tract of land containing 6 acres, lying
between Marble street and Acushnet ave
nue. In the south part of the city. There
are fifty building lots on it, and a low
estimate places their value . at $800 each,
which brings the total value of the tract
up to at least $40,000.
Mr. Bill planned to give this piece to
ine uity Liorary Association all ready
for the market, and It is probable that
the amount realized upon it would have
been in excess of the $40,000 estimated
value. While the work of grading was in
progress Mr. Bill noticed how many chil
dren came there to play In the sand and
one evening he saw a party of men play
ing "one old cat" there. This made him
think how well adapted the place was
for a playground for both adults and chil
dren.
What One Newcomer Has Done.
Mount Scott Tribune.
G. K. Kunltake, of Gresham, is in the
wood business, running three camps, em
ploying 75 men. He has been in America
six years and tells us he has laid away
$17,000 of good American money already.
More Blame to Merry Widow Hat.
' Pittsburg (Pa.) Dispatch.
Claire Still, of Harrisburg, Pa., was
taken to a hospital for treatment for ul
cerated neck caused by a whalebone in a
Marry Widow collar.
READY TO GIVE A GOOD, FAT HEN
South Starts the Great Bryan Subscript
tloa With a Hurrah.
New York Sun.
The esteemed Charlotte Observer, al
ways among the first In good and pat
riotic works, takes the lead of a noble
cause in these burning words:
The News and Courier, of Charleston, has
opened a subscription list. In manner and
form as follows, to wit:
"It costs a good deal to run a Presidential
campaign, and Mr. Bryan will have to de
pend largely upon the free will offerings of
enthusiastio people to carry hia cause
and their cause to victory. The News and
Courier will receive and acknowledge and
transmit to the manager of the Bryan cam
paign fund any contributions that may be
sent to It for this purpose. Money talks in
politics. How much do you want Bryan
to be elected?
One dollar from each of the Democratic
voters In South Carolina would make some
thing like $110,000, and that would help
to save at least one of the doubtful states."
The Observer does not. happen to be a
Democratic voter In South Carolina, but It
would like to contribute something to this
fund, less for its Intrinsic value than as an
evidence of good faith. Sliver and gold
have we none, but If the News and Courier
will accept & large tat hen, which tt would
no doubt be able to convert into oaah on
the Charleaton market, or even a Hongkong
gander, the Observer will be happy to for
ward either, collect, and would feel honored
In having the contribution accepted. We
desire to do something.
Thus at least two Important South
ern States have got into line for the
cause. The News and Courier offers to
forward subscriptions and the Observer
heads the list with a fat hen or a
Hongkong gander, as the recipient may
prefer.
Who will come nextT Georgia is
ready to do her duty. Colonel Sid
Tapp, getting ready to -move to New
York, may have no time for such
things, but there Is the Hon. Poke
Boggs. likewise the Hon. Dink Botts,
also Squire Gemini Mustard, to say
nothing of others equally enthusiastic.
Among these, somehow, the ball will
certainly be set a-rolllng.
Just as we expected, the South Is on
fire for Bryan.
BILL BUTTS ON A LITRY EVENT
Foolpubllsher's Offer of ft per Word
for Roosevelt Lion Stories.
Oyster Bay (L. I.) Special to the New
York Herald.
'I was talkln' to one of them llt'rf
fellows from down York way 'bout the
middle of the week, and' he tole me
thet when Teddy gets through shootln'
an' passin' time o' day with the mon
keys over to Afriky some fool book
printer's goln' to pay a dollar a word
for all he can write 'bout 'era," said
Bill Butts, of Syoseet, today as he
triumphantly occupied the only soap
box In front of Moore s grocery
store, with Jimmy Sloan and three
other secret service men trying to per
suade him to move on.
It 'pears to me thet's crasy man's
tain, Dut Bll Van Nostrand druv
couple of 'em up to Sagamore Hill, an
he says these llt'ry fellows Jes' whipped
out rolls of the long green like they
wanted to do anything with It "cept
Keep it in their pockets, an seemed to
think thet If Teddy would jes' write
himself to death times would sure be
better If they got the stuff. Bill went
visitln' up to the city las' Winter an" he
said that from what he heerd people
say there was folks down to Wall
street payln' a heap more'n a dollar a
word for what Teddy was wrltln' to
Congress.
"All I got to remark Is that If what
that young feler has to say is worth
all thet money, Nat Hanks an Bill
Mack is losin' their min'x for not set-
tin' a phonygraph behin, a haycock
when he s out In the meadow swingln
a fork an' bassin' the job. They'd make
their hull families rich afore the week's
out an' Teddy'd be fellin' like a Ya-
phank colt Jes' from the exercise.
"Why he talks to hlsself jes' as nat
ural as If there was a bunch of Rough
Riders a lisfn'n" to him. Friday night
I was walkln" over to Syosset an' jes'
as I came up to the corner of the Jer
icho road I heerd a pow'ful laughln'
an' then somebody singin' without no
more tune than a Massapequa tomcat,
I'm "Afraid to Go Home in the Dark.'
Bill Anderson's gal sings It right an1
she teches up the hull neighborhood
when her voice is plumb full.
"Well, sir, It was Teddy comin' long
from a polo game over to Mead Brook
a dog-trotln' on horseback.
" 'Hello, Bill,' he says, drawln' up his
hoss, 'think I'd make a Carusy'
" 'What the devil an' Tom Walker
Carusy is, Mr. President, I dunno,'
says, 'but if ye think ye'll be a singer
by nex' Spring, I'm sorry to tell ye
thet ye ve missed yer callln .'
" 'Bill,' he says, 'I grieve to read thet
ye ain t goin to root for Taft.
" 'I ain't said that yet,' I says. 'Sence
the boys up to Oyster Bay told me thet
Bill Bryan has passed the word out
that Hearst is a pretty good sort after
all, I guess it won't be long afore I'll
be tellln" ye who ill be rotin fer."
"Thet meetin taught me a lesson,
said Bill.
"What is it?" asked a Secret Service
man.
"Thet a man's a durned fool to be
roamin' these parts without a phony
graph strapped over his shoulder.
FroaChicken Nature Study.
Chester (Pa.) Dispatch.
Mrs. Caroline Ferguson, living near
Margueretta Furnace, Pa., declares she
saw a frog leap out of a pond, seise one
of her chickens and leap back with it.
Since the pond was drained no more
chickens have disappeared.
They Don't- Help Much.
Pendleton Tribune.
Gin, poker and high club Ufa are not
helpful to the best development of
man s character, and they form a com
binatlon which nine times out of ten
works his certain ruin.
The New Boohs.
J. W. Foley, in the New York Sun.
Pray read "The Basement" by all means
a prince of story tellers
Has written It, and I can aay it's ens of
our best cellars;
"The Almanac" is one I can offer without
fear.
And I assure you that it is the atory of the
year:
"The Broken Corset Steel" is new just
from the press today.
They say It grips you like a visa 'tis some
thing that will stay:
And if you want a thing that lasts that
will not let you slumber.
Here's something I can recommend "tli
called "The Green Cucumber."
The Newlald Egg" they say Is good and
in a certain set
It has tremendous vogue I have not opened
It as yet:
"Days Twenty-One" is good for one who
love and letters seeks.
(The book reviewers say It's quite the equal
of "Three weeks.")
"The Batsman" Is having quite a run
made a tremendous bit:
"The Peach" Is good they say it Is far
better than "The pit";
They're pushing "The Lawnmower" now
it's srolnc very well.
And as for "Full-Rigged Pirate Ships,'
they say the sans still swell.
"The Germ" still holds Its own "gets in
the blood." the critics say;
"The Beaten Egg Is a stirring tale you
can't cut it away;
"The Coalman's Ton" Is very short In
deed so short and light
Tou'll find that you can finish It with ease,
say overnight;
"Switch" Is helpful and much liked, and
I have heard It said
That many do not lay it by until they
go to bed;
The Sea Dog" la a waggish thing the
true sea lover's friend
And like all dogs it has a bark and tale
at either sndi
REDICB THE SALOONS 0E-HALF
One Suggestion as to Placing the Bust,
aess 01 a l.w-Abldina; Basis.
Catholic Sentinel.
Along with the ordinance prohibiting
women In the saloons, there should be
another reducing the number of saloons
by at least one-half. It is the absurd
multiplication of saloons beyond all le
gitimate demands of the liquor business
that is responsible for most of tha
saloon lawlessness. The brewers havt
prevailed on men to open new sa
loons where the lawful traffic was
already well taken cars of. the re
sult being that the saloonkeepers
considerable numbers either are
compelled to retire from the business
with a heavy Indebtedness toward the
brewer or whoever advanced them cap
ital, or else have to en rare in unlawful
and vicious means to obtain a livelihood.
it is true that the number of saloons
cannot be increased until the city's pop
ulation reaches a quarter million or soma
such figure, but this restriction offer
no real relief, for we have nearlv reached
the quarter million mark and the present
ratio 01 one saloon to every five hundred
inhabitants, which now makes conditions
so unbearable, may be continued indefi
nitely.
Competition in the saloon business
breeds lawlessness, and more competi
tion means more lawlessness. The near
est approach to the ideal system would
be to establish the liquor traffic on a
non-competitive basis by eliminating pri
vate pront. xnen the saloon could be
kept inside the law, for none would find
profit In law-breaking. But since we
cannot at once get onto a non-comnetl-
tlve basis, we can at least make a start
by cutting out a half or more of the ex
isting saloons.
FASTEST THINGS IN THE WORLD
Ice Yacht Holds the Record Automo
biles Are Next.
New York Mall.
The fastest tmng in the world In the
line of transportation Is the Ice yacht.
Such a boat, the Drub, covered, five-
eighths of a mile on the Shrewsbury
River, two years ago, at the rate of a
mile In 24 seconds.
Autos, however, do pretty well. Fred
Marriott drove a mile on the Florida
sands, two years ago. In Zi 3-5 sec
onds. Electrlo cars are net much behind.
On the Marlenfeldt-Zossen line in Prus
sia they have reached a speed of 130.4
miles an hour.
Steam cars have come close to the
electric record. In 1904 a Philadelphia
& Reading train ran 4.8 miles at a
speed of 115.2 miles an hour.
Somewhat In the rear Is the bicyclist.
Robert A. Walthour, paced, made a
mile in 3 minute 6 1-3 seconds.
'The ponies" are much slower, and
yet they have reached a respectable
rata of speed. Salvator ran a mile in
1:35 H- Dan Patch paced the distance
in 1:65. Lou Dillon trotted it in
l:S8tt.
Mere unassisted man necessarily
trails behind. J. Nilsen skated a mile
In 2:36. Dan Kelly ran 100 yards In
9 3-5 seconds. Georgo M. Daniels swam
100 yards in oS 2-5 seconds, a rate of
nearly four miles an hour.
These records, which are assembled
by a writer in the July "Technical
World," are the symbols of an era
that is going some.
Nebraska "Imperialism," Just Bryan.
Kansas City Star (Ind.)
The Democratic party was never
completely Bryanized until now. The
Fairview "farmer" has been nominated
nn Itfai (iiv-l trmn. Th nartv mt fa. mm
its convention proceedings are con
cerned, stands for nothing that does
not come from Lincoln, Neb. At last
Mr. Bryan has demonstrated to the
country what is meant by "imperial
ism." Hog Imprisoned In Baled Hay.
Baltimore News.
W. C. Minnls. a farmer of Christian
County, Illinois, says that one of his prize
hogs which disappeared last March was
found the other day wedged In between
a pile of baled hay and the wall of a shed,
where it had remained three months and
three days without water, feeding on the
hay. having reduced In weight from 175
to 60 pounds.
Cat Feeds On Fancy Plgeoas.
Pittsburg Gazette.
After Michael McHugh, living near
Pittsburg, had asked the Township Com
missioners to have a cat killed which
had been feeding on his fancy pigeons
and had been refused, he presented a
bill reading: "To 143 squabs for at
meat, $143." The bill was rejected and
McHugh will sue.
Not so Long na Mr. Bryan Reigns.
Columbia State (Dem.)
There was a time when each . Ameri
can mother might cherish the belief
that her bright-eyed American boy
might some day be an American Presi
dent. Not so Is it now not if the boy
be a Democrat in tha making.
Mule Passion Strong la Death. v
John Wiley, a teamster Of Lexington,
Ky., was so much attached to a mule that
he desired to have his coffin made out of
the animal's hide, but when he learned
the cost of tanning the skin and making
the coffin, decided that a pine box was
cheaper, and buried the mule unsklnned.
Clam Catches Sparrow's Foot.
Philadelphia Dispatch.
A clam In the restaurant of William
Spangler, at Yoe, Pa., caught the toot
of a sparrow which had lighted on its
shell, and it was necessary to pry open
the shell with a knife before the bird
could be released.
Sixteen Negro Editors for Taft.
Hartford (Conn.) Courant.
The New York Age gives up more
than a column of its editorial page to
extracts from IS newspapers, edited Sy
negroes and circulating among ne
groes. All 16 are for Taft.
Solitaire Versus Self Result, Tears.
Indianapolis News.
A newspaper in Atchison, Kan., says
a woman in that town gets so angry when
she fails to beat herself playing solitaire,
that she cries and throws the cards out
of the window.
Comparison.
St. Louis post-Dispatch.
They ara dropping by the doxen
In the unrelenting sun
That Is blistering Manhattan,
And the poor survivors run
From one awning to another.
And the nnM that m.U. it fti,a.
All the others running for it
But Bt Louis (do you heart)
St. Louis, bright and truly,
Isn't even drinking beer.
They are dying In Chicago
As the heat can kill a fly.
And there's not an hour of respite
When a mephyr passes by.
They are panting like a staghound
That has winded down his deer.
And is catching up his breathing-
But St. Louis (do you hear?)
St. Louis, bright and truly.
Isn't even drinking beer.
There are de'ad men out in Pittsburg
Who forgot to be disoreet
In the matter of the sunny side
Of Allegheny street.
And they're gasping down at Washington.
As usual, this year.
And blistering In Boston
But St. Louis (do you heart)
St. Louis, bright and truly.
Isn't even drinking beer.