Entered t Portland. Oregon. Poetofflce aa
Eecand-Claaa Matter.
Subscription Bote Invariably ta Adianc".
(By Mail)
Daily. Sunday Included, ona year. $-00
Lally. Sunday Included, aix months.... a "
t-..,C u...i.V inri.irid. three months.
Lallr. Bunday Included, ona month...
lally without Sunday, one year
pally, without Sunday, alx montha.....
Lally. without Sunday, thrta montna.
I's'ly. without Sunday, ona month....
Weekly, ona yaar
6unday. ona yar
fcucdy and Weekly, ona yaar
74
6 00
g 25
L7
180
IK)
S.60
(By Carrier. )
IaIIy. Sunday Included, ona yaar......
Xaily. Sunday Included, ona monto 10
Mow to Remit Bona postofHc money
order, express order or personal check on
your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency
re at tba sender's risk- Olvo postofnce ao
alraaa In full. Including county and state.
Postage Rates 10 to 1 pages. 1 cant: 18
to 2 iiatH, 2 centa: 80 to 44 pages. I
cents; 46 to 60 pagea. centa. Foreign poet
ac double rates.
Kastera Bnslneaa Office The S. C Back
wlth Special Agency New York, rooms 48
C0 Tribune building. Chicago, rooma 510-01.1
Tribune building.
PORTLAND. WEDNESDAY. AUG. 19. 190.
THE BRVA.V POLITIC AX M.ETHOD.
Twice Air. Bryan made his appeal
to the country on substantially the
same ground as that on which he
makes his present one. It was and is
an appeal on the one hand to those
who have not been successful in life,
In business, or in Industry, and on the
other hand against those who have
achieved some measure of success,
greater or less. Howsoever the form
may van', each and every one of Bry
an's campaigns .Is an effort to set the
propertyless class against the owners
of property: and shiftlessness, envy
and resulting discontent against the
painstaking prudence and careful in
dustry to which all the moderate for
tunes of the country are due. There
are some Immense fortunes, gatherejl
by predatory methods, which are in
another class altogether. The effort
to put a stop to the abuses by which
these "swollen fortunes" have been
amassed can be a work of no party,
because the "plutocrats," as these per
sons are called, are members of no
party exclusively. In the steel trust
and oil trust and paper trust, among
railroad magnates and big operators
in all lines, there are Democrats as
well as Republicans; and many of
these are now friendly to Bryan or ac
tively supporting him, because they
believe their real Interest lies In play
ing one party against another, not
permitting the party whose leaders
make their appeal mainly to the prop
ertyless class and the shiftless class
to get entirely away from them.
But It is undoubted that the smaller
business and property interests of the
country, especially in the Northern
States, are mostly opposed to Bryan.
It is as natural as legitimate. Bryan's
appeal, from the time he first ap
peared on the scene till now, has been
instinctively recognized as menace of
injury to them.
But no party can be completely di
vorced from property and' business.
There must be recognition of industry,
of Individual enterprise and talents,
and of desire of gain. Having tried It
twice, under Brj'an, whose appeal was
to the shirtless and shiftless and all
ne'er-do-weels, the next effort was
made through and by the property and
plutocratic element of the party; and
Parker was nominated. His nomina
tion was a protest of the business and
property class, associated with the
Democratic party, against the Bryan
undertaking. It failed, because the
opposite element of the party wouldn't
support Parker. Now Bryan comes
to the front again. This see-saw, be
tween the plutocracy of the Demo
cratic party and its rag-tag, has be
come the familiar thing In our mod
ern politics.
Once, in more than fifty years, the
Democratic party has had complete
control and ascendancy in National
affairs. This was under Cleveland's
second administration. The Demo
cratic party had the President, and
had control of both branches of Con
gress. But never was the government
of the country so completely under
corporation and plutocratic control as
then. Bryan's nomination, in 1896,
and again in 1900, was an effort of
the "other branch" of the party to ob
tain direction of affairs. But It took
a course violently radical; it alarmed
the business and property Interests
and the wiser labor interests of the
country, and Bryan was overwhelm
ingly beaten. Then surcease of the
effort, for a time, through the Parker
episode. Now, return to the original
proposition of 1896, through nomina
tion of Bryan once more.
But Bryan now tries to avoid all
those things that he pursued as "para
mount Issues" In his first efforts. He
has forsaken free coinage of silver.
"Imperialism" Is not now the burning
issue. What does he say? "Justice
to all, by assuring to each the enjoy
ment of his Just share of the proceeds
of his toil, no matter in what part of
the vineyard he labors, or to what oc
cupation, profession or calling he de
votes himself." But what party de
nies this? It is vague and Indefinite;
it Is buncombe. It is meant, indeed,
that a political party, shifting about
for the favor of the majority, is to be
looked to by the individual for assist
ance and support; that government is
to supersede the individual In the care
of his private welfare, and see that he
gets what he wants or claims. But
the man who supposes there Is any
resource or help for himself herein
merely allows himself to be made a
victim of delusion.
Parker, by speaking for Bryan now,
after his contemptuous treatment by
Bryan and his supporters, proves him
self merely a small partisan, entitled
to the supreme contempt with which
he was treated by the Bryan people in
Oregon and in every state, four years
ago. Not so did they chain Grover
Cleveland to their chariot wheels.
There Is an antidote to Bryanism In
common sense and in the Increasing
experience of the people. But its
tendency is to divide the people into
turtles on the line of property be
tween those who have thrift and
thereby accumulate property, and
those who "can't get on." PuBhtsd
very far, it may bring on the real
trouble predicted for this country by
Macaulay, in his letter to Randall, on
Randall's "Life of Jefferson" a letter
eo powerful as to make thoughtful
parsons shudder, who have been read
ing It at one time and-another these
forty years. Once more The Orego
nian has been reminded of it by see
ing in the latest number of Collier's
Weekly some parts of this letter, with
comment and application to the pres
ent time.
AGAINST THE BOSSES.
In an interview Judge Parker it re
ported to have said that the people
are turning from the Republican to
the Democratic party bece.uso they
are tired of boss rule. That they are
tired of boss rule Is certain, but Intel
ligent voters do not expect relief from
the Democratic party. They know
perfectly well that Democratic bosses
aie no better than those of the other
complexion, nor has the Democratic
party shown any Inclination to dis
pense with the boss. Wherever It
has been In power the corrupt ma
chine has been strongly In evidence,
and there has not been any such re
volt against the boss In the Democratic
party as in the Republican.
It must not be forgotten that the
great uprising against machine domi
nation which Is sweeping the coun
try originated In the Republican
party. Roosevelt gave It the first
truly National impetus, but it has now
acquired such momentum that it' has
become irresistible and is discernible
everywhere. Even in wretched, boss
ridden New York there is a movement
or an honest 'ballot. The Republican
revolt against the boss has retired
such men as Long and Dryden from
the Senate, and replaced them with
leaders of the type of Brlstow. The
new school of Republican statesmen Is
docldedly democratic In the sense of
being friends of popular government
and against the rule of cliques and
corporations.
All over the country the revolt
against the boss is Republican. Any
one who questions this is requested
to ' look at Wisconsin. Iowa, Kansas
and New York and see for himself
what has been and Is being done.
Then let him Inquire whether Repub
licans or Democrats are doing it. The
plain citizen will not forget that a Re
publican victory this Fall will mean a
victory of the progressive wing, not of
the reactionaries. The latter group
accepts Mr. Taft because it has to do
so, but It has no love for him. He is
an honest man and a genuine friend
of the plain people. Everything that
he has done in public life- indicates
unqualified sincerity of purpose, and
when he declares that he will carry
out- the Roosevelt policies against the
bosses and the cormorar.ts'it is only
fair to believe him.
THE SPRTXGFIELD RIOT.
It is natural that the city authori
ties of Springfield, 111., should wish
to put the best face possible upon the
events of the last few days. "The riot
could scarcely have been avoided, and
is not in Itself a disgrace to the city,"
they declare. At least so it is report
ed. Whether the riot could have been
avoided or not is perhaps debatable,
but that It Is a disgrace to the city
admits of no question whatever. If
the riot could not have been avoided
by any precautions on the part of the
authorities, then the population of
Springfield must contain a terribly
large proportion of ruffians and hood
lums, which is a disgraceful fact, one
would suppose. If the riot could have
been avoided by proper precautions and
a better system of municipal govern
ment, then it is a disgrace that those
precautions -were not taken and the
Improved system of government put In
force. However one looks at the
Springfield riot. It Is a deep shame to
the city. A mob may sometimes be
explained, but it can never be excused.
All efforts to mitigate its Iniquity are
futile. It Is a cruel, murderous, lust
ful beast. "
The Springfield mob began its orgies
with a design to avenge an assault by
a negro upon a white woman. But
this pretext served merely as an In
troduction to Its real purpose, which
was to steal, murder and burn indis
criminately. Persons who are savage
and cruel enough to Join in the fury
of a mob are temporarily incapable
of cherishing a good purpose. When
they pretend to have one It Is pure
hypocrisy. What they want is an op
portunity to give free rein to the In
nate bestiality of their natures with a
fair chance of escaping punishment.
For a mob is as cowardly as it is cruel,
and, if any one of its members be
lieved that he would have to face the
consequences of his deeds, he would
slink away at once. That mobs are
so frequent in this country proves con
clusively that our civilization Is in
some respects but little removed from
savagery. If we did not dwell upon
the very verge of barbarism. It would
not be so easy for us to slip Into it.
No other nation in the world is so
given to .riot and mob violence as
America. ' Hence It Is very desirable
that we should look our condition In
the face honestly, with no attempt to
belittle our falling. The clergymen
and others who beslaver the shame
and guilt of Springfield by saying that
the negroes have been impudent, or
that they have assumed too much po
litical power, or that they have taken
the Jobs of white' workmen, are sim
ply smoothing the way for future
mots; and when the next outbreak of
lust and murder occurs they must be
numbered among the accessories be
fore the fact.
Hateful and abhorrent above all
other things on earth Is a mob. In It
man Is shorn of his human nature and
reduced to a howling beast. The
poets have exercised their Ingenuity to
picture the torments of hell. Some
have said that it was a place of fire;
others, of perpetual Ice. If they had
said that it was a place where mob
violence raged forever, they would
have made their picture still more
horrible. One clergyman, expatiating
on the Springfield mob, has said that
the people of that city had problems
to solve which the rest of us cannot
appreciate. What If they had? Are
they brought any nearer the solution
by murder and theft and arson?
If problems, are ever solved at all,
it is by reason not by riotous passion.
Instead of trying to salve their vanity
by sayin that the riot has been no
disgrace to their city,' the authorities
of Springfield would do better to ask
what the conditions were in their mu
nicipal life which made it possible.
Doubtless in that town, as In almost
every other in this country, there has
been close understanding between the
authorities and vice. Very likely the
saloons furnished poisonous whisky to
the negroes who were paying tribute
to the police bosses. Probably all
those vicious habits which made the
negroes obnoxious to the "better ele
ment" were sources of private profit
to the officers whom that better ele
ment had elected. It is conceivable
that. Springfield, like many of our
other cities, has been governed for
years by an alliance between the forces
of hypocrisy and crime. What else
can come of such an alliance but an
archy? The tone of the citizens who
have undertaken to explain the riot
seems to be morally low. If they con
demn the- mob It is with evjdent insin
cerity. All their real blame Is for its
victims.
It Is useless to try to account for
the Springfield and other negro-harrying
mobs by the delays and derelic
tions of the courts. The shortcom
ings of the courts have little or noth
ing to do with the matter. These
mobs are an outgrowth of the dread
ful race hatred which Tillman, Var
daman, Dixon and others of their kind
have been preaching for the last dozen
years. They have preached it for po
litical and literary profit, and wh(le
they have been filling their pockets
with the 'proceeds they have been
lighting fuses all over the country
which are bound to cause explosions;
for the dynamite of evil passion exists
everywhere. To these demagogues
must be charged a large fraction of
the murders, burnings and thefts
which are the main incidents of all
anti-negro riots. The remainder, at
least In the North, must be ascribed
to the vicious system of mlsgovern
ment which prevails In our cities and
which affords every opportunity for
crime to flourish. When one thinks
of the way our cities are ruled, the
wonder is that they are not in riot all
the time.
NKEDLES8 FIRE LOSS. .
"No country, however rich, can suf
fer such enormous losses without seri
ously impairing Its prosperity," says a
recent circular In which the National
Board of Fire Underwriters called at
tention to the enormous losses by fire
in the United States. The immensity
of this destruction is shown In a loss
of J199.38S.30O during 1907, and a
total for the five years ending with
1907 .of $1,257,716,955. The circular
presents some Interesting comparative
statistics showing that the average
fire loss per capita In Austria, Den
mark, France, Germany, Italy and
Switzerland for the five years men
tioned was JO. 83, while the average
per capita loss in the United States
for the same period was $3.02. It Is
also stated that the number of fires
to each 1000 population Is but 0.86, as
compared with 4. 05. in American cities.
These statistics certainly reveal an
appalling carelessness on the part of
the American people, especially' when
it is considered that our -fire depart
ments as a rule are superior to those
of Europe. There Is no greater mis
nomer among our common expressions
than that which so frequently assures
the public, after some great fire, that
"the loss was fully covered by Insur
ance." Loss by fire is total and com
plete, irrecoverable and Irredeemable.
New capital and new energy can cre
ate something to take the place of
that which is destroyed, but the In
trinsic tangible value attached to the
property destroyed has been eliminat
ed forever.
The underwriters, tn their appeal to
the public, urge the enactment of bet
ter building laws, more efficient water
supplies and better fire department
equipment. The lack of these may -be
contributing factors In causing exces
sive fire losses in this country, but
undoubtedly non-enforcement of laws
which are supposed to act as prevent
ives of fire has a more important part
in swelling the fire loss. The question
is one in which all property-owners,
even those who are now groaning un
der excessive premium rates, are in
terested. Insurance rates are too high
in localities where people are careful
to guard against fire, and the prop
erty which la a "good risk" Is too
often made to bear the burden that
should be laid on poorly constructed
and poorly protected shacks. In which
are started conflagrations which not
infrequently get beyond control.
The situation is one that calls for
earnest consideration and every possi
ble effort should be made to stop, or
at least to lessen, this awful annual
waste.
TEW WORK Vf HIGH SCHOOLS.
Introduction of a training course for
teachers In the high schools of Ore
gon should have a very beneficial ef
fect not only in helping to relieve the
scarcity of teachers, but also in rais
ing the standard of qualifications. In
the last few years high schools have
become numerous. Every town of any
pretensions has its high school, and,
though many of these institutions
have not yet Installed full four-year
courses, nearly all of them will do so
as tha pupils advance in their studies
enough to require it. With first-class
high schools scattered all over the
state and each of them giving one
year of special training for those who
Intend entering the teaching profes
sion, the number of young people thus
prepared for work in the schoolroom
will" be considerable. The high school
training course will not take the place
of a normal course, and is not de
signed to do so, but it will very ma
terially increase the efficiency of those
young people who would otherwise
become teachers without any special
training whatever.
In years past a very large propor
tion of the public school teachers be
gan work with scarcely any more;
preparation than that received in the
eight grades of the common schools.
A few took a year or so at denomi
national schools, others took a normal
course, and others secured their edu
cation at the State University. But at
every county teachers' examination
there appeared a crowd of applicants
for teachers' certificates who had Just
completed tha eighth grade. Their
own financial circumstances made It
Impracticable for them to take ad
vanced work, and they felt the neces
sity of beginning immediately to earn
a living. . But tha establishment of
high schools, even with 'only one or
two years In the course, presented the
opportunity for many of the young
persons to secure a more- extended
education before beginning the work
of teaching and many of those who
could took advantage of It. Now,
with high schools so numerous, there
is scarcely any Justification for a
young man's or woman's seeking em
ployment in the common schools with
out first having completed studies
several years In advance of the
branches, to be taught. Aside from
the special training the high schools
will now give, these institutions do a
very important work in fitting young
people for work as teachers.
The success of the new department,
of -course, will depend largely upon
the Judgment and earnestness of those,
who have charge of the high schools.
Soma of our normal schools, though i
having excellent courses of study inj
ineir catalogues, uiu no vcij
ble work; if reports are true, in pre
paring the students for work as
teachers. They served the purpose,
chiefly, of local high schools. Now
they have been brought to a high
standard. It Is to be hoped that the
teachers' training course in the high
schools will be conducted in accord
ance with the purpose for which It
was established. Every high school
that can do so should arrange to offer
this course to Its students.
If the present contention between
the Musicians' Union and the local
theatrical trust shall result In better
music, the multitude who regularly go
to the theater will rejoice. Neither
the members of Portland orchestras
nor managers of theaters who hire
them will soberly assert that the qual
ity of their product Is any better than
it - should be. With rare exceptions
Portland puts up with about as poor
an article of orchestrated music as
masquerades under the name of art.
By all means let's have higher pay and
real orchestras, made up of musicians
such as every little city in Continental
Europe boasts. Increased receipts at
the box-office will more than make up
the. Increased payroll. However, the
present row Is between employer and
employe; the public doesn't care a rap.
It wants better music.
For some years the United States
Geological Survey has been Investigat
ing Alaskan mineral resources, and
notwithstanding the fact that more
than 150,000 square miles of the in
terior is as yet an entirely unknown
region, it has been discovered that
fully a score of coal fields. Including
anthracite as well as bituminous, are
scattered over the area investigated.
Even In the explored parts of Alaska
probably not one-tenth of the hidden
treasures have been located. The coal
areas already discovered aggregate
over 12,000 square miles, and the
quality of the deposits ranges from
lowest bituminous to the best Penn
sylvania anthracite.
Professor T. C. Elliott, of Walla
Walla, writing In the Outlook, de
clares there Is no proof that Webster
ever said of the Oregon Country:
What do wa want with the vast, worth
less area, this region of aavagaa and wild
beasts, of deserts, of ahlftlng aands and
whirlwinds of dust, of cactua and prairie
dogs? Students of our history long since
were convinced that Webster never
said or wrote this. Yet it has been
attributed to him a thousand times.
Vigilant examination thus has failed
to discover the origin. It came doubt
less from some very obscure source,
not now ascertainable.
Demands of commerce occasionally
work needed reform In unexpected
ways. The fruit trust insisted on and
has finally secured refrigerating plants
on steamers plying between the United
States and the West Indies and Cen
tral and South American ports. While
many delicate tropical fruits too per
ishable for ordinary transport will
now be brought In. passengers will
travel In more comfort for the reason
that the -.emperature of staterooms by
refrigeration can be brought down t
suit precisely the taste of occupants.
In England it is different. What
American could conceive of Congress
regulating automobiles? Yet the
House of Commons lately has been
discussing the restriction of motorists.
One member, Walter Long, proposed
to take off all speed limits and make'
every driver strictly responsible for
mischief done or for reckless speed In
any given circumstance. This Is an
improvement over the English theory
that pedestrians have no rights which
the driver of a horse is bound to re
spect. Since our theaters are likely to try
to get along without musicians, proba
bly the managers will welcome sug
gestions for entertaining the audiences
between the acts. How would it do
to paint advertisements over the en
tire inner walls, like those which now
adorn the drop curtain? By the time
the audience had read them all they
would find even the poorest play a
happy relief.
If Judge Parker succeeds in per
suading every Democratic voter In
Cortland to keep the faith and vote
lor Bryan, he will have done great
work. That means 2324 entire votes
In Multnomah County in a total of
30,000 or more. The 2324 represent
those loyal and never-to-be-nauseated-by-any-klnd-of-crow
Democrats who
stood by Parker in 1904.
The Meyers boys who sought to pre
vent their father's marriage by put
ting him in Jail must lament over our
inadequate laws. Under our system
even an old man seems to have rights
which his sons must respect. These
boys would be happier in Ashantee,
where old men are quietly disposed of
by stopping up their throats with mud.
If Bishop Tuttle, of St. Louis, imag
ines that he can compel a husband
and wife who detest each other to live
together In love by refusing them a
divorce, he ought to take a few les
sons in human nature. The "divorce
evil" is merely a symptom. The dis
ease lies deeper and there is no eccle
siastical unguent that will cure It.
It was singularly convenient for a
non-partisan Governor to be away
from home on the occasion of the
opening of the Democratic National
campaign in Oregon. He was also
conveniently away when the Bryan
"ratification" meeting was held in
Portland. Strange; yet perhaps not
so strange.
The resurrection of the dead may
soon be as easy to believe in as the
flying machine. A New York man was
restored to life the other day after ly
ing dead three minutes. Next it will
be three hours and then three years.
Where was the young man's soul dur
ing those fateful minutes?
The officers thoughtfully gave the
Halns brothers quarters together in
a large and commodious cell. Very
considerate. The same noose should
be used for hanging them.
At what age does a man's right to
marry, over the objections of his
greedy sons, cease?
"Surely the people do rule," cries
Mr. Sherman. That's right. Some
people.
LORD MACAULAY ON DEMOCRACY
What Famous "Writer Had to Bar of
America Many Year Ago.
Collier's Weekly.
The effect of democracy on intelli
gence, science, and government is a
topic to which these editorials have a
persistent tendency to recur. Forty
one years ago Lord Macauley wrote to
an American:
I have long been convinced that Insti
tutions purely democratic must, sooner or
later, destroy liberty, or civilization, or
both Either the poor would plun
der the rich, and civilization would perish:
or order and property would be saved by
a strong military government, and liberty
would perish.
The great historian then proceeded
to make this definite and gloomy
phophlcy:
The day will come .when, in the State
of New York, a multitude of people, none
of whom has had more tl-an half a break
fast, or expects to have more than hair
a dinner, will choose a Legislature. Is it
possible to doubt what sort of a Legisla
ture will be chosen? On one side is a
statesman preaching patience, respect for
vested rights, strict observance of public
faith. On the other Is a demagogue rant
ing about the tyranny of capitalists snd
usuerers. and asking why anybody should
be permitted to drink champatrne and to
ride In a carriage while thousands of hon
est folks are In want of necessaries. Which
of the two candldatea la likely to be pre
ferred by a working man who hears his
children cry for more bread?
At Denver we were depressed espe
cla'ly by one speech, because it was
made by a man of high cultivation,
who has done much work for his fellow
men. His talk about champagne and
automobiles was as fiery as Lord
Macaulev prophesied, and he included
a fierce diatribe against Judge Taft for
that now famous answer to the ques
tioner who wished to know what a
man should do if he and his family
were starving. "God knows," Bald Taft.
Now that answer showed honesty. It
meant that while Judge Taft would
take every step he could Bee for the
lessening of poverty, he would not He
about panaceas, he would not pretend
to have a patent cure-all, and he would
not encourage hope in extreme and
violent remedies. Yet our friend in
Denver went into a passion of assertion
that no man who would answer "God
knows" to the cry of poverty was
worthy to be President It is so easy,
so deadly easy. Pick out some lux
uries, hurl eloquence at them, promise
everything, and you own your hun
gry and neoy audience. That Is the
danger of radical government a dan
ger which we believe will be success
fully averted. Not so Macaulay:
"Nothing can. stop you. Your constitu
tltlon Is all sail and no anchor."
i 1
SIX TO OXE OST MB. TAFT,
Betting; Barometer as Reflected by
Wall-Street Sentiment.
Cleveland Leader.
Betting, no doubt, is a fool's argument,
but to balance one common saying with
another, "money talks." Wagers do not
debate politics, for instance, but they do
record the general belief regarding politi
cal chances and conditions. They can t
prove the right or wrong of anything, but
they hold a fairly true mirror up to pub
lic sentiment and the drift of events.
For that reason It is Interesting and
even important to note that a bet of $15.t
000 on Taft against $25,000 on Bryan has
been made in New York. The odds of six
to one create a new record for Ameri
can history, since tne birth of the Repub
lican party. In the way of one-sided
wagers.
In 1896 the odds on McKinley were
never higher than three to one. The com
mon rate was two to one In the East. In
some parts of the West and the South it
was possible, occasionally,, to get even
money on. Bryan. In 1900 the same con
ditions existed, as a general rule, McKin
ley being the favorite at about three to
one, on the average. Some wagers may
have gone as high as four to one before
the end of the campaign.
When the conservative Democrats tried
their hand. In 1904, the betting started
with about two to one on Roosevelt. Later
the odds rose to three to one, or even a
little higher Just before the polls opened.
It was evident by that time that Parker
had no real chance.
But six to one and in mtd-Summar!
There is no precedent for such a forecast
of a Presidential campaign. It is a con
dition which paints a grim picture of
Bryan's very forlorn hope. And the pic
ture is true.
Women In Heroic Action. '
Baltimore News.
Girls forming a . "human chain"
saved a youth from drowning; a young
woman at Atlantic City locked a thief
in her roorat and caused his arrest;
another young woman drove a burglar
from the house at the point of her re
volver. These are Items of the news
In the last few days.
It looks as if the old-fashioned tim
idity of the weaker sex were gone.
The capture of burglars and the sav
ing of drowning men are not the work
of cowards. And from this we may
draw the conclusion that our women,
like our men, are growing stronger,
braver, more self-reliant and more
self-sacrificing, without apparently be
ing any the less womanly.
This is the real new woman, and
she's worth many of the pale, slip
pered, frightened dameels of past
days.
One Entry on Harriman'. Account.
Boston Herald.
Criticism of Mr. Harriman will cease
long enough, we suppose, to afford op
portunity to give him credit for his $10.
000,000 order for additional equipment
for the Gould road in which he has lately
become an important factor. The ad
ditional equipment will enable the road
to handle Its business In better shape.
The Investment will be a healthy stimu
lus to business. It is likely to afford en
couragement to other Investors. Whether
Mr. Harriman was Inspired by selfish
or purely patriotic motives in securing
control of these lines doesn't matter. This
$10,000,000 order to the car builders rep
resents benefits In which general Industry
will participate. An entry should be
made on the credit side of Mr. Harrl
man's account.
Had to Support Hlmaelf.
Kansas City Journal.
It Is told that Cyrus Leland, while
pushing his candidacy for the Repub
lican Gubernatorial nomination, wrote a
letter to a Kansas farmer asking him
for his support for the primary.
"Answer this letter, daughter," said
the farmer to his 16-year-old girl, of
whose penmanship he was proud, when
the letter reached him. "Tell Uncle Cy
that I am too busy in the field to do
anything for him. Tell him I'm work
ing early and late to get In my crops."
The girl waited until her father had
gone back to his fields, and then penned
this short note which she thought told
the story: "Papa has all he can do to
support himself without supporting any
body else." She mailed it.
Snake Twists Around Auto Car WheeL
. Pittsburg (Pa) Despatch.
A big rattlesnake was found twisted
around the axle of a motor-car be
longing to Frank Walker and A. A.
Cromwell, of Danville, Pa., and the
machine was stopped by the obstruc
tion. Soya Kiaa Is Worth Jail Sentence.
St. Louis (Mo.) Dispatch.
Thomas Bowler, a clerk in a Stephen
son County (Mo.) store, who kissed
Miss Jane Shellhart and was Jailed for
the offense, says the klcs was worth
the sentence.
Great Farm Value Increase in Seven Years
Extraordinary Prosperity of the Producer, of the United State.. Between
lO0 and 10OT Farmers' Property - Advanced fS,0O0,0O0,0OO.
Manufacturers' Record.
The increase In the value of farm
property of $8,000,000,000 between 1900
and 1907 is nearly nine times as great
as the aggiegate National banking cap
ital of the United States. It is more
than one-half as large as the total
capitalization, bonds and stocks Includ
ed, of all the railroads in the United
States. It Is nearly three times as
large as the aggregate savings-bank
deposits of the whole country. Think
for a moment of the increase, simply
seven years' Increment, In the value of
farm property being nine times as
great as the total National banking
capital of the United States, three
times as great as all the savings-bank
deposits accumulated during all the
past and half as large as the entire
capitalization of all the railroads In
the United States, into which the sur
plus money of the land has been pour
ing for over three-quarters of a cen
tury. In all the records of American devel
opment nothing Is more remarkable
than the advance made during the last
few years by the agricultural interests
of this country. The story of what
the farmers are doing and of what
they have accomplished within the last
few years Is unmatched even by the
marvelous growth in manufacturing. In
1S90 the 8,563,000 people engaged In
agriculture in this country- produced
a total of $2. 466.000, 000, or an average
of $287 per capita. In 1907 tha 11.991,
000 engaged In agriculture produced a
total of $7,412,000,000. or an average of
$618 Der capita. During that period
the number of people engaged In agri
culture increased by 40 per cent, while
the value of farm products increased
by 200 per cent, and the value of all
farm property increased by 89 per
cent.
In the brief period between 1900 and
1907 the value of farm property ad
vanced In value from $20,439,000,000 to
$28,077,000,000, a gain of nearly
$8,000,000,000, or 37 per cent, though the
number of people engaged in agricul
tural pursuits Increased only 15 per
cent.
These figures are a gain, an Incre
ment added to the wealth of our farm
ers, so amazing In Its magnitude as
to be difficult of comprehension. No
wonder the mass of farmers South and
West are largely out of debt; no won
der much of the idle capital In the
country banks of all sections Is the
surplus money of farmers. This re
markable advance In the average value
of production j,er capita and the In
crease In farm values has a number of
reasons for Its existence.
In 1890 to 1906 the Increasing pover
ty of the farmers of all sections, due
to low prices, was the subject of al
most universal discussion. Consumers
of farm products were then buying at
a lower cost than they had ever known
before. But the producers, the farmers
of the land, were In dire poverty. With
the Increase in manufacturing during
the last ten years, and with the devel
opment of railroads and the large In
crease In the number of their em
ployes, making a great gain In the
number of consumers of farm products,
and the gradual elimination of the
cheap lands of the West by settlement,
and the flood of gold pouring Into the
world's channels of trade, we have had
a combination of circumstances which
have united to bring about a much
higher range of values. The consumer
of farm products Is no longer rejoicing
in the low prices which prevailed 12
or 15 years ago. The farmer Is now
having his innings, and . though this
condition works a hardship upon many
consumers, it is a great blessing to the
country at large. It should be a mat
ter of general rejoicing that the farm
ers are on rising ground financially.
Economic conditions practically as
sure a continuation of Increasing
values of farm lands, of an Increasing
demand for farm products, growing
more rapidly than the production Is
likely to grow, and thus a continued
high range of prices for practically all
the products of American farms. The
consumer can no longer hope to Set
his cotton goods, his bread and his
meat at the low price of 1896. We have
been passing through an eoonomlc
revolution, or evolution, to a higher
range of living. This necessarily
means a higher range of prices for
farm products and a higher range of
wages for mechanics.
With the agricultural conditions of
the country in such a fundamentally
sound position as indicated by the fig
ures which we have given there can
not be any such long period of Indus
trial depression as we had In former
years, when the farmers were the poor
est people in the land. With the cer
tainty of crop yields, which In the ag
gregate will give us the greatest
amount of railroad tonnage and the
sycatest value to farm products which
we have ever had, nature has laid the
foundation for a great expansion of
Industry.
Taking the value of farm products as
shown by the following figures, we
have a striking Illustration of the won
derful growth now under way:
Tears. Value of Farm Products.
1570 '. .ai.nss.ono.ooo
1SK0 2,212.000,000
ISflO 2.466,000,000
1(K)0 4,717.000,000
1905 . 6.416.000.000
11106 8.704.000,000
107 .' T.412.000.00O
180S 8,000,000.000
In the 2.1-year period between 1870
and 1890 the gain was only $500,000,000;
In the 30-year period between 1870 and
1900 the gain was only $2,800,000,000,
whereas in the eight-year period from
1900 to 1908 the gain was $3,300,000,
000, or $500,000,000 more than for the
SO years from 1870 to 1900. Beginning
with 1900 every year has shown a
steady and rapid Increase. And in
nearly every year the gain over the
preceding year exceeded the total gain
of 20 years between 1870 and 1890.
Probably nothing more forcibly illus
trates this marvelous change than the
fact that the value of the agricultural
products of the South alone, which will
this year be between $2,250,000,000 and
J2.500,000,000, will be more than the
total for the United States In 1880 and
about the same as for the entire ooun
try as late as 1890. In 1890 who could
have dared to predict that the value
of the South's farm products of 1908
would equal the total for the United
States In 18907 That the South, with
26,000,000 population. Is producing as
much value in agricultural outturn as
the United States with 62,000.000 peo
ple did In 1890 is one of the amazing
facts of r.ur history, in 1890 the value
of all agricultural products outside of
the South was $1,696,000,000, or at
least $600,000,000 less than what the
South alone will this year produce.
Turning to the figures which tell the
value of farm property in the United
States we have the following:
Value of All Farm Property In the
United States.
Number of People
Engaged In
Tears. Value. Agriculture.
1870. .........$ 8,900.000.000 5.992.000
1880.. 12.180.000,000 7.713.000
1890 16.082,000.000 8.565,000
1900 ... 20.439.000.000 10,438.000
1905 26,670,000,000 11,600,000
1906 27.813.000,000 11.733.000
1907 28.077.000,000 11.991,000
And In this connection the statistics,
which show the value of agricultural
products per capita of the entire popu
lation, and the per capita of all en
gaged In agriculture and the value of
iarm- property to the number. o( j?eo-J
pie engaged In agriculture, will be of
Interest:
Value of Agricultural PrgduJ.f1,.' ,
Per Capita. , Per Capita of
of Entire All Engaged in
Tears. Population. Agrle ulture.
1870 ."0 $33
1880. .
44.
1890
19(10
1905
1900
1907
a
87
r.i 451
-7 r.ss
Jo:::::::::::.. ;t
86
T-at nt prm Pronertv to Number Of
Teara. People Engaged In Agncuiiui
i"o
isso ..
1890
1900 ,
IBOS
1906
1907
1579
. . 1878
. . 1958
. . 2110
. . 2S15
. . 2341
Much, however, as the farmers of this
country have accomplished in the mar
velous advance shown by these fig
ures, they are only at the beginning
of their progress. Within the last five
or ten years there has been a rapid
growth In scientific farming. Under
these conditions there is an increasing
average yield per acre. We are pre
paring for an Increased yield much
greater than the Increase in acreage.
At the same time millions of acres of
hitherto waste lands are being made
available for the most profitable agri
cultural pursuits. Irrigation In the
semi-arid regions of the West Is turn
ing a desert Into fruitful orchards and
vineyards yielding Immensely profit
able crops. What irrigation Is doing
for dry land, reclamation Is beginning
to do on a still more profitable scale
for wet land. The country has learned
that it is a simpler proposition to take
the surplus water off of overflowed
lands than it Is to bring a supply of
water to the dry land of the West.
Thousands of acres reclaimed within
the last few years, yielding today great
profits where nothing was produced a
few years ago, have shown the almost
Illimitable possibilities in saving to
man's uses the millions of acres of re
clalmable wet lands which have hereto
fore been without value. It Is esti
mated that the aggregate wet or over
flowed lands which can be reclaimed
are greater in extent and will be very
much greater In value per acre when
reclaimed than the entire acreage now
devoted to the wheat and cotton crops
of the United States. This Is, indeed, a
veritable empire of boundless poten
tialities which will add Immeasurably
to the wealth of the South, where great
reclamation progress Is already under
way. Considering the progress Jn
scientific agriculture, the steady In
crease In the yield per acre now going
on, the vast expansion In trucking
and fruit-growing for the needs of an
ever-expanding population, the great
possibilities In Irrigation and reclama
tion work, we can readily see that the
agricultural Interests of the country
are only at the beginning of their real
broad development, and that the future
holds In store a prosperity muoh great
er even than the magnificent advance
since 1900 has brought them. These
facts furnish a foundation for un
bounded optimism as to the magnitude
of our material progress in the future.
IMPOTENCE OF OUR CRIMINAL LAW
Calls for Oyer and Terminer Cotirt,
From Which There I. No Appeal.
Washington (0. C.) Post.
Not long ago. In a community of one
of our most enlightened states, a man
committed an unprovoked and atrocious
murder. He was apprehended by the au
thorities and .saved from the vengeance
of a mob by the interposition of the mil
itary. In short time the grand Jury scrutinized
the case and returned an indictment
charging the accused with the crime of
murder. In the criminal division of the
Circuit Court of that bailiwick the ease
was called for trial soon after the grand
Jury had preferred the charge, and tha
counsel for the defense asked for a con
tinuance on the sole ground that public
sentiment In that community was so hos
tile to his client that he could not have a
fair trial at that time. The motion was
granted, and thus the very atrocity of his
crime shielded the felon from the ven
geance of the law.
That sort of thing is the rule In very
nearly every neighborhood In the United
States, and it amounts to an indulgence
to commit crime. Two continuances are
very nearly equal to one acquittal. Wit
nesses die, or forget, or depart, or ab
second; the emotional citizen changes his
vengeance into sympathy; the malefactor
gets to be a hero and a martyr. He is
tried when and where the prevailing sen
timent Is pity. The verdict of "not
guilty" Is greeted with applause, and the
red-handed murderer not only goes
acquit, but with the good will of the pop
ulace. That is how our criminal laws are ad
ministered. Is It any wonder that Judge
Lynch is kept active? Is It any wonder
that Judge Lynch Is looked upon as a
mighty good Judge in some of our states?
And as long as our criminal laws are
administered for crime and not for Jus
tice Judge Lynch will be a very busy
man.
Equity Jurisprudence Is denned as that
wherein the law, by reason of Its univer
sality, Is deficient, and lynch Jurispru
dence may be characterized as that
wherein the law, by reason of failure of
Justice, engenders the contempt of the
community.
We need In America a Court of Oyer
and Terminer, from whose Judgments
there is no appeal That would tend to
send Judge Lynch on vacation.
Mr. Togo at the Ball Game.
Atlantic Monthly.
So you will bear with Mr. Togo if
his account errs through excess of Im
pressionism. Says he: "One strong
armed gentleman called a Pitch is
hired to throw. Another gentleman
called a Stop Is responsible for what
ever that Hon. Pitch throws to him.
so he protects himself from wounding
by sofa plllowe which he wear on
hands. Another gentleman called a
Striker stand in front of the Stop and
hold up a club. to fight off that Hon.
Pitch from angry rage of throwing
things. Hon. Pitch in hand holds one
baseball of an unripe condition of
hardness. He raise that arm lofty
then twist O sudden! "He shoot thera
bullet ball Btraight to breast of Hon.
Stop. Hon. Striker swinge club for
vain effort. It is a miss and them
deadly ball shoot Hon. Stop In gloves.
Struck once!' decry Hon. Umperor, a
person who is there to gossip about it
in loud voice."
Lost Baby tn Roller-Top Desk.
Pittsburg (Pa) Despatch.
Alice, 3-year-old child of William
Throman, of Philadelphia, lost all day,
was discovered after several hours'
search asleep under the lid of a roller
top desk, where he had been placed by
a 6-year-old sister for safe-keeping.
Fateful Adventures) on a Friday.
Indianapolis News.
Smith Whiteside' of Lower Oxford,
Pa., last Friday fell Into a creek, was
nearly killed by a scythe, stepped Into
a nest of yellow Jackets and was se
verely stung and finally had a fight
with a polecat.
Maacagnl Collides With an Orange.
Chicago Record-Herald.
Mascagni, the Italian composer, while
conducting his opera "Mascherl," at
Leghorn, was struck by an orange
thrown by an enemy in the audience,
and- his soprano waa hit by an onion.