TIIE 3I0RXIXG OREGOXIAX, WEDNESDAY, DECE3IBER 2. 1303.
8
PORTLAND, OKEI.OX.
Entered at Portland. Oregon. Poatbfflce a
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PORTLAND. WEDNESDAY. DEC t. IMS,
BON DA FOB EYEBTTinNO.
To a letter on municipal lighting,
offered today. The Oregonian will
make a few remarks In reply.
Into details of cost of lighting and
profit from contracts at one price or
another The Oregonian des not en
ter. But It suspects that if the city
should undertake the business all the
estimates of experts would fall short
of realities, and the taxpayers of the
city would find Increasing sums to
pav. to make up always increasing
deficits. It Is the universal history of
this sort of business. Hydraulic and
electrical experts furnish seductive
figures; the. politicians exploit the
business, and the taxpayers hold tho
bag.
"In view of these facts." says Mr.
Cunningham, meaning the statements
he furnishes, "the writer wishes to
disagree most decidedly." etc.. with
the remarks of The Oregonian about
municipal ownership. Now the fun
damental question is whether the
statements are "facts." That Tacoma
is to vote on a bond Issue of $2,000,
000 for a municipal lighting plant
cannot be conceded as a settlement
of the question. Tacoma has her ex
perience yet to gain. Seattle Is hav
ing hers. now. Thus far the result la
disappointment for Seattle and more
bonds.
Here Is a further question ad
dressed to The Oregonian: "Is there
any logical reason why. If municipal
ownership la successful for sewers and
water works, it should not prove suc
tessful for a lighting plant?" There
la confusion of Ideas here. Owners
of property directly benefited are
obliged to pay for sewers, as for street
Improvements. The city superintends
the work as a necessity of sanitation.
And forces the owners of adjacent
property, or property of the sewer dis
trict, to pay the bill, by direct assess
ment. But -water supply stands on
its own basis; It is different from any
Other function of city government, for
the need of it Is absolute, and sanita
tion requires that It be directed by
the city, even as to plumbing in pri
vate houses: but the user has to pay
(or everything, and now tor the lay
ing of mains In new districts. But
tvater supply differs in an economic
sense from light supply, since our
Bull Run system practically operates
Itself. Scarcely any machinery is re
quired, and but few men. It Is all
simplicity, as compared with electric
or gas lighting, or with the operation
of street railways. All cities lind It
comparatively easy to deal with their
problem of water supply; none yet has
p.ad success In dealing with these
fther problems though success In
some is pretended for a while.
"Monopoly" is named, of course;
but monopoly Is no more In evidence
here than in other great and compli
cate functions that require large cap
ital and special skill In management.
The telephone is now as indispensable
as light; so are street railways, and
tnore so; the great railroads perhaps
most of all. But in these things
there is distrust of public ownership
and administration, since It Is notori
ous that public service can seldom or
tiever be as efficient or cheap as pri
vate administration. A troop of po
litical hangers-on, moreover, attaches
to every function that local govern
ment undertakes, and politicians who
;know least about the business usually
have most to say in direction of it.
The management of our bridges la
'anything but successful, either for
.efficiency or economy.
A favorite expedient with many is
to "sell bonds" for everything that la
wanted. Most of these people never
'.think of the burden of bonds or of
- .payday. More prudent persons, how
ever, do. It remains to be seen which
description is the more numerous In
the City of Portland. Already It Is
complained that the expected pre
miums on city bonds are not forth
coming. It Is a sign that prudence
well understands.
The affairs of no city are conducted
.on business principles. Portland is
unable to maintain even a cremation
establishment. for disposal of its
garbage. The fewer things a city, in
its public or municipal capacity, en
gnges in, the better. There is no
branch of business In Portland that
wouldn't be ruined in two years by
public ownership.
AV ANALYSIS OF MILK.
An article in the December Mo
Clure's calls attention again to the
supreme Importance of a pure milk
supply in cities. The lives of young
children are completely dependent
upon wholesome milk. -They will
thrive upon no other food. Contam
inated milk may not kill them all. In
deed, if it did. the rising generation
would speed to an early grave, for.
outside of one or two cities, there is
no such thing known In American
municipal experience as pure milk.
The stuff we call milk is a sort of brew
or soup made from manure, disease
germs and the real article In various
proportions. Let a glas of milk pro
cured almost anywhere stand for an
.hour or two and you will find a de
posit in the bottom of It. This de-
posit Is a film of scales from the cow,
'dirt from the milker's hands, filth
from the walls and floor of the barn,
and occasionally scabs from sores on
'.the cow's udder or the hire3 man's
thumb. It is a weird and awesome
fluid that we call milk and feed to our
babies under that title.
That it does not kill them all Is
the strongest confirmation there is of
the intervention of a merciful Provi
dence in the affairs of men, and It
does kill multitudes of them. The in
troduction of clean milk reduced the
death rate among young children in
Copenhagen about 23 per cent at ono
stroke. In these days of race suicide
the fourth part of the annual tribute
to death is worth saving.
The civilized world sneers at our
milk supply just as It does at our pos
tal facilities. To put the matter
plainly, it is barbarous.
PREACHER OF THE OLD 8CHOOI.
The combined mental and physical
breakdown of Rev. C. C. Stratton. as
reported from Coqullle, Coos County,
recalls the wonderful Industry and
effectiveness of Pr. Stratton as itin
erant preacher, presiding elder and
educator, manifested in connection
with his work In the Oregon confer
ence of the Methodist Church for a
long period of years, beginning with
his graduation from Willamette tni
versltv more than half a century ago.
Dr. Stratton 'Is one of the few.mem
bers of the Oregon conference of that
era who now survive.
He was a contemporary, though
somewhat . younger, of 'r
bur Roberts. Gustavus and Harvey K.
r,-. Dc-no Miller. Flynn. the Gar-
risons. Farrish and other men who
"rode tho circuit.- conaucteo. r
. .oarhoit in school-houses.
mepinife., i" - ,
officiated at weddings and funerals,
instituted churches and organized
Sundav schools, in that near yet
lar-away time wherein "our yet
voung str.te was younger jci.
He was in his prime one of the most
eloquent, fervid and forceful minis
ters of the Methodist Episcopal
Church.
.-r-i rt tv,at erari us. maims ana
mars us" has left "track and trench"
upon the mind and body of Dr. Strat
ton, and In the serenity ana simpii
of second childhood he awaits the
end.
ROMK OF OCR DEBTS.
' A frten1" n d "constant reader"
.ih The Orceoninn to look up and
to report on the origin of tho piano
forte. It is not difficult. me oest.
dictionaries give the bases or tne i--no,inn
t.iva so many other
things, and indeed all other thing3.
the pianoforte is a development. n
two words of the name are opposites
and at cross purposes. They, were
put together by the Italians, in com
bination to express a composite Idea
neTo., nnri loudness together.
The harp, touched by the fingers, was
the basis of it an; men me nisi.ru,
mont r-ailed the dulcimer. In which
the strings were struck by hammers
operated by keys. This was aevei
oped Into an instrument whose chief
peculiarity was that its tone might
be made either loua or son. at mo
player's will. The earliest of these
instruments seem to have been made
at Padua, about two centuries ago.
The first record or tne instrument,
in trmrinnri seems to be that of a play
bill of the Covent Garden Theater,
London, dated May 16, not. inn
Vvtii oftor nAttlnir forth the perform
ance of the celebrated "Beggar's
Opera," by John Gay, contemporary
r pnnA .nntnina the following noti
fication:'. "End of Act First, Miss
Brickler will sing a iavonte song
from 'Judith,' accompanied by Mr.
Dlbdln, on a new Instrument called
Piano-forte." The first manufac
turer in England is believed to be a
German named BacKers, since xnere
la still in existence the name-board
of a piano Inscribed "Amencus Back
ers. Factor and Inventor, jermyn
Street, London, 1776."
It Is certain, nevertheless, that tne
Atnn" na anmn of OUT DeODle are SO
fond' of calling the Italian, first pro
duced the instrument, inn
nlnn won id be Droof of the fact.
This "dago," observe, as some of our
people who know nothing or tne nis
tr.rv nf piilturn call every Italian,
gave us nearly everything we have In
art and science. A "dago" aiso was
the discoverer of America. "We should
he aavasres vet but for the dago. And
also but for the Jew.
A PROSPERITY UNPARALLELED.
November commercial statistics are
bo strikingly at - variance with those
for the corresponding month last
year that Portland may well be
pleased with the situation. Not only
have the bank clearings, building per
mits, real estate transfers and prac
tically every other feature of our
commercial life scored remarKaDie
gains as compared with the same
month last year, but the increase over
November, 1906, when the whole
country was floating on the crest of
the wave ot prosperity, Is also quite
pronounced. The reason for this
prosperity is not far to seek. To an
overwhelming extent It can be found
in the market quotations on farm
products. The great economic rule
that the city cannot prosper unless
the tributary country is also prosper
ous Is as old as civilization Itself. It
is from the soil that all of the wealth
from which our cities are bullded
comes first, "Whenever the blight of
poor crops and low prices Is felt In
the country, the city suffers to an
even greater extent than the country.
Grain and lumber are for the pres
ent the leading exports of this city.
The November figures on these com
modities alone show why Portland, at
the gateway of the greatest timber
and agricultural region on earth. Is
prospering. Water shipments alone
of grain, flour and lumber for the
month reached an aggregate value of
more than Jl, 850,000. or approxi
mately 160,000 per day. Including
Sundays and holidays. These figures
mean that every hour of the day and
ertry day In the month grain and
lumber were placing in circulation
newly-created wealth to the amount
of more than $2500. This vast sum
of money, distributed through the
various channels of trade and Indus
try, which are dependent In varying
drgrees on the grain and lumber busi
ness, was easily turned over several
times during the month, and in the
aggregate paid debts and promoted
trade to the extent of several times
the actual amount originally received
for the products.
It is perhaps Inadvisable to dwell
too seriously on grain and lumber; for
the fruit and dairying, livestock and
truck-farming industries are ell com
ing to the front and aiding In increas
ing the per capita available for circu
lation in city and slate. Portland
and Oregon, for It must not for a
moment be forgotten that Portland
will always be dependent on Oregon
for. her commercial greatness, have
made this remarkable recovery from
the depression of last year without
the aid of any new capital, aside from
that which was forced In to pay for
the products for which the whole
world was offering a market. Now
all this Is changed, and capital from
other parts of the country is again
flowing Into the state in search of in
vestment. More railroad building is planned
for Portland territory during the next
two years than at any previous time
In the history of the Pacific North
west. The opening of the North Bank
road, with its connections leading
through thousands of square miles of
territory from which Portland has
previously been barred, will add enor
mously to the business of the port.
The extension of the Elgin branch of
the O. R. & N. will open up a new
wheat and dairy country of great ex
tent, and that vast empire in Central
nimn nrill within two vears be pour
ing out millions of bushels of wheat.
Oregon has been slow in many re
spects, but her progress has been sure
and safe, and at no time in our his
tory has the future seemea so prigni.
November, 1908, was a record-breaker
inflnsf rial activity In Portland;
but unless there is a remarkable
change In industrial conamons
throughout the United fctates ana
throughout the world. November.
1909, will show a volume of business
that will . make last month's seem
small by comparison.
HAYTL
The perpetual revolutions which
distract the Island of Haytl originate
In the hostility between the full
blooded negroes and the mulattoes.
The former compose nearly 90 per
cent of the population. The latter,
though numbering less than io per
cent, nevertheless possess pretty near-
lv the whole of the education .ana in
telligence of the country. The mulat
toes are usuaTly educatd in France
and have the same habits and Ideals
as other civilized people. The negroes
of unmixed blood are commonly ig
norant and their customs smack
strongly of primitive barbarism. In
deed, for the last hundred years, it
Is said by travelers, the Haytlan ne
groes have been gradually losing such
elements of -civilization as tney ior
merly possessed and reverting to the
religion and mode of life which were
practiced by their Arrlcan ancestors.
The savage voodoo worship prevails
among them, at least in sections of
the island, and at some of their fes
tivals they secretly practice cannibal
ism. Naturally there is bitter hatred be
tween these retrograding blacks and
their mulatto fellow-citizens. When
either party obtains power tie other
is discontented and this unrest gener
ally increases until It breaks out Into
open rebellion. An almost constant
condition of civil war hinders the
proper development of the resources
of the Island. It is a rich country
so far as resources go, having a fer
tile soil, much valuable timber and
mines of unknown value, while the
climate is one of perpetual Summer
on the coast, with cooler areas In the
high mountains of the interior. Haytl
has received most of her social cus
toms, her language and code of laws
from France, and that nation con
sumes the greater part of her exports.
These are by no means varied, con
sisting almost entirely of coffee, which
is cultivated in the islands by the most
primitive methods. The United States
furnishes about 60 per cent of the im
ports of Haytl, but buys very little
from her. This might be thought by
some to confirm the absurd theory
that America can continually sell to
other nations- without purchasing
their goods in return, but it does noth
ing of the sort. The balance between
us and the islanders Is kept even in
directly by our Import trade from
France.
The intimate relations between
Haytl and France date from long
ago. The Island was one of those first
discovered by Columbus and the
Spaniards held it for two centuries
after his voyage, working the native
Indians to death in cruel slavery, as
they did everywhere else In the New
World where they had the power. To
supply their place, negroes were
brought from Africa, By the treaty
of Ryswick, at the close of the seven
teenth century, Haytl fell to France
and was ruled by that country for a
hundred years. Thus the Inhabitants
became pretty thoroughly French In
their habits and modes of life, or the
civilized portion of them did. The
rest, who form the vast majority,
speak a barbarous dialect of the
French language and retain their
gross African customs. Slavery pre
vailed In Haytl until the time of the
French Revolution, when the national
convention abolished it, though not
till after the negroes had risen in re
bellion under the great leader, Tous
saint L'Ouverture, to assert their free
dom. L'Ouverture was the only truly
great man whom the negro race has
ever produced without an interming
ling of white blood. Both his par
ents were slaves of pure African stock,
and yet he was a commander of con
summate skill, a statesman of high
ability end a philanthropist of the
loftiest Ideals. Had he been permit
ted to complete the work which he
began for the Island of Haytl, its sub
sequent history woufd have been dif
ferent and less blood-stained, but he
fell a victim to the power of Napo
leon and perished In a French prison
instead of living to establish enduring
institutions of freedom in his native
land. Since early in the last century
the island has been independent of
foreign dominion. Divided into two
so-called republics, it has been at lib
erty to work out Its own destiny, but
what it has accomplished does not
cast much credit upon the political
genius of the negro race. Its his
tory Is a tale of needless bloodshed
blackened by savage cruelty. Each
faction, when It temporarily obtains
control, avenges itself upon the other
by Indiscriminate slaughter. The re
sources of the Island have not been
developed. The cultivation of sugar,
which once flourished, has almost dis
appeared; the timber stands uncut;
the roads are as bad as In Morocco,
where one can .travel only on horse
back, and in the whole country there
is but a single railroad, and that is
only sixteen miles long. The only
practicable method of 'going from
place to place is by water. The sys
tem of free schools which "was estab
lished a century ago exists on paper,
but scarcely anywhere, else. Prop
erty Is unsafe everywhere In the
Island and the lives of foreigners are
frequently endangered by the endless
contentions among the natives. Were
the foreign warships withdrawn, the
whites living in Haytl would not be
safe for an hour.
The Inhabitants of Haytt have en
Joyed an abundant opportunity to de
velop a stable government if they had
possessed the ability, but the clear
verdict of history is that they do not
possess It. They are farther from
civilization than they were a hundred
years ago. The world may tolerate
anarchy and slaughter in this un
happy Island for a few years longer,
but it is only a question of time when
some civilizing power will step in and
compel the people to give up per
petual fighting for peaceful industry.
What nation that will jje can perhaps
be surmised from recent events in
Cuba,
The Madison Square Garden is
about to be sold. Its site probably to
be occupied In the near future by a
nui office hnlldinfr which will add
another striking minaret to New
York's world renowned "skyline."
The Outlook deplores its passing as
a loss to the city; a loss on the ar
tistic side, for the Garden has for
eighteen years been one of the not
able architectural features of New
Tork, and a loss more widely felt as
a place of public entertainment, since
the city has no other hall of any
thing like the same size. "It Is a
commentary upon the youth of our
people," continues the Outlook, "that
we are prepared to mourn' the loss
nf q r.iillriinB' less than a score of
years old, as the loss of a landmark."
But the building, popular as it is,
artistic as it is, with Augustus Saint
Gaudens' Dlajia as a crown to its
tower, and necessary as it is as a
place for great gatherings upon great
occasions, it has never paid a divi
dend to Its owners. Its site has be
come too valuable to be occupied by
a building of restricted earning
power. This is a commercial age
and New York is the pivot around
which it revolves. "The young land
mark" must go, even as the old land
mark (historic in a New World
sense), the Fifth Avenue Hotel, has
gone.
The Harriman invasion of Hill ter
ritory on Grays Harbor has reached
a point where right-of-way Is being
purchased, and an official in charge
of matters at Aberdeen makes posi
tive announcement that work of
grading will commence within ninety
days. This, of course, may have no
direct bearing on the belated an
nouncement that the Northern Paclfia
would place a through coach for
Grays Harbor on the train leaving
J this city; but the news -will be wel
come Just the same. Portland needs
more than one railroad into the
Grays Harbor and Puget Sound coun
try. The coming year will undoubt
edly bring with it an era of railroad
building that will open up more new
territory in the Pacific Northwest
than has been developed in any pre
vious ten years.
The. Census Bureau, In its tabula
tion of the causes for divorce shows
that drunkenness was the cause upon
which the pica was made by the wife
in but 5.S per cent of the cases
brought between 1887 and 1906. This
statement would stagger belief, but
for this supplemental explanation:
"In many cases In which drunken
ness or intemperance was . not rec
ognized In .the decree of the court as
a ground, for the divorce. It appears
to have been present as a contrib
utory Influence." This sets matters
straight without reflecting too heavily
upon the bibulous propensity which
Inspires the cruelty upon which the
complaint for divorce was lodged in
27.6 per cent of. cases entered by
wives.
The Canadian Pacific Railway has
filed with the Interstate Commerce
Commission a new export and import
tariff which becomes effective this
week. As the American portion of
any haul which the Canadian" Pacific
would make on freight bound for the
Orient is comparatively insignificant,
that road Is In position to cut under
any of the American roads for the
Oriental business, and still hold Its
American portion of the through
rates up to the figures maintained on
local business within the United
States. By this system the Oriental
tfnfn Inrmprlv handled bv the trans-
' Pacific steamers operating out of
American ports will all be transferred
to the Canadian line.
Another Immense sawmill is
planned for the peninsula near the
mammoth Swift . packln plant.
There Is plenty of room for all, and
until Portland has upwards oi l.uuu,
000 population, there will be a vast
supply of raw material on which to
draw. By the way, tawmills and
other manufacturing enterprises of
varying degrees of importance are
coming along so numerously that
they no longer occasion the surprise
that formerly greeted their an
nouncements in Portland.
Some brother says: "We are fight
ing for a principle In Statement One.
Down that and the people in their
wrath are liable to elect a Democratic
majority in the Legislature next
time." And suppose they did? Could
It do any mora than elect another
Democratic Senator? For what pur
pose are Republicans or Democrats
in the Legislature?
There will never be an end to the
sensations In the San Francisco
graft prosecution. Just when public
Interest begins to wane, it is revived
by such an incident as the Heney
shooting or Blggy's tragic death. Per
haps It was suicide. No one will ever
know, probably. Mystery is the most
interesting feature of any tragedy.
The moral squad is to be reduced
In numbers because it cannot find
anything to do. Strange, when there
are many Portland citizens who Jus
tify suspicion from . the mayor's
sleuths by nestling In the bosom of
their respective families every night.
It may be a trifle uncertain as to
Just who voted for Coffey for chair
man of the Multnomah delegation,
but somebody did ten somebodies.
Everybody appears to be satisfied
that the returns ere authentic.
A New York preacher was pre
sented with 140,000 in checks (real
money) - on his seventieth birthday.
Which proves, that preaching pays, if
the preacher manages to escape
starvation until he is seventy.
The Country Life Commission will
find that the Oregon farmer will be
able to devise many ways for the gen
eral uplift as long as wheat remains
at $1 per bushel and apples $2 per
box.
Chamberlain In Washington will
doubtless be hailed as the most won
derful non-partisan the Democratic
party has produced. His Democratic
brethren should study him closely.
The state might add to Its institu
tions for criminals, insane and feeble
minded, an establishment for the
many who make gun threats or carry
concealed weapons.
. In Italy they think the Abruzzi
Elklns episode very unpleasant. They
are right; it was the most unpleasant
affair in America, since the Gould
Sagan tie-up.
Finch's lawyers would find an ideal
Jury for their purposes In those
twelve denizens of murderers' row.
General Simon (first name not
Joe) appears to be having things his
own way down in Haytl.
POST HOC MEMORANDA.
There Is Krenuw In Thto Artlele, and
It In Worth "While to Read It..
New York Evening Sun.
The TV e-nderlng Voice, hushed for a few
brief days by the anesthetic of a large
popular vote, has struscled out again,. and
now rings true as a Mexican dollar from
Aldamas. the green home of Southern
waterfowl, and the contiguity of shade in
which the .statesman is resting until his
head cools off.
He has been trying to put his finger on
the exact cause of his recent defeat,
for he has at last conceded that fact
After a cursory glance at the money
question, the attitude of the newspapers,
the iniquity of corporate employers and
such contributory influences, he professes
to come to the point, to the exact reason
why; but It will be seen that in the very
moment of his definition his protean char
acteristic works automatically, and he,
the beaten Bryan, changes into the beaten
Democratic party. That is, himself and
the Democratic party are interchange
able terms, as he sees them. And in the
last snalvsta he finds the secret, poisoned
drop in Democracy's cup. which stretched
It stark and eilent (except for his own
automatic speech) to be Democracy's lark
of the Federal offices. In his own words:
It (the Demooratlo party) has eeen num
ber of lt polices taken up and Indorsed
by the Republican party and It will con
tinue to be an educational Influence until it
become strong enough to ecure control ot
the office.
In other words, all Is now lost save
the honorable function of the school
master. The Democratic party must go
on In the simple austerity of its teacher's
garb, trudging through the mire of un
favorlng circumstances, splashed by the
wheels and choked by the fuming gaso
lene of the passing band wagons of. the
Republican party, a simple scholar, con
tent with Its crust of economic truth, and
patiently waiting its chance to overtake
one of the aforesaid band wagons per
haps standing unguarded In some tavern
yard while the Republicans carouse at
table and then to leap into the driver's
seat and run its own machine.
The offices the sheltering offices, the
ease and dignity and comfort of the Ins
these always have the strongest possible
appeal to the Outs. But it Is not always,
in recent years, that the offices have
been so definitely named by the party's
spokesman as the sine qua non the es
sential cause of the unsuccess of assault
upon the citadel, the first foundation
stone of a party's chance of winning. Our
modern statesmen have been mealy
mouthed about them, but Mr. Bryan goes
back to the wisdom of the Jacksonian
fathers. Without the offices the party
cannot hope to gain full control. Obvi
ously, tho first step In getting hold of all
the offices Is to get one office. The proper
person to get the first office is, naturally,
the party's leader. And so Mr. Bryan
should be sent to the Senate.
What? Anybody say that Mr. Bryan
Is not the actual, natural, perpetual
and unquestionable leader of the Dem
ocratic party? Oh, you can never get
Mr. Bryan to oeueve tnau nc win
nnim.A Docnmo bin nwn leadershin
until the party smites him so hard
not with appeals, tor ne is aeat; nm
-j t v. Uirti. fnr hn 1 hpmiiRpd and self-
hypnotized; but with the heavy blud
geon of caucus votes. it ne can uo
felled at the beginning the party may
be rid of its incubus. But If he is al
lowed political life as a Democrat he
will continue to organize Democracy's
defeat.
Extraordinary Women.
New York World.
The Dowager Empress of China, like
Catharine I of Russia, was a chapter
out of the Arabian Nights. Neither
would have been possible except in an
Oriental environment.
One was the daughter of a starving
Cantonese who sold her into slavery.
The other had a serf for a mother and
presumably a Lithuanian peasant for
a father. The one fell Into the hands
of a, Tartar general in command of the
troops in the province, and eventually
passed ino the harem of the Emperor
of China as a concubine of the-third
class. The other fell into the hands
of the Russian general who captured
Marlenburg and became the mistress
of Peter the Great and his most trust
ed adviser.
The former established her son on
the Chinese throne and as Dowager
Emoress ruled nearly 400,000,000 sub
jects for almost a half century through
two puppets called Emperors. The
latter Induced Peter to marry her and
to -proclaim her Empress. After his
death she ascended the throne of Rus
sia in her own right.
Two great romances, of two great
empires, vet Tsu Hsl was even a more
striking figure than her Russian pro
totype. She deserves comparison not
with one Catharine but with three
with Otetharine I, whom she resembled
in the manner of achieving sovereign
ity; with Catharine II, whom she re
sembled in mental vigor and admini
strative talent, and with Catharine
de' Medici, whom she emulated In
cruelty, in genius for Intrigue and in
unbending opposition to liberalism and
progress.
Bryan and he Frraa.
New York Evening Post,
In his latest analysis of the causes of
his defeat. Mr. Bryan finds that the Re
publicans had most of the large metro
politan newspapers on their side. Appar
ently, they offset the great influence of
the Commoner and the Staats Zeitung,
with the half-hearted support of the
World. But if Mr. Bryan would only
take time to think a little more deeply
about this press situation, he might per
haps recall that in 1876 and in 1SS4. and
in the later Cleveland campaigns, the
pick of the independent press cordially
supported the Democratic ticket. No Pres
ident ever had better or more influential
American newspapers behind him than
Grover Cleveland. But ever since the ap
pearance of Mr. Bryan, this newspaper
support has generally gone to the Re
publicans. Why, Mr. Bryan should ask
himself, did newspapers like the Times,
the Evening Post, the Springfield Repub
lican, the Baltimore Sun, and a host of
others of this type refuse to support the
Democratic party In 1906? Tile answer
is the same that must be given when
anybody examines frankly the causes of
the Democratic defeat because Mr.
Bryan was the candidate. So long as he
is at the head of the party it will regu
larly be defeated, and will as regularly
repel the valuable newspaper support it
could regain by choosing a stable, trust
worthy and statesmanlike leader.
MlKhty Smart, Thla I" I but Still We
Hare the Islands.
From Life.
1. We fought for them with Spain and
got them by conquest.
2. We bought them from Spain.
3. We fought for them with the Fili
pino patriots and got them by conquest.
4. We bought a large part of them
from the pope.
5. We gave them back to the Pope and
other private interests for purposes of
benevolent assimilation, forcible Chris
tlanizatlon and commercial exploitation.
$.In consideration of our generosity in
giving them away, we continue to pay all
bills of administration, pacification and
subjugation.
Question. Have we the Philippines oij
have we them not?
Plays "William Tell" Act and Dies.
London (Eng.) Dispatch.
Herbert Lee, a music hall performer,
is dead in this city from the effects of
a wound on the, head received during a
-recent performance of a "William Tell"
act at a local hall. Lee held a ball on
his head, at which Mine.' Clementine
shot at a distance of 50 feet. Mme.
Clementine surrendered to the police.
Lee had given this act for. 18 years
without having met with an accident.
What the'Tarmers' Uplift Commission" Is Doing
Wide Inquiry Throuuhout Alt the Stnte. Show. Alraoat 1 nanlmoua Demand
for Poatnl Snvlnaia Bank. nd Tarcela Poat, All Clni of Persona Ten
dering: Information.
William E. Vurtla- Washington Letter to I
Chicago Record-Herald.
Henry Wallace, of Des Moines, Iowa,
is here with the "Farmer's Vplift
commission appointed last August by
the President, and I asked him what
he and his colleagues are doing, and
what they expect t accomplish.
Before answering the question. Mr.
Wallace sounded the keynote of the
investigation by summarizing Presi
dent Roosevelt's letter of Instructions
which called for fact and opinion on
which to seaure better business meth
ods and better living on the farm;
more comforts and wider advantages;
tho bringing back of children to the
farm; to educate country children to be
contented on the farm; to make life
richer and more attractive for wives
and daughters: to secure co-operation
in buying, selling and borrowing, to
the end that farm life may be made
more profitable as well as more com
fortable. "With this in view." said Mr. Wal
lace, he appointed what he has called
"a commission on country life.' of which
Professor L. H. Bailey, of New York
State College of Agriculture is chair
man; President Butterfield, of Massa
chusetts Agricultural College, Gifford
Plnchot, director of United States For
est Service, Walter li Page, of North
Carolina and myself are members. He
has since added Charles S. Barrett, of
Union City, Ga., and W. A. Beard, of
Sacramento, and has asked us to make
an investigation and report before the
end- of next (this) December what can
be done to secure greater efficiency
and attractiveness in farm life.
"The first thing we did was to send out
about 500,000 circulars of inquiry to farm
ers and persons who are familiar with
farm life in different parts of the country.
These circulars contain 12 questions for
the purpose of drawing out Information on
the general economic, social, educational
and sanitary conditions of the farm homes
in this country and the persons to whom
they are sent are requested to state what,
in their judgment, should be done for the
betterment of country life.
"The various phases of the subject
have been assigned to different mem
bers of the commission," continued Mr.
Wallace, "and each of them has sent
out supplementary circulars making
specific inquiries upon the lines of the
investigations. For example, I have
sent out 20,000 circulars asking what
per cent of the land Is worked by
the owners; how much Is rented; how
much for cash and how much for
shares: and the amount of shares?
I have asked for Information as to
the Incomes of the farmers who own
their land, compared with those of
tenants and the landowners. I have
asked about wages also, and the cost
of living, and whether there has been
any Increase in rents or in wages.
What proportion of hired farmhands
ultimately become farmers? What
proportion of the tenants become land
owners? What proportion of the ten
ants drop off and become laborers and
what proportion of the farmers lose
their land?
a
"We get the names of the persons
to whom these circulars are sent from
the banks In the small towns and vil
lages, from agricultural colleges, from
newspapers and from associations of
various kinds, and we are confident
that we have reached the representa
tive intelligent farmers of every sec
tion - of the country. We have also
sent circulars to country ministers,
doctors, educators, business men, rail
road men, and others who come into
contact with farmers and have an op
portunity to learn of the conditions
and needs of country life. The interest
taken by the farming community in
this inquiry is indicated by the fact
that we are receiving between 5000
and 6000 answers a day, 'and many of
them are of the greatest interest.
Country ministers and priests have
GHOSTS ARE PROBABLY UNHAPPY
President Hall, flnrk University, Soya
It'a Borenome to Be a Spook.
New York Press Service.
WThile doubting the existence of
ghosts, Professor G. Stanley Hall, of
Clark University, the Institution which
recently offered a cash prize for the
capture or authentic proof of the ex
istence of a spook, has startled tele
pathists and Investigators generally by
announcing that if ghosts do exist they
are undoubtedly unhappy what Huck
Finn would call a "poor lot." After
investigating hundreds of cases. Dr.
Hall is more than ever unconvinced
of the existence of ghosts and in an
explanation of his attitude which he
contributes to Appleton's Magazine
cites reasons for his position. "No ghost
was ever seen to do or say anything
Important," he says, "but all their re
puted acts and words are so trivial
as to intimate that such a life aa they
lead must be boresome.
The president of the ghost-seeking
university, In answer to the assertions
of persons who declare that they have
seen ghosts makes the novel retort that
plenty of persons who have been struck
on the head have seen sparks, without
the sparks being in any 'way real.
"Till comparative recently," says he,
"the whole world believed that the sun
went around the earth, but this con
sensus does not add an iota to the
probability that it ever did so."
"Likewise," says the university presi
dent, "it is not logical to believe that
ghosts exist simply because some peo
ple believe in them. The list of once
universal superstitions is a long one,
but It does not prove ' anything. It is
hard to realize that our Intimate
friends, especially if they died sudden
ly and afar off. so that we did not see
the corpse or the interment, are really
dcud, and this has a good deal to do
with the cases of those supposed to
return to earth." The chief result of
years of Investigation, however, leads
Dr. Hall to conclude that by their mani
festations, even if such manifestations
be accepted, ghosts must be a sorrow
ful lot, a statement which shows the
possibilities for the formation of a
society for the amelioration of the con
dition of spooks.
He Catches 'Em A-comln' and A-gwlnr.
New York Evening Sun.
Hittorv once more repeats lteelf. Miss
Ida Tarbell's "History of the Standard
Oil Company" was sold, with other
books by its publisher, Mr. A. to Mr. B.,
another publisher. Mr. B. is at present
publishing Mr. John D. Rockefel
ler's personal reminiscences and receiv
ing (we suspect) quite a large sum of
money for those altruistic outpourings.
But observe the recurring benediction of
Fortune upon the aged philanthropist. He
Is now getting paid, in part, by the money
earned by Miss Tarbell and her useful
history. That is. he is once more getting
a rebate on the shipments of a competi
tor. And nobody not even Mr. Kellogg
could say it was his own fault. If only
he stands with his cap out, is he to blame
if everybody's hapence falls into it?
Airabipa.
Emporia (Kas.) Gazette.
I hold it true, with him who sings, to
one clear harp in divers tones, that men
who'd fly. ere they have wings, are apt
to break their blooming bones. The birds
may think it fully worth their while to
soar from tree to tree; but while I live
this, good old earth is plenty smooth
enough for me.
written a surprisingly large proportion
of the replies and their suggestions
show a broad and intelligent grasp
of the situation. Schoolteachers, su
perintendents of schools. country
bankers and commission men who
deal in farmers' produce, have also
given us some exceedingly valuable
Information.
"There are several replies from or
dinary farmhands, men who work by
the month, which show a degree of
intelligence and Judgment that was not
expected. Some of them show a com
prehension of the subject that would
do credit to a political economist.
"All of these replies are boing tabu
lated and briefed at the census office,
and when the returns are all in copies
will be furnished to each member of
the commision for them to study and
form their conclusions upon. In the
meantime we are having hearings.
We have already visited College Park,
Md.; Richmond, Va.; Raleigh, Athens,
Ga,: Knoxvllle, Tenn.; Spartansburg, S.
C: Lexington, Ky., and several other
places. From 1 to 200 gentlemen snd
ladies appeared before us at each of
these places and gave us their opini
ons and the information we required.
Several white women gave exceedingly
valuable testimony of several parts
of the South, and we heard many In
telligent practical farmers of both
races. Several superintendents of
schools, physicians, sanitary officers
and other gentlemen who are especial
ly well qualified opened up their hearts
and talked with the greatest frank
ness. They agree on certain things,
some of which are as follows:
1. They need better schools every
where in the rural districts, particu
larly in the South, better schoolhouses,
longer terms and better paid teachers.
2. They need better roads and they
want the National Government to make
them.
3. There Is almost unanimous de
mand for postal savings banks.
4. The farmers everywhere are ex
ceedingly urgent in their demands for
a parcels post system.
5. Everybody thinks that agricul
ture might be made more profitable
nnd various suggestions were advanced
to secure that desired end. .
"We are going to visit every state
in the Union. We go next to Texas
and then on to Arizona, California and
Oregon, where the commission will di
vide into two parts and do double
duty so as to complete our work with
in the time stated by the President.
We will all get together again at
Omaha at the National Corn Exposi
tion on the 9th or 10th of December,
where we have Invited many farmers
from the surrounding states to meet
us. Then we go to St. Paul and Min
neapolis, and after that will visit the
universities at Champaign, III.: Madi
son, Wis.; Lansing, Mich.; Ithaca, N.
Y., and Boston, to see what the agri
cultural schools are doing. We expect
to get back to Washington about De
cember 20 to make our report."
"I have heard it suggested that this
is a Socialistic movement?"
"That is a mistake. There is no
drift toward Socialism whatever. The
President's idea and our purpose is to
discover how country life can be re
organized and elevated to a higher
plane Just as city life has been. The
Government does not intend to do this,
but Is hoping to be able to show how
it can be done, and encourage those
most deeply Interested to do it. Our
work does not contemplate Congres
sional appropriations for the benefit
of anybody, except to educate the
farmers of the country through the
Agricultural Department, the experi
ment stations and other ' agencies to
help themselves. We want to teach
them not to depend upon the Govern
ment, but to help themselves; how to
co-operate with each other: to make
the best of what they have; and to
encourage self-help is the very oppo
site of Socialism."
ARMY RATIONS FOR ONE DAT
What Soldiers of Various Countries)
Have While on March.
London Special to New York Times.
Herman Senn, the organizer of the
Universal Cookery and Food Exhibi
tion, which has Just been opened here,
has received, as one of the most inter
esting exhibits, specimens of the Ideal
army rations of the leading countries
of the world. The exhibits present a
day's rations for men on tho march,
and nearly every country is represent
ed. The Japanese dietary scale is tha
most frugal, and is as follows:
Ric 5
Meat J-"5 OS-
Fish (which may be had Instead of
meat) -, ?'
Cabbage Or other vegetable 6 -3 oz.
Biscuit 20 2?
'1 OZ-
Great Britain's soldier gets In one
day: iii tT
Fresh moat J
Or. preaerved meat, J
Bread
Or bicult or flour 1 y-
Tea "'
Jam
gsr. 'n -
pepper . l-
Freah vegetables . .:
Or dried vegetable 2 f
Or preerved fruit
Lime juice twlth Ji o. .ugar on
day whun frenh vegetable are
not lBued xr? '
Rum ;vvii-::v 14
Tobacco (per
or.
The' scale'of Germany is as follows:
Booui-::::::::::""::::":j'-;
earmuiion::::::::1 :? St
,?br..:::::::::::::::::::::: j
Barley or groat.... ?
Or peas, bean or Hour - or.
toc :::::::::::::::;:. ST
Coffee ( roasted )' I or.
The French soldier on a march getsi
per day:
Meat without Done ....-.."
Bread .
. .35.30 OI.
Or biscuit .....
.26. SO
Dried vegetable JJt, "'
: J:
Coffee
The Belgian dietary scale Includes
concentrated bouillon. Prunes, tomatoes
and apples are among the American
soldier's rations, and the Dutch army's
diet includes horseflesh.
Hla Conaolatton.
r Atlanta Constitution.
Possibly pottscrlp to the Rockefel
ler autobiography: "I was once h
court and heavily fined. In the sum of
$29,000,000; but I knew I should not
have to pay It having never seen the
righteous forsaken, nor his seed beg
ging bread."
Chair of Forgetfnlnesa.
Washington Star.
"What I want," said the fretful mag
nate, "is to find some way of forgetting
my troubles."
"That's easy," answered Mr. Dustin
Stax. "Get them to put you In the wit
ness chair during a trust investigation."
Not Exceptional.
Kansas City Journal.
"I see that a New York dame claim
that a woman needs $70,000 a year for
clothes. I s'pose hers is an exceptional
CR,'5:ot at all. Every woman needs that
much. Only they don't all get It."