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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 1909)
THE MORNING OKEGONIAN, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1909. i 6 PORTLAND, OMflM. Entarad at Portland. Onjon, Fostofflco acena-Claaa Ultur. obaorlBtloB Rata Invariably Is Adrmnoo. (R all.k Dally. Sunday Included, out year... Dailv. Sunday Included, al monlha. . I'ai:y. Sunday included, threa month! t'allv. Sunday included, one month.. Iitiy. without Sunday, one year 18 00 . 4 M 75 S.O0 3 2S Iaiiy. wnnoui Minutj, mix m"u.-. -. Uauy. Wlinoui sunaKf, i' c muii... - - ; Pally, without Sunday, ona month -w Weekly, on yaar J J? Funday. ona year Eunday and weekly, ona yaar "" (fey Carrier.) Dally. Bunday Included, ona year n0 Daily. Sunday Included, one month How t Remit Send poatofnee money order, azpreaa order or perronal char on your local bank Stampa. coin or currency are at th aendefa rlk. Olve poatornco atf drs In full. Including .county and atata. IVIur RUM 1 to 14 paptea. 1 cent; IS to s oanea. 2 centa; 3" to 4 paa'a. 3 cent. to A" pages. 4 centa Foreign poatage double rate. Faetrm Bu.lnei Offlre The S. C. Beck wltn Special Aency New York, room 4 50 Trttmne building. Chicago, rooma oiu-si-Tribune building PORTLAND. MONDAY, NOV. IS. I""- the maj difference between oik political pasties. The- lines of division between our political parties are not at this time very strictly nor definitely drawn. Nevertheless, the principal line of di vision remains as heretofore; since It is fixed in human nature, and. there fore. Is Ineradicable. The natural bent of one party Is towards a strong and efficient government of concentrated and centralized powers; of the other, towards loose and local democracy. The trend of thought, of feeling, of events, constantly leads men, according to their natural temperaments, to sep arate themselves into parties; ana usually there are but two great parties, because opposition is the life of popu lar government, and the tendency of one party, contending for Its Ideas, is to produce its opposite the other. From this condition there can be no important or permanent change. Con sequently, our political parties are not to break up and disappear. On trifling events men frequently scatter In considerable numbers, from the parties they commonly act with; but any event or proposition of real importance will bring them back. Even though they may not distinctly know what the proposition or measure may mean, cannot analyze tt or give reas ons for it or against it. they instinct ively feel they must oppose it, or sup port It, as the case may be, according to their view of Its bearing on the gen eral course of politics and government. This diversity is mainly temperamen tal, but educational influences have much to do with It. So have personal antipathies and local prejudices. Many men act with one party because of their natural dislike of men or neigh bors of the other. In the main the Democratic party of the United States has been con trolled by local and provincial Ideas; the Republican party and its forbears by the ideas and purposes of a govern ment of larger and fuller powers. The one party has disliked and even hated central authority; the other has fa vored and supported it. It is certain, however, that Democrats In many parts of the country are committing themselves, more or less, to a policy of centralization and of dependence on the national government. Many of them are very earnest supporters of high protective tariff and of all sorts of Internal Improvements, under na tional direction. Still, however, they act. nominally, with the Democratic party, whose traditions are ail against these things, and whose platforms still condemn them. Yet each party is to be judged by the general course, and by the whole course and tenor, of its history. The tariff cannot really become a party question, since it depends on local industries; and among the strongest protectionists now are' large communities in our Southern States. On the other hand, many Republicans In Northern districts are insistent upon tariff reduction. Rut this doesn't wipe out party lines, because back of all lies the kistoric basis of parties, resting primarily on human nature, and carried forward and far beyond the crisis of the con flict between national and state author ity. It will not cease so long as state authority exists. That Is. there is no probability it will cease at all or ever. During fifty years the Republican party, depending on authority and In sisting on the use of it. has done every thing. It has been strong, because It is the party of national ideas. In many things the Democratic party has been a helper, doubtless; but a helper chief ly by its opposition. Most conspicuous display of this fact a as when it elected Governor Cleveland to the Presidency, in 1892. Cleveland was an asserter of high central authority; and discover ing this, his party exclaimed that it had been "betrayed." and It repudiated him. Ever since it has followed the Bryan standard. It appears that now still, as for fifty years past, all the Important questions of national and general policy that must be dealt with, are to be wrought out. mainly, through the Republican party. The local temperament, the pro vincial instinct, that controls the Dem ocratic party, supplies no purpose of sufficient breadth for a national organ ization. There Is. however, much crit icism of the Republican party, even by Republicans. But the Democratic party obtains no advantage from it, because, as a party, it lacks national basis. It devotes itseif to provincial ideas and contentions, and tights either for ob solete notions or for new vagaries. Hence, it has no common bond, no constructive policy; but simply is "agin" things that others propose, or pitches its camps a generation or two behind the march of the- times. It made Its first complete wreck on state authority and state sovereignty, and its second on an irrational contest for silver; unaware that in each case It was pitting Itself against world-wide principles of political and economic progress towards consolidation. ,The country will not be governed by a loose local democracy that contends against national Ideas and principles. The policy of this party towards the Philippines is of a piece with the rest. It is not a party of national breadth, standing for national author ity. There has been a long fight to make the United States a 'nation, and the Democratic party, during this long struggle, has been on the wrong side of the battle line. The great personal ities of Jackson and of Cleveland, standing for authority, did not change Its essential nature. Russian wheat shipments for the week ending last Saturday were the smallest sine October. 1. The term 'smallest" loses some of Its signifi cance, however, "when it Is stated that for the seven days there were dis patched from the Russian seaports 5.920,000 bushels of wheat. With such enormous shipments coming at a time when the remainder of the world either has no wheat, or Is not selling It, Russia may well lay claim to the title "granary of the world." Ameri can shipments from' the United States and Canada since July 1 are more than 24.000.000 bushels less than for the same period a year ago. and. as the visible supply is nearly 20.000,000 bushels less than tt was at this date last year, there Is a growing belief that the size of the American crop has again been over-estimated. RAILROAD FROM YAKIMA. Persistent rumors of a railroad con necting Portland with Yakima, or some near-by point in South Central Washington, will not down. The lat est of these shadows of coming events credits the proposed line to the Chi cago. Milwaukee & St. Paul, and there are many good reasons why this rumor Is entitled to more credence than'some of Its predecessors. Within an Isosce les triangle having the apex of its longer sides at a point where Klickitat and Yakima Counties "corner" on the west, and having a line from Tacoma to Portland as a base, lies the largest area In the State of Washington not yet reached by a railroad. The North ern Pacific and the North Bank roads form the two long sides of this trian gle, and the Jointly-operated Hill-Har-riman tracks between Portland and Puget Sound form the short side. The only break in this large territory is where the Tacoma & Eastern has built out through Pierce and into Lewis County. It is obvious that the Hill lines have practically a monopoly on whatever traffic flows out of this region. It Is equally obvious that there can be very little development In that region, which Is rich In timber, mineral and agri cultural resources, until there is a 'cross-country" road. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Is owned and controlled to a large extent by the same men who own and control the Harriman lines. The relations exist ing between the two lines are so har monious that, pending completion of its line to Portland, the Milwaukee turns Its Portland traffic over to the Harriman lines at Plummer, Idaho. In view of the Intense rivalry between the Hill and Harriman forces, it Is not at all probable that the powerful finan ciers who are behind the Milwaukee as well as the Harriman lines will long neglect such a rich field as lies between the Yakima country and the Columbia River. It thus seems logical and natural that the Milwaukee should be the road to strike cross country to Portland. The" mysterious North Coast has a sur vey running through Cowlitz Pass, but a road built there would miss much good traffic originating farther south and east. In a territory that could be tapped by a road starting from Yakima and swinging south of Mount Adams. It is, of course, impossible to secure low grades and easy curves on a line through a country as rough as that which will be encountered in portions of Yakima and Skamania Counties. There is so much rich traffic at stake, however, that eventually a road will be built through the country. It may not become a portion of a main line to Portland, but it will haul out a heavy traffic In both directions, and will make tributary to Portland a large region In the State of Washington in which development is on a scale not at all In keeping with the possibilities of the country. Seasoning from actual events now taking place In Central Oregon, there would be no occasion for surprise if the Milwaukee and the Hill lines should both decide to build a short cut through from Yakima to Portland. Ths line is more of a necessity for that quasi-Harriman road, the Milwaukee & St. Paul, than it Is for the Northern Pacific, but the latter road has some advantages In the way of a good start made on the line running out of Van couver, Wash., to Yacolt. WALL STREET'S BLACK ART. The unsophisticated observer who lends his watch or hat to the magician on the stage is somewhat Inclined to become nervous when "the hand de ceives the eye" and he witnesses the apparent destruction of his property. He is Inclined, however, to view with good-natured Interest the efforts of the magician when the watch or the hat is the property of some one else. About two years ago the great and growing, otherwise the wild and woolly West, loaned large sums of money to the Wall-street magicians, - who by long and uninterrupted practice had perfected the art of making from two to ten shares of stock grow where the subsoil hardly warranted one. The West was so particularly interested In this special brand of necromancy prac ticed in the canyons leading out of Lower Broadway that It cheerfully ad vanced the funds necessary for the pro cess by whk'h water was transformed Into gold with a rapidity and in a volume that placed Aladdin's lamp in a class with the burned-out incan descents. It will be remembered that the Wall street disciples of the modern black art temporarily lost control of public confidence, that mighty invisible force which enabled them to perform their bewildering stunts. In the cataclysm that followed this lapse of public con fidence the West was very much dis turbed lest It fail to recover Its watch, hat and other trifles loaned for the ex hibition. Fortunately, most of its property was returned, although the suspense and expense were both great. Now, with return of prosperity, the Wall-street magicians and jugglers are out in force. They are selling a mil lion or more shares of stock per day, on a market In which nothing even bordering on ' legitimate buying and selling would warrant the turn-over of half that amount. As many as 350, 000 shares'of steel common have been sold in a single day, and other "active" stocks in proportionate volume. This year, however, the West is not "In on the deal." and as a result we witness the remarkable spectacle of higher interest rates In New York than In Chicago and many other Western cities, which In the past have shipped their surplus .cash to New York to be used in high finance In Wail street. The rates at home are lower, but the quality of the security seems to be higher. That New York Is feeling the loss of this Western money Is appar ent in the weekly bank statements. The surplus reserve of the clearing house banks of New York for the week ending last Saturday was $310,466,000, the lowest point reached since early In 190S. when recovery from the 1907 panic began. This is more than $70, 000,000 less than the reserve held at the close of the corresponding week last year, and Is less than $7,000,000 more than the reserve required by law, while last year 'the surplus was more than JS0. 000. 000 in excess of legal re quirements. A decrease of more than $20,000,000 In loans last week indicates rather drastic contraction, and with sixty day loans strong at 5 hi and 6 per cent. It Is quite apparent that a halt is about to be called on that peculiar kind of finance that has made WalK street famous. Any halt called In Wall street, however, will hardly interfere with the progress of the prosperity procession in the West. SECRET DIVORCES. It is not easy to understand why Margaret Illington, otherwise Mrs. Daniel Frohman, was obliged to leave her unhappy home in New York, travel with her damaged household gods all the way to the Pacific Coast, and false ly declare herself a resident of Nevada, merely to get a divorce. For It has many times been shown that the New York courts are "of a most accommo dating disposition when the soiled lin gerie of the miserable rich is to be renovated through the process of di vorce. There Is no trouble at all in ar ranging in New York to get rid of a troublesome wife or husband, if the applicant for the court's favor has a "pull." Further, the court may be persuaded to Invoke the rule, unknown elsewhere, of taking the testimony in secret and of withholding from the public any of the Interesting details, If, in the court's Judgment, their pub lication "might endanger public mor als." Public morals must be in con stant danger through the misdeeds of New York's great families, for nearly every divorce of the Astors or Vander bilts or others of the idle rich has been procured In secret. There is not much room for play of the imagination over the causes, however, for too much money and the other woman or the other man, as the case may be, have doubtless, been responsible In each case. Of course, society is not much In danger from free and full knowledge of the vicious doings of, the rich and famous. If it knows, society may de vise ways to protect itself. Rather, there Is much to be feared If the way through the divorce court shall be made easy for the drones and dawdlers of society and. correspondingly difficult for Its humble members. Divorce should be neither a privilege nor a habit for any tiass of society; yet as things are In New York it appears to be both. Yet Margaret Illington may have been obliged to go to Reno, where all may meet in the divorce court on the common level. Likely enough, it was her husband who had the "pull." POSTAE BANKS IN POLITICS. The signs of the times indicate pret ty clearly that the country must choose before long between the guaranty of deposits in commercial banks and the establishment of postal savings banks. With the present banking condition, no small number of people are dissatis fied, and nothing will . content them short of some change which they think is for the better. Several states besides Oklahoma have already adopted the guaranty policy, in part at least. More are discussing It, with a trend of popu lar opinion In Its favor. Of course, the weight of scientific Judgment is against the guaranty of deposits, but many voters dismiss this as an unimportant consideration. They say the econo mists are biased or bought, and persist In their desire for a state or National guaranty. Some want both. For this Insistent, and growing de mand for more banks or safer banks there are two substantial reasons. In the first place, large sections of coun try are totally unprovided with banks. This is a fact which some financiers are disposed to overlook. In arguing against postal banks, they speak as if banks were already sufficiently numer ous everywhere, and assume with bland indifference to fact that In opening the postoffice for deposits the Government would needlessly intrude upon a legitimate industry. The truth Is that private enterprise has failed to supply the country with the banks it needs, and will continue to fail. This is markedly the case in regions where population is sparse. Savings banks are needed there as much as anywhere, but Individuals will not open them, be cause they will not. pay. The only sound recourse Is to receive savings de posits at the postoffice. Many people believe, however, that the public guaranty of deposits would induce capitalists to open banks in neighborhoods where at present they would be unprofitable. The guaranty, it Is argued, would draw large sums of money out of hoarding which the local bank would receive and send elsewhere for investment. Very little reserve need be kept on hand, since the public guaranty would preclude anything like a run on the bank. Granting that this argument is decep tive, still It appeals to a considerable number of voters and it is quite likely that the only way to meet it is by es tablishing postal banks. People living In sparsely settled districts are deter mined to have places of safe deposit for their savings. If the Government does not provide for their needs by a scienflfic expedient like postal banks, they will undoubtedly resort to the state guaranty and may even move timid Congressmen to enact a National guaranty law. The second substantial reason for the popularity of the guaranty project is a feeling that at present some banks are unsafe. Of course economists re ply that the public guaranty would not make them any safer, but many people do not believe it. Multitudes are con vinced that it is a genuine remedy for panics and failures. Every tricky financier who is exposed, every bank disaster which spreads misery among depositors, strengthens the popular faith in the public guaranty. It could not make matters worse, the reform ers urge, and it might make them a great deal better. ' The consideration that even when a bank fails the depos itors' almost always get their money if they wait long enough does not weigh with the masses. In the last National platform of (he Republican party postal savings banks were specifically and unreservedly promised to the people. Good faith re quires that this promise be fulfilled. Good policy doubly requires it, for something ought to be done to com pensate the public for its disappoint ment over the tariff. As "Raymond" points out in the Chicago Tribune, a downward revision of the tariff was also promised, and if It was given at all, the gift was so obscure, dubious and stingy, that it might better have betin withheld altogether. If the party Is wise it will seize the opportunity to redeem its tariff sins by opening postal banks at the next session of Congress. Unless it does so, Mr. Taft runs a seri ous risk of facing a Democratic House of Representatives in 1910. If postal banks were unsound economically, of course the promise to grant them to the people ought to be broken. Mere political expediency does not justify statesmen in pursuing a disastrous pol icy. But they are not unsound. On the contrary, every scientific consider ation favors them. They have been opened in many countries and every where they are established they prove beneficial. The only objection to them of any apparent weight is the selfish fear of their competition by the bank ers, but even that objection is groundless. Sing Hosam, a Chinese prize-fighter, knocked out his opponent in a four- ! round fight at Marshfield Saturday. At first glance this would" seem to indicate still further complications in the great question of the hour. It suggests pos sibilities of endless trouble in deciding whether that color line is to be plain black and white, or whether it will Include a streak of yellow. Fortunately for the gentlemen with the low brows and the "high" language. Sing Hosam is only a "featherweight" and, conse quently, cannot be pressed Into service to bring the championship even half way back to the camp of the whites, in case Mr. Johnson should get the, better of the coming argument with Mr. Jeffries. That eminent "has been," Mr. John L. Sullivan, once expressed the opinion that the only way to fight a negro was with a baseball bat. He would probably want the white oppon ents of Sing Hosam to use a billiard cue. The steamer Falcon, of the American-Hawaiian line, brought In a full cargo of Eastern and European freight andiWill take out a return cargo of which prunes and salmon are the principal commodities. The inbound freight on the Falcon was destined for points as far inland as Spokane and Boise, and the outward cargo was piefeed up at various points in Oregon and Washington. If the people of Spo kane, who set up the contention that "water competition" was only a figure of speech,-would make an examination of the manifests of the American-Hawaiian steamers discharging at either San Francisco,' Portland or Puget Sound, they would promptly revise their views on the subject. The Multnomah County Democratic Central Committee and other Demo cratic organizations plan a Jackson day banquet. The politicians and bosses will be there. If Democrats are sincere in their horror of assemblages, organiza tions and conventions, they do not need a central committee, nor a party club, nor a Jackson banquet. According to the logic with which they fight the Republican assembly Idea, they need only direct primary. But of course they are talking buncombe and will hold their banquet and keep their "or ganization." v But perhaps it's none of George Chamberlain's, Alex ' Sweek's, or Sammy Jackson's business, how the Republican party may order Its organ ization and direct its affairs; though they do indeed permit themselves to be penetrated to the soul by the fear that the Republican party of Oregon is rushing headlong on the destruction from which they would preserve It! The East and South, having wasted their natural resources, want to "con serve" those of the West, and to put the results of the conservation into the treasury, for the benefit of the East and South. But after the horde of foresters, department clerks, scientists and other officials are paid, what will be left for conservation? . W. J. Bryan last Saturday In Omaha addressed the visiting Japanese com mercial commissioners. He probably dwelt upon the folly of America's maintaining a navy with which to pro tect this country's Interests against growing foreign aggressions. That is a pet subject of his. Testimony brought out at the recent trial would seem to indicate that the shrubbery along that portion of the "primrose path" leading out of Port land on the Llnnton road contained numerous "thorns." At least a number of reputations seem to have been badly punctured. 1 I. W. W. prisoners In Spokane are forced to take baths. This treatment, coupled with denial of the free speech right to express their feelings, is the most serious violation of constitu tional liberty yet committed by the po lice. Milk officials are very busy counting the exact number of microbes to a given quantity of milk and their sal aries to next payday. As might be ex pected, they find more lasting good in the latter occupation than in the for mer. Over In Seattle a wife has just been granted $20,000 damages in a case where another woman alienated her husband's affections. In Seattle, ap parently, a husband's affections have a high market value. . Rare, probably. Oakland, Or., is a town that puts most of its eggs in a basket and keeps an eye on the basket. About 8000 birds will be shipped from that tur key center this season. The Oakland turkey Is the standard fowl. For brawny young men In college football affords grand opportunities for glory. Saturday's games consumed nearly two pages in. The Sunday Orej gonlan. Brains never won equal plaudits. An early snowfall helps some and hurts others. All cannot be ready for It, But those w-ho are Injured can smile and make the best of a bad situation. It is but a little snow, anyway. Potatoes left In the ground have been known to freeze in November, even. In Oregon. Very rarely in Ore gon; yet experience shows it Is pos sible. Perhaps If the growlers hadn't com plained of the wet, warm weather last week, they would not have been pun ished with this cold spell. John D. Rockefeller has pledged $1,000,000 for study of the hookworm'. No wonder the doctors are greatly Interested. PENSIONS AND DEMOCRACY. The Tenalon ia the United Kingdom, and Reflections Thereon. f New York Evening Post. The tension -in England over the budget Is indicated by the language in which Mr. Balfour has indulged with regard to some utterances of Mr. Ure, Lord Advocate for Scotland. Mr. Ure had In several speecues stated that the aged poor of the country were fear ful of losing their pensions if there were a change of government, and that he shared their apprehension. These statements of Mr. Ure's were made the basis of a terrific araignment by Mr. Balfour in a speech before the Junior Constitutional Club. "I do not wish," he said, "to Judge too harshly the ex pressions of an excited orator talking to an excited audience. ... It is the frigid and calculated lie which moves my indignation. And this was but the beginning of the ex-Premier's denuncia tion; "mendacious imagination," "dou ble crime," and similar expressions are strung all along Mr. Balfour's speech; and he reaches a climax in the declara tion that the Lord Advocate "has dis honored the profession to which he be longs, he has dishonored the office which he holds, and he has dishonored the country in which he was born." This accusation of deliberate falsehood Is based on the assertion that "no gov ernment could If they would, or would If they could, interfere with these old age pensions, and that you might as well think of repudiating your obliga tion lq the national creditors, as repudiating your obligation to those recipients of the national bounty." To this it is replied by Mr. Ure and his defenders that this may be the feeling of the opposition, but that in order to carry it into effect ways and means must be provided; and that Mr. Ure's statement was simply a challenge to Mr. Balfour to produce his programme and show that he could raise the 'necessary sum, a thing which they declare to be an impossibility on the lines of the tariff-reform scheme. a a Whatever the merits of this personal controversy, there is one conclusion which it can hardly fail to force on the mind that of the far-reaching ef fect UDOn the wnole character of Brit ish politics and government which the old-age pension policy is calculated to bring about. The combination of demo cratic Institutions, In a highly devel oped commercial and Industrial coun try, with a vast system of govern mental bounties to individuals is some thing the working of which the world has never yet had an opportunity to witness; but it requires no rift of prophecy to forecast some of its inev itable consequences. One of these, and by no means the least serious, is sharply indicated In this Ure-Balfour episode. It was not for nothing' that the leader of the Conservative party went so far beyond his own usual prac tice, and that of English statesmen generally, in the. violence of his lan guage; a new force, with untold poten tialities of mischief, was Invoked by Mr. Ure's appeal. If every contest for the possession of government is to be made the occasion for bids by one party, or both, for the votes of the old-age pensioners and their friends, men who cherish the traditions of Eng lish government must feel that the outlook is dark indeed. The history of the war-pensions issue in our own politics may serve to give a faint indi cation of the demoralization that may be possible in a democratic country when, instead of a temporary issue affecting a special class, it becomes a permanent issue involving a large part of the entire population. a It is true that for the present the pension Issue does not loom so large in England "as this might seem to Indi cate; the pensions are given only to persons over 70 years of age, and the amount for each individual is small. Furthermore, there is comfort for conservative Englishmen in the re flection that, if the past can be relied on as a sufficient indication of the future, the logical sequel of the be ginning that has been made will be a long time in coming; the national tem perament is such that after having ap parently recognized the principle that the nation owes a comfortable old age to all its population, the English peo ple will be content for a long time to deny the necessity of carrying that principle into anything like full prac tice. But, on the other hand, the ac tual history of the scheme, so far as it has gone, furnishes most serious warn ing as to Its possible future. Germany had been presenting, for many years, the spectacle of a carefully thought out plan of provision for old age, an essential element of which was the contribution made to the pension fund by the beneficiary himself during the period of his active labor; but. al though the subject had frequently been brought to public attention in England, nothing was done. -Then suddenly, and as part of the competition between the parties for popular support, an old-age pension scheme was passed through Parliament without any contributory feature in it at all. It was not the outcome of careful thought and the weighing of remote consequences, but simply an embodiment of the easiest way to meet what was thought to be a popular demand. a a In a recent article in the Contem porary Review, Dr. Hans Delbruck, pro fessor of history in the University of Berlin, incidentally refers to the dif ference between the German political system and the English as the ex planation of the greater success that has been achieved in his own country in effecting improvement of the condi tion of the poor by laws dealing with social problems. "In Germany," he says, "we hold a strong independent government, assisted by a democratic Parliament, to be a better scheme than the continual change of party rule that is customary In England." We of America and of England feel that, with all its drawbacks, the democratic sys tem is best for the life of the people as a whole; but thoughtful persons can hardly escape the feeling that if the idea that "the government must -support the people, not the people the gov ernment," is to become a prominent factor In national policy,' the demo cratic system will be subjected to a strain more severe and a test more searching than any it has hitherto undergone. A Lesson From South Africa. Country Life in America. It is only a very short time since war devastated the Transvaal and impover ished its people. It has been under British government scarcely half a dozen years. Yet this far-off, sparsely settled, struggling African colony has a postal savings bank service, and the report of 1908 shows 65.000 accounts with record deposits of $7,370,000. Perhaps some time we may have a Congress which will show as much intelligent interest in serving the welfare of American country people as is shown by the government of a Transvaal, lying sun-baked off the edge of nowhere. Can You Beat This Record f 1 Baltimore News. , Marguerite Ganderberg. employed at an umbrella factory in Lancaster, Pa., sewed 4025 buttons on , umbrellas in 10 hours. f Furious Attack on Brethren of the Pen by Richard Wataon Glider. Kansas City Journal. The American newspaper reporter occa sionally suffers unjustly from rebuke merely because he is practically defense less. Such an instance is found in the ar ticle written or approved by Richard Watson Gilder in the Century Magazine. Mr. Gilder is of the intellectual elect. He has achieved the crowning laurel of the writing business. Thus he may look with fine scorn upon those reporters who, as Ambassador Bryce puts it. turn out "literature in a hurry." Mr. Gilder com plains thus:. "Even in decent society one who declines to yield to their demands is put upon the defensive. The arts of this modern inquisition," he says, "range from deception down to blackmail." The only answer to be made to this unreasonable indictment is that Mr. Gilder must have been very unfortunate in choosing his journalistic associates. Opposed to this severe arraignment of American reporters, it is refreshing to note the tribute paid them by Admiral von Koester, of the German navy. Re turning from the Hudson-Fulton celebra tion in New York, the Admiral said in Berlin: "I had heard a great deal about the American reporter, and felt a certain shyness as to how I should get along with him. My first experience was to have five cameras leveled at me. Dally thereafter I talked with many reporters. Not one got me wrong; no one misrepre sented. Often I mentioned things In con fidence, and in no instance was thtt con fidence sjetrayed." When it is remem bered that the American newspaper re porter works under a terrific head of steam, encountering much opposition and deception in his search for the truth, writing in a fleeting hour what the aver age teacher, lawyer or minister would take a day to compose, and always striv ing to honor himself, his paper and his profession by painstaking methods then the man who knows what this sort of work means should take off his hat, not condemn and scold. For the most part the mass of the American people frankly like reporters. Those who do not are either afraid of them or are pompous Individuals who af fect peevish contempt for publicity. GROWTH OF THE SUICIDE RATE. When the Well-to-Do Have Bad Luck Many Give Up Life. New York Times. Dr. Frederick L. Hoffman publishes in the Spectator tables of mortality from suicides in 63 American cities for 1908, with comparisons of mortality during the preceding decade. The actual number of suicides during the year, Dr. Hoffman says, "was 601, or 18.5 per cent," while the corresponding increase in the popula tion "was only 2.3 per cent." Analyzing individual cases, he concludes that the in. crease in suicidal frequency, which is 3.7 per cent in. ten years, "affects particular ly the well-to-do, prosperous and better educated," rather than the ignorant and the poor." This was the case especially last year following the financial panic. Misfortune discourages the rich, the poor are accus tomed to its strokes and endure them. But the suicides of the unfortunate rich were last year augmented by those of men in high positions of responsibility who had committed crimes subject to ex posure. Doubtless the revolution in public sentiment toward men who had neglect ed or betrayed positions of trust accounts, partly at least, for the increase of the rate in 54 of the cities by from 2 per cent to 12, and even 16 per cent, in some cases. Suicide on this or on any account is al ways deplorable, yet in so far as it indi cates an awakened anxiety in minds where responsibility slumbered, it Is a good sign, rather than a bad one. For each death self-invoked from that cause there must have been works of reform and salvation in the lives -of many. ' Cigars Burned nt Conversion. Wichita, Kan., Dispatch. Because he was convinced at a revival meeting that it was wrong to use tobac co, and decided that if it was wrong to use the weed it must be wrong to sell it, S. N. Brees, 'a Murdock-avenue merchant, made a bonfire of his "cigars and tobac co. A strong odor of burning tobacco was traced to the .yard back of Brees' store, where Brees was heaping boxes of cigars on the flames. Occasionally he would cast in a cask of chewing tobacco or a carton of smoking tobacco. When nothing remained but ashes, Mr. Brees remarked, "Well, I've won that battle with the devil." Then he disappeared In his store. The crowd followed him and a prayer service was held. Pope Blesses Stylographlc Pens. London Mail. A curious and interesting ceremony is reported by the Journal Italle as having taken place at the Vatican. The Pope recently received a party of clerical Jour nalists, and His Holiness was asked to bless their stylographic pens. The Pope, It is said, received the request pleasantly and blessed the pens, according to the manner in which the swords of soldiers of the church were blessed in former times. PearfSof Price In an Oyster. Cincinnati Dispatch to New York World. Representative Ollie James, of Ken tucky, while eating a dish of raw oysters in a cafe, struck something hard. The Congressman let go an expletive. but Investigated, thinking he was about to chew a piece of shell, but found a pearl. A jeweler who happened to be at luncheon at the time was called into con sultation, and he lifted up His voice, say ing: "This is worth $1500." Bees Boas a Jelly-Making. Philadelphia Dispatch. Mrs. George D. Fox, making jelly for a wedding- anniversary celebration at her home in Lock Haven, Pa., stepped out to a grocer's. When she got back a swarm of bees, attracted by the jelly, had taken possession of the kitchen. All efforts to. get them out failed and they had to be killed. Six-Year-Old Child an Ocean Traveler. Baltimore News. Six-year-old Alice Lloyd, born In Cape Colony, whence 3he sailed all alone to her grandmother in- London six months ago, arrived from South ampton by the American liner New York all by herself to meet her mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Lloyd, who are playing in vaudeville In this country. Wrose Addresses Lose $3,000,000. New York Sun. The London Postoffice; report for the last year shows that over $3,000,000 was in letters thjt were not delivered be cause they were wrongly addressed. O, Marvelous ! The strangest sight we've ever seen Is in a current magazine; The oddest thing beneath the sun A photograph of Peter Dunne At work! We scarcely could believe our- eyes, And merely gurgled our surprise. It seemed so monstrous, so grotesque. Still, there was Peter at a desk At work! It's Peter Dunne beyond mistake. Of course, the photo may be fake A bit of excellent burlesque. But there is Peter at a desk! At work! , O. had It been a purple cow We should have understood somehow. But who would ever think to see So weird a sight as Unley P. At work! Chicago Tribune. NEWS REPORTERS INTEGRITY. Life's SunnySide "Yes, Colonel Watterson has music in his soul," said one of his lifelong friends as" the fame of the illustrious Louisville editor came up for discus sion. "He is especially fond of the jingling, rollicking lines of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and when pleased hums them with delight. "That trait nearly severed a long friendship a few months ago. The Colonel, wih four friends, was having a friendly little game, and the cards were running very strongly in the Colonel's favor. Pot after pot was raked in, and a hot-tempered chap was invariably the victim the Inst one to stay In' and buck the wonderful run of Watterson's luck. "Finally a roodle was played. Three times in succession the Colonel broke the pot. got a raise, sweetened matters to tine proportions and won. "He was pleased; trie relluloid was plied h.gh before him, and his soul was attuned to harmony. Into his mind came the strains of the 'Pirates of Pen zance,' and by a strange mischance he first hummed the air and then burst into the boaHt of the ruler: 'I. am a pirate ing.' " 'I've known it for the last hour," snarled the loser, "but as I was your guest 1 was too polite to mention it.' " National Monthly. a a a A very stout old lady, bursting through the park on a sweltering hot day, became aware that she was being followed by a rough-looking tramp. "What do you mean by following me in this manner?" she indignantly de manded. The tramp slunk back a lit tle. But when the stout lady resumed her walk he again took up his posi tion directly behind her. "See here!" she exclaimed, wheeling angrily, "if you don't go away at once I shall call a policeman." The unfortunate man looked at her sppeallngly. "For heaven's sake, kind lady, have, mercy an' don' call a p'liceman; ye're the only shady spot in the whul park." Washington (D. C.) Herald. a a a Speaking of the Friend who sat in the jury box the United States Court with his hat on the other day, Attorney Francis B. Lee, of Trenton, told of a little incident that happened in connection with a good Quaker ac quaintance of his who lives near Moorestown. One day the Quaker in question went to sleep in meeting and started to snore. For a while the nasal notes were soft and smooth and did not disturb the worshipers, but finally the sleeper let out a few extra links and kicked up such a commotion that a kindly disposed Friend thought it the part of wisdom to awaken him. "Friend Nathaniel," he whispered, poking the sleeper in the ribs, "I think thee had better arouse thyself." "What did thee say? W.iat did thee say?" exclaimed Nathanisl, suddenly starting out of his slumber. "What Is the matter?" "Nothing, Nathaniel.'" replied the other, without even breaking into a smile, "only thee was snoring a little, and I was afraid that outsiders would think that the spirit had moved th) to a trombone solo Instead of an ex pression of thy convictions." Phila delphia Telegraph. a . a a He was a doctor and was patiently waiting for his first patient. Thought he: "If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain. And as pa tients will not. seek me out I must needs seek them out." He strolled through the cheap mar ket and presently saw a man buy six nice cucumbers. "Here's a chance!" said he, and fol lowed him home. Patiently he waited for four long and lonely hours and about midnight the front door quickly opened, and the man dashed down the steps. He seized him by the arm and cried earnestly: "Do you want a doctor?" "No!" replied the man, roughly. "Want more cucumbers.!" Answers. - a a a Two women, who had known each other in years gone by, met on the street. Both of them were married to musicians. The one, a bride of a year, was pushing a baby-carriage in which were three fine babies triplets, all girls. The, other lady had been in the bonds of matrimony a couple of weeks. "What beautiful children!" exclaimed the newly-married one with interest. "Yes," replied the proud mother, "let me tell you the funniest coincidence. At our wedding supper the boys who played with my husband in the orches tra serenaded him and they . played Three Little Maids' from 'The Mikado." Isn't that queer?" At this the newly-married one turned pale. "Mercy!" she gasped. "At our wed ding supper Tom's friends serenaded him, also, and they rendered 'The Sex tet" from 'Lucia.' "Ladies' Home Jour nal. LIFE IN THE OREGON COUNTRY. "Venison" for the Laborer. Harris-burg Bulletin. Burt Norwood sold 70 head of goats to one of the railroad camps on the Natron Railroad and delivered them Tuesday. Brought Home Gold Mine. Gold Beach Globe. George R. Smith returned home this week from Portland, where he has been taking the "gold cure" for his tooth ache, and now has as tine a et of molars as one will see In many a day. George would assay $200 to the ton easily. Bad Form In Tillamook. Tillamook Headlight. It ,1s pretty bad form for young women to be smoking cigarettes on the streets with young men. Perhaps . if parents kept a closer tab on their daughters there would not be as many young girft going wrong through getting into bad habits and bad company. No More Devil's Soup for Them. Baker City Democrat. Twenty-one converts were the result of a remarkable talk by Evangelist Dan Shannon on "Eating Soup Out of the Devil's Kettles" last evening. The ad dress was a scathing arraignment of ths theater, the dance, card playing and liquor. The meeting was one of the largest yet held and was remarkable for the number of men present. Most of the converts were men. Great Treat for Grandma. Eugene Register. Although "Grandma" Mary Walker crossed the plains in the early '50 s and has Uvea in Lane County ever since, within 65 miles of the mighty Pacific, she has never seen it. Tuesday morning sne and her son-in-law, Henry Harlow, and wife left by train for Newport, to remain several days to see the ocean. Mrs. Harlow had never seen it, either. On Monday morning Mrs. Ella Walker, of Hazeldell. a daughter-in-law of "Grandma" Walker, who had also lived here all her life and never saw the mighty deep, went over and they will all have a good time together for a few days. Woman With 266 Living; Descendants. Montgomery. Ala., Dispatch. TUT raiiahoth Durden. of Nocristown. Ga., has 2ft6 living descendants. She is 92 years old, and the motner of 11 chil dren. There are 65 grandchildren. ISO great-grandchildren and J) great-greatgrandchildren. 1 1