THE MORNING OREGONIAN, MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1909. PORTLAND, OREGON. entered at Portland. Oregon, Postofflce as Subscription Kates Invariably in Advance. (By MalL) Daily, Sunday Included, one year.C.. Dally. Sunday Included, alx months... Dally, Sunday Included, three months. Xally. Sunday Included, one month... Dally, without Sunday, one year Xally, without Sunday, six months... Dally, without Sunday, three months.. Dally, without Sunday, one month... Weekly, one year Sunday, one year. ..... ... ...... . Sunday and weekly, one year . 4.23 . 3.23 I .75 , 6.00 , S.25 , 1.T5 . .60 , 1.50 , 2.50 . 3.50 (By Carrier.) Dally, Sunday Included, one year 9.00 Dally, Sunday Included, one month.... .75 How to Remit Send postofflce money erder. express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at the sender's risk. Give postofflce ad dress In full, including county and state. Pontage Rates 10 to 14 pages, 1 cent; IS to 28 pages. 2 cents; SO to 40 pages, 8 cents; 40 to 60 pages. 4 cents. Foreign postage double rate. Eastern Business Office The S. C Becfc wlth Special Agency New Tork. rooms 48 80 Tribune building. Chicago, rooms 510-613 Tribune building. PORTLAND, MONDAY DEC, , 1909. EDUCATION AND SELF-DEPENDENCE. There was a normal school at ' Weston, and this school was one of three that the Legislature left with out appropriations for their support. Great grievance Is held by the Weston Leader against The Oregonian. be cause, as the Leader asserts. The Ore gonian killed the normal schools. Now we believe The Oregonian is not the Legislature; and many persons, and some newspapers, when it suits their purposes, flout The Oregonian, affect to scorn it, and say It has no influence, anyway. As matter of fact, The Ore gonian is not "an enemy" of Weston, nor of Ashland, nor of Monmouth. There is no reason why it should be, or could be. But It has opposed the policy of state maintenance of local high schools here and there, at the. ex pense of the state their support on the plea or pretense of necessity of education of teachers by the state. It knows no reason why teachers should not educate themselves for their pro fession, as persons intending to enter other professions must do. Moreover, The Oregonian believes that this theory of expecting the state to educate everybody for the whole duties of life, or for the particular du ties of life, is a mistake. Further, that the theory of taxing all the people to give special education, in any line, to a few, is an abuse of a general prin ciple. ' Our special institutions of learning, maintained by the state, are of no use to 95 per cent of the popula tion;, for not 5 per cent can avail themselves of" advantages that all are called on to pay for. Again, The Oregonian believes that young people should make some ex ertion for their own education, and that their parents should realize their re sponsibility to help; moreover, that whole responsibility and charge should not be thrown on the state. "The Oregonian," says the Weston paper, "deliberately played Into the hands of ten or more sectarian schools of Oregon that have normal depart ments and were jealous of the state .schools." Here' Is an admission that it is not necessary for the state to support normal schools. The word "sectarian" is merely a bugbear. None of these schools teaches the special tenets of a sect or denomination. To The Oregonian it makes no dif ference tChatever what this state or that state may do in this matter; how many normal schools or special col leges this state or that state may maintain. WereThe Oregonian pubr lished in another state, its position on this subject would be the same as Its position here and now. The theory of state 'education, as it -believes, is run ning to excess, or extremes. The in terest of the Weston paper was not in the state school as such, but In hav ing a state school, an advanced school in Its town, supported by the state, for the .benefit of the town. It ought to Jiave put the argument frankly on this ground. But we are told that Weston, now thrown on its own resources, has, and jmaintains, an excellent public school. This self-dependence Is the way to ef I ficiency and Independence, in edu ' cational as in all other affairs, t No use to roar about "that man I Scott." He knows, from experience ; how one may obtain some little edu cation for himself if filling to put 'forth the exertion. Then such per son Will not lose the habit of self : dependence, which is more than all. ANTIQUITY OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE. Governor Shafrdth, of Colorado,, in a speech in New York a few days ago, predicted that woman suffrage would become universal in this1 country. "It .was In the fountain States, the birth place of freedom," said he, "that suf frage was first given to women, and it cis as sure to extend to every state in : the "Union as every principle s.f right .is bound ultimately to triumph." As 'to the initial starting point of the suf ;frage movement in this country, Colo rado may be entitled to the credit for ,:the early successes scored, but the .woman suffrage question is almost as . old as history. No one ever suspected ancient Rome of being ' much of a "birthplace of freedom," but woman suffrage secured quite a foothold there . more than 2000 years ago. Indeed, there is now no startling de parture from the methods of the old Roman dames, in the tactics now used by Mrs. Pankhurst and her followers in England, although, fortunately for the good name of America, the horse Whipping of eminent statesmen has not yet been regarded as necessary for the good of the cause In this country. About the time that Julius Caesar was preparing to go over and straighten out the political situation in Britain, the question of "women's rights" took a strong hold on the Roman women. Led by one Hortensla, daughter of a fam ous orator, they formed a flying wedge, similar to that made by the London women who stormed the : House of Parliament, and marched on the Forum. The history they made is - strikingly similar to that which was repeated In London 2000 years later, "k for, under orders from the triumvers, they were driven into the street and 'tl.e more obstreperous of their num bers were thrown into jail? The issue .in that campaign was taxation without representation, and the earnestness of : the women and the severity of the ' treatment given them 'awakened a sympathy for them that resulted in v their triumph. ' . Even that was not the first recog nition of women's rights, for, more than .one 'hundred - years (before . the birth-of Caesar the Roman women took offense at a matter of dress reg ulation and. In 195 B.' C marched to the Forum and started a regular twentieth century "rough house." This particular grievance, .which brought on one of the first militant suffragist movements, was, however, an exceptionally cruel one, as it was directed against a law which' prohib ited women from wearing garments of more than one color. The law was passed while Hannibal and his Cartha ginian friends were entertainfng the Romans with numerous blood-letting contests, and was a 'military measure, but, as some of -the Instincts of the female sex have not changed much since, it is easy to understand that something worse than a raid on the House of Parliament would follow at tempted enforcement of such a law to day. Solomon was slightly In error in his statement that there was nothing new under the sun, but the woman suffrage movement is not new. NOW IF IT HAD 1IAPPENKD HERE T ' The troop ship Prairie ran aground soon after leaving Philadelphia, and the gunboat Princeton had a similar experience at Willapa harbor. Both of the vessels had been dispatched to Nic aragua, and the delay at this time might have proved a serious matter. f The two disasters might have hap pened in any port In the world, for whenever ships get out of the proper channels it is prac tically certain that they will take the ground. The " Navy Depart ment in the past, however, has exer cised strong discrimination against some ports in favor of others, and has In effect blacklisted the Columbia River for no ' other reason than that ships would go aground here If they got out of the channel. The new system proposed for the Navy will not prevent such disasters as have happened to the- Princeton and the Prairie, but it will, regardless of the hampering influence of red tape and precedent, permit warships to en ter ports where navigation is safe. COI.D WEATHER AND SUN SPOTS. The hard-Winter prophet, who saw the squirrels last Fall laying" in very large store of cold-weather provender and sounded a warning to the doubting world, sees his vindication In the rec ord of gales and blizzards and floods and polar snow from. Blast and West. So does the "sun-spot" man, who ut tered direful forebodings several weeks ago, when electrical and magnetic "storms" and beautiful auroras told of furious outbursts on our parent star. Nowcomes a writer asking The Orego nian whether the theory that upheav als on the sun Induce sympathetic dis turbances upon the earth is a credible one. He says: PORTLAND. Dec S. (To the Editor.) Violent storms, tempests and cold weevther seem to have come upon North America and the whole Northern Hemisphere, with unusual severity, and the Winter period has only Just begun. In a discussion today,' the remark was made, half Jestingly, that sun spots may be the cause of this terres trial trouble. The more I consider the, matter, the more seriously am I Inclined to view the sunspot theory. I know there are many "experts," some of them woefully hidebound against all new theories of solar chemistry and physics, who scoff at sun spots.. But la all stages of knowledge there have been such , persons, combatting new Ideas by which knowledge has made progress. Is the sun-spot hypothesis a plaus ible explanation of our weather trouble here on earth? INQUIRER, This is a question that cannot be answered with . authority, because the "experts" disagree or aver that infor mation is not sufficient to convince. The only, acknowledged' truth is that spots on the sun are accompanied by' electrical and magnetic agitation on the earth. "Whenever the earth shows these symptoms, eruptions are detected 'on the solar body. Recently the tele graph systems of 'America were crip pled and In some localities put out of use by these "storms." But how far weather was affected is unknown, or whether those conditions were har bingers of gales and blizzards. The spots are supposed, by best au thorities on astronomy, to mark' the locations of violent eruptions from the sun's interior or from . beneath the sun's envelope of luminous gas. These explosions of very hot matter, or gas, reach a height of many thousands of niiles. They are followed by a down rush of colder matter, to take the place of that which has been ejected. The spots are manifest signs of vio lent activity, and the magnetic needle on the earth quivers and shifts under their sway. , Each day shows a varia tion of the needle. ' Astronomers have found that the spots have a lower temperature than the surrounding surface of the sun. Whether they diminish the quantity" of heat which the' sun sends out to the earth is a question not yet determined. Some scientists of standing have thought that sun spots have this effect on' the earth's supply of heat nourish ment, and have written plausible ar guments In support of the theory. But scientific intelligence does not -accept the theory, because observations have not been sufficiently wide to establish the fact. If it is a fact. .. ' This Is a highly Interesting subject and will, receive the fullest study sci entists can give it. But observations of individual men are so short and such long time Is required to follow out the contemporary facts of sun spots and terrestrial effects that knowledge will' be slowly gained. Still, It is not an extravagant notion that solar ener gies influence weather on this globe, and even crops, and through them the human race. N CAUTIOUS FINANCIERING. The influence of dollar wheat, 15 cent cotton and similar gilt-edged col lateral is much in evidence in the gen eral financial situation throughout the country. Money is so much easier In the West than It Is in the East that the lure of 'high Interest rates Is again drawing it toward New Tork. This movement .has thus far quite effectively offset the drain made on the New York banks for gold -for shipment to Europe and South America. That New York has not forgotten the lesson df two years ago is quite apparent In the cau tion reflected in the weekly bank state ment. Week after week there has been steady loss in cash through gold ex ports and Subtreasufy operations, but the New York financiers are not tak ing chances pn being caught with de pleted reserves, and are steadily scal ing down their loans in order to hold the surplus reserve In safe .proportions. For the week ending last Saturday the clearing-house banks of New York showed a total reserve of J299.872.000, compared with $376,204,000 on the same week in the previous year. The surplus reserve over and above the legal requirements, was $7,714,000, compared wlth $20,171,000 a year ago! It is in the loan item that the extreme caution of the New York 'bankers is reflected. The "decrease in this Item for the week ending Saturday was $10,578,000, leaving total outstanding loans of the clearing-house banks $1, 192,793.100, compared with $1,347, 145,300 on the same date a year ago. Other banks aAd trust companies out side1 of the- clearing-house institutions report loans of $1,226,227,000, the de-' crease b,eing about the same as in the clearing-house banks. . These figures would indicate .that the financial Insti tutions of New York alone had reduced their ldans In a single year to the ex tent of $300,000,000. The effect of this retrenchment, at a time when business is reported g6od and crops large throughout the coun try, is reflected in unusually high money rates in New York, a city which In the past has enjoyed the lowest In terest rates that have prevailed any where in the country. Five per cent for sixty-day loans, with' good mer cantile paper seeking ' buyers at 5 and 5 y per cent, and with call loans around 5 and 6 per cent, reveals a much firmer money market than is found in the West, where the raw ma terial which produces money is found in abundance. There is naturally some uncertainty as to what may hap pen when Congress convenes ' this week, and the waiting attitude of the foreign markets, pending the outcome of the budget struggle, has some effect on the New York markets. This uncertainty, however, Is not as yet affecting the situation In the West and South, nor will It affect -these por tions of the country so long as they are turning off In record-breaking amounts commodities for which the whole world offers a market. Nothing that Congress can and nothing that the friends or enemies of the British budget can So, will to any great extent block the wheels of Industry In this country. The land, the source of all wealth, is producing collateral that can be negotiated at all times, and, while dearer money may check speculation In stocks and perhaps temporarily in terfere with some new legitimate schemes that need financing, the turn of the year will almost certainly bring with it an easier money market in the East as well as in the West. CSE AND CONSERVATION. The use, as well as the conservation of our natural resources appeals to i,and Commissioner Dennett as It ap pealed to President -Tafl, Secretary Ballinger and a number of other prac tical men connected with the present administration. Commissioner Dennett, in his annual report, expresses the opinion 'Hhat It Is the duty of the Government, either acting directly or by intrusting it to individuals, to use these vast forces." The Land Commissioner also expresses a disinclination to go beyond the law in handling the business of his de partment. He does not assume, like Mr. 'Plnchof and his fellow faddists, in experimenting- with a theory, that it is proper for a Government official to do Anything not expressly forbidden by law but, instead, asks for laws which will the more definitely limit and define the duties of his office. Mr. Dennett's report should be well considered by the muck-rakers. But it will not be. THE PARCELS POST. Few more Important questions are likely to come before Congress this Winter than the parcels post. Will our Government provide the people of the United States with the same facil ities for the delivery of goods and lit erature that the people of other .civi lized countries enjoy, or will it not? On Its "face, this question may appear a little dull. We readily admit that it appeals to the Intelligence rather than to the tender emotions, but for all that. It goes down pretty near to the root of our Institutions. It raises a number of auxiliary inquiries, some of which Congressmen may find it embarrassing to answer, If the parcels post should be postponed again. For example, people will be prompted to ask for what pur poses the Government exists. Is It to serve the Interests of half a dozen express companies, or of the Ameri can people? The lack of a parcels post makes cit izens everywhere dependent on the ex press for the . delivery of all goods which are not carried by freight. The latter Is slow and by no means safe for valuable articles. Existing conditions give the express companies a monop oly, and they do not scruple to take every possible advantage of it. Their charges are exorbitant. ' The effect, of this grievous monopoly is exceedingly depressing upon-the internal trade of the country. People who would pur chase largely,lf delivery by post were permitted, deprive themselves- of need ed goods rather than submit to the extortionate charges of the - express companies. Worse still, these com panies maintain no delivery service at places remote from the railroads where it Is most needed. . . With respect to the population not centered In towns, their attitude is precisely that of the dog In the manger. They will not deliver parcels them selves, and they use every means they can command to prevent the Govern ment from doing it. Consequently, citizens who do not dwell near railroad stations must, make a long journey, often over bad roads, for every little article they purchase. Naturally' they purchase few things which they can do without. The parcels post would immediately add a large percentage to the Internal commerce Of the country, just as postal savings banks would call half a billion dollars out of hiding within a week aftter they were opened. The Government's remissness has the same effect as a direct grant of a mo nopoly of the delivery of parcels to the express companies In places with in easy reach of the railroads. People living farther away it deprives of any delivery system whatever. fThe remissness is all the more shameful when we see the rural mail wagons carrying nothing but small bundles ,of letters and papers. Were' the carriers permitted to do errands for country people, as old-fashioned stagedrlvers used, it would be a uni versal blessing. Even the right to bring a bottle of medicine from the drugstore would oftentimes save a human life. But it Is not permitted. They have no such right, because' this invaluable boon to the citizens would perhaps Interfere with-the sacred monopoly of the express companies. The happiness, the comfort, the very lives of citizens are of no consequence compared with the profits of these privileged favorites. Is It any wonder that taxpayers ask what the Government Is for? " The complaint that the rural deliv ery service does not pay expenses is wholly irrational. In" the first place, there are a great many immensely beneficial public services which do not and ought not to be expected to pay expenses. The Army Is one. The courts are another.. The public schools. are a third. It is as foolish to -decry the postofflce for not yielding a profit as to decry the schools for the same reason. Indeed, it is doubly foolish because, with commonsense manage ment, the postofflce would yield a profit. Especially is this true of the rural delivery department. To see the officials bewailing their deficit while they send their mail cart-up and down the roads empty, reminds one of the conduct of a half-witted child. There Is not a rural- route in the United States where the parcels deliv ery business would not pay the ex penses If the carriers, were permitted to take charge of It. But no, it must not be done. The express companies forbid. Incited, by the express trust the country storekeepers also clamor againsfthe parcels post, but their out cry is too insanfe to be taken ser iously. -Without rural delivery of 'par cels, the doom of the country store keeper is sealed past recall. What has begun to happen to him in Kansas will happen everywhere. The electric car and the automobile will whirl the country purchasers past his door, to the city and no howl that he can make to s Congress will stop "them. In the end, grass will grow before his steps and the roof will Jfcave In on his head. If he would help to obtain the parcels post, people would buy of him by mall and "telephone, and he might keep out of the poorhouse. Since he forces them to make a Journey ' for every spool of thread they need, they get even by going a little farther and buy ing their thread and other supplies In town. The country merchant may learn a useful lesson from the dead stores In the Kansas villages. Lack of the parcels post has killed them. It appears , from statements pub lished by The Manufacturers' Record (Baltimore) that the United States Steel Corporation already has $50,000, 000 invested in Alabama, and Is push ing improvements upon Its plants at enormous rate. It is shown that the corporation is now handling large part of its export trade in steel rails through its Alabama establishments, and is now filling an order for 110,000, tons of Birmingham rails through Southern ports to Brazil and Argen' tina. Developments like these are said to be building up protectionist senti ment rapidly in the South. It is prob ably true; and it accounts for-the fact that so many Democratic members of Congress from that section "stand in" with Northern protectionists, when they deem It necessary for. the Interests of the steel, sugar, rice and cotton-manufacturing industries of their own dis tricts. Such facts show further why that party can't stand up to its prom ise of tariff for revenue only. The Duke of Abruzzl is reported to be contemplating another visit to this country. According to a Chicago dis patch, he will again -offer his hand, heart, title, etc.,- to Miss Katherine Elkins. It will be remembered that a former engagement between Abruzzl and Miss Elkins was broken off be cause the King of Italy objected to the rank, or ' rather lack of rank, of the lady. Shortly afterwards Pa Elkins, in rummaging around the old trunk in the attic, found documents showing that the Elkins family was also of royal birth, and that there had been royal titles hanging on the Elkins family tree centuries ago while the Abruzzl family was accumulating wealth with -a handorgan and a sore eyed monkey. This naturally makes a difference, and the eligibility of Miss Elkins to an Italian title will no longer be- questioned. Her money had pre viously been considered "well adapted to the use of royalty. A time-honored example of the acme of boldness in petty crime was the alleged theft of a red-hot stove. The stove Incident, however, whether ac tual 'or otherwise, has been outdone by a Portland thief who, on Saturday night, attempted to steal a gold tooth from the mouth of a sleeping man. The incident happened In a North End saloon, and the explanation of the vlcT tlm that "I had several drinks and fell asleep while sitting on a chair in the rear of the room," alone makes it pos sible to accept the story as an actual occurrence. A writer In the Spectator (London) shows that, taking the elec.tors.te as It was in 1908, England and Wales return one member for every 12,240 electors; Scotland one for. every 10,595; Ireland one for every 6725. "It is curious," he says, "to observe how Radicals who never tire of talking about the rights of the people avoid -making any al lusion to the over-representation of Ireland." Colorado takes the lead this year In the production of sugar beets. The total value of this crop the present year was $7, 500,00 j, an increase cf $1,000,000 over the total of last year. The sugar beet matures early, hence was probably but of the ground and safely housed before the early bliz zard broke over the Rocky Mountain States. Representative B. F. Jones will be named Receiver at Roseburg by his patron, Senator Bourne; Thus, ' in spite of direct primaries. Statement One, corrupt practice laws and hypo critical assumptions of political virtue, the old method of recompensing mem bers of the Legislature for their vote for United States Senator continues. Some half dozen persons will strive for the Republican nomination n the State of Washington, for the successor ship to Senator Piles, who will not be a candidate for re-election. It will be a hot contest, for a pluraliiy nomina tion. Now if they had our holy state ment over there the Democratic candi. date certainly would be elected. Now that a second affinity has ap peared in the Hamilton trial at Olym pia, the prospects for getting more of the truth out of affinity No. 1 ought to improve. Even affinities dislike to divide the cash of their victims, and jealousy loosens many ft tongue that otherwise would "remain silent. Attorney-General Crawford is "no smart man." He can't see that one of .the definitions of three Is five or seven. You see some men's minds lack 'flexi bility. - - ..... There are those who think lightly of a polar exploit and yet regard a tied-up -car service and ' a mile walk through the snow a terrible hardship. A streetcar with sufficient power is not stalled by a little snow storm, but it costs more money, i Snow appears at its best on Mount Hood oa tha Fourth, o July, DIRECT PRIMARIES AGAIN. Comment on Some of Its Developments and Consequences. New York Sun, . November 30. - . - The experience of Indianapolis in the matter of direct primaries continues to illuminate the whole subject of this con temporary effort to achieve- political re form. Months ago we reprinted from the leading journals of that town the frank confession that the municipal direct pri mary had been a disappointment and a failure. Both: the ' News and the Star as serted that 'fne direct primary had not enlisted candidates of a. desirable charac ter, had, not materially changed the con ditions of nomination and had ettailed an enormous and Indefensible expense upon both the taxpayers and the candi dates, an expense which so far as the taxpayers were concerned was without material benefit. In another column we reprint, the re cent comment of the Indianapolis Star upon certain significant post-election re sults flowing from the direct primary: The statement here made Is that the ex pense of the primary for the successful candidate was so great that he was able, to meet it only by promises to . appoint his financial backers if elected. The dis charge of these debts in this fashion at the present time, moreover, is a scandal in Indianapolis, and practically impairs the possibility of a successful municipal administration. The whole experience of Indianapolis, as we have steadfastly Insisted, is valuable In the extreme in its -bearing upon our local problem. ;Not that the failure of direct primaries there - was unique, but because they have had there the most favorable trial, and the causes of their breakdown may, in a sense, be regarded as constitutional rather than local. The source of gravest evil, the excessive ex penditure of money, has already alarmed some of Governor Hughes' most uncom promising adherents. Thus the Evening Post has lately advised the 'Governor to amend his present bill to meet this evil an oblique admission that his original measure was defective In this particular. Following is the artclcle from the Indian apolis Star referred to above; It Is a serious question whether the adoption of direct primaries has benefited or injured the situation of municipal pol itics in the election of a Mayor. The Oity of Indianapolis now confronts a condition in which Its Mayor-elect, a poor man. Is trying to discharge the financial obliga tions he incurred not so much in the final election as before the primaries obliga tions he entered into so as to carry the various wards for the nomination. The general public does not understand so well as do the men who do the prac tical work In politics the conditions which confront the man seeking ta. nomination for Mayor. After he has consulted some central authority or authorities he is re ferred to the so-called leaders In the va rious wards," and these inform him that it is possible-he can carry their ward, but money will be required for expenses. From J400 to 5J000 a ward is the reifulred amount and the aspirant is made to believe that he must either raise this money or with draw from he race. At one stage of his race Mr. Shank was scared out and with drew. At a later stage the money was supplied and he backed In. Of course this is all wrong and' ought not to be. Somehow or other we ought to get the financial element out of our mu nicipal campaigns. It is in the National and state campaigns, though growing less prominent under newspaper crtticlsm, and It ought to be banished entirely from city elections. Yet it is a question whether the direct primary has not increased rather than diminished the facilities of ward bosses to hold up the prospective nominee. ' . THE OFtflCE-HOIiDING ARMY. ' Grand Progress Towards the Socialistic Millennium. - New York v. orld. The number of Federal office-holders and employes now exceeds by many thousands the total population of the State of "Vermont. According to the new Government blue book the total is 370,065, an Increase of 64.000 In two years. Since 1907 the new -recruits-to the great army pf Federal office-holders engaged in uplifting the general welfare outnumber the Regular Army. Secretary Ballingers report shows that there were 946,194 names on the pension roll at the end of the fiscal year. Adding the number of pensioners to the number of office-holders and we find a grind army of 1.316,259 drawing Its support in whole or in part from the United States Treasury. And how many city, county and state employes are there in all? The coming census should take note of the great progress that Is made In the 'business of serving the people. In New York City alone there are about 60,000 on the payroll, or one office-holder to every ten voters that do not hold office. Pos sibly this percentage will not hold good for the entire country; but poli ticians are pretty much alike every where and provide all the Jobs that the traffic will " bear. Counties and states vie with cities In making sure that a sufficient number of patriots are engaged in the public service to keep the work from being burdensome to anybody except the taxpayer. We are surely making fair progress toward the socialistic millennium when everybody is to work for the Govern ment and the Government Is. to sup port everybody. Lincoln's Tribute to Women. ' I am not accustomed to use the lan guage of eulogy. I have never studied the art of paying compliments to women; but I must say that, if all that has been said by orators and poets since the creation of the world in praise of women were applied to the women of America, it would not do them justice for their conduct during the war. J Going a Trifle Too Far, Chicago News. Dick nearest, I will follow you, to the end of the earth. Drusilla wo, you won't either. That is the North Pole, and you are not go ing to get me mixed np in any of these foolish explorer's controversies. - Xot Advance Information, Cleveland Plain Dealer. "The trouble is," said the old phil osopher, "that you can't tell much about the toughness of a boy's backbone un til a mass play tries it out. And then the informaticm may come too late." Believes He Should Be Conserved. St. Paul Pioneer Press. Speaker Cannon acts as though he thought he was one of the National re sources that should be conserved. The Seven Ages. Harvard Lampoon. If all the world's a stage Then all these - Freshmen are but supers In It. Thrust from, the vlifgs upon a brilliant scene In. seven - divers costumes. Kirst. the Infant. Mewling and puking at an Adviser's word; Then the dumb, timid Cub that sips his mug At melancholy beer nights. Then the Sport, Friend of the chorus girl, whose Idea of" Heaven Is the Touraine. And then the football hero. Pull of strange oaths and armored like a knight. Seeking the bubble Reputation ' Even on the gridiron. Then the sober grind, "With eyes severe and water wagon mien. Slave to Probation. The sixth age shifts Into a. pale and qualmy Pantaloon, New pipe 'In hand, tobacco pouch on side. The privilege he coveted, too stro'ng For his unshaven Up; his breath, comes quick t And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all. Shorn of his soul, a would-be Sophomore Tn second childishness and mere oblivion Sans wisdom, taste, aau thirst, sans every-tains;- :.. .. ' TRUTH AS TO CURRENCY REFOR3I Something Yet to Be Done in Battle , for Sound Money. Pacific Banker ti-ortland). For -40 years The Oregonian news paper has been sound on finance. Look ing back at. the economic questions that have been before ,the people in that time it has little to regret in the course It took.. On the question of the re sumption of specie payments we may be sure it stood firm where John Sherman faltered. If the greenback' ragbaby ever got a harder lambasting than The Oregonian gave It, it was somewhere else than on -this Coast. Populism and Sockless Jerry, with his demand for "fiat," or printing-press, money were laughed to effective scorn on Its pages. And for that scarcely less seductive and infinitely more dangerous', because more powerful error, the free coinage of sil ver. The Oregonian has a record that is National in its sweep. The fact that it kept Oregon from going 20.000 for Bryan is the smallest part of It. It kept down the majorities on this Coast for that matchless vote-getting fallacy, which here had the apparently resist less argument or encouragement to home industries and putting a million men to wo'rk in the four great states of the Pacific Northwest. But the ef fect of The Oregonian's influence In the battle' fori sound money was not con fined to any state or to any section. Its argument, made day after day and day after day. In language so clear, terse and powerful that even the wayfaring' man, though a fool, could not but feel the force of it; was welcomed all over the country where men were struggling for the gold standard against heavy odds. Now the cjuntry, has before it an other great monetary question that of currency reform. And again The Ore gonian is astonishingly-clear and satis factory. Not -el.ng,a banker, its editor still sees th. trouble with our finan cial system in its practical operation. And being a general newspaper man, he also sees the .troublous days ahead be fore the people will settle the difficul ties of that system, if they ever do. Tho Oregonian realizes- and no one can gainsay It the well-nigh hopeless task It Is to get "democracy in the raw" interested In banking or the problems which confront It. -A recent editorial from that paper probably ex presses the exact truth concerning the central bank and the people. The out look Is not cheerful. Nevertheless the editorial may be good for all of us who are Interested In currency reform. What The Oregonian says about sys tems which are good for one country not being necessarily good for another Is undoubtedly true. What It says about the people not understanding the prin ciples of credit currency "certainly not yet, nor for a long time tocome" is also most likely true. But notwith standing all this, we believe that when the bankers the experts settle upon the kind of a system they want and can make . an argument In support of it which an Intelligent business man can understand Just as happened In the free silver days the time of currency re form Is close at hand. PROFITS OP EXPRESS COMPANIES. Their Rates Now Under Inquiry Before the Interstate Commission. Just now. the Interstate Commerce Commission is engaged on an inquiry Into the rates levied by the great ex press companies. The business Is con trolled by five- big concerns, and the status of the combination is thus de scribed in a Washington dispatch: These five concerns have made exclusive contracts over 167,000 miles of railway, almost three-fourths 4f the entire railway lines of the United States. Their rates between tho competitive points, "as disclosed by evidence obtained by the Interstate Comr merce Commission and a laid before the Department of Justice, are fixed by a tacit if not express agreement, and there is a complete understanding as to the conditions under which the business shall be received and bandied. The eule justification the express com panies have for their policy of making ex clusive contracts with the railroads Is found in a decision of the Supreme Court of the Untted Btatcs. Members of the Interstate Commerce Commission tay there Is no Justi fication for the agreements which the com paries apparently have made between each other 'and which, it is asserted, are in vio lation of the anti-trust law. In view of the distribution of a 300 per cent dividend by he "Welts-Fargo Com pany It seems laughable to recall that this concern. In company with other express companies named, claimed that the net re sults of the express business are not as favorable today as- they 'were some years sro. They alleged that their operating ex penses have Increased heavily, owingr to the increased cost of transportation, the ad Vance in wages to employes and the addi tional cost of maintaining their equipment. Longest Tropical Sen Ice In Philippines. Manila Times. The Eighteenth Infantry, which ar rived on the Logan from Camp Keithly. Mindanao, Is' the first regiment In the United States Army to complete a third tour of duty in the Philippines. The. regiment came first to the Islands with the famous second expedition, which sailed from San Francisco June 14, 1898, and reached Manila Bay July 17, dis embarking immediately and going Into tents at Camp Dewey. The regiment took a very active part with other troops in the occupation of Manila on August 13, 1S98. Of the officers who marched Into Manila, only two are now with the' regiment. Bunyan'a Pulpit on Exhibition. Westminster Gazette, London. At the present time, when so much interest is being taken In the proposed Bunyan memorial window in Westmin ister Abbey, the library committee of the Sunday School Union thinks that many Sunday school teachers will wel come the opportunity of seeing so in teresting a relic as the Bunyan pulpit, which for many years has been in the possession of the union. It has therefore decided to have the pplpit on exhibition in tho libraA-y, at 56 Old Bailey. Proverbs of a Neighborhood. Alice van Leor Carrlck, In Smart Set. One touch of envy makes a whole street kin. It takes all kinds of people to make a suburb. Knowledge comes, but culture lingers. Affluence isn't having more than your needs; It's having more than your neighbors. Passing; Him Along. Roseburg Review. Simon Sanors, the feeble-minded Russian, who was brought here from Riddle last Wednesday, was sent north this morning at the expense of the county; Judge Wqnacott buying him transportation. : 1 . i - I-'ootballwooky. Denver Republican. . -Twas killing, and the muddied coves Did Jab and Jibber on the grid; All gory were the football groves, And that halfback, the Kid. Beware tho Sluggawock, my son. Tbe forward pass, the oft-jarred spine; Beware the tacklebob, and run For good old Umptywine." - i He ttook the football In his hand, Lon time another's life he sought; And then he rested (couldn't stand) Till ambulance was brought. And bandaged up In bed he rocks. And Sluggawock right from the game Came lumbering in with fresher knocks. And left him still more lame. "Hooroo, hooroo," the whistle blew. The rooters still kept up their clack. But March hares danced his system through And dealt him hack on hack. 'And hast thou slain the Sluggawock? ' Come to my arms, my squeamish boy." "Kudo, kaaay," the rooters bray' In. seasoaable Jov LAND POLICY OF "If EW ZEALAND Borrovred Millions" tbe Main Source of Apparent Prosperity.. Letter In the Spectator,. London, Nov. 13. WELLINGTON, New Zealand. iTo the Editor.) As a-New Zealander of pver 40 years' standing. I cannot resist the temptation to express an opinion con cerning the allusions made in the House of Commons to the land laws and taxa tion operations of our Dominion Legisla ture. I am neither a landowner nor a capitalist, but., having been born in this far-off country, of English parents, and being blessed with a family ;of six chil dren, I may be permitted to express an unbiased opinion upon the two subjects under review., In the first place, .let me say that the prosperity enjoyed by New Zealand during the last two - decades is due In a small measure' indeed to the "bursting up" land policy which a gov ernment arrogating to itself tbe name of "Liberal" was pleased to Introduce. It is true that certain large estates were "resumed" by the government with the assistance of borrowed money, and that in most cases the increased "number of settlers placed upon this resumed land has meant the increased productivity of the soil. By the same process of reason ing, had the government borrowed money and invested It in developing mineral or other Industries, the output would have been considerably increased. It must bo pointed out. however, that whilst, on the one hand, borrowed money has developed our land settlement, on the other, mil lions of acres of virgin soil have been al lowed to remain untouched. andv much of the capital borrowed, and upon which future, generations will be required to" pay Interest, has been taken out of the country for reinvestment. Politicians may regard this as a sound business proposition. What would be thought, however, of a London landlord who. with a view to increasing his turnover, were to expend millions of money in develop ing an already profitably occupied area whilst in the immediate neighborhood lie held an area which was unoccupied? The cases, I take it, are parallel. The chief objective in New Zealand appears to have been to nationalize the land at any cost, and thereby create an army of state serfs who shall be at the beck and call of the party in power. That this ob jective has been partially reached is evi denced by -the fact that many state ten ants have felt compelled to record their votes from time to time against their own convictions, and are now clamoring, from one end of the dominion to the other, for the fee simple of their lands, that they may be relieved of political control and enabled to utilize their allot ments to the bet advantage and as they may deem fit. To aver that the resump tion of large estates has made for the permanent prosperity of the doniihion is to offer an insult to the Intelligence or every born New Zealander. for at no time during the- past 20 years has there ben so much unemployment, so much destitu tion, as at present. As a matter of fact, the' prosperity of the Dominion of late years has been due almost entirely ' to abnormal markets for primary products and to the expenditure of borrowed mil lions. Concerning the system of taxation ob taining here, the best that can be said of It Is that It has removed the burden of taxation from the shoulders of the merchant and the middleman and placed It upon those of the man upon tho land. In the cities and larger towns we find huge mercantile structures and wealthy citizens cheek by Jowl with tho laborin;? classes in an Impoverished condition: while in the rural districts, landowners, fearful of land, mortgage and other forms of "Liberal" taxation, are curtail ing expenses or endeavoring to quit their estates that they may leave the i-ouiurv. This Is no word-picture, sir; it is fact. If the lajid and other taxation of tho mother country is to be based upon the laws which have obtained In New Zea land for the past 20 years, then all I can say is: "God. help the motherland!" ARTHUR H. VILE. Wise old Goats., Brownsville Times. Charles Weber tells a peculiar goat story. He owns five goats. Durln the high water last week they became" ma rooned and rb keep from beipg drowned climbed -a tree, where! thev remained standing for three days before the water receded enough to allow them to land on solid' ground again. The tree, however, did not stand ert. It was a large tree that had been cut down and In falling lodged in another tree, the top being several feet higher than the water raised. Mr. Weber thought his goats would not stand It out. but they did aid are now as frlsfty as ever. Building a House. John Burroughs. One of the greatest pleasures of life is to build a - house for one's self. There Is a peculiar satisfaction even in planting a tree from which you hope to eat fruit, or In the shade of which you hope to repose. But how much greater the pleasure In planting the roof-tree, the tree that bears the golden apples of home and: hospitality, and under the protection of which you -hope to pass the remainder of your days. IWew Book Pictures of McKlaley. John W. Foster in. "Diplomatic Mem oirs." In one of my visits to the White House, in referring to the clamor for war. President McKlnley said to me "These people will have a different view of the question when their sons are dying in Cuba 'of yellow fever." Although a gallant soldier during the Civil War, his kindliness, of heart led him to look upon the horrors of war with great aversion. ZV'earslehted. Stanfield Standard. The Port of Portland has a commis sion composed of incorruptible and ablo bubinesa men. Recently this commis sion has taken steps to lease the dry dock to a close corporation, and it will probably go through. The result 'will be high prices for ship repairing and low wages for doing it. Some of Port land's business men are as near-sighted as are village farmers. Alabama. Louisville Courier-Journal. The farmer vote of Alabama fell like a ton of brick upon the amendment designed to smash the bill of rights for the benefit of the fanatic prohibi tionists. The farmhouses of Alabama, like the feudal castles of the middle ages, remain the strongholds of their owners; not the stamping ground of prying police and deputy sheriffs and detectives. - CtRRKNT SMALL CHANGK. 'She is furiously angry at me." "Why" "I took her to a, football game." "But why Is rtia angry?" "I watched, the game." Houston Poet. "How much does it cost to get married"" asked the eager youth. "That depends en tirely on how long you live," repllled tlio sad-looking man. Philadelphia Record. "Oh. Gay. you mustn't allow yourself to be scared by papa'si piercing eye." "I'm not so much afraid of that. Blfieda. as I am of his cutting 'no' " Cnicago Tribune. "Why should we all save our n-vney?" asked the teacher. "So'a when we get eld we'll have something to pay alimony with," replied, tho small boy. Detroit Free Press. "Do' reasun." said Uncle Kbcs. "dat some men walks de floor because of deir debts is becauw it's warmer an' . mo' eomf'abie dan gettin' out an' buildln fences .or shovelin' snow." Washington Star. Rector "So your son in Ixmdon to to be married, eh?" Mrs. Carter "Yessir. he I.. and to a lady on the stase. to-i but not to a horrid, sinful play actrewr. ,He says Bhe'a a serlo which sounds quite all right, don't It?" Punch. "Why so downcast?" "Oh, I saf up with a sick friend last -night, but my wife refuses to believe me. Wi-.at would you do?" "Re fer to the matter to the University of Copen hagen. You'll get peace for a while, aav- inaw." Louisville Courier-Journal.