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J-OBTLA.XD. TVESDAT. DEC. 7. lt-
WHAT TDK MrwOCmATS 1IX IXX
All Democrats favor a downward
revision of the tariff, and never waver
or wobble or weaken In that opinion
until the, practical work of (raining a
tartX bill la Impoud on them by the
country. Then difficulties arise. grow
In mostly out of the refusal of Demo
cratic state and Democratic produc
er and manufacturers in Republican
states t permit a literal application
cf tha areat Democratic doctrine of
tariff for revenue only to their par
ticular Industrie.
The next Democratic House 1
ttrin for tariff revision, as Demo
cratic Houses always are before they
meet. The New York Herald has
made a careful canvass of members
elect, with the gratifying result that
2 members say firmly and boldly
that they are for revision downward.
too) of the Fayne-Aldrich tariff. This
Is 0 more than a majority. Of the
IS. 10" are Democrats 11 more
than a majority and 7 are Insurgent
Republican
It might thus appear that the doom
of the wicked Payne-AJdrich tariff Is
sealed. No Democrat and few Re
pubitcana will suffer that legislative
Incubus long to cumber the statute
books. Not they. But, of course, the
work of tariff revision must proceed
wisely and effectively. There must be
no wholesale upsetting of business or
unintelligent and Injurious assaults
en the tariff as the Government's
chief source of Income. But the
doctrine or high protection roust
be abandoned and a real customs
revenue producer substituted. The
wary and judicious manner In which
these patriotic Democrats are going
to enact a real tariff for revenue
law Is thus explained by the Herald:
Tc shoals be explained that while a bis
ana)orlty of the Doroocrata tavor the prta
clpla or tariff for revenue only, practically
all of thojn. in ihotr private talks, say that
tay aro not literally for that idea. but.
when tha time cornea, will favor protection
for some products which Coras from their
ml sectlias. this would Indicate that,
wasn a bill ta finally arafted and approved.
It will bo found to embody a sreat deal
of tha protective principle.
When It comes down to hard pan
your Democratic Congressman may
always be depended upon to abandon
theory In party professions and listen
to tbe seductive voice of the 'inter
ests' There "will be tariff revision,
certainly, but with reservations. The
tariff revised by the Democratic poli
ticians wl'.l be a give-and-take affair,
just as a Republican protective tariff
1 always, and It will not satisfy the
eoantry. No unscientific tariff based
on political exigency and state or sec
tional selfishness ever will.
UK. TAFT'S ECONOMIES.
Whatever Mr. Taft's merits or
shortcomings may be as a partly
leader and an Interpreter of the popu
lar will, there are two particulars, at
least. In which he can stand compari
son with any man who ever filled the
office of President. Nonresident ever
exercised greater care. In appointing
Judges; none ever sought more dili
gently to fill vacancies in the courts
with discrimination. Although he has
been criticised for almost everything
else he has done or left undone hardly
a word has been said against his nom
inees for the Supreme Court, the
Commerce Court or the Interstate
Commerce Commission. It Is conced
ed by everybody whose opinion Is of
mia-h value that better men could not
have been chosen for these Important
positions than those whom Mr. Teft
fixed upon after deliberating upon the
merits of all the candidates In his
careful and Judicial manner. The
other respect in which Mr. Tart has
shoan uncommon ability is In the ref
ormation of the shiftless and waste
ful business methods of the Govern
ment. Taft Is not the first President who
ever tried to check the spendthrift
habits of our officials and depart
ments la Washington, but it is no
more than fair to say that he Is the
first who ever succeeded. The In
ertia of long established custom, the
sullen determination of entrenched of
ficialdom to be as slothful and care
leas in the future as It ever was in
the past have been too much for every
man before Mr. Taft who tried to take
the dragon In hand and make It obe
dient to the rules of good behavior.
Of course we do not mean to say that
Mr. Taft has done all that can or
eught to he done in the way of saving
the public money and making the
public servants do what they are paid
for. but he has accomplished enough
to deserve the gratitude of the tax
payers. Not all of the $300,000,000
which Senator Aldrlch said could be
saved to the public by a thrifty man
agement of the Government business
has been saved as yet by any means,
but certainly Mr. Taft has made a
good beginning, which, according to
the old saw. ta hair the battle.
The economies which have been ef
fected by his Administration and for
which he should have the credit- are
met with In many places, some of
them unexpected. It Is surprising In
fact to notice the quiet way the Presi
dent seems to have of peering Into
dark 'corners and investigating little
leaks down which the public funds
have been In the habit of disappear
ing. The saving In the Postofflce De
partment Is perhaps the most notable
cf his Administration, not because It
la the lanrest but because he has suc
ceeded here after more than the usual
number of failures by his predeces
sors. Mr. Taft's Postmaster-General
has actually managed not only to
bring the everlasting postal deficit
down to a comfortable figure but he
promises on excellent grounds to get
rid of H altogether In a short time.
This has been accomplished by sheer
economy where heretofore there has
been waste. That there Is room for
still greater saving In the postal ex
penses is matter of common knowl
edge, but naturally there are limits
beyond which the people do not wish
the matter pushed. Economy In the
postal service Is highly popular, but
the most unpopular thing any member
of Mr. Taft's Administration could do
would be to cripple the service which
the postofflce renders to the public
m any particular. The taxpayers
want their mopey Judiciously spent,
but they desire to have It spent, not
hoarded. If adequate returns can be
obtained. The American people want
their postofflce to be placed on a par
with the postofflce of other civilized
nations and at the same time It will
be found that they are willing to pay
every employe In the Department fair
wages. There Is no popular demand
for economy carried to the point of
scrimping the pay of postal employes
and this fact Mr. Taft baa no doubt
recognised.
His reforms In the matter of ex
penditure have been carried info the
Army and Navy as well a the Postof
flce. The Army expenditures have
been cut down at his behcat and It has
been found also under bla gentle In
sistence that we can get along very
well with fewer battleships than some
persons had supposed indispensable.
Along these lines where .Mr. Taft's
savinxs for the taxpsyers can easily
be reckoned in dollars and cents they
frvni no to a substantial sum. He has
effected other economics which do
not lend themselves so easily to ex
act computation but nevertheless they
are well worth keeping account of.
The change In the rules of the public
offices which will require the em
ployes to do a fair day's work will
save the public millions of dollars in
the long run. but the chances are that
Mr. Taft will not reap much popular
ity from It- On the contrary" the Indo
lent clerks will shriek with rage and
nobody will think It worth while to
keep the other side of the affair be
fore the public. The country l not
always most grateful for the best
service. Sometimes It never even
hears of quiet and laborious ef
forts to do Its business well. There
Is no doubt that Mr. Taft will continue
his unostentatious efforts to bring the
Government service up to something
like a modern standard of efficiency.
It Is reasonable to expect also that he
will continue to accomplish something.
PerhaDa before his term ends he may
even get his reforming hand opon the
slovenly pension department. There
is fair reason to believe that Mr. Tart
will be mentioned by historians as
the President who put our Govern
ment expenditures upon a basis of
nsible economy. Few i-resiaents
have ever received a more honorable
tribute from posterity.
POBTXAXD'S "JCXS." DEPARTMENT.
Portland la savins- interest on $1.-
ofl add Mdn and ferrv investments.
all of which have disappeared except
the bonds. This debt wiu ocgin w
mature, for the most part, eleven
veara hence. No Sinking funds hSVO
been provided and it seems that the
only way to meet the maturity oi xne
old bonds will be to sell new ones to
take their place.
Of course, since the bridges and the
ferries have been free there have been
no revenues from tolls wherewith to
pay either for maintenance, renewals.
interest or sinking fund. All this ex-
nendlture. therefore, has naa to do
paid for out of taxes. And because
taxes have been regarded as high and
expense of bridges and ferries as
heavy, common consent has put sink
ing fund out of the city's official fi
nances.
Tw little account has been taken.
in this business, of depreciation. This
loss has been heavy, but cltlxena have
paid no attention to it. They Imag
ined that somehow the bridges ana
the ferries would last forever or that
renewals would be taken care of in
some way at the other fellow's ex
pense. This system gave valuable im
nrnvtnuni to DeoDle of the city at
expense of the next generation. It
was supposed. ir thought of at all. that
the next generation, because more
numerous, would be more aDie to paj.
But those who come hereafter have
to meet expenses and debts of their
own.
Riirht here Is one of the most potent
reasons for limitation of public func
tions and public utilities. It is neces
sary for this city to nave puouc
bridges and ferries and to pay ior
them out of general taxation. But
there are other things which It is not
TooMaai-r for the city to own: electric
light plants and streetcar systems, for
example. The city 1 very near the
border line of prudence when It goes
into the docks business. All these
things mean public debt, bonds and
Interest. Some classes of citizens urge
that after the public hassecured im
provements through creation of debt
it should then repudiate the debt. But
h will be Impossible for a community
to borrow money for present and fu
ture needs If It shall repudiate Its
debts of the past.
This city will have to carry the
bonds and pay interest thereon. But
this "Junk" debt of $1,000,000 should
furnish a wholesome lesson for the
future. Public finances are seldom
wisely administered. They have not
been wisely administered In "Portland
In the past. The present administra
tion comes nearest the proper treat
ment of affairs In many years.
OKMiOX AND THE KAtl-ROAna.
As we approach the new year this
question presents Itself to every man
Interested In the development of the
Pacific Northweat will It pay to
encourage the building of more rail
roads? Every one ifamlllar with the
record of the gigantic companies
which, for the sake of convenience,
are called the Harriman lines. What
they have done during the last five
years to open up for settlement sev
eral fertile, but hitherto inaccessible,
regions in 'this state was well sum
marized In The Oregontan yesterday,
together with the setting forth of def
inite plans for the Immediate future.
Corporate and physical anion of this
Important railroad company with the
North Coast lines has forged a strong-'
er commercial chain to bind three
progressive states. Oregon's new
Eastern horizon Is the Rocky Moun
tains. For the present larger view, what is
the obligation of Oregon to the rail
roads? Krom more than one source
whose Intelligence and sincerity can
not be questioned, we learn that capi
tal has become timid respecting
railroad Investments. Prospective re
turns are considered too small and
too uncertain. So far as U applies to
the rich but undeveloped Pacific
Northwest, and particularly to Ore
gon, there Is no fesr that new lines
will not create enough traffic under
normal conditions to sustain them and
to earn satisfactory dividends, but
capital fears disastrous legislation by
the states as well as by- the Federal
Government.
When Judge Lovett, the head of
the Harriman lines, declared publicly
a few days ago that he favored Gov
ernment regulation of railroads, he
virtually admitted the justice of this
principle. A reasonable Inference is
that all railroads in good faith will
acknowledge and respect It. Here In
Oregon will not our best Interests be
served if we promise the railroads a
square deal and then make good the
promise? Oregon's greatest material
need Is large capital to establish steel
highways, which shall enable a million
new people to make homes and en
gage in profitable industry; therefore,
our attitude toward railroads must
not be Just that of Illinois, New York
or Kansas, where there are enough
miles of railroad for present needs.
With us It ought to be a give-and-take
proposition clearly understood.
Oregon must demand that the rail
roads shall be servants of commerce,
not masters; that they shall keep out
of politics and not indulge in corrupt
practices. Oregon must show that she
will be as fair In the matter of regula
tion In the future as she has been In
the fast, and that whatever may be
attempted In the way of control, rail
roads need never fear legislation that
endangers the investment.
HRAHST IR- COOK.
Dr. Cook Is now trying to prove
other men bigger, liars. He has a
heavy Job on his hands. His task also
Includes the Job of trying" to convince
the world that he thought he had dis
covered the Pole and that his thought
was well founded; also that the meth
ods of his critics and detractors, if
applied to Peary", would discredit the
exploit of that explorer. .However,
the doughty doctor "will take Peary's
word, in preference to either that of
Rasmussen or the Eskimos In the
matter of his own accomplishment."
Dr. Cook showed himself a man of
brassy courage nen he returned from
the North last year, claiming polar
honors. His same brassy courage he
exhibited some years before In assert
ing that he had scaled Mount Mc
Kinley. Now his return from the
banishment that followed his exposure
as a faker by the University of Copen
hagen, exhibits" him in his old-time
brazen-faced nerve. He fled from
public contempt to the most sequest
ered parts of the earth and now comes
home with new:samples of Munchau
senlsm. It takes terrific nerve to display
one's self as the biggest liar the world
ever saw. Therefore, Dr. Cook does
not lack admiration entirely. As a
wlolder of English, he la skilful, too.
far more so than Peary. His sheer
audacity In retorting to his critics
and In .Inventing new explanations
draws hlro world-wide attention and
even makes him friends. He cleverly
draws the Issue of dispute away from
his own exploit; he picks flaws and
falsehoods In the words of those at
tacking him. "False atatement No.
1" he says of Rasmussen's assertions
and on up in serial order to "False
statement No. 5" and beyond.
All this disputation comes to noth
ing. The only important matter Is
Cook's fakerism. His own records
disproved his Polar claims and Joined
him. with the Ananias members. Be
sides, it was impossible for Cook and
his two Eskimo companions, as
George Kennan has ably pointed out.
to have carried enough provisions for
the alleged Journey. Peary, It will
be remembered, employed numerous
supporting parties and finally had
barely enough food for himself and
his negro companion on the final dash
for the axis point.
The dispute la going off on too
many side issues. Dr. Cook Is lead
ing it in those directions. His critics
will make headway faster by calling
him back to the main question.
TWO MORE XEW JXIXtES?
The Dallas Observer makes some
highly sensible observations, printed
i -n .1. .r.m nllnjLted and
eisewnero, uh . "J
ambiguous Judicial amendment adopt
ed by the voters In November. The
voter wanted to adopt the scheme of
a three-fourths Jury veraici in civh
that was about all he want
ed or Intended to approve.
The Supreme Court properly con--i
j (ha nun no Dumose to
tluuca w.u. ......
abolish or change the status of the In
ferior courts or to load up tne court
with a great mass of new work on
appeals. The court will not exercise
original Jurisdiction except in emerg
encies or for special reasons.
So It would appear that the vast
excitement into which the lawyers and
other Judge-makers and Job-providers
have permitted themselves to be
thrown by the new amendment
. v. ik. noterl heavv Increase
of the work of the Supreme Court has
no substantial foundation, ine great
trx oiva the court two new
judges was a trifle precipitate. No
election impenas, ana mcie "j
no sufficient reason why the five
Judges now on the bench cannot
give their undivided attention to their
work. . .
A srrruj) issite in engi-and.
t. mil that the result of the
critinh election was not nearly
so revolutionary as many believed It
would be. The Liberals have retained
their majority but It is formed or a
number of different elements which
ma r.mnln harmonious as time
passes and events develop. The one
point which was denniteiy acierinmeu
xv th .lection is that the hereditary
principle upon which the upper
house or parliament is no uurcu
must be abandoned. It Is not quite so
clear that the Lords will lose their
veto power, although it la probable.
Judging rrom the course of British
history. Formerly the King as well as
the peers had a veto upon measures
passed by the Commons, but after a
struggle much riercer than that be
tween the Lords and Commons has
been the veto of the crown was defi
nitely given UP- The King still goes
through the form of assenting to
bills, but the form is empty. He could
not refuse his assent no matter how
much he might desire to do so.
The British courts never enjoyed
a veto over acts of Parliament. , In
this ' respect they are less powerful
than the American Judiciary. An act
of Parliament becomes virtually a part
or the constitution or the British Em
pire at once. Hence the only check
there fc upon the supremacy or the
House of Commons is the power of
the Lords to throw out a bill. They
have exercised this power very freely
whenever there has been a Liberal
ministry. There are many peers who
never appear In Parliament except
when It Is necessary to vote down
some Liberal measure. On such occa
sions they cast -their votes with stupid
subserviency to their class and then
disappear until another similar emerg
ency arises. It is this practice which
has driven the Commons to the point
of requiring- the Lords to resign their
veto power. Very likely a compromise
will end the difference for the pres
ent. The House of Lords will prob
ably be made at least partially elect
ive. Thus it will become responsive
to the popular will and may have a
long career before it Is finally abol
ished. Still If it ceases to act as a
check upon the Commons it is inter
esting to speculate as to what its pre
cise function can become. "
The Portland Journal, which apolo
gizes for, believes in, upholds, and de
fends the abominable and revolution
ary single tax. Is much disturbed-because
The Oregonian printed a news
dispatch from Salem, with suitable
headlines, setting rorth that bond
buyers think the amendment danger
ous and are finding grave fault with
it otherwise. The Oregonian has
sought to print facts about this bunco
amendment and will continue to print
them. But why should the singlo tax
paper be so mightily disturbed all at
once over the effect of these "harm
ful" publications In Tho Oregonian?
On December 19 this single tax paper
printed prominently an article of the
same tenor as The Oregonlan's, head
ed conspicuously, "Bond Buyers Will
Not Take- OTegon Securities (is) Be
lief; Fearing Effect of New Land Tax
Law, Thev May Reject Ail Offerings
of Cities From This Stato." This is
the situation as everyone in Oregon
knows. Tet the single tax paper re
mained quite calm until the mat
ter got notoriety through The Orego
nian. When The Oregonian prints It
the single tax paper calls upon every
body to get scared; when that paper
prints It, it knows, of course, that
nobody will get scared, for It is not
necessarily so.
Not satisfied with a population of
4.766.883 for Greater New York, stat
isticians of Gotham now present fig
ures for Largest New York and claim
a population of 6.605,837. This is not
the work of boosters, but of men ear
nestly Interested In knowing how
many people live in the chief American
city and its Immediate environment
Walter Laidlaw, executive secretary
of the Federation of Churches and
Christian organizations, gives to the
New York Times the known and the
estimated population within 19 miles
of the City Hall. This Includes six
counties in New Jersey with 1,543.932
and Nassau and Westchester counties.
New York, with 191,644; total sub
urban, 1,735,576. The ratio of increase
in the suburbs during the past ten
years was far greater than In the city
or New York, ir they are going to
Ignore rivers and city boundaries and
count the people in. and around New
York as one community, it will not
be many years until London will have
to take second place among- the cities
or the world.
While the Commercial Club Is pre
paring plans for larger publicity work
next year. It should not neglect the
opportunity to encourage the ener
getic women to make their homes In
Oregon, women of the type described
by the Centralla (Ga.) Courier, which
says: "We have one woman who
raised 3000 bushels of corn, 500 bush
els or oats, 10 wagonloads or pump
kins, 9 children and a shirtless hus
band on 80 acres or land." What a
valuable asset such a woman is to any
community. Perhaps she has similar
neighbors. -
The career or Clara Morris painfully
exemplifies the truth that great ability
does not always bring happiness any
more than great riches. In her prime
she was a charming actress. Few
could throw more pathos Into tragic
scenes. But for many years she suf
fered from a distressing malady and
old age rinds her poor and almost
blind. In thinking of such lives as
hers one could find comfort In the be
lief that human beings will be born
again and live on earth under happier
stai
The practice of following Merry
Christmas with a drunken New Year's
does not commend Itself to a discreet
Judgment. It la not too late to reform
it this Winter, since the next holiday
i. -.in - f.w davs off. Why not save
the drink money and give it to Port
land's new college? It would amply
endow a chair of sobriety and the
donors would feel a great deal better
on January 2. 1911. than they did on
the same day last year.
Tlul abandonment of the Inhuman
lockstep in the Walla Walla prisons
moves one to ask why that relic of
barbarism should be retained any
where. It Is an Inheritance from the
time when prisoners were looked upon
as legitimate subjects for every pos
sible cruelty and degradation. In a
century which professes to be Chris
tian the lockstep is as anomalous as
the refusal to provide convicts with
underclothing and socks. -
At this late day the Pennsylvania
Historical Society Is paying honors to
Gen. George Gordon Meade on Dec. 31.
A dinner will be given in commemora
tion of his services to the Union.
Three soldiers who commanded the
army of the United States will be pres
ent, namely. Generals Nelson A.
Miles. John C. Bates and S. B. M.
Younir. These men served in General
Meade's command In the Civil War.
Pardon for Chris Evans, junior
partner of that celebrated firm of
Sontag At Evans? Remembering how
they terrorized California for nearly
a year, it Is curious to reflect that a
community cannot carry resentment
through a long period of time.
Roln at Christmas time is so much
of a variety In New England as to be
subject or thanksgiving. Out here it
is a matter of course.
A cold snap is In process of forma
atlon for this Coast. , It Is time.
Plumbers are entitled to some con
sideration. - Approval of baldheaded men by a
woman's club will meet disapproval
by men v4io sell hair restoratives.
As a matter, or local history be it
remembered that Portland roses were
in bloom on Christmas day. 1910.
Calvin Hellig can't say who steals
my purse steals trash.
I WHAT THE VOTER TRIED TO DO
Purpose la Veflus; for the Three
Fauihi Jury Amendment.
i Dallas Observer.
I Passing upon the Supreme Court
amendment recently adopted by the
1 voters of Oregon, the Judges of that
court hold that the amendment does
not abolish all courts save the Supreme
' Court, as had been argued by many
' lawyers, nor Is the authority of the
Circuit Courts and County Courts taken
away or abridged In any manner. Until
I further legislation shall change them,
I the Circuit and County Courts will con
; tlnue to exist and to exercise the same
! power and jurisdiction they exercised
before the adoption of the amendment.
As to that portion of the amendment
! which seeks to invest the Supreme
! Court with original Jurisdiction in ha-
beas cornus. mandamus and quo war
ranto proceedings, the court is of the
opinion that it was not the Intention
of the voters to thrust upon the Su
preme Court the burden of hearing,
considering and determining In the first
Instance every such application as might
be presented. Such a construction. It
is pointed out, would overwhelm the
court with a mass of original business.
Including the examination of witnesses,
hearing arguments of counsel and con
slderiug the merits of the causes pre
sented, which would Interfere seriously
with those duties for which the Supreme
Court was primarily constituted, name
ly, the hearing and decision of cases
coming before it in the usual manner
upon appeal. It Is farther pointed out
that a defendant has several other
plain, speedy and adequate remedies,
without asking the Supreme Court to
exercise such extraordinary Jurisdiction
to the detriment of other and more mer
itorious business. The court announces
that it will exercise no such Jurisdiction
except in cases containing very unusual
points.
The fact is. not one voter In a hun
dred knew what he was voting for
when he was dabbling" with this amendment-
Probably not one In 50 would
know a "mandamus" or "quo warranto"
proceeding if he met it in the road in
broad daylight. What the average
voter saw in the ballot title of this
amendment was something about "pro
viding for a verdict by three-fourths of
a Jury in civil cases." That was enough.
He wanted that, and so lie voted his
"X Yes" without reading further. He
didn't know what jurisdiction he was
conferring upon the Supreme Court, nor
what additional duties he was imposing
upon that body, and he doesn't know
even now, after the court has told him.
The court has apparently been spending
much valuable time In an effort to as
certain the voters' real Intention In
passing this measure. The voter had
no Intention farther than to authorize
three-fourths of a Jury to return a
verdict in civil cases. Probably not one
voter In a hundred knew that any
farther change In the judicial system
was contemplated by the proposed
amendment.
. The U'Ren pills are always sugar
coated, and the Jury clause was the
coating in this particular Instance. The
pill tasted sweet, and the voter swal
lowed It, without considering what
effect the Inside might have, either on
the state's judicial system or on his
own. The Supreme Court wastes time
In trying to ascertain the voter's ob
ject in passing this amendment. Far
ther than to provide for a Jury verdict
by nine men, the voter had no well
defined object. Farther than that
clause In the amendment, few took the
trouble to read.
REVIVAL OF STATE RIGHTS TALK
SuKgeatlon Made That Roosevelt's Posl
t tloa Is Misunderstood.
PORTLAND, Or., Dec 25. (To the
x.'.i i la conditions nreDarinir for
a revival of the old state rights dis
cussion of 60 years ago anent tne mw
Nationalism propounded by ex-President
Roosevelt?
It seems probable Roosevelt Is mis
understood on the question. He sees
the trend of the present that the peo
pie are attaining a larger National
consciousness, and In consequence they
have to have a new and expanding
legal framework to meet the condi
tions. His statement of principles as to Na
tional and state relations and involv
ing thus constitutional Interpretation
is but a new development of Justice
ir....h.tio vifttv that tha Constitution
contains a spirit as well as a letter;
that even the letter or tne uonsmu
tion should not stand in the way of
. 1. v.tl.nal urlfnr U'tltT. its liberal
application would be subversion of Na
tional or popular weai, eaiicaauj
where in any particular Instance there
was no Immediate opportunity or time
to amend the Constitution to remedy
the danger or defect impending.
In other words, paraphrasing a Bible
phrase, the Constitution was made for
the people, not the people for the Con
stitution. Let statesrightism rest
among the other mummlned remains oi
secessionism, treason, slavery, polyg
nnw unit other forms, of political de
generacy and corruption.
Bible Read for First Time.
Minneapolis Journal.
As the Immediate first fruits Of 850
Bibles Installed in the rooms of the
West Hotel by the Gideons, an organ
ization, word came to the desk from a
traveling man that for the first time in
his life he had looked inside of a real
mi-i- t 1 . a Furl Ftoufhler
IM II 11. A w " ' ' ' ."'J - -
and Axel Paulson, made the distribu
tion, rjeacnier naa jubl ibh mo i.i
... ...... h..lr fnr mnrd. when
armiui nu i. i. vj -. --
he brought the news that the recipient
- . . I T i kl nn.nail tha hnnV
or one or in muic . v. ...v
at once and looked at it with much In
terest. "He says," Beachler reported, "that
when he was a boy he used to go to
Sunday School, but he always studied
his lesson out of a leaflet. He says
it's the first sure enough Bible he
ever saw the Inside of. Glm'me an
other armful."
Beer Free and Otherwise.
Buffalo Commercial.
An elderly German tapster In New
York says he doesn't think Colonel Abe
Slupsky's feat of drinking 30 bottles a
day for 30 successive days any great
shakes. "When I was a young man,"
he said, "I worked In a brewery where
we received 40 beer checks daily. Each
check entitled a man to a glass of beer,
which was served at the brewery bar.
I never had any checks over and wasn't
much of a drinker, and I was a good
customer at the saloon near the brew
ery, too. We used to go to the saloon
at noon time because there' was more
fun In taking a beer that you paid for."
Araaed Camp Not Needed.
New York Tribune.
With the consummation of the
Louisiana purchase Hamilton's soheme
of our domination of the continent was
so soon fully realized as to assure us
thereafter perpetual exemption from
the perils of a formidable neighbor.
Frpm that time forward It was reason
able to hope that America would not
have to make and keep herself an
armed camp. Nor do we yet eee any
convincing evidence that the hope was
vain.
Ia the Old Days.
Harper's Weekly.
Eve had Just tied a garland of maple
leaves about her ankles.
"What on earth are you up to, my
love?" asked Adam.
"I am trying on my pew hobble skirt,
sweetheart." returned the partner of his
joys with a sweet smile.
. A Brash With Madam.
Boston Evening Transcript.
Artist Madam, it is not faces alone
that I paint; It is souls.
Madam Ob, you do Interiors, then?
WHERE WAS THE GREEK'S SOUL?
Answers Offered to Questions Sug
seated by Portland Resident.
PORTLAND, Dec 24. (To the Edl,
tor.) The Greek laborer who met with
an accident (a blow upon the skull)
which threw him Into a comatose state
for a period of 18 months, and on
whom a surgical operation was per
formed at St. Vincent's Hospital re
cently, seems to have elicited numer
ous suggestions.
I note The Oregonlan's question,
"Where was his soul, during those 18
months that he lay unconscious?" As
well ask where is the soul when a per
son Is in slumber? It has certainly
not left the physical body, or the
earthly tabernacle In which it dwells.
The link or chain which connects the
two had not been severed. Hence he
was not dead, but very keenly alive,
else the masterful skill of the sur
geon's knife would have been used In
vain. -
Referring to Tennyson, who pro
pounds the same question about Laza
rus, we will turn to the Scriptures,
where Jesus said St. John, chap, xi,
verse 4 "This sickness is not unto
death, but for the giory of God." In
the same chapter, 11th verse, he said.
"Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I
go that I may awake him out of sleep."
In the 14th verse he most emphatically
says that "Lazarus is dead. Contra
dictory statements, as you will observe.
How is it when a person is placed
in a hypnotic state? Respiration even
ceases, yet the subject is not dead. I
think a soul or spirit would be glad to
"come back and reunite with the flesh"
if Its earthly work were not yet com
plete. As the Greek did not die, how then
could he .be judged, using the theory
of many persons who are looking for and
anticiDatintr a trreat iudjrment day?
Then the Greek has not appeared be
fore the great tribunal. He has
neither been acquitted nor convicted.
He Is the identical character that he
was ere the accident occurred. The
surgeons who performed this delicate
and most wonderful work did not give
him life, for that he already had, but
they judiciously removed the cause
which hindered the spirit from ex
nressine itself. No physician or sur
e-eon is so skillful as to create the
life Drincinle In any beinff. He can
slmnlv heln nature to aid Itself. In
conclusion, then, we deduce these facts,
viz.: that the soul of the Greek was
durinir the 18 months of coma, ever
near and in connection with his physi
cal body. In obedience to the great
laws of the universe, when the ob
stacles which prevented any demon
strations of his spirit were removed,
he had no choice but to remain.
MRS. PORTIA .MURRAY.
Souls Await Last Trump.
PORTLAND, Dec. 24. (To the Edi
torsReferring to the article in The
Oregonian of December 23, "The Soul of
a Greek," you ask, where was the soul
of the Greek, or the Immortal part of
him, during those 18 months that he
was in a comatose condition, and you
go on to intimate that It had left his
body and gone to Its maker, or to
some other place.
His soul was In the same place that
anyone's soul Is when asleep. If you
will take a concordance and look up in
the Bible all the places where the word
sleep, slept and asleep are found, I
think you will agree with me that
souls can and do sleep In the body.
Your article seems to coincide with the
common false belief that the soul
leaves the body at death, while, If we
are to believe' the Bible, the soul mere
ly falls asleep. All this fanciful talk
about "the spirit took its flight" is the
imagination of the person, and has no
backing from the Bible. The Bible
teaches that "we shall all Bleep" until
the sounding of the last trump, when
we shall arise from our graves. What
is it that shall arise? The Immortal
part of us our souls of course. And
how can our souls arise from the grave
at the sounding of the last trump if
we have already gone to Heaven?
In no place does the Bible promise
that we shall go direct to heaven
after death, except in tho single case
of good Elijah, but In many places, In
telling of the deaths of the patriarchs
such expressions as this are used, "and
he fell asleep," and "he slept with his
fathers." The Bible says that "the dead
know not anything," so that from the
time of death, or falling asleep of the
soul, until the last trump is sounded,
would seem less than an instant to the
souls of the patriarchs even, who have
slept thousands of years, because the
sound of the trumpet would be the
next thing they were conscious of after
death.
The words Of Jeeus to the thief on
the cross, "Verily, I say unto you this
day, thou shalt be with me In para
dise," are taken by some to mean that
the soul goes direct to heaven, but that
Is a mere matter of where you place
the comma. Placed after "you" it
means one thing; placed after "day"
and it means another. If Jesus had
meant that the thief would bev in
heaven that day, it would have been
more spoken of as a miracle, as was
the direct taking to heaven of Elijah.
I have no doubt that hundreds of
Bible students in Portland bel'eve with
me that the soul neither goes to heaven
nor any place at death, but merely
sleeps in the grave.
Yours sincerely,
ALICE FAUS.
Champ Clark I Jit in Scholar.
wasnington neraia.
When Champ Clark becomes Speaker
of the House, those who like to -bewail
the passing of the ancient tongues, such
as Latin and Greek, will have a new
champion to talk about. For Champ
Clark is about as good an offhand Latin
scholar as one would find. He keeps
reading enough Latin from time to time
to prevent himself from getting rusty
on the subject, and. If need be, he could
recite from Horace or Vlrgll, word for
word, just as long as anybody would
listen. On one occasion, during the
last session, another member of the
House sprung a passage from the Jovial
Horace In the original text. And about
half of It was wrong. Speaker Cannon
was occupied at the moment and didn't
notice the slip, but Champ Clark was
on his feet in a second with this ob
servation that If one must quote Latin
he would insist that it be given Just
as it was In the book. And, at the
request of the member who was in er
ror. Cousin Champ quoted the entire
passage correctly with'all the Informal
ease of the head of a family asking a
blessing that he's been using all his
life.
Nathan M. Levy.
He was inclined to fret and fuss because ha
was lnsomlnous. and ha was always
looking for some method of obtaining
rest;
He sougbt oat numerous M- D.'s and -haunted
many pharmacies, and took tha
things they offered him and straight
- way put ihem to the teat.
Ha 'bothered every one he knew for magic
potion, pill or brew; he asked the fad
dists for advice, indulging in a lengthy
wall:
H looked through the advertisements with
most amaslng diligence: he read the
- message of the quacks and bought tbe
things tbey had for sale.
Oh ,he got remedies enough I hata to tell
of all the stuff that he made way with
day by day. the fluids, boluses and
such;
Ha swallowed them so oft and fast that
those who watched him found at last
that sleep was taking him in hand and
holding him In tightest clutch.
But In the end (such things befall) they
could not make him up at all they
tried with all their might, and oh, the
eves of all with tears were dim:
He got the sleep he hungered for. and. I
should say. a trifle more, and there
was but one thing lo do, which was,
of course, to bury him'
Life's jSunny Side
The late ex-Governor Allen D. Can
dler, of Georgia, was famous in the
South . for his quaint humor.
"Ex-Governor Candler," said a Gaines
ville man, "once abandoned cigars 'for
a pipe at the beginning of the year. He
stuck to his resolve till the year's end.
Then he was heard to say:
" 'By actual calculation I have saved,
by smoking a pipe instead of cigars
this year. J208. But where Is It?" "
Louisville Times.
s s
Some little girls were boasting of
their respective families. They had
passed from clothes to personal appear
ance and finally came to parental dig
nity. The minister's little girl boasted:
"Every pacltage that conies for my .
papa is marked D. D.' "
"And every package that comes for
my papa is marked 'M. D.' " retorted
the daughter of the physician.
Then followed a look of contempt from
the youngest of the party. "Huh!" she
exclaimed. "Every package that comes
to our house has three letters on It,
C. O. D.' "Ladies' Home Journal.
The tramp had walked a good three
miles and was particularly thirsty. A
sudden. turn In the road brought him to
the foot of a steep hill at the top of
which stood a large house. The tramp
paused a moment before attempting the
herculean feat of storming the hill. He
felt hungry and thirsty. He glanced to
the left. These words caught his eye:
"Tarry, traveler, and refreali thyself."
The .tramp was sorry the sign was at
tached to a rump handle. . However,
water was better - than nothing, so he
commenced to pump. The spout re
mained dry. He pumped with more
viKor. Still no water. After 10 min
utes of hard work he said harsh things
about the pump, and continued his Jour
ney. At the top of the hill he men-
tioned his grievance to a native. The
latter pointed to the fine house across
the road.
"The owner of that house, he saici,
"has some big water cisterns which
have to be filled from, a stream in the
valley. He Is too lazy to fill 'em him
self, though: so he rigged up that pump
and connected it with his cisterns, and
now " .
But the tramp was already sprinting
across the road. Tit-Bits.
ess
"One of your countrymen," said Miss
Ellen Terry at a luncheon in New York,
"spoke very bitterly the other day about
the divorce habit among the rich. He
said - that some children in Newport
have five and six fathers. He was
right. A child with five fathers is
unfortunate."
Miss Terry smiled.
"But these children," she said, to
whom the gentleman referred, do not
realize their misfortune while they are
children, for they see very little of
their fashionable mothers and fathers.
I heard a story about a lonely little
Newport boy whose mother called him
to her and said:
" 'Robert, your father and 1 are go
ing to separate. With which of us
do you wish to remain?
"The boy hesitated, his mother wait
ed anxiously, and then he replied:
-With with the chauffeur.' "Pitts
burg Gazette-Times.
WOMEN ARE HEROINES OF FASHIOJT
ConrsBe Required by Thoae Who Carry
Canes, Dolls and Dog Muffs.
New York Times.
"I've been under fire more than onoe."
said a well-known veteran of two wars
the other day, "but I'll take my hat off
to our American girls for real heroism.
Any young woman who is brave enough
to adopt some freak fad and display it
up and down Fifth avenue or Broadway
on an afternoon under the Gatllng-gun
fire from thousands of appraising eyes
is to my mind a Joan of Arc of the first
W?Coi you refer to the hobble skirt and
the ding-a-ling hats?" hie companion
aS"No they're far too common now to
count, though when they first came out
it took nerve to wear them in the broad
light of dav. Women who could do that
wouldn't flinch under fire. To be ex
plicit, I saw some -girls today with
dainty, silver-topped canes, twirling
them as jauntily as a London Johnnie.
That's one of the season's fads, my wife
tells me, though it isn't an altogether
novel one, for a few years ago when
Miss Alice Roosevelt was a belle she
tried to Inaugurate the fashion In
Washington by always carrying a cane
when In a tailor-made costume. But
Washington girls are pretty conserva
tive, and the cane never made much or
a hit with them. '
"I've eeen any number of them here
this last week, and they don't fit in
badly with those Alpine hats and the
big. rough ulsters the ladies are affect
ing this season. Every one of the
women I saw carrying canes, however,
created almost a blockade of traffld,
and once I thought one of those rubber
neck wagons was going to come to a
halt in order to give its occupants the
chance to vindicate the name of the
vehicle when one of these cane-carrying
girls passed. The young woman
went along as unconcernedly as you
please, though she must have been
aware of the excitement she was creat
ing." "They've taken everything but our
hip pocket from us, General," his com
panion remarked sadly; "but what else
did you see?"
"Well, there'e this new idea of carry
ing around dolls, which has only one
virtue, as far as I can see, and that is
that It isn't as bad as the Teddy-bear
craze for women of a few years ago.
I certainly thought I was loony when
at the hotel the other day I saw a
woman, not such a young one, either,
come calmly Into the dining-room with
her escort and seat a big doll she car
ried In a chair between them. 'Poor
thine,' I said to my friend, 'I suppose
her mind Is affected.'
" 'Not at all," he answered, smiling at
my ignorance. You see, she probably
carries the doll as the sandwich man
does a sign, to attract attention to her
self. Our friends of the fair sex are
their own press agents, you know.
"Another fad." the General went on to .
say, "is the muff with the pocket In it
for the small pet dog not a toy dog,
but a real barking, biting sort."
Everybody Presumed to Know Whisky t
The Docket.
- In the case of Treadwell vs. State,
'53 Southern Reporter, 290, a bottle of
whisky was introduced in evidence,
and a witness requested to open it,
taste the liquor, and say if it was
whisky. This was objected to by de
fendant on th ground that the witness
was not shown to be an expert. The
Supreme Court of Alabama held that
this objection was without merit, giv
ing the following as its reason: "It is
hardly to be supposed in this day and
generation that expert testimony is
required in the taste of whisky to say
whether or not a liquid is whisky. It
may require a connoisseur to tell the
different brands of a superior" from an
inferior article, but the law makes no
such distinction in prosecutions for
violation of liquor laws."
Date of a Murder.
PORTLAND, Dec. 26. (To the Edl-
rTbr.) On what date was Miss Glng
murdered In Minneapolis, ana wnen
was her imurderer hung? A K. B.
Catherine Ging was, murdered Dec.
3, 1894; Harry Hayward was hanged
Dec 11, 1895.