Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 1905)
to i Jtafcww ml the PwKofftce at PtU M 8eeed-Clas Matter. . mjumcKiirios xatbb. SST JXVAXIABIA' TS AWXXC. (By Hstt r Kxpree.) JSAIIiY A5CD SUNDAY. Twslve mmkIh .. , Or.. "Three months .............. .......... 0 mofith JMvre4 by earrlf r. per uanth . .78 asb lime, jw weejt. KujHlaj.', one year ... "Wkly, oe year (Issues every Thurs .3H 2.30 BtinOay and -weekly, one year. 3.5 HOW TO REMIT Send postofflce money ordr, pxpreeg order or personal check on yotr Jecal bank. Stamps, coin or currency are at the sender's risk. EASTERN BUSINESS OFHCE. Tbe 6. C BeekwlUi Special Axeacr New York. roow 48-58. Tribune bulldlar. ' Chl- case, roeas 516-512 Tribune building. KEPT OK BALE. Cklcage Auditorium Annex, Postofflce News Co., 178 Dearborn street. Oesrer Hamilton & Kendrlck, 9&8-P12 Seventeenth street; Pratt Book Store. 121" fifteenth street. GeltfeUU Jev. Guy March. Kuu City, Me Rlcksecker Clear Co.. Ninth and Walnut. ' X& Agele B E. Ames, manager stTven street wagonc Minneapolis M. 3. Xiavanauch. 58 S. Third. Cleveland, O. James Fusbaw, S07 Superior street. New York City L Jones & Co., Astor Has sc. Oakland, Cal. W. H. Johnston. Fourteenth and. Franklin streets. Ogaea Goddara & Harrop; D. T.. Boyle. Onsaha Barkalow Bros.. 1612 Farnam: SJageath Stationery Co.. 1308 Farnam; 246 South 14 th. SacramcBto, Cal. Sacramento News Co.. 438 K street. Salt Lake Salt Lake News Co.. 77 West Kccond street South: Levin. Hiss L.. 24 Church street. San. Francisco J. K. Cooper & Co.. 746 Market street: Goldsmith Bros.. 23tt Sutter and. Hotel St. Francis News Stand: L. E. Lee, ralace Hotel News Stand; F. W. Pitt. 1006 Market; Frank Scott, 80 Ellis: N. WlteatleyMo,able News Stand, corner Mar ket and Kearney streets; Foster & Orcar. Ferry News Stand. Washington, D. C Ebbltt House, Tennsyl venta avenue. PORTLAND, SUNDAY, DEC. 31, 195. A CHEERING OUTLOOK. The Oregonlan tomorrow -will he de voted to certain main features of the new development of Oregon. This de velopment, of an industrial and com merclal nature the two are necessary parte of the same thing will give an Impulse to growth which hitherto Ore gon has not known. The forces already planted and rooled in -the state are powerful enough In themselves to produce a new and ac celerated progress; and, reinforced, as they are now to be, with the powerful additions outlined in the promises of efforts newly (begun, there Is sure to be, in the next five years, greater advance than in any preceding ten. In the his tory of the state. We shall not here attempt capitula tion of the new undertakings, which are well assured. The -present purpose is simply to offer remark on the new spirit and the new energy awakening in our own people. From this as much Is to be expected as from the introduction of new forces from without, and more. To witness it is worth universal con gratulation. All over Oregon this spirit, and the energy that goes with It, are rising Into notice. One of the forms of the grow ing movement Is the co-operation oZ the people in general, concentration of ef fort, and the growing conception, everywhere manifest, that "what done for growth, advancement, progress, de velopment, in one locality, is for the good of all. This spirit of progress begins to ex pend its energies' In solid and perma nent investment, at a rate and on a scale hitherto unknown In our .stale. "We shall not only have more railroads, but more mills and factories, more and -better agriculture, larger lumber and mining output, more Industry of every kind and better contentment, larger hope and less pessimism, improvements In educational work and better social and political morals. The outlook is the most cheering that Oregon has ever known. PKESBYTEMAN UNION. Let no surprise be felt that The Ore gonlan calls attention to the union of the Presbyterian Church of America with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, referred to in yesterday's dis patches, as a verj noteworthy sign of the times. The usual and approved course had been followed. Committees of twenty-one each from the two churches concerned had met, debated and come to so harmonious a conclusion that the final resolutions for union wore carried with only one dissentient vot?. What remains is that this action be ratified by the General Assemblies, meeting on May 17, 1S0G. Has, then, this act any deeper signifi cance than the coming together of two religious bodies whose representatives had gone on record that such differ ences as had caused one to divide it self off and stand apart from the other. 109 years ago, had lost their acuteness or pungency? To answer this question let us grope a little in the records of these bodies In 1S10. Tlie Presbyterian Cburch of those days was standing on, nd inside of. the ancient ways of the Westminster Confession and Discipline. Most of us have a more or less clear notion of the hardness, and toJay, one may say, of the Intolerance, of that confession and discipline, as interpreted toy the direct descendants in behalf of John Calvin and John Knox. But a wave of revival and religious enthusi asm was sweeping over the Southern States Kentucky and Tennessee. Un learned men, not having received com missions in the regular army of preach ers, were exhorting and rousing the congregations from their rigid and technically bound forms of religious creed-and observance, into a freer life. And they were cast out, after due hear ing, when the three stand. trd -bearers were held to account for Irregularities In leaching and doctrine. From that small beginning the Cumberland Pres byterian Church has grown and "en dured' hardness." The churches have lived side by side for a hundred years, hut amalgamation was Impossible while -original causes of difference swayed men's minds and. actions. Thy come together now. and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church enters again the fold of the Presbyterian Church of America. Can they do it and abandon the standards of liberality and individual onscience which their fathers bore? Yes, because the times have changed, and w-i are, with them, changed. The Presbyterian Church which they are now to Join helds the confession of faith and -discipline f their common fathers-Mit, s revised in 1W3. That .tells th tale. In revision are found the powrtWttttee of wiIg and conscientious unioa. Ar the minds ef this genera- 1mm mmtLiri la hm Mm6 whteit 4Cpe apart the men of ISM? By no meuts. "We ge km .dearly M r fata ersj, wt tbe 4giMece ot the 4ttfr twes fce gotte. We Are, all ministers as laymen alike, breathing the air of a century -where the eccleetastica. the churchly, the dogmatic, side of rellgliHi has lost Its dominating power, and all are seeking the general grs-unds of a Christianity producing Us evidence In Chrtetly acts, rather than In the nice ties of technical theology. - TIIK NEW YEAK. "Why all this ringing: of veil: o the wild sky?' Thus reasoi i bells to the wild sky?" Thus reasons the scowling cynic. "It Is comprehensible that mankind should see the old year slink Into his deserved oblivion with out regret, for he has dragged every one of the race, willing -and unwilling. old and young, life hungry and life sated, a long way nearer to the grave; but why welcome the new on-? with all this jubilation, glnce he is sure to repeat the melancholy deeds of his predeces sor?" So he will. The old year did Uttle lb justify the gladness of his welcome. The new year will certainly bring sor row to all of us In varying measure; to some he will bring heartbj-eik and to many, death. All the sad teaching of experience warns us that the world will go on for the next twelve rronths much as it has during those now finally slipping unregarded Into oblivion: and yet the thousand times reputed lesson of disillusion and dirappointment the human race refuses to learn. As the whirling earth swing? round its perihelion and begins again that enormous journey toward the vernal equinox and the resurrection through the black gulfs of Insentient spacs, the bells ring just as wildly now as the Mesopotamian watchers shouted 5000 years ago. The hope that nev"- dies breaks now the clinging web of disillu sion; It denies the godless" dogmas oi despair; It asserts supremacy over death and sorrow and Jubilantly pro claims that life dnd the world are good and that over all reigns the sooo God. Once at the vernal equinox, ths New Year's prophetic Joy was justified. Why not again? Hope is the voice of God in the heart of man. When we hear It 'er and strong the power o evil shrinks and the race marches to its victories.- The maxim puts It not well thit "while there Is life there is hope"; the reverse Is nearer true, and "while there Is hope there Is life" Is a braver saying. Hope dwells in the coming time. Its eye Is fixed on the divine event which, far off or near, is decreed In the eternity of God to come at last. Therefore hope rejoices In the new year and regards not the old one. The new year brings sorrow, but hope gives courage to sorrow manfully. The new year brings death, but hope gives victory over death. Why should we not hope to the uttermost? Who shall fathom .the benevolence of. God? Why may not this New Year be that cne sung by the poets and prayed for by the saints from the morning of t'.me when the adamantine chains of evil law shall be loosened and the golden reign of love begin? . Physical law is the statement of '..'hat has been. -It has no power to decree what shall be. The future abides In the will whose workings our laws of. Na ture hint at but do not bind. Perhaps that Will has chosen this year of all the years of the world to strike down selfishness and cruel greed and found on earth the kingdom of heaven. The earth never traverses twice the same tract of space in its annual revo lutions. The sun sweeps with all the planets yearly Into unexplored realms. We are this day entering a portion of the universe where we have never been before. Perhaps we are Just beginning to feel the radiations from some star, new to us, which shall start the human race upon a higher evolution. Should our sun darken, we should de generate and finally perish. A change in the nature of Its ways would makf us different and perhaps more admira ble beings. It maj be we are approach ing some star which emits light of a nature strange 'and unimaginably ben eficent. Science finds new emanations almost every day. with properties mys terious as the old dreams of tl? al chemists. Suppose the world were sud denly to plunge, as It traverses the vast unknown, into some cosmic shower oi life-giving corpuscles: what would be come of your cynic then? It is a mistake to believe that the transformations of history are effected slowly. The preparation for them takes generations, It Is true, but once begun they proceed rapidly. The rise .of Japan, which will undoubtedly change the whole future of the race, has oc cupied only a few years. The greater part of all the machinery now in use was invented in a few decades. It can not be doubted that we arc today upon the verge of transformations, social and mechanical, more wonderful than the rise of Japan ot the Indus rial use . f steam. ScIenceJs following clews which seem to' lead Into marvelous sources of available energy. The world - heaves with spiritual forces whose direction cannot yet be discerned, but in the New iear we shall learn whither they trend and unto what. Let the wild bells ring, J power and happiness come with the new; sorrow, bitternezs and disappoint ment go with the old. SURVIVALS OF A THEORY. Younger people generally throughout the country find difficulty In undor. standing .why It Is that voices here and there, especially in our Southern States, are so extreme In their support of the claims of state sovprpiimtv against the authority of the United States, in such matters as rerulatlnn nf railways, quarantine . against epidem ical diseases and uniform marrlaire laws. The other day Representative Rich ardson, of Alabama, In the debate In the House on the proposed National Quarantine, said: "While no man u more anxious to banish that dread dis ease from the South than I am. T wuilrf rather fight yellow fqver for ages to come man sacrifice one of the funda mental principles of the state In Its' domestic and local control." But this view Is by no means satisfac tory to the whole people of the South; perhaps to no. more than a small pro portion of them. The Houston CTcxA Post is among the protesting voices. it says: "Judge KIchardson either lacks comprehension, or he Is not gen uinely In lavor of -what the public un derstands to be the rights of a state." But. the Post proceed to sav that Xhe states ought not to yield to the General Government thk- right QV-r quarantine against each other; for It believes -that quarantine (Interstate) .will fee jiBore effective 1h Ike hand ykf itM, acting In "mereifey lot IttWt; than to the hands of tbe Govern- mtnl at Wahbgtaa. A a jttnmml pcpp4,lioa, rtry pro4 aMy Ime: yet we think there waa no prrteet hut Summer, when the Genera! Gererxmetit, on Invitation of Louls ian took charge of the yellow ferer epidemic that ww spreading from that state into all the states arevnd It, Tferowgh sock action hy the General Government. In emergency, there couM be ne "sacrifice of the fundamental principle of the state In control of its domestic and local affairs." Nobody supposes, nohody foars. that the General Government will advance from action like, this to general control of the local concerns of the states. The apprehension is a curious survival of the theoretical view of "state rights," which led up to secession and to the Civil War. In the domestic affairs of the states the people bsve no wish that the Gen eral Government should Interfere. But the help of the General Government, In flood, famine or pestilence, may be use ful", and Indeed may become Indispensa ble. It Is not necessary to worry over "loss of local liberty," through such In terposition. A MATRIMONIAL MISFIT. The charming Mrs. Fiuaimmons, -x-wlfe of the pugilist, has broken the silence Imposed by her attorney. Suc cinctly stated. Mrs. Fitzslmmom has spoken, and this Is the reasonable de duction from her remarks: She mar ried Bob for the fame, such as it was, that -belonged to the champion of the prlre ring, and when he, after the man ner of husbands, entered her apart ments unbidden and found some of her friends there, she was humiliated and mortified beyond measure at his un couthness in speech, manner and dress. Jn-brlef. he was not the man to whom she was proud to introduce her friends as her husband. She could not remain In her elegant apartments In Paris without Incurring the danger that he would "run In" familiarly; she could not no out riding with the wife of a wealthy coal operator of Pennsylvania who had also as her guest one Mr. Mc Farland. without Incurring the jealousy and anger of Bob, who, after the man ner of his class, expressed himself un der such circumstances by breaking the furniture at home and creating a scene upon the street ' She could not pose as "Mrs. Fitzslm mons" and live In splendor from the proceeds of Bob's many bruises aMd bloodshed in the prize ring without hav ing Bob around. The situation was awkward very. Soon the relations between the husky prizefighter and his wife became strained; a little later explanations were demanded and refused, and hit we have the spectacle of an outdated pugilist swearing' venjejnee in iMe round oaths of the prize ring against the woman whom, but now, he was In such haste to wed. while she--dear an J willing creature tells the wo-id what a coarse, uncultivated brute he Is. The natural question right here is. What did this woman expect when she married Bob Fltzslmmons? And again. What did Bob expect when he married a woman with a "career" before and a "record" behind her? If we are to judge from her babble she wanted a man of "artistic taste" for a husband, and was shocked and disgusted to find that the artistic abil ities of FItz consisted in the ability to paint the faces of his antagonists in the prize ring red and purple and bluish black, upon a distorted background. Again, she wanted a husband who would keep out of sight when she was entertaining her friends; Bob was al ways on hand. She wanted to live In Paris; Bob felt more at home In Cork, perhaps possibly In San Francisco. As to Bob, he wanted a wife who was proud of him and of his achievements under all circumstances drunk or so ber, boastful In victory or blubbering in defeat a wife who, when she went to ride with a man, would sweetly ask Bob to be that man; a woman who would esteem It a privilege to be known as Bob Fltzslmmons' wife, the proud wearer of his first wife's diamonds, the smug companion of his coarse reve'a. The disappointment of both as 'he re sult of getting exactly what e-:ch did not want seems to be very great. Each Is expressing this disappointment in characteristic style he In coarse accu sations, dire threats and frantic pursuit of the first wife's diamonds, which the fugitive wife forgot to return to her lord as a lure for No. 3; she in "he half plalntlve. half-resentful tones of the woman who makes an absurdly gross marriage and essaj's a stupid defence of her action. Mrs. Fitz is the more philosophic of the two She Is ready and determined to repudiate her bad barc-ain Th world is wide and Its pastures of folly are still open to the gleaner. She pro poses to hie her forth and try her luck over again. But Bob, noisy and dis gruntled. Is rending the air with Impre cations, seemingly frantic, to abide by his incongruous and foolish bargain. As a matrimonial misfit the case is not peculiar. It is only Bob's big roar and the astonishing demand that Mrs. Fitz made upon him for artistic taste, gentility and good breeding., thit c.V!s attention to it. TJIE REVOLUTION. IX RUSSIA. Thope persons in touch with condi tions In Russia through the v.-riting? of careful, conscientious, observant travelers who have studied the condi tions at close range, can hardly think that the revolution, so long and care fully planned, will fall to make good Its purpose. The present uprising Is not the result of a sudden frenzy, but of a slow-burning hatred of despotism. The upheaval may be suppressed by force of arms, but the spirit of resist ance to tyranny cannot by this means be quenched. A latent spark, perhaps a live coal, smothered for a time In the ashes of desolation, will remain and will again anti yet again speak In tongues of fire From hesrtx broken with Iom. And wearj- with drsKKlnc tbe crouts Too heavy for mortal lo bear. Humanity is sick of the echoes of the French Revolution. But when It hopes that the Russian revolution will fail and those old echoes will die. It is re buked by the humanity of a later ra that sees In the bloofly flght the had of human progress and the knell of governmental corruption. The red hand of revolution, its finger tips, dripping oiootf, is a sight from which men of peace turn with horror, hoping that It will be stayed. But the gentlest among tnem. 11 tney live long enough, or their descendants of a century later, come to look upon the oncerevolting slitht as. the means hy which human llhe s ly is wen..' 'God moves In a myslerleui way ii: wtmakfrs to perform." Mnr WIll!a Cow-otr, nenu hard of Iwiwty nl- of tannM . feotfnc-In a paot age. jahKory VmMmi tMWr.KU atone the. Hue -of Us world's prograos; jtmt novor more plain ly than when revotedon te the moving force hy which the wonders. of htunen and national development are performed. THK MX OF OniCIOUSXHW. The American people, acting upon :m milse. are prone on occasion to be ef fusively officious. Their misdemeanor In this line not infrequently takeS the form of giving or attempting to give somebody a thing which he or she docs not want and the tender of which cre ates embarrassment or resentment They have s?tup a standard of living la America, for example, to th'ch they strive with intermittent zeal to bring the thriftless, and are chagrined to find that they do not In the least appreciate or respond to the effort The public school system of the coun try. In attempting to provide for the higher education of the masses, la con spicuous In this line, and the rebuke the effort receives Is witnessed In the relatively few pupils of the grammar schools who take up work In the High Schools, and .the still fewer graduates of the High Schools who push on to and through the college courses provided by state universities. In the zeal to promote temperance we find men and women pressing offee upon men who want beer, and Sunday school entertainments upoh men who enjoy nothing else so much as the songs and laughter of a down-town resort. Our good women, ransacking their closets, bring out garments which, with a little care and Industry in "making over," Trould provide neat and service able garments for the mother and chil dren In the wretched shanty around the corner, and are pained to leam that the clothing did not appeal to what was. In the eyesof the donors, an urgent need, but was sold to buy b-;er for the head, of the house, or a long-coveted bull pup for the children. Everything depends upon the point of view from which the comforts of lire are rat fed, and from which Individual wants are reckoned. These, however, are the litt'e sins of ofilclousness. There are greater ones. A few years ago the American people, acting upon impulse, presented Admiral Dewey with a house that he did not need and did not want. The grizzled old sailor found himself In an embar rasslng situation. He did not want to hurt the feelings of his gushing ad mirers, of whose kindly intentions there was no doubt, by declining the tender of the house, nor did he fee! like ac cepting with thanks a house which he was amply able to buy from the pro ceeds of the honorable and successful work of his life. He married at this Juncture, and, with the chivalry of a high-class American husband, and in order to escape from his own dilemma, he gave the house to her. The howl of disappointment th t fol lowed this act reverberated from "Jer vhy to Japan," and. dying away, was succeeded by a silence in which the as piration of Admiral Dewey t become President of the United States was en gulfed and his grand achievements as commanding officer In the Navy uere practically forgotten. All of this is familiaf history. Its. lesson was an obvious one. and some optimistic people supposed It' would prove lasting. Yet again the'Amencan trait appears in announcement of a plan to raise a marriage portion for the daughter of President Roo3eve:t by means of 10-cent subscriptions. It Is well knoWn that Miss Alice Roosevelt is the heiress. In her own right, of the young mother who died when she was an infant; that her father Is amply able, and more than willing, to provide generously for his daughter, who is soon to go from hla roof: that the man whom he is soon to marry Is possessed of more thtn moder ate means and is amply able to tupply all the requirements of home and main tenance. It Is. moreover, u fair pre sumption that he prouily and affec tionately desires to do this-. Then where Is the extse for the American people or the people of any state to raise a dowry for this amply dowered White House bride? For Kir to decline the money would be difficult: to accept could be scarcely. less than humiliating to three persons the Pres ident, his daughter and her future hus band. Miss Alice Roosevelt will 8-o from the home of her father to that of ner husband attended by the good wishes of the American people. She has cho sen. It is said, wisely. Of this world's goods she has an abundance; of the pleasures and opportunities of the world she has had a generous share. Let us all. as Is becoming. In the sim ple words of the old-time marriage congratulation, "wish her much joy" and stop at that There Is In this a spontaneity of good feeling which happy brides the world over appreci ate with full hearts and minds newly awakened to the possibilities of !!fe and to the interpretation of the simple, ex pressive word "Joy." MORE WORKMEN. MORE WORK. Commissioner Robert Watchorn, of the New York Immigration Bureau, discredits the statement that the ar rival of Immigrants in large numbers tends to decrease the pay of American wage-earners. This assumption he as serts, has been disproved by the official records of the labor departments of the several states, wherein careful investi gation of the subject has been made. In support of his view he submits that immigrants who are essentially labor ers and wage-earners, also constitute a market and give rise' to as much labor as they perform. This view is approved by the most common experience all along- the ine, from domestic to commercial life. The housewife who, referring 'to nhe helpful girl who works for her board mqrnings and evenings, says "she makes more work than she does," 'voices this fact In Its simplest form. The .experience of the man of business or trade who, find ing It necessary to hire additional help iq his -warehouse or store.-finds In his Increased sales proof of the fact that the increase In population, that ren dered an addition tohis working force necessary. representsn".arB,y of con sumers as well as of jtm ploy es. Human lahor,Tepresents mouths, te fill, bodies to clothe and families1 uTshe'ter. Let us remember this when we sttnd aghast before the figures representing foreign immigration, and on behalf of labor and production, take .courage. 3lnce it is a literal fact that these peoo-e "make more work than they do." The official ilt of building permits Issued In this city, makes a very good showing. For woekg it has been break ing aH records fr a. corresponding period, t even the satisfactory fig ure do not fairy ronoet the exact con dtfSoa of actaJra, Thit k doe to the pol icy of some hottdofs hv taking out per mits for' a stated oxpMHtw:e of ahemt one-ftfth to one-half the cost of the hull ding to he erected. An Instance of this kind was shown a few days ago when a prominent ftrm of real estate operators took out a permit for a $3o dwelling which, according to the arcal t eel's plans, -will cost HM. The permit for the Flledner building, on Washing ton street, was for an expenditure about one-third the cost of the struct ure. Except In rare cases, the true probable cost of the buildings Ij never given. It Is said that this is due to the fact that the parties taking out the per mit save tl per thousand In the cost of the permit by placing a low valuation on the Intended structure. This has theappcaranee of very poor economy, especially on the part of big real estate firms Interested in "making as good a showing as possible for the town. There. Is nb desire to pad or overestimate any of the statistics In connection with building operations, but it would seem that Portland ought to have credit for what It Is actually doing In the build ing line. Beginning with the New Year. The Oregonlan makes a new rate for Its daily and Sunday editions.. Heretofore fhe daily and Sunday have been sup plied at 20 cents a week by carrier, which amounted to $10.40 a year; by mail, $9 a ye3r. In Portland and at all places where the paper Is delivered by carrier, the new rate will be 7a. cents a month, which will be 59 a year. By mail to subscribers at all places. 5S a year. For a less time than one month the rate will be 20 cents a week, as heretofore. The new rate will make a reduction of over 14 per cent in the general cost of the daily ani Sund-iy to subscribers. Examine the new rates, at the head of the editorial page today. Judge Frazer is very right in his in sistence that responsible citizen? cught not to shirk Jury du. But most of them will, when they can One reason Is that so many pettv cases arc brought before the courts, wn rem iurynien nre bored for days together about nothing. Contentious. litigious spiteful persons "go to law'.' about the merest trfles; as Menenius says. In "Coriolanus." "you wear out a good, wholesome forenoon In hearing a cause between an orange wife and faucet-seller, and adjourn the controversy of three-pence to a second day of audience." Jurors, who have business, or don't like to have their time wasted. j can't easily feel it their duty to do such service. It doesn't ap pear to them to be a call on their citi zenship, and they are very willing to leave the service to the professional juryman, who appears to like It. A National Waterways Convention has been called to meet In Washing ton, January 15, 1506, for the purpose of-taking such action at, will secure more attention to the river -tnd . irb ir needs of the country. The cinv- .tiou is attracting considerable atienti'jn, and will probably be attended by repre sentative men from nearly ." arts of the country where waier tra.isiwtatton I? in use. The subject Is of special In terest to Oregon at this time, for there has never before been a period In our existence when the demand for liberal river and harbor appropriations was more urgent Nothing has yet been secured for the Columbia River without hard work and the. use of even oppor tunity for enlisting assistance. The National Waterways Convention would seem to offer an opportunity for the voice of Oregon to be heard on this sub ject, along with those of other states?. Not even the intervention of a double holiday prevented the New York stock market and the Chicago wheat market from showing strength again yesterday. Call money was easier, but still suffi ciently high to prevent much strength in stocks under ordinary circumst nces. The financial situation for the past few weeks, however, has been my thing but ordinary, and the short sellers m stocks and wheat have seldom ventured far from shore. Their timidity In the face ot the protracted holiday Is another tribute to the underlying strength which Is the backbone of he present era of speculation and high prices. If Arizona and New Mexico shall be erected Into one state and Oklahoma and the Indian Territory into another, not so many United States Senators and state and other officials will result, as if four states .were created Instead of two. This fact seems to be the main ground of opposition to the present state-making bill. It is confined chiefly to politicians, who want to invest In the greatest possible number of chances to get office. But the two-state bill commends itself to the average sense of a disinterested people. "Aren't there two Republicans on the Civil Service Commission?" asks 'Mayor Lane, in extenuation of the methods practiced by that body. Yes. there are J. W. Blaln and P. L. WiMIs But there are two Democrats, also, on the commissionMayor Lane and TV. L. Brewster and a secretary, O. L. Mc Pherson. who does the bidding cf the Mayor, in order to hold his Job. The Mayor cannot disguise the truth that his influence dominates the commis sion and directs Its workings. Mayor Lane was elected to enforce the laws. All his pre-election pledges came to that, and it satisfied the reform forces which elected him. Why, :hen. has he not enforced the Civil Service law, which ordains that appointments shall be made by promotion and exam inations shall be fair and open? If Mayor Lane expects saloonkeepers and gamblers to respect his example, he might teach them how to re3pert the law. . So it appears that Puter a,nd McHn ley are not ''lost," but are to "turn ip at "Washington as witnesses against Hermann. Statements by these men wouldn't go far with an Oregon jury. How far with a Jury of the Dis'rict of Columbia we shall see. If party nominations were to be won by the candidates that make their plat forms the shortest and the conclsest, the candidates would save themselves a lot of verbiage and the people would know more about their principle. Mr. Patrick Bruin Is a reformer who has worked at the trade' four or five ntonths long . enough. Mayor Lane thinks, to entitle him te a. share of the profits.- , 1 THE PESSIMIST. Wit is the overflow of a full mind. ThatVj why a fW man thinks he's witty. If at Srst you don't succeed, swear, swear again. "Wisdom for the erring: Everybody Is struggling and making compromises. Each compromise costs a future struggle. The- following letter and poem were handed la on Friday. I have omitted the young man's name and address, because Henneway has come In from the moun tains to spend New Year's In Portland. He Is a big man, and easily aroused. I am afraid of the consequences should the two poets come together: Portland. Orl. Dec. 30. (To the Editor.) I notice where you have given space In thn columns ot your paper to what I call -cheap poetrr " Henneway. who style himself the "Poet of the Cascade." seems to think he was first In the field with poetry, eulogizing: the Kreat sorrowing "Fitz.; I have always admired Fitz. and Immediately- after the Kreat tragedy that robbed him of llfe'n most precfous gift his honor I was seized with Inspiration- and produced some verses, which t respectfully submit herewith. I am an Oregon home-boy. and have had the advan tage ot city life only one year, but am am bitious, and If I may say so. will one day write something- that will make me famous. Xow sound the melancholy lute. The grief that's In us. show. The mighty Fitz has passed away. The champion lies low. The pain of "laurels lost" Is keen. One's fullest woe to rouse. .Oh! think of this great one' who's lost HU honor and his spouse. Victory's badge he long had worn Through years, with pride infessed. The memory of this now can't soothe The fallen king, distressed. When Fortune smiled, his loving wife Was always at his side. Kissed from hi brow the horrid frown. And soothing arts applied. But now. while shines the evil star. She leaves him quite alone. And with her guilty paramour. To a mansion rich has flown. Then sound the 'timbrel wake the lute. For glory'a thrill is o'er. Let's honor one whom Fortune's smile Won t solace any more. I am an Oregon-born boy, and spent threo years at college. Kindly publish this In your paper. .1 played football with that school. Tours, etc. The railroads arc obliged to be careful as regards who rides on one of their tickets, particularly as their passenger rates are based on weight. They do not weigh the passenger when he buys his ticket, but they size him up quite accu rately. He Is either slender, medium, or stout, and he the ticket, I .mean, is punched accordingly. Now. If a slim man bought a ticket, and a fat man should get the ride, it would be manifestly un just. When a slim man attempts to ride on a fat man's ticket, he Is properly pre vented from doing so. The railroads must make a little money once In a while. ' The railroads throughout the country probably lose as much as $5000 a year on account of fat men riding on slim men's tl-jkets. The millions of dollars that they devote annually to prevent this inroad on their receipts are exceedingly well spent. The decision of Judge Leventriit of the New York Supreme Court that the sale of a railroad ticket carries with it the purchaser's right to sign It in the name of the man from whom it was bought is perfectly ridiculous In view of the fact that railway tickets distinctly say that to do such things Is a forgery. It is a well-known principle of common law that the rules and regulations devised by a corporation for Its own internal gov ernment mus,t be conformed to by the public whether they like it or not. "The public.be damned!" said Justice Vander bllt. the eminent authority on corpora tions, when the case came up to his de pa rtmenr. In connection with the above, it might be well to mention the celebrated case of the State vs. Scond. 2 Wash., 237. The facts as they were developed In the low er courts were as .follows, viz.: One A. Bl Scond. of Brush Prairie, ex treasurer of .the Alaska Glacier & Iceberg Investment Company, was arrested and brought to trial before Judge Treecent of the Municipal Court of Vancouver, charged with assaulting a brakeman In the employ of the Vancouver, Klickitat & Yakima Railroad Company. Testimony was introduced to show that Scond bought a ticket from Vancouver to Brush Prairie and paid therefor the sum of 23 cents. This ticket, according to the testimony ot the manager, entitled him to a first-class passage and a comfortable seat on the front logging-truck where the scenery was good when the weather was clear. On Wednesday. December 27, 1S37. It was raining hard. Just outside of the city limits of Vancouver, beyond the Main street crossing, while the train was run ning. Scond climbed Into the engine to get. in out of the wet. on the day and year nbove mentioned. The testimony of Richard ftumfort. the engineer, giving the details of the alter cation that followed, had no bearing on the points that the Supreme Court was called upon to adjudicate. At Keyes Junction, R. A. Pike, the brakeman, who lived In a house close to the track, where the cinders from the en gine fell dpwn Into the garden, to the great disgust of the neighbors, whose chickens thought they were caraway seeds, and the eggs made the whisky punch taste like Scotch high ball on New Year's Eve in the saloons of Vancouver, was called Into the engine cab to adjust the differences of opinion that had arisen. He (Pike) testified that he suggested that Scond go forward and sit down where the air was fresh, and that he gently took him by the arm In order to show him the way. According to the testimony of Scond. Pike seized him by the rear of the neck and the seat of his trousers and fired him through the door, to his great discomfort and hurt to his feelings. It was then, as the evidence shows, that Scond, in using a cant-hook to lend force to his remarks, wielded the same in such a manner that Pike was seriously injured. Judge Treecent took the case under ad visement. In a day or so he rendered judgment to the effect that it was against a rulo of the road for passengers to ride on the engine; that the said rule was posted In a conspicuous place on the manager's desk, where all might sec and read; also that the defendant pay the manager's salary, which had been for three months In arrears. The case was taken up to the Superior Court, Judge Gloomfeel presiding, on a writ of restitution. Evidence was introduced which tended to show that the railway officials brought undue pressure to bear while the case was under advisement. However, as that had no bearing on the points at issue, the lower court was sustained. On appeal to the Supreme Court by Scond, the briefs of the appellant and the state each cited abundant authorities to show that the evidence introduced by the other was Irreverent. Incompetent and exciting. It was the decision of the court,, two judges concurring, one absent, and one dissenting that the lower court be re versed and that the case be remandtd for" a sew trial . ' .' ' AI. B. WELLS. ' THE PRESIDOT'STUfURE: ' A Discourse or Interesting Posslbll- -- i - ltles. ' Boston Herald. The President's activity in the politics of his own state can be explained onno other theory than that he desires to con trol the party organization, with a view to his own future. Such vgolicltude" as he has manifested In the factional con test In New York, the consultations he has held and the part he has taken, are not compatible with the state of mind of a President who Is serving his second term and preparing to retire at Its end. It Is Just what would be expected of a Presi dent, who has no Intention of going Into obscurity as a "has been," but who pur- poses still to take a controlling part In public affairs. This view of the President's activity in party management in New York is gen erally accepted at Washington. That he win secure complete control of the organ ization admits of no doubt. Senator. Flatt no longer counts. Senator Dcpew nas all that he can do to keep from re signing. Ex-Governor Odell is discredited and beaten. With the Governor, the speaker of the assembly and the New ork City organization In alliance with him. or under his direct guidance, and with the vast powers of the federal pat ronage at his command, the President would be a far less bold and resourceful politician than he has shown himself to be for twenty years If he failed to secure the control which he Is obviouslv seeking. The purpose of this control Is" variously interpreted. There are plenty of politi cians who think the President could be forced" to accept a renomlnation In spite of his election night disavowal of any such ambition or willingness. The Herald Is not among those who think there will be any overpowering popular aemand for a third term for Mr. Roose velt. We think It more likely that the Republican party and other citizens, whose votes helped to elebt him in mi. will have had quite enough of him as President before IMS. There Is a sugges tion In a. Washington dispatch to the New York World whloh has some color of prob ability. The President, it says, has no in tention of retiring; "that is most repug nant to him." "What he has In mind now." it Is declared, "is a United States Senatorshlp at the conclusion of his pres ent term." He has It "strongly In mind, too," it Is added, and a cabinet officer said: "I was there when It was first sug gested to Roosevelt that it would be a good thing for him to go into the United States Senate. He Jumped at It like a? trout at a fly. 'I would like that.' he said, if It could be brought about.' " It could probably be "brought about" if the President has his heart set on It. Senator Piatt's term will expire in 1909. The legislative apportionment ot New York State has been so gerrymandered in the constitution that nothing short of a, political earthquake and landslide com bined can give to the Democrats control of the Senate or a majority on Joint bal lot. With the power in his hands as President, with the alliances he Is mak ing and In view of the death, decay or downfall of all the other state Republican leaders. Mr. Roosevelt could, without much doubt, bring about his own cfection to the Senate. That this was the ultimate goal of his ambition when he entered politics and sought office in New York City was well known to his intimate friends, the Herald has stated. That he should prefer this office to any other on his retirement from the presidency Is nat ural to a man of his temperamental ac tivity and love for the center ot the stage. As a Senator, Mr. Roosevelt would eas ily outrank In native ability, forcefulncss and knowledge of public affairs, any man New York has sent to the upper house ot Congress since Seward's time, with the exception of Roscoe Conkllng. As a means of adding to the public Interest In the proceedings of that body. Mr. Roosevelt's election to the Senate would ba a great thing. He would again be In a position where his opponents can "talk back," Fancy the entertainment that would '.Vc afforded when Senator Bailey set out $o give Senator Roosevelt a few easy lessons In constitutional law. or when Tlllnfa'rf poised his pitchfork against Roosevelt's "big stick" In the senatorial, arena! No stories of the encounters ot our redouht able presidential Nlmrod with bobcats, wolves or grizzly bears- would equal in in terest in the reports of proceedings in the Senate when Theodore Roosevelt shall take the seat of either of the "senile old. men" who now so feebly represent ths Empire state. Therefore do we heartily wish the President success in his long' range ambition and wish 1S0S were even nearer! "SMALL BAH KING." t Article Under This Head Dedicated "To Whom It May Concern." Portland New Age. It Is amusing and even astonishing to notice how many country papers and some little people take every possible occasion to find fault with and censure unreason ably The Oregonlan and Its cditor-ln-chief. Perfectly proper, true and even good-natured remarks of that great news paper are distorted Into expressions of malevolent Ill-will, and broad-minded and clear-headed criticisms of sham, hypoc risy, cant, subterfuge and sophistry are made the basis of vulgar and virulent attacks. The simple fact is that while In matters political The Oregonlan may sometimes show inconsistency, and on oc casions bias and where is the dally news paper that does not? It Is, as It has al ways been, the most courageous, as well as the ablest exponent of truth in regard to all sorts of things and thoughts and projects, propagandas and "waves." and movements and trends in this part of the country. If-not In the whole country. For example, because The Oregonlan commended the good work of a fruit in spector and some fruitraisers in one coun ty to the attention and imitation of those of another county, a paper of the latter, county accuses The Oregonlan of spite and malice and misrepresentation. Or again, if with unanswerable logic and reason The Oregonlan exposes the shal low sophistry and flatulent ignorance ot some seventeenth-rate pulpiteer, he gen erally responds not with anything in real, support of his nonsensical theories or his theological balderdash, but with a labored screed vulgarly vituperative of The Ore gonlan, whose editor knows more than" a thousand like him rolled Into one could learn In a thousand years. But the great newspaper pursues the even tenor of Its high, broad way. and If not always absolutely right on every prop osition, is a great instructor and illumi nator within Its field, as It has been for half a century. Abuse of Heney Is Abuse of Itooscvclt Pendleton East Oregonlan. Francis J. Heney, the land-fraud prosecutor, who has done more good for Oregon In the past year than all the dishonest politicians who ever held public office in the state, is a friend and confidant of the President and was sent to clean out Oregon at the direc tion ot the President. The abuse cf Heney which is now being prlniec in certain little partisan papers may In dicate how fervently these little sheets love the President. Abuse of Heney for doing his duty is abuse of the fearless' President wno sent .him to Oregon and will perhaps be considered as such by .the President. The Primary Law. Sherman County Observer. The disposition of the intelligent cla.ssest appears to be to give this law a, decent show, to demonstrate whether -it has any merit beyond overworking county official? and heaping -unnecessary expenses upen taxpayers. Everyone Ls convinced of the necessity of trying out the hoodoo, giving the theorists who brought It Into being ooDortunitv to lirove its practicability.. 4r