THE SrXD.YT OKEGOXIAX, PORTLAND, JANUARY 14, lOOff. it Entered at the Postofflce at Portland. Or., as Second-Class Matter. SUBSCRIPTION RATES. CT INVARIABLT IN' ADVANCE. .X3 (By Mall or Express.) DA'ILY, SUNDAY INCLUDED. Twelve, months ir. $S.0 Six months Three months - - - - - One month Delivered by carrier, per year....- tl.JJO Delivered by carrier, per month - Less time, per week.. - 0 Sunday, one year -.50 Weekly, one year (Issued Thursday)... .Sunday and Weekly, one -.year 3.50 HOW TO REMIT Send postofflce money order, express order or personal check on your local bank. Stamps,' -coin or currency are at the sender's risk. EASTERN BUSINESS OFFICE. The S. C. Beckwith Special Agency New York, rooms 43-50, Tribune building. Chi cago, rooms 510312 Tribune building. KEPT ON SALE. Chicago Auditorium Annex. rostofflce News Co., ITS Dearborn street. Denver Hamilton & Kendrlck. 300-912 Seventeenth street; Pratt Book Store. 12H Fifteenth street. Goldfield, Nev. Guy Harsh. - Kansas City, Mo. Ricksecker Cigar Co., Ninth and Walnut. Los Angeles B. E. Amos, manager seven ttrcet wagons. Minneapolis M. J. Kavanaugh. 50 S. Third. Cleveland,- O. James Pushaw. o07 Superior rtreet. New York City L. Jones & Co., Astor Houte. Oakland, Cal. W. H. Johnston. Fourteenth and Franklin streets. - Ogden Goddard & Harrop; D. I- Boyle. Omaha Barkalow Bros.. 1C12 Farnam: Magcath Stationery Co., 130S Farnam: 24C South 14th. Sacramento, Cal. Sacramento News Co.. 43J Ktreet.. Salt Lake Salt Lake''evrs Co., 77 West Second street South; Miss L. - Levin, 24 Church street. . San Francisco J. K. Cooper & Co.. 740 Market street; Goldsmith Bros.. "230 Sutter and "Hotel St. Francis" News Stand; L. E. Loo; Palace Hotel News Stand; F..W. Pitts, 1008 Market; Frank Scott, SO Ellis; N. Wheatley Movable News Stand, corner Mar ket and Kcarnqy streets; Foster & Orear, Ferry News Stand. Wellington, D. C Ebbltt House, Fennsyl lania avenue. PORTLAND. SUNDAY. JANUARY 14, 190G. HAMILTON ONCE MORE. Ill his strictures upon The Oregoni an's estimate of Alexander Hamilton's abilities as a statesman, Mr. N. A. Peery .begins with a charge of unfair ness. The Oregonian remarked that "of all constructive statesmen that America has produced, Hamilton was incomparably the greatest." Mr. Peery rejoins that only a biased inlnd could make such an assertion. He then pro ceeds to find fault with one and another of Hamilton's ideas, quite unaware, ap parently, that Washington's, illustrious Secretary of the Treasury might be a very great constructive statesman, not withstanding the misfortune that his opinions upon the structure and powers of government do not please Mr. Peery There are many people in the world who would not care to dwell in St. Peter's, at Rome. Does their prefer ence of some other residence prove that Michelangelo was not the greatest of architects? Few housewives would wish to ornament their kitchens with the frieze of the Parthenon; .does this discredit the pre-eminence of -Phidias in sculpture? The question at issue is not whether Hamilton's theory of government pleases Mr. Peery or anybody else, but whether his ideas, if adopted, would' have formed a durable and powerful nation. The fact Is that Hamilton's principles, so far as ithey were embod ied in the Constitution, have actually proved to be the unifying and prepotent element. Jefferson was not a member of the constitutional convention, but his political ideas were represented there. These ideas were of two sorts, one per nicious, the other salutary. In so far as Jefferson believed in abolishing class government and lodging political power in the people, his thought was true and its historical outcome beneficial. But in so far as he believed in a nerveless and impotent central government, his thought was false in logic and has worked baneful effects ever since the Constitution was adopted. Jefferson's disastrous fallacy was that a strong central government is inconsistent with popular rule. As. a matter of fact, pop ular rule is Impossible without a strong government. This statement may slartle Mr. Peery, but it is almost self evident as soon as we stop to think what the .phrase "strong government" really means. Some of Mr. Peery's re marks suggest a painful doubt whether he is quite clear upon this matter him self, for be says: "If strength were the chief aim to be sought in government, this may be found in the absolute mon archies of the" world." In Turkey, for example, or among the cannibal tribes, where despotism is absolute. In fact. Mr. Peery, like many other hazy think ers, confounds absolutism with strength. The absolute monarchies of the pres ent das- are the weakest governments in the world. They are weak in three directions. They fail to enforce their wills upon their subjects; they fail to keep the peace among those subjects; and they fail to hold their own against other nations. Russia has an absolute, Japan a constitutional, government Which is the stronger both at home and abroad? .Which Is the more effective instrument for promoting prosperity and justice among its subjects? A strong, government is not necessarily lawless, or tyrannical. The strength Which Hamilton advocated and Jeffer son, opposed had its very essence in the '(predominance of law. Hamilton never advocated absolutism, but Jeffer son did advocate principles of disinte gration which ended in civil war. Hamilton said that the British gov ernment was at that time the best in the world. Mr. Peery quotes this as a reproach, but he will find no respecta ble authority to deny its sheer truth. The British government was the best in the world incomparably the best. It was not only the best in the nvorld at that time, but it was the best that mankind bad ever enjoyed in any age or country It had faults grievous and patent, but it had eliminated feudalism; free speech prevailed; the writ of hab eas corpus safeguarded personal lib erty and Parliament had for a hundred years enjoyed undisputed supremacy oyer the royal prerogative. Compare It with the French government of the ame period; compare it with the petty despotisms of- Germany; compare It with the stern.cruelty of Roman domin ion or the slaveholding oligarchies of Greece. The British government in the eighteenth century was the admiration -and envy of the world. Patrjots in all lands looked to it as an ideal. Voltaire, driven from his own country, found an asylum in England and wrote Immortal praises of English liberty. The wretched- Huguenoj.s fleeing from torture at h6mewe're safe on British soil. . Eng land never has yielded a political exile to a tyrant, nor a religious fugitive to his persecutors. Hamilton did well to admire the British government. That government furnished the constitution-makers with a. stable founda tion for their work. The alterations they made were improvements for the most part, though the verdict of history on some of them is still doubtful. What candid observer can say positively that our Senate is an advance In character, ability or Integrity upon the British House of Lords? Who .is prepared to assert that Hamilton was wrong in wishing the executive's veto power greatly Increased? The strong present tendency in our polity Is to exalt the executive and diminish or eliminate the power of legislative bodies, just as Hamilton desired. He deeply distrusted those bodies, and -history has justified him. Hamilton undoubtedly stated his views to the convention in extreme form, Just as his opponents did, in or der to have something left after the in evitable compromise. Nearly every clause in the Constitution is a compro mise it Is well known, when both par ties yielded something. Hamilton, like the other members, asked more than he expected or really wished. In order to get what he thought essential. Frank lin did the "same. Hamilton's expres sions of dissatisfaction with the Con stitution in Its final form were no more open than Franklin's, and not half so violent as Patrick Henry's. THE COUNCIL AND GAS. In the circular letter which the Port land Gas 'Company has spread broad cast over the city appears the follow ing paragraph: The Portland Ga. Company i-qup-tF the Mayor of the City of Portland to arpe4nt a Joint committee from the Council and Execu tive Board with authority -t Investigate as fully as they ma3' deem proier. not only the conduct or Us buflneffi. but ell other causes of. complaint, and make Us report thereon. The 14.000 consumers of gas in Port land may weil hope that ,Mayor Lane will do nothing of the kind." An inves tigation undertaken under such aus pices would not command the public confidence- Mayor Lane has heretofore manifested no inclination whatever to call the gas company to account for Its many transgressions. On the contrary, he has shown decided partiality toward the influential owners of that corpora tion, and they count with certainty on his favor and continued good will. It is quite in keeping with the public-be-damned attitude of the gas company that it should attempt to prescribe the terms on which it should be Investigated- "Investigated," indeed. If the Portland Gas Company is to be Investigated, it should be by the City Couiuil. The Council is the body that has to do with public service corpora tions. It is the body In whicH1 real con trol of such corporations is vested by the charter and by custom, and the Mayor has not a great deal to do with them, except under direction of the Council nor has the Executive Board. If the Portland Gas Company is to have the conduct of its affairs officially in quired into, it should be by the City Council, acting through a committee named by it- Under present conditions any other investigation would be farci cal. WASHINGTON'S" WHEAT CONVENTION. The wheat convention hold at Pull man,, Wash., last week brought to the attention of farmers and all others con nected with the Industry a great many features of interest and value. It not only enabled buyers and producers- to meet on common ground, and discuss their mutual troubles and advantages, but it brought out much that was of value to all who are in any way con nected with the industry. For years the farmer has chafed under the be lief that he was not getting the best possible results for his labor and capi tal. Political demagogues and curb stone grain brokers have taken advan tage of this dissatisfaction and have endeavored to convince growers that their lack of complete success was due to the machinations of exporters, ware housemen or railroads. Very little em phasis was ever laid on the glaring fact that a large share of the trouble wa3 of a nature that could be avoided or nulli fied by mdre care on the part of the farmer In cultivating his soil and1 har vesting and marketing his crop. An excellent tribute to the class of farming that is returning the -best re sults was paid by Samuel Glasgow, a Spokane miller, to J. F. Frye. a Lincoln County farmer. "Mr. Frye." said he, "has been growing wheat for more than twenty yexirs, and in all that time he has never had to seek a buyer, but the buyers have always sought him. and have paid him a premium over the reg ular market price." It developed dur ing the discussion that Mr. Frye, through careful cultivation and selec tion and treating of the best seed wbeat. aJways produced a good crop, absolutely free from smut or any other foreign material.- Mr. Frye explained in detail to his -farmer friends how this result was accomplished, and there was nothing in the method of procedure which could not be followed to a corre sponding degree of success by. any of the other farmers present. From the figures presented by the ex perts of the State College, It seems quite clear that the annual losses of the farmers by the smut evil amount to millions of dollars,, and yet the remedy for the evil is simple,- and there was abundant testimony ,to prove that losses from this source would cease if ordinary care were exercised in treat ing the seed wheat. Now that the wheatgrowers have had conclusive tes timony as to the cause and the remedy for smut, not only from experts who have made most searching study of the matter, but from men of their own calling, a more determined effort will undoubtedly be made to eliminate the trouble and loss. Substitution of the elevator system of storage and ship ment for the present grain-bag method was discussed at great length, and, while the present method is naturally a very expensive one, until steamers take the place of sailing vessels in our grain trade, shipment of wheat in bulk will be confined to stock used by the) mills. The attempt of ex-Grain Commis sioner Reed to stir up animosity be tween the growers and the exporters was the only unpleasant feature of the meeting, and, while Mr. Reed In his paper set forth" some very interesting facts, they were overwhelmed by the high coloring and open mlsrepresenta tlonhe made of existing conditions 1nthe exporting business. The exporters are 'in the business to make all that is pos sible out of 4t, but, with competition as keen as It now is. and has been for many years, such extravagant profits as Mr. Reed asserts are made at the expense of th,e, farmers -are simply im possible..No betker evidence otahe truth of this statement is necessary than the fact that Mr. Reed, himself a grain man of much experience, and with plenty of capital, is apparently unable to 'compete with the exporters he is abusing. If there was the enormous margin of profit in handling wheat which, he claims there is. he would be quick to avail himself of It. The first wheat convention will open up a line of thought for the men en gaged in the Industry, and the good work done at Pullman will not bear fruit in its fullness until later. That great good has been accomplished, how ever, was demonstrated beyond argu ment, and President Bryan and his ef ficient agricultural experts, who were largely responsible for the success of the rrfeetlng, are entitled to the most sincere thanks of all classes In any way interested in the production and mar keting of the greatest wealth-producer In the Pacific Northwest. The Wash ington Wheat Convention Is a fixed an nual event, and it is well that it Is so. TOR A rNITED OREGON. The joint convention of the Oregon Development League and the Oregon Press Association, held under thcaus plces and in the rooms of the Portland Commercial Club, brought together thoughtful and representative men from every section'of this state. The active members of the club have devoted themselves from the beginning until the close of these vro conventions to the comfort and entertainment of their guests, and it was remarked Friday and Saturday, both by the visitors and the residents of Portland; that this gathering emphasizes the fact that Ore gon is 'united In its effort for better ment and development as never before. At both sessions of the Joint conven tions, held Friday and Saturday morn ing, there were present many of the best-known men of this state, while the two afternoon sessions of the Oregon Press Association probably accom plished more In the matter of getting the leading editors of the state together In a' business way and in their work for the development of their individual communities and the state as a whole tftan all former meetings of that asso elation. At the joint conventions, as well as at the meeting of the editors, there was one sentiment dominant at all times, and that was a united Oregon and the elimination of every feeling but one that- Oregon from the Pacific Coast to the Idaho line and from the Columbia River to the southern boundary of the state was to be made known, not only to the homeseeker and Investor, but the traveler who desires to see the choicest scenery and enjoy the most Invigorat ing climate to be found anywhere In the United States. Every man and woman in attendance had something good to say of the slate as a whole, and especially of their own community. It was a lovefeast, but at the same time a practical gathering. In which every representative had something to say regarding the especially attractive features of his town, county or com munity. In fact, never has occurred In Oregon since its birth a gathering better cal culated to bring the people of the state closer together than the two conven tions which adjourned last night. INVESTIGATING MR. T A IT. The report comes from Washington that the Senate committee on inter oceanic canals is about to. investigate everything and everybody connected with the Panama enterprise. Even President Roosevelt, it is hinted, will not be exempt from this searching In quisition. All his misdeeds, as well as those of Mr. Taft, Mr. Shonts, Engineer Stevens, and the rest, are to be laid bare. This Interoceanic canal commit tee is admirably constituted to investi gate such men as Roosevelt and Taft. The character of its members guaran tees in advance the absolute wisdom and impartiality of its findings. Consider the noble names upon that imperishable roll. Thomas C. Piatt, of New York. Is one of them, who for so many years has faithfully drawn a Senator's salary while all his time and energy have gone Into New York poli tics and the United States Express Company. Piatt. It Is reported. Is deep ly scandalized to think that Shonts should draw a salary as a railroad president while he serves the Govern ment on the Isthmus. Why this Is any worse than Piatt's own little steal has not been explained, "but the reason Is sure to come out under the scrutinizing gaze of New York's senior Senator. John F. Dryden, of New Jersey, the man who founded industrial insurance in America, is another member. He Is also well fitted by long and intimate experience to Investigate graft. "Set a thief to catch a thief" is a motto which applies to the Panama Canal as well as to smaller" matters. A man .who knows how to make workingmen 'pay twice or thrice as much for life insur ance as It costs the rich understands perfectly how to detect Mr. Taft In his nefarious misdeeds. Mr. Dryden's ex perience In promoting Insurance upon the lives of new-born babies also quali fies him to look tenderly after the wel fare of the negro canal-diggers. Their welfare is one of the chief care3 of this committee. Mr. Poultney Bige low says the negroes on the" Isthmus are abused and slandered by the white officers. It seems, therefore, almost providential that another of .the com mitteemen is Arthur P. Gorman. His friendship for the black race Is well known. He has just failed In an effort to disfranchise all the negroes in Mary land. Naturally, therefore, their suf ferings In Panama touch his feelings deeply. Mr. Gorman also has had long and Intimate personal knowledge ' of graft. If it exists,-or if there Is any chance for It to exist, he will find it out. Truly a lovely Investigating commit tee, and Its motives are quite as lovely as Its personnel. The principal one Is by hook or crook, by fact or'falsehood, by fair or foul endeavor, to bring to light something to make Mr. Taft un available as a Presidential candidate. The Senate cares nothing more about the canal than It does about other pub lic interests. It cares not how much public money Is wasted or stolen, though it greatly prefers to say who shall do the stealing. But It does care who shall be the next President, and Taft is entirely too much like Roosevelt to be agreeable to the conscript fathers. Moreover, divers of that charmed cir cle cherish Presidential ambitions them selves. Hence a long pull, a strong pull and a pull all together to besmirch and ruin Taft. But there are other motives. Cor poration Interests are bitterly hostile to the canal, and tho?e Interests dominate the Senate. They cannot kill tbe canal enterprise outright, but . they can be devil the President, they can worry his employes till one after another resigns in disgust, they can send persons like Poultney BIgelow to disseminate false reports, and they can hamper and de lay the work by "investigations',' like the one now proposed. Well-informed persons have no fear of the outcome of this Investigation, so far as Taft or Roosevelt Is concerned. Mr. Shonts has probably, through Im patience of red tape, made a mistake or-.two, but, such as they were, they have been rectified. If the committee brings to light anything besides mall clous tittle-tattle and deliberate false hood, they will surprise the public ex tremely and themselves most of all. They know very well that what is wrong1 on the Isthmus Is the result of pernicious Senatorial meddling, and that the Administration ls exerting every power It possesses tof push the work and care for the workers. PORTLAND AND CHICAGO. ' The Chicago Tribune, an Independent, high-toned andjfcarless newspaper, haa an editorial article' on "Our Incapable Detectives;" "The Chicago detective force is worthless," says the Tribune, and It remarks, too: One atrocious crime after another b com mitted here, but the detectives do not seem to have the least succm In apprebenndlng the criminal"'. They do not succeed even where they have a plain trail to follow. They do not display the average decree of Intelligence which Is noted In th men who are In the business In New York and other American cities . A detective force cannot prevent murders, but If It Is fif for anything It can arrest moot of the murderers. The Chicago force Li un able to do that. Usually, when It catches a murderer. It le because be Rives- himself up. The Tribune advises the Mayor to reorganize the force and tq put a capa ble man In- charge of the detectives. No doubt It Is hard to find a man who is trustworthy and experienced and can enforce the respect of his subordinates and compel t discipline and industry among them? It cannot be done -by adopting a fanciful notion that because the applicant doesn'.t know anything about the "police business he must be just the man for the job. The trouble in Chicago is not unique. There they have had murders and all sorts of crime, and the detectives do next to nothing. Here in Portland we have a nightly exhibition of the Ineffi ciency of our detective force In a sen sational procession of burglaries, hold ups, assaults and occasional murders. The record of criminal achievement by unrestrained highwaymen, thieves and other malefactors Is appalling, worse, we think, than for many years; the record of achievement by the detectives and police is absolutely nothing, with the exception of two alleged murderers caught through the volunteer activity of one or more stool-pigeons. Mayor Lane's administration Is con cerning Itself mightily just now about whether one or two prominent "hotels" In Portland arc really hotels; and meanwhile no ckizen Is safe on the streets after night, and none can sleep in his own" house in security from the invasion of a burglar and a possible murderer. DISSOLUTION.OI PARLIAMENT. King Edward, following that prece dent which in Great Britain -is as strong as law and is less often disputed, dissolved Parliament, under the advice and at the request of Sir Henry Camp-bell-Banncrman, the new Premier. Ever since the famous split-off of Jo seph Chamberlain from the Unionist government, the big Parliamentary ma jority that steadily supported Mr. Bal four melted away. Vainly Mr. Bal four tried to Tnducc the ""belief that when he blessed Mr. Chamber lain, at the starting of bis crusade for disguised protection, he did not mean it. Vainly he tried to make by elections turn on any other issue than that of free trade. In vain he protested- that he Is the leader of the Unionist party, not Mr. Chamberlain, and that "fiscal matters." as he calls them, are not vital to the programme on which he Invites the people to return him to power. The electorate of the three kingdoms know better no red herring .will draw them from the trail, and to settle the great question if the nation shall change Its place before the world on free trade on that issue, and no other, the mass of the voters will act. On the conduct of two of the great departments of the state, and two only, will the nation be loth to change. For eign affairs, by general consent, have been more than safe In the hands of Lord Lansdowne and Mr. Balfour. How much of the credit Is due to the King in person will never be fully known. . If the late Foreign Secretary has been ready to follow the King's lead, and the ship has been safely steered In very rough waters In cqnsequence, the na tion is the gainer. And Sir Edward Grey, the new Secretary, from all that Is known of him, will be as likely to follow good advice. The navy also, by the like common consent of friends and enemies, has been most competently and wisely managed. This said, all Is said. The new government Is pledged to work havoc in the policy their. predecessors have followed In finance. In the educa tion department, fn the army, and In many things In the home and colonial offices. This means that, though the mass of voters will act on the free trade as the dominating issue at stake, there will be a considerable minority, especially of the clergy and those In fluenced by them, who will fight to the death to maintain existing law in these other matters. While not venturing on prophecy. It will be no surprise -If Mr. Balfour and his supporters shall poll a heavy vote In the counties and small towns. On Ihe other hand. If the Lib erals shall succeed In keeping the ghost of Irish home rule well burled, the large cities of England, all Scotland and South Wales will probably stand solidly by free trade. Before the corrupt practices act was -passed. English general elections were a stink In the nostrils of high Heaven. Hardly a crime on the statute book but there found Its occasion. Riot, drunk enness, violence, bribery, perjury, un due influence, ranged from one end of the land to the other and feared no after account and punishment. But never- was repression by force of straight law more instantly evldent The enactment was simplicity Itself. Candidates were made directly respon sible for the acts of their subordinate agents to the last man. Illegal acts of even one agent and even In otherwise trivial- details, vitiated the election. And Inquiries by the court were local. No sitting in London and bringing re luctant or too willing witnesses to hang round the city waiting to testify. The Judge of the High Court opened his session In the city complained of. where acts were patent and witnesses plenti ful. On hl3 report the decision to upset or confirm the election turned. It took but a ver' short experience to close for good and all the pld, foul, chapter and to open a new', clean page.- Excited the elections will be; platform and wordy violence will abound. Newspapers will accuse, de nounce, defend to their hearts' content. But the streets will not "run blood" nor the jails be crowded. Nor will one man's vote be for sale, nor be sold. In any such fashion as to catch the eye of Interested observers, of whom there will be no lack. And the results will be simple, clear, definite. If the unlikely should occur, and Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and bis supporters should fall of majority in the aggregate of returns, not of votes, there will be a prompt reTersal of the recent change and the new Parliament will restore the nation to Its former al legiance to Mr. Balfour and his friends. Otherwise, the old and tried free trade system will be maintained, the new men will be seated firmly In the saddle and their programme of reforms will be played out to the bitter end. HOW TO GO TO YELLOWSTONE PARK. The Oregonian gives today on page 4S full details of Its great Yellowstone Na tional Park trip contest. Twenty-three young ladies are for fifteen days to en joy as its guests the hospitality of The Oregonian. Under Its direction and at Its expense they are to behold the won ders and beauties of that amazing won derland. The Oregonian pledges itself to do Its full duty as host, and that Is to make these fifteen days an epochal period In the-life of every one of Its twenty-three guests. These twenty-three young women are to be chos: by ballot by their friends, neighbors and acquaintances. The Northwest territory has been divided into twenty-three districts, .and ope candidate shall be chosen from each district. The districts have been so carefully arranged that any person liv ing In the most remote part of Oregon. Washington or Idaho if within the general boundaries placed for this con test may have an equal chance with another candidate in the metropolis. There will be no favorites. The choice will be left absolutely to the people in the communities where the various candidates reside. If the people of any place, urban or rural, eligible to enter this contest, desire to give a deserving young lady a memorable vacation out ing, they have their chance by study ing and subscribing to the terms of The Oregonian Yellowstone contest. The Oregonian pays the expenses and makes all other arrangements. AH Its readers have to do Is to name the twenty-three young ladles. HOW TO GIVE IN CHARITY. The question. "Is there such a thing, as giving wisely to the thirftless?" Is one that has often perplexed benevo lence and forced a negative answer from the reluctant lips of pity. It has. indeed, been found many times blessed to give to those who. through sickness or misfortune, have found themselves temporarily without ' means to help tlremselves. But it has also been found that "first aid" to persons of this class, coming in the form of ju dicious relief for present necessities and followed by opportunity for self-help, is all that is required, and that this aid Is gratefully received and Intelligently and self-helpfully applied. But what of the class to whom first aid is the first step toward further pauperism? Who eat the bread of char ity and merely whine for. more? Who wear garments two sizes too large tpr them sleeves sloppily turned back, trousers clumsily rolled up and dresses dragging about the feet because such articles were given to them In this form and the mother of the family was too shiftless, too Ignorant or too Incompe tent to make them over? There 13 not a charitably disposed woman in this city who has attempted. In a spirit of kindness, to help this class of people, that has not been chagrined to find her effort futile and her bounty practically wasted. The remedy for this or such remedy as can be applied may. it Is said, be found In systematized giving. To this end the City Board of Charities desires that all relief shall be dispensed under the direction of Its officers, who are paid to do the work, and by long ex perience are qualified to do it accepta bly. Yet this public has heard much that, if taken even with large allow ance, leads it to believe that this organ ization is at times unnecessarily se vere in its dealings with worthy people who ask assistance: that it Is very slow In giving aid. and that the money that comes Into its treasury is for the most part dispensed in salaries. As opposed to indiscriminate giving, discriminate giving thus supervised may be worldly wise; but It Is held to fall far short of the purpose which the name of the organization implies. Still it Is so easy, as stated by a correspond ent, to give the wrong sort of help, that it must be conceded that skillful and tactful investigation should precede the bestowal of money and supplies upon the needy. This community is not bound to support or even to aid a thriftless, dissipated man and an easy going, slatternly woman, to maintain even in a semblance of comfort a yearly increasing brood of children. The time will come when it will utterly refuse to do so. and when relief for suffering hu manity, as represented by the mis begotten children of such a pair will be provided In quite another and much more effective way. It would not be. a hopeless task to provide the comforts of life to the chil dren of irresponsibility and .unthrlft that are now with us. though the task would be a formidable one. If the sup ply were stopped. Lawgivers will In time designate this way. In the mean time, whether the public gives dlscrim Inately or Indiscriminately, pauperism will increase rather than diminish by the multiplication or the poor, who be long to .that class that is literally al ways with us. A pleasing feature that has been In troduced into the literature and edu cative life of Oregon within the past few years Is the study of bird life, car ried on in the woods in the brooding season ahd made accessible to libraries, schools and the general public by means of the camera, stereoptlcon dis play and books embodying the findings, literally speaking, of careful students of bird life. Rev. William Lord. Tor several years pastor of the First Uni tarian Church In this city, was an en thusiast in this study, and his observa tions were printed and bound In a little book which 'is used in auxiliary read ing In the public schools. . Mr. Will Finley, a young man who pursued his bird studies for several years' in the wooded environments of this city. Is an-i other imn who Is authority on the birds of Oregon, their habits and their usefulness. The latter phase Mr. Fin- ley dwells upon particularly in describ ing the haunts and habits of the barn, owl, tbe red-tailed hawk and other birds commonly regarded as the ene mies of the farmer Instead of his friends. Diffusion of knowledge upon these matters among children Is com mended as at once Interesting and useful. Time was when the name of John C. Breckenrldge was familiar in every sec tion of the country. It stood for a slaveholding Vice-President of the United States, breathing secession and abetting rebellion; as a candidate for the Presidency it rang throughout the South and touched the Pacific Coast, and especially Oregon, by its associa tion with that of Joseph Lane, candi date for the Vice-Presidency; represent ing Southern views. It was heard throughout the bitter dissensions of the reconstruction era. But so quickly si lenced is the voice of man, so ephem eral his fame, that when, a few days ago. a man died at Yonkers, N. Y.. having gone thither from Lexington for his health, and it was announced that J. Cabel Breckenrldge had passed away, the past yielded up slowly the name of JohnC. Breckenrldge In order that Iden tity might be given In the local news to the decedent, who was his son. Captain R6ald Amundsen, whose ship Gjoa is Ice-locked In Dease Strait. In tends, it Is said, to return to the Arctic next Summer and bring -her out by way of Behrlng Strait. In this event he will have completed the Northwest passage a. feat that, after all, seems a useless one, since no greaf depth of water was round, and It Is Impossible to mark a channel in an ice-blocked strait. There will, therefore, be nothing practical or useful in the discovery. There is noth ing new In It, In fact, since there has been no doubt that water underlies the ice of the Arctic continuously. A clear channel through these waters will, while present conditions on earth pre vail, be blocked by the grim embargo of Winter. The body of Thomas Nast, the great cartoonist of an eventful era in Ameri can history,- is on the way to New York from Guayaquil, via Panama. Nast died many months ago, while serving as American Consul at Guayaquil a poor political job to which he had been as signed because there seemed to be noth ing else left for him to do. He was a cartoonist not a politician and the at tempt to assume a role for which he was unfitted lost to him his hold upon the admiration of the people to whose amusement he had'eatered for a num ber of years with his clever pencil. His body will reach New York in due time and the green curtain will be rung down on the last act in the drama of the life of Thomas Nast. Pope Pius X is democratic. The faith ful may see him at any appropriate time. He loves youth. Throughout Rome he Is organizing athletic clubs. He hates shams, therefore he-has begun a campaign to rid Rome of unattached priests who disgrace the church by beg ging. He is not on the best of terms with the college of cardinals, but is clove to his bishops. He is an Intensely human pope. Interesting from every point of view- His personality is well set- forth in an article by James Gib bons Huneker. the. well-known New York writer, who recently had an audi ence at the Vatican with his holiness. It Is published on page 30 of today's,"1 Oregonian. The 'decision rendered 'by Judge .Cle land to the effect that a wife In this state can convey her separate property by her sole deed Is the recognition of a principle of "woman's rights" for which there has been contention for half a century. It is well known that Oregon laws are more favorable to the property and personal rights of women than are the laws of many states that claim a much older civilization. This is In accordance with the fact that old. conservative communities are slow to change their customs, either social or legal, while the Western people re less committed to precedent and habit. Chief Campbell is strictly within the line of his duty in ordering an inspec tion of a building in this city in which several fires have broken out within a short time, endangering life. It' Is not prudent to ignore imperfections in a building in which a number of people live and sleep, and trust to luck that nothing will happen. Competent In spection will readily decide whether this structure is safe or unsafe. If the latter. It should be reconstructed or condemned; If the former, guests can sleep In It unvexed by dreams of cre mation or specters of property going up In smoke and fire. Dr. Endlcott Peabody, of Groton School, who knows football from a to Izzard. contributes to the current num ber of Harper's Weekly an article warmly defending the game Itself, but condemning the spirit In which It Is now played. He would cure the fault. This, he declares. Is largely due to pro fessional coaches, who teach unfair methods and dishonest tricks. Rid col leges of these coaches and you have taken the first step toward getting the right spirit Into the game. The matter of acquiring the Forestry bulldlng by the city has been definitely settled. James J. Hill will pay for hav ing a concrete foundation placed under the quaint building; the city has ac quired the site at a very reasonable fig ure; an exhllbt of forestry of consid erable value goes with the purchase or donation, and the deal is satisfactory to all concerned. Here's to James J. Hill! May he live long and be 'appy! To the multitude of men and women who. for various reasons, are not Im pelled to attend divine worship In churches, we commend the sermon "The Impartial God and His Love." by Dr. Newell Dwlgh HIHIs, published qn page 37 of this issue of The Oregonian. Andnow the struggle between Gould's Pacific Railroad and Harrlman's com pany over right of way through Oak land. Cal.. has developed into a chess game. This. Is reassuring. Suppose it had turned into a football contest, as feared a week ago? The New York concern which said it could cure any disease and even raise the dead is in the hands of the author ities. We suppose there is no way out of It but to fall back on life Insurance. Rogers now. complains of the flip pancy and frivolity of the Investigation against him hi the Standard;OII cases. The Jolly Rogers Is, at his jokes again. THE SILVER LINING. Many a young man loves an heiress for himself alone what's the -matter with you? ' . The wedding was beautiful. It beggared description and her .father. Since you give me -permission" to be quite candid with' you, to be quite candid I think I'd better not. The worst thing about dismal people who are. gloomy at the prospect of goin? to heaven is that they don't go. A connoisseur is a man who pays more for second-hand articles than he would have to give for a new one. There Is. no simpler, purer or more ra tional life under the sun than that of the middle class American in his normal con dition. Outside of the maelstrom of "ma chine" politics or Wall-street speculation the twin curses of the country he can be high principled and honorable both in business and In private life. The 70 per cent of Americans who live outside of tha great cities eat the bread of honest In dustry and have no wish for any other. They know nothing of "graft" and "taint ed money" except what they read in the newspapers. If they were inclined to be lax. .the American woman is there to brace them up. She continues to be what she always has been a great moral pow er. The game of divorce Ms not worth th? scandal. The Rev. Charles II. Parkhurst, of Tei. derloin fame, thus comments on th Standard Oil officials after contemplating their attitude in the Missouri investiga tion: f I have read the account of the proceeding". It Is a pitiful scene which no honest or self respectlnjr man could have been a party to. It Is a confession of Kullt a. self-lndlctment. I am shocked that the Rockefellers and their associates have lent themselves to such a farce. These are the men who are endowing our universities and educational schools from -which our younjr men are irraduatinx each year. It marks a depth of self-admitted d. gradation and crlmc-stalned methods that Is appalling and In procedure asido from criminality It is contemptible. And yet Henry H. Rogers and his crowd go right on eating regularly. The world doesn't stop or break loose. There isn't any second crucifixion, or anything. Some thing Is wrong somewhere. Good News From Beyond the Styx. Readers of the latest Issue of the Cham bcrsburg Valley Spirit were somewhat startled on observing the following re markable error in the arrangement of headlines: BUT SMALL FIRE UOSS. Record of Deaths in Grccncastle During the Twelve Months Which Ended Dec 31. When a man in court refuses to answer a question because an honest answer wouldincriminate him, the Jury, the law yers and the judgo are compelled to re frain from putting any construction upon his refusal. But people who are bound by no legal subterfuges aro very apt to think that the refusal to testify Incriminates him more than anything that he might say. Dealer This bird doesn't-swear. V Customer Then I. won't take.' him; I want" a 'good,- healthy- parrot. v , f ' His automobile Is fast occasionally in the mud. ' f " Help yourself to rain. Take all you want. You can wqt everything here ex cept your whistle free of charge. He Don't you think marriages arc maI in heaven? She Well, if all men were as slow as you, they'd have to be. The librarians needn't bother: if a book is too Improper to put in the library. If won't be necessary, anyway, for every body has probably read It. The anniversary of the engagement ought to be celebrated as well as the mar riage, for it was the original cause of all the trouble. -i Old English Saying: Take out. then take in. Bad luck will begin. Take in. then take out. Good luck comes about. The Cook I think stories of high life are so interesting. The Maid Yes, but the best ones are not fit to print. , Circumstantial evidence: The girl knew there were no young men at the hotel be cause all the hammocks were swung In such light places. This Is from W J. Lampton: -. Why. man. It's a fraUd! He. . . Charles E. . Norton; you know. , Wllllnff to ko . Joining rank . , With the cranks. Anne . And MaudT Man. It's a fraud! Doctor, don't you fool yourself Take a drop to cool yourself Ere you bo and pool yourself. With those who advocate "the. killing off of the hopelessly Insane, hopelessly diseased and victims of accidents." While there's life. There Is hope So go easy With the dope! Is It true humanity. Ts It good Chrlstlanlty Thus to cure Insanity Snuffing reason's flickering flame" Platter not your vanity Murder with urbanlty Is murder Just the same. Take the victim from the wreok. -Lay him on the shelf. Stop the faint and falling breath Administer your "easy death" Just "give It to him In the neqlc: But suppose It were yourseltf While there's life There 13 hope: Then go easy With the dope And. doctor, life will be, easier, happier and better for you and others If you scurry back to the ways of classic Academe. Stick to Dante! Effects of Heat; , Exchange. Whether a body gains or loses weight on heating, or neither, is a problem of possible Importance. A comparison of the attraction of two bodies at different temperatures can hardly be made, and Poynting. an English physicist has tried the plan of weighing a body when cold and again when heated. With great care It was shown that the solid body weigh ing 208 grammes lost 0.003 of a milli gramme on being heated from 13 degrees to ICO degrees C.