8
THE SUNDAY OREGOXI AN, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 23, 1906.
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OWNERSHIP IX THE SOCTH.
Southern states are Democratic but
not Socialistic; this to why they do
not take up with Mr.' Bryan's owner
ship Idea, and why he la trying to get
oft with an "I didn't mean It" excuse.
The South Is Democratic on account of
the menace-which it thinks the Repub
lican party fosters against white domi
nation. On other matters Its Ideas are
largely identified with those of North
ern Republican states.
The South is not for free trade; Its
Iron and sugar and wool and count
less other Interests thrive under tariff
quite as much as does Oregon's wool.
It is not against expansion, and never
has been; it forced the war with Mex
ico for expansion Into Mexican terri
tory, and now has its eye on Cuba.
It was not for free silver. And It le
not at heart for Bryan, except as that
leader might bolster up the Demo
cratic party to check what it consders
the negro aggrandizement of the Re
publican party. On that issue the
South will support the strongest man
In the Democratic party, but if he be
not Bryan, it wants him not.
This is why the South, on the ques
tion of government ownership of rail
roads. Is quite as hostile to that plan
as the most anti-Socialistic section of
the country. The Southern states are
progressing fast in Industry. Their
resources are developing as never be
fore. Many new railroads have, been
built within their boundaries in recent
years, and many more are projected.
Their fields of Industry are quite as In
viting as those of the Pacific Coast,
which we, of this part of the United
States, regard the most favorable on
this continent. Great things have been
wrought in the South in recent years,
and still greater are in store.
Under the Individual ownership of
railroads the Southern states foresee
realization of great railroad schemes
in their part of the United States, and
under public ownership they foresee
that many or most of these would be
cut off. Consequently, Bryan has beheld
his Idea withered with the heat of very
fiery opposition. It Is in the South that
the doom of his Idea has been sounded.
Bryan knows this. He sees that he
cannot reconcile his party's bulwark
to It; and he explains that he meant
his Idea for application some day, not
necessarily at once. He goes through
the South trying to "square himself,"
but falls dismally.
Heretofore, he has been able to lead
the Southern states. That was when
his contentions did not "hurt" as does
this last one. And while they would
accept him as their party's nominee
for President, were he chosen for that
place on the ticket, they would, do so
in expectation that he would be unable
to put his ownership Idea In opera
tion if elected, just as they viewed his
antl-expanslon and free trade. Ideas in
the past.
Senator Tillman is not one of th
most admirable spokesmen of the
South, but his declaration at Sioux
City last Friday, represents the South
on this question: He said:
The South will never be converted to that
doctrine. We why. d n It, we are Demo
crats down there. We believe In the prin
ciple of individual government, and not
paternalism. Let the man do something
for himself. - If the Government owned the
railroads, the politicians would soon secure
control by their nasty methods of getting
every ne'er-do-well In the country employed
on the railroads. The question Is like the
sputtering iron which comes hot from the
blacksmith's forge it has to be hammered
out cold before It Is of any service. Govern
ment ownership is still In the sputtering
stage.
This Is the convenient excuse for op
posing public ownership. The real
reason la that already mentioned. Add
to this the fear that negroes would
have equal rights on railroads under
public ownership, with whites, and the
opposition Is seen to be very intense,
involving what has been the source of
all trouble between the North and the
8outh the race question. The "prin
ciple of Individualism" and the "nasty
methods" in politics, which Tillman
says he fears from government own
ership, are secondary objections, used
to cloak the real ones. The truth Is
that the South wants no Socialistic
regime, and wants no such avenue to
equality opened to the inferior race.
For the first time this season, the
wheat market has enjoyed an unin
terrupted advance of one week. The
close yesterday was slightly lower than
the high point reached, but there was
very little Indication of weakness, and
a healthy tone seemed to pervade the
market. The price, however, is still
about 12 cents per bushel under that
of one year ago, and it will require
several weeks of uninterrupted ad
vance to bring the figure up to the
prices to which farmers have become
aocustomed prior to this year. The
crop, even at present prices, on ac
count of Its size, will show a total
value fully equal to that of last year,
and, on account of th.9 much, greater
amount of wheat to be moved, will be
more valuable from a transportaion
standpoint than a smaller crop of dol
lar wheat.
TRIUMPH OF THE SULLIVANS.
The clan Sullivan is getting a deal
of fame from the achievements of sev
eral of its members. There's Big Tim,
who's boosting Sulzer for the Demo
cratic nomination for Governor of New
York; there's Roger, who's fighting
Bryan; and last, but really first,
there's our own "Larry," who helped
to make Joe Gans lightweight cham
pion pugilist of the world. Add to all
this what John L. has been, and the
sum Is a big total of notoriety, indeed.
The Sullivans are a foxy outfit. Who
beside a Sullivan could have foreseen
so far ahead that there was more
money to be made In two hours out
of Joe Gans than In two years out of
an open town? Who but a Sullivan
could have foreseen that the next time
Bryan opened his mouth he would put
his foot in It and crowd himself out
of the party' Instead of Roger C. of
Illinois? And who but a Sullivan could
have dived Into the scrapheap and
pulled out with more prescience a man
like Sulzer (although this is yet to be
proved), as big Tim has done in New
York?
The Sullivans have stuff in them; we
always knew It, and have waited pa
tiently for this day. John L. used to
be the topnotcher, but has gone into
etellpse, although he foretold the out
come of the Gans-Nelson fight. One
of the first to seize on Gans
as the winner was Larry, erst
while of Portland and now of Gold
field, .where there Is no lid on pools
or faro or prizefights.
There were many wise men who said
Roger was a fool to fight Bryan. 1 The
overtowering Influence of the "peer
less," they said, would forever hoJd
Roger In the ' shadow. But the Illi
nois man climbs up and continues bis
power, while Bryan, stumping the
country up and down, puts Roger to
the top with every word.
Things are coming the way of the
Sullivans, sure enough. All have gone
through the woods and come out with
flying colors, except Big Tim, who yet
has to "make good." It's a heavy re
sponsibility resting on Big Tim, and
the Bowery should rise to the occas
ion. And it behooves Bryan and oth
ers who are fighting one Sullivan, to
make sure they are not fighting the
whole tribe. It would be a very serious
outcome If all the Sullivans should
stand together.
f THE CZAR A POSSIBLE FTJGITTVB.
There Is some Indication that the
Czar of Russia Is a fugitive from his
Empire, and that If he ever returns
it will be when, tired of bloodshed and
anarchy, his people are ready to re
turn to the rule of the Romanoffs
and a peace made possible by the re
lentless pressure of an iron hand. That
the time will ever come when, these
conditions being fulfilled, Nicholas HI
and his wife and children may return
in safety to the Imperial City
of St. Petersburg does not seem
within the limits of ordinary
prudence. The intelligence of Russia
Is fally awake. Its temper is at white
heat, its determination is Implacable.
The sodden masses. Imbued with the
desire for liberty, are yet anxious for
a return to the peaceful conditions
that enabled them to keep base life
afoot without constant apprehension
of murder, rapine and spoliation. Be
fore fhe tempest, blowing from these
extremes, the Czar has retired not in
wild flight, but under the guise' of a
pleasure cruise with his tfamlly in
Finland waters. It is thought that he
will not seek to return to his capital,
but with the Czarina and their chil
dren will find refuge In the quiet re
treat of Darmstadt, the little Grand
Duchy under the protection of. the Im
perial flag of Germanys in which the
gentle Empress was born, and from
which she passed 10 years ago,- a re
luctant bride to her troubled estate.
If the Czar has fled his Empire,' there
was nothing undignified in his flight
nothing to give his manifold enemies
the great privilege of pursuing him
in the hope of cutting off his-retreat.
His act may not have been a cour
ageous one, but it was certainly con
spicuous by prudence that Is the bet
ter part of valor. He may remain for
all his years, few or many, a fugitive
from his Empire, but if in bo doing he
escapes the fate that befel his grand
father, rears his young son to be in
readiness for the position to which he
was born but to which it is impossi
ble to Insure his bringing up in his
native land; If he lives to see the storm
roll by and his people ready for a
constitutional monarchy, the wisdom
of his departure from Russia at this
juncture will be fully demonstrated.
rERJTJRY AND TAXATION.
The Oregon Tax Commission acted
wisely In recommending that the pres
ent law be amended so as to require
that all petitions for lowering of as
sessments be -made In writing veri
fied by oath of the petitioner. It
might be well to go further and pro
vide that false swearing In such pe
titions shall be perjury and that,
whenever there is evidence of false
6wearlng, the facts shall be at once
laid before the Prosecuting Attorney.
Such a provision would have no ter
rors for the man who swears truth
fuHy, but It would exert a retarding
influence upon the man who seeks to
avoid the assessment laws of the state.
The commission's suggestion that
property-owners who ask for a re
duction in taxes be allowed an appeal
to the Circuit Court seems to be one
that has good reason in its support
and to which no valid objection can
be made. Such an appeal would not
stay the assessment or the levy and
collection of taxes. There, are com
paratively few persons who ask for re
ductions. Those who do ask generally
succeed if they have right on their
side, and. If they have not, they would
seldom appeal from the decision of the
county board of equalization. A pro
vision for appeal would not throw any
considerable amount of work on the
Circuit Courts, but "would provide a
remedy for any who think the county
board has treated them unjustly. With
a provision for appeal, there would
be practically no grounds for Injunc
tion suits growing out of the action of
the board. "
Injunction suits would still lie In
some cases arising from irregularities
which invalidate an assessment or
levy of taxes, but these could be
avoided if It were provided by law that
in case of such suit the court shall
have power to appoint an agent of the
court to re-assess the property or
otherwise cure the defect and secure
justice to the property-owner. In
junction suits are always brought by
those who hope to. escape taxation by
reliance upon technicalities. If the
overthrow of one assessment Xavy
did not relieve the property-owner, but
would merely call for further proceed
ings which must ultimately end In his
being compelled to pay his taxes,
there would be few suits of that kind
brought. Men waste no efforts trying
to evade a law when It is so drawn
that they are certain to be compelled
to obey it. The Oregon assessment
and taxation laws have been imperfect
for many years. It is to be hoped that
the Oregon Tax Commission will lead
the Oregon Legislature in work that
shall result in the elimination of many
glaring defects.
POCAHONTA8 AND SACAJAWEA.
Not the least of the benefits which
came to the world, and in particular to
America, from the Lewis . and Clark
Fair, was the rehabilitation of the tat
tered reputation of the great, beautiful
and good Sacajawea. Up to the time
of the Fair the youth of this glorious
land were growing up in the deplorable
belief that Sacajawea was a kind of
wild tea used by the unlettered abor
igines to cure rheumatism. Now we
all know, and we thank Providence for
the knowledge that she was not an
herb, but a beauteous damsel whose
bronze statue looks like a squaw. She
was singularly loving. Whether more
eo than Pocahontas is not a matter of
doubt at all. Pocahontas loved qne
white man; Sacajawea loved many.
Therefore, If love is a test to go by,
Sacajawea was a greater woman than
Pocahontas; and since she was the
sole and separate property of the Port
land Fair, the Jamestown undertaking
must sink into the shade so far as
noble aboriginal American women go.
PocahontaB, as we have intimated,
belongs to the Jamestown Fair. In
the dim aeons of prehistoric time Prov
idence designed her lovely outlines for
the benefit of that enterprise. It was
known from all eternity that the
Jamestown Fair could not be a success
without some woman to rival the glo
ries of Sacajawea, and to that end and
that alone, Pocahontas was created.
. IjShe was ushered upon the earth as
the daughter of Powhatan, but this was
only a trivial Incident. If she had not
been his daughter she would have been
somebody else's, for she had to be
born or there could be no fair at
Jamestown. Not only had the beau
teous Indian maiden to be born, but
she had to save the life of Captain
John Smith. If she had not saved his
life she would not have been romantic,
and If she bad not been romantic she
would have been useless for the pur
pose of a fair advertisement.
Therefore, at the' tender age of 12
years, she 6aved the energetic Cap
tain from the warclub of her savage
papa. Heartless critics have re
marked concerning this pathetic inci
dent, that Indian maidens of 12 were
not permitted associate with prison
ers of war and Interfere with military
executions. They have even doubted the
whole story and ecurrilously argued
that It was Invented by Smith to lend
a touch of romance to his adventures.
But all such destructive criticism we,
for our part, scout and abhor. We be
lieve that the weeping Pocahontas cast
her arms, about John Smith's swarthy
neck and, lifting up her voice and
eyes, cried: "You shall not slay the
founder of the future commonwealth
of Virginia. You should not cut off the
hope of the Society of Colonial Dames
without murdering your beloved
daughter as a preliminary exercise."
Touched to the heart by this endear
ing, and at the same time admonitory
remark. Powhatan dropped his club
and clasped the doughty Captain to
his capacious bosom. To reward Pow
hatan for this favor, Smith and his
companions soon after kidnaped Po
cahontas and, by dint of assiduously
following their example in the humble
routine of her daily existence, she be
came a devout Christian. Kidnaping
has always been a favorite device of
missionaries for converting the
heathen, but it has seldom been as suc
cessful as In the case of Pocahontas.
She not only forgave her captors, but
soon afterwards married one of them.
The negroes who were kidnaped, and
taken to Virginia for the good of their
souls may have forgiven their cap
tors, but they never carried forgive
ness eo far as to marry them.
Pocahontas became the mother of all
the First Families of Virginia. It la
not stated- how many children she had,
but they must have been numerous.
Her descendants settled first the tier
of Gulf States, and afterward Ken
tucky. After Virginia, Kentucky pos
sesses more of the genuine blood of
Pocahontas than any other state south
of Mason and Dixon's line, but all of
them have a goodly share. Senator
Tillman traces his descent to the beau
teous damsel, and . ascribes to this
strain In his blood those qualities
which make him so conspicuous a fig
ure in the halls of Congress. He says
that he resembles Powhatan more than
Pocahontas, but all of his friends as
cribe this self-depreciation to exces
sive modesty. Besides, Powhatan
fought with a club instead of a pitch
fork. THE BASEBALL SITUATION.
Once more Spokane is knocking at
the Pacific' Coast Baseball League
doors for admission. Tacoma, which
turned down Its pennant-wlnnlg team,
is also tapping for readmission. Spo
kane would have been one of the Pacific
Coast League cities three' years ago
If the league magnates could have
found a fourth city in California , of
sufficient size and importance. But
they could not, and the overtures made
by Spokane were not considered. An
other thing which made the Coast
League managers hesitate was the fuss
made by Seattle. Seattle was trying
as hard to get out of the Coast League
as Spokane was trying to break In.
Now, with the Seattle trouble settled,
the talk of having four clubs in the
North and four in the South has been
revived.
This undoubtedly is the solution of
the baseball situation on the coast.
The class of baseball that the Coast
League has furnished its patrons has
been of major League caliber; but
the expense of keeping up the stand
ard of players, together with the un
wieldy schedule which has been forced
on the league during the past four
years, has sorely crippled several bank
accounts. An eight-club league is an
ideal organization, and by admitting
Spokane and Tacoma In the' North,
Sacramento, or Stockton, or San Jose,
or Fresno, In California,, a schedule
could be figured out that would assure
first-class baseball and some financial
returns. With four cities In California
and four in Oregon and Washington,
It would be an easy task to work out
a schedule that would take the north
ern teams South twice in a season, and
the southern teams North twice. Such
a schedule would be of double inter
est to the fans, for they would not
only be particularly Interested In the
team winning the pennant, but there
would be an added rivalry, between
the cities that would be kept up to the
end.
Before either Spokane or Tacoma can
become Paciflo Coast League cities,
It will be necessary for the
Northwest League either to drop
Spokane and Tacoma, or for the
National Commission to award
the territory to the coasters. Refusal
of the Spokane managers to stay with
President Lucas would not give the
Coast League the right to invade Spo
kane, eo long as other capital could
be found to" finance a team in the
Northwest League. In taking In Ta
coma again, a little more care should
be exercised. The team should be in
charge of men who stand high in the
estimation of the people. This would
assure patronage at the games, a
thing which was not forthcoming, when
Mique Fisher took his team there and
won the pennant for Tacoma.
President Bert's Idea of taking in
Sacramento, Stockton and San Jose,
and to deny Fresno another- chance, is
hardly fair. Fresno has stuck to the
league, and the baeebaU-backers of
that place have lost money; yet they
did not play the baby act, as did Seat-,
tie. A few days since the Fresno
owners held a mass meeting, and in
stead of quitting because the club was
a tail-ender and heavy loser, started
a subscription for the purpose of help
ing Fisher play out the season 'and to
be ready to talk at the approaching
league meeting for 1907 business. Fres
no has a right to a hearing, al
though Sacramento, which has been
without Coast League ball 'for several
seasons, might at least offset Tacoma,
and if Stockton and San Jose or Fres
no wanted to join issues, they
would be able to turn In as much
money at the gate as Spokane. It is
not good baseball, however, to have
more than one city Interested in a
ball team. -
JUST THE SAME OLD WORLD.
Who was -it said "There is always
room at the top"? So It seems, and
the scum always gets there. The
housewife finds it so In canning time,
but she deftly removes it. The scum
of the people seems to crowd into first
place in active life, yet the hand of
the law deftly takes it away. The
Irish philosopher, or his 'friend,
"Father Hogan," says, "News is crime,
and the people want it," so they get it
featured on the front pages. The coun
try cashier known to gamble is held
for embezzlement. Unmarried men
and their "wives" are taken during a
midnight raid. "Chick" Houghton,
out of durance on parole, cannot get
decent work, so he is arrested for
yieft. A Jealous colored woman bor
rows her husband's razor and carves
his mistress. A Velguth takes his em
ployers' money and spends it on one
who could easily do up better men.
All the world hears of these things
because all the world is straining its
ears listening for them. And half a
dozen ministers in their pulpits de
claim against these separate lines of
wickedness in thundering tones and do
little good thereby, because the peo
ple who hear them are not of the kind
to be led astray.
There are several hunderd people in
detention at Salem because they have
broken the laws. They are an infini
tesimal percentage of the several hun
dred thousand people in the state who
are not restrained of their iliberty and
are going about doing good, and there
fore are not heard of .because the gen
eral public is In pretty much the same
line and what is common is not re
markable. So they settle into the hu
man 'fruit Juice that "jellies," while the
scum is carried off In shackles and
the world and its ministers hold up
their hands in horror thereat.
This old mundane sphere, as some
light-brained poet has called it. Isn't
any worse than it was in the days
when David put the Hittlte Captain
in the front of the skirmish line, that
he might stay in camp and become the
third corner of the connubial triangle.
Joseph, taken from prison, where he
had been put because he was wise or
otherwise, as it is looked at suc
ceeded the chief grafter. All the Com
mandments were broken then, Just as
they are broken now. Yet then, or
now, the naked were clothed, the hun
gry were fed, the afflicted were com
forted and those without shelter were
housed. The proposition of kindness or
goodness was the same, and so it will
continue to the end of the world.
None need be scared and none need to
worry. The awful examples will go
to their doom and that is all there is
to it. The just shall inherit the King
dom of God.
INCREASING INDEPENDENCE.
On the subject of yellow or drab
journalism which, according to no
small number of pessimistic critics,
threatened a few years ago to vitiate
America's newspaperdom, the North
American Review in a recent editorial
focalizes a lot of common sense based
on correct observations. It declares
that the percentage of evil Is exceed
ingly small and is too oftenvmistaken
as typical simply because It Is more
blatantly in evidence.
Taking, for example, a group of
standard public Journals, the Review
finds: "In self-respect, breadth of vis
ion, quality of diction, true patriot
ism, hatred of wrong and love of right,
fearlessness, accuracy of statement,
and like qualities, they never before
fulfllle their mission so worthily."
Not many years since, masters of the
craft freely and, confidently predicted
that New York would soon become the
heart and leader of American journal
ism and that all newspapers published
elsewhere would be subordinate. To
this, the Review makes a frank admis
sion: "But that time has not yet ar
rived and in point of faot. It seems
more distant than ever" No man that
ever came Into touch with any com
munity west of the Alldgheny Moun
tains could believe that New ork
would do the thinking for the United
States.
The Review finds further that the
most notable trait of the real news
papers Is Individuality, and their most
pronounced attribute independence.
Thirty years ago they were bitterly
partisan. Today every one, without
a single exception, is free and Inde
pendent of political parties, cliques
and contaminating influenies. Best
indication of all Is tlreir extraordi
nary and growing prosperity, an un
mistakable mark of public recognition
and approval of genuine worth and
creditable methods. In the great con
test for saner and better government
the effective agency of the plain peo
ple is the Independent press that has
been tried and not found wanting. The
yellow journal is but the barking dog.
Columbia River chinook salmon are
reported to be running in the Sluslaw
River, and a salmon has been caught
In the Columbia River with a, British
Columbia hook in its jaws. These
cases open up another endless field for
speculation as to the habits of the sal
mon and, if they were of fre
quent occurrence, would dispel some
of the well-established theories regard
ing the movements of the king of good
fishes. There is more than a modicum
of truth, however. In the statement
that the exception proves the rule,
and perhaps the chinook salmon which
wandered Into tha Siuslaw and the
Frazer River salmon which strayed In
to the Columbia, .may be Individual
specimens of a perverse nature, or
possibly newcomers that failed to line
up with the school where they belonged.
Albert T. Patrick, the New York
murderer who was convicted the first
time so many years ago that the de
tails of the crime have been almost
forgotten, nays that he would rather
die in the electric chair than spend a
year in the state prison under a com
mutation of sentence. His expressed de
sire for such a fate Is probably based
on the improbability of his ever reach
ing the chair. If Mr. Patrick Is to
Judge the future by the past, there
are no good grounds on which he can
base the belief that he will ever be
made to pay the penalty for his crime.
The New York method of handling
murderers who have money Is not cal
culated to Inspire lovers of justice with
admiration. The Patrick tactics In
prominent murder cases are undoubt
edly responsible for a large amount
of crime in the metropolis of the New
World. ' . '
The report of the serious illness of
Archbishop. Christie at North Bend,
Coos County, created consternation
among Catholics, and sincere regret
among all classes of people in Portland
and vicinity. The Archbishop Is more
than a churchman devoted to the In
terests of Catholics and the Cath
olic Church. He Is a humanitarian, a
man of wide usefulness and gracious
life. ' It is hoped that the sudden at
tack of illness which has befallen him
will yield speedily to the skillful medi
cal treatment and nursing which he
Is receiving in the hospital at North
Bend that he dedicated a short time
before he was taken ill.
"Factionalism," says the new Re
publican Club of Portland (W. M. Cake
president, and Charles E. Lockwood
secretary), "Is dead." But there is
another club, the Regular Republican
Organization of Multnomah County (J.
E. Magera president, and Max G.
Cohen secretary), which claims to be
the "organization," and which declined
to merge with the Cake-Lockwood
club. Is this a germ of trouble? Well,
anyhow, the old "factionalism is
dead;" that's some comfort, even
though other patriots, desiring to
"run" things, may bob up.
A divorce has been denied a mle
maWed couple who were more notorious
than1 famous in Portland's North End,
the Judge deciding that the wife who
sought the divorce was fully aware of
the kind of a prize she was drawing
in the matrimonial lottery when she
went up against the game. The de
cision will meet with general approval,
for vastly more trouble would result
if a man of the underworld should
marry a good woman, or a woman of
that quarter should marry a good man.
The undertakers of the state are de
sirous of having a law passed which
will make It Impossible for a widower
to remarry until he pays the funeral
expenses of his late wife. No woman
would marry a man who might call
upon her to assist in paying the ex
penses of burying her predecessor. Just
make the facts public.
Councilman Vaughn took passes
from the Harrlman railroads and then
fought their Fourth-street franchise.
This Is, indeed, novelty or audacity;
no wonder Mr. Fenton was so put out
that he told about It at the last meet
ing of the Council. Is it to be in
ferred from this that Mr. Vaughn
won't stay bought?
Referring to the difficulty that the
O. R. & N. has' had and Is now ex
periencing with the drifting sands
along the Columbia River, a high
board fence would keep 5ut some- of
the sand, although it would be expen
sive, and might spoil the scenic 'effects.
Massachusetts has an Independence
League, too, and it met at Fauneil
Hall. Philadelphia will be heard from
as' soon as it gets through worrying
over whether Hippie was a good man
gone wrong, or a bad man who never
went right.
The Germans have determined who
are their greatest men. Koch, Bebel,
Hauptman, Strauss, Haeckel and Ro
entgen are six of them. If they
will leave it to us, we are willing to
admit that Emperor William is the
other six.
The whooping-cough has got around
to President Cassatt. of the Pennsyl
vania railroad. It all began with the
bad cough epidemic that struck the
employes of his road when they were
before the Interstate Commerce Com
mission. Cashier Van Auker has gone to Jail,
and the "tall and the short man" who
held him up and took the bank's money
are still at large. That "tall and short
man" figure in a great many criminal
transactions.
And now no doubt Brother Watterson
wishes he had kept his mouth shut,
when Bryan was coming home. Just as
did Brother Grover Cleveland. Grover
doesn't have to take back anything.
If Cuba is annexed and made a ter
ritory, it will open up a line of possi
bilities in the way of office-holding for
Southerners who know the color line.
Senator Tillman Isn't pleased with
Bryan and is still angry with Roose
velt. Evidently there Is no solace for
Tillman but the dispensary.
The President has made up his mind
that the way to Intervene In Cuba is
to Intervene. That's the reason he sent
for Funston. '
Councilman Dan Kellaher should
first hear from the people who elected
him before resigning at any one's re
quest. One thing the editorial meeting at
Newport yesterday forgot was to fix
the maximum rate law of wood on sub
scription. -The automobile contests at New
York yesterday were called "elimina
tion races." That's the right name.
As yet we see no signs that Mr.
Bryan is going to swing around Into
Texas and Senator Bailey.
LIMITATION OK FORTUNES IN
AMERICA.
London Spectator.
The Impressions of a great people often
spring from their Instincts, and the In
stinct of Americans tells them that the
next election will probably be the com
mencement of a "parting of the ways."
The intense individualism of America,
which 1s fostered alike by her freedom
and her Constitution, shows Signs of giv
ing, way at one particular point. The
people at large, unless we mistake the
Bymptoms. have begun to dread the
growth of a new baronage which threat
ens the cardinal principles upon which
the republic was built. As a conse
quence, partly of enormous prosperity,
due to the unceasing Industry of seventy
millions of men with whom industry is at
once a duty and a pride, and partly of
protection. Individuals and corporations
are becoming so wealthy that they
threaten the very root conditions of the
state. The Union 4s built upon the equal
freedom of its whole people to secure
those conditions of happiness In which,
as Americans believe, the Old World Is
deficient. An American, in his own judg
ment, should enjoy safety from oppres
sion, sufficient material plenty In his
household, and a free career that is. a
career not Impeded by any artificial so
cial conditions. The freedom from op
pression, as oppression is understood in
Europe, is still secured, the plenty Is still
enjoyed by all except the residium of the
great cities, but the career is now seen
to be impeded by aggregations of wealth
in the hands of individuals and of cor
porations such as the founders of the
republic would have considered incredible.
The new baronage of multt-mllllonaires
are practically able to deny equality of
opportunity to all who oppose them, and
often demand and secure Illegal advan
tages of the most galling kind. If Crassus
dreads rivalry he can compel the mere
citizen to quit business, through rebates
he can monopolize the use of the rail
roads, through "corners" that is, monop
olieshe can raise the price of every
thing except food almost at discretion,
and lately, as we aee in the Chicago
scandals, he has threatened for the sake
of exaggerated profits even the whole
someness of necessary food. The people
therefore who were at first inclined to
be proud of their multl-mlllionalrea, as
something that Europe could not rival,
are growing angry with the kind of anger
which 1s reckless of consequences and
which In the older countries of the world
produces bread riots. As yet the first
objects of popular antipathy are the great
corporations, or, as they call them In
America, trusts or syndicates, which,
though they usually enrich very few,
avert by their character of companies the
odium which would accrue to individuals.
So strong has this feeling grown that
the prospective candidates of the two
historic parties have both declared war
upon the combinations. Mr. Roosevelt,
the Republican, or, as the early founders
would have called hlra, the Federalist,
Insists that there must be National con
trol of all the trusts trading In more than
one atate; while Mr. Bryan, the Demo
crat, proclaims publicly his wish that all
trusts should be "extirpated." In other
words, men wielding huge aggregations
of wealth are declared to be In a sense
publlo enemies, who must be prevented
by anticipatory laws from using their ter
rible weapon to the injury of the com
munity, for It la clear, without argu
ment, that you cannot restrain the action
of the overwealthy syndicate without re
straining also the action of the over
wealthy individual. To tha small
trader who hopes to "get up"
that is, who hopes for a free career It
is no great matter whether the obsta
cle to his hopes is called Mr. Rockefeller
or the Standard Oil trust.
If at the next election an immense ma
jority of the people proclaim by their
votes that this is their governing Im
pulse the change to be effected In the
economic legislation of the States must
ultimately be very great. In the first
place, protection must be shorn of its
present gigantic strength. Mr. Bryan
already perceives this clearly, and makes
In public the odd suggestion that when
ever a particular item In the tariff Is
plainly Injuring the community the Pres
ident shall have power to suspend or re
peal it a gigantic Increase to the power
of the National Bxeoutlve, at which, we
think, even Hamilton would have winced
while Mr. Roosevelt, though he does not
advocate such a departure from prece
dent, does admit that the tariff must
be modified by law, of course wherever
It Is clearly opposed to the Interests of
the community. In the second place, It
will be necessary to subject those who
devise Injurious "combines" to penal leg
islation, probably to be enforced by com
missions instead of judges, and thus to
make the formation of monopolies as
dangerous as the "regratlng" of bread
once was In Europe. And In the third
place, new laws will be necessary to
promote distribution at death laws which
we may describe as statutes of secular
mortmain. In Europe such laws are now
nearly universal in restriction of th
church's "Individualism," because, as a
church cannot die and does not waste.
It would otherwise gradually concentrate
the whole property of the country In
clerical hands. And with the small
American families nothing but a new sys
tem of distribution at death can prevent
gigantic accumulations. In the third gen
eration a multi-millionaire might hold
several hundred millions sterling and be
master of all means of communication in
three or four states, even If not of many
of the lesser Legislatures. What the new
scheme of distribution Is to be we can
not pretend to foresee, but that testators
disposing of vast sums will be restrained
from bequeathing more than a fixed
amount to Individual legatees we think ex.
ceedingly probable. Opinion In America
already favors equal'dlvislon among the
children at death, which may be called
the most natural By 8 tern of devolution,
and if that restriction should prove In
sufficient a wider area of inheriting rel
atives may be included, or even the cost
of national education may be partially
provided put of those surplus fortunes
which In a certain condition of opinion
would be considered Inexpedient or per
haps oppressive.
Spotless Pupils In Demand.
Cleveland Dispatch In New York World.
The department of physical education
of the Cleveland public schools will pay
special attention to the personal habits
of the students the coming year. Be
sides adjusting the seats so that trousers
and skirts won't be worn out too quickly,
the department will endeavor to Induce
students to keep their teeth In good re
pair and to cultivate other personal
habits, which will lead to a spotless con
dition generally. Here are some sugges
tions to students:
Do not swap apple cores, gum, "suck
ers," bean blowers, pencils, etc.
Wash the hands and face often. The
likelihood of taking a communicable dis
ease Is lessened thereby.
Do not place gum in pockets.
In making paper wads to shoot at
teacher, use dry paper; it la more sanitary.
THE PESSIMIST.
Alice, the daughter of Troublesome Ted
dy, refuses to subside Into the they-were-marrled-and-llved-happily-ever-after
class.
She is making preparations to go on a
bear hunt. If Nicholas doesn't like It he
can stay at home.
Last week we were felicitating: our
selves on account of our superior National
morals while reading of the reverend
assassin in Sweden who killed about 73
babies In six months. Later, when we
read of wealthy New York parents en
gaging passage on trans-Atlantic steam
ers for their young children, expecting
and knowing that they could not get
back, we concluded that New York waj
nothing but a foreign city anyway.
Every one has seen, the little boards
which rise from the street at a convenient
angle, span the gutter and reach the edK9
of the curb, so that a bicyclist can get on
the sidewalk without dismounting. Not
a few people have wondered who It la
that puts these boards down. They are
carefully sawed and nailed, but no one
has seen the thoughtful individual who
does It. It Is In small things that one
often seen the signs of greatness. These
humble but useful boards Indicate the
presence In this city of a man wtth a
highly exceptionable character. His
great worth Is equaled only by his mod
esty. It Is the common tendency of humanl.
ty not to do such things. Man prefers
to walk around, clamber over or run Into
any obstacle for years rather than stop
for a moment to remove It. It may be
that he exepcts never to go that way
again, or that some one else will take
It away. At any rate, he lets It remain,
and growls each time he sees It. It la
this trait, peculiar to all, that makes the
humble act of the man with the boards
unusual and excellent. A man who Is so
Industrious, farseelng and kind has
earned the highest honor In the gift of a
city or nation. Let him come forth from
his obscurity and we will elect hlra
Mayor or President.
e
The champion lightweight liar of thj
world. It seems, is now In Philadelphia.
At the conclusion of an article on horti
cultural wonders, whloh won for him the
championship, he was awarded the belt
and a position on the staff of the North.
American. It Is said that he bore his
honors meekly, and Insisted that he had
done nothing but what any good liar
would do when confronted by duty and
Inspiration. The liar who Is truly great
Is always modest and prefers to lie un
noticed. In his first story, or rather round, the
champion led off with the tale of an ag
ricultural feat by a Mr. Kronenburg.
This mythical son of the soil, after long
continued thought and costly experiments,
succeeded in giving to the world Its first
electric light plant. Although the details
of the final experiment were not printed.
It Is understood that the first successful
plant was obtained by training a wild
grapevine around the" mouth of a gas
well and crossing it with a lightning
bug. Mr. Kronenburg, so the champion
stated, was gratified after several years
of cultivation to see the fruit emit a rich,
warm glow. He now has one plant which
gives off sufficient light to read by; and
he Is wiring his log cabin with the vines.
The champion's next effort was a brief,
but able disquisition on the rearing of
egg plants. He especially recommended
the Plymouth Rock variety. The eggs
from this plant, he said, were particu
larly good hard-boiled and fried, although
In hot weather they quickly turned bad,
and were often poached before they were
picked.
In the third round, our romancer came
up fresh and smiling. He dealt with the
unusual difficulties which afflicted tha
farmers in his vicinity. A certain Captain
Paul Edmunds had predicted that folks
who persisted in scattering oyster shells
over their fields in stead of making roads
out of them would at some time or other
experience a deep regret. As a result of
the practice which called forth the Cap
tain's prophecy, farmers who planted
corn found oyster plants growing la the
rows. Even the potatoes were shaped
like oysters and the melons had a fishy
taste. The only remedy which the writer
could suggest for this sad state of affairs
was to introduce starfish in the fields to
destroy the oyster microbe.
The only contestant for the honors
achieved by the champion was disquali
fied on the ground of plagiarist. He told
of a politician In Nebraska who gathered
up the fragments of a cyclone, and In at
tempting to pass them off for Presidential
timber was arrested for contributing to
the delinquency of a Democrat. It was a
pretty good lie, but the source of bis In
spiration was presently detected, and he
was thrown out of the window.
Answers to Correspondent.
High Sohool Will you please tell me
the meaning of the Latin phrase "sandl
ego?"
"Sandi ego" Is not Latin; It Is the
name of a town in Southern California.
It la more commonly printed San Diego.
San Diego 1 oelebrated for Its climate.
Its mystery and its lemons. The deity
supplies the climate; Mrs. Tlngley fur
nishes the mystery, and the people pro
duoe the lemons. Besides these, there
Is the famous San Diego which is noted
for its swollen appearance on the map.
In real life, the river Is remarkable
for the four-masted sagebrush and the
schooner-rigged cacti whloh crowd Its
Invisible waters. Its aridity Is exoelled
only by Us picturesque beauty as It
winds Its placid and dusty course
through the Mission Valley.
Jimmy "Teacher says that Welsh rare
bit is bad for the stummlck. What Is It
made of, anyway?"
I am sure she did not say "stummick."
However, she Is wrong. There Is no such
dish as a Welsh rarebit- She probably
had in mind a Welsh "rabbit" (see
Standard Dictionary). The principal in
gredients of a Welsh rabbit are cheese,
red pepper and beer. Cheese gives co
herency to the mass, while the beer Im
parts a wicked tinge. It is not a tem
perance dish.
Inquisitive John "What Is the differ
ence between an extended line and a
defective gallop?"
That's all right, Johnny; you can't fool
me." I tried to spring that myself once,
and It was crowded out to make room
for a funeral notice. One Is a long rope;
the other is a wrong lope. You should
have addressed your communication to
the Poet's Corner.
C. S. J. "My dictionary does not give
the word 'taughtology.' Will you kindly
explain Its meaning?"
Your question indicates an instinctive
dislike for phonetic spelling. You should
communicate with W. 8. Varnum. No
doubt he will be glad to explain the beau
ties of the system. The word you refer
to is correctly spelled "tautology." It Is
defined by the Standard Dictionary as
"that form of pleonasm in which the same
word or Idea is unnecessarily repeated."
It has been said of tautology that It gen
erally betokens carelessness or poverty
of thought.
II. B. WELLS.