6
THE STDTDAT OKEGOXIA-, PORTLANT, MAT 24, 1908.
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PORTLAND, SUNDAY. MAY 24, 1908.
THE PROBLEM OF ANARCHY.
The government of Russia is so in
human that it has made maniacs of
many subjects. When they escape
from the horrors of their native land
they take their mania with them.
Naturally, until they learn better, they
think evry "government is like their
own. urven wnen tney come to Amer
ica, in spite of vague ideas of the free
dom which is enjoyed here, they can
not rid themselves of the prejudice
that our Government as well as every
other exists only to bully, rob and tor
ture. Hence when the authorities In
terfere with them their first impulse is
i fo retaliate, as they have learned to do
in Russia, by throwing bombs. This
: Is the only possible method, so far as
their sad experience and limited
knowledge go, of defending themselves
. against injustice and avenging their
wrongs. Conservative writers have
expressed the opinion that. If the gov-
- ernment of Russia could be made de
cently civilized, the sect of bomb
throwing .anarchists would disappear.
Since at present the whole world lives
in perpetual terror of dynamite, some
have asked the question whether It
would not be wise for the nations of
Christendom to unite in an effort to
compel the Russian autocracy to adopt
less abhorrent methods in dealing with
its subjects. It has been suggested
that one-half the energy now spent by
the great powers in suppressing an
archy would suffice to weed out the
Czar and his coterie of uncles, substi
tute for them a modern constitutional
' government and thus free the earth
from anarchy forever.
Russia, it is said by these observers,
is like an Infected cesspool from which
poisonous emanations float upon "the
wind, spreading disease and death
everywhere. So long as the pool ex
ists it is of little use to fight the dis
eases which it breeds. The only ra-
tional and effective thing to do Is to
drain the source of Infection. One
can perhaps imagine a time when the
more humane nations of the earth will
organize something Ilka a great cru
sade against Russia, or rather against
the autocracy. Just as we have had
- to go to India and Arabia and fighf
cholera where it originates, so we may
have to go to Russia and fight an
archy in that poisonous spring whence
It perennially streams out over the
world. The cleansing of Calcutta and
-i i t 1 1 , i . . i.
; found to be much more efficient pro
: tectlve measures against cholera than
any quarantine, no matter how vlgl-
t lant. In fact, for all diseases quaran
' tine has been found impotent in com
parlson with the disinfection of
' sources. May it not turn out that our
experience with anarchy will prove to
bo similar? Thus far we have tried to
get rid of it by applying a rigorous
quarantine and by deporting the pa
tients. Some time perhaps we shall
, discover that It would be better and
cheaper to go to Russia and quaran
tine or deport the Czar and his uncles.
Of course violent anarchy is not
thing that can be argued with. It Is,
as we have said, a mania, and very
likely it should be treated like other
mental disorders. There was a time
when every imaginable cruelty was in
flicted -upon the insane. They were
confined in filthy prisons, chained to
posts, tortured and starved. ' Then
mankind became a little more Chris
tianized through the efforts of John
Howard, Dorothea Dlx and other
saints of God, and insanity began to
be treated with rational kindness. In
our opinion there is not the slightest
doubt that violent anarchism is a spe
cies of insanity, a terribly dangerous
species, to be sure, but that does not
justify us in treating It with savage
barbarity. It only imposes upon us as
civilised men and Christiana a more
binding obligation to apply to the
problem which It presents humanity
and reason, instead of panic-stricken
ferocity. It is Idle to think of trying
to eradicate anarchy by Russian meth
ods. Those methods have failed sig
nally In the land of their origin. Their
only result has been to turn Russia
Into a slaughter-house and infest the
whole earth wftth the mania of bomb
throwing. Is it conceivable that they
would succeed amy better in the land
of the free and the home of the
brave?
Doubtless the violent anarchist
ought to be sequestered and treated
for his disease by humane methods.
In dealing with Ms case there is no
more excuse for excluding reason from
our counsels than there is in dealing
with any other murderous maniac
But there is a school or sect who call
themselves "philosophical anarchists,"
who do not advocate or practice vio
lence. What shall be-done with them?
The Kew-York Times said in Its haste
soon after the bomb episode in Union
Square- that the profession of philo
sophical anarchy" Bhould be made a
capital crime. This is Impractical for
many reasons; for one thing -It ..would
require an amendment to the Federal
Constitution. Philosophical anarchy
makes pretenses to being a rational
doctrine. One may Imagine, therefore,
that the most effective way to defeat it
is to show that it is absurd. Its creed
is not difficult to understand. It is
this: 'The, will to live should be per
mitted to fulfill Itself without hin
drance from, the state." Of course
this implies that government ought to
be abolished. It ought to be abol
ished, they say, because It does more
harm than good. But even if their
premise were true, their conclusion
would not follow necessarily. ' Grant
ing for argument's sake thai govern
ment does more harm than good, we
cannot at once conclude that it should
be destroyed. We must first Inquire
whether It cannot be so reformed that
It shall do more good than Harm, or
no harm at all and nothing but good.
The Ideas of the anarchists are akin to
those of Thomas Jefferson, who said
that the best government was the one
that governed least. Naturally we
conclude that one which governs not
at ail wouia De Detter bum. xxms tai
lacy lies in assuming that..lt is the in
nate tendency of government to do
wrong. The anarchists have not
grasped the modern conception of
government as an agent of the people
to execute their corporate wllL They
cling to the old notion of government
as an Instrument by which a few men
plunder the many. Just as Russia is
a nation in arrested development, so
anarchy which cornea from Russia la a
system of thought which clings to an
tiquated premises. It fails to note the
truth- that there Is a social "will to
live," as well as an individual one
and that the social will must have a
brain to act through precisely as the
individual will must. The social brain
la tUe government.
THE GOVERNMENTS REMEDY.
If Federal Courts entertain the
same views of law and justice that
were expressed by the Oregon Su
preme Court In the Oregon City
locks case, there can be no doubt of
the outcome of the Government's suit
for the cancellation of the Oregon and
California land grant. So far as prin
ciples of law are concerned, the two
cases are apparently, the same. The
Oregon Court took a view of the law
that appeals to the average citizen as
being in complete harmony with equi
ty and good sense. Possibly there
may be fine points of law In whicji the
land-grant case differs from the locks
case, but In general It seems to be the
same.
The state of Oregon appropriated
a considerable sum of money to aid
in the construction of the canal and
locks at Oregon City, but donated the
money upon certain express conditions.
Among which were that certain tolls
should be charged, that the state
should receive 10 per cent of the net
profits, and that, after 20 years ttfe
state should have the right to pur
chase the locks at a price to be determined-in
such manner as the Legis
lature may prescribe. The money was
accepted, the canal and locks con
structed, and the property transferred
several times from one corporation to
another. Only one payment of a
share of the profits was made. The
present owners finally claimed to own
the locks absolutely and free from any
rights therein on the part of the state.
Suit was brought and the Supreme
Court declared that the original con
ditions follow the property into the
hands of successive owners, and that
the negligence of state officers in fall
ing to collect money due cannot have
the effect of relinquishing or forfeit
ing the state's right to insist) upon .an
observance of the conditions. v
The facts are similar in relation to
the land grant. The Government ap
propriated certain public lands to aid
in building a railroad, hut the dona
tion was made upon oertaln conditions,
among which were that the land
should be sold to actual settlers In
tracts of not to exceed 160 acres, and
at a price not to exceed 2.50 per
acre. The railroad company accepted
the land upon those conditions, and
almost Immediately , began violating
the conditions by selling in tracts in
excess of 160 acres and at prices in
excess of $2.50 per -acre, and finally
withdrew the lands from sale entirely.
Now the owners of the land claim
title free from the conditions upon
which it was originally granted. They
refuse to recognize any right on the
part of the Government., Suit has
been authorized and the question of
relative rights and objections will be
settled by the courts. The ordinary
citizen who believes that words mean
what they say, and that laws were
made to be obeyed, can see but one
reasonable outcome of the suit, and
that Is that the beneficiary of the land
grant shall be accorded the right to
secure J2.50 per acre on the total
number of acres In the grant, and no
more, and that the remainder of the
grant above that necessary to secure
this amount shall be forfeited to the
Government. Since the company has
sold some of the land at excessive
prices, it should forfeit enough to
make up for the excess collected. Un
der no circumstances should It be per
mitted to assert title free from the
conditions upon which the grant was
accepted. The conditions were clear
and positive. No amount of derelic
tion on the part of Government offi
cials should amount -to a "TdTfeiture of
the Government's ri9t. There is no
occasion for the Government to be un
reasonableto exact a pound of flesh
If it could. Though the recipient of
the land grant deliberately violated
the conditions, the Government can
afford to be magnanimous and permit j
the company to realize the J2.59 an
acre originally agreed upon. But it
should not be required to conceded
more than that. A common sense en- I
forcement of the fundamental princi
ples of equity as in the Oregon City
locks case, will be fair and reasona
ble to all concerned.
A FH tSTOX SHIP.- i
A weird story of the forgotten past !
was told a short time ago in the New
Tork World, the subject being the
old British warsWp Investigation. This
vessel has been practically lost to the
world since September 24,1851, when,
in search of the Northwest Passage,
she was. frozen in the ice at Baring
Island. Reverting to the history of
Arctic exploration, it is found that
Sir Robert Le Mesurier McClure made
his memorable voyage and discov
ered the Northwest Passage in this
ship. This was In 1849. The story
of her staunch ribs of oak and sub
stantial construction is told in the fact
that in 1801 she carried the young and
ambitious John Franklin on a voyage
of discovery in the Southern seas,
nearly half a century later she formed
one of Captain Belcher's squadron that
sailed around South America, up the
Pacific-, through Bering Straits, and
from there, pushed on and on until
stopped by stress of Arctic cold. After
varying adventures and hardship, the
Investigation stuck fast in the ice and
waa reluctantly abandoned in the Sum
mer of 1854, Captain McClure taking
passage for home in another ship
more fortunate than his own. With
the British flag flying at her ' mast
head and all of her instruments and
fittings on board, the old ship was
abandoned and for 60 years she was
forgotten, except as, how and then an
American whaler, passing the moyth
of the frozen bay sighted her, gaunt
and grim, awaiting -deliverance.
Last Summer was a mild one as
Arctia Summers go, and the ice in
which the old ship had been stuck
fast since 1854 melted for the first
time in all the intervening years. Ad
vices received at Victoria, B. C, from
Dawson recently are to the effect that
the Investigation, in a good state of
preservation, is afloat, and that the
British Admiralty will take steps to
have her returned to England, via
Alaska and Victoria.
A chapter more weird than this does
not appear In the long and dreary an
nals of adventure In the far North.
It Is a tale of romance In a setting
of fact", that will be of interest to
mariners; of adventure, that clothes
the history of Arctic exploration with
a new reverence: of steadfastness of
purpose that brings additional honors
to the memory of Captain McClure,
the Intrepid discoverer of the North
west Passage, who died a third of a
century and more ago.
The history of Arctic exploration is
full of pathos. Brave men have per
ished in its service, or returned, dis
appointed, but not discouraged, from
the quest which inspired their heroic
effort. Science, we are told, has prof
ited largely from this ' effort.
From a practical standpoint, wheth
er economic or humane, the re
turns thus far have not justified the
expenditure in human life and In the
treasure that has attended it. The
story of Sir John Franklin formed one
of the earlier and most pitiful chap
ters in the history of this quest in the
nineteenth cenutry. That of Dr. Kane
followed, a record of hardship bravely
borne, but without tangible result.
That of DeLong formed a chapter not
only of disappointment and failure, but
of tragedy. General Greeley's experi
ence provided a shuddering tale, the
tragic incidents of which have been
given to science. Lieutenant Peary
has returned from his several voyages
unscathed, yet without achieving the
prime object of his undertaking. The
record is a long one and contains many
names that stand for courage, daring
and selt-sacriflce.'
THE PACIFIC FLEET.
The long outward cruise of thewfinest
fleet of battleships that ever came into
the Pacific is ended, and the peaceful
waters of Puget Sound are lapping
the sides of the great white sea-fighters.
We term them sea-fighters, but
it is .questionable whether they w(ll
ever "be 'used for any other purpose
than such peaceful parades as "trie
great Journey Just "ended. There is
only a possibility of their services ever
being In demand on the Atlantic for
any other purpose than mild-mannered
police duty, and yet nearly the
entire squadron is to be ordered back
over a 15,000-mile route to points
where they will be useless in case of
war on the Pacific the only fighting
field on the world's map today. The
visit of this fleet to North Pacific wa
ters, where more than 300 years ago
Sir Francis Drake and his freebooting
compatriots were following the flag of
Spain for purposes of plunder only,
will serve to dispel one fond illusion
so often embodied in a figure of
speech ,
There Is no trade following the
"flag" into this region. As a matter
of fact, our "flag" was seldom seen
here until the ships of Great Britain
and other countries had established a
trade. The Pacific Coast for the last
half century has received from the
National Government but little else
than contemptuous sneers, and the
Government has never undertaken to
send along any "flags" which might be
followed by trade- until long after
the hardy" pioneers have developed a
trade. Two-thirds of the entire popu
lation of the globe dwells In countries
which have the Pacific for a shore
line, and so marvelously rich are these
Pacific lands that, had the discovery
of the American hemisphere been
made from the Pacific, and not the At
lantic side of the Continent, the rock
bound region along the Atlantic would
still be a disputed territory between
the Indians and the "varmints. "
Commerce and war are the two
great factors in making political his
tory. On the Atlantic, commerce has
attained such proportions that war
is practically out of the qpestion. There
are no new fields for conquest on
which our white armada can be
turned loose. Civilization has been
completed on both sides of that great
ocean, but across the Pacific, it is still
in the making. The commercial des
tiny of the Pacific may be worked out
on peaceful lines, but there is so much
at stake, and the , situation is so
fraught with possibilities for trouble,
that It Is a very short-sighted policy
on the part of the Government to
take these battleships away from -the
ports where they may be needed and
send them thpusands of miles away
to stations where they may never
again be under the fire of an enemy's
guns. The visit of the fleet to the Pa-
ciflc, as an object lesson to the rising
generation, may be,, worth all of the
vast sum that it has cost, but It Is a
reckless waste of money to force so
manv of these bie shiDS to steam back
to the Atlantic.
If the battleships are ever needed
anywhere In the worlds it will be at
some point in the Pacific and, when
j they are needed here, the urgency of
tne case win do sucn mac mere wiu
be no time to bring them over a 15.-000-mlle
stretch. The ships should be
kept where they are now anchored
until they are needed for actual duty
in upholding the dignity and power of
the United States.
OLD-JTEW OAS ADA.
The colonization of Canada ' by
Champlain 300 years ago will be cele
brated at Quebec the coming Summer.
The Province of Quebec is said to rep
resent the past in its rural conditions
and the customs of its people more
faithfully than any other . section of
the American continent. The primi
tive devices of civilization "here suffice
for the comfort of a. contented, un
questionably religious and simple
minded people. Neither poverty nor
riches is their portion. -The first con
dition is impossible where individual
and family thrift prevail; the latter Is
equally Impossible where, in the gen
eral estimate of the people, a suffi
ciency to meet the common wants of
life is enough.
The new Western provinces of the
Dominion of Canada are as unlike the
old Eastern provinces as growth is un
like a settled condition as American
energy and enterprise are unlike plod-P
ding French Canadian simplicity. This
spirit of latter-day enterprise it is the
policy of the x government, both at
home and in Great Britain, to encour
age and assist in every practical way
in the newer provinces, while still pro
tecting and cherishing, as Is seemly,
the customs and traditions of the peo
ple of the old colonies of Eastern Can
ada.. The Western dominion has had
marvelous development through means
of rapid communication and a wise
policy in encouraging settlers to pos
sess and develop the lands has pre
vailed. The United States has paid
tribute to the wisdom of this policy in
the last decade by giving a large farm
ing population to the prairie lands of
Manitoba and Winnipeg. The Scandi
navian countries have also sent out a
sturdy yeomanry to possess and till
this American-British soil In response
to the opportunities offered. Ahd yet
great areas invite settlement and v the
government continues to offer strong
inducements to settlers of the agricul
tural class.
To bind more closely the Interests of
the, mother country with those of this
great, abounding empire of the west is
the constant aim of the British minis
try. 'In pursuance of this purpose the
Prince of Wales will cross over to Que
bec in a few weeks to lead in the cele
bration of the trl-centennial of that
quaint old province. He will not push
through to the Northwest and Pacific
provinces this time, as upon the occa
sion of his last visit to Canada, the pol
icy being to give the American sub
jects of the British crown only such
evidences of representative royal
power as will please them without sur
feit. "Though we have been success
ful In many ways," said the Prince of
Wales at a banquet In London recent
ly, when speaking of the development
of Canada, "we must not lose sight of
our common Interests, alms and ob
jects and the supremacy of Britain as
a world power, based upon the loy
alty of, her people wherever her flag
of empire floats."
That the velvet hand of peaceful de
velopment may not be without proper
power to protect what it covers In case
of emergency, the Prince concluded
his speech with the hope that substan
tial progress may be made in thor
oughly grappling the problem of im
perial defense in these dominions be
yond the sea. England has "some
thing worth fighting for" In Canada,
and In accordance with the estimate of
Admiral Evans, which Is based upon
the experience of all history, war will
always be a contingency to be reck
oned with while this is the case.
Hence the wisdom of being prepared
for war in equipment that, means
something to the would-be aggressor.
RAILROAD ACCIDENTS DECREASING.
The Accident Bulletin of the Inter
state Commerce Commission, giving
details of railroad accidents in the
United States for the three months
ending1 December 81, 1907, shows a
marked decrease In number of acci
dents, and in loss of life. The figures
are of exceptional Interest, reflecting
as they do the extent to which human
life is Involved in the complex work
ings of our economic system. The de
cline in railroad traffic, as shown by
railroad earnings statements for the
past eight months. Is of course re
sponsible for some of the decrease
In the number of accidents, as it Is
hardly to be expected that there would
be as many disasters when the num
ber of trains in operation had been
reduced as there would be when the
roads were working up to their ca
pacity. . .
The total number of passengers and
employes killed from all causes in
connection with railroad work was
1092, compared with 1430 for the cor
responding period in 1906. The em
ployes as usual made np the largest
part of the death list, 199 being killed
In train accidents, compared with 294
for the corresponding' date In the pre
vious year; while of the total of pas
sengers and employes meeting death
from all causes, 1011 were employes,
compared with 1196 for the three
months ending December, 1906. The
most remarkable decrease shown Is
In the number of passengers killed In
train accidents, there being but 21
deaths, under this heading, compared
with .180 in the same period in 1906.
That It is the railroads and their em
ployes who have become more care
ful than the traveling public. Is no
ticeable in the statement that there
was an Increase from 54 to 61 in the
number of fatal accidents to passen
gers, due largely to their own negli
gence or want of caution.
This item also reflects the condition
of the passenger traffic, for, while
there has been heavy shrinkage in the
volume of freight traffic, but few of
the roads have reported decreases In
passenger -earnings. The decreases in
the number of accidents to trainmen
can in part be attributed to the small
er number of trains moving, but there
has undoubtedly been more caution
displayed, and the men have been
working under less pressure than was
In evidence when every road in the
country was working both men and
equipment up to capacity. Not only
have the operatives bad the advantage
of more rest, but with the larsre num-!
ber thrown out of employment by the
slackening in business, there has been
a much better opportunity for the rail
roads to pick only the best men, and
not be obliged to put up with any
good, bad or indifferent' kind of a man
that could be pressed Into service.
But, while there have been decreases
in the number killed, the number of
minor collisions and accidents shows
but little change. In the thre months,
the damage to cars, engines and road
way, by accidents amounted to J2.
962,470. Due allowance must of
course be made for the vastly changed
conditions which existed during the
closing months of 1906 and 1907, but,
aside from these changed conditions,
it is apparent that there is a growing
tendency toward more careful han
dling of trains. Wrecks are always
expensive for the railroads, both
through loss of money, and In pres
tige, and! with the increasing use of
safety appliances and more stringent
rules governing employes, there should
be continued decrease in the number
of killed and wounded.
BtTYTNQ BOOKS. 1
Newspaper writers make a great
deal of fun of the bucolic sojourner
who blows out the gas, of the honest
farmer who buys gold bricks, and of
the village 'smarty," who tries to
make a fortune handling green goods;
but It really seems as if people of
wealth" and wide experience were as
easy to swindle as the rustic, only
the sharper must go about his busi-
ness in. a different way. We are moved
mak tm,s "mark by the current
story of a clever book agent who has
plied his seductive arts In Portland,
Chicago and probably elsewhere, so
successfully that many wealthy people
who ought to have known better than
to be fooled by him are now lament
ing their misplaced confidence. This
agent dealt In "rare editions," "edi
tions de luxe," and that sort of thing.
He played upon that trait of human
nature which makes much of the out
side of things and cares little or noth
ing for the inside. It is a trait which
la displayed by all classes of people
in buying books. The results of Its
work are on exhibition In almost
every farm house in the country as
well as in the libraries of the rich.
Think of the collections of books
In many farmers' dwellings. There
will be half a dozen horrors from the
Government, departments, a huge Bi
ble, which is too sumptuous to be
read, and a stately row of volumes
purchased from agents. Some of the
titles are easy to recall, "Mother,
Home and Heaven," "Travels in the
Holy Land," "Science and the Bible,"
"Every Man His Own Physician," and
so forth. One can imagine the recipe
which Is used in preparing these de
ceptive books. First an attractive
title is selected. Then the binding is
arranged, something striking and
gaudy. Then a few miserable pic
tures are devised. Last of all, ahd
least important, the contents of the
book, the reading matter Is thrown
together without either accuracy or
literary merit. The religion in these
books is sheer sentimentality, mawk
ish and crude; the science Is seldom
anywhere near the truth; the history
is misleading. They are products of
greed appealing to ignorance and van
ity. They are not made to be- read,
but to be looked at.
At the other end of the scale is the
millionaire who buys rare editions,
limited . editions, unique copies,
and - so on. These people are
much derided by genuine book
lovers for their Ignorance and
credulity. An extensive Industry has
grown up in this country of late
years, which consists in the manu
facture of rare and exclusive editions
to sell to millionaires. Of course
many of them are honestly manufac
tured, but some of them are hum
bugs. The agent tells his victim that
only a few copies have been printed
and then the plates destroyed, that the
edition Is sure to become of priceless
value within a few years and that for
tunate owners of the rare copies then
in existence can sell them for fabulous
sums. The victim gobbles the bait and
a few months later he Is confronted
with copies of his rare and exclusive
edition for sale in the second-hand
bookstores by the dozen and for a
third the price he paid.
We have no fault to find with the
man who frankly buys his books to or
nament a room. Just as he buys pic
tures. Neither do we wish to waste
words upon the bibliophile who buys
them because nobody else has them,
or because there Is a misprint on a
certain page, or because they are old,
or because the type is illegible. His
case is hopeless. He is joined to his
idols and it is best to let him alone.
But It truly seems as If it ought to be
possible to teach farmers and other
people who wish to read good books
how to select what they want instead
of taking what the agent offers them.
It has sometimes occurred to us that
It would be an excellent plan for
teachers, in the schools to make their
scholars memorize lists of the best
books in the world, bo that when they
come to buy they, will have some
sort of standard and not waste their
money upon chimeras and mockeries.
Nor would we confine these lists to
the "classics."
It is to be feared that the worship
of Shakespeare, Milton, Gibbon and
their compeers has done much harm
inchecking the reading habit. Peo
ple in general cannot enjoy these au
thors To read them is a' task unless
the mind has been prepared for it by
long training la the appreciation of
Btyle, sublime thought and intricate
argument. Here and there an excep
tional person is born to read such au
thors with pleasure, but not the com
mon man. If he reads at all it must
be something else. Still, when he asks
for advice about buying books he is
told to begin with.-The Decline and
Fall and follow that up with Paradise
Lost: Now, this is a calamity. He
ought to be told to begin with some
author jOf his own generation who is
aglow with the Ideas ,of the times.
Literature is a living thing. Each
generation produces its own books,
just as each Spring produces its own
flowers. The blossoms of this May
are not so beautiful, perhaps, as those
of the Mays which Dante saw on the
hills of Florence, but they are our
own, and we must make the best of
them. For eveTybody but exceptional
persons the rule ought, to be to be
gin by reading living authors and
gradually work back to the past.
How much about living writers is
taught in the schools? What do pu
pils, or teachers, either, know about
the men ' who are .thinking the
thoughts of our day and, therefore,
moulding the world for the future?
Workers like Miss Marvin of the
State Library Commission are doing
a great deal to spread knowledge of
books among the people of Oregon,
but who is helping them? How many
teachers in the public schools outside
of Portland have read a dozen modern
books?
Methodlsts assembled in general
conference in Baltimore are proving
themselves politicians of the modern
type. So says Dr. Goodell, one of the
finest platform orators In the church,
an evangelist of approved character
and methods, and a man who for 22
years has filled some of the greatest
pulpits of the denomination, but
against whom bitter opposition has
been developed in the balloting for
bishops. It seems that Dr. Goodell
was divorced from his first wife in
1886. Notwithstanding the fact that
the divorce was asked -and granted
for the "Scriptural reason," the fact
that he was divorced was sprung
against him at a critical point, and
carried such weight with his brethren
of sacerdotal dignity, that he dropped
from the fifth to the tenth place on
the first ballot that was taken after
this element . was introduced in the
contest. This action Is characterized
by Dr. Goodell as "a political move
ment, which Is beneath the dignity of
the average political convention." Fair-
minded persons generally will agree
with this . estimate.
Unless you and your neighbors feel
now and have felt for some time past
a need for the constitutional amend
ments that' have been proposed, It Is
a safe plan to vote "No." Unless you
can give some direct and practical rea
son, why the constitution should be
amended, the proposed change must
be unnecessary. The burden of proof
is" upon the man or organization that
proposes an amendment. If you are
not convinced beyond a reasonable
doubt that the proposed measure Is a
wise one, don't give It your approval.
Read the bills and proposed amend
ments, and If in your best judgment
they should be enacted or adopted.
then vote ""Ees," but don't vote for
them just because some faddist asks
you to.
A speaker before the Federated
Trades Council Friday evening as
serted that the real cause of intem
perance in this country lies In our in
dustrial system. The weak point In
this argument is that our present In
dustrial system, dealing as It does with
steam and electricity as motors, and of
necessity employing men to work its
powerful enginery, has done more
to eliminate the man who drinks
heavily from its service and thus
make for temperance than all other
agencies working in the temperance
field put together.
Now that Mr. Cake has again pro
claimed' his rigid and unfaltering ad
herence to Statement No. 1, his pem
ocratlc opponents, newspaper and oth
erwise, are more dissatisfied than ever.
However, there Is no need to try and
satisfy any Democrat about this mat
ter; It will certainly not do Mr. Cake,
or any other Republican candidate any
good whether they are satisfied or not.
Democrats Intend to vote against Cake
anyway.
Why does not the woman wTio has
reached the age of discretion and at
tained to the dignity that puts away
childish things, and whose baptismal
name is "Mary," eschew such baby
diminutives as "Mae," "Mamie,"
"Mayme" and "Mazie?" Why, ex
cept that she is frivolous beyond her
years, or haB little conception of the
true dignity that, is conferred by a
sweet, womanly name?
Another annual report of the State
Insurance Commissioner .shows that
the Insurance companies receive 82
from policy holders for every $1 they
pay back. Yet, If one were to remark
that this indicates excessive charge for
insurance, there would be a loud pro
test from the companies and endless
explanations of the need for bo large
a margin".
The Democrats of Washington are
anxious and willing to submit the pro
hibition question to the people, and.
say so In their platform; but the Dem
ocrats have profound confidence In the
good Judgment of the Republican ma
jority in that state; and their action is
causing no great excitement In Demo
cratic ranks.
It really begins to look as If the
Idaho Democrat were tired pf the
tiresome Dubois and his tiresome Mor
mon issue. Defeat Is a good thing for
a Democrat, but obliteration Is not yet
gratefully Invited by the Democratic
rank and file.
Will wonders never cease? Here
we have It on the authority of the
friends of the late Benjamin F. Carl
lng, late of Chicago, that one of the
skeletons unearthed at the Gunness
farm core a strong resemblance to
him.
Just now there are people In Oak
land, California, who are wishing that
that largest - airship - In - the - world
scheme had been just plain hot air.
Then they would have had nothing
broken but their pockets.
Editor Harden, who told the troth
about some of the German court but
terflies, and went to Jail for It, gets a
new trial. But somebody has to go
"to jail for that affair, and now its Zu
Eulenberg's turn.
The Methodists turned down a man
for bishop because he had been di
vorced away back in 1886. When you
get a wife, keep her. Is the Methodist
view. It's also the Mormon practice.
It is rumored again that Prince
Helie and Anna Gould were actually
married before they sailed away on
that experimental honeymoon. That
sounds better.
The Portland ball team should re
member that there's many a slip be
tween the pennant and the cellar.
Since Chamberlain wants party lines
disregarded, how would it do for a lot
of Democrats to vote for Cake?
Mr. Fairbanks will not accept the
Vice-Presidency. Sure not. Not un
less he can get It.
Well, It may not be real baseball,
but It's a first-class imitation, and it
will do.
Getting Governor Chamberlain on"
the defensive makes some difference,
doesn't it?
VERSE.
BY HARRY MURPHY.
America.
i
America! of God-like sires,'say
Where is the promise of thy early day?
The day thy bannered stripe and stars
unfurled
A hope and message o'er a bondaged
. world ;
When freemen's tumult woke the tlnsel'd
drone V
From dream of thousand years on velvet
throne? m
America! Who set the bu;ls to
Thy lips and for the right and reason
blew
A blast that shook the ancient Idols
down!
America! Where is the high renown
The purpose and the promise of that
time? v
Where-are the simple men ef deed sub
lime On freedom's field, in Justice's holy hall
Men deaf to whispering self at country's
call?
Gone, all gone! O my country, great
Has been thy fall from-yesterday' es
tate!
America! of Washington the pride!
Iso longer virtue is thy goaaess-guiae.
Now avarice and tyranny aad wrong
And all their unclean crew around thee
throng.
Thou who erst bade oppression' fetter
burst-
Ot wide earth' despots now are all but
first.
Thick! thlnkl my country, of thy former
fame.
Then, ere too late, think of thy present
shame;
Thy courts become the scheming rich
man's tool;
Thy senates, councils, subtle knavery'
school;
Thy children murdered by the mine and
wheel';
Thy helpless babes dead at their poisoned
meal
Poison that makes thy soldiers shrink
A foe more dread than frowning enemy;
Thy weaklings wasting wealth they scorn
' to win
In contest to contrive ome newer 1n;
Thy carlet victims Bpurned Into a ditch;
Thlnkl of thy growing poor, thy shrink
ing rich I
America I redeem thy destiny 1
Arise and play' thy high-born parti To
thee
The nations turn. Heaven leans to learn
thy fate.
Arise, and rear the pillars of the state
Of selflessness and song! shed from thy
soul
Greed's apathyl Strike from their high
Mintml
The brutal breed of Mammon! Forever
hence
Thrust privilege, tradition and pretense!
Uplift humiliated men; restore
Their ' plundered manhood! Rise, my
country, for
Behold! the dark horizons gleam and
break
Where dawn the Purpose Purified.
Awake!
Intrepid Titanes of youthful might.
The onward world swings splendid into
light.
Nate Day.
Twas long ago my fair ship called.
Sailed o er the distant sea
And what though all but hop ha failed.
It will return to me.
I know, I know the breakers' roar.
The head-wind'B chill with apray.
Yet I will wait beside the shore;
My ship will come some day.
The Happy Land.
I long to tread the land that gleam
Beyond the Summer seas;
Those shining shores that edge my dream.
So fairer far than these.
But when I stand toil-worn and weak
Amid those ecene I find, v
Alas I the Happy Land I seek
Is that I left behind.
DICKENS' CHARAOTML .
Srnator Jeff avU and "Martin Cb.na
alewlt."
Chicago Record-Herald.
"Martin Chuzzlewit" was published m
1843, when this country was pretty fresh
, a imiijirallv Influenced
ana rttw n --
by a frontier society than it is today. That
its American scenes coniameu muuu -.u
broad satire is undeniable, and Americans
did not relish them, though they were
highly delighted when Dickens bad fun
with his own countrymen. There were
Indignant denials, which are still heard
from the lips of young persons whose
memory does not go back a quarter of a
century and who have had no experience
of the crudities which were a fair enough
target tor vtstuur ui u-
But there is in the living present an In
dividual who completely obscures all the
imaginary characters of Dickens' story.
There never was such another snorting
patriot, such a ranting actor, such a
spouter of grandiloquent nothings, such a
cruel murderer of the English language.
We refer to the Hon. Jeff Davis, Sena
tor from Arkansas. It is said that during
his latest deliverance not "more than half
a dozen Senators were in the Senate
chamber at the same time, and that "his
colleague. Senator Clarke, was the only
one remaining in his seat throughout,
and he looked as If he felt ashamed to he
there."
Any one but Davis must necessarily
havo, felt ashamed. The whole country
should feel heartily ashamed of the
Davis performance. This "Arkansas
Bear" is ceasing to be a Joke.
INTELLIGENT REVISION OF TARIFF
Crystallisation of Such a Movement, bnt
Tinkering; la Barred.
Chicago Post.
In spite of blind opposition, tariff re
vision is slowly gaining ground in Con
gress and by the sheer weight of the
intelligent support behind it. Those
who hold the tariff is not a political
plaything or party slogan cannot but
regret that tho Beverldsre bill for an
expert commission has failed of suc
cess in Washington, but with this wise
measure smothered the next best thing
seems sure of accomplishment. In the
interim between the present and the
next session of the National Legisla
ture an investigation Is to he made
which promises to be more than super
ficial and perfunctory.
This agreeable assurance was forth
coming when the Senate on Saturday
adopted the resolution drawn by Sen
ator Beveridge and preaented by the
committee on finance authorizing tho
employment of Government experts
"and such other assistants as may be
necessary" to secure the Information
needed for "an intelligent revision of
the customs laws of the United States."
An intelligent revision is what the
countrv needs more perhaps than any
thing else that it can receive from the
hands of Congress. Tinkering with the
tariff will do no good; in fact, it will
do harm, while an equitable readjust
ment will allay the uncertainty and re
move the injustices which now rest
heavilv unon the commercial and indus
trial interest of the Nation,