The Corvallis gazette., November 30, 1894, Image 4

'OA
, WHY?
Oh haunting word, which through all j
aires past I
Has mocked and tempted all who
- dared to think!
Those who from Wisdom's fount
would deeply drink
To quench their thirst unslaked by
learning vast
Must come unto that time, their ques
tions cast
Back in their teeth, they pause
upon the brink
Of Wisdom's deepest well, and
sadly think
This baffling word must ever be the
last!
But then Faith whispers, "In another
To questioning souls an answer
shall be given
When all the tangled threads of
Untangled be; all "things that rex ub
here
Explained." Ah thien Indeed will
it be Heaven,
Whei eyes long blinded by earth
'dust shall see!
MAY HENRY.
Salem, Or., Not. 14th.
Indiarubber Buttonhole.
HERE . were really two
John Stimpsons. One of
them sliced off staaks and
cut up chops all day long
In the market, worrying
over the rise in Chicago
beef and the unremitting
jrrowth of Mrs. Sklpout's
account But when this John Stlmp-
son had eaten his supper, put on his
Upper and lighted his big-bowled
pipe, in some way he disappeared
somewhere. Then it was that the
other John Stimpson came forth from
some other somewhere, and, watching
the smoke thlrough half-open eyes,
began to think.
This latter faculty the first John
Stlmpsou did not have, but bis double
was a perfect prodigy In that line.
He meditated by the hour, and then,
sensible man, told his wife of what he
had been thinking. And she was Us
much interested as if it were a fairy
story, as, Indeed, It often was. She
herself was not a great thinker, but
knitted Industriously and counted
stitches.
"Kath," said this second John Stimp
son one evening, "what do you sup
pose I've been thinking about?"
"Hm let me guess," said she.
"About that going to the North pole
In the big balloon?"
"No, it isn't that Fact is, that has
entirely slipped my mind for a day
or two. It's, something like that,
though." He waited a moment for
his wife to guess again.
She shook her head. "I give it up,"
she said; "come, tell me." She was
not a very good guesser.
"Well," said he, smoking slowly,
' "it is about a new kind of railroad.
You know people nowadays are all
the time talking about rapid transit
The horse cars don't go fast enough
and the trains are too slow. They
can't run a train more than 70 or 80
miles an hour and have it stay on the
track. And when you think If it, that
really is too. slow. Here we can talk
over these long-distanoe telephones
500 miles in less than no time; then
why shouldn't we travel at something
like the same rate?"
"Mercy!" said his wife, "I should be
afraid I couldn't breathe."
"Oh, yes, you could," said John
Stimpson. "The air would go right
along with the car, just as it does
now. The two things to think of are
how to make the car go fast enough
and how to keep It on the track.
Now I'll tell you what I'd do.
"I'd lay out a straight road from
New York to Chicago. For what
goes fast must go straight I'd fence
tola track in with a high board fence,
so that no one would be run over
unless he wanted to enough to take a
ladder and climb the fence. On the
sleepers, instead of regular rails, I'd
have rails a foot wide and a foot
thick, hollowed out so that there
would be a sort of big deep slot run
ning tun wmoie lengui. 'j.he car
wouldn't run on wheels, for it takes
ume ror wheels to turn. It would
run on two steel skates. eohi? the
length f the car and fitting into the
slots in the rails. Make the skates
and the slots smooth as glass and oil
them well. Have your skate-irons
broaden out at the bottom and have
me slots shaped In the same wv
Then the skates can't get out of the
slots, and consequently the car can't
run on tne track."
' "Yes," said his wife; 4but how is
your car going to skate? It hasn't
any legs."
"That's just what I was coming to,"
continued John Stimpson. "It has
got to be pulled along, and by elec
tricity, of course. Electricity is the
essence or an creation. Now you
have seen these horseshoe masrnets
work: hold one close to a piece of
steel, and it draws It up click. Well,
my idea is that you can draw a car
on the same principle. Have your car
made of steel. Have a lot of big
magnets lying along between the
rails and connected by wires so that
you can keep the mag-rets full of
uieciricity rrom stationary engines
every twenty miles. Fix each mag
ret with a little projecting finger so
that when the car is drawn up to it,
the electricity will be shut off from
that magnet and switched ahead to
the next magnet That one in turn
would pull the car up to it, and so
on. Run an overhead wire the whole
length of the road with a steel rod
rrom the car touching it and through
this the engineer can turn the elec
tricity on in the magnets, shut it off,
or reverse it m this way he can
regulate the speed. And the speed,
whew! Why, he can travel as fast as
the electricity itself! But I think, on
tne wnoie, aoout a thousand miles an
nour would be safer."
"John Stimpson! Don't vou think
I will ever ride on your car. What
ir it ran off the track!"
"It can't run off the track. I tell
you. But even if it did, there wouldn't
De any suffering such as we read
about now no people roasted alive or
scalded to death. I think even that
Is an Improvement, for their friends
wouldn't have anything to ' worry
over." And John Stimpson knocked
the ashes from his pipe and began to
shake down the stove.
Now, although this John Stimpson
was an ingenious sort of fellow, he
never thought of converting his in
genuities into cash.' He did not sit up
nights trying to make working models,
nor did he run around days consult
ing pate it lawyers and strivirg to In
terest capitalists. With this prosaic
business he had nothing whatever to
do. Thus he had the pleasure of in
venting without any of the pains,
which is not. a bad thing. .
Among the novelties in which the
second .John Stimpson delighted was
the idea of making newspapers with
out type, He was several evenings,
evolving this, and his wife became so
Interested that she was impatient to
have it finished. When he finally did
eet it done that is. in his head it
was a rather complicated thing.
"I'm afraid, Kath, that I haven't
got the spreading clutch in the type
writer so that it will Work, but that
is a mere matter of mechanism, after
all. The principle of the thing Is
right Make a typewriter copy of
each piece that Is to go Into the paper.
Have each one complete In itself on a
ltng strip of thick cardboard. Have
the typewriter so constructed with a
spreading clutch that it will print
each line just even full every time.
Hanging against the wall have a big
fac-simile of each page of the paper,
blank all but the column rules and
the heading, with the distance be
tween the column rules just the width
of the sheets of card-board. Slide
these printed slips of card-board in
between the column rules wnerever
you want them to go, until the page is
full. Then with a big camera take a
nhotoeraoh of ttee whole page, make
a zinc plate reproduction, stereotype
it and there you are. You have seen
these little baby fac-similes of news
papers; this last part of It Is done
it st like that"
"But when the sun didn't shine we
wouldn't get any paper."
"They take pictures now by elec
tric liaht Kath."
"I suppose they do; they have to
have electricity in everything now.
And their wires aie getting crossed
v erv dav or two killing people and
horses, till I'm almost afraid to go
down street "I should think, John,
vou mieht fix them somehow!"
John said he would attend to it the
very next thing. The following night,
almost as soon as he began to think,
it came to him.
"I have it, Kath; I have it the first
thins. Soun elass! Cover the wires
with spun gloss. Weave it on the
wire when vou make the wire. It
will bend and won't break; it will
never wear out and It will keep elec
trieitv rhrht on the wire. All the
wires on a street could be twisted
together Into one cable, and not a bit
of electricity could get from one wire
to another."
And be pulled at his pipe with an
air of triumph.
"John Stimpson," said his wife sud
denly, holding up his butcher's jump
er, "I do believe you are growing
stout The lower buttonhole In this
jumper Is torn clear to the binding
and the button is coming off. tanu
up a minute and try it on. I want to
see what I must do."
So John Stimpson laid down his
pipe and put on his jumper, and stood
holding up first one elbow and then
the other. 1
"Hm-m," said his wife; "that jump
er won't last but a week or two, any
way; It's all worn through on the
shoulders. And when the button is
sewed on as It should be, you can't
make it meet the buttonhole. Let
me see."
She took from her work-basket a
little narrow India-rubber band, put
it through the bittonhole, slipped one
end of the rubber band through the
other, and buttoned the loop over the
button.
"There," said she, "now you can
grow all you want to; the rubber will
give."
Next day at the shop a shrewd
clothing manufacturer caught sight
of John Stimpson's -India-rubber
buttonhole. To make a long story
short, the butcher and the clothing
manufacturer had the buttonhole
patented, and thoughtful John Stimp
son and his wife are worth this day
a hundred thousand dollars.
NICKELS IN THEIR EARS.
A Chinaman boarded a Third ave
nue cable car one day last week, and
seating himself in a corner lapsed into
the condition of limp apathy char
acteristic of his race. His shoulders
sloped forward and Inward, his head
dropped, and his. hands rested open-
palmed upon his knees. When the
conductor came around with his
usual salutation of "Fare, please,"
the Celestial didn't make a move.
"Fare, please," repeated the con
ductor. "Come, wake ud. there."
Solemnly the passenger looked up
at the official. Then he put his band
up and scratched his ear meditatively.
When he brought It down his fingers
clasped a nickel which, he handed
over to the conductor. The conductor
smiled and returned to the platform.
but an inquisitive passenger was much
mystified as to where the nickel came
from. Presently another Oriental
boarded the car, and still another.
for there are many Chinamen about
Chatham square.' The inquisitive pas
senger watched them closely when
the conductor entered, and saw both
of them scratch their ears before pay
ing. He concluded that it must be
a superstition and asked the con
ductor about it .
"Why, they carry their nickels In
their ears," said the conductor. "Whon
a Chink starts to go on a car he" al
ways sets a nickle In his car. Per-
napB its for convenience. If it isn't
I don't know why they do It; but
they always get the money with a
quick movement It used to puzzle
me at first, but I soon got onto them.
Now, when a Chink boards my car
a.uu laiis aeieep in a corner, quite a
common performance with them, I
simply get his fare from the right
ear, for that's the one they carrv
it in."
At this point a Chinaman got on the
car, ana me inquisitive passenger
looked at his right ear. Sure enough,
ouugijr ubteu in, was a nickel. N. Y.
Sun.
RIGHT KIND OF MUTTON.
Very much more mutton would be
eaten in the United States if we only
grew the right kind. Very much of
wnai we grow is leathery, lean meat
which nobody would eat with a. re,nh
We have been growing sheep very
KMst lor wuck, nence, in nearly all
pants of the country, we have hut fow
really first-class mutton sheep.. If we
grew good, tender, juicy mutton we
would soon find our people calling for
more of it so that we would have to
greatly enlarge our producing capac
ity to supply the demand.
But before we come to that we have
a duty to perform to ourselves. We
should have mutton to use on our
farms. And we may have it if we
only set to work to get it. I don't
mean that tough, lean-mutton, such as
Is so often pat upon the market in
this country, but good, young, tender
mean as once able to impart strength
and Bo produce muscle, such as is
wanted on our farms. Now we can
have this kind of meat if we only set
w wore to ges it Prof. Shaw, in
r am, oux'k ana Home. ,
A - LIGHT ASSESSMENT.
Portland. Nov. 27. The tax roll of
Multnomah county was completed to-
nigSt and shows the total amount of
taxable property to be S19.000.000.
against 190,000,000 a jeax o, , .
THE SILVER QUESTION!
The English Bimetal-
lists Interiiewed.
ADDreciation of Gold and
Business Values.
British Bimetalists Are Agreed Tbat
Silver Hast Be Used as
Standard Money.
While that eminent statist and tute
lary guardian of British statistics,
Dr. Robert Giffen, sits in Whitehall
Gardens and declares bankers and
financial men of England will not
listen to bimetallism, the younger and
more enterprising are taking the bit
in their own mouths and listening
with undisguised attention to college
professors and statesmen who have
broken away from the obstinate, un
intelligent inertia of the average Lon
don financial leader writer. Today
I flnd--and in this Professor Foxweli,
professor of political economy in St
John's college, Cambridge, Eng., v en
tirely . agrees supporting bimetallism
the leading living professors of pollt
ical economy in England and Europe,
Indian statesmen and finaece minis
ters, the principal exchange, bankers
and merchants, who have a profound
and a practical knowledge of theee
subjects. Members of parliament of
all shades of politics, from A. J. Bal
four, Sir W. Houldsworth, and Mr.
Chaplin, to - Jacob Blight, George
Howard, Samuel Smith, Leonard
Courtney, R. L. Everett, S. Montagu,
and Vesey Knox, some 150 in all;
three ex-govejrnors and present di
rectors of the Bank of England; the
finance ministers of nearly all the
leading nations in the world (Ger
many and Austria are only awaiting
England's lead); the manufacturers
of Lancashire and Yorkshire, of Dun
dee, Leith, and Glasgow; the most
enlightened 'agriculturists, like Mr.
Heneage, Clare Sewell Read, and Mr.
R. L. Everett; and last, though not
least, the leaders of the trades unions
in Lancashire and elsewhere, Bristol
Included. The Manchester Guardian,
the Manchester Courier, the Financial
News, the editors of 'which under-
stand the question, are among the
leading organs in the press on the
side of silver.
The opponents are Lombard street
bankers, the gold monopolists and
money lenders, and some highly paid
or highly pensioned treasury and
board of trade officials; the city edi
tors of the Times, Standard, Daily
News, Economist, and Statist, whose
purview of this subject is, as Profes
sor Foxweli said to me, limited to the
next settling day on the Stock Ex
change, and whose Insignificance is
sheltered under the anonymous edi
torial "we," but who, if they signed
their venomous articles, would be ap
praised at their true value against
such authorities as Professor Fox
well, Nicholson, and Sidgwiek, Sir
Louis Mallet Sir D. Barbour, H. H.
Glbbs. Mr. Grenfall, and Sir William
Houldsworth.
THE ENGLISH IDEA.
"Will you," I asked Professor Fox
well, "kindly define for American
traders the present attitude of the
English bimetallists?"
"I may say that English bimetal
lists find themselves in complete
agreement with General Francis A.
Walker In regard to the settlement of
existing monetary dlfflcuit4es. I do
not know that I can better describe
their position than by saying that
the views of leading bimetallists here,
whether In the world of business and
politics or at the universities, are
practically the same as those of what
Is sometimes called the 'gold' party
in the United States. That is to say,
we are opposed to all purchase
schemes, all mere manipulations of
silver, all partial and local attempts
at its demonetization. Nothing less
than international free mintage of
both metals appears to us calculated
to bring about a lasting and final set
tlement of all the very serious difficul
ties into which the world's trade has
been plunged by the fateful demone
tization of 1873. We can sympathize
of course, with the sufferings and the
Injustice which have led to the ex
treme demand of your populist and
Western parties, but we do not be
lieve that anything less than Interna
tional bimetallism will give a general
feeling of monetary security; and
unless public confidence Is restored
temporary palliatives will not have
any very sensible effect! They will
probably be followed by mischievous
reactions and will prove, in the long
run, to have only resulted in postpon
ing the true and durable settlement."
"I believe one of our distinguished
statesmen. Hon. W. C. Whitney, has
been in England this 'summer making
some observations of bimetallism; did
you have the pleasure of meeting
him?"
"Yes. I had the pleasure of meeting
Mr. Whitney, and must say that I
liked him very much. He appears to
be an exceedingly clear-minded, con
servative man, anxious to obtain all
the information possible in relation
to the bimetallic movement in Europe.
So far as I could gather, his views
on the monetary question were very
much in agreement with the cautious,
conservative views entertained by our
leading bimetallists. I think such
men as Mr. Balfour and Mr? Whitney
view the question from very similar
standpoints. When this question
again comes under consideration in
Europe I firmly believe we shall find
such men as Balfour and Whitney
working together in general sym
pathy and agreement"
THE BIMETALLIC LEAGUE.
"Are there any other of our public
men who take an interest in the work
of the Bimetallic league In England T
"Yes; we received - the " following
cable at our international conference
this year:
"We desire to express our cordial
sympathy with the movement to pro
mote the restoration of silver by in
ternational agreement, in aid of which
we understand a meeting is to be
held tomorrow under your lordship's
presidency. We believe that the free
coinage of both gold and silver by
international . agreement at a fixed
ratio would secure to mankind the
blessing of a sufficient volume of me- j
tallic money, and, what, is hardly lessi
important would secure to the wo-ria
of trade immunity from violent ex
change fluctuations.
John Sherman, "V '-
D. W VoorbeM
JG. F. Hoax, v 'J ':! '- -. .
D. B. Hill,
C. Brlce,
A. D. Gorman,
C. K. "Davis,
J. SI. Carey,
William B. Allison," -
II. C. Lodge,
N. W. Aldrich, . .
E. Murphy, .
O. H. Piatt,
W. P. Frye,
S. M. Cullom,
United States senators..
"This was greeted," continued Pro
fessor Foxweli, "with deafening ap-
sor Foxweli?" was the next question
put to the Cambridge professor.
'"ihe cuirent system known as bi-
metallkni," said Mr. Foxweli, "de
pends fcr its explanation upon what,
beyond doubt, is cne cf the ino3t
beautiful results of modern economic
theory of substitution, brought to my
notice by the late Prcfesscr Jevons,
that first attracted me to the study
of the compound or bimetallic stand
ard. But the main interest of the
subject does net lie in these theoret
ical considerations, facinating as they
always are to the expert
ECONOMIC BEARINGS.
"It is the economic and social bear
ings of monetary questions that give
them their ieal human significance.
For myself, at all events, I was not
seriously interested in the proposals
cf the bimetallists until, while inves
tigating the causes of irregularity of
employment, I began to realize how
intimately they cor-ccrned our indus
trial and commercial prosperity and
the condition of labor. Unless I am
entirely mistaken, the present state
cf monetary chaos has most injurious
effects upon ovv foreign trade and our
productive industries; and, in any
case, it will not be denied that inter
ests cf national importance aie in
volved in the monetary policy of the
near future. I doubt, indeed I say
this with some deliberation whether
there hrs been any economic contro
versy agitating this country during
the last fifty years, except the con
troversy on free trade, whose practi
cal issues were so grave and so wide
reaching."
"I understood you to say that pro
fesscrs and teachers of political econ
omy in England are generally favor
able to bimetallism. ' Is there any re
serve to that statement?"
"Fully a year ago I said they were
generally favorable to bimetallism,
and at any rate accented the theory
upon which the practical working of
that monetary system depends. I can
speak now with more confidence in
regard to both points. It may be
partly owing to the natural develop
ment of opinion, partly , to the vivid
light thrown on the situation by the
striking monetary events of last year
but, whatever the cause, there can be
no doubt that economic opinion has
distinctly advanced In the direction
of the views which we advocate, and
there is a greater disposition to aid
in giving practical effect to those
views. Our ranks have received
notable and weighty accession in the
person of Mr. Leonard Courtney,
whose recent speech in Cornwall you
may have seen.
"British economists are practically
unanimous upon what is really the
fundamental point, viz.: that the mon
etary difficulty will never be settled
upon a permanent and satisfactory
basis until silver is again brought
into use as standard money upon the
basis of an international agreement,
There are differences of opinion
among them, naturally, as to the pre
eise ratio between the metals which
will give the best guaranty of stabil
ity, but I do not think these differ
ences will prove to be serious when
we come to the practical settlement
of the question
"Mr. Courtney recently observed
that the appreciation of gold had
more than neutralized all your' efforts
to pay off the' national debt since
1873, even including the" relief afford
ed by Mr. Goshen's conversation of
1888. Do you remember this?'
"I certainly do." rep-led Mr. Fox
well, "and more than that, the same
thing happens in the case of every
private debt, every advance and mort
gage. It is for this reason that the
American nation, and especially
American farmers, are in favor of
bimetallism. They are 'an active, in
dustrious, enterprising community,
and therefore a community of borrow
ers. Here your census statistics in
relation to individual mortgage in
debtedness instruct us. There you
show a fixed charge of $400,000,000
annually on the productive powers of
the nation. It takes nearly double
the amount of grain and farm produce
it formerly did to meet this fixed
charge. Every farmer who has raised
money on his little property finds that
the weight of the loan becomes in
creasingly oppressive as prices fall,
and he naturally objects to be made
the victim of an artificial contraction
of morey. The manufacturer Is In
the same position, and I need not
point out that anything which in
creases the burden of the fixed charge
payable to capital cannot be for the
advantage of labor."
GOLD AND BUSINESS
"In fact if gold continues to appre
ciate business will become so ruinous
and hoarding so profitable thf.t the
parable of the talents will have to
be reversed. The really wise roan
will be the man who buries his talent
in the earth."
"But you are a creditor country, so
urges Mr. Giffen, and, therefore, inter
ested in everything which increases
the value of the gold due your cap
italists?" "I might reply such falsification of
contract s is base and immoral. It
would be unworthy of a great country
to make fraud the aim of its monetary
policy. Even Shylock only pressed for
his pound of flesh. But, as generally
happens, the immoral is also the in
expedient. It has been urged that it
is not to the interest cf a creditor to
crush his debtor. This is undoubtedly
the sound as well as the generous
view. England's greatest interests
rest on the solvency of her debtors
and the prosperity of her customers,
both of them sapped and endangered
by the insidious process of the appre
ciation of gold."
And now I come to one of the most
important and pertinent answers giv
en by professor t oxweu, because
upon it to a very large extent I re
gard hangs the strongest argument
both in favor of bimetallism and a
judicious protective tariff."
"How do yon answer Mr. Glad
stone's and Mr. Glffen's continuous
-statements - that great . progress has
been made 'under a gold monometal
lic policy?" '
"Of course." was the prompt reply,
"progress has been made, for a bad
monetary system cannot neutralize
all the forces of civilization that are
working for improvement But the
rate of advance has very greatly
fallen off. I do not wish to be mis
luMderBtood. Prosperity cannot
be brought about by monetary con-
juring. But if you play tricks with
money ypa may sertoiisb fema projcoangea nam It loo&ea llfie a m&?s
perdty, for the simple reason that you
discourage enterprise.
THE CAUSE OF PROSPERITY.
"The real reason why we prefer
steady or rising to falling prices is
TT , iT
that the former condition stimulates
and the latter contracts production.
SEfiSSF86 PrrIUrfti
the reaJ cause of the prosperity. All
classes ultimately gain by 1 and
peciaily the working class, who form
the great majority of consumers. I
Even the creditor class will profit inl
1" 1
ii;jr in io 6' vi.uv.
thfllr ranitnl lKAd hv the flrenaral
their capital caased by the general
prosperity. In ary case it wouia oe
absurd to sacrifice the interest of the
producer to that of the investor. If
England has become' a great creditor
country it it because she has been a
great producing country, bhe must
make her capital before she can
lend It"
I. thought, aa the earnest British
political economist, uttered these
words, that if they could have only
readied the American workmen in
their full meaning what a blessing it
would have been to our country in
those days of increasing production
and prosperity which came to an end
in 1892, or If that grand statesman,
William McKinley, now concluding
his remarkable campaign in America
could have beard these words spoken
within the sacred precincts of British
learning how he would have rejoiced
to find the greatest economic thinkers
of England thus recognizing the force
of the argument of the greatest prac
tical statesman of the New world,
Again on this question of the fall of
prices Professor Foxweli said: "The
recent coal strike and the demand
for a 'livine wage' may serve to re
mind us of the serious social difficulty
Involved in the fall of prices. At first,
no doubt, the loss is borne by the
employer; but as the margin of profit
melts away trade becomes depressed
and employment contracted, and
money, wages have to fall. If prices
are to fall continuously no power on
earth can prevent some fall in money
wages.
WAGES AND PRICES.
"It is all very well to may that wages
must govern prices, not prices wages.
But prices are governed by the mon
etary e-jpply, and unless the unions
can induce parliament to temedy the
monetary contraction they will find
it vain to attempt to maintain prices.
It will be said, perhaps, that when
prices are falling the lower wage will
buy as much as the old wage did
with higher prices. This is true, but
it is not easy to get men to understand
it. Nothing is more difficult in. prac
tice than the adjustment of wages
to a falling scale of prices. Econo
mically it looks simple enough, polit
ically it may mean revolution. So if
we look at the cry for a 'living wage.
In one sense this is reasonable
enough. There is a minimum of com
fort below which it is neither right
cor economical to work human be
ings."
All honor to Professor Foxweli
That a British political economist
should so boldly enunciate this doc
trine is Indeed a sign that the old
Manchester school of economies has
seen its best days. The Cobden club
today does not number among its
members a single political economist
or any consequence or standing. The
men who, like Professor Foxweli arc
up to date have long since consigned
the old and antiquated fictions which
Professor Sumner and David A. Wells
preach at home to the sepulchers of
expioaea thrones, common errors, and
fallacies which the credulitv and su
periority of mankind have permitted
rrom tame to time to flourish.
Politically it has indeed meant rev
olution in the United States. One
consequence of the further apprecia
tion of gold has been to intensify the
agricultural depression all over Eu
pe. atni especially in England. Most
of the land charges are fixed, and
they weigh more heavily upon the
landowners as gold rises in value.
THE ROOT OF EVHV
u again rents will become more
onerous and further reductions must
follow. In short, the active producer
in every orancn or industry runs the
risk f finding himself, crushed by the
weignt 01 an ever-increasing burden
"In abort," said Professor Foxweli
"the root evil of the present monetary
situation is tne continued apprecia
tion of gold, depressing, as it does, the
enterprise of the industrial class, the
great borrowers, without really im
proving tne position of the comoara
tively inactive class, the leaders of
capital.
"Are you making much headwav?"
"Yes; we have done better this year
man ever oeiore. xou would be sur
mised to find the number of prominent
peopie taKing up the subject and look
ing info it carefully. One they do
this we capture them. Mr. Balfour
has been a tower of strength to us.
Mr. Courtney is likewise an acquisi
tion.
Sir Henry James, one of the most
popular men in England, is now on
our side. Lord Rosebery admits it Is
an important question. Still we don't
reel much like bragging. There is
nothing your busy .man dislikes so
much as to be squarely faced by in
convenient racts which compel him
to reconsider a familiar course of ac
tion, perhaps even to grapple with an
unfamiliar idea. It has been some
what unfairly said that it requires a
surgical operation to get a joke into
a Scotchman, but anyone who has
tried both feats will admit that this
is child's play compared with an effort
required to get a new Idea Into an
Englishman. The Englishman resists
ideas a la outrance. Upon this char
acteristic it Is easy to play. And our
opponents do play upon it, as you
Americans say, for all it Is worth.
They are trying to spread the Idea
thath it is a hopeless complicated
question which the farmers of Eng
land can never master, and that all
college professors and other monetary
cranks are trying to jolly them into
believing. In a country like England
the feeling la most difficult to over
come. FROM ECONOMICS TO MUSIC.
"And now." said Professor Foxweli,
taking out his watch, "we have talked
enough bimetallism for one afternoon,
more, I fear, than your readers will
care to read. If you like good music
come with me to King's College chap
el, and hear a pretty anthem aud an
organ, and singing that will make
you forget political economy and sta
tistics." Soon we were seated in one of the
rarest ecclesiastical buildings in
Christendom, wherein the stonework,
woodwork, and glasswork contend
which shall deserve most admiration.
The soft, rich tones of the organ,
standing nearly in the middle of the
chapel, reverberated through ' the
building. The chapel is still lighted
by innumerable candles. The day
light graudally faded away and the
peculiarly rich tracery of the windows
of gems and then as darkness en-
veloped the chapel almost disappeared
In the superb vaulted stone roof. An
hour of such music and singing with
the shadowy surroundings was well
calculated to bring calm to the most
,;,r T tca
rnamr,t nT1,i nmnifl ia. nf
Wane centuries even up-to-date
f.tl ,i norr.jsti. m ..il,, how
iSSTSd reverence!
.-HhUi ,w nnd imi.
marvelous stniotiires lmt
ese Ssof StoK
and pulverized by each succeeding
ter - liionl of Prion
PtJJai 01 ?u
economics that flourishes
for a generation, only to be sent kit
ing to Jupiter and Mars by the next.
These old specimens of an art almost
lost stand like mighty giants amid
the pigmies of modern architecture.
Robert P. Porter, in Chicago Inter
Ocean. HOP INTELLIGENCE.
A Pacific Hop Growers' Convention
to Organize for Mutual Interests.
The advisability of a convention of
Pacific coast hop growers is set forth
in the American Agriculturist by
James Hart of King county. The
Agriculturist suggests Sacramento as
the place and January 8th as the date
for the proposed convention.- Mr.
Hart says:
Either we must hnd the cause or
presept low prices and apply the rem
edy, or in a short time growers will
not own their farms. It seems to me
certain that there is. first an over
production; second, tne funds of the
farmers were very limited ana tuey
were (as a body) compelled to sell to
renav the amount borrowed for har
vesting; third, brewers have reduced
the quantity, of hops per barrel, so as
to keep the demand within the limit
of the averasre production of former
vears. and I doubt not but sub
stitutes are used for any deficiency.
Acreage is so largely increased on
the Pacific coast that instead of rais
ins about 240.000 bales, the United
States next year is likely to produce
not lesc than 300.000 bales. What
will be done with them? The demand
does not require more than 225,000
bales, and If we have 73.000 bales ex
cess for sale (to which must bo added
the quantity in stock), it seems to me
that the hop industry is fast pursuing
the wild idea of our grain raisei-s;
that is, to grow all you can, market
or no market, and the result will cer
tainly be the same ruin.
Now is the time when growers have
some spare time, and I think a con
ference of representative hop growers,
held early in January, at some central
point where the Pacific coast growers
could meet and discuss this matter in
a business-like manner might save
them thousands of dollars next year.
Let every district in every county call
a meeting, -difcuss the subject and
for, say every twenty-five growers,
elect one delegate. Let him go pre
pared 'with all the data of his dis
trict, number of growers, area in cul
tivation, number of bales for each
past three years, number of bales
raised not gathered, prices paid each
year, cost of production, etc. Gntit
good would result in a practical Avay.
and it would lead to a free exchange
of information in the growing season
and at harvest time.
The local hop market rarely ever
sees a week of more extensive baying
than the one just past. The one im
portant sale, which materially swells
the sum total, is the James F. Clark
erowth of 1115 bales bought by
Hunter & Lamy for 10 cents. But in
addition to this lot, from 2200 to 2400
bales have been picked up by local
de!alfr3. The exact number cannot
be given, for one of the most exten
sive operators this week, is the one
dealer in town who does not report
his transactions to the press. His
purchases are. however, variously es
timated at from 700 to 1000 bales.
The sale of the Mortimer-Wedder-spoon
growth of 120 bales, is attract
ing even more attention than the sale
of the Clark lot. The price is not
made public, but it is generally
agreed to be 12 or 12 cents, with the
ireponderance of opinion in favor of
the latter figure. The lot was an
-xtremely fine sample, hard to match
xnywhere in the country. Samples
ire being brought iu freely, and de
rable lots are being rapidly picked
np.-Otsego Republican.
NEW TO THE CITY MAN.
A gentleman who went Into the
woods region on a hunting excursion
and "put up" at -a farmhouse in a
remote clearing, was annoyed during
the daytime with the abundance of
flies that found access to the house.
But when twilight of evening came
he was treated to an exhibition of
fly catching that more than repaid
him for his vexation. The windows
were opened as the darkness settled
down, and the hostess's tallow dip
only partially dispelled the gloom in
the old-fashioned kitchen, when he
suddenly became aware of odd crea
tures darting to and fro in the room,
often coming almost into his face,
while a queer little noise of "snip,
snip, snip." seemed to follow their
velvety j fluttering motions. For an
instant he was startled, not knowing
what to make of such intruders.
"It's only bats," said the landlady
quietly, as she pursued her work.
"They're catching flies. Don't you
hear 'em snip off their wings? There'll
be hundreds of fly wings on the floor
in the morning."
The gentleman arose early and
looked for the wings, and sure enouzh
the floor and tables were littered with
them. Lewlston Journal.
CONNECTING PACIFIC AND ARC
TIC OCEANS.
The committee of the Siberian rail
road, presided over by Czar Nicolas,
has made an appropriation for a sur
vey for a new railway from Perm to
Kotlao, which is, however, located In
European Russia, but will soon be
connected with the Great Siberian
railway system. The survey for this
line is under the control of a commis
sion of four members, ,two from the
ministry of .finance and two from the
new ministry of agriculture; presided
over by a member from the ministry
PIONEERHKERY
COFFEE SALOON. -
HODES& HALL,
Plain and Fancy ConfectionsIce Cream.
CIGARS::
"OUR. SILVER CHAMPION'," "EELMONT," GENERAL ARTHUR," and
a full line of Smokers' Articles, Come In when hungry M?4 ge$ 'a launch any
hour of the day.
of way communications, Mr. Tolmsaa
cheff, C, E. The new railway starting
from Perm, the actual terminus of the
Oural railway, which, is to be con
nected with the Siberian railroad by
a branch from Ekaterinibourg to Ghe
labinsk, now in course of construction,
will run westerly ' to Vlatka, and
thence northwesterly to Kotlas, near
the. junction of the Nlchehda with the
North Dwina, the latter river being
an old waterway to Archangel, the
oldest Russian harbor on the White
sea. The Perm-Kotlas line, in con
necting the Siberian . railroad with -the
White sea, will put the Pacific In
direct communication with the Arctic
ocean. Railway Gazette.
OCEAN NEWSPAPERS.
They Were Common in the Days of
Clippers, and One Is Stall Published.
Years ago, before the big ocean
liners made a trip from this country
to Europe a matter of only a few
days, and the one way to get to
Europe was by clipper ship, and the
voyage occupied from four to six
weeks, it was the custom to publish
a weekly . newspaper on ooara the
larger ships for the edification of the
passengers. The captain and offlcera
would store up news items before
leaving pdrt and these, enlarged and
greatly embellished, would be made
the leading features of the weekly
issue. Information from the captain's
cabin as to the weather prospects,
and other Interesting scraps of new
of the ship, together with whatever
contributions the passengers cared to
make, would help fill up the paper
and make it an exceedingly attractive
sheet for people a thousand miles
from land. The mid-ocean newspaper
was always a curious-looking affair,
and copies of all the issues were
eagerly sought by collectors when
ever a ship touched port But since
the ocean grayhounds have made the
trip so short the ocean newspaper has
disappeared. A year or so ago, how
ever, the American line began the
publication of newspapers on board
of the big steamers New York and
Pans.
One paper is published each trip,
and is usually run off of the press
when the steamer is four days out
and rolling in the Roaring Forties.
On the Paris the publication is called
the Paris Gazette, while it is the New
York Gazette on the sister bhlp. The
limited printing apparatus on the
steamers makes it impossible to turn
out a very large paper. The sheet Is
about six inches wide and nine Inches
long, and is a four-page affair printed
on manilla paper. The first item of
news that strikes the eye is a descrip
tion of the ship, signed by the cap
tain. This is a stock paragraph, and
is printed in every issue. The daily
runs of the steamer follow, and the
distance still to go and the probabli
ties of doing it within a certain time
are discussed in short paragraphs.
The second column of the first page
generally contains some paragraphs
headed "Genend Information," and
here the passengers find many useful
little hints as to cures for seaslcknes
the necessity of exercising by takini
regular walks around the decks, an
advice as to the handling of luggage.
In fact, this column is a mine of val
uable information for people making
their first trip. The paper contains
contributions of prose and verse, some
nf ivinm dfwMdedlv clever, and .there
is also a column devoted to queries.
The price of the Gazette is sixpence
in English, or fifteen cents In Amer
ican money, and it meets with a
ready sale In the second cabin and
steerage, as well as among the- saloon
passengers.
OCCIE ENTAL JOTTINGS.
Just think of it over $1,000 pes
week is sent out of Baker City for
flour.
The Philistine is the name of a new
paper just started at Weston, Uma
tilla county.
Albany's city election will occur
next Monday. There is no fight over
local issues.
Tile Northwestern Railroad com
pany is still planning the extension
of its line .to the coast.
In Washington Senator Shoup Is a
candidate for re-election, all reports
to the contrary notwithstanding.
The main question for Washington
and Oregon and Idaho legislators Is
to shorten the salmon-catching season.
The Oregon Scout Is informed that
W. R. Usher, of Eagle Valley, Union
county, raised corn this year which
yielded over 100 bushels per acre.
A. T. Willis planted 2 pounds of
potatoes oh his ranch in Eagle valley
last spring, and as a result dug from
them 000 pounds besides twelve fins
potatoes wmicn 1 were sent mast
samples which he did not weigh.
lature to have a new county carved
out of the eastern part of Crook, the
north end of Grant, a portion of Gil
liam and the southern corner of Wasco
counties, with the town of Mitchell
as the county seat
The Corvallis Times gives the fol
lowing to show what can be done in
apples when, the right variety im
grown and proper care taken of the
orchard: There is a big apple tree in
D. L. Hornmg's yard in this city, the
trunk of which Is nearly twenty
inches in diameter. In the apple
house there Is a bin that holds thirty
eight bushels, and it is heaping full of
' apples, all picked from the big tree.
t .. .1 1 r : j 1 . .1 m 1 m
xu uuuiLiuu ieu uuoueut ui. apples irom
the sarnie tree were ground into cider,
making a total yield of forty-eight
bushels, worth at the present market
price $24. The tree has been bearing
for a third of a century and thousand
of cuttings have been taken from it
by nurserymen from ail parts of Or
egon. The fruit is big and red, and
is known' an the "Opftmm rhnmnlan
an excellent winter apple.
OFF THE BRIDGE.
New York, Nov. 27. Henry Menlev
jumped from the center of Brooklyn
bridge today. He carried a parachute, '
..-v. : ..1. n 1. 1.
nuwu uijcxtcu 111 uic ucojcui, vvutsu
Menier was about fifty feet above th
river. He struck the water on his
left side, but sustained no injuries,
and escaped arrest " "
Proprietors.