LINCOLN GQIIHTY LEADER.
CHil. r. ADA B. SOCX.K, Pub.
TOLEDO OREGON.
If a man makes no enemies be has
but few friends.
A wife is the only extravagant habit
some men have.
His satanlc majesty doesn't waste
ny of his time on the hypocrite.
A marriage license gives a man a
legal right to lie to one woman.
The Japanese do not have consump
tion. Even the children are taught how
to breathe.
A poor girl's Idea of a mercenary
wretch Is a young man who marries a
rich widow.
Rockefeller has cornered violets,
riant a few In your garden and smash
the violet trust
After a man takes more than $5,000
they quit calling it stealing and refer
to It as embezzlement.
A Boston paper wants a good Amer
ican name for the chauffeur. How
would It do to call him down?
Some bachelors sigh because they
are lonely, and some married men sigh
because they hove no chance to be.
Nevertheless, Russell Sage Is the
greatest object lesson In favor of va
cations that could possibly be discov
ered. Some people seem to think the Al
mighty is making a mistake In not
leaving the management entirely to
them.
The widow who has scattered the
ashes of her husband on two conti
nents may be trying to make extra
work for the lust day.
It would appear that influential peo
ple who obey the laws must be doing
so Just becnuse they like to and not
through any fear of getting into trou
ble If they should break over.
The fact that few Americans be
come chess experts has often caused
wonder. The American who Is capable
of becoming a chess master is usually
trying to pile up a hundred million
dollars at easier work.
The man who leaves a team of
horses unhitched on the public streets
In these days of coughing chu-chus and
teckless drivers is the bosom friend
of the man who sows the whole
rechili gulf with floating mines In tho
hope of getting a warship or two.
Mr. Moseley's commission of Eng
lishmen who came here to study Amer
ican schools gives them much praise
and some censure. One of the chief
objections Is to sending big boys to
women teachers, whose influence, it is
alleged, makes them less virile. No
doubt a manly man does make a good
schoolmaster for a boy more than 12
years old. But It Is contrary to all ex
perience to assert that a good woman
teacher has a harmful effect on the
manliest of boys.
A generation ago an English physi
cian of note declared that four-fifths
of the English-speaking people dig
their graves with their teeth. But this
undoubtedly doesn't tell the whole
story. The manner in which eating is
done and the makeup of the modem
menu have a good deal to do with
wrecking constitutions. Many Is the
business man who allows himself to
become so absorbed In his u flairs that
be will swallow his meals in nervous
baBte that soon becomes disastrous to
digestive organs. Ilyglcnlsts observe
that Gladstone is credited with chew
ing each bite 22 times, and attribute
his longevity to his correct hablt of
eating. The culinary art of modern
society has not for its purpose the
preparation of the most wholesome
food. The object to be attained is
rather to tempt a Jaded pulate, to in
duce disregard of the guidance of ap
petite. Milton's phrase, "They also serve
who only stand and wait," has long
been applied to the female portion of
the human race. The modern girl pre
fers to quote, "Let us then be up und
doing," with a courageous heart, train
ed muscles, and a resourceful bead.
When a prominent Philadelphia soci
ety girl was recntly attacked by a
negro she used her gun-metal-handled
umbrella as she would a golf club, and
a vigorous "drive" caused the thief to
drop her purse and flee. When two
sisters discovered a burglar under
their bed not long ago, they dragged
blm forth, one of theiu sat on his chest,
and the other ran for the police. A
little New Jersey girl recently rescued
two small brothers from a burning
building, and a Chicago housemaid
broke through a group of men and
dragged a child from under a trolley
car. A "mere man," who recently
fainted under the ordeal of vaccina
tion, has collected these Items of a
veek for the edification of his own
sex.
After a little less than two years of
work the Department of the Interior
has Issued a statement outlining the
disposition of the fund for reclaiming
the arid lands of the Western States
and Territories. Twenty seven million
dollars will be expended during the
Dext two or three years, and the work
of construction, when finished, will
ltave redeemed 1,000,000 acres of land,
capable of supporting a population of
600,000. This announcement closes the
preliminary stage of the reclamation
project, which, being self-perpetuatiye
by the law which set It in motion, will
continue to operate as long as the
work of Irrigation is commercially
profitable. The object of the reclama
tion law is tp make the government
the agent of the people in turning over
the public domain to small land own
ers on a strictly business basis. The
settler can buy of the government the
reclaimed land at what it costs to re
deem it. In this way the fund for Irri
gation will not be exhausted, but will
remain Intact for making more land
cultivable. The Eastern farmer is nol
taxed for the benefit of the Western
farm, as would be the case If the gov
etnment sold the reclaimed land at
the old figure of $1.25 per acre. The
new lands are to be sold to actual
settlers, and their purchase limited to
1(10 acres. So great is the fertility of
irrigated land that the average farm
need not exceed forty or fifty acres to
support a family in abundance. The
population being so much denser than
in other farming districts west of the
Mississippi, life on the farm can give
way to life In the village, and the ele
ment of loneliness which has hereto
fore made the vocation of farming re
pugnant to many will be eliminated.
Great Interest is already being taken
in the reclamation projects by pros
pective homes eekers.
Some forty years ago the good peo
ple of these United States abolished
the slave trade. And is it not time
that we abolish the trade slave? A
trade slave is a man or woman who
must go to his or her business early
in the morning and spend from 12 to 10
hours each day waiting upon a lazy
and exacting public that could make
its purchases in two-thirds the time.
Ask any dealer why he keeps open so
long and he gives only one excuse
"Others do." It is a feeble excuse.
Dealers could, if they would, stand to
gether In this matter, and, without in
Jury to any and with benefit to all,
establish a work-week that would
emancipate their trade slaves. Few
things in life are more piteous than
the listless girls, dispirited young men
and gray-haired veterans of the stores
whose lives are narrowed down to their
dally toll by a brutally selfish public.
To them the beauties of nature exist
only in pictures, and the joys of life
are but things of their dreams. Mil
lions are giving their whole lives for
Just enough to eat and drink and wear.
And they are held to that hard lot, not
by any natural condition, but by the
thoughtless public that likes to take
its ease, to consult U own time and
to domineer over it- slaves. Vision
aries have many schemes for revolu
tionizing the entire economic order,
but none for revolutionizing human
nature. The great oppressive force,
the great source of Injustice, under
uny system, lies In human nature. We
nil our mouths with phrases that have
no meaning and the heart must stand
voiceless. Better than all the Imagin
ings of the centuries of absolute In
dustrial equality to tome is the weekly
half-holiday that we can make our
own. One-half day of freedom and of
pleasure each week for the store work
ers counts more for emancipation and
equality than all the vain dreams ever
dreamed. The merchants of every city
and in this land may bring on this
practical reform if they will. They
can give their employes a chance to
go home and enjoy their fumllies, take
them out to the parks or into the
country and enjoy some of God's sun
shine and the sight of green fields,
make a garden, plant flowers, play
games, go a-fishlng, and do a thousand
and one things to get nearer to na
ture, to humanity and to God, and
feel that it Is sweet to be alive. They
would go hack to work with fresh
ened spirit, with better courage and
with an Inspiring feeling that there is
something more in life than endless
drudging. And no business would be
lost.
In Happy Ignorance.
"I thought you said all your friends
had deserted you since you lost your
money?"
"They have."
"But, I see a gray-whiskered man
who calls here every day. Who Is
he?"
"That's the 'doctor. He hasn't heard
of it" Cleveland Plain Dealer.
An Awful Warning.
"There's a girl who has bad twelve
offers of marriage."
"Mercy 1"
"And she's been waiting five years
for the thirteenth." Cleveland Plain
Dealer,
RUSSIA'S
HELPLESS FLEET
oCo
FULLY one-third of the Russian
navy Is imprisoned by treaty in
the Black Pea. Excepting for
four destroyers which were lniilt
on the Baltic, and were permitted by
the Porte to steam to Sebastopol after
their armament had been removed, and
the merchant vessels which are in the
auxiliary and volunteer fleet-i, none of
the ships has ever passed through the
Dardanelles. The entire Black Sea
fleet, including all classes of ships,
numbers 153 vessel, and includes 8
battleships, 9 cruisers, 12 gun vessels,
9 auxiliary cruisers, 10 volunteer
steamships, 10 destroyers, 29 first-class
and 63 second-clas torpedo boats. The
tonnage represented by the vessels Is
considerably more than than half of
the entire Japanese navy, yet, owing
to the numerous treaties and conven
tions which have closed the Darda
nelles to all foreign fighting ships, the
Muck Sea fleet renin ins inert.
Since the time when it became evi
dent that hostilities in the far East
were inevitable several diplomatic at
tempts to. have this powerful fleet re
leased from Its imprisonment were re
ported to have been made by Russia.
Some of the fleet, it must be admitted,
would be unable to niaUe the long voy
age to the far East, and perhaps would
be of little effect If they did. On the
other hand, the formidable battleship
squadron while not of the latest type,
is, on. the whole, heavily armored, and
carries batteries of effective size. The
destroyers are of the most modern
type, and from the first-class torpedo
boats a strong flotilla could be formed.
it Is almost Impossible to entirely
divorce any consideration of the Rus
sian Black Sea fleet and the history of
the Dardanelles, for the fleet has been
organized und built especially to meet
the conditions. Originally It was con
ceived with the Idea of commanding
the shores of that immense inland
sea, and to lie able. If the necessity
should arise, to assist any operation
against Turkey.
A ViiNt Inland Sea.
The Black ea 13 a very large body
of inland water. Some Idea of its sire
may best be given by calling to mind
that its area i about that of the Mid
die States and Mississippi combined.
In figures It may be 'expressed as 1(53,
711 square miles. Its only outlet Is
through the Bosphorus, the Sea of
Marmora and the Dardanelles into the
Aegean Sea, an arm of the Mediter
ranean. The Bosphorus and the Dar
danelles are two narrow straits, und,
consequently, easily fortified, although
it may be asserted that the Turkish
forts are not Glbraltars, by any mean.
At its greatest width the Bosphorus
is not over two and a quarter miles,
and its tortuous course is nineteen
miles long. The Dardanelles Is a wind
ing body of water, forty-five miles
long, and averaging two miles in
width. The latter is at one point only
600 yards wide, and here, on the
Asiatic side, are the fortresses of
Chanak-Kale and Kuin-Kall, and on
the European side Sed-il-Bahr and
Kalld-Bahr. The latter Is generally
spoken of as "The Key of the Sea," or
"The Castle of Europe." All four forts
have some modern ordnance, the
Asiatic being commonded by 200
Krupp cannon, yet there remain some
ancient brass cannon of Immense size
which are capable of hurling stonesbot
Black Sea Squadron
Made Ineffective by;;
the Treaties Which;;
Close the Dardanelles 1
of from 20 to 29 inches In diameter,
which are not nearly so terrible as
their appearance would suggest.
The forty-five miles of the Dardan
elles, whose shores, although not such
a panorama of beauty as thope of the
Bosphorus, are still full of fine pietur
esqueness, are bordered by rugged
mountains, rising one behind the other,
brown and barren on the European
side, and by low, wooded bills on the
Asiatic. Important towns dot the way.
Among them, at the entrance to tho
Sea of Marmora, are Galllpoll, on the
European side, called the "Key to
Constantinople;" Ak-bashl Llman, the
ancient port of Sestos; Abydos, Just
opposite the scene of Leander's swim
ming, and, later, of Lord Byron's. Be
low this lies Chanak-Kalessl, some
times called Dardanelles.
As the Dardanelles, the Sea of Mar
mora and the Bosphurus are all with
in the Ottoman Empire, tho Turkish
Government has always contended
that no. foreign warship should be al
lowed at any time to pass through.
Owing to the same international jcal
ousles which have prolonged the life
of the Sick Man of Europe, the Porte
has been able to have Its position
strengthened by treaties and by a con
vention of the European powers. The
various treaties, etc., referring to the
closing of the straits to foreign ships
of war may be summarized as follows:
1809, January 5. Treaty. Great
Britain and Turkey. Dardanelles and
Bosphorus closed to ships of war of
foreign states when the Porte is at
peace.
1822 Notification. Turkey. Bos
phorus closed to merchant ships of
power not having treaties.
182, October 7 Treaty. Russia and
Turkey. Trade to be opened to all
friendly powers.
1829 September 14 Treaty. Russia
and Turkey. Black Sea and straits
opened to merchant vessels of Russia,
and to those of all powers at peace
with the Porte.
1840. July 15 Convention. Great
Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia and
Turkey. Dardanelles and Bosphorus
closed to foreign ships of war when
the Porte is at peace.
1841, May 3 Convention. Great
Britain, Austria, France, Prussia.
Russia and Turkey. Dardanelles and
Bosphorus closed to -foreign ships of
war when the Porte is at peace. Kir
min for light vessels of war for service
of missions.
1844, Dec. 24 Regulation. Turkey.
Protection of Dardanelles und Bos
phorus us to passage of sailing vessels
und steamers through the straits be
tween sunset and sunrise.
3850, March 30 General triaty,
Great Britain, Austria, France, Prus
sia, Russia, Sardinia and Turkey. Lim
itation of Russian and Turkish naval
forces; non-establishment of military
maritime arsenals.
1871, March 13 Treaty, Great Brit
ain, Austria, France, Prussia. Italy,
Russia and Turkey. Abrogation of
treaty of March 30, 1850, respecting
non-llmitatlon of forces and establish
ment of arsenals.
Buaaia'a Obligation Largely Moral.
While these documents distinctly
shut in the Russian Black Sea fleet, It
has been held that the obligation' of
Russia to live up to the treaties is
largely moral. On the other hand, the
United States has never recognised th
right of the Turk to close the Sea of
Marmora or the Black Sea to fighting
ships, and In 1S98 a bint that Admiral
Sampson and the fleet that had swept
Cervera's squadron from the seas
would knock at the gates and seek re
diess for the Armenian outrages had a
good effect upon the Porte. It has beeii
held that Russia, believing destiny w ill
make her mistress of Turkey sooner or
later, is Becretly glad of the 9ets
which have closed the entrance to the
Black Sea. If the great White Bear
ever does get control. It can easily lo
Imagined how such treaties would be
cherished and insisted upon.
The hopes of Russia, in this direc
tion, if they do exist, must be of th
slightest. England desires the Dar
danelles closed because it would com
pel a very considerable Increase of her
Mediterranean squadron, for she here,
as In other parts of the world, finds it
essential to her national existence to
be mistress. Some years ago a certain
United States 8enator predicted that
the United States will sooner or later
be compelled to depart from tradition
and settle for all time the vexed Near
Eastern question by turning out the
Turks and becoming responsible for
the peace of the Turkish States in Eu
rope. Dreamlike as this proposition
appears, there are those in Europe who
have faith in its accomplishment. In
the United States the idea has not
even the stability of a vision.
Not only is the Dardanelles forti
fied, but the Bosphorus bristles with
forts in pairs strung out along its
!"rgth flt iTitprrslq of two mfe. n
the Russian Black Sea battleships are
the most heavily armored in the world
It has been suggested that this wa
done for the purpose of attempting the
passage of the straits, should necessity
ever arise.
The Ships of the Fleet.
Two of the Black Sea buttleshlps.
the Knyaz Potemkin and the Tria
Zvlatitella, nre very speedy ships for
their class, both being able to do seven
teen knots an hour.
In addition to the fleet mentioned,
two powerful 13,000ton battleships
the Zlatoust and the Erstafl which
are to have an eighteen-knot speed, are
being built, and two protected cruisers,
a new type for the Black Sea. of oV45
tons, with twenty-three-knot speed,
are also being built. Those are to be
named the Kagul and the Otchakow,
and are part of the new Russian naval
program, which provides for five 1 11,-5!0-ton
battleships, the largest In the
world the largest English battleship
being 1(1,350 tons each, and the Con
necticut class for the United States but
Iti.OOO tons, the nearest approach to
which class are six French ships of
14,092 tons each.
One advantage the Russian Black
Sea fleet possesses over those of other
powers is the ability, of some of the
ships to burn oil. The Caspian oil
fields are not so distant that petroleum
may not be economically transported
to the borders of the sen, and, as
against coal, the fuel is cheap and
economically carried. Unfortunately
an oil tank is not protection to tho
boilers when the ship is In action; but
when an 18-inch armor belt girds tha
ship tho likelihood of a projectile find
ing its way to the vitals Is rather re
mote. Yet owing to a desire for high
angle fire, the Russian designers have
made ships that are considered dan
gerously high out of the water. They
look terrible and Impressive, but, un
luckily, they are the best of targets.
Notwithstanding the reported at
tempts to have this large fleet released,
there are reasons to believe that at the
present time Russia feels much safer
having It where It is, for it Is no secret
that the ships were built with the
single idea of punishing the "Sick Man
of Europe" sooner or later. Philadel
phia Ledger.