I - JDdifcorna!. -Rac js; off SsJoinrEia!
PORTLAND, OREGON-;
TUESDAY, DECEMBER'22.,1903
V
THE OREGON DAlUYnJOURNAL
AN
. C 8. JACKSON .
JPubllahed every evening (except Sunday)
OFFICIAL, PAPER OP' THE C.TY OF
THE JOURNAL'S PL,ATFORi
ATrinity ol Events Which Would
; the Mightiest City of the Pacific Coast
FirsfDeepert" the 'Columbia river bar.
" - ; Sccond--Open the Columbia
. . peded navigation at and above
Third Dig an Isthmian canaL ,.
........... .... A... .. ............
POLITICS AND THE CANAL
TfHE AMOUNT of political capital
I cratic patty can expect to make
- . to the canal treaty is Email at beat, and that or
decidedly inferior quality. The canal is one of the stuV
pendous undertaking which, rises , out of the domain of
petty politics, i Not only the people of this country but
the whole civilized world wantOof see the canal built.
All the European nations,- which; are jealous enough in
other directions, not only "want to see; the canal built, but
they want the United States to build it and, are willing to
agree to the terms that this country should control It In
no European foreign office Is Colombia receiving a shred,'
of sympathy.' It is given, plainly to understand that any J
thing it undertakes must be on Its own initiative and
maintained against the plainly expressed disapproval ox
all the European governments. .
Indeed It Is everywhere realized that
canal Is a matter of worldwide consequence and of Inj
mediate concern, benefit and ''profit to every commercial
nation on the globe, r The work of Its construction falJs
naturally upon the United States. It Is the nation thai;
is not only financially able to complete the work, but It
has the strength, as well as the disposition, to maintain
U.. The logic of events, conditions and situations makes
this clear to every foreign office and government. ;
In the face of such a cordial. consensus, confronted as
;we are with the enormous value of such an undertaking
to our own well-being and Its significance In welding Into
closer relations our whole vast country, not to mention
its Pacific outliers, it would come with very poor grace
from any national party to f actiously
dertaking or seek., to make petty politics of It. We feel
sure such a course would be. bitterly
ranks of the Democratic party Itself
such "a movement could expect.no aid
the rank and file whose approval to all
.was never more essential than now.
yA GOOD THING FOR THE WHOLE STATE
WHILE IT IS WELL, for each section of the state
"to be jealous of Its own interests and to be
, ready at all times to do everything It can to
further them, any policy which Would lead one section of
the state to oppose any movement which Is calculated to
benefit any other section Is shortsighted and indefensible.
We notice a tendency of this aort manifested in various
quarters of the state and wish to call particular attention
to it, for it constitutes, the chief reason why the advance
ment of Oregon, despite Its overwhelming natural advant
ages, has not been so rapid as that of some of its neigh
bors, i i ri ,:: ' 7 '- : i; '. A X- C.r':
The Journal is, published In Portland, but it is pub
lished for the benefit of the whole Oregon country. Growth
' In any section of the state Is of interest and. advantage to
every other section of the state and any movement which
is likely to stimulate that growth, no matter what section
is directly benefited, will always receive the enthusiastic
aid qf this newspaper. During the year just closing, the
most remarkable in shipping in our whole history, more
Oregon products have been shipped to the Orient, to Aus
tralia and South Africa than ever before. It is apparent
to everyone what this means. In market development the
line of least resistance is across the ocean." Anything
.which broadens the scope of our facilities, which makes it
easier and safer to get in and out of the mouth of the Co
lumbia, which opens that stream to unimpeded navigation,
-JwllL.Pr?y . marvelpjua.lyadvantageous .jQiihegrowthL-of
the state's commerce. The government to now at work at
.the mouth of the river building a Jetty which to expected
o deepen the bar. That work is a matter of the profound
ly est moment to the state and its early completion will be
attended by results so astounding that we are Just begin-
jiing to realise them. But the deepening of the bar is only
-co, ron nrDiawAHT.
Sfettber He Wor General Sickles Taught
" the Xdy to Smoke Cigarettes.
Col. Albert A. Pope, millionaire, in
ventor and head of the bicycle trust
has been dragged Into a sensational New
York divorce case. Andrew E. Carter
wants a divorce from his wife, and she
"blames' several other men as promi
nent as Mr, Pope. The head and front
ot his offense, as charged by the hus
band. la that be and Gen. DanletH
Sickles took. Mrs. Carter out riding af
Ur midnight and taught her to smoke
cigarettes. , If It had been any ordinary
charge the colonel might have stood it
with equanimity, but to be accused of
teaching a woman to smoke cigarettes
Is more than he can stand.. ""
' "I teach his wife to; smoke cigarettes?
Why, I never smoked a cigarette lit my
life, and I dare say the general would
shoot any man who advised him to
smoke one. Bo Carter says we took her
out riding and taught her to smoke cig
arettes? Isn't that, .fine ?'.-':""- ;';:;
"The little pup."," he .said furiously,
referring to Carter, fhe ought to have
ft. millstone tied around his neck' and
je thrown Into the North rlvor. She
s the finest .'little woman that ever
Jived," he added, emphasizing his. re
mark by bringing his fist down heav
ily upon the table, "but she. is married
.to a brute. , . ..
"This man Carter haA now; added to
the blows of his lists the Insults that
a coward resorts to. He cannot hurt
me. Who can hurt Colonel Pope,, the
biggest man in Connecticut? I am a
millionaire. What is -Carter? He Is a
salaried man for an Insurance company
of which I am a director and in which
I hold great risks. Suppose I go to the
president of the company 'and tell him
things I know about Carter? -What
do you suppose be would do? . ' -:,
-"Why"-r-andf again the heavy right
fist came down upon the oak desk. -"I
would crush him like a fly. A have
kept track of that young man. I know
every bottle of wine he has .bought
' and for whom he has bought if I have
had his every step traced. ,
, ' "If you want a picture -of Mrs. Car-
; tr, go find the most beautiful woman
in the world and pose . her before the
i-amera. , When you' have the print, pro
vided it Is .picture of the loveliest girl
mi earth, just indorse It This is Pauline
tirsy Carter' - ,
."She is so sngM,. Why. ! know 20
twn that would' give up all chance of
l.ravon to marry her. They have made
Ltr Ufa misuraWe by their courtiog. And
INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER
PUBLISHED BY JOURNAL PUBLISHING CO.
at The Jeurnal Building, Fifth and, 7
part of the problem, as everyone must realize. Unim
peded navigation above The Dalles means vastly increased
facilities to market our products at fair rates for 600 miles
beyond our present
Make of Portlan
plished and "the vast
evident, such further progress wouldsoon be made that
the whole Oregon country would in the course of. time be
brought to fully share' in all thebeneflts. t , ; r . -
river to unimU
The work which
The Dalles.'
400 miles of the river is Contingent upon the state secur
ing, a right of way for the Cellla canal. To complete that
enterprise, according to the reports of the government's
engineers, will cost
proved and the money 'will be forthcoming as the en
gineers' need it in the prosecution of the work. No one
TREATY.
disputes that in conjunction with deepening the bar at the
which the Demd
mouth of the river this is the greatest of all enterprises
for the state. In comparison- with it, all other undertak
ings sink Into relative insignificance. , The sooner It is
undertaken the 'sooner the benefits will begin to how from
out of opposition
it So. far as the
cessful completion
whole face of nature
I will fully come into
f This great work the national government is ready to un
dertake but as a condition precedent it demands a right
of way. To this under all the circumstances it is entitled.
The amount which the state would hus be called upon to
pay Is simply a drop in the bucket In comparison with the
benefits which would flow from the completed work.
. Here is a project upon which all parts of the state
should unite; it will confer ; more , general benefit, to .a
wider diversity of people aajjl .sections, than "any other
project that has ever been mentioned. This being true,
all sections can unite upon it for the general good and
make the appropriation 'required on the ground of sound
the building of th
and far-seeing public
WAGES REDUCED TO BENEFIT FOREIGN
SALES.
T
amount to over f 8,000,000 and the cut in wages to as much.
There will be a saving of even more through reduction In
output and quite as 'much through the closing and con
centration of . plants.; There will .be a saving in. ocean
freight rates of $5,000,000. The trunk lines have also been
persuaded or coerced into reducing their rates .for the
benefit of the trust ' ', V
(The Chicago Tribune in a brief comment on the situa
tion ays: ' 7 '.. "
The question Is whether domestic or foreign con
Burners are to get the benefit, of the lower prices. If
' "the former, thousands of small American manufac
turers with whom steel is a raw material will be able
to do business to greater advantage. They will be put
in a position where they can offer their goods for less ,
money without loss.' They will be enabled to com- '
pete more effectively at home and. abroad with for
elgn rivals, - Scores, of subsidiary industries '.will
manage to get along without dropping many men or
cutting wages materially if given cheap steel. ,
It does not appear to be "the policy of the steel cor :
' poration to encourage domestic industry, although ' it
believes strongly in that policy, so far as its own in
terests are concerned. It is cutting down -wages and
lowering the cost of production;- so that It may be in
a position to supply foreign, not domestic, manufac-
7 turers and railroads with cheaper steel. Partly be
cause of the lower rates the builder of. a Syrian rail
road can get American rail for (32.50 a ton laid down
at Beirut, while the American contractor has' to pay
- $28 at the mill. - If the United States Steel corpora -tlon"were4to
lower home prices sales to domestic .con
sumers would be largely increased, but it prefers to
keep its lowest prices for foreign customers. .
All of thfs is true enough, and reprehensible to boot,
oppose such an un
resented within the
and those who led
or sympathy from
great party actions
J
to - that- net and
paying freight f both
worlt - ;''''';;';:;;
with all that her husband is jsalous,
I'll put my thumb down on him arid
crush him." '
Colonel Pope is equally confident that
General Sickles never taught the little
lady. to smoke. . "He . would shoot a
man who accused, him of smoking cig
arettes," ' he said vehemently, "and he
la not the one to teach a woman : to
smoke them. He wrote his name in fire
and blood at Gettysburg, and the only
smoke he has ever smelt was the smoke
of battle." -.i -. i
TOTTSW XV XZS OWV SSTZMS.
The Versatile J,lu tenant TeUs of Many
Things That Are Coming. .
Lieut. C. A. I Totten, formerly in
structor in; military science at Yale col
lege, is suing the New , York Bun be
cause in "the review' of one of his books
the Bun said he was "oft. his ,mU" and
had-been "bounced'? from Yale. At the
trial Totten gave some picturesque tes
timony, part of wlch ran as follows:
Q. In your book on the millennium
you foretell or 'predlct1 a crisis ? i A. I
predict nothing. I am hot a prophet
I merely say I expect a crisis.1 iV '
Q. Ah, I see; and when we reach the
crisis, do we settle down to the millen
nium? A.. Yes. after a battle,-which
will be another battle of Armageddon.
This batt'e ' will be against the Turk
and everything he stands on. America
and- England will get Palestine' and
give U to the Jews. Germany, Russia,
England, all great nations, will be rep
resented there. It will be a sort of al
lied army lighting upon the belt of the
earth. America will be In It, too, for
Palestine' Is the key of the earth.
Q. How did you, in your .beok. con
nect the decline in pig Iron with the
approach of the crisis and the millen
nium? A. Pig Iron Is a staple of this
country. . The rise and collapse of
prices of staples happens. In accordance
with the motions of certain . planets;
we have that from statistics. . Just as
Jupiter and Saturnf for Instance, bring
cycles of sickness and insanity. We
have all-heard of sun spots causing bad
weather. - ,
Q. ' You' refer to a reign of horror at
the. time of the crisis. What does that
mean? A., It la something like the
reign1 of terror during the French revo
lution.Thlu will behetween 189 and
ISltt. After, 191$ the Jews through Zion
ism will be restored to Ziort, '..ie Mes
siah will come, and the millennium wilt
begin.
i. In your book on folkiore you con
.., ....... ,
J NO. P. CARROLL
Yamhill ; streets, ' Portland, , Oregen.
PORTLAND
available point. That once accom
' benefits arising from it .being self-
will make available the first stretch-of
J 4,000,000. That project has been ap
Oregon country is concerned, the suc
of these two projects will change the
so to speak, and for the first time it
its own. ; '.-
policy.
HE STEEL TRUST proposes to effect a saving in
its net expenses next year as compared with this
of about $40,000,000. " " The cut ' in salaries will
but beyond that there is little new in the proposed plan.
It is simply an. extension of the Rockefeller principle to
embrace 'the steel trust. Everything is fish, that comes
lhlngs - are caught.comlfig.- aM. going.
ways. First monopolize the home
market anl then exploit it to the limit, that is. the method
and It. is that ingenious and profitable scheme which the
government's protective policy encourages and stimulates
under the plea of maintaining high wages for the men who
- ;":;;':,''':4 '7,;v 7T 7 !:;'v.-:- '
nect the Mother Goose fables with the
Ten Tribes of Israel, and you say the
fables are prophecy and history f ul
filled, do you not? , A. Yes. the Mother
Goose fables ' have ' historical ' signifi
cance, v. -7. ,- ',
Q. And you say that the rhyme.
"Taffy was a Welchman, Taffy was. a
thief," has a historical significance. A.
Yes. In Taffy we see the words Te Phi,
who wis David's daughter, and she
was queen of the Welsh. 'You can see
that in mv book called "Te Phi, David's
Daughter, Jeremiah s Ward.
Q. You say the rhyme,
Little Jock Horner t
., )at In a corner 7
Eating a Christmas pie,
He put In his thumb
And pulled out a plum
And said, what a big boy am I '
has a historical significance? A. Yes.
Jack Horner means the English. "In a
corner" moans they are fixed in an angle
of tho world, and as Jack did with his
plum, so they contemplate their power.
- - Vlug. '
Plug along, brudder.
Keep de middle ob de track;
Nebber get 'scouraged V
An- a-nebber look back.
Plug;
Plug;
Plenty room ahead,
Bettah day comln' w'en de sky tu'n red.
Plug along, brudder,
- W'en de col" win's blow
.Nebber tnln' de wedder
, Dat a-freexe you so;
Plug; ',"'.
, Plug; - ;' . . 7
-Bettah day ahead . , '
Bettah day comln' w'en de sky tu'n red
Plug' along. ' brudder,
.. ' Keep de middle ob de roall;
Nebber mln de gallln'
" 7 Ob de heavy load; j
' ' Plug;, . - ' -;.', '
Plug;,'.-,,i
Bettah days ahead
Bettah day a-comln' w'en de sky tu'n red.
. Lowell Otus Beese.
The Trouble With Vtopto. ' '
. From the Philadelphia Inqplrer
Andrew Carnegie Is going to- make
Dumfermline, Scotland, a model town,
and", the' American, Institute of Boclal
Bclence has drawn up a working plan
for jrim.'-'- Buch schemes are not uncom
moii, but . they all have the same defect.
It Is impossible to fill the model towns
with modal inhabitants.
The Italian Nation Claims to Own the Vatican
- By .ex-Attache in Chicago- Tribune. 77
If any one of the readers of the Tri
bune were to be asked to whom the Vati
can belonged, the reply woula undoubt
edly be that it belonged to thje' pope,
the popular impression in this country
being to the effect that he owns lc ex
officlo as the duly elected head of the
Roman' Catholic, church', the members of
which in all parts of the globe have for
hundreds of years past been contribut
ing not merely to Its maintenance but to
the formation. of those marvelous collec
tions which render it the greatest Store
house of priceless, and unique treasures
of art and letters In the world. The
only limitations that mlgnt have sug
gested themselves with regard to the
title of the pontiff to the palace and its
contents jwoul4 havebeen jo jthee ft ect
that his proprietary rights thereto were
In the nature' of the life Interest, and
that the actual fee and ownership was
vested in the international Roman Cath
olic church, -r -. ;
Quite at new and startling contention
has, however, been put forward within
the last few weeks by the Italian, author
ities, who advance' the pretension that
the Vatican, .with its statuary, its paint
ings, Its mosaics, its tapestries, its libra
ries and : manuscripts. Its masterpieces
of the goldsmiths' and the Jewelers' art,
belong not to the pope, nor to the univer
sal Roman Catholic church, but . to the
Italian nation. The issue has been
raised in relation to the recent fire at
the Vatican, 'And the government in
condemning the absence in the palace of
any modern appliances for extinguishing
flames, takes- occasion to point out that
In its eyes the pontiff is but the custo
dian of a "great museum belonging to
the nation,' and intimates in. 'the most
plain- and unvarnished manner that if
he does not. fulfill , his duties as care
taker more efficiently and provide in. a
more satisfactory manner for the safety
of Italy's "great patrimony of art and
history?? contained; in the palace the
state will be obliged to step in and to
undertake the duty itself. In one word,
the Italian government, in the matter of
the proprietorship of the Vatican, places
the' holy father on much the same foot
ing as the monks of Certosa J'Ema. near
Florence; and of Mbnte Ollvero Magglore
in the province of Sienna, who since the
proclamation of 'these celebrated monas
teries as national property have been al
lowed to remain on them in the capacity
of custodians. . .. '
Until now. the impression has always
prevailed abroad that the so-called law
of papal ' guarantees enacted by both
httuses of the Italian parliament in 1871,
and - which received Tc4ng . Victor Em
manuel's sanction on May 13 of that
year, assured to the papacy noc only the
ownership of the Vatican, but likewise
sovereign ' and extraterritorial rights
within the precepts of the latter,- It has
been a matter of common belief that St.
Peter's and the other great basilicas at
Rome' were in the same way as the Vati
can the property of the papacy. - A care
ful perusal of, .the text of the law, how
ever, brings to light the fact that there
Is nothing contained therein which defi
nitely recognizes the right of the pon
tiff to the Vatican, or which concedes to
him - sovereign and extra-territorial
rights within the limits of . the palace
and its extensive gardens. .-
True, article VII ordains that "no offi
cial of the pubjto authority, nor agent f
the piAllc xorces can in the exercise
of his peculiar office enter into the pal
aces or localities of habitual residence
or temporary stay of the sovereign pon
tiff, or In those in which are assembled
a conclave or ecumenical council.: But
on the other. hand article IV, which de
crees an endowment of some 1600,000 a
year from the national treasury la favor
of the holy seat, declares that it is des
tined to provide, among 'other things,
"for ( the maintenance of.' the apostolic
palaces and of their dependencies; also
for the maintenance and care of the an
nexed museums and libraries, as Well as
for- the stipends and pensions of those
employed for the purpose" and the ar
ticle concludes under these Important
words: 'The endowment cannot be di
minished In' future, even In the case of
the Italian government resolving ulti
mately, to assume itself the expenses of
the museums and library of the Vati
can." Article V. which follows, is still more
explicit For It states that 'the sov
ereign pontiff, besides the endowment
established in the preceding clause, will
continue to Jiave the use of the apos
tolic palaces of the Vatican and lateran,
with . all the - edifices, gardens and
grounds annexed to and dependent on
them, as well as the villa of Castel Gan
dolfo, with all its belongings and de
pendencies. The said palaces, villa and
annexes, like the museums, the library
and the 1 art and archaeological collec
tions there existing, are exempt from
every tax and Impost, and from all ex
propriation, on , the ground of public
utility, and '.are,' moreover, inalienable,'
Now, there is a controversy -with re
gard i to the interpretation of this last
word'. -The ecclesiastical authorities ar
gue that it means inalienable from the
papacy, whereas the Italian government
construes -It as providing' that the pope
has no right to alienate the said "pal
aces, museums, library and the art and
archaeological' collections,' on the
ground that these belong to the nation,
invoking the ' words , to the effect that
"the pope shall have the .uee". a'na -the
reference in article IV te he possibility
of the state assuming itself the ex
penses and, care In connection with the
maintenance of the Vatican museum and
library , in support of Us contention.
Inasmuch as the Itallafl tribunals are
alone competent to Interpret the oft ob
scure and doubtful provisions of the
laws of the land, and as the Judges, un
like those of this country, hold their
office at the pleasure of the minister of
Justice for the time being, to whom they
are subordinate, depending on him for
advancement and honors, it may natur
ally be taken for granted that the con
struction of the word "Inalienable" , in
article V in the law of papal- guarantees
will be determined In a sense.raVprable
to the government rather than to the
papacy. ,-'- ;,7- , '-' ;7--'- 7-'-.'-7-''
There is no doubt that the decision of
the courts would be further influenced
In a sense favorable to the government
by the existence of the law dealing With
the preservation of antiquities of his
torical or artistic Interest in the-king
How Old Is Jtlohard?
- '2 ' ' From a London Letter. ,
'W have a variation of '"How Old is
Ann?'r it is "How old were Robin and
Richard?" and the- problem ia thus
metrically set out: ' '
Bald Robin to Richard:' "If ever I come
- To the age you are now, brother mine,
Our ages, united, will mount to a sum
Of'yewe making ninety and nine."
Bald Richard: "That's certain, and If it
be fair - '' J; - -- '-(
For us to look-" forward, so far,
I then shall be double the age that you
Were,' '': : - 7 ; , '., : -' '
When I was the age that you are." 1
What?
From the Charleston (S. C News and
Courier. - -- - -,' . , ,
' It ft not unlikely that If the confeder
ate states had won In thqlf 'contest for
sepcrate political existence there would
have been disagreements among them,
and it ia possible that the 1 southern
dom, which practically gives the state
a title thereto. Irrespective of the rights
of the actual , owners. The-latter are
prohibited . under ' penalty of ' confisca
tion fine and .imprisonment from -disposing
of these treasures to anybody
save to ; the government 7 Itself, of to
persons who, having bound themselves
not to take the works in question out
of ;the 'country, are provided with an
authorization from the state duly speci
fying : each . particular ' object Nothing
of this nature can be removed from the
kingdom, and not Only has the govern-,
ment the right of pre-emption and ex
propriation, but it also, by the terms of
the aw, is enabled to impose such con
ditions upon the owner or holder of such
works of artistic or historical interest
ato It may deem? necessary for their
preservation. , Thus a piece of vandal
ism auch as that perpetarted by a well
known peer; In England, who, tiring of
hFs magnificent old tapestries, converted
them into carpets for the nurseries and
playrooms of his children, would be im
possible in Italy, where the authorities
would et once Intervene, and either force
the owner to take proper care of the
tapestries or else -would assume posses
sion thereof themselves. 7 7 7 ,7 ' '
. ThiS law, based on the socialistic doc
trine that owners of objects of national
Interest - have certain national obliga
tions 'to fulfill,, and that their right to
such belongings Is limited by conditions
which do ndt apply In ordinary cases,
is n6t, as- many people seem to believe,
an arbitrary act of a spoliatory nature
of the present government. For It ex
isted long prior to. the union of Italy in
each of the numerous sovereign states
Into which the peninsula; was. then, di
vided, and it was only the corruption of
officials that enabled the evasion of Its
provisions. ; AH that the existing gov
ernment has done has been- to codify
and to unite into one statute the Peoca
edict Issued, by, the papacy, in 1820, the
Neapolitan low of 1822, the Lombardlan
decree of 1827, the Modena law of 18G7,
and the edict first proclaimed, In Tub-"
cany in 1754. Some of these were even
more sweeping in the.tr provision than
the present so-called Gallo law, which
the Italian authorities assert applies to
all antiquities of artistic or historical
interest, no matter, Whether they hap
pen to be In the possession of a noble
man, such as Prince Borghese, or of the
papacy.
iSome two. years ago a contention sim
ilar to that now put forward by the
government regarding the ownership of
the Vatican arose in connection with the
catacombs at; Rome, the extremists in
the1 national legislature insisting that
their preservation, as -well as the work
of excavation and of exploration, so rich
in valuable ; 'finds," should be 'trans
ferred from ecclesiastical to lay hands.
At the time of the incorporation of
Rome into the kingdom of Italy in 1870
the catacombs, as sacred places of pil
grimage, containing bodies of martyrs,
were left by the ' government in the
charge of the papacy, which- In 1861 had,
by a decree of Plus IX, confided the task
of preserving the catacombs and con
tinuing the work of excavation and ex
ploration to a board of prelates and
archaeologists, known as the commission
of ' sacred archaeology. The latter,
charging entrance - fees to the various
subterranean cemeteries, has devoted the
money thus obtained, as well as large
subscriptions from Roman Catholics -all
over the world, -to the opening up of
more of these hidden catacombs, recov
ering numberless ancient paintings and
statuary,' while the inscriptions discov
ered have added in no small degree to
the knowledge of the conditions of the
Eternal city 1.000 years ago, ' " ', -,4a ' '
Thanks to the munificence of the Bel
gian, counts de Merode, the entire San
Domltllla, catacombs were explored by
the commission, in question, while sim
ilar generosity ' from another source
placed it within the power of the com
mission to devote a million francs to the
Subterranean cemetery of Ban Calllxtus.
In fact, so satisfied was the Italian gov
ernment with the manner , in which the
commission was., fulfilling', its allotted
duty that turning a deaf ear to the .pro
tests of the antl-clerlcal element in par
liament It resolved to leave the care and
the excavation of the catacombs of
Rome to the papal commission, merely
asking that the -latter should work in
accord with the ministry of public In
struction, to which it now makes period
ical regular reports of Its work as to Its
superior authority, and enjoying the sup
port of the latter when there Is any
question of guarding the Tights of the
catacombs against, the action of the
owners of the surface soil.
i This goes to show that in the event
of the papacy inaugurating the -proper
up-to-date precautions against fire In
the Vatican the Italian government will
be perfectly content to leave the pontiff
in undisturbed possession of the palace
and its priceless treasures and collec
tions, having no desire to excite the ire
of devout Roman Catholics in every
part of the world by arbitrary Interfer
ence with ' the holy father's custodian
ship thereof. It, therefore, behooves the
holy see to adopt Immediately all the
requisite safeguards , for, the preserva
tion of the palace against the danger
from which It escaped the other day
only through the assistance of the
Italian authorities, which it had been
compelled to Invoke. '-.7 7 -,
It is a duty, in fact which the Vati
can owes to the members of the Roman
Catholic church throughout the world,
In this country as, well as in Italy, since
contributing to Its maintenance, today
as they have contributed to enrich it in
the past, they may be said to enjoy, if
not a certain degree of ownership, at
least a vested Interest therein. Mean
while It Is reassuring to find the Roman
fire department so much-more efficient
than a few years ago. For I remember
that when the magnificent Roman palace
of Prince Odescalchi, with all' Its price
less art .treasures, was completely de
stroyed by fire in the ifcesertfe of Its
owner and of . King Humbert himself,
the', Vlglli, or firemen, did not put in an
appearance until a, full hour after the
flames : had broken out and after; the
roof had already fallen, the delay belng
due to the fact that the fire department
In those days had no horses of its own
and was obliged when fires broke out
anywhere to requisition the nearest
omnibus or . tramway : company in the
name of the government for the neces
sary horses;,",.,,. it.. ; ... :
states would have been restored to the
union upon their own Initiative,
, Reflections of a Bachelor.
From the New York Press.
-Red hair is redundant when It Is a
Widow. .- 7 ' - -:, : 'f
A man Is ashamed to be -ashamed; a
woman, not to be. .
- What a woman likes about a Joke is It
ohows how clever she Is to be able to
make people believe she sees Its point.
It throws a man into a-panlc to see
how happy it makes the women- In a
theatre audience to have' the heroine get
In, a compromising position. -
. . ,r . , -' ;
, ' - Cause tot Complaint,
A From the Cincinnati Times-Star. ,
' A dosen counterfeiters have Just been
rounded up In New York and Boston..
No dodbt they deem Jt a grosa Injustice
that ''they should be halted in making
money when nearly everybody else is do
ing it these prosperous times, -
" -' V":'v 7-i'i:' s', :. -"-7 'l.fri-7 - ' , ' 7
A Pen Picture of Joseph
7 K . From the New, York World; '
' Joseph Chamberlain,' the Brjtish man
of , the hour.'V presents sharp contrast
to the average, type of British politician.
In this he Is like Disraeli; it may be
an element of his strength; at least it
gives him a notable personality. '
1 ,In a land of , "flannelled fools at the
Wickets" Mr., Chamberlain never takes
exercise. 1 In a land of hereditary wealth
and power he derives neither from his
family.. . He was born in London, the
son of a shoe manufacturer who dealt
in a shop which had been In the family
nearly 150 years.
' .Gladstone - and other statesmen were
famous scholars. ' Chamberlain was a
Soor student in the dead languages; his
selessness on the playground made him
a mediocrity In- University College
school. He has quoted Professor Cook
as saying of his tlass: - "To attempt to
get Into our heads the mysteries of al
gebra was like firing a cannon ball into
a mountain of mud." ' , 77
Chamberlain ' was precocious. 7 He
went to work at IS.--, He was then quite
an actor, wrote a one-act farce and acted
it as an amateur, according to Mr. 8. H.
Jeyes ln hls ihlck . volume . upon "Mr.
Chamberlain; 7 His Life and Public
Career," which has Just appeared. But
Chamberlain also studied, ' read, I im
proved his mind. "
.When ; he was 18 Chamberlain was
sent to, Birmingham,-where John Net
tleford," related by marriage to his fam
ily, wanted help in using some new
American' machinery for the making ef
wood screws.'. ; While ' Stiir extremely
young for such responsibilities, Mr.
Chamberlain improved the position of
the firm by forming a trust buylna- out
and combining several small firms, t 77
7 So the man who now plans a retribu
tive tariff war upon America, and uses
the trusts as an argument made much
of his own great fortune by? American
machinery and as a trust-maker. - He
was once , sharply , criticised in parlia
ment for the latter .activity, but came
oft In the controversy with flying colore
Chamberlain Is really , a Yankee. i: He
gained political power as a Radical by
introducing the American caucus system
In Birmingham. Sent by the Radicals
to parliament, he was for years hated
and ridiculed by 7 members . who. bad
never done a stroke of work. , s 7
A typical gentleman of leisure Cham
berlain was not then. Is not now; yet a
gentleman, he is. He is always scrupu
LETTERS FROM THE PE0PJ
; The Building- Trades, Side of Xt ,
Portland, Or., Dec. 21. To the Editor
of The Journal: I noticed in Saturday's
Journal an article signed "Contractor,"
In which he attempts to defend the
contractors In their course of avoiding
the agreement plan advocated by The
Journal. He says: . "Things are differ
new , from what they were." Now, we
mechanics know precisely what this
means, but the general public does not
It means-that a year ago the building
trades mechanics were --working the
card system and refused to work with
non-union men. At that time the wage
scale set by the unions, was paid with
out question, and every contractor knew
what every other Contractor had to pay
for his help, and-? per cent of the
men in the building i trades were .union
men; ' Last summer the building trades
council went to pieces, and a good many
of the unions suspended the card sys
tem, and the result is that today there
are men doing. carpenters' work for , $3
a day. They ' are not mechanics, of
course, but they serve the purpose of
the contractors to lower wages. .7
, They said last summer that they did
not -object to paying good men $3.60 or
even i a day, but they could not get
enough good men to do the work. Now
the condition at the present time demon
strates conclusively that those state
ments were made purposely to deceive
the publid, tor the fact Is that there
are plenty of first-class mechanics look
ing for a Job now, while nearly all of
the cheap men are at work.. , If : those
statements were made In good .faith,
why do they not hire the good men now
and pay them their wages and let the
cheap men go? - ' . - 7
" He says: "There is ho such boom as
there was." : ' Why, then, are the em
ployers advertising in the East for -men
to come to . Portland . in the spring?:.
He also says; "Wages will go down
25 per-cent." The reason Is obvious;
they Intend to fill the town up with
scabs who will be. willing to work for
anything the "masters" have a mind
to pay them. , v
But the most abominable ' and con
temptible part of the article referred
to is the last paragraph, which reads:
"The men shduld get good wages, but
they have been asking unusual pay and
putting in poor -men who could not do
a day's work because they didn't know
how; but they belonged to the organisa
tion and-could-notbe-discharged. -
"Putting ln!" Indeed. I wonder who
does the "putting In," If It is riot the
contractors themselves or their, fore
men, ft any one Idiotic enough to sup
pose that a contractor wae compelled to
employ a man he did not want? Then
notice the last line "they, could not be
discharged." . Now, it is not possible
that a contractor could be mistaken or
misled, on a proposition of that kind.
He simply willfully and deliberately lied
and he knows it "Could not be dis
charged?" Who would prevent It? : He
might say the union would. declare a
strike, which would be another false
hood. The right of an employer to dis
charge an Incompetent man has never
been questioned ; by a labor union. I
have Seen good mechanics discharged
for no other reason but talking unionism
on the Job, yet no strike was ordered on
account of it ' ' '
It is certainly a reflection on the in
tegrity of the contractors to think they
would, submit to a condition whereby
they were not only, compelled to hire
a man-, who dldn'A know how to do a
day's work, but were compelled to keep
hlm- A review of . the article would
amount -to this, from the contractor's
viewpoint: "We don't want an agree
ment wtth the workmen. We Will pay
such wages as the association decides
upon. We are masters of the situation.
We will, overrun, the town with non
union1 men, and will dictate terms. Wo
have been grossly imposed upon. We
have been coerced, into hiring and keep
ing men Who couldn't make good.".
I wonder If they remember When a
committee from the Master Builders'
association sat in the office of, the City
Retail Lumber company and forced
every man to promise to hire , non
union, men' before he could get any lum
ber. ':" ' "'".'.'"" ry-T---
The faot of the matter is, the Manu
facturers' association is using the con
tractors as a cat s paw. to further the
nefarious schemes laid down by Presl
dent Parry. They are cutting their own
throats and don't seem to realise It
.. CARPENTER.
Age of Indiscretion.
From the Boston Globe. ,
. The .Rev.i Dr. . Collyer, who at ,. gO
., .. fhnt Ha iifla never hppn- 111
a. day In7 his. life. -took up thejiablt, of
smoKing alter ue was -, whii-ii in ma
case some people will now call the age
of indiscretion. .
t
Chamberlain, the. Man,
lously dressed; the orchid In his button- -hole,--th,e
monocle, pre not more charac- ."'
teristlc - than his perfect'.'correstncBs of
attire and manner. - . ,
v Chamberlain t eartred his first great
reputation f as mayor of Birmingham,
with powers such ss no America mayor
ever enjoyed. "Fifty years ag6," he Is
quoted in' Mr.; Jeyes' book as saying,
"the gas and water belonged to pri
vate corporations.' The water was sup
plied on three days in tho week; on
other days you must either go without
or you must take advantage of the per
ambulating carts which supplied water -from
polluted wells at 10s (12.50) the
thousand gallons. The annual mortality '
In Birmingham in 71848 was 80 In the '
thousand; it Is now 20 in. the thousand. '
The only wonder Is that it wae not -much
greater. , Scarcely anything had
been-done -elther-f or- the instruct lon,--or
for the health, or for the recreation, or
for 'the comfort, or for the convenience
of the artisan population.; ' ;
'-Chamberlain: took over the gas and ;
water franchises, tore down the worst "'
slums an built the beautiful Corpora- -.
tlon street in its stead, and led the way
in that policy of municipal activity
which has had such momentous results.
Very real was Chamberlain's youth,
ful Radicalism. On the fall of Napoleon .
the Little he congratulated France upon
having got rid of a system "founded '
on murder and.; continued in fraud,"
which had "perished in Corruption."
i When Chamberlain went Into the
board of trade his practical mind was
Struck ; . by ;7 the fact . that 'over 8,000
British seamen perished at sea yearly. ,7
One in every 0 died In the1 ships "
each year... : Chamberlain worked with '
Pllmsoll;to Stop overloading and over- '
insuring.
Chamberlain makes frequent sensa
tions In 'diplomacy by saying what he
means. ' The late Lord Salisbury's "amaz
ing indiscretions" Indicated a simi
lar peculiarity; but aristocracy forgave '
Salisbury ; for what in nhantwtatn u
condemns. Salisbury was "one of them."
Aristocracy, when it dares, still repeats
Disraeli's famous remark when the
young .Radical made his first speech in
the house. "From Brummagem, is he?','
drawled the veteran of many fights.
"Well, he, looks Brummagem!"
7 Chamberlain is -thought of by those
who have not seen him as a middle
aged man. He is in his 70th year, , He
married an American as his second wife. -She
was Miss Endicott daughter of Mr.
Cleveland's secretary of war.
Advice to the Lovelorn
'. BY BEAT&ICX f AlaTAX, !
' Dear Miss Fairfax Will you kindly as
sist me, and suggest1 that one should do
under the circumstances which I am
placed In?' if About two weks ago ' I
chanced to make the acquaintance of
two young ladles who turned out to be,
cousins. My affections were first toward
the youngest one. After becoming .better
acquainted, I find the eldest one; more
Boclable, and now have become very much
infatuated Wtth her. They are living to
gether, therefore I dqn't like to take one
out and not ask the other, for fear of
hurting her ; feelings.'. In preference of '
the two, I would rather take the eldest
one, but do not want the other to think ,
I ann robbing her of her companion. Will
you kindly offer a suggestion advising
me what to do. H. HAWTHORNE.
There is no reason why you should not
take out the one in whom you are inter
ested. The other girl will not object,- as
no sensible girl wants to thrust, herself
forward where she is not wanted. It Is
too bad that you did not know your, own
mind from the first; but go ahead now '
that you do, and good luck to you. :
Dear Miss Fairfax: I am a young man,
19 years old, in love with a pretty girl
22 years old. I don't look so young, so
she must think I am older, therefore she
expects marriage soon. I am afraid If I
tall her my age she would give me up ,
for I would not like to get married for
three years. . I would be - vcrys. much
obliged to you if you would advise me
what to do, or am I, too young for the
glrlf for I do love the girl and she has
shown her love for me. ; , - .
, ' A CONSTANT READER.
- Most certainly you should tell the girl
your. age, as you are too young to marry
for some time, and it Is not fair to keep .
her,. waltlngJ:oo. long You ahould-not
become engaged when you have 410 pros
pect of being able to marry.
Dear Miss Fairfax: I am in' want of a
question ' which is very troublesome to v
me. Please answer this one question: I
am going with a young lady now, as I
love her dearly and she knows It I am
getting the small sum of $12 a week,
which I think would not keep us. Sha .
Is 21 years old, and I am 25. She say
It I do not make up my mind in a week .
to. marry her she would have nothing to
do with me, and when she says a thing '
she means It. N6W will "you please let
me know what to do, as I love her dear
ly, but she won't listen to my pleading
words. From a lonesome and worn-out
lover. M. MORRISON, JR.
She certainly is a decided young wom
an, but if you both think that you can
live on SI? a week, why not try It You ,
must both remember, though, that $12 Is
a Very small sum. - Unless you are sure
that you can support her ypu should not
marry.. J - '
I
Dear Miss Fairfax: Would you kindly
tell me what I should do, as there is a
young man coming to the house? He
Is an old friend of my parents, and he
loves me very much. No doubt I like
htm -myself, but the only thing that keeps
me from going with him Is that he has
a smallpox marked face, while X am
considered a good-looking girl, so' please
tell me what 1 can do, as I am .very
anxious to know.. ANXIOUS.
If his face being msrred by smallpox Is
his greatest, fault you are a very for
tunate young woman.?- Do not be f polish,
and do try to forget your own appearance
-vanlty Is not a pretty quality. Jt you
love the young man, marry him; if you
do not, "let him got as if is not fair to
Mm to encourage him. . " 7 , : .
My Dear Miss Fairfax: I am a young
girl 18 years old, and have been going
out, with, a young man for some time.
Ha has never asked me for my company,
but did not go with any other girl, until
about two months ago X Introduced him
to a young girl friend of mine. A short
time, after -this he asked this friend of
mine to go to a party with him.' My
friends all wonder why I did not go With
him, as we always went out together.
Now. what I want to know Is: Do you
think it was right for, him to ask the
other girl and not' ask me. and do you
think it would be right for me to con
tinue' going out with -him? -1 know he
loves, me, but I think he is not quite sure
of my love for him, as I, act very cool
sometimes. ANXIOUS.
His asking the other girl-to , go once
with him does not mean that he loves -you
any the less, but do not notfee it, or
he will think you. are Jealous and that
would b very foolish. If he shows de
cided signs of liking the other girl best,
give him up, but in the meantime, maka
yourself. aS bright, and atiracltve as you
can, and then- lie-irtll not want to uive
ivou up for any girl. , , .,,.., .
-,-v-.7f:7'-!:- - v:-i-'-'