'-.'
Ednlirlal' Page ITo -Joiraall
PORTLAND. OREGON.
FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 1904
THE OREGON DAILY
AN
C a, JACKSON
Published' every evening (except
OFFICIAL,
THli LOCAL OPTION LAW.
Ir WILL NOT BO to, accept the calm surface of events
a indicating precisely what is going on with refer
' ence to the local option law Boon to be submitted to a
popular vote. As a matter of fact an alignment of the
two forces is now In progress. quietly It Js true, yet already
beginning to indicate pretty definite lines of demarkation.
That, general public sentiment should have. been arouaed
In behalf Of the law is very largeljfdue to the attitude of
the liquor men themselves who proclaimed through the
Oregonian that they were raising a fat fund .with which
they would force the defeat of the measure with every re
source that money could command. Through it all-its
tn assumption that the effort to secure a local option law
had in it something revolutionary in Its nature, something
utterly unwarranted and un-American, which it is only Just
to say was exceedingly distasteful to many self respect
ing citizens who, while not themselves prohlbjtlonjsts or
even abstainers, cling stoutly to the good old democratic
doctrine that the government rests upon the foundation
tone of majority rule. c
The attitude sssumed by the official spokesmen of the
liquor dealers organisation has, therefore, had the effect
of clearing the atmosphere. It has placed the whole ques
tion without -entanglements before the voters and it should
make very easy the task for every one to decide which way
to fix his ballot when the time comes. to act.
THE CHIEF DEFECT IN THE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.
: eTAHE NECESSITY for the kindergarten - has been
I proven. by its results.- Long before the youthful
brain can reason or in any vital way intellectually
appropriate lessons or arguments presented by written
thought or word of mouth, those things in the child's en
vironment, which appeal to its imagination and sensitive
faculties make lifelong impressions. The kindergarten
forestalls the bad impression, the sensual and base, by
substituting the good impression, giving the mind an up
lifting, sustaining food before it has time to be filled with
that which is debasing and demoralizing to the last de
gree. This is later supplemented and carried on in the
manual training school.
The failure to Impress the mind with the dignity of
manual labor has been the greatest of .all failures in the
public school system. , The average child, black, white or I
brown,' graduated from the public and high schools has
gone into the World with the Idea that to soil his or her
hands with manual labor was to lower him or herself and;
to waste the education he or she has received. It is not
the education which is wasted but the child and the waste
has Jjeen. a fearful one, productive of all manner of evil.
, The new education is not, as the superficial Imagine and
declare,: a series of innovations introduced to entertain
the young. . Never did ; ignorance more egregiously err
; than when she ' applied the contemptuous epithet of
"fads" to those steps taken by the most enlightened educa
' tori as the introduction of a comprehensive system of
. schooling as utilitarian as it is philosophical. ,
The new education develops at once body, brain and
seuL It'trains the eye, the ear and the sense of touch. ' It
substitutes tangible. Interesting manual labor for an edu
cation mads up of mental drill and phraslnga. It
changes the school room from an Irksome prison to a
temple of delight where the young brain is fascinated Into
goodness and lured forward to greatness. The new edu
cation stimulates original thought and encourages, the
" inventive spirit, It realizes fully the value of book learn
ing, but at the , same time guards against the pedantic
reverence for books which tends to make imitators and .to
destroy reverence for the work of the hands. The work of
the hands directed by the brain and influenced by high
ideals is the only work worth accomplishing and the
sooner the young are taught this the better it will be for
themselves and for the world.
A child's mind Is never empty. ; It is always busy seek
SAITOH SLOWBT.
Temporary Safest Will -- Hot Change
Bussla's Hans or Purpose,
, From the St. Paul m&patch.
The ability to wait Is the most nota
bit quality of the ., Muscovite nation:
therefore the prophecy that this eastern
war will persist for four or five years U
believable, arid the withdrawing of
Alexleff to Harbin is not the giving up
of anything worth holding, but merely
the choice of . a vantage point, secure
from Japanese irritation, and possible
- as a base for final and successful opera
tions. r Here In the west, where every
victory by the Japanese- is celebrated
with a throwing up of bats, sbd every
defeat of the Japanese is received with
a shrug of disbelief, we are liable to
think the Runs defeated during these
. days of quick moves, to think the rapid
acting Jap the winner. Nothing Is leas
determined than this mutual status. So
far, the operations In the Orient are
- merely manifestations of national char
acterthey are not decisive.
The motto of Russia is "t'estlna
lente." She moves so slowly that her
destiny seems hardly separable from the
'destiny of the world, her movement
; seems entirely cosmic. Like a great
ir glacier so runs the favorite figure she
has slid across the ice. fields of Siberia,
snd now laves the feet of her purpose in
the soft waters of the Pacific. Let it
not be forgotten that for two Centuries
' and a half Russia has been fighting this
battle which only now becomes ap
parent t observing man. Peter, Cather-
ine. Nicholas, have all desired to return
to that Oriental cradle whence sprung
their race, where nourished the national
qualities." Nicholas of today, a weak,
, i peace-loving monarch, not the raal heir
of the Russians, Is but obedient to the
motion of the centuries-old glacier.
To hope that Japan will win Is to
- ; hope that the rat may escape from the
' worrying of the cat. Japan will win
for the time, even that Japan which
, looks farther into the future than anv
other people, which reproaches the west
ero peoples for the momentarlness of
. their sight. The national vision of
. Russia is longer than the people's vision
- of Japan. ' Remote Harbin la the symbol
of this.
The earlier victories have been those
of ths mikado s men. This will prob
ably continue uninterrupted for months,
'continue until the littoral is possessed
by the islanders. But with the battles
if the". summer, the Japanese must be
come exhausted. Their supremacy may
iMnitinue on, the seas; even If the Baltic
fleet arrives, even, if Turkey permits the
Black sea- fleet to pass ths Dardanelles.
Knr the Jap is a sailor, a sea fighter.
It is not so well demonstrated that he is
, a landsman, even though bis march to
Peking was ss brilliant and orderly as
Pickett's advance. But the Russian,
. with cavalry which, , surrendera to no
' army In the world, can, after the Jap
anese Infantry becomes exhausted, make
', ' such marches, sueh descents, such harry
ins. as wilt multiply Russian cavalry
Into a potency. Japan has little cavalry,
' - :: ' . ' '''.-.:"-', i-.-,''.,J': ;
INDEPENDENT. -NEWS PAPER
PUBLISHED BY JOURNAL PUBLISHING CO.
Sunday) at The Journal' Building. Firth and Yamhill streets. Portland, Oregon.
PAPER OF THB CITV OF PORTLAND '
others. -.
THE SAME
affairs in the world
the celebrated Pobledonostoeff at Its head, represents this
particular branch of Russia's effective muscle upon public
opinion in that patriarchal despotism. Nothing, however,
shows Russia's duplicity as this specific disavowal of re
ionslbIIllyof "the utterances-of "Itsnewspapers against
the United States and of its claims that her newspapers
have the widest latitude, One has only to read article 140
of the Russian press statute which tells the story in all its
beauty. Here it is: "
"When the imperial government considers that the dis
cussion of any public question is undesirable, the min
ister of the. interior may direct the censorship authorities
to advise the newspapers and other, periodical publica
tions of the fact,, and to prohibit them from mentioning
the subject In question." ,
With Its attention quite fully occupied by a war which
threatens to tear down the laborious work of years of
scheming and aggression surely no subject could be more
"undesirable," than one calculated to arouse the enmity
and even provoke the open hostility of a powerful nation
like the United States. To do this deliberately and ma
liciously would seem the sheerest folly and that In such, a
critical emergency the government with the powers at its
command would permit such an assinine performance,
when Its censorship is otherwise so ridiculously rigid, Is
altogether beyond belief, and an official pretense to the
contrary is an insult to the Intelligence of the Christian
world. t , . :.
10,000, we believe, with only J.000
I.OOO in mounts. And it is not Cossack
cavalry. What the Cossack caa do we
can Imagine from what our southern
general, Forrest, did with .Cossack
methods, dashing 100 miles in a night
and fighting st dawn with the fresh
morning courago of the true fighter.
If ail the southern cavalry had been
Forrest's there would have been a dif
ferent pesos than Appomatox. And all
the Russian cavalry is Cossack, in spirit
if not in origin. Thst is part of the
Russian military layout against which
Japan is seriously up against And it
cannot be held to be a negligible quan
tity jn our prophesying.
amuio SIB ST.
From the East Oregonian.
Gambling la the cause of it all.
A glance at the list of the bad cus
tomers, complained of by the grocers of
Pendleton, reveals the fact that about
US per cent of them are worklngmen who
are habitual gamblers.
The grocers' organization was formed
primarily to guard against loss through
customers who run large bills snd then
plead poverty, lack of work and a dozen
other excuses for not being able to pay.
Naturally, one Is driven to inquire the
condition and surroundings of this class
of people and the Investigation reveals
the fact that thoae who cause most trou
ble to business men srs those who make
a practice of bucking the games with
the week's salaries before paying oft
their legitimate bills.
This condition will naturally ba Im
proved aa the temptation to gamble la
removed from these men.
If the games are closed and they can
not find a place In which to Join a crowd
of goed fellows, these poor customers
will naturally go home with their sala
ries, pay up their bills and support their
families more respectably, the grocers
will get their pay, the community will
be better off and nobody but the tran
sient gambler who adds nothing to, cre
ates nothing, produces nothing in the
plan of civilization, but absorbs the
esrnlngs of othera, will be the loaer.
If there had been no bad customers,
the expense of organising and maintain
ing protective unions among business
men would have been unnecessary.
These poor customers were created
largely by the gambling evil and now
that it is removed (la a public way. at
least), the condition surrounding at )eait
two classes In Pendleton will have been
improved those of the families of the
gambling worklngmen snd the grocers.
" . I,,
Oea, Wood's Opponent Silent,
From the New York American,
Mark Hanna being gone, It is pre
dicted with .confidence at Washington
that Dr, Leonard Wood will be con
firmed as major-general without trouble.
It was a a friend of Major Rath
bone, convicted of postal frauds in
Cuba, that Hanna; fought Wood, and not
to protect the army agslnst favoritism.'
Nevertheless tha fight was a useful on,
and it is to be deplored that there is
no one In the senate disposed to take
it vp from high motives and with the
same energy thst Hanna showed.
JOURNAL
JNO. P. CARROLL
ing something upon whlcfi to feed and grow. ' If it find no
good material 1 it Will find evil. ' The secret of the best
education is to overcome evil with good; to fill the young
mind with good thoughts, ennobling ideals and desires
which may be fulfilled with benefit to themselves and to
'-.. .
OLD STORY OF DUPLICITY.
DISTRACTED by its endless folly and brutal greed,
and with its usual and absoltHe disregard for
truth, the patriarchal despotism of Russia -now
"specifically disavows responsibility for the utterances of
some Russian papers against the Uplted States." This
strange bit of information the Associated Press sent yes
terday over Its wires for the edification of the American
people. ; We are furthermore informed that it was pointed
out by the foreign office of the "peace loving" czar. In
order to correct "the erroneous impression prevailing
abroad that Russian newspapers owing to the censorship
exercised over the news, expressed only news sanctioned
by the authorities, whereas, as a matter of fact the news
papers editorially have the widest latitude, and they fre
quently embarrass the government by their unrestrained
criticism of other countries." That there is not a word of
truth In this statement we shall proceed to show.
In the first place the censorship Is exercised in Russia
not only over the-news, but especially over editorial, sta
tistical, ecclesiastical and foreign affairs.' So vigorous is
this function of the csar's government that an ordinary
business advertisement cannot " be printed without the
approval of the censor, and In places where there Is no
periodical " publication an advertisement, or " anything of
printed character, must receive the endorsement of the
local chief of police, who Is in every community the most
important functionary of the imperial government The
control of printed matter is so thorough and systematic
throughout the Russian dominions that the manufacture
and sale of everything about a printing establishment, as
well as the establishment, its owner and employes, are.
under the strictest discipline and control of the multitude
of Russian officials. By this system the manufacture and
sale of "the smallest fraction of an ounce of type is ac
counted for, and every scrap (Of printed matter must bear
the legend Dozvoleno Cenzurol "with the permission of
the' censor" giving also the date. In addition to this
system in all secular1 affairs, there is also an ecclesiastical
censorship which controls without appeal everything per
taining to theological doctrines and all matters concerning
to come. The most holy synod, with
SOVTOASTZBaT OKEOOV.
Is Portland so Bo Bothlng- to Oct the
Tatars Trade of That Xegloaf
From the Burns Times-Herald.
Portland will lose ths trade of this
section In a very short time. The rail
road news published in our last issue
from a Salt Lake paper certainly looks
as though the metropolis of Oregon was
going to be shut out. Should the Sump
ter valley extend 140 miles and connect
with the Reno road then our trade would
be diverted to San Francisco.
Later railroad developments brlnr tn
light the fact that Oould has been bot-
ea up dj narriman and that the for
mer la compelled to build a Una to the
Pacific coaat. What more natural then,
for the Oould people to make connec
tions, aa ststed In the nit Tji, ,
at Reno and take the trade of eastern
and southern Oregon from the Harriman
people. In a late press dispatch from
New York a railroad man is quoted as
saying the Gould-Rockefeller people will
nv iimnnui on an fTanctaco bay
in 1901. It la also asserted they have
monev to burn and It wmi4 v..
to light them. Portland has lost Klam-
i ana laae counties, now it will lose
Harney,. Grant. Baker snd perhaps Mal
heur In the same manner. It la a fore
gone conclusion that this will be te
ease unless something Is done to divert
it which under the circumstances is
not likely.
Burns snd Harney county want a rail
road. We will do anything in reason to
Set It. Tha first nna tn An, III o-
ceive the buslneas and If it gives this
section airecc transportation with San
Francisco we will certainly trade there.
KuagiAw bxsum or jxta.
From F. T. Jane's Book, 'Ths rmperlal
Russian Navy."
No Russian officer will surrender to
a Japanese: the determination Is almost
universal to blow up the ship. I havs
a shrewd Idea that orders exist to this
effect. If they do not exist In black and
white, they are tacitly understood. As
for the Japanese, the ship that strikes
is to be fired on by its consorts. There
has been nothing In the war thus fsr to
falsify these opinions. The Russia
animosity toward the Japanese seems
to ba Implacable, and the estimate of
them very low, 'We don't like the Jap
anese," said a Russian naval officer to
me. "I kn,ow some that I like much:
but. taking there as a nation ne.- Their
nayy Is good too good; but they would
never fight Russia fairly. They would
invite ua to a dinner and poison us. or
something like that. : Treacherous; you
can't trust them." '
Sudden Translation, ; t ,
From the Chicago Journal.
Unsophisticated cook If you pleaae.
mum, the butcher says I shall get 6 per
cent on all the orders. I give him. What
doea that meant ' ; ,;....
Mtatraait means. Mary, that ws
ball havs a new butcher. ' -
Oregon Sidelights
It' can't ram more than SO days in
jirvn, anyway. -. . .
Rev.' Smlck is' sick. Albany Demo-
emu . naa ne iosi or mislaid the "m"T
oeverai uregon towns have had a
'Doom' lately in wind and water.
A rabbit cannery in Goose Lake valley
. mwuuuiicu as a neeaea industry. .
A ., Roseburg young woman has sued
er isinsr xor over 300. which may
cause him to quote a line or two of
iear. . . -.- : : -v
Jim Rari-Ttnail . ta. In tha Potirilatnn
Jail for being drunk and disorderly. He
was traveling on his name, as well as
uta snaps.
Bend Bulletin: To those who have
occasion to trsvel the Prtneville-Shan
Iko road at this season of the year our
aavice Is, Don't. '
Three WcCall boys of Silver Lake.
aggregate 19 feet 2 inches In height
They have plenty of room up there in
wnicn to Keep growing. ;
It Is SUDDOsed 'that an era-antzad nna
or saie-Diowers wrest Umatilla county,
rendezvousing on the reservation, and
the sheriff Is trying to safely blow them
into Jail. . : ' .- , ..-.
' Certainly the big government tras-
ports went out from Portland to sea
safely and easily; nobody said they
wouian t, except some malicious enemies
of Portland
Salem citizens eubscrlbed for the lo
cal bond issue with avidity, ths whole
sio.OOO being tsken by home people In
a few -hours, an incident indicating that
Haiem is -au rignt.
Two Bend boys, while wading in the
edge of the river, found two ISO pieces
on the bottom of the stream, and the
money was claimed by Jim Overton as
a part of some stolen lately from his
house. Borne thieves do have hard luck
and some boys are honest
Land In the vicinity of the coat de
posits in Gilliam county is bringing or
held at fancy prices. One man at Twick
enham has refused M.000 for 130 acres
of his stock farm; also $300 an acre for
some other ground,' holding It at 11,000
per acre, which it may or may not be
worth some day. . ; .
It Is not every country girl who goes
riding, even in the wilds of Clackamas
county, who carries a gun, but it Was
fortunate thst one did so the other day,
when on a horse-back Journey she and a
companion were . attacked by famished
snd desperate coyotes, one of which she
killed and carried home aa a, trophy.
According to the San Francisco Chroni
cle, Edward H. Lenox, who as a boy of
It drove the first ox team that ever
reaehed"the Columbia river from across
the plains, has Just celebrated his 77ta
birthday st his home in Oakland. He
only lived In Oregon five years, till IMS,
and so cannot well realise how many
good things he has missed.
A little Corvallls girl. In whose parents'
garden ( the violets ars blooming, has
received a letter from a New York little
girl, who wrote; "How .we envy you
In your beautiful Willamette valley. Our
entire county is covered with snow from
four to 10 feet deep. We have not seen
the ground since the first of November.
The thermometer Is now 12 degrees below
sero," consideration of which conditions
Incline Willamette valley folk to sub
mit cheerfully to a little more wetness
than they think agreeable.
Sclo News: Never growl because a
newspaper falls to give every scrap of
news,--so long as you tske no pains to
give the editor information. We have
heard of readers who ars much put out
because no note was made of friends
visiting them, or of social affairs, or of
heaven-sent babies who arrive in the
night The average newspsper man Is
not a medium or a roindreader. He wants
the news and gets all he can, but if
you shut up like a clam whenever he
comes In sight you cannot expect to see
much news regarding yourself or family
in the paper.
; TVS VOUTXOA& BOSS. :
Analysis of a Bart? Machine and Its
Operations.
From the Chicago News.
Senator Francis W. Parker of Chicago
contributes to the March number of the
World Today a striking description of the
methods ef the political boss. That
worthy is lsuded. by his followers and
dupes, says Senator Parker, because he
"does things." Yet what good thing does
ha do? ''The followers of the boss will
say that he is boss because of his trsns
eendent ability. - No sot it is usually be
cause he Is willing to do what better
men would scorn to countenance." As
for securing good legislation, "It is a
familiar trick of the boss when the press,
the clubs, various interested organiza
tions and the- publio generally clamor
for some reform to yield a part ef It and
then calmly ask credit for the measure
as if he had, originated It". That Is a
plain statement of. a well-known fact.
, Yet to the boss, because he gets power
by pulling snd hauling, resorting to low
trickery, making sordid trades and other
wise throttling popular government come
reputable men who want to be candi
dates. They plesd for his favor, comply
with his terms and swell his authority.
"They forget that no political honor Is an
honor If obtained dishonestly." Trans
formed; into machine workers, they
merely record the will of the boss and
accept their pay In nominations for
office received at his hands. ''The ma
chine reduces all its members to a dead
level of mediocrity. If any one but a
boss seems to loom Into prominence he is
usually a mere stalking-horse to deceive
the unwary into believing that the ma
chine la led by distinguished citizens.
. Being an organisation of plunder,; the
machine cannot exercise a Deneneiai in
nuence for reasons that Senator Parker
states clearly: "The machine has no
nubile nollchts. advocates no measures
affecting beneficially the public, never
tries to and never ooes reiorm anyining.
It Cannot be for reforms, for. thst is to
destroy the food on which it exists," . The
forceful sdvocate of political reform who
Dens the article concludes after a general
survey of ths enormities committed by
the boss that his political machine "hss
done more to degrade . men In publlo
life, to debauch and render inefficient the
Dubllc service, to bring law and our in
stltutlons into disrepute, to pervert the
ambitions of young men. to unsettle the
nurooses of older men and to call In ques
tion the sufficiency and permanency of
free Institutions than any other agent at
the present time affecting puouc anairs
To well-meaning cltlsens who are
tempted to Work with the political ma
chine these conclusions may be especially
commended. - ; ; . '
v'-v Aa Sxplaaatiosu
' L wnnn wrltea in aak whv tha wo
man must taka the man's name when she
marries hint; Since she takes every
thing elss thst ths man hss, she might
as wen aa nis name aisw,
SOME JAPANESE ADVANTAGES
- From the Chicago Journal.
If you should take a Japanese, shave
off his little mustache, let his hair grow
and braid a false queue into it and then
dress him in ' Chinese garments, how
many Americans do you supposs could
tell him from the original, eimon pure
John- ChlnsmanT vi ;?rT-
More pertinent to.lhe matter In hand,
how many Russians do ; you t suppose
could find him out? A
The experiment has; been' made, not
once or twice, but hundreds and thous
ands of times, and the result is known
to a certainty the white man can't de
tect the counterfeit. ' .-.;.,; v-'. ;'. .;, ;
That is one of the most Important
facts lnthe crisis that exists in the fsr
sast It makes it possible for the Jap
anese to know all that the Russians are
doing in: Manchurla--how many troops
are-there, what their condition is, how
well they are equipped and provisioned,
where they are now, and what are their
facilities for rspld concentration,
Never, probably, has one country on
the verge of war been more thoroughly
informed as to the circumstances and
purposes of its potential enemy than is
Japan with regard to Ruasla. Her in
telligence department is superb and in
this case It is working under a peculiar
advantage due to the similarity between
the racial characteristics of ber people
and the people among whom the Rus
sians are quartered. ,
The efficacy of this spying1 system has
been proved. When the war between
China and Japan, which, came on in 1894, !
was imminent it was worked success-1
fully sgalnst the Chinese themselves,
who. : of course, are very much more
capable than the Russians of detecting
a Japanese wolf ; in Chinese sheep's
clothing. .
At that time there was a Japanese
physician practicing his profession in
snangnat who, as has since been dis
closed, was the head of Japan's secret
servloe in the flowery kingdom. To him
came dally reports by underground rail
road, grapevine telegraph, and all sorts
of. ways that were aa dark and trlcka
that were as vsln as those of the
heathen Chinee himself.
He had under his direction an oraan-
isatlon that extended to every source
of military and political Information.
Merchants, professional men. laborers.
household servants and Japs made to
look like Chinamen were his agents.
That was a good school for Japanese
spies.. Tbey learned their . lesson well
and now they are bettering in the in
struction. .... ,.
The matter of disguise presents no
difficulties. Even the false queue that It
requires does not Jeopardise its success,
for false' queues are as common among
Chinamen as false hair is among their
paieraca sisters. . if a Chinaman's hair
is thinner or shorter than he considers
desirable, he supplements it with a
switch, which Is sometimes made of hair
and sometimes of silk."-
garments become him as if he were to
the . manor - born.' He must - sneak
Chinese, of course, and If ha muin it
with an accent nobody is going to know
it but his Chinese nalrhhnrs. and h
in : the present stste of their feelings
IN ST. PETERSBURG AND TOIIIO
Sir Edwin Arnold In Chicago Tribune.
It would be an instructive experience
for historians, for stay-at-home politi
cians, and for people generally, to pass
at this moment of exultation in one
capital, and of disappointment and de
pression in the other, down the . main
streets of Toklo snd St Petersburg. One
bears the name of the Ginsa, the other
is known to all ths world as the Nevskl
Prospect The contrast between them
would seem as strongly marked as Is the
difference between the empires them
selves in climate, situation, Inhabitants,
manners and national dress.
The main street in the Russian me
tropolis might almost be styled mag
nificent In the long vista of its unbroken
range, and the imposing character of its
public buildings and monuments. . Lon
don baa nothing which can ' match . In
striking effect that wide thoroughfare,
viewed from the banks of the Neva, in
the broad, open space upon which the
noble street debouches, the huge palace
of the csar, the Isaac cathedral, and the
bronse statue of Peler the Great than
which neither Rome nor 'Athens ever
possessed a finer effigy make a grand
gateway to the avenue of solid edifices
all tHe way up to the statue of Cath
erine, fronting the Alexandra theatre
and the imperial library.
The Ulnza la Toklo has nothing to
show like that The reason is a simple
one. The Japanese would and could
have built along the shores of ths 6u-
mlda as handsome a city as Peter raised
upon the piles which he drove Into the
mud flats of the Neva but for the earth
quake. It is "ojishln," ths ever recur
ring spasm of the solid earth, that has
forbidden to Japan the art of architec
ture. Such would be the first distinc
tion between the victorious and the de
feated city, all explained by that Im
placable phenomenon which permits few
solid erections in the land to become
ancient It may be that the modesty
and simplicity of Japanese national life
have been largely due to the repres
sion forced upon the island empire by
the instability of her soil. Then the
next thing to be noticed by an intelli
gent observer would be the great fre
quency of Inscriptions and lettered le
gends upon ths shop fronts ana build
ings along the Ginsa, -from Shlmbashi
to Nohonbashl, and the striking absence
ef them throughout the Nevskl Pros
pect 'V ' '" -. i.-r V t ; '- s:,-- -
Under this difference lies bidden, sn
obvious explanation creditable , to tha
Japanese., Almost every one among
them can read and write, on which ac
count the shopkeepers announce , their
business with a lavish display of names
snd articles for sale, while the Rus
sians, as a rule, are deplorably ignorant
of reading and writing, and commodi
ties have, therefore,, to be advertised by
pictures upon shop fronts.- signboards,
and shutters. In a time like the pres
ent, that one little drvldlng fact signi
fies a good deal. It Implies, in the one
case, a population vividly awake to the
value and the meaning of the splendid
triumphs already won for the mikado by
the courage, the intellect and the patri
otic devotion of his . subjects. In the
other case it gives the reason why those
Muscovite citizens Would today be seen
going up and down amid the numerous
snd -watchful 'police, bewildered, melan
choly and discontented, because of the
darkness in which they are kept by lack
of education, and tho absence of any
thing which could be properly described
as "publio opinion;"
The capable observer,, who I am im
agining is today promenading . . first
through one and then through the other
of ! those two famous thoroughfares,
Would comprehend a Urge part of the
causes at the bottom of Japanese suc
cess and Russian overthrow by the de
meanor of the two crowds of pedestrlsns
coming and going along them, as self,
contained and orderly In the hour of
their-highest rejoicing, as they would
have been if defeat had fallen upon
them, he would see half of the great
story told In the alertness, vivacity and
general air of "blen-etre" evidenced In
the Ginsa among those happy Japanese,
toward1 the invading Russians, sre not
going to say anything about it i
Bo it hftnnens that Jansneaa eves see
and Japanese ears hear all that Russia
1. - - - . . . . . u . u v V waw I,,.",
rThe Russian viceroy may give news
paper correspondents their v walking
papers, as he hasdone before now, but
all his; repression: and ibis censorship
will not keep his every move from, being
reported in Tokyo as promptly as news
can travel,.
. There. are men in this city who have
recently returned from Japan and whose
internets require that they shall be well
acquainted with the situation there,
who believe that the Information which
comes to the mikado's government from
its . spies sccounts In largs part for the
apparent willingness of Japan to match
her strength against an enemy-that
seems to be her superior. Perhaps, they
say, Russia la not so well prepared for
wsr In that quarter as she is supposed
to bs.
A Statement cabled to -the London
Times a week or two ago by Its corre
spondent in Peking was read .v. with
amazement by many person. It said
that vail the Russian troops east of
Lake Baikal were fewer than 180,000
in number.
If this be true end tlfe ' sssertion,
coming from a source that Is commonly
regarded : as , authoritative, csnnot be
dismissed lightly the confidence that
pervades the Japanese commsnders is
understandable. V
The figures which the Russians gave
out a few days after this surprising in
formation was published were very dif
ferent They represented the czar as
having 890,000 men on the ground and
110,000 within a month's Journey of the
field of wsr.
. That the 110.000 men could be trans
ported over the Siberian railroad or its
Msnchurlan extensions in a month no
body who has seen the line will believe-
It Isn't a good railroad. The most pa
tient jersey commuter would rebel at it.
It is made of 60-pound rails, instead
of the 90-pound kind which all flrat
clasa railroads now use. The locomo
tives are light ' and. therefore, not
powerful, and they are not kept in good
order. ; Twenty miles an hour is the top
notch speed, and a train will stand still
for repairs or other causes at least half
the time of its Journey. Altogether-the
railroad is a good deal of a lame duck.
There is a shrewd suspicion, too, that
the store of provisions and . munitions
of wsr at Port Arthur Is not sll that it
Is supposed to be. Long ago the order
was given that there should be con
stantly on hand at ths Russian depots in
Manchuria supplies of every kind suf
ficient to keep 100,000 men In the field
for wo years. Yet only the other day
the statement was made, oa what
seemed like good authority, that the ac
cumulation, in case' of immediate war,
would not last more than five months,
A good deal of color is given te these
reports by a knowledge of Russian of
ficial methods. The Russian officer,
civil, military and naval. Is a grafter.
His pay is TOairaTid"hrdoesHTlesltate
to piece it out. So tt may very well be
that the supply of food and powder and
shot in Manchuria falls fsr short of the
quantity that has been paid for.
Edually throua-hnut " tha Kavaki ttrnm.
pect, ths dull aspect and dejected bear-
ma oi me Muscovite tnrong would, tell
him of a nation dimly conscious of mis
overnment official rnrmntian anj ad
ministrative blunders, but not enlight
ened enough to manifest emotions much
beyond those of ill-treated animals. :
The Muscovite neonla find I am afraid
more consolation- for their troublea In
man in any or tne innocent pas
times which satisfy' those whom we
must for the moment atvla "Its ana.
mies." But you would see the citizens
of Toklo discussing the tremendous In
cidents of their opening wsr with no
miiumnv stronger man tneir pal tea
and tiny pipe, yielding its three whiff-i
and a half, round the go-ban board, i To
the black' and white counters upon it
they will give as close attention as did
the young officers to their terrible en
glnes of destruction on board those tor
pedo boats which did not fear to run
the gauntlet of fourteen ranged men of
war. . v : .
lj Such a difference aprlngs from deeper
roots than any game at "gomuku na
rabi;" it springs from the keen artistio
Quality of tha Jannnesa mind whlnh will
have everything exact and finished after
no kiiiu quid periecuy, wnetner.it be
the little bit of Ivory which they carve
into a natsuke, or the mighty armor clad
which they guide into the battle line.
The arrogance displayed by Russian
statesmen in their, recent negotiations
with those of Toklo baa mat with a n.
buke too terrible and final not to make
us au reel actual pity today for the sit
uation of the czar's empire. It . arose
from an ia-nneanna amnn ' tS n,.
- m w w v . y r
ranks In Russian socisty as characteris
tic as is me eomoer ana superstitious
temperament of the peasants and com
mon people. They called the Japanese
vyellow monkeys," and are only today
learning what It means to go to war
with a nation of 45,000,000, all. as homo
genous as ths rice grains in a sack, all
educated, ' sober, loyal, patriotlo . and
fearless of .death not with the" dull,
hopeless obedience of the drilled moujlk,
but with the glad devotion of a free and
self-respecting race. . .
Even now the leaders of the war party
in St. Petersburg and Moscow ars count
ing upon ths scores of Ignorant villag
ers whom their generals and admirals
can afford to sacrifice, Instead of those
principles of Justice and peaceful prog
ress upon which their opponents take a
stand. How can it be doubted to which
influence civilization will prefer to con
fide the future of China and the far esstt
: TBB KTXXA.I. MAIZ. OAUUIK. ,
From the New York World.
It Is the 'announced intention of the
house committee on postofflces and post
roads to include In its report advocating
the Increase of rural mall carriers' sal'
arles by $10 a month a recommendation
denying carriers the privilege of taking
subscriptions to newspapers snd periodi
cals. .-. - - i,
' This is a time-honored enterprise of
the : rursl postmaster. , By what pro
cess or discrimination 'is it withheld
from ths carrier, whose duties Include
him practically In the ssme category.
It Is due to the small additional in
come thus earned that the rural' car
rier service has- been maintained at , a
higher grade Of efficiency than the low
salary gave reason to expect. Ths re
sult of the changes recommended will
be to impose a higher charge on the gov
ernment without; Improvement of ' the
service and not unlikely to its eventual
deterioration. ' v
"i The large Increase of first-class mall
on rural routes Is found to have been in
direct proportion to the larger amount
of second-class mail matter delivered,
the demand for which hss bad its source
in the very activity on the carrier's part
which it Is sought to end. .
The rural mail delivery Is designed to
diffuse thought and spread intelligence.
Tha carrier does this not least effec
tively when he widens the demand for
the means of culture, .
Small Change
- Even by burning her hotels and .the
atres, Chicago can't keep warm.
Still the deadly automobile shows that
It la no respecter of wealth, -
Judge George Is fortunate In one
respeqt; he never requires shave. -
He ise an exceptionally , timid or
obedient hoy whom the curfew bell
scares. ... - .
. After all, a good many barbers, some
of them say, ars pleased that the'law
was knocked out v . k - -l i
It the stock raisers' pull together,
they ought to be able to worry the beef
trust some, anyway, - . -
Not all employment agents are ras
cals, but it seems undeniable vthat some
rascals go into that business.
v How much city revenue will pay for
the ruin of a home, a young man's sulr
tide .or a . woman driven to destruction T
President Roosevelt le said to regard
himself as a man of destiny. And he
has no forebodings Of a St. Helena,
either.
It Is not "Infant industries' thst are
ehiefly "protected" these days. There
is the gambling Industry In this -city,
for example. ,-.
On sober second thought the senate
yielded to Senator Mitchell's plea to
BOBtDOne the Vrva shlnnlna- hill fne 1 ft
months, which is advantageous to Port
land. - - i - i , j f
The Northern Paciflo railroad tnanl-
festS a diSQORltlnn - in deal renamnalv
with the 'overlap"' settlers, 'but time
aione wui aeiermine now lar ft o
In this direction. :''''-mV-;;-.v..; -
China seems unable to resist' the
temptation to mix up in the Russo-Jap
war, which fact in turn tempts several
Euro oean sowers to aid Ruaaia aralnat
the "yellow peril." ,.',.,",,, ; .
Ex-Senator Turner of Washington Is
to bs boomed for the Democratic vice
presidential nomination. But , are tho
stats of Washington Democrats going
to Ignore Oregon's governort
What a good many eastern editors
and officials don't know about the prac
tical side of forest reserves would fill a
whole volume of that esteemed contem
porary, the Congressional Record,
But if Mr. Pete Grant considerately
returns money lost in his gambling
house, on demand, where will his profits
come In? Or does hs bank on the sup
position that most victims will refuse
to "squeal r . ; .
It seldom rains enough In California.
sjid"irheTrirttoegTlnen6ugh, It doesriT"
stop, but keeps up the downpour until a
dlssstrous flood -results, such ss now
afflicts the Sacramento Valley,;- Taken
all around, Oregon is hard to beat.
Even men sent to Jail have a right
te reasonably decent accommodations.
Not all of them are guilty, and others
are not very badly guilty. .The city
Jail is a disgrace to this municipality.
as everybody agrees." What is to be
done about itr . -tf.
The gamblers' contributions are not
sufficient to enable the city to get rid
of its garbage properly; or to help ap
preciably to make good, durable streets,
or build new school houses. But they
do show forth Portland officials ss
men who trample upon laws tbey srs
sworn to enforce.
' A bill has been Introduced by Senator
Galllnger to Increase the president's pay
to 176,000 a year, and the salaries of
other high officials including members
of congress, about in proportion. . Yet
many men would ba greatly pleased to
take the position held by any one of
these officials At ths present salary.
Democrats of St Louis. Mo., assem
bled In county convention, had so fierce
a fight that one faction of th-sm only
escaped destruction by Jumping out of
second story "windows." It Is suspected,
that these, though they were for Folk"
for governor, are not quite genuine
Democrats, or they would not thus hsve
taken to flight
tnro&a Airs nww job.
From the Chicago Record-Herald. '
Now your duty's clear before you, Uncle
- Samt - -
' Dig! -Tsks
your Jacket off and give the same
- a slam,
Dig! :
The arguments srs ended, all the ore-
tors are through;
The question's been considered pro snd
con, it's up to you ',
Tour Instructions are specific, you know
what you have to do
; - Dig!
Get your pick and spade and scour off
. the rust
l'--,V.:..?----;VDIfl.-' v. .
Now ths question isn't "May you," but
.-' ''."Ton must" v .;.m-"
'V;T,-:-tS.-.,f,:Dlgt ,
Tou had a chance before you took the
; Job, to understand ,
Exactly what its size would be, Just
what you'd have on hand .
Now get busy blasting bowlders and up
heaving dirt and sand
,K j-- Dig! - S ;';
nuuoATioir or xxakatx coxjktt.
From the Klamath Falls Express. ''
' Ranch owners of Klamath and Tula
Lake valleys sre enthusiastic over the
proposed Irrigation canal which seems
now certain of construction, and signa
tures to the contracts have been not a
few since Monday. Messrs. Brown snd
Hawkins, the promoters of the canal,
sre at Merrill today, where they will re
main for a few days. Yesterday after
noon they were at Lost river looking
over the Irrigation projects now under
way on that stream, .The building of
(he canal from the Upper Klamath. Into ,
Tule lake valley wilt be a gigantic un-'
dertaklng. It wtll be a huge ditch' with
a capacity of 100,000 inches -of water,
sufficient to convert the whole expanse
of sage lands to the south of us into
a productive area, which means devel-.
opment and prosperity and plenty for
the many that will corns to build homes
and identify, themselves with us.
Favors literary Fellers.
From Printers' Ink.
David : Kaphokohoaklmokeweona has
been appointed postmaster at Koeklu.
Hawaiian Islands. This is but another
illustration of tho administration's
preference for men of letters In offlftlal
positions.. ' : X' "
'To la Xeeeptlve Mood. 1 .
y: , From the Chicago News.
Admiral Togo has called five times, at
Port Arthur and each time the Russians
sent out word that they were at home,
nut-not receiving.
.1
X