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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (March 16, 1904)
Editor iai Page dfrite J 6 Eiraal WEDNESDAY. MARCH 16,. 1904 PORTLAND,, OREGON . THE OREGON DAILY AN . S. JACKSON IibltahM-iwy-W OFFICIAL, RAPEROP TMBlTYrOP THE WAR OF THE MACHINES. MR. CARET'S reiterated assertion that the issue in the present contest between the Republican fact Hons is the United States senatorship In 1907 is in Jarre measure true. The primaries here today will de cide the factional complexion of five candidates for state senator, who, If elected, win help to decide whether Mr. Mitchell or some one of the Simon faction shall, be - . ...... 1 . . .I...... ..mams I.A..... T f ttiA r,H 4tttV cnoseil . senaiyr iietui mice jcai o uc-ui-c. . hiujuiu, of voters believe this Is the paramount Issue, dwarfing: everything else, and are sure that In 1907 they will prefer Mr. Mitchell, who will then be about 72 years of age, to -any other man, they will elect Mitchell delegates today. To that extent they may decide by their ballots. But as ? to who those state senators shall be, whether they will be good men for that position aside from their adherence to Mr. Mitchell, or whom they would vote for In case of his K demise, or how they would act otherwise, except to stand by the machine that made them senators, the voters at large have practically no Voice or power. Mr. Carey, Mr. .! Matthews, and perhaps, a few others, will choose for the twenty-odd thousand voters of Multnomah county such men as will best serve Mr. Mitchell's and his machine managers' purposes, while the people's general Interests,' if considered at all, will be, If most precedents are fol lowed, only a secondary and minor matter. ' True, at some points the Interests of the people and of these politicians may coincide, but the result would be the same if they did not So, If the "Independents" win, Mr. Simon, assisted possibly by a few closet advisers, will choose these sen- : ators, as well as the rest of the candidates for the legisla ture and other offices, without taking the people Into his confidence or considering their probable .choice In the - least. . . , But this is not the only bone of contention. The sheriff has quite a large , "patronage" at his disposal. So has the county, clerk, and the assessor. They employ quite an army of assistants and clerks, more, at times, it Is popularly supposed, than the public service requires. And these assistants are customarily chosen, as everybody knows, not so much on account of their peculiar fitness for the work assigned them, as on account of the strength of the "pull" they have with these officials, or rather, modernly, with the select few bosses. And they must be t men who," when the time, comes, wUl "donate" liberally to these ' bosses' campaign ' fund. These contributions keep, the machine's axles greased and bearings oiled. So it Is important to the leaders of either faction to select for these Important offices not the men who will best perform , their duties, but who will contribute the most to the cam paign funds and be most tractable to the machine man agers' orders. No business corporation on earth could, succeed by adhering to such a system, but this is a partial outline of the way the people allow, their public business to be conducted. " ' , '. " Mr. Simop charges that the Carey-Matthews machine ... gives the mass ofjvotera no-chance for free and fair ex pression of opinion and choice, and probably , he is cor rect. Mr. Carey retorts, and tells the truth, that the Simon machine, which he maintained so long, was run by hinv most arbitrarily and in most Insolent defiance of the people's wishes and Interests. , ' , , But perhaps a. better day t coming, voters will not only have more to say in be better qualified than they are now to Is best. The primary nomination law, to June, should, if adopted, help somewhat hither. DEEDS RATHER THAN T 1HE RUSSIANS are accustomed own way by talking. They have won much ter ritory by means of fair and Intentionally deceit ful words ,or by taking the attitude of the bully and pro claiming aloud What fearful things they would do If they did. not get what rthey wanted. So successful have, they been In alternately bluffing and cringing that tcy rely entirely,' It seems, upon this method., in their war with Japan... ., ' . . ' . " "' ' DeWltte's boast that, "thanks to General Kouropotkln and Vice-Admiral Makaroff, Russia must now triumph," , I a little premature. It would have been better had De "Witte waited, like the small boy who declined to-say grace i before meat on the ground that he had nothing for which to be thankful until he had eaten. DeWltte's further boast that Kouropotkln is a strategist the like of whom , does not exist In Europe, sounds very much like other statements made at the beginning of hostilities regarding Alexieff and others. For instance, "Alexleff is the greatest general of modern times. He will teach these Impudent Japanese a lesson which will last them for many' genera tlons." ,'"'::''.-.' ; We have It from the doughty Kouropotkln that, "Korea shall be Russian," and "Peace shall be signed only at ' Tokio," and "No Japanese shall be left umer Doasts were mat tne Japanese Into the sea, that the mikado should his knees, eta, ad aauseum. It may be a good thing for Russia to have her laugh first, else she may not be able to have any. It may be a repetition of the experience of the French officials who laughed long and loud at the ignorance of the poor Japs Who, in return for the ports selected by Yokohama, Teddo and Han-Tang asked, .without ,,any .- appearance of amusement, for Havre, Marseilles and Southampton. When the Frenchmen had had their laugh out they gently but firmly told the not give them Southampton for the I LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE Local Option. ,1 Portland, March 14. To the Editor of ;The Journal However good or bad in 'influence, whether necessary as a so .,' rial unit or not, and not demoralizing) whatever may be the arguments pro and . con for its existence, it Is not my pur pose at this time to enter into a dls- cuHslon of the saloon question. The question has its own intrinsic value, but " la my estimation Is something distinct and separate from tbe question which will soon be brought before the voters of this commonwealth namely, the question of local option. 1 simply wish te lay particular emphasis on a few points which seems to .me worthy of consideration. : , .Local option is not necessarily a pro hlbltlv measure, nor is It "an offspring of the prohibition, party." In its sim plicity, this local option.', proposition means to me, first and last, the exten sion of one of the fundamental and basic ,-priuolples i which underlies out Anglo American Institutions and republican . form of government, 1. jl, the Idea of majority rule and local self-government It is seldom that any one raises any complaint about- saloons In the business section of this or any other rH.v or in communities where the ma Jnflty of the people seem to favor such -orts, but why should the liquor lu- INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED BY JOURNAL PUBLISHING CO. Yamhill streets, Portland, Oregon. longed to England. The laugh was on the other side when the Japanese quietly, responded,- "Yes. we knew that, bu then Han-Tang Is In China." -: It is about time for Russia to begin to make good unless she expects to win battles as did the ancient Chinese, by means of loud noises and frightful faces. The Japanese are very quiet and let the other side do all the talking- and it may be that they will have enough wood1 sawed to burn Russia out of Manchuria by the time Russia really gets ready to do something. k DIRTY BOSSES AND CLEAN LEADERS. I or Ineradicable Few people their Immediate ' lieutenants will hesitate to answer the first query in" the affirmative. The reasons are obvious. Summarized in a single statement, they amount to this: The boss, having gained control of the party machinery and a political party must necessarily operate by ma chinery begins at once to work for his own and his po litical chums' advantage, to the injury of the public The public is the boss' big oyster, or orange. , He Is Invariably a person of little or no scrupulosity as to methods. His ends Justify any means short of the grosser crimes. He and his coterie "work the public easily because most peo ple are too Inert politically, or too busy, o too indifferent, or too Ignorant of their own power, to oppose , him. Hence they get 'poor laws, Incompetent service, and reck leea; expenditures. Occasionally the people wake up suf ficiently to overthrow one boss,-and" immediately permit another to pursue the same course. . ' Yes, the ordinary political boss is an evil, yet political leadership should not be so, for .lt Is necessary, cannot be dispensed with under any form of civilized government. What Is needed Is not the elimination or overthrow of natural political, leaders, but the selection of high-minded, sincerely patriotic, broadly capable and deeply honorable men for leaders. What Is needed is not the discourage ment of political ambition, but an insistence that this am bition must be of a high standard, a clean character, and a pure purpose. The people must insist on leaders who will truly and devotedly serve thenv Instead of those who prostitute the power conferred upon them to the baser uses in t011 with the ward healer, the partisan touter, the grafter and boodler. " . . . The need is for higher political ideals, and sure knowl edge on the par.t of those seeking high office or leadership that failure to live up to higher Ideals in public service will insure disgraceful discomfiture and defeat. The Australian our political standards. The proposed direct nomination law will do something more. Yet these are but surface remedies, Inadequate means to effect the needed cure. They are helpful appliances, but the real cure must consist in a mixture formed of pure thought, noble purpose, undevlatlngly upright action, faithfulness to all spoken and Implied pledges, and real devotion to duty. ' We need to rise above the theory now generally acted upon,' and apparently acquiesced In as a matter of course by most Voters, that the moral standard of action In public when the mass of service or political activity must or may be far lower than that which respectable citizens maintain in private life, in their personal dealings with their fellow men. , politics, but will say and do what be voted on next to bring that day THE TEST WORDS. T HE JOURNAL to getting 'their on the Columbia river, , The telegram forwarded to Sen ator Mitchell Is in precisely the right line. The Oregon delegation regardless of the sections represented, should be a unit" upon this questlonT for nothing more largely con cerns the whole state than the improvements In process of completion and those which are contemplated on the Co lumbia river and at its mouth. It may be frankly said no matter what else the delega tion .may be able to accomplish If It should fall by the wayside In this respect it will not come up to public ex pectation. These appropriations not only Include that in tended for the prosecution of the work at the mouth of the Columbia, but for a commencement of construction on the Celllo canal, This , is the largest and most im portant work cut out for the delegation and the success which attends its efforts to get' the needed appropriations for its continuance will largely measure the estimate which the public will place upon Its services at this ses sion of congress., ' , fThe t Identified with the Northern Pacific and one of the very ablest general passenger agents in the country, had ac cepted an even more important position with the Harrlman system, has occasioned much surprise, not unmixed with gratification, over this excellent recognition of his brilliant capacity. Mr. Fee is not only an able man in, his busi ness, but a man among men who enjoys to a very unusual degree the respect and confidence of a host of widely scat tered people. He will prove a .distinct acquisition to the Harrlman system. A. D. Charlton of this city, one of the oldest men in the passenger department, that is oldest In point of continuous service, is in line of promotion for Mr. Fee's place and if the position is tendered him it 'will not only be a merited promotion but very gratifying tosall of those who have had either business or social relations with him., ' alive in Manqhuria," should all be swept sue for peace upon France in Japan- Japs that they could reason that it be terests be so aggressive as. to claim the right to set up their places of busi ness In residence communities and In districts where it Is too evident that the majority of the people object to them, simply because a few Individuals desire the saloon and the promoters be lieve that a demand and trade may be created? Some time ago the granting of a cer tain saloon license was objected to and the answer was made that the majority of the residents of the community In question desired the saloon. Whatever may have been the merits of this par tlcular case need not be seriously con sidered, but if this answer were true and if the same holds good in other and similar cases, why need the liquor, in terests fear local option? What objec tions need they make to the passage of this law? Why their talk of organiz ing and formulatirg plans of action cal culated to defeat this measure? Why so much spirit of fight? The very circumstances of the case implies that they wish the privilege of imumin ri in anv mmmnnHw they may see fit. It seems to me thaj In objecting . to local option, the saloon men and the liquor element In general are showing itself unjust and Inconsist ent, as well as making Itself the enemy of true Americanism and opposed the first principles of "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Then let us have a local option law let. us give to every community the right to say whether or not It shall have sa JOURNAL, JNO. P. CARROLL PORTLAND S POLITICAL bossism an evil? If so, is It a necessary evil? except actual or would-be bosses and ballot law has done a little to elevate OF THE DELEGATION. Is glad to see a keen appreciation on the part of the chamber of commerce of the need of a continuous appropriation to cover the work news that Charles S. Fee, for a quarter of a century loons; let us defend the principles which underly that which is real and perma nent and' lasting in American life and American Institutions. Respectfully submitted, R. J. BAKER. TKB &AXXKOAS HAY YET OOKB. -From the Washington County News. The West Bide electric roadway may Vet be a fact An effort will now be made to secure a subsidy to assist the proposition. It lg estimated that $100, 000 used as a subsidy will secure a company to put the road in during the coming summer. Of this Washington county should raise 150,000 and Port land the balance. A meeting was held In this city Wednesday afternoon, at which Messrs. Sewell and Heidel ' of Hlllsboro presented the matter In be half of the interests of Washington county. They stated that Hlllsboro eould raise $25,000 toward the project, and proposed that a committee be ap pointed , here : which would arrange to see what ForeBt Grove would do. It 1 was the sense of the meeting that such committee be appointed, and so an ef- Tort will be made to secure the long- sought prize. The Ooal Trust's Envy. From the Philadelphia North American. .Well may the coal trust gnash its teeth on reading that Japan has seized several Russian, colliers. That system Is even ' more profitable- than raising prices, f .. .., ' .. .r i Oregon Sidelights Heppner is to have a new bank. - Lane county cherry trees are begin ning to bloom. 'Spring, sure. - 1 Any one can guess what the -favorite game is in Freeseout, Wallowa county. Both farmers and stockmen of Mor row county unanimously report bright prospects. In 0 days a Linn county hog increases in weight from 160 to 410 pounds; cost, 17; value, 21.60. Eastern Oregon soil Is said to be soaked for a depth of four feet or more, insuring big crops. Gold Hill is not situated on a hill of gold, but will improve very much this year,, says the News. Gopher correspondence of the Mc- Mlnnvllle Telephone-Register: Frogs are tuning up for spring. . A Harney county community named Calamity is not suffering more than others of like population. Within two years the 0. R. & N. Co. has promoted 20 firemen to be locomo tive engineers, at La uranua. - Brownsville druggists have been fined for selling liquor. Some of them will do it, particularly In dry towns. JVC. Conn, a prominent merchant of Silver Lake, has mysteriously disap peared, and it is suspected has commit ted suicide. One of a band of cattle bought by a Pendleton butcher weighed 1,640 pounds; value, 173.80. Wonder what he cost consumers? A railroad is to be built between The Dalles, or a point near that city, to Du- fur. Some time it will doubtless be ex tended southward. . Reform has struck Sumpter. A dance hall has been refused a license, and an ordinance has been passed forbidding women in saloons. Several brick buildings are to be built in Pendleton this spring. The East Ore gonlan predicts- 15,000 Inhabitants for that town In five years. Bully creek. In Malheur county, went on a rampage and washed out several bridges. But other creeks With less lively names did the same. A company is forming with the Inten tion of pumping water with a gasoline engine from the Columbia and watering the land at and near Castle Rock. A Milton preacher having engaged in a street fist fight, as well as hot lan guage, has resigned his ministry, so as to be free to whip whom he pleases. ' Hiram Baker of Linn county crawled over a rough road and through a stream, a distance of over a mile, with a badly broken leg, to his nearest neighbor's. The Yaqulna Bay News says "The sum mer season is rolling along pretty lively." Really, this is news. But the beach won't be crowded with visitors for awhile yet A Ollllara county, family left last fall for their old home In Virginia, Intend ing to stay, but are already back. One winter, even down In Virginia, was enough for them. A company has been formed to culti vate strawberries on a large scale on the uplands east of Weston. That rich land will raise fine strawberries as well as 60-bushels-an-acre wheat A Helix man who Is In Jail in Pen dleton for emptying his six-shooter Into a neighbors house, charge his conduct upon the excessive rainfall lately. If rain up there thus affects people, there are some who will desire to move Into that neighborhood, as well as those who will wish to move out' . . The Klamath Falls Express calls for an experiment station, adding: "We grow alfalfa to perfection and won't take our hats off to any other section when It comes to potatoes snd the cereals. But may be there are a few things we don't know. An experiment station would enlighten us." Bix male students at the University of Oregon, dressed In women s clothes, and wearing veils, gained admission to the girls' recent basketball game, though the presence of males was strictly prohib ited. The girls only found out the trick, It Is alleged, when the game was over, and they consider the Intruders ."no gentlemen." , POLITICAL POINTERS Adams Advance: "The only way to nave pure pontics is to go to the prl marles and send pure, honest men to the conventions and they will honor the trust reposed in them by nominating like for positions on the ticket It is up to the voters to have pure politics if you want them." Heaven is the Advance man s noma. 'Yaqulna Bay News: The "regular" aspirants for Binger Hermann's .seat In congress, are, as usual, all on hand. but they might Just as well save their energy and divert their ambition in other lines, for Binger will succeed himself. Ontario Democrats 'In Harney county the' Republican party is split wide open on the land-leasing question, and In this county there are two elements In the party who may carry their differences with them to the. polls. TATS 07 TOXVESO BOATS. From the New York Tribune. While a good deal has been heard about torpedo boats ana torpeao coat destroy ers in the war. and some Of those ves sels have done effective work and others have been lost, ihe great majority of the mosquito, fleet has not figured In the news. At the opening of the war the Russians had about (0 torpedo boats and 30 destroyers, while the Japanese had about the same number of boats, but not more than 20 destroyers. , We may assume that vinos t of the Japanese boats are 'at home, guarding the coasts and ports against possible attacks of Russian cruisers. : But what has become of the 90 Russians. It seems scarcely possible that so many are in port at Vladivostok and Port Arthur; yet there are . few other places of , refuge for them. -- Xnow the Courts. From the Chicago News. President Smith's willingness to sub mit his case to the Utah courts may in dlcate real humility or It may mean only that he knows the Utah courts. ST. PETERSBURG IN WINTER. - . .V... ...V ,.-.. ... - St' Petersburg in midwinter is 'the moat picturesque capital In Europe, and it is the least patronised by foreigners. in the summer, when the city wears an uninteresting cosmopolitan-, ap pearance, . English and -American tour ists come in swarms, and get shaken to pieces In the Russian drouakles as they rattle over the rough roads, which are paved with cobblestones shaped like petrified sheeps kidneys. Wheft St. Petersburg receives her annual covering of snow and Ice, the wheeled carriages are replaced -' by sleighs, wfth Jingling bells and spirited horses, which skim noiselessly over the white roads at terrific speed. The broad flowing Neva Is frozen three or four feet thick, and electric cars . convey passengers across for 'the sum of S copecks, or 1 penny. Peasants, on rough-looking skates, push huge chairs over the loe on run ners at a good speed for twopence, from one side to the other, a distance 6f three- quarters or a mile. The city Itself is full of quaint con trasts. Homely-looking women sit on the benches In the publlo parks up to their knees In snow, knitting, with their children playing . around them; while tall, stern-looking Russians, enveloped with furs and whiskers, stalk gloomily along. ' ' The first things which strike the stran ger are 'the universal politeness of the people and the absence of merriment of any kind. Russians have no sense of humor, and they seldom smile. On entering a-shop or an office, a man takes off his cap, and does not put It on again until he gets outside. At the ho tels, servants wait by the door to help visitors to take their coats and over shoes off. "' ' There is a vast gulf between servants and employers, which is never bridged over. To do anything for one's self In Russia Is likely to entail disrespect from the lower classes. A Russian gentle man will wait five minutes for a man to come and take his coat off or to unlock the door of his bedroom. The slilgh drivers of the first 'class are picturesque-looking men, and the majority Of them are fat enough to make the lord mayor's coachman weep with envy. "The ordinary tariff In St Petersburg is 20 copecks; or fourpence. for 15 minutes' drive; but with the best sleighs this does not count and a bar gain has to be made. Men driving fast horses take the center of the road ajid vie with each other In speed. The shafts of the sleighs project on each side of . she horse's head, and have a big round knob at the end. This acts like a buffer and knocks the unwary way farer 'out of the road, and enables him to be quietly run over by another sleigh passing on the side. No one knows when the emperor is going to drive out except , the chief of police, and he Is ss communicative as an oyster on the subject Suddenly there is a cessation of traffic in the crowded streets, hats are raised, and the ctar dashes past In a wteTgh drawn by two magnificent black horses, with a Cos sack standing at his back to shield him from danger. Almost before one realises It the royal sleigh, with the pale blue cloth flying in the air, has gone out of sight and the traffic is resumed. Troops are never turned out to escort the emperor ex cept on the occasion of great functions. As a rule, he goes without parade or any kind. There are no public houses or cafes in Russia, but there is a good deal of drunkenness. The selling of wines and spirits Is a government monopoly. Peas ants and working men can get a bottle of bodka for sevenpence, and take it out Into the street to drink or take it home. Vodka Is a pure alcohol, dis tilled from corn or barley, generally and tastes like weak gin and quinine. There are a certain number of res taurants where liquor can be obtained, but it is necessary to order food with them. ' "' St Petersburg has numbers of very handsome churches which contain val uable paintings and mosaics, set with precious stones, worth millions of rou- bles. . The Russians ss a race pray more publicly than any other people In the world, not excepting the Mohamme dans. Shrines are erected all over the city, and the devout Russian pauses to utter a prayer at one shrine, and then looks across the street to pray to an other one on the other side. The coldest weather does not make the slightest dif ference In that respect to men or wo men. They always pray, but seldom wash. , V '' ' Russian cooking is rather indifferent and the best restaurants have French chefs. They are frightfully expensive. but the wealthy Russian spends his money, and thinks nothing of paying 80 shillings for a hort drive in a troika (three horses abreast, the two outside galloping and the center horse trot ting). The best part of the dinner generally Is the hors d'oeuvres, or sakouskls, as WASCO coxnrTY bztzbxov. From The Dalles Times-Mountaineer. Although very little is being said about.it, a move is on foot to divide Wasco county Into three or more coun ties, and the coming election will have considerable bearing on the division question. ' The people of Antelope and vicinity still cherish the, dream of Stockman county, a- bill for the creation of which has been before the past two sessions of the legislature. They expected their county to be created by the last legis lature, but were disappointed. , How ever, their ardor has not been cooled by defeat and they will make another ef fort in 1905. The people of Hood River also have aspirations to be the seat of government to be carved out of the western portion of Wasco county, and it will be no sur prise if they have a bill before the next legislature to create a new county. In the event Of the Stockman county bill becoming a law, and a county being created out of that part of Wasco lying west of Mosier, Wasco, which once com prised all of eastern Oregon, and a good portion of Washington and Idaho, would represent a decidedly small scope of ter ritory. . Whether this bisecting of .the county would be beneficial to what wpuid he left of Wasco Is a question. It would In some respects decrease county expenses, but It would at the same time materially reduce the volume of taxable property If this Immediate section is opposed to county division, it Is time now to be gin considering the question, vr.v , 1 1 n .", " " Why War Was Declared. ' V From the Washington Post Professor McGhee declares that the Japanese brain is larger In proportion to the body than that of any other race. "His head is mesatlcephallo for the, most part with a tendency to brachycepnaiy in the gross types, and doltchocephaly in the nne type," ir tne Russians nave anything that looks more like an ex plosion of 'the alphabet than that we they are called. They consist of a num ber of small appetizing dishes, caviar, smoked - salmon, smoked sturgeon, pickled mushrooms, herring .salads, Russian sardines and a variety of other things. The attendant hands each cus tomer a small plate and a fork. You pay 85 copeks (7d) for a gloss of vodka, an,d eat as much as you - like. At tne- present time tne enure civil ized world Is excited over, the war be tween Russia and Japan, but ; in St Petersburg it is scarcely mentioned ex cept by foreigners. The Russian who knows his business does not discuss affairs of state in pub lic places. A young lawyer five weeks ago addressed a meeting of students on the fore I an Dollcy of the government.. Next day he was politely, notified that it would be better xor nis neaun u no left St. Petersburg at once for. Arch angel, in , the far -north on the White a. and sojourn there lor live years. Accordingly, the young advocate packed up -at once' and tarried not on his de parture. . The chief of police governs the city with an iron, hand shod with the soft est velvet. It Is easy enough to get. Into Russia, but the difficulty is to get out Nb ope, either Russian or for eigner, can cross the frontier without a permit from the chief of police lu the city he has last been staying in. At the German frontier station, Eydt kunen, the train stops forty-five min utes to give the passengers ' time to think whether they really wish to enter Russia or not. ', ' . .; - Then the train aoes slowly on a' few hundred yards, crosses a . small river, where the German and Russian sentries face each other on opposite banks, and enters the frontier station, WUballen. All passengers alight and walk Into the custom-house. Their passports are taken from them at the door. The ex amination of baggage Is perhaps the strictest in Europe. It is opened In the presence of three or four persons, and there Is no tip ping. After all the passports have been duly entered and rigidly scrutinised, they are handed to the offloers, who call out the names of the holders. In answer to the call the passenger opens his baggage, and after It has been passed he Is handed a pink ticket which entitles him to his passport at the door. Russians have to get their passports renewed every six months or pay a fine. A Jew from Berlin., who was on the train with us had to pay a fine of 13 because his passport was out of data On arrival at a hotel in a Russian city the foreigner hands over his passport to the clerk, who -sends it at once to the police for notification. On leaving. It is returned to the traveler. Foreigners are treated very politely everywhere in Russia, and are not fol lowed by spies or Interfered with In any way unless Jhey speak loudly in public places as to the doing of the csar, the church or the government In that case they are politely but firmly requested to depart at once, and recommended not to leave their hotel until the train starts. A slip of paper is handed to them by the police, and their passport is given r them at the Russian frontier by a stranger. He has been, on the train all the time, but out of sight i ' f Winter is the' gayest time In St. Petersburg, when the theatres, operas and all kinds of amusements are in full swing. Skating rinks are formed on the smaller streams which run through the city by sinking cut-down old boats in the water and letting it freeze over, There Is then no danger of drowning If the Ice gives way. In St Petersburg every one rides, and the people, especl ally the women, are Inclined to embon point and laziness. To walk Is to run the risk of getting heart trouble. The cold weather Is dry and agreeable. This year the winter in St ' Peters burg has been very changeable, bitter cold one day, snowstorm the next nd followed by mild, bright- sunshine. On Friday, January 15, it rained all day In St Petersburg, and an English man, . who came all the way from Lon don to have some good skating, burst Into tears when he got out of the train 'and felt the ice rain on his upturned face. It made htm feel homesick. In Russia It Is considered very bad form to carry an umbrella, no matter what happens. The people wear their furs without regard to the thermometer. The hotels, restaurants and private houses have double windows packed with cotton wool, and double doors. The rooms are all kept heated, ..night and day. There are men specially em ployed to keep out 'fresh air, even through a keyhole. ' The bright uniform of the military and naval officers, and the picturesque costumes of the peasants give color and The dangers of visiting Russia have been greatly exaggerated by tourists. and there Is no . country where the stranger is more hospitably received and entertained. - . It is a' very dear country to live in for foreigners. The Russian rouble is worth 2s lHd in English, and goes about as far as a shilling In London. XOITZSTY AHD TAXES. From the Boston Herald. The late Prof, von Hoist of Chicago university, whose recent death has made a large gap In the ranks of great histo rians, constitutional lawyers and advo cates of International peace. Is the hero of a curious experience In the matter of personal taxes. In 1899 he and others were called upon by the city .authorities to - make out a- schedule of their per sonal property subject to taxation. This he promptly did, setting the total at 117,547. The learned scholar had an ethical standard that required him to tell the truth, even to the tax collector. Presently by Inquiry he discovered that good citizens of his acquaintance of good repute, men scrupulous to a penny in all business affairs, made out their re turns of property -for taxation according to another formula of morality. They assessed themselves not fot what they actually possessed, but for a certain per centage of It, varyirlg according to the different degrees with which they could compromise with conscience. 'Some de ducted 60 per cent from the total, and some a much greater sum. Thereupon he wrote an appeal to the board of re view, apologising for his unintelligent proceeding and asking that his state ment be returned to him, .In order that he might make It out In accordance with the practice of others, and not have to pay an extremely unfair proportion of taxes. The board declined to return the schedule he had submitted, but rcog nlsed the. reasonableness of' his appll cation by reducing the sum on which he was assessed nearly SO per cent below the amount he in his honesty had re turned, so that he did not fare greatly wprse than his fellows citizens. There are. several ' morals to be derived from this incident; but they may be left to the reader's sagacity. Y - 'i -.:..A Safe rolloy. & From the Chicago News. Probably the administration is pru dent In sending so many warships to the Pacific .Tne Pacific Is a large ocean and there Is much more room there than elsewhere for ships to move around without bumping into one a,nother, Small Change I May the least bad faction win. But the trouble Is. this-battle doesn't end the factional war. Better news than any political faction can furnish: The sun shines, Will today's contest " result In giving reading voters welcome "rest?" . . That six weeks of the groundhog's disappearance is over, at last , - ,. j Five-to-four decisions " are popular With the United States supreme court If money talks, both the Carey and the Mitchell factions must have had lots of it- . 1 - All the Republican factions are in the Roosevelt band-wagon, which is a heavy strain on it . Several politically prominent - people seem to recognise the fact that the peo ple don't want them sent to the senate. General Miles must really want to run for president badly if, as reported,: he is willing to run on the Prohibition ticket " . v;.- -j--: Most men who work so hard to get into office could make money easier, and more of it in some other way, besides living longer.' " ' When a plural wlf,e wasJ.'sealed'Lto a Mormon apostle or elder, was it un derstood that her mouth was sealed against nagging talk? The Chicago Journal declares: The wife does not live who cannot easily be made Jealous." Which might be Impor tant if true, but it Isn't The supreme court Is .only human, and usually finds sufficient legal ground to support in Its decisions the policy and purpose of the administration at the time. i i ,. New York Democrats are helping Roosevelt's prospects materially. . They can always be depended upon to fight more fiercely among themselves than against the Republicans. St Patrick's day will be celebrated as usual tomorrow, without regard to what If any, party faction he be longed.s All that Is certain is that he was anti-snake. , Three young men were arrested Mon day In Alblna for "habitual gambling." HoW Is this? Why such discrimination? Have our sportive youth no rights that this model city administration Is bound to respect? - ; . The Oregon supreme court decides that a - man cannot be sentenced to "hard labor" In connection with a county Jail sentence. It - would be "cruel and unusual punishment" for most ,of the county Jailbirds. The four Justices who upheld the Northern Securities merger Included : the three Democrats of the court Fuller, White and Peckham. Wrlth them stood only one Republican, Holmes. But this fact Is more Interesting than important Somehow the Republican politicians always manage to "dig up" a plethorlo sack for campaign purposes. Where does all the "stuff" come from? Ulti mately from the pockets of the over taxed and not always well-served com mon people. Mrs. Williams, of North Yakima, whose husband. 47 years old, eloped with a 14-year-old girl, says the. naughty girl "led him astray." Is there no way, to protect innocent men past middle age, the heads of families, from being "led astray" by such terrible chil dren? ' Because of carelessness or .dllatorl ness, several hundred voters who want to vote at the primaries today cannot do so, except at a good deal of trouble to themselves and othera Why so large a proportion of ordinarily prompt and careful men will always put off this duty until too If te Is one of the biennial mysteries. - - - 1 WHAT U THOUGHT. Washington Corr. New York World. A gray-haired woman, thin and vinegar-faced, was listening to tho testi mony of President Smith at the Smoot hearings. Smith had. Just sworn be had five wives and 42 children. "The brute!" said the gray-hatred that being out of Jail !" "Perhaps, madam," said a bystander, ;hls wives do not object" "Certainly not!" she snapped.' "Any woman who Is fool enough to marry a man Is fool enough to agree to anything he does or says." . Advice to the Lovelorn it axATaxci r Aiar ax. - Dear Miss Fairfax Some time ego a friend of mine was walking home with me. It was very slippery on the pave ment and I slipped frequently. The young man did not offer his arm, and I felt deeply hurt In consequence, fear- I n ,h. .MIaiiI. ,e (h. n.r.An. Katiln us. Do you not think under the circum stances that It would have been proper for him to assist me? Will you also kindly tell me whether It Is proper for a young couple to stand conversing at the front of the young lady's house after she has been escorted home? . COUNTRY MAIDEN. " It certainly would have been more courteous to have offered to assist you. Perhaps he is shy. There is no harm In talking for a minute or two in front of your house, but It does not look well to see a girl stand talking for ages. ' Dear Miss Fairfax: I am a young man, 23 . years old, and am keeping company for the past three years. 1 am deeply in love with my lady friend, and my love is returned. It Is under stood between us that we are to get. Christmas. It Is my custom to give my sweetheart two or three presents each year, the most Important being , around Christmas time. I bought her two very . costly presents this year , (as every year I think more and more of her), but this year, a thought struck me to find out what she would do In case she would not receive, any from me (we are not engaged). The result la sho will not speak or notice me even in her own home. I earn ISO a week and cer tainly would not like to lose my lady love. . ,. A CONSTANT READER. I do not think muoh of a girl who only values love In proportion to the number of gifts she receives. It may be that she is hurt at what she con siders your lack pf sentiment in not re membering her at Xmastlde. If' you still value her love I would advise you to make her a pacificatory present and to try no ntore experiments. She.evJ. dently does not appreciate your efforts Jin that direction. j : want to know it I