Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1904)
Page Us JdiF&al PORTLAND, OREGON ERJDAY, MARCH 25, 1904 Editorial THE OREGON DAILY AN CS. JACKSON ''published every evening (except Sunday) and every Sunday morning "at The ; . streets, Portland, Oregon!. RECKLESS AND WICKED EXTRAVAGANCE T HIS IS ft big country, and the machinery of govern ment is necessarily expensive.' j. , nas oecuma a very ruu rouuu ... - - . - j i. the most prosperous on earth, and they .to be niggardly In the matter of salaries and other. ex penses of necessary officials. Although our presidents up to about 80 years ago got along very well on a salary of '$25,000 a. yearand, some able and excellent presidents the country had, too, at that price the people were generally (satisfied with the action of congress in raising the presi dent's" salary to50,000; and probably would not object much to the proposed farther raise of $25,000. Even then the president would be but meagerly paid in proportion to -the amounts paid to the heads of European governments. Supreme court Justices and other Important publio tunc tlonaires should receive good salaries, such as will relieve them from worry about personal needs, and help to render them if the else of their Income has any such saving po tentiality.' which is rarely, if ever the case superior to .mercenary temptation. Even a good, faithful, hardwork ing, patriotlo member of congress may earn much more than $5,000 a year, and If the character or caliber of con gressmen could on the whole be proportionately raised by raising their salaries, the people would gladly consent to the Increase. But no such result is to be expected. ' Many "good men" In every state and district are not only wil ling but anxious to serve as senators and representatives at the present salary, and there is no assurance, nor In -.deed any probability, that ; better men would ie secured by paying more for their services. As to the oft-repeated plea that a man cannot live in Washington during the sessions of congress and keep up requisite appearances on $5,000 a year, the people will not believe it, and have no sympathy with it Certainly a member, of congress must be sociable to a certain extent and cannot live In a se cluded and niggardly way, Yet if he has the amount of brains and common sense that are desirable, and neces sary to bis true success, and 'it he has the real demo cratic spirit, be can manage very well on the amount paid, .'if he be a rich man and. .chooses to spend more, nobody can object; but the poor man, who lives within his income, and shows that he is not ashamed to do so, and that he considers himself quite the equal of the one who lavishes money on display and to pander to the unhealthy appe tite of society, will in the long run accomplish quite as much tor bis constituents, and will be more respected by those whose esteem is worth having. - It is s time when the tendency to costly and needless display, and to ape the fashions and customs of courts of royalty, Bhould be checked The president is in this re-i spect setting a bad example, one that cannot fail to- work great harm to the country. We do not want a cheap, par- J simonlous, cheese-paring government; ' but on the other hand we do not want one that seeks to out-do In vain, jjorap and glittering displays the courts of European coun- j tries; and this seems to be President Roosevelt's aim. It is becoming at Washington a very saturnalia, of ex travagance, so that. even Republican members of congress are alarmed, and are lifting more or less courageous voices of( warning.; , The White House has cost thousand dollars lately, ana .; men supposed rto te good Judges sneer, at the results' and say the money was worse than thrown away. A commission of engineers, appointed to examine Isthmian canal routes, spent $1,000,070, a large part of it in taking holiday, trips to Europe, and nobody seems to know how the money went, or to suppose that anybody would cars or - that it was anybody's business. That wholesale grafting has been prevalent in the post office department is certain, and that similar conditions exist in other departments is to say the least probable. The pension roll is to be Increased by millions annually, by mere order of a subordinate official, and everybody knows that this is a species of bribery, of vote-buying, in which Democrats are quite as deep In the mud as Repub licans are in the mire. V ; These are only instances. Not only is there no effort to effect reforms, but there is to be no longer even a pre tense of curbing the rapacity of the criminal trusts. ' Rivers and harbors can wait, but meanwhile money flows like water along all the grafting avenues of official dom. There will be an awakening, and a reckoning, some day. We are a big people, and not parsimonious, but we will era long rise in protest against this reckless extrav agance, this imitation of foreign royalty and the whole sale grafting which it is pretty certain Is going on in- many departments of the government service. SOME NATIONAL SURPRISES. WHETHER pleasing or displeasing the most tangible thing Jn Democratic national politics is the Hearst boom for the presidency. Two very Important facts are now apparent, which were not A CALL TO PUTT. the President tola to Do About Xtt What, Is f Prom the New York World. -'The supreme court has decided, that any "contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy in restraint of trade or commerce among the several states, or with foreign na tion," Is Illegal and criminal. Thus the unquestioned power is placed in the hands of the president and the attorney-general to suppress such combina tions. Nor is that all. Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Knox not only may proceed against the trusts they must do it. Tt shall be the duty," says the law which the supreme court has sustained, -."of the several district attorneys, of the United States, 'under the direction of the attorney-general, to institute proceed ings In equity to prevent and restrain ; such violations." Now, gentlemen, What are you going tH do next? Not, surely, to sit down complacently, as some have suggested, end ask the people to vote for you because you have proved that' you can do something and do not do it Natur ally. . you are looking about for other trusts to, destroy. Why not begin with the paper trust and the beef trust? . There-is no simpler case than that of . tne paper trust none more clearly with in the scope of the law as defined by he supreme court It is free from the mystifying complications of railroad finance. - The International Paper com pany is a "combination in restraint of trade among the several states.". It has mills lit Dve states and forests la another, and in conjunction with the Oeneral Paper company of Chicago it controls almost the entire industry of the union. There could be no more perfect-example, of an interstate com bination. 'Y'"" '"' ' " From the presses of the 10,040 news papers of the United States drop, hun dreds of millions of sheets denouncing , trusts, and of them all there is not one that has not paid a tax to the paper trust. Every one of them appears un INDEPENDENT", NEWSPAPER ', PUBLISHED BY JOURNAL PUBLISHING CO. OFFICIAL PAPER OF .TUB CITY - OF originally suspected. of the movement, The United states . '" 1 . nnnnla a - ji iw yyi -.v are not disposed partisans at work are reaching for it discovered that the in the presidential ment has been a uninitiated public . No one now, no deny the strength many are beginning the track as well as WATTERSON inent Democrats, or Louis. , The Wattersonlan utterance quoted below Is evi know the colonel know that he Intends to stick to bis party as he did to his state during the civil war, and is ready to go with It, even though he is sure it is headed for a warmer place than a moderately fleshy old party can be quite comfortable in. not have views of Dear, dear, how News is an independent with. Republican or least mug wump proclivities; heart beats true to Grover. The Courier-Journal, on oc casion, has antagonised the notion that there is no Demo crat worthy of consideration; that we must take Mr. Cleveland, or go breakfast, Grover nothing; tor your and-out Bryanlte, tion of it here; having made a graven image, set it on a pedestal, and fallen down to worship it and to compel all other W worship It A word of dissent is blasphemy, A suggestion of disapproval is treason. J -"Thus ohp esteemed contemporary's comment To thjs eye of lunacy the level-headed are Insane. Tet, the very Republicans who never weary of singing Mr. Cleveland's praises as a'flt and senseless Democratic nominee, would be the first to turn and rend him after the nomination. "By the way, will our esteemed contemporary of In dianapolis enter into bond to heartily support Mr. 'Cleve land in case be is nominated T The Courier-Journal will." All of which was not needed to prove Mr. Watterson's Democrary, but it Is "good reading," as nearly all Wat tersonlan utterances are. severe hundred The Philadelphia Record compares the results of the postal Investigations which was made in response to the Hay resolution, to the parable of the Bee and the Baby. "What is that child crying for?" asked a fond mother of the nurse who was trying to quiet an obstreperous boy. "He is crying for a bee that is buzzing about the room," replied nurse. ' - '-- ' "Well," said the mother firmly, "Baby must have the bee. Give It to him." . A minute later baby's yell were renewed an hundred fold. ' " ' "Nurse," said the mother, sternly, "I thought I told you to give that bee to the baby."" - , "I did mum," quietly responded nurse. On the whole, could have been ciation yesterday The Journal because of its attitude upon the local option question ;,,;,.., der the shadow of this monopoly, which violates every principle of legiti mate business and is obnoxious to every criticism of the trust evil. . The organisation of the paper trust arrested and reversed the downward trend of prices which had been accom panying Improved methods of produc tion for 18 years, -and has driven Yates up beyond the level of extortion- to that of simple piracy. It has created an arti ficial famine which sometimes leaves press rooms of paper here wfthln two hours of the time of publication. The fact that some journals for private rea sons are in sympathy with this , impu dent monopoly does not make it less oppressive or less illegal. The department of justice has an un expended balance of 1475,000 expressly appropriated for the prosecution of trusts. Congress has given you the gun, Mr. Knox, and paid for the powder. The supreme court has tested the wea pon and found it good. When are you going to Are?. , -V," Justice Between Friends. . ;' From the Philadelphia Post. Ex-Representative John Allen tells of a young man in Dallas who "had occa sion," as they used to say in Texas, to shoot a friend with whom he had had an altercation. - As the accused had no funds the court designated a member of the Ban Antonio bar to defend him. As the jury was, being selected counsel asked his client whether he Knew of any rea son why any of the Jurors should be challenged. ' "No, I don't," was the whispered re ply, "but if they find me guilty X have a brother who Is game enough to chal lenge every last one of 'em. If you're a true friend you'll challenge the judge; but I'd like to attend to the sheriff my self!" - ;" Wo Bespeet for an Adage. ; Prom the Philadelphia Press. v "You can't eat your cake and have it, too," remarked the cheerful man. ,.i "You can't eh?" groaned the dyspeptic, as h swallowed a- couple of tablet. "That's all you know about 1U"- .- -.. JOURNAL JNO. P. CARROLL Journal Building, Fifth and Tamhill , PORTLAND First, the vitality and divers Iflcatlon and secondly, , the ability and .aggres siveness of the campaig management. Even those in the Democratic ranks who do not favor the nomination of Mr. Hearst are being forced to admit the strength and loyalty of the movement in bis' favor. They are forced to admit, too, that In all quarters of the country there are active who know precisely what they want and the best they know how. They have "management back of the movement is quite as astute, as, tireless and intelligent as that set on foot by the late Senator Hanna to land William McKinley chair. The development of the move succession of surprises not only to the but to the politicians who have assumed to control publio sentiment and direct it wherever in their wisdom they isaw fit Those of the party who sought to force the nomination of Mr. Cleveland have discovered to their amatement that what they 'have really succeeded in doing is to stimulate the Hearst boom. The more Cleve land was pushed, the more his backers thrust themselves into the foreground, the more did the rank and file rally to the support of Hearst And this applied not alone to the west, where the Hearst 'movement is admittedly strong, but to the conservative centers of the east where It was not generally suspected to have much strength. matter what his predelictlons, seeks to of the movement. On the other hand to feel that Hearst has the inside of charge of the band wagon. However this may be. if the movement is as well managed in the next month as it has been in the past and he continues to develop the same strength he has heretofore shown, it will practically, be impossible to beat blm when the convention assembles at St. Louis. WILL SUPPORT THE TICKET HE Indianapolis News has been twitting the editor of the Courier-Journal with the intention of kick ing out of the traces in the event of certain prom one of them, carrying the day at St. dence to the contrary if any was needed, but those who But that is no reason why be should bis own and try to graft them on others. unconscious we are to be sure! The and, characteristic of Its species, its meatless; that it shall be. Grover for for dinner and Grover for supper, or out - and - out Clevelandlte, Ilka your out- will listen to no question or qualifica It was perhaps the wisest action that taken when the Liquor Dealers' asso voted down the proposition to boycott di a ironiEu, From Des Moines Register and Leader. Here in a nutshell Is presented the whole problem hat confronts the Re publican party. secretary Taft, who knows all about the Philippines, says, as President McKinley said about Porto Rico, that it is our "plain duty" to give the Filipinos the same access to the American market that we have given to the Americana of our other territories. On one side stands Senator Piatt, and he Is one of the most Influential' "Re publicans in Washington, declaring that he will Join with the unspeakable Patter son of Colorado to resist any reduction of the Philippine tariff that will admit tobacco and sugar on even terms. On the other hand stands Senator Lodge, speaking for President Roosevelt, saying that it the house, wher all tariff legis lation must Originate, can be persuaded to Introduce a bill for fairness to the Filipinos, , he will use his Influence to see to it that our plain duty la done to them as it has been done to the Porto Rlcans and Hawallaas. coiroxzssxoirAX, sxDEXicMras. From the New Tork World. Representative Cowherd of Missouri has a constituent who has for years been trying to procure a 'pension as a daughter of a soldier. At first she as serted her father served -in the Mexican war, and finally in tie war of 1811. She wrote Mr. Cowherd 'that a man having the same, name as her father served in the war of 1812, and he wrote her that It required something more than a mere name to get a pension, and to send some additional facts. In reply he re ceived this: "My father was of medium hejght, had black hair, couldn't shut one eye without shutting the other, and knew nothing about music' Representative Hedge, of . Iowa and Representative ' Hogg of Colorado are serving their first terms In the house. They have become great riiends, being constantly , together. - Colonel Hepburn Introduced them to a constituent yesterday; "Representatives tieage-uogg.' Oregon Sidelights Wanted, badly: Apostle Creffield. v Judge Moore seems to be eminently satisfactory to the people of Oregon, Still the immigrants come from Ne braska.; It is always a freese or Are there;, neither In Oregon. , Come on. j Lacomble correspondence of the Cor- vallls Times: Miss Rebecca Rucker had the misfortune to severely sprain her ankle last Friday.- - The Wade estate will pay only 10 cents on a dollar. And such a good man, too. The whole story: He spec ulated, and was robbed, and many suf fer. Athena Press; . Colonel woodsky was In town last night, from Weston, The colonel was better dressed than usual; an evidence 'of a wave of prosperity, or unlimited credit, we will not attempt to say which. Corvallts Times: Game ' chickens from the poultry yard of Judge Grelfes were shipped the other day to British uoiumoia. The shipment comprisea a male and two females. Orders reach the judge from all parts. A recent ship ment went to Mexico. ' McMlnnville News: The past 10 days Tillamook mall has been coming by the way of this city. Friday morning Stage" Driver Evans started 1,500 pounds from Sheridan and he received about 600 pounds mail on the 10 a. m. train here the same day. Mr. Evans is certainly having more than his share of mall to carry during the blockade In the moun tains. - There is a proper row in Tillamook county over th assessment work. Tim ber lands are (being assessed too low, and eows too high $25 a head. What Is the matter with the assessor over there? Or, rather, what is the matter with the voters? Timber lands ought. to be assessed according to their actual value. Who has the 'pull" to keep the assesment down to a merely nominal value? The voters of the timber coun ties of Oregon should look into this. Something like this Item, from the Athena Press. may be read these days In many state exchanges, showing the expression of the rural telephone sys tem: "Patrons of the Adams-Athena rural telephone line effected organisa tion yesterday and elected the following officers: President. Jerry Stone: treas urer and secretary, H. A. Barrett; di rectors, A. j. willaby. Casper Wood ward and W. H. Reeder. Fifteen' phones are on the line and connection Is made t" 'Aihena switchboard." POLITICAL POINTERS Eugene Guard: Judge J. W. Ham ilton will no doubt be nominated for re election to the office of circuit judge of the second districtthe position he has so ably niled for six years. All of the six counties in the district are Repub lican, but he stands a fair chance of be ing re-elected to this nonpolltlcal office on his excellent record.". Albany Democrat: Another leading political affair Is the steady rustling that is going on for the nomination for congressman on the .Republican ticket. A very sagacious man is at the head of the light to secure the coveted nomina tion away from Blnger Hermann, one of the shrewdest young men In the val ley viewed from an impartial stand point, and he la making hay. To a-McMlnnville News reporter, Hon. L. T. Harris said: "Certainly I am try ing to keep myself posted as to the sit uation In every part of the district, and I have been receiving numerous letters from the most prominent and influential citizens In every county, and from the tenor of theqs letters, which come to me unsolicited and many of them from men whom I thought were not my friends, that is. In a political way, I have every reason to feel very much encouraged in my candidacy. Another thing which I have noticed and which gives me pleas use Is the fact that the older generation of voters is taking a great deal of inter est in my, candidacy and this I think is quite significant since It has been said that Mr. Hermann would receive the support of the older electors. One thing which strikes me, as being very funny, which I have observed closely since I have announced my candidacy, and that is that many of those who were urging me to enter the race a year ago and were the strongest exponents of the Issue that Oregon now needed younger men In congress, men who would go there and remain and develop strength with each succeeding year of bis ser vice, have somewhat changed thelf views upon this score end think that it Is well enough to have an older man In congress, but If one is observing enough. It Is easy to perceive their motive in thus so suddenly changing their views. The fact is these parties, While not can didates at this time, have their' eyes upon. the office, or future aspirations in that line and they.thlnk, and very prop erly too, that their hopes will stand a better ,bhanceOf being realized with a comparatively older man as opponent and with a young' man lh the position they think their hopes would go glim mering, especially if the younger man develops the strength that Is- expected of him." .. x Bnssla and the Supply of Flax,- From thai Louisville ; Courier-Journal. , Russia produces 80 per , cent of the flax crop of the world, and the produc tion of that country practloally controls the market In Amerloa and all other oountrles. Samuel Gerstle, who is en gaged in the importation of linen, said: "Russia Is the fountain head of the world's linen supply, and flax is raised there quite cheaply.-' It cannot be pro duced successfully In America, and the country's supply Is Imported. If it were not for the Import duty the mate rial would be cheaper than cotton and the market for the latter product in America is preserved only by the duty which must be paid. 'The war will not have - any- effect upon ' the market. In my opinion, but what will effect It' is the fact that Russia is contemplating levying am export tax on the, commo dity, and that will be a heavy draw back if carried out The produot now leaves Russia duty free." Wish Father to Thought. .'. . ( From the Los Angeles Times. To a man up a tree it looks as though the Democratic party would split open so wide on national politics this year that the former fissures in that ancient structure will look like mere hair lines. Always Trouble. '" From th New Tork' World. ' Just as the hens agree upon lower prices for eggs city landlords get ready for rent raising. There Is an end of everything but trouble, : , v.. TWO VIEWS OF From the New Tork Independent. The Mormon Investigation is taking a wide course. The question before the senate committee is whether Mr. Smoot a Mormon apostle, shall be admitted to the United States seriate. ; It is agreed that no pel yga ml st can be admitted to congress, but Mr. Smoot is not a po lygamlst, and no one pretends that he Is. So the real question in discussion Is whether one not a polygamlst,, but an active ruling member of the Mormon church, can be received as a United States senator or repreeentatlvs. . On the face of it, the question would seem ridiculous, for our constitution ex cludes religious tests, but it does not ex clude -if: moral : tests. Yet no one charges immorality of this or any other sort against Mr. Smoot.' .'--' vv-,. Then, if no immorality Is in a primary or personal way chargeable against Mr, Smoot, is he guilty In any such second ary way, by incitement or collusion, that ha may properly be -excluded. 'This Is a main question now under investiga tion. . - - To prove this. It must be shown that Mr. Smoot, as a ruling officer of the church,' encourages other people to prac tice an immorality. In the matter of polygamy, of which he Is not himself guilty; and to this purpose the evidence is now being presented. The present head of the Mormon church has been under long examination by the commit tee, and he, has admitted nearly every thing which the opponents of Mr. Smoot have charged. While he denies that any new polygamous marriages have takeu place,' unless it may be in very rare cases against the law of the church, he con fesses that he has himself lived, and scores of other men have lived, since the admission of Utah as a state, In continuous polygamous relations,, with plural wives whom they took before that time.- When-asked if that is not polyg amy, he said no; that polygamy is the taking of an additional wife, which he has not done, but that it is polygamous cohabitation. ' When asked Jf he does not know that this Is against the law of Utah, he said yes, but he felt that he must take that risk for the peace of his families. He did not think it right to throw off his wives and children and to avoid jealousies and friction he must remain In husbandry relations to his wives. He has not taught others, he said, to disobey the law, but he chose to do so for what he thought good rea sons, while taking no new wives. The vast majority of bis people, be said, are monogamists, and the nplygamlsts are dying off, being now old men, and in a few years there will be none left This is a very frank statement: It admits pretty, much all that is charged. It is' a confession that would exclude Apostle Smith from the senate, but not Apostle Smoot. It raises a question on which honest moralists may differ, t The question whether polygamy or adultery or murder is or la not right is one that must be barred from publio discussion; but ths question whether those who, living in polygamous communities Mormons or Moslems or Pagans-have contracted plural marriages must on becoming Christians, give up all but one of their wives, is one that good mis sionaries have differed about 'A year or two ago a family or one or our Indians was converted. The old man was told that before he was received Into the church he must give up one of his wives. It was a very hard thing to do; but the old woman took her blan ket departed to live alone, saying that the young wife needed his protection and care more than she did. Good mor alists differ as to whether the right In struction was gtven them. But: the Utah law forbids living in plural mar riage, as well as plural marriage Itself, ! and no pluralist has any place In Wash ington. The testimony of the head of the Mormon church shows that while the church holds that plural mar riage is In Itself right and that ' it was ordained In revelation to Joseph Smith, yet the further continuance of plural relations with those previously taken is winked at but not taught So far no evidence has appeared on this line to exclude Mr. Smoot . - But another line of testimony is being prepared, which will show, if possible, that Mormons are under such bonds to obey their church that they are not free to be good citizens of their country that is. that the authorities of ths church rule and control the political action of their members so that a man has no right to accept a polltioal office except by permission of the spostles of the church. It is recalled that Mr. Thatcher was excluded from the Mormon church or acting politically against the church's orders. It has been asserted that there are oaths taken which are treasonable. For this we await further evidence. Thus far nothing has been proved that is likely to show that a loyal Mormon may not also be a loyal citizen, unless BZFFZBa nr too iizi?. Investigation Km Ckme Farther Tfcaa Is Warranted, .. From the Omaha Bee. The Investigation of the Smoot case by the committee on privileges and elec tions of the United States senate hag gone very much farther than was ex pected, or perhaps Intended, when the investigation was instituted. The con stitution provides that each house of congress shall be the sole judge of the election and qualifications of Its mem bers, so that the' propriety of the in quiry under this provision of the organlo law. is; of course, unquestionable. But in extending it so as to embrace an in vestigation of the tenets of the Mormon church and ths practices of certain members of that church who have noth ing; wnmevnr 10 uu who ins case OI Jnr. Smoot it would seem, that the commit tee has gone beyond its proper function and has opened up a matter that may nave unrortunate consequences. ' As we understand the case, the com mittee's duty was simply to inquire as to the election and qualifications of Smoot - AS to his election, there is no question in regard to its regularity. He was chosen by the legislature of Utah In entire conformity with the law. The fact that the church of which he Is a member had an agency or Influence in his election should not be considered. He has the same right , to be a member of the Mormon church as every other American citizen has to belong to a re ligious sect or denomination whose doc trines and teachings he believes in. Lib erty of conscience is guaranteed to every cltlsen of the republic.' The free exercise, of religion is provided for in the bill of rights. Mr. Smoot could not justly, therefore, be excluded from the national senate on the ground that he Is a member . of the Mormon church. Furthermore, it has been shown that be is not disqualified on the ground of polygamy, not having violated the law In this regard. While It is true that there are Mormons wbo are polygamlsts. the churoh does not now countenance plural marriages and Smoot is In ac cord with the ehurch In - this respect He is nowise accountable for the con duct of others, and it would manifestly be unjust to bold blm responsible for it His religious belief he is entitled to and It would be a gross violation of a well- settled and sacred American principle to punish him for it . SMOOT CASE. he be living in a polygamous lif s. Prac tically the question before the senate is whether any Mormon can "be a .member of that body. Must that Mormon state be represented only by a Gentile? Much as we despise end detest Mormonlsm, we must wait further evidence that a Mormon cannot be admitted to con gress. . ' From1 th .New Tork Times. ' Commenting upon the Times' remark that Utah must either be de-Mormonlzed or go without representation at Wash ington, the Hartford Courant Inquires of us how, then, about the constitutional provision that no ; state shall be de prived of ltg equal suffrage in the sen ate -without its own consent , How, then, we may rejoin, about the equally constitutional,- provision that each house shall be the judge of the election, returns and qualifications of its own members? The house has already acted upon this prerogative la the case of the Mormon Roberts. The senate is about to act upon it in the case of the Mormon Smoot Neither decision is re viewable by any tribunal whatever.. Bo long as Utah persists in sending to Washington representatives of the same hierarchy which sent Roberts and sent Smoot so long is it likely to remain un represented there. And the persistence will be a sign that the lack of represen tation is - Incurred by the state's own "consent" ' ' ' ' ' The fact Is that the conduct of 'the Mormon hierarchy toward the United States government respecting this mat er of polygamy in Utah.has been marked for the last 10 years by gross bad faith. It was in 1S90, and in preparation for an application for statehood, . that ,Wilf ord Woodruff, then president of the Mormon church, Issued the famous "manifesto" denying that the church still counter nanoed polygamy, denying . that 'plural marriages were still celebrated, under Its auspices, and calling on his followers to obey the. law of th land. This man ifesto was accepted at a general con ference of the church on , October 6, 1890. Nevertheless, within a few months the United t States commissioners for Utah reported that this action was not taken in good faith, and was not fol lowed out in practioe. These statements angered the Democratto convention of the territory. . held in 1891,, and that convention "denounced as false" and as "designed to hinder the progress of the territory to the grand position of state hood," what it called the "covert charge" of the commissioners, "that a large number of people are living In polyga mous cohabitation." The following year the petition of amnesty set forth thst the officials of the church had pledged the membership thereof to a faithful obedience- to the laws against 'plural marriage and - unlawful - cohabitation." And the successive amnesties of Presi dents Harrison and Cleveland offered immunity to all Mormons who had not not broken the law since November 1, 1890, or since the Mormon church had formally abjured polygamy. These pro cedures were successful and Utah be came a state in 1896. The present pres ident of the Mormon church, the Joseph Smith whose testimony shows such an astonishing combination of the harmless- ness of the serpent with the wisdom of the dove, now explains at Washington that the object of them all was to get Utah into the union as a state, after which the unreformed polygamlsts,, un der the aegis of a sovereign Mormon state, could do as they pleased. He personally has been doing its he pleased ever slnoe. He has not contracted any more marriages, though he by no means denies that such marriages have been contracted by his followers In defiance of law. But he cheerfully admits con tinued 'polygamous cohabitation" in equally plain defiance of the law. Of all his 48 children, equally divided ss to sex, he is 'proud." - Rather curiously he at first declined, though be after ward consented, to give the names of the children by bis first wife, though these aro unquestionably legitimate. Possibly his fear was that a specification of these might be Invidious as to the others. But the point is that the Mormon church has been deceiving the United States government and that the legisla tors of Utah who come to represent It In congress are representatives of an as sociation of law breakers. We can con ceive of no better reason for "each house" to exercise its power of judg ment a to its own membership. If representatives of an association of bur glars, or of incendiaries, or of mur derers, came to Washington to repre sent a sovereign state, the case would be the same as that of the representa tives of the malefactors who violate the law against "polygamous cohabitation." The situation will not last long. The rising tide of American civilization will In due course reach Utah and submerge the church of which polygamy Is one of the tene. - w . ' , lslature of Utah did not elect to the sen ate a man outside the Mormon church, but having done so, there appears to be no valid reason why Mr. Smoot should not be allowed to represent that state in the senate. The committee on privileges and elections has gons to an indiscreet and wholly unnecessary extent in its investigation, the tendency of which may be to create In the country a trou blesome religious contention. TXB WASTE OF SXCTABZABIBK. , - From Ram's, Horn. We . have heard of a town In Maine with a population of about 3,000 people, having 14 churches, and but one of them maintaining regular services. The same authority mentions a town in Nebraska with less than 1,000 inhabitants and It churches, each having a regular minis ter: It is possible that these are ex ceptional Instances, but they are suffi ciently common to illustrate the ab surdity of multiplying Christian sects In almost every principal town of the United States. The responsibility for this unnecessary division of the church of God rests no less upon the chief offi cers of the several denominations who are often consumed with seal to see a numerical increase In the membership of their denominations, than upon those adherents of each separate faith who are not content to join hands with those of kindred faith, but Insist upon build ing a house of worship ror themselves. In these days of concentrated and as sociate effect it Is Irrational and un timely to perpetuate the . competitive tendency in th work of Christianising the world. A The Feat of Ensign OUlls. ' , From the United Service Magazine. '. For sheer bravado it would be hard to rival the feat of Ensign OUlls, who saw a stray torpedo coming slowly but surely toward the , anchored . torpedo boat Porter, in the Spanish-American war. He sprang overboard, turned the nose of the torpedo in a safer direction, and screwed up the firing pin tightly so that it would not , operate. Then, treading water, he saluted . Lieutenant Fremont and said: ' ' "Sir, I have to report I.bave captured a torpedo." j t -. -, ' ; : ',. "Bring It on board, sir," commanded Fremont and Glllls actually did ' so, swimming with it to the ship and fas tening tackle to It, ' Small Change Look out for the flood.'; ' Democrats, put up your best men. - .. Politics 1 a very practical business.' The platform of 1904 snould be a 1904 platform. ' Nineteen hundred and eight will be a winner, sure for somebody., ".." When spring does arrive to stay she will doubtless be a warm number. . The sheriff still has., over three months in which to have some fun with his enemies. Mr. ' Harris thinks he .is sure, but Handshaker Blnger will be in the "dees trlct" ere long, " ..,. v Perhaps It will turn out that th Tanner-creek sewer's performance did more good than harm. ' , . . "This Is the first day of spring,? chirps the "Chicago Tribune and then it snowed. Shake. ' After nearly freezing to death, people of Nebraska have been afflicted with a destructive prairie fire. More of them' will wish to move to ever equable and prosperous Oregon. . . .. ' Railroad officials are men who know how to keep their own counsel and be secretive with regard to their business, buttt times they like to have the news papers tell what la going on. From the Atlanta Journal: If apple eating makes people good, will reform workers show their sincerity by send ing around to any evildoer they are in terested in, a box or two of nice pip pins? ",::.: -r - The scene In the vicinity of the head of Alder street Is an ugly one, but elo quent in demanding Improvement The filling of that depression will be a cost ly job, but it will have to be done, and the sooner and more effectually the bet" v-. ; ,- - , : y , . . Irrigation Is going to work wonders in portions of eastern Oregon, but soma Important . legislation about water rights, for one thing Is necessary, and members elected next June to the leg islature should study the subject thoroughly.- -j'. That was quite a wind that blew In Portland last Saturday the most de structive one in many years; but It was only a playful zephyr as compared with the gale that swept through Chicago yesterday and other ones that frequent ly afflict states back east , , "The Oriental Mining company's re cent assays show 821 per ton, all free milling ore, with a ledge 185 feet wide in sight The company spent several hundred dollars last year In developing these claims and will spend three or four times as much this year, says the Brownsville Times. , A number of Baker City people who last fall located olalms In Mount Rastus district are preparing to send in sup plies to carry on development as 'soon as possible. Pittsburg. Pa., capitalists, through local representative, have al ready forwarded to. the camp several wagon loads of supplies and will oper ate there on a large scale the coming summer. The Takllma Smelting company. Which Is canltallied for 1250 000 unAmr the laws of Colorado, has closed a con tract with H. a Holthoff of the Power and Mining Machinery company of Cud-, any. Wis., for a 100-ton smelter com- plete, which is to be placed aboard the cars m. me iociory not later tnan May 1. The Slant la to ba 1nraA nn tha t old Barkis place below the Waldo and Queen of Bronze mines and will be in operation probably by July 1. , The smelter Is to be erected for the purpose of treating the ores of the Waldo and Takllma mines, but a general custom business Will be conducted. The ma chinery will all be shipped to Grants Pass by rail, and then hauled by teams' to the mines, some 40 miles. This will require z& or so teams a, considerable length of time. SFXBT OTB fl,06o,0QO. Washington Dispatch to the New Tork . World. . . ' ! How the Isthmian canal commission oould spend .11.070,000 in. Investigating the most feasible route for a canal is , something the committee on Interstate and foreign commerce wants to know. Ths Isthmian commission -consisted of seven" members, and spent the entire amount authorized by congress, 11,000 000 and 170,000 in addition, and Chair, man Hepburn wants to know also where the commission got the extra $70,000. , At an executive meeting of the com mittee, today, it was decided to call upon the president , to send to the -committee an Itemized account of the expenditures, together with the journal of proceed ings of the commission. The expendi ture was authorized on the river and , harbor appropriation bill of 1899,! and was immediately available. Prof. W. H. Burr of New Tork who was a member of the original Isthmian eanal commission, and who is a mem ber of the new commission, was before the committee, and was unable to give it any information regarding the ex penditures, ' " '-According to the testimony given the committee the commission held but 70 meetings. At this rate, each meeting of the commissioners cost the ' govern ment about $15,268. - While Chairman Hepburn has ' made , no charge against the commission for Its use of the money, It has been, shown that various members of the commis sion made trips to Paris for the pur pose of Inquiring into Panama canal matters and that several of Them took trips abroad for the ostensible purpose of inspecting the big canala of 'the world. . - '. ;' Professor .; Burr told the committee that so far as he knew the president had never authorised the commission to draw the 51,000,000 from the treasury and that to his knowledge no government of ficial had ever audited the expenditures of the commission. -1 - i -. The original Isthmian canal comm!s- slon consisted of Rear Admiral Walker (retired), Samuel Pasco, formerly sen ator from, Florida; Alfred Noble, Col. Peter C-Halns, U. 8. .A.; William H. Burr, Lleut.-Col. O. H. Ernst U. B. A.; Lewis M. Haupt and Emory - R. John- SOn. -'; : ' - ' , : Kara Already Abandoned St, ';' ' From the, New Tork World. , " "Shall we abandon th McKinley pol icy?" asks Secretary Root Well, If "we" are Republicans we, have already abandoned it otherwise we should have taken several courses of bricks off the BITS OF MINING NEWS. tariff wall two years, ago. s It is perhaps unfortunate that the leg-- ' '.. ."'"I i