Editorial Page of 1 he Journal
1
A 1 f -,'w 1 1 I w r 1 '
THE JOURNAL
C S. JAC'KHON ...'.
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JWi-til every swalnf text! Stasdir) eal
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tam. rift an leaililU streela. IStftUDO, or
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s-aittr. -
MLKPBON MAIN T171. .
All epertints rrmrhri bj ttHe-namber.'
tin opr-fw tbe eepernnent vosi want.
Tall
roREION ADVERTlHIKa BKPRRSKXTATIVS
ViwkiBd-Scniamla 8p-lat Adrertlaliis Afa-f,
Itn .mu iimt. Mw Xvk; XtUMM fcelW-
Suherrfptlne Terms br afl to any address
la Ua Called Btatae. Canada or Jlatlcoi .
daily -
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- SUNDAY
Oaa reer..,......H.30 I Oaa wrath....;..! .2
DAILY AND UKDAt -One
TMT T.S0 I One swath....... AS
lfi'irh.'l tllj II IlllllUff I'lfS )
and such will thy deed at thy
aff ectlont, and auch thy life at
thy deeds. Socrates.
THE RAILROAD COMMISSION.
' HE PEOPLE are to be congrat
ulated that the state officers
chosen to select railroad com'
, sioners did not appoint . "polit
leal hacks," or men prominently iden
tified with partisan politics - or ex
office holders. Some such might
have made good commissioners, but
there 'would have been a-prejudice
against them on account - of - their
past political activity and party
service.
I tjs JjrelW teor-thittWooTth e
members are .young" men, and' the
third yet in the prime of life.. .The
young men are no longer green, but
hare had extensive business -expert
ence, and are well matured for. their
age. They perhaps have most of
their-careere yet to.livvand it may
be expected this will be an incentive
for them to do their best. ,
Mr. West has held a public position
for several years but .only an ap
pointive one; he never was an 'active
office seeker. ; Mr. Aitchison ' has
never held office nor mingled 'prom
inently in politics; nor has Mr. Camp
bell been aggressive politically. -"This
" does not necessarily make them more
fit than .some othera who have taken
a greater part in political strife, but
there, is j widespread, feeling' that a
man who 'has . long been ' an active
politician, is not desirable timber for
".' such, a trust, ""J ''. V- ' 7 '' ""
' Al to their service the public must
be patient The- commission will
necessarily-haveto proceed moder
ately, and only upon full information
It will take a considerable time to ac
complish mack". - The railroads may
concede a good deal of what is reJ'j
quired.- But the people have a right
to hope that. ...the... commission ..W11
prove to be a good one, and will be
of much benefit to Oregon. ... :,
A CUROUS DIVORCE CASE.
fOWJLET us have a commis
sion absolutely divorced
from politics," writes Editor
.;.. .r Geer to the Oregonian. Yet
in nearly everything he has written on
the subject Mr. Geer has shown that
"politicj,.wras-hi$ first and main con
sideration with respect to the com
mission law. ' In this same communi
cation he assumes that if Governor
"Chamberlain had been given the ap
pointment of the commission he
would have used that power for per
sonal political ends perhaps judging
the .governor by his predecessor
and yet jieatsumes that Secretary
Benson and Ta7uTe7SR:e1wift-nrt
think of politic in connection -with
the appointment. Governor. Cham
berlain ha shown that he could be
non-partisan in appointment. Did
Governor Geer ever f : To give the
"appointment to a Democrat, the.ex-
governor says, would have been "pol
itic" -in: the interest of the Demo
cratic party! bat to give it to two
Republican for they being a ma
jorrry, can make all; the appoint
ment i absolutely ; non-political.
He insisted' on Republicans having
this, power because of their Repub
licanism, yet he expects their action
to be, "absolutely divorced from poli
tics;" though Governor Chamberlain
with the same poww;, would nave
wedded politics right away and never
thought of getting a divorce. All of
which, since the ex-governor... is. a
very intelligent man, forces the con
clusion that he speaks insincerely, or
" else is a victim of extreme partisan
bigotry. . ' ' "' -In
his own paper the .other day
Mr. Geer printed a long editorial on
this subject headed, "Some Politics,"
end he argued thrreinat length that
the commission should be a Repub
lirsn commission. Not a word about
divorce in it. He wanted the legiila
ture io msrry the commission to
rliiics and repeal the divorce law.
And then he went 6rt to complain
t.out "the governor being allowed
more f-r expense than he (Geer)
v. as, and renured the legislature for
thus strenpiUning the - "Demoertic
machine." The Republican legisla-
ture, he whined, "is contributing to
hi sinews of war for the campaign
next year." : He assumes that the
few hundred dollars allowed .the gov
ernor for official help will carry the
state next year and land Chamberlain
in the senate. , Because the governor
is a Democrat Mr. Geer would ap
parently have cut his salary in two
and reduced his office help, lest he
should seduce the . Republican party-
And the ex-governor he was writing
before the amendment to the Chapin
bill had passed sees such danger
ahead because of strengthening
Giamberlain that he goes clear back
to '61, when the" rebels had arms
supplied in advance by government
officials. ' , v
And yet, after all this terrible anx-
iifty a-enuJi;rH should be given
the appointment of the commission,
Mr. Geer, that power having been
conferred cm Republicans, , jauntily
assumes that there will be no politics
in it. If the ex-governor seeks to
palm off his consistency as jewel,
hia readers will take the liberty of
discovering that it Is paiie.'
THE JUVENILE COURT,
E ARE inclined to the opinion
that" the governor erred in
judgment .in vetoing the Ju-
- venile court bill," which the
senate passed unanimously, over his
veto. It is true that the expense will
be considerable, but the expected and
probable results to be attained render
a ressonabletxpenditur in this din
rection a 'most excellent1 investment.
The court appears to have been do
ing valuable work, andtnanifestly
such work cannot be carried on with
out money." . :'t
If boys can be prevented by mean
of this court "from becoming hardened
criminals, can be taken while , yet
young and comparatively tender and
pliable and aided to become straight,
useful citizens, certainly the few
thousand of dollars a year required
to maintain-this court will be mpney
well expended. A few year' longer
trial would furnish basts and data for
a more intelligent, determination of,
the merits of the courts than can be
arrived at now, but there is. consider
able evidence-ihat-it- i accomplish
ing much good.',1 :
' This is a matter, however, : that
ought to be taken out of the(leghla
hire and left to the county or city
interested, and that has to foot' the
bills. Representatives ' from other
counties, have no proper voice' In the
matter,' but they have an excuse for
voting for the bill if the Multnomah
county delegation is for it.
BRYAN AND IOWA.
iff
R, VV. J. BRYAN pent Lin
coln': birthday in - Det
Moines, where he addressed
the legislature, delivered a
lecture, and made Zther speeches, and
the Sioux City Journal, whose stand
pat editor, George . Perkins, tried to
beat Governor Cummins'', both before
and after the last Republican state
convention, discusses Mr. Bryan'
visit at mijch length.It wa a great
day tor ht liberator, the Iowa paper
Sy. He met with an enthusiastic
welcome by the generarassembly,
with 64 Republican majority on joint
ballot . "The greeting was . one of
more than personal cordiality. - It was
a great triumph if or Mr. Bryan. It
was also a proud day for the state ad
ministration. And the Sioux City
paper continues!, :
It was a strenuous day for Mr. Bryan,
hut t rrwt ona. It renewed hla strength
nd gavt Btm Tlilon ct wmi trom-
l.ied land.. It was so different than en
soma former occaalona, and he could
not fall to observe that whlla ha was
In deep water, ailing' the World around,
the eausa ' of reform had - made graat
profress In this stats. And Just to
think! In 100, ths last time Mr. Bryan
ran for president, Iowa gava a popular
majority-asalnat him xf JOO.000. . Now
thers Is the prospect that in ltol he
may carry Jowa. It wa a (rest day In
Pes Moines, the -renter of our politics.
Rverywher Mr. Bryan appeared there
was .overflow of progrtssivs enthusi
asm.. H did not neglect to mention In
proper, relations the nam of th gov
ernor. ' lie did not cegiaot to Keep out
his drajrnet for a continuance of fusion,
to the end that finally, after the battle
of the years, the success of reform
might be written In fadeless characters
on th leaflet of our time for preserva
tion In the Immortal history of the land
of the peerless., ;
The Iowa standpat trust organ con
tinues its ironical 'comment by ex
claiming: "Here is Iowa, hoop ial
A Bryan state, with Reform standing
out in the sheen .of the sun on the
banner of Progress. The change i
recogniaetTby the high priests." And
then it turns its attention to the Des
Moines Register and Leader, the lead
ing Republican paper of the state,
that had intimated that' Bryan might
carry Iowa next year, and say I "The
candidate was there for business, apd
Des , Moines scrabbled for partner
ship; the legislature made itself a
willing tool, and Mr. Bryan was. in
vited to pick his ground and take
everything in light.. What the Regis
ter and Leader mean it that not only
the Republican party of Iowa, but
the Republican party of the republic,
must get on the Bryan platform, put
aloft and higher than-Bryan can put
it the Bryan banner or take it medi
cine from an outraged people a the
party of reaction.". ': ; ' ..
All this is expressive not only of
Perkins' individual soreness, but is
the snarling voice, disgusted in irony.
of the high-tariff spoils and trust or
gan, opposed to reform and hostile to
all Republican who venture to ap
proye any reformatory measure or
movement, or who give any encour
agement or countenance to Bryan.
Such organ learn nothing by passing
event; the defeat of McCleary in
Minneaota and Lacey in Iowa was no
lesson to them; they will stand pat
until they are run over by the reform
band wagon, and Bryan may very
likely be the driver. If uch men as
' iy ilW HI ""
It - l J .- u " J t 1 i
ii a finuiuire, .wouiu inuccu nave a
good chance , to carry it jiext year,
It is only the Republicans who to a
great extent agree with him th at-will
save it from that terrible catastro
A SAMPLE CONTRACT.
r
F ANY evidence were needed to
demonstrate the fact that the rail
'road regard the mail . carrying
: contract as a veritable bonanza,
that evidence was furnished in the re
cent contract between the Rock Is
land and the Burlington road for
carrying the mails between Chicago
and Omaha, a distance.of 500 mile.
The Burlington road baa had the con
tract for about 20 years, and several
month ago the Rock-Island,th ink
ing turn about fail play, asked for the
contract, agreeing to save the depart
ment $65,000. avyearand also expedi
ing the passage of the mails by sev
eral" hour.- The' Burlington re
tponded that it -could make no con
cessions, as it wa carrying the fast
mails at a loss. A long and carefully
prepared essay on the subject of mail
pay to railroads, showing that it was
being carried at a loss, soon after ap
peared as original unpaid matter in
a chain of paper extending from Chi
cago to Denver, each one capable of
printing an almost unlimited number
of sample copie to be sent out during
the mail-weighing period on the Bur
lington. Nevertheless, the Rock Is
land, willing to pocket the "loss," and
$65,000 besides, persisted in its efforts
to get the contract, until the Burling
ton at last met the other road'a terma.
Does any one believe that there ia a
"loss" In carrying the mails this 500-
mile trip, when, the carrier agrees un
der . pressure to knock off $65,000 a
year to retain the contract? On the
contrary, is it not certain that there
it big money in it after the $65,000
is surrendered, since two road en
gaged in a struggle to , get. the busi
ness? And if there is a good deal
more than $65,000 a : year profit in
that one contract, how much is there
in all the mail carrying coritract
throughout the country? " 1 '
It waa to be expected that the Ore
gonian would do everything possible
to discredit and disparage the new
railroad ' commission. No - surprise
was excited when it undertook to be
little the abilities and qualifications of
the(membert of the commission, and
to prejudice the public against them,
But-it-i-truly -amazing to find the
Oregonian. now advocating the very
method of appointment Of - the com-
missioners that it ha been vehemently
opposing ever since the law was pro
posed. If all of the commissioners
were appointed by a single official,
our contemporary now saya in tub
stance, the ene of responsibility
would be much greater. Precisely
and if the advice of The Journal had
been hecled, that method of selection
would have been adopted. Hat the
Oregonian any fixed Idea whatsoever
on this subject, save that it does not
want any legislation that will compel
the railroad to deal fairly wih the
people?, , '. '. .;
"I believe in apanking th governor
at every chance," Senator Bailey ia re
ported to have remarked. Surely a
legislator might have a higher concep
tion of duty than this. And it look
s if th governor in most case turned
out not to be the spankee. A
Thomas A. Edison says that here
after he is going to experiment with
electricity only for amusement But
he probably knows enough not to get
hold of live wire. v
V Utility of Ceneora. ;
(From th Detroit News.)
- '"When Maxim Gorky dined with ma,"
aid a literary New Torker. "he talked
about th Russian censorship. .
"He said that In th course of th
Ruaso-JapanAM war he had occasion In
n article to describe ths headquarters
of on of the grand fukes. He wrote
of these headquarters, among orner
things: ,
"'And orrtB desk In his highness
tent Is a -largs photograph of Marl la
Jamhe, th beautiful ballet dancer.' -
"Before this srtlcle fould appear, th
eensor changed that sentence to:
"'And over th desk In his highness1
lent' la a large map of rh thsttr of
wr." ',
There .1 retorted to be tt feet of
water on th Tillamook bar at a nor
mal high tide, and It Is Vxpeeted to re
main ttai way. ail of Uua year, ,
Letters From the
'. People ;
-'' Private and Public Watery-
Portland. Feb. !. To the Editor of
Th Journal There are sum very Im
portant matters to be taken Into con
sideration la this free water proposition-
which it would be well for evry
body . to keep in mind, Among them
are: . ''. -. '"
First A largs part of th total area
of Portland' la not supplied with Bull
Run water, or any elty water, notably
Wood lawn. University park . district,
Portland Heights and other additions.
Their water Is supplied from private
sources. They would, at . present av
least, get no free water, yet under the
proposed free water amendment they
must, as general taxpayers, help pay
for free water the rest of the people
I ' H U 7?R nLjXTa fV V ! a ra riffr bullflln
I . . . .
(Oregonian building and Chamber of
Ooromeroe, for Instance), and numerous
private residences have their own water
systems, yet the owner of these prop
settee, under the proposed .amendment,
as general taxpayers, would - have to
help pay for the interest en water
bonds and free water for th rest of the
favored landowners.
Third A very largs section of our
paople, mostly small traders, sxpress
men, . peanut venders, people Of small
capital In a little trade, as well as
numerous laborers with a little per
sonal property or money, have no land
at all, but live In "rooms" and In dwell
ings where ths water goes with- the
rooms. They . would" receive no benefit
from free water, yet as general tax
payers they would help . pay for , that
used by those who did. ' ' '
FourthThat ths landlord' alway
stands Iny a position to collect from bis
tenant In Increased rent any advantage
which might accrue to ths tenant be
cause of receiving: his water free, -
Fifth That th Bull Run pip line
even now Is taxed to its fullest ca
pacity to supply the" faucets now used.
To - Increase ths number means more
bonds and mors taxes for a new P'pe
line. :., .... -. -
Sixth That a soon aa fro water
becomes an estabUshsd-f act. -U1 off lca
and buildings now using . their own
water, and every suburban addition In
th city getting Its supply from private
sources will at once demand this free
water, not only because It Is free,"
but because they have to pay for It in
taxes anyway, whether used or not. Th
private water man win be put out or
business and Inside of a year we will
have - to Issue bonds for another pip
line. . .,.:- v .
Seventh That the only one in the
long run who can possibly benefit by
this, change will be the landowner, be
cauao you put water free on his hold
ings at the expense of the general tax-,
payers, who. of course, embrace both
landowners and non-landowners. ;
For myself, I do not believe In free
water, but If w have got to have It. the
whole cost ought to be assessed on
naked land value and not on the gen
eral taxpayer, for the simple reason that
the landowner is ultimately ths only one
who will receive the benefit. The really
sclentlflo way to adjust the burden of
the system would be to assess the whole
cost of piping mains, etc, to the lands
Of -tile city,- Irrespective- of - Improve
ments, and then let ths. coat of main
tenance be borne by whoever uses In
proportion' to the amount used.
, H. DENUNOER.
' ' Not a Prohibldonlat.
Portland, Feb. II. Jfo the Editor ef
The Journal-V reporting the proceed
ings Of the InUlatsVe.On Hundred, your
reporter speaks of Qsorge P. Lent,, lately
a candidate on th Prohibition ticket.
This is a misstatement I was not lately
a candidate on the Prohibition ticket. I
am not a Prohibitionist.' I opposed the
proposed high-license ordinance, because
It seemed to have a Prohibition string
to It, and further because I believe It
will Impair the usefulness of ths "One
Hundred" to take up matters of this
kind. I am in favor of reasonably
high license, for It Is right that the
people . who make a large, part of the
public etpens should help pay the bill.
I am opposed to prohibition and severely
restrictive legislation,, like the ' pro
posed high-1 lcenselawilorlr reason
that the ultimate enforcement of such
measure brings about greater evils than
sxlst under present conditions.
- The saered rights of the horn have,
on more than one occasion, . been in
fringed on and Innolent people made to
suffer, in attempts to enforce, the Pro
hibition laws. Let us not forget that we
live In a free country, and are entitled
to th highest degree of personal liberty
consistent with public aafetly. There
are certain offenses that all civilised
people recognise as crimes; to drink or
sell liquor is not one of them. We have
a large cosmopolitan elty, and we should
not attempt to run it on a Puritan basis,
. ' ' OEOROB P. LENT. .
The Play
: It 1 not necessary for one to have
lived in a country town to appreclte
The County Chairman." But to those
who have resided In a rural settlement.
who know vlllsge characters, villa Re
lira and custsras, there Is an exquisite
delight In witnessing this, perhaps ths
most amusing piece of sarcasm that
Oeorge Ads ever wrots. J'
'The County Chairman" visited Port
land two years ago and created an Im
mensely favorable Impression. . Thsre
was a largs audience at the Helllg last
night to witness Its re-appearance In
this elty and the company, though infer
ior to its predecessor, wae satisfactory.
Theodore Babcock has- the part of
Jim Hackler, chairman of the county
committee. -He gives an--excellent por
trayal of the character. As an I ao tor
he captivated th audienes, but -ss a
speech-msker he is a miserable failure.
At the conclusion of the second act
when his acting was Indeed worthy of
ths .demonstration the audience gave
him an ovation and thers were calls for
speech." Hs finally consented and
every one was sorry;
A Sassafras Livingston, th . negro
fun-maker for the vlllsge, Thomas J.
Grady does fslrly well In conveying the
author idea of the character. Other
In th onat were sallsfartnry.
Th County Chairman" was offered
last night only. But with the-on per
formance It gave a great -amount of
pleasure to those who saw It and will
always , b cordially received In Port
land. .
4 ii. i i.n i .i, i .
Ignorant and Happy.
From the Baltimore American.
The -year-old esarewltch of Russia
la a pretty child, unenvled by every in
telligent mortal, tenderly commiserated
by the whole world. His photographs
how Mm id be the handsomest of the
ciar and csarlna's little flock, which Is
often the ease with only sons. H Is
said to be a bright little fellow and
keenly Interested In th military hon
or with ahlco h 1 constantly In-
ivMUd. - . - , -.
Fated Antiques For
Americans
(Jit a ataff rwmmidtnl.1
Largely, It Is said, becauae the demand
for English and foreign antiques on the
part of Americans Is greater than the
upply, the prices obtalnsbJs for genuine
oia paintings. . eld furniture, old china,
etc... have risen to aa amaalng extent
during the last few years, while, for
ths aame reason, the production of
"faked" antiques haa become an ever-
Increasing and mors profitable branch of
inausiry.
"England,, particularly. Is overflowing
with these spurious specimens." said
Basil Dighton, a -dealer In antiques, in
discussing- the subject the other day,
"while Reuen turns out enough imita
tions of old 'Empire' furniture to fur
nish ths Tullerles a hundred almes over.
One of the leading experts la London
recently had a ropy made of a valuable
ChtBDendajeAaLlaanat when-the- faked'
table and ths genuine piece were placed
side- by slds the expert himself wss un.
able to tell which waa which. - .
a a a .
"For all kinds of English antiques of
the eighteenth cctttQry," continued Mr.
Dlghton, "prices have risen steadily for
the past flvs or six years. A Romnsy
which was worth S5.000 then Is worth
125,000 or 130,000 now. i Engravings have
doubled and trebled in value. Chippen
dale furniture haa risen remarkably, a
et of shalrs from the Orrock collection
sold recently for t9,000. A Chippendale
writing desk waa sold at auction for 190
It was immediately resold for $4,000. and
shortly afterward a dealer disposed of
it at me nanasome price or jmouu.
"The owner of a Hoppner - portrait,
ignoraat" of its true value,, recently of
fered it to clergyman as a gift. - Th
mlnistsr, knowing something about pic
tures, demurred at taking advantage of
his friend, and advised htm to sell the
portrait at auction. It realised 160.000.
"There are shops in London with whole
stocks Of bogus, engravings, silver boxes,
miniatures and the like, and ths bargain
huntera are eaay victims. The .demand
for genuine old prints Is very keen, and
perhaps the most notable instance of
their appreciation In value Is that of
prints sold at St in 1780 which now
bring tSOO.------,-
' - a a s ' : - "
On of ths trap by which American
tourists. In 'their erase for antiques, are
often caught Is thus described by a
connoisseur: - , :' -
"PeoDle. tourina- In the north of Ens-
land," he says, "see a fine piece' of old
furniture in a. farmhouse, and, never
questioning the genuineness of anything
found in auca an out-of-the-way place,
they buy It.- If the tourists should re
turn a few day later they would find
a similar piece in place of the one bought
aa bait -for tne next visitor. These
pieces are all spurious and ths "fakers
are so well acquainted with the trav
elers' way that they send these Imita
tions to the country places to be sold.
Through this practice, a. Welsh dresssr
has often been placed by mistake In a
Yorkshire farmhouse, but, of course. It
takes an experienced eye to notice such
ume incongruities. . .
"England I overflowing with 'faked'
antiques." be added. "There are 'faked'
Chelsea Cupids, holding little baskets of
flowers,, faked' Old Tobys, parsons and
clerks, recumbent greyhounds and bar-
vesi jugs wnn mottoes. j . .
"All kinds of English china, are 'faked.
Lowestoft ware, is 'faked, so cleverly
that It cannot be told from the old.
Bbefflfcld plate, which is worth flvs
times what it was 10 years ago, is
faked," but the fakers' cannot produce
the glow of the genuine work. Pewter
Is faked In Qermany by the ton, and
ther -are factorlea near Nuremberg
which turn out pewter stamped within
place of origin and date m couple of
centuries old. ; - r.
: . a e e '
' "The German government makes ex
oellent cpplen of works by Reynolds,
Romney and other English artists, which
sell for a dollar or two, They are easily
disposed of at higher prices to unwary
tourists. Hundreds of imitations of Mor-
land's pictures are sent to Englsnd from
Holland, where they are made. In Dres
den they Imitate the old Dresden so
well that It I hardly aa Imitation: It is
simply a reproduction of ths sams thing-.
Not long ago I asw a Napoon table
wma uv a uuvrAva - cipner. it ' was
'faked '- .. . ...,-,- j . .. ., . 4.
"At the same time real . terrain are
till to be found now and then, but It
takes an expert connoisseur to be .sots
of things. Recently I bought a 'Queen
Anne table for SO cents and it proved to
be worth ISO, and a table for S7 which
would bring tUS. Such bargains, how-
aver, are becoming rarer every day." . .
' Essays ly Bottie
By William F. Kirk. :
: ;, OAS. .': : -
Gas is a funny, kind of stuff wlc'h
makes a brlte lite If you touch a match
on it if it isent turned off by the gas
Co. it is a kind of air aV gas Is one
dollar (11.00) a thousand feet,
- in ths old days befosr the gaa had
been discovered by the gast trust our
rourramers used lamps tt candles A
lanterns. , A grate man named Diogenes
went all ever- with a lantern looking
for a-honest man,. if be had used a gas
lite hs mla-ht have fdnnri m. tinnaat mm
"but not at the gas office. - v
- the first psepul that wae on this erth
dldent have any lite at alt except the
moon 'aV -the next peepul was only a
llttel better, they used bonfires In there
cave, now we uss gas at electric lltes
ft also the same old moon, Pa uses the
moon more than Ma, she uses the gas
for cooking A a. lite In the window for
Pa- at hs uses the moonlite to guide him
hoara at last
e e. ' ...
'. .- ', - WATER. -' -water
1 thin stuff wlch I moaat of
this erth except the ground, water Is
one of the gratest things In this world,
A Is used for many things such aa for
cooking, putting out fires, washing win
dows A sumtlmes for drinking.
the moast water of all is In ' the
oceans, -whar the ships sail across ths
briny daap A back again, the ocean is
vary deep In sum places, A It Is full of
sharks, whales A other feerce flah, all
of wloh have to stay in' th water all
the time except the flying flshss, thay
git tired of the water A uss there wings
to "fly from wait to walv like a rich
young man flying from Pittsburg, to
New York. " -
the first wstsr was In Edsn, Eve sed
I feel vary dry in my throte from talk-
so much A Adam sad Here is sumthlng
that I like prltty well. It Is cool A wet,
I dosnt know what it is but it tastes
good to me, so hs gave Eve a drink et
water A she sed You are a vary nice
person, here 1 a nice red apple for
you. . .
Engliah Joka'in Poetry. -From
th 'London Times. -
Our atat may be 111, but the Btete they
. are "wuss," . .
And at heart we are free to confess .
To prsforring th frost that ia worry-
- Ing s ... .
T th Thaw that disturb-IL 47. a.
:' Small Cliange
" -
Perhaps Foraker regrets carrying th
war into Africa.
If Stanford Whits were alive he might
be convicted in the Thaw trial.
. ........ . ,
Th awful time for the country ap
proaches whsn Shaw will retire.
s s
So far nsithsr Uncle Andy nor Aunt
Sage haa "called" Rockefeller's bet. '
Plea, insanity: . defense, "unwritten
law"; verdict, ths scoundrel deserved It
- -'.. s. a . .
The millionaires usually give money
to colleges that need and deserve it the
least ...
A railroad expert ha been defined a
one who ean catch a fain by reading a
time table. .
a '
' Whether a bill is constitutional or noT
depends on whether one wants It passed
or beaten. . .
Miss May Mackensle has a light to
be Jealous; bar picture Isn't in bardly
very "Other day.
Having staved off the war. Mayor
Behmlts will come back and try to beat
those Indictments.
A man back oast who stole a photo
graph was eaally acquitted . , on the
ground of insanity. ... '
e " '
If you have any apare money, please
lend It to the poor railroads; they are
broke, and ean t barrow,
Ae to whether any givn bill or law la
constitutional 4t not, th lawyera will
dlvld Just about evenly,
. ' . e e
Chief engineers of the Panama--canal
may oom and chief engineers may. go,
but the graft goes on eteadlly,
, s -a . , .:-
Mrs. Thaw may identify ever so many
letters and documents, but could sbe
identify all these picture of herT.
It ie expeeted that President Roose-
relt will- soon-deli vcrj& official, err
men on grandchildren and grandads. r
' ' : e ..
An Ohio man while trying to kiss a
woman on the stairs fell and broke his
neck. Moral: Kiss a ; woman on the
level llpe. ,
Rockefeller could gtvs away a good
many more millions and ' still have
enough money to pay all the flnee that
he will hav to pay, ,
The country should pass a Vots of
thanks to Senator Morgan;. he hasn't
delivered a speech. r part of one, on
the canal this winter, ... .. . : , , -
If as claimed in the Thaw' case "ei-
aa-gerated ago and, self-importance" is
svldsnc of Insanity, thsre are a great
ninny unconflned Insane people.
';'. -e- s . , ' ;
If it would take a woman aa lone to
vote a to try on a hat or say good-bye
to a caller, the return. If women could
vote, would not get In for week.
The Hague peace peJaee Is ' to- be
adorned with a full-length portrait of
President Roosevelt but In splto of the
artist's efforts it will not look appropri
ate there. , , - -
la a tory of th arrest of an embes.
aler II years old. a contemporary alludes
to him as "aged" five times. If a man
It years old is "aged." what Ia n man
when be really becomes old? .
Brander Matthews'- Birthday. -James
Brander Matthews, the author
and one of the ploater advocates of ths
system of simplified spelling, wss born
in Nsw Orleans, February tl, 1S6I,
graduatsd from Columbia college tn
1871. end was admitted to the bar ths
same year. He abandoned the' law for
literature, and made a name for himself
that la familiar throughout the English-speaking
world. . For the past 1(
years Dr. Matthews fcss been professor
of dramatlo literature at Columbia, col
ler. Tmrtngth-atne"period'hlB-pn'
has proaucea a large numoer or essays
and books on literature. In recognition
of his services to literature In connec
tion with the French drama France has
recently conferred upon htm the decora
tion ef th Legion of Honor. .
" . By John O. Woolley. ' 7
I shall never drink again, but one
night In a New England train, and very
til, I met a stranger wbo pitied me and
gave me a quick, powerful drug out of
a small vial and my pain was gone in a
minute or two, but alcohol wae licking
up my very blood with tongues of
flSmO. - : - - - -r-' -
I should nave got drunk that night,
If I could. . J thought of everything
of my two years of clean life; of the
meeting I waa going to, vouched for by
my friend and brother, D. L. Moody; of
the bright little home In New York; of
Mary and the boys: I tried to pray, and
my lips framed oaths.
I reaohed up for God, and hs wss gone.
and the fiercest fiend of hell tied me by
the throat and shouted. "Prink. Drink,
Drink!" I ssid. But Mary but the'
boys"; It said, "To hell with Mary J
come on, to tne saioon: - ,
It -was. not yst daylight-aunaay
morning, when I stood on ths platform
at Pawtucket, Rhode Island. I fit W
front saloon to saloon; thsy wet shut
up; so were the drug stores, and all
that day, locked In rAy room at the ho
tel. I fought my fight and won It in the
evening, by the grace of God; but th
people ef Pawtucket never knew that
the man who spoke to thsm thst, night
had been in hell all day. . '-- -
e e e
What would you take In essh to have
that put into your lifet
That 1 to be my portion until ray dy
ing day; but if merciful, patient time
shall cauterise and heal the old, dis
honorable, wound and cover thenr with
repulsive but Impervious cicatrices.
Yet, because I bsd those wounds I
am to be through my whole life con
sidered a moral cllfTdweller, a creature
of precipices, where one - false stepi
ends ail; and so, denied full confidence
of my fellow men, the highest grace of
life to strive for In this world; and I
am told I have a Christian enemy or two
who wslt en tiptoe of expectancy and
cheerfully prophesy th sure near com
ing of my final plungs back. Into th
Dead Sea of drink. . .
Several years sgo, st another time,
ftef long lecture tour In the west, I
telegraphed to my wife In Boston: "I
will .arrive home tonight at IV The
tratri' was late, and long aftsr midnight
I cams Under her Window. Ths light
was burins-, and I knew that she was
waiting tot tne. I let myself in; thr
: Plea For "rVives of Drink Slaves i
Oregon Sidelights ;
Roller skating "all the rags' In many
towns.
''- i
La Grande Socialists have nominated
a ticket v,
'e". e , ' . .
Thsre are good roads around Hubbard,
says the News. ' r
e e - ' -' ' -.'.
Lebanon women hsve erafkulssd a clvlo
improvement society. ,.' , a
. o ..'.''', , .. '
Undue potatoes In Washington coun- ,
ty were found mostly frosen. ... . ,
' -' ' a e
Ths' average rainfall on Coos bay for '
the past five years was S7.4I Inches.
' -v "- .- ; -.--.',
Corhsllus women are going In for im- .'
provsmsnts, and the council will help
thsm. .
r - ' , e . e. . . -.
.At a bksaar In Lakevlsw for ths ban- -
vflc uf the fiee llbiaij aBsuelatiun'ul
wss raisea.
Sixteen carloads of steers, 460 head.
were shipped one day from North Pow
der to Kansas for feeding., -
-.- - , '. ,j -.,
Coos bay wants a "slogan," something
better than "Watch Tacoma, Orow" or!
"Keep' Your Eye on Pasoo." . ,
- - e' e - :. '
Is Is whispered that several new tlnse .
of business will be opened In Hubbard '
In the near future, says the News. v
... ' w j
A Mr. Millar has bought t000 ef th
Frenth-Qlenn cattle In Lake county and
will buy the rest, about I.SO0 bead tn all.
' " --.
Plalnvlew, In the heart of Linn eounty, -
want a tile factory. , Good Inducement '
are offerd, and the- proper clay ' 1s'
plentiful. , i ,. . ..
a- ; .
A' big boathou on Coos bay will rest .
on a raft TOxJS feet. The logs average
three and one half feet tn diameter and
one is six feet. :
While driving along th edge of Lost
river a dairyman's team went over the
bank and one of bis horse was drowned
lost la Lot '"fiver. -; , - -.v' s
. .i . e - .. 't .'. -.!. .: ;
Boms finelcInrt6c'W;lhpui
chased by resident of Coos and Curry
counties, and Some lively times pa the
track are anticipated. t .."
. . " . s s
Although less than 11 mile ' long
Walla Walla' little Interurban erosses
the state line and ao comes under the
Jurisdiction of the v rate-making power
of congress.. :
The following is claimed for North
Bend: Ship yard lot men, Blmpson'e two
ratUs ttO men. N. B. Lumber mill SO,
sash and door factory TO, Reynolds mill
SO, shingle mill 15, Iron works IV oonden- .
sory S. Coo Bsy Mfg. Co. 65, th schools .
T. ' Total oM. . Payroll S4S.S86. With others
800 working-men are claimed, with a ray
toll of SSO.OOO. --' -
Seaside Slrnal: Durlrur the past week
the ocean has bean full of sea Hons. It
may have always been full, but never
so many in evidence around the pier a
during the past week. It is reported -by
one of our most veracious citliens (
thst h saw tso a on timer ur rnw-"
must be taken Cum grano aalia. . t -t. a .
''', e e ' . -;' i ..
Gardiner Osteite: Thursday last week
th stage going down ths beach was al- ,'
most lost in the strong Current of Ten-"
Mile creek. . The stage and - oooupanta
were swept down the stream for almost
loo yards and ths , horses were forced
to swim quits a distance and before be
ing able to gst a solid footing an ocean
wave broke over tne team ana wagon -
badly frightening the occupant.,
' February 21 In Hlatory,
is:t Virginia legislature condemned
first high tariff bill as unconstitutional
1S4S John Qulncy Adams, sixth presi
dent of th United States, died. Born
Ktt Csar of Russia proclaimed war
against the Turks.
1st British defeated 10,009 gepoya
near Lurknow. '
list Wisconsin ratified the constitu
tional emendmsnt - t
1 STS -Silver remoneMaed. --f--1
188S Dedication of Washington monu
ment at Washington, l. C
188 Richard Plgott confessed forg
ery of ths Psroetl letters. -
ISST Fleet of th powers bombarded
th Insurgent at Canea, Crete.
war two flight of atalr. but JO would
have been nothing to ma, my heart wss
hauling away like a great balloon, '-"
She stood in the middle of our room
aa pale and cold and motionless aa a
woman ef snow, and I know at a glsncs
that the sweet brave life waa in tor
ture. ' .... ..- ."-.,'
"What Is ltr 1 erled; "what la the
matterT" and in my arms she sobbed
out the everlasting trsgedy of . her
wedded life. . . -
"Nothing at any rat, nothing ought
to be th matter. I do believe In you:
I knew you would come horn; but I
have listened for you so many years.
tnst l seem, to be Just one great ear
when you are away beyond your time
i seem io nave lost ail sens bat tmr.
of hesrlng when you re absent, unex
plained, and every sound on the street
startles me, and every step on the stair
Is a threat and a pain, and the still
ness chokes me, and ths - darkness
smothers ms. And all ths oldi Unhappy
home-comings troop through rag mind,
without omitting one-detail, and. to
night I heard the children sighing IM
their sleep, end I, thought I should die
when I thought of you having to" walk
In your weariness and in thla midnight
tnrougn Kneeiand street alone.
She think that I' will never fall; and
wouid deny today that aha knows any
fear, but yet, until th undertaker
crews her swsst face out of my sight
forever, thst ghsstly, unformed, ham
lss thing will walk th chambers of
hsr hssrt whensvsr I am unaccounted
for,- - '.' - .. ", -
You to Whom has been) given ths un
shaken and unshakabl confidence of her
you love, I beseeclv to make a fight far
ths women who wslt tonight until ths
saloon sends to them their huebends
and their sons maudlin, brutish, devil-
un. i
And you, happy wives, whose hssrt
have never wavered nor had occadon to
waver, and who, when your husbtnd
fall to come on time, can' go to bed
without a fear and go to sleep with
smiles upon your lips, and sleep the
long nighty through too peacefully even
to dream, by the mercy of God, that
gives you that. I beseech you, No'l
yourselves to help, at least to cheer
ths wives who their whole lives through
must , walk the rot ton lava crust st
hurnt-out confidence thelfv vry love a
terror and pain. '
f