Editorial Page of, The ' Journal
THE JOURNAL
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" . A LAW-BRANDED MELON. -
'k . .. i ' j - . .'."
THE SUPREME court of Minne
t ota hat decided that the Jssu
. ance of $60,000,000 of Northern
.. . " t :r: . j
' lance called cutting- a big melon, can
not be restrained or inauired into ex
cept by the legislature; that the legis-
The country hat two kinds of lawa,
. -- -.4 u i;.t-. ...... .-
courts; this is of the 'court-made
brind, and it is more surely law than
an untested, legislative enactment, for
it comes from the highest law-making
shop ia the state. So Mr. Hill can
jgo ahead with his melon distributing-,
practice which he says he has in-
'dulged in for the past IS years. . . .
We find no fault nor would if
lit VVV HHlVliUUtLQ IU ilTC 111
Minnesota ' instead 7' of," Oregon of
. course; it is a. supreme court's busi
ness, not it editor's, to know. and
taake law;- but we don't quite under
stand why, since our great and good
friend Mr. Hill has been able to in
dulge in the melon-dispersing pasthm
for IS years and had a $60,000,000
melon all ready to slice w for his
friends when restrained by an official
gutter-in, he should have the blues to
often aa m does. Sometimes ha talks
as if his and other railroads, and the
!big concerns of the country general
ly, were irresistibly drifting into the
misty and squally region classed by
ocial geographers as the demnition
bowwows; but it ought not to look
Xhat way to a hale and hearty old
gardener in the industrial field who
has to set a court's oermission to cut
. a VAJ.UJJ.WM melon of his own rais
ing. And this, he says himself, is
' only one of manv such. Surelv as
uccessfur an agriculturalist at this
ought not to become grumpy about
me conuiutrai unoer wnicn ne prose
cutes His agreeable if arduous labors.
." C . t. A il : i . i .
a. ... .
wwiw uuc wuv f.iaiuicu w nave
' looked into the matter published re
cently the statement that the divi
dends of the Hill railroad stocks, in
cluding these new stock issues, had
amounted some years to as high as
"j 50 per cent, and for the past seven
years they have averaged 27 per
cent annually. These pleasant pres-
aata , nf atwlr miv aMm tr thm
enfinancial mind to have a watery
appearance, but this is deceptive; the
stock is at good as gold at the market
: 4-t and ttia nronl hivn tn Ln if
. mo in ircigni rates. i ne water m
this melon is nearly all sugar. A
great gardener has Mr. Hill been,
but he must admit that he had a. great
. garden, especially adapted to the
growing of golden melons.
The people are not disposed to be
very critical of Mr. Hill, and realize
. that he, perhaps more than any other
railroad man in the country, deserves
his great success and' large profits,
and they do not object to a reasonable
degree of liberality to his stock
holders.r.He has been a developer and
not an incubus, a builder and not a
wrecker, and is well entitled to an
Occasional melon; but they do think
that with such enormous profits as
these presents indicate Mr. Hill should
bave gone , to double tracking bis
roads years ago, instead of now wail
ing that it ought to have been done
and cannot now be done because the
people have scared the money kings
out of loaning him money. Over in
Washington, and to tome, extent all
long the lines of hit roads, business
it handicapped and at times partially
paralysed for lack of transportation
facilities, and the aquation will be
come worse; and yet Mr. Hill, admit
ting that he aeedi double tracks, goes
to law to carry out his1, project of giv
ing away $60,000,000 for nobody tup-
poses that stocks to this . amount
would not raise its market value
equivalent ia cash.- And if it be diffi
cult to borrow money it certainly will
be more ao with $60,000,000 additional
melon stock out.
. In other -words, the public cannot
perceive, from a broad view of the
matter, that Mr. Hill, though having
the legal right, haa a moral right to
bestow $60,000,000 of new stock upon
his friends and associates, and heave
his patrons and those who enable him
to make his millions unprovided with
transportation facilities. '
THE PASS QUESTION.
. - ii in . ;
THE RAILROAD pass question
is one that has been much dis-
X cussed and considerably legis
..t-c-a. iaiea, upon lately ouuiacu oi-M
, . j f. - r
wrU-ms -tir Oregon,- and 'it - develop!
amusing' as well as serious features.
To go baCk to New England, which
Mr. Steffens regards as the most graft-
ridden portion . of the country, the
action of the New Hampshire legisla
ture affords material for diversion. In
New - Hampshire, - a commonwealth
long owned by, the Boston & Maine
railroad, there was waged last sum
mer and faJi a ' redhot campaign
against such ownership in general and
against free passes in particular, by
Winston Churchill. He lost the nom
ination for governor by a small mar
guv but he end hit followers forced
the Republican convention to put a
drastic . anti-pass plank in the platform.-
On that issue the members
were elected; but' adopting an anti
past plank in a convention is a very
different thing from passing an anti
past law. Be it remembered th.at the
lower houte alone'of the New Hamp
shire, legislature consists of 413 mem
bers think of a semi-barren little
State like that having such a. terrible
load to carry and the pastes of all
these men and their families are not
thipgs to be lightly given up, even to
keep a platform pledge. Everybody
of consequence or influence in New
Hampshire gets a pass, and for these
passes, chiefly, the state long ago told
itself to the B. & M. railroad. -
But let it not be imagined that the
New Hampshire legislators are men
without consciences or - regard for
their ante-election pledges. Though
they have failed to pass an anti
past law, the houseby a vote of 221
to 100, voted to tubttitute free tickets
for free passes.' Thus by a brilliant
device, that could only have originated
in a mind aflame' with genius, there
will be no more free passes and the
G. O. P. pledge will have been kept
and yet nobody who ridet on a pass
now will have to oav fare.' The man
who originated the enticing game of
beating the devil around the bush cer
tainly never would have thought of
attempting as daring a trick as this.
The pass is a wicked and unlawful
thing, to be despised and rejected by
all honest and highly moral legisla
tors who have promised to outlaw it;
but the free ticket it a thing of inno
cence and virtue that no legialator
should scruple to refuse. - Somewhat
apropos to this and tome other inci
dents of .the . silly legislative teaton
are tome remarkt of the Railroad
Gazette: s
- There's a klna of dtvmlty. a species
of fascinating- halo, that doth hedfe
about tba railroad free. paaa. Ha who
la undeaervloa And yet geta It, feals
tamped deep on hla mental and moral
aenaorium tbat aatlsrytna human con
eeot of aettina something for nothing.
He Who daaerrea It oontemplatea the
pass aa a aymbot and token of per
sonal virtue blended with the practical
utilities of free transit. Even the rail
road official, entitled to his pass by
law. propriety, even by necessity, and
wonted to It by custom, probably never
Quite outgrows the pass as a signet of
his official dignity, and there Is just a
little extra chest inflation aa the con
ductor, cognisant and respectful, passea
hire by without demand for the poten
tial pasteboard. . . Aa tha various
American commonwealths are slowly
tolling through the free pass equation,
the philosophic mind must be permit
ted to dwell on Its very human phe
nomena; on - the legislative temper
which msk.ee the past criminal in sev
eral states and leaves It full swing In
another; on the fundamental charm of
the free pass aa arorrsaia; ana on tne
Mlltonlan struggle of good and bad.
of duty versus pocket when a legislator
hotfoot from a constituency clamorous
for railroad -"reform" fronts the grim
actualities of paying his own fare; Tt
11 contributes to that mirtn or man
which goes so far to soften the hard
est of life's problems.
ONLY A PETTY THIEF, AFTER
ALL.
ITH THE figuret of hit loot
only three-quarters of a
YY' tnf
million, Mayor Schmitz is
both over advertised and
overcapitalized. Hit achievement!
in the industry - do not : en
title him to the distinguished
place that some of the news
papers have given him. At a large
calibered boodler he it not in the
tame dais with tomt of his illus
trious predecessors. There are, for
instance, itemt in the Pennsylvania
atate house loot that tend the stellar
performances in San Francisco into
total eclipse. There, for building the
rostrums in the senate and house
caucus rooms Contractor Siadersosr
-f-.
wat. paid . $90,748 and he ' had the
work done by a tub-contractor for
$2,060. For work in 14 other rooms
he received $155,369.60 and paid the
sub-contractors only $28,724, which
are samples of , the items that went
to make up a $4,000,000 steal.
- All imitators, however, are as
sounding brass and tinkling cymbals
when their achievements are brought
jnto the' spot light for comparison
with that king of boodlers, the late
William M. Tweed of New York
City.- In three and a half months the
gang of which he wat the head paid
themselvet and their hangers-on
claims to the amount of $6,312,000, of
which 75 per cent were fictitious apd
of which the enormous sum of $1,
578,000 went into Tweed's pocket
This, however, and all other trans
actions by Tweed of which there
were many, pale into mere farce
when-compared tothelteal inthe
county courthouse'. When designed
in 1368 it was estimated to cost $250,-
000. Before, the end of 1871 an un
known sum estimated at from $3,-
000,000 to $13,000,000 had been ex
pended, and it wal still unfinished.
Its cost was four times that of the
British parliament house in London.
Contractors on the building were re
quired to sign fictitious, or in rail
road parlance watered xlaims. Two
ludicrous " itemt in the graft were
$404,347 for tafet, and $7,500 for
thermometer! for use of the county
officers. .
In two yeart and eight "months un
der the rule of the ring 'the bonded
indebtedness of New York city rose
from $36,293,000 to $97,287,000 and
the floating' debt from nothing to
$20,000,000, making $81,000,000 the
heavy price paid by New York city
for 32 months' rule by the peerless
brigand and his fireworks financiers.
rurst and last the - weed gang cost
the New York taxpayers $160,000,000,
four times the sum the German army
levied on Paris.
Officials like Schmitx come high,
but they are cheap guys when thrown
in the balances against New Yprk
and Philadelphia experts.
FREE WATER A DELUSION.
T-
HE TROUBLE with proposed
. free water is that it would not
be free water, except in name.
It would have to be paid for,
together with an indefinite percentage
in addition, in increased taxes or
rents. Renters would get the wont
of it, for landlords in adding the
water tax to the rent would add $2,1
$3 or $5 a month, generally a good
deal more than water costs under
the present system. , ' .
. Besides, free water would not
remedy the manifest injustice of
making water Commissioners pay for
new mains that are of benefit chiefly
to a few landowners with lots to sell
If the cost of such mains were taxed
to the benefited property, and the city
and county were required to pay for
the water they consume, the cost of
water to the ordinary householder
would be very small, only a fraction
of what the indirect cost would be
with to-called "free" water.
' Moreover, with these equitable ad
justmenta made, all water consumers
shouldpayaccording to "what they
use, Even if "free" water were pos
sible, it would not be just ' It is not
the public's proper business to pro
vide people with any necessity, Out
side a common school education, for
nothing. There is no more logical
ground for free water, since it neces
sarily costs something, than for free
bread.
But under either the to-called free
water tystem or under an equitably
adjusted system, meters are neces
sary. With "free" water, or very
low priced water without meters,
there, would be an enormous waste,
as indeed there is now, and another
Bull Run pipe line would be de
manded every few years. '
Make the property benefited pay
for new mains; make the public pay
for .what, the people as a. whole con
sume; then put in meters and charge
consumers such a rate as will pro
duce the needed revenue. This would
make as nearly an equitable system
as can' be devised. ' ' "".
A man robbed a store of a. large
amount of goods, taking only a little
at a time, and the courts held that in
any one trial he could be convicted
of only one offense, which was sim
ple larceny, entailing but a slight
penalty. And yet we have heard, and
when very young believed, that 'the
law", was almost the perfection, of
human wisdom.'
A hobo bat aeveral advantage! over
a working man; one is that he never
has to go on a strike or suffer a lock
outthat is, a lockout of a working
eitablithment. -
Tomorrow ia the preeminent Sun
day of the year in the Christian cal
endar,, and all - the civilized world
should respect it and get tome bene
fit from it. - . - -
'Why should an earthquake 'want
to skip away up north and scare
quiet, peaceful, well-behayed Tacomaf
Perhaps, though, the earthquake
thought Tacoma needed waking up
a little. We hope, however, that the
City of Destiny will not have to
change its motto to "Watch Tacoma
Shake." .
In a poJl,.f the Republican-mem
berr of the' Kansas legislature, ' 57
were found to be for Roosevelt for
president to succeed himself, ut if
he would not run 30 were forlTa't
6 for Fairbanks, 6 for La Folletfe,
for Root and 1 for Knox. This
likely to be about an average expres
sion of sentiment in western states.
Perhaps it would be easier down in
Frisco, to require every adult male
who can, to prove that he isn't
grafter.
Harriman Lines Not
Retrenching.
From tha Wall Street Journal.
Various reports have been coming out
of tha west tn the past few days con
cerning the Improvement and construc
tion work oa the Harriman lines. - One
report stated that work on the Athol
hill cutoff of the Union Pacific near
Cheyenne on which M per cent of the
grading had been finished was to be Im
mediately discontinued and that too men
would be thrown out of employment
This and similar stories it true would
mean that the Harriman roads were
looking for. bad. tlmea and preparing for
them
There Is strong reason to suspect
however, that they were floated In the
west for stock market purposes In New
York by people who are not bullish oa
Union Pacific
Asked as to the truth of the various
rumors, E. H. Harriman says to the
Wall Street Journal: "In days like those
of the past week one can bear all kinds
of rumors and It would bo only a waste
of time either to affirm or deny them.
'Concerning the report that the Union
Paclflo Is retrenching in all directions.
can tell you that neither the Union
Paclflo nor Abe- Southern Paclflo la aban
doning any of the work which it has
In band and It is ludicrous to aay that
we are abandoning a job when IS per
cent of the grading ia dona Tba roads
are not run that way.
"We are going ahead and taking care
of the big business which Is being of
fered us and making plans to sea that
whatever business is in sight la properly
nanaiea wnen tne time cornea
'Concerning the story that ths South
ern Paclflo is to spend S5S.00O.0OO - this
summer In new construction and that It
has 13 new lines building, tha story- la
ureex to me. There is bo news on
the subject except what Is contained in
the report which was recently published.
I believe this showed that the Southern
Paclflo has about 14 lines projected la
one way or tne otner.
"We are just going ahead In our ewa
way, taking care of everything in sight
which means a good deal of new work
and a good deal of new equipment and
tne expenditure of many millions of dol
lars. But we are not running ahead and
spending millions pell mell purely on
speculative or Imaginary hopes of what
may be." . - .
Mr. Harriman likened the collapse la
stock market prices last week to the
action of a syphon soda bottle, which
when the varve Is exhausted "froths
and foamt and goes out with an ex
hausting phis, which Is just what tha
maraet oia."
Mr. Harriman' looks ODtlmlallcallr nn
the financial situation and says, "Don't
worry shout prices. Values will reassert
tnemseives wnen the time comes." t
The two' Harriman roads are la As
good shape if not better aa any of the
roads west of the Mississippi river to
take care of all the business that may
com miong. uotn or them have had
many millions expended In the past few
years to Increase their capacities and
they have been anything but backward
in tnia respect the past year.
i ne southern Paclflo will . have de
liverer mis year 154 locomotives. 130
passenger cars, 7.400 freight cars, three
t0,O00-ton ships and . various . odds - and
ends the whole thing to cost no far
anon 01 :,OQO,000.
neuner is Mr. Harriman letting the
uuiou racmo run behind la the race,
pere will be delivered to the Union
raciiin tnia year over inn lnini...
SO passenger cars and 7.600 freight ears,
w w,i uvi r soon or 13,WO,000.
The Bett Ever.
From The Dalles OimtiM.
During his visit in Portland the past
fw days B. A. Off ford called at the
on ice or -i ne journal and was shown
pruui oi me various pages of the lllua
trated magasine which that paper Ii
preparing ror publication In a month
or so, and he cornea home full of en
thusiasm. Entering tha Chronicle of-
iice mis morning wrsh a roll at in...
l rations, he exclaimed: "Let me show
you soma of tba finest things ever pub
lished la the northwest!" and whil. u
Olfford's ability to criticise la unquesH
iiunea, ana nis opinion recognized as
that of an able artist this time the
"artistic, critical" eve of a newananar
rapurier aeemea to taaa tne same view,
and acknowledged they were beauties.
What also pleased us greatly was to
find among them some of Mr. Olfford-a
views taken near . The Dalles, one a
typical Dry Hollow farming seen. Ons
of tha finest cats la found in the center
of tha fruit illustrations and is a pyra
mid of Spltsenbergs. ons and a half
pounds, raised at The Da Ilea
The cuts are all halftones, beauti
fully clear, and represent the resources
of Oregon, stock raising, agriculture,
horticulture, manufacturing, and every.
ining ramea ana manufactured In Ore.
gon. While these will attract the era
descriptive matter, such aa homeseekers
deal re, will accompany them.
The Journal has had the publication
In preparation for some months and is
expending thousands of dollars in mak
ing it the finest yet gotten out tn re
turn Oregon will receive such advertise
ment as it never had before. .
First Come, First Served.
t From Blackwell'a,
The) late Baroness Burdett-Coutts
used to relate with keen pleasure a
story of the Duke of Wellington and
Soult On the flrst oocaston the duke
took Soult Into Apsley House,, the lat
ter was surprised at tha absence of plo
tures ha had known in Madrid.
"How la It Monsieur le Due." he
said, "that ynu have so few .of the
penlsh masterpieces V
"Marshal, you forget." replied the
duke, "that my army was only In Mad
rid after the one commanded bjr your
self." ,
Letters From the
. People.
Resents Mrs. Logan's View.
Portland, March St. To the Editor of
The Journal I wonder if Mra John A.
Logan has any daughters of her own.
How would she ike for one of her own
to be dragged Into tha pitfalls of Stan
ford Whlte'a gilded densT Those beau
tiful atructurea which White erected in
New Tork and other places are of small
value In comparison to the human souls
which he wrecked. Mrs. Logan says
the crimes of White were against so
ciety ' and hla own - family and not
against . Thaw. I do hot agree with ber.
Is It not a erlma to try and ruin the
home of tha man who had tried to re
deem 'and aava one of White's viotlmsT
I am the mother of three boys and I
would rather any one of them were la
Harry Thaw's plaoe than . taking the
chances -of Stanford White.
... v A MOTHER.
Roosevelt For Third Tetm""
Portland, March II. To-the Editor of
Tha Journal "Will Roosevelt be a can
didate for tha presidency for a third
terror" la a question almost perennial
juat now. At least every time the name
of aay other prominent man la men
tioned in connection with that great
offloa, the presidential cognomen bobs
up most opportunely to blast that In
dividual's boom just aa if there was
soma "behind the throne" understanding
mat tne president knew, , ana was ce-
oldedly no averse to every one else
keeping low, and that tha Roosevelt can-7
dldacy was not so disagreeable to htm
after alL How doea thla look to you T
O. V. KANN.
The Deadly Hat Pin.
Portland, March t. To tha Editor of
The Journal I waa much Interested In
tha- article - in . last - Sunday'a Journal
about the deadly bat pin. The.queatlon
now arises, what are wo going to do
about ItT That something should be
dona to check thla wholesale slaughter
of the Innocents is very evident If the
accounts printed are true, aa they un
doubtedly are, it is simply appalling.
Whoever imagined that such venom
lurked In the points of those innocent-
looking little hat pins? No doubt many
women will aay . they., are a necessary
evil and thus dismiss the subject from
their- mlnda with, .a shrug.
But are theyT Might wa not fasten
on our hats with elastic, as wa did when
wa wera -children T Or--we might -have
ribbon streamers to tie beneath tha
chin, which, by tha way. Is not unbe
coming, and Indeed, haa often been the
style when Dame Fashion so dictated.
However, the drawback to thla is, first
they would prove uncomfortably warm
In summer, and second, the ladles would
never wear them unless they were the
style. .
What a pity It Is that Fashion, tha
pitiless, relentless, conscienceless ty
rant before whom - the whole world
does homage, will not decree that ladles
must wear .bats that fit tha. head, aa
men do, and that will therefore require
no spike to nail them on. It is a re
grettable fact that the legislature can
pass no law to abolish the wicked hat
pin. The result of such aa effort am
New Tork Is sufficient proof of the use
lessness of ouch an undertaking: There
are too many women (more ia tha pity)
who consider aelf-gratlflcatlon the first
law of nature. But- thank goodness.
they do not constitute the whole fem
inine race. - -
The majority of women, I am certain.
once they fully realised tha seriousness
of the question, would take a firm stand
against the use of so dangerous an ao
cessory of dress.
At for its usefulness aa a weapon of
defense, the good it haa accomplished in
this respect is far outweighed by the
many distressing accidents . resulting
from a careless use of tha same, to
judge from the incidents quoted.
It would seem that the only feasible
plan, unless they be entirely dispensed
with, would be to limit their length to
four or five Inches, or have some way
of clinching them oa the opposite side
of the hat There la a chance here for
Inventors. If some one can invent a
contrivance that will clinch or musale
hat pin after It haa been -thrust
through tha hat a fortune is surely his
unless, indeed, the ladles decide to
heroically deny themselves the luxury
of bat pins. - It la up to us, ladles. I
propose we all join the Anti-Hat Pin
league so that all men shall rise up and
call us blessed.
MR8.L. O. CLARK.
The Cabwoman's Trials, -:,
Paris Letter to tha London Telegraph,
I was being driven by the flrst cab-
lady In the world. ' Wa went down the
boulevards and nobody noticed us. Not
a soul waa amused or Interested. But a
block In the trafflo gave aa and the
street boy a ehanoe at last - I caught
a young eye beneath a cloth cap staring
at us. Then came tha young ; voice:
"Where's the poor babyT Left at home
sucking Ita poor bottle, i aupposi
Shame!" Madame on the box stirred
never a muscle. "How about depopula
tion V the young, and piercing voice
added. Madame flicked theXcob, who
was going to sleep again. Heaned back
on the cushions. - The policeman put
down his strange white wand and we
were off again. But tha rumor had
passed among tha crowd. . "It is the
coohere." ' Another atoppaga and another
atreet boy. He began by saying
"Hooray I'Vand the Parisian equivalent
of ""Bully for you." Then ha stopped
and looked at the red taximeter flag
marked "Free." now dipped. "What!
aren't you free any moreT" he sighed.
and gased langulnblngly. "And who's
the happy manT" A pause, and he
turned a terrible eye on ma. "What
la that ItT Well, now, sines she had
the choice, she might have done better,"
His pal by his side, . after a careful
scrutiny, did not altogether agree.
After all, ha Is Just about the average
when you come to look at him. - Of
course his topper hes been la the rain,
but he did brush his cost this morning.
He doesn't look much at a distance, I
grant but just step nearer and study
hlra." Thank- goodness the policeman
moved us on. Madams turned round and
said, "Ah, monsieur, wa must have In
dulgence. Wa are above these things,
you and I." .
Today in History.
ll7 Hannah Dustln of Haverhill.
Massachusetts, killed- ber U Indian
guards and escaped.
17SS Irelnnd declared In a state of
rebellion. :
1S14 OeneraJ Wilkinson, with about
1.000 troops, attacked a party of Brit
ish at Laks Colls, Lower Canada, and
was repulsed.
mi Cholera plague at Its height In
Barbadoes, . ,
111 Battle of Somerset,. Kentucky.
1870 Texas readmitted to the union.
lilt The Eiffel tower In . Paris
Opened. ' j
lltl Msnfpur tribes massacred 400
British Ooorkhas troops la Assam,
Protection for Legi
timate .Bus mess.
From the Wall Street Journal
John II. Davis A Co. have made an
examination of. court decisions during
tha past to yssrs, on the baala of whloh
they have Issued a statement In which
they show that legitimate Industry will
always be protected against Injustice in
legislation. They say;
"We realise a duty as an Investment
banking house to reassure aecurlty
holders and have accordingly devoted
considerable time to ascertain results
of railroad rate legislation to date and
prove that no legitlmata Industry caa
be unduly hampered nor can proper
earning power be our tailed by leglale
tlve act
"Any legislation preventing rebates,
discrimination, obnoxious monopoly, and
corporation speculation in securities, in
favor of safety appllanoea, publlolty. of
accounts, and reasonable regulation of
aecurlty issues may be accepted aa
favorable alike to the investing and
general publlor The courts -may - be
depended upon to prevent Injustice, as
tne louowmg so-year record on railroad
rata regulation shows:
e e e
1 "Western state legislatures In th
arly seventies passed laws regulating
rreignt and passenger rates, the be-
5 Inning of "granger legislation,' the
omlnant stock market factor of the
tlmea Ia October, 187t. Chief Justice
Watte of the United States supreme
court delivered, its decision In the suit
of the Chicago, Burlington at Qulncy to
prevent tha state of Iowa from bringing
suit under an act To establish reason
able maximum rata of charges for tramr
portation of freight and passengers.'
The opinion established the right of a
state to 'regulate rates, although for
more than 20 years after the Chicago,
Burlington - A Qulncy was organised
iucq aiaie riant oaa not. imu e-xei;-
Clied.
Boon after, state railroad commissions.
with power to make rates, ware appointed
and tha court of last resort declared
legislature acould so delegate such au
thority, but In the case of the Farmers'
Loan 4k Trust company to prevent the
railroad commission of Mississippi
from enforcing regulation of rates and
tha state from creating a commission to
supervise such business. Chief Justice
Waits, on January 4. lilt, aald:
"This power to regulate rates la not
a power to destroy and limitation is not
the' equivalent of confiscation under
pretense of regulating fares and rates.
Tha .state cannot , require . a railroad
corporation to carry persons or property
without reward, neither can it do that
which In law amounts to a taking of
private property for publlo use without
ust compensation or without due pro
cess of law,'' - .
e . e ' e
On March 7. HIT, the legislature of
Minnesota established a railroad - com
mission and passed an act that rates of
charges lor transportation made by at
should be final and conclusive as to
what were equal and reasonable chargea
and that there eould be no Judicial In
quiry aa to the reasonableness of such
ratea. Tha supreme court Of Minne
sota sustained the law. but tha United
States supreme court reversed it. say
ing:
The question of the reasonableness
of a rata of charge for transportation
by a railroad involving aa it does the
element of reasonableness both aa re
gards the company and aa regards the
publlo' la eminently a question for Ju
dicial investigation ' requiring due
process of law for Its determination
If tha company Is deprived of tha power
of - charging reasonable ratea for the
use of its property and such deprivation
takes place In the absence of an In
vestigation by judicial machinery. It Is
deprived or the lawful uae of Its prop
arty, aad thus In substanca and effeot
of the property Itself without" due
process of law and in violation of ths
constitution or the-united etates."
In May, 1114, the court reefflrmed
these decisions In suits Involving rail
road legislation by the states of Kansas
and Texas,
e e e
' The final definition of atate rights
over railroad rates came on November
12, 114, by Mr. Justice Brewer In the
United States circuit court at Omaha.
Nebraska had passed tha ' Newberry
maximum freight law ordering material
reduction In ratea August 1, 1893. East
ern stockholders of Union Pacific
Northwest and C, B. aV. Q. appealed
to the United States circuit courtfor
relief from tha order. The eourr laid
down the Important doctrines thu foreign
stockholders could take this step and
United. States circuit courtacc-uld grant
relief. The stats's power to limit
charges on trafflo was7 reaffirmed, but
the act of ths legislature was declared
unconstitutional oar the ground that the
maximum , charges prescribed by the
legislature were excessive reductions
from rates then In force and below -the
reasonable compensation which the car
riers were entitled to obtain.
Since these decisions the country has
grown up to and passed its railroad
cllltlss with tonnage of unprecedented
volume and certainty of further in
crease, while freight rates are the low.
est in the world. Much money must be
provided to supply new tracks, equip
ment and terminals. ' The courts have
assured profitable ratea on reasonable
amounts of capital. - Therefore. Invest
ments . under such conditions, in rail
roads honestly managed, and with pres
ent liberal interest yield, have every
element of safety. . . ,
. Plain Talk to Fall Timothy.
From the Salem Journal. . -If
Fdltor Geer- could get his mind
off himself and quit ' flattering the
legislature, and other politicians with
whom he wants to stsnd In, long enough
to consider anything seriously, he would
easily eoma to the conclusion that the
Republican party in Oregon needs some
thing more than a little sweetened edi
torial wind and paragraphia sugar
coating to get Itself squarely before the
people and eleot the next governor. He
can abuse the editor of this paper to
his heart's content He will find plenty
of grafters who will enjoy all thst he
does on that line, but tha trouble with
that kind of editorial work l that tt
don't add anything to his support as he
already haa the confidence and' high
esteem of all the grafting elements In
the party.
; The Colossus of Roads."
From ths Wall Street Journal.
"If Mr. Harriman aspires to become
tha railroad colossus, let him remember
one supreme, impressive fact which Is
that the people of the United states.
much aa they admire superior leader-
ihlp, are not overt ond , of a colossus
It may ba wall to remind
Mr. Harriman that the Colossus of
Rhodes was destroyed by an earth
quake.".
This warning waa given to Mr. Harri
man at thetlme .when he had reached
the -very summit of hla power. What
doe he think of It now when hla
enemies, political and financial, with tha
encouragement of a hostile press, are
i pursuing him
Small Change
Oo te soma Easter service tomorrow
and be good.
-e e . - -,
Will the early bird catch tba munici
pal offloa worm?
- - ., ;
Evelya la tn a frequent state of Thaw,
dissolving herself in tears.
. e e -...'.'.-. , '
The rabbit aad the egg will hold their
annual post of honor tomorrow. .
''''' ' e '""'!. .'"
Probably by this time the jurymen
don't ears much about the Thaw ease.
v e i .
Some men arc less careful about
choosing a wife than a stenographer. '
- '
' The weather gods care no more about
Easier than about the Fourth of July. '
-..'- ' e . ., . ...... -
It la a cold, dull, eventless week la
Portland where a new paper Isn't start
ed. .. . :. "
e e . w
An exchange nays Bryan frequently,
stumbles onto a good Idea. No. ha diss
-e e .
A grasshopper haa been seen in Mas- '
aacbusetts, a sura sign -of spring and
flso bait .'.,..
. e e .
Many people may prompt! v obev tha
call of an alarm clock, but few really
like the thing.
a e
The spring girls won't hava to wait
very much longer now for soma proper
ica cream weatner.
a e- -,
If the Republican clubs keen on fus
sing, they will noon reach - thS happy
standard of Democ ratio harmony.
' -. a a . .,
But since Easter cornea the last dav
of tha month, perhaps tha Easter hat
bill will ba charged on tha April ac
count , . ;. .t . . . ,
Two members of the douma named
Dshaparldso and Purlskevltach hava
had a row. Their namea look as if they .
wera dangerous. . i ,
. i a a
If no lawyer or doctor bad - been
placed on the Thaw bughouse commis
sion there might have been soma hope ,
of a right report
Soma railroad presidents are. so sen
sitive that they think that wheaeve -
waterways are mentioned allusion Is
made to .rallwaya .-" ,
. ......
A' very notable event occurred this
week in two southern states, Mlasteeipp.1
and South Carolina tha legal banging
of a negro murderer. -
' . ; . e , I ,
Mr. Harriman says there era enough
laws now. What does ho ears what or
bow many laws there are, since he obeys
only such ones as bo pleaaesT
.. . . ; " - ' . . e e
Moat people might adopt O rover
Cleveland's advice to avoid the greed
for wealth If they wera getting S2S.t00
year and allowed to go fishing most
of ths tlma,
e . e. .. . ...v:
It may be allowable te print full re-
ports of tne Thaw case, but no news
paper would dare print a verbatim re
port of Uncle Joes remarks when he
had a grouch.
Senator Foraker baa sent out. 1.001
pictures of himself, but. the. date when
they wera taken Is not stamped, on
them. Most pictures of celebrities pub
lished are from 10 to 40 yeara old.
The Pendleton Tribune remarks that
the Portland council la now without
Shepherd. Does It take tha members.
for silly, defenseless sheep. Instead
capable gray woivesT
Secretary Cortelyou holds tha confi
dence of the country now and will la
crease it as long as ha is Ait publlo Ufa
Buffalo Newa. Thla sounds aa If the
News contemplated going into the bank
ing business In New Tork,
Oregon Sidelights
Another power plant en the Claeka-
maar river la rumored.
Rosebnrg will hava a new Methodist
Episcopal diurch building soon.
Thst a second drug store should be
started tn tha little dry town of Myr
tle Creek arouses soma people's suspi cions.
,
w
Fans Ctty wanta a Sunday passenger
train, and also a train to connect with
the morning train leaving Dallas for
Portland. .
. . . ..... . m m -
Whether tha streets should be used for
a cow pasture becomes at soma time the
paramount issue in every town, aa It
now ia In Falls City. . J
Because he assarted 1 that his wife
slapped him In the face and kicked him
on the ahlns while attending church, a'
Corvallis man was granted a divorce.
I ' - - ,- ,"'.'.
Roeeburg Spokesman: Times wera
never better than now. as a conse
quence our cltlsens are happy and eon
tented, except when they read such libel
ous articles as that of the Oregonlan.,
a a
.The Tillamook water system ts now
receiving tlOO.95 a month from consum
ers. If some of those that are not con.
nected up would get their pipe lines
connected to the city system the rave- '
nue would ba closer to 1180 monthly. v.
. - e a , - . ,
The term of circuit court at Corval
lis Monday lasted -only three hours,
claimed to be tha shortest aa reooml.-
Thls embraced both the equity and trial
departments. Benton Is a mighty peace-'
drtle county. , . ' ,
a e
SeT-ernl streets in the city are being
blocked up with numerous loads of slab
wood and other trash, asya the Tills-
mook Herald. Tn the case of slabwaod.
rood many p-ntlo of Portland would
not object if It wera that way here. ' '
e e .- - ;',,.
The . Pendlnton Tribune '' protests
aalnst that part of the program of the
Portland business men's excursion which .
iuld allow them to stop tn Pendleton ..
only from C to 10 a. in,,1 saying that
they should stay "at least long enough
to get acquainted and take a meal with
us. Bunch grass will be good by thst
time." ,V.
Residents of the Sluslaw are under'
the Impreeelon that a short Jetty on the
south side of the entrance would give ,
a gnnd channel across the bar. by pre
venting th water from spreading. AS
the government will gh-e no aid, thejf' '
propose to raise a few thousand dollars
by subscription. The Bluslsw country
Is rich In resources,, but Is being held
bark on, account of poor shipping fa
olUtloa, 1 . .
-