LEXINGTON WHEATFIELD
S.A. THOMAS, Publisher
LEXINGTON. , OREGON
MESSAGE IN BRIEF
Important Points of President's
Communication to Congress
The main points brought out by the presi
dent in his annual message to congress, deliv
ered December 4, follow:
I again recommend a law prohibiting all
corporations from contributing to the campaign
expenses of any party. Such a bill has al
ready passed one house of congress. Let in
dividuals contribute as they desire; but let us
prohibit in effective fashion all corporations
from making contributions for any political
purpose, directly or indirectly.
Another bill which has just passed one house
of congress and which it is urgently necessary
should be enacted into law is that conferring
upon the government the right of appeal in
criminal cases on questions of law. This right
exists in many of the states; it exists in the
District tf Columbia by act of the congress.
It is of course not proposed that in any case
a verdict for the defendant on the merits
should be set aside. A failure to pass it will
result in seriously hampering the government
in its effort to obtain justice, especially against
wealthy individuals or corporations who do
wrong; and may also prevent the government
from obtaining justice for wage-workers who
are not themselves able effectively to contest
a case where the judgment of an inferior court
has been against them.
In 'connection with this matter 1 would like
to call attention to the very unsatisfactory
state of our criminal law, resulting in large
part from the habit of setting aside the judg
ments of inferior courts on technicalities ab
solutely unconnected with the merits of the
case, and where there is no attempt to show
that there has been any failure of substantial
justice.
In my last message I suggested, the enact
ment of a law in connection with the issuance
of injunctions, attention having been sharply
drawn to the matter by the demand that the
right of applying injunctions in labor cases
should be wholly abolished. It is at least
doubtful whether a law abolishing altogether
the use of the injunctions in such cases would
stand the test of the courts; in which case
of course the legislation would be ineffective.
Moreover, I believe it would be wrong alto
gether to prohibit the use of injunctions. But
so far as possible the abuse of the power
should be provided against by some such law
as I advocated last year.
Lawlessness grows by what it feeds upon;
and when mobs begin to lynch for rape they
speedily extend the sphere of their operations
and lynch for many other kinds of crimes,
so that two-thirds of the lynchings are not
for rape at all; while a considerable propor
tion of the individuals lynched are innocent of
all crime. In my judgment, the crime of rape
should always be punished with death, as in
the case with murder; assault with intent to
commit rape should be made a capital crime,
at least in the discretion of the court; and pro
vision should be made by which the punish
ment may follow immediately upon the heels
of the offense; while the trial should be so
conducted that the victim need not be wan
tonly shamed while giving testimony, and that
the least possible publicity shall be given to the
details.
I call your attention to the need of passing
the bill limiting the number of hours of em
ployment of railroad employes. The measure
is a very moderate one and I can conceive of
no serious objection to it. Indeed, so far as
it is in our power, it should be our aim
steadily to reduce the number of hours of
labor, with as a goal the general introduc
tion of an eight-hour day.
The horrors incident to the employment of
young children in factories or at work any
where are a blot on our civilization. It is
true that each state must ultimately settle the
question in its own way; but a thorough of
ficial invesigation of the matter, with the re
sults published broadcast, would greatly help
toward arovsing the public conscience and se
curing unity of state action in the matter.
Among the excellent laws which the con
gress passed at the last session was an em
ployers' liability law. It was a marked step
in advance to get the recognition of em
ployers' liability on the statute books; but
the law did not go far enough. In spite of
all precautions exercised by employers there
are unavoidable accidents and even deaths
involved in nearly every line of bwsiness con
nected with the mechanic arts. If the entire
trade risk is placed upon the employer he will
promptly and properly add it to the legitimate
cost of production and assess it proportion
ately upon the consumers of his commodity.
It is therefore clear to my mind that the law
r-hould place this entire "risk of a trade" upon
the employer. Neither the federal law nor. as
far as I am informed, the state laws dealing
with the question of employers' liability are
sufficiently thoroughgoing. The federal law
should of course include employes in navy
yards, arsenals ani the like,
Tt is not wise that . the nation should
alienate its remaining coal lands. I have tern-
fiorarily withdrawn from settlement all the
ands which the geological survey has indi
cated as containing, or in all probability con
taining coal. The question, however, can be
properly settled only by legislation, which in
my judgment should provide for the with
drawal of these lands from sale or from
entry, save in certain especial circumstances.
The ownership would then remain in the
United States, which should not, however,
attempt to work them, but permit them to he
worked by private individuals under a royalty
system, the government keeping such control
as to permit it to see that no excessive price
was charged consumers. It would, of course,
be as necessary to supervise the rates charged
by the common carriers to transport the pro
duct as the rates charged by those who mine
it; and the supervision must extend to the
conduct of the common carriers, so that they
shall in no way favor one competitor at the
expense of another. The withdrawal of these
coal lands would constitute a policy analogous
to that which has been followed in withdraw
ing the forest lands from ordinary settle
ment. The coal, like the forests, should he
treated as the property of the public, and Its
disposal should be under conditions which
would inure to the benefit of the public as a
whole.
The passage of the railway rate bill, and
only to a less degree the passage of the pure
food bill, and the provision for increasing and
rendering more effective the national control
over the beef-packing industry, mark an im
portant advance in the proper direction. In
my judgment it will In the end be advisable
in connection with the packing-house inspec
tion law to provide for putting a date on the
label and for charging the cost of inspection
to the packers.
The question of taxation is difficult In any
country, but it is especially difficult In ours,
with its Federal system of government. Some
taxes should on every ground be levied In a
small district for use in that district. Thus
the taxation of real estate is peculiarly one
for the Immediate locality In which the real
irstate is found. Hut there are many kinds of
taxes which can only be levied by the general
government so as to produce the best results,
because, among other reasons, the attempt to
impose them in one particular state too often
results merely in driving the corporation or
Individual affected to some other locality or
other state. The national government has long
derived its chief revenue from a tariff on im
ports and from an internal or excise tax. In
addition to these there Is every reason why,
when next our system of taxation is revised,
the national government should impose a grad
uated inheritance tax, and, if possible, t grad
uated' income tax.
The industrial and agricultural classes must
work together, capitalists and wageworkeri
must work together, if the best work of which
(he country, it capable if to be done. It ii
probable that a thoroughly efficient system of
education comes next to the influence of pat
riotism in bringing about national success of
this kind. Our federal form of government,
so fruitful of advantage to our people in cer
:r. wnvs, in other ways undoubtedly limits
our" national eii'cUlvcn-js. It is not possible,
for instance, for the national government to
take the lead in technical industrial education,
to see that the public school system of this
country develops on all its technical, indus
trial, scientific and commercial sides. This
must be left primarily to the several states,
effort is to give the governmental assistance
in the most effective way; that is, through as
sociations of farmers rather than to or through
individual farmers. It is also striving to co
ordinate its work with the agricultural de
partments of the several states, and so far as
its own work is educational, to co ordinate it
with the work of other educational authorities.
Great progress has already been made among
farmers by the creation of farmers' institutes,
of dairy associations, of breeders' associations,
horticultural associations and the like. The
department can and will co-operate with all
such associations, and it must have their help
if its own work is to be done in the most
efficient style.
Much is now being done for the states of
the Kocky mountains and the great plains
through the development of the national policy
of irrigation and forest preservation; no gov
ernment policy for the betterment of our in
ternal conditions has been more fruitful of
good than this. The forests of the White
mountains and Southern Appalachian regions
should also be preserved; and they can not be
unless the people of the states in which they
lie, through their representatives in the con
gress, secure vigorous action by the national
government.
I am well aware of how difficult it is to
pass a constitutional amendment. Neverthe
less, in my judgment the whole question of
marriage and divorce should be relegated to
the authority of the natioal congress. At pres
ent the wide differences in the laws of the
different states on this subject result in scan
dals and abuses; and surely there is nothing
so vitally essential to the welfare of the nation,
nothing around which the nation should so
bend itself to throw every safeguard, as the
home life of the average citizen. The change
would be good from every standpoint. In par
ticular it would be good because it would con
fer on the congress the power at once to
deal radically and efficiently with polygamy;
and this should be done whether or not mar
riafre ana? divorce are dealt with. It is neither
safe nor proper to leave the question of polyg
amy to be dealt with by the several states.
Power to deal with it should be conferred on
the national government.
Let me once again call the attention of the
congress to two subjects concerning which I
have frequently before communicated with
them. One is the question of developing
American shipping. I trust that a law embody
ing in substance the views, or a major part
of the views, expressed in the report on this
subiect laid before the house at its last session
will be passed. I am well aware that in
former vears objectionable measures have been
proposed in reference to the enotmragement of
American shipping; but it seems to me that the
proposed measure is as nearly unobjectionable
as any can be.
I especially call your attention to the sec
ond subject, the condition ef our currency
laws. The national bank act has ably served
a great purpose in aiding the enormous busi
ness development of the country, and within
ten years there has been an increase in circu
lation per capita from $21.41 to $33.08. For
several years evidence has been accumulating
that additional legislation is needed. The re
currence of each crop season emphasizes the
defects ef the present laws.
I do not press any especial plan. , Various
plans have recently been proposed by expert
committees of bankers.
I most earnestly hope that the bill to pro
vide a lower tariff for or else absolute free
trade in Philippine products will become a
law. No harm will come to any American
industry; and while there will be some small
but real material benefit to the Filipinos, the
main benefit will come by the showing made as
to our purpose to do all in our power for their
welfare. So far our action in the Philippines
has been abundantly justified, not mainly and
indeed not primarily because of the added
dignity it has given us as a nation by proving
that we are capable honerably and efficiently
to bear the international burdens which a
mighty people should bear, but even more
because of the immense benefit tht big come
to the people of the Philippine Islands.
American citizenship should be conferred on
the citizens of Porto Rico. The harbor of
San Juan in Porto Rico should be dredged
and improved. The expense of the federal
court of Porto Rico should be met from the
federal treasury. The administration of the
affairs of Porto Rico, together with those of
the Philippines, Hawaii and our other insular
possessions, should all be directed under one
executive department; by preference, the de
partment of state or the department of war.
The needs of Hawaii are peculiar; every
lid should be given the islands: and our efforts
should be unceasing to develop them along
the lines of a community of small freeholders,
not of great planters with coolie-tilled estates.
Situated as this territory is, in the middle of
the Pacific, there are duties imposed upon this
small community which do not fall in like de
gree or manner upon any other American com
munity. This warrants our treating it dif
ferently from the way in which we treat ter
ritories contiguous to or surrounded by sister
territories or other states, and justifies the
setting aside of a portion of our revenues to
he expended for educational and internal im
provements therein,
Alaska's needs have been partially met, but
there must be a complete reorganization of the
governmental system, as I have before indi
cated to you. I ask your especial attention to
this. Our fellow citizens who dwell on the
shores of Puget sound with characteristic
energy are arranging to ho'd in Seattle the
Alaska Yukon Pacific exposition. Its special
aims include the upbuilding of Alaska and the
development of American commerce on the Pa
cific ocean. This exposition, in its purposes
and scope, should appeal not only to the peo
ple of the Pacific slope, but to the people of the
United States at large. Alaska since it was
bought has yielded to the government $11,000.
ooo of revenue, and has produced "early
$300,000,000 in gold, f"rs and fish. When
properly developed it will become in large de
gree a land of homes. The countries border
ing the Pacific ocean have a population more
numerous than that of all the countries of
Europe; their annual foreign commerce
amounts to over $3,000,000,000, of .which the
share of the United States is some $700,000,
000. If this trade were thoroughly under
stood and pushed by our manufacturers and
producers, the industries not only of the Pa
cific slope, but of all our country, and partic
ularly of our cotton-growing states, would be
greatly benefited. Of course, in order to get
these benefits, we must treat fairly the coun
tries with which we trade.
Especially do we need to remember our
duty to the Btrangcr within our gates. It is
the sure mark of a low civilization, a low
morality, to abuse or discriminate against or
in any way humiliate such stranger who has
come here lawfully and who is conducting
himself properly. To remember this is incum
bent on every American citizen, and it Is of
course peculiarly incumbent on every govern
ment official, whether of the nation or of the
several states.
I am prompted to say this by the attitude
of hostility here and there assumed toward
the Japanese In this country. This hostility
is sporadic and is limited to a very few places.
Nevertheless, it is most discreditable to us ns
a people, and it may be fraught with the
gravest consequences to the nation. To no
other country has there been such an increas
ing number of visitors from this land as to
lapan. In return, Japanese have come here
in great numbers. They are -elcome, socially
ind intcllcctu.i'ly, in all our colleges and in
stitutions of higher learning, in all our pro
fessional and social bodies. The overwhelm
in" mn of oir r"npp cherish r lively rcr:iH
and respect for the people of Japan, and in
almost every quarter of the union the stranger
from Japan is treated as he deserves; that is,
he is treated as the stranger from any part
of civilized Kurope is and deserves to be
trentcd. Hut here and there a most unworthy
feeling has manifested itself toward the Jap
mn the feeling that has been shown in
shutting them out from the common schools
in San Francisco, and in muttering! against
them in one or two other places, because of
their efficiency at workers. To shut them out
from the public schools is a wick-d absurdity,
when there are no first-class colleges in the
land, including the universities and colleges
of California, which do not gladly welcome
Japanese students and on which Japanese stu
dents do not reflect credit, I ask fair treat
ment for the Japanese as I would ask fair
treatment for Germans or Englislinient, French
men, Russians, or Italians. I ask it as due to
humanity and civilization. I ask it as due to
ourselves because we must act uprightly toward
all men.
Last August an Insurrection broke out In
Cuba which it speedily grew evident that the
existing Cuban government was powerless to
quell. This government was repeatedly asked
If boys and girls are trained merely in literary
accomplishments, to the total exclusion of In
dustrial, manual and technical training, the
tendency is to unfit them for industrial work
and to make them reluctant to go into it, or
unfitted to do well if they do go into it. This
Is a tendency which should be strenuously
combated. Our industrial development depends
largely upon technical education, including in
this term all industrial education, from that
which fits a man to be a good mechanic, a good
carpenter, or blacksmith, to that which fits a
man to do the greatest engineering feat. The
skilled mechanic, the skilled workman, can
best become such by technical industrial edu
cation. The department of agriculture has broken
new ground in many directions, and year by
year it finds how it can improve its methods
md develop fresh usefulness. Its constant
by the then Cuban government to intervene,
and finally was notified by the president of
Cuba that he intended to resign; that none of
the other constitutional officers would con
sent to carry on the government, and that he
was powerless to maintain order. It was evi
dent that chaos was impending. Thanks to
the preparedness of our navy, I was able im
mediately to send enough ships to ' Cuba to
prevent the situation from becoming hopeless.
In accordance with the so-called Piatt
amendment, which was embodied in the con
stitution of Cuba, I proclaimed a provisional
government for the Island, the secretary of
war acting as provisional governor until he
could be replaced by Mr. Magoon; troops
were sent to support them and to relieve the
navy, the expedition being handled with most
satisfactory speed and efficiency. The pro
visional government has left the personnel of
the old government and the old laws, so far
is niight be, unchanged, and will thus ad
minister the island for a few months until
tranquility can be restored, a new election
properly held, and a new government inaugu
rated. Peace has come in the island; and the
harvesting of the sugar-cane crop, the great
crop of the island, is about to proceed.
The United States wishes nothing of Cuba
except that it shall prosper morally and ma
terially, and wishes nothing of the Cubans save
that they shall be able to preserve order
among themselves and therefore to preserve
their independence. If the elections become a
farce, and if the insurrectionary habit be
comes confirmed in the island, it is abso
lutely out of the question that the island
should continue independent; and the United
States, which has assumed the sponsorship be
fore the civilized world for Cuba's career as a
nation, would again have to intervene and to
see that the government was managed in such
orderly fashion as to secure the safety of life
and property. '
In many parts of South America there has
been much misunderstanding of the attitude
and purposes of the United States toward the
other American republics. An idea had be
come prevalent that our assertion of the
Monroe doctrine implied or carried with it
an assumption of superiority and of a right
to exercise some kind of protectorate over
the countries to whose territory that doctrine
applies. Nothing could be farther from the
truth. Yet that impression continued to be a
serious barrier to good understanding, to
friendly intercourse, to the introduction of
American capital and the extension of Ameri
can trade. The impression was so widespread
that apparently it could not be reached by any
ordinary means.
It was part of Secretary Root's mission to
disnel this unfounded impression, and there
is just cause to believe that he has succeeded.
I hnve just returned from a trip to Panama
and shall report to you at length later on
the whole subject of the Panama canal.
The destruction of the Pribilof islands fur
seals by pelaeic seiliee- si1i co"ti.e The
regulations have proved plainly inadequate to
accomplish the object of protection and preser
vation of the fur seals, and for a long time
this government has been trying in vain to
secure from Great Britain such revision and
modification of the regulations as were con
templated and provided for by the award of
the Tribunal of Paris.
The process of destruction has been accel
erated during recent years by the appearance
of a number of Japanese vessels engaged in
nelagic sealing. As these vessels have not
been bound even by the inadequate limitations
prescribed by the Tribunal of Paris, they have
paid no attention either to the close season or
to the sixty-mile limit imposed upon' the Cana
dians, and have prosecuted their work up to
the very islands themselves.
We have not relaxed our efforts to secure an
agreement with Great' Britain for adequate
protection of the seal herd, and negotiations
with Japan for the same purpose are in
progress.
In case we are compelled to abandon the
hope of making arrangements with other gov
ernments to put an end to the hideous cruelty
now incident to pelagic sealing, it will be a
tnestion for your serious consideration how
far we shou'd continue to protect and main
tain the seal herd on land with the result of
continuing such a practice, and whether it
is not btter to end the practice by extermi
nating the herd ourselves in the most humane
way possible.
The United States navy is the surest guar
antor of peace which this country possesses.
Ft is earnestly to be wished that we would
profit by the teachings of history i this mat
ter. A strong and wise people will study its
own failures no less than its triumphs, for
there is wisdom to be learned from the study
of hoth, of the mistake as well as of the suc
cess, I do not ask that we continue to increase
our navy. I ask merely that it be maintained
at its present strength; and this can be done
only if we replace the obsolete and outworn
ships by new and good ones, the equals of
any afloat in any navy. To ston building ships
for one year means that for that year the
navy goes back instead of forward. The old
battleship Texas, for instance, would now be
of little service In a stand-up fight with a
powerful adversary. The old double-turret
monitors have outworn their usefulness, while
it was a waste of money to build the modern
single-turret monitors. All these ships should
he replaced by others; and this can be done
by a well-settled program of providing for the
building each year of at least one first-class
battleship equal in size and speed to any that
any nation is at the tame time building.
Dr. Lapponi, physician to the pope,
is dead.
The czar recently granted Witte a
three-hourb' audience. .
Secretary Metcalf proposes a national
license to corporations.
Opening of bids for Tanama canal
work has been postponed.
Hughes may be supported by Roose
velt for senator from New York.
The president and all officials deny
that n new treaty with Japan is being
considered.
Labor is so scarce in Germany that
farmers are talking seriously of import
ing Chinese coolies.
The attorney general of Texas has
produced proof that Senator Bailey was
hired by the oil trust.
Many of the losers in the San Fran
cisco fire find earthquake are receiving
their money and present indications are
that 80 per cent of the losses will be
paid.
IN THE NATIONAL HALLS OF CONGRESS
CONGRESS RESUMES.
Short Meeting of Fifty-Ninth Session
at Work.
Washington, Dec. 4. The 60th con
gress began its hint session nt noon yes
terday. It took the senate 15 minutes
to arrange its preliminaries and the
house an hour. The senate received
from President Roosevelt a long list of
appointments for its confirmation, and
in executive session of 19 minutes de
cided, as the nominations hud been re
ceived before the body had been organ
ized formally, to make no confirmations
until the president's annual message
had been received and the session fair
ly Btarted.
Senators Fenrose, of Pennsylvania,
and Foraker, of Ohio, came forward
with resolutions of inquiry regarding
the discharge of the negro troops of the
Twenty-fitfh infantry. One was ad
dressed to the president and the other
to the secretary of war. After the rip
ple of surprise had passed and Vice
President Fairbanks had suggested that
it was unusual to transact any business
until the president's message had been
received, the resolutions went over by
unanimous consent. Senator Dupont,
of Delaware, took the oath of office.
The opening of the two houses was
witnessed by an animated throng,
which filled the gallaries to their ca
pacity. Hundreds went away disap
pointed in not gaining admission to
witness the session of either senate or
house.
Not in years have a larger nuniber of
members-elect of the lower house of
congress presented themselves at the
speaker's desk to take the oath of oflice.
Death has been unusually active among
the membership during the closing days
of the last session and the beginning of
the present, and Chaplain Couden feel
ingly called the attention of the body
to the work of the grim reaper during
the months since adjournment.
After the appointment of the usual
committee to wait upon the president
and inform him that the house was or
ganized and ready to receive any com
munication ho might desire to make of
interest to the public service, the house
adjourned out of respect to the memory
of the deceased members. The presi
dent's message will be received both in
the house and senate today. No bills
were introduced in the senate. In the
house three were 38 public measures
and 350 of a private character. ,
Work of Congress.
Washington, Dec. 4. The reading of
the president's message consumed two
hours and 25 minutes in the house to
day and was followed closely by a large
number of members, while the crowd
ed galleries gave close attention.
After the customary resolution relat
ing to the printing of the message, the
house, at 2:53, adjourned until noon
tomorrow.
Washington, Dec. 4. President
Roosevelt's annual message to congress
occupied the attention of the senate for
two and one-half hours today, to the
exclusion of nearly all other business.
The exception to this was the introduc
tion of a resolution on the Japanese
situation by Raynor, of Maryland, and
the adoption of appropriate resolutions
regarding those members of the house
of representatives' who have died since
the lust session. As a mark of further
respect to their memories, adjournment
was taken at 2:54 o'clock.
Wednesday, December 5.
Washington, Dec. 5; The brief ses
sion of the senate today resulted in the
introduction of many bills, resolutions,
petitions and memorials, and the re
ceipt of a number of communications
from the executive department. Sena
tor Foraker's insistence that immediate
action be taken on the pending resolu
tions asking for information regarding
the diccharge of negro soldiers of the
Twenty-fifth infantry developed discus
sion, but resulted in postponing action
until tomorrow.
Washington, Dec. 5. The house to
day, awaiting the report of the appro
priation bills, began its legislative
grind by passing three measures:
Incorporating the National German
American alliance; authorizing the sec
retary of the treasury to duplicate gold
certificates in lieu of ones lost or de
stroyed; and amending the national
banking laws, permitting national
banking associations to make loans on
real estate as security and limtiing the
amount of such loans.
Worse Treated in Mexico.
San Antonio, Tex., Dec. 4. A dis
patch to the Express from Eagle Pass,
Tex., says: Three hundred Japanese
have entered the United States from
Mexico through Eagle Pass since No
vember 1. They are leaving Mexico
because of ill treatment which they re
ceived at the hands of Mexican employ
ers. The Japanese say they were lured
into Mexico with promises of good pay
and pleasant work on farms. So invit
ing were the promises that Japanese
immigration societies worked to get
Japanese for agricultural work. .
Thursday, December 6.
Washington Dec. 0. The senate to
day adopted the Penrose resolution ask
ing the president for information n
garding the discharge of the negro
troops of the Twenty-fifth infantry,
and also the Foraker resolution direct
ing the secretary of War to trunsniit
information on the same subject.
Senator Beverldge introduced a bill
today to amend the meat inspection act
by requiring that the cost of inspection
shall he paid by the packers. Another
amendment requires that the date of
inspection and packing or canning shall
be placed on each package.
Washington, Doc.v04. The house
by a vote of 110 to 104 today defeated
the bill of Littlefield of Maine remov
ing discriminations against American
sailinir vessels in the const,! nir t.nuln.
The debate raged for four hours and a.
half and the result of the vote was a
surprise to the friends of the measure,,
who openly charged its defeat to the
American Federation of Labor.
Friday, December 7.
Washington, Dec. 7. By a practi
cally unanimous vote the house today
passed the bill limiting the regulation
of interstate commerce between the sev
eral states in articles manufactured by
convict labor or in any prison or re
formatory. The bill was introduced,
by Hunt, of Missouri, a practical stone
mason. Under the Wilson bill, which
became a law in 18!K), convict labor
made goods may enter into active coin
petition with the goods manufactured
by "free labor" and under this Federal
law a state could not pass a law that
would prevent the shipping into the
state of prison-made goods of other
states.
The sovereignity of the state was the
subject of earnest debate in the house
today, growing out of the consideration
of a bill to establish a game preserve of
nearly57X,(X0 acres in the Olympia
forest reserve in the state of Washing
ton. The bill was passed without divi-
READY FOR WAR,
Our Army and Navy Prepared if Japan
Wants to Fieht.
Washintgon, Dec. 4. Nothing which
has been said in the whole range of
comment on the possibility of war be
tween the United States and Japan bus
surprised certain Washington officials
so much as the seeming unanimity of
opinion in the country that we are ut
terly unprepared for a fight with the
Orientals.
There is a prayerful hope that no war
will come, but, if it should come, the
strong probabilities are that the pessi
mists, and they seem to abound in
every section of the land, will find that
they have looked upon the prospect with
blue glasses.
Congressmen have come into Wash
intgon from every district and all of
them seem burdened with the belief
that, if trouble comes with Japan over
the California school question which
is a minor matter or over the enact
ment of a Japanese exclusion law
which is a major matter the Philip
pines will be lost to us, temporarily at
least, within a month.
The Japanese will not take the Phil
ippines, or, if they do, they will be sue.
cessful in an exploit that will bring
them such honors of war as few people.
FRANTIC APPEAL FOR COAL.
Spokane Dealers Hear From Entire
Inland Empire.
Spokane, 'Wash., Dec. 7. Stimu
lated by the heavy fall of snow
throughout the Big Bend, Palouse,
Walla Walla and Coeur d'Alene coun
ties last night, local coal dealers were
today flooded with frantic appeals from
Lewiston, Colfax, Davenport, Pullman,
Wallace and other cities for coal.
In response to this demand six
wholesale coal dealers, who supply the
entire territory affected, issued a
signed statement declaring they had
coal here in sufficient quantity to sup
ply the entire Inland Empire, but that
the O. K. & N. and Northern Pacific
railways were refusing or were unable
to furnish cars with which to deliver
the coal. They criticined the railway
for placing them in a false light by ad
vertising reduced rates on fuel and an
nounced their intention of appealing to
the Kailway commission for an inves
tigation. Must Appear in St. Louis. ,
St. Louis, Dec. 7. The clerk of tlie.
United States Circuit court today re
ceived notification from the United
States marshal's office in New York
that service had been ordered on John
D, Rockefeller and others in the gov
ernment suit against the Standard Oil
company recently filed in St. Louis. In
addition to Rockefeller, the following
joint defendants with him were served:
Henry II. Rogers, William Rockefeller",
John D. Archbold, H. M. Flagler and
Oliver II. Payne. They will be requir
ed to enter an appearance here.