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6 .v.- The Herald TIE HERALD PUBLISHING COMPANY WILLIAM A. SPALDING President and General Manager. _____ 1 ' " 'ii J3S SOUTH BROADWAY. Telephone Mala 347, Business Office and Snbscrlp tlon Department. Telephone Main IM, Editorial and Local Depart ments. __________ BATES OF SUBSCRIPTION Defly, by earrler, per month 6 JJJ DSUy, by mall, one year • _ Dally, by mall, alx months * w Dally, br mall, three months. t _ Banday Herald, by mall, one year 2 w Weekly Herald, by mull, ona year l W POSTAGE RATES ON THK HERALD •(pages < cents Kpages 2oent« Mpaces 8 cents 28 pages 2 net M » pages Scents 16 pages Scents —pages 1 c*nt EASTERN AGENTS FOR THE HERALD A. Frank Richardson, Tribune Building. New York; Chamber of Commerce building. Chicago. TEN DOLLARS REWARD The above reward will be paid for the arrest and eon-tenon of any person caught ateallng The Herald afur delivery to a patroo. SATTODAT, APRIL a. 1808 OUR WAR MAP As a supplement and guide to the dally bulletins on the Spanish crisis. The Herald has prepared a large war map covering the early theater of action ln tbe event that hostilities should occur The maple S% by 4>4 feet in size and is painted In colors. It shows the whole of the Atlantic and Onlf Coasts, and the West Indies, including Porto Blco and San Juan, the rendezvous of the Spanish flotilla* It presents also the various de fenses on the American Coast, together with the American, Spanish and neutral eoallng stations and the disposition of the various fleets. This timely production from the brush •f the staff artist, will be hung In the window of The Herald business office for the information of the general public. It will assist materially ln forming a cor rect idea of the physical situation in the southeast which is the storm center of the pending crisis. BY A SLENDER THREAD It would be superfluous ln me to point cut to your lordship that this ls war.— Charles Francis Adams, to Earl Rus sell, September, '63. ' Our news columns this morning con tain an approximately authentic state ment ot the attitude of the Spanish gov ernment regarding the latest demands of the United States- First —For the speedy withdrawal of the Spanish forces from Cuba. Second —For a declaration by Spain of the Independence of the island- Stripped of diplomatic verbiage, this Is said to be the substance of the last proposal submitted by Minister Wood ford to the Sagasta ministry. Spain replies that the cortes alone has authority to yield Spanish sovereignty over Cuba, and that the cortes will not meet until April 24th. Seoond—That a demand for an armis tice must come from the insurgents, and not from the United States. Third —That the request for an armis tice, if made by the insurgents, should be dealt with by the autonomist cabinet of Cuba, and without the intervention or good offices of the United' States. This means war. It practically closes the diplomatic re lations existing between the United States and Spain. It imposes upon the president the obli gation, voluntarily taken upon himself, of ceasing to treat with the Spanish ministry and of placing before congress, at the earliest possible moment, all of the correspondence Between the two governments relating to the Cuban ques tion for such action as it may choose to take, accompanying it with such recom mendations as he may be pleased to make. In the most perfect good faith congress has adjourned until Monday, to enable the executive to formulate a new policy of action based upon the firm determina tion of Spain not to yield the funda mental contention of this government, that Cuba shall he free. Until Monday, therefore, must we wait for the official details of what has trans pired during the past five days, since a patriotic congress showed a disposition to force the hand of an unwilling execu tive. At once upon reconvening the presi dent's messages, with accompanying documents, will be laid before both houses. It is not difficult to conjecture what Will immediately follow. The close observer of current events might easily, and without serious draft upon the imagination, sit down this morning and write the history of that day's proceedings. But— The nation may be plunged into war with Spain before congress shall again be called to order. A declaration of war may be sounded from the guns ot Commodore Schley's battleships before congress shall have bad time to place the determination ol this nation upon the records. The flying squadron has left Hampton roads. Its destination Is said to be St. Thomas. Its orders are to intercept the Spanish torpedo fleet before It can be put upon a war footing. This information may not be con firmed. Weary of the administration's policy of procrastination and delay, most people will prefer to discredit lt, as be ing altogether too heroic an attitude to be assumed by the president upon his own responsibility. At all events, the issue of peace or war hangs upon the slenderest of threads, that may be snapped at any moment. INTENSITY OF THE WAR SPIRIT The war spirit Is undoubtedly abroad. Mimic soldiers with paper caps yester day paraded on Flgueroa street, and mimic war vessels were launched upon the placid watera of our municipal breathing spots, showing tbat the pa triotic impulse ls contagious and that lt is by no means confined to the grave and reverend masculines who spend the livelong day in eagerly scanning The Herald bulletin boards and their even ings in passing bellicose resolutions. A campaign of education ls in prog ress, and all classes of our people are developing an almost insatiable appe tite for martial lore and naval knowl edge. They have already learned that a squadron must be composed of ships of all types—torpedo catchers to gz ahead and run down the enemy's tor pedo boats, engaging them with rapid fire guns at short range; torpedo boats to attack the big war craft; fast cruis ers for immediate servicec in exposed quarters, for sudden raids and for re connottering; low-lying monitors for coast defense and the protection of cities; battleships for royal engage ments with the more powerful vessels of the opposing fleet ln the supreme crisis that usually arises. They have learned that a cruiser may attaok a vessel of Its own class, but not a battleship. They have learned that when a torpedo boat approaohes within half a mile of a battleship, the peril of the latter is extreme, for they are the swiftest craft afloat, and can send a torpedo tube swift and sure that dis tance under water, piercing the vessel's hull below Its armor and speedily send ing it to the bottom. They have learned that the big vessel Is almost powerless in the presence of one of these insidious foes, whose speed enables lt to discharge a tube and get out of range of the guns ot the big vessel, whioh cannot readily be trained upon the low-lying craft, looking like a speck on the ocean when a mile removed from the range-finders. The best expert naval testimony main tains that the larger the battleship the less capable it is of self-defense. An awful engine of destruction, when pitted against another of its class, lt ls yet quite helpless when assailed by the tor pedo boats and smaller armored vessels of great speed and ready manipulation, capable of worming themselves in and out among a fleet of large vessels and completely baffling the gunners. But the opinions of the experts are all based upon conjecture, since the mod ern battleship of the first class has not yet been put to the crucial test, and the average citizen can indulge in a wid" range of speculation without fear of se rious contradiction by acknowledged au thority. Among recent inventions in naval war fare none attracts more attention or elicits more interest than the submarine torpedo boat conceived by John P. Hol land, which has been put to the severest test by government officials within the past ten days. Naval experts regard this as the most important invention since Ericsson's in spiration took shape in the original Mon itor. It has by the tests been fully dem onstrated that, when properly ballasted, the boat can dive and return to the sur face with ease, make extraordinary speed under water, and remain unseen from the surface long enough to destroy an entire fleet without harm to itself. No torpedo net can obstruct its passage beneath the hulls of battleships, and by the time the range-finders succeed in locating it after it rises again to the sur face, it is again under water and out of sight, emerging again perhaps on the opposite side. No armor can withstand the high explosive projectiles used in its dynamite guns and torpedo tubes. The vessel is of such diminutive propor tions—fifty-three feet long, with a dis placement of only sixty tons —that it can be carried on the deck of a large vessel of any class. The Holland submarine torpedo boat indeed promises to add new terrors to naval warfare. It is a unique craft, without counterpart in any other navy, and can be antagonised only by vessels of Bimilar structure, which might have difficulty ln locating it under water. As The Herald has before remarked, this little craft may prove to be the joker in the American navy, rivaling in effectiveness the initial monitor, and perhaps revolutionizing the naval archi tecture of the future. WAR JOURNALISM Americans enjoy a distinct advantage over the Spaniards in the dual fact that there is no press censorship in this coun try and that what the newspapers do not get and publish doesn't happen. Against this proposition it may not be said, in limitation of the praise due the newspapers, that they some times go further, and print things without much reference to their having happened, or the probability i.f their happening, fur it is better for the people that they come to know some things that are not so than that they should be kept in ignorance of actual occurrences. Without disputing the contention, It is enough to say that an intelligent cli entele should be able to separnte the §raln from the chaff; to accept as true what seems probable, and reject alto gether or suspend judgment as to those other items which seem improbable, LOS ANGELES HERALD: SATURDAY MORNING, APRIL 2, 1898 which are not readily reconcilable with known conditions, or, as a Missouri law yer once put lt, '"cannot stand the test crucible of analytical examination." If cable messages from the Spanish capital are conflicting and sometimes exasperatlngly Indefinite and meaning less, some allowance should be made for the difficulties and environment of the American reporter ln the enemy's country. This Is accentu ated by a single announcement in yesterday's Issue of a New York journal, to the effect that, owing to the impossibility of getting the real facts past the Spanish press censor, all mes sages to lt hereafter will be put on the wire at Biarritz or Bayonne. These towns are ln the southwestern portion of France, probably distant three hun dred miles from Madrid on an air line, and much) of the news from the Spanish storm center that you read from day to day In your morning paper Is first gathered with great difficulty and dis patched by speolal messenger to these remote plaoes beyond the border. MORE DISLOYAL SENTIMENTS While Editor Flores of Las Dos Re publicas ls attempting by means of com munications addressed to the daily press of this city to refute the charge that he has given utterance to disloyal sen timents, the columns of his own paper do not bear him out in his assertions as an individual. The extract from Las Dos Republlcas of March 26th, quoted in The Herald yesterday morning comes about as near the verge of treason as was possible under the circumstances. Under ordinary conditions what Las Dos Republlcas says, or what its edi tor does, would be of no concern to the public. At present it is well to know what manner of people are among us. Nor is lt well that a person not an American citizen should be permitted to speak for American citizens, or to crit icize the motives that govern their senti ments and actions. Our Spanish-American citizens can speak for themselves; they have spoken for themselves. The mass meeting, of which the foreign editor of Las Dos Re publlcas talks so slightingly, left no doubt as to where they stand, and the ringing resolutions passed Thursday night by the executive committee of the Spanish-American league were hardly needed. There need ba no concern as to the course that would be taken by the Span ish-American citizens of California in the event of war with Spain, or by other naturalized citizens of the United States, as a class. Such papers as Las Dos Re publlcas and L'Union Nouvelle do not correctly represent them and should not be permitted to assume to speak for them. Their editors would better study the various definitions of the word trea son. SWALLOWED BY THE OCTOPUS Once more we are reminded that the Standard Oil monopoly we have always witH us. The Puente company, which started out to buck the octopus, has succumbed to the inevitable and sold its plant to its rival. The immediate re sult has been an advance of six per cent in the price of kerosene oil, and a statement that the quotation will bs gradually forced upward until a twenty live per cent rise is achieved. The Puente company sold about $125, --000 worth of refined oil per year. Prob ably the Standard company disposes of several times as much in the same ter ritory, but placing its output at a like figure, the total amounts to $250,000 a year. A twenty-five per cent advance would add something like $65,000 to the annual amount paid by the consumers. In other words, the existence of the Standard Oil monopoly, at the very low est estimate—probably the exact figures are much higher—costs the kerosene oil consumers of Southern California $65,000 a year. The whole United States is in the same fix. It is not remarkable that the Stand ard Oil company should be able to pay annual dividends of thirty and forty per cent on its liberally watered capitaliza tion. The Spanish flotilla started from the Canaries for Porto Rico March 23d, the distance to be covered being about two thousand eight hundred miles. Torpedo boats are slow, and it was thought the voyage would consume at least ten days, possibly more. The ten days are up. From Havana to San Juan, Porto Rico, it is about one thousand two hundred miles. From Key West to Havana is ninety miles. From Hampton roads to Havana it is about one thousand miles, so that the flying squadron is consider ably nearer the storm center than will be the Spanish flotilla. The fag end of the alleged autonomist government of Cuba — a government which is powerless to enforce a decree in a single election precinct of Havana — has petitioned the president in behalf of non-interference upon the part of the United States, claiming that the autono mists are in the majority in the island, and protesting that a different form of government than the one they repre sent, under Spanish sovereignty, should not be forced upon them. The appeal sounds like a voice from the tomb. The trouble with the queen regent's wit, as well as her great humanity, is that it comes after the fact. Solicitous now for the welfare of the reconcentra- Dos, and promising even to head a move ment for the support and education of the children of the victims of Spanish barbarity, her excessive zeal only serves to accentuate her neglect of the past three years, while all the world mourned for the victims and grieved at its im potency to relieve them. Dreyfus and his bordereau, Zola and his appeal to the court of cassation, Hanna and his purchased plumage, Pln gree and his potato patch, Yerkes and his purloined franchises, Wanamaker and bit crusade, Klondike and its treas ures, leprosy and loot, and even Dingley lsm, have dropped out of the public eye, while a seismic disturbance of extraor dinary force was unable to distract pub lic attention from the war bulletins. ' Cuban bonds, which have never fallen below forty, yesterday appreciated to sixty. Five hundred thousand dollars of these bonds only have been sold, at an average price of fifty, which approxi mates the value of Spanish fours upon the maritime exchanges. A government whose existence ls yet to receive the recognition of any nation on earth ls thus shown to have a credit that some of the old world monarchies might envy. The New Tork assembly, with patri otic promptness, yesterday appropriated $1,000,000 for the purpose of putting Into the field the Empire State guard, should it be called Into service. Other states, whose legislatures are not ln session, will be compelled to Issue war scrip, as was done ln 1861. though it Is not so likely that the emergency paper of any of the commonwealths will nave to be discounted now as then. Mr. Vanderbllt proposes, In the event of war, to present a flve-milllon-dollar battleship to the government. That Is very clever, but where is the ship to be obtained? Let Mr. V. send a certified check to the United States treasurer for that amount, payable upon the declara tion of hostilities. Better use can doubt less be made of the money than in the purchase of a battleship. Bismarck doesn't love us, but he re spects us. He is old and feeble in body, but his Intellect remains clear, and he has no difficulty ln seeing the disparity between the strength of a decrepit mon archy and a vigorous young republic, the ColossUs of the western hemisphere. Who so blind as not to see that the patriotic attitude of congress is due to the firm and unyielding position of the Democratic minority, which has stood up for American honor and American dignity and American humanity since the agitation began? The possibility of a foreign war has had the effect of checking the stampede to the Klondike, and numbers of vessels in the trade have been withdrawn during the past fortnight. Notfting short of a war could have produced this result in so short a time. England's firm attitude ln setting her face against the impassioned appeals of a sister monarchy for help in distress will go a long way toward dissipating American prejudice. Her genuine sym pathy we unquestionably hay we do not want. Very cheerful news comes from all the navy yards regarding war vessels being prepared for service. The Colos sus of the western hemisphere is getting on its feet in handsome shape. The sturdy declaration of Fighting Bob Evans, that the Important thing is to get in the first blow, grows in virility as the days pass and the Spanish tor pedo fleet nears our shores. "■Waiting on providence and hoping for European intervention," ls the Sun cor respondent's epigrammatic description of Spain's present attlutde. If anything is to be settled upon a cash basis let it be that intangible com modity recognized exclusively in Mad rid as "Spanish honor." "Independence or death" has long been the motto of the patriots—only they have had decidedly more of the one than of the other. Old and forgotten, withered and shaken, what is a poor old monarchy to do, but die? Not a single European state thus far shows any inclination to help Spain let go of Cuba. Spain has added the disgrace of wick edness to old age, and there is no health in her. Sealed orders to naval commanders border closely upon the grave of diplo macy. Spain's great mistake was ln trying to play a 100100 twice in the same game. M'KINLEY'S ULTIMATUMS Says McKinley to his cabinet, "The Span ish are not in it; I can twist 'urn round my fingers in a half a holy minute; Dut I had a faint suspicion that I ought to educate 'urn, So I sent to them my firstest born, my gen tle ultimatum. When I saw they did not see the point, or rather did not heed lt, I "sabed" they were foreigners and maybe couldn't read It; So I repeated gently, for I didn't want to grate 'em, And sent to them my second child, my sec ond ultimatum. Thl3 second one appeared to be beyond their comprehension, And to the points that mystified they wanted my attention. I pondered deely on the points, and how 1 ought to state 'urn, And then I sent to them again another ul timatum. They still may fail to catch the drift re garding what I told 'urn; If so, they're not responsible, and so I can not hold 'urn. But they must look a little out or I may come to hate 'urn, And have to send to them my ultlmatest ultimatum. ALFRED I. TOWNSEND. Los Angeles, April 1, 1898. My Screed I've a screed to screech In lurid speeoh, About the thing self-called a man. Who matches Scratches, And then Puts ln the box again The headless sticks, with impish plan . For me, at night, To try to light; Mephlsto rakes the coal with vim To make a nice, warm cell (or him. -W. li. Fat Holt la Fuck. THE PUBLIC PULSE (The Herald under this heading prints eommunlcations, but doss not assume re sponsibility for the sentiments expressed. Correspondents are requested to oultlvate brevity as tar as Is consistent with tbs proper expression of their views.) Sentiment Business To the Editor of the Los Angeles Hersld: The public at large la alwaye oppose* to monopolies and ln favor of any competing proposition that will temporarily oheck the greed of great corporations. This proposition is illustrated in the busi ness of the gas companies, waiter compa nies, street car companies, railroad and other similar quasi-public corporations. A gas company ls established In a small town. The town grows and so does the company. At first a high rats ls charged for gas because lt seems to be necessary; the consumption Is light and the cost of manufacturing and distribution Is heavy. Three dollars per thousand cubic feet for gas seems about right, and the people pay lt because they have to, end then It Is so nice to have gas. After a while the tax becomes burden some and the people complain of the great gas monopoly, The subject ls agitated to such an extent that finally leading men of the town or some outside capitalists pro ceed to put ln another gas plant and only charge 11.60 per thousand cubic feet for gas. Everybody "hurrahs" for the new gas company. "Damn the old gas monopoly, anyway; lt always has been a ourseto tho town, and now we are going to have -et lief." Everybody orders gas at $1.60 per thousand cubic feet. After a little the old eompaoy brings its price of gas down to $1.25 per thousand cubic feet. A change comes over the people. That old'company's a pretty good company after ail. It fur nished us gas when we could get lt no where else. They charged a pretty good price for their gas. it ls true, but then they had to. Now that the town has grown and tho consumption has increased, they seem to be willing to do about what Is right. So the people make another change of base, and they now order gas again from the old company for $1.25 per thousand cu bic feet. Sentiment would require that they should patronize the new company that brought down the price of gas. for, were it not for the new company the peo ple would have to pay $3 Instead of $I._ per thousand cubic feet. Business seems to dictate that the people should, buy the gas where they could get it the cheapest, regardless of all other con siderations. What is the result? Either the new gas company sella out to the old corc.par.y arrl the price of gas goes up again to $2.80 or $3 per thousand cubic feet, or the two companies agree to fix a rate at which both companies should sell gas, and then each company do all the business It can. This case Is a suppositional one, given lo illustrate the proposition, but we deal with facts—known to be facts by the business men of Los Angeles. A few years ago the Southern Pacific company charged 4 cents a pound for freight, Including lighterage, from Los Ange'.es to .steamer via San Pedro. The leading business men of Los Angeles thought this price exorbitant, and said so. They finally agreed with Senator Jones and others that if they would, build a line cf railroad to Santa Monica aml-a wharf at that place they would guarantee them their freight at 2 cents per pound. The road'was built and freight started that way at a lively rate, Leaving the San Pedro route. The Southern Pacific then said to the aforesaid Los Angeles business men, "If you will send your fre'ght over the San Pedro route again we will give you a rate of 1 cent per pound on a five years' agree ment." The agreement was made and'the frejght again went via San Pedro. The little road, was gobbled up by the Souttiern Pacific for less than one-half its cost, and the wharf was dismantled. The Los Angeles merchants were able to get the one cent rate m lieu of the former four cent rate by the building of this little road. They could send a given amount of freight for $1000. instead of paying $4000. Sentiment would dictate that the mer chants should continue to patronize the road that gave them the reduction, but the business men said: "No, we will send the freight by the road that will carry it the cheapest." Fifteen years ago the Southern Pacific was the great railroad monopoly of the Pacific coast. Little roads had been started as opposition lines, but one by one they had been gobbled up by the "great octopus." because the people thought more of business than sentiment. The California Pacific, a short line from Sacramento to Vallejo, was a noted oppo sition line about thirty years ago. I. N. Hoag, now postmaster at Redlands, and J. N. Victor of San Bernardino know some thing about that line. It made a gallant right for a few years, but finally fell Into the hands of the Southern Pacific sys tem. The demise of the Los Angeles and Pa cific railway, built a few years ago from Los Angeles to Santa Monica, ls another glowing Illustration of "sentiment vs. business," as some of the enterprising bus iness men of Los Angeles can testify. A little later the Santa Fe system en tered Southern California. This was no ' jerk water" affair. It was one of the largest railroad systems In the world. It could not be bought and lt could not be bullied. No sooner had lt completed its through construction to Los Angeles than a war of rates was Inaugurated. Tickets between Loe Angeles and Chicago sold for $6, and some were sold at 50 cents each. The roads did a rushing but not a paying business. After awhile the war ceased and rates were restored, not to their former status, yet to fair rates. The Santa Fe company caused this reduction of rates and save Southern California railroad facul ties that It never would have had under the one railroad system, a.nd by means of this competition Southern California has grown in population and wealth ten times faster than has that portion of the state north of the Tehachapi. Here again sentiment steps In and sas/s "Patronize the raMroad that has done so much for Southern California." The busi ness man says "Not much; I patronize the line that is cheapest and that gives me the best service." As a result both railroad systems have endeavored to give the best service, for they found lt necessary Imme diately after the rate war to agree upon rates. This was a necessity. The road then that could give the best service got the most business. It ls a plain proposition that no two com panies running ln competition with each other can do so without maintaining equ.il rales for tickets and freight. This is an absolute necessity, and any other course must necessarily end In demoralization of business and ultimate bankruptcy, conse quently the traffic associations were or ganized for the purpose of governing the transcontinental business. A promiscuous cutting of rates is as bad for the business man as for the railroad companies. A dealer buys in the east a cargo of carriages. HJs freight bill ls 120 per carriage. He knows that all ether dealers must pay the same freight, and , therefor* must seilat practleaily-aharSam* I A New Suit | | ■ For Easter 1 [v THE BEST DRESSED MEN AND BOYS IN TOWN ARE OUR CUSTOMERS' L§| S3 ARE YOU ONE OF THEM f tg f ßefore you decide where to buy your new Suit, or the Boys' Suits, step in it ICJ He ClotM-a Cereer and let us show you how perfectly we can fit you—how S3 reasonably we can clothe you—how well we can satisfy you. gb W Men's Spring Silts, - - $8.50 to $22.00 (J) g Boys' Spring Slits, - - $2.00 to $8.00 g I MULLEN. BLUETT CLOTHING CO. | Consumption Cured DR. W. HARRISON BALLARD price. But what Is his position If his neighbor Is liable to get a cargo, the freight on which Is only tl per carriage? For this reason the Interstate commerce commission Is Interested In seeing that all roads charge the same rates of freight to and from the same points for all inter state business. The president of the Santa Te system says positively that there ls no pool between his company and the Southern Pacific com pany. It has never been proved that there ls. It has been assumed by parties who have an ax or two to grind that there ls. but they offer no proof to substantiate their statement. Aa it ls a criminal of fense for the officers of these companies to form such a pool, ls lt not good common sense for tho sentimental public to hold i these officials to be Innocent until they are proved to be guilty/ The fruit growers of Southern California are demanding lower freight rates on or anges and lemons. It ls doubtful if there ls a single fruit grower ln this state who can show beyond question that the railroad companies can afford to reduce their rates. It Is not the purpose of this article to prove that they are either too low or too high. I do not know. There ls one thing very certain, and that ls. If there were no Santa Fe and no Southern Pacific rail roads today, a company with the cash to do the work could build either road for a much less sum than was expended ln their construction. The companies borrowed money to buird these roads, and they are now paying in terest on a much larger sum than Would be necessary to construct the systems at the present time, but the Interest must be paid. During the past few years the Santa Fe system has not been earning enough money to pay this interest and other ex penses As a consequence, the companies several of them In the system—went into the hands of receivers, and a reorganisa tion had to be effected. The orange crop must be handled In a certain class of cars; most of these cars go east loaded with fruit, and are hauled baok empty. It costs money to handle even emp ty cars—how much I do not know. This fact, however, must be taken Into consid eration ln settling the question of freights. It is evident that the Santa Fe system has not been earning sufficient money to pay fixed chargeß, else lt would not have gone Into the hands of a receiver. If lt has not been earning enough, what can be done to Increase the earnings? One thing Is cer tain, it cannot afford to lose any freight, unless the price for hauling such freight la less than the cost of handling lt. In this eVent, the more freight tt loses the better. The railroads cannot afford to have the freights so high on citrus fruits that a portion of the crop cannot be moved. If there were 12,000 carloads and the freight was 1200 a carload, the railroads would re ceive $2,400,000 for moving the crop to the east. If, by virtue of the relative condition of the freights and the market price of the fruit, 3000 carloads of the cheaper grades of oranges could not be moved, then the railroad companies would lose $600,000 of their income. If the income of the companies Is too small already, and lt becomes necessary to reduce freight on oranges, where will the deficiency be made up? The Income of a railroad can sometimes be Increased by re ducing the rates as well as by raising them. If there are 12.000 carloads of fruit to go east and the railroads haul all of lt, they cannot increase the traffic by encouraging it by low freights, at least in a single sea son. Through a long period of years the business mifht be built up by continuous low freights, but not ln a single season. Here the question of sentiment and busi ness comes ln again. The railroad com panies, and not the people will deal with the question. As a matter of sentiment, they might say that they might work for the benefit of the people who patronised them, but, as a matter of business, can they afford to sacrifice their property for the sake of temporarily benefiting their customers? As a matter of fact, lt costs a certain sum of money per ton to haul freight. No company can permanently afford to fix rates below that point; any company that attempts lt must ultimately cease to oper ate Its road, and no one else can take up the work on the same basis. The question ls to And out that basis. Is It not a fact that a railroad company, like any other combination of men carrying on a legal business, can make money when times are prosperous, and that they must lose money during periods of business de pression? During the period of business activity from 1880 to 1890 did not the Santa Fe peo ple and nearly everybody else make mon ey? The Santa Fe stock was at one time during that period quoted at $1.40. During the period of business depression following 1890 have not the masses of the people lost money, and ls It fair to assume that the Santa Fe company should be an exception to the rule? Is It not fair to suppose that the present business depression will be followed by an other period of business activity,'during which time the railroad and the public at largo will probably prosper and make mon ey again? Until business revives, ls It not the duty of all classes of people to make an earnest endeavor to keep down expenses, and Is not the railroad company vitally Interested ln assisting the people to maintain themselves and build up their various lines of tratfu and business and become prosperous again, to the end that they may be able soon to liberally patronize the railroads with fares and freights? Tbe railroad companies are just as much Interested ln the orange crop of Southern California as the orchardlsts are, for lt probably costs as much to haul their fruit to market as It does te produce it* It the orchardlsts of Southern California cannot | afford to ship their fruit to market, they lose the Investment ln their orchard prop erty; and If the railroads cannot afford te haul the fruit and other produce to market for a rate that the grower and producer can afford to pay, the railroads then lose the Investment ln their property. The interests of the producers and railroad men and business men of Southern California are to la great extent Identical; generally speak- Ing, they will all prosper together, and they; will all be alike affected by dull tlmea BUSINESS. "Oermania" Stands Fat To the Editor of The Los Angeles Herald: The Oermania of today contains the fol lowing editorial: "War or Peace—Perhaps today lt will be decided whether we shall have war or peace. "President McKinley has done his best to save our country from a war, but It seems as If the war party ln congress will, in spite of the president's endeavors, get the upper hand and declare war agalnat Spain, If the latter should not accept the terms of the United States, which, we are afraid, she will not. " 'In tho bosom of near hours Does the fate rest of a world!' "We have yet great hopea that the peace will not be broken, but if war should break out and the cannon should roar, then all minor considerations have to be set aside, and lt will be the sacred duty of all Amer ican citizens to stand In, with all their power, for the honor of the Stars and Stripes." AUGUST BOECKLIN. Think of tho Pensions To the Editor of the Los Angeles Herald: Before we go to war with Spain let us consider the pension question. We are now, after thirty-five years, paying one hundred and fifty millions of dollars a year ln round numbers to the pensioners of the late unpleasantness. If we are going to have a large army ln our war with Spain, with a considerable number of casualties and possibly a large amount of yellow fever, what are our pensions going to amount to ln the year 1910? It ls said that we do not owe our posterity anything: Possibly we do not. but they certainly, It seems to me, would have cause for com* plaint against us if we left them an Inherit* ance of an addltonal pension list. ONE WHO DOES NOT DRAW A PEN SION. Los Angeles, April I,ISM. • ■ *■ *"*" No Cause for Enmity "That's very nice," said the spectators "I am glad to see those two politicians ge out of the room arm ln arm, chatting pleas antly." "There's nothing very extraordinary) about that." "But from what I have read I supposed . that they were antagonists and rivals." J "Oh, yes; they are antagonists and rivals. Ji But that is no excuse for their hating eacU 11 other. They don't belong to the same par* IA ty."—Washington Star. II A Hard' Day "Yes," said the politician, wearily, "I ■ have had a pretty hard time of it." H "Have you had much to do?" "No, there wasn't anything for me to do. I was before an Investigating committee all W\ day, and my youngest son has been asking . * me questions concerning theology all the evening."—Washington Star. The Usufruct "I'm willing, said the author, "to ad mit that I borrowed a few of the Ideas that I use ln that work. It's legitimate to bor row." "Tea," replied the cynical acquaintance} "but the difficulty Is that ln this loan tho wrong man gets the benefit ot the Interest.'* —Washington Star. TT i T, I—l Heart Breaking Lulu Rocks—Dear me! It must be a ter rlble thing to marry an English nobleman and then Papa Bocks—And then what? Lulu Rocks—And than have him Insist obj traveling about with you "Incognito."-* Judge. Permanently So Weary Watklns—l see some of the papers are agitating the wide-tire question again for better roads. Hungry Higglns—l don't know much about wide tires, but I know I've got a Ufa* long one.—lndianapolis Journal. One Infliction Avoided "Modern warfare," said the prosy board* er, "ls the best. A short, sharp and decls* lye struggle " "Which," Asbury Peppers interrupted) "Is all over before the poets get time to warm up."—Cincinnati Enquirer. . _ 1 ' A Prerequsite. Willie (studying his Vlrgli)—Pa, I'm) stuck. The Trojan gladiator ls saying) something to his rival, and I can't make it out. Father—Maybe he's telling him to go get a reputation.—Philadelphia Record. Not a Severe Tax "I thought Scribbler's doctor forbade his} doing atiy brain work." "Well, he's only writing a society novo el."—Philadelphia Record. The Modern Creed High Church Or Low Church, 4 My Church