The San Francisco call. [volume], December 31, 1903, Image 8

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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BY the Christmas courtesy of the Manitoba Free
Press of Winnipeg^ The Call has received a hand
somely mounted tail of a Mani;rba gopher, accom
panied by a pamphlet explaining the. mystic merits of the
gift as a bringer of good luck to whomsoever wears it; ,
The mystery had' its origin in the depths of the untu
tored minds of the "Wandering Crees," a tribe that once
roamed over the vast -plains of the Canadian Northwest.
According to ;thc legends of that people, a generation of
prairie dogs, once upon a time,, fell into evil courses, and
the Great Spirit, by way of' punishment,., changed the.
guilty ones into gophers and doomed them and their de
scendants, forever after to act ; as sentinels and guards. for
the villages of the good 'prairie-dogs.
; By reason of that decree the' gopher stands watch to
this day and gives to all under his charge ¦ fair warning
j of any approaching; danger. .The guardianship 'of =thel
, gopher, it is said.' becomes- more potent after his death
TALE OF A GOPHER TAIL.
Natives of Lake Chad.
A French army officer who • recently
made an exploration of the Lake Chad
region in Central Africa has sent to his
Government curious reports of the isl
and dwellers in the lake, who ; were
amazed when the first steamboat ever
seen there puffed its noisy way among
them. Lake Chad is roughly triangular
in shape, and about 100 miles on each
of its sides, says the Chicago Chronicle.
At no point is it more than about thirty
feet deep, and it is a perfect maze of
.islands. The islands are long and nar
row, and all He ' in a north-northwest
and south-southeast direction. This
uniformity is attributed by Colonel
Destenave in part to the current from
the Shari River and in part to the pre
vailing winds. Many of the islands are
fairly; well wooded, and no difficulty
was experienced . In supplying the
steamer* with fuel. Among the trees is
MMHHfiR9ra§BBIHiBttB§£gBHBEHHK
Very little. public interest appears to have been ex
cited in the vigorous and persistent prosecution of the
men accused of the dynamite outrages which have
made railroad traffic in Montana a hazard with death.
Yet no other cause is more de§crving of an expres
sion of intense public feeling. If the accused are inno
cent they should be released. If*' they '/are guilty their
punishment as motiveless and malignant enemies >of
society should be quick and- terrible. ,
MacVEAGH AT THE HAGUE.
SOME time ago the New York Sun published a |
dispatch from Washington to the effect that the de
parture of Wayne MacVeagh from the Hague, where
he had gone to act as counsel for Venezuela before the
arbitration tribunal, was' caused by dissatisfaction with
his conduct of the case, and that had he not returned
he would have been recalled. "The report went on to
say that among other offenses MacVeagh had vwritten
a. letter to the executive council of the tribunal saying
in effect that if the arbitrators_,wcre lawyers instead of
diplomatists they would know; their business better. It
was added that the remark was regarded as insulting by
the tribunal.
'Shortly afterward the Sun corrected the original re
port, saying it had been misled into doing an injustice
to one whom it described as '"a gentleman and juriscon
sult of high character -and distinguished reputation, not
the least of \vhosc many services to the country has been
his recent professional performance at the Hague."
Mr. '¦ MacVeagh has not been fully satisfied with what
he himself; calls the "full and honorable retraction given
by the Sun," and asserts that retraction "follows false
hoods but lamely and never quite catches up with them,
for. they, are fleet of foot and wonderfully elusive." For
the sake of further refutation, therefore, he has pub
lished the complete text of- his argument before the
High Court' of Arbitration as a convincing! proof that he
did not exceed his rights as counsel and was not in any
way insulting to the tribunal. ; • *
;' The argument is so able and lucid' that it forms a
notably valuable, contribution to the literature of interna
-tional law. and if its publication be due solely to a de
sire to refute the original erroneous report, : then the
error after all has been of some good service. As The Call
was, among- the papers that copied -the article , in the
. Sun,, pleasure^is taken in directing, attention to the re
futation 'and, the retraction.! -*-
Coal Out of Peat.
A firm in Kent, England, has devised
an electrical process for converting or
dinary peat Into firm, smokeless steam
coal at a moderate cost. The peat is
cut and excavated by machinery, load
ed into dumping cars, which convey it
to the plant, where it is packed into
rotary Jron cylinders. The cylinders
being rotated at high velocity, the cen
trifugal pressure, aided by an interior I
beating device, expels nearly all of the'
80 per cent of water in the material.
Electrodes connected with a dynamo
are then inserted in the cylinders in
such a manner that the mass of dried
peat completes the electrodes. The. re
sistance offered by the peat, like the
filament of an incandescent lamp, gen
erates heat which carbonizes the ma
terial, producing a mass of disinte
grated black globules. From the cylin
ders the carbonized material passes to
machines which knead it into a puttjf
llke mass, which is then pressed into
briquettes or left to dry and harden in
masses, which broken Into lumps,
screened, and graded like ordinary
coal. '
Colonel Evans, high in the councils of the United
States secret service, lost twelve hundred dollars at
roulette a few days ago at El Paso and now he has been
suspended by the department in which he was so dis
tinguished an officer. The colonel has at least'the satis
faction of knowing that while it is his business to locate
.bad .money, his friends are able to recognize good coin
when they see it. V ;-.;- •
Anszvers to Queries.
GLADIOLUS — Amateur, City. The
blooming bulb known as gladiolus 13
easy of cultivation. The bulbs should
be planted in light, rich and mellow
soil, to a depth of six Inches when the
ground has become warm. The best ef
fects are produced in groups or
masses.
REVENUE — D. R.. Stockton. Cal.
The United States Internal revenue in
1902 on spirits amounted to $121,138.
012 and on fermented liquors $71,988.
902, an aggregate of $203,126,915. The
preceding year the aggregate from
these two sources of revenue waa
$191,727,888.
SPANISH NAMES — T. A. P., San
Marcos, Cal. Many of the Californian
names are preceded by "San", and
"Santa," which Is the masculine and
the feminine for saint, or sainted. An
dreas is Andrew; Antonio, Antone or
Anthony; Bernardino, Bernard; Be
nito, Benedictine friar or nun; Cle
mente, Clement; Diego. James; Fran
cisco, Francis; Felipe, Philip; Gre
gorio, Gregory: Joaquin. Joachim: Ja
einto. Hyacinth: Jose, Joseph; Juan.
John; Luis Obispo,' Louis the Bishop:
Lucas, Luke; Luis Rey, Louis the
King; Leandro. Leander: Mateo, "Ma
thew; : Marcos. Mark: Pasqual. Pas
qual; Pedro. Peter: Pablo, Pau!; Ra
fael. Raphael: Ana, Anna; Barbara,
Barbara; Catalina, Catherine: Cruz.
Cross; Clara. Clara: Fe. Belief; Inez.
Agnes; Maria. Mary: Paula. Pauline^
Rosa. Rose; Rita, w^rd used by shep
herds In speaking of one of their flock;
Hueneme, .house by the sea.
MISTLETOE— H. J. P.. City. Th*
mistletoe is a native of Britain and the
greater part of Europe, forming a b^h
about four feet long and growing on
many kinds of trees, particularly on
the apple and others botanically allied
to it, as the pear, service and haw
thorn, also on sycamores, limes, pop
lars, locust trees and firs, but vv.-y
rarely on oaks — contrary to the general
j belief. This order of plant is exogen
ous and contains more than 400 known
species, mostly tropical and parasite-*.
The mistletoe was intimately connect?*!
with many superstition? of the ancien»
Germans and British Druids. Amon?
the Celts the mistletoe which grew on
the oak was in peculiar esteem iov
magical and medicinal virtues. • It'wai
at one time In high repute as a remedy
for epilepsy and convulsions. The ber
ries are a favorite food for thrushes
and It was for a long time suppose!
that the plant was propagated by
seeds deposited from the birds, but the
propagation Is really by the wiping off
of the seeds from the bird's beai*.
which it rubs against the teark.
Townsend's California glace fruits an''
candles. 50c a pound, in artistic flre^
etched boxes. A nice present for Eastern
friends. 715 Market st.. above Call bl<$. •
Special information supplied daily to
business houses and public men b» do
Press Clipping Bureau (Allen's). 230]_CaU
fornia street. Telephone Main 1042. •
In a certain big downtown wholesale
house it has been a holiday custom to
allow the office employes to buy a fat
turkey at the firm's expense. On the
staff was a broth of a Mission boy, say
sixteen years old and up-to-date. A
few days before Christmas the youth
received word that on and after Janu
ary 1, 1904, his services would no longer
be required. Yesterday the bill for
master office boy's turkey reached the
house. It was $5 SO.
Here is the dialogue that followed:
'"Say, Tommy, don't you think that's
pretty stiff for turkey?" inquired the
cashier.
"Naw, I don't," replied Tommy. "I
had to go all over town to find one that
Avas big enough. You see. I'll ba out of
a job soon and I thought I'd better take
the best of it while it lasted. If youse
hadn't told me I was going to be
fired," continued the youthful philoso
pher, "youse might have got off cheap
er. But I couldn't afford to pass up
this last chance."
Tommy sauntered off whistling and
the cashier caught his breath.
The Secret Out.
Satisfied that, his children would be
. convinced that Santa Claus was a real
and not a mythical character, a well
known insurance agent dressed in the
garb that children usually associate
with their ideas of Kris Kringle and
walked into the nursery 'at his home
Christmas eve. He flattered himself
that his make-up was perfect and that
his little ones would receive him with
the spirit that for months past, in an
ticipation of a joyous Christmas day.
he had been endeavoring to instill into
their minds.
And the children were convinced, all
but one, the youngest, a sturdy little
boy of eight. When the others, at sight
of the long, white beard, the wig of
white hair and red fur-trimmed coat,
shook with fear and expectancy and
tremblingly held out their, little hands
for the presents that Santa Claus in a
gruff voice announced he had for them,
this little chap rose up' and bravely
marched toward his disguised father.
"I want to whisper, Santy," he said
in a voice in which there was not a
sign of fear.
Santa Claus lowered his bushy head
and felt two soft little arms go around
his neck. A sweet little' face was
pressed against his hairy one and from
the lips of the ydungster came these
words:
••I won't tell on you, papa, but I
peeked in mamma's room when you
was dressin'."
Hardly Fair.
In this enlfghtened age of interna
tional amity it seems strange to read
what the World's Work has to S3jr
about Colombian army methods. "It
it a common thins f f >r a Colombian boy
of 12 or 14 to be thrashed to death with
cowhide whips for 'deserticg' from the
army— that is to say. running back
home after he had been forcibly en
listed," says that magazine. "It is
generally common for a mere child to
be nuns up by Ihe thumbs until he
dies, because ho will not— or cannot —
say where his father is hidden. Women
have been crucified because they have
refused to betray their husbands, and
others have been treated infinitely
worse."
DST2S this not seem to be like the re
port spread among negroes by the peo
ple of the South during the Civil War
that Yankees had hoofs and horns like
the devil?
Budding Genius.
This Is Pleasing.
The San Francisco Call devotes a
page of its Monday's edition to writing
up the resources of the Interior of the
State. Yesterday it published articles
from the pens of C. M. Wooster, and
NT. P. Chipman. president of the. Cali
fornia State Board of Trade. Both
are interesting and will undoubtedly
direct attention to California's almost
unlimited resources. The Call is on
the proper course. All of the great
journals of the State should devote a
little more of their space to building
up the interior, and they will not be
neglectful of their own interests In
doing so, for as the interior progresses
so will their own homes advance and
increase in material wealth.— Madera
Tribune. .
IT is announced that St. Petersburg is angry at Ameri-,
can and English sympathy for Japan. This may be a
very serious matter for St. Petersburg, as it is always
serious to get angry, but the United States and Great
Britain will not immediately apologize. or withdraw their
sympathy.
There is something greatly attractive in the aspect
and attitude of Japan. Since her emergence ftoni
national seclusion she has joined Western progress, art
and science to the Oriental character and has shown
what can be done by all Eastern Asia, if the autonomy
and independence of China and Korea be respected.
Looked at philosophically, Japan is the natural leader of
the Mongol races. If they were all in her condition of
advancement and had her parliamentary institutions
and popular participation in government, the advantage
to the whole -world would be inestimable. She has
taught the West that 5 , progress, liberal political institu
tions, and the extension of art and, science are the sure
cure for the yellow peril, about "which Europe has been
often alarmed.
There is something glorious in the intelligence and
firmness and high statesmanship she has shown in all
this negotiation with Russia, and there is something
morally" prreat in her uniform good faith, honor and mod
eration. She does not hesitate to risk war with a nation
that has four times her population and resources, but
with none of her sense of right and justice. She is en
titled to and will have the sympathy of the world if she
take up arms for the just cause she represents. It may
not be that the Government of the United States can
assist her as a government, but the people of the United
States will not hesitate to give her all the aid in their
power. Our principles forbid entangling alliances, offen
sive and defensive, being made by our Government. But
our people are in sentimental alliance and have the spirit'
of assistance with all nations that show the fine spirit of
Japan and for such a cause.
What a contrast between her and her enemy! Russia
pillaging, persecuting and slaughtering Jews, from re
ligious intolerance; forbidding those who expatriate
themselves to visit their birthplaces even under the
passport of other countries, of which they have become
nationals; by decree closing her zone of inflnence. ac
quired by craft in China,. to Jews and forbidding to them
there the exercise' and benefit of their, commercial en
terprise, and in all "ways pursuing a narrow, selfish and
uncivilized policy; while Japan opens all her territory
to the free and safe intercourse of all nations; estab
lishes her own steamship lines; gives equal protection to
all religions; educates all of her people and participates
in promoting the progress of art and science.
If the intelligence of the civilized world have to
choose between Japan and Russia, without exception
Japan will be fellowshiped and supported. If war
come and brute force override Japanl, then indeed will
the light of Asia have gone out, and the knout and the Cos
sack will extend over' the East the policy that lashes
students for aspiring to freedom and murders people on j
saints' days as a religious pastime.
ST. PETERSBURG ANGRY.
Tubes in the Body.
BT W. R. C. LATSON. M. D.
(Editor Health Culture Magazine, New York.)
Copyright. 190CL by Joseph B. Bowie*.
Among,, the mpst remarkable and
beautiful structures of the body are the
blood tubes — the system of '"piping" by
means of -which the blood Is conveyed
from the heart to the tissues, through
the tissues themselves and then back to
; the heart. Of the heart itself, that won
derful double pump, to' the action of
which the flow of the blood is mainly
due, and of the blood, the center and
intermediary of all life processes, we
have written in previous articles.
The tubes conveying the blood from
the heart are called 'arteries. And the
structure, of these tubes is- peculiarly
adapted to the work they have to do.
In discussing the heart's action it was
stated that the heart contracted about
seventy times each minute. At each of
these contractions it throws into the
arteries which go to the tissues about
160 cubic centimeters, or neardly six
ounces of blood. Xow if the artery
were a hard, unyielding tube, like a
lead gas pipe or a clay water main, it
would require great force to keep the
blood moving, through the three or four
feet of tubing, which lie between the
heart and the more distant tissues. But
the artery is far from being rigid. Its
walls are very strong and very elastic,
much more so than ordinary rubber
tubing. So when the quick contraction
of the left ventricle throws a tumbler
ful of blood into- the arteries they ex
pand to take it in, and then by their
own elasticity they contract again.
The blood once in the artery cannot
get back into the heart because of the
closing of the aortic valve, which
guards the opening of the large artery
leading from the heart to the tissues.
So as the artery contracts again to Its
natural caliber the blood thrown into
it from the heart is passed on In a kind
of wave. This elastic expansion and re
coil of the arteries is a most powerful
assistance to the heart in propelling
the blood through the body. And it is
in this alternate enlargement and con
traction of all the arteries, once for
each closing up of the heart, that j
causes what is called the pulse. The
pulee may be felt at the wrist, the
temple, in the groin, under the arm or !
at any other point where an artery I
passes sufficiently near the surface to !
' be felt by the finger. j
In the disease known as old age
(eapillary-arterio fibrosis) there is a
chance in the nature of the material
composing the walls of the arteries and
capillaries, which causes thent to lose
their power of elestic response to the
heart impulse. This condition is event
ually fatal in every case, thus showing
the importance of the arterial expan
sion and recoil.
Xot only, however, must the artery
be elastic; it must be strong — strong
enough to withstand a pressure which
at one point is equal to a column of
mercury eight inches high. And the
structure of the artery is such as to
insure the highest possible degree of
those two qualities, strength and elas
ticity. The arterial walls arc- com
posed of several coats or layers. In
side these is a thin layer of epithelial
cells (called here endotheliai). These
are of Irregular shape, and are joined
together at the edges by a kind of
cement. Outside of this lies the prin
cipal coat of the artery itself, com
posed of several layers, the most im
portant of which is made up of tiny
muscle cells, which pass round Ihe cali
ber of the artery and impart to it that
combination of elasticity and strength
which is so important to its functions.
Each of these tiny snakeliks muscle
cells is a minute muscle. 7n some of
the arteries these muscles have a spe
cial set of nerves, which regulate the
caliber of the blood tube, causing it at
one time to contract, causing pallor and
coldness of that part of the body, and
under other circumstances to expand,
thus containing more blood and result
ing in added heat to tne part, with
flushing.
From the 'heart the blood passes into
one large artery called the aorta. The
aorta gives off a number of smaller
branches, and these give off still small
er branches, which again subdivide,
and so on, until the smallest arteries,
called arteriols, are reached.
The blood stream returns from the
tissues to the heart through blood tubes
which differ widely from the arteries
Justo described. The arterial blood flow
ins from the heart is under strong
pressure, and is Bent forth in powerful
and rapid jets. To withstand this pres
sure the arteries must be strong : and
elastic. But the; blopd going back to
the heart is under but little pressure,
and the flow is steady. Therefore the
blood tubes leading to the heart (the
veins) need not be, and are not, as
strong nor as elastic as the arteries.
Like the artery, the vein is a tube con
sisting of a number of layers, which,
however, we may roughly divide into
inner and outer, the inner composed of
endothellal . and the outer of muscle
cells. The walls of the veins are much
thinner than those of the arteries, and
there is no pulsation or throbbing in
the venous flow.
For Married Folk.
HI CJAAJU-ICS FRKDIUC GOSS. DO.
Uoiihor of "The Redemption cf David Cor
sjn," etc.)
Copyright. :!*«. by Joseph B. Bowie*.
I have performed hundreds of mar
riage ceremonies, but have only asked
one bride to promise obedience to her
husband. 1 did this because she in
sisted upon it and I have never asked
h<*r whether she was glad. Probably
not one American woman in 10,000
has any intention of obeying her hus
band in the •sense contemplated in
the marriage service, and so what is
the use of asking her to promise what
she does not mean to perform? It al
ways seems to me like sham.
The real problem of matrimony is
not obediem e. but deference. There
Is a certain subordination, submission,
recognition of superiority in both
friendship and marriage that is of the
utmost import&iiee.
The case stands this way:
Kither the man and woman have
equally strong wills and good Judg
ment <wh£^h is a very gTeat improb
ability) or the man has the highest
endowment in these qualities; or, per
chance, the woman.
Now. the most important question
for every young couple is the early
discovery of this superiority and its
constant recognition. The little
home kingdom needs to be ruled
by the noblest mind. The do
mestic .«tate thrives best under
an aristocratic • fann of govern
ment. But here's th*» "rub." In the
vaet majority of cases it is. the one
who has the least sense who has the
most tgoti.tm. and the married life
becomes one long struggle on the part
of the weaker member of the firm to
assert his or her personality. Our
••personality:- How we dread to have
it swallowed up or even subordinated.
And it would be a terrible thing to re
ally lose it in another; to have one's
will and judgment so completely ab
sorbed in that of a husband or wife
as rea!ly to become a nobody:
Thi« tragedy often happens in the
married life. You have seen women
who wore nothing in th*- world but
little o, hoes of some big, blustering,
domineering man. You have seen
eix-foot men nho wore wagged like
a tail by liaie. aggressive, capable and
determined women. It is always a
pitiful and gem-rally a contemptible
sight. Losing- one's individuality in
thlc way is like being sucked down
into quicksand. It would hnve been
ignoble in Solomon's weakest wife to
have thus surrendered h<»r personality
evrn to the wisest <if men.
And it is the instinctive fear of this
ignoble surrender that often lies at the
bottom .-f lifelong matrimonial unhap
piness. A man or a woman makes the
slow, painful discovery of his or her
inferiority and it is humiliating beyond
¦words. It is something to be covered
up; to be denied; to be resented. In
the* blind struggle against the inevit
able f< If -assertion is the last resort.
"U'hat this inferior mind lacks in great
ness it must make up for by obstinacy
and aggressiveness. Day after day and
year after year it struggles for su
premacy by this fatal method, ajways
developing its egotism at the expense
of its judgment: always sacrificing its
best interests to avert Its threatened
loss of individuality.
This is a very subtle but very com
mon and very terrible evil in married
life. Few people have the meta
physical acumen io understand their
own motives or the operation of their
minds. It is a blind, instinctive and
desperate struggle for existence— the
existence of the personality! The fear
of being mentally absorbed is like the
fear of being bodily devoured. And
there is a genuine basis for the appre
hension, for it is a characteristic of
ell superior minds, or most of them,
to swallow up inferior ones. Power de
acends into tyranny as rivers descend
into the sea. There is a deep and ter
rible joy in dominating minds that are
beneath us. It is this delight that turns
men into brutes and women into vipers.
But if it is a real danger (and a dan
ecr to be avoided) that the very per
sonality of the weaker partner in the
greatest business, combination of all
time shon!d bo swallc-wed up and ex
tinguished, it is a still greater one that
St rhould become a self-assertive and
pavagc egotist. And the simple truth
of the matter is that home after home
has been wrecked because some vain
and stupid man or woman was not will
ing to acknowledge the superiority of
a nobler mind. Ftop for a moment and
think of the homes you have seen ship
wrecked on this rock. Stop and lnquJre
whether it may not be the peril of your
own.
But why should it be no terrible to
acknowledge that your husband is no
bler and larger than yourself? Be
thankful if it is so. Try to climb up
on his broad shoulders and see the
•woild through his eyes. What an op
portunity, to be in such close contact
with an intelligence nnd a character
so much greater than your own! If
you are modest and simple and true
to yourself, he will not crush you; he
will elevate you. He will not bully you;
he will enlighten you. Bend your proud
little neck to the yoke of his judgment.
Be less assertive and agg-essive. Sit
at his feet and learn. If it become
necessary— obey. Sometimes his mind
thas so much wider sweep than yours
that it will be far better for you' to be
like a child than a wife.
Axd there are women whe-se Judg- ;
» 1
t»ne which is lighter even than cork,
and the natives sometimes use it for
canoes and also as a float in crossing the
lanes of water which separate the isl
ands,. Usually the canoes used by the
natives are made of reeds, but not in
frequently a native transfers his family
and flocks from one island to another
by simply swimming across. The cat
tle become accustomed to this mode of
changing pasturage. Colonel Deste
nave estimates that the number of in
habited islands is about eighty, sup
porting a population of about 50.000
people. There are some 70.000 or 80.000
head of cattle on the islands, as well as
a number of horses.
A torpedo-boat ran amuck in the East River a few
days ago, and after inflicting material damage upon it
self and upon an unoffending ferry-boat was sent to
drydock for repairs. It is- all well enough for us to
clothe our fighting sailor men with the attribute of
being rough and ready, but it *might also be well to
consider that a little less roughness will be warrant of
more readiness when we need the boats for something
else than show.
THE Colusa Sun, which is easily the leading Demo
cratic paper of the State, says: "There is some
talk of the Democrats making the confirmation of
the Panama canal treaty an issue of the next campaign.
If they want a winnmg issue we would advise against it.','
The>Sun then proceeds to denounce the treaty and the
transaction'as so dishonest that "if it were relegated to
private transactions it would land . the perpetrator in
prison."
Then why not make an issue of it and prove to the
people that it is a transaction of such criminal character?
Surely the Sun is mistaken as to the nature of the mat
ter, or has no confidence at all in the honesty and honor
of the people, or in the capacity of the Democratic
party to make such an issue plain to the understanding.
But, is it such a transaction? Panama has repeatedly
been independent and has been subjugated by force by
New Granada and Colombia. The great Bolivar wanted
the canal. JHe wanted his own people to build it. He
prayed for peace among those whom he had freed from
Spain, in order that their armies might be set to digging
the waterway. But they would not be peaceable. They
would not rise to the height of his patriotic aspirations,
and he. died broken-hearted and left civil confusion, dis
honor and dishonesty among those whom he had hoped
to establish in civil stability and commercial progress.
The people of Panama appreciated his policy and pur
pose, and though often whipped have never lost the de
sire to regain their independence that they might pro
ject the greaf ideas of the Liberator. But they were held
down and prevented, though they have always repre
sented the policy of Bolivar and the best Central Ameri
can type. The Bogota government has insisted . upon
dictating isthmian policy. It has blocked every feasible
proposition for a canal, constructed either by private
American enterprise or by this nation.
At last, under circumstances of supreme provocation,
and after frank warning of their purpose, the isthmians
have again declared their independence, and again
Bogota has asserted sovereignty and ownership of. the
isthmus, with the power to continually block the canal.
The United States has only taken advantage of a situ
ation that was created at Bogota and not at Washington.
It has joined the other nations in recognition of the in
dependence of a sovereignty that wants the canal, and
has the power to grant all concessions, privileges, and
powers required for its construction. If there be in
the history of the transaction a taint of dishonesty, it is
upon Bogota and not upon Washington.
It is not becoming in an American to denounce his
own government as so dishonest in international mat
ters that it violates-either .the. law or the ethics govern
ing the conduct of individuals. The whole case was
stated by Lewis Cass, when Secretary of State under
Buchanan. As the Sun is Democratic, we ask it to con
sider this statement of Cass: "The progress of events
has rendered the interoceanic routes across the narrow
portion of Central America vastly important to the com
mercial world, and especially to the United States,
whose possessions extend along the Atlantic and Pacific
coasts, and demand the speediest and easiest, modes of
communication. While the rights of sovereignty of the
states occupying, this region should be always respected,
we shall expect that their rights be exercised in a spirit
befitting the occasion and the wants and circumstances
that have arisen. Sovereignty has its duties as welLas
its rights, and none of these local governments, even if
administered with more regard to the. just demands of
other nations than they have been, would be permitted
in a spirit of Eastern isolation close the gates of in
tercourse on the great highways of the world, and justify
the act by the pretension that these avenues of trade and
travelbelong to them and that they choose to shut them,
or/ what is almost equivalent, to incumber them with such
unjust relations as would prevent their general use."
Now will the. Sun or any other Democratic paper pre
tend that Cass and Buchanan would have done differently
from Roosevelt, and Hay? When Cass said that isth
mian sovereignty would "not be permitted" to do just
what Colombia did, will some one tell us how she would
not be permitted? Such permission could be forbidden
only by the use" of force, and in the situation created at
Bogota the only way to make 'good the policy of Cass
would have been direct and immediate war upon Colom
bia, without waiting for Panama to assert her former in
dependence -as a sovereign nation. We can reach no
other conclusion if the declaration of Cass, approved by
Buchanan, were a sincere statement of national policy
and not mere vaporing.
The Sun should remember that the Democratic party
indorsed the Ostend manifesto, and according to the
doctrine of that official declaration, applied to the
isthmian situation, what would that party have done
under the circumstances of the refusal of Bogota to
ratify the treaty and permit the canal? There is no
room for do.ubt thaj a Democratic President would have
considered himself fortunate to be able to stop short of
the theory of that manifesto, under which he would have
seized and annexed the isthmus. * We ask calm consider
ation of this great issue, every step in which taken by
President Roosevelt has been in conformity, to interna
tional right and law and honor.
A Message to Yohanna.
Policeman Flrnn thought that he
must have been a-dreaming. Over there
in the shadow of the gathering dusk
he spied the angular figure of a man
climbing, monkey-like, up a telegraph
pole. A coil of wire wa3 dangling from
the arm of the climber. Before Police
man Flynn could interfere the shadowy
figure on the pole had tossed one end of
his wire over a strand of electric light
wire and descended with the two loose
ends of the waving string of copper in
his mouth.
"Hel-lo, Yohanna." came in a shrill
voice from across the street. The blue
coat peered around the pole, and there
he saw the lanky figure of the man
standing with one end of the wire to
his ear and the other clenched in a flst
which he held to his mouth, trumpet
like.
"Hel-lo, Yohanna; I want vit you to
do some talking?. Hel-lo, vere is it dat
you is now — oh vy not you do some
speakings vit me — vit Fritz, your man?
Hel-lo, dere, Los Angeles — der dogs
bidt dose telephone voomens, dey give
me not mine vife down in Los Angeles
to hear some."
Policeman FIvnn thought that he had
better Interfere at this juncture, and he
gathered the lanky German into the
hurry-up barouche. The Commissioners
sent (he poor fellow up to Napa, where
he is still trying to telephone to Yo
hanna. Yohanna's death had unhinged
the mind of the German, but maybe
the messages which he tried daily to
send to her reached their far-off des
tination.
POLICY AND HONESTY.
than it was during his life/ but the whole potency is
vested in the tail. Hence the, good luck of him who
wears it. ¦'&;".
If there be any truth in this tale of the "Wandering
Crees," there should also be good luck to whomsoever
gives a luck bringing gopher tail -to a far off stranger,
and as a consequence there should be an abundance
awaiting the genial editor of the Manitoba Free Press,
who, it appears, has distributed 833 gopher' tails this
Christmas. Such being the case, it is not worth while to
wish him any more luck than is coming to him, but it is
nothing more than right for The Call to say he can never
get more than he deserves. •£.
ments exceed their husband's in, the
same way. It Is harder«for a man to
admit it. of course. But wh*y should
a man prefer smashing his home to
yielding to the swift, clear intuitions
of a wife whom God has enriched with
that noblest of jjll human endowments
— insight? 1: in toueh, no doubt, to
acknowledge that this little fair haired
woman whpm you made such boasts
of cherishing and protecting and de
fending should reveal a capacity that
throws all your moderate talents Into
the shade. But how great a blessing
her gifts might be to you. Be humble
in their presence. Give them your rev
erence. Do- not be a sneak and a pup
py. Do not dangle after her like some
august divinity. But thank heaven that
you have those clear eyes to see
through, and if you havl» been wreck
ing your business prospects and mis
managing your family affairs sit quiet
ly at the feet of this little clear eyed
woman and learn the deeper truths
which she sees by some divination that
you know not of.-
THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, THURSDAY; "DECEMBER 31. 1903.
THE SAN FRAJCISGQ CALL 1
JOHN D. SPRECKELS, Proprietor ..... . . .;. . ;Address All Communications to JOHN McNAUGHT, Manager
rublication O~lce. • Third nnd Market Streets, S. F.
THURSDAY ;......... ••••••• • • • -DECEMBER 31, 1903
INSTRUCTIVE STUDIES
BY NOTED MEN AND
WOMEN
TALK OF THE TOWN
AND TOPICS OF THE
TIMES
8