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renter of Washington, one on Die Uoluinbla and
tho nlliPi on I lie Valciina river. They arc In-llio
friiil Mocllun or Oregon and one has an opportunity
1o we Nome excellent wimples of the best of all
fruits, the apple. Seattle Is having a veritable
Jtooni, being the natural distributing point for the
Alaska trade mid enjoying in addition Its .share
of the commerce across the Pacific. Seattle Is sit-
uaion on a series 01 inns iiiki somewnai n'sciimu's
Kansas City In Ibis respect, but the hills In Seal
lie, as in Kansas City, instead of discouraging llio
enterprise of the citizens, seem fo bo a stimulus.
Yakima Is as admirably sit anted as Seattle but
has been discriminated against by the railroads
since the Northwestern lias become an ally of the
fireat Northern. Olyinpin, the capital of the state,
wiine a pleasant residence city, lias not snared
in the commercial development like its sisters,
Seattle and Tacomn. Portland has grown won
derfully in (lie past decade and hils an assured
fiiinrit
of the most sublime mountain views in the world.
From a hill in the suburbs of Portland one can
Hee the snowclad ponies of Mount Hood, Mount
Adams and SI. Helens. Few cities of the size
are so near to mounlain peaks, and none combine
mountain scenery with (lint along a river like the
Columbia. We stopped at Eugene, where the
Oregon State University Is located, and again at
Asliland, (lie main city of southern Oregon. In
Hils stale, also, apples of a liiirh irrndo are irmwn.
Hood Ulver the Spit.enberg Is the favorite.
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England.
At Santa ltosa, Cal., we saw (ho first evidences
of the earthquake that visited the Pacific coast:
last year, but the city is rapidly recuperating. At
litis place we had the pleasure or meeting the fa
mous P.urbank, whose success in introducing new
plants has given him the name of the Wizard.
I Jo is Just now devoting a large share of ills time
jf the propagating of the spineless cactus, which
Is destined to convert the arid lands of the desert
info valuable pastures, for the cattle are very
fond of (lie spineless cactus.
At San Francisco we saw the devastation
wrought by (lie lives that followed (lit' earthquake.
The city presents a scene of desolation surpassing
our Imagination, but (lie citizens have gone to
wov.'f.. heroically to rebuild the town, and while
they have a vast task before them, there is no
doubt tJiaf Iho dty will in the end be more beau
tiful even than it was before the fateful lays of
last April. Ex-Mayor Pholnn, who Is in charge
of the relief fund, showed us over the city and
gave us a brief description of the splendid work
which the commission has accomplished.
At San Jose,fCa1.f we found a flourishing citv
muToumled by the most celebrated prune groves
ot the worUl. A large percentage of (ho entire
prune crop conies from this Immediate vicinity
and as It is a continuing crop, the city is bui'lt
uiion an enduring basis.
Hnn1'0 uAiKU,H i,s ,JllCOIWlnilt surprise to the vis
itor. At first a health resort, it 1ms become a
great manufacturing city and is destined to pliy
an important part in (lie development of Oriental
mid South American trade. Pasidena, the pop lar
Health resort, Is but a few miles distant, m d t ere
one sees many beautiful villas which serve as
winter homes for the wealthy families of xhl
An electric car line connects Los Angleles with
t. Lowe, and connects with a cable roiul and n
other electric line carrying the visitors o a elgh
0 some i.ve thousand feet. One can have a va-
s p the rIo,rs in o
01 tlie j ear. He can gather snowballs on Ml
Lowe, and returning through tlie orange groves
laden with yellow fruit, can within a few C,.
enjoy (he surf, (he ocean water ems pmctlcallv
the same temperature the year round 1UaUlclUly
rsear Los Angeles is the lslaud of Catllina it
8 some twenty-hvo miles from the main "ud'ai 1
s (he summer resort of southern Ca ifon The
taost attractive feature of the ishiml L i,
marine garden. Perhaps I ouriit to Liv l i8Ub"
for at several points aouncT'me ?sl dTle'S
plants present a most Interesting slJlit Mm t
soon- through glass-bottom Ti A ,S n
Plant life and the llshes o different 1 lnd?Im? f
VTrz$S rou? rannh
Ihrough the orange .-roves n? ' ml I)asse1
source of won ltli tS Imiti, y1)eon such a
brought lmt-k i lnr S"n' We
which democrats brou-ht o thn . , tho orans
npjod eastward ulou"ut to lho m as we jour-
The Commoner.
ding to their population, and each year substan
tial buildings take the place of more temporary
structures.
Grand Junction, Colo., another city visited,
presented a remarkable illustration of the value
of Irrigation. Some of the orchards in this favored
locality have sold for from fifteen hundred to
lwen(y-fivo hundred dollars an acre and are today
paying interest upon that valuation. Laramie,
Wyo., is the home of tlie Slate University and has
the distinction of being one of the highest cities
In llio United Stales. Its altitude is about 7,100
feet, and it lies in a plateau on the top of tho
Rockies, the mountain ridge of tlie range lying
to (he west of it while to the east of it another
spur of (he Kockies rises to the height of about
8,0(10 feet.
In the course of the journey I addressed the
legislatures of Montana, Washington, Oregon and
Wyoming, the imitation being oven more appre
ciated because the republicans have a majority
in all of these bodies. The invitation extended by
tlie House of Representatives of Utah could not be
accepted owing to lack of time.
I attended democratic banquets during the
month's absence at Spokane, North Yakima, Seat
tle, Tacomn and Los Angeles; addressed a dem
ocratic meeting at Salem, Ore., at which Governor
Chamberlain presided; attended non-partisan
dinners at Livingston, Helena and Missoula,
Mont., Wena tehee and Pullman, Wash., Santa
Rosa, Los Angeles, Salt Lake and Laramie and
Cheyenne, Wyo. When I add that I enjoyed the
hospitality of Governor Toole of Montana, and
Governor Mead ot' Washington, and addressed
numerous schools, colleges and other non-partisan
gatherings, tlie leader will not doubt that the
month was fully and pleasantly occupied.
The whole '.vest is aroused on the subject of
railroads, having suffered from a car shortage,
coal famine and discriminating rates. One of the
train crew on the Northern Pacific complained
that since that road had passed under the Hill
influence the effort to increase the tonnage with
out Increasing tlie operating expenses had resulted
in the overworking of the employes, the man. In
question having been twenty-four hours without
sleep. The citizens of tlie coast are expecting
great things from the Milwaukee and from the
Gould road which is approaching San Francisco
from Salt Lake.
The Japanese question is the subject of para
mount importance. It is interesting to see what
staunch defenders of the reserved rights of tlie
state tho republicans of California, Washington
and Oregon have become. They appreciate the
importance of state control of schools, and yet, a
year ago it would have been difficult to have in
terested them in a discussion of the line which
separates the state from the nation. Abstract
theories do not attract much attention but it is
different when the theories are applied to import
ant questions.
Tho readers of The Commoner will be glad 1o
know that there is no division among the demo
crats of tho west as to tho next campaign. They
are unanimous in tlie belief that the democratic
party should move forward in the reforms which
were set forth in tho platforms of 189G and 1900.
There is no disposition anywhere to compromise
with predatory wealth or to make tlie party the
apologist for the monopolies which are now prey
ing upon the wealth producers. The democrats
of the coast states appreciate the educational
work that President Roosevelt has done but they
do not expect reform from tlie republican leaders
because of the influence which corporate wealth
exerts over the republican organization. There
is apparent everywhere tlie enthusiasm that was
manifested among the democrats in 1800, while
among the republicans there is doubt and division
The signs indicate that the West is ready to loin
tho South and the Mississippi Valley in the iuau -uration
of reform. a
oooo
RATE LEGISLATION NECESSARY
The democrats in congress and in every stale
should urge legislation authorizing the various
railway commissions to ascertain the present value
ot the railroads, measured by the cost of ropro
duclng them. Senator La Follette offered in
amendment to the rate bill when it was before
the senate authorizing the Interstate Commerce
Commission to ascertain tho value of all the r-ilN
roads in the United States. The democrats sup.
ported the amendment but every republican sen
ator except La Follette voted against it The
vote on this amendment demonstrated vorv
clearly uiat the icpublican leaders do not desire
effective regulation, for how can the commission
determine what late is reasonable without know"
ing upon what valuation the roads should I be nev
mltted to collect dividends? The demwts ?n
congress should lenew the fight and urge the n?
sago of a law giving tills power to the 5ntm4
Commerce Commission. Put the rSSbHcSS
yOLtMB7, NUMBER 5
v
record so that the voters can see how empty irft
tho promises of reform made by the republican
loaders. In each state tho democrats should -it
tempt to confer this power on state commission V
When government ownership is suggested, reiruh
tion is offered as a substitute, but when real -in 1
effective regulation is attempted it is strenuousiv
opposed by tlie very same persons who oppose
government ownership. Now is a good tihie ;or
the democrats fo nnmask tlie pretenders. It is
ifot enough to stop rebates; while this puts a'l
shippers on an equal footing it really helps the
railroads more than it does the general public
The larger problem is tlie protection of tho pui
lie from extortionate rates and this problem can
not be undertaken until we know how much of
tho present capitalization is real value and h.w
much is water. The iirst thing to be done is to
separate the real from the fictitious. Now is die
time to act.
OOOO
t INTERLOCKING CORPORATIONS
Kocent investigations show that the various
railroads are buying stock in each other. They
should not be permitted to do so and a brief
statute would prevent it. For instance: "It shall
be unlawful for any railroad engaged in Interstate
commerce to own any stock in any other railroad
and it shall likewise be unlawful for any of the
directors or officials of any railroad to own stock
in any other railroad." Such a statute with the
necessary provisions for its enforcement is needed
at this time. Have the railroads influence enough
to prevent tlie passage of such a measure?
OOOO
SOCIETY'S BAN
A reader of The Commoner directs attention
to the following extract from an editorial that ap
peared in the New York Sun: "The great, and for
tlie present the insuperable, obstacle to substan
tial betterment in public life is the apathy and in
difference of society. So long as society approves,
countenances and tolerates scoundrels who have
successfully eluded the police, the criminal courts
and the jails, so long will rascality continue to
thrive. If society would refuse to 'know'
men of known flagitious lives and of established
evil reputation; if it would drop them from its
visiting list, cut them in the street and avoid
them at the club; if otherwise reputable and,un,
besmirched men would refuse to serve with them
on the directorates of corporations or on vestries
or in all honorary associations, then we should see
a very different state of affairs. Avoidance of tlie
ruder penalties of the law would not be the only
solicitude of the 'criminal rich,' for there is one
thing that they dread more than the courts, more
than the penitentiary and more than all else, more
even than they dread poverty, and that is society's
formal decree of 11011 possumus."
It may be a little difficult to find anyone hav
ing the authority to put the ban as suggested by
the Sun. But while waiting for "society's formal
decree of non possumus," we might try the ex
periment of putting in the penitentiary some of
the "criminal rich" who prey upon the necessities
ot the people. If tlie Sun's "society decree" is
good for the "criminal rich," why not apply It to
the criminal poor? Yet the Sun would be the
very first to protest if a common every day thief
were given the benefit of the Sun's plan for the
'punishment" of those who violate the law.
OOOO
GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE
Reference has been made to tlie manner in
which a liberal government has contributed to the
spread of education in Japan; in China the spread
ot education is paving tlie way for a more liberal
government. These two prime factors in progress
act and react upon each other. The more univer
sal the education, the more insistent tlie demand
for popular government; tlie more liberal the gov
ernment, the greater the headway education
makes.
rZ siJ-"nHn in Indl does not differ materially
from that farther east, except that the Indians are
less free to work out their own destiny than are
the people of Japan and China.
The British government, by playing one na
tive ruler against another and by taking advant
ngeoltlioeiimity existing between the adherents
ot different religions, secured control over the
enormous population of India. The defenders of
Sfh riV0m?ft llmt Britlsh courts administer
t o nnnnln 'PI i S'antCed tO
the people. They take credit unto tlie government
iL? improSment wroBt by the people
ltiin of Warron Hastings. The Indian,
?miS fn 'J11'1' ,Yl! le admltUng that English
io&,?Ckle imiT lally between two Indians or
.lWe? tw an?"8l"ncn, deny that they are en-
thely free from bias when the controversy Is b-
.'fe ,! AiW.