The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-12-30
The Mason County Journal.
6. c ANGLE. Editor and Proprietor

1898 has been year of,great growth
and development for the United States
renewal of the season of general pros
perity, and the closing year Of the
century opens with bright prospects
everywhere, and to all classes of citi-
zens. 1899 will be year of many
changes and of great things in this
great country,-and all should be in
harmony with this prevailing spirit.
THE real meaning of the open door
is simply guarantee of equal oppor-
tunity to trade and under like condi-
tions and it does not exclude tariff fOs
revenue Or protection which may be
thought necessary for the support OF
the government 1t simply mean that
there shall be discrimination. All the
questions raised by the anti-expansion-
lists have been thought Of and taken
into account by those who believe IN
growth 1t can be depended upon
that whatever the outcome existing in
dustries in the United States will
neither be destroy nor disturbed.-Ex.
EDITOR Conella, OF Everett, whose
trial for the killing of Ole Nelson in
Kitsap County during last week on a
change of venue, was acquitted Christ
mas morning, the jury deciding that
the killing was done under a strong
feeling of personal danger, and in self
defense. COnella's paper is something
of the Inconoclast order, and had the
trial taken place in SnOhomish
County, the editor would at least have
had to stand the penalty for man
slaughter At best, it was a close
shave for him, and should prove gen.
eral warning of the dangers attending
the packing of gun" in a peaceful
community.
SAYS the Mount Vernon Argus: ain
the Maine woods are number of
novelty mills which make millions OF
toothpicks, skewers, spools, checker,
dice, boxes, sleds, bicycle rims and
great many other articles. The timber
used is generally considered almost
worthless, such as is rejected by the Or
binary timber men. After the special
machinery is once erected, the products
can be turned out by the millions at
nominal cost. Yankee ingenuity and
thrift use up what would be refuse in
a county like Skagit." OF course this
applies, with added emphasis, to Ma.
son county woods, too.
ABOUT the worst disgrace the State
OF Washing ton has to endure is the
antlquated and tumble-down shack
which the people must call their
estate House" 1t has just been
braced up and fumigated for another
session of the legislature, and will pro-
badly stand the racket for another year.
With heritage of nearly 100000 acres
OF land in the state, already selected,
the gift of the Government for a state
capitol and about $3.50 600 lying idle in
the state school fund, to be invested in
state, county Or municipal bonds for
the permanent benefit of the schools
of the state, and further, foundation
already constructed upon which SUI
perstructure within our means could be
built,-there is no excuse for delaying
further in the capitol matter. The
lands are good security, and a few
years from now will be salable at good
prices.
FISHERMEN with headquarters in
Tacoma are deeply interested in COM
ing legislation regulating the fishing
industry. A hard fight, it is said, will
be made against traps. There are
about one hundred gill-net fishermen
here and they desire the suppression Of
the traps. The number of men en-
gagged in fishing with traps is variously
estimated. The fish commissioners
records show that there are $50 men
employed at the various trap stations
on Puget Sound, 470 on the Washing
ton sidoof the Columbus river and
about fifty in the Grays and Willapa
harbor districts. The investments
made by the trap men in the Puget
Sound district is placed at 1868, 900;
Columbia river, $259,O0 WillapaHar-
Dor district, $l9,444.-W. C. Trade.
AND now comes the Seattle Times.
and under the flaming headlines of
administration was ready for war
very early" tells that it is matter of
public record that President McKin-
ley's administration made active pre-
parations during January in anticipa-
ton of war and that the whole plan of
naval contes. was arranged, including
orders to Dewey to hold himself in
readiness to proceed at once to Man
lila. All of the preliminary arrange
ments were made In anticipation of
war,prior to the blowing up of the
Maine How do these statemen Ia