Mr. Whitman is far stronger than his two competitors.

The announcement of ex-Governor William Sulzer that he will enter the Progressive primaries and "beat Davenport two to one" lends more variety to an already muddled situation. Apparently New York is in for a political Donnybrook Fair.

The action of the Republican State Chairman, William Barnes, in announcing that he will not be a candidate for re-election to his present position has perhaps caused more discussion in New York than any event in the political affairs of the State for several weeks. Mr. Barnes's friends say that, inasmuch as the State Chairman had previously declared that he would hold his position only long enough to thwart Mr. Roosevelt's plans, this announcement means that he considers the rout of the Roosevelt faction in State politics complete. On the other hand, many Progressives look upon the Barnes retirement under fire as a great political victory, which they declare will prove to be a very important factor in the complete defeat of bossism in New York. Those who are familiar with Mr. Barnes's record are asking what change in machine Republicanism in New York his pro forma retirement is likely to make when he still controls the State Committee through his personal henchmen. He was not Chairman when he successfully led the Republican machine against Governor Hughes.

A NEW

INDIAN QUESTION

Should the Nation or the State have jurisdiction over the Indians? Emphatically, the Nation. What is now going on in Oklahoma goes to prove it.

In 1908 the Federal Government surrendered a large part of its jurisdiction over the property of the Five Civilized Tribes to the probate courts of Oklahoma. At that time the Indians of the Five Civilized Tribes owned one-half of the land in Oklahoma, worth approximately seven hundred and fifty million dollars. It is estimated that more than one-half that estate has been dissipated and the Indians have nothing to show for it. Mr. M. L. Mott, tribal attorney for the Creek Indians, made a vigorous protest and predicted the wholesale looting of these Indians estates. The same view was expressed by Senator La Follette and others in Congress. These arguments were characterized by the Oklahoma Delegation in Congress as an insult

to their State. It was contended that the State courts could and would protect Indian minors. In 1912 Mr. Mott, after an investigation of the court records in eight of the counties comprising the Creek Nation, brought to Congress a report showing that the court costs and attorneys' and guardians' fees alone had consumed twenty per cent of the value of the estates probated, as compared with less than three per cent in the case of the estates of white minors probated in the same courts. The Hon. Warren K. Morehead, a member of the Board of Indian Commissioners, in 1913 made an extended investigation strongly corroborating the report of Mr. Mott. The Oklahoma Delegation in Congress at first denied the truth of this report, and requested the Governor of the State of Oklahoma to make an investigation. Governor's investigation verified the Mott report. The loss to these Indians, however, through the courts was the smallest part of the plunder, for many other methods were resorted to in the looting of minors' estates.

The

Up to this time the protests against the Oklahoma situation had come largely from outside the State. At last, however, a friendly voice is heard from an official from within the State. Miss Kate Barnard, the Oklahoma Commissioner of Charities and Correction, has recently issued a circular letter appealing to the citizenship of her own State and of the Nation for assistance in protecting the one-third of the Indian population of that State which has not already been despoiled of its property. She boldly charges the existence of a conspiracy extending from Oklahoma to Washington having for its purpose the plunder of the remaining thirty thousand restricted Indians.

The Department of Charities and Correction, over which Miss Barnard presides, is the only branch of government, State or Federal, clothed with legal authority to intervene in the State courts on behalf of Indian minors. Through her activity and the cooperation of Federal employees two years ago Miss Barnard intervened on behalf of a large number of Indian minors, forced dishonest guardians to pay back to their wards many thousands of dollars which they had squandered, and thus was in a fair way to put a wholesome check upon the programme of graft and corruption practiced through the probate courts. Then, she charges, because of her activities, influences hostile to the Indians working through the

State Legislature wrecked her Department by defeating appropriations necessary to employ attorneys to appear in the courts. She charges that the same influences which reached and controlled the State Legislature of Oklahoma have reached and controlled Congress and the present administration of Indian affairs; and in proof of the latter charge she cites two provisions of the Indian Bill for the fiscal year 1915 which were incorporated at the instance of the Oklahoma Delegation and indorsed by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. One of these provisions removes the two civil service heads of the administration of the Five Civilized Tribes and replaces them by one political appointee who is likely to owe his position to the Oklahoma Delegation. The other provision reduces the sum heretofore available for civil service employees needed to protect the interests of the Indians and substitutes an appropriation for Federal probate attorneys outside the civil service who are appointed also with the indorsement of the Oklahoma Delegation.

CAN THE STATE

PROTECT THE INDIANS?

The Commissioner of Indian Affairs claims that he has secured the adoption of a plan of co-operation between these Federal probate attorneys and the State courts of Oklahoma which will fully protect Indian minors in the future. Miss Barnard, on the other hand, points out the absolute lack of jurisdiction of the Federal probate attorneys to appear in the State courts, except with the sufferance of the county judges, who, it is charged, have been largely responsible for the wrongs complained of; and she declares that nothing can be expected from Federal attorneys appointed through influences hostile to the interest of the Indians, even if they had jurisdiction. She declares that the appropriation of eightyfive thousand dollars by the Federal Government to pay these attorneys to appear in the State courts is an admission to the country in the most public way possible that the courts of Oklahoma cannot be relied on to protect these Indian estates under their jurisdiction; and she appeals to her fellow-citizens to redeem the State's honor by appropriating funds to rehabilitate her Department and to enable it to exercise the protective functions vested in it by the Constitution and the laws of the State, and thereby demonstrate to the country that the property rights of Indian

children can and will be protected in that State.

Miss Barnard has lived in Oklahoma most of her life; her father was one of the pioneers; she is a Democrat. She ran ten thou

sand votes ahead of her ticket at the last election. She has declined a nomination for a third term, in order that she might not be charged with having selfish motives in making this appeal for her Department on behalf of the Indians of her State.

Miss Barnard's appeal is one of the most significant as well as one of the most hopeful recent signs in Indian affairs. The Government made a mistake when it surrendered to the State its jurisdiction over the Indians of Oklahoma. The question is: Can the evils resulting from that mistake be best remedied by the Government's retaking that jurisdiction, or by State legislation providing an adequate probate procedure and supplying appropriations sufficient to make effective the protective arm of the State Department of Charities and Correction? As bearing on that question we may say that history proves that locally elected judges furnish inadequate protection to the individual against injustice sanctioned by local prejudice.

The plan of co-operation between State probate courts and the politically appointed, jurisdictionless Federal probate attorneys by whom the Commissioner of Indian Affairs declares he is now protecting these Indians can have no other effect than to postpone the day of real and effective remedy through either State or Federal legislation. Either the State of Oklahoma should be compelled to enact legislation necessary for the protection of the interests the Government intrusted to its keeping, or the Federal Government should retake the jurisdiction which it mistakenly surrendered.

The fact that the Oklahoma influence has been strong enough to induce. a Commissioner of Indian Affairs to indorse the plan of substituting the spoils system for civil service in a State that contains one-third of the Indian population of the country, and where corruption and plunder of Indians is without precedent in the history of the Nation, affords the strongest argument of recent years in favor of removing the Bureau of Indian Affairs from partisan politics.

WAR AND AMERICAN COMMERCE

Very few ship-owners have taken advantage of the new registry legislation by which

Congress has made it possible to put under our flag any foreign-built but Americanowned ships doing a foreign (not coastwise) trade. What is the reason? Briefly,

it is because our Navigation Law, so the ship-owners allege, puts ships under American registry at a disadvantage. It is said that the cost of operating an American ship is a third more than that of operating a foreign vessel. This is not only because of higher American wages, but because the officers must be Americans, because the law imposes rules as to seamen's food, and because of certain alleged onerous requirements as to inspection and measurements. It is proposed that as an emergency measure the President should rescind or relax these measures for a time, as he has power to do.

Such a proposal should not be adopted hastily. It is important that our facilities. for commerce should be increased at this juncture, but it is at least equally important that the American seaman should be protected. We want our seamen to be decent, self-respecting citizens, skilled in their work, men to be depended upon in the hour of danger. They should therefore be well fed, well paid, and well officered. Congress has just been voting upon a shipping bill drawn for the purpose of protecting American seamen and of insuring safety at sea. That bill is now in conference, and as we write the press despatches state that it is to be deliberately "side-tracked" in order not to interfere with the new registry plan.

The Outlook believes in permitting Americans to buy ships where they will; the prohibition of this has been futile because it has not in the least fostered American ship-building. But The Outlook does not believe in lowering standards for American seamen nor in driving them off the sea to be replaced by Orientals and the lowest-paid workers of eastern Europe. On the contrary, it believes that the laws in their favor and for safety at sea should be radically strengthened. The just-passed Shipping Bill does this, although doubts exist as to the practicability of some of its requirements. Amend it if needed,

but do not abandon it.

Another difficulty about registry is said to be the fear of ship-owners that our Government may itself buy ships-the great German liners now in New York, for instance-and engage in the carrying trade. Congress is still, as we write, considering such a measure, an enlargement of the Panama Act per

mitting the United States to own and operate ships. Ship-owners say that it would be impossible to compete with Government-owned ships, because the Government would care nothing about profit and would sell the ships at a loss after the war is over, as it did after the Spanish War. It is urged also by other than ship-owners that it would be internationally embarrassing for our Government to defend the neutrality of such ships if the genuineness of the sale were called in question by a foreign admiralty court after seizure; on the other hand, it is said that foreign war-ships would be less likely to seize a vessel owned by our Government.

Meanwhile Great Britain has kept the seas open to commerce in a truly remarkable way; passengers are coming and going and goods are being shipped in considerable quantities; there seems to be some reason in the assertion of many exporters that the trouble is not so much lack of ships as lack of credit and exchange facilities between the United States and the warring nations.

Above all, what is needed is the formulation of a definite policy which the United States can follow in the building up of its merchant marine, so that this Nation will not again find itself in its present predicament of dependency upon belligerent nations for transportation of passengers and goods across the seas.

FOR PEACE

We do not think that this is a favorable time to urge peace upon the nations engaged in war. But it is a favorable time for making all the necessary preparations to intervene for the sake of peace when the proper time arrives for such intervention. We are therefore heartily in sympathy with the action which the New York Peace Society has taken, as we are with the spirit of its recommendations.

At the suggestion of this Society, a delegation, representing five Peace organizations, has waited upon the President to suggest to him that our Government request the nations signatory to the Hague Convention not involved in the present war, especially the neutral nations of Europe, to unite with our Government in making on the first favorable occasion a joint offer of mediation in the interests of humanity, civilization, and lasting peace." The careful reader will observe that this request is not to be proffered until the Administration thinks the occasion is favorable for proffering it. In presenting the sugges

tion to the Administration, the Committee rightly urged that the matter of supreme importance is not to bring an end to hostilities, desirable as this is, but to obtain a settlement of the controversy, when the time comes, on a basis which shall prevent hereafter the mistaken national policies and the hostile armaments which have caused the present war." And it also urges "that the whole civilized world is vitally concerned in securing the right settlement of the questions which will have to be considered and determined at the close of the war."

The Committee also suggests that, while we must wait for a favorable occasion before presenting such an offer of joint mediation, it is desirable to secure as soon as possible a concert of the neutral Governments in order that they may be ready to act together when the time comes.

FEDERAL RELIEF TO
STRANDED AMERICANS

It is estimated that at the outbreak of the war a hundred and fifty thousand Americans were traveling in Europe. The mobilization of troops so deranged normal conditions that it was beyond the power of individuals in America to help their friends abroad. Almost at once Congress appropriated $2,750,000 for relief, and on August 6 the President by executive order created a Board of Relief, consisting of the Secretary of the Treasury as Chairman, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of War, and the Secretary of the Navy. This Board has been administering the appropriation made by Congress. On Sunday, August 30, there was published in the New York "Tribune" a summary of three weeks of work as reported by the Federal Relief Board. The opening paragraph of this summary should be reassuring to all who have friends in Europe:

The situation is so greatly relieved at the present time that Americans anywhere upon the Continent can, by applying to the nearest embassy or legation, get in touch with people in this country, and get money if they need any, and can get transportation and passage home if they want it.

The Board reports that the most important thing it had to do was to place at the disposal of marooned Americans the necessary money with which they could support themselves until they could start for home; that the next most important thing was to get information concerning the whereabouts of

Americans; and the third most important thing was to secure opportunity for their

return.

The only vessels flying the American flag which could be used for the transportation of passengers across the Atlantic were six steamships in the transatlantic service and certain ships engaged in coastwise trade, small in size and mainly devoted to the carrying of cargoes. Two naval vessels were made ready to sail, and twenty-five or more army officers, headed by the Assistant Secretary of War, were detailed to go upon these vessels to lend their aid wherever necessary. Arrangements were made for the sending of $5,000,000 in gold by bankers, and $1,500,000 was sent by the Government. In addition there was money sent by individuals which was placed in the charge of these representatives of the Government. Moreover, a half-million dollars was sent to a designated English bank in Ottawa, and thus a credit to that amount was obtained at the Bank of England. The gold sent on the naval vessels, the Tennessee and North Carolina, has since reached Europe. The Board believes that with the resumption of sailings that had been suspended it is now "a mere matter of a comparatively short time" before Americans in Europe can secure transportation home. The Board adds that "wherever it was evident that there would not be a resumption of regular sailings sufficient to take care of the Americans, the consulate agencies were directed to secure ships for this purpose."

We are informed by the Chairman of the Relief Board, Secretary McAdoo, in reply to our request for information, that Americans in Europe who are without means and need help can obtain assistance by applying to American diplomatic and consular officers; that through these officers the Board endeavors, when so requested, to ascertain the whereabouts and welfare of Americans, make arrangements for their transportation, and arrange for such other help as may be needed; that under the Board's direction the Treasurer of the United States, as custodian, receives deposits from individuals for transmission to Americans in Europe; that the relief expedition sent with the gold from the Government is stationing officials at points in Europe with funds from the Tennessee for relief work and for payments to individuals of money deposited for them; and that communications for the Relief Board

may be addressed to its Chairman, the Secretary of the Treasury, at Washington, D. C.

NEGRO BUSINESS

Every year Negroes engaged in bus ness assemble to exchange accounts of their experience, and to get the encouragement that comes from knowing one another's success. This year the annual session of this National Negro Business League was held at Muskogee, Oklahoma.

The stories of struggle and success which were told there will be retold again and again by the delegates to Negro youth in the South and elsewhere, and will be the means of starting into new life many who find conditions hard. Negroes who had started with nothing but their bare hands and their ambition to achieve and had succeeded were cross-questioned by their hearers. They told of hardship, but also of persistence; of privation, but also of thrift. They told also of the willingness of good white men to stand behind the struggling Negro and give him advice and help.

Oklahoma and the five adjacent StatesKansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas-offer their two million Negroes remarkable opportunities in cattle raising, general farming, truck gardening, and poultry raising. These six States have one hundred and thirty million acres of unimproved land. To one who has seen the fields of France, where every inch seems to be utilized, this statement is full of significance for the future of this country, and for the future of the poor of all races here. In those six States there is, as Dr. Booker T. Washington said in his address before the League, room for "a thousand more grocery stores owned by Negroes, five hundred additional dry-goods stores, three hundred more shoe stores, two hundred more good restaurants and hotels, three hundred additional millinery stores, two hundred additional drug stores, and forty more banks." Dr. Washington's address was, in fact, a convincing statement of the opportunities that lie before the colored people of that region, and a summons to the Negroes to overcome their evils with good works and with a constructive policy in business, industry, education, moral and religious life, and conduct generally.

In connection with this meeting there was a spectacular industrial parade to show the Negroes' progress in Oklahoma. Decorated floats carrying men, women, and children

showed the Negroes' progress in the home, school, church, and various organizations; fine specimens of horses, mules, and cattle, and wagons containing cotton, grains, fruits, and vegetables, showed what the Negro is doing in agriculture; and demonstrations by Negro artisans showed what the Negroes were doing in industry.

"SANITATION FIRST"

FOR RAILWAYS

At the Convention of the American Medical Association in Atlantic City recently emphasis was laid on the importance of securing a higher standard of railroad sanitation" in the United States. The railways offer a comparatively new field for the efforts of the sanitary expert.

Some of the precautionary measures which the Association urges are the ventilation and fumigation of cars, the examination of railway employees for contagious and infectious diseases, the examination of all food and water offered to the traveling public, the abolition of the common drinking-cup and the roller-towel-which have already been abolished by many State Legislatures—the sanitation of railway lavatories, and the adoption of ordinary health measures in railway camps.

The Treasury Department has already established a regulation that on trains only ice and water shall be used for drinking purposes which have been certified by the State or municipal health authority within whose jurisdiction they are obtained; and as far as some of the other reforms urged by the convention of physicians are concerned, many of them have already been adopted by some railways -much to the credit of the wisdom and humanity of the officers controlling these lines. For instance, the Illinois Central, the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy, the Chicago and Northwestern Railways, and the Pullman Company each already employ a man called a "sanitarian," who serves as general health officer for each of these corporations. For some time dining-car employees on the New York, New Haven, and Hartford, the Pennsylvania, and other large systems have been subjected to periodical examinations for signs of tuberculosis or other diseases that might be communicated to diners, and the Lehigh Valley-which has been a pioneer so far as health measures are concerned-employs a physician whose sole duty it is to examine employees for indications of disease.

Some of the signs indicating that "sanita

L