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Show Topics of tlie Day EXPERT TESTIMONY. Philadelphia Lder. The rotation of expert testimony to the administration of tho law has long bi:on the subject of discussion among lawyers and laymen. Tho expert lmo become a professional witness, anrl nis services r becoming moro nnd more in requisition in all important trials, Involving Involv-ing the sanity of testators, the genuineness genuine-ness of letters or other documents oliereii In ovldenco nnd In homlcldo cases. Sucli testimony la often necessary, but Its use Is subject to oo much nbuso thnt cmlnont lawyers hnvo proposod that It bo subjected subject-ed lo some form of special statutory regulation. In nn Interview on expert testimony In tho Baltimore American, ono of tho lending members of tho bar probably ox-preHaes ox-preHaes tho views of a large portion of the legnl profession. This lawyer says that tho sole legal function of nn expert should be to nHslnt the Jury by explaining matters of scientific knowledge, no that laymen enn comprehend. "It Is a form of testimony which, If It does not enlighten enlight-en tho Jury, often results In great evil This authority takes tho view that no case should Ije decided solely on tho conclusions con-clusions of experts. Ono of tho chief objections suggested to tho use of expert testimony Is that the expert Is prone to become practically ono of the counsel for the side which employs and pays him, "a fuct which Is llkoly to bring his testimony Into discredit." Thero aro roputablo experts, of course, whose testimony tes-timony Is strictly Judlolnl In its freedom from bias; but tho conflict of expert opinion tn a closo case Is at times extremely ex-tremely partisan In chnrncter, and tho trial becomen merely a battle o experts. THE COWBOY DYING OUT. "Washington Pon. This latest news from the Crow reservation res-ervation Is discouraging. Wo do not like to hear that tho genuine cowboy 16 dying out and that solemn, useful, commonplace common-place persons from tho Middle West nre taking up tho new lands, thus transform-lug transform-lug a Bccno of gayety Into one of plain, evory-day, humdrum Industry and thrift. Of course, wo wnnt to see the country prosper nnd near It hum with progress. But wo should llko to preserve at least n llttlo of the picturesque, tho Impulsive and tho primeval. It Isn't necessary to erase the cowboy entirely, to quench his thrilling whoop and to suppress hl6 belchtng revolver. Wo might easily set asldo a reservation where Col. Jack Ahcrnathy can catch wolves with his hands and the boyn shoot the lights out whonevor they get gay. Tho buffalo has been exterminated. Thoro la hardly a bear left that won't cat out of your hand If you lot him. Arc wo to pul Cinnamon Cinna-mon Tote to driving street cars and biro gun-fighters to feed pigs? DIAMONDS SOARING UPWARD. Seattle Times. Notwithstanding the tact that rubles aro made here on the Pacific coast, as was shown by tho Times last Sunday In a well-Illustrated article, and that there Is a rumor that diamonds are soon to bo manufactured by tho ton, In New York, so perfect that they cannot he called Imitations, tho precious Jewels continue to go skyward. Pearls, rubles, emeralds and diamonds aro climbing at a rapid rate nn tho London market, emeralds having advanced ad-vanced 60 per cent In two years and diamonds 25 per cent In tho same time, while the latter had advanced another 25 per cent In the two yenrs prior to that. The Jump In prices is due to tho deterioration dete-rioration of tho mines. In tho caso of diamonds tho stones are becoming fewer tn number, but the mines aro producing liner, whiter and more brilliant sIoiioh. So great Is the speculation In diamonds that one association has come into possession pos-session of 52,000,000 worth of the raro stones. They nro holding them for speculative specu-lative purposes, claiming that they will increnso in 'alue fully 25 per cent during the next two years. COUNTRY WITHOUT CRIME. Portland Orcgouion There Is absolutely no crime committed from year's end to year's end In Labrador. Labra-dor. A lone'ly peoplo In a lonely land, where there is no incentive to do anything any-thing but get enough to eat if possible, theso people live at poaco with themselves them-selves aud each other and are as nonprogressive non-progressive as wero tho Boera In South Africa before the time of Cecil Rhodos. They aro said, however, to be contented. If they have miseries they do not know it, nnd for the world beyond their lino of vision they have uelthor desiro nor curiosity. curi-osity. Let us not waslo pity upon these peoplo but congratulate them rather In that they are far ronioved from the strenuous lifo except as It applies to an offort to keep warm during ten months of tho year. Simple, unspoiled, contented, content-ed, It would be n pity to preclpltato them Into the strife known as civilization. |